Sci-Tech news

• World's biggest plane Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft to launch in 2016

  03-08-2015 23:35 via
  
  The aircraft, named the Stratolaunch Carrier, is under construction at Mojave Air and Spaceport in California, and will eventually have a a wingspan of 385 feet (117 metres).
  
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• Obsolescence of food is complete: Soylent now comes in bottles

  03-08-2015 23:29 via go.theregister.com
  
  No need to mix your nutri-glorp yourself ever again Soylent, the startup dedicated to conquering the universally hated ritual of eating food, now offers a version of its protein-rich nutrient gloop in ready-to-drink bottles.…
  
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• VIDEO: Island volcano's spectacular lava show

  03-08-2015 23:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Milton Nkosi takes a helicopter ride to witness the latest volcanic eruption by the Piton de la Fournaise, or 'Peak of the Furnace' on Reunion Island.
  
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• What comet 67P looks like from 30ft away

  03-08-2015 22:55 via
  
  The images document the probe's fall, and could even reveal where it finally took up residence after a bumpy landing last November (comet from nin metres away pictured)
  
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• BMW's EnLighten app will let drivers know when traffic lights are due to change

  03-08-2015 22:53 via
  
  The German automaker is the first to embed an app (screenshot shown) that lets drivers anticipate traffic signal changes by displaying real-time data on the dashboard.
  
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• Nasa satellite images reveal footprint of a billion-year-old volcano in South Africa

  03-08-2015 22:37 via
  
  Seen from space, the concentric rings of hills and valleys in South Africa's Pilanesberg National Park make a near perfect circle, with different rings made up of different types of volcanic rock.
  
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• Could genetically modified insects be used by terrorists?

  03-08-2015 22:00 via
  
  A geneticist from Tel Aviv University has warned that a new technique to spread ‘supercharged’ genes in insects could be used for evil as well as good, to eliminate mosquito-borne illnesses such as Malaria.
  
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• Footprint of a billion-year-old volcano revealed: Satellite images show the bizarre circles left by ancient lava flows in South Africa

  03-08-2015 21:56 via
  
  Seen from space, the concentric rings of hills and valleys in South Africa's Pilanesberg National Park make a near perfect circle, with different rings made up of different types of volcanic rock.
  
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• The giant algae 'green monster' turning the Great Lakes GREEN: Scientists warn of 'severe' threat from toxic bacteria

  03-08-2015 21:35 via
  
  Researchers warn that the massive bloom on Lake Eerie and Lake St Clair is set to be 'severe', raising fears it could harm the health of holidaymakers and even cause problems for drinking water.
  
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• Obama unveils clean energy plan

  03-08-2015 21:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US President Barack Obama unveils what he calls "the biggest, most important step we have ever taken" in tackling climate change.
  
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• Mystery of 'virgin' shark birth: Female stored sperm for 45 months

  03-08-2015 20:59 via
  
  Biologists at the California Academy of Sciences and University of Texas Austin believe the brownbanded bamboo shark may store sperm to help produce young despite its solitary lifestyle.
  
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• Braille smartwatch lets blind people read text messages and e-books

  03-08-2015 20:56 via
  
  Engineers in South Korea have designed what they claim is the first Braille smartwatch for blind people that can tell the time, alert them to text messages and be used as an e-reader.
  
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• Apple Watch August app that can unlock your front door with a 'swipe and a tap'

  03-08-2015 20:03 via
  
  Users of the San Francisco-designed August smart lock can now use an Apple Watch app (pictured) to lock and unlock their hi-tech front door.
  
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• Could 'supercharged genes' be used by terrorists? Technique to genetically modify insects could spread lethal diseases

  03-08-2015 20:02 via
  
  A geneticist from Tel Aviv University has warned that a new technique to spread ‘supercharged’ genes in insects could be used for evil as well as good, to eliminate mosquito-borne illnesses such as Malaria.
  
  Read more

• Braille smartwatch lets blind people read text messages and e-books using 'active dots'

  03-08-2015 19:48 via
  
  Engineers in South Korea have designed what they claim is the first Braille smartwatch for blind people that can tell the time, alert them to text messages and be used as an e-reader.
  
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• Mystery of 'virgin' shark birth: Female predator did mate... but stored a male's sperm for an astonishing 45 months

  03-08-2015 19:40 via
  
  Biologists at the California Academy of Sciences and University of Texas Austin believe the brownbanded bamboo shark may store sperm to help produce young despite its solitary lifestyle.
  
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• Rangeomorphs considered to be first animal to have sex

  03-08-2015 19:11 via
  
  Researchers used high-resolution GPS, spatial statistics and modelling to examine fossils of Fractofusus from Newfoundland, Canada, to determine how they reproduced.
  
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• Nasa is building drones to explore extinct volcanoes on the moon

  03-08-2015 19:09 via
  
  Engineers at Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida are developing Extreme Access Flyers to prospect the lunar surface for minerals and explore the network of lava tubes beneath the surface.
  
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• It's Suntory time: Japanese whisky to be distilled in SPAAAAACE

  03-08-2015 18:31 via go.theregister.com
  
  Drinks conglomerate attempts to bottle elusive mellowness in zero-g Japanese whisky maker Suntory is to distill its firewater on the International Space Station, as part of an experiment to discover how liquor develops a mellow taste.…
  
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• Probe into spy leaks site paused

  03-08-2015 18:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Germany's attorney general has confirmed that a treason probe into a political website has been momentarily paused.
  
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• Ancient life form's complex sex life

  03-08-2015 18:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of the oldest-known complex organisms had a surprising complicated sex life, scientists report.
  
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• Is this the first ever animal to have sex? 565-million-year-old fossil suggests organism cloned itself AND 'mated'

  03-08-2015 17:25 via
  
  Researchers used high-resolution GPS, spatial statistics and modelling to examine fossils of Fractofusus from Newfoundland, Canada, to determine how they reproduced.
  
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• Could we use drones to explore the moon's extinct volcanoes? Nasa is building robotic craft to fly into lunar lava tubes

  03-08-2015 17:24 via
  
  Engineers at Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida are developing Extreme Access Flyers to prospect the lunar surface for minerals and explore the network of lava tubes beneath the surface.
  
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• 67P up close: Stunning images reveal comet from just 30FT away

  03-08-2015 16:46 via
  
  The images document the probe's fall, and could even reveal where it finally took up residence after a bumpy landing last November (comet from nin metres away pictured)
  
  Read more

• How good is a cheap smartphone?

  03-08-2015 16:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  From the £24,000 Vertu Red Gold Black DLC to the £50 Rook, the 2015 smartphone market seemingly has a device to suit every wallet.
  
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• 67P up close: Stunning images taken by Philae lander reveal what the comet looks like from just 30ft away

  03-08-2015 16:31 via
  
  The images document the probe's fall, and could even reveal where it finally took up residence after a bumpy landing last November (comet from nin metres away pictured)
  
  Read more

• No more running reds! BMW's EnLighten app will let drivers know when traffic lights are due to change

  03-08-2015 16:14 via
  
  The German automaker is the first to embed an app (screenshot shown) that lets drivers anticipate traffic signal changes by displaying real-time data on the dashboard.
  
  Read more

• Bronze Age knife discovered on Sandown Beach by tourists

  03-08-2015 16:06 via
  
  Two holidaymakers with a metal detector came across the ancient artefact (pictured from different sides) hidden beneath a stone slab while visiting Sandown Beach on the Isle of Wight.
  
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• Rare Replay Review: best of the rest

  03-08-2015 15:59
  
      There are two ways to approach Rare Replay -- as a collection of games spanning the British developer's three decade history, or as how those games are collected and presented to players old and new.
  The first is near impossible: simply playing through all 30 of the games included would take literally weeks, and that's before you start wading through the remixes of the older games, the extra challenges, or the encyclopaedia's worth of bonus content, ar
  
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• Bees vaccinate their babies using royal jelly

  03-08-2015 15:45 via
  
  Researchers from Arizona State University, University of Helsinki, University of Jyväskylä and Norwegian University of Life Sciences discovered that queen bees vaccinate their youngvia a protein in the blood.
  
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• Gtech's ebike disguises battery as a water bottle and hides the motor

  03-08-2015 15:01 via
  
  Vacuum cleaner company Gtech, which is based in Worcestershire, has hidden a motor in the frame of its new eBike, giving it a top speed of 15mph and a range of 30 miles on one charge.
  
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• Apple Music users complain service is giving them different versions of tracks

  03-08-2015 14:49 via
  
  Apple Music (pictured) is designed to let users stream music from alibrary but people have complained it’s unable to distinguish between single, live and acoustic versions of a song.
  
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• Bronze Age knife discovered on beach by tourists: 3,000-year-old leather-working tool found hidden beneath the sand

  03-08-2015 14:47 via
  
  Two holidaymakers with a metal detector came across the ancient artefact (pictured from different sides) hidden beneath a stone slab while visiting Sandown Beach on the Isle of Wight.
  
  Read more

• The electric bicycle for CHEATS: 'Stealth' ebike disguises battery as a water bottle and hides the motor

  03-08-2015 14:04 via
  
  Vacuum cleaner company Gtech, which is based in Worcestershire, has hidden a motor in the frame of its new eBike, giving it a top speed of 15mph and a range of 30 miles on one charge.
  
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• Is Apple Music playing YOU the wrong tunes? Users complain streaming service is giving them different versions of tracks

  03-08-2015 13:54 via
  
  Apple Music (pictured) is designed to let users stream music from alibrary but people have complained it’s unable to distinguish between single, live and acoustic versions of a song.
  
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• Device made from an old CD case transforms your mobile into 3D projector

  03-08-2015 13:27 via
  
  A simple hack converts your smartphone into a hologram projector using an old CD case and some sticky tape. The device allows you to view objects on your display apparently floating in mid-air.
  
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• China manages drone and chip exports

  03-08-2015 13:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  National security concerns have led China to restrict exports of high-performance drones and supercomputers.
  
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• Plane passenger captures moment a 'UFO' overtakes his Virgin Atlantic plane

  03-08-2015 13:12 via
  
  This is the moment a plane enthusiast captured a UFO overtaking a flight during take-off from New York JFK airport. The peculiar object has led to speculation that it may be an extraterrestrial craft.
  
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• ISS captured in stunning images as it makes rare pass in front of the moon

  03-08-2015 13:03 via
  
  Nasa photographers managed to capture the International Space Station as it was silhouetted in front of the moon. It took just 0.82 seconds to pass across the moon's face.
  
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• Turn your smartphone into a HOLOGRAM: Device made from an old CD case transforms your mobile into 3D projector

  03-08-2015 12:55 via
  
  A simple hack converts your smartphone into a hologram projector using an old CD case and some sticky tape. The device allows you to view objects on your display apparently floating in mid-air.
  
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• German carmakers buy Nokia's mapping

  03-08-2015 12:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  German vehicle manufacturers Audi, BMW and Daimler are buying Nokia's Here digital mapping business for 2.8bn euros (£2bn).
  
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• US hospitals warned on drug pump use

  03-08-2015 12:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The US Food and Drug Administration is 'strongly encouraging' hospitals not to use a drug pump system made by a leading medical supplier.
  
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• India blocks 857 porn sites

  03-08-2015 11:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  India has blocked free access to 857 porn sites in what it says is a move to prevent children from accessing them.
  
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• Agatha Christie's whodunnits mystery's can be solved with maths

  03-08-2015 09:55 via
  
  One of the pleasures of an Agatha Christie detective story is to try and guess 'whodunnit'. Now researchers claim to have come up with a formula which can help readers identify the perpetrator.
  
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• ICYMI: The 'failure' of Google+

  03-08-2015 09:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A round-up of interesting technology-related links you may have missed over the past weekend.
  
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• VIDEO: The app that recognises your family

  03-08-2015 09:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers have developed a smart glasses app for those with dementia and the elderly
  
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• Friendly hitchhiking robot is beaten to a pulp in Philly two weeks after entering country

  03-08-2015 08:23 via
  
  HitchBOT was found damaged beyond repair in Philly, ending its journey across the globe. The humanoid robot, which relied on the kindness of strangers, had only been in the US for two weeks.
  
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• Trial parking sensors for Cardiff

  03-08-2015 08:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An app which uses sensors to show drivers available parking spaces is being piloted in Cardiff.
  
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• Brain training app that could help schizophrenia sufferers live a normal life

  03-08-2015 06:19 via
  
  Scientists at Cambridge University have developed a brain training app to help patients with schizophrenia recover their ability to carry out everyday tasks that rely on having a good memory.
  
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• VIDEO: 'Bad things happen to good robots'

  03-08-2015 05:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A hitchhiking robot, HitchBOT, who has spent weeks travelling around Europe and Canada is smashed to pieces two weeks after arriving in the United States.
  
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