Ohmbudsman Digest

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A groundbreaking study reveals that 3D-printed firearms can be traced through unique toolmarks left by printer beds and nozzles. Researchers achieved 100% accuracy in matching prints to specific printer beds, with nozzle matches at 75%. This development could significantly impact efforts to track "ghost guns" as researchers build a searchable database of printer signatures, though some speculate that DIY gunmakers may attempt to counter this by using smoother printing surfaces.

Athens faces a severe water crisis as satellite data shows critically low reservoir levels. Lake Mornos stands at only 65% of normal capacity, while the Evinos reservoir has shrunk to 2.3 square kilometers. The four-reservoir network serving Attica is under intense pressure from prolonged drought and heat, raising urgent questions about consumption reduction measures.

In a medical breakthrough, eight healthy babies have been born in the UK using three-parent IVF technology. This technique prevents mothers from passing incurable mitochondrial disorders to their children, with the babies carrying just 0.1% donor DNA. Professor Doug Turnbull called it "a wonderful result" as researchers continue monitoring health and mutation levels long-term.

Canada has implemented strict steel import quotas, adding 50% tariffs on volumes exceeding 2024 levels. The government has pledged 1 billion Canadian dollars for mill upgrades, responding to trade diversion from U.S. metal levies. Industry chief Catherine Cobden welcomed the "overdue" measures, though concerns about potential tariff escalation remain.

China's new AliCPT telescope in Tibet, built at 5,250 meters altitude through an eight-year collaboration of sixteen institutions, marks a rare resumption of China-U.S. scientific cooperation. The project aims to detect primordial gravitational waves from the Big Bang, with the next phase focusing on B-mode polarization detection.

Chinese police are using powerful new "Massistant" malware to rapidly extract data from seized phones, including Signal chats, photos, and location data. Meiya Pico, which holds 40% of China's forensics market, developed the tool. Researcher Kristina Balaam warns of significant privacy concerns, potentially leading travelers to carry burner phones when visiting China.

A major DNS outage affected Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 service worldwide due to an internal configuration error, not a cyberattack. Service was restored after 66 minutes at 21:48 UTC, with the company promising staged rollouts to prevent future incidents. The event raises questions about reliance on single DNS providers.

The Co-op Group in the UK suffered a significant data breach exposing 6.5 million members' contact details and disrupting store operations and funeral services. CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq apologized publicly as the incident forced manual operations and led to empty shelves, highlighting the rising threat of retail cyber-crime.

GM and Redwood Materials are repurposing used EV batteries to power data centers, with a 12-megawatt battery grid supporting a 2,000-GPU cluster. Redwood aims to provide 20 gigawatt-hours of storage by 2028. CEO JB Straubel suggests this initiative could surpass their core recycling business, offering a hedge against volatile EV sales.

Huawei has reclaimed its position as China's leading smartphone brand after four years, capturing 18.1% market share despite overall market contraction. National shipments declined 4% to 69 million units, with IDC attributing Huawei's success to strong brand appeal and shipment control strategies.

India's quantum computing ambitions advanced as QpiAI secured $32 million in government funding through the National Quantum Mission. The startup, valued at $162 million, aims to develop a 25-qubit system called "Indus" with plans to reach 64 qubits by November.

Meta announced plans for massive AI data centers, including facilities that can scale to 5 gigawatts. The company plans to invest over $100 billion in AI infrastructure, with the Prometheus facility scheduled for 2026. Mark Zuckerberg emphasized the company's financial capability to pursue this ambitious expansion, though regulatory oversight may affect implementation.

WeTransfer quickly reversed course on an AI data clause after creative community backlash. The file-sharing platform, serving 80 million users across 190 countries, removed the AI-training provision within 24 hours following protests from the Writers' Guild GB, who insisted members' work should not train AI systems.

These developments span technology, environment, healthcare, trade, and scientific research, reflecting rapid changes across multiple sectors. The stories highlight growing concerns about privacy, sustainability, and the race for AI dominance, while also showcasing promising advances in medical treatment and environmental monitoring.

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