A drop of blood reveals every disease you’ve ever had
This stock image is just for illustration, you do not need this much blood to take the new test.
Every disease that you’ve ever encountered is cataloged within your DNA, and now a team from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute has worked out how to access that data. It’s part of a project called VirScan that, it’s hoped, will revolutionize medical testing and help Doctors catch illnesses long before they manifest. Even better, is that it’s not even an expensive procedure, with each test slated to cost just $25 — well, at least before your hospital slaps on their own fee on top.
The project has been led by Stephen Elledge, who says that Doctors normally treat viral infestions with a trial-and-error system of testing based on symptoms. By comparison, VirScan can just examine every nasty thing your body has come into contact with and center in on what’s causing the trouble. The technique could become critical in finding and solving conditions with a very long incubation time, like HIV and hepatitis C. As part of the research, the team also discovered that most people’s bodies deal with infections in a similar way, and that the system could help develop vaccines for previously un-treated conditions.
Elledge also believes that the technology is going to help researchers investigate if there’s a link between viral infections and non-viral conditions like diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The good news doesn’t stop there, either, since it could also make medical research across borders significantly easier. With a VirScan device, scientists could easily compare and contrast the infection rates for various diseases across the globe.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/129243711?color=456d86&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0
[Image Credit: Getty]
Filed under: Science
Via: Washington Post
Star Wars: Uprising game coming to Android devices soon
Kabam RPG Studio has teamed up with Lucas Films and the Walt Disney Company to create “Star Wars: Uprising,” an upcoming game on mobile devices.
The game will “introduce a new chapter of the Star Wars™ universe that will illuminate dramatic events in the Anoat Sector, inclusive of Hoth and Cloud City, following the Battle of Endor and the death of the Emperor,” according to a release.
The RPG will immerse players in the Star Wars universe during a unique time following the fall of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.
Although there is no set date for the app’s official release, users can pre-register to receive a beta rollout in the coming weeks.
Hit the break for the full presser and the app’s promotional video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kabam, in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and Lucasfilm Ltd., today announced the development of Star Wars™: Uprising, the first mobile game to take place after Star Wars™: Episode VI Return of the Jedi™ and before Star Wars™: The Force Awakens™. Developed by the industry-leading team at Kabam RPG Studio in San Francisco under the direction of Senior Vice President Aaron Loeb, StarWars™: Uprising will allow players to create their own unique character, go on missions, and build their gear and skills, while amassing a powerful crew and cartel to join in large-scale sector-wide battles that dictate the future of the game universe. Players will also be able to engage in real-time co-op with friends against the Empire.
Star Wars™: Uprising will introduce a new chapter of the Star Wars™ universe that will illuminate dramatic events in the Anoat Sector, inclusive of Hoth and Cloud City, following the Battle of Endor and the death of the Emperor. Players will learn hundreds of abilities and collect iconic Star Wars gear to create their own takes on the next generation of heroes: Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Rebel Guerilla, Diplomat, Gambler or something completely unique.
“Star Wars™: Uprising is a deep role playing game (RPG) experience that will immerse players in the Star Wars universe during a unique time following the fall of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine,” said Loeb. “The Kabam RPG Studio has taken its collective experience and passion for role playing games to focus on creating a unique and immersive gameplay experience for Star Wars fans and RPG gamers around the world.”
The Star Wars™: Uprising official website is now live at http://playstarwarsuprising.com, where the game’s first trailer is now posted. By pre-registering, Star Wars fans can help shape the future of the in-game universe and win exclusive prizes such as a storm trooper helmet by voting for in-game content. Star Wars: Uprising will begin a beta roll out in select territories in the upcoming weeks.
The creative power behind the game comes from Kabam RPG Studio in San Francisco, which is made up of the top art, design and storytelling talent from the RPG world, and technical masters from across the video game industry. The team is dedicated to bringing the best RPG experiences to mobile and includes Daniel Erickson, former creative director of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ and Danny Keller, Emmy award nominee for Star Wars™: The Clone Wars™. The studio’s most recent game, Spirit Lords, received the highly coveted Editors’ Choice Award on the App Store.
STAR WARS © & ™ Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.
ABOUT KABAM
Kabam, Inc. (“Kabam”) creates, develops, and publishes games that are available on mobile devices via its own dedicated channel in the Apple App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon Appstore. Valued at more than $1 billion, Kabam is the 6th fastest growing company overall in North America, according to Deloitte LLP. The company has been profitable since 2012. Kabam’s Kingdoms of Camelot franchise has grossed more than $250 million, making it one of the top 10 strategy franchises of all time. Kabam has also created four titles that have grossed more than $100 million each in their life. In 2014, Kabam had three titles rank in the Top 50 Grossing apps on the App Store. Kabam has more than 825 employees around the world, with corporate headquarters in San Francisco. The company’s investors include Alibaba, Canaan Partners, Google, MGM, Intel, Pinnacle Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Warner Brothers and others. More information about Kabam can be found at www.kabam.com.
Source: BusinessWire
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Two unnanounced Lenovo smartphones pass through TENAA
Earlier today, not one, but two unannounced Lenovo devices passed through China’s official certification database — TENAA. Both handsets are expected to be low-end, budget-friendly smartphones targeted at the Asian market.
First up is the A5600, which pretty much looks like a second-generation model of the A5500. Details included in the filing point towards the handset having 4G (TDD-LTE & FDD-LTE) and dual-SIM compatibilities on board. The image above also suggests that the device will have capacitive keys.
Next we’re looking at the Lenovo PB1-770N, which also supports TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE 4G network’s, in addition to CDMA. Judging by the picture included in the documentation, this unit appears to be a phablet with a 6.2-inch display.
To view the full certification document over on TENAA’s website, hit the source link below.
Source: TENAA
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Facebook Messenger gets a new way to share locations
Facebook Messenger is set to receive an update where you can share a location to contacts. You will also be able to share locations where you want to meet, say, a coffee house or Best Buy.
While this feature will be new to Messenger, users have been able to see locations for awhile now. Simply tapping on a sent message will show you where it was sent from. However, Facebook says this new location feature will be replacing its old location service, allowing you to be a bit more judicious on sharing your location.
With this update, you have full control over when and how you share your location information. You only send a location when you tap on the location pin and then choose to send it as a separate message. You can also share a location—like a meeting spot—even if you’re not there.
Facebook said that nothing is changing in app permissions or when its gathering your location. “Messenger does not get location information from your device in the background — only each time you select a location and tap Send when you use the Messenger app,” it said in a blog post.
Read more: Facebook considers B2C advertisement via WhatsApp
In other words, the only thing that is changing is the method of how you share your location with others, along with a way to share a meeting point. And if you’re not a fan of sharing your location with Facebook, there’s always the option of turning it off.
In reality, only a select few people will use this feature. It’s hard to imagine it being widely used or even conventionally useful.
source: Facebook
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The LG G4 will start shipping in Canada on Friday, June 19
LG has just announced that it will launch its flagship smartphone of 2015, the G4, in Canada on Friday, June 19. The handset will be available to purchase from Bell, Rogers, TELUS, Videotron, and WIND Mobile for $199.99 on-contract or $699.99 outright.
As for the specifications, the G4 packs a 5.5-inch Full HD display, a Snapdragon 808 chipset powered by four 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU’s, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter an a 3,000 mAh battery.
Out of its box, LG’s newest offering will run the latest build of Android 5.1 Lollipop skinned with the South Korean company’s brand new “UX 4.0″ custom user interface, which brings a very neat, flat and simple design to the handset.
The full press release can be seen below:
Canadians can get their hands on the much anticipated LG G4 smartphone beginning June 19th. Since its global introduction, the LG G4 has been widely praised for its exceptional camera, vivid and expansive display, and willingness to set new rules defining what a premium mobile device can deliver.
“With a breath-taking camera and unique leather-back design, the LG G4 is our most ambitious smartphone yet. It represents an industry game-changer, re-imagining what is possible in smartphone photography, display and design,” said Ross Snow, Vice-President, Mobile Communications, LG Electronics Canada. “LG Canada is thrilled to join with our carrier partners — Bell, Rogers, TELUS, Videotron and WIND Mobile —to bring this stunning smartphone to the Canadian market.”
Highlights of the LG G4 include:
Handcrafted, genuine full grain leather back cover in addition to a metallic grey cover inspired by artisan design included with purchase (see LG’s leather craft at work at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_QWdvNvLLQ)
First flagship smartphone available for sale in Canada with a F1.8 aperture rear lens and 16MP resolution supported by Colour Spectrum Sensor (CSS) and a new Manual Mode (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5fqV7j0Cmk)
Front 8MP camera and Gesture Interval Shot for perfect selfies every time which can then be saved to the removable microSD card*
Vivid IPS Quantum Display which offers 20 per cent greater colour reproduction, 25 per cent improvement in brightness and 50 per cent greater contrast**
First smartphone to utilize Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon™ 808 Processor with X10 LTE for the best balance of performance and power savings
High-capacity 3,000mAh removable battery
Slim Arc exterior design for a more comfortable grip and greater durability if dropped
Pricing will be determined by carriers. For more information please visit: LGG4.ca
*Sold separately
**Compared to the LG G3
Come comment on this article: The LG G4 will start shipping in Canada on Friday, June 19
Facebook Lite for emerging markets now official, begins rolling out
Facebook’s solution for mobile users in emerging markets, “Facebook Lite,” is now rolling out in select regions.
The app is designed to work efficiently on slow networks with minimal bandwidth capacity. The download is only a 1MB file, so you could imagine there are quick install and load times. Features in the app include core Facebook functions, including status updates, News Feed, photos, notifications, etc.
Asia’s first on the list to receive the app — next up is Latin America, Africa and Europe.
Source: Facebook Newsroom
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Skype for Web beta is now open to all in the US and UK
If you’re a Skype user in the US or UK, you may want to listen up as Microsoft has just kicked off the public beta for the online client of its extremely popular video and voice calling platform.
The service is entitled Skype for Web and permits users to place calls through a web browser, thereby removing the need to download and install a standalone application on their computer.
Unfortunately, there’s no word on an official release date for the full product just yet, but seeing as Microsoft has opened the beta to the public, we presume it’s not far off.
If you’d like to get in on the beta testing action, simply head over to web.skype.com and log into your account to get started. For additional information, hit the source link below.
Source: Skype
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Sony SmartBand 2 SWR12 companion app quickly pulled from Play Store
The SmartBand 2 SWR12 could become available soon, as the companion application for it is was put on the Google Play Store, and as expected, quickly pulled shortly after.
While the new SmartBand is only rumored to have a heart rate sensor with it, the preview pictures of the companion app confirm that one will come along with the new wearable. Further confirmation comes in the form of app screenshots, one saying that the “SmartBand measures your pulse at even rate throughout the day,” right below a BPM monitor.
Interestingly, it seems like the new SmartBand won’t be very compatible with other smartphones but Sony’s Xperia line. The app touts that “functionality may not be optimal when using SmartBand 2 with other smartphones.” In other words, it may work on other smartphones, but performance might be less than optimal. But, when there’s even a question of that, you begin to question the accuracy of statistics displayed. So, it might not even be worth trying on other devices.
The app pushed to the Google Play Store showed version version 1.0.129.
There’s no telling if the SmartBand 2 SWR12 will launch soon or not. This could have been just a minor hiccup, considering that it was promptly pulled from the Play Store. Hopefully we’ll hear some official news on the wearable soon.
source: Xperia Blog
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Facebook Messenger now only shares your location when told to
Today, Facebook Messenger is receiving an update which changes the way that the app handles location sharing. After a few months in the works, Facebook has decided to disable location sharing by default, instead allowing users to explicitly send a map of their location or another particular place as a separate message.
Previously, Facebook Messenger location settings would automatically grab location data every time a user sent a message and share it with their friends list. This update aims to give users more control over when and what location data is shared amongst friends.
To try out the feature, make sure that location data is enabled and then click the More icon or location pin at the bottom of your screen from within the app. From there users can pick nearby locations by dragging the map around or users can send a map with their current location. There’s also the option to search for and share nearby businesses, if you’re planning to meet up for example.
According to TechCrunch, this change to the handling of location information could be just the first in a number of changes heading to Facebook’s service. The company appears keen to tie other location and commerce services into its Messenger app, drawing inspiration from successful Asian messaging services. Although no details about any potential future features were given.
In an effort to be more transparent about its services, Facebook also points out that its Messenger app does not collect any location information unless you specifically enable location services from within the app. Secondly, that the app does not collect any location information when the process is running in the background.
What do you think about Facebook Messenger’s changes to location sharing?
‘Final Fantasty Tactics: The War of the Lions’ arrives on Android
Two years after landing on iOS, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions has now arrived on Android. For those unfamiliar, FFT: War of the Lions is a enhanced remake of the 1887 Playstation title, Final Fantasy Tactics, and originally debuted on the PSP in 2007.
Final Fantasy Tactics isn’t your typical FF RPG, with a focus on strategy and tactics over the traditional elements of a turn-based Japanese RPG. This new Android port features multi-touch controls that are easy to use, but otherwise is about the same as the version originally release in 2007.
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Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions is available now from the Play Store for a price of $13.99. While that’s considerably higher than many of the games found on the Play store, Square has a reputation for quality and so the price is probably worth it if you are a fan of their games and tactical RPGs in general. Just about any device with Android 4.0 or higher should play nicely with the game, though newer devices (2013 or newer) will obviously have a more optimal experience.
Anyone try this one out yet? What do you think so far?
AIVAnet 