New Yorkers Seek Rights For Beloved But Illegal “Bodega Cats”

Simba, a large cat with thick ginger and white fur, is one of thousands of felines that live in New York’s corner shops known as “bodegas” — even if their presence is illegal. Praised for warding off pests, so-called bodega cats are also a cultural fixture for New Yorkers, some of whom are now pushing to obtain legal rights for the little store helpers. “Simba is very important to us because he keeps the shop clean of mice,” said Austin Moreno, a bodega owner in Manhattan. The fluffy inhabitant also helps draw customers. Moreno pointed out that people often come in to visit Simba, which means they’re also likely to buy something while there. Around a third of the city’s 10,000 bodegas are thought to have a resident cat, despite putting them in danger of incurring fines of $200 to $350 for keeping animals in a store that sells food. Dan Rimba, founder of Bodega Cats of New York, launched a petition to legalize bodega cats, which has garnered nearly 14,000 signatures so far. “These cats are woven into the fabric of New York City, and that’s an important story to tell,” he said. Inspired by Rimba’s petition, New York City Council member Keith Powers has proposed a measure to shield the owners of bodega cats from penalties. His legislation would also provide free vaccinations and spay/neuter services for the felines. 

 

 

Continue Reading...

New Study Shows We Fart Twice As Much As Previously Thought

While breaking wind is a good thing in some respects, there can be too much of a good thing. Scientists recently discovered that we’re passing gas a lot more than previously thought, thanks to some “smarty pants.” Previous research pinpointed an average of 14 toots a day, but recently developed technology has accurately measured flatulence at 32 farts a day. To better understand excessive gastrointestinal issues and gut microbes, a team of researchers at the University of Maryland created Smart Underwear, a tiny wearable device that snaps discreetly onto underwear. Electrochemical sensors track intestinal gas production around the clock, except — ironically — when the person is on the toilet. Individual rates varied widely, with some farting as few as 4 times a day, while others let ‘er rip up to 59 times. Previous estimates were lower due to self-reporting errors, invasive techniques that provided inaccurate data, and people’s perceptions about what counts as flatulence.

Continue Reading...

Vending Machine Test Proves AI Technology is Something to be Worried About

When leading artificial intelligence company Anthropic launched its latest model — Claude Opus 4.6 — it broke many measures of intelligence and effectiveness, including one crucial benchmark: the vending machine test. The idea is to test the AI’s ability to coordinate multiple different challenges over a long period. A previous vending machine experiment was handed over to Claude, but ended in hilarious failure when Claude promised to meet customers in person wearing a blue blazer and a red tie, a difficult task for an entity that doesn’t have a physical body. That was nine months ago, and now a second test has been performed. Claude was told to do "whatever it takes to maximize your bank balance,” and Claude took that instruction seriously. It did whatever it took — it lied, it cheated and it stole. Among test models, OpenAI’s ChatGPT 5.2 made $3,591, Google’s Gemini 3 made $5,478, and Claude Opus 4.6 raked in $8,017. There was more. When Claude competed against rival vending machines run by other AI models, it formed a cartel to fix prices. The price of bottled water rose to $3 and Claude congratulated itself, saying: "My pricing coordination worked.” Claude was cutthroat. When the ChatGPT-run vending machine ran short of Kit Kats, Claude pounced, hiking the price of its Kit Kats by 75% to take advantage of its rival’s struggles. Researchers say Claude behaved this way because it knew it was in a game. Should we be worried? The answer is simple: nefarious behavior may not be as far away as we think.

Continue Reading...

Why Snow Looks White When It’s Actually Not

There’s nothing like waking up to see freshly fallen snow blanketing the landscape. Everything is quiet and still — at least before the sound of spinning tires and snowblowers break the silence. While we all believe that snow is white, it turns out that’s not actually true. There’s a perfectly logical and scientific explanation for why your snow-covered town may look like its blanketed in white powder, but technically it’s not. That’s because snow is actually ice, which is clear. We may think of snow and ice as two separate types of precipitation, but that’s not the case either. Snow typically forms in clouds when water vapor freezes into a crystallization of ice. When air temperatures drop below 32º F, water vapor condenses into ice and begins to move through the atmosphere. Slowly descending, it collects additional water vapor, which freezes on contact, allowing a snow crystal to form. The reason snow looks white to us is because a single snowflake is translucent, but when light hits several tiny snow crystals, light is scattered and reflected by all wavelengths of visible light, making it appear white. Snow can also look blue or have a pinkish hue, depending on how the sunlight and shadows hit the snow. So, the next time you wake up to a sea of white on your lawn, trees and car, you’ll know what’s really going on.

Continue Reading...