Alexa tells 10-year-old child to perform a deadly "challenge"
Echo owner Kristin Livdahl took to Twitter on Sunday to share an odd story with the world: that very day, her 10-year-old child asked Alexa for a challenge to perform. Instead of suggesting something relatively-harmless, like answering a riddle, solv.....»»
Poor countries recycle far more imported plastic than previously thought—but it"s not enough
Countries like Malaysia import many metric tons of plastic waste from Europe each year, paying a few pennies per kilo. This might seem strange, but according to Kai Li, it makes sense......»»
Color, color everywhere—mother nature shares a mosaic of bright colors this fall in New England
Cool, crisp weather can trigger the urge to get out and go leaf peeping and this year could be a particularly good year to hit the road and admire New England's spectacular foliage season. According to Steve Roberge, Extension forestry specialist and.....»»
Facing backlash, EU moves to delay deforestation rules
The European Commission on Wednesday proposed to delay by a year a ban on imports of products driving deforestation that has faced pushback from countries around the world......»»
25 years ago, the angriest war movie ever made was released
1999 was a great year for movies, and this war film ranks as one of the best from that great year. Here's why it still holds up in 2024......»»
Harmonic Security raises $17.5 million to improve data security for organizations
Harmonic Security has secured $17.5 million in Series A funding to bring its “zero-touch data protection” capabilities to enterprises. Total funding has now reached more than $26 million since the company launched in October last year with enterp.....»»
The politically incorrect guide to saving NASA’s floundering Artemis Program
To get somewhere, Artemis must avoid going nowhere. Regardless of the outcome of this year’s election, the United States will have a new president in a few months. Although ther.....»»
Windows 11 24H2, the biggest update in two years, starts rolling out today
Windows 11's third annual update includes a subtle under-the-hood overhaul. Microsoft will begin rolling this year's annual Windows 11 update out to consumers starting today, the.....»»
To build a giant sheep, man spends 10 years smuggling, cloning, and inseminating
He takes his hobbies seriously. Readers of a certain age might remember Dolly, a Finn-Dorset sheep born in 1996 to three mothers and some proud Scottish scientists. Dolly generate.....»»
AI digests repetitive scatological document into profound “poop” podcast
What happens when you ask an AI model to summarize a bunch of crap? Imagine you're a podcaster who regularly does quick 10- to 12-minute summary reviews of written works. Now imag.....»»
Swiss glaciers are receding again after 2 punishing years and despite a good start to 2024
The volume of Switzerland's glaciers shrank again this summer, compounding the negative impact of climate change after a devastating two-year run that depleted the ice by more than 10%, scientific experts reported Tuesday......»»
Japan records second-hottest September
Japan had its second-hottest September since records began with some regions the warmest yet, the weather agency said, in a year likely to become the warmest in human history......»»
Fires taking Amazon closer to "point of no return": Expert
A year ago, Carlos Nobre, one of Brazil's top climate scientists, was a rare voice of optimism about the future of the planet......»»
One-minute phone breaks could help keep students more focused in class and better in tests
Phones can be useful tools in classrooms to remind students of deadlines or encourage more exchange between students and teachers. At the same time, they can be distracting. Students report using their phones for non-academic purposes as often as 10.....»»
Bloomberg: New iPhone SE with Face ID and updated iPad Air launching early next year
Via Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is set to update its entry-level iPhone SE early next year, alongside updates to the iPad Air and accessories. The new iPhone SE will be a significant release, featuring a shift away from the dated forehead an.....»»
AI digests repetitive scatological document into profound “poop” podcast
What happens when you ask an AI model to summarize a bunch of crap? Enlarge / This AI prompt stinks... or does it? (credit: Aurich Lawson) Imagine you're a podcaster who regularly does quick 10- to 12-minute summary revi.....»»
Are plants and fungi trading carbon for nutrients? Not likely, say researchers
Every year, plants move 3.58 gigatons of carbon to mycorrhizal fungi, their underground partners—enough, in fact, that if it were ice, it would cover 112 million NHL hockey rinks. However, a dominant scientific theory explaining that huge transfer.....»»
Targeted grazing can be a successful, low-cost method to manage cheatgrass when timed properly
Targeted livestock grazing is a successful and cost-efficient method to manage cheatgrass in the U.S. western Great Plains when timed to coincide with cheatgrass growth rather than based solely on the time of year, according to a recent study publish.....»»
Next year’s iPhone could surprise new button
The next Apple flagship could stir surprise with a new physical button. Here's what we know about how it might work......»»
"Iyashikei" healing manga comforts readers with attention to small joys
Iyashikei is a Japanese genre that, according to Japanese studies scholar Paul Roquet, tells stories that are designed to comfort and heal weary readers by creating an aesthetic of calm. In order to achieve this, as Roquet articulates, these stories.....»»
High-resolution images of RSV may expose stubborn virus"s weak points
The complex shape of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one hurdle limiting the development of treatments for an infection that leads to hospitalization or worse for hundreds of thousands of people in the United States each year, according to the C.....»»