Sci-Tech news

• Apple earnings beat expectations

  27-01-2015 23:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple reports first quarter earnings of $18bn and record iPhone sales of 74.5 million, beating investor expectations.
  
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• Record iPhone sales drive blowout quarter for Apple

  27-01-2015 23:41 via
  
  Apple sold 74.5 million iPhones during the three months that ended Dec. 31, beating analysts' expectations for the latest models of it iPhone.
  
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• 'Smart gene' associated with better aging and cognitive function in 1 in 5 people

  27-01-2015 23:17 via
  
  San Francisco scientists found people who carry the gene have larger volumes in a front part of the brain involved in planning and decision-making.
  
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• Watch the robot jazz band that can automatically accompany humans 

  27-01-2015 23:15 via
  
  Georgia Tech researcher Mason Bretan has created a  backing band complete with xylophone player. They have been programmed to improvise their own jazz songs, and play along with Bretan.
  
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• Watch first ever video of a laser beam traveling through the air

  27-01-2015 23:13 via
  
  Scientists at Heriot Watt University in Scotland recorded two million laser pulses over a 10 minute period, as individual particles – known as photons – collided with the air.
  
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• US museums consider London outpost

  27-01-2015 23:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The world's largest museum and research institution could be heading for London as part of a multi-million dollar redevelopment of the 2012 Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
  
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• Yahoo to spin off Alibaba stake into separate company

  27-01-2015 22:48 via
  
  Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer is spinning off the company's prized stake in China's Alibaba Group Holding in a move that will let Yahoo avoid paying billions in future taxes.
  
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• Yahoo to spin-off Alibaba stake

  27-01-2015 22:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Yahoo has announced a plan to spin-off its 15% stake in China's Alibaba Group and hand the business to its shareholders.
  
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• Wickr messaging swaps personal images with feline faces on Facebook

  27-01-2015 21:59 via
  
  Secure chat service Wickr, based in California, has launched a tool that allows private images to appear as cat pictures to Facebook friends you'd rather keep in the dark.
  
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• The app that uses CATS to keep photos private: Wickr messaging swaps personal images with feline faces on Facebook

  27-01-2015 21:58 via
  
  Secure chat service Wickr, based in California, has launched a tool that allows private images to appear as cat pictures to Facebook friends you'd rather keep in the dark.
  
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• Have fishermen discovered a new species of ancient MAN off coast of Taiwan?

  27-01-2015 21:23 via
  
  The lower jawbone (pictured) of an ancient human ancestor that lived around 200,000 years ago in Asia was discovered in a fisherman's net 15 miles out to sea.
  
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• Amateur astronomers report mysterious 'yellow balls' in space telescope images

  27-01-2015 21:08 via
  
  Volunteers scanned tens of thousands of starry images from the Spitzer Space Telescope online - prompting Nasa to investigate.
  
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• A cure for hair loss? Scientists grow hair on rats using stem cells - and they say the treatment could work on humans too

  27-01-2015 20:15 via
  
  The breakthrough was achieved by researchers at Sanford-Burnham in Orlando after they coaxed human stem cells to become dermal papilla cells – a type of cell which is vital to follicle formation.
  
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• Was Blackbeard a CARING pirate? Medical equipment recovered from wreck of Queen Anne's Revenge suggests feared captain looked after the sick and injured

  27-01-2015 20:01 via
  
  Archaeologists have discovered a syringe, blood porringer used for bloodletting, enema pumps and bottles used to hold drugs and medical gin among the wreck of the Blackbeard's flagship.
  
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• Mutual UFO Network plan massive database to track alien sightings

  27-01-2015 19:35 via
  
  The tool is being created by the California-based Mutual UFO Network which receives thousands of 'alien' reports. Sources allegedly include military personnel and former intelligence officers.
  
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• World's oldest snakes discovered

  27-01-2015 19:33 via
  
  Fossils from the UK, US and Portugal have revealed four ancient snakes (illustration of one shown). They date back up to 167 million years and are twice as old as any others found before.
  
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• Virgin Galactic takes over testing from firm that built SpaceShipTwo

  27-01-2015 19:32 via
  
  Virgin Galactic has said it is to construct and test its new SpaceShipTwo rocket itself, without aerospace firm Scaled Composites, ending a ten year partnership between the companies.
  
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• Revived snoopers' charter shelved

  27-01-2015 19:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An attempt to bring back the controversial measures is dropped, but peers demand to see the government's private draft of new legislation instead.
  
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• 3D printing 'teleporter' Scotty sends physical objects digitally

  27-01-2015 19:17 via
  
  A team of German engineers have brought us a step closer to building a teleporter, dubbed 'Scotty', to send objects over distances in an instant - just like Star Trek's transporter.
  
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• Sun-like star dating from the dawn of the Galaxy found - and it could shed new light on how planets form

  27-01-2015 19:14 via
  
  Scientists from the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy made the discovery after trawling through four years' worth of data collected by Nasa’s Kepler space telescope.
  
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• Twitter adds video and group private messaging to take on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger

  27-01-2015 19:01 via
  
  San Francisco firm Twitter has launched its much anticipated video service, allowing users to edit and upload clips up to 30 seconds long from its app.
  
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• Twitter adds group messages and video

  27-01-2015 18:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The social network activates promised new features in an attempt to boost engagement on Twitter.
  
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• Wired dazed after offer goes viral

  27-01-2015 17:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Wired magazine apologises to subscribers after becoming "overwhelmed" by demand for a fitness tracker gift offer that went viral on the internet.
  
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• Best ever view of asteroid Ceres

  27-01-2015 17:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The best image ever acquired of Ceres, the largest asteroid in the Solar System, is now in the hands of science.
  
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• Have fishermen discovered a new species of ancient MAN? Chunky jawbone fossil dredged up off coast of Taiwan

  27-01-2015 17:40 via
  
  The lower jawbone (pictured) of an ancient human ancestor that lived around 200,000 years ago in Asia was discovered in a fisherman's net 15 miles out to sea.
  
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• Happy birthday iPad! Apple unveiled its 'revolutionary' tablet on this day 5 years ago

  27-01-2015 17:19 via
  
  It is five years, to the day, since Apple's former boss Steve Jobs (pictured) unveiled the original iPad at an event in California. There have since been six 9.7-inch iPads, and three 7.9-inch iPad minis.
  
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• Prynt device turns your smartphone into a POLAROID camera

  27-01-2015 16:54 via
  
  A San Francisco-based company has revealed their Prynt device. It attaches to certain smartphones and lets users print physical photos (shown).
  
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• VIDEO: Future of News - BBC Editors look at Technology, People and Stories

  27-01-2015 16:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Future of News - BBC Editors look at Technology, People and Stories
  
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• Google Translate under fire for offering 'poof' and 'queen' for the word 'gay'

  27-01-2015 16:22 via
  
  More than 50,000 people have have signed a petition demanding the U.S. web giant re-programmes its translate system, which is used by 500million people every month.
  
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• Thailand draws up tough drone laws

  27-01-2015 16:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Transport Ministry in Thailand is seeking to ban all unlicensed drone flights, local media reports.
  
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• Virgin Galactic splits from partner company that built SpaceShipTwo rocket

  27-01-2015 16:03 via
  
  Virgin Galactic has said it is to construct and test its new SpaceShipTwo rocket itself, without aerospace firm Scaled Composites, ending a ten year partnership between the companies.
  
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• England's environment 'in decline'

  27-01-2015 15:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  England's natural environment is in decline and its deterioration is harming the economy, an independent advisory group warns.
  
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• Virgin Galactic splits from partner company that built doomed SpaceShipTwo rocket following fatal crash that killed test pilot 

  27-01-2015 15:15 via
  
  Virgin Galactic has said it is to construct and test its new SpaceShipTwo rocket itself, without aerospace firm Scaled Composites, ending a ten year partnership between the companies.
  
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• Planet hosts giant ring system

  27-01-2015 14:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Astronomers say they have discovered a gigantic ring system around a distant planet - the first such structure discovered outside our Solar System.
  
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• VIDEO: Peers try to revive 'snooping' powers

  27-01-2015 14:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Four Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem peers try re-introduce Communications Data Bill powers to aid security services.
  
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• Web attacks 'growing' in volume

  27-01-2015 14:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hacktivists and angry gamers are becoming the main users of net attacks that knock sites offline by bombarding them with data, suggests a report
  
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• Pplkpr ranks relationships by tracking how they affect your heart rate

  27-01-2015 14:35 via
  
  The pplkpr app (pictured) was created by Brooklyn-based Kyle McDonald and Lauren McCarthy. It syncs with a heart rate monitor to track emotions and warns users about people who cause them stress.
  
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• Atlantic spotted dolphins use their heads and backs to support dead calves

  27-01-2015 14:19 via
  
  Scientists from the University of Porto reported four adult Atlantic spotted dolphins (stock image) ‘displaying nurturant behaviour’ by supporting a dead calf in the waters off Madeira.
  
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• Space X's Elon Musk takes on LISA in The Simpsons cameo

  27-01-2015 14:04 via
  
  South African-born Elon Musk has responded to comments by Lisa Simpson about why his rockets aren't 'green'. He appeared in the latest episode of The Simpsons on 25 January.
  
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• British Heart Foundation's competition crowns The Clot Thickens photo as winner

  27-01-2015 13:59 via
  
  The British Heart Foundation announced the winners of its annual ‘Reflections of Research’ image competition – reflecting the charity’s research into heart and circulatory diseases.
  
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• Ejector seat uses pole to fling pilots clear of light aircraft

  27-01-2015 13:53 via
  
  A Russian company that designs life-saving systems for high-altitude flights has unveiled a unique ejector seat that uses a pole to fling pilots free of a plane.
  
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• Technology is changing healthcare

  27-01-2015 13:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  With technology offering new opportunities in healthcare, Hugh Pym considers how news can play a part in explaining it.
  
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• Bones inside two of Vatican's Egyptian caskets date back to Middle Ages

  27-01-2015 13:38 via
  
  Experts from the Department of Antiquities of Egypt and the Near East at the Vatican said resin dates to the 19th century, while a scan revealed male and female bones in the same mummy.
  
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• Deaf clubs versus smartphones

  27-01-2015 13:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apps threaten deaf social clubs
  
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• Snooperscope transforms your smartphone into a night-vision camera

  27-01-2015 13:36 via
  
  The Snooperscope device, designed by a start-up company in London, is intended to be used as a tool for wildlife watchers, fishermen and hunters, who want to better see targets in the dark.
  
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• Near asteroid 2004 BL86 has a moon

  27-01-2015 13:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists who tracked the large asteroid 2004 BL86 as it passed by Earth say it has a small satellite.
  
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• Elon Musk takes on LISA SIMPSON: SpaceX CEO responds to character's quip and explains why his gas guzzling rockets will never be 'green'

  27-01-2015 13:26 via
  
  South African-born Elon Musk has responded to comments by Lisa Simpson about why his rockets aren't 'green'. He appeared in the latest episode of the Simpsons on 25 January.
  
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• Toxic chemicals may be weakening the bone inside polar bears' penises

  27-01-2015 13:22 via
  
  Scientists at Aarhus University, Denmark, have found that a certain type of pollutant called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is associated with a less dense penile bone in polar bears (stock image).
  
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• Indiegogo is latest site to let you raise money for personal projects

  27-01-2015 13:19 via
  
  The California-based site now has a Life section, letting users ask strangers for money towards weddings, funerals, operations or other personal bills.
  
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• Images from space capture lightning in centre of tropical cyclone Bansi

  27-01-2015 13:19 via
  
  An Italian astronaut on the ISS captured images of a cyclone on Earth. Tropical cyclone Bansi was spotted in the Indian Ocean by Samantha Cristoforetti with lightning illuminating its eye (shown).
  
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