The five habits that can add more than a decade to your life

People who stick to five healthy habits in adulthood can add more than a decade to their lives, according to a major study into the impact behaviour has on lifespan. Researchers at Harvard University used lifestyle questionnaires and medical records from 123,000 volunteers to understand how much longer people lived if they followed a healthy diet, controlled their weight, took regular exercise, drank in moderation and did not smoke.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/apr/30/the-five-habits-that-can-add-more-than-a-decade-to-your-life?source=Snapzu

This AI writes poetry good enough to fool experts

Designed by Microsoft and Kyoto University, the programs write poems inspired by images and human descriptions.
Read more: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/04/artificial-intelligence-writes-bad-poems-just-like-an-angsty-teen/?source=Snapzu

Turkey marks one year without Wikipedia

Authorities said the ban was instituted when Wikipedia declined to take down content alleging that Turkey had provided support for terrorist groups. Since the ban, all language versions of the site have been inaccessible to Turkish IP addresses. A screen saying that the browser cannot make a secure connection to the server comes up when trying to reach the site.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/30/17302142/wikipedia-ban-turkey-one-year-anniversary?source=Snapzu

Facebook rolls out its downvote button to more users

Earlier this year, Facebook confirmed it was trialling Reddit-style upvote and downvote buttons on public posts, with the aim of improving the quality of discourse on the platform. Now, it appears the feature is rolling out to a greater number of users.
Read more: https://thenextweb.com/facebook/2018/04/29/facebook-rolls-out-its-downvote-button-to-more-users/?source=Snapzu

New development in contact lenses for red-green colour blindness using simple dye

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed a contact lens that may help people with colour blindness simply by using a low cost dye, according to research published today (26 April 2018) in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials. Colour blindness – or colour vision deficiency (CVD) – is an inherited genetic ocular disorder where some people have difficulty distinguishing certain colours. While no cure for this disorder exists...
Read more: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2018/04/development-contact-lenses-red-green-colour-blindness-dye.aspx?source=Snapzu

U.S. vehicle deaths topped 40,000 in 2017, National Safety Council estimates

U.S. vehicle deaths barely declined in 2017 but remained notably higher than in 2015, according to a new report. The National Safety Council estimated automotive fatalities topped 40,000 for the second consecutive year. The estimates are not the official federal figures, which will be released later this year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They also include deaths that NHTSA does not classify as roadway deaths.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/02/15/national-safety-council-traffic-deaths/340012002/?source=Snapzu

15 arrested in connection with PUBG cheating programs

Writing in a Steam post, Bluehole said that fifteen people are suspected for creating and selling hacking programs affecting popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. All have been arrested and fined with a total of $5.1m, developer Bluehole has confirmed. Other accused are still being investigated, and that in the cases for those arrested, cheating programs included some kind of malicious code designed to steal user information.
Read more: https://www.tehnico.com/2018/04/15-arrested-in-connection-with-pubg.html?source=Snapzu

LG G7 ThinQ's speaker is apparently ten times louder than others

Another day, another LG G7 ThinQ teaser. Following the 1,000-nit super bright display, today the Korean giant decided to boast another feature on its upcoming flagship smartphone: the "Boombox Speaker." As the name implies, we're told to expect a speaker that "increases the base sound level by more than 6dB with twice the amount of bass." This apparently translates to more than ten times the loudness than that of a typical smartphone, which is surprising given the usual physical limitations. As a bonus, the bass can be further amplified when you place the device on a solid surface or box.
Read more: https://www.engadget.com/2018/04/28/lg-g7-thinq-boombox-speaker-dts-x/?source=Snapzu

Government pledges $500 million to preserve Great Barrier Reef

The Turnbull government has confirmed it will be investing $500 million to help improve and protect the Great Barrier Reef. Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the pledge - announced on Sunday ahead of the May budget - was a game-changer and would help secure the reef's future. "This is the single largest investment in restoration and management in Australia's history," he told ABC News.
Read more: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/government-pledges-500-million-to-preserve-great-barrier-reef?source=Snapzu

We made art where your clothes were born

When it went bankrupt in 2009, thousands and thousands of pounds of brand new clothes were abandoned. I’m always hunting for new projects to work on. When I met Laura Francois on the TedX stages in Penang, I offered to help with her mission to fight against fast fashion… on the condition that she find me the raw materials to work with. Somehow, with the help of an ethical clothing company called Dorsu, she stumbled across this gem.
Read more: https://blog.vonwong.com/fastfashion/?source=Snapzu

Danny DeVito Day is New Jersey's newest holiday. How will you celebrate?

All hail Danny DeVito, king of Asbury Park (sorry, Springsteen and Bon Jovi, but you've gotten more than your fair share). The New York Times reports that on Saturday, at the Asbury Park Music & Film Festival, Gov. Phil Murphy is set to announce that the veteran actor, a Monmouth County native, will get his own state day. The gesture is not without significance -- the actor will become the first person from Asbury Park to get their own day.
Read more: http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2018/04/danny_devito_day_is_new_jerseys_new_holiday.html?source=Snapzu

France seizes France.com from man who’s had it since ‘94, so he sues

A French-born American has now sued his home country because, he claims, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has illegally seized a domain that he’s owned since 1994: France.com.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/04/france-seizes-france-com-from-man-whos-had-it-since-94-so-he-sues/?source=Snapzu

Trump threatens to 'close down the country' over funding for border wall

President Trump threatened on Saturday to "shut down the country" – an apparent reference to a government shutdown – unless Congress approves funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. In a fiery campaign-style speech, Trump lashed out at Democratic lawmakers for opposing his pledge to build the border wall, and said that once government funding runs out at the end of September he would call for a so-called shutdown.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/385364-trump-threatens-to-close-down-the-country-over-funding-for-border?source=Snapzu

Tesla owner who turned on car's autopilot then sat in passenger seat while travelling on the M1 banned from driving

A man who switched on his car's autopilot before moving to the passenger seat while travelling along a motorway has been banned from driving for 18 months.
Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/28/tesla-owner-turned-cars-autopilot-sat-passenger-seat-travelling/?source=Snapzu

1 in 59 children has autism, CDC says

One in 59 US children has autism, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new estimate is a prevalence rate of 1.7%, up from one in every 68 children (1.5%) in the 2016 report, which was based on data from 2012. The new figure was derived from 2014 estimates for 8-year-olds diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 11 communities across the nation.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/health/autism-prevalence-cdc/index.html?source=Snapzu

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Marching To $245M+ Opening, Second Best-Ever Behind ‘Force Awakens’

Saturday AM: Industry estimates have Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War at $106.7M (including that $39M Thursday night) and $245.6M over three days, which would put the pic second behind the Star Wars: Force Awakens record opening of $247.9M. Numbers are much higher than what we saw last night, with a $237M start. Some even believe that Infinity War could beat Force Awakens ($247.9M), but a lot of that will depend on today’s momentum.
Read more: http://deadline.com/2018/04/avengers-infinity-war-weekend-box-office-opening-records-1202378032/?source=Snapzu

French museum discovers half of its collection are fakes

A state-owned French art museum has discovered that more than half of its collection consists of worthless fakes and experts fear that other public galleries may also be stuffed with forgeries.
Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/28/french-museum-discovers-half-collection-fakes/?source=Snapzu

Parkland shooting survivors cry hypocrisy after NRA bans guns during Pence speech

"I thought giving everyone a gun was to enhance safety. Am I missing something?"
Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/parkland-shooting-survivors-cry-hypocrisy-after-nra-bans-guns-during-pence-speech-e21f8558bd0c/?source=Snapzu

Scientists 'keep pigs' brains alive without a body for up to 36 hours'

The brains, which are not conscious, are kept alive through the circulation of an oxygen-rich fluid through the organs
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/apr/27/scientists-keep-pigs-brains-alive-without-a-body-for-up-to-36-hours?source=Snapzu

Merkel’s antisemitism envoy ‘not surprised’ Jews want to leave Germany

A newly appointed special envoy tasked by the German government with tackling the country’s rising wave of antisemitism has said he is not surprised that, following a series of high-profile race hate attacks, Jews are considering leaving Germany. Felix Klein, who is due to take up his post this week, said he plans to launch a nationwide register to chart all crimes against the country’s estimated 100,000-strong Jewish community, saying antisemitic attitudes were mainstream in German society.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/28/germany-antisemitism-envoy-jews-consider-leaving-germany?source=Snapzu

Russia's floating 'nuclear Titanic' sets sail on first controversial voyage

A controversial floating nuclear power plant built by Russia that environmentalist have dubbed a "nuclear Titanic" has set sail on its first sea voyage. The plant, Akademik Lomonosov, was towed out of the St Petersburg shipyard where it was constructed on Saturday. 
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/floating-nuclear-power-plant-russia-floating-chernobyl-nuclear-titanic-akademik-lomonosov-launch-a8327316.html?source=Snapzu

Study: Health benefits will offset cost of China’s climate policy

A new MIT study reports that if China follows through with its international pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, every one of its provinces will experience benefits to air quality and human health, with associated monetary savings that could offset the total cost of implementing the climate policy. The study, published today in Nature Climate Change, estimates that by meeting its greenhouse gas-reduction goals, China would simultaneously improve its air quality, which would avoid a significant number of deaths due to air pollution...
Read more: http://news.mit.edu/2018/study-health-benefits-will-offset-cost-china-climate-policy-0423?source=Snapzu

Zimbabwe legalises medicinal marijuana

Zimbabwe has made it legal to produce marijuana for medicinal and scientific uses. It follows in the footsteps of Lesotho, the tiny nation which last year became the first in Africa to issue a license for medical marijuana. Zimbabwe has been considering legalising the drug for a number of months, and will now become one of the few countries able to turn it into a source of revenue.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/zimbabwe-legalises-marijuana-medicinal-scientific-use-africa-a8327191.html?source=Snapzu

The CDC Says Autism Rates Are Rising in U.S. Children. No, It's Not Because of Vaccines.

A new CDC autism report finds that rates of autism are rising among U.S. children. Given the fraught history of the (consistently debunked) allegations that vaccines are tied to autism spectrum disorders, there may be an impulse in certain corners to bring up vaccinations as a potential root for this rise in diagnoses. The scientific consensus still resoundingly rejects that argument.
Read more: http://fortune.com/2018/04/27/autism-on-the-rise-vaccines/?source=Snapzu

Trump Protesters In U.K. Launch Campaign To Get Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ To No. 1 In Charts For His Visit

The women and their three children were allowed to return from northern Iraq and will not be arrested. German federal prosecutors say their request for a warrant was denied by the Federal Supreme Court.
Read more: https://www.inquisitr.com/4881178/trump-protesters-in-u-k-launch-campaign-to-get-green-days-american-idiot-to-no-1-in-charts-for-his-visit/?source=Snapzu

Two Islamic State wives return to Germany with their children

The women and their three children were allowed to return from northern Iraq and will not be arrested. German federal prosecutors say their request for a warrant was denied by the Federal Supreme Court.
Read more: http://www.dw.com/en/two-islamic-state-wives-return-to-germany-with-their-children/a-43569720?source=Snapzu

It takes time to make friends

Turns out the ancient Greek knew what he was talking about. In the first study of its kind, a University of Kansas professor has defined the amount of time necessary to make a friend as well as how long it typically takes to move through the deepening stages of friendship. In a new report published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Associate Professor of Communication Studies Jeffrey Hall found that it takes roughly 50 hours of time together to move from mere acquaintance to casual friend, 90 hours to go from that stage to simple “friend” status and more than 200 hours before you can consider someone your close friend.
Read more: http://news.ku.edu/2018/03/06/study-reveals-number-hours-it-takes-make-friend?source=Snapzu

Eleven year old college student wants to prove “scientifically” that God exists

Reader Vera called my attention to this video of a great mind gone bad. Here is an eleven-year old student at a community college who was hosted for this video at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (HCHC), an Orthodox Christian liberal arts college and seminary in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Read more: https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2018/04/27/eleven-year-old-college-student-wants-to-prove-scientifically-that-god-exists/?source=Snapzu

Bill Gates thinks a coming disease could kill 30 million people within 6 months — and says we should prepare for it as we do for war

If there's one thing that we know from history, it's that a deadly new disease will arise and spread around the globe. That could happen easily within the next decade. And as Bill Gates told listeners on Friday at a discussion about epidemics hosted by the Massachusetts Medical Society and the New England Journal of Medicine, we're not ready. Gates acknowledged that he's usually the optimist in the room, reminding people that we're lifting children out of poverty around the globe and getting better at eliminating diseases like polio and malaria.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-warns-the-next-pandemic-disease-is-coming-2018-4?source=Snapzu

Seattle Vacates Hundreds of Marijuana Charges Going Back 30 Years

The City of Seattle on Friday filed a motion asking the court to vacate hundreds of marijuana possession convictions going back three decades and adversely impacting people of color.
Read more: https://www.theroot.com/seattle-vacates-hundreds-of-marijuana-possession-charge-1825622917?source=Snapzu

How an Iowa teenager used an Etch A Sketch to help land spots at MIT and Caltech

College admission has become increasingly competitive, but one Des Moines teenager found a unique way to distinguish himself from the pack. Dezell Turner, a senior at East High School and Central Academy, submitted a video explaining the history of calculus on an Etch A Sketch when applying to some of the country's top engineering and technology schools. The 18-year-old recently learned he'd been accepted to MIT and Caltech — two of his "dream" colleges.
Read more: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/2018/04/23/etch-sketch-video-iowa-teen-caltech-mit-college-admission-ivy-league-des-moines-dmps/507459002/?source=Snapzu

Gertrude Jeannette, Actor, Director and Cabdriver, Dies at 103

Believed to be the first woman to drive a taxi in New York City, she also overcame a speech impediment to work on Broadway, in film and on television.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/obituaries/gertrude-jeannette-actor-director-and-cabdriver-dies-at-103.html?source=Snapzu

Google Cofounder Sergey Brin Warns of AI's Dark Side

Artificial intelligence is a recurring theme in recent remarks by top executives at Alphabet. The company’s latest Founders’ Letter, penned by Sergey Brin, is no exception—but he also finds time to namecheck possible downsides around safety, jobs, and fairness. The company has issued a Founders’ Letter—usually penned by Brin, cofounder Larry Page or both—every year, beginning with the letter that accompanied Google’s 2004 IPO. Machine learning and artificial intelligence have been mentioned before. But this year Brin expounds at length on a recent boom in development in AI that he describes as a “renaissance.”
Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/google-cofounder-sergey-brin-warns-of-ais-dark-side/?source=Snapzu

ISIS servers seized in Canada as countries launch coordinated takedown of propaganda network

The ISIS-branded al-Bayan radio and Nashir News were also targets.
Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/4171947/canada-isis-propaganda/?source=Snapzu

‘F*ck Them. We Need a Law’: A Legendary Programmer Takes on Silicon Valley

Over the last few months, Select All has interviewed more than a dozen prominent technology figures about what has gone wrong with the contemporary internet for a project called “The Internet Apologizes.” We’re now publishing lengthier transcripts of each individual interview. This interview features Richard Stallman, an activist and legendary programmer who developed the foundational and widely used software Emacs and GNU.
Read more: http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/04/richard-stallman-rms-on-privacy-data-and-free-software.html?source=Snapzu

Trump Tower is on fire in Azerbaijani capital Baku

A skyscraper that was slated to become a Trump International Hotel in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku has caught fire. The Azadliq newspaper reported that the blaze broke out on the middle floors of the 33-storey building, which is locally known as Trump Tower, and spread. Etibar Mirzoev, deputy head of the Emergency Situations Ministry, said there were no injuries and authorities were working to establish the cause of the of the fire.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trump-tower-fire-azerbaijan-baku-latest-video-international-grand-prix-f1-new-york-building-a8326891.html?source=Snapzu

Infant Deaths Fall Sharply in Africa With Routine Antibiotics

Providing one dose every six months saved one in four babies, researchers reported. Now the W.H.O. will consider recommending routine use.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/health/africa-infant-mortality-antibiotic.html?source=Snapzu

Bill Gates announced a $12 million contest for a universal flu vaccine

The real world isn’t like Hollywood. Despite what we might see in TV shows like 24 or movies like Contagion, we don’t have teams of experts ready to spring into action at the first signs of a global outbreak. But we should, philanthropist Bill Gates emphasized during his Shattuck Lecture for the Massachusetts Medical Society today. And Gates is ready to put up $12 million to help us get there.
Read more: https://futurism.com/universal-flu-vaccine-bill-gates/?source=Snapzu

Critics Accuse FCC of Delaying Repeal of Net Neutrality to Help Corporate Interests

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is allegedly delaying the repeal of net neutrality to help web providers like Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast, Motherboard reports. The slow pace of implementing the repeal, which will allow Internet service providers to prioritize certain traffic, is in sharp contrast to the rapid speed at which Pai pushed the new rules through the FCC for approval despite a significant amount of public concern.
Read more: http://fortune.com/2018/04/27/fcc-is-allegedly-intentionally-delaying-the-official-repeal-of-net-neutrality/?source=Snapzu

London mayor warns Trump that Britons will voice their ‘freedom of speech’ during his UK visit

London Mayor Sadiq Khan's war of words with Donald Trump escalated after he called on Britons to take to the streets in a show of "freedom of speech" the president's visit. Trump is set to visit the U.K. in July, it was announced on Thursday. He had previously canceled a trip to Britain over concerns in Washington that his visit would prompt protests.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/27/london-mayor-warns-trump-that-britons-will-voice-freedom-of-speech.html?source=Snapzu

Korean War to be declared officially over after 68 years following historic summit

The Korean War will be formally declared over after 68 years, the North and South have said. At a historic summit between leaders Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, the neighbouring countries agreed they would work towards peace on the peninsula with a formal end to the conflict set to be announced later this year.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-south-korea-kim-jong-un-moon-jaein-summit-korean-war-a8326176.html?source=Snapzu

NASCAR buys the ARCA Racing Series

The two largest and oldest professional stock car racing organizations in North America will become one entity by 2020.
Read more: https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/nascar-buys-the-arca-racing-series-1030736/?source=Snapzu

Harvard Scientists Are Cloning Woolly Mammoths to Save Humanity

Cloning dinosaurs for entertainment didn't turn out so well in Jurassic Park, but some scientists believe that resurrecting another extinct species from a more recent era (and for a more worthy cause) could have better results. Using DNA from a woolly mammoth specimen found perfectly preserved in ice in Siberia, Harvard scientist George Church is working to create a herd of mammoth-elephant hybrids that will help to save the world.
Read more: https://www.outerplaces.com/science/item/18284-harvard-cloning-wooly-mammoths?source=Snapzu

Lawyer in Trump Tower meeting admits to being informant for Moscow

Natalya Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who met with top Trump campaign officials at Trump Tower in 2016, admitted to being an informant for a top Kremlin official, reports the New York Times.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/russian-lawyer-natalya-veselnitskaya-trump-tower-russia-informant-a49a4eb4-6116-4978-8268-b064e6fbfd6c.html?source=Snapzu

Tom Brokaw accused of sexual harassment

The allegations against Brokaw revive questions about the culture at NBC.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/27/tom-brokaw-accusations-557408?source=Snapzu

Why Tech Companies Need a Code of Ethics for Software Development

In today's world, business is both driven and disrupted by software. From startups to government organizations to publicly traded companies, software is developed at a record-setting pace to run almost everything. This continuous evolution of technology has drastically changed how enterprises operate today. As the race heats up among companies looking to be first-to-market with the next best product or service, considerations about the implications these systems and gadgets may have on society often are overlooked.
Read more: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/311410?source=Snapzu

Hospitals miss dementia even when already diagnosed

Dementia is being missed by hospital doctors in four in ten cases, research shows. The study by University College London found medical staff are routinely treating patients without realising that they had been diagnosed with dementia. Researchers said the failure to properly record their illness meant vulnerable elderly people were being discharged from hospital with instructions to take crucial medication, without medics realising that they were likely to be suffering from memory problems.
Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/24/hospitals-miss-dementia-even-already-diagnosed/?source=Snapzu

US millionaire offers clue to buried treasure

People have died searching for Forrest Fenn’s buried fortune, but his aim was to encourage families to enjoy the outdoors.
Read more: http://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2142371/us-millionaire-who-buried-treasure-rockies-has?source=Snapzu

EU agrees total ban on bee-harming pesticides

The world’s most widely used insecticides will be banned from all fields within six months, to protect both wild and honeybees that are vital to crop pollination
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/27/eu-agrees-total-ban-on-bee-harming-pesticides?source=Snapzu

Netflix Orders Gabriel Iglesias Multi-Camera Comedy Series, Standup Specials

Netflix has given a 10-episode series order to a multi-camera comedy starring Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias as part of a three-project deal that also includes two new stand-up specials headlined by the comedian. The pact expands Iglesias’ presence on Netflix. The Internet network previously ordered a special, I’m Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry, which premiered on its streaming platform in 2016, and also carries two older Gabriel Iglesias Comedy Central standup specials.
Read more: http://deadline.com/2018/04/netflix-gabriel-iglesias-multi-camera-comedy-series-standup-specials-1202377143?source=Snapzu