Sci-Tech news

• Donut-shaped 'compass' in fly brain

  13-05-2015 23:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Neuroscientists observe compass-like activity sweeping around a dense ring of cells inside the brain of fruit flies.
  
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• Prince Charles urged badger cull

  13-05-2015 22:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Prince Charles asked the Blair government to consider the culling of badgers, historic documents reveal.
  
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• Second-hand smoke can make you FAIL a drug test: Stronger strains of marijuana are damaging non-smokers, claims study

  13-05-2015 22:25 via
  
  It could also cause non-smokers to have minor problems with memory and coordination without ever knowing, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
  
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• Need a new runaround? The $35,000 JET CAR built using German WWII technology - and you can buy one on eBay

  13-05-2015 22:17 via
  
  The 16 foot long jet car is based on a 'pulse jet' engine developed by the Germans during World War II to power a precursor to modern cruise missiles.
  
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• Broken rails and welds are the biggest causes of train derailments

  13-05-2015 22:08 via
  
  Broken rails and welds are the most common cause of train derailments, accounting for more than 15 per cent of incidents, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration.
  
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• What are the biggest causes of train derailments? Research reveals how broken rails and welds are the main culprits 

  13-05-2015 21:50 via
  
  Broken rails and welds are the most common cause of train derailments, accounting for more than 15 per cent of incidents, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration.
  
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• What are the biggest causes of rail derailments? Research reveals how broken rails and welds are the main culprits 

  13-05-2015 21:42 via
  
  Broken rails and welds are the most common cause of train derailments, accounting for more than 15 per cent of incidents, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration.
  
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• Underground oceans on Saturn's moon Enceladus could be teeming with microbes

  13-05-2015 21:42 via
  
  Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that the water in one of the moon's geysers has a pH of 11 or 12 and also contains the same sodium chloride salt as oceans here on Earth.
  
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• Skeleton of 1,500-year-old migrant unearthed in Essex shows signs of leprosy

  13-05-2015 21:42 via
  
  An international team of archaeologists, including experts from the University of Southampton took a fresh look at the male skeleton, which was excavatedin Essex during the 1950s.
  
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• Earth's invisible waves: Watch gravity rippling through the atmosphere

  13-05-2015 21:42 via
  
  Researchers have found a way to make gravity waves created by thunderstorms and other events, visible - and have created a hypnotic video showing their journey around Earth.
  
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• Men are BETTER at multitasking than women, study claims

  13-05-2015 20:15 via
  
  The stereotype that women are better than men at multitasking might have to be re-written after a study by Microsoft has shown that men might be far superior at juggling tasks.
  
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• Is there life on Saturn's moon? New study claims underground oceans on Enceladus could be teeming with microbes

  13-05-2015 20:15 via
  
  Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that the water in one of the moon's geysers has a pH of 11 or 12 and also contains the same sodium chloride salt as oceans here on Earth.
  
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• Compound found to perk up old muscles and ageing brains 

  13-05-2015 20:15 via
  
  The small-molecule drug simultaneously perks up old stem cells in the brains and muscles of mice, Berkeley researcher found - and they say it could work in humans.
  
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• Next Big Sound predicts big artists a YEAR in advance

  13-05-2015 19:23 via
  
  New York-based Next Big Sound collects public social data for thousands of artists and correlates this with sales and streaming numbers to track who is popular - and who will be a future success.
  
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• Tokyo bans drones in parks

  13-05-2015 19:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The local government in the Japanese capital bans drones, saying the devices pose a danger to park visitors
  
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• Facebook hooks up with publishers for 'Instant Articles'

  13-05-2015 18:54 via
  
  Facebook has teamed up with nine news publishers to launch a feature that will allow them to publish articles directly on the network's mobile news feeds. Sh...
  
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• Apple Watch gets a cover to protects from bumps and scratches

  13-05-2015 18:51 via
  
  The CandyShell Fit case (pictured), made by Silicon Valley-based Speck has a hard polycarbonate shell that acts like a bumper for the watch and a softer shock-absorbing interior.
  
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• Will Elijah Blake and Turbo Fruits be topping the charts in 2016? Algorithm predicts big artists a YEAR in advance

  13-05-2015 18:44 via
  
  New York-based Next Big Sound collects public social data for thousands of artists and correlates this with sales and streaming numbers to track who is popular - and who will be a future success.
  
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• Have you been FUSKED? Hackers arrested for allegedly creating software that steals private photos of naked women from Photobucket

  13-05-2015 18:44 via
  
  Brandon Bourret, 39, from Colorado Springs and Athanasios Andrianakis, 26, from California are accused of developing 'Photof****t' that made it possible to steal files from Photobucket.
  
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• Could we one day take sunscreen in a PILL? Compound found in fish could one day be used as a supplement in humans

  13-05-2015 17:10 via
  
  Researchers in Ohio, USA have discovered that many animals produce their own sunscreen and excrete it through their skin. And one day we might be able to ditch the lotion and make our own too.
  
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• Apple Watch gets a cover: Rubber case protects fragile timepiece from bumps and scratches

  13-05-2015 17:10 via
  
  The CandyShell Fit case (pictured), made by Silicon Valley-based Speck has a hard polycarbonate shell that acts like a bumper for the watch and a softer shock-absorbing interior.
  
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• UK 'biggest online university course'

  13-05-2015 16:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A UK online university service is claiming to have the biggest course, with 360,000 students enrolled.
  
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• Drone camera tracks its user and captures cinematic-style footage from the air

  13-05-2015 16:13 via
  
  A free-flying drone looks set to revolutionise holiday snaps. Called the Lily Camera, the device follows a tracker attached to its user and records them at a distance for up to 20 minutes.
  
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• China imposes smartwatch army ban

  13-05-2015 16:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The official newspaper of China's army says recruits have been forbidden from wearing smartwatches and other internet-connected kit.
  
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• Inventions that never quite made it revealed in 19th century US patents

  13-05-2015 15:58 via
  
  The imaginative designs such as a rocking bath (pictured) and crawling clockwork baby come from the US Patent and Trademark office which granted the patents between 1871 and 1933.
  
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• From sex armour to CHICKEN spectacles: The wacky inventions that never quite made it revealed in 19th century US patents

  13-05-2015 15:50 via
  
  The imaginative designs such as a rocking bath (pictured) and crawling clockwork baby come from the US Patent and Trademark office which granted the patents between 1871 and 1933.
  
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• The pen just got SMART: Phree lets you make calls, shows mobile notifications and lets you write notes on ANY surface for them to appear on your phone

  13-05-2015 15:25 via
  
  The $169 (£108) Phree (pictured) has been developed by Israel-based OTM Technologies and the firm has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund production of the device.
  
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• Google in 'right to be forgotten' talks

  13-05-2015 15:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Information Commissioner's Office is looking into 48 cases in which Google refused 'right to be forgotten' requests and could take enforcement action.
  
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• Top panel to give EU science advice

  13-05-2015 15:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A high level group of scientists is to be recruited to provide independent advice to the European Commission, replacing the former role of the chief scientific advisor.
  
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• There is NO life on Mars, says author of The Martian - and he doesn't think man will land there before 2050

  13-05-2015 14:51 via
  
  Andy Weir was speaking at Nasa's Humans to Mars Summit in Washington DC He is the best-selling author of the book The Martian (shown), which is being released as a movie in November.
  
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• Is this the oldest artwork ever found in America? 12,300-year-old bone pendant is unearthed in Alaska

  13-05-2015 14:51 via
  
  The bone pendant (pictured) was found on the Mead site at the Tanana Basin, Delta Junction in Alaska by researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
  
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• GolfBoard lets users 'surf' golf courses with top speed of 12mph

  13-05-2015 14:51 via
  
  Golf is in for a shake-up that could see the sport appealing to a younger generation with the GolfBoard, a cross between a golf cart and a skateboard created by an 81 year old US inventor.
  
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• Mars drawings by Ville Ericsson reveal a colonised red planet

  13-05-2015 14:43 via
  
  Swedish concept artist Ville Ericsson has revealed his amazing drawings of a futuristic colony on Mars. He envisions a large dome-like structure being used to house a city on the surface (shown).
  
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• Probe spies Pluto's faint moons

  13-05-2015 14:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The New Horizons probe, heading for its historic flyby of Pluto in July, has now caught sight of all the known faint moons of the dwarf planet.
  
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• Antarctica's massive ice shelf could break up causing havoc to coastlines

  13-05-2015 14:31 via
  
  The loss of the Larsen C ice shelf could occur within a century, according to the British Antarctic Survey. This would drive up the global sea levels by more than 82 cm, warn researchers.
  
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• The BOSS-proof desk: 'Motion detection' workstation warns you if your manager is approaching - and gives a 360° view of the office

  13-05-2015 14:22 via
  
  Japanese car-maker Nissan has created what its calling a 'crossover' prototype workstation (pictured) that brings technology typically found in its Qashqai cars to the office.
  
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• Plane flies through thundercloud full of ANTIMATTER says scientist

  13-05-2015 14:22 via
  
  Dr Joseph Dwyer from the University of New Hampshire told Nature about his experience when his plane accidentally flew into a thundercloud and observed antimatter (stock image shown).
  
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• Really? Men are BETTER at multitasking than women, study claims

  13-05-2015 13:23 via
  
  The stereotype that women are better than men at multitasking might have to be re-written after a study by Microsoft has shown that men might be far superior at juggling tasks.
  
  Read more

• Bluetooth Beanie lets you make phone calls and play music with your HAT

  13-05-2015 13:23 via
  
  The hat (pictured) is available from The Netherlands-based TRNDlabs. It is charged via USB and its built-in battery has a 60-hour standby time.
  
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• Alexander the Great's father WAS buried in Vergina: Bone analysis suggests remains with foreign princess do belong to Philip II

  13-05-2015 13:05 via
  
  Ever since a tomb full of gold artefacts was discovered in Vergina, Greece, in the 1970s, experts have been trying to prove it belongs to Alexander the Great’s father.
  
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• BBC Global iPlayer to close in June

  13-05-2015 12:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Worldwide says the international subscription-fee version of the iPlayer service will close on 26 June.
  
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• Quake heightens Nepal landslide concern

  13-05-2015 12:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The magnitude-7.3 earthquake that shook Nepal on Tuesday lies right under one of the most landslide-prone parts of the country.
  
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• Chirp app lets you send and receive files without Wi-Fi

  13-05-2015 12:00 via
  
  Chirp was developed by London-based Asio Ltd and each chirp lasts about two seconds. To create a Chirp, open a file in the app and press the Chirp button (pictured in yellow).
  
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• Space agency targets 'tick disease'

  13-05-2015 11:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The European Space Agency gives financial backing to a Scottish project to use an app to map tick hotspots and tackle Lyme disease.
  
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• The future of air travel: Vibrating wings and drone 'scarecrows' among concepts that could make flight safer and more efficient

  13-05-2015 11:33 via
  
  The designs (vibrating wings illustrated) are the finalists in the Airbus Fly Your Ideas contest. The winner will be announced at an event in Hamburg on 27 May and be awarded €30,000 (£21,500).
  
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• UK weather forecasts fierce snowstorms as El Nino cycle begins

  13-05-2015 10:31 via
  
  An ice cold winter is forecast to hit the country because of changes in the Pacific Ocean which last time El Nino occurred, in 2010, gave Britain its coldest December in 120 years.
  
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• Antarctica's largest ice shelf could break up causing havoc to coastlines

  13-05-2015 10:23 via
  
  The loss of the Larsen C ice shelf could occur within a century, according to the British Antarctic Survey. This would drive up the global sea levels by more than 82 cm, warn researchers.
  
  Read more

• Nasa probe spots Pluto's moons, Kerberos and Styx, for the first time

  13-05-2015 09:40 via
  
  The animation contains images taken between April 25 and May 1 by the New Horizons probe, ahead of its historic flyby on 14 July at 11.49am GMT (6.49am EST).
  
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• VIDEO: Solar cycle lane exceeds expectation

  13-05-2015 09:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An innovative road surface containing solar panels has generated far more electricity than researchers predicted.
  
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• Free mobile data plans coming to UK

  13-05-2015 09:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A US firm is to extend its free mobile data, voice and text offering to the UK from July this year.
  
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