Sci-Tech news

• Chewing gum is solution to prevent catchy lyrics turning into 'brainworms'

  22-04-2015 23:37 via
  
  Reading scientists say chewing gum helps you forget a song. In a study people were less likely to think about it and a third less likely to 'hear' it when chewing (stock image shown).
  
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• Life on Earth is FLOURISHING and more diverse than ever before avoiding extinctions

  22-04-2015 23:29 via
  
  California-based writer Steward Brand says warnings that the world is facing a new mass extinction event may lead to a fatalistic attitude that will do more harm than good.
  
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• World's most powerful telescope to launch in 2018

  22-04-2015 23:12 via
  
  The James Webb telescope should further the search for alien life by opening a new window on planets outside the solar systemthat might have water, says Houston-based Nasa.
  
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• Stormproof matches that burn even if they're dipped in WATER

  22-04-2015 23:12 via
  
  A Washington-based company unveils matches that burn in testing conditions. The £5.47 UCO Stormproof Matches use a coating that always smoulders.
  
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• World's most powerful telescope to launch in 2018: 'Time machine' will peer back over 13.5 billion years to see first stars forming

  22-04-2015 23:04 via
  
  The James Webb telescope should further the search for alien life by opening a new window on planets outside the solar systemthat might have water, says Houston-based Nasa.
  
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• Asthma breakthrough as scientists discover root cause and treatment 5 years away

  22-04-2015 23:04 via
  
  Cardiff University scientists have found a protein within the airways which they believe triggers all asthma attacks. And remarkably, a drug already exists which they think could deactivate it.
  
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• Former Canada defence minister claims governments are HIDING aliens

  22-04-2015 22:20 via
  
  Paul Hellyer, who was a Canadian minister from 1963 to 1967, made the outlandish comments in a keynote speech at the Disclosure Canada Tour at the University of Calgary.
  
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• Governments are HIDING aliens, claims former defence minister: Paul Hellyer urges world leaders to reveal 'secret files'

  22-04-2015 22:11 via
  
  Paul Hellyer, who was a Canadian minister from 1963 to 1967, made the outlandish comments in a keynote speech at the Disclosure Canada Tour at the University of Calgary.
  
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• Climate change advocate Bill Nye the Science Guy takes Air Force One to preach on carbon emissions

  22-04-2015 21:24 via
  
  The White House said Tuesday that Nye was making the trip today to the Florida Everglades with the president at its request to shoot a video of Obama. On Twitter, Nye said they would '#ActonClimate.'
  
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• Being attractive to bugs like mosquitoes is genetic

  22-04-2015 21:18 via
  
  Whether or not a person has body odour that is attractive to mosquitoes is strongly influenced by genetics, scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found.
  
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• Stegosaurus had different shaped plates to attract opposite gender

  22-04-2015 21:00 via
  
  Researchers at the University of Bristol have found that armour plates that were thought to belong to different species of stegosaurus actually belong to members of the opposite sex.
  
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• Neanderthals may have died out from not cooking with fire

  22-04-2015 21:00 via
  
  Researchers at Boston University have calculated that not using fire would have left Neanderthals with less energy and restricted how far they could have hunted or foraged.
  
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• Elon Musk's Tesla set to unveil a home battery power pack

  22-04-2015 21:00 via
  
  The event will be held at Tesla's Hawthorne, California, Design Studio on April 30. Earlier this year, Elon Musk (pictured) said the batteries should go into production in the summer.
  
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• Insects are addicted to pesticides like humans to cigarettes

  22-04-2015 20:26 via
  
  Scientists at Newcastle University and Trinity College Dublin say bees seem to prefer nectar laced with neonicotinoid chemicals - a type of pesticide commonly used on crops.
  
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• 3D simulation reveals how space-time warps during black hole collision

  22-04-2015 20:09 via
  
  University of Illinois scientists have created the first 3D simulation of merging black holes (shown). It shows what happens when two supermassive black holes collide
  
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• Graveyard clue to stegosaur plates

  22-04-2015 20:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Stegosaurs may have sported quite different shaped bony plates on their backs, depending on whether they were male or female, new research claims.
  
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• WhatsApp adds voice calls

  22-04-2015 19:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The app has added a new voice calling feature which allows people to ring other users for free.
  
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• Carphone Warehouse launches own mobile network called iD

  22-04-2015 19:35 via
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The London-based retailer's mobile network officially launches in May and will offer free roaming in 22 countries, including the US, Australia and across Europe.
  
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• Depression is NOT caused by low serotonin levels psychiatrist claims

  22-04-2015 18:37 via
  
  Writing in the BMJ, Professor David Healy, a psychiatrist in Bangor, North Wales, claims the idea that SSRIs can correct a chemical imbalance and treat depression is a fallacy.
  
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• Sex and orgasms make you more likely to reveal deep secrets

  22-04-2015 17:53 via
  
  A study from the University of Connecticut found that after having an orgasm, people are more likely to share important information due to a surge in a hormone called oxytocin.
  
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• Interactive model of London plots tube lines and how the city has grown

  22-04-2015 17:53 via
  
  The 1:2000 scale New London Model (pictured) covers 33 square miles (85 sq km) from Old Oak Common in the west to Royal Docks in the east. It goes on display at the NLA Galleries from tomorrow.
  
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• The matches that burn even if they've been dipped in WATER or BURIED in dirt

  22-04-2015 17:19 via
  
  A Washington-based company unveils matches that burn in testing conditions. The £5.47 UCO Stormproof Matches use a coating that always smoulders.
  
  Read more

• Forget make-up, BEER can make you beautiful: Collagen-laced Japanese drink claims to make skin firmer and more youthful

  22-04-2015 16:51 via
  
  The 'Precious' brew, created by Japanese liquor company Suntory and available in Hokkaido, boasts a five per cent alcohol content level and claims to have two grams of collagen per can.
  
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• Stop worrying about extinctions: Life on Earth is actually FLOURISHING and more diverse than ever before

  22-04-2015 16:35 via
  
  California-based writer Steward Brand says warnings that the world is facing a new mass extinction event may lead to a fatalistic attitude that will do more harm than good.
  
  Read more

• Can't get a song out of your head? CHEW GUM! Study finds solution to prevent catchy lyrics turning into 'brainworms'

  22-04-2015 16:35 via
  
  Reading scientists say chewing gum helps you forget a song. In a study people were less likely to think about it and a third less likely to 'hear' it when chewing (stock image shown).
  
  Read more

• In pictures: Earth's beauty

  22-04-2015 14:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Earth's beauty as seen from space
  
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• What a welcome! Elaborate 19th century Inuit thong made from seal fur was worn when guests visited

  22-04-2015 14:52 via
  
  The garment (pictured) is part of an animal-skin display at National Museum of Denmark. Known as a 'naatsit', it was worn during the 19th century in Greenland and other arctic regions.
  
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• Could deafness be in your DNA? New study suggests noise-induced hearing loss is linked to a particular gene 

  22-04-2015 14:52 via
  
  Scientist at the University of Southern California hope their discovery for the Nox3 gene, could help save a carrier's hearing by forewarning them of the dangers, allowing them to take protective measures.
  
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• Wounds heal like ZIPS: Molecular images reveal how the skin links up as a cut heals 

  22-04-2015 14:22 via
  
  Biologists at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany, studied skin healing using an electron microscope and hope it may help develop new treatments to speed up recovery times.
  
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• 'Foreign DNA' in sweet potatoes suggests plants genetically modify themselves

  22-04-2015 14:22 via
  
  Scientists in Belgium say all sweet potatoes (stock image shown) contain 'foreign DNA'. Agrobacterium bacteria in the crop exchanges genes between species.
  
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• Depression is NOT caused by low serotonin levels and most drugs used to treat it are based on a myth, psychiatrist claims

  22-04-2015 14:22 via
  
  Writing in the BMJ, Professor David Healy, a psychiatrist in Bangor, North Wales, claims the idea that SSRIs can correct a chemical imbalance and treat depression is a fallacy.
  
  Read more

• Ancient Egyptian cure for a HANGOVER suggests a garland of laurel leaves

  22-04-2015 14:06 via
  
  The hangover treatment was found written in Greek on documents uncovered at the ancient Egyptian town of Oxyrhunchus. It was one of 24 new medical recipes translated from the documents.
  
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• VIDEO: Charlie bit my finger... again!

  22-04-2015 13:53 via bbc.co.uk
  Ricky meets the stars of the viral video that has over 815 million views on YouTube...
  
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• What emojis reveal about YOUR country revea;ed by SwiftKey

  22-04-2015 13:47 via
  
  London-based keyboard app firm SwiftKey analysed more than one billion sets of emoji data to learn how 16 different languages and regions use emoji.
  
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• Humpback whales no longer 'endangered' but it could be too soon to remove status

  22-04-2015 13:27 via
  
  Noaa Fisheries in Maryland says the humpback whale (shown) is no longer endangered. They want to break up global population into 14 sub-populations.
  
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• Humpback whales no longer 'endangered' - but conservationists warn it could be too soon to remove protected status

  22-04-2015 13:09 via
  
  Noaa Fisheries in Maryland says the humpback whale (shown) is no longer endangered. They want to break up global population into 14 sub-populations.
  
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• Study queries non-hazardous plastic

  22-04-2015 12:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers question the non-hazardous ranking of plastic, saying its environmental impacts are not subject to the same level of scrutiny as other pollutants.
  
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• Super-rat history extracted from DNA

  22-04-2015 11:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists piece together the history of a group of extinct Caribbean rats, some of which grew to the size of cats.
  
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• Norway announces it will switch off FM radio in January 2017

  22-04-2015 11:56 via
  
  Norway has said it will be the first country in the world to stop broadcasting FM radio due to the rise in popularity of digital and internet radio services.
  
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• Jay Z's Tidal App ranking plummets less than a month after its launch

  22-04-2015 11:56 via
  
  Tidal's $19.99-a-month app (pictured) launched in New York on 30 March. Following the launch the app jumped to 4th place on the iOS music chart but now ranks at 51 in Music and 872 overall.
  
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• Former Google engineer creates $249 DIY test for breast cancer

  22-04-2015 09:27 via
  
  The test is being offered by Silicon Valley-based start up, Color Genomics, and works by asking a patient to send back a sample of saliva to a central lab to check for gene mutations.
  
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• Climate change: Paris 'last chance'

  22-04-2015 03:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Climate scientists are calling on world leaders to sign up to an eight-point plan of action at landmark talks in Paris.
  
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• The $250 DIY test for breast cancer: Former Google engineer reveals kit that is 10 times cheaper than existing technology

  22-04-2015 02:41 via
  
  The test is being offered by Silicon Valley-based start up, Color Genomics, and works by asking a patient to send back a sample of saliva to a central lab to check for gene mutations.
  
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• In pictures: Nigeria's frog kebabs

  22-04-2015 02:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  'They're tastier than fish'
  
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• Shapps denies Wikipedia claims

  22-04-2015 01:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps denies claims he changed Wikipedia entries about himself and other politicians.
  
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• Sex offending may be in our genes but that won't help us prevent it

  22-04-2015 01:24 via
  
  Dr Mairi Levitt from Lancaster University argues that the genes that make up who we are, and the environments in which we are raised cannot be considered independently of each other.
  
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• VIDEO: 3D printer drone aims to make refuges

  22-04-2015 01:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A drone which can deliver and 3d printed 'concrete-like material to provide people with temporary refuge is being developed.
  
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• VIDEO: Ten years of YouTube videos

  22-04-2015 01:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The first video was uploaded to YouTube ten years ago this week.
  
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• Can paper survive the digital age?

  22-04-2015 01:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Can paper survive the digital age?
  
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• VIDEO: Cheers as Solar Impulse lands in Nanjing

  22-04-2015 00:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Solar Impulse has landed safely in Nanjing in the east of China, much to the delight of its mission control team.
  
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