Sci-Tech news

• Red sprites photographed lighting up the skies over Chile

  04-02-2015 23:38 via
  
  Photographer Petr Horálek was able to capture a series of red sprites flashing for around 40 minutes at the La Silla Observatory on the outskirts of the Chilean Atacama desert.
  
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• Look familiar? Photos reveal Samsung's Galaxy 6 case - and it looks a lot like Apple's latest iPhone

  04-02-2015 23:20 via
  
  The images from French blog nowhereelse.fr show a handset with the same curved sides and antenna 'bars' as Apple's flagship phone.
  
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• Google to add pronunciation guides to maps in bid to stop tourists embarrassing themselves

  04-02-2015 22:27 via
  
  Google has patented a pronunciation guide that tells you exactly how the locals say their streets - and could mean the end of embarrassing mispronunciations.
  
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• Can YOU pronounce Leicester Square and Llanelli? Google set to add pronunciation guides to maps in bid to stop tourists embarrassing themselves

  04-02-2015 22:06 via
  
  Google has patented a pronunciation guide that tells you exactly how the locals say their streets - and could mean the end of embarrassing mispronunciations.
  
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• Researchers discover brain region that can predict depression YEARS in advance

  04-02-2015 21:51 via
  
  Duke researchers say analysing the amygdala can tell who will become depressed or anxious in response to stressful life events, as far as four years down the road.
  
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• The optical illusions that trick FISH: Mind-bending patterns reveal similarities between human and aquatic brains

  04-02-2015 21:11 via
  
  The University of Trento in Italy found redtail splitfins could see the famous Ebbinghaus trick, while separate research has discovered that zebra fish can see the 'rotating snakes' illusion.
  
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• Facebook can now collect information on the other sites and searches YOU make

  04-02-2015 19:41
  
  FACEBOOK can now collect information on the other websites, links and searches users visit and make.
  
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• Concerned about Brexit? Why not become an e-resident of Estonia

  04-02-2015 19:40
  
  By: Ben HammersleyContinue reading...
  
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• Is this South America's first monkey: Fossils found in Amazon may be the first primates to cross the Atlantic from Africa

  04-02-2015 19:39 via
  
  Palaeontologists discovered teeth from the new species of monkey in a river bank in Santa Rosa in Peru and have named it Perupithecus ucayaliensis.
  
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• VIDEO: Man walks with bionic leg brace help

  04-02-2015 19:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Londoner has become the first man in Britain to walk with the help of a bionic leg brace.
  
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• SpaceX Dragon capsule that will ferry astronauts to the ISS set for first test mission

  04-02-2015 19:34 via
  
  In the next few weeks, SpaceX said it will transport a Dragon V2 test vehicle from its California headquarters to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
  
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• Are babies more intelligent than we think? Infants aware of complex relationships and understand friendship and bullying even when they are just 13 MONTHS old

  04-02-2015 19:20 via
  
  In an experiment using puppets, psychologists at the University of Missouri found that infants are able to comprehend what constitutes bullying, friendship and what it means to be a bystander.
  
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• Ancient climate 'backs predictions'

  04-02-2015 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Records of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere millions of years ago support current predictions on the likely future course of climate change, say scientists.
  
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• Ampl's SmartBackpack doubles up as a mobile power station for all your gadgets

  04-02-2015 18:50 via
  
  A backpack designed by a San Diego firm, has a variety of power packs stashed inside and even lets users see how how much power their devices have left without unzipping it.
  
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• Eero system ensures you always have signal in every room of your house

  04-02-2015 18:37 via
  
  Eero is based in San Francisco. The square boxes measure 4.75in (121mm) and can be placed around the home to create what’s known as a ‘mesh network’ to boost Wi-Fi signal.
  
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• Leaked Samsung Galaxy S6 pictures likened to iPhone 6 design

  04-02-2015 18:36
  
  THE first pictures of Samsung's new Galaxy S6 have reportedly leaked online this week, with many comparing it to the design of Apple's iPhone 6.
  
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• USB dongle and antenna lets Polish man receive images from Russian cosmonauts

  04-02-2015 18:33 via
  
  A ham radio operator from Poland has received images from the ISS. On Reddit he revealed his low-cost method to talk to cosmonauts, and showed images he received (one of Yuri Gagarin shown).
  
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• Japanese bank hires humanoids that can read emotions to sell you products

  04-02-2015 18:29 via
  
  The 1ft 11inch (58cm) humanoid (pictured) will work on a trial basis at branches of Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Nao has touch sensors and can speak 19 languages.
  
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• US watchdog to defend net neutrality

  04-02-2015 18:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The chairman of the US's communications watchdog intends to defend the principles of net neutrality by treating net providers as utilities.
  
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• Ancient humans were taking drugs up to 10,600 years ago

  04-02-2015 17:59 via
  
  An anthropologist from the University of Valladolid in Spain has compiled evidence of psychoactive drug use in ancient cultures around the world, including opium poppies in Italy.
  
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• Security firm warns Google Play store apps infected by harmful adware

  04-02-2015 17:57
  
  SECURITY firm Avast have warned that millions of Google Play store users may have downloaded apps infected by adware.
  
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• Flush Toilet Finder helps you find the nearest toilet anywhere in the WORLD

  04-02-2015 17:30 via
  
  The Flush Toilet Finder app (pictured) was built by Jake Ruston from South Yorkshire. It uses a global database of 100,000 public toilets, and a phone’s GPS location, to find the nearest public conveniences.
  
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• How to chat with astronauts aboard the ISS: USB dongle and antenna lets Polish man receive images from Russian cosmonauts

  04-02-2015 17:18 via
  
  A ham radio operator from Poland has received images from the ISS. On Reddit he revealed his low-cost method to talk to cosmonauts, and showed images he received (one of Yuri Gagarin shown).
  
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• Beware the Magnet Facebook scam infecting more than 55,000 users a day

  04-02-2015 16:45 via
  
  Over the past week, security researchers in Romanian have spotted at least two ‘tag campaigns’. They work by tagging no more than 20 friends of the victim in a malicious post (pictured).
  
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• Would you take out a loan from a ROBOT? Japanese bank hires humanoids that can read emotions to sell you products

  04-02-2015 16:44 via
  
  The 1ft 11inch (58cm) humanoid (pictured) will work on a trial basis at branches of Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Nao has touch sensors and can speak 19 languages.
  
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• Rabbits may be stressed by hutch-mates and a lack of exercise, study claims

  04-02-2015 16:38 via
  
  Scientists from the University of Bristol surveyed 1,254 pet rabbit owners in England to find that 60 per cent lived on their own, limiting their opportunity to be sociable (shown by a stock image).
  
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• Hawaii, Brighton and London borough of Westminster take the most selfies

  04-02-2015 16:32 via
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The maps (UK pictured) are based on data from Instagram API platform of images tagged #selfie with a geolocation. They were designed by London-based personalised gift service Create It Now.
  
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• China bans 'vulgar' web pseudonyms

  04-02-2015 16:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  China bans internet users from posting under the names of famous people or Chinese officials, calling it a "vulgar culture".
  
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• Alibaba begins drone delivery trials

  04-02-2015 16:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Retail giant Alibaba says it is using quadcopter drones to deliver tea to hundreds of its customers in China as part of a test.
  
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• Is Apple developing a Google Street View rival?

  04-02-2015 15:43 via
  
  A car with cameras on it (shown) was spotted in San Francisco. The California DMV confirmed the car was registered to Apple, and some have suggests it might have been taking images.
  
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• Unesco's International Year of Light exhibition of light in different forms

  04-02-2015 14:33 via
  
  Microscopic images (pictured) as well as photos of natural wonders are featured in a new online exhibition that forms part of Unesco’s International Year of Light.
  
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• Is Apple developing a Google Street View rival? Cars spotted with camera equipment

  04-02-2015 13:55 via
  
  A car with cameras on it (shown) was spotted in San Francisco. The California DMV confirmed the car was registered to Apple, and some have suggests it might have been taking images.
  
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• The vainest places on Earth? Tropical Hawaii, trendy Brighton and the London borough of Westminster take the most selfies

  04-02-2015 13:53 via
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The maps (UK pictured) are based on data from Instagram API platform of images tagged #selfie with a geolocation. They were designed by London-based personalised gift service Create It Now.
  
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• Android adware 'infects millions'

  04-02-2015 13:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Google has suspended dozens of seemingly popular apps from its Play store after being warned that they were causing devices to show malicious pop-up ads.
  
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• Prehistoric RHINO Stephanorhinus uncovered on a Norfolk beach

  04-02-2015 13:28 via
  
  The teeth (pictured) were found at the foot of the cliffs at West Runton beach in Norfolk, and are thought to belong to a species of rhino that roamed the area around 700,000 years ago.
  
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• Sea slug steals the ability to photosynthesis like a plant from algae

  04-02-2015 13:26 via
  
  Biologists at the University of Florida have found that the slug Elysia chlorotica (pictured) has stolen a gene from algae to help it use chloroplasts it steals to produce nutrients from the sun's energy.
  
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• Deer DNA helps poacher prosecution

  04-02-2015 13:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  DNA from an illegally shot and killed red deer has been used for the first time in the UK to help prosecute a poacher.
  
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• 'Gospel of the Lots of Mary' found hidden inside 1,500-year-old book

  04-02-2015 13:12 via
  
  The text (pictured) was studied by Professor Anne Marie Luijendijk from Princeton University. It is written in an ancient language called Coptic and is titled the 'Gospel of the Lots of Mary’.
  
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• Death threat hacker is jailed

  04-02-2015 12:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Yusuke Katayama hijacked computers to make death threats that appeared to come from innocent people, during a game of cat and mouse with police.
  
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• Cocaine changes addict's brains so they can't recognise loss

  04-02-2015 12:41 via
  
  New York researchers found cocaine addicts continue their destructive drug habit because their brain circuits responsible for predicting emotional loss are impaired.
  
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• Prehistoric RHINO uncovered on a Norfolk beach: Stormy weather revealed 700,000-year-old creature's teeth

  04-02-2015 12:39 via
  
  The teeth (pictured) were found at the foot of the cliffs at West Runton beach in Norfolk, and are thought to belong to a species of rhino that roamed the area around 700,000 years ago.
  
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• Ancient tablets reveal life of Jews in King Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon

  04-02-2015 12:35 via
  
  The Jerusalem exhibition is based on more than 100 cuneiform tablets,
  each no bigger than an adult's palm, that detail transactions between Judeans driven from Jerusalem.
  
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• 'World's first' pink iPhone 6 to be released by Amosu

  04-02-2015 12:25 via
  
  A London-based luxury phone company is releasing a pink iPhone 6 (shown). It is the same as a regular £539 iPhone 6 - but has a pink case and costs £1,899.
  
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• 'Gospel of the Lots of Mary' found hidden inside 1,500-year-old book: Ancient text was used to seek divine answers

  04-02-2015 12:18 via
  
  The text (pictured) was studied by Professor Anne Marie Luijendijk from Princeton University. It is written in an ancient language called Coptic and is titled the 'Gospel of the Lots of Mary’.
  
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• The solar-powered SLUG! Creature steals genes from the algae it eats to photosynthesise like a leaf

  04-02-2015 12:16 via
  
  Biologists at the University of Florida have found that the slug Elysia chlorotica (pictured) has stolen a gene from algae to help it use chloroplasts it steals to produce nutrients from the sun's energy.
  
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• Moment octopus camouflages itself against Caribbean reef is captured on video

  04-02-2015 11:57 via
  
  A diver in the Caribbean saw an octopus reveal itself against a coral reef. The cephalopod springs into view as it changes its tone and texture. Shown is an image of the octopus - if you can spot it.
  
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• Ebola nurse infection 'down to visor'

  04-02-2015 11:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK nurse Pauline Cafferkey probably caught Ebola by wearing a visor instead of goggles while treating patients, an investigation has concluded.
  
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• Spot the octopus! Amazing moment marine creature camouflages itself against a reef is captured on video

  04-02-2015 11:19 via
  
  A diver in the Caribbean saw an octopus reveal itself against a coral reef. The cephalopod springs into view as it changes its tone and texture. Shown is an image of the octopus - if you can spot it.
  
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• VIDEO: Tech helping to treat brain cancer

  04-02-2015 10:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  From robot guided lasers to drugs guided with magnets - the cancer treatments of the future
  
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• Rogue apps on Google play may have installed malware on Android phones

  04-02-2015 10:05 via
  
  The apps, which include the popular Durak card game (pictured), have been installed more than 15 million times. They were discovered by Prague-based software firm, Avast.
  
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