Day's Headlines: Byzantine Destruction; NK Workers Defect; Fingerprint Currency; Pope Welcomes More to False Church; Automated Guardian Angel; Robotic Chef; Robots Without Knees Work Too; Embryos Edited Again; and SpaceX - Rocket Launch in Reverse

Friday, April 8, 2016

Byzantine Destruction; NK Workers Defect; Fingerprint Currency; Pope Welcomes More to False Church; Automated Guardian Angel; Robotic Chef; Robots Without Knees Work Too; Embryos Edited Again; and SpaceX - Rocket Launch in Reverse

Archeaology

Palestinian Christians bitter over destruction of church ruins in Gaza jpost

Palestine Christians on Wednesday expressed anger over the way the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have handled the ancient ruins of a Byzantine church that were uncovered in Gaza City last week.

See also Builders find remnants from Byzantine period in Gaza

Islamic State nets millions selling plundered antiquities online smh.au

According to Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, IS is making up to $265 million a year by smuggling and selling looted jewellery, coins and other precious archaeological items through auction sites and specialist online stores.

North Korea

Thirteen North Korean restaurant workers defect to South Korea theguardian

Jeong claimed it was unprecedented for so many people to have defected from the same North Korean restaurant abroad. It is also unusual for South Korea to make a formal announcement about defections, or to even comment on them. Jeong said the government decided to go public about the arrivals because of the unusual nature of the defections.

Cashless Society

Fingerprints to be tested as ‘currency’ the-japan-news

Starting this summer, the [Japanese] government will test a system in which foreign tourists will be able to verify their identities and buy things at stores using only their fingerprints.

False Religion

Pope to church: Be more accepting of divorced Catholics, gays and lesbians cnn

"By thinking that everything is black and white, we sometimes close off the way of grace and growth," he writes.

Self-Driving Cars

Toyota Joins the Race for Self-Driving Cars with an Invisible Copilot technologyreview

Toyota’s researchers are developing what they call a “guardian angel” system that will automatically take control of a vehicle, or subtly adjust a driver’s actions, in order to avert danger. In contrast to other companies working on self-driving vehicles, the Japanese carmaker sees combining machine and human driving as a key step toward full autonomy.

Robots

THE WORLD'S FIRST ROBOTIC KITCHEN moley

Moley has created the world's first robotic kitchen. Featuring an advanced, fully functional robot integrated into a beautifully designed, professional kitchen, it cooks with the skill and flair of a master chef. The prototype was premiered to widespread acclaim at Hanover Messe, the international robotics show.

Includes fascinating video.

Alphabet’s secretive Schaft Inc. shows off new bipedal robot in Tokyo techcrunch

There’s a new bot in town (Tokyo, specifically), and while it might not be as cute as Nao, as creepy as Spot and BigDog or as anthropomorphic as Atlas, it might be more practical than all of them. It walks on two legs, but not like a man, or even a bear. This one, designed by Alphabet-owned Schaft Inc., has its own uniquely robotic form of locomotion.

Includes a video. A step in the direction of more functional and less creepy robot :)

Genetics

Chinese Researchers Experiment with Making HIV-Proof Embryos technologyreview

Chinese fertility doctors have tried to make HIV-proof human embryos, but the experiments ended in a bust. The new report is the second time researchers in China revealed that they had a go at making genetically modified human embryos.

Space Tech

SpaceX just made history and landed a rocket on a ship techinsider.io

But the huge, history-making moment — causing everyone at SpaceX to lose their minds in a roar of applause during a live webcast — was when the company landed a rocket on a ship at sea.

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