Cyber security is a very lucrative business. In a world where online transactions are becoming more of the standard than the minority, it would stand to reason that data should be protected and kept in a safe storage space. Not accounting for the fact that big tech companies sell user data to third parties, we can assume that most of our data are secure.

We want to guard our private and confidential information as much as possible so we avail of products and services that offer secure storage for our files and data. And when you hear that something is "unhackable" you might want to check it out, right?

There was a Kickstarter project that claimed that they had developed an "unhackable" USB flash drive. They based this on the fact that their device uses iris recognition to access the files in the drive. However, recently a few researchers tested out this claim and found one big loophole in the device that allows anyone with the right tools to "sniff USB device traffic".

Lodge had picked, picked, picked apart components until reaching an understanding: "What we have here is, literally, a USB stick with a hub and camera attached. That means most of the brains are in the software.

Lodge stated that "obtaining the password/iris can be achieved by simply sniffing the USB traffic to get the password/hash in clear text."

-via Phys.org

(Image credit: artverau/Pixabay)

Women aren't the only ones whose bodies change as they get older, obviously. Men do too but the notion that the age at which men start families does not affect their children or partners is quite inaccurate. In fact, according to a study published in the journal Maturitas, there could be potential side effects when men have children later in life.

Though it is true that men don't necessarily lose their capability of producing children at an advanced age, this however poses risks such as complications during pregnancy as well as developmental issues for the children.

The study found that men 45 and older can experience decreased fertility and put their partners at risk for increased pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and preterm birth. Infants born to older fathers were found to be at higher risk of premature birth, late still birth, low Apgar scores, low birth weight, higher incidence of newborn seizures and birth defects such as congenital heart disease and cleft palate. As they matured, these children were found to have an increased likelihood of childhood cancers, psychiatric and cognitive disorders, and autism.

Bachmann attributes most of these outcomes to a natural decline in testosterone that occurs with aging, as well as sperm degradation and poorer semen quality, but she said that some correlations need more research. "In addition to advancing paternal age being associated with an increased risk of male infertility, there appears to be other adverse changes that may occur to the sperm with aging. For example, just as people lose muscle strength, flexibility and endurance with age, in men, sperm also tend to lose 'fitness' over the life cycle," she said.

It may not be a similar comparison, think of this as the male counterpart for postmenopausal pregnancy in that the effects that occur in that situation would be just as risky. 

Though further research needs to be done on why this is happening, this should give awareness to men who want to have children in the future. They need to think carefully about when they would start out because if they delay it too much, it might be too late.

-via Phys.org

(Image credit: Natalya Zaritskaya/Unsplash)

I'm surprised not because it's weird but because I never thought about doing this. Though some may not be as surprised that this is actually a thing being done by some people, I think I'm trying to process this new nugget of information I stumbled upon. I'm not against it, I'm not for it. To each their own, they can have their chicken nuggets however they want it. 

But there are a few particular reasons why I'd want the skin on. I think it tastes better that way and I'm too lazy to peel the skin off, so why should I bother? Plus I like the texture of the skin anyway, so there's no incentive for me to peel them off. However, here's the case for peelers, laid out by Sage Anderson.

(Image credit: Miguel Andrade/Unsplash)

H.L. Mencken compiled a list of different regional names that Americans used to refer to certain states and the people who lived there, the origins of some owing to some historical artifact or tidbit about the state, while others having no apparent reason for being called such.

Almost every American has heard Hoosier for an Indianan, Wolverine for a Michigander, Sucker for an Illinoisan, Cracker for a Georgian, Blue Hen’s Chicken for a Delawarean, Tar Heel for a North Carolinian, Clay-eater for any kind of Carolinian, Puke for a Missourian, Mud-cat for a Mississippian, Lizard or Yellowhammer for an Alabamian, Buckeye for an Ohioan, Hawkeye for an Iowan, Jayhawker for a Kansan, Gopher for a Minnesotan, Okie for an Oklahoman, Webfoot for an Oregonian, and Badger for a Wisconsinite.

He also mentioned nicknames given to particular cities and some have even made their way to this day but mostly associated with college sports teams. Most of these nicknames signified how back then, people's prejudice seeped into every level, from the individual to the collective, creating stereotypes for different groups.

As time passed by, however, and people migrated from one state to another, these nicknames slowly faded away from people's memories, relegating them only to history books.

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons; Public domain)

Researchers from Purdue University have built a flying robot with the capability of mimicking and learning the behavior of hummingbirds. Not only that, but it also has the ability to enable tracking of locations by touching surfaces, which could help people make a map of the area.

"The robot can essentially create a map without seeing its surroundings. This could be helpful in a situation when the robot might be searching for victims in a dark place—and it means one less sensor to add when we do give the robot the ability to see," said Xinyan Deng, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue.

The success of this research would make it easier to create drones with an expanded scope of reaching different locations. Initially, the problem that researchers encountered was the physics of making a small robot that could generate enough lift to support its weight.

But hummingbirds don't use conventional aerodynamics—and their wings are resilient. "The physics is simply different; the aerodynamics is inherently unsteady, with high angles of attack and high lift. This makes it possible for smaller, flying animals to exist, and also possible for us to scale down flapping wing robots," Deng said.

In order to produce the hummingbird drone, Deng and her team observed how hummingbirds flew and the different maneuvers or techniques it used when flying. They then translated this into a computer algorithm and built a robot with machine learning to enable it to learn to fly like a hummingbird.

Further research on insects and other smaller flying organisms can help change the way we conduct search and rescue missions but there is also a caveat of this technology being used for covert operations, which may or may not be to the benefit of the public.

Still though, it opens up more avenues for scientists to study hummingbirds in their natural environment and allows us to push the boundaries of what technology can do.

(Image credit: Jared Pike/Purdue University)

In a free country, nobody should force you to do something you don't want to do. Even though obesity is a health risk, it should be a personal issue on which nobody can compel someone who is obese to address. It is their choice whether they would like to hit the gym and stick to a diet to lose weight. That's because it's a personal and private issue.

Some studies suggested that companies lose profits due to productivity problems stemming from employees who are obese. So, perhaps implementing a weight loss program would solve this issue? Robert Graboyes tackles this issue saying that such a program might not be in the best interest of the company.

-via Houma Today

(Image credit: jarmoluk/Pixabay)

Japanese artists Shane Kagotani and Katsuhito Fujiwara form the duo of Gendai Bijutsu Nitouhey whose art incorporates traditional Japanese elements with a touch of comedy and a modern perspective. 

They have been making sculptures and paintings for 25 years and some of their works have been on display recently at the Shiinoki Cultural Complex in Kanazawa. Spoon & Tamago features some of their works here. They also feature their works on their own website.

(Image credit: Gendai Bijutsu Nitouhey)

In an art series created by photographer Tessa Doniga, she gives us literal illustrations of certain breakfast expressions that we use in English when translated into Spanish. It makes for some incredibly daring breakfast meals.

“The fact that I’m bilingual makes me wonder more,” she told gestalten. “When I try to translate some words into one language from another, I question myself. My challenge was to set in one image both terms in a visual composition that would be recognizable to the viewer.”

To see more of her works, you may check out her studio's website and Instagram.

(Images credit: Tessa Doniga/Fragmento Universo/Behance)

Recycling plastics should be the best way for us to control our plastic waste issue but very few people ever think of doing that. There are 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste in the world and it would take years for that to decay.

Thankfully, researchers have developed a new design for plastics that would allow them to be broken down into the molecular level and be remade and reused without losing its quality.

According to a statement released by the lab, the researchers "designed a recyclable plastic that, like a Lego playset, can be disassembled into its constituent parts at the molecular level, and then reassembled into a different shape, texture, and color again and again without loss of performance or quality."

As the study's lead author Peter Christensen points out "most plastics were never made to be recycled. But we have discovered a new way to assemble plastics that takes recycling into consideration from a molecular perspective."

That's all well and good but as the article points out, it doesn't solve the current issue of plastic waste, that there are tons of it and it's plaguing the environment. Hopefully though, this new plastic design would prevent the crisis from escalating further but that too might take a while.

(Image credit: Karina Tess/Unsplash)

Stephen King chimes in on predictions and possible directions that the final episodes of Game of Thrones will be as well as who he thinks would be sitting on the Iron Throne at the end of it all. He took to Twitter to share his thoughts and even quipped about his own story writing credibility. Via Bro Bible

(Image credits: Stephanie Lawton/Flickr, Wikimedia Commons, CC by SA 2.0; Stephen King/Twitter)

If you're an anime fan, or at least have watched one of the most popular Japanese anime films Spirited Away, you would know that Japan has some weird skeletons lurking in their mythical closets.

Monsters are a popular subject in many Japanese folktales. Beings with not just supernatural powers, but also terrifying appearances to boot. It must be an artistic decision to depict these monsters as hideously as possible to make people feel terrified. They seem to be the embodiment of fear itself.

By official count Japan is haunted by eight million gods and monsters, although in Japanese “eight million” is a euphemism for “waaay too many to count.” Monsters are the deep magic of Japan; part of the creation myth, legends tell of the god Izanagi-no-Okami emerging from a sojourn to Hell and bathing in a sacred spring.

As water fell from his body it soaked into the earth, infusing the soil of Japan with latent supernatural energy. This energy manifested as beings, forming kami (gods) if worshiped, and yokai (monsters) if left wild and untamed.

In other cultures, when tales of monsters are told, they usually have the intention of teaching children a lesson, something to remember or abide by but it seems that the monsters of Japan does not teach morals. They are simply there to give you the creeps.

Japan’s yokai rarely tell a moral story. They rarely explain natural phenomena or serve any didactic purpose. They are often spooky. Sometimes funny. If there is one lesson yokai teach, it is that the world doesn’t always make sense. Sometimes things are mysterious, and you can’t understand them. You just accept them. You allow yourself to be amazed, and maybe a little scared, but you don’t try to look for answers.

After probably sifting through millions of tales, Folklore Thursday gives us a list of the spookiest and weirdest of Japan's moster tales. Number one would definitely make me curious, disgusted, and anxious all at once.

(Image credit: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, The Heavy Basket, 1892. From the Thirty-six Ghosts series. Wikimedia Commons; Public Domain)

(Photo caption: Photomontage of the evolution of a tornado : Composite of eight images shot in two sequences as a tornado formed north of Minneola, Kansas on May 24, 2016)

The science behind the formation of tornadoes may make our heads swirl but seeing it happen in progression using stills would leave you in awe.

In this composite created by Jason Weingart, we see how tornadoes form from a small wisp of cloud which the wind has only begun spinning to a full vortex of devastating proportions.

(Image credit: Jason Weingart/Wikimedia Commons; CC by SA 4.0)

The Spy Museum will be moving to L'Enfant Plaza some time this year and it will be showcasing several new artifacts that have never been displayed before. One of which is the ice ax that killed Leon Trotsky. Here's a brief look into the history of the ice ax.

(Image credit: fabioj/Wikimedia Commons; CC by SA 3.0; GNU)

Bringing out the flavors while trying to create a good balance among them in one dish is a difficult skill to master. Chefs spend their whole careers trying to perfect this art but at times, some of the best practices are closer to home.

When Samantha Seneviratne sat down with her Sri Lankan grandmother, she had one goal in mind: to talk about food and learn as much as she could from her late grandmother. One thing caught her ear and stuck with her.

As she was being directed what to do for a curry recipe, her grandmother mentioned "tempering" the spices which confused her because that term was usually used in the context of dessert, particularly chocolate. But what her grandmother meant was letting the spices simmer in oil.

But my grandmother was talking about spices—coaxing the flavor out of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and other aromatics by simmering them briefly in oil. Blooming the spices in this way, as opposed to just throwing them in willy-nilly, draws out more flavor and leads to a better curry, she assured me.

When it comes to baking, most of us just whisk ground spices into the dry ingredients without a second thought. But there is another way: the spice-tempering technique I learned from my grandmother can be applied to dessert.

The technique is quite deeply refined as you are putting an equal amount of attention to every ingredient in a dish, not simply the main element. It is true that spices bring out the flavor of the core of a dish, but they themselves can also be elevated in a masterful way without overpowering the whole dish.

Tempering aromatics in oil or butter works well because the flavor compounds in certain spices are fat-soluble. That means that hot fat (oil or butter, usually) will extract those compounds, flavoring the fat.

If you’re working with spices with more fat-soluble flavor compounds, like bay leaves, lavender, or sage, you’ll get up to 10 times more flavor if you bloom them in fat versus water. But of course the converse is also true: spices with more water-soluble compounds, such as saffron, are better tempered in a water-based ingredient like milk.

Learn more about it on Epicurious.

(Image credit: Badagnani/Wikimedia Commons; CC by SA 3.0)

Have you ever asked yourself why there are days when you feel so alive and energetic, full of vitality and vigor, and why a few days or a week later, you feel so lethargic and restless, even though you get enough sleep at night?

There might be a variety of factors and reasons why this is the case. Pure Wow gives us a few of those on this list, some may be obvious but it takes its toll in a subtle way, accumulating the effects over a period of time. Here's one you might not have known:

Having a Cluttered Desk

Two words: mental exhaustion. According to psychology professor Sabine Kastner of Princeton University, the more objects you have in your visual field (read: a ton of stuff on your desk), the harder it is for your brain to filter them out and focus. The result? Your brain will end up tired.

(Image credit: Christian Erfurt/Unsplash)