Sci-Tech news

• New Horizons could make contact with aliens after its historic flyby of Pluto in July

  19-05-2015 23:56 via
  
  The project, dubbed One Earth Message, will ask people from around the world to contribute images, sounds and ideas to send on board New Horizons and to be beamed in deep space in July 2016.
  
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• The double sided phone that could boost your battery life: $550 Yotaphone with e-book display to launch in US

  19-05-2015 23:38 via
  
  The Yotaphone 2 combines a traditional colour touchscreen on one side, with an e-book display on its rear.
  
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• Greetings from Earth! New Horizons could make contact with aliens after its historic flyby of Pluto in July

  19-05-2015 23:38 via
  
  The project, dubbed One Earth Message, will ask people from around the world to contribute images, sounds and ideas to send on board New Horizons and to be beamed in deep space in July 2016.
  
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• Taller people are RICHER: Scientists find biggest leap in income takes place between 5'4" and 5'6" - but over 6' has no effect

  19-05-2015 22:04 via
  
  Researchers at Ohio State University found that the nutrition people received as a child, which affects both height and intelligence, is an important factor in determining salary
  
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• The REAL Death Star! International Space Station to get a laser cannon to shoot away orbiting junk

  19-05-2015 21:35 via
  
  The system would use a telescope already mounted on the station to find and target pieces of debris up to 62 miles (100km) away, using a laser to push it into Earth's atmosphere to burn up.
  
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• VIDEO: Timelapse videos from holiday snaps

  19-05-2015 21:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers develop a method to sort photographs uploaded onto the website and stitch them together to create time-lapse videos.
  
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• Woman jailed for Google boss overdose

  19-05-2015 20:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A California prostitute has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a Google executive with an overdose of heroin.
  
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• Men FAKE working hard in the office, but still get promoted

  19-05-2015 20:43 via
  
  Researchers at Boston University found a third of men who claim to work 80-hour weeks, only clock around 50 to 60 hours, but still get the same rewards because they do so secretly.
  
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• Gotcha! Scientists capture astonishing video of 'killer' T-Cells fighting (and beating) cancer cells inside the body

  19-05-2015 20:43 via
  
  Researchers used state-of-the-art imaging techniques to capture the ruthless 'killer' T-cells (which are green) at work.
  
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• Apple's Watch get its first update to track exercise more accurately

  19-05-2015 20:33 via
  
  Called Watch Software 1.0.1, it is claimed to address issues with third party apps, boost the accuracy of Siri,, Apple's voice recognition software and improve activity tracking.
  
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• Mothers coo to their children while fathers avoid baby talk

  19-05-2015 20:31 via
  
  Mothers coo to their children in a high pitch, with their voices rising and falling, while fathers avoid baby talk and address children like adults, Washington State University experts found.
  
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• Men FAKE working hard in the office, but still get promoted - and women should do the same to get ahead, claims research 

  19-05-2015 20:07 via
  
  Researchers at Boston University found a third of men who claim to work 80-hour weeks, only clock around 50 to 60 hours, but still get the same rewards because they do so secretly.
  
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• Flying TANK dron climbs over terrain and can take to the air if needed

  19-05-2015 20:07 via
  
  A London-based inventor is seeking funding for the B-Unstoppable (shown). The 'flying tank drone' has caterpillar tracks and four propellers. On the ground it is able to clamber over a variety of terrain.
  
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• Apple's Watch get its first update: New software claims to boost app performance and track your exercise more accurately

  19-05-2015 20:07 via
  
  Called Watch Software 1.0.1, it is claimed to address issues with third party apps, boost the accuracy of Siri,, Apple's voice recognition software and improve activity tracking.
  
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• VIDEO: Inuit challenge to EU seal ban

  19-05-2015 19:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Inuit people of Greenland are challenging an EU ban on seal hunting and the trade in seal meat and skins, arguing it has "crashed" the Inuits' economy.
  
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• William Shakespeare's only portrait made in his lifetime uncovered by historian

  19-05-2015 19:14 via
  
  The image, said to show the Bard 'with a film star's good looks', was identified by botanist and historian Mark Griffiths in the first edition of a 16th century book on plants, The Herball
  
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• Whales told apart 'by their voices'

  19-05-2015 19:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US researchers say that they can distinguish individual right whales based on the sound of their vocalisations.
  
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• YouTube Kids app shows 'videos of people juggling knives and pedophilia jokes'

  19-05-2015 18:59 via
  
  The application contains videos of a nail gun being shot into a mannequin's head - advertising protective glasses - and footage of how to juggle chainsaws and knives, and make toxic chlorine gas.
  
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• The forefathers of Europe: Two thirds of modern European men descend from just THREE Bronze Age leaders

  19-05-2015 18:12 via
  
  Scientists from the University of Leicester tested the DNA of modern men and found three distinct genetic patterns (like those pictured) that stem from men 3,500 and 7,300 years ago.
  
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• Game over for joysticks? Fove virtual reality headset lets players aim and interact with characters using just their EYES

  19-05-2015 18:12 via
  
  A San Francisco-based start-up initially developed its eye-tracking technologyFove headset (pictured) to help disabled children learn the piano by blinking, but it is now setting its sights on gaming.
  
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• Complaints about YouTube Kids app

  19-05-2015 16:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Child safety groups have filed a complaint to the FTC about "inappropriate" content on a child-friendly YouTube app.
  
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• 'We're all pooing wrong,' claims scientist, who says we should be squatting, NOT sitting

  19-05-2015 16:33 via
  
  Giulia Enders, a German microbiologist, adds the sitting technique may also explain why piles and constipation are more common in the West than in Asia, where squatting is the norm.
  
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• Facebook's Internet.org criticised as it 'violates principles of free speech'

  19-05-2015 16:33 via
  
  In an open letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 67 institutions have explained their reservations about the scheme and have called on him to address their concerns.
  
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• Bloodhound gets tough underbelly

  19-05-2015 16:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A titanium floor will protect the Bloodhound supersonic car from a maelstrom of grit when it tries to break the land speed record later this year.
  
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• Protests grow against Internet.org

  19-05-2015 16:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sixty seven digital rights campaign groups sign a letter calling on Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg to rethink his "free mobile data" Internet.org initiative.
  
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• Artefacts destroyed by ISIS restored in 3D models by 'cyber archaeology'

  19-05-2015 15:58 via
  
  PhD students came up with the idea of reconstructing objects digitally from crowdsourced images days after ISIS militants reportedly smashed artworks in the Mosul Museum in Iraq.
  
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• 'Cyber archaeology' rebuilds lost treasures: Public project uses photos to create 3D models of artefacts destroyed by ISIS

  19-05-2015 15:50 via
  
  PhD students came up with the idea of reconstructing objects digitally from crowdsourced images days after ISIS militants reportedly smashed artworks in the Mosul Museum in Iraq.
  
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• 'Ballerina' rock spotted on comet 67P but it's not known how it got there

  19-05-2015 15:38 via
  
  Scientists in Germany have spotted an odd feature on Rosetta's comet. The rock (number '3') appears to be balancing on just a small part of its surface.
  
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• Study helps ash mapping for flights

  19-05-2015 15:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  New discoveries about ash clouds could help predict where planes can safely fly following volcanic eruptions, Edinburgh researchers find.
  
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• Oskar Pernefeldt creates the 'flag of planet Earth' that could be used on Mars

  19-05-2015 14:53 via
  
  A Swedish designer has created a flag he hopes will be used on future missions into the cosmos. The International Flag of Planet Earth is intended for a future Mars mission (shown).
  
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• L'Oreal to start 3D-printing skin

  19-05-2015 14:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Cosmetics firm L'Oreal is teaming up with a bio-engineering start-up to 3D-print skin for product testing.
  
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• The flag of PLANET EARTH: Designer creates seven-ring emblem to 'unite countries' - and hopes it will be used if we colonise Mars

  19-05-2015 14:35 via
  
  A Swedish designer has created a flag he hopes will be used on future missions into the cosmos. The International Flag of Planet Earth is intended for a future Mars mission (shown).
  
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• SleepHero app uses parent's voice to lull children to sleep

  19-05-2015 14:35 via
  
  SleepHero was developed by Rob Tong, from Surrey, UK, after too many sleepless nights with his young son and daughter. The app (shown) can play a recording of a parent singing or speaking.
  
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• Deaf wolf spiders 'purr' and tap dead leaves to woo females

  19-05-2015 14:15 via
  
  Researchers from the University of Cincinnati recorded the sound the ‘purring’ wolf spider, Gladicosa gulosa (pictured) makes using dead leaves in a bid to attract a mate.
  
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• Spotify teams up with Starbucks to offer personalised playlists and rewards

  19-05-2015 13:48 via
  
  Washington-based Starbucks has teamed up with Spotify to launch a range of new music features across its stores in the US 'later this fall', followed by Canada and the UK.
  
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• Pi and a pint of science experiments

  19-05-2015 13:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UK scientists take science lectures to the pub in the Pint of Science festival in 12 cities across the country.
  
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• Spotify teams up with Starbucks to offer personalised playlists and in-store rewards

  19-05-2015 13:22 via
  
  Washington-based Starbucks has teamed up with Spotify to launch a range of new music features across its stores in the US 'later this fall', followed by Canada and the UK.
  
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• Listen to an arachnid 'love song': Deaf wolf spiders 'purr' and tap dead leaves to woo females

  19-05-2015 13:22 via
  
  Researchers from the University of Cincinnati recorded the sound the ‘purring’ wolf spider, Gladicosa gulosa (pictured) makes using dead leaves in a bid to attract a mate.
  
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• Oculus Rift headset maker says it has no plans to block porn

  19-05-2015 12:39 via
  
  Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR - which is now owned by Facebook - admitted his company has no plans to prevent X-rated content being played on its devices while at a conference in California.
  
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• Emoji IQ test by TalkTalk Mobile reveals how well you know what the symbols mean

  19-05-2015 12:39 via
  
  TalkTalk Mobile teamed up with Vyv Evans, linguistics professor at Bangor University to launch the Emoji IQ study and test (pictured). It contains 10 questions that test your knowledge of symbols.
  
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• Anti-Islam film ban lifted for Google

  19-05-2015 12:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An appeals court in San Francisco rule a US-produced film called Innocence of Muslims, which sparked global riots after its release in 2012, should not be banned from YouTube.
  
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• Winner in a race between Mo Farah and Usain Bolt revealed

  19-05-2015 12:12 via
  
  The research was by University of Berlin and University College London. They look at how athletes perform at variousdistances, and found 492m was the best distance for Bolt (shown) vs Farah.
  
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• What is YOUR emoji IQ? Take this test to reveal how well you know what the symbols mean

  19-05-2015 11:55 via
  
  TalkTalk Mobile teamed up with Vyv Evans, linguistics professor at Bangor University to launch the Emoji IQ study and test (pictured). It contains 10 questions that test your knowledge of symbols.
  
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• Excuse me, do you speak emoji?

  19-05-2015 11:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Emoji is now the fastest growing language in the UK and evolving faster than ancient languages.
  
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• Who would win in a race between Mo Farah and Usain Bolt? Equation reveals the optimal distance needed to end the debate

  19-05-2015 10:50 via
  
  The research was by University of Berlin and University College London. They look at how athletes perform at variousdistances, and found 492m was the best distance for Bolt (shown) vs Farah.
  
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• Hedgehogs are falling at same rate as the big cat warns Michaela Strachan

  19-05-2015 09:25 via
  
  The Springwatch presenter, 49, laid the blame for the shocking drop on pesticides, predators and loss of habitat - and urged British people to do their bit to help the creatures.
  
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• The tricks farmers are using to try and breed healthier chickens

  19-05-2015 09:10 via
  
  A Malaysian poultry producer is experimenting with Mozart and mood lighting to improve the health of animals in a bid to make them antibiotic free.
  
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• Starbucks making its baristas the DJ

  19-05-2015 08:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Months after ditching the sale of CDs in its stores, Starbucks announces a partnership with Spotify.
  
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• VIDEO: New ways to grow food in space

  19-05-2015 07:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A project will see thousands of schoolchildren experiment on seeds that have spent six months on the International Space Station.
  
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• The decline of the British front garden

  19-05-2015 02:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Is the British front garden disappearing?
  
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