Culture

A senior US administration official stated that the United States halted a bomb shipment to Israel last week out of concern that Israel might advance with a significant ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The shipment included 1,700 500-pound explosives and 1,800 2,000-pound bombs (907 kilograms), according to the official.

It appears that as our understanding of the universe expands, the probability of encountering an intelligent extraterrestrial being diminishes.  In recent years, however, a consensus has shifted among several preeminent scientists, who now believe it is feasible within the next decade.

Tens of thousands of cases of childhood asthma may have been caused by gas and propane furnaces, according to one study.   After measuring nitrogen dioxide levels in over a hundred kitchens in the United States with stoves on, researchers from California and Boston determined how the chemical dispersed to other rooms when the appliances were turned off.

Steve Jobs declared the iPad to be more convenient than a laptop and more potent than a smartphone when he first unveiled it in 2010.  Nevertheless, over ten years have passed and the iPad still fails to fulfill this initial promise.  iPad sales have decreased in tandem with the growth in size and power of smartphones, contributing a mere six percent to Apple's revenue for the current fiscal year.