Image Archives - Page 38 of 107

2,200-Year-Old Abandoned Termite Mound Found In Africa

24Aug

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World

2,200-Year-Old Abandoned Termite Mound Found In Africa

A giant abandoned termite mound was found in the Miombo forest area, located in central Africa. Scientists have predicted that the termite mound may be over 2,200 years old, making it the oldest termite structure ever dated. Another nearby mound was studied to ensure that the mound was not classified as an anomaly. This mound is at least 750 years old. Both mounds were built by a termite species known as Macrotermes falciger. These termites are native to the Lubumbashi region of Upper Katanga, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as reported by BBC World. The age of this ancient mound suggests that termites use the same mound for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. New generations of termites continue to use these mounds even after the previous generation dies off. These mounds allow t...

Driver’s Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, Tickets

21Aug

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Lifestyle

Driver’s Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, Tickets

Driver’s education measurably reduces teen crashes and traffic violations, according to a new study that challenges the prevailing notion over the past 30 years that driver’s ed courses provide no significant benefit. In the 1980s, many states stopped paying for driver’s ed programs after a study questioning their effectiveness. Some insurance companies even quit giving discounts on premiums for drivers who had gone through formal driver training. But the more recent study, which followed more than 150,000 new drivers licensed over eight years, found that drivers who have not gone through driver’s ed are 75% more likely to get a traffic ticket, 16% more likely to have an accident, and 24% more likely to be involved in an accident in which someone is injured or killed. Researchers Duane ...

Why First Impressions Matter, New Study Suggests Explanation

20Aug

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Lifestyle

Why First Impressions Matter, New Study Suggests Explanation

People make first impressions so quickly that they've already formed their opinions before they even realize they did. For example, research has found that it takes no more than 50 milliseconds -- 0.05 seconds -- for Internet users to form an opinion about a website. What's more, people decide whether a person is trustworthy or not within just a tenth of a second. The reason first impressions last so long in a person's mind may be because of the emotional impact those impressions have. A new study published in the journal ELife suggests that emotions directly influence learning and memory processes in the brain. Researchers from the University of Haifa in Israel analyzed the electrical activity in the brains of rats during social behavior. They found that a state of excitement produced ...

In the New Alphabet, G Still Stands for Google

19Aug

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Business

In the New Alphabet, G Still Stands for Google

As of Tuesday, August 11, Google has a new owner. According to Wired, Alphabet, the newly-introduced parent company of Google, is much more than a rebranding effort. Alphabet, run by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, will essentially act as the mothership for all of Google's various ventures. This includes Calico, the company's longevity program; Google X, its lab division; and Google itself, the search engine giant that controls 65 to 70% of the global search market. Alphabet and Google are two entities with entirely different corporate structures and entirely different purposes. By allowing an outside entity to control Google's various tech ventures, from self-driving cars to Google Glass, Google executives can focus their attention on the products and services that make the...

New Algorithms Can Remove Photo Obstructions

19Aug

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Business

New Algorithms Can Remove Photo Obstructions

Chain-link fences are usually considered more of a security measure than an aesthetic choice. If you've ever had an intrusive fence or a window glare in your photographs, a recent report from the Massachusetts Institute for Technology will be welcome news. Researchers at MIT and Google are developing a new algorithm, one that can separate the foreground and background of your image and remove unwanted obstructions. The method works with a specific sequence of photos taken, similar to the panoramic feature on many smartphone cameras. The different angles provided by the multiple photos help to distinguish the foreground elements from the background elements, granting you the freedom to tweak them as needed. Motion parallax is a phenomenon in which closer objects appear to move faster than...

19Aug

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Business

Wrapify: an Uber For Advertisers

A new tech company is being called "an Uber for advertisers." Wrapify, which rolled out its product less than one month ago in San Diego and San Francisco, connects companies with drivers, wrapping their cars with branded, vinyl graphics and marketing messages. In other words, it acts as a vehicle advertising middleman. So far, Wrapify has nearly 10 brands on board and almost 2,000 drivers interested. Some of the brands already using Wrapify include Petco, Coldcock, Whisky, HomeHero, Captiv8.io, and Unreel.io. Thanks to its early successes, Wrapify is speeding up its plans to launch in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Atlanta by this Fall. The way it works is pretty simple. Wrapify's drivers download its mobile app, which only engages with their personal vehicles. GPS tracks the vehicle's...

Want to Live Like a (Middle Earth) King? Check Out This ‘Lord of the Rings’-Inspired Crowdfunding Project

19Aug

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Lifestyle

Want to Live Like a (Middle Earth) King? Check Out This ‘Lord of the Rings’-Inspired Crowdfunding Project

A group of architects and engineers is ready to build an epic piece of property in Southern England -- but they need nearly $2.9 billion to do it. The group aims to create a replica of Minas Tirith, the fictional city and capital of Gondor in Lord of the Rings. Fans of the series will remember this as the site of the Battle of Pelennor Fields in The Return of the King. Based on the design in director Peter Jackson's adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy, the property will feature both residential and commercial spaces. Luxury penthouses will be built on any of the property's five levels alongside resort-style spaces. In order to actually turn this fantasy into reality, the architects and structural engineers behind the project have set up an IndieGoGo campaign to crowdfund the elabor...

18Aug

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Local

NYC Welcomes New Rooftop Oasis

According to a recent report from CBS News, the Jacob Javits Center in New York City has installed a rooftop green oasis the size of nearly five football fields. The 17-story building, which was once one of the leading causes of bird deaths in NYC due to its windows, is now home to one of the largest rooftop sanctuaries in the city -- and bird deaths are down nearly 90%. By replacing the blacktop roof, which would absorb 85-95% of the heat and energy from the sun, with a roof made of soil, grass and shrubs, the building has saved 25% on heating and cooling costs. Susan Elbin, head of the New York City Audubon Society, said, "When I am walking around up here, like right now even, I have a hard time believing I am on a roof in New York City. I feel like I am in a meadow somewhere." Javits...

Even Some One-Percenters Have Trouble Affording Elite Private School Educations for Their Kids

18Aug

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Lifestyle

Even Some One-Percenters Have Trouble Affording Elite Private School Educations for Their Kids

Although 20% of children live in poverty throughout the United States, there's a new group that's beginning to feel left out of the private education sector: the "mildly rich." The Los Angeles Times reported on some of the most opulent upgrades to L.A.'s private schools, including a $100 million expansion at the Archer School for Girls. The school, located in Brentwood, has battled for four years with neighbors because it needs area residents to move out to complete the construction. Meanwhile, schools like the Buckley School and the Marlborough School have state-of-the-art facilities -- including high-tech academic buildings, Olympic-sized pools, and rooftop athletic fields -- planned for the near future. All of this is in a bid to keep parents, who are shelling out $38,000 per year or...

Buffalo, NY’s School-Bus-Sized Snow Piles Finally Melt

17Aug

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Local

Buffalo, NY’s School-Bus-Sized Snow Piles Finally Melt

A full eight months after last year's infamous "Snowvember" storm, snow still remains in Buffalo, NY -- in the form of two massive snow piles. The 10-foot piles, located in an abandoned lot near Central Terminal, don't really look like snow anymore; nearly one foot of soil covers the piles due to the long, slow melting process, which has actually insulated the snow even more. The only evidence of melting snow is the swampy soil that surrounds the piles. "It's not unprecedented, but it is weird when you think about it," said WGRZ Meteorologist Patrick Hammer. Last November, a freak lake-effect snow storm dropped seven feet of snow onto the Buffalo area. Snow removal crews had nowhere else to put all this snow, so the lot at Central Terminal became the dumping ground for 10,000 to 11,000 ...