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A group of researchers from Cardiff University in Wales set out to see if an online community photography hub like Flickr could be used to track invasive and domestic species distribution throughout the United Kingdom. Their case study was published last week in the journal PLOS ONE. Thomas Edwards, a computer science researcher at Cardiff University and an author on the paper, says that he and his colleagues became interested in using social media for “passive citizen science” upon learning that many conservation organizations struggled to get enough funding to hire experts to go and do extensive field observations....

Popular Science: It would be pointless for us to ignore the context in which we’re speaking today, given the tragedy that unfolded in Connecticut last week. Defense Distributed has committed to creating a shareable, freely-distributed design for a working 3-D printed firearm–a way for anyone with a 3-D printer to quickly produce a working gun. Does an incident like this one in any way alter your conviction that this is the right thing to do?...

The state of Ohio, the city of Cleveland, San Bernardino County in California, and other jurisdictions in the country are all at some stage of formally declaring racism a public health issue in their regions. The motion may not pass everywhere, but it is a sign of a change in how we view racism that may lead to positive change. Seeing racism in this light rather than as a nebulous social issue “gives some substance and a way forward,” says Georges Benjamin, president of the American Public Health Association....

Based on climbing experiments published this month in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences, rosy-faced lovebirds—a type of diminutive parrot—are members of a rare few vertebrates that walk with an odd number of limbs. Plenty of animals have what the study’s senior author, Michael Granatosky, calls “effective limbs,” like a tail that acts as a tripod. But fewer actually use a spare limb to push or pull themselves along....

The Roomba j7 employs visual navigation and obstacle avoidance, meaning you won’t have to worry about it getting stuck on a rogue sock or stray sandal while you entertain. Its dual multi-surface rubber brushes and powerlifting suction make short work of pet hair, or messes on carpet and hard floors. It also avoids pet accidents on purpose—no need to fret about what it will do to your home when not in sight....

Aside from sharpening your skills and making yourself indispensable at work, it may also be worth it to invest, especially if you can find returns that can outpace the rapid speed of inflation. Beginners may be apprehensive about navigating this subject, but fortunately, platforms like Tykr exists to take the guesswork out of making your money work for you. And from today until tomorrow, you can grab a subscription for only $99....

Furbo 360-Degree Dog Camera $147 (Was $210) Sometimes the evidence of a dog’s activities is easy to see: bite marks on shoes, a shredded toy dropped at your feet. Whether you’ve got a mischievous pup or an older pooch that doesn’t see so well, the Furbo 360 Dog Camera is a valuable tool for when you’re not there. With 360 views, you won’t miss a minute. Features like two-way talk and auto dog tracking help you keep tabs and share assuring words through the accompanying app and with Alexa....

But just like with everything else, there’s a way to achieve a jawline that doesn’t involve sculpting your face with so much bronzer or undergoing a ridiculous cosmetic treatment. You would only need Jawrsize, a non-invasive facelift exercise product that is designed to help you get a perfectly chiseled jawline. For a limited time, you can grab a 2-pack for just $48.97 (reg. $139) for our Pre-Black Friday Doorbusters Sale....

The aircraft first flew in 1977. Built originally as a commercial plane for Pan Am, the Boeing 747SP was christened as the Clipper Lindbergh in recognition of Charles Lindbergh, the famous American aviator who completed the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic in 1927. The craft was later sold to United Airlines, before being acquired by NASA in 1997. Using the nearly 9-foot diameter infrared telescope that lies inside a cavity in the aft section, or the rearmost part of the plane, the airborne observatory has since discovered water on the surface of the moon, revealed new planetary systems, and found the first kind of molecule to form in the aftermath of the big bang....

The hum is pretty quiet–only 3 to 6 decibels louder than the ocean’s background noise, so we humans would not likely be able to hear any of it. But if we could hear it, we’d have to be within a few kilometers from the source, and the timing would have to be just right, since the dim humming only lasts for a couple of hours. Luckily these scientists deployed highly sensitive instruments to pick it up....

“Ice shelves are a critical element of the Antarctic glacier system,” says Rick Aster, a geophysicist at Colorado State University and a coauthor of the new study. “We care deeply about them because their stability in decades to come will substantially affect global sea level rise and other issues that affect millions. This discovery provides a new tool to measure and understand how they are affected by warming in the atmosphere and oceans....

In the past couple of years, scientists have figured out how to turn non-beating heart cells into the type that beat, which are called cardiomyocytes. But these cells still have to beat to a specific rhythm, which is controlled by a tiny cluster of about 10,000 cells called the sinoatrial node. When this heart drum major fails, the billions of cardiomyocytes it leads will stop beating properly, leading to an uneven heartbeat or even cardiac arrest....

If you’re planning to install the suite on your personal computer, you should be prepared to pony up cash since licenses aren’t exactly cheap. And don’t even think about snapping up a pirated copy, because not only is it illegal, but you also won’t get to enjoy its full functionality. Instead, grab your copy from the Premium Microsoft Office Training Bundle, which packs a lifetime license to the entire suite and expert-led training on how to make the most out of each program....

A decade later, the Kindle Fire has become a pretty big competitor to the iPad, especially for people that are just interested in reading on their tablets while the regular Kindles own the e-reader market. However, it didn’t happen overnight. So, with the new Kindle Oasis on the way, let’s take a look back at how America’s favorite e-reader evolved to become the literary juggernaut it is today.

This guide will cover the gear that’s currently available, how you can get your smart devices to talk to each other, and some of the problems you might have to solve to make your home the most well-connected building on the block. Smart home devices Over the last few years, smart homes have seemed to teeter on the verge of reality—a futuristic idea that’s close but not quite here yet....

A solid and standard splatter screen is usually made of stainless steel with a handle that stays cool but withstands high heat. These come in different sizes, so you’ll want to buy one that matches your pan. It’s safer to err on the side of too large, since larger splatter screens can usually balance on smaller pans. You can also purchase a set of screens to have one in every pan size....

While we can’t give you the tools to help you live your best life, we can help to provide the fodder to feed your mind. If you are truly keen on expanding your mind and are motivated to acquire further knowledge and develop your talents, StackSkills Unlimited is meant for you. This bundle of in-demand courses can help to open up a whole new world of potential. A lifetime subscription is on sale for its lowest price ever until August 24th during a special Back to Education Sale....

CyPhy’s basic operating philosophy is that sophisticated robots are great, but that there is a huge untapped space for simpler robots that can get the job done without too much complexity getting in the way. EASE is a good example of this. It is tethered to a ground station by a fishing-line-thin wire that is fed out of the robot by an onboard spooler. That may sound like it limits range, and it does....

The Stanford material is far from the first self-healing plastic or polymer, but it does enjoy some benefits that set it apart. For one, many self-healing materials require some kind of catalyst or special condition to heal up, things like exposure to high temperature or certain spectrums of light. Others can heal up at room temperature, but they generally can only do so once–the act of healing alters their chemical structure such that they cannot do it a second time, much less a third or fourth....