The itsy-bitsy Eoandromeda octobrachiata lived in the water (not a drought). Down came the scientists and found its fossil out. Lemmings have never seemed that skilled at avoiding death, and now the climate is making it even harder. (Norwegian cars are pretty lethal, too: evidently in the past “snowploughs were deployed to clear squashed animals from roads.”) It looks so innocent, so stable in its committed romance with pepper. But salt has a dark side, and health care reformers may be gunning for everyone’s favorite seasoning....

Yoshiyuki Sankai, the creator of the robot suit, is a professor at the University of Tsukuba and the CEO of Cyberdyne, which is manufacturing and renting the suits. In a report at Cyberdyne.jp, Sankai explains: “[there are] faint bio-signals on the surface of the skin when human brain tries to move the exoskeleton. The signals are detected and the robot suit moves to support the action.” The HAL suit includes a 22-pound battery worn on the waist to power the leg braces, enabling the wearer to climb stairs and walk for long distances....

However, we may be one step closer to pinning AFM down. A new study out this week in the journal Nature Medicine adds weight to a growing body of evidence that a virus may be causing the condition. If so, this could lead the way to a potential vaccine and a test to diagnose it. “Enterovirus seems to be the cause of most if not all cases of AFM,” Ryan Schubert, study author and UCSF neurologist, told Popular Science....

Like a Toyota Prius, it can run in electric-only mode at low speeds, by way of front-mounted, in-wheel hub motors, each producing up to four horsepower. The main power source is a supercharged 125cc engine producing 20 horsepower. In total, the powerplants could provide the performance equivalent of a 400cc motorcycle. Traditional hybrid-drive accoutrements include regenerative braking, a stop-start engine function, and a mileage boost, in this case a projected maximum of 118 mpg....

Quarantine measures slowed the insect’s spread. But by now, the beetle has been spotted in most states. Late last year, the federal government lifted its quarantine altogether, conceding that the bug was here to stay. It looked like all nine species of North American ash would meet the same end as the American chestnut. An introduced fungus drove that tree species, once a crucial source of food, firewood, and cash for Appalachian families, to functional extinction in the early 1900s....

Quintero-Puchuncavi is the most well-known of Chile’s five “zonas de sacrificio medioambiental,” or environmental sacrifice zones. In these areas, a concentration of historically unregulated industrial operations have resulted in negative health outcomes for the 200,000 people currently living in the affected regions, as well as damage to natural resources like water. “The point was never to ruin these areas, or the quality of life of the people who live in them,” explains Fernando Coz, the director of the Chilean environmental nonprofit Lagos Limpios and environment and sustainability coordinator at University of California, Davis Chile....

With this Valentine’s Day Sale, you can take advantage of extra discounts on deals that can help you tackle back pain and correct your posture. Investing in these tools means investing in yourself, too. And for a limited time, you can score an extra 15 percent off on all of them, so long as you enter the code VDAY2022 at checkout. ExoGun DreamPro Percussion Massage Device Dubbed as the most versatile percussion massage device ever made, the ExoGun DreamPro lets you customize its percussive power between high-impact recovery and low-impact deep tissue massage....

Plan ahead for that change by picking up a four-pack of the Maglight Mini Super Bright Utility Flashlight. Holding a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 in our store, these portable and multifunctional mini lamps are primed to help you out in a pinch, and they’re currently available at a discounted cost. Normally sold for $107, this four-pack of versatile flashlights can be found at only $64.99 for a limited time....

Here are just some of the note-perfect audio deals: Sennheiser CX PLUS SE True Wireless Earbuds $99.95 (Was $179.95) Sennheiser is renowned for a fatigue-free listen. But before you get it twisted, know that fatigue-free is far from detail-free. Sennheiser’s CX Plus True Wireless Earbuds use the German-engineered TrueResponse driver system (similar to the one in the more than twice as expensive MOMENTUM True Wireless 3) to deliver resonant bass, velvety midrange, and treble that is clear but not crispy....

YETI 26 oz. Rambler, $21 (Was $30) The YETI rambler we’re highlighting has a capacity of 26 ounces, which is perfect for iced tea, coffee, or extra large cocktail. It’s made out of stainless steel, has a double-wall vacuum insulation to retain heat or cold, and is completely dishwasher safe. The BPA-free rambler comes in an assortment of colors, and each one has a textured finish that provides traction, which makes it easier to hold with sweaty hands....

To investigate how kindness affects kids’ happiness and social standing, researchers organized a controlled study with 415 9-11 year-olds in Vancouver, British Columbia: Every week over the course of 4 weeks, students…were instructed either to perform 3 acts of kindness (for anyone they wish) or visit 3 places (anywhere they wish). Throughout the 4-week intervention, students in both conditions reported what they did each week on in-class surveys. Examples of kind acts included “gave my mom a hug when she was stressed by her job,” “gave someone some of my lunch,” and “vacuumed the floor....

Nothing is more important to an autonomous vehicle than sensing what’s happening around it. Like human drivers, autonomous vehicles need the ability to make instantaneous decisions. Today, most autonomous vehicles rely on multiple sensors to perceive the world. Most systems use a combination of cameras, radar sensors and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors. On board, computers fuse this data to create a comprehensive view of what’s happening around the car....

In an effort to protect a unique population of these endangered gentle giants from the threat of vessel strikes, the largest shipping and logistics conglomerate in the world, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has rerouted their shipping lanes near the coast of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. The blue whales here aren’t migratory and have distinct vocalizations. The vessels will now travel about 15 nautical miles (roughly 17 miles) to the south of the previous shipping route....

The production of animal-based foods carry heavy environmental impacts, using approximately 2422 cubic gigameters of water yearly. They also account for about 57 percent of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from food production—almost twice the emissions from plant-based foods—not to mention that livestock grazing takes up about 26 percent of the Earth’s ice-free land. Given its impact on climate change, many argue that it’s time to reduce red meat consumption and explore viable alternatives....

When it comes to the cost of energy from new power plants, onshore wind and solar are now the cheapest sources—costing less than gas, geothermal, coal, or nuclear. Solar, in particular, has cheapened at a blistering pace. Just 10 years ago, it was the most expensive option for building a new energy development. Since then, that cost has dropped by 90 percent, according to data from the Levelized Cost of Energy Report and as highlighted recently by Our World in Data....

An old crone blocks your path with a riddle. She demands you guess her birthday. She gives you all a list of 10 possible dates, and separately tells your two friends—Charles and Barbara—the month and day of her birth, respectively. Charles is pretty sure this problem showed up on his Facebook feed in 2015, but he doesn’t recall how to solve it. The 10 possible dates the old woman gives you, Barbara, and Charles are listed below, in chronological order....

When one of these 6-foot-long drones takes off from a facility in Ghana, a rope catapults the little airplane off a ramp and into the sky. With that dynamic launch and its two 14-inch propellers spinning, it very quickly hits a speed of nearly 70 miles per hour. It whirs along during cruise slightly slower, at some 60 mph, and when it gets to its drop zone, doors on its belly open up like a bomb bay, and it deploys a small box attached to a little parachute....

For the study, out today in the journal Human Reproduction, researchers used a database of 126 fertility clinics in France, then took that data and narrowed it down to 26,600 samples from men unlikely to have existing infertility problems. Along with a major dip in sperm count, the study also found an increase in the amount of misshapen sperm (i.e. bad swimmers) in the men, who were 35 years old on average....

They seem to haunt me wherever I go, and sometimes it seems like I’m ruining a piece of clothing a day. Luckily, I found a stain-whisperer who helped me fight the old curse, and get my clothes—if not life—in order. If you’re anything like me and your shirts looks like a map of indelible moments, fear not and follow the advice of an expert. Chris Ely, professional butler, at your service Tall, lanky, with bright eyes, a perfect British accent, and impeccable manners, it’s easy to imagine Chris Ely walking the lawns of Downton Abbey instead of the sleepy streets of Irvington, New York, his current residence....

Movie spies are super cool. They always seem to possess some amazing, technological gadget that ultimately helps them dismantle an atomic bomb, save the queen, or stop the assassination of the Malaysian prime minister. But espionage techniques don’t have to depend on such intricate devices. Real-life spies have employed more analog methods—writing invisible messages with acidic liquids such as lemon juice is one of them. You can use milk, too, but the science behind it is not the same....