Spying Webcams

German police recently arrested a man who is accused of accessing the rooms of dozens of young girls by using their Webcams. The hacker is said to have cracked a poorly chosen password of one Internet account, making it possible for him to access contact information for several people. It is alleged that he used the hijacked account to send malware (malicious software) disguised as a screen saver to female friends of his victim— which would enable him to control remotely the friends’ computers and use their Webcams at any time. It is said that when investigators raided the hacker’s apartment, he had three million images and “was simultaneously connected to the computers of 80 girls without their knowledge,” according to the Aachener Zeitung.

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The Blubber of Marine Mammals

For decades, scientists could not understand how dolphins could swim at the speed of nearly 25 miles (40 km) an hour. The animals simply did not have enough muscle, the scientists thought. But dolphins have a secret, part of which lies in their blubber, a complex substance also found under the skin of porpoises, whales, and other marine animals.

“Blubber is a thick, dense layer of highly organized connective tissue with a lot of fat cells,” says New World Encyclopedia. It covers practically the whole creature, and it is “strongly attached to the musculature and skeleton by highly organized, fan-shaped networks of tendons and ligaments.” These networks, in turn, are composed of elastic fibers and collagen, a protein that is also found in skin and bones. Blubber, therefore, is much more than a layer of insulating fat. It is a highly sophisticated combination of various living tissues.

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Bridge Corroded by Spit

Indians along the Howrah Bridge pass one of the paan-stained support pillars in Kolkata on July 9. Sheathed in 26,500 tonnes of high-tensile steel and capable of handling 100,000 vehicles a day without a groan, Kolkata's Howrah Bridge is facing a threat its builders had never dreamed of -- human spittle.
Sheathed in 26,500 tonnes of high-tensile steel and capable of handling 100,000 vehicles a day without a groan, Kolkata's Howrah Bridge is facing a threat its builders had never dreamed of -- human spittle.

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Benefits of Family Meals

Fewer than half of the Finnish 14- to 16-year-olds interviewed in a recent survey eat with their family. The study revealed that in many homes no meals are actually served. Yet, youths yearn for these regular, relaxed moments with their family. When asked what they wanted from their parents, the message was clear: “Warm meals, eating together as a family, and someone who listens and has time for you,” reports the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. Family meals have an important impact on a youth’s mental health. According to the article, “youths who take part in family meals are usually doing well in school, they seldom smoke, drink, or use drugs, and they are less frequently depressed.”

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