Sci-Tech news

• Scientists crack morphine gene in poppies amid homebrew drugs fears

  26-06-2015 23:59 via
  
  Scientists have identified a key gene used by poppies to make morphine, paving the way for better methods of producing the medically important drug - and creating homebrew drugs.
  
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• Scientists crack gene secret that lets poppies make morphine

  26-06-2015 23:55 via
  
  Scientists have identified a key gene used by poppies to make morphine, paving the way for better methods of producing the medically important drug - and creating homebrew drugs.
  
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• The making of a metrosexual gorilla

  26-06-2015 23:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The good-looking gorilla that captivated women in Japan and beyond
  
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• Zeltiq's CoolSculpting device claims to FREEZE away your fat

  26-06-2015 22:49 via
  
  The CoolSculpting device, created by Zeltiq,features a gel patch that clamps on to the targeted area and freezes fat cells beneath the skin to temperatures of around −7°C.
  
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• Nasa reveals robot that could spot life in Europa's underground oceans

  26-06-2015 22:39 via
  
  The undersea rover has been scouring an aquarium in LA before being blasted off to Europa. It is controlled remotely via satellite.
  
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• Largest algae bloom ever seen is turning California seafood toxic

  26-06-2015 22:06 via
  
  Massive blooms ofPseudo-nitzschia, a type of single-celled algae, have been seen off the California coast. It can produce the neurotoxin domoic acid under certain conditions.
  
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• Next stop, the moon: Audi reveals it is making a lunar rover

  26-06-2015 22:00 via
  
  The 'Lunar Quattro' rover is being build alongside a German group of engineers known as the Part-Time Scientists as part of the Google Lunar XPrize contest.
  
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• Nasa reveals robot that could spot life in Europa's underground oceans (but for now its prowling an LA aquarium)

  26-06-2015 21:36 via
  
  The undersea rover has been scouring an aquarium in LA before being blasted off to Europa. It is controlled remotely via satellite.
  
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• The green monster taking over California's ocean: Largest algae bloom ever seen is turning seafood toxic

  26-06-2015 20:42 via
  
  Massive blooms ofPseudo-nitzschia, a type of single-celled algae, have been seen off the California coast. It can produce the neurotoxin domoic acid under certain conditions.
  
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• Self driving street wars: Google's autonomous car cuts up rival in Palo Alto

  26-06-2015 20:29 via
  
  Two self-driving prototype cars, one operated by Google and the other by Delphi Automotive , had a close call on a Silicon Valley street earlier this week, a Delphi executive has revealed.
  
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• The reason why you can smell the seaside is traced to algal enzyme

  26-06-2015 20:15 via
  
  Biologists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel found a compound called dimethylsulfide is produced by an enzyme in blooms of the ocean algae Emiliania huxleyi.
  
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• Tap Wallet prevents card clash

  26-06-2015 20:08 via
  
  The inside of the wallet (pictured) is lined with what Bath-based inventor Dan Chapman calls 'special signal-blocking technology', which is likely a layer of thin metal.
  
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• UCL: 'Hunt will not be reinstated'

  26-06-2015 19:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The president of University College London says that Prof Sir Tim Hunt will not be reinstated after his controversial comments about women.
  
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• Self driving street wars: Google's autonomous car cuts up a rival driverless vehicle in Palo Alto

  26-06-2015 19:07 via
  
  Two self-driving prototype cars, one operated by Google and the other by Delphi Automotive , had a close call on a Silicon Valley street earlier this week, a Delphi executive has revealed.
  
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• Why you can smell the seaside: Source of aromatic molecule behind distinctive coastal scent traced to algal enzyme

  26-06-2015 19:06 via
  
  Biologists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel found a compound called dimethylsulfide is produced by an enzyme in blooms of the ocean algae Emiliania huxleyi.
  
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• No more card clash! £20 Tap Wallet stops contactless readers accidentally taking money from the wrong cards

  26-06-2015 18:12 via
  
  The inside of the wallet (pictured) is lined with what Bath-based inventor Dan Chapman calls 'special signal-blocking technology', which is likely a layer of thin metal.
  
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• Oblivion handles hundreds of right to be forgotten demands in SECONDS

  26-06-2015 18:06 via
  
  The researchers, led by Saarland University in Germany, have tested Oblivion (illustrated) on existing articles and found it to be capable of handling 278 removal requests per second.
  
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• Could the 'right to be forgotten' become automated? Oblivion software could help Google remove hundreds of people from the web in seconds

  26-06-2015 17:10 via
  
  The researchers, led by Saarland University in Germany, have tested Oblivion (illustrated) on existing articles and found it to be capable of handling 278 removal requests per second.
  
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• VIDEO: How to do VR on the cheap

  26-06-2015 17:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Kate Russell looks at some of the cheaper ways to enjoy VR
  
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• Hadrian the automated bricklaying machine can create an entire house in 2 days

  26-06-2015 17:07 via
  
  The robot (pictured), called Hadrian, was developed by an Australian inventor. It can lay 1,000 bricks an hour and work around the clock, 24 hours a day. It 3D scans its surroundings to place the bricks.
  
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• Sprint loses $30m patent battle

  26-06-2015 17:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US mobile operator Sprint has been told to pay $30m (£19m) to a company that claimed it used patents it did not own.
  
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• Wooden relic thought by some to be the Holy Grail recovered after being stolen

  26-06-2015 17:01 via
  
  The Nanteos Cup, pictured, claimed to be the cup Christ drank from at the Last Supper, has been found after it wasstolen during a burglary in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, last year.
  
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• Scientists try to understand heatwave

  26-06-2015 15:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists in India and Pakistan say higher temperatures were just one factor in the recent heatwaves and other causes such as air pressure, humidity and sea breezes played a role.
  
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• Cats killing more than owners realise according to Queen Mary University of London

  26-06-2015 15:34 via
  
  Scientists at the University of Exeter studied the prey killed by 86 domestic cats in two rural villages in Cornwall and near Stirling in Scotland. The pets killed up to 10 wild animals a month.
  
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• Lock up your cats! Felines are killing far more wildlife than their owners realise

  26-06-2015 15:21 via
  
  Scientists at the University of Exeter studied the prey killed by 86 domestic cats in two rural villages in Cornwall and near Stirling in Scotland. The pets killed up to 10 wild animals a month.
  
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• BBC forgotten list 'sets precedent'

  26-06-2015 15:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC has 'set a precedent' by publishing a list of links removed from Google searches, the corporation's policy boss says.
  
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• Rival robot cars meet on US road

  26-06-2015 14:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A rare meeting between two self-driving cars resulted in one taking evasive action, Reuters reports.
  
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• Darpa is working on designer organisms to make Mars the new Earth

  26-06-2015 14:22 via
  
  Virginia-based Darpa revealed the development this week. They are creating a 'technological toolkit' to transform hostile places such as Mars (artist's impression of it terraformed shown).
  
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• Rare 2-headed leatherback lizard hatches at Birkenhead breeding centre

  26-06-2015 13:51 via
  
  The leatherback bearded dragon is thought to be one of only four in the world to be born with two heads, a condition known as polycephaly which most commonly occurs in snakes.
  
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• Forget Game of Thrones, this dragon is double trouble! Rare two-headed leatherback lizard hatches at breeding centre

  26-06-2015 13:50 via
  
  The leatherback bearded dragon is thought to be one of only four in the world to be born with two heads, a condition known as polycephaly which most commonly occurs in snakes.
  
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• Japanese company Ale to create fireworks using meteors in Earth's atmosphere

  26-06-2015 13:33 via
  
  A Japanese start-up called Ale revealed they will launch a satellite into a polar orbit containing dozens of balls, which will burn up in the atmosphere with a bright colour (stock image shown).
  
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• Eden Project founder wants to build an ARK: Boat-shaped visitor attraction will showcase Devon's plant life

  26-06-2015 13:09 via
  
  The site of the attraction (illustrated) is expected to at the intersection of the M5 and North Devon Link Road, the site is close to Tiverton Parkway railway station, on the mainline into London Paddington.
  
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• VIDEO: Formula E's electrifying final races

  26-06-2015 13:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The final round of the first world championship for electric racing cars is due to take place in London.
  
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• Chimpanzees' reactions to violent video footage may hint at the evolution of morality

  26-06-2015 12:58 via
  
  Anthropologists at the University of Zurich showed captive chimps films on an infant being killed by other apes, revealing they have a strong sense of morality.
  
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• Eating protein and veg BEFORE carbs makes you fuller for longer

  26-06-2015 12:51 via
  
  Finishing the broccoli and chicken before tucking into bread and fruit juice was tied to a lower rise in blood sugar levels over the next two hours, say scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.
  
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• Chimpanzees can tell right from wrong: Apes' reactions to violent video footage may give clues to how human morality evolved

  26-06-2015 12:28 via
  
  Anthropologists at the University of Zurich showed captive chimps films on an infant being killed by other apes, revealing they have a strong sense of morality.
  
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• Apple patents tracking technology so accurate it lets you track friends inside

  26-06-2015 11:49 via
  
  The patents, first spotted by AppleInsider, hint at Apple's determination to improve its much-maligned Apple Maps service. Proposed notification screen is illustrated.
  
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• Cargo 'blimps' amongst the DHL Blue Sky Transport Design Award entries

  26-06-2015 11:16 via
  
  The DHL Blue Sky Transport Design Award is a global competition that asked entrants to design sustainable, electric transport for private, public or commercial use.
  
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• Rats rehearse journeys to find favourite snacks while resting according to UCL study

  26-06-2015 11:13 via
  
  Neuroscientists at University College London studied the activity of so called 'place cells'in the brains of rats and found they research journeys to find food when they were resting.
  
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• Transport for the 21st century: Cargo 'blimps', self-driving boats and solar-powered trikes among entries for vehicle design awards

  26-06-2015 10:44 via
  
  The DHL Blue Sky Transport Design Award is a global competition that asked entrants to design sustainable, electric transport for private, public or commercial use.
  
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• VIDEO: The prototype that aims to take flight

  26-06-2015 09:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Click's LJ Rich looks at some of the best of the week's technology news.
  
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• VIDEO: The hovorbike that aims to take flight

  26-06-2015 09:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Click's LJ Rich looks at some of the best of the week's technology news.
  
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• What do rats dream of? Sweet treats! Rodents rehearse journeys to find their favourite snacks while resting, study reveals

  26-06-2015 09:51 via
  
  Neuroscientists at University College London studied the activity of so called 'place cells'in the brains of rats and found they research journeys to find food when they were resting.
  
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• Sefapanosaurus dinosaur discovered after its bones lay in storage for years

  26-06-2015 09:35 via
  
  The bones of the Sefapanosaurus had been excavated in the 1930s in South Africa's Free State province, but had ended up among thousands of other fossils at Wits University in Johannesburg.
  
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• China 'top suspect' in US cyber hack

  26-06-2015 06:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The head of US intelligence says that China is the "leading suspect" in a huge data breach of US government personnel files.
  
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• Apple pulls Confederate flag-bearing apps from its Store - but not Nazi imagery

  26-06-2015 04:11 via
  
  It follows a similar decision by a number of retailers this week, including Ebay and Amazon, in the wake of last week's mass shooting at a black South Carolina church.
  
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• Alien worlds could be brought back from the dead as planet 'regains its glow'

  26-06-2015 03:34 via
  
  Astronomers at University of California, Los Angeles believe they have found evidence for a 'rejuvenated planet' around a dead star called PG 0010+280.
  
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• SpaceX reveals the barge the Falcon 9 booster will finally land on

  26-06-2015 03:00 via
  
  This time, a new drone ship named 'Of Course I Still Love You' will be waiting in the Atlantic Ocean, taking over from the original barge, 'Just Read the Instructions'.
  
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• Can alien worlds be brought back from the dead? Astronomers spot a planet that has mysteriously 'regained its glow'

  26-06-2015 02:55 via
  
  Astronomers at University of California, Los Angeles believe they have found evidence for a 'rejuvenated planet' around a dead star called PG 0010+280.
  
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• GM wheat trial funded by taxpayers has failed, GM Freeze claims

  26-06-2015 02:47 via
  
  A trial to create a genetically-modified wheat that would drive away insects without the need for powerful insecticide sprays has failed. Millions of pounds of public money was spent on the crop trial.
  
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