After nearly two months, the researchers found that there wasn’t much difference between the attachments residents formed to the mechanical pet and the real one. Both were effective at alleviating loneliness, too. The advantage of the robot, of course, is that it doesn’t have as many needs as an actual dog– it could be an ideal companion for lonely nursing home residents. Still, not everyone is buying the idea, and Aibo probably won’t take over nursing homes anytime soon since Sony axed the little guy a while back....

For a sense of scale, the campaign made over 5 billion robocalls within a single three-month period in 2021, or enough “to have called each person in the United States 15 times” over, per the commission’s estimates. It’s the largest action in FCC history, and the agency justified the decision because the robocallers met the criteria for “egregious violations” deserving of a “substantially escalated proposed fine.” Over the past six months, you hopefully noticed a dramatic decline in the number of scam auto warranty robocalls blowing up your phone on a daily basis....

In fact, most parts of the U.S. haven’t technically hit flu season yet. We may think of the term as referring to an amorphous span of time stretching from October or November through to the spring, but the CDC has a more specific definition: the time in which levels of influenza-like illness are above the national baseline of 2.2 percent. Influenza-like illness is basically a measure of how many people report to the doctor with a fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit plus a cough and/or a sore throat....

Indian Motorcycle released its 2020 Thunder Stroke models with a host of new connected Ride Command features, an all-new Roadmaster Dark Horse, redesigned Springfield Dark Horse, Chieftain Elite, and the announcement that several models will come standard with a 116ci engine. The updated Ride Command infotainment system maintains its original rider-friendly features like a 7-inch glove-touch screen but is now backed by a new quad-core processor to speed up access to the system....

This star’s outlandish shape and behavior are prominent enough to be detected from Earth, 1,600 light years away, astronomers announced on Monday with a publication appearing in Nature Astronomy. Theorists have long suspected such a system was possible, but HD 74423 is the first confirmed binary containing one star whose pulses reach out toward its partner. And because it represents a new way for two stars to interact, it could also help astrophysicists better understand what makes some stars ripple and contort while others stay largely motionless....

Apply makeup that only appears under ultraviolet LEDs Want to play Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? You can paint your skin with glowing scars, creepy eye makeup, and veiny hands…that only appear under ultraviolet light. Add some UV LEDs to your costume, and you’ll be able to turn this makeup on and off with a switch. Alternatively, amp up your vampire look with similar UV-reactive makeup that does appear under normal light but produces fluorescesce in the presence of a blacklight....

Solution For three years, Hatfield and Walzer collaborated by phone and email. Hatfield experimented with no-lace solutions such as Velcro, zippers, and cable dials. Eventually, he decided on a wraparound zipper. The zipper on the Flyease opens near the heel and is connected with a hook-and-loop strap. Wearers can peel open the shoe with one hand, making it easier for people like Walzer (and anybody, really) to slip their foot in and out....

Folding tables come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with advantages to each style. Round and square models are ideal for small spaces, intimate dining, and bistro cafe setups. Rectangular ones provide roomy, banquet-style seating for larger groups and function well as buffet tables. Make sure to measure your space and double-check the dimensions of any table before purchasing. Foldable tables are often made from lighter materials such as plastic or aluminum for portability....

As such, Ford isn’t taking any risks in the transition to electric power for its most important model. “This one’s the real deal,” pledges Ford vice president of electric vehicle programs Darren Palmer, while addressing media at the F-150 Lightning’s press drive program in San Antonio. Indeed, Ford’s new electric pickup casts a shadow over the entire industry as skeptical consumers worry whether EVs will deliver the functionality they need....

As those first EV trucks get delivered, Ford also said in a statement that it is commencing “full production” of the electric pickups. Here’s what to know about the truck and the company’s EV plans, by the numbers. 150,000 Ford says that it would like to produce 150,000 of these new electric pickups annually. Farley noted that they had to increase the size of the factory, called the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, in Michigan, two times....

Like most frigates—vessels between 2,200 and 5,500 tons—its main missions will be to look out for threatening ships, as well as aircraft and submarines. The 4,960-ton, 394-foot FDI will also be outfitted to handle what the military call asymmetric threats: dangers posed by the likes of terrorist groups, drug cartels, or smugglers—in short, anyone who is not backed by a state. Like traditional frigates, it will patrol and control France’s vast maritime exclusive economic zone—at 4,513,920 square miles, it is the biggest in the world....

In August 1955, Popular Science published 10 photographs that together tell the dramatic story of “10 years of progress in harnessing the mighty atom,” from the uranium rush to the first atomic hospitals. We also carefully illustrated and annotated our vision of an atomic spaceship (one day!) Check out the gallery for some of the biggest moments in atomic history. See the gallery.

First things first, it’s a good thing that GE allows users to reset their bulbs using the hardware switch instead of requiring the app. Connectivity isn’t always a given and, if you’ve set up multiple smart lights, you probably know how finicky the process can be when things won’t connect or don’t show up in the appropriate apps. You don’t have to use this light switch method, but you can if you need it....

Using a technique called “base editing,” researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) were able to treat mouse fetuses that had been engineered to have the gene mutation for a rare liver disease. This disease, hereditary tyrosinemia type 1 (HT1), begins to do damage before a fetus—whether mouse or—is even born, says genetic engineering expert Kiran Musunuru, one of the study’s coauthors....

AquaBounty Technology, the company that made the fish, has been trying to get it through approval for nearly two decades. The fish is an Atlantic salmon which has been genetically altered to include genes from other fish, including a growth hormone gene and the promoter of an antifreeze gene. (The company is a subsidiary of Intrexon. It also owns Oxitec, which is working on disease-fighting GMO mosquitoes, as well as Okanagan Specialty Fruits, which made the new non-browning GMO apple....

Fortunately, a brilliant Polish astronomer named Nicolaus Copernicus wrote a little book in 1543 called On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, which officially struck down the idea that the Earth was the center of the universe. He even got a scientific law named after him, the Copernican Principle, which states that our galactic position is nothing but ordinary. Despite the fact that this principle is one of the building blocks of modern cosmology, people still want to prove we’ve gotten an extraordinary deal with our planet’s location....

The best Black Friday smartwatch and wearables deals Garmin fenix 6S Pro, Premium Multisport GPS Watch $339.47 (was $599.99) If you’ve got a serious skier or a mountain climber on your list, the Garmin fenix 6S Pro is an excellent choice. This rugged smartwatch comes with maps for more than 2,000 ski resorts around the world, plus sophisticated GPS, global satellite tracking, a gyroscope, and barometric altimeter. The watch will also keep tabs on critical health metrics at high altitudes, such as heart rate and oxygen levels....

For reasons I have never understood, bats have a bad reputation. Perhaps it is because some of them look a bit fierce, or perhaps it is because they have a habit of flying close when they are hunting; either way, their reputation is completely undeserved. Bats are a very important part of our environment. According to the Nature Conservancy, there are more than 1100 species of bats around the world, and they make up more than a quarter of the worldwide mammal population....

Google CEO Sundar Pichai took to Twitter to address the hazy situation Apple was put in by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The tragic San Bernardino shooting that took place in December left 14 people dead. With the shooter’s phone in custody, the FBI called on Apple to break into the phone and retrieve information. But by building a “backdoor” into the iPhone, more harm than good would come to iPhone users, argued Tim Cook in his letter to his customers yesterday....

Guided Frame helps users frame themselves in the phone’s camera through voice cues and AI-powered motion-detecting software. The voice helps direct users on where to move the camera, and starts counting down once a face is in frame. At the end of the countdown, Pixel takes a photo automatically. In addition to auditory cues, the feature uses haptic feedback, otherwise known as 3D touch, and high-contrast animations to assist users with selfie-taking....