🎈 North Korea sends 150 poop-loaded balloons to South Korea, world's largest botnet busted, cancer patient receives pig's liver

Plus: Japan’s new robot sweeper to clean nuclear fuel from fallen Fukushima plant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 May 30, 2024 | [Read Online]( In a bizarre turn of events, South Korea has warned its residents on the border with North Korea to be mindful of hot air balloons carrying unwanted items entering its territory. A South Korean news agency reports that over 150 balloons, some still airborne, were spotted carrying objects, including what appeared to be trash and excrement. The incident occurred just a day after a North Korean rocket carrying a military satellite exploded shortly after liftoff from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on the country’s northwest coast. For more on this development, check out today’s [Must-Read.]( 🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on [jobs.interestingengineering.com](: >[Â]([Specialist Software Engineer - Kronos Timekeeping Systems]( > [Compute Windows Engineer]( Reading Time: 4 mins Did a friend forward this e-mail to you? [Subscribe here.]( MUST READ 🎈 North Korea sends 150 poop- and propaganda-loaded balloons to South Korea A statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that the fallen balloons seemed to be carrying various types of rubbish, including [plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts](, and what is believed to be [manure](. “These acts by North Korea clearly [violate international law]( and seriously threaten our people’s safety. (We) sternly warn North Korea to stop its inhumane and vulgar act immediately,” said the JCS. The South Korean military has asked people to [refrain from touching]( the items and to report such sightings to the concerned officials. 🕸️ ‘World’s largest botnet’: US nabs Chinese man who hacked 19 million PCs In a significant blow to cybercrime, an international law enforcement team has arrested a Chinese national and dismantled what is likely to be the [“world’s largest” botnet]( that he allegedly operated for nearly a decade, generating at least [$99 million in profits](. This sophisticated botnet, known as “911 S5,” was a crucial tool for facilitating various cybercrimes, including [fraud, identity theft](, and [child]( [exploitation](. The arrest of [Yunhe Wang](, the alleged mastermind behind this network, marks a pivotal moment in the fight against cybercriminal activities. Wang reportedly propagated his malware through [Virtual Private Network]( [(VPN) programs](, such as MaskVPN and DewVPN, and pay-per-install services that bundled his malware with other program files, including [pirated versions]( of licensed software. 🐷 World’s first: Living cancer patient receives pig’s liver in China Chinese researchers have announced the [first successful transplantation]( of a genetically modified[pig liver]( into a human patient suffering from severe [liver cancer](. This is a breakthrough achievement, which marks a significant landmark in [xenotransplantation]( involving humans and pigs. The procedure was carried out at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in Hefei on May 17. As per reports, the 71-year-old patient’s body has [not rejected the liver]( and he is still doing fine. Love what you're reading, but too many emails? Sign up to IE+ to get Blueprint Weekly, our exclusive weekly premium newsletter that gives all the insights you love in a more digestible weekly format– plus, enjoy an Ad-Free experience on our website. Try IE+ today for just $1 in the first month. [Subscribe here]( HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY SCIENCE > Astronauts completed an 8.5-hour spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, May 28. This is said to be the longest spacewalking or extravehicular activity (EVA) record for China to date. ([More]() > NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has revealed the presence of two intertwined celestial companions alongside the asteroid Dinkinesh. Dinky’s companion satellite asteroid, ‘Selam,’ was initially thought to be a solitary moon. ([More]() > Using ancient DNA extracted from the toe bone of a museum specimen, Harvard biologists have sequenced the genome of an extinct, flightless bird called the little bush moa, shedding light into an unknown corner of avian genetic history. ([More]() ENERGY > Researchers at POSTECH have made a groundbreaking discovery in battery technology, developing a high-energy, high-efficiency all-solid-state sodium-air battery. ([More]() > Researchers generated and manipulated propagating spin waves at the nanoscale opening avenues for quantum computing and developing dissipation-free computing devices. ([More]() > Four small wind turbines have been erected at the V&A Waterfront as part of a pilot project to establish a German company's power solutions in the country. ([More]() INNOVATION > The Third Thumb is an extra robotic thumb aimed at increasing the wearer’s range of movement, enhancing the wearer’s grasping abilities, and extended the carrying capacity of the hand. ([More]() > A remote-controlled robot will soon retrieve a sample of the nuclear fuel from one of Fukushima’s damaged reactors. This procedure will form a critical part of an ambitious plan to remediate the site within 30 to 40 years. ([More]() > The European Space Agency's latest scientific mission was successfully launched into space from the United States on Tuesday, bearing a satellite that may provide vital insight into one of the most pressing issues around climate change. ([More]() VIDEO > Mobinn, designed explicitly for urban delivery challenges, represents a cutting-edge solution in the world of delivery robots. ([More]() > An Australian firm named SkyKelpie has demonstrated effective drone herding of cattle. ([More]() > Inversion Space is soon to launch a mission to turn space into a military warehouse. If space becomes a supply layer, the U.S. military could get supplies anywhere, fast. ([More]() IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS In yesterday’s quiz, we asked, What is the perimeter of the given figure? The answer is: 60cm Ready for more brainy challenges? Gear up for future IE quizzes by following us on [Instagram]( and [Facebook!]( FROM THE WEB > A gaming museum has 3D-printed a replica of an historic arcade machine, Computer [Space]( > Biden administration’s $320 million floating pier broke apart in heavy seas less than two weeks after being installed, delaying the flow of badly needed humanitarian aid to war-ravaged [Gaza]( > Very few people are regularly using "much hyped" artificial intelligence (AI) products like ChatGPT, a survey [suggests]( > 25-year-old man has been served an arrest warrant for allegedly creating a computer virus using generative artificial [intelligence]( > A porcupine fossil found in Florida may have solved a prickly dilemma 10 million years in the [making]( > AI has been enlisted to search for a female partner for the only known, male, plant from a species that is thought to be extinct in the [wild]( Additional Reads --------------------------------------------------------------- [⚙️ Mechanical:](Explore the wonders of mechanical engineering. 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