Life

Twitter to double tweet limit to 280 characters

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Twitter announced Tuesday it would double the limit for tweets to 280 characters, in a bid to draw in more users and boost engagement at the social network. Giving users twice the space to voice their thoughts ushers in a new era for the online platform, whose hallmark 140-character cap had encouraged users to craft succinct missives. “We’re expanding the character limit! We want it to be easier and […]

Waymo cars hit the road without drivers

by Glenn Chapman Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Waymo on Tuesday said that its self-driving cars are hitting the road without anyone behind the wheel as the Alphabet subsidiary steers toward launching an automated ride service. The subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet has been testing autonomous cars for years, but with a driver behind the wheel to take over if needed. Waymo chief executive John Krafcik used the Web Summit in Lisbon to announce […]

The Color Factory supercharges senses

SAN FRANCISCO (Eagle News) – People have traveled near and far to experience San Francisco’s most “Instagrammable” museum in the city, The Color Factory. Originally opened in August 2017, the museum was extended twice due to popular demand. The exhibit is currently sold out through November but those who were able to experience it were in for a color treat. With 15 different color experiences come 15 unique photo opportunities to liven up anyone’s social […]

Origami drone could deliver to hard-to-reach places

LAUSSANE, Switzerland (Reuters) — An origami-inspired prototype delivery drone which can transport packages to hard-to-reach destinations has been invented by a PhD student in Switzerland. Przemyslaw Kornatowski’s drone in effect becomes the package by wrapping itself around the cargo before flight. Made of carbon-fiber the cage, which can be folded or unfolded in a single movement, protects both drone and cargo if involved in a collision or fall. “The cage provides safety because it separates […]

Speech analyzer could tell if you’re too tired to drive

LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) — Knowing exactly when your fatigue reaches a level that could affect your driving ability isn’t always easy to judge, with long-haul truck drivers most at risk of falling asleep behind the wheel. But speech scientists are working on a method to detect the subtle changes in a person’s voice that could indicate that it’s time to take a break. Audio recordings of a person’s voice are fed into an algorithm […]

Deep sleep: Even jellyfish need their slumber

  CALIFORNIA, United States (Reuters) — A brainless, spineless, pulsating organism has a key behavior in common with humans: sleep. While sleep has been confirmed in other invertebrates such as worms and fruit flies, the jellyfish is the most evolutionarily ancient animal that has been shown to slumber. Jellyfish have thrived in the seas for at least 600 million years, longer than nearly any other animal. By comparison, dinosaurs appeared roughly 230 million years ago […]

Deadly heat from climate change may hit slums hardest

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — With sheet metal roofs, concrete floors, poor ventilation and spotty electricity, crowded urban slums in Africa can expect to get even hotter and deadlier due to global warming, US researchers said Monday. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University analyzed three informal settlements in Nairobi, including the largest, Kibera, home to nearly a million people. Along the settlements’ narrow alleyways, mud-walled homes and metal roofs, they found stifling temperatures, “between five and […]

Guitar used by Jimi Hendrix to sell at auction alongside guitars once used by Springsteen, McCartney and Madonna

NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — Guitars used by Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and other celebrated musicians will soon hit the auction block in New York City. Guernsey’s auction house will hold its Music Legends’ Guitar auction on December 2 where more than 120 guitars and other instruments will be sold. Included in the sale is a red, sticker-covered Guild guitar that was used by Jimi Hendrix in 1968. “A pretty colorful guitar,” […]

2017 set to be hottest non-El Nino year: UN

  by Marlowe Hood Agence France Presse BONN, Germany (AFP) — 2017 is on track to be the hottest year on record except for two warmed by El Nino phenomena, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization said Monday. Even if the cyclical weather events — which bump up global temperatures every three to seven years — are included, this year will still be one of the three warmest ever, the WMO said as it issued its […]

Stephen Hawking, other scientists share research at 2017 Tencent WE Summit

BEIJING, China (Reuters) — World-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and other scientists offered a surreal glimpse into the future as they shared their latest research findings at the 2017 Tencent WE Summit in Beijing on Sunday. Hawking made a video appearance at the annual exploration and innovation summit, saying that the human race has to “boldly go where no one has gone before” if it wants to continue on for another million years. According to him, […]

Endangered vaquita porpoise dies in captivity

MEXICO City, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico’s efforts to save the critically endangered vaquita, the world’s smallest porpoise, has suffered a major blow after one of just 30 creatures thought left in the wild died soon after being captured by authorities. The vaquita marina, known as the “panda of the sea” for the distinctive markings circling its eyes, has been pushed to the brink of extinction by illegal gillnet fishing. The Mexican government and conservation groups […]

For Amazon tribe, rainforest is a whole world

by Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse Waiãpi, Brazil (AFP) — When Japarupi Waiapi looks into the dense foliage of the Amazon rainforest, he sees the equivalent of a supermarket, pharmacy, furniture store — and that’s just the beginning. Food like coconuts, roots and bananas grows plentifully. Animals and fish are readily available for hunting, and the bark of many trees has medicinal uses. Just in terms of different wood types, “we see thatch for our roofs, we see […]