Fragments of an ancient continent that possibly existed between 2,000 and 85 million years ago appear to be buried beneath the floor of the Indian Ocean, according to a research report published in the journal Nature Geoscience and reported by the BBC.
The so-called microcontinent, dubbed Mauritia by scientists, is believed to have been a sliver of land between what are today India and Mauritius. Although a significant distance separates the two lands today, they once existed next to each other.
The hypothesis of Mauritius’ existence grew from the study of sand on Mauritius beaches. The actual grains of sand appear to have come from a volcanic eruption some nine million years ago, but researchers detected minerals in the mix that predated the eruption.
Prof. Trond Torsvik, from the University of Oslo, said: “We found zircons that we extracted from the beach sands, and these are something you typically find in a continental crust. They are very old in age.”
Dated to between 1,970 and 600 million years ago, the zircon is believed to be remnants of an ancient land that were brought to the earth’s surface during a volcanic eruption.
Researchers still need further proof to be able to conclude definitively that Mauritia actually existed. “We need seismic data which can image the structure,” Torsvik said. “This would be the ultimate proof.”
Torsvik said that he believed pieces of Mauritia could be found about 10 km down beneath Mauritius and under a swathe of the Indian Ocean.
According to Torsvik, the microcontinent likely fragmented about 85 million years ago as India drifted away from Madagascar. It was then lost beneath the gathering waves.
Discovered: Ancient lost continent
Discovered: Ancient lost continent
Apple to update EU browser options, make more apps deletable
- iPhone maker came under pressure from regulators to make changes after the EU’s sweeping Digital Markets Act took effect on March 7
- Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options
STOCKHOLM: Apple will change how users choose browser options in the European Union, add a dedicated section for changing default apps, and make more apps deletable, the company said on Thursday.
The iPhone maker came under pressure from regulators to make changes after the EU’s sweeping Digital Markets Act took effect on March 7, forcing big tech companies to offer mobile users the ability to select from a list of available web browsers on a “choice screen.”
The new rules require mobile software makers to show the choice screen where users can select a browser, search engine and virtual assistant as they set up their phones, which earlier came with preferred options from Apple and Google.
In an update later this year, Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options.
A randomly ordered list of 12 browsers per EU country will be shown to the user with short descriptions, and the chosen one will be automatically downloaded, Apple said. The choice screen will also be available on iPads through an update later this year.
Apple released a previous update in response to the new rules in March, but browser companies criticized the design of its choice screen, and the Commission opened an investigation on March 25 saying it suspected that the measures fell short of effective compliance.
The company said it has been in dialogue with the European Commission and believes the new changes will address regulators’ concerns.
It also plans to introduce a dedicated area for default apps where a user will be able to set defaults for messaging, phone calls, spam filters, password managers and keyboards.
Users will also be able to delete certain Apple-made apps such as App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos and Safari. Only Settings and Phone apps would not be deletable.
