Google recently updated its Results About You tool, which allows you to see what personal info of yours is out there on the internet — and many users have been surprised to know just how many of their personal details are publicly available online. Best case scenario, this can lead to loads of annoying junk mail, but worst case, you’re at risk of identity theft. Reada guide to “deleting yourself” from the internet, courtesy of Wall Street Journal personal tech columnist Nicole Nguyen.
Say Cheese! A “Smiley Face” Will Brighten the Sky Tomorrow
Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty Images
The Earth may laugh in flowers (as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said), but the sky smiles in celestial bodies — or at least it will tomorrow. About an hour before sunrise Friday, Venus, Saturn, and the moon will align duringa rare triple conjunction that will look like a smiley face for earthlings. Venus and Saturn will be the two “eyes,” and the crescent moon will look like a big ol’ grin,NASA Solar System Ambassador Brenda Culbertson told Kansas TV station KSNT. She added that the sweet display will bevisible to the naked eye, but it’s not a bad idea to grab a pair of binoculars to get a clearer view. As with many celestial spectacles, time and place are everything: “Anyone wanting to try for a glimpse of the conjunction should find a clear eastern horizon from which to observe,” said Culbertson. And make sure you set an alarm!
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Health
Researchers Created a Sticker That Has the Power to Read Emotions
Courtesy Yangbo Yuan / Penn State
The sticker above may look like a Band-Aid of sorts, but it’s actually a poker player’s worst nightmare. The small and stretchy device can determine the emotional responses of the wearer — e.g. are they stressed, excited, calm? — per a study published last month. While this may sound like a mythical superpower, the science is actually somewhat straightforward. In the study, researchers at Penn State University explained that each sticker uses sensors to detect physiological responses in real-time, like skin temperature, perspiration, and heart rate. The data is then digitized and analyzed by an AI model to identify the emotional response, which it did accurately 89% of the time in testing, according to Popular Science. Beyond being fascinating (and perhaps a little eerie), the team said the invention could potentially be useful for doctors who are trying to gain a better understanding of patients’ mental states, particularly those who don’t express their emotions as outwardly. “This technology has the potential to help people who are struggling with their mental health, but maybe aren’t being fully honest with others or even themselves about how much they are struggling,” paper co-author Yangbo Yuan said in a statement. The researchers added that while the sticker is still in an early phase of development, it could also be helpful in recognizing the emotions of nonverbal patients and, ideally, detecting mental health issues that may otherwise go overlooked.
Environment
How Single-Stream Recycling Works — Your Choices Can Make It Better
Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images
This article was written by Alex Jordan, an associate professor of plastics engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, for The Conversation. Every week, millions of Americans toss their recyclables into a single bin, trusting that their plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and cardboard boxes will be given a new life. But what really happens after the truck picks them up? Single-stream recycling makes participating in recycling easy, but behind the scenes, complex sorting systems and contamination mean a large percentage of that material never gets a second life. Reports in recent years have found 15% to 25% of all the materials picked up from recycle bins ends up in landfills instead. Plastics are among the biggest challenges. Only about 9% of the plastic generated in the U.S. actually gets recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Some plastic is incinerated to produce energy, but most of the rest ends up in landfills instead. So, what makes plastic recycling so difficult? As an engineer whose work focuses on reprocessing plastics, I have been exploring potential solutions: Read about how the system functions and how you can help improve it.
In Other News
Mars jackpot: NASA’s Perseverance rover found a trove of rocks that give a glimpse into the planet’s past (read more)
New York City collected a record-breaking amount of compost in the second week of its new recycling mandate (read more)
A recent study found immunotherapy is just as effective whether a cancer patient is an older or young adult (read more)
In an abnormally warm lagoon, “super corals” are offering a glimmer of hope in the climate change era (read more)
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere! For the first time, wild chimps were filmed sharing boozy fruit (read more)
Inspiring Story
Soccer for social change
In Sierra Leone, some women are using their time in prison to get a fresh start through the game of soccer. Through a first-ever coaching course, inmates — many of whom are there because of poverty or petty crimes — can earn a badge that allows them to coach the sport at a grassroots level upon release. “Football is so much more than just 90 minutes on the pitch,” said Isha Johansen, the former president of the Sierra Leone Football Association, who pioneered the project. “This is an example of that.”
Photo of the Day
John Lamparski/Getty Images
The Radio City Rockettes began holding their annual auditions in New York on Tuesday — but this isn’t any ordinary year for the iconic dance troupe; it’s the 100th anniversary. Originally known as the Missouri Rockets, the Rockettes were founded in St. Louis in 1925. They perform the “Christmas Spectacular” each holiday season at Radio City Music Hall, and the 2025 shows are shaping up to be extra special. “I can’t give it away, but I hope to make it even more spectacular than ever,” resident choreographer and director Julie Branam told CBS News. Go inside the auditions.
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