One day, robots and computers with artificial intelligence will inevitably be tasked with managing everything from our economy to our traffic systems. But will these man-made managers have the empathy, reasoning, and emotions needed for cooperation? [More]
Quality & Safety
A Supplement Company Sued Over Research It Didn’t Like… And Lost
By 2.8.17
Unlike FDA-approved medications, makers of dietary supplements are not required to demonstrate that their products are safe or effective. That shouldn’t stop independent researchers from doing their own tests to find out if a product works or is dangerous, but when one Harvard professor tried to do just that, supplement makers tried to shut him up.. [More]
Factory That Made Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Batteries Catches Fire (Yes, Really)
By 2.8.17
It sounds like something straight out of The Onion, but it’s true: A factory in China that manufactured batteries for the now-defunct Samsung Galaxy Note 7 line of phones — all recalled due to their propensity for the batteries to burst into flame — itself suffered a fire this morning. [More]
New Facebook Safety Check Feature Lets Users Offer, Get Help In A Crisis
By 2.8.17
More than two years after Facebook launched its Safety Check tool as a way for users to let their friends and family know they’re okay in a crisis, the social media company is adding a feature that will allow people to ask for help, as well as offer it, when natural disasters or other emergency situations occur. [More]
BMW Reaches $478M Settlement Over Water Damaged Cars
By 2.8.17
More than 300,000 BMW owners will soon be eligible to claim their portion of a $478 million settlement over allegations that a design defect resulted in water damage to electrical components in vehicles’ trunks. [More]
Gold’n Plump Worker Charged With Feeding Sand & Soil To Chickens
By 2.7.17 — Updated: 2.9.17
Nearly a year after Minnesota-based Gold’n Plump (GNP) recalled more than 55,000-pounds of chicken when sand and black soil was mysteriously found on the products, a former plant worker faces two felony charges for the incident. [More]
Nissan Recalls Altimas, Because Rolling Down The Window Shouldn’t Open The Door
By 2.7.17 — Updated: 2.8.17
We’re all used to the idea of pressing a button to roll down your car window. What we’re not used to — because it would be insanely dangerous — is pressing the window button and having the door open instead. [More]
Twitter Adds New Features To Hide, Possibly Prevent Some Abuse
By 2.7.17
Twitter’s own CEO once candidly declared that the social media network “suck[s] at dealing with abuse and trolls,” and the company — as recently as last week — has repeatedly made promises to do something to curb the ugliness. Today, Twitter announced a trio of new tools that it hopes may mitigate the widespread abuses. [More]
Cookie Dough Company Behind Multiple Ice Cream Recalls Shuts Down
By 2.6.17
Where does the cookie dough in your favorite brand of ice cream come from? For numerous brands, the answer is Aspen Hills, a company in Iowa that sells frozen cookie dough for fundraisers and bulk frozen dough to ice cream makers. To be accurate, the answer was Aspen Hills. [More]
Evanger’s Dog Food Recalled Due To Contamination With Euthanasia Drug: Wait, What?
By 2.6.17
How did a sedative used in euthanasia end up in cans of a premium brand beef dog food? The company behind the food, Evanger’s, would really like to know. So would the owner of three pugs that became sick and one that died after eating cans of Evanger’s Hunk of Beef. [More]
Target Refusing To Pay For Damage After Its Two-Ton Red Ball Rolls Into Driver’s Car
By 2.3.17
It’s not often that a shopping center turns into something out of an Indiana Jones movie, but that’s the first thing we thought of when we heard that a two-ton cement ball had been knocked loose from its berth in front of a Target store in New Jersey and rolled into traffic. And now, Target doesn’t want to pay for the damage it caused. [More]
Chipotle Sales Down 20% In 2016; Still Working On That Comeback Thing
By 2.3.17
The good news for burrito chain Chipotle is that its sales are up for the first time in six quarters. The company’s food safety nightmare began in Oct. 2015, and since then the company has either been in crisis mode or trying to recover. The chain’s latest quarterly results show that the recovery isn’t complete, but at least its sales are up a little bit. [More]
Thanks To Policy Change, Your Ground Beef May Include More Heart Than You Think
By 2.2.17 — Updated: 2.3.17
For nearly 40 years federal food safety regulators had prohibited the use of any part of the cow heart in making ground beef. With little fanfare, that policy has changed. [More]
Patio Chairs Sold At Home Depot Recalled Because Porch Life Shouldn’t Be Dangerous
By 2.1.17
You know what’s nice? Sitting on your patio, porch, or deck in a nice, comfortable chair. Heck, if it allows you to swivel so you can turn to face whoever is talking to you, that’s nice too. But being unceremoniously dumped on the ground by your furniture is far from relaxing, which is why patio furniture sold only at Home Depot has been recalled. [More]
Study: 33% Of Fast Food Packages May Contain Potentially Harmful Grease-Blocking Chemicals
By 2.1.17
When you grab a burger, a cookie, or a cup of coffee from a local fast food establishment, you know that it’s not necessarily the healthiest nutritional choice, but you don’t assume that the companies behind the meals use packaging that may leach harmful chemicals into your food. Yet a recent study of fast food wrappers shows that a surprising number contain a potentially harmful chemical. [More]
Skoal, Copenhagen & Other Smokeless Tobaccos Recalled For Containing Metal Fragments
By 2.1.17
Putting smokeless tobacco in your mouth is one thing, putting smokeless tobacco containing metal fragments in your mouth is another. After receiving several reports of customers finding metal objects in their tobacco cans, tobacco giant Altria is recalling several of its most popular brands. [More]
VW To Pay $1.25B To Buy Back, Fix Cars With Emissions-Cheating ‘Defeat Devices’
By 2.1.17
And just like that, Volkswagen’s years-long “Dieselgate” scandal is nearing a conclusion as the carmaker has finally reached an agreement with federal regulators to fix and compensate owners of 78,000 3-liter diesel engine vehicles equipped with so-called defeat devices. [More]
Chance Of Cardiac Event Jumps By 23% Two Days After Major Snowstorm
By 1.30.17
Whether it’s overexertion from shoveling snow, the stress of being stuck inside, or any number of other possible causes, a new study shows that the chance of a cardiovascular-related hospital admission significantly increases two days after a major snowstorm. [More]
