Category: News

HealthCare News

Biobots made from tissue could one day be implanted in humans

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As reported on Engadget. BY STEVE DENT  It turns out that robots don’t need to be BigDog-sized to be freaky. Scientists at the University of Illinois have created one a mere centimeter (half-inch) in size built on a 3D-printed hydrogel backbone. The “ew” part is what powers it: a strip of skeletal muscle cells triggered by an electric current. Previous biobots built with heart tissue couldn’t be controlled, but muscle cells can be activated with electric pulses and made to “walk” at…

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News

What happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?

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As reported on The Verge. By Sean Hollister And why can’t we find it? Five days ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished into thin air. With no distress calls and no warning signs, a Boeing 777 aircraft carrying 227 passengers simply disappeared. Just 40 minutes after the plane departed Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with members of 14 different countries on board, it abruptly vanished from radar screens. And as of today, a massive search consisting of over…

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Business Culture News

Goldman Sachs: Bitcoin Is Not A Currency

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Jonathan Shieber Goldman Sachs thinks that Bitcoin believers need to take a cold shower, drink some coffee, and sober up. In the wake of Mt. Gox’s collapse, the supposed outing of Bitcoin’s creator, and some high-profile arrests, the financial services firm has put together an exhaustive survey of “Bitcoin” and “bitcoin” and ultimately finds the technology promising but the currency wanting. The key takeaway: Bitcoin likely can’t work as a currency, but … the ledger-based technology that underlies it…

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Internet News

Snowden: The NSA Is Setting Fire To The Future Of The Internet

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Alex Wilhelm Today at the SXSW conference, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden joined the event digitally to speak about mass surveillance. Since his revelations began to spill last summer, Snowden has been a lightning rod for discussion regarding the proper role of government, and how we handle privacy as a kind. In his remarks regarding the need for more consumer-friendly encryption, Snowden condemned the NSA, his former employer, and its leaders. Painting…

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News

The Year in Review: the biggest stories of 2013

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As reported on The Verge. By Verge Staff The news that mattered, disappointments that didn’t, essential products, and what to look forward to in 2014   What a year you were, 2013. Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks turned up the heat on a cauldron of privacy concerns that’s sure to boil over in the next year. Drones expanded from killing machines to potential package-delivery robots. The US government shut itself down and revealed a disheartening lack of…

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News

UK pardons computing pioneer Alan Turing

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As reported on Engadget. BY JON FINGAS Campaigners have spent years demanding that the UK exonerate computing legendAlan Turing, and they’re finally getting their wish. Queen Elizabeth II has just used her royal prerogative to pardon Turing, 61 years after an indecency conviction that many now see as unjust. The criminal charge shouldn’t overshadow Turing’s vitalcryptoanalysis work during World War II, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said when explaining the move. The pardon is a purely symbolic gesture, but an…

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Entertainment News

‘Lawrence of Arabia’ star Peter O’Toole is dead at 81

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As reported on The Verge. By Kwame Opam Peter O’Toole, best known for his legendary role in the classic 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, died this weekend at a hospital in London. He was 81. O’Toole announced his retirement from his 50-year acting career last year, something he later attributed to his failing health. “I bid the profession a dry-eyed and profoundly grateful farewell,” he said at the time. The actor had been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor…

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Entertainment News

DreamWorks Animation’s CEO offered $75 million for three more ‘Breaking Bad’ episodes

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As reported on The Verge. By Jacob Kastrenakes  The CEO of DreamWorks Animation wanted to see a few more episodes of Breaking Bad, and he was willing to put up a Walter White-style stack of money in order to make it happen. According to Variety, Jeffrey Katzenberg — who as CEO of DreamWorks Animation had no relationship to the series — offered to finance three additional episodes of the show for $25 million apiece. The price would likely have…

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Environmental News

Another Fukushima mishap leaks highly radioactive water into Pacific

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As reported on The Verge. By Amar Toor TEPCO comes under fire from Japanese authorities after second breach in less than two months Radioactive water leaked out of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant late Wednesday and has likely spilled into the Pacific Ocean, authorities announced today. As Reuters reports, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) discovered that contaminated water was overflowing from a storage tank yesterday, and officials estimate that more than 100 gallons may have leaked…

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Entertainment News

‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Mad Men’ photographer warns that digital cameras can be ‘too clear’

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As reported on The Verge. By Vlad Savov Frank Ockenfels III has built up a glittering résumé of photographing some of the best known actors, musicians, and celebrities around, and though you might not have heard his name, you’ll most surely have seen his work. Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Hellboy, Thor, and Sly Stallone’s Expendables crew are just a few of the characters he has immortalized with his camera. Most recently, Ockenfels worked on promo imagery for the final…

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