NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

The Conversation

Why we love robotic dogs, puppets and dolls

  • Written by S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate, Visiting Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Hamilton College
Why are we drawn to tech toys?Ars Electronica, CC BY-NC-ND

There’s a lot of hype around the release of Sony’s latest robotic dog. It’s called “aibo,” and is promoted as using artificial intelligence to respond to people looking at it, talking to it and touching it.

Japanese customers have already bought over 20,000...

Read more: Why we love robotic dogs, puppets and dolls

Hurricanes can cause enormous damage inland, but emergency plans focus on coasts

  • Written by Craig E. Colten, Carl O. Sauer Professor of Geography, Louisiana State University
Farm near Seven Springs, North Carolina, surrounded by water on Oct. 25, 1999, nearly six weeks after Hurricane Floyd.AP Photo/Karen Tam

As Hurricane Florence approaches the U.S. coast, over a million people have been ordered to evacuate from barrier islands and low-lying areas from South Carolina to Virginia. Precautions like this have been part...

Read more: Hurricanes can cause enormous damage inland, but emergency plans focus on coasts

How social networks can save lives when disasters strike

  • Written by Daniel P. Aldrich, Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Director, Security and Resilience Program, Northeastern University
Assembling sandbags in Virginia Beach, Va., before Hurricane Florence's arrivalAP Photo/Alex Brandon

Soon after my family moved to New Orleans in the summer of 2005, we heard Mayor Ray Nagin’s first warnings about Hurricane Katrina. With two young children, a job I hadn’t started yet, and little in the way of savings, my wife and I...

Read more: How social networks can save lives when disasters strike

Why the Russians might hack the Boy Scouts next

  • Written by Susan Landau, Professor of Computer Science, Law and Diplomacy and Cybersecurity, Tufts University
Civic groups like the Boy Scouts are likely under attack by Russian agents – and likely don't know it.Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com

In the two years since Russia made headlines for targeting an American political organization – the Democratic National Committee – and undermining Hillary Clinton’s race for the presidency,...

Read more: Why the Russians might hack the Boy Scouts next

India's sodomy ban, now ruled illegal, was a British colonial legacy

  • Written by Amy Bhatt, Associate Professor of Gender and Women's Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Hindu texts from thousands of years ago demonstrate acceptance of a 'third gender.' Today, transgender Indians, or hijras, remain visible members of society.AP Photo/Bikas Das

The Indian Supreme Court has legalized homosexuality, overturning a 157-year ban on consensual gay sex.

In a nearly 500-page unanimous decision issued on Sept. 6,...

Read more: India's sodomy ban, now ruled illegal, was a British colonial legacy

How Les Moonves got to leave CBS on his own terms while others in #MeToo miscreant club got canned

  • Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

On Sept. 9, CBS Chairman Les Moonves resigned, following accusations by 12women of harassment and assault.

His departure, however, has not followed the script of other executives publicly shamed over harassment allegations and thrown out onto the curb.

Unlike television hosts Matt Lauer or Charlie Rose, he kept his job for several weeks after The...

Read more: How Les Moonves got to leave CBS on his own terms while others in #MeToo miscreant club got canned

What is flood insurance and why the system is broken: 6 questions answered

  • Written by Robert W. Klein, Director, Center for RMI Research, Associate Professor, Risk Management and Insurance, Georgia State University
High tides, whipped in by Hurricane Hazel in 1954, shattered boats and buildings in Swansboro, N.C.AP Photo, File

Editor’s note: Homeowners generally rely on insurance provided by the federal government to cover the costs of rebuilding their lives after a flood. We asked an insurance expert to explain the government program and its challenges....

Read more: What is flood insurance and why the system is broken: 6 questions answered

New data paint an unpleasant picture of poverty in the US

  • Written by Steven Pressman, Professor of Economics, Colorado State University
On a budget.hd connelly/shutterstock

On Sept. 12, the U.S. Census Bureau released national poverty data for 2017.

The headline was that 39.7 million people were poor in 2017. This works out to 12.3 percent of the population or one in eight Americans. The good news is that the U.S. poverty rate has fallen since 2010, when it hit 15.1 percent, and is...

Read more: New data paint an unpleasant picture of poverty in the US

Gene-editing technique CRISPR identifies dangerous breast cancer mutations

  • Written by Jay Shendure, Professor of Genome Sciences, University of Washington
Breast cancer type 1 (BRCA1) is a human tumor suppressor gene, found in all humans. Its protein, also called by the synonym BRCA1, is responsible for repairing DNA. ibreakstock/Shutterstock.com

More than 1 million women have had genetic testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2, genes in which mutations can dramatically increase the risk for early onset breast...

Read more: Gene-editing technique CRISPR identifies dangerous breast cancer mutations

Savvy social media strategies boost anti-establishment political wins

  • Written by Saiph Savage, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, West Virginia University
Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador.AP Photo/Marco Ugarte

Mexico’s anti-establishment presidential candidate, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, faced opposition from the mainstream media. And he spent 13 percent less on advertising than his opponents. Yet the man commonly known by his initials as...

Read more: Savvy social media strategies boost anti-establishment political wins

More Articles ...

  1. What college rankings really measure – hint: It's not quality or value
  2. 6 questions you can ask a loved one to help screen for suicide risk
  3. The national prison strike is over. Now is the time prisoners are most in danger
  4. Our shared reality is fraying
  5. Images of suffering can bring about change – but are they ethical?
  6. Anniversary of Lehman's collapse reminds us – booms are often followed by busts
  7. What the world needs now to fight climate change: More swamps
  8. California aims to become carbon-free by 2045. Is that feasible?
  9. How meteorologists predict the next big hurricane
  10. 'Treason' is now a popular word – here's what it really means
  11. Los activistas que luchan por abolir el ICE plantean una visión más amplia
  12. Can the census ask if you're a citizen? Here's what's at stake in court battles over the 2020 census
  13. Why al-Qaida is still strong 17 years after 9/11
  14. Minority job applicants with 'strong racial identities' may encounter less pay and lower odds of getting hired
  15. Welcome to the new Meghalayan age – here's how it fits with the rest of Earth's geologic history
  16. The friendship of Michelle Obama and George W. Bush strikes a hopeful, important chord
  17. When MSNBC or Fox News airs in public places, how do people react?
  18. Women's colleges play unique role in quest for equality
  19. Detroit is Burning
  20. Police killings of 3 black men left a mark on Detroit's history more than 50 years ago
  21. Simple blood test could read people's internal clock
  22. The 19th-century tumult over climate change – and why it matters today
  23. Nonprofit newsrooms are reaching bigger audiences by teaming up with other outlets
  24. If Trump were a CEO, his board would have fired him by now
  25. Why the anonymous op-ed sets a dangerous precedent
  26. Insects were not what my girlfriends wanted to study, until we 'met' Dana Scully
  27. 25 Years after The X-Files premiered, Dana Scully is still inspiring women to pursue STEM careers
  28. Violence against the media isn't new – history shows why it largely disappeared and has now returned
  29. Green Bay Packers fans love that their team doesn't have an owner – just don't call it 'communism'
  30. Kavanaugh's 'judge as umpire' metaphor sounds neutral but it's deeply conservative
  31. Ten years of Large Hadron Collider discoveries are just the start of decoding the universe
  32. Consejos para preparar almuerzos saludables para niños, sin estrés
  33. How passports evolved to help governments regulate your movement
  34. Key internet connections and locations at risk from rising seas
  35. Canada will be part of Trump's new NAFTA – corporate lobbyists on both sides of the border will ensure it
  36. Fossil fuel divestment debates on campus spotlight the societal role of colleges and universities
  37. Discovering the ancient origin of cystic fibrosis, the most common genetic disease in Caucasians
  38. Teacher turnover is a problem – here's how to fix it
  39. Thousands of mental health professionals agree with Woodward and the New York Times op-ed author: Trump is dangerous
  40. What the 25th Amendment says about presidents who are 'unable' to serve
  41. Low-income neighborhoods would gain the most from green roofs in cities like Chicago
  42. Designing greener streets starts with finding room for bicycles and trees
  43. El turista humanista: cuando viajar es más que un hobby
  44. 4 ways to defend democracy and protect every voter's ballot
  45. Politicians, lies and election legitimacy – it's an old story
  46. Plagiarists or innovators? The Led Zeppelin paradox endures
  47. 4 charts show Venezuela's worsening migrant crisis
  48. New technique heals wounds with reprogrammed skin cells
  49. Lesson from Brazil: Museums are not forever
  50. Colapso de Nicaragua agrava la crisis migratoria en Centroamérica