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Bing Wants to Stop You From Buying Harmful Counterfeit Medication

If you’re in need of prescription medication these days, you no longer have to wait in line at your local pharmacy.

Rather, you can be like the millions across the globe flocking to the internet to find cheap generic brand prescription pharmaceuticals.

But due to the increased proliferation of dangerous counterfeit medications on the internet, it isn’t always the safest idea to do so.

That is, until Bing decided to make our lives easier. In early August, the search engine announced that it would be warning users when they come across unsafe online pharmacies via their search engine.

America’s healthcare system is in a strange state these days. While lifespan has increased significantly, more and more individuals are being diagnosed with chronic, life-threatening illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Because of this, our country is heavily dependent on pharmaceuticals. In fact, almost 50% (48.5%) of Americans have used a minimum of one prescription medication in the past month.

Taking fake medication can be harmful to a person’s health in more ways than one. Not only could their condition could go untreated and get worse, but the fillers used in the counterfeit drugs could put users in serious harm.

It can often be difficult to tell whether drugs are counterfeit or not, particularly if they come in the form of a generic brand. This becomes doubly difficult when purchased on the internet.

But now, when users search for online pharmacies using Bing, the search engine will pre-emptively alert them that the website is illegitimate. According to Search Engine Journal, Bing makes its warnings based off of a list compiled by the FDA.

Search Engine Journal additionally reports that the warnings will function similarly to when a user visits a site containing malware.

While the warning will inevitably pop up, Bing will not definitively prevent the internet user from navigating the site. The choice is ultimately in their own hands.

Retirees Can Expect Big Healthcare Costs

Even with nearly 81% of retirees citing good health as the most important key to retirement, finding retirement health care is notoriously challenging. According to a recent report from TIME, certain states can promise lower costs than others, depending on circumstances like insurance. A recent analysis by HealthView Services details the differences in out-of-pocket health care costs after retirement from state to state.

The cheapest health care costs for retirees are in Hawaii, with the average patient expected to pay $2,818 after their first year of retirement, and a total of $112,528 over the following 20 years. That being said, Hawaii is also the most expensive state to live in. A close runner-up is Vermont, with first-year expenses totaling $3,074, for a 20-year total of $112,528.

In the most expensive retirement health care states, retirees can expect a different set of costs. In Michigan, first-year costs are around $3,707, with a total of $151,175 over the next 20 years. This creates a cost difference between Michigan and Vermont of around $28,000 in 20-year costs. The costs of retirement living in Michigan also exceeded the costs of more typical high-cost living states like New York and California.

According to a separate HealthView report, a healthy couple of 65 will have lifetime costs totaling $266,589 for Medicare parts B and D, along with supplemental coverage. Including other out-of-pocket costs typical to healthcare, the number grows to $394,954, which leaves three out of every four pre-retirees worried about their costs level. In order to cover 90% of costs, retirees will need at least $271,000 in savings.

Experts suggest the best thing you can do to prepare for retirement health care costs is monitor your health in the years before it. Make choices to keep your body and mind healthy, and you can reduce the inevitable healthcare bill that retirement brings with it.

Oil Prices At Record Low Due to New Oil Drilling

Oil prices in the U.S. have fallen to a new six-year low as of August 11th, reports the Wall Street Journal. This drop is likely due to a surge in gasoline stockpiling during the summer season. Over the past decade, global provided oil reserves have increased by 27%, or over 350 billion barrels. As summer is reaching an end, the demand for fuel starts to decrease, which is likely to result in a product surplus.

Crude oil fell 2.5%, or $1.07, below the low for this year’s average oil price. At $42.23 a barrel, oil prices dropped below the previous record set in March 3, 2009. Despite the falling prices, many U.S. oil companies refuse to cut back on their oil production.

Since early June, oil prices have fallen by more than 31%. Many analysts are speculating that the fall in prices is not going to end any time soon, and believe that the price could soon go below $40 a barrel.

“We are trading at levels not seen since the depths of the great recession,” says Stephen Schork, president of The Schork Group. “The overall trend in this market is very bearish.”

Other macroeconomic factors may have contributed to the recent drop of oil price. The strengthening of the U.S. dollar makes it more profitable for non-U.S. investors to sell crude oil. In addition, the demand for U.S. oil in China has been slowly decreasing, which has lead to an increase of local supply.

While many U.S. refineries have begun to slow production as the summer season draws to an end, other companies continue to add to stockpiles. Because of this, crude oil prices will continue to fall as demand goes down and supply goes up.

Researchers Create Composite That Converts Engine Heat to Electricity in Cars

Being able to harvest engine heat from cars and redirect it into charging batteries or powering supplementary systems is likely the best way to improve efficiency in next-generation hybrid cars, according to a team of scientists from the University of Manchester.

As Phys.org reported Aug. 4, about 70% of the energy that cars currently generate through fuel consumption is lost to heat. A thermoelectric material — one that can generate an electrical current from heat — would therefore allow cars to become much more efficient. Already, hybrid vehicles are much more efficient than gas-powered cars (which allows owners to recoup their investments, given that hybrid vehicles cost 15-20% more, on average).

Previously, most of the thermoelectric materials available were highly toxic and only worked at temperatures higher than those produced by cars. But the team’s new research has found that adding graphene to a composite material would allow cars to convert heat to usable electricity and reduce global carbon emissions from vehicles.

“Our findings show that … introducing a small amount of graphene to the base material can reduce the thermal operating window to room temperature, which offers a huge range of potential for applications,” lead researcher Ian Kinloch told Phys.org.

The composite still doesn’t allow for total heat capture, he said, but it’s a start. “The new material will convert 3-5% of the heat into electricity. That is not much but, given that the average vehicle loses roughly 70% of the energy supplied to it by its fuel to waste heat and friction, recovering even a small percentage of this with thermoelectric technology would be worthwhile,” he explained.

The team’s findings have been published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

Fuel efficiency is becoming increasingly important in hybrid and completely gas-powered cars alike, especially as the government has imposed new efficiency goals on the auto industry. By 2015, any manufacturers selling vehicles on the U.S. market will have to achieve an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon.

Interestingly enough, however, consumers don’t seem to be willing to pay more for higher-efficiency vehicles, according to recent comments from Forrest McConnell, last year’s president of the National Automobile Dealers Association.

But an executive for electric car maker Tesla says that’s a short-sighted view. Diarmuid O’Connell, vice president of business development, recently commented at an auto event in northern Michigan that automakers need to be focused on attaining even higher efficiency than the government is mandating.

“We’re living in a time of cheap gasoline, but this is probably an ephemeral event,” he cautioned.

Droughts Affecting Trees Ability To Absorb Harmful Gases

New research shows that trees that are affected by droughts take two to four years to recover, hindering their ability to absorb harmful carbon dioxide from the air. The data concludes that areas with frequent droughts will see higher amounts of harmful chemicals such as carbon dioxide in the surrounding atmosphere.

Until recently, scientists assumed trees and other plant life would be able to quickly recover after a drought. The new study, which was conducted by Northern Arizona University researchers, shows that these assumptions are incorrect. By examining tree ring data, the researchers found that many trees take a while to return to their normal growing pattern after a long drought.

Trees are the longest-living organisms on Earth. Each year, trees are responsible for absorbing about one quarter of the carbon dioxide that is emitted by humans. When a tree’s growth is stunted, it loses much of its ability to photosynthesize, limiting the tree’s ability to store the harmful gas.

“This really matters because future droughts are expected to increase in frequency and severity due to climate change,” says William Anderegg in a study by Princeton University. Anderegg goes on to say that the frequent droughts can make it impossible for trees to recover, greatly limiting their ability to absorb the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The study was done on trees in a semi-arid ecosystem, which is only one type of tree. More research is being planned for other species of trees, such as trees found in tropical areas. However, Anderegg predicts that droughts will also have lasting effects on these types of trees as well.

Scientists suggest that the effect that droughts have on tree recovery can reduce the amount of carbon storage capacity in certain ecosystems by over 1.6 metric gigatons over the next century. This information has not yet been factored into current climate model predictions, suggesting that global warming researchers may have underestimated the severity of climate change in the future.

A New Species Of Cockroach Might Be Heading For Florida

Environmental scientist Marc Minno was looking through some paperwork at his office in Live Oak, Florida, when a small bug fell out of a folder he was holding. Upon further examination of the bug, Minno discovered it was actually a cockroach. However, this bug was not the typical solid brown color of Florida’s native cockroach species.

The cockroach Minno discovered had black wings with hints of yellow around the edges, and an orange-red body. Having never seen this type of cockroach in Southern Florida, Minno did some research on the bug and found it to be a pale-bordered field cockroach, originally found in Central America, Texas, and the Caribbean.

In his research, Minno found that the species was relatively new to Florida, and the United States as a whole. Many new species find their way to Florida every year, such as the Burmese python or the Argentine tegu lizards. Yet some of the species that arrive on Florida’s shores are categorized as invasive, and can threaten the local ecosystem by attacking the native species.

After his initial research, Minno donated the roach to the Florida State Collection of Arthropods, where extensive research will be done to find out more about the species. While there is no current indication that the bug will be harmful to Florida’s ecosystem, cockroaches are known to spread nearly 33 different kinds of germs. Currently, there is not much known about this species, its behaviors, or what it eats.

Minno believes that more of these roaches will begin to appear in Florida due to changes in the climate, which have caused other species such as butterflies to alter their migration patterns. He believes that the appearance of the pale-bordered field cockroach is due to similar reasons, and will continue as climate change continues to push their migration patterns to the North.

Better Business Bureau Issues Scam Warning

Although many companies use sweepstakes promotions as cost-effective advertising strategies, many out there are dubious of such contests, and for good reason, too. They’re pretty popular. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Report, there were over 100,000 complaints against lottery and sweepstakes scams in 2014. More recently, the Better Business Bureau has issued an alert warning of a Mega Millions scam that’s going around.

This latest con is a twist on a classic lottery scam. The premise is that a real life Mega Millions winner is just giving away some of his fortune, when in actually, it’s a scammer who’s going after victims’ hard earned money.

It works simply. The con artist sends out emails that look like they’ve come from Harold Diamond, a retired principal who this past winter won the largest Mega Millions jackpot in New York lottery history. According to the missive, “Diamond” is giving away some of his fortune to five randomly selected winners, and the victim is one of those lucky few who’ve been chosen to receive $1 million.

Here’s the catch. To collect the money, the victim emails the “lawyer” of “Diamond,” and mentions a verification code number, which is to prove that the victim is the official recipient. The lawyer will then ask that the recipient to pay taxes and/or other fees in order to receive the money, which will obviously never come.

The con is a classic scam that draws on current events. The fact that there’s a real live lottery winner named Harold Diamond adds credibility to the premise, making the scam more effective.

In order to avoid becoming a victim of such a ploy, the BBB advises that people look for certain clues. If it asks for money, it’s a scam. No one should ever have to pay to participate in a sweepstakes. If it’s a contest that wasn’t ever entered, it’s a scam. There’s no way to a sweepstakes without entering. If it’s a foreign lottery, it’s a scam. The only legal lotteries in the United States are the official state-run lotteries.

Girl Suffering From ‘Werewolf Syndrome’ Can’t Afford Treatment

Women care a lot about hair. One recent survey even that 44% of women find it troublesome when men’s eyebrows, nose hair, or ear hair is left untouched, 71% prefer men to trim their back hair, and 53% think that men should trim their chest.

Fortunately for them, women don’t have to worry about so much body hair removal, unless of course they suffer from a disease called Hypertrichosis, as eight-year-old Xiao Ling does.

Hypertrichosis, also known as Ambras syndrome or Werewolf syndrome, causes Xiao to grow an abnormal, excessive amount of hair all over her body, including her face. Because of the condition, from which she’s suffered since birth, Xiao is often teased. She doesn’t swim, or even wear shorts or dresses, for fear of the negative reactions she’ll get.

Now, she’s asking for help from charities so that she can pay for a laser treatment to cure her condition.

Hypertrichosis is so rare that there are only 34 recorded cases. It isn’t typically an illness in and of itself, but is rather a response to a more serious medical problem. The underlying cause is a genetic mutation in which cells that normally switch off hair growth in unusual areas — such as the forehead and eyelids — allow hair to grow.

However, doctors aren’t entirely sure what’s wrong in Xiao’s case.

Although there’s no actual cure for the condition, the abnormal hair caused by hypertrichosis can be removed through such treatments as bleaching, trimming, shaving, plucking, waxing, chemical treatments, or electrosurgical epilation.

Laser hair removal treatments are considered the most effective way to get rid of the abnormal hair. These treatments, however, are exorbitantly expensive — and Xiao’s family just doesn’t have the money.

The Internet is Making You Sad, Phone a Friend Instead

If you ask a member of generation Generation Z what it means to make a meaningful personal connection, many will tell you that these kinds of connections are made predominantly online. Over the past decade or so, our relationship with technology has changed drastically. With the advent of smartphones, users can simply log on and connect with other users from anywhere from down the street to across the globe. Using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, teens feel they are able to make meaningful connections with their peers, and form bonds through these digital avenues.

But are these connections truly “meaningful,” or are they doing more harm than good?

According to a recent study conducted by Ottawa Public Health, teenagers who spend more than two hours per day on the internet are more likely to experience psychological threats and suicidal thoughts, and more frequently struggle from mental health issues.

Within the United States alone, over $100 billion is spent annually on medical costs associated with mental health.

According to Huffington Post, Ottawa researchers feel that while the study necessarily doesn’t provide causation, it showed that the correlation ran both ways. Namely, teens who struggle with mental illness are more likely to spend more time online, and when individuals spend time online, their excessive use of social media leads them to feel alone, heightening feelings of poor mental health.

What many of these teens really need, researchers say, is face-to-face interactions and support from health care providers, family, and friends.

In fact, a recent study conducted at the University of Rochester suggests that people with a great deal of friendships and social activity at age 20 and 30 were more likely to have positive mental health in their 50s, as compared to individuals who didn’t cultivate friendships.

In the study, 100 University of Rochester students were tracked for over 30 years, during which the participants answered questions about social life, work life, relationships, and general interactions.

The study suggests that meaningful personal relationships and a healthy social life contributes to positive mental health.

While teens may use social media to connect with others, their search for companionship may lead to further feelings of isolation and sadness.

Perhaps it’s time to turn off the screens and look to our friends and family for emotional support.

This $32 Device Can Open Virtually Any Garage Door

Many of us rely on the convenience of wireless garage door openers and car remote controls almost every day. There’s no better feeling than being able to open your car or garage from several feet away with the simple press of a button.

However, these same wireless controls may be giving hackers and burglars an easy way into our homes and cars.

Samy Kamkar, the security researcher who in June discovered a way to hack into garage door openers with a children’s toy, recently built a $32 device capable of intercepting and stealing the wireless codes responsible for opening keyless garages and car doors.

According to an August 10 Gizmodo article, Kamkar’s RollJam device works not through code-cracking or decryption, but through deception.

When placed in the vicinity of the targeted home or car, the RollJam — a tiny, easily-hidden gadget — mysteriously prevents the victim from unlocking the garage or car door on the first attempt. On the second try, the victim is able to successfully unlock the garage or car door, but only because the RollJam is sending the code it captured to the door. Once the device has this code, the RollJam can open that door at any time in the future.

Because the RollJam can be left running for days, hackers would be able to steal the security codes of our car and garage doors with stunning convenience and ease. The ease with which hackers can gain entrance to garages is troubling, especially when about 82% of homes in the U.S. have a two-car garage or larger — and nearly everyone these days drives a car with a remote-controlled lock system.

Kamkar said that his device can break into “Nissan, Cadillac, Ford, Toyota, Lotus, Volkswagen, and Chrysler vehicles, as well as Cobra and Viper alarm systems and Genie and Liftmaster garage door openers,” and that he “estimates that millions of vehicles and garage doors may be vulnerable.”

To make cars and garage doors more secure, Kamkar explained, manufacturers will need to develop car door and garage door openers whose codes time out after a short period of time. The security of our homes and vehicles depends on it, he said.