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Yahoo and Microsoft will keep working together on Internet search, but Yahoo is getting more control over the how the search results are presented. An agreement announced Thursday extends a search partnership that Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. forged in 2009 while they were being led by different CEOs. Current Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer had the option of terminating the relationship under a clause triggered earlier this year. The two are trying to chip away at Google’s dominance of Internet searches. They haven’t had much success so far. Google still controls two-thirds of the U.S. search market and holds an even larger share in Europe. Mayer spent 12 years helping Google build its lucrative lead in before becoming Yahoo’s CEO in 2011. As has been the case since the companies…

The Force isn’t merely awakening on the big screen. It’s also returning to the video game realm. “Star Wars: Battlefront” publisher Electronic Arts and Swedish developer DICE showcased their next-generation rendition of the “Star Wars” multiplayer shooter Friday at Star Wars Celebration, the annual fan extravaganza celebrating the sci-fi franchise. The new iteration of “Battlefront” takes place amid the conflicts of the original film trilogy and is scheduled for release Nov. 17 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PCs. “Battlefront” will focus on frenzied shootouts between up to 40 players portraying Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire forces. In a demonstration of the game’s multiplayer mode, a team of jetpack-equipped rebels were shown carving their way through the woodsy Endor while Stormtroopers charged at them on foot, on speeders and within…

Google is about to change the way its influential search engine recommends websites on smartphones in a shift that’s expected to sway where millions of people shop, eat and find information. The revised formula, scheduled to be released Tuesday, will favor websites that Google defines as “mobile-friendly.” Websites that don’t fit the description will be demoted in Google’s search results on smartphones while those meeting the criteria will be more likely to appear at the top of the rankings - a prized position that can translate into more visitors and money. Although Google’s new formula won’t affect searches on desktop and laptop computers, it will have a huge influence on how and where people spend their money, given that more people are relying on their smartphones to compare products in…

Late last spring, a doctoral student worked late into the night. As she doodled, her chemistry thesis took on a life of its own, transforming into a comic book. Veronica Berns, 28, was working on her Ph. D. in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin -Madison. Berns said she long struggled to explain her work to her parents and friends. The self-described comic book fan said she began drafting her thesis on quasicrystals - a subset of crystals that diverge from the usual structural characteristics of crystals. Berns quickly concluded that she would be best able to describe the oddball compounds with illustrations. “They’re not very well-polished illustrations. That’s on purpose,” Berns said. “I wanted it to be like I’m explaining on the back of an envelope.” And on many…

As Congress considers whether to extend the life of a program that sweeps up American phone records, privacy advocates and civil liberties groups say too much about government surveillance remains secret for the public to fully evaluate the program’s reach or effectiveness. The disclosure two years ago of the National Security Agency’s surveillance efforts prodded the federal government to declassify reams of once-secret documents, including opinions from a secretive intelligence court laying out the program’s origins and legal underpinnings. But critics say key language from the disclosed documents remains censored, the release of information has been selective, and the ongoing trickle of once-secret memos has raised concerns about how many other potentially illuminating documents might yet remain outside the public’s reach. “That means the public lacks information it needs to…

THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE That aren't many people who don't love a good superhero film, and if there's one such film that can't be ignored by anyone seeking a heady dose of world-saving capers this spring, it's Avengers: Age of Ultron. The iconic team of superheroes that first appeared in 1963 is still going strong, and Earth's Mightiest Heroes have quite the assignment on their hands for this latest big screen epic, which will be released on North American shores on May 1. The fact that, at the time of typing, the film has already premiered in Los Angeles on April 13, means that we already know a lot about it - and of course, we'll try not to include any big spoilers here. Nonetheless, fans…

HELPING TO TACKLE PUBLIC AND PERSONAL HEALTH CHALLENGES Few of us would argue that medical studies aren't important - indeed, for many of you reading this, they may be the reason why you are still alive now. This has not prevented difficulties with conducting such research, however, with both inconsistent data collection and small sample sizes having long proved a hindrance. Well, now, one of Apple's latest developments - ResearchKit - may be helping to change that. At the latest major Apple keynote in March, there may have been a lot to get excited about as far as new products from the Cupertino stable were concerned, with a new MacBook being unveiled at the same time as more information was shared about the Apple Watch. However, as so often with events like these, it…

Yahoo is still struggling to boost revenue nearly three years into CEO Marissa Mayer’s tenure, magnifying concerns that the Internet company holds little value beyond its lucrative Asian investments. The latest evidence of Yahoo’s financial malaise emerged Tuesday with the release the company’s first-quarter earnings report. After accounting for ad commissions, Yahoo’s revenue fell 4 percent from the same time last year to $1.04 billion, extending a troubling trend that began before Mayer took over. That downturn overshadowed an 8 percent increase in Yahoo’s total revenue, before commissions, because investors focus on the amount of money that the company retains after paying its partners for helping to draw online traffic to it ads. Those expenses, known as traffic acquisition costs, quadrupled from the same time last year, an indication that…

Paddington The classic children’s book character Paddington Bear finally makes his debut on the big screen, and he couldn’t be more adorable in this live-action caper. The chatty and amiable animal - voiced by Ben Whishaw - turns up in London and meets the kindly Brown family, but also faces danger from a museum taxidermist (Nicole Kidman) who wants to add him to her collection. FIVE FACTS: 1.  The film is based on the Paddington Bear character created by Michael Bond.2.  The first book featuring the character, A Bear Called Paddington, was published on October 13, 1958.3.  The Paddington books have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over 40 languages.4.  Other cast members in the film include Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and…

An outbreak of measles that popped up at Disneyland in late December soon spread to six other U.S. states, Mexico and Canada. Health officials suspect an infected traveler, who caught the virus overseas, visited the theme park and exposed others. The outbreak sickened 147 people in the U.S., including 131 in California. No deaths were reported. The California Department of Public Health on Friday declared the outbreak over after no new cases appeared in the last 42 days, or two incubation periods. HOW IT STARTED The identity of the person responsible for spreading measles at Disney theme parks in Southern California will likely forever remain a mystery. Because there haven’t been homegrown measles cases in the U.S. for more than a decade, health experts believe the virus came from abroad…

In a quest to be more green, Apple says it is investing in Chinese solar power and preserving forests that make environmentally friendly paper. The initiatives come as the tech giant this year met a self-imposed goal of powering all its U.S. operations with renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions - initiatives that have won high marks from environmental groups. On Thursday, Apple announced a new focus on using paper from trees harvested under environmentally sound conditions. It’s also promising to use more renewable power overseas, where Apple relies heavily on contract manufacturers - and where a top executive acknowledged the company can do more. “It’s important to us to tackle climate change everywhere we are,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for environmental initiatives, told The Associated Press. “When you…

Breaking up the cable-TV bundle won’t be easy. ESPN is objecting to how Verizon is giving its FiOS TV customers more choice. In new plans that went into effect Sunday, Verizon made the ESPN and ESPN2 sports channels optional, but ESPN says its contracts with Verizon prohibit the channels from being in a separate sports package. Although Verizon will still offer big bundles of channels, it has been facing pressure to reduce prices amid cheaper online options. So to target the cost-conscious, Verizon launched a FiOS plan that starts at $55 a month for a basic tier of 35 channels plus two themed channel packs. The basic channels that everyone gets include local broadcast stations, AMC, CNN and Food Network - but not ESPN or ESPN2. There are currently seven…

Love Somebody McEntire The Queen of Country follows up her number one hit single on the Country iTunes Charts, “Going Out Like That”, with the associated album. McEntire’s first studio album since 2010’s All the Women I Am and the 27th of her career, Love Somebody was produced by the Chockie, Oklahoma native herself, alongside Tony Brown, James Stroud and Doug Sisemore. FIVE FACTS: 1.  Reba Nell McEntire was born on March 28, 1955.2.  She released her first solo album in 1977.3.  She made a commercial breakthrough with the 1984 album My Kind of Country, which produced the two number one singles “How Blue” and “Somebody Should Leave”.4.  McEntire has sold more than 80 million records worldwide.5.  Of the recording process for Love Somebody, she has said: “Getting to work again…

A Japanese maglev that is the fastest passenger train in the world has broken its own speed record. Operator JR Central said the train reached 603 kilometers per hour (375 miles per hour) in a test run on Tuesday, surpassing its previous record of 361 mph (581 kph) set in 2003. The train traveled for just over a mile (1.8 kilometers) at a speed exceeding 600 kph (373 mph). Japan’s high-speed rail services are among the most advanced in the world, with hundreds of trains running each day with minimal delays. However, unlike regular shinkansen or bullet trains that run on steel rails, magnetic levitation trains hover above rails, suspended by powerful magnets. The Maglev Test Line, near Mount Fuji about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tokyo, is developing…