Author: Reporter

New blood tests could help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s disease faster and more accurately, researchers reported in July. But some appear to work far better than others. It is tricky to tell if memory problems are caused by Alzheimer’s. That requires confirming one of the disease’s hallmark signs, the buildup of a sticky protein called beta-amyloid, with a hard-to-get brain scan or uncomfortable spinal tap. Many patients instead are diagnosed based on symptoms and cognitive exams. Labs have begun offering a variety of tests that can detect certain signs of Alzheimer’s in blood. Scientists are excited by their potential but...

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is embroiled in a second flag controversy in as many weeks, this time over a banner that in recent years has come to symbolize sympathies with the Christian nationalist movement and the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. An “Appeal to Heaven” flag was flown last summer outside Alito’s beach vacation home in New Jersey, according to The New York Times, which obtained several images showing it on different dates in July and September 2023. The Times previously reported that an upside-down American flag — a sign of distress —...

Tulsa officials announced the creation of a new commission to recommend how reparations can be made for a 1921 massacre that destroyed a thriving Black community in the city. The panel will review a 2023 report for the city and a 2001 report by a state commission on Tulsa Race Massacre in which a white mob killed as many as 300 Black residents and burned the city’s Greenwood District to the ground. Both reports called for financial reparations, which Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum has opposed. Reparations will almost certainly include a housing equity program, as the Beyond Apology Commission’s...

For trips overseas, a smartphone is essential for most people. How else will you check Google Maps to find your Airbnb, post an Instagram video from the Eiffel Tower, or WhatsApp friends and family back home? Of course, if you are using apps that gobble up data while traveling in a foreign country, there is always a risk of racking up hefty roaming fees from your phone carrier. The solution? An international travel eSIM for your smartphone. How do you use this technology? Here are some tips. WHAT IS AN eSIM? If you have ever bought a new cellphone,...

Everyone has too many passwords. The credentials we need to remember to navigate online life keep multiplying. Not just for frequently used eMail, banking, social media, Netflix, and Apple Music logins, but also the little-known e-commerce site a person may never buy from again. According to some unscientific studies, the average person has hundreds of passwords. That is a lot to keep track of. You might be tempted to recycle them, but it is one of the bad password habits that cybersecurity experts warn against. Instead, use a password manager. They have been around for a while and can...