Ice Bacteria; United Health Exits the Exchange; TTIP - the Dream No One Loves; Pay With Your Face(book); China Playing Mars Catch-up; Antbo; NK's Submarine Missile Launch; Russia and NATO's Sabers; Iron Dome Test-Driven in US; and 500 Lbs of Missing Firework Show

Bacteria

HOW BACTERIA CREATE THEIR OWN ICE popsci

Analyses...revealed that [it] uses proteins in its cell membrane to slightly change the position of nearby water molecules so that they would fit more neatly into a lattice, as they are in ice. The bacterium can then use vibrational energy to remove heat from the area around it, coalescing the water molecules into solid ice.

Healthcare

United Healthcare’s Exit From N.C. Obamacare Exchange Ominous carolinajournal

UnitedHealth’s decision “leaves North Carolina with just two companies offering plans to people who do not get health insurance through their employer,” said Katherine Restrepo, health and human services policy analyst at the John Locke Foundation.

See also North Carolina's Obamacare Exchange: And Then There Were Two

Global Economy

TTIP trade deal: Germans rally in Hannover against US-EU talks bbc

They say the deal would drive down wages, and weaken environmental protection and labour rights.

US President Barack Obama - who is pushing hard for the agreement - says it would create millions of jobs and increase trade by lowering tariffs.

Also see Dramatic Collapse In Support For TTIP On Both Sides Of Atlantic

Cashless

Facebook payment system will change banking forever, but it comes with its own price tag – your privacy independent.co.uk

The prize is huge. If you know where people have been, what sites they visit, what apps they download, and also their spending habits, you know a massive amount about them – much more than their bankers, the credit and debit card companies, and more than their mobile phone operators. Instead of the crude contextual advertisements of the moment, or the even cruder points-based credit scoring systems, a company could not only target users with sensible advertising, but also be able to make a judgement as to whether people were a good credit risk or not.

Somewhat related: How Facebook plans to take over the world

“You hear all the platitudes about Facebook connecting the planet, but to say they are doing it for benevolent reasons is absolute nonsense. It’s about connecting commerce, not people,” says venture capitalist and former journalist Om Malik, who reminds us of the hidden agenda of social networking firms: if you’re not paying, you’re the product.

Space

China Announces Plans To Send Rover To Mars Around 2020 ibtimes

“The probe is expected to orbit the red planet, land and deploy a rover all in one mission, which is quite difficult to achieve,” Xu was quoted as saying. “Only by completing this Mars probe mission can China say it has embarked on the exploration of deep space in the true sense.”

Robotics

Build and Control Your Own Pet Robot Ant mentalfloss v

The battery-powered Antbo, which weighs in at less than half a pound, learns from playing, can be controlled by voice, and also has emotional responses to certain scenarios—like trembling, glancing from side to side—just like a real pet.

The Antbo Indigogo campaign

War

North Korea launches missile from submarine washingtonpost

The missile was fired from a submarine off North Korea’s east coast, in the Sea of Japan, about 6:30 p.m. local time, the joint chiefs said. But they did not say whether the launch was a success, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

Russia, NATO spar over maritime incidents in the Baltic knoxnews

At issue were incidents last week in which Russian SU-24 jets swooped down on the guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook during U.S. joint exercises in the Baltic Sea in what defense officials on Wednesday described as "aggressive" and "unsafe flight maneuvers."

Israel Iron Dome missile tested in US as Washington hope to buy defence system ahead of Arab states ibtimes.co.uk v

The defence system, which has been in operation since 2011, successfully destroyed an unmanned drone during a test in the New Mexico desert carried out by Israeli and American defence contractors. During the test Tamir missiles, fired from the Iron Dome system, were fired from the army's new Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) to destroy the drone at White Sands Missile Range.

Crime

More than 500 pounds of explosives stolen from train cbsnews

Sources say the theft was reported two days ago but the case has not yet gone public. The ATF is considering putting out an advisory and announcing an reward in the coming days.