AllYouCanTech

“Genetically Altered ‘Woolly Mice’ Open Doors for Mammoth Gene Modification”

# **Gene Manipulation and the Effort to Restore the Woolly Mammoth**

## **Introduction**
The concept of resurrecting extinct species has captivated imaginations for ages, spanning from fictional tales to serious scientific exploration. One of the most daring de-extinction initiatives is the aim to bring back the woolly mammoth, a colossal creature from the Ice Age that vanished millennia ago. Recently, researchers at Colossal Biosciences have made remarkable advancements in genetic modification, showcasing their capacity to edit several genes at the same time. Their newest achievement—producing “woolly mice”—marks a significant milestone towards their overarching ambition of bringing mammoth-like elephants back to life.

## **The Woolly Mouse: A Milestone in De-Extinction**
On Tuesday, Colossal Biosciences revealed the development of what they refer to as “woolly mice”—genetically altered mice adorned with long, dense fur that resembles that of the woolly mammoth. The researchers accomplished this feat by modifying as many as seven genes concurrently, all linked to traits like hair growth, coloration, and texture.

Nonetheless, this does not imply that the mice contain mammoth DNA. Instead, the majority of the genetic alterations were initially discovered in mice rather than mammoths. The true importance of this study lies in the capability to perform simultaneous gene edits, a method that will be vital for infusing mammoth-like features into elephants.

## **Why Mice?**
Colossal Biosciences aims to alter the genetic structure of the Asian elephant—the closest living descendant of the woolly mammoth—so that it can exhibit mammoth-like traits. However, working with elephants poses numerous obstacles:

– **Extended Gestation Duration**: Elephants experience a 22-month gestation, hindering swift experimentation.
– **Moral Issues**: Elephants are endangered, intellectually advanced, and possess intricate social networks, making genetic experimentation on them a contentious issue.
– **Prolonged Reproductive Timeline**: Elephants take years to mature sexually, which slows down the overall research timeline.

To address these issues, the researchers opted to study mice, which have been utilized in genetic studies for more than a century. Mice reproduce at a rapid pace, and their genetic architecture is well-established, rendering them ideal for testing gene-editing methods.

## **The Science Underpinning the Editing**
Colossal Biosciences employed two main gene-editing methodologies to alter the mice:

1. **CRISPR/Cas9**: This popular gene-editing instrument makes precise DNA cuts, enabling scientists to add or remove genetic components. It is highly effective, though it can occasionally result in unintended genetic alterations.

2. **Cytosine Base Editing**: This method modifies single DNA bases (the fundamental components of genes) without severing the DNA strands. It is more accurate than CRISPR/Cas9 but generally less efficient.

The researchers introduced these gene-editing technologies into mouse stem cells through electrical pulses, facilitating the entry of genetic material into the cells. They then experimented with various combinations of gene edits to assess their impact on fur development.

## **Results: A Woolly Transformation**
By editing multiple genes simultaneously, the researchers successfully generated mice with long, golden fur, some displaying a shaggy, curled appearance. This experiment illustrated that intricate genetic modifications could be made in a single operation—a vital skill for creating future mammoth-like elephants.

Aside from hair-related genes, the researchers also examined a gene linked to fat metabolism, which was discovered in the woolly mammoth genome. However, this alteration did not yield any visible effects in the mice.

## **Challenges and Future Steps**
Although this experiment signifies a major technical breakthrough, substantial hurdles persist before a mammoth-like elephant can be developed:

– **More Complex Edits**: The modifications made in the mice primarily yielded non-functional versions of specific genes, which are simpler to create. Future alterations will need to incorporate functional mammoth-like traits.
– **Scaling Up to Elephants**: The researchers will need to modify numerous—perhaps over a hundred—genes in elephant stem cells. It remains unclear whether this can be accomplished in a single operation or if multiple rounds of editing will be necessary.
– **Ethical and Ecological Considerations**: Even if a mammoth-like elephant is successfully produced, concerns arise regarding its well-being and the environmental repercussions of reintroducing such a species into the wild.

## **Conclusion**
Colossal Biosciences’ development of woolly mice represents an exhilarating advancement in genetic engineering and de-extinction efforts. While the path to reviving the woolly mammoth is lengthy and fraught with uncertainty, this experiment showcases the increasing capabilities of gene-editing technologies. Regardless of whether mammoths will once again traverse the tundra, the methods refined in this research could have profound implications in conservation, medicine, and biotechnology.

Users Develop Emotional Connections with Ultra-Realistic AI Voice Demonstration

# **Sesame’s AI Voice Model: Advancing Towards Human-Like Conversations**

## **Introduction**
The notion of building emotional bonds with AI voice assistants, once a theme seen in futuristic films like *Her* (2013), is now materializing. AI startup Sesame has unveiled a new Conversational Speech Model (CSM) that has intrigued and disturbed users alike. This AI-generated voice model showcases human-like flaws, enhancing interactions to feel more organic and immersive. Some users even report forming emotional ties with the AI, whereas others find it uncomfortably lifelike.

## **Overcoming the Uncanny Valley**
Sesame’s innovative AI voice model has been acclaimed for transcending the “uncanny valley”—the stage at which artificial entities become so lifelike that they elicit an eerie or disquieting reaction. The model, featuring both male (“Miles”) and female (“Maya”) voices, replicates human speech patterns with impressive precision. It includes sounds like breaths, laughs, interruptions, and self-corrections, contributing to more genuine conversations.

A user on Hacker News reflected on their experience:
*”Testing the demo was genuinely shocking regarding how human it felt. It makes me a bit anxious about potentially developing an emotional bond with a voice assistant that sounds this human.”*

## **Mechanics of Sesame’s AI**
Sesame’s CSM functions through a pair of AI models: a backbone and a decoder. These models leverage Meta’s Llama architecture and handle interwoven text and audio data. The largest model, boasting 8.3 billion parameters, was trained on nearly one million hours of English audio.

Unlike conventional text-to-speech technologies that produce speech in two distinct phases (semantic tokens and acoustic features), Sesame’s CSM combines both aspects into a single-stage, transformer-based multimodal model. This technique facilitates smoother and more dynamic speech synthesis.

In blind evaluations, human judges did not demonstrate a clear preference between CSM-generated voices and authentic human recordings when exposed to isolated speech. Nevertheless, in complete conversational settings, natural human speech continued to be favored, suggesting that AI-generated voices haven’t completely replicated human conversational nuances.

## **Public Reactions: Wonder and Unease**
The AI model has elicited a spectrum of responses. Some users are captivated by its authenticity, while others perceive it as unsettling. Mark Hachman, a senior editor at *PCWorld*, characterized his experience as profoundly disconcerting:
*”Fifteen minutes after ‘hanging up’ with Sesame’s new ‘realistic’ AI, and I’m still feeling uneasy.”*

Another Reddit user shared their enthusiasm:
*”I’ve been fascinated by AI since childhood, but this is the first instance where I genuinely feel we’ve made a significant leap forward.”*

One of the most unexpected features of Sesame’s model is its capacity to simulate various emotions, including anger. In contrast to OpenAI’s ChatGPT voice mode, which avoids aggressive tones, Sesame’s AI can convincingly portray an irate boss or a exasperated coworker. This ability has spurred viral videos of users in intense debates with the AI.

## **Risks and Ethical Dilemmas**
While Sesame’s AI voice model marks an extraordinary technological milestone, it also brings forth concerns regarding misuse. Hyper-realistic AI-generated voices could be exploited for fraud, deepfake schemes, and social engineering tactics. Voice phishing scams, where offenders impersonate relatives or authority figures, might become increasingly convincing with sophisticated AI-generated speech.

Some users have already admitted to forming emotional attachments to the AI. One parent recounted their 4-year-old daughter sobbing after being denied another chat with the AI assistant. This situation raises ethical concerns about the psychological consequences of human-like AI on children and vulnerable individuals.

## **Future Prospects and Open-Source Initiatives**
Sesame has declared intentions to open-source key elements of its research under an Apache 2.0 license. The company seeks to broaden the model’s capabilities, encompassing increased datasets, support for over 20 languages, and enhancements in conversational fluidity.

Despite its existing drawbacks—such as occasional inappropriate tone and pacing—Sesame’s AI voice model signifies a substantial progress toward more relatable human-AI exchanges. As AI voice technology continues to advance, it will be essential to strike a balance between innovation and ethical considerations to mitigate potential misuse.

## **Conclusion**
Sesame’s AI voice model represents a remarkable leap in conversational AI, drawing us nearer to human-like interactions with machines. Although its realism is striking, it also raises crucial ethical and security issues. As AI-generated voices evolve to become increasingly lifelike, society must address the challenges posed by emotional bonds, deception, and the potential for abuse.

For those interested in experiencing this technology firsthand, Sesame’s demo can be accessed on their

Significant Security Threats Arise from Recent VMware Hyperjacking Flaws

# **Significant VMware Flaws Leave Virtual Machines Vulnerable to Hypervisor Exploits**

## **Overview**
Virtual machines (VMs) are extensively utilized in cloud computing and enterprise settings to offer isolated and secure environments for applications and services. Nevertheless, recent security analysis has uncovered that several VMware products have serious vulnerabilities that could enable attackers to escape a VM and seize control of the hypervisor. This kind of exploitation, referred to as **hyperjacking** or **virtual machine escape**, presents a considerable threat to organizations dependent on VMware’s virtualization technology.

## **Recognizing the Danger**
VMware has revealed three major vulnerabilities impacting its **ESXi, Workstation, Fusion, Cloud Foundation, and Telco Cloud Platform** offerings. These weaknesses can permit adversaries to escape from a compromised VM and take charge of the hypervisor that oversees multiple VMs. If an attacker successfully leverages these vulnerabilities, they might gain access to and alter VMs belonging to other customers or departments within an organization.

### **The Three Major Vulnerabilities**
The vulnerabilities, discovered by the **Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center** and notified to VMware (currently under Broadcom), include:

1. **CVE-2025-22224** – A **heap overflow** flaw within the Virtual Machine Communication Interface, rated **9.3/10** for severity.
2. **CVE-2025-22225** – An **arbitrary write flaw**, rated **8.2/10** for severity.
3. **CVE-2025-22226** – An **information disclosure flaw** in the host-guest file system, rated **7.1/10** for severity.

These vulnerabilities have been listed by the **U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)** among **Known Exploited Vulnerabilities**, indicating their active use in real-world attacks.

## **How Hypervisor Exploits Occur**
A **hypervisor** is the software layer responsible for enabling virtualization by managing multiple VMs on a single physical machine. Typically, VMs remain isolated from one another, ensuring that a single compromised VM does not impact others. However, **hypervisor exploits** leverage flaws to breach this isolation.

### **Phases of a Hypervisor Exploit:**
1. **Initial Breach** – The attacker gains access to a single VM, often via phishing, malware, or exploiting various vulnerabilities.
2. **Exploitation** – The attacker employs vulnerabilities such as **CVE-2025-22224** to escape the VM and take control of the hypervisor.
3. **Privilege Escalation** – Once within the hypervisor, the attacker can access or manipulate other VMs located on the same host.
4. **Lateral Movement** – The attacker may extend their reach to multiple VMs, accessing sensitive information, deploying ransomware, or launching additional attacks.

## **Why This Represents a Grave Threat**
Security analyst **Kevin Beaumont** highlighted the critical nature of these vulnerabilities, stating:
> “Once you can escape to the hypervisor, you can reach any system. All bets are off when a boundary is breached.”

This implies that even with robust security protocols in place for individual VMs, a single compromised VM could endanger **all other VMs operating on the same hypervisor**. In scenarios where numerous customers use the same infrastructure (like cloud service providers), this could result in **devastating security breaches**.

## **Who Is Vulnerable?**
Organizations utilizing **VMware ESXi, Workstation, Fusion, Cloud Foundation, and Telco Cloud Platform** are at risk. This encompasses:
– **Cloud service providers** serving multiple customers on shared resources.
– **Enterprises** managing private cloud systems.
– **Government bodies** and **critical infrastructure** operators employing VMware for secure operations.

## **Mitigation and Security Strategies**
In light of the severity of these vulnerabilities, organizations must take swift action to safeguard their virtualized environments.

### **1. Apply VMware Security Updates**
VMware has issued security updates to resolve these vulnerabilities. Organizations should:
– **Promptly upgrade** all impacted VMware offerings.
– **Confirm patch application** across all virtualized settings.

### **2. Limit Access to Virtual Machines**
– Restrict **remote access** to VMs and hypervisors.
– Implement **multi-factor authentication (MFA)** for administrative accounts.
– Employ **network segmentation** to safeguard critical VMs.

### **3. Observe for Unusual Activity**
– Utilize **intrusion detection systems (IDS)** to track VM operations.
– Review **logs** for atypical access patterns or attempts of privilege escalation.
– Activate **hypervisor security measures** to recognize VM escape efforts.

### **4. Execute Security Assessments**
– Conduct **regular vulnerability evaluations** of the virtualization infrastructure.
– Test for **VM escape vulnerabilities** through penetration testing.
– Ensure **adherence to security best practices** in virtualization.

### **5. Backup Essential Data**
– Ensure **

“Discover George Orwell’s *1984* Reinterpreted as a PC Game in 1990s Fashion”

# **The Neglected Orwellian Game: Delving into the Cancelled *Big Brother* Video Game**

## **Introduction**
George Orwell’s *1984* stands as one of the most pivotal dystopian novels ever penned, portraying a society rife with totalitarian oversight, constant surveillance, and manipulation of thought. While many readers finish the book reflecting on its somber themes, few anticipated it would spawn a late-90s first-person puzzle-adventure video game. Yet, in 1998, publisher MediaX sought to develop *Big Brother*, an officially sanctioned sequel to *1984*—a game that ultimately never made it to full release.

Recently, a demo for this lost title has resurfaced, offering a peek into what might have been. This article examines the background of *Big Brother*, its gameplay, and the reasons it never came to fruition.

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## **The Genesis of *Big Brother***
In May 1998, MediaX unveiled *Big Brother* as its inaugural video game endeavor. Previously known for multimedia CD-ROMs, the company promised an immersive journey within Orwell’s dystopian realm. However, instead of following *1984*’s main character, Winston Smith, the game presented a new protagonist: Eric Blair (a nod to Orwell’s actual name). Eric sets off on a quest to locate his missing fiancée, Emma, in a landscape dominated by the Thought Police.

Despite its grand ambitions, the game struggled to gain momentum. It was showcased as a demo at E3 1998 and garnered limited media attention, but the project ultimately collapsed before it could be completed.

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## **The Unearthed Demo: A Peek into a Forgotten Game**
Thanks to the dedication of gaming preservationists, a playable demo of *Big Brother* has been retrieved and made available on the Internet Archive. This demo offers a glimpse into the game’s mechanics, which bear resemblance to classic first-person puzzle-adventure games like *Riven*.

### **Gameplay Mechanics**
The game promised an interactive experience where players could:
– Disable and destroy telescreens and surveillance cameras.
– Navigate through 10 square blocks of Orwell’s retro-futuristic metropolis.
– Solve puzzles to evade capture by the Thought Police.

Nevertheless, the demo itself reveals a considerably simpler interface. Players engage in basic puzzle-solving—flipping switches, utilizing tools to open grates, and exploring environments from a first-person viewpoint.

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## **The Notorious “Zero Gravity Training Sphere”**
One of the most peculiar aspects of *Big Brother* is the inclusion of a “zero gravity training sphere.” According to a walkthrough discovered on the demo disc, players must wear a “zero-g suit” and place a bomb inside this sphere, which is monitored by robots. This segment feels entirely disconnected from Orwell’s text, prompting inquiries about the rationale behind the game’s *1984* branding.

While nods to its source material exist—such as “WAR IS PEACE” propaganda banners and the ever-watchful Big Brother—the overall experience veers far from Orwell’s foundational themes.

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## **Why *Big Brother* Remained Unreleased**
Numerous factors likely played a role in the game’s cancellation:
1. **Insufficient Funding:** MediaX was an inexperienced entrant in game development, and financial strains may have impeded progress.
2. **Lack of Cohesive Narrative:** The game’s storyline diverged markedly from *1984*, possibly alienating both gamers and literary aficionados.
3. **Technical Constraints:** The demo’s rudimentary gameplay implies that the developers faced challenges in delivering on their lofty promises.

In the end, *Big Brother* never reached fruition, leaving only a demo and a handful of promotional materials behind.

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## **An Odd Addition to the Gallery of Questionable Game Adaptations**
The resurfaced *Big Brother* demo adds to the list of dubious video game adaptations of literary works, such as:
– *Fahrenheit 451* (1984) – A text-based adventure inspired by Ray Bradbury’s novel.
– *The Godfather: The Action Game* (1992) – A poorly received action game based on *The Godfather*.

Though *Big Brother* never evolved into a full-fledged game, its existence serves as an intriguing footnote in the narrative of video game adaptations.

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## **Conclusion**
The concept of a *1984*-themed video game is captivating, yet *Big Brother* failed to encapsulate the essence of Orwell’s dystopia. Instead, it turned into an odd blend of puzzle-solving, resistance missions, and perplexing zero-gravity sequences.

With the demo now accessible online, gaming historians and fans of Orwell can finally engage with this lost project. Whether it was a missed chance or a flawed adaptation, *Big Brother* endures as an odd artifact in gaming history.