Sci-Tech news

• Could a hi-tech 'doomsday weapon' wipe out America?

  02-12-2015 23:52 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The CSBA report says America is falling behind in the development of critical electromagnetic weapons some say could wipe out 90 percent of its population.
  
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• Artist Craig Ward documents the terrifying spread of bacteria on the New York subway

  02-12-2015 23:30 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Brooklyn-based artist, Craig Ward, is turning germs into gems with the ‘Subvisual Subway Series’. Ward used sponges to gather bacteria from NYC subways cars for his art pieces.
  
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• SpaceX eyes up Cape Canaveral for next rocket landing attempt

  02-12-2015 23:12 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Elon Musk and his team hope to make a ground landing in Florida on their next attempt to return a Falcon 9 booster from space. Three earlier attempts to land on a barge were unsuccessful.
  
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• What is the universe made of? Hot gas mainly: 'Cosmic web' of filaments make up the space between galaxies and can reach temperatures of 50 million°F

  02-12-2015 23:11 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A team of scientists led by the University of Geneva detected 'missing matter' through their X-ray signature in a massive cluster of galaxies known as Abell 2744.
  
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• Androids everywhere: Japan showcases the latest in robotic technology

  02-12-2015 23:00 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The futuristic machines at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo were this year focused on disaster relief, entertainment, assisting the elderly and farming.
  
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• Extinct animal Xenokeryx amidalae with T-shaped horn, may be related to giraffes

  02-12-2015 22:08 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The fossil of the mammal, which has a T-shaped horn, was unearthed in Spain and belongs to an extinct family of palaeomerycids - strange three-horned mammals.
  
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• 13,800-year-old drawing discovered in Tarragona carved into rock

  02-12-2015 22:07 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Seven dome-shaped huts were found engraved on a 7-inch (18cm) wide slab of rock (pictured) found in the Molí del Salt rock shelter on the outskirts of the village of Vimbodi in Spain's Tarragona region.
  
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• The Sheridan College exam question you could never get right

  02-12-2015 21:28 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A student from Toronto has shared an exam question that the world's finest brains couldn't conquer. The brainteaser left the student, known only as Esperagon, exasperated enough to share it.
  
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• Narrowing down the source of mysterious 'fast radio bursts': Astronomers discover that the bizarre sig

  02-12-2015 20:39 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Astronomers from the University of British Columbia have spotted a previously unknown Fast Radio Burst and they discovered what events could have caused it
  
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• LISA Pathfinder launch countdown restarts: Mission to detect Einstein's gravitational waves given go-ahead after 'technical issue'

  02-12-2015 19:47 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The European Space Agency's LISA Pathfinder spacecraft is now due to launch at 4.04am GMT (11.04am EST) on Thursday from Kourou in French Guiana.
  
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• Why video game loading screens could soon be fun

  02-12-2015 19:41
  
  In a fascinating bit of legal minutia, the expiration of a decades-old patent could lead to waiting for video games to load becoming a lot less boring.
  In 1995, Namco -- now Bandai Namco -- filed patent on "Recording medium, method of loading games program code means, and games machine". It sounds boring, but had exciting applications: it let Namco run games-within-games while the main title loaded data.By: Matt Kamen, Continue reading...
  
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• McLaren top tyre testing session in Abu Dhabi to end disastrous F1 season on high

  02-12-2015 18:58 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Following one of their worst seasons, McLaren have ended a turbulent year on a high after topping a testing session for Pirelli's new tyres for 2016. Stoffel Vandoorne set the fastest time.
  
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• Blood inflammation link with depression could lead to new treatments

  02-12-2015 18:43
  
  Theories abound as to the biological and psychological basis of depression -- and now a new study claims that inflammation of the blood could be behind low mood.By: Emily Reynolds, Continue reading...
  
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• An explosion of data! From selfies to Twitter feeds, artists interpret the 'Big Bang' of information in the internet age

  02-12-2015 18:43 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Called ‘Big Bang Data,’ the exhibition opens on Thursday at Somerset House in London, and will run until February 28 next year.
  
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• Not funny? Blame your friends! Study finds we learn humour from those closest to us

  02-12-2015 18:39 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Academics at the University of Strathclyde have dispelled the myth that people are drawn to those who find the same things funny.
  
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• World’s oldest peach pit reveals juicy secrets: 2.5 million-year-old fruit originated in China BEFORE the arrival humans

  02-12-2015 18:36 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Researchers in China have made a pretty sweet find — eight fossilized peach pits, nearly identical to the peaches that grow today. These fossils predate the existence of modern humans.
  
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• Probe to test space 'ripples' tech

  02-12-2015 18:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Europe is about to launch the Lisa Pathfinder satellite, an exquisite physics experiment to test the technology needed to detect the warping of space-time produced by cataclysmic events in the cosmos.
  
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• Facebook bows to Belgian privacy ruling

  02-12-2015 17:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook has said that it will respond to a privacy ruling in Belgium by requiring users to log in to view pages on the site.
  
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• Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla reveal daughter's name is Maxima in Facebook post

  02-12-2015 17:32 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have welcomed their first child - a baby girl called Max - into the world.
  
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• Firms charged over US Bitcoin 'scam'

  02-12-2015 17:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two US Bitcoin mining companies have been charged with running a scheme that duped more than 10,000 investors.
  
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• Microsoft's HoloLens shown playing Halo 5

  02-12-2015 17:08
  
     Microsoft's HoloLens could have greater gaming potential than we thought, with a new video showing Halo 5 being streamed from an Xbox One to the the still in-development headset.
  Project manager Varun Mani posted a clip to his YouTube channel, showing him seamlessly transitioning from playing the game on a conventional TV to the virtual screen that HoloLens can "mount" on walls in your real-space.By: Matt Kamen, Continue reading...
  
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• Uber beware! Cab:app lets you pre-book taxis at 90 locations across the UK and Ireland and earn points towards future trips

  02-12-2015 16:46 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The free Android and iOS app is available in 90 locations across the UK and Ireland, compared to Uber's 12, it lets users pre-book journeys and passengers can earn points for future trips.
  
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• Mysterious geoglyphs in Jordan could be 8,500 years old: 'Wheels' drawn into the Black Desert are 6,000 years older than Peru's Nazca lines

  02-12-2015 16:20 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Scientists from Whitman College in Washingtonbelieve two wheel-shaped patterns at Wadi Wisad, in the Black Desert of Jordan (pictured) may have been crafted 8,500 years ago.
  
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• 'Distracted dining' leads to overeating and obesity, study says

  02-12-2015 16:20 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Researchers from the University of Illinois said so-called 'distracted dining' may be as dangerous to health as losing concentration on a motorway.
  
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• VIDEO: Facebook boss to 'give away $45bn'

  02-12-2015 16:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan say they will give away 99% of their shares to good causes as they announce the birth of their daughter Max.
  
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• Amazon's take on augmented reality is totally headset free

  02-12-2015 15:41
  
  Augmented reality is more than just headsets -- or at least Amazon thinks so. The company has just had several patents approved that would potentially allow customers to beam virtual images onto real objects in the comfort of their own homes. By: Emily Reynolds, Continue reading...
  
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• The great Facebook giveaway

  02-12-2015 15:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What are Mark Zuckerberg's charitable plans?
  
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• Motorola's £219 Moto 360 Sport goes on sale on 18 December

  02-12-2015 15:04 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Prices for the Sport model start at £219 in the UK and $299 in the US. The fitness tracking watch is available in the UK and France from 18 December and will then launch in the US on 7 January.
  
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• Astronomers discover Saturn-like planet that may have been kicked out of its orbit

  02-12-2015 14:57 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The planet, called HD 106906b, (artist's impression) orbits at an incredibly large distance from its star- about 60 billion miles - according to the University of California, Berkeley.
  
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• VIDEO: Voices from disappearing islands

  02-12-2015 14:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Matthew Price hears concerns for the future of Vanuatu from residents of the islands on the front line of the climate change debate.
  
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• Samsung's Gear VR is out now in the UK

  02-12-2015 14:39
  
     Samsung's low-cost virtual reality headset has launched in the UK for £80 -- as long as you have a Samsung smartphone to slot in as your screen.By: Michael Rundle, Continue reading...
  
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• Could we soon all have quantum computers on our desks? Scientists claim to have cracked the problem of how they store data

  02-12-2015 14:34 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois have designed a qubit (pictured) that is a more stable than those currently available. It could lead to more practical quantum computers.
  
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• Google 'collects children's data'

  02-12-2015 14:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Electronic Frontier Foundation complains to US authorities that Google collects the data of children using its products in schools.
  
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• Who will Zuckerberg and Chan help with their £30bn fund?

  02-12-2015 13:54
  
  What can looking at the couple's past donations tell us about where their money will go in the future?By: Cara McGoogan, Continue reading...
  
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• George Lucas finally explains why Han Solo DIDN'T shoot first

  02-12-2015 13:31
  
  Ahead of the release of The Force Awakens, Star Wars' creator George Lucas has revealed why he made one of the most controversial edits in cinema history -- why Han Solo didn't shoot first.By: Matt Kamen, Continue reading...
  
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• Take the Typing Speed Test to reveal how fast YOU can type

  02-12-2015 13:26 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The test, created by Juerd Waalboer from the Netherlands, records the number of characters, including errors and space, as well as words you can type in a minute.
  
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• This transfixing video shows 1,000 exoplanets in their orbits

  02-12-2015 13:22
  
  The Kepler space telescope has discovered more than 1,000 exoplanets, in more than 685 systems, and hundreds of them can be seen in this transfixing video.By: Matt Burgess, Continue reading...
  
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• Is there life hidden in the Earth's mantle? Mission to drill into our planet's crust will search for samples in the super-hot rock

  02-12-2015 13:20 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The project, which is being co-led by researchers at Cardiff University, will aim to puncture the boundary between the crust and mantle at the Atlantis Bank (shown).
  
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• American Chemical Society reveal why you shouldn't drink water after spicy food

  02-12-2015 13:13 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A video by The American Chemical Society in Washingtonexplains a chemical compound called capsaicin creates the 'burning' sensation sometimes caused by spicy food.
  
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• Mozilla: UK surveillance law a 'harmful step backwards'

  02-12-2015 12:47
  
  Firefox creator Mozilla has slammed the government's planned surveillance law saying it "proposes a broad and dangerous" set of proposals and a "harmful step backward for the interests of Internet users".
   By: Matt Burgess, Continue reading...
  
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• Wikipedia launches edit-checking AI

  02-12-2015 12:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Wikipedia launches a tool designed to automatically highlight low-quality edits to articles.
  
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• Bananas are being driven to EXTINCTION after deadly fungus found in soil

  02-12-2015 12:11 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The fungus is called Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense or Panama disease. It has recently wiped out plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia. Stock image.
  
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• Range Rover takes the top off the Evoque (and adds a killer touchscreen)

  02-12-2015 11:47
  
      WIRED takes a first look at the Range Rover Evoque Convertible: the pint-sized luxury SUV takes its top off.By: Jeremy White, Continue reading...
  
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• Australia weather bureau 'hacked'

  02-12-2015 11:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Australia's Bureau of Meteorology refuses to comment on reports it has been the victim of a hack, which ABC says came from China.
  
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• VTech hack: 727,000 UK children hit by attack

  02-12-2015 11:39
  
  Hacked toy manufacturer VTech confirms that UK customers were badly affected by a recent attack on its systems, with more than 727,000 children's profiles accessed.By: Matt Burgess, Continue reading...
  
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• Amazonian butterfly named after Sir David Attenborough

  02-12-2015 11:38 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Attenborough's Black-eyed Satyr, scientifically called Euptychia attenboroughi (pictured), is so rare it is only found in lowland tropical forests of the upper Amazon basin in Venezuela and Colombia.
  
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• How male or female is your brain? Men and women's brains are NOT different says new research. Oh yes? Try these tests to find out what sex your grey cells are...

  02-12-2015 11:27 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The brain may be one of the most mysterious objects in the universe, but there’s one thing we all know for certain: men’s and women’s brains are wired in completely different ways.
  
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• Giant wading sauropod discovery made on Isle of Skye

  02-12-2015 11:12
  
  The tracks confirm sauropods spent a lot of time in coastal areas, wading through shallow water. Large dinosaurs were previously thought to be purely land-dwellers.By: James Temperton, Continue reading...
  
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• Genes that delay the onset of Alzheimer's by 17 YEARS 'could offer new hope'

  02-12-2015 11:07 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Australian National University scientists isolated nine genes from members of a family in Colombia, and discovered some delayed onset by 17 years, while others advanced the condition.
  
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• Zuckerberg to give away 99% of shares

  02-12-2015 10:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan say they will give away 99% of their shares, as they announce the birth of their daughter Max.
  
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