South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act is all set to introduce a watershed bill that prevents Google and Apple store owners from making it mandatory for developers to use only in-house payment systems. Additionally, the proposed law also bans app store owners from delaying the approval of newly developed apps or removing them from the market without sufficient reason. Currently, the law has been passed by South Korea’s National Assembly and awaits approval (by signing) of President Moon Jae-in.

The Issue

Globally, Apple and Google enjoy a 30% commission over most app purchases, sales made through apps, and even subscriptions. The idea behind the new proposed bill is to offer developers the advantage to identify the best deals for their Apps. Unless developers are looking for specific advantages offered by Google’s and Apple’s stores – like user verification, hassle-free purchases due to storage of database information, or distribution of digital items, developers will now have the freedom to branch out on their own and find their own purchasers. Typically a credit card processor charges a meager one to three percent of sales.

The Risk

Responding to the proposed legislature Google spokesperson stated that their charges were justified as it costs money for app stores to build and maintain operating systems. Apple on the other hand insisted that in the absence of their locked-in ecosystem, purchasers will be put at risk of scams and frauds. Analytics firm Sensor Tower reports that App Store revenue models run in billions, with Apple facilitating $72.3 billion of global spending in 2020, and Google Play at $38.6 billion.

Lawsuits Galore

South Korea’s proposed law is the newest clampdown against the mega app stores. Globally, Epic Games, which owns games like Fortnite and the Unreal Engine, has been at loggerheads with Google’s and Apple’s app store revenue models and has called for regulations. In the US alone, Google has faced lawsuits in 36 states, with some states considering developing their own app store regulations. In fact, several app developers like Epic, Online Music Giants Spotify, and Tinder owners MatchGroup have collaborated to form the “Coalition for App Fairness” advocacy group to contest exorbitant App fees.

Scientists from Harvard recently made quite a discover: they identified isolated amino-acids lodged in a meteorite. Using the latest methods of analysis, it was later confirmed that this material was part of a unique complete protein structure seen nowhere on Earth.

Does that mean life as we know it didn’t necessarily start the way we always thought it did? Science has a lot of questions to answer.

Complete Protein

A complete protein – a critical ingredient for life – is one that could finally solve the mystery of how life on earth began. If cells were to be the architects and protectors of organic life, proteins in many ways are the building blocks used to create it. While this discovery doesn’t fully confirm that this material comes from an extraterrestrial source, it doesn’t prove that life came from the stars. There are several hypotheses that may indicate that life here on earth began with the help of interstellar space rocks.

Discovering The First Complete Protein

While single and even chains of amino-acids were found in space before, this is the first time that a complete protein was discovered. The more exciting conclusion on the materials found in the meteorite was that it didn’t come from earthly substances. Researchers measured the ratio between deuterium/hydrogen which is similar to carbon dating and helps to study the origins of materials.

Study Results

The insights from the study revealed “very high extraterrestrial D/H ratios,” according to a report from Vice. This suggests that the protein could come from a period before the sun was born, or even earlier before the solar system came together. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this discovery is that these water-protein reactions tested by scientists could possibly show that they play a role in the formation of our solar system.

Life As We Know It

Down here on earth, there’s a very high possibility that the same splitting of molecules from water into hydrogen and oxygen also played a major role in the creation of life on earth, suggesting that extraterrestrial proteins like hemolithin might have triggered these reactions right here on our planet. There’s so much more to be discovered.