Science & Technology

• CDC: 'Community Spread' of Virus in US Is 'Possible, Even Likely'
  
  Health officials on Friday warned that the "community spread" of the new and potentially lethal coronavirus is "possible, even likely" in the United States. At least 18 Americans who've returned home from a quarantined cruise ship are infected with COVID-19, bringing the...
• DHS Warns Critical System Operators of Cyberattacks
  
  The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday urged companies operating critical systems to review their cybersecurity security measures following a ransomware attack on a natural gas compression facility that caused management...
• NIH's Fauci: New Coronavirus On 'Verge' Of Pandemic If Not Contained
  
  A National Institute of Health official warned Sunday the fast-moving spread of a new coronavirus is on the "verge" of a pandemic unless containment isn't successful.In an interview on CBS News' "Face The Nation,"...
• Instagram Working to Tame Fake Posts About Coronavirus
  
  Instagram is working to remove or block posts spreading misinformation about the coronavirus by directing users to the CDC website when users click on a #coronavirus hashtag, reports BuzzFeed News."Looking for coronavirus info? ...
• US: Huawei Has Secret 'Back Doors' to Telecom Networks
  
  Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei has the ability to hack into cellular networks via "back doors," information that U.S. intelligence officials have shared with allies England and Germany.
• NASA Funds Program to Search for Life on Mars
  
  Planned to take flight in 2021, NASA has budgeted for the Mars Sample Return mission, according to the Los Angeles Times.
• Elex Security Institute Pans Nev. Dems for Digital 'Tool'
  
  An institute studying election security Tuesday slammed the Nevada Democratic Party for planning to use a digital "tool" to track its caucuses after the controversy last week in Iowa with its voting app.
• Study: Social Media, Smartphone Use Affect Mental Health of Teens
  
  Social media and smartphone use significantly affect the mental health of teenagers, according to a study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, reports CBS News.....
• Audit: Taxpayers Bypass Complex Free File Software
  
  Last year, more than 14 million taxpayers paid for tax prep software they could have gotten free, according to ProPublica.
• Sea Level Rose at Almost All of US Coasts in 2019
  
  The sea level rose at nearly all U.S. coastline measurement stations in 2019, leaving scientists to warn that the likelihood that heavy flooding will strike is becoming more likely.
• 16 Dem Sens Urge 11 Banks Not to Finance Arctic Drilling
  
  A group of 16 Senators urged 11 of the largest U.S. banks to update their environmental and climate policies to prohibit funding for oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.The call came in a letter from Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., member of the Senate...
• Study: Coronavirus Outbreak Could Get Worse Over Next Two Weeks
  
  The coronavirus outbreak could be even worse than it already appears - and could get dramatically worse over the next two weeks, according to a new study.The startling conclusion published in Lancet was based on a study by University of Hong Kong ...
• Facebook Removes Posts as Social Media Spreads Fake Virus News
  
  Facebook Inc said it will take down misinformation about China's fast-spreading coronavirus, in a rare departure from its usual approach to dubious health content that is presenting a fresh challenge for social media companies. The coronavirus outbreak has stoked a wave of...
• CBS: Two Satellites Might Collide in 'Amazing Show'
  
  Experts have estimated there is now a one in 20 chance two satellites are going to collide over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, potentially creating "an amazing show in the sky," CBS News reported.A space debris tracking company, LeoLabs tweeted its estimations before the...
• NIH Expert Fauci: Coronavirus 'No Worry' for Americans
  
  As media reports increase the awareness, if not hysteria, of the coronavirus outbreak in China, a top U.S. heath official is tamping down on the perceived threat to Americans."It isn't something the American public needs to worry about or be frightened about, because we...
• Police to Deploy Real-Time Facial Recognition Cameras in London
  
  London’s Metropolitan Police Service announced Friday that it will deploy live facial recognition cameras, which have already been tested in London and in South Wales, on the city’s streets within a month, BBC News reports.
• China Boasts World's Biggest Telescope in Hunt for ET
  
  The world's largest radio telescope, which is hoped to help space research and the hunt for extraterrestrial life, is now fully operational.
• At the Brink? Doomsday Clock at Closest Ever to Midnight
  
  The keepers of the Doomsday Clock on Thursday moved the symbolic countdown to global disaster to the closest point to midnight in its 73-year history, citing "existential danger" from nuclear war and climate change. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which was founded...
• NASA Picks 9 Finalists in Mars Rover Naming Contest
  
  The pubic will vote on the winner among nine student finalists who submitted a suggested name for the space agency's next Mars rover that will be launched in July, NASA has announced, according to Space Flight Now.
• Sierra Club: EPA Admin 'Invented' Climate Denial Info
  
  Claims the consequences of climate change were "50 to 75 years out," made by the Environmental Protection Agency's administrator, were not backed by any provided scientific evidence, according to The Hill.
• Mount Vesuvius Blast Turned Victim's Brain Into Glass
  
  The eruption of Mount Vesuvius turned an incinerated victim's brain material into glass, the first time scientists have verified the phenomenon from a volcanic blast, officials at the Herculaneum archaeology site said.
• Scientists Unearth 33 Viruses, Long Locked in Tibetan Glacier
  
  As the world works to control the spread of a deadly coronavirus in China, scientists are studying unknown, 15,000-year-old viruses that have long been locked in a glacier on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau of China, according to Live Science. The research uncovered 33...
• Report: Smoking Marijuana Can Be Hard on Your Heart
  
  When paired with commonly prescribed cardiovascular medications, patients should be warned about the potential risks of marijuana, cardiologists should warn, according to a report published Monday.
• Did Australia Asteroid End Snowball Earth?
  
  The end of Snowball Earth, a time hypothesized as when the entire planet was essentially a giant ball of ice, might have been brought about by the oldest known asteroid impact that caused an ancient crater in the Australian outback, scientists now believe.
• Apple Axed Plan to Encrypt Backups After FBI Complaint: Sources
  
  Apple Inc dropped plans to let iPhone users fully encrypt backups of their devices in the company's iCloud service after the FBI complained that the move would harm investigations, six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The tech giant's reversal, about two years...

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