At a time when the US, including the Great Lakes region, is enduring one of the worst-ever droughts in history, a new scientific paper - chiefly authored by James Hansen from NASA - has asserted that the warming of the Earth is taking place at a much faster pace than what has been perceived thus far.

Data privacy authorities in Germany have recently reopened their investigations into the use of the `facial recognition' software by Facebook --- the software which helps the social network build up a database of its users' faces with the aim of making photo-tagging suggestions.

The reopening of the Facebook facial recognition inquiry by Germany is a consequence of the fact that the social network had failed to revise its policies even after repeated persuasion by the data protection authorities in the country.

The August 6 factory fire at the Richmond's massive Chevron facility, situated at a distance of 10 miles from San Francisco, has already led to a `21-cent per gallon' increase in Southland gasoline prices.

According to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the average price for one gallon of regular, unleaded gas in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area on August 13 was almost $4.10 --- marking an increase from the `$3.88 a gallon' average gas price a week back, and $3.70 one month earlier.

Gordon Gallup, who is a psychologist at the University at Albany-SUNY, has stated that morning sickness can be alleviated among women if they consume sperm from the male who impregnated them.

The theory by the psychologist states that a father's semen for a pregnant woman acts as a way to put an end to morning sickness while pregnancy.

An appeal to end removal of pubic hair has been launched by a doctor who feels that bikini waxing, laser hair removal and ‘vajazzling’or jewelled decoration of the genitals can lead to infections and should be avoided.

Emily Gibson, a family physician and head of a student health centre, is all for bringing the war on pubic hair to an end as there are increased risks of infection and of sexually transmitted diseases amongst young people.

She says, “The amount of time, energy, money and emotion both genders spend on abolishing hair from their genitals is astronomical.”

The recently unveiled ThinkPad Tablet 2 is not going to be Lenovo’s only Windows 8 tablet. The company is reportedly working on more Windows 8 products.

Citing people familiar with the situation, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that that Lenovo is working on a Windows RT-based convertible notebook computer that can turn into a tablet.

The report explained that the new device would feature a keyboard that could be flipped around to turn the device into a tablet.

Software giant Microsoft has confirmed that it would release a security update next week to patch vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer (IE), Exchange and SQL Server.

A total of nine updates will be released on 14th of August, five of which will be pegged "critical," while the remaining four will be labeled "important."

The security updates will patch at least fourteen vulnerabilities, including four in IE. It is going to be the third month in a row when the software giant will patch holes in its Web browser.

The U. S.'s four major cellular carriers, viz. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, have become members of the Mobile Payments Committee.

The Mobile Payments Committee, a group created by the Electronic Transactions Association to develop solutions to business and policy issues surrounding mobile payments, announced the involvement of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.

The committee will hold its first meeting before the end of August. Google, Wells Fargo, ISIS, PayPay, MasterCard, Verifone and Intuit will also participate in the committee.

Discovery made by scientists at Queen's University, Belfast, is stated to be very significant when it comes to treating cervical and throat cancers.

A tumour is surrounded by non-cancerous cells and it involves targeting these cells along with the tumour treating itself.

An important role is played by non-cancerous tissue surrounding cancers of the throat and cervix in regulation of cancer cells being spread, scientists stated.

There can be development of treatments that can avoid the tissue being invaded by cancer.

Google mobile platform android further extended its global dominance for accounting for four handsets for every iOS-based iPhone, according to figures released by research firm IDC.

IDC report, released on Wednesday, says that Samsung handsets helped Google's operating system extend its dominance in the smartphone market to a ratio of 4 to 1 in the second quarter from a ratio of 2.5 to 1 in the same period last year.