Sci-Tech news

• Kew announces new science plans

  23-02-2015 23:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Kew Gardens, which is facing an annual £5m budget deficit, announces its new science strategy.
  
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• ISS astronauts document seven-hour spacewalk with selfies

  23-02-2015 23:16 via
  
  The first of three spacewalks planned for Nasa astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Terry Virts over the coming week saw an unprecedented number of selfies.
  
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• Google launches YouTube Kids app to show child-friendly videos

  23-02-2015 23:13 via
  
  Google has launched a much anticipated version of its YouTube app aimed at children. The app contains content from DreamWorksTV, Jim Henson TV and National Geographic.
  
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• Apple's iOS 8.3 emoji set to include characters with six different skin tones

  23-02-2015 22:54 via
  
  The Cupertino-based company has also added a wider range of country flags under the Travel and Places tab, with this emoji set now including flags from 32 countries.
  
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• Pebble smartwatch will come with a colour screen and work with ANY handset 

  23-02-2015 22:44 via
  
  Pebble has revealed a new model is coming tomorrow, and will feature a colour screen.
  
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• The selfie spacewalk: Astronauts document their seven-hour mission to position 100 metres of cable outside the ISS

  23-02-2015 22:26 via
  
  It was the first of three spacewalks planned for US astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Terry Virts - with astronauts documenting their adventures on social media.
  
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• Apple's iOS 8.3 introduces a new set of diverse emoji: Iconic characters now come in six different skin tones

  23-02-2015 22:24 via
  
  The Cupertino-based company has also added a wider range of country flags under the Travel and Places tab, with this emoji set now including flags from 32 countries.
  
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• Bing predicted 20 of 24 Oscar winners correctly

  23-02-2015 22:01 via
  
  Bing successfully predicted best picture, best director, best actor, best actress, and the results for supporting actor and actress out of the top awards for the 2015 Oscars.
  
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• 'Eyeball planets' could be more likely to have alien life

  23-02-2015 21:51 via
  
  These planets, which are tidally locked to their star, may have areas in which life could thrive, according to a theory first proposed by researchers at Columbia University in New York.
  
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• Why do cannabis users sometimes have difficulty speaking?

  23-02-2015 21:05 via
  
  The University of Cadiz in Spain used synthetic analogues of marijuana on an animal tongue and found the they inhibit the information that reaches these neurons via synapses.
  
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• Ad tool is 'worse than Superfish'

  23-02-2015 20:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A tool shipped with security products could pose a bigger security risk than Superfish - another controversial program, say experts.
  
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• Forget comfy beds and location: Now you can choose your hotel by the speed of its WI-FI connection

  23-02-2015 20:10 via
  
  The service, called Hotel Wi-fi Test, has tested hundreds of hotels in cities, such as New York and Paris and lets people name and shame resorts with poor internet connections.
  
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• Why do cannabis users sometimes have difficulty speaking? Landmark study reveals how the drug impacts motor neurons

  23-02-2015 19:02 via
  
  The University of Cadiz in Spain used synthetic analogues of marijuana on an animal tongue and found the they inhibit the information that reaches these neurons via synapses.
  
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• Ancient Egyptian 'seal of Ramesses the Great' found in charity shop costing £12

  23-02-2015 18:05 via
  
  A treasure hunter has come across an ancient Egyptian seal that appears to be more than 3,000 years old among people’s discarded junk in a charity shop in Hertfordshire.
  
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• Twitter executives hint at redesidn that could add a grid timeline and live streams

  23-02-2015 17:15 via
  
  The California-based site said the future of the site hinges on videos, private messaging and customised timelines. The last major design change was in April 2014 (pictured).
  
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• Are Siberia's mysterious craters caused by climate change?

  23-02-2015 16:57 via
  
  Satellite images have revealed four new craters have appeared in the Yamal peninsula close to a major gas plant, leading experts to call for an urgent investigation into the phenomenon.
  
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• Teachers are more likely to give students with similar personalities higher scores

  23-02-2015 16:49 via
  
  Researchers from Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg used personality questionnaires to study the traits of 94 teachers and 293 of their students. The teachers then rated students individually.
  
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• Are Siberia's mysterious craters caused by climate change? Scientists find four new enormous holes in northern Russia

  23-02-2015 16:41 via
  
  Satellite images have revealed four new craters have appeared in the Yamal peninsula close to a major gas plant, leading experts to call for an urgent investigation into the phenomenon.
  
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• Early humans developed kindness and compassion up to 3million years ago

  23-02-2015 16:06 via
  
  Evidence has been found that humans living more than 3million years ago may have looked after and even helped each other to survive before they learned to speak and developed intelligence.
  
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• Apple invests 1.7bn euros in centres

  23-02-2015 15:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple is to invest 1.7bn euros (£1.25bn) developing data centres in the Republic of Ireland and Denmark.
  
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• Teachers really DO have favourites: Tutors are more likely to give students with similar personalities higher scores

  23-02-2015 15:46 via
  
  Researchers from Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg used personality questionnaires to study the traits of 94 teachers and 293 of their students. The teachers then rated students individually.
  
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• How the length of a woman's fingers reveals her CAREER

  23-02-2015 15:34 via
  
  Women whose index finger was short compared to their ring finger were more likely to have what was regarded as a traditionally male job, the National Research University in Russia found.
  
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• Endemol axes plans for reality TV show that would record life of Mars One explorers

  23-02-2015 15:31 via
  
  EXCLUSIVE: London-based TV production company, Endemol, told MailOnline that it will not be working with Mars One to document the training of colonists who aim to live on Mars from 2025.
  
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• Use your Android smartwatch with an iPHONE with hack

  23-02-2015 15:22 via
  
  The hack was carried out by Jerusalem-based Mohammad Abu-Garbeyyeh. He used an iOS feature called Apple Notification Center Service (ANCS) to link a Moto 360 via Bluetooth.
  
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• Eastern tiger swallowtail pretends to be a reptile and 'spits' foul-smelling chemical

  23-02-2015 15:09 via
  
  Scientists at the University of Texas have found the Eastern tiger swallowtail has an unusual number of genes responsible for releasing powerful chemicals compared to other butterflies.
  
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• No more 'Big Brother' on the red planet: Endemol axes plans for reality TV show that would record life of Mars One explorers - but a documentary will still be made

  23-02-2015 15:04 via
  
  EXCLUSIVE: London-based TV production company, Endemol, told MailOnline that it will not be working with Mars One to document the training of colonists who aim to live on Mars from 2025.
  
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• Pedius app converts speech to text in real time to let deaf people 'hear' phone calls

  23-02-2015 14:43 via
  
  Pedius (pictured) was created by Italian developer Lorenzo Di Ciaccio. A user types a message that is translated to speech in real time. The recipient's response is then translated into text.
  
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• Solar farm sets 130 birds on FIRE mid-air during tests

  23-02-2015 14:41 via
  
  Around 130 birds have been injured while entering an area of concentrated solar energy created by the 110-megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project near Tonopah, Nevada.
  
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• The caterpillar dressed in SNAKE'S clothing: Eastern tiger swallowtail pretends to be a reptile and 'spits' foul-smelling chemical

  23-02-2015 14:33 via
  
  Scientists at the University of Texas have found the Eastern tiger swallowtail has an unusual number of genes responsible for releasing powerful chemicals compared to other butterflies.
  
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• Dr Michio Kaku reveals how we could use our brains in the next 50 years

  23-02-2015 14:24 via
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The US physicist explained to MailOnline that scientists have learned more about the brain in the last 15 years than we have in the rest of human history.
  
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• Interactive map shows how the 2015 #Oscars played out on Twitter

  23-02-2015 13:59 via
  
  The largest Twitter spikes (map pictured) during last night's Oscars at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles occurred following Lady Gaga's performance and when Birdman won the award for Best Picture.
  
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• Lemurs the size of GORILLAS discovered in underwater graveyard in Madagascar

  23-02-2015 13:46 via
  
  Divers discovered the 'incredibly well preserved' fossils in three caves in Tsimanampesotse National Park on the west coast of Madagascar, but scientists are baffled how they came to be in the caves.
  
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• Use your Android smartwatch with an iPHONE: Developer hack shows Apple notifications on a Moto 360 watch

  23-02-2015 13:41 via
  
  The hack was carried out by Jerusalem-based Mohammad Abu-Garbeyyeh. He used an iOS feature called Apple Notification Center Service (ANCS) to link a Moto 360 via Bluetooth.
  
  Read more

• Phones can be tracked by battery use

  23-02-2015 13:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Android phones can be tracked without using their GPS or wi-fi data by studying their power use over time, a study finds.
  
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• Scientists shocked after CT scan of 1,000-year-old Buddha statue reveal mummified remains of meditating monk

  23-02-2015 13:19 via
  
  A Netherlands study determined the mummy was of Buddhist master Liuquan, who belonged to the Chinese Meditation School. Scan also found scraps of paper covered in Chinese writing.
  
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• The app that lets deaf people 'hear' phone calls: Pedius converts speech to text in real time

  23-02-2015 13:10 via
  
  Pedius (pictured) was created by Italian developer Lorenzo Di Ciaccio. A user types a message that is translated to speech in real time. The recipient's response is then translated into text.
  
  Read more

• Solar farm sets 130 birds on FIRE: Extreme glow of power plant ignites creatures mid-air during tests

  23-02-2015 12:54 via
  
  Around 130 birds have been injured while entering an area of concentrated solar energy created by the 110-megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project near Tonopah, Nevada.
  
  Read more

• Will holidays soon be uploaded to our MINDS? Dr Michio Kaku reveals how we could use our brains in the next 50 years

  23-02-2015 12:35 via
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The US physicist explained to MailOnline that scientists have learned more about the brain in the last 15 years than we have in the rest of human history.
  
  Read more

• How the 2015 #Oscars played out on Twitter: Interactive map reveals key moments the academy lit up the world

  23-02-2015 11:47 via
  
  The largest Twitter spikes (map pictured) during last night's Oscars at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles occurred following Lady Gaga's performance and when Birdman won the award for Best Picture.
  
  Read more

• Volvo's self-driving cars ready to hit roads: 100 cars with 'autopilot' system to be trialled on public roads in 2017

  23-02-2015 11:07 via
  
  Volvo aims to put 100 of its self-driving cars (illustrated) on real roads in Gothenburg, Sweden, as soon as 2017 and members of the public will be behind the wheel.
  
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• Mystery of the 'graveyard' of lemurs the size of GORILLAS:  Underwater cave found to contain hundreds of giant fossils

  23-02-2015 10:46 via
  
  Divers discovered the 'incredibly well preserved' fossils in three caves in Tsimanampesotse National Park on the west coast of Madagascar, but scientists are baffled how they came to be in the caves.
  
  Read more

• Call for global single-use syringes

  23-02-2015 10:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Smart syringes that can be used only once should be used for injections, the World Health Organization has announced.
  
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• Early humans developed kindness and compassion up to 3million years ago - before they could even speak

  23-02-2015 09:55 via
  
  Evidence has been found that humans living more than 3million years ago may have looked after and even helped each other to survive before they learned to speak and developed intelligence.
  
  Read more

• BBC chooses Kenya innovators for pilot

  23-02-2015 09:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two groups of Kenyan tech innovators are selected to help the BBC reach young African audiences through social and digital platforms.
  
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• Healthy dose of hope for one-use syringes

  23-02-2015 06:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Could a new "auto-disable" syringe help stem HIV outbreaks?
  
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• VIDEO: Drone boss: 'I get a lot of support'

  23-02-2015 01:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Mexican Jordi Munoz started his company while waiting for a green card - now it's one of the biggest commercial drone makers in the world
  
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• The immigrant who became a drone firm boss

  23-02-2015 01:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Mexican immigrant who set up the US's largest drone firm
  
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• Can we escape urban commuting hell?

  23-02-2015 01:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What tomorrow's urban transport systems might look like
  
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• VIDEO: Making chess a spectator sport

  23-02-2015 01:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  MIT's Media Labs aims to make chess more accessible to spectators by including live match data.
  
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