Sci-Tech news

• Nearest rocky planet outside our solar system has been found, and it's 'just' 21 light years away 

  30-07-2015 23:50 via
  
  HD219134b is also the closest transiting planet known to scientists at 21 light years away. This offers a rare opportunity to study its composition and atmosphere against the backdrop of its star.
  
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• Facebook builds drone for net access

  30-07-2015 23:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The social network Facebook announces it has built its own drone to bring internet connectivity to remote parts of the world.
  
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• An Uber for personal assistants has arrived! Free GoButler service gets you whatever you need with a simple text

  30-07-2015 23:12 via
  
  Today, the service announced that it has gone out of beta testing and is now available across the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
  
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• Is Facebook taking over YOUR life?

  30-07-2015 23:11 via
  
  Facebook has revealed its average users spend 46 minutes a day on its apps, accounting for a fifth of all time spent on smartphones, but despite this its share prices fell in the last quarter.
  
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• GM owners advised to stop using OnStar app after hackers use it to remotely unlock cars and start engines

  30-07-2015 22:48 via
  
  Hackers say the mobile app for General Motors Co's OnStar vehicle communications systemcan be exploited to remotely unlock cars and start engines.
  
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• Google to defy French privacy ruling

  30-07-2015 22:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Google is to defy a French ruling that the "right to be forgotten" should be applied globally and not just in Europe.
  
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• How fleek, faved and famo conquered America: Interactive map reveals how new words spread across the nation

  30-07-2015 22:04 via
  
  WARNING GRAPHIC LANGUAGE:The maps reveal how words, such as baeless and boolin, spread in each county in a given week and how it spread over a year.
  
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• Great robotic missions to explore space

  30-07-2015 21:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Past space missions that have changed our understanding
  
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• Alien dwarf 'star' flashes her dazzling brown rear at stunned space boffins

  30-07-2015 21:53 via go.theregister.com
  
  You won't see that headline in Nature Video  Astronomers have spotted a brown dwarf almost-star glowing with a dazzling display of aurora similar to the Northern Lights and Southern Lights here on Earth – but hundreds of thousands of times brighter.…
  
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• Facebook's drone is ready for take off: Firm reveals giant craft with the wingspan of a 737 designed to beam the internet to Earth

  30-07-2015 21:49 via
  
  Facebook says it will begin test flights later this year of a solar-powered drone with the wingspan of a Boeing 737, the next stage of its campaign to deliver Internet service to remote parts of the world.
  
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• Angry Birds 2 is released six years after the original

  30-07-2015 21:41 via
  
  Finland-based Rovio, the company behind the Angry Birds franchise, claims the game's visuals have been overhauled 'from the ground up', while the game retains its trademark slingshot gameplay format.
  
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• Cosmic weather forecasts could make space travel safer for astronauts

  30-07-2015 21:17 via
  
  Astronauts working in space could soon be able to tune into to daily forecasts of space weather much like the shipping forecast thanks to research by scientists at the University of Northumbria.
  
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• 67P is 'rich' in organic material: Philae data confirms comets can help seed life, and hints at the probe's final resting place

  30-07-2015 20:38 via
  
  Esa researchers have described organic compounds detected by Philae, including four never before seen on a comet. These compounds have been described as 'frozen primordial soup'.
  
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• Maddening online debate over the cost of Obamacare turns a simple math question into a complex equation nobody seems able to solve 

  30-07-2015 20:36 via
  
  What should have been an exceedingly simple arithmetic problem sparked an hour-long debate between two people on Facebook this week - with the original poster's mother even joining in to help.
  
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• Why you put sugar in your coffee explained by science

  30-07-2015 20:35 via
  
  Scientists at the University of York found that caffeine, sugar and water interact at a molecular level to block the bitter taste that some coffee drinkers (illustrated) dislike.
  
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• Navy Seals secret 'batsub' revealed: Proteus mini stealth craft can carry six elite forces frogmen underwater

  30-07-2015 20:28 via
  
  It may look like the latest vehicle in Batman's fleet of vehicles. but this mini sub is set to be used by special forces to silently drop frogmen off underwater.
  
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• The tiny robot that walks on WATER: Mechanical 'bug' could be used for covert surveillance

  30-07-2015 20:18 via
  
  Engineers at Seoul National University in South Korea studied water striders (pictured) to develop the characteristics of their tiny robot.
  
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• Did early humans eat their CHILDREN? 100,000-year-old thigh bones unearthed in China show signs of bite marks

  30-07-2015 20:12 via
  
  Archaeologists found two pieces of thigh bone (pictured) at a site close to Xuchang City in China where skull fragments of an extinct 100,000-year-old human species were previously found.
  
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• Comet yields 'rich array' of organics

  30-07-2015 20:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The spacecraft which made a spectacular landing on a comet last year has discovered a rich array of carbon compounds.
  
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• VIDEO: The robot that jumps on water

  30-07-2015 20:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists in South Korea develop a tiny robot - based on the water strider insect - that can jump on water.
  
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• Robot can leap from water's surface

  30-07-2015 20:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists in South Korea develop a tiny robot - based on the water strider insect - that can jump on water
  
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• Is Facebook taking over YOUR life? One in every five minutes on smartphones is spent using social network's apps

  30-07-2015 19:26 via
  
  Facebook has revealed its average users spend 46 minutes a day on its apps, accounting for a fifth of all time spent on smartphones, but despite this its share prices fell in the last quarter.
  
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• Spy leaks website being investigated

  30-07-2015 19:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Germany's federal prosecutors are investigating if a website that covers digital rights issues committed an act of treason.
  
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• Windows 10 and Uber headaches: Podcast 228

  30-07-2015 19:17
  
  
  Listen this week for an entertaining 45-minute look at the most interesting technology and science stories from the last seven days, with WIRED.co.uk's Liat Clark and James Temperton.
   By: WIRED.co.uk, Continue reading...
  
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• Aquariums 'deliver health benefits'

  30-07-2015 18:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  People who spend time watching fish swim in aquarium tanks could improve their physical and mental wellbeing, a study shows.
  
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• Obama wants world's fastest computer

  30-07-2015 18:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  President Obama has signed an executive order calling for the US to build the world's fastest computer by 2025.
  
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• The wait is over! Angry Birds 2 is released six years, 15 spin-offs and three billion downloads after the original

  30-07-2015 18:28 via
  
  Finland-based Rovio, the company behind the Angry Birds franchise, claims the game's visuals have been overhauled 'from the ground up', while the game retains its trademark slingshot gameplay format.
  
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• Clear but with a chance of 2,000,000mph solar winds: Cosmic weather forecasts could make space travel safer for astronauts

  30-07-2015 17:51 via
  
  Astronauts working in space could soon be able to tune into to daily forecasts of space weather much like the shipping forecast thanks to research by scientists at the University of Northumbria.
  
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• Why you put sugar in your coffee - and it's NOT because you've got a sweet tooth

  30-07-2015 17:23 via
  
  Scientists at the University of York found that caffeine, sugar and water interact at a molecular level to block the bitter taste that some coffee drinkers (illustrated) dislike.
  
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• Return of the FLIP PHONE: LG unveils budget 90s-style mobile with a small screen and a 3MP camera

  30-07-2015 16:45 via
  
  The LG Gentle handset (pictured) has a 3.2-inch colour touch screen and will launch in South Korea, but there's no news whether the smartphone will come to the UK or US.
  
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• Would you wear clothes made from MEAT? Slaughterhouse scraps are transformed into yarn

  30-07-2015 16:26 via
  
  PhD student Philipp Stossel, from the Functional Materials Laboratory in Zurich added the organic solvent, isopropyl, to a gelatine solution. He was then able to press it into thread.
  
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• The first humans out of Africa were small and scrawny: Controversial study claims ape-like Homo habilis may have been first to migrate to Asia and Europe

  30-07-2015 15:50 via
  
  Analysis of early human fossils by researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, suggests it was 'Handy man' not Homo erectus who were first to migrate from Africa.
  
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• Rare 'blue moon' phenomenon will light up skies on Friday

  30-07-2015 15:38 via
  
  The unusual lunar event will take place on Friday and will be visible around the world. It will be the first ‘blue moon’ to occur since 2012, shown in this image of the moon over Cincinnati, Ohio.
  
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• US military's smart rifle can be HACKED to change weapon's target and disable its scope

  30-07-2015 15:35 via
  
  Security researchers Sandvik and Auger demonstrated at a West Virginia firing range how they could change the target by feeding inaccurate data to the targeting computer.
  
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• Blue moon on the horizon: Rare phenomenon of two full moons within a calendar month will light up skies on Friday

  30-07-2015 14:20 via
  
  The unusual lunar event will take place on Friday and will be visible around the world. It will be the first ‘blue moon’ to occur since 2012, shown in this image of the moon over Cincinnati, Ohio.
  
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• US military's smart rifle can be HACKED: Security researchers remotely change weapon's target and disable its scope

  30-07-2015 14:13 via
  
  Security researchers Sandvik and Auger demonstrated at a West Virginia firing range how they could change the target by feeding inaccurate data to the targeting computer.
  
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• Olive tree blight spreads to Corsica

  30-07-2015 14:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The virulent Xylella disease ravaging olive trees in Italy spreads to Corsica, prompting emergency measures.
  
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• Toyota's Human Support Robot can fetch and carry medication

  30-07-2015 13:54 via
  
  Toyota has shown off its Human Support Robot at a nursing and welfare exhibition in Yokohama, Japan. Engineers believe it could help disabled patients and the elderly around their homes.
  
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• Dawn of the ROBO-NURSE: Toyota droid can fetch and carry medication, water and even the TV remote for patients

  30-07-2015 13:33 via
  
  Toyota has shown off its Human Support Robot at a nursing and welfare exhibition in Yokohama, Japan. Engineers believe it could help disabled patients and the elderly around their homes.
  
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• This is TRUE science: Harvard boffins fire up sizzling BACON LASER

  30-07-2015 13:19 via go.theregister.com
  
  Pork experiment elicits baffled awe from fellow scientists A team of Harvard scientists has paved the way for a deadly laser pig weapon by demonstrating that, with a little encouragement, pig fat cells can be made to lase.…
  
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• The bizarre tower built to test the elevator of the future: Willy Wonka-style lift will use magnets to pull cabins up, down and even SIDEWAYS

  30-07-2015 13:11 via
  
  The 761 ft-tall (232 metre) concrete tube (pictured) has been built in Rottweil, Germany, by ThyssenKrupp to put its ‘maglev’ lift technology through its paces.
  
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• Vitamin B3 comes from SPACE: Niacin finding supports theories of extraterrestrial origins for life on Earth

  30-07-2015 12:35 via
  
  Researchers at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland showed how vitamin B3, a building block for life, can be made in space when ice is bombarded with radiation.
  
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• Genetic Access Control software checks genetic profile of users developed

  30-07-2015 12:26 via
  
  Genetic Access Control was developed to look at the genetic profile held by DNA analysis firm 23andMe. It can check a user's ethnicity, gender or disease risk before they access a website.
  
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• VIDEO: Why Facebook is cashing in on video

  30-07-2015 12:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook highlights the increasing importance of video, saying that usage continues to grow.
  
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• Is this the plane of the future? Stunning 'blended wing' design with hydrogen-powered engines revealed by KLM could mean non-stop flights from the UK to Australia (but you'll have to wait until 2050)

  30-07-2015 12:05 via
  
  Dutch airline KLM has teamed up with Delft University of Technology to produce concept designs that burn cryogenic hydrogen.
  
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• I came, I PAWED, I conquered! Roman 'army cat' left its paw prints in a 2,000-year-old clay tile discovered in Gloucester

  30-07-2015 11:40 via
  
  A domestic cat - possibly the companion of a Roman soldier stationed at the site in Gloucester – is believed to have made the print as the tile dried in the sun in around 100AD.
  
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• Dolphin species work together to BABYSIT: Bottlenose and Atlantic spotted mammals team up to chase away intruders

  30-07-2015 10:37 via
  
  Atlantic spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins were studied by The Wild Dolphin Project in The Bahamas over the space of 30 years, providing insight into how the species rely on each other.
  
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• Boffins get the inside dope, craft white laser

  30-07-2015 07:32 via go.theregister.com
  
  If this works, your light bulbs will deliver hundreds of gigabits per second Arizona State University researchers have crafted a white laser – a neat trick since “white” isn't a colour, but a mix of colours.…
  
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• 'Extinct' fly found in nature reserve

  30-07-2015 02:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A fly thought to be extinct in the UK is found in a Devon nature reserve.
  
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• Aurora found beyond our Solar System

  30-07-2015 01:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An aurora has been spotted around a brown dwarf more than 18 light years away, scientists report.
  
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