NaijaPost

28/02/2025

© Hashem Al-Ghaili

The Solomon Islands is the only place on Earth with dark-skinned people who have naturally blond hair.

Why? A unique gene found nowhere else on the planet.
In the remote Solomon Islands of Melanesia, about 10% of the dark-skinned population naturally has bright blond hair. It's an unusual trait that puzzled researchers for years.

Unlike the common assumption that blond hair comes from European ancestry, a 2012 genetic study revealed that this golden hair evolved independently in the region due to a unique mutation. Scientists found that a single-letter change in the DNA of Melanesians (replacing "C" with "T") affects melanin production, leading to blond hair.

This genetic variation is entirely distinct from the genes responsible for blond hair in Europeans, making it a fascinating case of convergent evolution — where similar traits arise in different populations through separate genetic pathways.

Learn more: https://www.science.org/.../origin-blond-afros-melanesia

21/02/2025

Apple has decided to discontinue its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for UK customers following a dispute with the UK government over access to encrypted cloud data.

ADP, an optional tool, ensures that only icloud account holders can access their stored data, such as photos and documents, while Apple itself or anyone else cannot.

However, the UK government reportedly requested access to such data earlier this month, prompting Apple to remove the feature for UK users.

Existing users will eventually need to disable ADP, and it is no longer available from today for new users in the UK.

Apple expressed disappointment, stating that the move undermines user privacy amid rising data breaches and threats.

The company emphasized the importance of end-to-end encryption for cloud security and hopes to restore such protections in the future.

Meanwhile, the UK government declined to confirm or deny whether it issued a Technical Capability Notice to access encrypted data, citing operational confidentiality.

This decision highlights the ongoing tension between tech companies advocating for user privacy and governments seeking access to data for criminal investigations.

The removal of ADP means Apple could, in some cases, access and share user data, such as iMessages, with authorities if legally required.

20/02/2025

Nigeria has filed a lawsuit against cryptocurrency exchange Binance, seeking $79.5 billion in damages for alleged economic losses caused by its operations and $2 billion in back taxes.

This lawsuit is coming days after a binance executive accused top Nigerian government officials of soliciting for bribes.

Nigerian Authorities accuse Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, of contributing to Nigeria's currency issues and detained two executives in 2024.

Binance, which is not registered in Nigeria, is accused of having a "significant economic presence" and is being pursued for unpaid corporate income taxes for 2022 and 2023, plus penalties and interest.

The company is also facing four counts of tax evasion, including non-payment of VAT and failure to file tax returns, and is contesting these charges.

Additionally, Binance is facing separate money laundering charges, which it denies.

The company halted naira transactions in March 2023 amid a government crackdown on the crypto industry.

12/02/2025

The US and UK refused to sign an international agreement on artificial intelligence (AI) at a global summit in Paris, which was endorsed by dozens of countries, including France, China, and India. The agreement seeks to ensure that AI is "open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all” and “making AI sustainable for people and the planet”

The US represented by Vice President JD Vance said “We need international regulatory regimes that foster the creation of AI technology rather than strangle it, and we need our European friends, in particular, to look to this new frontier with optimism rather than trepidation.

” Vance also referred to the risks of partnering with “authoritarian” regimes, “Some of us in this room have learned from experience partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in and seize your information infrastructure. Should a deal seem too good to be true, just remember the old adage that we learned in Silicon Valley, if you aren’t paying for the product: you are the product.”

A UK government spokesperson said the "declaration didn’t provide enough practical clarity on global governance, nor sufficiently address harder questions around national security and the challenge AI poses to it.”

07/02/2025

The UK government has demanded that Apple create a backdoor to access all content stored in iCloud by users worldwide, including fully encrypted data. This unprecedented order, issued under the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act (2016), would allow British authorities to bypass encryption and access user data globally, not just in the UK. Apple has resisted, stating it would rather stop offering encrypted cloud storage in the UK than compromise user privacy. However, the UK’s demand extends to data stored by users in other countries, including the US, raising significant concerns

06/02/2025

A new study published in 'Nature Medicine' by researchers at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences reveals that human brains contain higher concentrations of microplastics compared to other organs, and these levels have increased by 50% over the past eight years.

The study also found that individuals with dementia had up to 10 times more microplastics in their brains than those without the condition. Microplastics, tiny fragments of degraded polymers, are pervasive in the environment and have been detected in human tissues.

The study compared autopsy samples from 2016 and 2024, showing significantly higher concentrations in the 2024 brain tissues. Researchers detected 12 different polymers, with polyethylene being the most common.

While the exact mechanism of how microplastics enter the brain remains unclear, their small size (200 nanometers or less) suggests they can cross the blood-brain barrier. The study did not establish a causal relationship between microplastics and dementia but noted that dementia-related brain changes, such as tissue atrophy and impaired clearance mechanisms, could lead to higher microplastic accumulation.

08/11/2024

Food companies sell products that are less healthy in poorer countries — new findings

Source:

02/10/2024

PSG boss Luis Enrique has had enough with talking to Journalists 😅 🤬

🗣️ “If I had to sign a contract that would reduce 50% of my salary & I wouldn’t have to attend press conferences anymore, I would sign it. When you sign a contract with a club, you are obliged to speak with the press. If I could avoid this, I would. Especially post-match interviews.”

© onefootball

05/09/2024

Victor Osimhen has fired his agent, Roberto Calenda, after a failed move to Al Ahli or Chelsea. The Nigerian international striker has been with Calenda for two years. The 25-year-old handled negotiations with Galatasaray personally with an intermediary, George Gardi. Reports say he has also lost trust with most of his close associates in Nigeria and has decided to represent himself for now

©DWAfrica

18/06/2024

13/05/2024

Patient, 62, who had world’s first successful pig kidney transplant dies just weeks after he was discharged from hospital following pioneering surgery

Richard Slayman, 62, from Boston, was living with end-stage kidney disease when he received a kidney from the pig which had undergone 69 genomic edits in what experts said would herald a new epoch in organ transplantation.

Unfortunately, Mr Slayman sadly died on Saturday after doctors said he was ‘recovering well’ when he was discharged from hospital on April 6.