Science & Technology News – Page 204

Environment, Science & Technology News, Transportation, Uber

Dallas Exterminator treats ‘5 to 10’ ride share cars a week for bed bug infestations

March 22, 2020

If the shady business practices, abuse of drivers or straight-up possible negligent homicides don’t make you pause before hitting that Uber or Lyft app, maybe this will: at least one Dallas exterminator is doing big business killing bed bugs in ride-share vehicles.

Dallas is up there in terms American cities experiencing bed bug infestations. Both Orkin and Terminix place the city in the top 10 most buggy cities in America, according to WFAA. The news station spoke to Don Brooks, owner of Dallas-based Doffdon Pest Control about the problem.

“Quite frankly, they’re not racist at all and they don’t care about how much money you have,” Brooks said. “They’re bloodsuckers.”

Continue reading… “Dallas Exterminator treats ‘5 to 10’ ride share cars a week for bed bug infestations”

Electric Automobile, Electric Vehicles, Green Friendly, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Smile, the new Microlino and Microletta electrics are here

March 22, 2020

Microlino 2.0 electric microcar and Microletta e-trike for Europe

What you’re looking at is the Microlino 2.0 electric microcar and Microletta electric trike from Switzerland’s Micro Mobility Systems.

The Microlino is a complete redesign of the original concept revealed in 2015, and demonstrated today for the first time in public. Unfortunately, the event had to happen over a live stream due to the cancellation of the Geneva Auto Show. Today is also the first time we’re seeing the three-wheeled Microletta electric motorbike that goes 80km/h (almost 50 mph) but doesn’t require a motorcycle license.

The four-wheeled Microlino is a new version of the microcars that once skittered along post-WWII streets in Europe until the 1960s. This electric two-seater bears more than a passing resemblance to the Italian-designed Iso Isetta “bubble car” manufactured by BMW and others. Yes, Steve Urkel had one.

Continue reading… “Smile, the new Microlino and Microletta electrics are here”

Big Problems, Coronavirus, Medicine, Science & Technology News

Teva to send US millions of malaria pills with potential to help COVID-19

March 21, 2020

Hydroxychloroquine one of several drugs cited in recent days as being possibly effective against coronavirus; Israeli firm says it will provide as many as possible at no cost

Israeli generic drug giant Teva announced Friday that it will provide ten million doses of its anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which could potentially prove effective in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, to US hospitals free of charge.

The company said six million doses will be delivered to US hospitals by March 31, and more than ten million in a month.

“We are committed to helping to supply as many tablets as possible as demand for this treatment accelerates at no cost,” Teva executive vice president Brendan O’Grady said.

Continue reading… “Teva to send US millions of malaria pills with potential to help COVID-19”

Automobiles, Batteries, Electric Automobile, Energy, Science & Technology News

Future VW electric vehicles will send power back to the grid

March 21, 2020

VW says EV owners will be able to charge when production exceeds demand and sell power back to the grid during peak electricity usage.

The chief strategist at Volkswagen says vehicle-to-grid technology will open up new business opportunities for the automaker.

Cars that support the technology can store excess power and sell it back to the electrical grid in times of need.

The Nissan Leaf already supports this technology, but the feature also needs to be supported by the charger.

Volkswagen’s transition to electrification continues to yield business opportunities, according to its chief strategist, Michael Jost. In addition to vehicle sales, it has the growing Electrify America charging network, and now it looks like the company is planning to use the batteries in the cars it sells to help power the electrical grid.

Continue reading… “Future VW electric vehicles will send power back to the grid”

Automobiles, Engineering, New Inventions, new technology, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Goodyear invented a new tire that never needs to be changed. Here’s how its self-regenerating tread works.

March 21, 2020

Goodyear has unveiled its reCharge Concept tires that are self-regenerating and self-charging with artificial intelligence features.

The tires can change its treads according to the climate and terrain.

Goodyear claims its concept tires keep in line with the trending needs of electric and sustainable mobility.

Continue reading… “Goodyear invented a new tire that never needs to be changed. Here’s how its self-regenerating tread works.”

Coronavirus, Science & Technology News, Tourism, Travel

WTTC says 50 million tourism jobs are at stake

March 20, 2020

The World Travel & Tourism Council on Friday said up to 50 million jobs in travel and tourism are at risk from the Covid‐19 pandemic, and WTTC called for measures to be taken to ensure a swift recovery.

The organization also joined fellow travel groups in condemning the President Donald Trump’s ban on most travel from Europe to the U.S., saying it will damage the U.S. economy but isn’t likely to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“We all share the priority to stop the spread and should take all necessary actions,” WTTC CEO Gloria Guevara said in a statement. “However, the new travel ban will have a dangerous economic impact on the U.S. and many other countries, and there is little evidence to show this will stop the spread of Covid‐19.”

Guevara suggested that rather than an outright ban, “the priority should be on public health within the country and mitigating the potential harm to individuals.”

Continue reading… “WTTC says 50 million tourism jobs are at stake”

Automation, Employment, Future, Science & Technology News

The Future of our partnership with machines

March 20, 2020

I’m often asked questions about the future of work. Will the machines takeover? How long until the human race declines? And how many jobs will go away?

One new book that thoughtfully approaches these topics of how we will work symbiotically with machines and how we can all evolve to benefit together is HUMAN/MACHINE: The Future Of Our Partnership with Machines.

I recently spoke with Olivier Blanchard, one of the co-authors.

Continue reading… “The Future of our partnership with machines”

Analysis, Business, Science & Technology News, Startup

Why S-curves are probably the most important concept in entrepreneurship

March 20, 2020

The world of entrepreneurship is full of buzzwords. We all want to found the next disruptive game-changing hot startup, leveraging our first-mover advantage in deep tech by thinking outside the box, just before pivoting (in an agile way!) after our A/B tests showed concerns with our UX and product market fit, then finally putting our early adopter pick-up speed and monetization unit economics on viral escape velocity, earning us that unicorn-valuation series C term sheet. Don’t we?

With all that noise, it’s very easy to lose sight of the truly important concepts. One of the most important ones, maybe the most important one for startup leadership teams, is the phenomenon of the S-curve. It determines almost everything in innovation, and while it looks simple, it is incredibly hard to grasp in practice.

Continue reading… “Why S-curves are probably the most important concept in entrepreneurship”

Biotech, brain hacking, Engineering, New Viewpoints, Science & Technology News

If we can make animals smarter, should we?

March 19, 2020

In science fiction stories, research can accidentally create superintelligent animal species. As the ability to alter animals’ brains grows, some say we should be wary of fiction becoming reality.

This article appears in VICE Magazine’s Stupid Issue, which is dedicated to the entertaining, goofy, and just plain dumb. It features stories celebrating ridiculous ideas, trends, and products; pieces arguing that unabashed stupidity can be a great part of life; and articles calling out the bad side of stupidity.

In the 2011 movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, James Franco plays a scientist developing a treatment for Alzheimer’s. The drug, ALZ-112, is designed to restore a human’s brain function, and when tested on a healthy chimpanzee, it causes the monkey’s intelligence to increase dramatically. She passes the intelligence on to her baby, Caesar, who goes on to lead a pack of super-intelligent apes and releases a version of the drug that’s fatal to humans.

Continue reading… “If we can make animals smarter, should we?”

AI, Employment, Money Talk, Robots, Science & Technology News

The finance robots are coming: 73% of organizations plan to replace humans with machines this year

March 19, 2020

Even finance is being affected by the onslaught of human vs. machine with a recent Deloitte survey revealing some startling stats.

The finance function is experiencing rapid change, and a recent Deloitte survey found that 73% percent of respondents are planning to implement technology to replace humans in their workforce this year—up from 58% a year ago.

While the finance workforce will grow smaller, companies need to adjust existing staff and bring in new skills that typically aren’t found in the finance department, according to a new Deloitte report.

Continue reading… “The finance robots are coming: 73% of organizations plan to replace humans with machines this year”

Coronavirus, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

Oxford scientists develop new coronavirus test that provides results in just 30 minutes

March 18, 2020

Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed a new coronavirus test that produces results around three times faster than the current fastest testing methods, and that requires only relatively simple technical instrumentation. In addition to these benefits, the researchers behind the test’s development say that it could even help detect patients affected by coronavirus in earlier stages of infection vs. current methods, and that its results can can “read by the naked eye,” which makes it more accessible to a broader range of healthcare facilities and professionals.

The Oxford-developed test can provide results in only half an hour – the fastest current methods that focus on viral RNA, like this one does, produce results in between 1.5 and 2 hours. The new tests have already been validated using real clinical samples of the virus at the Shenzhen Luohou People’s Hospital in China, and though they’ve so far only been used on 16 samples, evenly split between those positive for the virus and those that contain none, they’ve demonstrated a 100% success rate, which is a very reassuring result.

Continue reading… “Oxford scientists develop new coronavirus test that provides results in just 30 minutes”

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Science & Technology News

Yale researchers say humans would like robots better if they were more vulnerable

March 18, 2020

Three humans and a robot form a team and start playing a game together. No, this isn’t the beginning of a joke, it’s the premise of a fascinating new study just released by Yale University.

Researchers were interested to see how the robot’s actions and statements would influence the three humans’ interactions among one another. They discovered that when the robot wasn’t afraid to admit it had made a mistake, this outward showing of vulnerability led to more open communication between the people involved as well.

Continue reading… “Yale researchers say humans would like robots better if they were more vulnerable”