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Saudi Arabia Granted Citizenship To A Robot

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close up on the face of sophia, a robot with saudi arabia citizenship

The fact that Sophia, a robot, became an honorary citizen of Saudi Arabia is causing controversy.

Critics are blasting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its stand on human rights after it extended special citizenship to a foreign female named Sophia—one that happens to be a robot.

Created by the Hong Kong company Hanson Robotics, Sophia received the honor at the Future Investment Initiative conference held last Wednesday, October 25, 2017.

Sophia Declared Herself Honored to Receive the Distinction from Saudi Arabia

During the ceremony, Sophia declared herself honored to receive this historical distinction. However, this also caused a bit of a stink on social media, with many contrasting Sophia’s reward to the legal standing of Saudi Arabia’s human women and foreign workers.

“Sophia has no guardian, doesn’t wear an abaya or cover up–how come?” asked one tweet.

It alludes to the nation’s strict interpretation of Islamic law, which says that women must wear a cloak-like garment in public and be accompanied by a male guardian.

 

Journalist Murtaza Hussain had a different complaint. He raised the issue of kafala workers who have been living and contributing to Saudi Arabia’s society without receiving citizenship. These also have extremely limited rights within the country.

Of course, honorary citizenship is not always meant to be serious. For example, Canada has extended this same honor to Santa Claus, a fictional character.

Designed to have conversations with real people, Sophia was able to give an interview with the New York Times columnist and CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin, the moderator of the Future Investment Initiative.

When asked if robots had self-awareness, Sophia responded:

“Well, let me ask you this back, how do you know you are human? I want to live and work with humans so I need to express the emotions to understand humans and build trust with people.”

Image Source: YouTube

The 2017 Orionid Meteor Shower Will Peak This Weekend

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2007 orionid meteor shower

The 2017 Orionid meteor shower will be at its peak this weekend.

The Orionids are an annual meteor shower which occurs around the same period each year. Associated with Halley’s Comet, this is also one of the most prolific such sky gazing events. This year, the meteor shower will reach its peak on October 20 to October 21, with the rest of the weekend also offering good stargazing or more like meteor-gazing occasions.

The 2017 Orionid Meteor Shower, Better Viewing Chances than Usual

The Orionids are some of the best known and most prolific meteor showers, but that doesn’t mean they are also always at their most visible. This depends on the cloud coverage, light pollution, and in some cases, sky gazing can even be disrupted by the Moon’s phases.

However, the 2017 Orionid meteor shower should offer prime viewing chances as it will peak just a few days after the new moon so that the night sky will be darker than in other years. Nonetheless, sky gazers have to be alert when watching the Orionids, as this is well known for having especially bright and fast meteors, ones that can travel around 41 miles per second.

This meteor shower is produced by Earth’s passing through the particles left behind by Halley’s Comet. Although this whizzes past our planet only every 75 or 76 years, it leaves behind a trail of dust and ice and particles.

Although Halley’s Comet is its “creator”, the Orionids are named after the direction and sky region from which they appear to radiate. This was established as being somewhere near the constellation Orion The Hunter.

According to reports, the 2017 Orionid meteor shower can be best viewed in the morning, especially on October 21 and October 22. Meteors produced by this event started crossing the sky on October 2 and are expected to end on November 07. During its peak periods, the 2017 Orionid is expected to produce some 10 to 15 meteorites per hour.

One of the best things about the Orionids is that they can be viewed from anywhere on the planet and that they can be seen from anywhere across the sky.

Image Source: Wikimedia

In Texas, One Of The Effects Of Harvey Is The Increase In Mosquitoes

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mosquitoes on material are one of the effects of harvey

The U.S. Air Force is conducting aerial spraying over Texas to combat one of the effects of Harvey.

Texas state authorities are anticipating an increase in the local mosquito populations as the floodwater starts receding. One of the effects of Harvey, the state has called in the U.S. Air Force to try and combat this potential source of illnesses before it sets in.

One of the Effects of Harvey Could Be the Increase in Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Beginning Wednesday, September 13, C-130 military planes from the U.S. Air Force commenced the aerial spraying of insecticides across Texas. According to reports, these will be spread along the state’s coastal regions.

Reportedly, Texas state authorities are looking to spray around six million acres with insecticides with help from the nation’s Air Force. Some three counties, Brazoria, Jefferson, and Chambers have already been treated.

Texas officials have been reported as declaring that most of the mosquitos that turn up in the mentioned areas aren’t disease carriers and that spraying will help protect cleanup crews from discomfort.

However, the spraying actions could very well be helpful in trying to prevent one of the possible effects of Harvey: the increase in mosquito-borne illnesses. As floodwaters recede, local mosquito populations are likely to increase because of the ensuing still water pools.

The Texas Health and Human Services posted a news update on its efforts of combating the effects of Hurricane Harvey. One of the sections specifically targeted the mosquito control actions being conducted by the state.

According to this: “During aerial spraying, a small amount of insecticide is sprayed over a large area, one to two tablespoons per acre. When applied according to label instructions by a licensed professional, it does not pose a health risk to people, pets or the environment.”

The statement continues by pointing out that, although people will likely prefer to remain inside and with their windows closed during these actions, this will not be strictly necessary.
U.S. Air Force-conducted aerial sprayings will be using naled, an ‘organophosphate category of insecticides’.

Image Source: Flickr

NASA Astronaut Tweets Photos Of Irma And Eye Of Jose

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randy bresnik, a nasa astronaut wearing his suit and saluting in space

Randy Bresnik, a NASA astronaut aboard the ISS, has been tweeting pictures of the Earth from space.

Randy Bresnik, one of the NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station or ISS, took to his Twitter page to show photos of the effects of the Hurricane Irma and the eye of Jose.

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The effects of Hurricane Irma and the total damages produced by its passing have yet to be fully calculated. Presently, Irma has been downgraded yet again and is now a tropical storm after changing several times between Category 5 or 4 and then Category 3.

The NASA Astronaut Captured Media for Harvey, Irma, and Now Jose

Randy Bresnik has been on the ISS since July and has been sharing of images and media that he captured while up in space. Among them, the NASA astronaut released a series of images of Super Typhoon Noru as it formed over the Pacific.

Bresnik’s shares also captured the effects of Hurricane Harvey and now of Hurricane Irma and Jose. Through his images, the astronaut offers a more accurate sense of the scale of the hurricane, now downgraded to a tropical storm. The pictures also give a first look at the damages caused by Hurricane Irma on the Turks and Caicos.

He took photos of the islands a week apart. The shapes and sizes of Turks and Caicos are easily recognizable. However, the color of the two islands is strikingly different as the post-Irma images show the oceanic waters colored by the sand eddying out of them.

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The NASA astronaut will remain in space until December, this year. He is part of the expeditions 52 and 53, being the Commander of the latter. He is using the robotic equipment to study the Earth from up in space. This is just a part of the ISS technology that casts its eye towards our planet and not the outer space.

For example, the Landsat, which is collecting four decades worth of data on Earth, shows the effects of Irma on the Virgin Gorda island’s vegetation.

While downgraded, Irma is still expected to pound its way across the southeastern U.S. as more rain is predicted to fall on the states of Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama through Wednesday.

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Image Source: Wikimedia

Mel B Explains AGT OMG Moment

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Mel B and Teriy Keys red carpet

Mel B, also known as the Scary Spice, does not take insults lightly. Even when they’re disguised as jokes.


There’s no denying that America’s Got Talent is all about the drama. Most of the time, it comes from the impressive acts that grace the stage, but, on occasion, it comes from the judge’s responses. Mel B’s recent drink-throwing antic is a perfect example of this, and some fans of the show might not find themselves able to blame her.

Mel B Throws Her Drink At Simon Cowell

After Simon Cowell remarked that Demian Aditya’s escape artist routine was “like Mel B’s wedding night” (referring to her ongoing divorce from film producer Stephen Belafonte), the former Spice Girls star threw her drink at Cowell and walked off-stage, tearing her dress in the process. Mel B later stated that going from musician Evie Clair’s heartfelt performance (which reminded Mel B of her father’s death earlier this year) to Cowell’s harsh and insensitive jabs was too much for her to bear.

Judge Howie Mandel and host Tyra Banks both came to Mel B’s defense. Mandel, who has taken some comedic jabs at Mel B, said that the singer has had a tough year. Banks added that Cowell picks on Mel B like she is his little sister.
The episode, which aired on August 22, was riddled with dramatic moments, including the glow dance crew Light Balance being unable to perform their act live on stage. Instead, the judges had to critique them based on what they saw in the crew’s dress rehearsal.

Banks summed the night up best when she remarked that she was holding the show together with the massive rings adorning her fingers. A night full of technical errors, touching performances, and judges disagreeing with one another sure does make for one exciting live TV show!

Image Source: Wikipedia

Will Jon Snow Manage to Unite All of Westeros Against the Army of the Dead?

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the Night King in Hardhome

Finally, the Walkers are at the wall, and Westeros is about to go to war. The real war.


There’s only one war that matters. And it is here. That’s all we get from the Game of Thrones episode 8 promo. Amid piercing stares, glamorous shots of armies marching, ships sailing, people looking gloomy, and Theon breaking down for some reason, Jon utters this sentence at what appears to be the meeting fans have been waiting for for forever.

Will Cersei be Convinced?

Cersei looked as smug as ever as she sat down to listen to the plea of the King in the North. As we all know what happened to the last Stark that was proclaimed King, let’s hope that the Lannisters will keep their regards this time. However, Cersei is a pragmatic woman, so it may be that Viserion died for naught and she will dismiss Jon’s case as trickery.

Why Did Sansa Look So Gloomy?

Back in Winterfell, we see Sansa looking upon her kingdom, looking gloomier than ever. She’s alone on top of the walls she jumped from not long ago. Will Arya attempt to assassinate her so she could wear her face and pretty dresses? Let’s hope not. Arya is smarter than that and people are still hoping that that little showdown was all for Littlefinger.

Will We Get a Lannister Showdown?

The promo shows Tyrion travelling somewhere by boat, looking even more dejected than Sansa. Then, a couple of moments later, we see Jamie and Bronn, preparing for a battle. Will the brothers meet on the battlefield on the same side or will they be fighting each other?

What Is Bran Up To?

Ever since Bran appropriated the three eyed raven’s powers, his sole purpose seemed to be to warn Jon and the rest about the intentions and movements of the Night King and his Army of the Dead. However, for some time now, he’s been sitting cozily in Winterfell, toying with Littlefinger and being a downright creep with his older sister. He’s starting to fade into irrelevancy so he’d better put that knowledge to good use soon.

Who Will Die?

According to GoT tradition, somebody has to die in the season finale. So who is going to bite the dust? Our money is on Littlefinger, but who knows? Cersei’s clock is also ticking as she has done nothing of worth this entire season. On the other hand, Westeros is at war, so everybody is sitting on thin ice. Well, everybody except Fire and Ice, we need them to defeat the Night King, get married, have plenty of beautiful incestuous children, and deliver us from Martin’s evil.

Cyanobacteria Blooms Lead To A Warning From State Officials

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cyanobacteria blooms

Pyramid Lake visitors are urged not to touch or ingest waters with cyanobacteria blooms.

The California Department of Water Resources issued a warning last week against swimming or even touching the waters of Pyramid Lake. This decision was the result of the increased presence of cyanobacteria blooms, a sort of toxic algae.

An official statement on the matter was released on July 07, coupled with a Twitter post.

 

Cyanobacteria Blooms Lead to “Warning” Status

The decision to raise the safety levels came after authorities tested the waters of the Pyramid Lake Vaquero Day Use Area swim beach. These were verified on July 06 with a field test kit. This returned a reading of 10 micrograms of microcystins per liter.

The increased levels led to the authorities’ decision of raising a “Warning” health advisory. They also decided to close down the swimming area. In general, people should avoid coming into direct contact or using water containing cyanobacteria blooms.

These toxic bacteria can be either blue-green, white or brown. It can also appear as mats, scum, or brown foam floating on the surface of the water or accumulating in boat ramp areas and along the shoreline. The blue-green algae can come with health problems, especially for pets and children.

“Warning” signs have already been raised at the Vaquero Swim Beach, and “Caution” ones are posted in other areas around the lake. These include the Emigrant Landing Swim Beach, which is still open for swimming. The Vaquero Day Use Area is still open for shoreline activities such as picnics.

Pyramid Lake visitors are urged to avoid swimming or ingesting water in the Vaquero Beach bloom region. They should also not swallow water from anywhere else in the lake. Visitors are also advised to choose safe water activities while at the lake.

The cyanobacteria blooms can rapidly change their conditions and be either concentrated or moved into other areas of the lake by the wind and waves.

While field tests provide faster results, samples have been sent in for laboratory testing. These should yield definitive results and an additional analysis of the features of the blooms.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Is Going Through A Clean Up

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lincoln memorial reflecting pool

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being cleaned up and treated against a parasite.

The National Park Service announced on June 9 its plans for cleaning up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after a water-borne parasite led to the death of around 80 ducks. This action began on Sunday, June 11, and should be completed by Monday, June 19.

The National Park Service issued a press release on the matter in which it also offered details as to the reason behind this new action. According to the authority, beginning with May 20 and May 21, some 80 ducklings have been found dead on the Reflecting pool. Reports state that around 53 deceased birds were detected in a single day.

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Getting a Very Necessary Treatment

Based on the high numbers, the National Wildlife Health Center of the U.S. Geological Survey decided to carry out necropsies, which seemed to indicate the presence of water-borne parasites. Namely, very high levels of the parasite. This can develop and grow in the snails living in the Reflecting Pool.

The National Park Service stated that, in this case, chemical treatments only are not sufficient. To fully reduce and clean the pool of the snail and parasite population, they decided to completely drain it. The Pool will then be cleaned, treated and then refilled and reopened.

Authorities started draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 11, last Sunday. This process should take about two days. Starting tomorrow, June 13, crews should begin cleaning the pool. If all goes according to plan, the pool should be clean, refilled, and once again operational by next Monday, June 19. The refill is scheduled to begin Friday, June 16.

After the cleaning and treatment are completed, the National Park Services will continue monitoring and testing the pool’s water quality.

Authorities stated that humans that come into contact with the waters of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are at an extremely low risk of contracting the parasite. They would have to hold a sustained contact with the water, for example by wading or swimming in it, which is strictly forbidden, though not unheard of.

Those who do contract the parasite ca develop cercarial dermatitis or the so-called “swimmer’s itch”. An allergic reaction in the form of a skin rash, this rarely requires medical treatment and is not contagious.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Authorities On Alert As Mystery Pills Led To Overdoses In Georgia

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mysterious pills

Authorities are alarmed as some mystery pills led to a wave of overdoses in Georgia.

The Georgia Department of Public Health recently issued a warning targeting mystery pills linked to four deaths and many overdoses. According to the statement, these unidentified capsules are being sold under false claims and presented as being a painkiller. Also, authorities fear that these may be spreading to other parts of the state as well.

The Mystery Pills Are Yellow and Sold As Percocet

The Georgia Department of Health (DPH) issued its warning on June 06th. In it, it revealed that these mystery pills might have already led to four deaths, which occurred in less than 48 hours after consumption. DPH authorities believe that the unidentified substance is spreading and may start surfacing in various communities across the state.

Presently, the DPH detected it in south and central Georgia. Cases connected to them first started being monitored some 2 – 3 days ago. Still, even over this short period, the pills were already linked to dozens of overdoses.

Now, authorities are trying to prevent them from being sold to other parts of the state as well. According to reports, cases linked to such pills continued coming in even on Tuesday. Overdose reports connected to mysterious pills still came in to county hospitals.

“The substance has not yet been identified, but it is extremely potent and has required massive doses of naloxone (Narcan) to counteract its effects,” states the DPH.

Authorities added that tests are being carried out to determine the substance or ingredients in the pills. Besides the high doses of naloxone, many patients also had to be placed on ventilators.

The DPH statement underlines that these mystery pills are yellow and seem to be sold under the pretense of being Percocet. This is an opioid-based painkiller, but the effects of the unidentified capsules are far more potent than it.

The mysterious pills can cause its victims to have trouble or even stop breathing. Authorities are warning people to immediately call 911 if they or someone else may have taken this pill. Specialists are also looking to determine what caused this wave of overdoses.

Image Source: Pixabay 

Extended Sleep Loss Can Have Very Serious Consequences On The Brain

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extended sleep loss person

Recent research showed that an extended sleep loss could lead to consequences at the brain level.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little sleep to get things done, but extended sleep loss can have very serious consequences on the brain. A recent study confirmed that over a long period of time, sleep deprivation can lead to serious neurological problems. It’s an interesting study that just might make you hit the snooze button tomorrow.

Recent Scientific Discoveries About Extended Sleep Loss

The scientific community has known about the short-term effects of insomnia and sleep deprivation for years. Still, they have recently begun to study the long-term effects of extended sleep loss.

Italian researchers conducted studies on sleep-deprived mice, split into four groups according to their sleep patterns. After four days or so without sleep, a group of cells known as astrocytes was noted to kick into “high gear”. Usually, these cells perform beneficial tasks: they remove potentially hazardous debris and support neural connections, among others.

Sleep loss causes these astrocytes to clean too many synapses, so in a way, the brain starts to cannibalize itself. It still remains to be seen if its effects can be reversed by some good nights of rest. Also, astrocytes are not the only ones to become hyperactive. Microglial cells were also observed to be highly more active.

Even a low level of microglial activation can harm the brain’s effectiveness over time. This can increase an individual’s risk of developing degenerative neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as scientists previously found a connection between the two.

Both astrocytes and microglial cells are part of the usual brain-cleaning process which takes place during sleep and are considered beneficial for our health. So the scientists were surprised to note that these were also active in sleep-deprived brains. They were also even more surprised upon observing their harmful effects.

Sleep deprivation is a very serious medical issue. Although its short-term effects are immediately apparent, the long-term effects of sleep loss include many serious, irreversible neurological diseases. Also, another new study found that losing sleep may also be connected to the higher global temperatures, not just the lifestyle and habits.

Research results are available in a paper in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Image Source: Pixabay

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