Sci-Tech news

• Scientists slam the caveman diet - and say early humans just ate whatever they could 

  17-12-2014 21:55 via
  
  Georgia researchers warned early humans did not live for as long as modern mankind and dieters needed to consider the long-term effects of any specific diet.
  
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• Is Snapchat developing its own Google Glass?

  17-12-2014 21:19 via
  
  Los Angeles based Vergence labs make glasses with a hidden video camera, and leaked emails show it has been bought by Snapchat.
  
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• VIDEO: US navy develops 'fish' robot

  17-12-2014 21:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The US military has been showing off its latest catch.
  
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• Venus Express mission ends as spacecraft runs out of fuel

  17-12-2014 21:04 via
  
  Esa in Paris has confirmed that its Venus Express spacecraft (illustrated left) has died. The probe had been orbiting Venus (top right) for eight years since 2006 - far exceeding its planned lifetime.
  
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• Festival lights viewed from space

  17-12-2014 20:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Satellites view how Christmas in the US and Ramadan in the Middle East brighten the globe.
  
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• FIFA 15: Why is FIFA Ultimate Team down?

  17-12-2014 20:39
  
  FIFA 15 online features such as FIFA Ultimate Team will not be available in the UK until at least 6pm tonight - December 17.
  
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• Facebook to offer auto-enhancing on your photos

  17-12-2014 19:24
  
  FACEBOOK is planning to add a new feature that will automatically enhance the snaps you upload, according to new reports.
  
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• New Blackberry 'back to its roots'

  17-12-2014 19:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Blackberry launches what it calls a "no-nonsense" smartphone in a bid to win back business customers.
  
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• Philae comet landing 'all a blur'

  17-12-2014 19:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An image has been released that shows the hairy moment that the Philae comet lander bounced back into space.
  
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• Was Earth formed with giant 'oceans' inside?

  17-12-2014 19:01 via
  
  Researchers at Ohio State University believe the same amount of water that currently fills the Pacific Ocean could be buried deep inside the planet right now.
  
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• Cemetery with one MILLION mummies unearthed in Egypt

  17-12-2014 18:30 via
  
  Archaeologists have found preserved bodies in shafts 75 feet deep over the 300 acre Fag el-Gamous cemetery in Faiyum, Egypt, although how so many people came to be buried there is still a mystery.
  
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• Domestic violence can traumatise children even before they are born

  17-12-2014 17:46 via
  
  Michigan State University scientists have claimed that domestic violence can affect children in early life, even if the abuse is suffered while they're still in their mother's womb (stock image shown).
  
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• Roman concrete used 'secret' ingredient to stand the test of time and now engineers want to copy it

  17-12-2014 17:40 via
  
  The study, by the University of California, Berkeley, used beams of x-rays to uncover a crystalline material in Roman concrete that prevents tiny cracks from spreading.
  
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• Domestic violence can traumatise children even before they are born: Abuse on pregnant women is linked to emotional distress in babies, study claims

  17-12-2014 17:10 via
  
  Michigan State University scientists have claimed that domestic violence can affect children in early life, even if the abuse is suffered while they're still in their mother's womb (stock image shown).
  
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• Van Gogh's blue irises were once purple but have faded under bright lights

  17-12-2014 16:52 via
  
  Experts at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam have now halved the light levels in their galleries to help preserve the Dutch impressionist's masterpieces.
  
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• Advanced robotic hand can now pinch, scoop and grasp like never before

  17-12-2014 16:38 via
  
  The University of Pittsburgh’s arm (pictured) connects to the brain using electrodes and the wearer can then control the device simply by thinking about movements.
  
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• 2014 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition winners revealed

  17-12-2014 16:10 via
  
  The winners of the 2014 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition have been revealed - and First Prize went to a movie of a fruit fly developing from a ball of cells by Virginia scientists (pictured)
  
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• Magnetic field reduces beer foam and could make brews cheaper and less bitter too

  17-12-2014 15:55 via
  
  Belgian researchers have used magnets to make beer less foamy (stock image shown). Applying a magnetic field made antifoaming agents more effective, preventing CO2 from being stored.
  
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• Having an average-looking face makes you appear more trustworthy, Princeton university finds

  17-12-2014 15:53 via
  
  Psychologists from Princeton University created a scale of faces, ranging from unattractive to attractive. Those around the half-way point (pictured centre) were considered more trustworthy.
  
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• A guide to the Sony Pictures hack

  17-12-2014 15:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What we know about the devastating hack that hit Sony
  
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• How magnets improve BEER: Magnetic field reduces foam - and could make brews cheaper and less bitter too

  17-12-2014 15:29 via
  
  Belgian researchers have used magnets to make beer less foamy (stock image shown). Applying a magnetic field made antifoaming agents more effective, preventing CO2 from being stored.
  
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• Is Minecraft ruining children's imagination?

  17-12-2014 15:05 via
  
  A New York-based study says kids need more unstructured entertainment. Giving them access to games like Minecraft (shown) can inhibit their development of social skills, it claims.
  
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• Van Gogh's blue irises were once purple: Pigments in masterpieces found to be fading under bright lights

  17-12-2014 15:01 via
  
  Experts at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam have now halved the light levels in their galleries to help preserve the Dutch impressionist's masterpieces.
  
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• A thumbs-up for mind-controlled robots: Advanced robotic hand can now pinch, scoop and grasp like never before

  17-12-2014 14:42 via
  
  The University of Pittsburgh’s arm (pictured) connects to the brain using electrodes and the wearer can then control the device simply by thinking about movements.
  
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• What happens when you walk on LAVA? Video shows tour guide press his foot on molten rock wearing walking boots

  17-12-2014 14:36 via
  
  On a holiday to Kilauea in Hawaii, neuroscientist Alex Rivest from Massachusetts, filmed a tour guide stepping on a scorching 700 to 1,200 °C (1,292 to 2,192 °F) lava pool.
  
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• Jeans made to block wireless signals

  17-12-2014 14:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Jeans that block wireless RFID signals, prevent hackers accessing card details, are to go on sale.
  
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• Call of Duty Advanced Warfare: Xbox One primed for new DLC

  17-12-2014 13:50
  
  CALL of Duty: Advanced Warfare fans on the Xbox One and Xbox 360 have got first access to the new DLC pack planned for this week.
  
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• Sony kit turns any pair of spectacles into a Google Glass rival

  17-12-2014 13:37 via
  
  Sony said it is hoping to start selling the module (pictured) ‘within the coming year’ and will unveil a concept model at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas in January.
  
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• Apple halts Russian online sales

  17-12-2014 13:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Technology giant Apple says it cannot currently sell products online in Russia because the rouble's value is too volatile for it to set prices.
  
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• Sentinel tracks continued Napa slip

  17-12-2014 13:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The creeping movement of the ground in California's Napa Valley, following its August earthquake, has been observed from space.
  
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• Scientists find ground squirrels and beavers are contributing to global warming

  17-12-2014 13:23 via
  
  American scientists find that Arctic ground squirrels churn up permafrost to allow trapped methane to escape and beaver ponds release 200 times more methane than 100 years ago.
  
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• Assassin's Creed Unity: Xbox One fans hit by huge 40GB download error

  17-12-2014 13:13
  
  UBISOFT have confirmed some Xbox One fans who have previously applied patch 3 for Assassin's Creed: Unity are now being hit by a 40GB download when trying to use the latest title update. - UPDATE: 12:06
  
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• Google considers data risk warnings

  17-12-2014 13:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Google is proposing to warn people their data is at risk every time they visit websites that do not use the "HTTPS" system.
  
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• Ministers unveil science strategy

  17-12-2014 12:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK government has formally unveiled its strategy for science and innovation.
  
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• Sony announces Google Glass rival: Detachable display turns ANY pair of spectacles into a smart headset

  17-12-2014 12:58 via
  
  Sony said it is hoping to start selling the module (pictured) ‘within the coming year’ and will unveil a concept model at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas in January.
  
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• Humpback Whales make 'tick-tock' sounds to flush out fish hiding beneath ocean floor

  17-12-2014 12:56 via
  
  Scientists at Syracuse University recorded whales off the coast of Massachusetts and found they make 'tick-tock' noises while hunting together at night in deep, pitch-black water.
  
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• Sony movie's NY premiere cancelled

  17-12-2014 12:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The New York premiere of The Interview, a comedy about the assassination of North Korea's president, is cancelled amid threats from hackers.
  
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• Whales SING for their supper: Humpbacks make 'tick-tock' sounds to flush out fish hiding beneath the ocean floor

  17-12-2014 12:33 via
  
  Scientists at Syracuse University recorded whales off the coast of Massachusetts and found they make 'tick-tock' noises while hunting together at night in deep, pitch-black water.
  
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• VIDEO: MPs 'not equipped to deal with tech'

  17-12-2014 12:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  MPs are not equipped to deal with technology and too reliant on the web firms they scrutinise, says Wendy Hall.
  
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• Scientists find ground squirrels and beavers are contributing more to global warming than has been previously released 

  17-12-2014 12:33 via
  
  American scientists find that Arctic ground squirrels churn up permafrost to allow trapped methane to escape and beaver ponds release 200 times more methane than 100 years ago.
  
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• Quantum thinking: Cats to computers

  17-12-2014 12:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An interactive journey through quantum theory
  
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• Xbox One News: Game streaming, Xbox Live sale and Forza Horizon 2 Storm Island

  17-12-2014 12:08
  
  MICROSOFT are continuing their development of a game streaming service, Xbox Live is hosting a countdown to 2015 game sale and Xbox One exclusive Forza Horizon 2 has a new DLC.
  
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• Facebook now AUTOMATICALLY enhances your photos

  17-12-2014 12:03 via
  
  The update is being rolled out to iOS and will be coming to Android users of the California-based app soon. It was previously optional, but enhancements are now made automatically.
  
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• Samsung in talks to launch an Apple Pay rival: Sources claim a LoopPay prototype has already been created

  17-12-2014 12:00 via
  
  Samsung is rumoured to be in talks with Massachusetts-based startup LoopPay (pictured), which already offers phone cases (pictured) and cards that let people pay for goods wirelessly.
  
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• Facebook now AUTOMATICALLY enhances your photos: App improves the lighting and contrast of images before they're uploaded

  17-12-2014 11:12 via
  
  The update is being rolled out to iOS and will be coming to Android users of the California-based app soon. It was previously optional, but enhancements are now made automatically.
  
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• VIDEO: Inside the 'Harry Potter' church

  17-12-2014 10:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A church in Hackney is using technology to help explore "digital empathy".
  
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• California's water woes quantified

  17-12-2014 05:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists assess the scale of the epic California drought and say it will require more than 40 cubic km of water to return the US state to normal.
  
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• Life up close: From larvae becoming flies to rat brains up close: The best microscopic shots of 2014 revealed

  17-12-2014 02:29 via
  
  The winners of the 2014 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition have been revealed - and First Prize went to a movie of a fruit fly developing from a ball of cells by Virginia scientists (pictured)
  
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• Yeti polar bear theory challenged

  17-12-2014 02:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A theory that the Himalayas' mythical yeti is a rare polar bear-brown bear hybrid animal is being challenged.
  
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• Squirrels are 'climate culprit'

  17-12-2014 02:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Arctic ground squirrels could play a greater role in climate change than was previously thought, research suggests.
  
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