Pope Leo XIV has rejected the idea of an AI Pope, saying in an interview with biographer Eloise Allen that "if there's anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is high on the list" (first spotted by The Register). Pope Leo, who is forthright about his views on the new technology, also said that he had been asked for his authorisation to create an AI Pope

"Someone recently asked authorization to create an artificial me so that anybody could sign onto this website and have a personal audience with 'the Pope'," said the pontiff. "This artificial intelligence Pope would give them answers to their questions, and I said, 'I'm not going to authorize that'."

The Department of Homeland Security has sparked a Pokémon backlash after using the kids’ game to promote ICE deportation raids.

The DHS social media team posted a video to X on Monday of dramatic immigration raids—including one that was bungled yet still posted online by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—spliced with animé imagery from the popular Japanese cartoon and collectibles game, which is part owned by Nintendo.

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Video link

ICE tweet link

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/36298939

New research reveals that the DNA switches controlling human finger development originated from genes that regulated fish cloacas 380 million years ago[^1].

"Rather than building a new regulatory system for the digits, nature has repurposed an existing mechanism, initially active in the cloaca," explains developmental geneticist Denis Duboule from the University of Geneva[^1].

The research team discovered this by comparing fish and mouse genomes, focusing on Hoxd genes. When they tagged DNA switches with fluorescent markers, these lit up in mouse digits but in fish cloacas. Deleting these genetic elements using CRISPR-Cas9 disrupted finger development in mice and cloaca formation in fish[^1].

"The common feature between the cloaca and the digits is that they represent terminal parts," notes geneticist Aurélie Hintermann. "Sometimes they are the end of tubes in the digestive system, sometimes the end of feet and hands"[^1].

[^1]: ScienceAlert - Fish Buttholes May Be The Reason We Now Have Fingers, Study Finds

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/6199807

Starbucks now says that time-stamped footage from the store at 6332 N. Northwest Highway does not show any of its workers writing that message. Instead, the note appears “to have been added after the beverage was handed off, likely by someone else,” a spokesperson told Block Club.

Garretson wrote that a relative, whom she later identified as her mother-in-law, ordered the Mint Majesty tea with two honeys — an order known to be Kirk’s favorite drink — from the Starbucks. When the order was completed, the cup had “Loser” written on it, Garretson said.

“I’m talking 5 p.m. today, I want some form of action to the employee that represents this business that wrote ‘Loser’ on my mother’s cup,” the man, who is not seen on-camera, can be heard saying in the video, which was posted Wednesday.

“We’re looking for not corporate bureaucracy. I want immediate accountability; and if not, I will have this whole intersection lined with patriots today, I’m not even joking,” the man told a Starbucks employee.

What an emotional response jesus. Guy sounds like a loser.

Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet on Saturday said Charlie Kirk's surgeon called it an "absolute miracle" that the bullet that killed him didn’t exit his body because dozens of people were standing behind him when he was shot.

"I want to address some of the discussion about the lack of an exit wound with Charlie. I’m usually not interested in delving into most of this kind of online chatter, and I apologize this is somewhat graphic, but in this case, the fact that there wasn’t an exit wound is probably another miracle, and I want people to know," Kolvet, the executive producer of "The Charlie Kirk Show," wrote in a lengthy post on X.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/53727545

Crossposted from https://lemmy.world/post/36200280

Looks like Jesus took the wheel.

A fundraiser for Willow Bay's International Women's Media Foundation, planned to take place at the power couple's Brentwood home next month, may have to relocate after her husband yanks Jimmy Kimmel off the air.

Iger, along with Disney Entertainment chairman Dana Walden, was the Disney exec who pulled the chord on Kimmel’s suspension over on-air comments about Charlie Kirk’s murder — and that decision has prompted a journalism non-profit that Bay (and Iger) have supported for years to consider distancing themselves from the westside power couple. An annual fundraiser for the International Women’s Media Foundation, an organization dedicated to elevating female and non-binary journalists and boasts some of the biggest names in broadcast journalism as board members — CBS’ Norah O’Donnell, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell, and ABC News’ Kerry Smith, among others — is reconsidering its decision to hold its annual fundraiser at Bay and Iger’s home next month, according to several sources.

In a video statement, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu called the growing MAGA conspiracy a ‘monstrous big lie.’

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/36099616

He wielded it as a sword when he abused his access to classified information and he relied on it as a shield to hide his criminal activity. The dualism of secrecy inherent in Defendant’s job is another reason why it is important to send a strong message at sentencing and deter other former members of the intelligence community from breaking the law to make some extra money.

Unilever shares rose 0.9% on Wednesday.

may i say that i did not know this man was alive

Ohio Rep.Michael Rulli appeared on Maria Bartiromo's Fox Business News show to say he is appalled at Democrats' rhetoric, which needs to be "toned down." The Ohio Republican must never have seen Trump's tweets or Truth Social posts before. He should check in on that! Or when Donald said in Iowa in July that he "hates" Democrats, saying, "I cannot stand them." Or how about Jan. 6th, when Trump incited a mob of his supporters to attack the US Capitol to cling to power.

Rulli discussed the Charlie Kirk shooting, the only school shooting Republicans have cared about. The Turning Point co-founder seems even more powerful to Republicans after his death, as they use it to silence the opposition. His widow started fundraising days after his death, despite Charlie's $12 million net worth.