Sci-Tech

Facebook bans ads for cryptocurrencies

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Facebook says it is banning all ads related to cryptocurrencies in an effort to fight scams. The social media giant said it is barring ads for “financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency.” Initial coin offerings or ICOs are a way for companies to raise funds by selling investors cryptographic assets. Fraud is common in the world […]

A whale with words: Orca mimics human speech

by Mariëtte Le Roux Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Her head above water, Wikie the killer whale looks at the human trainer next to her pool, listens, then loudly vocalizes: “Hello.” It is not a perfect imitation, but, astonishingly, recognizable. It is the first scientific demonstration of an orca mimicking human words, which also included “Amy” — the name of Wikie’s handler — “Bye-Bye”, and “One-Two-Three.” “We were not expecting a perfect match, like […]

Poland to post Chopin collection online

WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — Poland’s Fryderyk Chopin Institute (NIFC) on Tuesday said it would make its entire collection devoted to the 19th-century composer available online for free by 2020. “Chopin will be the first great composer to have all of his musical scores digitised” and openly accessible by all, NIFC deputy director Maciej Janicki told reporters. Nearly 40,000 Chopin items from the UNESCO world heritage collection — including photographs and paintings of the Polish-French romantic […]

US investigating iPhone slowing Apple software: report

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Apple’s move to slow down older iPhones as batteries weaken is under scrutiny by US prosecutors and stock market regulators, according to a report Tuesday by Bloomberg. The US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating whether Apple broke the law by failing to disclose a software update that made older iPhone models function slower, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. It […]

3 lunar events expected on Jan. 31; entire eclipse to be seen in Manila

(Eagle News)– Expect three rare lunar events on Jan. 31. According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, a lunar eclipse, a blue moon and a supermoon will occur at the same time, an event called a “super blue blood moon.” PAGASA said the eclipse will begin at 6:49 p.m., Philippine Standard Time, and will   end at 12:09 a.m., Feb. 1. Spectators can see the entire eclipse by 9:29 p.m. in Manila, PAGASA […]

Facebook to deliver more local news to US users

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook said Monday it has decided to deliver more local news to US users, in its latest effort to manage the flow of information on the enormously-influential social network. Earlier this month, Facebook announced it will ask its two billion users to rank their trust in news sources as part of an effort to combat the spread of misinformation. The changes come as the online giant seeks to address […]

Human genome decoded with pocket-sized device

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Scientists used a portable device no bigger than a cellphone to sequence the most complete human genome ever assembled with a single technology, according to a study published Monday. The breakthrough, detailed in the journal Nature Biotechnology, brings us closer to the day when family doctors will order up genome scans during a regular check-up along with blood work, the authors suggested. “We are definitely approaching […]

German carmakers under fire for tests on humans, monkeys

by Michelle FITZPATRICK Agence France-Presse FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — German carmakers came under fire Monday following revelations they helped finance experiments that saw humans and monkeys exposed to diesel fumes that have been linked to asthma, lung diseases and heart attacks. The disclosures sparked widespread outrage, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel who strongly condemned the latest controversy to engulf the nation’s powerful but scandal-tainted auto industry. “These tests on monkeys or even humans […]

Exercise tracking app reveals details of military sites

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A map showing paths taken by users of an exercise tracking app reveals potentially sensitive information about American and allied military personnel in places including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. While some bases are well known to groups that want to attack them, the map also shows what appear to be routes taken by forces moving outside of bases — information that could be used in planning bombings or ambushes. The […]

Chinese volunteers spend 200 days on virtual ‘moon base’

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese students spent 200 continuous days in a “lunar lab” in Beijing, state media said Friday, as the country prepares for its long-term goal of putting people on the moon. Four students crammed into a 160-square-metre (1,720-square-foot) cabin called “Yuegong-1” — Lunar Palace — on the campus of Beihang University, testing the limits of humans’ ability to live in a self-contained space, the official Xinhua news agency said. The volunteers lived […]

Dutch police launch biggest-ever DNA hunt for boy’s killer

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Dutch police on Friday launched the country’s biggest ever DNA search, asking over 20,000 men to come forward as they seek to resolve the 1998 murder of a young boy. “Some 21,500 men will receive a personal invitation in February to voluntarily give DNA samples,” police said in a statement. “It’s the largest such DNA investigation in search of family ties ever carried out in The Netherlands.” Eleven-year-old Nicky Verstappen […]

Ariane 5 satellites in orbit but not in right location

by Fred Farine Agence France-Presse KOUROU, France (AFP) — Two commercial satellites have been placed in orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket but have yet to reach their correct position, Arianespace said Thursday after mission control briefly lost contact with the craft in a rare malfunction. The usually reliable European space workhorse blasted off at 7.20 pm (2220 GMT) from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana carrying satellites for Luxembourg’s SES and the United […]