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NASA Twins Study Sparking New Questions
Posted by Toi Williams on Feb 16th, 2019 //
The results of a NASA study involving twin astronauts are
allowing scientists to formulate new questions about the impact that traveling
in space has on the human body. The NASA Twins Study, involving NASA astronaut
Scott Kelly...
New Software Writes Convincing Fake News Articles
Posted by Toi Williams on Feb 14th, 2019 //
A new software program has been developed that can produce
authentic-looking fake news with just a few pieces of information. Created by OpenAI,
an artificial intelligence research group co-founded by billionaire Elon Musk, the
software...
Mass Insect Deaths Alarm Scientists
Posted by Toi Williams on Feb 12th, 2019 //
Insect populations are plummeting worldwide, sparking alarm
amongst scientists studying the problem. According to the first global
scientific review of insect population decline, more than 40 percent of insect
species are dwindling,...
Finland’s Basic Income Trial Produces Mixed Results
Posted by Toi Williams on Feb 10th, 2019 //
A two-year government experiment in Finland has found that
giving residents a guaranteed income produces mixed results. The trial found
that the guaranteed money made the recipients happier, but didn’t make them more
likely...
Johnson & Johnson Adding Prices To TV Ads
Posted by Toi Williams on Feb 8th, 2019 //
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) will begin adding pricing
information for its medicines to television commercials by next month. Ads for
the popular blood thinner Xarelto will be the first to display the new
information. The...
FaceTime Bug Causing Big Problems For Apple
Posted by Toi Williams on Feb 3rd, 2019 //
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has issued a statement saying that
it is fixing a bug in FaceTime that allows eavesdroppers to listen in on calls
and see through front-facing cameras secretly. The issue was brought to the
public’s...
Weapons-grade Plutonium Shipped From SC To NV
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 31st, 2019 //
Reports have emerged that the Department of Energy (DOE) has
shipped about a half-ton of weapons-grade radioactive plutonium from a site in
South Carolina to a new location in Nevada. The disclosure was made as part of
a federal...
Joshua Tree National Park Recovery May Take Centuries
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 29th, 2019 //
Joshua Tree National Park in Southern
California may take hundreds of years to recover from damage sustained during
the partial government shutdown. The country’s many national parks were left
open during the shutdown, but they...
YouTube Making Changes To Its Recommendation Algorithm
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 26th, 2019 //
After years of being accused of exposing people to
misleading information, YouTube – a division of Alphabet Inc.’s Google – has announced
that it is retooling its recommendation algorithm to prevent the promotion of false
information....
Highly Sensitive Documents Exposed In Loan Data Leak
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 24th, 2019 //
A massive data leak of mortgage and loan data has exposed
highly sensitive information from tens of thousands of people who obtained
loans and mortgages over the past decade. The leaked documents include
financial agreements between...
Study: Body Fat Storage Determined By Genes
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 22nd, 2019 //
Swedish researchers claim to have found genetic factors that
determine whether you store your fat around the trunk or in other parts of your
body. After conducting a study of more than 360,000 volunteers, the researchers
reportedly...
Facebook Finds More Russian-linked Accounts To Block
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 19th, 2019 //
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) has announced the removal of
hundreds of Russia-initiated accounts from its platform after the social
network detected “coordinated inauthentic behavior” from them. The social media
company wrote...
Newmont Mining Planning To Acquire Goldcorp
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 15th, 2019 //
Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM) has announced its intentions to
buy smaller rival Goldcorp (NYSE: GG) in a deal valued at $10 billion.
According to published reports, Newmont is offering 0.3280 of its shares and
$0.02 for each Goldcorp...
Oceans Warming Faster Than Previously Thought
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 10th, 2019 //
Scientists have released some alarming new findings that the
world’s oceans are warming far more quickly than previously thought. According
to a new analysis published in the journal Science, researchers have found that
the...
Hundreds Of German Politicians Hacked
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 6th, 2019 //
The data of hundreds of Germany’s most powerful leaders was posted
online in the days before Christmas. Some of the stolen information was freely
available online for weeks before the attack came to prominence. Politicians...
911 Call From Space Station Sparks NASA Response
Posted by Toi Williams on Jan 4th, 2019 //
A 911 from space had security teams at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas in a scramble to respond. Dutch astronaut André Kuipers accidentally called 911 from the International Space Station when making a call...
Instagram Horizontal Scrolling Sparks Fierce Backlash
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 27th, 2018 //
Facebook Inc’s (NASDAQ: FB) photo-sharing social network Instagram was pilloried online after a bug fix switched its scrolling feature to horizontal instead of vertical. The momentary change sparked widespread outrage among users...
AT&T Facing Criticism For ‘5G E’ Plan
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 22nd, 2018 //
AT&T (NYSE: T) phones will start showing a controversial “5G E” icon in the coming months. The company announced that it will be replacing the LTE indicator on its smartphones with a 5G E symbol in markets that support...
Scientists Make New Discovery On Tornadoes
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 20th, 2018 //
Scientists researching the formation of tornadoes have made a surprising discovery. They found that instead of funnel clouds gradually descending until they make contact with the ground, tornadoes may form from the ground up. The team...
Scientists Discover Saturn’s Rings Disappearing
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 18th, 2018 //
One of the most impressive features of Saturn is its iconic rings, icy bangles that stretch nearly 175,000 miles. Unfortunately, those rings won’t be around forever, according to new research released by NASA. In fact, the rings...
LVMH Reaches Deal To Buy High-end Hotels
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 16th, 2018 //
One of the largest luxury brands has announced plans to buy some of the world’s most luxurious hotels and restaurants. French luxury-goods company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE has agreed to acquire London-based Belmond...
Virgin Galactic Reaches The Edge Of Space
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 13th, 2018 //
Virgin Galactic’s milestone test flight for its supersonic space plane officially reached the edge of space before turning around and touching back down to Earth. The rocket-powered plane, VSS Unity, reached a maximum altitude...
CDC Issues Annual Raw Cookie Dough Warning
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 11th, 2018 //
It’s that time of year again, the time when many families break out their Christmas cookie recipes and make goodies for the ones they love. Sadly, many Christmas cookies never make it from the mixing bowl to the oven, eaten as raw...
ISS Gets Christmas Delivery From SpaceX
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 9th, 2018 //
A special delivery has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) just in time for the holidays. A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship delivered more than 5,600 pounds of fresh supplies, including a variety of holiday treats. The spacecraft...
‘Adult Content’ No Longer Allowed On Tumblr
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 6th, 2018 //
Tumblr, owned by Verizon (NYSE: VZ) subsidiary Oath, has announced that it will begin banning “adult content” from its service starting Dec. 17. CEO Jeff D’Onofrio said in a blog post that the site would no longer allow adult...
Amazon Expands Cashierless Technology Testing
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 4th, 2018 //
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has expanded the testing of its cashierless checkout technology. The online retail giant is reportedly experimenting with the technology in Seattle, Washington in a large space formatted like a big store....
Health Warning Issued For Male Enhancement Supplements
Posted by Toi Williams on Dec 1st, 2018 //
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning users of a particular type of male enhancement supplement of potentially life-threatening health issues associated with the product. Users of Rhino male enhancement supplements...
Confirmed Cases Of Rare Condition Continue To Rise
Posted by Toi Williams on Nov 27th, 2018 //
Confirmed cases of a rare, polio-like condition called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) has now risen to more than 100 nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest update “So far in 2018, there are 116...
Adenovirus Claims 12th Victim
Posted by Toi Williams on Nov 22nd, 2018 //
A University of Maryland freshman has become the 12th victim to die of complications from Adenovirus. Olivia Paregol has been named in reports as the student who died. The University of Maryland issued a letter acknowledging the death,...
‘El Chapo’ Guzman Trial Begins In Brooklyn Court
Posted by Toi Williams on Nov 13th, 2018 //
The trial of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera has begun in a Brooklyn court after the successful completion of the jury selection process. His day in court comes nearly two years after his extradition from Mexico. The trial...
VA’s Controversial Experiments On Dogs To Continue
Posted by Toi Williams on Nov 10th, 2018 //
A government agency is under fire over its use of dogs in some controversial experiments. The Department of Veterans Affairs currently has nine studies involving dogs occurring at four of its facilities. The tests have been opposed...
Facebook Debuts New Portal Smart Displays
Posted by Toi Williams on Nov 8th, 2018 //
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) has debuted its new Portal products, a line of smart displays enhanced for video calling. The company says that the Portal is designed to bring you closer to your closest Facebook contacts, providing you...
USA Gymnastics Targeted For Shut Down By USOC
Posted by Toi Williams on Nov 6th, 2018 //
The United States Olympic Committee is taking action to take over the operations of USA Gymnastics, the sport’s governing body. Under its bylaws, the USOC has the power to review all matters related to the continued recognition of...
NASA Announces End Of Two Major Missions
Posted by Toi Williams on Nov 4th, 2018 //
Two of NASA’s most ambitious missions ended this week. The Kepler space telescope mission came to a conclusion this week after the telescope ran out of fuel. The Kepler telescope had the largest digital camera ever outfitted for...
New Project Aims To DNA Sequence Every Species In UK
Posted by Toi Williams on Nov 1st, 2018 //
Researchers have announced a plan to DNA sequence all known species in the United Kingdom, excluding its overseas territories. The initiative has been named The Darwin Tree of Life project. The project is part of the Earth BioGenome...
New Report Recommends Ways To Reduce Global Warming
Posted by Toi Williams on Oct 25th, 2018 //
The nation’s top scientists are proposing some ambitious plans to reduce global warming by midcentury. They say that nations need to limit the rise in global average temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius within a few decades. Temperatures...
Rare Rectangular Iceberg Found In Antarctica
Posted by Toi Williams on Oct 23rd, 2018 //
A rare rectangular iceberg has been found in Antarctica floating among sea ice just off the Larsen C ice shelf. The huge, flat iceberg has perfect right angles in a unique geometric shape. NASA shared an image of the rectangular iceberg...
New Study Sheds Light On How T-Rex Arms Were Used
Posted by Toi Williams on Oct 20th, 2018 //
A new study takes a close look at how Tyrannosaurus Rex’s arms would have functioned, a question that has been hotly debated for years. By studying the limbs of two distant modern relatives of the extinct theropod, the researchers...
NBA G League Creates New Path For Elite Prospects
Posted by Toi Williams on Oct 18th, 2018 //
The NBA’s G League has created a new professional path for the best American basketball prospects. Starting in the summer of 2019, “Select Contracts” worth $125,000 will be offered to elite prospects who are at least...
Supreme Court Lets $400 Million Lead-paint Ruling Stand
Posted by Toi Williams on Oct 16th, 2018 //
The US Supreme Court has left intact a ruling that requires Conagra Brands and Sherwin-Williams Co. to pay more than $400 million for lead-paint remediation. Sherwin-Williams and units of Conagra had contested the ruling in separate...
Music Modernization Act Signed Into Law
Posted by Toi Williams on Oct 11th, 2018 //
The Music Modernization Act has been signed into law in a high-profile event at the White House. H.R. 1551, known formally as the “Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act”, was written to update music copyright law...
