Year: 2015

Could the Sun be your lucky — or unlucky — star? The team overlaid demographic data of Norwegians born between 1676 and 1878 with observations of the Sun. The lifespan of those born in periods of solar maximum — interludes marked by powerful flares and geomagnetic storms — was "5.2 years shorter" on average than those born during a solar minimum, they found. "Solar activity at birth decreased the probability of survival to adulthood," thus truncating average lifespan, according to the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CPF, Thailand’s largest meat and animal feed producer, said on Wednesday its customers placed orders as normal and the company was unaffected by food safety concerns related to McDonald’s Japan. CPF, Thailand’s largest chicken exporter, is not a supplier to McDonald’s Japan and the company’s products, production lines and supply chain are in line with international standards, its senior vice president, Prasit Chalongchaicharn, told Reuters. …
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed new rules that could force an explosive battle over Social Security's finances on the eve of the 2016 presidential election.

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On a dusty stretch of Nevada desert, a quadcopter drone kicks up a small cloud as it takes off. The AirDog drone was designed to capture the intensity of extreme sports that have been difficult to access — surfing, skiing, off-road biking and similar activities. "We felt we could change the way video is captured in action sports," said Agris Kipurs, co-founder or AirDog, created by a group of Latvian engineers and now based in California, which is starting beta-testing on its products later this year. AirDog, one of dozens of drones being shown at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week in Las Vegas, is aiming for "an unassisted experience, so all you need is the tracking device on your wrist," Kipurs told AFP during a demonstration in the desert outside Las Vegas.

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