spreads

Plague Still Exists. Here's Where and How It Spreads in the U.S.Plague infections in humans are rare, but a case in Oregon reminds us that the disease is not goneBy Joanna Thompson Credit: George D. Lepp/Getty ImagesEarlier this month a person in rural Oregon was diagnosed with plague—the state’s first case in eight years. According to health officials in Oregon’s Deschutes County, the person likely contracted the disease from a pet cat.Plague is often thought of as a medieval disease, but it continues to affect people…

Does life appear independently on different planets in the galaxy? Or does it spread from world to world? Or does it do both?New research shows how life could spread via a basic, simple pathway: cosmic dust.One thing scientists have learned in the past few decades is that life on Earth might have had an early start.The Earth is about 4.53 billion years old, and some evidence shows that simple life existed here at least 3.5 billion years ago. Some evidence suggests life was here even before that, only about 500 million…

One construction worker was killed in a building collapse in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn on Friday afternoon, local news outlets reported. But the tragic accident led misinformation accounts and conspiracy theorists on X (formerly Twitter) to falsely claim the incident had taken place in Crown Heights, concocting a wholly fake story about the tunnel beneath the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights suddenly caving in. As the Borough Park commotion drew hordes of emergency responders,…

A Texas cemetery has taken action to beef up its security efforts after a public feud between rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj led to an influx of social media attention. The cemetery’s address circulated on social media earlier this week, with some users linking it to the final resting place of Holly Thomas, Megan Thee Stallion’s mother. In a statement, the cemetery — The Times will not disclose its name — said that it had alerted local police officers and “increased security personnel.”“We will continue to…

The Kansas City Chiefs tight-end decided to treat people with kindness after fans and players at an away game took aim at his family, girlfriend, and teammates The Buffalo Bills stirred up some game day drama when the Kansas City Chiefs played an away game in their home base at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY on Sunday. “Understandably. It’s a football game. The Bills, coming into their house, they want to make it rowdy,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce shared on Wednesday’s episode of his…

Even as we enter the last leg of the year, artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be an important discussion topic for corporations and governments alike. Apple has published new AI research where the researchers have highlighted how large language models (LLMs) can be run on limited storage devices, such as iPhones, instead of the internet, and still maintain their capabilities. This development may give the tech giant an edge over competitors. In other news, the former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland is urging…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain The global anti-vaccine movement and vaccine hesitancy that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic show no signs of abating. According to a survey of U.S. adults, Americans in October 2023 were less likely to view approved vaccines as safe than they were in April 2021. As vaccine confidence falls, health misinformation…

Disinformation and Propaganda.  Viral videos about this war that are having huge impact. But they’re completely fake. But they’re having dire consequences.  Dozens of accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, spreading rather what’s believed to be coordinated posts with disinformation about the war.  Sophie Bushwick: When any major news event happens, a lot of us have the same impulse ... Tulika Bose: We go to social media to follow the latest updates. Bushwick: But that can sometimes backfire. Tulika Bose:…

Outcry over unchecked antisemitic content and commentary on social media site X, some of it endorsed by the platform's owner Elon Musk, reached a tipping point on Friday, with large advertisers such as Apple Inc. pulling ads and the White House chastising the billionaire. Musk, who regularly engages with antisemitic users on X, agreed with a post that said Jewish people hold a “dialectical hatred” of white people. “You have said the actual truth,” Musk responded.  The White House called Musk's reply an “unacceptable” act…

PALMAS ALTAS, Mexico —  Like many Mexicans in the United States, María Avila worked for decades north of the border with a simple dream: to one day return home.She toiled at a Palm Springs country club by day, served meals to wealthy clients at night and cleaned houses and mended clothes on the weekend, slowly saving to build a home of her own back in Juanchorrey, the wind-swept pueblo high in the mountains in Zacatecas state where she grew up.With five bedrooms, a Jacuzzi and a grand entryway capped by a cupola, the…