Eyebrows rose when US president Donald Trump pardoned controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio on the evening of Aug. 25, as Hurricane Harvey was bearing down…
In a first, scientists may have found a treatment for heart disease that doesn’t target cholesterol
Almost every drug on the market for heart disease targets cholesterol. So it was major news on Aug. 27 when a group of cardiologists from…
Google explains how artificial intelligence becomes biased against women and minorities
Time and again, research has shown that the machines we build reflect how we see the world, whether consciously or not. For artificial intelligence that…
Packing a pistol for yoga? The National Rifle Association’s first “fashion show” has you covered
On Aug. 25, a fashion show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, displayed an America not normally seen on the catwalk. As part of a multi-day expo on…
More people went to US cinemas after 9/11 and the JFK assassination than last weekend
Hurricane Harvey closed theaters in Texas. Saturday night was dominated by the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight; Sunday by the Game of Thrones season finale. And…
The latest perk from companies looking to lure millennials: offices that double as homes
The latest way companies are trying to entice people to the office is to make it a home away from home. Architects and designers are…
Hurricane damage linked to climate change has already cost the US more than $25 billion
By midday Sunday (Aug. 27), US president Donald Trump had already tweeted more than 20 times about hurricane Harvey, the massive storm that hit southern…
China’s trendiest hotpot chain is winning praise for admitting it ran a rat-infested kitchen
In China, scandals over food hygiene and safety are common—and so is public anger over companies trying to cover up problems. But a restaurant chain…
The damage that a rapist guru has caused to life and business in north India
Over the past four days, India has helplessly watched a rapist hold parts of the country to ransom. On Aug. 25, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh…
A string of tragedies is giving epidurals an even worse rep than before in Japan
Pain-free childbirth already had a bad name in Japan, and it could get worse. The Japanese government is looking into a recent series of deaths…
Ghana’s first radio telescope is the start of a continent-wide project to capture the complete African sky
Ghana launched its first radio astronomy observatory on Thursday in an effort to widen knowledge of African skies, catalyze skills development, and attract scientists. A…
Marijuana money may push California into public banking
Marijuana-related businesses face a funny problem: they make lots of money yet can’t securely put it in banks. The US banking system is nationally regulated…
California’s legislature is being asked to consider taxing robots
In an interview with Quartz in February, Bill Gates proposed a radical idea that rattled the internet: If robots are taking human jobs, why not…
The complex process that dictionaries use to decide which words are obsolete
As a child, one of my favorite books was my mom’s dictionary from the 1960s. The words that delighted me then—like crapulence (hangover) and dischuffed…
South African police accessed call records from at least 71,000 phones
South African law enforcement accessed call records from over 71,000 phones, according to a report by privacy advocacy group Right2Know Campaign (R2K). Four major operators—MTN,…
Americans can now apply to have IKEA give their ugly rooms free makeovers
Tapping into America’s national obsession with home-makeover shows, IKEA has announced an open call for anyone who desperately needs a design makeover. Part reality show,…
New research shows one kind of teenage friendship is more likely to result in a happier, healthier adulthood
Parents often think teenagers are overly obsessed with their best friends. They should let them be. New research published in the journal Child Development shows…
Eavesdropping actually makes us better people
If you’ve taken mass transit, stood in a crowded cafe, or just been around strangers before, the chances are high that you’ve eavesdropped. If you…
Kenya’s newest tech hubs are sprouting outside its “Silicon Savannah” in Nairobi
For years, Nairobi has been the cradle of technological innovation in Kenya, and the center of the country’s thriving tech ecosystem, famously known as Silicon…
China’s Wolf Warriors 2 in ‘war-ravaged Africa’ gives the White Savior complex a whole new meaning
In the film Wolf Warriors 2, Leng Feng, a former special forces operative, is on a one-man mission to save Chinese nationals and innocent locals…
