NewsAssociated PressYear in space put US astronaut's disease defenses on alert
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly a year in space put astronaut Scott Kelly's immune system on high alert and changed the activity of some of his genes compared to his Earth-bound identical twin, researchers said Friday.
StyleAFP RelaxAmazon invests in electric vehicle startup Rivian
Electric vehicle startup Rivian on Friday announced a $700 million investment round led by Amazon, which recently pumped money into a young self-driving car technology firm. Details of Amazon's stake in US-based Rivian were not disclosed, but the company said it will remain independent. The potential
TechReutersExclusive: China ride-hailing giant Didi plans Chile, Peru launches to take on Uber
Didi has moved senior executives from China to lead its expansion in markets like Chile and Peru, and began in recent weeks advertising for driver operations, crisis management, marketing and business development personnel in those countries, an analysis of LinkedIn postings show. Didi's widening
NewsAFP NewsResearchers keeps wraps on automatic text generator to prevent misuse
Researchers this week announced they had developed an automatic text generator using artificial intelligence which is very good -- so good, it is keeping details private for now. OpenAI, a research center backed by Tesla's Elon Musk, Amazon and Microsoft, said the new software "achieves state-of-the-art
NewsAssociated PressSpace junk harpooned like whale in orbit-cleanup test
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A harpoon flung from a satellite has successfully captured a piece of pretend space junk, like a whale.
FinanceAssociated PressAmazon dumped New York, but cities still wooing the company
Amazon's breakup with New York was still fresh when other cities started sending their own valentines to the online giant.
TechReutersAlphabet unit seeks share of property taxes for Toronto smart city
Alphabet Inc's Sidewalk Labs unit is proposing it get a share of property taxes, development fees, and the rising value of Toronto city land as part of a deal to build a smart city, according to the company's slide presentation made public on Friday. Sidewalk Labs, which provides urban technology
- EntertainmentVariety
How ‘A Quiet Place’ Sound Editors Scared Audience Sans Noise
What if living in silence was your only means of survival? That’s the question supervising sound editors Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl had to answer in the hair-raising thriller “A Quiet Place” from co-writer-director John Krasinski, who also starred alongside wife Emily Blunt as the on-screen couple
TechReutersVisa, Mastercard mull increasing fees for processing transactions: WSJ
Some of the changes relate to so-called interchange fees, the report said. Interchange fees are what merchants pay to banks when consumers use a credit or a debit card to make a purchase from their store. Fees that Mastercard and Visa charge financial institutions, such as banks, for processing card
TechReutersUber posts $50 billion in annual bookings as profit remains elusive ahead of IPO
Uber highlighted the annual bookings figure, which was up 45 percent over 2017, in its release on Friday of a smattering of selected figures for its fourth-quarter and full-year results, a practice it has had for the last several quarters as it anticipated going public. Uber said gross bookings for
NewsReutersU.S. investigators probing years of WikiLeaks activities: sources
U.S. investigators pursuing a long-running criminal investigation into WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange have dug into the website's activities going back years, people who have been in contact with witnesses in the case say. American investigators are gathering information and pursuing witnesses
- EntertainmentVariety
‘Minecraft’ Mobile Just Had Its Best Year Yet
Last year was the most profitable year to date for the mobile versions of "Minecraft," according to a report from Sensor Tower. "Minecraft" on the App Store and on the Google Play store pulled in $110 million through both purchase price of the app as well as in-app purchases. This
NewsReutersAntarctic ice shelves: Searching for clues on climate change
In a remote island outpost on the edge of the Antarctic, hundreds of miles from the southern tip of Chile, scientists at a research base are scouring the ice for clues about everything from climate change to cures for cancer. Chile's Escudero base on King George Island acts as a research hub for
- EntertainmentVariety
Sci-Tech Awards Honored After Effects, Photoshop Developers’ Major Impact on VFX
On Feb. 9, two weeks and a day before the Oscars, the Motion Picture Academy held its annual Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards — sometimes referred to as the nerd Academy Awards — honoring achievements in motion picture technology. The ceremony included no surprise winners — Sci-Tech kudos
TechAssociated PressAmazon's exit could scare off tech companies from New York
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon jilted New York City on Valentine's Day, scrapping plans to build a massive headquarters campus in Queens amid fierce opposition from politicians angry about nearly $3 billion in tax breaks and the company's anti-union stance.
TechAssociated PressAP PHOTOS: Scientists fine-tune method to save rhinos
CHORZOW, Poland (AP) — Only two northern white rhinos exist in the world: both are female and neither can bear calves. But scientists have not given up hope of saving the species from extinction.
FinanceAssociated PressAmazon's stormy week will blow over, but debris will stay
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — It's been a complicated few weeks for Amazon, what with its abrupt pullout from a massive New York City development, extortion claims related to intimate photos taken by its founder Jeff Bezos and increasing antitrust scrutiny in Europe .
StyleAFP RelaxSamsung accidentally but officially reveals upcoming Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Watch Active
As if we needed more confirmation, Samsung reveiled that the Galaxy Buds and sports-oriented smartwatch are on the way thanks to the 'accidental' addition of both to the Galaxy Wearable app. Samsung rolled out an update for the Galaxy Wearable app and users spotted a couple new device options
FinanceReutersNvidia forecasts demand rebound, Wall Street not so sure
The chip designer on Thursday forecast full-year revenue to be "flat or down slightly" from 2018, but Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said he expects China, gaming and self-driving vehicles to drive demand for its chips. Rival chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc had also forecast full-year
TechAssociated PressReport: Far right tried to influence Bavarian election
MUNICH (AP) — Far-right groups engaged in concerted social media campaigns to influence last year's election in the German state of Bavaria by promoting the Alternative for Germany party and smearing its opponents, according to a study published Friday.
TechReutersHow Amazon scrapped its plans for a New York headquarters
More than a year of work to bring Amazon.com Inc's headquarters and tens of thousands of jobs to New York City ended on Thursday with a couple of phone calls. Jay Carney, the company's top policy executive, told New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that the world's biggest online retailer would
TechReutersTelecoms industry calls for Europe-wide network testing regime
The initiative by the GSMA, which represents 800 operators worldwide, comes as the United States steps up pressure on its allies to ban China's Huawei Technologies on national security grounds. "Such significant consequences, intended or not, are entirely avoidable," the GSMA said in a
TechReutersBillionaire Stanley Druckenmiller placed bet against Tesla during Q4
Druckenmiller's family fund, which shares the name of the hedge fund Duquesne Capital that he founded in 1981, bought put options on Tesla shares worth $99.8 million, a Security and Exchange Commission filing revealed. The option contract allows the fund to sell the shares at a set price before
TechReutersIt's complicated, says Britain's MI6 spymaster on Huawei 5G issue
Huawei, the world's biggest producer of telecoms equipment, faces intense scrutiny in the West over its relationship with the Chinese government and U.S.-led allegations that its equipment could be used by Beijing for spying. No evidence has been produced publicly and the firm has repeatedly denied
NewsReutersIt's complicated, says Britain's MI6 spymaster on Huawei 5G issue
Britain should avoid relying on a monopoly provider of equipment in new 5G mobile networks, but there are no easy answers to concerns about using Chinese supplier Huawei, the chief of Britain's foreign intelligence service said on Friday. Huawei, the world's biggest producer of telecoms equipment
