Cost of HSE cyberattack may exceed €100 million
HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid has told that the cost of the cyberattack on the HSE’s IT systems may end up exceeding €100 million.
Mr Reid told a media briefing that he had previously said the restoration efforts could cost in the tens of millions. However, he added that “€100 million will be a smaller figure in terms of the total cost of this”.
He said the initial costs would be focused on getting the IT systems back up and a further figure would be expected in terms of the impact on services.
Mr Reid also said the HSE is interested in getting an independent investigation into the cyberattack on its IT systems. He also said that the international partners working with the HSE in relation to the cyberattack would be providing them with a report.
He said the cyberattack had brought “unimaginable strain, duress and extreme high risk” to the country’s health system.
Blind man’s vision partially restored using new technique
The vision of a completely blind man has been partially restored using light-sensing proteins found in algae.
The BBC reported that the man, whose identity has not been revealed, was treated with a type of therapy known as ‘optogenetics’, which uses the proteins to control cells at the back of the eyes.
The man first knew it was working when he realised he could see the stripes of a pedestrian crossing, but he can now grab and count objects on a table, according to Nature Medicine.
The man lives in Brittany, France and was treated in Paris. He was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa 40 years ago, a condition which leads to the death of light-sensing cells on the surface of the retina.
Tasmanian devils born in Australia in rewilding effort
Tasmanian devils have been born in the wild on the Australian mainland 3,000 years after they disappeared from the continent, according to conservation groups. The development has raised hopes that rewilding efforts could succeed.
Aussie Ark and other conservation groups revealed that seven of the mammals were born at a large sanctuary at Barrington Tops, north of Sydney.
“Once (the devils) were back in the wild, it was up to them, which was nerve wracking,” said Tim Faulkner, President of Aussie Ark.
“We had been watching them from afar until it was time to step in and confirm the birth of our first wild joeys. And what a moment it was.”
The news comes less than a year after 26 adult Tasmanian devils were released into the 400-hectare sanctuary. The move was hailed as a project akin to the successful reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the United States in the 1990s.