Greenland's Recent Ice Melt Could Cover All of West Virginia in Water

Unusually warm temperatures in Northern Greenland last week triggered a huge ice melt, alarming scientists.

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Apple Just Removed A Vital AirTag Feature

Apple seems to have changed the way one key AirTags feature works, potentially leaving users a little more in the dark than they were before.

The Absolute Worst Apocalypse Bunkers in Science Fiction

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US files its first criminal charges over insider trading of cryptocurrency

American authorities are continuing to crack down against insider trading of digital assets. The New York Timesreports that federal prosecutors in New York City have charged three people with wire fraud relating to an insider trading scheme for cryptocurrency, including former Coinbase exchange employee Ishan Wahi. This is the first time officials have levelled charges relating to insider trading of digital currency, according to Southern District of New York attorney Damian Williams.

As with a companion civil case from the Securities and Exchange Commission, prosecutors allege Wahi shared confidential information about future asset listings with his brother Nikhil Wahi and his brother’s friend Sammer Ramani. The data, shared between “at least” June 2021 and April 2022, helped Nikhil and his friend buy assets before the listing boosted their value. The two would then sell their assets for a profit. The purchases of 25 or more assets netted a profit of more than $1.1 million, according to the SEC.

Coinbase started an internal investigation in April in response to a Twitter post about unusual trading activity. Ishan Wahi booked a flight to India right before Coinbase was set to interview him, but he and his brother were arrested in Seattle this morning. Ramani is still at large and believed to be in India, the SEC said.

Wahi’s lawyers maintained their client’s innocence, and said he would “vigorously” defend against the charges. Ramani and the attorney for Wahi’s brother haven’t commented on the charges. Coinbase said it had turned over information to the Justice Department and had fired Wahi as part of a “zero tolerance” policy for this behavior.

This is far from the largest crypto case. Lending firm BlockFi recently paid $100 million to settle securities violations, while Telegram had to return $1.2 billion to investors for its own violations on top of paying $18.5 million. However, the charges are intended more to send a warning. The government wants to make clear that fraud is illegal whether it’s “on the blockchain or on Wall Street,” as Williams explained to The Times. This is as much about discouraging would-be crooks as it is punishment for the defenders.

Hawaii's Lava Caves Are Teeming With Bacterial 'Dark Matter'

Hawaii’s volcanic environments contain with a rich array of mysterious microbes, new research this week has found. Scientists say that the islands’ lava caves and other structures created by volcanic activity have unique, diverse, and still uncharacterized communities of bacteria living inside them. The findings…

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Amanda Seyfried ‘Bent Over Backwards’ For ‘Wicked’ Role That Went To Ariana Grande

The actor said she auditioned for the upcoming movie musical while still filming her role as Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout.”

A Hacker Is Trying to Sell Data on 69 Million Neopets Users

Everybody remembers Neopets, right? The company that lets you create and take care of digital animals has been a mainstay of teen fun since it launched in 1999. Well, I hate to break it to you, but a hacker recently spat on your childhood nostalgia by breaking into the company’s database and stealing data on millions…

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TikTok now lets you turn on captions for any video

You no longer have to wait for a TikTok star to enable captions before you can use them. As part of a string of updates, TikTok has added auto-generated captions you can switch on for any video. This will help if you have hearing issues, or simply want to catch every word of a clip in a noisy environment.

The social network has also added translations for captions and text stickers. And if you’re unsure of what’s happening, video descriptions are also available. The initial language support includes English, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish.

The additions are a recognition that TikTok’s emphasis on video can be limiting for people with audiovisual issues. To some extent, they also empower communities for people with disabilities — creators can make clips knowing more people will understand what’s being said.

Mars Express Orbiter Sees a Massive Canyon System

The Mars Express Orbiter recently imaged a canyon system on the Red Planet that is nearly 10 times longer, 20 times wider, and five times deeper than Earth’s Grand Canyon.

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David Hogg Calls Out GOP Rep For Reiterating Mass Shooter ‘Talking Points’ In Hearing

The Parkland, Florida, mass shooting survivor interrupted a House hearing after Rep. Andy Biggs said more guns are needed due to a migrant “invasion.”