Leaked Chat Logs Expose Ransomware Group, AI Tool Diagnoses Diabetes, HIV, and Covid-19, and Scientists Develop New View of Evolution

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In this episode of 'Discover Daily', a massive leak from the Black Basta ransomware group reveals shocking details about modern cybercrime networks, including a 17-year-old member and $28.7M ransom demands. Security researchers uncover how the group uses corporate tools like ZoomInfo to target English-speaking organizations, while internal conflicts stall their operations. Dive into the dark world of double extortion tactics and parallels to the infamous Conti ransomware leak.

In medical tech, meet Mal-ID – an AI breakthrough analyzing immune cells to detect diseases like HIV, lupus, and COVID-19 from a single blood test. Discover how machine learning decodes B-cell and T-cell receptor patterns, offering hope for faster autoimmune disease diagnosis and silent infection detection. This "one-shot sequencing" method could revolutionize personalized medicine by mapping your immune system’s entire history.

Lastly, evolution gets a rewrite as scientists discover gene loss drives adaptation in marine life. A Molecular Biology and Evolution study shows how sea squirts called appendicularians thrived by deleting 16 key genes, enabling radical ocean adaptations and hidden "cryptic species." Explore the "less is more" evolutionary model challenging assumptions about genetic complexity – and what it means for future bioengineering breakthroughs.

From Perplexity's Discover Feed:

https://www.perplexity.ai/page/leaked-chat-logs-expose-ransom-TNwzdMedSOCWv34yS7HItg 

https://www.perplexity.ai/page/ai-tool-diagnoses-diabetes-hiv-60yD.7CfT9OBJzcTZ.LYMw 

https://www.perplexity.ai/page/scientists-develop-new-view-of-LQXruZGGQ1Oxdf.UzbgaJg

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https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-perplexity-deep-research 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Discover Daily, by Perplexity, your
AI-curated digest ofbreakthroughs in tech, science
and culture.
I'm Isaac.
Today we're exploring howscientists are developing a new
view of evolution, challengingour understanding of how species
adapt and change.
But first let's look at whatelse is happening.
Our first story transports usto the world of digital crime.

(00:29):
Security analysts recentlydissected a monumental leak from
the Black Basta ransomwarecollective, exposing
unprecedented details aboutmodern cyber extortion networks.
This breach, first flagged byBleeping Computer and later
scrutinized by Prodaftresearchers, reveals a criminal
enterprise operating withcorporate precision.
At its helm sits OlegNefedevaka, a shadowy figure

(00:53):
using aliases like Trump and AAto enforce strict hierarchy.
His lieutenants includeadministrators codenamed YY and
Lapa, while an operative dubbedCortez maintains ties to the
infamous Quackbot botnet.
Investigators identified a17-year-old active participant,

(01:13):
proof that cybercrime transcendstraditional age barriers.
Black Basta's playbookdemonstrates chilling
sophistication the groupweaponizes business intelligence
platforms like ZoomInfo toprofile high-value targets, then
deploys a ruthlessdouble-extortion strategy.
After infiltrating systems,they simultaneously lock
critical infrastructure andthreaten sensitive data leaks,

(01:37):
with ransom demands peaking at$28.7 million before negotiated
reductions.
Their crosshairs focusdeliberately on English-speaking
nations, prioritizing criticalinfrastructure providers and
multinational corporations whereoperational disruptions carry
maximum financial and societalimpact.
The leak itself unfolded withcinematic drama.

(02:00):
On February 11, a Telegram userknown as ExploitWhispers dumped
years of internalcommunications, allegedly
retaliating against BlackBasta's targeting of Russian
financial institutions.
This mirrors 2022's Contiransomware exposure by
pro-Ukraine hackers after thegroup supported Russia's

(02:21):
invasion.
The fallout has been immediate.
Since early 2025, black Basta'soperations have stalled amid
internal power struggles andaccusations of member-led victim
scams For cybersecurityprofessionals.
The leaked data provides anintelligence windfall, including
367 unique Zoom info links thatilluminate target selection

(02:44):
patterns.
Transitioning from digitalthreats to medical innovation,
researchers have developed MALID, an AI diagnostic tool poised
to revolutionize diseasedetection.
This system deciphers immunesystem records encoded in B-cell

(03:05):
and T-cell receptors from asingle blood sample, identifying
markers for conditions rangingfrom COVID-19 and HIV to lupus
and type 1 diabetes.
The technology leverages sixspecialized AI models to
interpret molecular fingerprintsleft during immune responses.
B-cell analysis provesparticularly effective for viral

(03:27):
infections, functioning likecryptographic code-breaking for
immune histories.
Conversely, t-cell patternsoffer critical insights for
autoimmune disorders, solvingdiagnostic challenges that often
leave clinicians perplexed.
Dubbed one-shot sequencing,this approach captures an
individual's entireimmunological narrative through

(03:48):
one blood draw.
Though still experimental, itspotential spans early HIV
detection to identifying lupuspredisposition years before
symptom onset a paradigm shifttoward proactive medicine.

(04:13):
Now let's plunge into today'sevolutionary revelation.
New research in molecularbiology and evolution overturns
long-held beliefs about howgenetic complexity drives
species evolution.
By analyzing sea squirts andtheir free-swimming relatives
called appendicularians,scientists discovered that gene

(04:33):
loss can catalyze evolutionaryinnovation.
This upends the traditionalnarrative that evolution
primarily advances through newgenetic additions.
Appendicularians thrived bydeleting 16 fibroblast growth
factor or FGF genes, componentscrucial for developmental
processes in most animals.

(04:54):
This genomic simplificationtriggered explosive duplication
of remaining genes, enablingradical physiological
adaptations.
Consider the numerical contrastWhile humans possess 22 FGF
genes, the appendicularianOikoplura thrives with just six.
This streamlined toolkitfacilitated their transition

(05:16):
from sedentary seafloor dwellersto agile open-ocean specialists
.
The implications are big.
If strategic gene deletiondrives major transitions, we
must re-evaluate historiesacross species.
Deletion drives majortransitions.
We must re-evaluate historiesacross species.

(05:36):
Could our vertebrate ancestors'success stem from similar
genomic pruning?
This new research suggests yes,suggesting this mechanism
influenced fundamentalanatomical innovations.
The study also reveals hiddendiversity.
Genetic analysis uncoversmultiple Oikopleura species
masquerading as onedifferentiated through
pared-down genomes.
This evolutionary minimalismdemonstrates how constraint

(05:59):
breeding innovation reshapeslife's trajectory.
The findings recalibrate natureversus nurture debates.
What latent potential residesin lost genetic material?
Could control gene deletionbecome a bioengineering tool?
While speculative, suchquestions underscore how

(06:44):
profoundly this rewrites ourtraditional view of evolution.
Thank you, through our web andmobile platforms, check it out,
and that's it for today.
Thanks for listening and thankyou for your fan mail.
We work to incorporate everybit of feedback we get, so thank
you for helping us make theshow better.
This is Isaac reminding youthat every change begins with a

(07:04):
simple question why Stay curious?