Sci-Tech news

• Here comes the rain! Slo-mo video reveals impact craters left by RAINDROPS

  02-01-2015 23:36 via
  
  These amazing images reveal what happens when a drop of water falls to Earth. Minnesota scientists say there are similarities to asteroid impacts.
  
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• Mystery at the sun's south pole: Nasa reveals huge 'coronal hole' on the solar surface where winds jet out at 500 miles per SECOND

  02-01-2015 21:50 via
  
  Known as a coronal hole, the phenomenon occurred near the south pole - and is seen as a dark area covered all of its base in these stunning images.
  
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• Mindless chatter better at improving a child's communication skills than bedtime reading

  02-01-2015 19:55 via
  
  Researchers at the University of Limerick in Ireland also found that chatting to children while doing housework (stock image shown) was better at improving their problem solving skills.
  
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• TorrX pump inflates footballs to the perfect pressure to boost performance

  02-01-2015 19:52 via
  
  Inventors in Seattle have created the TorrX electric pump (pictured) which is capable of inflating 50 footballs to the optimum pressure on one full charge. It is available for pre-order from £32 ($49).
  
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• HTC's One M9 could launch next week and will have 5-inch screen, leaked details claim

  02-01-2015 19:39 via
  
  The leaks also suggest the device's screen will have a resolution of 1920 x 1080, and the phone will run Android 5.1 Lollipop. It may be launched at CES 2015 in Las Vegas next week.
  
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• The $1,000 electric supercar for KIDS: Broon F8 boasts four wheel drive and a tablet for control - and can even be driven remotely

  02-01-2015 19:30 via
  
  The Korean car boasts four-wheel drive, LED headlights, a full touch screen control and entertainment system and has intelligent drive assist.
  
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• That's Revolution-AIR-y! Smart pump inflates footballs to the perfect pressure to boost players' performance

  02-01-2015 19:28 via
  
  Inventors in Seattle have created the TorrX electric pump (pictured) which is capable of inflating 50 footballs to the optimum pressure on one full charge. It is available for pre-order from £32 ($49).
  
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• Mindless chatter is FOUR TIMES better at improving a child's communication skills than bedtime reading, claims study

  02-01-2015 19:19 via
  
  Researchers at the University of Limerick in Ireland also found that chatting to children while doing housework was three times better at improving their problem solving skills.
  
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• The budget smartwatch that will bring wearable tech to the masses

  02-01-2015 18:45
  
  ALCATEL, the budget smartphone maker, has announced its plans to launch a new tech timepiece at a bargain price.
  
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• Earth-sized planet found in the Milky Way is TWICE as old as our solar system - and discovery suggests life formed billions of years earlier than first thought

  02-01-2015 18:37 via
  
  A team from the University of Birmingham has found an ancient planetary system that is 11.2 billion years old (illustration shown), suggesting life in the universe is more common than thought.
  
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• 'American eagle face' dinosaur discovered: Cat-sized relative of Triceratops could help reveal how horned creatures evolved

  02-01-2015 17:58 via
  
  A lemon-sized skull found in Montana could help palaeontologists understand how dinosaurs such as Triceratops evolved their fierce facial features. Aquilops americanus is illustrated.
  
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• VIDEO: CES 2015: Key trends to look out for

  02-01-2015 17:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Shawn DuBravac, chief economist of the Consumer Electronics Association, says new gadgets that digitise the world are set to change the way we live.
  
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• VIDEO: T-shirt checks your vital statistics

  02-01-2015 17:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  French company Cityzen Sciences has developed a smart t-shirt, that measures statistics like your heart rate.
  
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• VIDEO: Robot on patrol with a projector

  02-01-2015 17:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Keecker robot is designed to navigate around the home, projecting videos and digital wallpaper on its travels.
  
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• VIDEO: CES 2015: Time for ankle tech?

  02-01-2015 16:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Mybiody Balance product takes your vital statistics through a device that attaches on to your ankle.
  
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• Destiny leak reveals two new DLCs and names planned expansion

  02-01-2015 16:42
  
  FUTURE Destiny DLCs and a planned expansion have been leaked this week.
  
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• Will climate change kill off Pinot Noir?

  02-01-2015 16:30 via
  
  A wine consultant from Lund University in Sweden said climate change is ruining the flavour of certain wines (shown). Drinks like pinot noir are unable to cope with increasing temperatures.
  
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• SnoopSnitch uses radio signals to find nearby tracking devices

  02-01-2015 16:12 via
  
  Security researchers in Germany have created an app that claims to detect International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers that are used to track and eavesdrop on phone calls.
  
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• PS4 getting Planetside 2 beta in January

  02-01-2015 15:59
  
  THE Planetside 2 beta on PS4 will debut in January, Sony have revealed.
  
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• Quadrantids meteor shower will light up the sky this weekend

  02-01-2015 15:39 via
  
  The shower may provide people in the northern latitudes with the opportunity to see 'Earth-grazers', which are stunning meteors that come close to the horizon to the east and west.
  
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• Tesla's Elon Musk teases electric car that plugs ITSELF into charge

  02-01-2015 15:26 via
  
  Elon Musk said his California-based Tesla company is working on automatic chargers (current chargers shown). These would autonomously charge Tesla's electric cars.
  
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• Journey into the heart of an earthquake: 3D virtual reality pod transports viewers into remote regions struck by natural disasters

  02-01-2015 15:13 via
  
  Engineers at Brigham Young University in Utah have created a giant virtual reality screen (shown). It uses 12 separate 55-inch HD TVs for an immersive experience.
  
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• Twitter adds Facebook-style 'while you were away' recaps to news feeds

  02-01-2015 15:12 via
  
  The San Francisco-based social network first announced the feature in November, which aims to draw users' attention to important tweets after an absence from the app or website.
  
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• Tesla teases electric car that plugs ITSELF into charge: Elon Musk describes 'metal snake' that automatically connects to vehicles

  02-01-2015 14:46 via
  
  Elon Musk said his California-based Tesla company is working on automatic chargers (current chargers shown). These would autonomously charge Tesla's electric cars.
  
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• Never miss an important tweet again! Twitter adds Facebook-style 'while you were away' recaps to the tops of news feeds

  02-01-2015 14:12 via
  
  The San Francisco-based social network first announced the feature in November, which aims to draw users' attention to important tweets after an absence from the app or website.
  
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• So just how many predictions did Back To The Future II get right?

  02-01-2015 13:38 via
  
  2015 has arrived and for movie buffs everywhere, there is but one pressing question - how many predictions did Back To The Future II get right about this year?
  
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• Mars Opportunity is suffering from memory loss: Nasa reveals plan to hack decade-old rover and cure it of 'amnesia'

  02-01-2015 13:38 via
  
  Mission control in Houston said the vehicle, which has been roaming Mars for more than a decade, keeps wiping its data at random. It now plans to hack the rover in a process that will take a few weeks.
  
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• Bulletproof baseball cap claims to repel shots fired at close range - but only if the wearer gets hit in the forehead

  02-01-2015 13:06 via
  
  A Michigan-based company has designed a bulletproof baseball cap (shown). Called BulletSafe, it has a panel in the front to stop bullets, but has no protection on the sides or rear of the hat.
  
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• Anger at India website blocking

  02-01-2015 12:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A government block on more than 30 high-profile websites - including Vimeo and Github - has caused anger across India.
  
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• Bizarre frog found with FANGS is the only known amphibian to give birth to live tadpoles without laying eggs

  02-01-2015 12:43 via
  
  A herpetologist from the University of California, Berkeley, uncovered the unusual behaviour of Limnonectes larvaepartus (pictured) during an expedition on Indonesia's island of Sulawesi.
  
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• Apple sued over 'shrinking' storage

  02-01-2015 12:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple is facing a lawsuit for not telling users about the amount of memory required by an upgrade its flagship operating system.
  
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• Strings app allows users take back messages that they'd rather people didn't see

  02-01-2015 12:29 via
  
  The Strings app, created by Seattle-based Be Labs, claims that all content is deleted from every users' phone, and from Strings servers, 'immediately and permanently.'
  
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• HMRC defends 'tweet us' suggestion

  02-01-2015 12:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  HM Revenue and Customs defends asking people to tweet their tax inquiries after revealing an increase in waiting times on its helplines.
  
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• Constipated goldfish operated on

  02-01-2015 12:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A goldfish lover pays a North Walsham vet £300 to operate on his constipated pet.
  
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• Free app lets you UNTEXT someone: Strings allows users take back messages that they'd rather people didn't see

  02-01-2015 12:08 via
  
  The Strings app, created by Seattle-based Be Labs, claims that all content is deleted from every users' phone, and from Strings servers, 'immediately and permanently.'
  
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• Apple sued for 'deceiving' people about iPhone storage with iOS 9

  02-01-2015 11:48 via
  
  The lawsuit was filed by Paul Orshan and Christopher Endara from Miami. They are suing Apple both individually, 'and on behalf of all others similarly situated.'
  
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• Amateur treasure hunter finds hoard of Anglo Saxon coins in Buckinghamshire

  02-01-2015 11:00 via
  
  Paul Coleman, 59, persuaded his son and a friend to join him on the excavation on farmland in Lenborough, Buckinghamshire so he could split the £45 cost for the journey.
  
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• Sony PlayStation Plus memberships extended after Lizard Squad hack

  02-01-2015 10:54 via
  
  The gift from the Japanese-based firm is only available to people who had an active PlayStation Plus membership, or who had already activated their free trial, on 25 December.
  
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• Most cancer types 'just bad luck'

  02-01-2015 10:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Most types of cancer can simply be put down to bad luck rather than risk factors such as smoking, a study suggests.
  
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• VIDEO: Tackling mobile phone 'not spots'

  02-01-2015 09:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It has been 30 years years since the first ever mobile phone call was made in Britain, but there are still some places in the UK that do not have any coverage.
  
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• New home for cocoa quarantine

  02-01-2015 01:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A bigger and better clearing house for all the world's new cocoa varieties opens in the UK at the University of Reading.
  
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• Technology predictions fly into 2015

  02-01-2015 01:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Drones, cyber attacks and spooky smartphones - 2015 is here
  
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• Artistic touch humanises Australia's androids

  02-01-2015 00:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Using art to make Australia's androids more sociable
  
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• PSN outage: PS4 and PS3 users getting discounts and more to make up for service troubles

  02-01-2015 00:07
  
  SONY have revealed they are making up for the recent Holiday outage by extending PlayStation Plus memberships and offering a PlayStation Store discount deal.
  
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