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Google Continues to Innovate with Offline Search Feature

Jonathan Antonio
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Google Continues to Innovate with Offline Search Feature

Internet connections have come a long way since the mid-1990s. High speed internet connections allow for websites to load in a matter of seconds instead of minutes. But, there are times when internet connections are less than optimal making it difficult for users to search for the latest trending topic. In order to address this problem, Google has come up with a solution.

Google announced on their blog on Thursday that their updated Google app for Android allows for the app to deliver search results as soon as the internet connection improves. In turn, users will be able to save searches offline until they are connected back to the internet.

Worried about data issues and battery life? Google also announced that the new feature will not drain battery life and will have a low impact on data usage.

The new feature is available on the most recent version of the Google app on Android devices. “So before you head out the door, make sure the Google app is running the latest version for Android, and the next time you hit a spotty network, your results are covered,” Google’s Product Manager Shekhar Sharad explained.

Google is constantly innovating and updating their products. Yesterday, Google announced major updates to their Google+ platform. Then, Google’s YouTube announced a new Super Chat feature. Not to mention, a new Ad balance feature for Adsense publishers or the ability to book an Uber through their Google Maps application.

Overall, Google is continuing to invest in new features for Google application users, which begs the question: what is next for Google in 2017? The company announced the release of Waymo, their self-driving software car company and the acquisition of Twitter’s developer tools Fabric but, the future of the search engine giant remains to be seen. However, the recent innovations illustrates Google’s plan towards a better customer experience.

Sitting Down All Day Ages You By 8 Years, Study Finds

Brent Edward
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Sitting Down All Day Ages You By 8 Years, Study Finds

The rise of technology has transitioned people from working in factories and farms to sitting in front of computers. In fact, recent research has shown that more and more teenagers are spending nearly their entire day in front of some sort of screen. But, new research from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, suggests that sitting down for long periods of time makes people grow older faster.

Researchers explain that elderly women who sit for more than 10 hours per day with very low physical activity has cells within their body that are approximately 8 years older in comparison to women who do not sit all day.

Ultimately, researchers explain that age is basically just a number and what people do can have a direct an impact on the aging process.

Aladdin Shadyab, PhD, lead author of the study explains, “Our study found cells age faster with a sedentary lifestyle. Chronological age doesn’t always match biological age.”

The study, which was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, specifically points out that women who sit down for 10 hours per day had shorter telomeres than women who were physically active.

Telomeres are repetitive segments of DNA found at the end of each and every chromosome. As a cell grows older, telomeres grow shorter and shorter. Consequently, scientists correlate short telomeres with age.

“We found that women who sat longer did not have shorter telomere length if they exercised for at least 30 minutes a day, the national recommended guideline,” said Shadyab.

Shadyab explained that further research should focus on how exercise impacts telomere length in both men and younger populations.

The study begs the question, can physicians and researchers reverse aging with telomere extension? Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine were able to increase the length of human telomeres by delivering making modifications to messenger RNA – RNA delivers the DNA instructions from genes to the cell’s protein making centers.

Stanford professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford explained that this new procedure has ability to turn back “the internal clock in these cells by the equivalent of many years of human life.”

NASA Finds Possible Mud Cracks Suggesting Ancient Wet Past

Megan Diane
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NASA Finds Possible Mud Cracks Suggesting Ancient Wet Past

NASA announced on Tuesday the discovery of possible mud cracks on Mars.

Researchers using NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover announced that they found pieces of rock with shallow ridges that resembles dried mud that you would see on planet earth.

If true, NASA reports that this will be the first observation of mud cracks discovered by the Curiosity mission suggesting that there was a point in time when Mars was not a dry planet but, featured wetter conditions. In addition, this discovery lends credibility to the Curiosity rover discovery of ancient lakes.

A Team member behind the Curiosity rover mission, Nathan Stein, explained in a statement, “Even from a distance, we could see a pattern of four- and five-sided polygons that don’t look like fractures we’ve seen previously with Curiosity,” Stein explained. “It looks like what you’d see beside the road where muddy ground has dried and cracked.”

Mud Cracks NASA
The network of cracks in this Martian rock slab called “Old Soaker” may have formed from the drying of a mud layer more than 3 billion years ago. The view spans about 3 feet (90 centimeters) left-to-right and combines three images taken by the MAHLI camera on the arm of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

In addition, Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada explained that ancient lakes may have existed and then disappeared illustrating changing ancient geological features of the red planet. “The ancient lakes varied in depth and extent over time, and sometimes disappeared. We’re seeing more evidence of dry intervals between what had been mostly a record of long-lived lakes.”

So when will astronauts roam Mars and search for water? It may be a while before scientists actually reach the red planet and reconfirm the the Curiosity rover’s results. In fact, last October, researchers suggested that traveling to Mars may actually cause brain damage. A study published by the University of California, Irvine, suggested that cosmic radiation may impair memory and cause damage to the brain. Ultimately, space is a beast that is yet untamed and poses unique radioactive particles that have the potential to damage the central nervous system.

Until researchers discover how to reach Mars safely, NASA will continue to use their Curiosity rover to roll around the red planet and collect data.

Biologist Names Newly Discovered Moth After Donald Trump

Megan Diane
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Biologist Names Newly Discovered Moth After Donald Trump

Donald Trump maybe having the best month ever. The President-elect and 2016 U.S. Presidential election winner is only a few weeks away from becoming the 45th President of the United States. But, that is not the only honor being bestowed on the next president of the free world. Scientists have named a newly discovered moth after Donald Trump.

A biologist decided to name a moth that lives in parts of California and Mexico the Neopalpa donaldtrumpi. The moth has features that resembles Donald Trump including a crown with yellow tinted scales.

It’s important to note that naming a newly discovered animal is pretty commonplace. In fact, there are nine species of animals named after President Barack Obama.

For instance, Aptostichus barackobamai also known as the ‘trapdoor spider’ was named by biologist Jason Bond of Auburn University after he discovered the spider in California. What makes the Aptostichus barackobamai special? Apparently, the spider has ability to ambush insects, frogs and other animals after the spider builds hidden trapdoors.

Outside of the ‘trapdoor spider’, Paragordius obamai is also named after President Barack Obama. Paragordius obamai is a type of parasite that can grow up to 30 centimeters long inside a cricket. University of New Mexico biologists discovered the hair worm in Kenya. Biologists named the hair worm after President Obama as the U.S. President’s father is from a city Kenya.

Then, there’s Etheostoma Obama a fish found in a Tennessee river. The fish is known to swim fast through the Tennessee river and was discovered by biologists working for an environmental consulting firm. Biologists said they named the fish after Barack Obama because of Obama’s commitment to protecting the environment.

Expect more and more scientists in the near future to name their discoveries after the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.

Update (Thursday, January 19, 2017): Edited the title to ‘Biologist Names Newly Discovered Moth After Donald Trump’.

60% of Primates are Threatened to Become Extinct, Study Finds

Megan Diane
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60% of Primates are Threatened to Become Extinct, Study Finds

Biologically, primates are the closest relatives humans have to the animal kingdom. They play a key role in research, religions, and societies around the world. However, a new study reveals that the future of our nonhuman cousins are in jeopardy.

Researchers from the National Autonomous University of New Mexico and the University of Illinois’ Department of Anthology, have discovered that approximately 60% of primate species are now threatened to become extinct and another 75% have their populations declining.

Alejandro Estrada and his team of researchers point out that this is being caused by the destruction and loss of habitats that once belonged to these primates.

More specifically, Estrada explains in his study published in the journal Science Advances, “mainly global and local market demands, leading to extensive habitat loss through the expansion of industrial agriculture, large-scale cattle ranching, logging, oil and gas drilling, mining, dam building, and the construction of new road networks in primate range regions.”

Scientists also explain that hunting and illegal trade of primates as pets also contribute to the destruction of primate species. Estrada’s explanation to save primates is somewhat complicated. Apparently, low income human populations live in areas that are in close proximity to primates. Consequently, the growing levels of poverty puts primates at risk.

Estrada explains, “Given that primate range regions overlap extensively with a large, and rapidly growing, human population characterized by high levels of poverty, global attention is needed immediately to reverse the looming risk of primate extinctions and to attend to local human needs in sustainable ways.”

Primates are not the only animal threatened to become extinct. Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listed the North American Bumble Bee as an endangered species. In fact, researchers point out that the number of bumble bees have dropped by over 80% in the last few years and that is problematic. The White House reports that the economic value of bees is estimated to be $9 billion every year.

2016 Was the Hottest Year Ever Recorded, Study Finds

Megan Diane
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0
2016 Was the Hottest Year Ever Recorded, Study Finds

In Atlanta, Georgia the temperature is a warm 73 degrees, which is over 10 degrees higher than 50 years ago. Now, new research by NASA reveals that the world is getting warmer every year.

A new research report by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveals that 2016 was the warmest year ever recorded.

Researchers point out that the it was nearly two degrees warmer than the mid-20th century average. In turn, 2016 is the third year in a row for record setting global temperature increases.

Researchers at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) explain, that Earth’s average surface temperature has risen about 2.0 degrees since the late 1800s. In fact, researchers argue that the change is propelled by increased carbon dioxide and human-made gases emitted into the planet’s atmosphere.

NASA researchers point out that most of the global warming took place in the last 35 years, with 16 of the 17 warmest years ever taking place following 2001. In addition, researchers explain that the warmest months on record occur from January through September.

“2016 is remarkably the third record year in a row in this series,” said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. “We don’t expect record years every year, but the ongoing long-term warming trend is clear.”

This news comes after a report revealed that the North Pole is 50 degrees above average. Researchers at Climate Central announced in a report that the Arctic region is currently experiencing record-high temperatures. More over, the weather in the Arctic region at this time of the year is typically 20 degrees below zero. However, last December the temperatures in the North Pole were above 32 degrees, which is higher the freezing point for water.

The rise in temperatures in the North Pole can have disastrous consequences for animals that depend upon the cold temperatures. For instance, scientist pointed out that in 2013 over 60,000 reindeers died in Russia as a result of warming temperatures.

Twitter Waves Goodbye to Fabric as Google Agrees to Buy Twitter’s Developer Tools

Jonathan Antonio
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Twitter Waves Goodbye to Fabric as Google Agrees to Buy Twitter’s Developer Tools

Twitter has suffered several quarters of losses and a new acquisition by Google shows how not only how the Twitter corporation plans to stay alive but, how Google plans to profit off of Twitter. The day after Twitter shut down their Vine app, Twitter’s developer program Fabric is going to be acquired by Google.

Launched in 2014, Fabric’s goal was to provide tools to help developers create apps. Since then, the company has grown to reach over 2 billion active mobile devices. The program helps developers understand their users and in turn help them grow their business.

“Today we enter the next chapter for Fabric and are pleased to announce that we’ve signed an agreement for Fabric to be acquired by Google and for our team to join Google’s Developer Products Group, working with the Firebase team, Rich Paret, Fabric’s VP of Engineering & GM explained in a blog post.

Paret explained that after meeting with Google they “realized that our missions are the same”.

Google also explained that their plan is to improve and expand their Firebase platform. Firebase product manager, Francis Ma, explained that Fabric helped create great tools for developers including Answers and Fastlane. In the next few weeks, Ma explains that the two companies will work together to “combine our strengths” during their transition period. Ultimately, Google explains that their goal is to deliver a complete set of features for mobile application development programs.

“We’re committed to making mobile app development seamless, so that developers can focus more of their time on building creative experiences,” Ma explained.

Twitter
NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 7: The Twitter logo is shown in front of the NYSE on November 7, 2013 in New York (Anthony Correia / Shutterstock, Inc.)

Google’s acquisition of Fabric comes after Twitter announced 9% layoffs in the company. Twitter reported that they will start to focus on increasing growth in order to increase the company’s revenue. Then, Twitter announced that they would be shutting down the Vine application, an app that competed directly with Instagram. Unfortunately for Twitter, Instagram won the war. In fact, following the release of Instagram video, usage of the Vine app to decrease by 70 percent.

Netflix Beats Expectations As the Streaming Giant Continues to Grow

Reginald Edward
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Netflix Beats Expectations As the Streaming Giant Continues to Grow

Earnings season is officially here and many analysts have their eye on Netflix. The streaming entertainment company published their fourth-quarter results today and the company reported continued growth.

Netflix revealed that the company’s global streaming revenue has grown 41% from 2015 to 2016 to over $2 billion. In addition, operating profits reached $154 million, which was higher than the company predicted.

In addition, Netflix added over 7 million net subscribers in the quarter, which was a little higher than 2 million members than the company initially predicted. The entertainment company pointed out that this quarter was the largest quarter of new subscribers in the company’s history. In fact, within the U.S., the streaming giant added 1.93 million members this quarter and increased revenue by 27% in comparison to 2015. Meanwhile, international membership grew by 5.12 million in the fourth quarter, again beating expectations.

Netflix
The Cast of “Stranger Things” arrives at the Weinstein Company and Netflix 2017 Golden Globes After Party on Sunday, January 8, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. (CarlaVanWagoner / Shutterstock, Inc.)

Netflix also explains that they are learning how to determine the best content for their audiences around the world. The company points out the success of shows like Marvel’s Luke Cage, The Crown, and Black Mirror were able to globally entertain audiences. In addition, Trollhunters was the company’s most-watched original kids programming. Furthermore, Netflix’s first Brazilian original series 3% did exceptionally well. In turn, making it the most watched original show in Brazil and in other Latin American countries.

“We continue to invest in local programming to complement our content offering and as a means to introduce new members to our global library,” Netflix explained in their earnings report. “We are focusing on local content that travels pan-regionally or across multiple territories, such as Japanese anime and Turkish dramas,” the streaming company added.

The streaming giant did point out that while Net Neutrality is important from a public policy standpoint. However, the company does not believe they would be financially impacted, which is important because many analysts believe the end of net neutrality could have disastrous consequences for the company, if enacted.

In addition, Netflix pointed out their biggest competition lied with Facebook’s growing presence of video, the possibility of Apple branching off as a video content provider, and essentially media becoming a TV to internet diaspora.

So what’s next for Netflix?

The company projects that in the next three months the streaming giant will gain more nearly another 9 million subscribers globally. In addition, the company predicts memberships will increase following their upcoming content line-up in the second half of 2017. Moreover, the streaming giant will invest over $6 billion on content, which is an increase of $1 billion in comparison to 2016.

Netflix stock price rose by 7.8% on Wednesday evening in after-hours trading.

Inauguration Day Boosts Business for Airbnb

Reginald Edward
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Inauguration Day Boosts Business for Airbnb

Airbnb’s start to 2017 is getting a major boost thanks to the U.S. Presidential Inauguration. Donald Trump is only a few days away from becoming the 45th President of the United States and the leader of the free world. But, a new analysis report by Airbnb reveals that the community marketplace is the true winner of the Presidential Inauguration.

The company initially planned on reaching 10,000 people and bringing $3.5 million in earnings for hosts in Washington D.C. However, the company estimates that Washington D.C. will now have over 13,000 Airbnb guests booked for January 20th, which will make it the biggest night ever for Airbnb in Washington D.C.

“These bookings represent an increase of 800 percent since Election Day 2016 and are estimated to bring over $10 million in economic impact to Washington, DC, and surrounding parts of Maryland and Northern Virginia,” explained on their website.

In addition, Airbnb points out that the number of people signing up for their service and becoming hosts in Washington D.C. has grown by 25% with prices averaging around $30 per night. Not to mention, Airbnb points out that DC-area hosts will earn over $5.9 million from reservations during the inauguration, which is more than 10 times higher than in 2013.

Airbnb
June 5, 2016: Apple iPhone 6s with Airbnb website on the screen.Airbnb is a website for people to list, find,and rent lodging.Airbnb an online platform for accommodation (Have a nice day Photo / Shutterstock, Inc.)

Ultimately, Airbnb explains that major events such as the Super Bowl and the Presidential inauguration gives middle class families the opportunity to make extra money by hosting travelers.

But, the impact of hosting far extends beyond the number of bookings. In fact, it will positively impact local business. The company asserts that Airbnb guests are expected to spend $4.7 million at restaurants, retailers and businesses in Washington, D.C.

Despite this major improvement in the number of Washington D.C. listings, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Portland, and Oakland are still the top cities for people using the Airbnb platform.

Launched in 2008, Airbnb is a online platform that allows for people to list and rent short term listings. Over the past 9 years, Airbnb features listings in over 34,000 cities, 1,400 castles, and has helped over 60,000,000 guests find a temporary home.

The New York Times 2020 Report Reveals How News Media is Changing

Reginald Edward
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The New York Times 2020 Report Reveals How News Media is Changing

The New York Times has been a leader in the news media industry for decades. But, as news transitioned from print to digital, The New York Times was at the front line of the digital revolution.

As part of their examination of the digital revolution and how it impacted their company, The New York Times released their 2020 report on Tuesday outlining how the company handled the journalism, reporting in the digital age, and how the news giant plans on increasing revenue in the future.

“While the past two years have been a time of significant innovation, the pace must accelerate,” The New York Times explains at the start of their report. “Too often, digital progress has been accomplished through workarounds; now we must tear apart the barriers. We must differentiate between mission and tradition: what we do because it’s essential to our values and what we do because we’ve always done it.

The New York Times explains that their business model surrounds subscriptions and in order to stay competitive they have to focus on being different from other media outlets.

“We are not trying to maximize clicks and sell low-margin advertising against them. We are not trying to win a pageviews arms race.” In turn, the company is focused on writing news articles so compelling that millions of people around the world are willing to take their disposable income and spend it on New York Times content.

The New York Times
“Image of browsing the New York Times website using an ipad. The New York Times is a popular American daily newspaper and its website is the most popular American” (ymgerman / Shutterstock, Inc.)

And by all intensive measures, according to the internal report, it seems like it is working for the company. New York Times points out that their digital subscription revenue is growing as businesses are taking their advertising dollars to media giants such as Facebook and Google. In fact, the company plans to increase their digital revenue to $800 million by 2020.

Digital media is changing the way people engage and receive their news. Overall, more and more news outlets are losing advertising dollars to Facebook and Google. For instance, Facebook reported over $6 billion advertising revenue, up 63% from 2016. In addition, Google reported $19.4 billion in advertising revenue last year.

Since Facebook and Google control a large share of advertising dollars, there is less money left on the table for other companies. In fact, last April Financial Times reported that BuzzFeed missed their revenue target of $250 million by more than $80 million dollars. Sources close to the situation at the time complained that BuzzFeed’s advertising strategy was not scalable.

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