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Tech NewsPolitics‘Cocaine’ Trends on Twitter During Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention kicked off on Monday, with a star-studded line-up including a fossil fuels distributor, the St. Louis couple that pointed their guns at civil rights protesters, and the father of a shooting victim who says the way to stop school shootings is to arm teachers. But if you were on Twitter last … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsCrimeSpanish Police Bust Gang That Allegedly Infused Cardboard Produce Boxes With Cocaine
An international operation led by Spanish authorities has arrested 18 members of a drug gang in Spain, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Colombia that allegedly smuggled cocaine by embedding it in cardboard. Per the Guardian, cops say the investigation was focused on a criminal going by the moniker “the Surgeon” (identified by the Local ES as … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceHealthExperimental Heroin Vaccine Triggers the Immune System So Mice Can’t Get High
One of the white whales of vaccine research—a cure for addiction—is a very small step closer to reality. Last week, researchers working at the Walter Reed Army Center published a study showing that their experimental vaccine was able to block the euphoria-inducing effects of heroin and other commonly abused opioids in mice and rats. Almost … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech News
Cocaine Addiction Leads to Buildups of Iron in the Brain
Cocaine, as they say, is a hell of a drug. It affects three of the neurotransmitters in our brains that make us feel fantastic—dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine—and tolerance for the stuff doesn’t seem to dissipate even months after quitting. (It’s also expensive and bad for you.) Today, new research published in Translational Psychiatry adds another … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech News
Lessons From the Sexting App Whose Partyboy CEO Blew Millions Before Burning Out
There’s no shortage of catastrophic flame-outs in tech. Take, for example, junk science blood-testing startup Theranos, which raised obscene amounts of venture capital only to be sued by its own investors, close its labs, and come under criminal investigation. (Move fast and break stuff, right?) But what could have led to the downfall of humble … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech News
Instagram-Famous Fisherman ‘Mark the Shark’ Hooks a Brick of Cocaine
Florida is America’s id, and when America wants some cocaine, you better believe Florida is going to come through. According to various local reports, famed Florida fisherman Mark Quartiano—also known as “Mark the Shark”—made an unusual catch on Wednesday. Rather than hauling in a poor, brightly colored fish or random hot women in bikinis, Mark … Continued
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Tech News
All the Weird Stuff US Customs Seized in Florida This Summer
Have you ever tried to get something that you shouldn’t through US Customs? Frankly, I don’t know how people summon the nerve. Whether it’s illegal drugs, exotic animal meat, or counterfeit purses, people will try to smuggle just about anything. And everyone seems to have their own favorite hiding places. But if any of your … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech News
Scientists Find New Clues In Their Quest to Understand Why Cocaine Is So Addictive
Cocaine is addictive, and researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center are trying to figure out why, aside from the obvious reason that drugs are fun. A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience investigates how cocaine addiction works in rats. Sara R. Jones, the lead author of the study and professor of pharmacology … Continued
By Eve Peyser -
Tech NewsJimmy Fallon: The Hyperloop Is ‘Thomas the Train on Cocaine’
Jimmy Fallon recently took on the Hyperloop during his regular “Pros and Cons” segment, and described Elon Musk’s precious, tubular baby as “Thomas the Train on cocaine.” He also compared passengers to human spitballs. The future is going to be great, everyone! The pros are fairly self-evident: Speed! Long distances! Elon Musk is a genius! … Continued
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Tech News
Why This Suburb Is the Best Place to Build a Drug-Smuggling Tunnel
So say you need to get a few hundred pounds of cocaine from Mexico to the US. Underground, preferably, so as not to attract too much attention. Where’s the best place one might, hypothetically, do this? Asking for a friend. Of the 27 drug tunnels discovered in raids along the California-Mexico border over the last … Continued
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Tech News
Smugglers Busted With Nearly $400 Million Worth of Cocaine Molded Into Shipping Pallets
Remember that scene in Traffic where they mold cocaine into dolls? This kind of trickery happens in real life, too. A band of international smugglers recently got caught with over $370 million worth of cocaine disguised as 40 shipping pallets. No, the pallets weren’t filled with cocaine. The pallets were cocaine. A total of 11 … Continued
