Sci-Tech news

• Black hole study shows ravenous quasars dine on more cosmic matter than thought

  30-04-2015 23:44 via
  
  Researchers at Penn State University say the study may help astronomers understand how the largest black holes were able to grow so rapidly in the relatively short amount of time they had to form.
  
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• Greedy black holes caught in the act: Study reveals how ravenous quasars dine on more cosmic matter than first thought

  30-04-2015 23:26 via
  
  Researchers at Penn State University say the study may help astronomers understand how the largest black holes were able to grow so rapidly in the relatively short amount of time they had to form.
  
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• Tesla's Elon Musk to unveil power pack that could slash your electricity bills

  30-04-2015 23:19 via
  
  The battery is set to be unveiled at a special event in Los angeles tonight, and is likely to build on the power packs used in Tesla’s electric cars
  
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• Tesla set to reveal its home battery Elon Musk to unveil power pack tonight that could slash your electricity bills

  30-04-2015 23:10 via
  
  The battery is set to be unveiled at a special event in Los angeles tonight, and is likely to build on the power packs used in Tesla’s electric cars
  
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• Harry Potter's invisibility cloak revealed by researchers to teach physics

  30-04-2015 22:46 via
  
  Scientists at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany have created a portable invisibility cloak that uses diffused scattered light to hide small objects.
  
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• Hogwarts is here! Researchers reveal real-life invisibility cloak that can be used in classrooms to teach physics

  30-04-2015 22:29 via
  
  Scientists at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany have created a portable invisibility cloak that uses diffused scattered light to hide small objects.
  
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• Mercury mission ends with a bang

  30-04-2015 22:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  After a decade in space and four years in orbit, Nasa's Messenger spacecraft reaches the end of its mission and crashes into the surface of Mercury.
  
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• NASA tested an 'impossible' engine that travels faster than the speed of light

  30-04-2015 22:13 via
  
  The system, reportedly tested by Nasa at the Johnson Space Center in Houston,is based on electromagnetic drive which converts electrical energy into thrust without the need for rocket fuel.
  
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• Nasa prepares to crash Messenger into Mercury's surface in 8,750 mph impact

  30-04-2015 22:13 via
  
  Messenger is expected to slam into Mercury today at speeds of 8,750 mph (14,081 kph), creating a crater an estimated 52 feet (16 meters) across.
  
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• Microsoft reveals site that claims to tell you how old you look from a picture

  30-04-2015 21:28 via
  
  Microsoft has revealed a new website that claims to be able to predict someone's age and sex from just a picture at it's San Francisco developers conference.
  
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• Climate change risk 'to many species'

  30-04-2015 21:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One in six species on the planet could face extinction due to the effects of climate change if nothing is done to reduce emissions, according to analysis.
  
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• Radio 1 head of music on Apple threat

  30-04-2015 21:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The head of music at BBC Radio 1 says Apple's streaming service plans could change the music and radio industries.
  
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• Penguins spread POO to prepare their breeding grounds

  30-04-2015 20:55 via
  
  Oxford University researchers, who captured the footage, claim it is possible that the darker colour of the faeces is helping to melt the snow by absorbing extra heat from the sun.
  
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• Genetic breakthrough reveals how bodies age and could help slow down the process

  30-04-2015 20:36 via
  
  Researchers at Salk Institute in California and the Chinese Academy of Sciences identified a genetic fault involved in premature ageing, which they hope to study to see if they can slow the process.
  
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• Extinction 'hotspots' map shows Earth's oceans where marine life is most at risk 

  30-04-2015 20:36 via
  
  Scientists led by the University of Berkeley in California examined fossils over 23 million years. They found that the tropics were most at risk, and whales (shown) were particularly vulnerable.
  
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• Bombardier beetle mimics 'Machine gun' and fires streams of searing hot spray

  30-04-2015 20:36 via
  
  The beetle's behaviour (pictured) has been caught on camera by Wendy Moore and her colleagues at the University of Arizona.
  
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• First look inside the wreck of WW2 Japanese mega-submarine that was so big it had a hangar with room for three BOMBERS 

  30-04-2015 20:09 via
  
  The 400-foot 'Sen-Toku' class vessel - among the largest pre-nuclear submarines ever built - was found by chance in 2013 off the southwest coast of Oahu, Hawaii.
  
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• Penguins spread POO to prepare their breeding grounds: Time-lapse reveals how creatures use faeces to melt the snow

  30-04-2015 19:46 via
  
  Oxford University researchers, who captured the footage, claim it is possible that the darker colour of the faeces is helping to melt the snow by absorbing extra heat from the sun.
  
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• Microsoft glasses will tell you how people FEEL: Patent reveals 'emo specs' that use sensors and cameras to read emotions of those around you 

  30-04-2015 19:46 via
  
  Researchers at Microsoft's research labs in Redmond, Washington, have designed glasses that detect the facial expression, gestures, body position and variations in speech of people.
  
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• Nasa prepares to crash craft into surface of Mercury in 8,750 mph impact

  30-04-2015 19:46 via
  
  Messenger is expected to slam into Mercury today at speeds of 8,750 mph (14,081 kph), creating a crater an estimated 52 feet (16 meters) across.
  
  Read more

• Cancer breakthrough may pave way for new blood test for the disease

  30-04-2015 19:38 via
  
  Now, scientists at Northwestern and Harvard universities say a distinct pattern in the changing length of telomeres- caps at the end of chromosomes - can predict cancer many years ahead.
  
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• Apple Watch does not like tattoos

  30-04-2015 19:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple acknowledges some of the functions on its new smartwatch may not work properly when it is worn over tattoos.
  
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• Doomsday for Messenger spacecraft as Nasa prepares to crash in into sun-scorched surface of Mercury in 8,750 mph impact

  30-04-2015 19:31 via
  
  Messenger is expected to slam into Mercury today at speeds of 8,750 mph (14,081 kph), creating a crater an estimated 52 feet (16 meters) across.
  
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• Pillars of Creation 3D images reveal hidden jets in Hubble's iconic image

  30-04-2015 19:21 via
  
  The new observations, taken by the European Space Agency, reveal many new details — including a previously unseen jet from a young star.
  
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• Algorithm spots changes in the face caused by an 'alcohol flush'

  30-04-2015 18:53 via
  
  Researchers from the University of Patras created the algorithm, which determines a person’s state of intoxication by using thermal imaging (drunk person is pictured).
  
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• Mapping Nepal, farewell spacebar: Podcast 216

  30-04-2015 18:53
  
  
  Listen this week for an entertaining 45-minute look at the most interesting technology and science stories from the last seven days, with WIRED.co.uk's Michael Rundle, Liat Clark and Katie Collins.By: Katie Collins, Continue reading...
  
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• Batman's bat friends have touch sensors on their wings for precise flying skills

  30-04-2015 18:38 via
  
  Researchers led by Johns Hopkins University analysed the distribution of sensory receptors in the wing and the organisation of the wing skin's connections to the nervous system.
  
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• Holy agility Batman! Touch sensors on the tips of wings give bats precise flying skills

  30-04-2015 18:21 via
  
  Researchers led by Johns Hopkins University analysed the distribution of sensory receptors in the wing and the organisation of the wing skin's connections to the nervous system.
  
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• Architect serves up plans for an underwater tennis court off the coast of Dubai

  30-04-2015 18:21 via
  
  An architect based in Warsaw, Poland, is looking for investors to turn his dream of an underwater tennis court into reality and wants it to be built in Dubai (concept shown)
  
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• You cannot be serious! Architect serves up plans for an underwater tennis court off the coast of Dubai

  30-04-2015 17:49 via
  
  An architect based in Warsaw, Poland, is looking for investors to turn his dream of an underwater tennis court into reality and wants it to be built in Dubai (concept shown)
  
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• VIDEO: Lava overflow from Hawaii volcano

  30-04-2015 17:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  There have been stunning scenes at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano which has been overflowing lava.
  
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• Brain scans show simple trick makes cheap wine taste better

  30-04-2015 17:39 via
  
  The research from the University of Bonn studied the impact of 'marketing placebo effects' (MPE). This is when beliefs about a product create a placebo effect that the chemistry of the brain changes.
  
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• US says 'No' to modifying embryo DNA

  30-04-2015 17:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Modifying the DNA of embryos is a "line that should not be crossed" and poses serious safety and ethical issues, a leading figure in US research says.
  
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• Secret Twitter function lets you play classics from Doom to Donkey Kong

  30-04-2015 17:03 via
  
  A hidden function in tweets that lets you embed so-called MS-DOS games has been revealed. It's not clear how long California-based Twitter has had the feature (shown).
  
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• How to fool a wine snob? Lie about how much their drink cost: Brain scans show simple trick makes cheap plonk taste better

  30-04-2015 16:46 via
  
  The research from the University of Bonn studied the impact of 'marketing placebo effects' (MPE). This is when beliefs about a product create a placebo effect that the chemistry of the brain changes.
  
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• Your next smartphone screen could be BULLETPROOF

  30-04-2015 16:09 via
  
  Scientists at the US Navy Research Laboratory in Washington have developed a see-through armour from spinel, a mineral that contains aluminium and magnesium.
  
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• Nasa tests SHAPE-SHIFTING wing that bends in mid air

  30-04-2015 16:09 via
  
  Nasa has been testing a flexible wing on a plane in California (shown). The wing can bend from -2 degrees up to 30 degrees, and could replace conventional flaps and save millions of dollars.
  
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• You can now embed GAMES in tweets: Secret Twitter function lets you play classics from Doom to Donkey Kong

  30-04-2015 15:44 via
  
  A hidden function in tweets that lets you embed so-called MS-DOS games has been revealed. It's not clear how long California-based Twitter has had the feature (shown).
  
  Read more

• How thermal cameras could be used to catch drink drivers: Algorithm spots changes in the face caused by an 'alcohol flush'

  30-04-2015 15:44 via
  
  Researchers from the University of Patras created the algorithm, which determines a person’s state of intoxication by using thermal imaging (drunk person is pictured).
  
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• Your next smartphone screen could be BULLETPROOF: Scientists create tough see-through 'glass' made from metal

  30-04-2015 15:35 via
  
  Scientists at the US Navy Research Laboratory in Washington have developed a see-through armour from spinel, a mineral that contains aluminium and magnesium.
  
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• Nasa tests SHAPE-SHIFTING wing that bends in mid air - and its bird-like design could spell the end for the traditional flap

  30-04-2015 15:35 via
  
  Nasa has been testing a flexible wing on a plane in California (shown). The wing can bend from -2 degrees up to 30 degrees, and could replace conventional flaps and save millions of dollars.
  
  Read more

• Watch Amazon's Jeff Bezos' space tourism rocket take flight

  30-04-2015 15:27 via
  
  Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company has completed a successful spaceflight test in West Texas (shown). The New Shepard vehicle rose to a height of 58 miles, four miles short of space, before landing.
  
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• Smart bin Bruno sucks up dust 

  30-04-2015 14:54 via
  
  Inventors Jim Howard and Lori Montag, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, have invented the Bruno Smartcan, which uses sensors to detect when dust is swept towards it so that it sucks up the dirt.
  
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• Google search terms reveal sexually transmitted disease 'hotspots'

  30-04-2015 13:56 via
  
  Analysis of Google search data has shown that people in Norway are the most prolific when it comes to searching for information about herpes, while Finland searches most about chlamydia.
  
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• Secret app 'worth $100m' shut down

  30-04-2015 13:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of the founders of high-profile tech start-up Secret is shutting down the anonymous messaging service.
  
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• Keeping track(s) of time: Thousands of footprints left by dinosaurs 68 million years ago found on a steep vertical rock face

  30-04-2015 13:47 via
  
  There are 462 trails made up of 5,055 prints (some pictured) preserved in the vertical slab at Fancesa limestone quarry in Sucre, Bolivia.
  
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• Amazon's Jeff Bezos successfully tests his New Shephard rocket that will take tourists into space

  30-04-2015 13:47 via
  
  Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company has completed a successful spaceflight test in West Texas (shown). The New Shepard vehicle rose to a height of 58 miles, four miles short of space, before landing.
  
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• Google 'should be allowed in exams'

  30-04-2015 13:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Internet search engines such as Google should be allowed in public examinations, an exam board chief says.
  
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• Secret fails fast - but did Silicon Valley fail too?

  30-04-2015 13:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Secret fails fast - but did Silicon Valley fail too?
  
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• Windows 'open' for Apple and Android

  30-04-2015 13:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Microsoft is releasing software tools that make it easier to run popular Apple and Android apps on Windows mobile devices.
  
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