Sci-Tech news

• E-cigarettes are just as addictive as the real thing and most are mislabeled, researchers warn

  22-07-2015 23:55 via
  
  A new study warned that because e-liquids contain the most addictive form of nicotine and many bottles of the liquid are mislabeled as to their level of the drug, they are causing major problems.
  
  Read more

• The violent death throes of a supernova revealed: Beautiful animation shows a star DYING in 3D

  22-07-2015 23:34 via
  
  Exactly how stars explode remains one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy. Now, researchers in Michigan believe they have come closer to an answer by creating a 3D model of a dying star.
  
  Read more

• Israeli missile launcher disguised as a TANK finally declassified after 20 years

  22-07-2015 23:21 via
  
  The front of the vehicle is fitted with a fake cannon so it looks like a standard main battle tank, with 12 Spike anti-tank missiles hidden at its rear.
  
  Read more

• Israeli top secret missile launcher disguised as a TANK finally declassified after 20 years of rumours and secret missions

  22-07-2015 22:37 via
  
  The front of the vehicle is fitted with a fake cannon so it looks like a standard main battle tank, with 12 Spike anti-tank missiles hidden at its rear.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Interactive Twitter maps reveal each US state’s favourite snacks and activities

  22-07-2015 22:28 via
  
  Mississippi, the state with the biggest obesity problem, tweets more about cake than any other food, and eating appears to be their favourite activity on Twitter, the US-Australian study found.
  
  Read more

• What makes America FAT: Interactive Twitter maps reveal each state’s favourite snacks and activities

  22-07-2015 21:56 via
  
  Mississippi, the state with the biggest obesity problem, tweets more about cake than any other food, and eating appears to be their favourite activity on Twitter, the US-Australian study found.
  
  Read more

• Microsoft's Send app allows users to have quick chats with iPhone users

  22-07-2015 21:12 via
  
  Set to compete against Facebook's Messenger, WhatsApp and the plethora of other services, Microsoft hopes the Send app will appeal to users of its Office software, and allow for quick chats.
  
  Read more

• Australian Aborigines may have colonised the Amazon

  22-07-2015 21:09 via
  
  A study by geneticists at Harvard Medical School has found three native tribes in the Amazon who share more DNA with Aborigines from Australasia than any other modern population.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Microsoft takes on the text message (and Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp) with Send iPhone app for quick chats

  22-07-2015 21:09 via
  
  Set to compete against Facebook's Messenger, WhatsApp and the plethora of other services, Microsoft hopes the Send app will appeal to users of its Office software, and allow for quick chats.
  
  Read more

• Men who bully women online really ARE losers: Males are polite to each other when gaming but abuse females when they lose

  22-07-2015 21:01 via
  
  Researchers at the University of New South Wales studied 163 plays of Halo 3 and found that when men were losing the game they became abusive, but only to females.
  
  Read more

• What makes America FAT: Interactive Twitter maps reveal each state’s favourite snack - and how what exercise they do

  22-07-2015 20:39 via
  
  Mississippi, the state with the biggest obesity problem, tweets more about cake than any other food, and eating appears to be their favourite activity on Twitter, the US-Australian study found.
  
  Read more

• YouTube uploads a MILLION minutes of history dating back to 1895

  22-07-2015 20:36 via
  
  An amazing archive of more than one million minutes of archive film footage is being released on the internet showing some of the most iconic moments over the past 120 years.
  
  Read more

• Taking pills like Cilest and Yasmin 'boosts spatial awareness', study claims

  22-07-2015 20:22 via
  
  Pennsylvania State University researchers found women taking pills such as Cilest and Yasmin, which lower the amount of the hormone oestrogen in the body, performed better in spatial awareness tasks.
  
  Read more

• Better method for building with DNA

  22-07-2015 19:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists come up with an improved method for building tiny 3D structures out of strands of DNA.
  
  Read more

• Microsoft seeks revenge porn reports

  22-07-2015 19:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Microsoft makes it easier for revenge porn victims to have intimate images of themselves removed from its services.
  
  Read more

• Instagram pictures taken from space show landmarks as they've never been seen before

  22-07-2015 19:03 via
  
  New York-based project creator Benjamin Grant starts with what he calls 'a thought experiment' and then works to find an eye-catching satellite image on the resulting theme.
  
  Read more

• Fracking impact on CO2 cuts 'a myth'

  22-07-2015 18:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  New research suggests that the impact of fracking and shale gas in reducing US carbon emissions has been overstated.
  
  Read more

• Why we live on Earth and not Venus: Early asteroid bombardments created conditions just right for life to emerge, study reveals

  22-07-2015 18:13 via
  
  Researchers at the University of British Columbia claim that the shedding of the Earth's first crust was crucial to the development of a habitable climate due to regular volcanic activity.
  
  Read more

• Were Aborigines the first AMERICANS? Native tribes in the Amazon found to be most closely related to indigenous Australians

  22-07-2015 17:55 via
  
  A study by geneticists at Harvard Medical School has found three native tribes in the Amazon who share more DNA with Aborigines from Australasia than any other modern population.
  
  Read more

• US Predator drone crashes in Iraq while spying on ISIS militants

  22-07-2015 17:21 via
  
  The Pentagon confirmed the disaster after pictures emerged online that appeared to show the wreckage of the MQ-1 Predator aircraft, thought to be worth around £5million.
  
  Read more

• AI beats humans at sketch quiz

  22-07-2015 17:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An AI program created by researchers in London uses a new technique to beat humans at recognising what sketches are supposed to depict.
  
  Read more

• Sony wins bidding war to make film based on emojis in 'seven-figure deal'

  22-07-2015 16:44 via
  
  Sony has won a bidding war to make an emoji-themed movie in a reported seven-figure deal, but so far there has been no word on which emoji will play central roles.
  
  Read more

• Twitter ditches custom backgrounds paving the way for more adverts

  22-07-2015 16:34 via
  
  The images have been removed from all home and notifications screens on a user’s account. Custom backgrounds still appear on public pages such as individual tweet pages meline.
  
  Read more

• MPs 'denied say' over solar cuts

  22-07-2015 16:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  MPs accuse the government of denying them a say over planned cuts to solar subsidies, with an announcement coming a day after the summer recess began.
  
  Read more

• Apple patent reveals iPhone 7 plans to move objects using touches anywhere

  22-07-2015 16:14 via
  
  The patent was filed in January 2013 and awarded this week. It describes a system that uses built-in sensors to register taps made on the side or the back of the handset.
  
  Read more

• Apple refuses to say how many watches it sold as analysts claim sales are a disaster

  22-07-2015 16:08 via
  
  Apple's latest financial report shows the iPhone is still the key engine of the company's success. It sold more than 47.5m iPhones during the three months ending in June, 35% more than a year ago.
  
  Read more

• Your WASHING MACHINE may soon speak better Chinese than you

  22-07-2015 16:01 via
  
  A company in China has unveiled a smart washing machine that will respond to voice commands. Users can select their spin cycle without touching any buttons on the actual machine.
  
  Read more

• How cuddling cats and playing with puppies are proven to reduce stress levels 

  22-07-2015 15:34 via
  
  Melbourne human-pet expert Mia Cobb explains how research shows that spending time with our animals has the same mood-boosting benefits as time spent with family members or friends.
  
  Read more

• Was the Apple Watch a flop? Tech giant refuses to say how many it has sold as analysts claim sales are a disaster and £42billion is wiped off company’s value

  22-07-2015 15:01 via
  
  Apple's latest financial report shows the iPhone is still the key engine of the company's success. It sold more than 47.5m iPhones during the three months ending in June, 35% more than a year ago.
  
  Read more

• New migration to Americas revealed

  22-07-2015 14:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two separate genetic analyses have found evidence for a surprising genetic link between the native populations of the Americas and Oceania.
  
  Read more

• World's oldest Koran found in University of Birmingham library

  22-07-2015 14:42 via
  
  Two pieces of parchment written in ink were found bound along with pages of another younger copy of the Koran in the University of Birmingham's library, but were discovered to be up to 1,448 years old.
  
  Read more

• More mountains found in Pluto heart

  22-07-2015 14:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The latest images from Nasa's New Horizons probe reveal another mountain range on Pluto.
  
  Read more

• ‘Enterprise Edition’ Google Glass will be waterproof, foldable and more durable

  22-07-2015 14:26 via
  
  The most noticeable change to the design is a robust hinge to allow the battery and computer modules to fold down like a regular pair of glasses, as well as a hinge on the other side.
  
  Read more

• Brian Cox and Buzz Aldrin slam Twitter Apollo 11 conspiracy theorists

  22-07-2015 14:25 via
  
  Conspiracy theorists took to Twitter to claim the moon landing was a fake as its 46th anniversary was celebrated on Monday. This led to Professor Brian Cox calling them ’n*b ends’.
  
  Read more

• Climate change targets could still lead to 'highly dangerous' global warming

  22-07-2015 14:22 via
  
  Dr James Hansen, Nasa's former chief climate scientist who is now based at Columbia University in New York, and 16 other experts have warned ice sheets are melting 10 times faster than believed.
  
  Read more

• Car brakes 'can be hacked via radio'

  22-07-2015 14:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A UK-based security company shows the BBC how a digital-radio broadcast can be used to seize control of a car's computer systems.
  
  Read more

• ‘If you think the moon landing was fake, you need a new brain’: Professor Brian Cox and Buzz Aldrin slam Twitter conspiracy theorists who doubt the Apollo 11 mission

  22-07-2015 14:06 via
  
  Conspiracy theorists took to Twitter to claim the moon landing was a fake as its 46th anniversary was celebrated on Monday. This led to Professor Brian Cox calling them ’n*b ends’.
  
  Read more

• Japan's humanoids scoop 1-0 win

  22-07-2015 13:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A team from Japan wins the child-sized humanoid football final at the RoboCup World Championships in China.
  
  Read more

• 3D-printed bottle caps to warn you if the drink is past its best 

  22-07-2015 13:10 via
  
  The 3D-printed ‘smart caps’ were designed by researchers at the University of California at Berkley and measure changes in resonance frequency caused by increasing bacteria levels.
  
  Read more

• Collapsible Wisp will power up all your devices in the wilderness

  22-07-2015 13:06 via
  
  The 25W portable Wisp was built by West Virginia-based Windpax. It generates energy from even the ‘smallest of breezes’ using three plastic fins that ‘cup’ the air to spin a built-in turbine.
  
  Read more

• Days off only boost our mood if we don't get on with our boss

  22-07-2015 12:46 via
  
  Researchers from the Boston-based National Bureau of Economic Research found that if a person enjoys their job the so-called ‘weekend effect’ is three times smaller than those who don’t get on with their boss or don’t like where they work.
  
  Read more

• Hayward Fault eartquake expected 'any day now', claims geophysicist

  22-07-2015 12:36 via
  
  Residents of the San Francisco Bay area should prepare for a major earthquake 'any day now' according to a scientist from the US Geological Survey.
  
  Read more

• Major earthquake on San Francisco's Hayward Fault expected 'any day now': 140-year wait has come to an end, claims geophysicist

  22-07-2015 12:25 via
  
  Residents of the San Francisco Bay area should prepare for a major earthquake 'any day now' according to a scientist from the US Geological Survey.
  
  Read more

• Nasa's planet hunting Kepler Space Telescope set to make announcement

  22-07-2015 11:37 via
  
  Nasa has said astronomers are on the cusp of finding 'another Earth' ahead of a new conference to reveal Kepler's latest discoveries on Thursday.
  
  Read more

• How to REALLY tell if your milk has gone bad: 3D-printed bottle caps warn you if the drink is past its best 

  22-07-2015 11:30 via
  
  The 3D-printed ‘smart caps’ were designed by researchers at the University of California at Berkley and measure changes in resonance frequency caused by increasing bacteria levels.
  
  Read more

• Has Nasa spotted another 'EARTH'? Planet hunting Kepler Space Telescope set to make announcement

  22-07-2015 11:17 via
  
  Nasa has said astronomers are on the cusp of finding 'another Earth' ahead of a new conference to reveal Kepler's latest discoveries on Thursday.
  
  Read more

• The portable WIND TURBINE to charge your phone: Collapsible Wisp will power up all your devices in the wilderness

  22-07-2015 11:04 via
  
  The 25W portable Wisp was built by West Virginia-based Windpax. It generates energy from even the ‘smallest of breezes’ using three plastic fins that ‘cup’ the air to spin a built-in turbine.
  
  Read more

• Warming threat to England's curlews

  22-07-2015 10:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Much-loved birds including curlews and cuckoos are under a growing threat from climate change in England.
  
  Read more

• Lizard 'skin funnel' copied in lab

  22-07-2015 09:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new study unpicks how the skin of the Texas horned lizard funnels water towards its mouth, and unveils a plastic replica that uses the same principles.
  
  Read more

• World's deepest 'space' pool plan

  22-07-2015 06:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A university is in "exploratory discussions" on plans to build the world's deepest swimming pool for spaceflight and human endurance research.
  
  Read more

Follow @scitech_UK on Twitter!