Sci-Tech news

• Did Apple's Sir Jonathan Ive help design the lightsaber for the next Star Wars movie?

  16-02-2015 23:47 via
  
  A New Yorker profile of Apple designer Sir Jonathan Ive, claims he gave Star Wars director JJ Abrams advice on the weapons for the much anticipated movie.
  
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• Mississippi's changing delta: Stunning satellite images reveal new land forming at a rate of a square mile a YEAR

  16-02-2015 23:43 via
  
  While most of the delta plain of the Mississippi River Delta is losing ground, new land is forming in Atchafalaya Bay, Nasa images show.
  
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• Apple gives the green light to marijuana apps

  16-02-2015 23:06 via
  
  Colorado-based app, MassRoots. announced that Apple has agreed to allow the app back in the store just three months after the ban was enforced, but only for users in 23 states.
  
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• An iGalaxy far, far away: Did Apple's Sir Jonathan Ive help design the lightsaber for the next Star Wars movie?

  16-02-2015 22:50 via
  
  A New Yorker profile of Apple designer Sir Jonathan Ive, claims he gave Star Wars director JJ Abrams advice on the weapons for the much anticipated movie.
  
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• Mars One Mission reveals final longlist for first manned journey to red planet - but will it ever get off the ground?

  16-02-2015 22:31 via
  
  The Netherlands-based Mars One project has selected 50 men and 50 women to have a chance of winning a 'one-way ticket' to the red planet scheduled to arrive in 2025.
  
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• Zap out of it! 'Shocking' your brain really can help beat stress, study says

  16-02-2015 22:24 via
  
  Called Thync, the San Francisco firm it is set to put its app on sale later this year, and is one of several products hoping to make home brain stimulation popular.
  
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• Apple gives the green light to marijuana apps: Firm lifts ban on MassRoots network - but only for states where the drug is legal

  16-02-2015 21:59 via
  
  Colorado-based app, MassRoots. announced that Apple has agreed to allow the app back in the store just three months after the ban was enforced, but only for users in 23 states.
  
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• Could spider venom be the next Viagra?

  16-02-2015 21:39 via
  
  Researchers from around the work are building on a University of Wisconsin study which found PnTx2-6, the active ingredient in spider's venom, acts as a natural Viagra that can work in 20 minutes.
  
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• Acidity in world's oceans as seen from SPACE: Scientists use satellites to track changing pH levels in real time

  16-02-2015 20:34 via
  
  Researchers have mapped the pH (blue is acidic) of the world's oceans using data from sensors carried on satellites allowing them to monitor how rising carbon dioxide levels are affecting the sea.
  
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• Anger over BBC radio streaming

  16-02-2015 20:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Some internet radio devices, including models aimed at blind and partially sighted listeners, have been left unable to receive BBC radio.
  
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• The mysterious giant clouds spotted on Mar

  16-02-2015 20:00 via
  
  Astronomers at the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, Spain say the plumes could be an aurora, similar to the shimmering light show that develops in Earth's atmosphere.
  
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• Penguins really DO have bad taste (and no sweet tooth)

  16-02-2015 19:45 via
  
  Penguins lost three of the five basic tastes—sweet, bitter and the savoury, meaty taste known as umami—more than 20 million years ago, Michigan researchers have found.
  
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• Married couples get a 'second wind' in the bedroom - after 50 years

  16-02-2015 19:29 via
  
  Louisiana researchers say couple's sex lives get 'a slight rebound' - if their marriages last longer than half a century. The study also found that those in first marriages have sex more frequently.
  
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• Life first flourished on land 3.2 billion years ago, study reveals

  16-02-2015 19:29 via
  
  Researchers from University of Washington analysed some of the oldest, best-preserved rocks on Earth and found chemical evidence that microbes lived on nitrogen 3.2 billion years ago.
  
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• Papyri reveal ancient Egyptians had medical help and paid sick days

  16-02-2015 19:18 via
  
  The dig of the ancient Egyptian worker’s village at Deir el-Medina (pictured) is being led by Stanford archaeologist Anne Austin. It was built for workmen who made royal tombs in the New Kingdom.
  
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• The mysterious giant clouds spotted on Mars: Scientists left baffled by 150-mile high plumes coming off the red planet

  16-02-2015 19:15 via
  
  Astronomers at the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, Spain say the plumes could be an aurora, similar to the shimmering light show that develops in Earth's atmosphere.
  
  Read more

• Penguins really DO have bad taste (and no sweet tooth): Researchers find the flightless birds can only taste salty and sour 

  16-02-2015 19:14 via
  
  Penguins lost three of the five basic tastes—sweet, bitter and the savoury, meaty taste known as umami—more than 20 million years ago, Michigan researchers have found.
  
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• Married couples do get a second wind in the bedroom although they have to wait 50 YEARS for it

  16-02-2015 19:05 via
  
  Louisiana researchers say couple's sex lives get 'a slight rebound' - if their marriages last longer than half a century. The study also found that those in first marriages have sex more frequently.
  
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• Ancient Egyptians had an NHS too! Papyri reveals workers received medical treatment and paid sick leave 3,600 years ago

  16-02-2015 18:51 via
  
  The dig of the ancient Egyptian worker’s village at Deir el-Medina (pictured) is being led by Stanford archaeologist Anne Austin. It was built for workmen who made royal tombs in the New Kingdom.
  
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• Google video reignites debate whether machines should be treated like living animals

  16-02-2015 18:51 via
  
  Massachusetts-based Boston Dynamics Boston Dynamics employees are seen kicking Spot (pictured) to prove how stable it is, but this has been dubbed 'cruel' and 'wrong' by viewers.
  
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• Amazon down: Online shopping giant hit by wave of intermittent outages

  16-02-2015 18:46
  
  AMAZON users are struggling to complete their online shopping orders as the site continues to suffer from intermittent outages.
  
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• Could the solution to global warming lie in COWS?

  16-02-2015 18:45 via
  
  Scientists at Arizona State University are trialing a farming technique that mimics the migratory grazing patterns of wild bison and deer by giving fields time to recover after a herd moves on.
  
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• Pain-free tattoo removal cream could 'fade away' ink

  16-02-2015 18:44 via
  
  The cream was created by a PhD student at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, and makes use of the natural healing process that takes place after skin is tattooed in the first place.
  
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• The vanishing cream for TATTOOS: Lotion offers pain-free alternative to laser removal by targeting pigmented blood cells

  16-02-2015 17:44 via
  
  The cream was created by a PhD student at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, and makes use of the natural healing process that takes place after skin is tattooed in the first place.
  
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• Could the solution to global warming lie in COWS? New grazing technique may capture and store carbon in soil 

  16-02-2015 17:44 via
  
  Scientists at Arizona State University are trialing a farming technique that mimics the migratory grazing patterns of wild bison and deer by giving fields time to recover after a herd moves on.
  
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• Experts judge '$1bn bank hack' claim

  16-02-2015 17:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A leading security company says it has uncovered an "unprecedented" cyber-attack on up to 100 banks, but experts are split over its severity.
  
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• Mystery Mars haze baffles scientists

  16-02-2015 17:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists struggle to explain a vast haze that was spotted high above the Martian surface in 2012 by amateur astronomers.
  
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• Death of the hard drive? Scientists store data inside DNA that could last MILLIONS of years

  16-02-2015 16:58 via
  
  Researchers from ETH Zurich encased DNA in silica and subjected the spheres to extreme temperatures. This was designed to mimic degradation seen naturally on DNA (stock image)
  
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• Shock as hidden porn is discovered on YouTube in bizarre circumstances

  16-02-2015 16:41
  
  AN Irish journalist has discovered X-Rated movies have been uploaded and apparently hidden on YouTube using the Gaelic language.
  
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• Code to delete Facebook photos found

  16-02-2015 16:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A "white hat" hacker was given £8,000 after he found a way to delete public photo albums on Facebook.
  
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• X-ray machine opens new frontier

  16-02-2015 16:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers in Palo Alto in the US state of California are working with the most powerful X-ray laser in the world.
  
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• Star Trek-style Scanadu Scout measures heart rate, breathing and temperature in seconds

  16-02-2015 16:09 via
  
  The Silicon Valley-based firm behind Scanadu Scout (pictured) won funding on crowd funding site Kickstarter and the first batch of devices were shipped in January.
  
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• CoeLux's fake skylight realistically mimics the summer sun for £40,000

  16-02-2015 16:08 via
  
  Italy-based CoeLux’s artificial skylight (pictured) mimics the visual appearance of the sun and sky using a solid layer of nanoparticles that produce Rayleigh scattering.
  
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• Call for 'eBay-style' online courts

  16-02-2015 16:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Low-value civil court cases cases in England and Wales could be dealt with by an online disputes system similar to eBay, a report recommends.
  
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• The window that ISN'T a window: Fake skylight realistically mimics the summer sun - but it'll set you back £40,000

  16-02-2015 15:15 via
  
  Italy-based CoeLux’s artificial skylight (pictured) mimics the visual appearance of the sun and sky using a solid layer of nanoparticles that produce Rayleigh scattering.
  
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• Microscopic metal sphere may contain microorganisms from aliens, claims astrobiologist

  16-02-2015 15:02 via
  
  Dr Milton Wainwright from the University of Sheffield found a tiny titanium ball the width of a human hair oozing biological material in samples taken by a balloon 16 miles up in the atmosphere.
  
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• Dotcom's team reacts to guilty plea

  16-02-2015 14:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Kim Dotcom's lawyer denies that a guilty plea by one of Megaupload's ex-employees will have a major impact on his client's case.
  
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• Jane Seymour portrait is actually Anne Boleyn, facial recognition technology reveals

  16-02-2015 14:28 via
  
  Facial recognition was used to compare possible likenesses of Anne, and found a striking similarity with a picture long said to be of Jane Seymour a conference in California heard.
  
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• Amazon Prime charges anger customers

  16-02-2015 13:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Some Amazon Prime users are complaining about a £79 charge they weren't expecting.
  
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• Ancient seeds may help recreate mysterious 'Gaza wine'

  16-02-2015 13:46 via
  
  The ancient seeds (pictured) were found in an ancient rubbish dump at Halutza in the Negev – a semi desert region of southern Israel.
  
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• Why English song lyrics are among most miserable forms of writing in the WORLD

  16-02-2015 13:24 via
  
  Mathematicians at the University of Vermont have found that English language song lyrics are less happy than Russian literature, such as Crime and Punishment.
  
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• Intruder Discouraging Television Mimic copies flicker of your TV to trick burglars

  16-02-2015 13:14 via
  
  The Intruder Discouraging Television Mimic light (pictured) is on sale from New York-based Hammacher Schlemmer. Its display mimics a TV’s glow and it automatically turns on at dusk.
  
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• US drone rules impact Amazon plans

  16-02-2015 13:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  New rules on drone flights proposed by the US aviation authority would prevent Amazon's drone delivery plans.
  
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• Lights are on but nobody's home! $50 gadget mimics flicker of your TV to trick burglars into thinking you're in the house

  16-02-2015 12:50 via
  
  The Intruder Discouraging Television Mimic light (pictured) is on sale from New York-based Hammacher Schlemmer. Its display mimics a TV’s glow and it automatically turns on at dusk.
  
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• How shock affects memory: Powerful emotions and pain can skew our recollections of the past

  16-02-2015 12:39 via
  
  Psychologists at New York University tested the memories of volunteers for a series of images after they were given painful electric shocks. The shocks made some of the memories stronger.
  
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• How to make the perfect cup of tea

  16-02-2015 11:44 via
  
  According to the official best practice guide by London-based British Standards Institution, there must also be at least 2g of tea for every 100ml of water used.
  
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• VIDEO: LG tries again with clever fridge

  16-02-2015 11:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC takes at look at LG's latest attempt to reinvent the fridge by connecting it to the internet.
  
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• Introverts: These emojis are for you

  16-02-2015 11:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A designer comes up with "introjis" for the socially anxious
  
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• Has a bad meal left you TRAUMATISED? Language in poor restaurant reviews suggests diners are emotionally scarred, expert claims

  16-02-2015 11:26 via
  
  Linguist Dan Jurafsky of Stanford University, in California, said that people who post online reviews might think they are writing about food but they are actually revealing their psychological state.
  
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• How to impress a woman: Let her talk about herself and whatever you do, DON'T talk about work, experts reveal

  16-02-2015 11:02 via
  
  Researchers at Stanford University listened to recordings of strangers on speed dates and found in those that were successful the women tended to use the word 'I' much more frequently.
  
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