U.S.

Settlement Reached In Case Against Pyschologists Who Designed CIA Torture Program

6:06pm August 17, 2017

by David Welna

The ACLU represented the three men who were seeking damages after being subjected to torture. This is first time damages will presumably be paid to people interrogated in the CIA program.

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During the day on Aug. 21, large swaths of farmland will be plunged into darkness, and temperatures will drop about 10 degrees. Scientists are waiting to see how crops and animals react.

Will The Eclipse Make Crops And Animals Flip Out? Scientists Ask (Really)

6:01pm August 17, 2017

by Kristofor Husted

During the day on Aug. 21, large swaths of farmland will be plunged into darkness, and temperatures will drop about 10 degrees. And scientists are waiting to see what happens on the ground.

Killer whale Kasatka swims with a calf in 2004 at SeaWorld in San Diego.

National

SeaWorld Euthanizes Matriarch Killer Whale Who Had Respiratory Disease

5:29pm August 17, 2017

by Greg Allen

Kasatka, believed to be 42 years old, had four calves, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Orcas typically live to at least 50 in the wild.

Watching the eclipse? Save your eyeballs — rig up a sweet viewing set-up with some help from this video.

Make Your Own Eclipse Viewer

4:38pm August 17, 2017

No eclipse glasses? No problem. Make your own solar viewer; (almost) no tools required.

National

Silicon Valley Fights Back Against Extremism Online

4:36pm August 17, 2017

by Aarti Shahani

Companies are waging a broad attack against white supremacist groups, cutting off their ability to raise money, post content or register their sites online. These moves are not unprecedented, but this muscle flexing raises a lot of questions — not just about free speech, but also about due process and who controls the Internet.

Mathematicians Could Help In Gerrymandering Legal Cases

4:36pm August 17, 2017

by Ari Daniel

Legal fights over racial and partisan gerrymandering are intensifying and mathematicians think they can help. Specialists in geometry are training to become expert witnesses in redistricting cases around the country.

People in the U.S. who want to keep their activity hidden are turning to virtual private networks — but VPNs are often insecure.

National

Turning To VPNs For Online Privacy? You Might Be Putting Your Data At Risk

4:36pm August 17, 2017

by Lauren Silverman

With Internet providers able to track and sell your browsing data, people who want to keep their activity hidden are turning to virtual private networks. But VPNs can themselves be insecure.

Kyle Quinn, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Arkansas, was wrongly identified on social media as a participant in a white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va.

Kyle Quinn Hid At A Friend's House After Being Misidentified On Twitter As A Racist

4:36pm August 17, 2017

by Laura Sydell

A University of Arkansas professor falsely identified as a participant in a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville says the online reaction was frightening and felt like being chased by a mob.

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James Mitchell (left) and Bruce Jessen have settled a lawsuit brought by former detainees who were held in secret CIA prisons.

National

Psychologists Behind CIA 'Enhanced Interrogation' Program Settle Detainees' Lawsuit

4:16pm August 17, 2017

by Bill Chappell

Psychologists Bruce Jessen and James Mitchell devised a list of brutal methods, including waterboarding, that were meant to condition detainees into a state of helplessness.

Getting More High-Achieving, Low-Income Students On Campus

High-Achieving, Low-Income Students: Where Elite Colleges Are Falling Short

3:31pm August 17, 2017

by Elissa Nadworny

Top students from low-income families make up just 3 percent of enrollment on elite campuses, and a new report says there are lots of things higher ed can do to fix that.