Sci-Tech news

• Solar-powered spacecraft to scour Europa for signs of alien life

  26-05-2015 22:52 via
  
  Nasa has revealed nine instruments will fly on a solar aircraft as part of the $30m mission, set to blast off in the 2020s. They will include an ice penetrating radar, cameras and spectrometers.
  
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• Chinese Star Trek fan build office in shape of the USS Enterprise

  26-05-2015 22:35 via
  
  A Chinese millionaire and self-confessed Star Trek fan has boldly gone where no man has gone before with the design of his company headquarters.
  
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• NSA testing smartphones that can tell who you are by the way you write: Handwriting recongition system

  26-05-2015 22:24 via
  
  Researchers say that everyone uses a phone in a different way, and by sensing the forces when we draw a gesture of sign something, we can be accurately identified.
  
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• It's a China office block, Jim, but not as we know it!

  26-05-2015 22:24 via
  
  A Chinese millionaire and self-confessed Star Trek fan has boldly gone where no man has gone before with the design of his company headquarters.
  
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• Brain surgery's earliest patients revealed: Haunting images of disfigured skulls and brains discovered in a university basement 

  26-05-2015 22:24 via
  
  The images, found at Yale University, show Dr Harvey Cushing's patients between 1990-1930.The collection includes haunting images of babies with distended skulls and scar-filled heads.
  
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• Air Force confirms work on terrifying new weapon

  26-05-2015 22:24 via
  
  Champ, or Counter-electronics High-powered microwave Advanced Missile Project, is now an 'operational system already in our tactical air force', according to Major General Thomas Masiello.
  
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• Solar-powered spacecraft set to scour Europa for signs of alien life: Nasa reveals $30m mission to blast off in 2020s

  26-05-2015 22:16 via
  
  Nasa has revealed nine instruments will fly on a solar aircraft as part of the $30m mission, set to blast off in the 2020s. They will include an ice penetrating radar, cameras and spectrometers.
  
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• Meet CHIMP, the chainsaw wielding robot that can walk, climb walls and even transform into a TANK 

  26-05-2015 21:37 via
  
  Carnegie Mellon's robot is a human sized machine that can walk, climb walls and even turn into a tank to move across tough terrain.
  
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• Victims of ID theft 'up by a third'

  26-05-2015 21:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The number of people falling victim to identity theft in the UK rises by almost a third in the first three months of 2015, figures from fraud prevention agency Cifas show.
  
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• SmartGPA app can tell you how much partying will affect your grades

  26-05-2015 20:58 via
  
  Researchers say the SmartGPA app can use your phone's sensor to work out exactly when you're sleeping, studying and partying - and found students party most on a Wednesday (pictured)
  
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• The silent missile that can destroy an enemy's electronics with PULSES: Air Force confirms work on terrifying new weapon

  26-05-2015 20:47 via
  
  Champ, or Counter-electronics High-powered microwave Advanced Missile Project, is now an 'operational system already in our tactical air force', according to Major General Thomas Masiello.
  
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• Serendip watch vibrates when a love match is nearby

  26-05-2015 20:39 via
  
  An inventor from Sweden, who was inspired by the film Sliding Doors, came up with the Serendip watch(shown) that looks like a conventional timepiece but 'buzzes' when a love match is nearby.
  
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• This silent missile that can destroy an enemy's electronics with PULSES: Air Force confirms work on terrifying new weapon

  26-05-2015 19:59 via
  
  Champ, or Counter-electronics High-powered microwave Advanced Missile Project, is now an 'operational system already in our tactical air force', according to Major General Thomas Masiello.
  
  Read more

• Samsung unveil Iron Man Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone

  26-05-2015 19:33 via
  
  Korean firm Samsung is preparing to release the sleek Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man Limited Edition (shown) tomorrow, in collaboration with Marvel to celebrate the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
  
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• Ever wondered why the iPhone's clock reads 9:41 in Apple adverts?

  26-05-2015 19:33 via
  
  Former Apple Co-Founder and CEO Steve Jobs wanted the original iPhone to show the same time in the adverts as when he announced it and now the phones always read 9:41 (pictured) .
  
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• Periscope launches on Android, two months after iOS launch

  26-05-2015 19:25 via
  
  Twitter officially launched Periscope on iOS and the desktop in March and has now made it available to Android phone and tablet users as well (pictured).
  
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• The watch that helps you find LOVE: $49 Serendip aims to 'put fate back into dating' by vibrating when a match is nearby

  26-05-2015 19:15 via
  
  An inventor from Sweden, who was inspired by the film Sliding Doors, came up with the Serendip watch(shown) that looks like a conventional timepiece but 'buzzes' when a love match is nearby.
  
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• The app that can predict your GPA: Phone sensors can tell you how much all night partying will REALLY affect your grades (and found students party most on a Wednesday evening)

  26-05-2015 19:15 via
  
  Researchers say the SmartGPA app can use your phone's sensor to work out exactly when you're sleeping, studying and partying - and found students party most on a Wednesday (pictured)
  
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• Periscope launches on Android: Twitter's live streaming app is now available on Google's Play Store

  26-05-2015 18:26 via
  
  Twitter officially launched Periscope on iOS and the desktop in March and has now made it available to Android phone and tablet users as well (pictured).
  
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• Caterpillars disguise themselves as bird POO to avoid being eaten - and it triples their chance of survival 

  26-05-2015 18:26 via
  
  Biologists in Japan have found that birds actively avoid eating caterpillars of moths like Macrauzata maxima and Apochima juglansiaria (pictured) when they contort their black and white bodies.
  
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• Ever wondered why the iPhone's clock reads 9:41 in Apple adverts? Time pays homage to handset's first launch

  26-05-2015 17:58 via
  
  Former Apple Co-Founder and CEO Steve Jobs wanted the original iPhone to show the same time in the adverts as when he announced it and now the phones always read 9:41 (pictured) .
  
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• Avengers fans, assemble! Limited edition Iron Man Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone unveiled by Samsung

  26-05-2015 17:58 via
  
  Korean firm Samsung is preparing to release the sleek Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man Limited Edition (shown) tomorrow, in collaboration with Marvel to celebrate the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
  
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• How Arctic ozone hole was avoided

  26-05-2015 17:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Antarctic ozone hole would have been 40% bigger and a hole over the Arctic would have opened up if ozone-depleting chemicals had not been phased out, according to research.
  
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• iPhone's to get Android-style back button through smart case Halo Back

  26-05-2015 16:53 via
  
  Halo Back (shown) was created by Tianyuan Zheng from San Francisco's Haloband. It adds a circuit layer that leads current from where the user presses to the top of the screen.
  
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• Add an Android-style back button to your iPhone: $49 case redirects touch from the bottom corner to the top of the screen

  26-05-2015 16:42 via
  
  Halo Back (shown) was created by Tianyuan Zheng from San Francisco's Haloband. It adds a circuit layer that leads current from where the user presses to the top of the screen.
  
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• O2 network 'back to normal'

  26-05-2015 16:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Phone provider O2 says its service is "back to normal" after customers complained of problems with reception in several parts of the UK.
  
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• Floating farmswhere fish and crops harvested on ocean rigs could feed Earth

  26-05-2015 15:59 via
  
  A team from Barcelona has designed floating farms (illustrated) that could feed the world in upcoming decades. The multi-levelled structures would be used to catch more than 1.7 million fish a year.
  
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• Why does squinting help us see more clearly? Video reveals how changing the shape of your eye corrects blurry vision

  26-05-2015 15:30 via
  
  Craig Benzine from Chicago tackled the issue in a video for Mental Floss. Some people squint (stock image shown) to see more clearly. It helps by changing the eye's shape and limiting light entering.
  
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• Are floating farms the answer to solving world hunger? Fish and crops harvested on ocean rigs could feed Earth's rising population

  26-05-2015 15:30 via
  
  A team from Barcelona has designed floating farms (illustrated) that could feed the world in upcoming decades. The multi-levelled structures would be used to catch more than 1.7 million fish a year.
  
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• Periscope arrives on Android

  26-05-2015 15:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Twitter's live video streaming app Periscope is finally launching on Google's Android platform, exactly two months after its debut in the Apple store.
  
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• Supertanks like Ripsaw 'drone tank' and the bullet proof Swat Bot

  26-05-2015 14:31 via
  
  A Maine-based duo has developed several supertanks for use by the military. The Ripsaw (shown) is capable of up to 95mph (153km/h), while the Swat Bot has a bulletproof shield.
  
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• Warmest year on record as 2015 starts at record high, warn climate scientists

  26-05-2015 14:22 via
  
  Scientists at the Met Office in the UK have warned January to April has already been the warmest start to a year on record. The picture shows temperature anomalies since the start of the year.
  
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• Meet the SUPERTANKS: Images showcase the power of the high-speed Ripsaw 'drone tank' and the strength of bulletproof Swat Bot

  26-05-2015 14:12 via
  
  A Maine-based duo has developed several supertanks for use by the military. The Ripsaw (shown) is capable of up to 95mph (153km/h), while the Swat Bot has a bulletproof shield.
  
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• Why hating creepy crawlies is a sign you're healthy: Sensing unwelcome objects makes us react to threats so we avoid them

  26-05-2015 14:00 via
  
  Do cockroaches and rats make you flinch? That doesn't necessarily make you a wimp - it could mean you're less likely to become ill.
  
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• Brace yourself for a scorcher: 2015 set to be warmest on record, warn climate scientists

  26-05-2015 13:45 via
  
  Scientists at the Met Office in the UK have warned January to April has already been the warmest start to a year on record. The picture shows temperature anomalies since the start of the year.
  
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• Internet used by 3.2 billion in 2015

  26-05-2015 13:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nearly half of the global population will be using the internet by the end of this year, according to a new report.
  
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• Jony Ive's promotion

  26-05-2015 13:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The man behind the design ideas that made Apple the world's richest company gets a new title
  
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• Connected Collar tracks pets, lets owners 'talk' to them and stops them barking

  26-05-2015 12:52 via
  
  Using virtual boundaries, the collar (pictured), designed by Texas-based DogTelligent, connects to an app that warns owners if their dog strays too far. It has a built-in microphone and speaker.
  
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• Charlie Charlie Challenge has children try to summon Mexican demon

  26-05-2015 12:52 via
  
  The Charlie Charlie Challenge is a Mexican supernatural ritual that allegedly makes it possible to contact a ghost by writing 'Yes' and 'No' twice on a sheet of paper and asking questions.
  
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• Volcano erupts on Galapagos island

  26-05-2015 12:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A volcanic eruption on one of the Galapagos Islands potentially puts Charles Darwin's evolution ecosystem at risk.
  
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• Anglo-Saxon warrior's helmet pieced together from scraps in Staffordshire Hoard

  26-05-2015 12:05 via
  
  Experts in Staffordshire working with the hoard (fragment pictured) said the 7th century 'warrior splendour' was likely made in workshops set up by some of England's earliest kings.
  
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• Should animals be given human rights?

  26-05-2015 11:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Should animals be given human rights?
  
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• VIDEO: Can this app help teach surgeons?

  26-05-2015 11:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The app which allows trainee surgeons to practice medical techniques
  
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• Amazon changes sales reporting

  26-05-2015 10:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Amazon, the global online retailer, is changing the way it records European sales in a move that could see it paying more tax.
  
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• Apple design guru Jony Ive promoted

  26-05-2015 09:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple promotes British designer Jony Ive to chief design officer, according to reports.
  
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• WaterBlade lets you exercise by walking on water  and costs $1,650

  26-05-2015 09:02 via
  
  Created by Las Vegas-based architect Gameli Cruz, the WaterBlade has a top speed of approximately 6 mph (10 km/h), and a battery with a running time of five hours.
  
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• Pyramid designed to look like Mount Vesuvius opens in Pompeii

  26-05-2015 08:46 via
  
  The wooden installation has been built in the middle of the Roman town's amphitheater and will house an exhibition displaying the casts of 20 victims of the first century volcano eruption.
  
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• Living near a motorway or under flight path could mean you pile on the pounds

  26-05-2015 08:46 via
  
  The Swedish researchers found that adults who lived in an area disrupted by road traffic, trains or planes were 25 per cent more likely to have a bulge, spare tyre or 'central obesity'.
  
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• Coastal farm sold to National Trust

  26-05-2015 07:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Parts of the iconic Great Orme headland in north Wales are safeguarded for the future after being bought by the National Trust.
  
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• VIDEO: Where does Crossrail waste earth go?

  26-05-2015 07:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Andrew Bomford finds out where the millions of tonnes of earth go that have been excavated during the cross rail project.
  
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