Daily Archives: May 11, 2017


Sinister Text Messages Reveal High-tech Front in Ukraine War

Television journalist Julia Kirienko was sheltering with Ukrainian soldiers and medics two miles (three kilometers) from the front when their cellphones began buzzing over the noise of the shelling. Everyone got the same text message at the same time. “Ukrainian soldiers,” it warned, “they’ll find your bodies when the snow melts.” Text messages like the one Kirienko received have been sent periodically to Ukrainian forces fighting pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country. The threats and disinformation represent a new form of information warfare, the 21st-century equivalent of …


Lava Waves Flow Inside Loki Volcano Lava Lake

Waves of lava flow inside the largest volcano crater on Jupiter’s fourth biggest moon, Loki. Researchers at the University of California Berkeley were able to take advantage of a celestial alignment between Loki and another moon, Europa, to make the discovery. Loki, which is the most volcanic body in the solar system, has over 400 active volcanoes, and Loki Patera is that moon’s largest crater. Loki is named after the Norse god, and patera means a bowl-shaped volcanic crater. In 2015, when Europa passed in front of the moon Io, …


What’s Holding Back Self-driving Cars? Human Drivers

In just a few years, well-mannered self-driving robotaxis will share the roads with reckless, law-breaking human drivers. The prospect is causing migraines for the people developing the robotaxis. A self-driving car would be programmed to drive at the speed limit. Humans routinely exceed it by 10 to 15 mph (16 to 24 kph) — just try entering the New Jersey Turnpike at normal speed. Self-driving cars wouldn’t dare cross a double yellow line; humans do it all the time. And then there are those odd local traffic customs to which humans …


Eurovision: Pop, Politics, Dancing Ape – But no Russia

Sprinkle the sequins, spark up the disco lights and get ready for battle — it’s time for the Eurovision Song Contest , a celebration of kitsch and cheesy pop with an undercurrent of politics and patriotism. More than a singing contest, it’s diplomacy in dancing shoes. This week musical acts from more than 40 countries are taking the stage in Kyiv to vie for the Eurovision crown, watched by some 200 million television viewers. The 62nd annual contest has clean-cut crooners, electro beats, yodeling Romanians and even a dancing gorilla. …


Vigorous Exercise Reduces Cell Aging by 9 Years

Vigorous exercise can reduce aging at the cellular level by nine years, a new study claims. “Just because you’re 40, doesn’t mean you’re 40 years old biologically,” said Brigham Young University exercise science professor Larry Tucker. “We all know people that seem younger than their actual age. The more physically active we are, the less biological aging takes place in our bodies.” The study, which was published in the journal Preventive Medicine, found that people who have “consistently high levels of physical activity” have younger cells as measured through the …


China: Silk Road Plan Not Tied to Xi Presidency

China’s President Xi Jinping initiated the ambitious Belt and Road development plan but it has become a world plan not tied to his presidency, the Commerce Ministry said Wednesday, days before Xi hosts a global forum on the initiative. The forum in Beijing next week will draw heads of state to discuss Xi’s plan to expand trade links between Asia, Africa and Europe through billions of dollars in infrastructure investment. Representatives from more than 100 countries will attend China’s biggest diplomatic event of the year, though only one leader from …


Tesla Selling Solar Tiles, Says They Look Like Traditional Roof

Electric carmaker Tesla has added another product to its lineup: Solar roof tiles. As of Wednesday, customers worldwide could order a solar roof on Tesla’s website. Installations will begin next month in the U.S., starting with California. Installations outside the U.S. will begin next year, the company said. The glass tiles were unveiled by Tesla last fall just before the company merged with solar panel maker SolarCity Corp. They’re designed to look like a traditional roof, with options that replicate slate or terracotta tiles. The solar tiles contain photovoltaic cells …


Amazon Trounces Rivals in Battle of the Shopping ‘Bots’

Earlier this year, engineers at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. who track rivals’ prices online got a rude surprise: the technology they were using to check Amazon.com several million times a day suddenly stopped working. Losing access to Amazon.com Inc.’s data was no small matter. Like most big retailers, Wal-Mart relies on computer programs that scan prices on competitors’ websites so it can adjust its listings accordingly. A difference of even 50 cents can mean losing a sale. But a new tactic by Amazon to block these programs — known commonly as …