A researcher at Mexico's Qualia Research Institute reports that 5-MeO-DMT, a powerful psychedelic, nearly eliminated their susceptibility to the Ebbinghaus optical illusion, suggesting psychedelics may sometimes enhance literal visual clarity amid their typical distortions. The institute studies exotic consciousness states like those induced by psychedelics and meditation to uncover mathematical principles underlying subjective experience.
A Web3 payments entrepreneur spent six months researching the industry across Yiwu, Shuibei, Mexico, and other markets, ultimately deciding to exit the space. She concluded that payments success depends on banking relationships, licenses, and risk management rather than product quality, and that many profitable payment businesses are actually earning risk premiums that could collapse if problems emerge.
Malware called 'Midnight Mimosa' has been discovered pre-installed in the firmware of low-cost Android phones using MediaTek chipsets, affecting thousands of devices across over 150 countries. The malware, likely introduced during the supply chain, grants attackers system-level privileges to install apps, commit ad fraud, and convert devices into residential proxies without user knowledge.
The Port of Los Angeles achieved record container volumes in Q3 2024 with nearly three million TEUs, driven by reduced tariffs, strong consumer demand, and canal disruptions, despite ongoing trade uncertainty between the US and China. While China remains the port's largest import source, its share has declined to a projected 40 percent by 2026 as companies shift sourcing to Vietnam and Mexico, though these countries still depend on Chinese intermediate goods.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Panama, damaging buildings and affecting 4.6 million people. Tsunami warnings were issued for Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, and Mexico, with the epicenter near Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama at a shallow depth of 12km.
Malware called 'Midnight Mimosa' was discovered pre-installed in the firmware of low-cost Android phones using MediaTek chipsets, allowing attackers to install apps, commit ad fraud, and convert devices into residential proxies. The malware affected thousands of devices across over 150 countries, with the highest concentration in Mexico, France, Italy, the US, Germany, Brazil, and Spain. The malicious software was likely introduced during the device supply chain, though the responsible party remains unidentified.
EU regulators have mandated MiCA-licensed firms to stop supporting Tether's USDT by January 8, 2027, while stablecoin adoption accelerates globally with Samsung integrating stablecoin accounts for 82 million users and SoFi launching a fiat-crypto card program in Mexico. The convergence of crypto and fintech industries continues as traditional financial infrastructure adopts blockchain-based payment rails.
AI agents are driving stablecoin adoption on Ethereum and Solana, with AWS and Coinbase enabling autonomous transactions. Cardano introduced compliance features for stablecoins including KYC and freeze capabilities, while SoFi partnered with Mastercard and Orbi to enable cryptocurrency spending in Mexico.
Oil prices surged 3.8% to $104 a barrel amid escalating Middle East tensions, potential US strikes against Iran, and hurricane disruptions to Gulf of Mexico production. The spike triggered broad sell-offs in global bond and stock markets, with yields rising across US, European, and Japanese markets as inflation concerns mount.