The Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin is leaking helium leaving researchers to believe the fault zone is not only much deeper, but that it could leave a far more devastating quake in its path then they had originally intended. Just prior to this breaking news the U.S. Geological Survey upped their warning in the California area stating that the risk of ‘the big one’ has just increased.

“We’re not looking to make an app to get you a latte faster,” reads the slogan of Biology Is Technology, the Pentagon’s research symposium held this week in New York City. “We’re looking to solve problems that matter.”

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency had tasked the best and brightest startups, major industry players and universities to create the Next Big Thing in science — no easy feat. (One big ask: As Mic reported Wednesday, DARPA expressed interest in controlling human adrenal responses, lowering anxiety and fear in U.S. soldiers.) MORE

I remember once while on a trip to Arizona asking a long-time resident of Phoenix why anyone would want to live in such a godforsaken place. I wasn’t at all fooled by the green lawns and the swimming pools and knew that we were standing in the middle of a desert over the bones of the Hohokam Indians whose civilization had shriveled up under the brutality of the Sonora sun. The person I was speaking to had a quick retort to my east coast skepticism. MORE

In a time of reality shows and endless attempts to out-outrage people, now we have a new twist and, a new low: abortion extortion.

According to a report by Headline News, a 26-year-old woman who says she is seven weeks pregnant is threatening to abort her unborn child unless she is paid $1 million to “save” it.

Beginning July 7, individuals will have 72 hours to come up with the money, presumably via crowdfunding, according to her ProlifeAntiwoman.com website, where she posted her threat. MORE

The negative reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s creation of a right to same-sex “marriage” is surging, with clerks quitting, judges dropping their license procedures and even one U.S. senator telling people it should be ignored.

By a 5-4 majority, including two justices who publicly had advocated for same-sex marriage and possibly violated ethics standards by participating in the case, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered that states could not refuse to grant same-sex duos marriage licenses or recognize such licenses from other states. MORE