The Australian Department of Defense has announced that they will no longer be using any phones from a pair of Chinese phone manufacturers that have both been accused of allowing the Chinese government to conduct espionage through their products. The companies in question are Huawei, the third-largest phone manufacturer in the world after Samsung and Apple, and ZTE. Australia’s DoD announced... 

Russia’s St. Petersburg has witnessed an incredible light show by mother nature, which illuminated the sky with bright columns of light, turning the city into a winter wonderland. Residents of Russia’s ‘Venice of the north’ awoke early on Saturday morning to find the skyline glittering with strange colors. Yellow, red, blue and green laser-looking columns were visible across the city. At first,... 

An ancient clay seal discovered in Jerusalem may have belonged to the prophet Isaiah and could be the earliest physical evidence of the biblical figure. “We appear to have discovered a seal impression, which may have belonged to the prophet Isaiah, in a scientific, archaeological excavation,” lead archaeologist Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology... 

The Swedes appear to have embarked on an audacious project resembling something from an episode of the sci-fi series Black Mirror; they intend to make fully conscious copies of the dead in a bid to offer digital immortality. A number of Swedish scientists are researching how to produce digital copies of those who have already passed away. Dagen daily has reported they are also planning to set about... 

Scientists have created the first human-pig hybrid in a groundbreaking study that marks the first step in growing human organs inside animals. Named chimera, after the cross-species beast in Greek mythology, the pig-human embryos were created in the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California and are the first hybrid made using two large, distantly-related species. “The ultimate... 

A team of scientists has grown embryos inside a sheep that contain human stem cells, moving the sci-fi idea of developing human organs inside animals one step closer to reality, which has sparked ethical concerns. The scientific breakthrough could potentially save the lives of thousands of people who are in a dire need of vital organ transplants. While many patients die before they move up to the... 

Cells in the body continue to function for a period after death, new Spanish research claims, with some genes even becoming more active when an individual shuffles off this mortal coil. Scientists hope that this new discovery will help forensic scientists more accurately pinpoint the time of a person’s death. An international team examined 36 different types of tissue from 540 corpses to come to... 

Researchers have taken a new step toward tackling the ruthless disease claiming some eight million lives annually. Scientists came to the conclusion that changes in the immune system are a key factor that provokes cancer, along with genetic mutations. The prevention and treatment of cancer should be based on immune-related factors rather than only genetic ones, a research team from the University... 

Police in China have begun using sunglasses equipped with facial recognition technology in order to locate wanted suspects. The new tool, given to officers in Central China’s Henan Province, has reportedly led to the arrest of more than 30 people at the Zhengzhou East Railway Station since Thursday. According to China News Service, the country’s second largest state-owned news agency, seven kidnapping... 

In a historic first, the Army conducted a live fire exercise with a remote-controlled ground combat vehicle armed with a .50-caliber machine gun. It plans to conduct more exercises with more heavily armed ground robots within the next couple of years. The demonstration was part of the annual Northern Strike exercise, which took place last July and August at Michigan’s Camp Grayling. Primarily geared... 

The largest supercomputers in the world are inside of two companies… we’re pointing them at people’s brains, at children. Former Facebook and Google employees are speaking out against what they say are societal dangers posed by social media and smartphones. The group, which recently banded together to form the Center for Humane Technology, has teamed up with media watchdog Common Sense Media... 

An ancient 4,400-year-old tomb has been discovered outside Cairo, Egypt. The remarkable find was unveiled to the public on Saturday near the country’s famed pyramids of Giza. The tomb is said to be that of a high-ranking ancient Egyptian priestess known as Hetpet. Archaeologists believe that she was close to fifth dynasty (c. 2,500 BC) Egyptian royalty. Hetpet is thought to have been a priestess... 

The long and prosperous era of growing IQ results is now being challenged by dramatically declining results in Scandinavia. This trend may expand to engulf more countries, researchers warn. Contrary to the 20th century trend of nations performing better in tests measuring intelligence (IQ), the Scandinavian countries have been experiencing a continuous drop in IQ in the past decades. In the so-called... 

Ever since IQ tests were introduced in the 1930s, the intelligence curve has pointed upwards – as societies evolve, people become smarter. In recent years, though, IQ levels have begun to decline at an alarming rate. Swedish brain researcher Martin Ingvar, who has 35 years of experience in neuroscience, ascribed part of the blame for shrinking intellectual capacity to television and the overuse... 

The US government has reportedly opened up an investigation into tech giant Apple amid a torrent of lawsuits alleging the company used an iPhone update to intentionally slow down older models. According to Bloomberg News, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission have requested information from Apple as part of a probe into...