Science

Zika Virus in Babies Poses Ethical, Health Challenges for Society

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For years, the Zika virus was thought to be a mild virus. Yet with recent confirmation that the Zika virus is causing alarming numbers of birth defects and neurological problems in Central and South America, the pandemic has shaped up to be a major public health and ethical challenge. Zika is a flavivirus, a type of virus related to dengue, west nile virus, and yellow fever. Like its cousins, Zika spreads rapidly through a population. According to Prof. Laura Harrington, entomology, one of the major barriers to controlling the virus is that it is transmitted by “container-breeding mosquitoes”.

Science

Is the Robot Uprising Actually Going To Happen?

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Siri debuted in 2011 as one of the first intelligent personal assistants. Since then, personal assistants have become an integral part of the smartphone experience, providing a way to more efficiently interact with the hand-held device. They can perform simple tasks like taking notes and setting reminders. While this doesn’t seem like much in 2016, these features were ground-breaking a mere five years ago. Today, Facebook uses facial recognition that makes tagging friends easier, while Netflix and Spotify use learning algorithms to suggest your next favorite movie.