United In Its Bug Bounty Program Offers Air Miles as Reward to Researchers

United Airlines has launched a bug bounty program which offers air miles as a reward for researchers who discover flaws in its web portals.

The Bug bounty programs are increasingly gaining popularity as incidents of cybercrime are increasing.

Companies such as Google and Facebook use these programs to let the third-parties and users to keep an eye on their systems and also former reward for disclosure to lure hackers away from selling the information on the black market.

United Airlines, however, has chosen to offer air miles, for the task, depending on the severity of the bug discovered instead of cash.

Grass Evolution Backtracked to 100 Million Years

The scientists at the Oregon State University have found a 100 million-year-old specimen of grass that could contest to be the oldest on earth. The specimen was found in Myanmar, preserved in amber.

The evolutionary age of grass has been intensively studied. Previously, the earliest dated grasses have been maximum 55 million-years old but the latest finding will push it to 100 million-years. The research has thus, backtracked the grass evolution to the Late Cretaceous period.

Inequality between Genders: A Modern Invention, claims Study

In a rather interesting study, conducted by anthropologists at the University College London, it was concluded that the prehistoric society functioned on egalitarian principles, with women being equal to men in all respects.

Contrary to popular belief, where we imagine our ancestors as being extremely regressive and orthodox in their views when it came to equality between genders, a two-year long study conducted by researchers living among hunter-gatherers in Congo and the Philippines, has proved us wrong. The researchers collected data from families after conducting comprehensive interviews and came to the conclusion that equality between the sexes was the norm throughout much of our evolutionary history.

Microbeads in Cosmetics and Toiletries Tamper with Food Chain, confirms Study

Did you ever think the tiny shiny pellets you see in you cosmetics or shower gels could in fact choke fish.

In parallel studies conducted across the world, researchers have confirmed the menace that the ‘microbeads’ are! These minute granules, though not harmful for human health, enter the waterways and persist in the food chain, thus, harming fish and disrupting marine life.

Microbeads are the minuscule plastic bits found in cosmetics and personal-care products. These coarse grains are added to cosmetics to make them shine and help make the skin look smoother. They can also be found in toothpastes, shower gels, face washes and scrubs and even in some lipsticks.

Driverless Cars to be a Reality This Summer

Technology takes a giant leap forward as the latest version of Google's self-driving car will debut on public roads this summer.

The two-seater driverless car needs no gas pedal or steering wheel and has to be recharged after every 80 miles. The car lacks air bags; it can't go more than 25 miles per hour and is not apt for a long ride. These cars have been assembled in suburban Detroit by Roush Industries and have the same array of radars, lasers and cameras as Google's Lexus SUVs.

Google informed that this prototype is the first vehicle built from scratch for the purpose of self-driving. It looks like a ‘Smart car’, with a shiny black bowler hat to hide its sensors, and it can drive, brake and recognize road hazards without human intervention.

Washington is ‘No Drone Zone’

In a recently passed order, Washington has been declared as ‘no drone zone’. According to reports, now no one will be allowed to fly a drone in Washington and if someone tries to violate the decision, criminal penalties will be applicable.

Before this, some of the government building such as the White House, Capitol Hill and the Pentagon were among the ‘no drone zone’ locations.

On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in a statement that Washington is now a ‘no drone zone’ and if someone has a drone, then the person has to keep it at home. According to the agency, it wants to make sure that people in the area and tourists understand that flying drone in Washington for any purpose is now against the law and violators would have to pay fine.

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