Sci-Tech news

• VIDEO: The chair that assembles itself

  27-02-2015 23:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are examining the possibilities of self-assembly.
  
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• Bing reveals map of biggest aircraft graveyard in the world

  27-02-2015 23:21 via
  
  Rows upon rows of majestic aircraft are lined up in the heat of Arizona's Tucson desert, left abandoned to the elements. Users can now search the site on Bing maps.
  
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• Apps in pockets, bums on seats

  27-02-2015 23:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Keeping cinema affordable after Orange Wednesday's demise
  
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• Why the 5:2 diet works: Study shows 'feast and famine' DOES help you live longer

  27-02-2015 23:04 via
  
  Scientists at the University of Florida conducted a study on 24 people that found starving the body allows it to respond better to stress that might otherwise damage it.
  
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• Where planes go to die: Bing reveals amazing high resolution interactive map of biggest aircraft graveyard in the world

  27-02-2015 22:34 via
  
  Rows upon rows of majestic aircraft are lined up in the heat of Arizona's Tucson desert, left abandoned to the elements. Users can now search the site on Bing maps.
  
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• Google reveals plan for transparent 'tented city' to take on Apple's spaceship campus

  27-02-2015 21:58 via
  
  The new headquarters are a series of 'canopylike bubbles' from Heatherwick Studio, a London design firm known for works like the fiery cauldron at the 2012 Olympics.
  
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• Domestic felines found to search for food using VISION rather than smell

  27-02-2015 21:43 via
  
  Researchers at the University of Lincoln tested how cats search for food by placing them in a maze and presenting them with pictures or smells that would lead them to treats.
  
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• Antarctica's melting ice is changing the shape of the Earth: Researchers warn area is 'ground zero' for climate change

  27-02-2015 20:44 via
  
  Nasa researchers say 130 billion tons of ice (118 billion metric tons) per year for the past decade - enough ice melt to fill more than 1.3 million Olympic swimming pools.
  
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• Cats follow their eyes rather than their nose: domestic felines found to search for food using VISION rather than smell

  27-02-2015 20:29 via
  
  Researchers at the University of Lincoln tested how cats search for food by placing them in a maze and presenting them with pictures or smells that would lead them to treats.
  
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• Meet Skeletorus and Sparklemuffin the two new species of spider

  27-02-2015 20:22 via
  
  Two new species of peacock spider have been discovered in Queenstown, Australia, nicknamed Skeletorus and Sparklemuffin (pictured) - and they have a bizarre dancing ritual.
  
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• Why the 5:2 diet works: Study shows 'feast and famine' DOES help you live longer - as long as you stay away from superfoods

  27-02-2015 20:18 via
  
  Scientists at the University of Florida conducted a study on 24 people that found starving the body allows it to respond better to stress that might otherwise damage it.
  
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• Is this the first ever PHOTOBOMB? 1,250-year-old Mayan mural shows an unknown man peeping out from behind Xultan ruler

  27-02-2015 19:26 via
  
  Archaeologists excavating buildings in the ancient Mayan city of Xultan in the rain forests of Peten, north west Guatemala, discovered a building with murals covering three walls.
  
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• Google will unveil Android Pay service at its I/O event in May

  27-02-2015 18:35 via
  
  A 'source close to the matter' said that the Californian firm's Android Pay will let companies to add mobile payments option to apps. Users will then be able to upload card details to one location.
  
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• The dress: Celebrities join the white and gold or blue and black debate

  27-02-2015 18:22 via
  
  This image of the two-tone dress has become an online sensation, with posts arguing over the dress's original colors - and science behind the debate - being viewed and shared millions of times.
  
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• Has the world become too visual?

  27-02-2015 17:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Has the world's addiction to images gone too far?
  
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• Global warming's effects on melting glaciers revealed

  27-02-2015 16:58 via
  
  Images have shown how many glaciers in southern Alaska have retreated since the late 18th Century (pictured). Some are seen retreating by several miles in just over 100 years.
  
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• US-Bangladesh writer hacked to death

  27-02-2015 16:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A US-Bangladeshi blogger whose campaigning for a secular society in Bangladesh angered Islamists is hacked to death on a street in the capital Dhaka.
  
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• Cut music to 'an hour a day' - WHO

  27-02-2015 15:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  People should listen to music for no more than one hour a day to protect their hearing, the World Health Organization suggests.
  
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• VIDEO: Wheel gives cyclists an extra push

  27-02-2015 15:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A power assistance device turns push bikes into electric hybrid bicycles
  
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• Uni hosts cyber-security conference

  27-02-2015 15:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Abertay University in Dundee is hosting Scotland's largest cyber-security conference, with support from government agency GCHQ.
  
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• Stars found forming 16,000 light-years BELOW the Milky Way's disc

  27-02-2015 15:08 via
  
  Brazilian scientists have discovered remote stars forming in the Milky Way (telescope image shown). They are the most distant stars ever to be seen forming in the galaxy.
  
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• Passport website sues its customers

  27-02-2015 14:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An unofficial passport website has sued more than 150 of its own customers after they tried to cancel or refused to pay believing they had been misled.
  
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• Contacts lenses that define border of iris take years off your face, makers claim

  27-02-2015 14:53 via
  
  The Acuvue Define lenses have a pigment inside that helps to define the border around the iris, known as the limbal ring.
  
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• Whales have lost the ability to detect all tastes except SALT

  27-02-2015 14:41 via
  
  Scientists at Kyoto University in Japan found that whales and dolphins lost the ability to taste sweet, bitter and umami while they are also unable to smell if their food has gone off.
  
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• Google backs down over Blogger porn

  27-02-2015 14:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Google has changed its mind about forcing sexually explicit blogs on its Blogger platform to become private.
  
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• 'Bouncy castle' car cover inflates to protect vehicles from hail storms

  27-02-2015 14:21 via
  
  The Hail Protector (pictured) from Texas-based Michael Siciliano inflates in five minutes to surround a car. Air flows for the duration of a storm to stop stones hitting a chassis.
  
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• Apple faces iPhone patent lawsuit

  27-02-2015 14:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple is being sued by a company two days after it was told to pay the same firm $533m (£344m) for infringing patents.
  
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• A load of hot air? $349 'bouncy castle' car cover inflates to protect vehicles from hail storms

  27-02-2015 14:02 via
  
  The Hail Protector (pictured) from Texas-based Michael Siciliano inflates in five minutes to surround a car. Air flows for the duration of a storm to stop stones hitting a chassis.
  
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• Twitter plans to track phone numbers to clamp down on trolls: Social network will blacklist abusive users to keep them off site

  27-02-2015 13:38 via
  
  Reports claim the California-based site will start banning abusive users by tracking email addresses and numbers. If a user attempts to sign up using these details Twitter will be able to intervene.
  
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• Whales can't enjoy their food: Giant sea mammals have lost the ability to detect all tastes except SALT

  27-02-2015 13:38 via
  
  Scientists at Kyoto University in Japan found that whales and dolphins lost the ability to taste sweet, bitter and umami while they are also unable to smell if their food has gone off.
  
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• Google buys .app web domain for $25m

  27-02-2015 13:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Google has purchased the website address .app in an auction held by the organisation which assigns web domains.
  
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• Could a pair of contacts make you look YOUNGER? Lenses that define border of iris take years off your face, makers claim

  27-02-2015 13:21 via
  
  The Acuvue Define lenses have a pigment inside that helps to define the border around the iris, known as the limbal ring.
  
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• VIDEO: Is 2015 the year of 'eye-tracking'?

  27-02-2015 12:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Richard Taylor looks at "eye-tracking" technology which could be used in gaming, entertainment and healthcare, and asks if it could go mainstream.
  
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• 'Wandering violin' mantis insect weaves like a boxer before striking its prey

  27-02-2015 12:07 via
  
  The video was uploaded by Polish YouTube user Marcin Zając. It features a wandering violin mantis fighting a thumb. Once antagonised, the insect (pictured) stands tall to make it appear larger.
  
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• Don't mess with a mantis! Video shows 'wandering violin' insect weaving like a boxer before striking its prey

  27-02-2015 11:56 via
  
  The video was uploaded by Polish YouTube user Marcin Zając. It features a wandering violin mantis fighting a thumb. Once antagonised, the insect (pictured) stands tall to make it appear larger.
  
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• Tesla's Model S has a SECRET James Bond mode: Tapping in 'T007' on dashboard 'transforms' it into submersible spy car

  27-02-2015 11:55 via
  
  A Youtube user has revealed a secret Easter Egg in the Tesla Model S car. The US company included a 'James Bond' dashboard mode that turns into an underwater spy car (shown).
  
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• Melting Arctic ice could lead to overfishing: Practice must be banned as new regions become accessible, committee warns

  27-02-2015 11:43 via
  
  As Arctic sea ice melts, new regions with unknown populations of fish will open up to fisherman (stock image shown). The House of Lords Arctic Committee said the UK must get involved.
  
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• Account data stolen in TalkTalk hack

  27-02-2015 11:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  TalkTalk customers are being warned about scammers who managed to steal account numbers and names from the company's computers.
  
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• Harrison Ford back for Blade Runner

  27-02-2015 11:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Harrison Ford will reprise his role as police officer Rick Deckard in the forthcoming Blade Runner sequel, it is confirmed.
  
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• Kublai Khan's silver mining dumped more heavy metals into the environment than modern industry

  27-02-2015 11:18 via
  
  Geologists at the University of Pittsburgh studied sediment from Lake Erhai in Yunnan in south west China and found pollution from heavy metals were four times modern levels.
  
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• Fungus plays 'biomusic' duet

  27-02-2015 10:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists at Plymouth University play improvised pieces of music with the help of slime mould.
  
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• What colors are this dress: White and gold or blue and black? 

  27-02-2015 09:41 via
  
  The colors of a dress have come under serious debate on social media with some seeing it as white and gold and others as black and blue.
  
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• VIDEO: Cuba 'keen to update poor internet'

  27-02-2015 04:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As the US tweaks its web regulations, Cuba is looking to radically update its internet infrastructure.
  
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• Wheat present in UK 'for 8,000 years'

  27-02-2015 04:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Fragments of wheat DNA suggest wheat was present in Britain 8,000 years ago, long before it was grown by British farmers.
  
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• Facebook launches new suicide alert system to allow user to report their friends

  27-02-2015 04:20 via
  
  The San Francisco social network's new system allows concerned friends to to report content for review, and Facebook can then offer the user more help.
  
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• Lords call for UK Arctic ambassador

  27-02-2015 04:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The United Kingdom should create an ambassador for the Arctic or risk being pushed out of key decisions for the region, a House of Lords report says.
  
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• Online motoring plea service launched

  27-02-2015 04:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A service allowing motorists in England and Wales charged with summary motoring offences to enter a plea online is being launched by the government.
  
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• Nasa reveals most detailed rain and snowfall map of world: Mesmerising time-lapse reveals Earth's weather over a year 

  27-02-2015 02:26 via
  
  Nasa teamed up with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) to compile data from a network of 12 satellites, and record results at three hour intervals over one year.
  
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• Cyber attacks top US threat list

  27-02-2015 02:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A US intelligence assessment of security threats faced by the country highlights cyber attacks from foreign governments and criminals.
  
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• Facebook adds new gender option for users: fill in the blank

  27-02-2015 01:41 via
  
  Facebook users who don't fit any of the 58 gender identity options offered by the social media giant are now being offered the chance to 'fill in the blank'.
  
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