Sci-Tech news

• How caterpillars brought us kale and mustard: Study finds plants evolved in an ‘arms race’ to stop themselves being eaten 

  23-06-2015 23:13 via
  
  Scientists at the University of Missouri have found direct genetic evidence for the arms race between plants and insects - and they say it could help them develop even tastier crops.
  
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• You really CAN'T blame your consciousness for bad decisions: Study finds our internal 'voice' far less powerful than thought

  23-06-2015 23:06 via
  
  Researchers say it is far less powerful than people believe, serving as a passive conduit rather than an active force that exerts control.
  
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• The terrifying cockroach robot that can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps 

  23-06-2015 22:18 via
  
  Researchers have created a robot that can use its body shape to move through a densely cluttered environment - in exactly the same way a cockroach does.
  
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• Alien hunters claim they have found a 'PYRAMID' on Mars

  23-06-2015 22:03 via
  
  YouTube channel, ParanormalCrucible, used footage taken by Curiosity Rover on May 7 to back up its claims. It says it is 'the result of intelligent design and certainly not a trick of light and shadow'.
  
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• Alien hunters discover a 'PYRAMID' on Mars and claim the 'near-perfect' structure was built by an ancient civilisation

  23-06-2015 21:28 via
  
  YouTube channel, ParanormalCrucible, used footage taken by Curiosity Rover on May 7 to back up its claims. It says it is 'the result of intelligent design and certainly not a trick of light and shadow'.
  
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• Three solar storms crash into Earth's atmosphere

  23-06-2015 21:05 via
  
  The red aurora caused by the phenomenon should be visible tonight from Europe and North America - as long as the skies are cloudless. The force of the storm has been labelled G4 - meaning 'severe'.
  
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• Rosetta lives on: Comet-chasing mission extended until September 2016

  23-06-2015 21:03 via
  
  In a final flourish to the historic mission, the dying mothership may touch down on the comet to be reunited with its tiny lander, the European Space Agency revealed today.
  
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• Red sky at night, astronaut's delight: Three solar storms crash into Earth's atmosphere

  23-06-2015 20:51 via
  
  The red aurora caused by the phenomenon should be visible tonight from Europe and North America - as long as the skies are cloudless. The force of the storm has been labelled G4 - meaning 'severe'.
  
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• Oldest human footprints in North America found on Calvert Island in Canada

  23-06-2015 20:36 via
  
  Human footprints were found preserved on Calvert Island in Canada (enhanced image of one shown). They were radiocarbon dated to 13,200 years old, the oldest in North America.
  
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• Rosetta lives on: Comet-chasing mission is extended until September 2016 - and it could end with a spectacular crash into 67P

  23-06-2015 20:31 via
  
  In a final flourish to the historic mission, the dying mothership may touch down on the comet to be reunited with its tiny lander, the European Space Agency revealed today.
  
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• Red sky at night, astronaut's delight: Stunning red aurora snapped from space station as 'triple whammy' solar storm batters Earth's atmosphere

  23-06-2015 19:45 via
  
  The sun has unleashed three separate solar storms which have combined to smash into Earth's atmosphere, creating a stunning but potentially dangerous aurora.
  
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• VJ Day lovers kissed at 5.51pm: Shadows reveal time of famous embrace

  23-06-2015 19:39 via
  
  Researchers in Texas have studied the famous VJ Day Kiss photo (shown). It was taken on 14 August 1944 in New York's Times Square, but until now the time had been a mystery.
  
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• CEO of Jay Z’s music-streaming service Tidal Peter Tonstad quits

  23-06-2015 19:29 via
  
  Peter Tonstad, the CEO of Jay Z’s Swedish music streaming service Tidal quit on Tuesday less than three months on the job.
  
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• Men lie about height and sexual partners if they feel their masculinity is threatened

  23-06-2015 19:22 via
  
  Researchers at the University of Washington asked men to conduct a strength test and found those who were told they performed badly tried to compensate in other ways by showing off.
  
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• Are zoos giving black rhinos DIABETES?

  23-06-2015 19:04 via
  
  Vets at the Ohio State University found captive rhinos have insulin to glucose levels that were nine times higher than animals living in the wild, leaving them at risk of disease.
  
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• Facebook can recognise you even it can’t see your face

  23-06-2015 19:01 via
  
  A team of researchers from University of Berkeley teamed up with experts from Facebook's artificial intelligence research lab to build software called Pose Invariant PErson Recognition or 'Piper'.
  
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• Bid for UK's fracking return debated

  23-06-2015 18:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A bid to start the UK's first fracking operation in four years near the Lancashire coast is being examined
  
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• Google adds free ad-supported tier to music app in the US

  23-06-2015 18:26 via
  
  Google is adding a free tier to its subscription streaming music service in the U.S in a bid to fend of Apple and Spotify.
  
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• Are zoos giving black rhinos DIABETES? Insulin resistance in endangered mammals may be caused by rich diet in captivity

  23-06-2015 18:20 via
  
  Vets at the Ohio State University found captive rhinos have insulin to glucose levels that were nine times higher than animals living in the wild, leaving them at risk of disease.
  
  Read more

• Facebook can recognise you even it can’t see your face: Piper software identifies people from the back or sides of their head

  23-06-2015 18:14 via
  
  A team of researchers from University of Berkeley teamed up with experts from Facebook's artificial intelligence research lab to build software called Pose Invariant PErson Recognition or 'Piper'.
  
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• Phew! Gmail adds an official 'Undo Send' tool to stop embarrassing emails getting to the wrong people

  23-06-2015 17:47 via
  
  Google added the feature (pictured) to its experimental Gmail Labs in 2009. It was then added to Google's standalone Inbox app, which was rolled out to all Android and iOS users last month.
  
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• Man builds giant computer at home

  23-06-2015 17:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  For many tech companies the race is on to build ever smaller computer processors, but one British man has gone in the opposite direction.
  
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• Facebook can recognise you without your face

  23-06-2015 17:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook's artificial intelligence team is working on technology that aims to recognise you even if your face isn't clearly shown in the photo.
  
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• US invests in 'Star Wars hoverbikes'

  23-06-2015 17:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  'Star Wars'-style hover bikes could be coming to the US military after engineers in the UK and US struck a deal with the US Department of Defense.
  
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• Boss of Jay Z's streaming site leaves

  23-06-2015 16:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Peter Tonstad, the boss of Jay Z's music streaming service Tidal, has left the company after just three months.
  
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• Stonehenge's sun-disc found in grave near sacred site goes on display

  23-06-2015 16:29 via
  
  The 4,500 year old disc, which is decorated with a cross and circle, was found in a burial mount at Monkton Farleigh in Wiltshire and has now gone on public display at the Wiltshire Museum.
  
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• Stonehenge's sun-disc revealed: Rare gold decoration found in grave near sacred site goes on display for the first time

  23-06-2015 16:16 via
  
  The 4,500 year old disc, which is decorated with a cross and circle, was found in a burial mount at Monkton Farleigh in Wiltshire and has now gone on public display at the Wiltshire Museum.
  
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• SOLOCAM lets you film your own TV broadcasts on your phone

  23-06-2015 16:12 via
  
  The SoloCam was created by Israeli engineer Benny Goldstein. It is essentially a selfie stick with telescoping pole and a microphone at the end that lets you do your own TV-style broadcast.
  
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• Beam of light in the clouds may be caused by shifting electric fields

  23-06-2015 16:11 via
  
  A video of jumping sundogs was filmed above Greenwood, Indiana. It shows a beam of light flickering (pictured), possibly due to electric fields changing in a 'jumping sundog'.
  
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• What is this mystery beam of light in the clouds? Strange 'jumping sundog' may be caused by shifting electric fields

  23-06-2015 16:04 via
  
  A video of jumping sundogs was filmed above Greenwood, Indiana. It shows a beam of light flickering (pictured), possibly due to electric fields changing in a 'jumping sundog'.
  
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• Forget the selfie stick, it's all about the SOLOCAM: Pole attached to microphone lets you film your own TV broadcasts on your phone

  23-06-2015 15:59 via
  
  The SoloCam was created by Israeli engineer Benny Goldstein. It is essentially a selfie stick with telescoping pole and a microphone at the end that lets you do your own TV-style broadcast.
  
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• Ford's cars can now see round CORNERS with the Front Split View Camera

  23-06-2015 15:56 via
  
  The Michigan-based car maker's Front Split View Camera is available as an option in the Ford S-MAX and Galaxy. Views of the road ahead are shown on a monitor in the dashboard (pictured inset).
  
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• Duke University Durham research finds that island life turns rodents into huge monsters

  23-06-2015 15:52 via
  
  Biologists at Duke University in North Carolina studied 1,000 populations of rodents, finding those on islands were 17 times more likely to evolve into giants than those on the mainland.
  
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• Drone helps anglers fly out bait and find plant-free spots with plenty of fish

  23-06-2015 15:50 via
  
  A team in the Netherlands has designed a drone to help fisherman (shown). It has a winch that lowers an underwater camera and the bait. It lets fisherman avoid getting their line stuck in plants.
  
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• AI-created recipe app goes live

  23-06-2015 14:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  IBM's cognitive computer Watson is making its AI-created recipe app live for the public to use.
  
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• Ford's cars can now see round CORNERS: Split-view camera warns of obstacles even on blind junctions

  23-06-2015 14:20 via
  
  The Michigan-based car maker's Front Split View Camera is available as an option in the Ford S-MAX and Galaxy. Views of the road ahead are shown on a monitor in the dashboard (pictured inset).
  
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• Beware! Here be giant RODENTS: Island life transforms mice and rats into supersized monsters, study reveals

  23-06-2015 14:14 via
  
  Biologists at Duke University in North Carolina studied 1,000 populations of rodents, finding those on islands were 17 times more likely to evolve into giants than those on the mainland.
  
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• Fishing gets futuristic: Drone lets anglers fly out their bait and find plant-free spots with plenty of fish

  23-06-2015 14:06 via
  
  A team in the Netherlands has designed a drone to help fisherman (shown). It has a winch that lowers an underwater camera and the bait. It lets fisherman avoid getting their line stuck in plants.
  
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• 'Pregnancy wi-fi' causes controversy

  23-06-2015 13:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two Chinese tech firms have clashed over a new wireless router with a special setting for pregnant women.
  
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• Chimpanzee astounds scientists by turning a barrel into a drum before beating it in rhythm

  23-06-2015 13:01 via
  
  Scientists at the University of Strasbourg in France analysed Barney the chimpanzee rhythmically banging a drum (illustrated), the first evidence of musical ability in chimps.
  
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• 'Organs-on-chips' wins design award

  23-06-2015 12:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Silicon chips that mimic the function of living human organs win the Design of the Year award from the Design Museum in London.
  
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• 'Glowing' condoms could soon reveal if you have an STI: Students design smart contraceptive to detect disease

  23-06-2015 12:23 via
  
  Students from the Isaac Newton Academy in Illford dreamtup the idea for a condom that glows green if it detects chlamydia and yellow if it finds herpes as an entry to this year's TeenTech Awards.
  
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• Erotic e-books face German curfew

  23-06-2015 12:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Germans will be able to buy adult-themed e-books only between the hours of 22:00 and 06:00, under new rules.
  
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• Google no longer lets you search for the images on mobile or desktop

  23-06-2015 12:10 via
  
  Google's webmaster trends analyst John Mueller initially made the announcement during a Google+ Hangout in May. Sites using emoji won't be penalised, instead they simply won't show up.
  
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• 'Radical' land reform plan unveiled

  23-06-2015 11:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Scottish government publishes "radical" proposals aimed at widening the ownership of land across the country.
  
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• VIDEO: Exploring 360 degree game play

  23-06-2015 11:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Click's Marc Cieslak puts VR gaming to the test
  
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• Climate change 'to reverse health advances' due to new 'medical emergencies'

  23-06-2015 10:08 via
  
  Rising global temperatures would see health hit through storms, floods, droughts and starvation, as well as other possible impacts including shifting patterns of infectious diseases.
  
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• ASAPScience book gives answers to the world's weirdest questions

  23-06-2015 08:27 via
  
  Quirky questions are answered in a new book by scientists Greg Brown and Mitchell Moffit.
  
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• VIDEO: Christopher Nolan on Interstellar science

  23-06-2015 06:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Director Christopher Nolan talks about the importance of accurate science in making his film Interstellar, after a leading scientific journal calls for it to be shown in school lessons.
  
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• Call to show Interstellar in schools

  23-06-2015 06:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A scientific journal calls for the film Interstellar to be shown in school science lessons.
  
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