Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

Amazon-owned Ring announced on Wednesday that it’s introducing a new AI-powered feature to its doorbells and cameras, which offers users specific text descriptions of current motion activity. Now, when users receive real-time notifications about happenings at their property, the updates will be more descriptive. For instance, “A person is walking up the steps with a black dog,” or “Two individuals are looking into a white car parked in the driveway.” The feature aims to improve upon the vague notifications that were previously available. Now, users will be able to know exactly what is happening and can quickly decide whether it…

Mitochondria have primarily been known as the energy-producing components of cells. But scientists are increasingly discovering that these small organelles do much more than just power cells. They are also involved in immune functions such as controlling inflammation, regulating cell death and responding to infections.Research from my colleagues and I revealed that mitochondria play another key role in your immune response: sensing bacterial activity and helping neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, trap and kill them.For the past 16 years, my research has focused on understanding the decisions immune cells make during infection and how the breakdown of these…

Programs delivering fluoride varnish in schools significantly reduce cavities in children. That is a key finding of our recently published study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.Fluoride varnish is a liquid that is applied to the teeth by a trained provider to reduce cavities. It does not require special dental devices and can be applied quickly in various settings.Our research team found that school fluoride varnish programs, implemented primarily in communities with lower incomes and high cavity risk among children, achieve meaningful rates of student participation and reduced new cavities by 32% in permanent teeth and by 25% in…

Synthflow, a startup that has built AI voice agents that can hold “natural-sounding” phone conversations with customers, has raised $20 million in funding.The Berlin-based startup’s platform lets enterprise customers create and deploy AI voice agents without coding expertise. Companies can customize those agents to handle simple inquiries, customer support, and follow-up with actions like appointment scheduling.”You can think of Synthflow as a voice AI platform on a no-code basis that allows businesses to very easily and quickly build and deploy voice AI agents,” Hakob Astabatsyan, cofounder of Synthflow, told Business Insider.Astabatsyan said his startup’s tech can replace traditional automated call…

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio signaled on Wednesday that it will swiftly appeal a court ruling declaring the state’s private school voucher system unconstitutional, a decision celebrated by public school advocates and condemned by a prominent Christian education organization.Republican Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement that he is confident the state will ultimately win. He assured Ohio families that the judge’s order allows the program to remain operational as the lawsuit is argued, “so parents don’t have to panic or worry about other options while the court process plays out.”Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jaiza Page granted summary…

The Indiana Fever waived DeWanna Bonner on Wednesday, giving the 16-year veteran her unconditional release.Bonner had been away from the team since June 12, missing five games for personal reasons. She averaged 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds a game for the Fever since coming to the franchise as a free agent in February.“I want to sincerely thank the Indiana Fever for the opportunity to be part of the Fever franchise,” Bonner said in a news release. “Despite our shared goals and excitement heading into the season, I felt the fit did not work out and I appreciate the organization’s willingness…

Good morning. An American moved to France expecting the workplace dynamics to resemble those back home — they were wrong. For one, they had grown used to friendly yet professional office interactions with clear boundaries. Paris was different, they said. Workplace relationships felt far more personal.In today’s big story, Tesla’s long-awaited robotaxis were rolled out in Austin.What’s on deckMarkets: From interviewing past midnight to scrambling to sign an offer, a PE professional shared his stressful on-cycle recruitment experience.Tech: Apple pulled another ad. What’s going on?Business: Homebuyers can’t afford to ignore the fight between Zillow and Compass anymore.But first, there’s a…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has found that the California Department of Education and the state’s high school sports federation violated civil rights law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams.The federal Education Department announced the finding Wednesday and proposed a resolution that would require California to bar transgender women from women’s sports and strip transgender athletes of records, titles and awards. It’s the latest escalation in the Republican administration’s effort to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports teams nationwide.If California rejects the proposal, the Education Department could move to terminate the state’s federal education funding.“The…

NEW YORK (AP) — Cooper Flagg lived up to every expectation during one season at Duke and has the potential for NBA superstardom.That’s why Mavericks fans can’t wait to get him to Dallas.The Mavericks are expected to take Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the draft on Wednesday night, quickly adding another franchise-altering player after trading one away last season.The Mavericks fell into the lottery after dealing Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, though they had only a 1.8% chance of winning it. When they did, it gave them the opportunity to add an 18-year-old who…

By Chad TerhuneLOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Nearly two-thirds of patients who started on weight-loss drugs Wegovy or Zepbound last year were still taking them a year later, according to an analysis of U.S. pharmacy claims.That level of persistence is higher than what prior analyses have shown, suggesting that more patients might be staying on the popular GLP-1 drugs for obesity as product shortages ease, insurance coverage expands and doctors manage side effects better, health experts say.Sixty-three percent of patients starting on Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy or Eli Lilly’s Zepbound during the first quarter of 2024 were still taking them 12 months later.…