科学家呼吁对新冠起源进行更深入调查

签名人之一Ralph S. Baric是石正丽去武汉病毒所之前在美国的合作者。这篇公开信正好发表于福奇在参议院的听证会之后,不是巧合。

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj0016

知名科学家呼吁对新冠起源进行更深入的调查,包括实验室事故泄露了导致这场大流行的新冠病毒的可能性。

在《科学》(Science)期刊周四发表的一封信中,一个由18位生物学家、免疫学家和其他科学家组成的国际小组批评了由世界卫生组织(WHO)领导的新冠疫情溯源调查小组3月份发布的一份报告的结论,并呼吁对两个主要假设进行更广泛的评估:一个是假设新冠病毒从实验室外泄后进入人群并开始传播,另外一个假设是从受感染动物传染人类并且开始传播。

由WHO领导的研究小组包括来自中国和其他几个国家的科学家,他们报告说没有确切证据能证明这两种假设的任一种。然而科学家们在信中写道,尽管如此该研究小组还是断定,疫情起源于动物是更有可能的情况,并且在这份长达313页的报告中,仅用了四页来讨论疫情源于实验室事故的可能性。

科学家们在信中写道:“在我们获得足够的数据之前,我们必须同等认真对待有关病毒来自自然和实验室外泄的假设。”

Source: 科学家呼吁对新冠起源进行更深入调查 – 华尔街日报

中国考虑是否更换中美全面经济对话中方牵头人刘鹤

随着驻美国、朝鲜大使更换,习近平究竟信任谁?

胡春华早期政治生涯的大部分时间是在西藏度过的,在2003年升任西藏自治区党委副书记后,他参与了对藏独政治运动的控制。

胡春华还曾担任广东省省委书记;广东省位于华南地区,是经济发达的制造业大省。虽然比刘鹤年轻十几岁,但两人在2018年一道获得提拔,成为四名国务院副总理中的两位。这在当时导致政界猜测,胡春华可能成为2022年接班习近平的竞争者之一,不过外界现在普遍预计,习近平将继续第三个任期。

Source: 中国考虑是否更换中美全面经济对话中方牵头人刘鹤 – 华尔街日报

Private-equity firm revives zombie fossil-fuel power plant to mine bitcoin

我预感未来的新闻标题会是比特币矿主自建核电站,比特币矿主投资核聚变发电,比特币矿主投资戴森球。
谁说加密货币不能带来技术进步呢。🤣

Part of the controversy stems from the fact that Greenidge was once destined for the scrap heap. Its owner had gone bankrupt a decade ago, and the coal-fired power plant was retired and its operating permits abandoned. But then Atlas Holdings bought the plant in 2014 and spent $65 million to convert it to natural gas and get it running again. Greenidge restarted in 2017 and spent the next two years testing its bitcoin-mining strategy. Over time, it sold less electricity to the grid, devoting more and more power to its mining operations.

The plant’s shift to bitcoin-only operation comes at a time when New York state is fighting to keep cryptocurrency miners from taking advantage of the state’s cheap power. In 2018, the Public Service Commission gave municipal power companies the ability to raise rates on cryptocurrency customers.

Greenidge’s operations aren’t affected by PSC decisions, though. Their mining happens “behind the meter,” meaning it’s not affected by grid-level prices. And those operations appear to be fantastically profitable. Between February 2020 and February 2021, the company mined nearly 1,186 bitcoin at a cost of $2,869 per bitcoin. Today, one bitcoin is trading at $57,475.

Source: Private-equity firm revives zombie fossil-fuel power plant to mine bitcoin | Ars Technica