New Jersey registers first known death in the US from the UK COVID-19 variant

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, watches as Maritza Beniquez, RN, reacts to receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., December 15, 2020. Kirsten Luce/Pool via Reuters New Jersey has registered the first known death in the US from the UK coronavirus strain, state officials announced Wednesday. The White House COVID-19 team separately said the country was identifying cases of the new strain too slowly. Earlier in January, the UK entered a new lockdown in ...
Tags: Politics, UK, New York, Science, White House, US, Trends, New Jersey, Vaccine, Biden, Andrew Cuomo, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Murphy, Newark New Jersey, Phil Murphy, Reuters New Jersey

Facebook Once Again Pledges To Depoliticize Facebook

After initially pledging not to recommend civic and political groups to its users, but then sort of continuing to do that anyway, Facebook once again affirmed its commitment to reducing the amount of political content that users see on Wednesday.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Science, Technology, Software, News Feed, Computing, Nerd Culture

U.S. Navy Documents Discuss Creating a 'Spacetime Modification Weapon'

The U.S. Department of Defense spent close to half a million dollars—at least $466,810—on fringe science research, in the hopes of someday creating an aircraft that bends the laws of physics. That news comes via a new report from the War Zone, which recently acquired DoD documents via a public records request as part…Read more...
Tags: Science, Articles, Engineering, Aircraft, Darpa, U S Department of Defense, U S Navy, Air Force Research Laboratory, Naval Air Warfare Center, Entertainment_culture, Salvatore Pais, Fringe Physics, Spacecraft Propulsion

Discord Bans r/WallStreetBets For Hate Speech Violations

After kicking off a historic rally around GameStop stock that has incited the ire of hedge fund tycoons and the SEC, the r/WallStreetBets channel was banned from Discord on Wednesday over apparent hate speech violations. Read more...
Tags: Science, 4chan, Software, Reddit, SEC, Websites, Freeware, Internet Culture, Gamestop, Discord, QAnon, Alt Tech, Islamophobia In The United States, Propaganda In The United States, Racism In The United States

Apple Had a Better Holiday Than Literally Anyone Else

We’re well into the second decade of iPhone sales, and with the covid-19 pandemic devastating economies worldwide, some wondered: Would 2020 be the year that Apple’s runaway revenue train finally slowed down? The answer is decidedly: lol no.Read more...
Tags: Iphone, Apple, Ios, Science, Technology, Steve Jobs, Apple TV, Itunes, Mobile Phones, Apple Watch, Apple Store, Apple Inc, AppleCare, Product Red

Finding the Perfect Landing Spot for NASA’s Moon Mission Will Be Tricky

For the pending Artemis missions to the Moon, NASA has already selected the southern polar region as the destination for its astronauts, but an exact landing spot has yet to be determined. Given the needs of the Artemis program, this won’t be easy. Read more...
Tags: Science, Nasa, Moon, Lander, Orion, Spaceflight, Artemis, Outer Space, Lunar South Pole, Lunar Water, Artemis program, Exploration Of The Moon, Technology_internet, Entertainment_culture, Artemis 3

Intel Launches Its First Desktop Graphics Cards in More Than 20 Years

It’s been more than 20 years since Intel released its last desktop graphics card, the Intel740, but as of yesterday the company is officially back in the discrete GPU game.Read more...
Tags: Science, Intel, Computing, Nvidia, Gpu, Video Cards, Ati Technologies, Intel Graphics, Advanced Micro Devices, Graphics Processing Unit, Computer Architecture, GPGPU, Intel Xe, Fabless Semiconductor Companies, Graphics Hardware, Technology_internet

How Joe Biden Wins the Climate Messaging War and Fixes the Crisis

When President Joe Biden revoked the Keystone XL pipeline permit, Republicans responded by over-inflating job loss numbers and generally making stuff up. On Wednesday, though, the administration showed it won’t cede ground to the lies. Read more...
Tags: Politics, Science, Labor, Environment, Joe Biden, Politicians, Just Transition, Biden Family, Federal Government Of The United States, Presidency Of The United States, Technology_internet, Entertainment_culture, Business_finance, Law_crime, Health_medical_pharma, Low Carbon Economy

A third of COVID-19 survivors are diagnosed with conditions like stroke, dementia, and psychosis

Crystal Cox/Insider One in eight COVID-19 survivors receive their first-ever psychiatric or neurological diagnosis within six months of testing positive.  Cognitive complications are more prevalent among survivors with prior mental health diagnoses and those who've been hospitalized.  The virus may lead to neurological complications due to a lack of oxygen, the immune system's response, or by invading the brain itself.  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Six months after ...
Tags: Science, US, Trends, Mental Health, Canada, Oxford, Mental Illness, University of Oxford, Western University, Adrian Owen, Crystal Cox, Reuters Read, Neurological Disorders, Coronavirus, COVID, BI Photo

Congressional Panel: We Have a 'Moral Imperative' to At Least Consider Building a Terminator

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, a congressional advisory panel—helmed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt—has mulled whether or not the U.S. should deploy artificially intelligent autonomous weapons, and, after taking into account the numerous reasons it would be a terrible idea, decided …Read more...
Tags: Google, Science, Articles, Artificial Intelligence, Robot, Eric Schmidt, Science and Technology, Military Robots, Congressional Panel, Technology_internet, War_conflict, Academic Disciplines, Lethal Autonomous Weapon, Campaign To Stop Killer Robots

Doctors Studied People's Last Moments of Life to Figure Out When Death Begins

New research suggests that doctors are, thankfully, skilled at correctly identifying a person’s time of death—a crucial aspect of ensuring healthy organs for donation. At the same time, the body can sometimes show flitters of cardiac activity even after death has become truly irreversible, according to the study…Read more...
Tags: Science, Organ Donation, Organ Transplantation, Transplantation Medicine, Organ Procurement, Organ Donation In Australia

The 10 Best Deals of January 27, 2021

Wednesday’s Best Deals | Kinja DealsRead more...
Tags: Science, Xbox One, Xbox, Human Interest, AirPods, Video Game Consoles, Home video game consoles, Technology_internet, Entertainment_culture

Twitter User Hit With Criminal Charges for Memetic Voter Suppression in 2016 Election

If the online MAGA army wasn’t nervous before today, the Department of Justice just gave them a good reason to tighten their sphincters. In a surprising announcement, DOJ officials said on Wednesday that they’ve charged a prominent Twitter user with taking part in a conspiracy to trick citizens into not voting during…Read more...
Tags: Politics, Science, Articles, Department Of Justice, Donald Trump, Injustice, Doj, Internet Meme, Deception, Robocall, Voter Suppression, QAnon, Far Right Politics In The United States, Business_finance, Religion_belief, Internet Manipulation And Propaganda

Ask Mechanic Shop Femme: How Can I Make My Older Car Smarter?

Top Product: The Driver’s Smartphone To Large Screen Display | $250 | Hammacher SchlemmerRead more...
Tags: Science

Alexa Can Now Bark Like a Dog to Scare People Away When You're Not at Home

You typically use Amazon’s Alexa to play music, provide weather forecasts, and respond to other household requests. But Alexa just got a somewhat unusual new skill: the ability to bark like a dog.Read more...
Tags: Amazon, Publishing, Science, Computing, Amazon Echo, Alexa, World Wide Web, Ring, Amazon Alexa, Smart Speakers, Amazon Echo Show, Entertainment_culture

3 spacecraft are set to reach Mars next month, from NASA, China, and the UAE. Here's what they aim to learn.

An illustration of NASA's Perseverance rover landing on Mars. NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA, China, and the United Arab Emirates each have a mission speeding towards Mars. They're all set to arrive in February. NASA's Perseverance rover is equipped to sniff out signs of alien life, while China's Tianwen-1 rover could find underground water. The UAE's Hope orbiter aims to make a global map of the Martian climate. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. After six months of careening ...
Tags: Science, China, Trends, Ap, Nasa, Earth, Nature, United Arab Emirates, Rover, Mars, Uae, Trump, NASA JPL Caltech, Tech Insider, Mohammed bin Rashid, Jim Bridenstine

DeskStand Is a Neat Standing Desk Solution That Isn't Heinous

When space is limited and corners of your home have to be multi-functional, consider a standing desk converter that can easily break down to be stored out of sight.Read more...
Tags: Science, Technology, Computing, Laptop, Desks, Computer Mouse, Standing Desk, Computer Desk, Humancomputer Interaction, Technology_internet, Business_finance

New MIT brain research shows how AI could help us understand consciousness

A team of researchers from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital recently published a study linking social awareness to individual neuronal activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time evidence for the ‘theory of mind‘ has been identified at this scale. Measuring large groups of neurons is the bread-and-butter of neurology. Even a simple MRI can highlight specific regions of the brain and give scientists an indication of what they’re used for and, in many cases, what kind of t...
Tags: Startups, Science, Tech, Mit, Artificial Intelligence, Massachusetts General Hospital, Neural

The Star Wars Games We Want to See Out of Lucasfilm's New Era

Earlier this month, Lucasfilm announced something of a pivot in its video game licensing. Rebranding its outreach as Lucasfilm Games, it looked toward a future where studios outside of EA, which currently holds an exclusivity deal until 2023, could make Star Wars games. Naturally, that led to us inevitably making a…Read more...
Tags: Star Wars, Science, Fiction, Darth Vader, Lucasfilm, Lightsaber, The Force, Jedi, LucasArts, Sith, Fictional Characters, Imax Films, Creative Works, Technology_internet, Business_finance, Star Wars Video Games

'World's Most Dangerous Malware' Botnet Disrupted by Global Police Sting

The criminal operation behind a dangerous, global botnet has been disrupted.Read more...
Tags: Science, Crime, Malware, Ransomware, Cybercrime, Social Issues, Security Breaches, Cyberwarfare, Botnet, Europol, Computer Security, Ryuk, Computer Network Security, Emotet, Technology_internet, Entertainment_culture

The Atlantic Ocean Is Getting Wider Thanks to Upwelling Magma

In March 2016, a research team dropped 39 seismometers to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off the western tip of Africa, to listen for the rumblings of earthquakes near and far. A year later, they’ve found a hidden story of how the continents are growing farther apart—not pulled from either side by subduction zones,…Read more...
Tags: Science, Africa, Geology, Volcano, Subduction, Earth Sciences, Atlantic Ocean, Mid Ocean Ridge, Plate Tectonics, Tectonics, Lithosphere, Technology_internet, Asthenosphere, Mantle Plume, Ridge Push, Upwelling Magma

Researchers say a new coronavirus variant found in California may have contributed to Los Angeles' case surge

Nurse Michelle Goldson in the ICU at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles, California on December 17, 2020. Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images More than 1 million people in LA county have gotten COVID-19. Two-thirds of those cases were reported in the last two months. According to a recent study, LA's coronavirus surge coincides with the emergence of a new variant called CAL.20C. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. More than 1 million people...
Tags: Health, UK, Science, News, California, La, US, Los Angeles, Trends, South Africa, Anthony Fauci, Pacific Ocean, Eric Garcetti, Gavin Newsom, Southern California, Los Angeles County

Samsung Heir: Sorry I'm in Jail, but Uh, Please Keep Working

Everyone’s had a boss who sent a tone-deaf email but imprisoned Samsung heir apparent Lee Jae-yong has one-upped them all. Sending a message on Samsung’s intranet, Lee apparently apologized for landing himself in jail once again and urged them to “maintain their work” in his absence, Yonhap reports.Read more...
Tags: Science, Labor, Samsung, Economy, Companies, Bribery, Samsung Electronics, Lee, Yonhap, Lee Jae yong, Lee Kun hee, Chaebol, Business_finance, Law_crime, Economy Of South Korea

Coronavirus live news: Norway to close borders for all but essential visitors; vaccine shortage in Madrid

Norway to close borders from Friday; Madrid health authorities announce two-week pause after supply issuesBritain and EU clash over claims to UK-produced Covid vaccineCanada: backlash after millionaire got jab meant for Indigenous peopleGermany expected to tighten borders to control spread of variantsChina to use anal swabs to test for Covid in high infection areasUK coronavirus updates – live 6.27pm GMT South Africa expects the flight carrying its first 1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to a...
Tags: UK, Science, Eu, World news, South Africa, Infectious Diseases, Norway, Slovakia, Madrid, Bratislava, Reuters, Bratislava Slovakia, Jewish Community Centre, Zweli Mkhize, Mkhize, Coronavirus

America's First Composting Funeral Home Is Finally Open

Death is inevitable. But Seattle-based company Recompose is giving people a new way to exit this mortal coil: Having their remains laid in a tube of mulch and soil and letting bacteria turn them into compost in a month’s time. After having opened their doors earlier this winter, Recompose is now fully getting to work…Read more...
Tags: Science, Articles, America, Bacteria, Waste Management, Sanitation, Seattle, Compost, Permaculture, Katrina Spade, Cremation, Burial, Recompose, War_conflict, Death Customs, Natural Burial

Musk and Bezos Scrap Over Who Gets to Be Space King

The two wealthiest men in the world—Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos—are bickering about their competing satellite internet projects, in an argument prompted by SpaceX’s recent request to move some Starlink satellites to a lower orbit. Read more...
Tags: Amazon, Spacex, Elon Musk, Science, Internet Service Providers, Jeff Bezos, Spaceflight, Hyperloop, Musk, Outer Space, StarLink, Businesspeople, Kuiper Systems, Technology_internet, Satellite Internet Access

The Expanse Will Rip Your Heart Out and Make It Feel Good

The end is near, Screaming Firehawks, and with just one Expanse episode to go after this week’s blazing “Winnipesaukee,” the stage is set for a finale full of questions that need answering, conflicts we hope to see resolved, and a reunion we’ve been waiting almost all of season five to see. But first: PUNCH IT!Read more...
Tags: Science, Labor, Memory, The Expanse, Better, Hard Science Fiction, Minor Planets, Television Series, Avasarala, Belter, Creative Works, Technology_internet, Business_finance, Law_crime, Chetzemoka

Sling TV Prices Are Going Up Now, Too

One of the best cable alternatives for live TV enthusiasts is getting a price hike.Read more...
Tags: Science, Television, Marketing, Dish Network, Sling TV, Hopper, Sling, Technology_internet, Product Bundling

Garmin's Tiny Lily Smartwatch Doesn't Need All This Pandering Women-Centric Branding to Be Good

Often, when I show off a new smartwatch I’m testing to my gal pals, they inevitably crinkle their noses. “It’s...so big. And ugly,” they say. “I’d never wear something like that.” It’s something I’ve harped about in many a smartwatch review, a plea from the small-wristed among us for a wearable that doesn’t leave us…Read more...
Tags: Science, Technology, Withings, Watch, Smartwatches, Computing, Fitbit, Garmin, Wearable Devices, Ubiquitous Computing, Mobile Computers, Wearable Computer, Humancomputer Interaction

Signal Blocked by Iran as Encrypted Messaging App's Popularity Explodes

With great popularity comes great scrutiny. Following WhatsApp’s controversial announcement of changes to its privacy policy, users have flocked to the encrypted messaging app Signal. The app has maintained a relatively small userbase for years, but in the last month, it has reportedly doubled in size. And now it’s…Read more...
Tags: Politics, Science, Technology, Labor, Imessage, Iran, Whatsapp, Software, Social Issues, Signal, Operating Systems, Messaging Apps, Secure Communication, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software