“The UK government is requiring all major UK airports to introduce 3D baggage screening equipment before the end of 2022,” writes Slashdot reader Hammeh. The BBC reports:
Ministers say the technology will boost security, speed up pre-boarding checks, and could end the restrictions on travelling with liquids and laptops. The equipment, similar to CT scanners used in hospitals, is already being installed…
Tag: Chicago
Study Suggests Link Between Air Pollution and Psychiatric Disorders
pgmrdlm shares a report from StudyFinds: Could the very air we breathe have an impact on our mental health? That’s the suggestion coming out of a new international study conducted in the United States and Denmark. After analyzing long-term data sets from both countries, researchers from the University of Chicago say they have identified a possible link between exposure to environmental…
Juul, Philip Morris Sued Under Racketeer Act For Targeting Kids
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. and Philip Morris USA Inc. were sued for illegally marketing nicotine-delivery devices to minors and deceiving consumers about the risks of vaping. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 19-year-old, Christian Foss, who says he became addicted to nicotine and suffered worsening asthma symptoms after he began…
Uber, Lyft Finally Admit They’re Making Traffic Congestion Worse In Cities
Uber and Lyft tapped transportation consultancy Fehr & Peers to examine their combined vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in six cities in September 2018, and compare that number to the total VMT in each area for the same month. “The results show that while they are vastly out-stripped by personal and commercial vehicles, Uber and Lyft are still responsible for significant shares…
Do Personality Tests Give Companies Too Much Power?
One 2016 human resources study found that 48% of American businesses — and 57% of U.K. businesses — used personality questionnaires for hiring decisions, a new article reports. They add that the personality test industry may now be bringing in up to $4 billion a year. But “By relying on these tests, employers can ask questions that would be inappropriate –…
Lawmakers, Intelligence Officials Welcomed To This Year’s Def Con Conference
“Multiple members of congress, dozens of congressional staffers and members of the intelligence community are gathering in Las Vegas this weekend to rub shoulders with hackers at Def Con,” reports CNN: Washington’s embrace of the hacking community comes amid heightened awareness of the threat of cyber attacks in the wake of the 2016 US presidential election and lawmakers realizing they need…
Imaging of exotic quantum particles as building blocks for quantum computing
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in collaboration with their colleagues at the University of Hamburg in Germany, have imaged an exotic quantum particle—called a Majorana fermion—that can be used as a building block for future qubits and eventually the realization of quantum computers. Their findings are reported in the journal Science Advances. …
Luke Skywalker-Inspired Prosthetic Arm Lets Amputee Feel Objects Again
CNN tells the story of a new medical breakthrough for Keven Walgamott, who 17 years ago lost one hand and part of his forearm in an electrical accident. Now, Walgamott can use his thoughts to tell the fingers of his bionic hand to pick up eggs and grapes. The prosthetic arm he tested also allowed Walgamott to feel the objects he…
Amazon’s Most Ambitious Research Project Is a Convenience Store
Amazon has set up 14 Amazon Go stores in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. They do not have any cash registers so once customers have scanned a screen from a special app on their phone at the entrance, they just grab their items and walk out the door, while Amazon magically charges their credit card. By all accounts, the…
New measurement of universe’s expansion rate is ‘stuck in the middle’
A team of collaborators from Carnegie and the University of Chicago used red giant stars that were observed by the Hubble Space Telescope to make an entirely new measurement of how fast the universe is expanding, throwing their hats into the ring of a hotly contested debate. Their result—which falls squarely between the two previous, competing values—will be published in the…