From Arecibo, to the sound of vaginal contractions, to an ad for Doritos—a short history of Earthlings' attempts to communicate with the cosmos. The vaginal sounds recording reached Epsilon Eridani and Tau Ceti in the late 1990s. New Scientist says, "It is unclear what sort of reply we should expect."
If alien life exists, we have probably weirded it out by now
Buzzkill: Fauci and others no longer discuss herd immunity. "It's off the table" says one expert
"Herd immunity" is the magic phrase – the finish line we've all been running toward – that will get us to the other side of the devastating Covid pandemic. Once we get there, masks will be mostly a thing of the past (or so we hope). Handshakes and hugs might even come back. And now… READ THE REST
The many-headed hydra is a real creature that regenerates itself and can live "forever"
Named after the Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed water monster of Greek and Roman mythology, the real hydra is a small fresh-water creature with incredible biological superpowers that enable it to regenerate and live "forever." Unlike the Lernaean Hydra, it doesn't guard an entrance into the underworld. We think. From KQED's Deep Look: Cut a hydra… READ THE REST
First monkey-human hybrid embryos sparking controversy among scientists
Scientists recently reported a major milestone in the creation of human-animal hybrids. Researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and colleagues, seen above, injected human stem cells into monkey embryos in vitro. Several of the chimera embryos survived for 19 days. Eventually, these hybrid animals could be used for testing new drugs or to… READ THE REST
These earbuds use AI to optimize your music while keeping you safe for under $40
The ostrich analogy is real. Nobody should be sticking their head in the sand to escape unpleasant truths. And one such unpleasant reality is that for all their functionality, headphones can be incredibly dangerous. An overwhelming 96 percent of Americans say it's dangerous to wear headphones or earbuds when driving. That number remains high for… READ THE REST
This complete ethical hacker training can help you join the war on cybercrime
Students and staff at Stanford University, the University of California, the University of Colorado, and other institutions were warned to be on alert after a widespread security breach compromised personal data files during a nationwide cyberattack on the schools' computer systems. Meanwhile, someone is selling personal information on 21 million users of the mobile parking… READ THE REST
Prevent your bike from getting swiped with Via Velo's double locking system
The difficulties of pandemic life have brought some unexpected consequences over the past year. With some transportation options closed and everyone mostly stuck in their houses, people got stir crazy for an alternative — and bicycle sales surged nationwide. Unfortunately, that wave of new bike riders brought an all too expected result: a corresponding surge in… READ THE REST