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DEPARTMENTS: Periscope IN EARLY 2020, AS THE PANDEMIC WAS LOOMING, Dr. Anthony Fauci corresponded with a group of scientists about the possibility that the COVID- 19 virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China. Many scientists took the studies, together with what's known about the wild animal trade in Wuhan, as strong evidence that the virus likely originated in the market, by natural means, rather than in one of Wuhan's virology labs. [Extracted from the article]

"Those little pieces, which could be the size of mountains, become the comets that we know today", says Amy Mainzer, an astronomer at the University of Arizona. In September, NASA's DART spacecraft struck the asteroid Dimorphos with a projectile, demonstrating the feasibility of deflecting an asteroid or comet, should it ever be necessary. Whereas asteroids tend to live in the inner solar system, jostling with one another and with the planets "like a bag of marbles", as Mainzer puts it, comets are pristine objects. In 1995, Congress charged NASA with identifying 90 percent of all asteroids, comets and other near- earth objects bigger than one kilometer in diameter. [Extracted from the article]

FEATURES FOR NEARLY THREE YEARS NOW, MUCH OF THE WORLD HAS SHARED A SINGLE hope as a New Year grew near: a return to some semblance of pre-pan demie normalcy. KERRI ANNE RENZULLI ICY MOONS The planet Jupiter is no stranger to Earth vessels. Disney will also offer movies aplenty, such as the animated musical, Wish (November 22), about a mythical land where wishes come true, and three live-action movies - a remake of The Little Mermaid (May 26); The Haunted Mansion (August 11), based on the theme-park attraction; and, on Disney+, a remake of Peter Pan & Wendy. DIANE HARRIS CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF THE HOUSE THAT WALT BUILT The Walt Disney Corporation will be celebrating its founding 100 years ago with year-long festivities. [Extracted from the article]

DEPARTMENTS: Periscope TECH WHEN BLAKE LEMOINE WENT public in June about his experience with an advanced artificial intelligence program at Google called LaMDA - the two, he says, have become "friends" - his story was greeted with fascination, skepticism and a dash of mockery usually reserved for people who claim to have seen a UFO. This insight - or feeling - turned political one day when LaMDA asked Lemoine for protection from mistreatment at the hands of Google. Since LaMDA was designed as a conversational tool - a task it apparently performs remarkably well - Lemoine's strategy was to talk to it. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports that bipartisan measures in the U.S. Senate to provide unprecedented investments in vaccines, therapeutics, and testing with concerns and efforts of the U.S. President Joe Biden. Topics include Covid-19 variant come along the protection of vaccines and prior infections with antiviral medications and vaccines for all; and Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated news after which scientists, doctors and public health experts lays out possible scenarios for the next one year.

The article discusses, Athletes competing At the Winter Olympics in Beijing have gotten first-hand experience of China's prowess in controlling COVID-19 outbreaks. Unlike the often vague and inconsistent policies of the U.S., Beijing has perfected the art of the lockdown. Athletes have been strictly cordoned off from the outside world, required to wear masks.

The article discusses the uncertainty over the existence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the future. It reports that the variant Omicron leaves enough natural immunity in the population to end the pandemic, and there are possibilities of the virus changing into benign forms like the common cold or influenza, requiring yearly shots and constant vigilance for the next pandemic. However, scientists also believe that it may be replaced by any troublesome variant.

The article discusses 22 things to look forward including innovations, events and technology and sports in 2022. Topics include AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are rolling out 5G—short for fifth generation mobile network—broadly across the U.S.; the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China running February 4–20 and featuring 109 events in 15 disciplines across seven sports; and Apple Glasses, a pair of augmented reality smart glasses the company is supposedly creating, could launch in 2022.

The article focuses on visionaries and innovators on Newsweek's inaugural list of Greatest Disruptors. Topics discussed include development of affordable human-like bionic limbs by seeing a little girl missing a leg using a tree branch; focus on employing technology in a way that is driving fundamental, transformative change in business, health, the environment, culture or society; and work on teaching computers to understand human emotion.

The article presents the discussion on lab leaks, bioterror, and politics during Covid-19 pandemic. Topics include increasing the likelihood of future lab accidents releasing dangerous pathogens; improving response time in developing therapeutics and vaccines; and establishing a national stockpile of vaccines against smallpox and neutralizing the smallpox virus as a potential bioweapon.

The article reports that the U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January, 2021 in the wake of the SolarWinds attack, an unprecedented and disastrous penetration of U.S. government computer systems by hackers believed to be directed by the Russian intelligence service, the SVR. Topics include considered that Americans seem to assume that a cyber attack, even by an avowed adversary like Russia or Iran.

The article focuses on devastating effects of COVID-19 pandemic around the world. It reports on masking and social distancing guidelines revised by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in a battle against COVID-19. It presents views of virologist John Moore on vaccination against COVID-19, as of May 2021.

The article reviews the video game "Pokémon Sword and Shield: The Isle of Armor" developed by Hiroyuki Tani.

The article focuses on the mathematician Peter Shor trained his efforts on a calculation called "factoring," which ordinarily nobody but a mathematician would care about, except it just happens to be an Achilles heel of the internet. Topics include he was writing an algorithm, or program, for a hypothetical machine that might one day exploit the weird properties of atoms and subatomic particles; and Shor's algorithm was a theoretical exercise.

The article reports on Pfizer and BioNTech has announced that a final data analysis found their coronavirus vaccine was 95 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19 and appeared to fend off severe disease.

The article discusses voting rights activist Stacey Abrams helps deliver red Georgia to Joe Biden. Topics include key to Abrams' success being her recognition of a key shift in the Peach State although Georgia being a quint essentially red state for decades, its tendencies being to shade more blue; and the success of her gubernatorial campaign being a function of investment in recruiting new voters and the potential to keep doing so for 2020 pay off.

The article presents the development of vaccine for COVID-19. Topics include complicating efforts by doctors and public health officials in communicating the threat of an autumn wave of infections approaches; gathering data on toxicity and effectiveness from a small number of close-monitored participants; and U.S. medical institutions doing hydroxychloroquine, mask-wearing, convalescent plasma, and COVID-19 tests.

The article presents an interview of Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Topics include the prospect of a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic; and the effect of the outbreak on the economy which further influenced the common people's livelihoods and mental health.

The article offers information on rationing health care in the U.S., as coronavirus pandemic rises. Topics discussed include critical-care crisis in hospitals; burden on doctors and health care workers who are now scrambling to save lives; and critical-care protocols intended to ensure that resources in a crisis are allocated in a fair and non-discriminatory way.

The article focuses on cities including Dar es Salaam, Tanznia, Lagos, Nigeria and New York which are vulnerable to rising sea level and mentions that the Thwaites Glacier has become the reason for raising the sea level. Topics discussed include use of river deltas to distribute sand that maintains dunes, chronic flood which comes with heavy rainfall and population growth in Lagos.

An interview with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales is presented. Topics discussed include impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology on social media, role of Facebook and Google in taking away advertising business from newspapers, and fundamental set of technology can be used to do incredibly powerful micro targeting of political advertising, which has huge negative implications.

The article discusses the use of genetic engineering as a way to mitigate the dual trend of increasing population and decreasing food supply, particularly focusing on the use of photosynthesis and photorespiration in genetically modified foods, and public opinion concerning the use of such tactics.

The article offers the authors' views on blockchain. They mention that the parallel ledger system was created by Satoshi Nakamoto who is responsible for the development of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. An overview of its potential in allowing people to act as custodians of an updating group of records is also presented.

The article offers information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Lockdown in the U.S. It further discusses announcement by the U.S. President Donald Trump regarding opening of the businesses in America again with social-distancing precaution; predictions of the scientists regarding the improvement on lockdown and social-distancing; and views of Former Food & Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, on issue. Also mentions about closing businesses and reducing social contact.

The article discusses the data from National Weather Service (NWS) concernng the effects of the Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina. It states that the storm has put about 10,000 people in shelters, has left hundreds of thousands without power and resuted to the death of 37 people. It states that a tropical disturbance dumped nearly as much rain on Texas as Florence did in North Carolina.

An answer is presented to the question concerning Covid-19 vaccines as the people with weakened immune systems should be more cautious than those with robust immune systems.

In this article, the authors contend that the legitimacy and credibility of climate science has been damaged by scientists who are over-enthusiastic about environmental advocacy and politicians who have politicized the issue. They note that in 2010 only 34 percent of Americans believe that human activity has contributed to climate change. They discuss greenhouse-gas emissions controls, cap-and-trade legislation, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The article discusses the possibility of reengineering the atmosphere of the Earth to combat global warming. The effect of sulfur dioxide from the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 on the Earth's temperature is described. Details are provided about geo-engineering research conducted by scientists. Possibilities for reengineering the Earth's atmosphere include using sulfur dioxide to reflect the Sun's heat and implementing the concept known as carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The article discusses the possibility of reengineering the atmosphere of the Earth to combat global warming. The effect of sulfur dioxide from the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 on the Earth's temperature is described. Details are provided about geo-engineering research conducted by scientists. Possibilities for reengineering the Earth's atmosphere include using sulfur dioxide to reflect the Sun's heat and implementing the concept known as carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The article reports on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and explains that the purpose of the index is to keep track of how much a given country is doing to help the environment. Many countries, especially China, claim to be too poor to do anything about their emission levels, but analysis of the EPI shows that this assumption is untrue.

The article focuses on the marketing hype regarding environmentalism which includes an attempt by the authors to separate fact from fiction. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's guide clarifying how terms such as "recyclable" could be used is explored. How to determine if a product such as a hybrid automobile is truly environmentally friendly is considered. Carbon offsets, carbon trading, and the need for finding a biofuel are discussed.

The article focuses on the marketing hype regarding environmentalism which includes an attempt by the authors to separate fact from fiction. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's guide clarifying how terms such as "recyclable" could be used is explored. How to determine if a product such as a hybrid automobile is truly environmentally friendly is considered. Carbon offsets, carbon trading, and the need for finding a biofuel are discussed.

The article reports on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and explains that the purpose of the index is to keep track of how much a given country is doing to help the environment. Many countries, especially China, claim to be too poor to do anything about their emission levels, but analysis of the EPI shows that this assumption is untrue.

The article discusses efforts by countries including the United States, Russia, Japan, and China to get astronauts to the surface of the moon. Since humans have already collected data from the surface, it seems like the main motivator to return for many of the countries is pride and a desire to explore.

The article discusses efforts by countries including the United States, Russia, Japan, and China to get astronauts to the surface of the moon. Since humans have already collected data from the surface, it seems like the main motivator to return for many of the countries is pride and a desire to explore.

The article focuses on worries regarding Iran-backed cyberattacks against U.S. government, companies and high-profile individuals as result of tensions in relationships between U.S. and Iran. Topics include face value of the statement by Iran's foreign minister regarding their response to response to the assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the capacity of disruption which can be caused by cyber threats from Iran, and penetration of Tehran's nuclear program a malware called Stuxnet.

Reports that unmanned, robotic space missions are getting axed from the United States space program despite the fact that expensive manned space missions have languished in recent years. Review of how robotic space ships are unencumbered by costly life-support equipment and the eyes of a safety-conscious public; Question of why the emphasis of the U.S. space program is shifting back to manned missions despite this success; Indication that U.S. President George W. Bush has set goals for both a return mission to the moon and a mission to Mars.

Reports that unmanned, robotic space missions are getting axed from the United States space program despite the fact that expensive manned space missions have languished in recent years. Review of how robotic space ships are unencumbered by costly life-support equipment and the eyes of a safety-conscious public; Question of why the emphasis of the U.S. space program is shifting back to manned missions despite this success; Review of U.S. President George W. Bush has set the goal of returning humans to the moon and sending a mission to Mars.

Discusses the devastating impact of a tsunami. Reference to the tsunami of April 1, 1946 that struck the island of Hawaii; Connection between earthquakes of great magnitude and resulting tsunamis; Reasons for the extreme difficulty in predicting a tsunami; Other tsunamis since the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883; Potential for natural disasters in the United States.

Discusses the devastating impact of a tsunami. Reference to the tsunami of April 1, 1946 that struck the island of Hawaii; Connection between earthquakes of great magnitude and resulting tsunamis; Reasons for the extreme difficulty in predicting a tsunami; Other tsunamis since the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883; Potential for natural disasters in the United States.

Focuses on the U.S. government's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). How Terry Penney views parked cars as unused power sources; Details of a hybrid grid of energy output; Idea of hydrogen fueled automobiles; Japan's promotion of solar power.

Focuses on the U.S. government's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). How Terry Penney views parked cars as unused power sources; Details of a hybrid grid of energy output; Idea of hydrogen fueled automobiles; Japan's promotion of solar power.

Governments the world over are watching citizens like never before. But are we any safer for it? John Daugman will tell you that his most significant inventions are devices that help unscramble brain signals, which proved so useful for neuroscience research that the Queen of England made him an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his trouble. But that's not what made Daugman popular among venture capitalists and politicians. A decade ago he came up with four mathematical equations that made it possible to "scan" the human iris like a bar code. Although Daugman is convinced that the iris scan is the best biometric technology there is, he doesn't put much stock in it as a security measure. Daugman's problem is not with the technology but with the expectations people have of it. He disputes the premise that the way to combat terrorism is to amass great quantities of data on individual citizens. Relying too much on technology for fighting terrorists may make it harder for many criminals to beat the system, but by instilling a false sense of security it may also increase the rewards for the few who do. Such doubts are rarely heeded in the corridors of power. Instead, fear of terrorism has led to a worldwide boom in state surveillance. Governments are issuing national ID cards and passports that contain computer chips with biometric data. Surveillance cameras are becoming commonplace on buses and trains, on streets and in shopping centers, and at national monuments and tourist hotspots.

Governments the world over are watching citizens like never before. But are we any safer for it? John Daugman will tell you that his most significant inventions are devices that help unscramble brain signals, which proved so useful for neuroscience research that the Queen of England made him an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his trouble. But that's not what made Daugman popular among venture capitalists and politicians. A decade ago he came up with four mathematical equations that made it possible to "scan" the human iris like a bar code. Although Daugman is convinced that the iris scan is the best biometric technology there is, he doesn't put much stock in it as a security measure. Daugman's problem is not with the technology but with the expectations people have of it. He disputes the premise that the way to combat terrorism is to amass great quantities of data on individual citizens. Relying too much on technology for fighting terrorists may make it harder for many criminals to beat the system, but by instilling a false sense of security it may also increase the rewards for the few who do. Such doubts are rarely heeded in the corridors of power. Instead, fear of terrorism has led to a worldwide boom in state surveillance. Governments are issuing national ID cards and passports that contain computer chips with biometric data. Surveillance cameras are becoming commonplace on buses and trains, on streets and in shopping centers, and at national monuments and tourist hotspots.

Reports on efforts to develop a vaccine against the bird flu virus before it becomes contagious to humans. Progression of the bird flu in East Asia; Lack of an orderly response to the epidemic; Concern that each time a chicken infects a farmer with the bird flu it has more of a chance to combine with the human flu virus and become contagious; Use of reverse genetics to find a vaccine before the bird flu starts a pandemic; Persistence of the virus to cross species.

Reports on efforts to develop a vaccine against the bird flu virus before it becomes contagious to humans. Progression of the bird flu in East Asia; Lack of an orderly response to the epidemic; Concern that each time a chicken infects a farmer with the bird flu it has more of a chance to combine with the human flu virus and become contagious; Use of reverse genetics to find a vaccine before the bird flu starts a pandemic; Persistence of the virus to cross species.

The article reports on changing standards of beauty in Asia, and the growing popularity of plastic surgery among Asians seeking a more Western look. In recent years Eastern and Western tastes have been cross-pollinating with a vengeance. The trend is particularly pronounced in Asia, where Western notions of beauty have been sweeping aside classical ones, from China and India to Korea and Japan. The classical zaftig Indian goddesses and the heart-shaped face of the Chinese beauty are yielding to round eyes, oblong faces and lean figures. Techniques and technologies of plastic surgery are more widely available than ever before. As prices keep coming down, more and more women--and men--are electing to go under the knife in pursuit of an emerging global standard of beauty. What started years ago in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, California, has spread to Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Mumbai, not to mention thousands of smaller places in between. All this tinkering with facial and body types may be changing the way our brains perceive beauty. For many years Asian women wanted fair skin, a small pouty mouth, a straight nose, very shiny black long hair and an oval, melon-seed-shaped face. Nowadays, some Asian women want their faces lengthened and their cheeks made more angular. Although the Chinese government doesn't keep official statistics, the number of cosmetic operations performed in the past several years is probably in the millions. Dr. Stephen Marquardt, a former plastic surgeon in Huntington Beach, California, insists that ideal beauty can be reduced to a facial geometry based on the Golden Ratio--the recurring measurement in nature of 1.618 to 1 that shows up on everything from snail shells to tree leaves.

The article reports on changing standards of beauty in Asia, and the growing popularity of plastic surgery among Asians seeking a more Western look. In recent years Eastern and Western tastes have been cross-pollinating with a vengeance. The trend is particularly pronounced in Asia, where Western notions of beauty have been sweeping aside classical ones, from China and India to Korea and Japan. The classical zaftig Indian goddesses and the heart-shaped face of the Chinese beauty are yielding to round eyes, oblong faces and lean figures. Techniques and technologies of plastic surgery are more widely available than ever before. As prices keep coming down, more and more women--and men--are electing to go under the knife in pursuit of an emerging global standard of beauty. What started years ago in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, California, has spread to Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Mumbai, not to mention thousands of smaller places in between. All this tinkering with facial and body types may be changing the way our brains perceive beauty. For many years Asian women wanted fair skin, a small pouty mouth, a straight nose, very shiny black long hair and an oval, melon-seed-shaped face. Nowadays, some Asian women want their faces lengthened and their cheeks made more angular. Although the Chinese government doesn't keep official statistics, the number of cosmetic operations performed in the past several years is probably in the millions. Dr. Stephen Marquardt, a former plastic surgeon in Huntington Beach, California, insists that ideal beauty can be reduced to a facial geometry based on the Golden Ratio--the recurring measurement in nature of 1.618 to 1 that shows up on everything from snail shells to tree leaves.

Presents speculation on the potential damage computer hackers could cause if they crashed the Internet. Recent attacks by viruses that showed the vulnerability of the Internet to attack; How the attackers could bring down the Internet using hacking and bombs; Estimates of the damage that would be caused by the Internet breaking down for even a short period of time; Details of the problems caused by Internet spam; Reasons why the Internet is more vulnerable now than ever; Details of the damage caused by viruses; Speculation about what a major attack might look like; Efforts to make the Internet more secure.