Sci-Tech news

• This tech tricks your brain into hearing surround sound

  14-03-2016 23:58
  
  Ambidio, backed by will.i.am and Horizons Ventures, says it can make any laptop sound better.By: Steve May, Continue reading...
  
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• Harvard reveal ‘tunable glass’ that can become frosted at the flick of a switch

  14-03-2016 23:49 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  With ‘tunable windows’ any room can quickly become private, no blinds necessary. The low cost technique developed by Harvard researchers allows windows to change their level of opacity.
  
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• Watch the tiny team of six ‘antbots’ that can work together to move a CAR

  14-03-2016 23:45 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Stanford University has designed 6 tiny robots that weight a total of 3.5 ounces. Inspired by ants, these tiny robots pulled a 2 ton car by synchronizing their movements.
  
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• Researchers slam smartphone assistants for failing to help to owners with rape or mental illness

  14-03-2016 23:30 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  New study reveals widely used conversational agents, Siri, Cortana, Google Now, and S Voice, fall short in abilities to respond to simple statements about mental health and violence.
  
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• Man pours MOLTEN COPPER over Big Mac and McDonald's burger withstands 1,984°F liquid

  14-03-2016 23:14 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  After heating copper to 1,984°F (1,085°C), a YouTuber pours it on top of a McDonald's burger, which catches on fire. However, the ingredients inside aren't touched by the heat.
  
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• Google calls for Congress to speed up self driving car legislation

  14-03-2016 22:53 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The head of Alphabet's Google self-driving car programme will urge the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to grant new authority to speed the introduction of self-driving cars on American roads.
  
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• El Niño and La Niña are causing the Pacific ocean to SEESAW

  14-03-2016 22:43 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Natural cycles such as El Niño and La Niña events are causing this sea level seesaw to tip back and forth more than ever, researchers have found.
  
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• Mars probe despatched on methane quest

  14-03-2016 22:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A joint European and Russian satellite is successfully launched on a path to Mars where it will study the atmosphere for life signatures.
  
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• This startup tricks your brain into hearing surround sound from stereo speakers

  14-03-2016 22:21
  
  Ambidio wants to give stereo sound a virtual makeover. The Los Angeles-based startup, which boasts investment from Horizons Ventures and will.i.am, has developed a proprietary encoding technology which it says offers an immersive sound experience from any two speaker gadget. Laptops, mobile phones, tablets and even high-end hi-fi systems all work with the process – as the videos below demonstrate. (For best experience, Ambidio says, use a laptop with speakers rather than headphones.)
  
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• Hendo reveals latest levitating hoverboard prototype developed with Tony Hawk

  14-03-2016 21:18 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Arx Pax revealed its Hendo last year, the closest device we've seen to a real hoverboard. The firm has justmade some updates, including going back to the skateboard design.
  
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• Why should you care about Google's AI winning a board game?

  14-03-2016 21:13 via go.theregister.com
  
  This is actually a pretty big deal, let us explain why Water cooler  – El Reg, what's all this about a Google AI playing a board game against a human?…
  
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• VIDEO: Dinosaur find resolves T. rex mystery

  14-03-2016 21:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Meet the newly discovered dinosaur that could hold the evolutionary key to how T. rex became such a giant.
  
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• Google admits its self driving car got it wrong: Bus crash was caused by software

  14-03-2016 21:08 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Google has revealed that its self driving car hit a bus because it made an incorrect assumption about where it would go.
  
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• Dinosaur find resolves T. rex mystery

  14-03-2016 20:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A newly discovered species of tyrannosaur reveals clue to T-Rex's great size, according to scientists.
  
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• Feathered, horse-sized cousin of the T. rex shows how the carnivorous king of the dinosaurs reached such epic sizes 

  14-03-2016 20:55 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Palaeontologists believe Timurlengia, uncovered in Uzbekistan, fills a 'frustrating gap' in the fossil record and shows signs of the traits which enabled T. rex to grow to such massive sizes.
  
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• Friendly apes are drawn to displays of positive social behaviour

  14-03-2016 20:39 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands examined the reactions of four female bonobos that were shown emotional and neutral images and found they preferred playful scenes.
  
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• Rising sea levels and flooding could force MILLIONS of Americans to migrate inland

  14-03-2016 20:35 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Scientists from the University of Georgi say that floods caused by rising sea-level could affect over 13 million people living in coastal areas in southern US, causing mass migration
  
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• DNA from fossils suggests Neanderthals may have interbred with other human species

  14-03-2016 20:34 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Dr Matthias Meyer and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology sequenced the DNA from two specimens of 430,000 year old humans.
  
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• Microsoft traps and tortures poor little AI in soulless Minecraft world

  14-03-2016 20:17 via go.theregister.com
  
  While Google's AlphaGo is living it large in South Korea, AIX is forced to climb hills Microsoft's boffins in its New York research lab are encouraging a Minecraft character to teach itself how to climb a hill.…
  
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• Nasa reveals February broke global temperature records by 'shocking' amount

  14-03-2016 19:58 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The data shows the average global surface temperature in February was 1.35C warmer than the average temperature for the month between 1951-1980.
  
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• Pilot 'draws' huge aircraft outline using GPS flight data over Germany

  14-03-2016 19:46 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The artistic pilot was behind the controls of a single-engined plane when he or she 'drew' the double propeller image on a flight path over Germany on Saturday.
  
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• GM mosquitoes get closer to release in Florida

  14-03-2016 19:39 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The Food and Drug Administration has decided that the modified bugs pose no significant threat to humans or the environment, paving the way for trials to begin in Key Haven in Florida.
  
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• Gold Roman coin unearthed in Israel bears bust of Augustus in tribute to emperor

  14-03-2016 19:38 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The golden coin, which was unearthed in the countryside of eastern Galilee, northern Israel, is 1,900 years old and bears the bust of the emperor Augustus (pictured).
  
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• Self-driving cars to be targeted by hackers

  14-03-2016 19:35 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer of Finish cyber security firm F-secure told MailOnline that autonomous cars will definitely be exposed to hackers, most likely through ransomware.
  
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• Black holes DON'T destroy everything inside theM

  14-03-2016 19:28 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Michigan State University created a model to show black holes in late stages. The team predicted information entered and left the black hole, saying it leaks out, instead of being destroyed.
  
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• Fury after Twitch gamer account switch

  14-03-2016 18:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Gaming fans have reacted with anger after divorce led to a popular Twitch gaming channel changing hands.
  
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• Oddworld returns in 2017 with mysterious 'Soulstorm'

  14-03-2016 18:37
  
  Cult gaming franchise Oddworld is set to return, with a new entry dubbed Oddworld: Soulstorm announced for 2017 release.By: Matt Kamen, Continue reading...
  
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• Red dot test promises to prove if you have a photographic memory

  14-03-2016 18:26 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  If you suspect that your ability to memorise is greater than most, a puzzle promises to prove it once and for all by challenging you to find a letter in two random dot patterns.
  
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• Wellcome Book Prize shortlist revealed

  14-03-2016 18:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The shortlist for the 2016 Wellcome Book Prize, which recognises books about health or illness, has been revealed.
  
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• Airbnb to let neighbours complain about noisy guests

  14-03-2016 18:20
  
  People living next to noisy Airbnb properties will soon be able to complain about disruptive neighboursBy: Matt Burgess, Continue reading...
  
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• Instagram's pro-anorexia ban made the problem worse

  14-03-2016 17:04
  
  Instagram's ban on search terms such as 'thigh gap' and 'thinspiration' only made the network's pro-anorexia problem worse, according to new research.By: Emily Reynolds, Continue reading...
  
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• Pesticides stop bees from learning how to extract nectar from wildflowers

  14-03-2016 16:26 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Researchers from the University of Guelph in Canada and Royal Holloway University of London, showed the effects of insecticides change bees' foraging behaviour.
  
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• Incredible macro photos of insects and spiders reveal them as beasts covered in hair and feathery scales

  14-03-2016 16:16 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The world of the small has been brought into focus in stunning detail thanks to a series of macro photographs from a Moscow-basedamateur wildlife photographer
  
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• Microsoft is using MINECRAFT to teach AI computers but it's not easy

  14-03-2016 16:07 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Computer scientists at Microsoft's Cambridge-based lab created a platform using Minecraft that allows researchers to teach artificially intelligent characters how to think like humans.
  
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• NASA's mighty SLS to burn 1.215 Olympic-sized pools

  14-03-2016 15:56 via go.theregister.com
  
  RS-25 motor propellant consumption clarified Last week, NASA successfully test fired the first RS-25 flight engine which will one day help the Space Launch System (SLS) slip the surly bonds of Earth.…
  
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• VIDEO: AI chief 'pleased' after first Go loss

  14-03-2016 15:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Google's DeepMind chief says he is "very pleased" despite his artificial intelligence software losing a game to the human Go champion Lee Se-dol.
  
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• YouTuber shows how to turn your iPhone into a '3D' camera using string and a PLASTIC BAG

  14-03-2016 15:50 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A Canadian man has created a video-tutorial that shows how any phone can be transformed into a camera that takes impressive 3D-like footage
  
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• AI tests mean Minecraft will soon be able to play itself

  14-03-2016 15:47
  
  The sandbox world of Minecraft allows you build practically anything. Soon though, it won't be used simply to create spatial objects, but artificial intelligence systems. At least, that's Microsoft's plan, taking an project aiming to teach AI to make its own decisions and launching it as an open-source testbed.By: Matt Kamen, Continue reading...
  
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• Facebook, Google and Snapchat to upgrade encryption privacy 'within weeks'

  14-03-2016 15:45 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The companies, which together with Apple form the most powerful and wealthy of California's Silicon Valley elite, hope to make their data significantly more difficult for authorities to tap into.
  
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• Reviewed: the best multipurpose power tools

  14-03-2016 15:31
  
  WIRED puts four shape-shifting multitools to the test with the help of a professional handymanBy: Jim Hill, Continue reading...
  
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• RBS 'robo-advice' is actually just an online form

  14-03-2016 14:53
  
  RBS has distanced itself from reports that it will be introducing "robo-advisers" to help customers make investment decisions.By: James Temperton, Continue reading...
  
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• Junk food ads face online ban in UK

  14-03-2016 14:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Advertising junk food could soon be banned from children's content online, according to the UK's advertising watchdog.
  
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• Labour to abstain from IP Bill vote over privacy concerns

  14-03-2016 14:26
  
  Labour MPs will abstain in a vote on the government's surveillance plans over privacy concerns, the party has said.By: Matt Burgess, Continue reading...
  
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• Go champion Lee Sedol scores first win against Google's DeepMind AlphaGo AI

  14-03-2016 14:18 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Go grandmaster Lee Sedol (pictured) said he identified two weak spots in the Google DeepMind's AlphaGo program during the fourth game against the system in Seoul, South Korea.
  
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• We have lift off! ExoMars spacecraft begins its seven month journey to the red planet where it will search for signs of alien life

  14-03-2016 14:16 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to begin its journey to Mars where it will search for gases produced by life on Mars.
  
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• Lipstick smears left behind at crime scenes could help police track down offenders

  14-03-2016 14:13 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Researchers at Western Illinois University have come up with a better way to lift lipstick samples (stock image) and analyse them, to speed up forensic investigations.
  
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• The Chinese startup reinventing the wearable interface

  14-03-2016 13:38
  
  Google-backed AI watchmakers Mobvoi are creating a new generation of voice-powered wearablesBy: David Rowan, Continue reading...
  
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• Watch six tiny robot ants pull a 1.8-tonne car

  14-03-2016 13:25
  
  The MicroTug robots have a pulling-power equivalent of six humans pulling the Eiffel Tower.By: Matt Burgess, Continue reading...
  
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• Driverless cars to be tested on UK motorways in 2017

  14-03-2016 13:07
  
  Unveiling the budget on Wednesday, chancellor George Osborne will announce that driverless cars will be tested on UK motorways as soon as next year.By: K.G Orphanides, Continue reading...
  
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• BBC video of Cern's Large Hadron Collider shows the world's biggest science experiment in action

  14-03-2016 12:27 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The BBC went inside the vast complex of the LHC 328 feet (100 metres) beneath Geneva, Switzerland, with six cameras strapped together, and came out with a panoramic video.
  
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