Facebook Comments on Class Action Lawsuit—Are They Going Through Your Messages?

Medicine & Technology Dec 24, 2014

After more than a year of legal fees and litigation, Facebook has finally seen the course of what their class action lawsuit will entail for them, and now they’re commenting back. Now you might view Facebook as the protectors of your dirty little secrets, or even the social media source connecting you to your friends worldwide, but a new class-action lawsuit the company faces alleges that Facebook employs have been scanning users’ messages for information—and your messages may have been hacked too.

What Manganese and the Trade Winds Tell Researchers about the Coral Bleaching Epidemic of the Pacific

Dec 24, 2014

Researchers from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), tasked with monitoring the overall health of Pacific coral reefs are sounding an alarm of international proportions to notify the public and government agencies that the Pacific Ocean coral reefs are facing a massive die-off known commonly as “coral bleaching”. Publishing their recent study in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers are pointing towards warming oceans and dying trade winds for the massive coral bleaching soon to hit these coral reefs, and are naming global climate change as a contributing factor.

Facebook Faces Federal Court After Accusations of Reading Users’ Messages

Dec 24, 2014

Ever been in breach of your user policies? Well if you have, you’ll know that judges don’t take too kindly to infringing on other people’s privacy—worse yet, it could amount to millions of dollars in restitution. And while they may seem like the protectors of all our dirty little secrets, leaked through to the internet, it turns out that FACEBOOK INC. is facing a class-action lawsuit of their own, accusing them of scanning users’ messages.

Tick-Bourne ‘Bourbon Virus’ Wreaks Havoc on Kansas

Dec 23, 2014

While these little arachnids are not much to look at, ticks are the carriers of a myriad of diseases, which makes them of great importance to researchers. History has shown that they can cause sepsis, this past summer researchers discovered that the Lone Star tick can create a severe allergy to red meats, and now health officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that a new tick-borne virus can even cause multiple organ failure.

‘The Interview’ Goes Back to Its Theater Roots—Live Reading in NYC this Saturday

Dec 23, 2014

Even in the face of potential international warfare, public acclaim and the media win the popular vote. So it comes as no surprise that since Sony Pictures pulled the plug last week on the release of controversial comedy “The Interview”, the people have demanded another option to see what’s ruffling international feathers—and Sony has answered them with a unique alternative. While cinemagoers will not be pleased to miss out on the comedic makings of Seth Rogen and James Franco, the stars of the newly banned film, theatergoers will be able to watch a live reading of the movie’s screenplay on Saturday Dec. 27 at New York’s Treehouse Theater.

NuSTAR Telescope Helps NASA Find Nanoflares on the Sun

Dec 22, 2014

With a new day in science comes a new study of the sun. No, we’re not talking about a new telescope or a new division under the international space agencies, but rather a reallocation of a science used in other parts of space. Turning their sights from far off black holes, with a closer subject in mind, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is repositioning their NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) towards our very own local star to produce the most sensitive measurements of high-energy solar x-rays to date.

Cyberterrorism Marks the End of ‘The Interview’, and Perhaps the Start of Something Worse

Dec 22, 2014

It’s been a brawl months in the making, since Sony Pictures announced the trailer for the upcoming film “The Interview”. But now threats have manifested into firewall action, and the US is claiming that North Korea is at fault for some serious feats of cyberterrorism. And while the totalitarian regime is throwing some pretty heavy ammunition via the media our way, President Obama says the “acts of cybervandalism” are just that—vandalism, not war.

Sweets May Swell Your Brain—Caramel Apples & Listeria

Dec 21, 2014

Want to give something sweet this Christmas as an added treat? Well, you may want to reconsider. While cookies and cakes may be safe, one Autumn treat may carry along with it a bad tiding, and a serious infection as well. Though caramel apples are often an Autumn/Winter treat, health officials with the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are saying that they may be the link between a multi-state Listeria outbreak that has to date led to more than four deaths, and dozens of hospitalizations. Spanning the states of Texas, Arizona and Minnesota, the CDC confirms that the bacterial infections came after ingestion of pre-packaged caramel apples, and now the patients are facing life-threatening complications.

A Holiday Filled With Chirps & Cheer—The Christmas Bird Count

Dec 21, 2014

When it comes time to the Christmas season, people innately begin counting the birds: four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and whole lot of other species. But if you’re an ornithologist, then the holiday season also marks an important time for bird-watching. Waking up before sunrise and catching a glimpse of the black-necked stilts or the white-tailed kites may be a part of your daily agenda, but when Dec. 14 rolls around you’re ready for day long adventures to camp out and count the local bird species in the skies.

Warblers Flee, As Warnings from Mother Nature Reveal Coming Storms

Dec 20, 2014

In the study of ecology, it’s long been known that animals have a sort of sixth sense above and beyond what humans can perceive. Perhaps through the aid of their keen senses of smell or their abnormally acute sense of hearing, animals such as dogs are able to sense the presence of cancers, the onset of seizures, and even changes in the climate. But in a new study led by UC Berkeley ecologist Henry Streby, it’s birds that are sensing a change. Golden-winged warblers to be exact.

Real-World Medicine Man Or Phony? MDs Weigh In on the Dr. Oz Debate

Dec 20, 2014

Before the age of medical doctors and precise pharmaceuticals, people turned to the aid of medicine men, tribal councils and even shaman to heal all sorts of ailments. Herbal remedies were prescribed, and more often than not, the symptoms would disappear, or the person whose ailments would escalate would disappear too with the problem. But do you know who they never asked for help? Television personalities—not even those with medical degrees.

In Wake of Changing Diplomatic Relations, Cuba Reasserts Communistic Regime

Dec 20, 2014

Though the embargo has not yet been lifted, this past week indicated a change in diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba after nearly 53 years of political divide. Wednesday, Dec. 17, marked a unique turnaround between the island nation and the US in terms of political and economic relations when US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro delivered addresses simultaneously aired, sparking hope and conversation about their future together. But this morning, Dec. 20, after President Castro’s speech for the twice-annual legislative session held at the National Assembly in Havana, Cuba, many are questioning whether or not plans may fall through with the prevailing communism underlying the nation of Cuba.

Caramel Apples May Not Be So Sweet—Listeria Outbreak Across US

Dec 19, 2014

This holiday season you may want to steer clear of the sweets—or at least caramel apples. Though the caramel sweets are often an Autumn/Winter treat, health officials with the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are saying that they may be the link between a multi-state Listeria outbreak that has to date led to more than four deaths, and dozens of hospitalizations. Reporting this morning, Dec. 19, on the condition of the outbreak, the CDC says that at least 28 individuals spanning the states of Arizona, Texas and Minnesota have been infected and are facing the life-threatening illness.

While US Moves Forward, Cuba Stands Still—Diplomatic Relations in Stand Still

Dec 19, 2014

It’s been a discussion decades in the making, but one whose final answer is not yet given. On two different sides of a war years ago, the United States decided once that Cuba should face an embargo thought to keep ties between the two nations as severed as could be. But with new leaders and a new collective vision for the future, not only of politics but of the two nations together, the embargo stopping free flow of products and people between the two nations may soon come to an end.

Half the Size, But Twice the Bite—Study Reports European Wolves Are on the Rise

Dec 19, 2014

As carnivorous species in the United States, like the Mexican Gray Wolf, face dwindling populations and increased difficulties finding niche habitats, a new study reveals that carnivores in Europe are on the rise—and they are more than twice as abundant. The new study published this week in the journal Science reports that while Europe may be one of the most industrialized landscapes on the face of the Earth, that conservation efforts and restoration practices have led the continent to large-scale success in bringing back continental carnivore populations.