Sci-Tech news

• What are the ‘blood trails’ on Saturn’s moon?

  29-07-2015 23:52 via
  
  Cassini scientists are baffled by the presence of the red lines, with some suggesting they may be exposed ice with chemical impurities, or the result of outgassing from inside Tethys.
  
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• Nokia reveals 'Star Wars' 360 degree virtual reality camera with live feed

  29-07-2015 23:35 via
  
  The Ozo boasts eight cameras and microphones, and will work with headsets from Oculus and other makers, the Finnish firm says. It also looks uncannily like the Star Wars Jedi trainer.
  
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• Japan fires world's most powerful laser and is compared to Death Star weapon

  29-07-2015 23:32 via
  
  Osaka University was able to produce a 2-petawatt - or 2 quadrillion-watt - laser beam using the Laser for Fast Ignition Experiments. This is equivalent to 1,000 times the world's electricity consumption.
  
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• Alarm over Cambodia 'timber grab'

  29-07-2015 23:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new report says that highly valuable forests are being lost at an "unprecedented" rate from protected lands in Cambodia.
  
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• Bendy tech promise for graphene

  29-07-2015 23:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists apply the paper art of kirigami to slice graphene, the world's thinnest material.
  
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• Facebook hails 'strong quarter'

  29-07-2015 23:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook hails "strong quarter" as the company reports its monthly users grew 13% to 1.49 billion.
  
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• What are the ‘blood trails’ on Saturn’s moon? Experts are stumped by mysterious arch-shaped red lines on Tethys' icy surface

  29-07-2015 23:02 via
  
  Cassini scientists are baffled by the presence of the red lines, with some suggesting they may be exposed ice with chemical impurities, or the result of outgassing from inside Tethys.
  
  Read more

• The military wants to startle protesters using screaming balls of plasma

  29-07-2015 22:55 via
  
  Dubbed the Laser-Induced Plasma Effect, or LIPE, the weapon would be able to produce 130-decibels of noise in a targeted area, equal to that produced by a fighter jet.
  
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• The force is strong with Nokia: Firm reveals 'Star Wars' 360 degree virtual reality camera that can even show a live feed

  29-07-2015 22:50 via
  
  The Ozo boasts eight cameras and microphones, and will work with headsets from Oculus and other makers, the Finnish firm says. It also looks uncannily like the Star Wars Jedi trainer.
  
  Read more

• Texting while walking makes people move more slowly

  29-07-2015 22:29 via
  
  University of Bath and Texas A&M University scientists found multi-tasking while walking and using a phone significantly affects the way a person walks.
  
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• Did heartburn evolve to protect us against food poisoning?

  29-07-2015 22:28 via
  
  Biologists at North Carolina State University found humans have similar stomach acidity to scavengers. A thermograph of heartburn in the stomach is shown.
  
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• Time travel could create doppelgangers that would ultimately destroy each other

  29-07-2015 22:02 via
  
  Robert Nemiroff, a physicist at Michigan Technological University, has worked out mathematical equations to show how this could happen if faster-than-light travel was possible.
  
  Read more

• The Death Star weapon is here! Japan fires world's most powerful laser to produce energy equal to 1,000 times the planet's power consumption

  29-07-2015 21:39 via
  
  Osaka University was able to produce a 2-petawatt - or 2 quadrillion-watt - laser beam using the Laser for Fast Ignition Experiments. This is equivalent to 1,000 times the world's electricity consumption.
  
  Read more

• Could house dust be making you FAT?

  29-07-2015 21:38 via
  
  Scientists at Duke University in North Carolina, found chemicals found in house dust bind to and activate the PPARgamma receptor, which regulates fat metabolism and cell death.
  
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• Facial recognition technology can indentify you in complete darkness

  29-07-2015 21:35 via
  
  Computer scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, developed the new technique that reads a person’s thermal signature (right).
  
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• Exploding 'laptop batt' IN SPAAACE! Speeding lithium spaffed by nova

  29-07-2015 21:28 via go.theregister.com
  
  One step closer to cracking riddle of light metal's origins Pic  For the first time, astronomers have detected lithium spread across space at high speed by an exploding star. The eggheads hope this discovery will solve one of the chemical riddles of the universe.…
  
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• Are YOU prepared for a solar storm? World will get 12 hours warning if sun erupts

  29-07-2015 21:25 via
  
  The British government has released its Space Weather Preparedness Strategy and warns a major solar storm could trigger power cuts and bring travel disruption as GPS networks go down.
  
  Read more

• Microsoft Windows 10 alert as 'feature' automatically shares wifi passwords

  29-07-2015 20:33 via
  
  The feature is designed to easily let people share wifi passwords with friends, but security experts describe it as 'an accident waiting to happen'.
  
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• Did heartburn evolve to protect us from food poisoning? High acid levels in human stomachs may be a hangover of our scavenger past

  29-07-2015 20:28 via
  
  Biologists at North Carolina State University found humans have similar stomach acidity to scavengers. A thermograph of heartburn in the stomach is shown.
  
  Read more

• Uber faces legal action by drivers

  29-07-2015 20:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A union starts legal action against the cab company Uber, claiming it deprives them of workplace rights by classing them as "partners".
  
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• The military wants to startle protesters with NOISE: Laser gun will terrify people using screaming balls of plasma

  29-07-2015 20:15 via
  
  Dubbed the Laser-Induced Plasma Effect, or LIPE, the weapon would be able to produce 130-decibels of noise in a targeted area, equal to that produced by a fighter jet.
  
  Read more

• ANTS coordinate to navigate and move massive meals

  29-07-2015 20:13 via
  
  Researchers in Israel have revealed how ants use team work to carry large chunks of food. A carefully balanced system of leaders and lifters allows ants to coordinate their efforts.
  
  Read more

• And we needed a study to tell us this? Texting while walking makes people move more slowly

  29-07-2015 20:10 via
  
  University of Bath and Texas A&M University scientists found multi-tasking while walking and using a phone significantly affects the way a person walks.
  
  Read more

• Could house dust be making children FAT? Chemicals found in grime 'trigger protein linked to obesity'

  29-07-2015 19:55 via
  
  Scientists at Duke University in North Carolina, found chemicals found in house dust bind to and activate the PPARgamma receptor, which regulates fat metabolism and cell death.
  
  Read more

• Back to the future? Time travel could create doppelgangers that would ultimately destroy each other, claims radical theory

  29-07-2015 19:50 via
  
  Robert Nemiroff, a physicist at Michigan Technological University has worked out mathematical equations to show how this could happen if faster-than-light travel was possible.
  
  Read more

• Apple's iCar could be based on BMW's electric i3 model

  29-07-2015 19:42 via
  
  Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, reportedly visited BMW's Leipzig factory to inspect the manufacturing of the i3 (pictured), which the Apple car could be based upon.
  
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• Hackers tweet photos with hidden code

  29-07-2015 19:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A hack attack involving instructions hidden in photos, malicious tweets and the coding community Github is discovered by cybersecurity researchers.
  
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• Is the truth out there: TEN UFOs are spotted ‘dancing’ in the skies above Japan sparking mystery

  29-07-2015 19:40 via
  
  The lights, pictured, appear to float above Osaka for a full two minutes, making their way from one side of the skyline to the other as the cameraman catches the weird phenomenon on camera.
  
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• What makes us cheat? HORMONES: People with high levels of certain chemicals 'are more likely to behave badly' 

  29-07-2015 19:30 via
  
  New research from Harvard and the University of Texas suggests that higher levels of two hormones in our bodies, testosterone and cortisol, encourages cheating and other unethical behaviour.
  
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• Microsoft launches windows 10, with new web browser edge

  29-07-2015 19:15 via
  
  Windows 10, the biggest update Microsoft has made to its computer software, has finally launched after a massive beta test programme.
  
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• Tech experts caution on killer AI

  29-07-2015 19:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  More than 1,000 tech experts, scientists and researchers have written a letter warning about the dangers of autonomous weapons.
  
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• Hunter bailed over Cecil the lion

  29-07-2015 19:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A professional hunter accused of helping a US tourist kill Zimbabwe's most famous lion is released on $1,000 bail by a court.
  
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• Nowhere to hide: Facial recognition technology can identify people in complete DARKNESS by reading thermal signatures

  29-07-2015 18:03 via
  
  Computer scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, developed the new technique that reads a person’s thermal signature (right).
  
  Read more

• Are YOU prepared for a major solar storm? World will have just 12 hours warning if the sun erupts

  29-07-2015 17:43 via
  
  The British government has released its Space Weather Preparedness Strategy and warns a major solar storm could trigger power cuts and bring travel disruption as GPS networks go down.
  
  Read more

• The incredible teamworking skills of ANTS: Leaders and lifters coordinate to navigate and move massive meals

  29-07-2015 17:28 via
  
  Researchers in Israel have revealed how ants use team work to carry large chunks of food. A carefully balanced system of leaders and lifters allows ants to coordinate their efforts.
  
  Read more

• New alloy has highest melting point of any known substance

  29-07-2015 15:54 via
  
  Scientists at Brown University in Rhode Island have found the formula for an alloy that would melt at 4,126°C (7,460°F). They now hope to synthesise the material from hafnium, carbon and nitrogen.
  
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• Nokia to sell virtual reality camera

  29-07-2015 15:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nokia plans to sell a virtual reality camera that can capture "3D audio" later this year, targeting it at movie and TV professionals.
  
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• Emoji for FOOD ALLERGIES could be coming soon

  29-07-2015 14:52 via
  
  A Google engineer in Japan has submitted a proposal to add icons for peanuts, kiwis and milk, among others, to the list of official emoji
  
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• Have scientists invented real-life adamantium? New alloy has highest melting point of any known metal at 4,126°C

  29-07-2015 14:50 via
  
  Scientists at Brown University in Rhode Island have found the formula for an alloy that would melt at 4,126°C (7,460°F). They now hope to synthesise the material from hafnium, carbon and nitrogen.
  
  Read more

• Mystery of the BLOB solved? Massive underwater ‘cloud’ off the Turkish coast is a mass of millions of squid eggs, says expert

  29-07-2015 14:25 via
  
  Smithsonian Museum of Natural History expert Dr Michael Vecchione suspects the eggs belong to local species Ommastrephes bartramii, also known as the red flying squid.
  
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• Tattoo video shows how 3,000 puncture wounds per minute result in permanent inking

  29-07-2015 14:22 via
  
  Rachel Feltman from the Washington Post explains exactly what is happening on the cellular level as she gets inked, including why tattoos are permanent, what the ink is made of and why they fade.
  
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• Rare rhino death leaves just four

  29-07-2015 14:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of the last five Northern White Rhino left in the world has died.
  
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• Life on Earth began with 'hiccups' rather than a bang

  29-07-2015 13:56 via
  
  Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York used computer models to simulate how strands of molecules like RNA may have first emerged on the early Earth (illustrated).
  
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• The chemistry of TATTOOS: Video reveals why the 3,000 puncture wounds endured per minute result in a permanent inking

  29-07-2015 13:40 via
  
  Rachel Feltman from the Washington Post explains exactly what is happening on the cellular level as she gets inked, including why tattoos are permanent, what the ink is made of and why they fade.
  
  Read more

• Life on Earth began with 'hiccups': Reproduction started slowly in primordial soup rather than with a bang

  29-07-2015 13:23 via
  
  Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York used computer models to simulate how strands of molecules like RNA may have first emerged on the early Earth (illustrated).
  
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• Why your WET DOG smells so distinctive

  29-07-2015 13:18 via
  
  A Bournemouth-based chemistry teacher explains bacteria and yeast dwelling in dog hair are mostly responsible for the nasty odour.
  
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• Facebook loses Germany privacy case

  29-07-2015 13:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A German watchdog rules Facebook users in the country can create accounts using false names.
  
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• Structural secret of T. rex's teeth

  29-07-2015 12:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  New research reveals the key to the serrated tooth structure that made carnivorous theropod dinosaurs such successful predators.
  
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• China wants to reinvent the internet, WSJ reports

  29-07-2015 12:07 via
  
  A report suggests China wants to exert influence over every part of the tech industry and web in china, from social media to semi-conductors.
  
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• Netherlands bank launches VOICE-activated payments

  29-07-2015 12:05 via
  
  Dutch bank ING Netherlands has released the voice-activated payment feature through its mobile banking app, providing a quick and easy alternative to entering your PIN.
  
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