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Online dating sites have been infamous for using shady tactics to attract new members, but the downfall of Ashley Madison revealed one particularly troubling trend: robots posing as attractive, desperate women. According to Rolling Stone, a vast majority of activity from female users on dating sites is computer-generated. In fact, a whopping 59% of all internet traffic, from dating sites to online poker, is generated by bots. This deception was exposed last July when a team of hackers leaked internal memos from dating site Ashley Madison. The hack revealed the company's widespread use of artificial intelligence programs, often known as bots, posing as real women. The hack sent shock waves through the world of online dating, and industry experts say that Ashley Madison was not the only...

Gum disease comes with its own host of consequences, but a recent study has found that it may also lead to some more serious health issues. According to 9News.com, researchers in Sweden have discovered that those with advanced gum disease, or periodontitis, have a much higher risk of experiencing a heart attack. During the study, researchers also learned that poor oral health can increase the risk of heart disease by up to 28%. In Australia, approximately 22% of people have some form of gum disease, making the research particularly prevalent to those Down Under. "The bacteria that are causing advanced gum disease migrate into the blood stream and they circulate, causing a chronic inflammatory response," said Axel Spahr, associate professor at the Sydney Dental Hospital. ...

Earlier this month, the Utah Home Builders Association’s annual awards gala was interrupted by a group of clean air advocates. The demonstrators gathered outside of the event to denounce the organization by accusing them of deterring efforts to fight for cleaner air in Utah. Representatives from Utah Moms for Clear Air, HEAL Utah, and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment participated in the rally. They waved signs in protest and handed out pamphlets to those who passed by, claiming they were raising awareness of “the association's role in trying to defeat some of the clean air policies the state proposed last year.” “Actions taken by the Utah Home Builders Association have been instrumental in delaying the approval of both the low-nitrogen oxide (NOx) emitter water heaters rule,...

There are plenty of reasons why social media could go down as one of the greatest innovations of the 21st century. Yet according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a study set to be published this April, Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms could literally be killing your sleep patterns, too. "Young adults who spend a lot of time on social media during the day or check it frequently throughout the week are more likely to suffer sleep disturbances than their peers who use social media less," a statement from the school's press release reads. For the study, Dr. Jessica C. Levenson, a postdoctoral researcher at the university's Department of Psychiatry and the study's lead author, worked with her team to analyze 1,788 U.S. adults ages 19 through 3...

According to News-Medical.net, a new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has found that the protein IL-37 actually suppresses the inflammatory response even though drugs like methylprednisolone have proven unsuccessful in doing so. One of the reasons IL-37 has not been researched much up until this point, even though it's been identified for 15 years, is because it is not produced in mice, which most studies use in experiments. In order to perform the study the team of researchers from the UAB's Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology and Institute of Neuroscience, and the Centre for Networked Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), led by Dr Rubén López, used genetically modified mice that produced the human form of IL-37. ...

UPDATED 11/19/20 Winter Storm Jonas is finally beginning to pass, but the wake of destruction left in its path will take months -- if not years -- to repair. According to Syracuse.com, the cataclysmic blizzard dumped approximately three feet of snow on cities across the East Coast over the weekend. Tens of thousands of travelers were stranded during the storm, and at least 19 deaths have been directly related to its devastation. The unprecedented snowfall and hurricane-force winds were particularly harmful to homes and businesses. On Sunday, NJ.com reported that the Trader Joe's in Westfield, NJ is now closed indefinitely after its roof collapsed under the weight of the snow. https://youtu.be/E83PdJy2oFg The store's roof and three of its walls simultaneously buckled around...

Thanks to the hot and humid South Florida weather, Floridian families don't often need to use their heater systems in the home. When the temperature drops uncharacteristically low, however, some people turn theirs on after years of inactivity. Such was the case at a home in Plantation, FL, when an HVAC unit broke out into flames when a man turned his heat on for the first time in 10 years. According to the local ABC News affiliate in Miami, FL, a family was displaced in the early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 25, due to a fire that broke out in the home's heating and air conditioning system. Although the official cause of the fire is still unknown, homeowner Rob Ramirez told a local news reporter that he turned on the heater at about 4 a.m. to warm up the home and then noticed a ...

Capital Textile Service, an 82-year-old linen company based in Northern Virginia, has made a massive investment into a new facility that could reinvigorate the economy of a small local county. According to Fredericksburg.com, the company will invest $6 million into an automated laundry facility in Stafford, VA. After considering several other counties in the area, Capital Textile Service ultimately decided to choose Stafford for the new location. "We believe that the Capital Textile investment is only the beginning of the new industrial projects that will come to this part of Stafford," said Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bob Thomas. Virginia Linen Service of Petersburg, which owns Capital Textile Service, purchased a 12.46-acre lot in Stafford for $889,000 to...

The Dallas-Fort Worth area emerged from the Great Recession stronger than ever, and its progress is now being recognized by an authority in the U.S. real estate industry. According to CultureMap Dallas, real estate database website Zillow recently named its top 10 housing markets to watch this year. DFW not only made this prestigious list, but was recognized as the third-best market in the entire country. The #3 ranking places DFW behind only Denver, CO, and Seattle, WA on the list. Rounding out the top 10, in order, are: Richmond, VA, Boise, ID, Ogden, UT, Salt Lake City, UT, Omaha, NE, Sacramento, CA, and Portland, OR. Several factors went into DFW's impressive ranking, all of which reflect the region's consistent growth on the heels of the Great Recession. Zillow noted th...