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Friday, March 29, 2013
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Spamhaus targeted by most powerful DDoS strike in history
Spamhaus, a nonprofit that maintains blacklists of spammers, is the target of a massive denial of service assault.?
Spamhaus, an anti-spam organization, has been attacked by hackers.
Reuters
EnlargeSpamhaus, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in both London and Geneva, was founded in 1998, with the goal of identifying and helping to block large quantities of spam. According to its website, Spamhaus currently maintains several large block lists, which are used by a range of universities, Internet service providers, military institutions, and corporations to shield computers from the "vast majority of spam sent out on the Internet."?
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But if you spend your time identifying professional spammers, you're going to end up ticking off a few people. The latest broadside against Spamhaus came earlier this month, when the organization added a company called?Cyberbunker to its blacklist.
Supporters of Cyberbunker, a Web-hosting site based in the Netherlands, then reportedly launched a massive denial-of-service, or DDoS, attack against Spamhaus.?
By yesterday, those attacks were coming in at a whopping 300 gigabits per second, nearly overwhelming the Spamhaus site. Sites such as Boing Boing and the Register have called it the?worst such assault in public Internet history.
In an interview with the BBC, Steve Linford, chief executive for Spamhaus, said that his team had managed to keep company servers online.?"We've been under this cyber-attack for well over a week," Linford said. "But we're up ? they haven't been able to knock us down. Our engineers are doing an immense job in keeping it up - this sort of attack would take down pretty much anything else."
Meanwhile, over at VentureBeat, John Koetsier agrees that the 300 gigabites per second of incoming data does constitute the "biggest-ever DDOS attack." But he points out that the scale of the attack was largely confined to Western Europe; thus far, the US remains largely unaffected.?
Last fall, several major banking institutions in the US, including?JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, and PNC Bank, were hit by DDoS barrages.?
"What these attacks appear to have shown is there are some attackers that have a full suite of DDoS methods," Matthew Prince, CEO of security company Cloud Flare told Ars Technica at the time, "and they're trying all kinds of different things and continually shifting until they find something that works. It's still cavemen using clubs, but they have a whole toolbox full of different clubs they can use depending on what the situation calls for."
For?more tech news, follow us on?Twitter @venturenaut.
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
Dems criticize GOP support of fed marriage act
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The cost to taxpayers for a House Republican decision to fund the legal team supporting the Defense of Marriage Act has climbed from $500,000 to as much as $3 million, Democrats say in questioning the GOP stance on the gay marriage issue now before the Supreme Court.
"It's really disappointing and unworthy of a subject that is going before the Supreme Court of our country," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday, referring to Republicans spending that money without input from House Democrats. Pelosi made the comments after emerging from the court hearing on whether to strike down parts of the 1996 law that denies married gay couples the federal benefits available to other couples.
She said Democrats had no input in several modifications to the legal contract that has increased the ceiling for spending on the legal defense of DOMA from the initial $500,000 to $3 million.
Shortly after the administration of President Barack Obama in early 2011 declared that DOMA was not constitutional, House Republicans convened a meeting of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group and, according to Pelosi, used their 3-2 majority to authorize funds to defend the law. Pelosi said the advisory group held no more meetings on the issue and that Republicans acted on their own to increase the funding ceiling as the case dragged on. Paul Clement, one of Washington's most prominent attorney's was hired to argue the case for DOMA supporters.
"Again, $3 million speaks very loudly, especially $3 million that has gone forth without benefit of a vote in the so-called Bipartisan (Legal) Advisory Group," Pelosi said.
House Speaker John Boehner, at a news conference last week, defended the GOP role in the lawsuit, saying that Congress passed the law in 1996, President Bill Clinton signed it, "and in our system of government, the administration doesn't get to decide what's constitutional. The Supreme Court does. And our financing the lawsuit was to make sure that the proper forum was used to make sure that we know what's constitutional and what isn't."
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., at a recent Appropriations subcommittee hearing on congressional budgets, also questioned why the House was spending up to $3 million to defend DOMA when the personal staff budgets of House lawmakers were being cut 8.2 percent because of automatic budget cuts.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dems-criticize-gop-support-fed-192017299.html
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Controversial worm keeps its position as progenitor of humankind
Mar. 27, 2013 ? Researchers are arguing about whether or not the Xenoturbella bocki worm is the progenitor of humankind. But new studies indicate that this is actually the case.
Swedish researchers from the University of Gothenburg and the Gothenburg Natural History Museum are involved in the international study. The results have been published in Nature Communications.
The Xenoturbella bocki worm is a one-centimetre long worm with a simple body plan that is only found regularly by the west coast of Sweden. The worm lacks a brain, sexual organs and other vital organs.
Zoologists have long disagreed about whether or not the Xenoturbella bocki worm holds a key position in the animal tree of life. If it does have a key position, it is very important for the understanding of the evolutionary development of organs and cell functions, such as stem cells, for example. The question is therefore not only important in the field of biology, but also for potential biomedical applications.
"It's absolutely fantastic that one of the key evolutionary organisms in the animal kingdom lives right on the doorstep of the University of Gothenburg's Centre for Marine Research. And this is actually the only place in the whole world where you can do research on the creature," says Matthias Obst from the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg.
Genetic studies indicate that the Xenoturbella bocki worm belongs to the group of deuterostomes, the exclusive group to which human's belongs.
"So maybe we're more closely related to the Xenoturbella bocki worm, which doesn't have a brain, than we are to lobsters and flies, for example," says Matthias Obst.
Even though the worm does not particularly resemble man, development biologists have referred to the fact that the early embryonic development of the worm may display similarities with the group to which man belongs. But the problem has been that no one has previously been able to see the development of the creature.
But now a group of researchers at the Sven Lov?n Centre for Marine Sciences and the Gothenburg Natural History Museum have succeeded in doing what no one else has done before: to isolate newly born little Xenoturbella bocki worms.
"And these new-born worms revealed absolutely no remnants at all of advanced features! Instead, they exhibit similarities with quite simple, ancient animals such as corals and sponges," says Matthias Obst.
The studies also reveal the value of the University of Gothenburg's marine stations for important basic research.
"The Lov?n Centre at the University of Gothenburg is the only place in the whole world where you can study this paradoxical animal (in Swedish called 'Paradox worm'). That's one reason why researchers come from all over the world to Gullmarsfjorden to solve one of the great mysteries in the evolution of animal life," says Matthias Obst.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Gothenburg, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Hiroaki Nakano, Kennet Lundin, Sarah J. Bourlat, Maximilian J. Telford, Peter Funch, Jens R. Nyengaard, Matthias Obst, Michael C. Thorndyke. Xenoturbella bocki exhibits direct development with similarities to Acoelomorpha. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1537 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2556
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Tunisia MP stirs row after female circumcision remarks | Morocco ...
?TUNIS, March 11, 2013 (AFP)
Lawmakers from Tunisia?s secular opposition Monday denounced remarks attributed to an MP from the Islamist Ennahda party that female circumcisions in Africa are carried out for ?aesthetic? reasons.
?It is unacceptable that a member promotes crimes against women,? lawmaker Nadia Shaaban said in the National Constituent Assembly, referring to remarks purportedly made by Habib Ellouze, an MP from the ruling Ennahda.
?In the (African) regions where it is hot, people are forced to circumcise girls ? because in these regions clitorises are too big which affects the spouses,? Ellouze was quoted in an interview published in the Sunday edition of Maghreb newspaper as saying.
?There are more circumcisions but it is not true that circumcision removes the pleasure for women. It is the West that has exaggerated the issue. Circumcision is an aesthetic surgery for women,? he was quoted as saying.
Ellouze on Monday accused the newspaper of distorting his quotes, saying the journalist ?attributed remarks to me that I have not said.?
?She insisted that I respond to the question and I told her that it is a tradition in other countries,? Ellouze said in the assembly.
Ennahda, which heads the Tunisian government, is regularly accused of orchestrating a creeping Islamisation of society and seeks to limit the rights of women. Ennahda denies these charges.
The International Organisation of Migration says that around 100 to 140 million women have undergone female genital mutilations around the world, mainly in Africa.
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Friday, March 8, 2013
Akron guard pleads not guilty to drug charges
FILE - In this March 10, 2012 file photo, Akron's Alex Abreu (11) tries to get past Ohio's Reggie Keely (30) in the first half during an NCAA college basketball championship game in the Mid-American Conference men's tournament in Cleveland. Abreu, from Puerto Rico, plead not guilty to trafficking and possession of marijuana in Municipal Court on Friday, March 8, 2013, one day after he was arrested by police for allegedly accepting a package containing 5 pounds of marijuana. The junior has been suspended indefinitely from the Zips, who play their regular-season finale at home against Kent State on Friday. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
FILE - In this March 10, 2012 file photo, Akron's Alex Abreu (11) tries to get past Ohio's Reggie Keely (30) in the first half during an NCAA college basketball championship game in the Mid-American Conference men's tournament in Cleveland. Abreu, from Puerto Rico, plead not guilty to trafficking and possession of marijuana in Municipal Court on Friday, March 8, 2013, one day after he was arrested by police for allegedly accepting a package containing 5 pounds of marijuana. The junior has been suspended indefinitely from the Zips, who play their regular-season finale at home against Kent State on Friday. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
CLEVELAND (AP) ? Akron's special season has hit a stunning snag.
Zips starting point guard Alex Abreu pleaded not guilty to trafficking and possession of marijuana on Friday, hours before his teammates played rival Kent State in their regular-season finale ? on senior night ? without the junior floor general and inspirational leader. Abreu has been suspended indefinitely, pending the outcome of the police investigation.
Abreu appeared via closed-circuit TV from jail in Akron Municipal Court. On Thursday, the 21-year-old and Austin L. Durgala, 18, were arrested by police for allegedly accepting a package containing 5 pounds of marijuana. According to police, narcotic-unit detectives arrested Abreu and Durgala at the latter's residence.
Abreu posted $5,000 bond and was released from the Summit County Jail at around 6 p.m. He offered only one "no comment" to reporters before he and Durgala got in a car and were driven away. Abreu is due back in court March 22, when the Zips hope to be playing in the NCAA tournament.
But without Abreu, Akron's run to make the NCAA field for the third time since 2009 will be much more challenging.
Although the Zips (24-5, 14-1) recently won 19 straight games and will be the No. 1 seed in next week's Mid-American Conference tournament, they'll need to win the tourney to get the league's automatic NCAA bid. If Akron doesn't capture the championship, there's no guarantee they'll get one of the coveted at-large bids awarded by the selection committee.
The MAC has not had two teams in the NCAA tourney since 1999.
With experience, size, balance and depth, these Zips have all the makings of one that could bust brackets in March. Abreu, a three-year starter who found his way to Akron from his native Puerto Rico, averages 10.3 points and 6.3 assists, many of them going to 7-foot center Zeke Marshall, who gives Akron an inside presence to play with any team from any conference.
Beyond his stat line, the fiery Abreu has had a steadying hand for the Zips, who had the nation's longest winning streak before they were beaten last week at Buffalo ? Akron's first loss since Dec. 15.
Akron had lost a pair of non-conference games while Abreu was hurt, and coach Ken Dambrot was hoping the NCAA selection committee would take that into account if the Zips were under consideration. Now, assuming Abreu's suspension continues, his off-the-floor issues could keep Akron out unless they can avoid being knocked out of the always competitive MAC tournament at Quicken Loans Arena.
During an interview with The Associated Press last month, Dambrot praised Abreu's toughness for playing through a sprained ankle earlier this season.
Abreu said he didn't even know which state Akron was in before he visited the school, and was proud that the Zips were finally getting some national recognition because of their winning streak.
"We deserve more respect than we have gotten," he said. "We have a wonderful coach and a wonderful program."
Freshman Carmelo Betancourt is expected to start in place of Abreu. Betancourt, who is also from Puerto Rico, has made one start this season and averages 1.8 points and 1.4 assists.
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
Stressed-out tadpoles grow larger tails to escape predators
Mar. 5, 2013 ? When people or animals are thrust into threatening situations such as combat or attack by a predator, stress hormones are released to help prepare the organism to defend itself or to rapidly escape from danger -- the so-called fight-or-flight response.
Now University of Michigan researchers have demonstrated for the first time that stress hormones are also responsible for altering the body shape of developing animals, in this case the humble tadpole, so they are better equipped to survive predator attacks.
Through a series of experiments conducted at field sites and in the laboratory, U-M researchers demonstrated that prolonged exposure to a stress hormone enabled tadpoles to increase the size of their tails, which improved their ability to avoid lethal predator attacks.
"This is the first clear demonstration that a stress hormone produced by the animal can actually cause a morphological change, a change in body shape, that improves their survival in the presence of lethal predators. It's a survival response," said Robert Denver, a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and of ecology and evolutionary biology.
The team's surprising findings are detailed in a paper to be published online March 5 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. First author of the paper is Jessica Middlemis Maher, a former U-M doctoral student, now at Michigan State University, who conducted the work for her dissertation.
Scientists have long known that environmental changes can prompt animals and plants to alter their morphology and physiology, as well as the timing of developmental events. For example, tadpoles can accelerate metamorphosis into frogs in response to a drying pond, a high density of predators or a lack of food.
The term "phenotypic plasticity" is used to describe modifications by animals and plants in response to a changing environment.
"There's been a lot of interest in phenotypic plasticity among developmental biologists and evolutionary ecologists for more than 70 years, but there's been relatively little focus on the mechanisms by which the environmental signal is translated into a functional response," Denver said.
"We've known, for example, that tadpoles can change their body shape in response to predation risk. But until now, nobody knew the basic physiological mechanisms mediating that response. That's what's novel about this study."
The study involved wood frog tadpoles and the stress hormone corticosterone, which is similar to the human stress hormone cortisol. Tadpoles were collected from ponds at U-M's E.S. George Reserve in Pinckney, Mich., northwest of Ann Arbor.
Some of the tadpoles were reared in tanks at the reserve. Dragonfly larvae, which are known predators of tadpoles, were placed in small cages inside the tanks and were fed live tadpoles. When under attack, tadpoles release chemical signals called pheromones that travel through the water to alert other tadpoles to the presence of predators. The researchers found that tadpoles repeatedly exposed to the alarm pheromone over several days showed elevated whole-body levels of corticosterone.
In the laboratory, other tadpoles were exposed either to the alarm pheromone, to corticosterone or to a chemical that blocks the synthesis of the stress hormone. Over the course of several days, tadpoles treated with either the pheromone or the stress hormone developed deeper tails and shorter trunks than control animals, while tadpoles treated with the pheromone and the hormone inhibitor had shallower tails and longer trunks than those exposed to the pheromone alone.
"A key finding was showing that you could eliminate the effect of the alarm pheromone on tadpole body shape by blocking the production of the stress hormone," Denver said. "If you block production of the animal's hormone and it inhibits the change in tail size, then that's a powerful argument that the production of corticosterone is physiologically important for the morphological change."
In another experiment, tadpole tails were placed in a petri dish containing corticosterone. Over the course of several days the tails grew larger, suggesting that the hormone was acting directly on the tail to make it grow.
"The action of the stress hormone on the tail to cause it to grow was unexpected because in adult vertebrates, including humans, prolonged exposure to stress hormones typically inhibits the growth of tissues," Denver said. "In humans, chronic stress causes muscle wasting."
In another set of experiments, normal-tailed tadpoles and large-tailed tadpoles produced by exposure to corticosterone or alarm pheromone were placed in tanks containing uncaged dragonfly larvae, which were allowed to attack the tadpoles. The large-tailed tadpoles had a higher survival rate than their smaller-tailed neighbors.
The third author of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B paper is Earl Werner, director of the E.S. George Reserve and a professor in the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
All experiments were conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the University Committee on the Use and Care of Animals at the University of Michigan. The work was supported by the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and by several grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Michigan.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- J. Middlemis Maher, E. E. Werner, R. J. Denver. Stress hormones mediate predator-induced phenotypic plasticity in amphibian tadpoles. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2013; 280 (1758): 20123075 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.3075
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/66Joe3Nwmo8/130305200204.htm
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