Israel
Israel has mass evacuation plan in works should war erupt nydailynews
Israel is drawing up contingency plans to evacuate up to a quarter-million civilians from border communities to protect them from attacks from Hamas, Hezbollah or other Islamic militant groups.
Society
Washington’s Supreme Court Imposes Its Progressive Faith on a Christian Florist nationalreview
If you care about the Bill of Rights, the rights of conscience, or even the English language, there’s a chance that this morning you felt a disturbance in the Force — as if the Founders cried out in rage and were suddenly silenced. That disturbance was the Washington Supreme Court’s oppressive ruling in State of Washington v. Arlene’s Flowers, a case holding that a florist was bound by state law to use her artistic talents to design floral arrangements to celebrate what she viewed as an immoral event: a gay wedding.
Archaeology
Gate shrine from First Temple period unearthed at Tel Lachish National Park jpost
A rare gate shrine dating to the First Temple period (8th century BCE), unearthed in Tel Lachish National Park, near Mount Hebron, may prove King Hezekiah’s Biblically-recorded efforts to abolish worship in the region, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.
Also see II Kings 18:1-8
Basic Income
Swiss say 'no' to a guaranteed income from the government usatoday v
Nearly 77% of the voters opposed the controversial measure that would mandate the government to pay $2,600 a month to each adult — regardless of work status or wealth — and $650 to each child. Only 23% favored the referendum.
AI
Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence whitehouse.gov
...the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is excited to announce that we will be co-hosting four public workshops over the coming months on topics in AI to spur public dialogue on artificial intelligence and machine learning and identify challenges and opportunities related to this emerging technology.
Life
Bright flash of light marks incredible moment life begins when sperm meets egg telegraph.co.uk v
An explosion of tiny sparks erupts from the egg at the exact moment of conception.
Future Tech
Mind-controlled drones race to the future businessinsider
"Three, two, one ... GO!" the announcer hollers, and as the racers fix their thoughts on pushing the cubes, the drones suddenly whir, rise and buzz through the air. Some struggle to move even a few feet, while others zip confidently across the finish line.
Abortion
Study: When tests detect birth defects, babies can still be born healthy worldmag
Researchers at the University of Cambridge, who published their results in the journal Nature Communications, found even when half the cells of an early-stage mouse embryo were abnormal, the embryo was still able to fully repair itself because the abnormal cells self-destructed and healthy cells replaced them. In many cases, the process completely repaired a defective embryo, leaving it with all healthy cells even though some of the placental cells were still abnormal. Even in cases where 75 percent of an early-stage embryo’s cells were abnormal, the ratio of normal cells increased as the embryo developed.
Archeaology
Palestinian Christians bitter over destruction of church ruins in Gaza jpost
Palestine Christians on Wednesday expressed anger over the way the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have handled the ancient ruins of a Byzantine church that were uncovered in Gaza City last week.
See also Builders find remnants from Byzantine period in Gaza
Islamic State nets millions selling plundered antiquities online smh.au
According to Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, IS is making up to $265 million a year by smuggling and selling looted jewellery, coins and other precious archaeological items through auction sites and specialist online stores.
North Korea
Thirteen North Korean restaurant workers defect to South Korea theguardian
Jeong claimed it was unprecedented for so many people to have defected from the same North Korean restaurant abroad. It is also unusual for South Korea to make a formal announcement about defections, or to even comment on them. Jeong said the government decided to go public about the arrivals because of the unusual nature of the defections.
Cashless Society
Fingerprints to be tested as ‘currency’ the-japan-news
Starting this summer, the [Japanese] government will test a system in which foreign tourists will be able to verify their identities and buy things at stores using only their fingerprints.
False Religion
Pope to church: Be more accepting of divorced Catholics, gays and lesbians cnn
"By thinking that everything is black and white, we sometimes close off the way of grace and growth," he writes.
Self-Driving Cars
Toyota Joins the Race for Self-Driving Cars with an Invisible Copilot technologyreview
Toyota’s researchers are developing what they call a “guardian angel” system that will automatically take control of a vehicle, or subtly adjust a driver’s actions, in order to avert danger. In contrast to other companies working on self-driving vehicles, the Japanese carmaker sees combining machine and human driving as a key step toward full autonomy.
Robots
THE WORLD'S FIRST ROBOTIC KITCHEN moley
Moley has created the world's first robotic kitchen. Featuring an advanced, fully functional robot integrated into a beautifully designed, professional kitchen, it cooks with the skill and flair of a master chef. The prototype was premiered to widespread acclaim at Hanover Messe, the international robotics show.
Includes fascinating video.
Alphabet’s secretive Schaft Inc. shows off new bipedal robot in Tokyo techcrunch
There’s a new bot in town (Tokyo, specifically), and while it might not be as cute as Nao, as creepy as Spot and BigDog or as anthropomorphic as Atlas, it might be more practical than all of them. It walks on two legs, but not like a man, or even a bear. This one, designed by Alphabet-owned Schaft Inc., has its own uniquely robotic form of locomotion.
Includes a video. A step in the direction of more functional and less creepy robot :)
Genetics
Chinese Researchers Experiment with Making HIV-Proof Embryos technologyreview
Chinese fertility doctors have tried to make HIV-proof human embryos, but the experiments ended in a bust. The new report is the second time researchers in China revealed that they had a go at making genetically modified human embryos.
Space Tech
SpaceX just made history and landed a rocket on a ship techinsider.io
But the huge, history-making moment — causing everyone at SpaceX to lose their minds in a roar of applause during a live webcast — was when the company landed a rocket on a ship at sea.
Cyborg
Remote-control cyborg beetle developed by scientists independent.co.uk
Researchers have created a 'living drone' by controlling a beetle's movements using electronics.
If there was such a thing as insect-abuse, this would be it: Scientists Turn Beetle Into 'Cyborg' | Video
Life
Embryo cell abnormalities not necessarily a sign that a baby will be born with a birth defect independent.co.uk
An academic who became pregnant with her second child, aged 44, has shown that abnormal cells in the early embryo are not necessarily a sign that a baby will be born with a birth defect such as Down’s syndrome.
Also read Embryos with defective cells 'can still develop healthily'
Pestilence
Questions remain over deadly mystery bacteria in Midwest cbsnews
The bacteria, called Elizabethkingia, does not usually cause illness in humans, but in recent months it has sickened dozens and killed 17 people in Wisconsin and one in Michigan.
North Korea
North Korea tells its people a new famine may come, they again may need to 'eat the roots of grass' latimes
When Kim Jong Un made his first public speech as North Korea's leader in 2012, he stood in front of a massive military rally in the capital’s main square and told the crowd that they would “never have to tighten their belts again.” Kim was referring to his country’s history of poverty and food shortages, particularly a famine in the 1990s in which hundreds of thousands of people — if not more — starved to death.
We Are Ready for ‘Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strike’ on U.S. breitbart
North Korea has once again asserted that it will use its nuclear weapons arsenal against the United States. Unlike previous statements, however, a note from the rogue state’s foreign minister on Monday insisted that North Korea is fully equipped and ready to use a nuclear weapon on the United States, not just willing to do so.
Iran
U.S., France, Britain and Germany Urge UN Action Against Iran Over Missile Tests haaretz
The United States and three allies called for a UN Security Council meeting to respond to Iran's recent ballistic missile tests which they say were carried out in defiance of a UN resolution.
Also Russia says Iran missile tests 'don’t violate' UN resolution
US
US to increase military presence in eastern Europe bbc
The plan demonstrates "our strong and balanced approach to reassuring our Nato allies and partners in the wake of an aggressive Russia in eastern Europe and elsewhere", said Gen Philip Breedlove, the senior US commander in Europe.
Also see US to station armored brigade in Eastern Europe: Pentagon
Russia
Russian Jets Carry Out 23 Sorties Hitting 54 Terrorist Targets in 24 Hours sputniknews
Russian combat jets deployed in Syria have carried out 23 night sorties in the last 24 hours, hitting a total of 54 terrorist targets, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
Abortion
FDA approves abortion drug label that could undo several state laws bbc
Under the new label, a smaller dose of mifepristone can be used up to 70 days after the beginning of the last menstrual period instead of the 49-day limit in effect under the old label. Also, the second drug can be taken by a woman at home and not be required to be administered at a clinic.
"It looks like this benefits the abortion industry and increases their potential customer base and revenues, but it's not clear that anything here makes it safer for women in the long run, and certainly nothing about a chemical abortion makes it any safer for the unborn child," O'Bannon said.
AI
What Happens When You Combine Artificial Intelligence and Satellite Imagery fortune
Using technology similar to what allows Facebook to recognize faces in photos uploaded to its service, the company sifted through more than 14 billion geospatial images captured by satellite imagery provider DigitalGlobe. The resulting maps reveal the locations of more than 2 billion disconnected people spread across 20 countries, many of them developing nations where even basic mapping data is scarce.
What could possibly go wrong with being able to mine “petabytes of satellite imagery”...?
Tech
Open-source microprocessor phys.org
The new processor is called PULPino and it is designed for battery-powered devices with extremely low energy consumption (PULP stands for 'parallel ultra low power'). These could be for chips for small devices, such as smartwatches, sensors for monitoring physiological functions (which can communicate with a heart rate monitor, for instance) or sensors for the Internet of Things.
Space
Japanese Space Probe Was Smashed Into Five Pieces forbes
JAXA lost contact with Hitomi, or ASTRO-H, on Saturday, when the satellite was due to start operations. Since then, the agency has managed to get two signals from the space probe, one at around 8am EST on Monday and the other at 10.30am EST on Tuesday.
NASA will let you walk on Mars using HoloLens theverge
NASA is teaming up with Microsoft to give you a glimpse of the Red Planet. A new exhibition called "Destination: Mars" will let visitors use Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headsets to take a virtual stroll on Mars, alongside a "holographic" tour guide, astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
Food
Dr Lee Hickey and PhD candidate Adnan Riaz, from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, have completed the world's first genome-wide analysis of a collection of wheat seeds stored in Russia for more than a century.
