The US government might be the biggest hacker in the world
The United States government is investing tens of millions of dollars each year on offensive hacking operations in order to exploit vulnerabilities in the computers of its adversaries, Reuters reports. According to an in-depth article published Friday by journalist Joseph Menn, the US and its Department of Defense contractors are increasingly pursuing efforts to hack [...]
Leaving Earth: 78,000 apply for a one-way ticket to Mars
The Mars One project to establish the first human settlement on the Red Planet by 2023 has received 78,000 applications in just two weeks, with as many as 500,000 expected to apply by the time applications close on August 31. Mars One, a Dutch not-for-profit organization, is planning theproject to have no return ticket back to [...]
Tea Party lashes out at ‘Monsanto Protection Act’
Members of the Tea Party have joined protesters standing up against the ‘Monsanto Protection Act’, calling the provision a ‘special interest loophole’ for friends of Congress. The provision has now sparked so much outrage that both the far right and the far left are uniting in their condemnation of Section 735 of the Agricultural Appropriations [...]
‘More dangerous than SARS’: Scientists warn of deadly new coronavirus
Chinese scientists have said that a new coronavirus, which has already killed 11, appears to be deadlier than SARS. The new virus, originating in the Middle East, can affect many different organs and kill cells more rapidly than SARS. The infectious disease strongly resembles Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed 800 people in 2002 [...]
Spam no more: ‘Biggest’ cyber-attack in history grips web
The ‘biggest cyber-attack in history’ has caused a worldwide web slowdown as the battle between an anti-spam group and a Dutch web host continues to heat up. The largest known distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in history was sparked when the non-profit group Spamhaus placed CyberBunker on a real-time blacklist of sites to be blocked for spreading [...]
Major US retailers reject ‘frankenfish’
A number of top US grocery stores, including Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, have pledged to reject selling the genetically engineered “frankenfish” if it is allowed on the market in April. The mutant fish was engineered by scientists at a company called AquaBounty, which has spent more than 15 years and $50 million researching and perfecting the [...]
Thing and a prayer: NASA chief says Earth defenseless in asteroid strike
If an unknown large meteor or asteroid were on a collision course with Earth, NASA chief Charles Bolden told a US House of Representatives Science Committee hearing Tuesday, then praying is all America or anyone else could do. Events in Russia last month have reignited concern about the threat civilization on Earth faces from asteroids. [...]
US B-52s imitate nuclear bombing of North Korea
In a bid to intimidate North Korea and draw attention to the US military’s capabilities, American B-52 bombers – which are capable of carrying out nuclear strikes – are practicing over South Korea. The move is in response to rising tensions after North Korea conducted its third successful nuclear test last month. This month’s first [...]
Silicon Valley mulls creation of floating colony in the Pacific
Two American entrepreneurs have made plans to build a floating colony in the Pacific Ocean, where they will bring the world’s most intelligent scientists that are unable to attain a visa to enter the US. The floating colony, which will consist of a large cruise ship parked 12 miles off the Californian coast, will host [...]
Scientists predict thousands will die from earthquake expected anytime on US West Coast
Researchers say a massive earthquake and tsunami could soon strike the Northwest US coast, killing more than 10,000 people, flooding entire towns, and causing economic damages totaling $32 billion. An alarming report published by the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission warns about the dire effects of the quake and claims that it is imminent [...]