In Silicon Valley and on Wall Street, it has long been a guessing game about which of the most richly valued technology start-ups would be next to test the public markets. On Friday, there was an answer: Dropbox, an online file storage company privately valued at about $10 billion, filed paperwork to raise up to […]
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has suggested that plastic straws could be banned in Britain. When asked by the Daily Telegraph if he would prohibit plastic straws Mr Gove replied “watch this space”. He added that a balanced approach would be needed but said: “If it is bad, then banning it is a good thing.” The […]
Paying attention to the quality of the food is more effective for weight loss than religiously counting calories, according to a new study. Researchers at Stanford University found there is no significant difference in weight change between a healthy low-fat diet versus a healthy low-carbohydrate diet. The 12-month weight loss study of 609 individuals found […]
Tens of thousands of years ago, the first artists painted images on the walls of caves. They collected, painted and ground holes in shells, presumably to wear. It was the very first art, created by what we call “modern humans,” or Homo sapiens. Except, it turns out that some of that cave art may have […]
First National Bank of Omaha said Thursday it won’t renew a contract with the National Rifle Association to offer an NRA-branded Visa credit card after receiving complaints from customers amid an intensifying national debate on gun control. “Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA,” the bank said in a post […]
Archaeologists in Israel say that they have found a clay seal mark that may bear the signature of the Biblical Prophet Isaiah. The 2,700-year-old stamped clay artifact was found during an excavation at the foot of the southern wall of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. In ancient times a seal stamp, or bulla, was used to authenticate […]
The thought of a vaccine might conjure up memories of that flu shot you get each year, or taking your kids to get their immunizations against polio or measles. Cancer rarely comes to mind when most people think of vaccines, but that appears to be changing. Over several decades, cancer vaccines have emerged as a […]
Supernovae – exploding stars – are unpredictable. But an amateur astronomer in Argentina happened to catch one just as it began to explode. “It’s like winning the cosmic lottery,” one astronomer said. Some amateur astronomers avidly and routinely search for supernovae – or exploding stars – in distant galaxies. But Víctor Buso, an amateur astronomer […]
Uber is beginning to roll out a cheaper version of its ride-sharing UberPool service, called Express Pool. The service, which was being tested in Boston and San Francisco, is now available in Los Angeles, San Diego and Denver, and will launch in Miami, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., tomorrow. The idea is that Express Pool, which […]
The US Federal Reserve is preparing for stronger-than-expected economic growth this year, a view that boosts the case for higher interest rates. But some policymakers remain doubtful that the gains will appear in the form of rapid inflation and higher wages. Those members urged their colleagues to be “patient” as they weigh future rate rises. […]
A federal judge blocked AT&T’s move to obtain communication logs between the Justice Department and the White House on Tuesday, hampering the phone giant’s argument that politics played a role in the government’s decision to halt a merger with Time Warner. Judge Richard J. Leon of United States District Court in Washington, who is overseeing […]
Walmart shares suffered their biggest percentage fall for more than three decades on Tuesday after reporting disappointing online sales figures for the Christmas period. Online sales were 23% higher in the three months to December. However, that was less than half the growth recorded in the previous quarter and lower than in the same period […]
