Sci-Tech news

• 2.8m-year-old fossil jawbone of first 'human' ancestor found

  04-03-2015 23:48 via
  
  The jawbone - currently known as LD 350-1 - was discovered in the Afar region of Ethiopia and is thought to belong to the earliest member of the Homo family that includes own species.
  
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• Can YOU solve these UFO cases? Vintage 'alien' photos that governments couldn't explain reveal world's strangest sightings 

  04-03-2015 23:25 via
  
  The images, collated by the global Aerial Phenomena Group, include searchlights focusing on a UFO in LA in 1942 (pictured) and a B-47 jet being followed by a strange object in 1957.
  
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• Where are the universe's missing stars?

  04-03-2015 22:35 via
  
  Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Michigan State University have proposed a new theory for the lack of stars, caused by high temperatures in galaxy clusters (shown).
  
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• Why Indian food is so delicious: Scientists say our love of curry is down to a lack of overlapping flavours

  04-03-2015 22:12 via
  
  The Indian Institute for Technology in Delhi studied the chemical compounds found in 2,000 Indian dishes, and discovered many have no overlapping flavours.
  
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• Is this the FIRST man? Fossil jawbone of 2.8 million-year-old human ancestor discovered that could be our earliest relative

  04-03-2015 20:49 via
  
  The jawbone - currently known as LD 350-1 - was discovered in the Afar region of Ethiopia and is thought to belong to the earliest member of the Homo family that includes own species.
  
  Read more

• Apple's latest ad campaign celebrates iPhone 6 photos

  04-03-2015 19:38 via
  
  Apple has selected images of natural wonders in Canada and Thailand, for example, to be included in a global campaign promoting he iPhone 6's camera.
  
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• Where are the universe's missing stars? Theory suggests there should be 10 times as many - but heat stops them forming

  04-03-2015 19:22 via
  
  Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Michigan State University have proposed a new theory for the lack of stars, caused by high temperatures in galaxy clusters (shown).
  
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• Hands-on with HTC's virtual reality

  04-03-2015 19:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Is HTC and Valve's virtual reality any good?
  
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• 'First human' discovered in Ethiopia

  04-03-2015 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists working in Ethiopia have uncovered a jawbone fossil which may push the origin of humans back 400,000 years.
  
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• Do YOU pass as a human? Facebook develops quiz to sort robots from people - and it's surprisingly hard

  04-03-2015 18:37 via
  
  Researchers at Facebook, Neww York, have Facebook have come up with questions that they say artificially intelligent machines must answer, if they can ever match human brainpower.
  
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• Forget dogs, LOBSTERS are man's best friend - and women want a miniature pig

  04-03-2015 18:00 via
  
  A YouGov survey asked people in the UK which animals they preferred. Men preferred lobsters (pictured) and alligators, while women were in favour of miniature pigs and cats.
  
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• VIDEO: Prince's call to end ivory trade

  04-03-2015 17:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Prince William condemns illegal wildlife trading in a speech on the final day of his tour of China.
  
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• The incredible photos taken using an iPHONE: From frozen bubbles in a lake to a solitary tree against a cobalt sky, Apple's latest campaign celebrates the beauty of images taken on mobiles

  04-03-2015 16:59 via
  
  Apple has selected images of natural wonders in Canada and Thailand, for example, to be included in a global campaign promoting he iPhone 6's camera.
  
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• Piper all-in-one security system remotely controls ANY appliance

  04-03-2015 16:33 via
  
  Piper nv, which stands for night vision, is on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The device has a HD Panoramic camera with 180° fisheye lens.
  
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• Remote village in Andes found to have developed tolerance to arsenic

  04-03-2015 16:20 via
  
  Local inhabitants around San Antonio de los Cobres (pictured) in the mountains of north west Argentina drink water that is contaminated with arsenic levels 20 times the level deemed to be safe.
  
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• VIDEO: Ford's white van with built-in bike

  04-03-2015 15:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Dave Lee talks to Ford's chief design engineer Tom Thompson about the company's electric bike project.
  
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• Instrument can be played as a keyboard, guitar AND a drum kit

  04-03-2015 15:19 via
  
  Artiphon (pictured), the Nashville Tennessee-based team behind Instrument 1, say the device is designed for musicians and complete amateurs, because it is intuitive to use.
  
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• Pebble Time watch becomes best-selling Kickstarter project of all time

  04-03-2015 15:17 via
  
  California company Pebble has broken the all-time Kickstarter record. They raised more than £9.7 million in just a week - with 23 days still to go - for their third product, Pebble Time (shown).
  
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• Kazam extreme power save mode extends battery life by 33 HOURS

  04-03-2015 15:16 via
  
  London-based Kazam launched the Tornado 552L at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It has a 5.2-inch screen and 13MP rear and 8MP front-facing cameras.
  
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• Curiosity inactive as rover suffers short circuit on Mars

  04-03-2015 14:50 via
  
  A short circuit occurred in the rover's arm as it was moving. Nasa engineers in California are now investigating the problem. The rover (shown in image) had been transferring rock powder.
  
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• Samsung designs £20,000 futuristic dog kennel

  04-03-2015 14:38 via
  
  The kennel was commissioned to mark Samsung’s sponsorship of Crufts 2015, which is the world’s largest dog show and will go on show at the event from March 5 at the NEC in Birmingham.
  
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• Men like women with CURVED SPINES as they are better at food foraging

  04-03-2015 14:30 via
  
  Psychologists at Bilkent University in Turkey showed 300 men silhouettes of women's bodies and found that a curved spine with an angle of 45 degrees was the most attractive.
  
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• A digital one-man band: Instrument can be played as a keyboard, guitar AND a drum kit

  04-03-2015 14:27 via
  
  Artiphon (pictured), the Nashville Tennessee-based team behind Instrument 1, say the device is designed for musicians and complete amateurs, because it is intuitive to use.
  
  Read more

• Microsoft's $100 folding keyboard connects to any phone or tablet 

  04-03-2015 14:24 via
  
  Microsoft’s universal foldable keyboard was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and goes on sale in July.
  
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• Pebble Time watch becomes best-selling Kickstarter project of all time after raising £9.7 million in just seven days

  04-03-2015 14:24 via
  
  California company Pebble has broken the all-time Kickstarter record. They raised more than £9.7 million in just a week - with 23 days still to go - for their third product, Pebble Time (shown).
  
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• Magic 'metamaterials' storm physics

  04-03-2015 14:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The hot topic at a major US conference is materials that can be designed with surprising properties, from programmable rubber to springy ceramics.
  
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• China and US clash over backdoors

  04-03-2015 14:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  China rejects President Obama's criticism of its attempt to make companies put backdoors in their software and share their encryption keys.
  
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• VIDEO: Hands-on with an Ubuntu phone

  04-03-2015 14:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones tries out a smartphone powered by Ubuntu, an operating system best known for running on desktop computers.
  
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• D Free device that tells you when to go to the TOILET

  04-03-2015 14:07 via
  
  A San Francisco-based company has created a toilet alert wearable. D Free attaches to your belly button (shown in still image from video) and monitors your intestine activity.
  
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• Ford unveils range of electric folding bikes with sat-navs

  04-03-2015 14:04 via
  
  The electric bikes, called MoDe:Me and MoDe:Pro, are on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
  
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• The smart BOTTLE that 'talks' to drinkers

  04-03-2015 13:47 via
  
  Smart labels could grace the sides of Johnnie Walker whisky bottles and a prototype has gone on show at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
  
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• Curiosity suffers short circuit on Mars: Rover stops work as engineers investigate severity of the problem  

  04-03-2015 13:41 via
  
  A short circuit occurred in the rover's arm as it was moving. Nasa engineers in California are now investigating the problem. The rover (shown in image) had been transferring rock powder.
  
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• Bark to the Future: Samsung designs £20,000 kennel featuring paw operated snack dispenser and a hot-tub

  04-03-2015 13:09 via
  
  The kennel was commissioned to mark Samsung’s sponsorship of Crufts 2015, which is the world’s largest dog show and will go on show at the event from March 5 at the NEC in Birmingham.
  
  Read more

• Why Kim Kardashian's booty is so attractive: Men prefer women with curved spines as it suggests they are better at FORAGING for food

  04-03-2015 13:05 via
  
  Psychologists at Bilkent University in Turkey showed 300 men silhouettes of women's bodies and found that a curved spine with an angle of 45 degrees was the most attractive.
  
  Read more

• The end of autocorrect! Microsoft's $100 folding keyboard connects to any phone or tablet 

  04-03-2015 12:51 via
  
  Microsoft’s universal foldable keyboard was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and goes on sale in July.
  
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• Amazon Prime trial ad 'misleading'

  04-03-2015 12:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Advertising Standards Authority says the 30-day free trial promotion for Amazon Prime did not warn of paid subscriptions.
  
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• Prince condemns illegal ivory trade

  04-03-2015 12:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Prince William condemns illegal wildlife trading and calls for more international help in a speech on the final day of his tour of China.
  
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• A 21st century bicycle: Ford unveils a foldable electric bike with SAT-NAV and collision sensors

  04-03-2015 11:52 via
  
  The electric bikes, called MoDe:Me and MoDe:Pro, are on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
  
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• VIDEO: MPs' warning over Kew Gardens cuts

  04-03-2015 11:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government's financial management of London's Kew Gardens is "a recipe for failure", MPs warn.
  
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• The smart BOTTLE that 'talks' to drinkers: Sensors on label send targeted adverts with the help of a phone

  04-03-2015 11:10 via
  
  Smart labels could grace the sides of Johnnie Walker whisky bottles and a prototype has gone on show at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
  
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• Stunning pictures taken above Mauritius create 'underwater vortex' optical illusion

  04-03-2015 10:58 via
  
  Despite the appearance of a dramatic underwater vortex in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mauritius, it it is really an optical illusion created by a run-off of silt deposits along the coast of the island.
  
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• New York rats could harbour the PLAGUE

  04-03-2015 10:49 via
  
  The discovery was made after Cornell University researcher, Matthew Frye, collected 6,500 specimens of five well-known species of fleas, lice and mites from 133 rats.
  
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• New threats to wild bees identified

  04-03-2015 06:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Wild bumblebees are infected with many of the diseases found in honeybees looked after by bee keepers, according to a national survey.
  
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• New York rats could harbour the PLAGUE: City rodents carry fleas that can spread the Black Death to humans

  04-03-2015 03:07 via
  
  The discovery was made after Cornell University researcher, Matthew Frye, collected 6,500 specimens of five well-known species of fleas, lice and mites from 133 rats.
  
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• The invention that provides Pacific sunshine in Britain

  04-03-2015 02:57 via
  
  Flip-flops? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Twenty-four degree heat? Check. All I need is a fruity cocktail and I could be in Mauritius. Except I'm not on holiday. I'm in a central London basement.
  
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• VIDEO: Blackberry to battle on with phones

  04-03-2015 02:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Blackberry chief says the market will decide firm's fate
  
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• VIDEO: The robot that can play the violin

  04-03-2015 02:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A retired engineer in the USA has created a 'kinetic sculpture' that can replicate digital files and play them on a violin.
  
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• Power plants paid to stay idle - MPs

  04-03-2015 02:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Energy and Climate Change Committee has warned that a government scheme to keep the lights on could lead to unnecessarily high energy costs.
  
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• Sony VR helmet set for 2016 launch

  04-03-2015 01:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sony unveils an upgraded version of its PlayStation virtual reality helmet, which it says will go on sale in the first half of 2016.
  
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• Kew cuts 'a recipe for failure'

  04-03-2015 01:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government's financial management of Kew Gardens is a "recipe for failure", a Select Committee report warns.
  
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