Pong Was Boring—And People Loved It
November marks the 50th anniversary of Pong. Why should we care? For starters, Pong is the first video game that millions of people welcomed into their homes to play on their own televisions. Pong kick-started a global video-game industry tha.....»»
Thousands flee as Typhoon Usagi hits north of Philippines
Typhoon Usagi slammed into the Philippines' already disaster-ravaged north on Thursday, as authorities rushed to evacuate thousands of people from coastal areas......»»
Spain flood epicenter under highest alert for fresh rain
Spain's national weather agency put parts of the eastern Valencia region under the highest alert level for rain on Wednesday, two weeks after floods killed more than 200 people there......»»
Pakistan employs new measures to deal with nearly 70,000 people affected daily by hazardous smog
Pakistani authorities introduced mobile clinics and added more beds in hospitals to treat the nearly 70,000 patients received daily with respiratory-related diseases as hazardous smog continued to shroud the country's east, officials said Wednesday......»»
Wearable tech for space station research
Many of us wear devices that count our steps, measure our heart rate, track sleep patterns, and more. This information can help us make healthy decisions—research shows the devices encourage people to move more, for example—and could flag possibl.....»»
Economic policies encourage the careless use of people and the planet. Creating caring economies is the answer
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change includes a Gender Action Plan, adopted in 2017. The plan aims to "enhance the gender responsiveness" of climate policy and climate action. It outlines specific actions and strategies to promot.....»»
Bluesky reaches 15 million users as more people look for alternatives to X
Bluesky, one of the many microblogging platforms, has now officially reached the milestone of 15 million registered users. A month ago, Bluesky still had 13 million followers, which shows that the social network is growing rapidly as more people look.....»»
Valencia floods: How to prevent a natural disaster from becoming a public health crisis
On 29 October, the unthinkable happened to thousands of people in the province of Valencia—in a matter of minutes, they went from going about their daily lives to being submerged or swept away by floodwaters, with many losing everything they own. A.....»»
Want to slash social housing waitlists? We should allow tenants to swap homes
There are 184,100 people on social housing waiting lists around the country, reflecting the impact of declining homeownership and escalating private rents......»»
Threads is bringing ads to your feeds very soon
Ever since Twitter became X, many users have been looking for a good alternative. Meta’s Threads has become that for a lot of people. But a very big, yet inevitable change is happening to the social media network soon: ads are coming to your feeds......»»
Improved lipid-polymer nanoparticle could advance inhalable mRNA medications and vaccines
Most people don't enjoy getting shots for treatments or vaccines. So, researchers are working to create more medicines, such as those made from messenger RNA (mRNA), that can be sprayed and inhaled......»»
Apple’s head of accessibility highlights the importance of AI in helping people with disabilities
As reported last week, Apple’s global head of accessibility Sarah Herrlinger spoke this Tuesday at the Web Summit Lisbon 2024. At the event, Herrlinger talked about everything Apple has been doing to make its devices easy to use for anyone and also.....»»
Most US book bans target children"s literature featuring diverse characters and authors of color
Book bans in U.S. schools and libraries during the 2021-22 school year disproportionately targeted children's books written by people of color—especially women of color—according to a peer-reviewed study we published. They also tended to feature.....»»
Autumn leaves are staying green for longer in Britain. Here"s why
Every year people ask me, "why haven't the leaves fallen yet?" If autumn starts on September 1, then by early November winter should be well on its way. And yet, an amateur photographer who has captured the season's colors for several years in southe.....»»
Book examines the appeal of military rule
On a college trip to Nigeria, Assoc. Prof. Samuel Fury Childs Daly was struck by just how many people wore uniforms. There were different colors and every pattern of camouflage imaginable; some were conventional military uniforms, while others were b.....»»
Four out of five people in Africa use wood for cooking. A transition would cut emissions and save lives
Four in every five people in Africa cook using wood, charcoal and other polluting fuels in open fires or inefficient stoves. This releases harmful pollutants and leads to respiratory illnesses and heart disease, particularly among children......»»
Tax whistleblower laws boost state revenue: Study
The federal tax gap—money people and companies owe Uncle Sam but fail to pay on time—has climbed to historic highs: $696 billion in 2022, according to the IRS. It's money that—if recouped—could fund infrastructure or education or pay down gov.....»»
Report: Number of people impacted by climate disasters in the Pacific increased 700% in the last decade
Climate disasters are costing the Pacific eight times more than they did a decade ago.....»»
Apple defends the M4 Mac mini’s power button
People have been puzzling over the decision to move the M4 Mac mini's power button to the underside of the PC, but Apple thinks the placement is "optimal.".....»»
Gender inequality ingrained in global climate negotiations, say researchers
Climate governance is dominated by men, yet the health impacts of the climate crisis often affect women, girls, and gender-diverse people disproportionately, argue researchers ahead of the upcoming 29th United Nations Climate Summit (COP29) in Azerba.....»»
People do care about extinct species, but not for long—new study
Lonesome George was discovered motionless in his enclosure, one morning in June 2012. Overnight, George had taken not only his final breath but the final breath of his entire species, the Pinta Island tortoise, as it faded into extinction......»»