Blogroll

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is considering seeking a preliminary injunction against Facebook Inc because of concerns that policies about how its apps interact violate antitrust law, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

U.S. health officials said on Thursday four more deaths occurred since last week from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, taking the total toll to 52.

(Reuters Health) - People whose mothers had diabetes during pregnancy may be at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease by early adulthood, a recent study suggests.

Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday it will open a distribution center in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, its second in Brazil, strengthening its logistics infrastructure to speed up deliveries and ultimately expand its footprint.

TL;DR: The 10.2-inch iPad (WiFi, 128GB) is on sale for $329 at Walmart, the same deal the retailer ran on Black Friday — a savings of $100.

The situation: You need a last-minute gift for someone, but something like a tablet doesn't seem personal enough.

We're going to argue that an iPad is a thoughtful, personalized gift. Someone who has too many pictures on their phone but whose iCloud is messed up (raises hand) can store them on an iPadKids will want to read or play educational, AR games on an iPad, and teenagers might just want to study. Your mom can shop online without complaining about not being able to see her phone. Read more...

More about Apple, Ipad, Tablets, Mashable Shopping, and Tech

Scientists working on how to combat a highly infectious and deadly virus called Nipah, which is transmitted to humans from bats and pigs, say they have found around a dozen potential drugs that might be developed to block the disease.

From trash-eating drones to rescue robots. These tools all have one goal in common: leave a positive impact on mankind. Read more...

More about Tech, Mashable Video, Environment, Social Good, and Future Blink

"SpaceX is about to send hemp to the ISS" is maybe the most perfectly 2019 sentence, and thankfully, it's true.

Specifically, an upcoming research project will use a March 2020 SpaceX flight to send plant cultures of hemp and coffee to the International Space Station for studying. This is all thanks to a collaboration between Front Range Biosciences, SpaceCells USA, and BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado. 

SEE ALSO: SpaceX launches even more satellites into space

Front Range will supply the plants, SpaceCells the management and funding, and BioServe the hardware to take care of the plants. BioServe will also monitor the hemp and coffee remotely from Earth to monitor whether radiation and lack of gravity mutate the plants in any way. After 30 days, the plants will come back home for further examination. Read more...

More about Space, Marijuana, International Space Station, Coffee, and Weed

The head of General Motors Co's Cadillac luxury brand said on Thursday that a majority, and possibly all, of the brand's models would be electric vehicles by 2030.

South Korean health authorities have found vitamin E acetate, which may be linked to lung illnesses, in some liquid e-cigarette products made by Juul Labs and KT&G, they said on Thursday, but the two companies denied using the material.

Brazilian food processors are poised to boost pork and chicken exports in 2020 as Chinese demand for imports remains strong while the Asian country deals with severe disruptions in local production, an industry group said on Thursday.

The Democratic Party has announced its next round of primary debates and they've dumped Facebook for another, more illustrious tech partner: Apple. 

Apple News will co-host the February 7, 2020 debate with ABC and New Hampshire ABC affiliate, WMUR, days ahead of that state's Feb. 11 primary. Facebook had co-hosted debates in 2012 and 2016, but it's the first time Apple will have co-hosted a presidential debate.

Rubbing a little salt in the wound for Mark Zuckerberg and crew is that Twitter is also involved with a debate, co-hosting the Feb. 25, 2020 debate with CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute ahead of South Carolina's Feb. 29 primary.  Read more...

More about Facebook, Debates, Apple News, 2020 Presidential Election, and Tech

Every animator has an opinion about which type of animation they prefer: 2D or 3D. Hear Sergio Pablos' opinion along with his reasoning here. Read more...

More about Netflix, Christmas, Mashable Video, Animation, and Christmas Movies

The limited edition theme comes with stickers and AR effects centered on "The Rise of Skywalker." Read more...

More about Tech, Facebook, Mashable Video, Star Wars, and Messenger

The EPA says the Porsche Taycan Turbo has just 201 miles of range, compared to the Tesla Model 3's 310 miles. Read more...

More about Tech, Transportation, Mashable Video, Porsche Taycan Turbo, and Epa Rating

Thyssenkrupp is hoping to win contracts for a planned factory Tesla plans to build near Berlin, a board member of the German conglomerate told a business daily.

TL;DR: A $368.99 value, you can get a Rosetta Stone Bonus Pack Bundle *and* a 16GB Fire 7 Tablet for only $149.99 on Amazon today — that's a 59% savings.

Maybe you need an escape from the crummy winter weather. Maybe you reconnected with some long-lost relatives after taking an AncestryDNA test. Heck, maybe a hunky teen popstar desperately needs you to impersonate his singing partner at the upcoming Italian Music Awards.

Whatever your reason for traveling abroad in 2020, it can be super useful to know some words and phrases in your destination's native language beyond "hello" and "where is the bathroom." Rosetta Stone is probably the biggest name in language learning software, and today Amazon is offering an incredible deal on one of its products: So long as you place your order before midnight tonight, you can score a Rosetta Stone Bonus Pack Bundle and a Fire 7 Tablet for only $149.99. Read more...

More about Travel, Mashable Shopping, Language Learning, Rosetta Stone, and Fire 7

With 2020 around the corner, it's about that time to actually start paying attention to who's running for what. That's why Twitter is bringing back its Elections Labels feature, which provides you with information on political candidates.

If this sounds familiar, that's because the social media platform first introduced the feature last year during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. Starting on Thursday, Twitter will now start verifying candidates for U.S. Senate, House, and governor races.

On each candidate's Twitter profile, you'll see a small ballot box icon, the office they're running for, as well as their state and district number. The label will also appear under the politician's handle whenever they tweet or retweet from their accounts.  Read more...

More about Twitter, Social Media, 2020 Election, Tech, and Consumer Tech

A rugged, old seaplane — transformed with a new electric motor — successfully took flight over British Columbia on Tuesday. 

Harbour Air Seaplanes, which flies people around coastal British Columbia, banded with electric motor makers magniX to build what they've called the "world’s first fully electric commercial aircraft." They electrified a legendary plane specifically designed to travel over "the bush" — profoundly remote, undeveloped lands still common (for now) in Alaska and Canada today.

The Havilland Beaver planes were built between 1947 and 1967 and are still workhorses today, regularly taking people, for example, to see the famous fat bears in isolated Katmai National Park. Now, there's a Beaver with an electric motor.  Read more...

More about Travel, Climate Change, Airplanes, Carbon Emissions, and Electric Planes

CVS Health Corp said on Thursday it will make it easier for patients with advanced cancer enrolled in some Aetna insurance plans to receive broad genetic gene sequencing tests that can help identify the best drug or treatment for them.