Sci-Tech news

• Key facts about controversial Keystone XL pipeline

  06-11-2015 23:51
  
  US President Barack Obama blocked the construction of a controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline between Canada and the United States Friday following years of bitter and politically charged debate.
  
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• New York Times turns to virtual reality

  06-11-2015 23:50
  
  The New York Times has taken its first step into virtual reality, launching a new app and distributing a Google cardboard viewer that offers "a new form of story telling."
  
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• Activision planning 'Call of Duty' film, 'Skylanders' show

  06-11-2015 23:48
  
  Activision Blizzard Inc. is moving deeper into the film and TV business.
  
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• Tomatoes get boost in growth, antioxidants from nano-sized nutrients

  06-11-2015 23:45
  
  With the world population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, engineers and scientists are looking for ways to meet the increasing demand for food without also increasing the strain on natural resources, such as water and energy—an initiative known as the food-water-energy nexus.
  
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• Tsunami early warning: JRC tests new low-cost device to measure sea level

  06-11-2015 23:41
  
  A new, low-cost experimental device for sea level measurement has been developed by JRC scientists. The first four devices have been installed in Spain and Portugal, in collaboration with the European Commission's Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection and the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). Additional 16 devices will be installed in the Mediterranean and will concretely contribute to the improvement of tsunami monitoring activities.
  
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• Swift spacecraft spots its thousandth gamma-ray burst

  06-11-2015 23:38
  
  NASA's Swift spacecraft has detected its 1,000th gamma-ray burst (GRB). GRBs are the most powerful explosions in the universe, typically associated with the collapse of a massive star and the birth of a black hole.
  
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• Dakotaraptor ruled Hell Creek Formation as lethal predator

  06-11-2015 23:36
  
  Tyrannosaurus rex may have been known as the big guy around the Hell Creek Formation 66 million years ago, but a newly discovered species of raptor would have roamed the region as one of its most lethal predators.
  
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• How Politics Shaped General Relativity

  06-11-2015 23:21 via nytimes.com
  Even abstract scientific research can be derailed (or propelled) by human conflict.
  
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• Toyota to Set Up $1B AI Research Lab in Silicon Valley

  06-11-2015 22:33 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  The investment underlines the Japanese automaker's determination to lead in self-driving cars and apply the tech to other areas of daily life.
  
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• Zuckerberg Says $100M Newark School Donation a Success

  06-11-2015 22:19 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  The Facebook CEO says the city's school have seen a "large improvement" in graduation rates.
  
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• Watch: What A Spacewalk is Really Like

  06-11-2015 21:23
  
  Astronaut Terry Virts explains what it's like to take a spacewalk.
  
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• 4 in 10 Businesses Have Filed a Cyber Insurance Claim

  06-11-2015 21:01 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Many businesses purchase insurance policies hoping they never have to use them. Turns out that hasn't been the case with cybersecurity insurance.
  
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• Dramatic Photos Show Last Year's Antares Rocket Explosion

  06-11-2015 20:23
  
  Unmanned rocket exploded seconds after launch.
  
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• Review: 3 Android Phones That Offer Something Different

  06-11-2015 20:21
  
  Review: 3 Android phones get creative with hardware; 1 has a shatter-proof screen
  
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• Researchers take two big steps toward quantum computing

  06-11-2015 20:10
  
  (Phys.org)—"Spooky action at a distance," Einstein's famous, dismissive characterization of quantum entanglement, has long been established as a physical phenomenon, and researchers are keen to develop practical applications for entanglement including communication, encryption, and computing.
  
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• UN Report Raises Ceiling for Greenhouse Gas Pollution

  06-11-2015 20:03
  UN report raises ceiling for greenhouse gas pollution, calls previous assessments unrealistic
  
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• New drought atlas maps 2,000 years of climate in Europe

  06-11-2015 20:00
  
  The long history of severe droughts across Europe and the Mediterranean has largely been told through historical documents and ancient journals, each chronicling the impact in a geographically restricted area. Now, for the first time, an atlas based on scientific evidence provides the big picture, using tree rings to map the reach and severity of dry and wet periods across Europe, and parts of North Africa and the Middle East, year to year over the past 2,000 years.
  
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• Solar wind transformed Mars

  06-11-2015 19:59 via rss.cnn.com
  
  NASA delivered key findings by its Maven spacecraft that reveal what happened to the Martain atmosphere.
  
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• New ORNL device combines power of mass spectrometry, microscopy

  06-11-2015 19:27
  
  A tool that provides world-class microscopy and spatially resolved chemical analysis shows considerable promise for advancing a number of areas of study, including chemical science, pharmaceutical development and disease progression.
  
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• New clues to how gatekeeper for the cell nucleus works

  06-11-2015 19:27
  
  Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have uncovered new clues to how a molecular machine inside the cell acts as a gatekeeper, allowing some molecules to enter and exit the nucleus while keeping other molecules out.
  
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• Lytro Immerge light field camera offers focus on cinematic VR

  06-11-2015 19:20
  
  Lytro has announced its "Immerge" as the world's first professional Light Field solution for cinematic VR. The company said it provides presence for live action VR through six degrees of freedom in a live action environment.
  
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• Mammoth tusk unearthed in Idaho; skeleton sought (Update)

  06-11-2015 19:18
  
  A 12-foot (3-meter) Columbian mammoth tusk has been unearthed in Idaho and scientists say more of the fossil skeleton might still be buried at the site.
  
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• NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Megh strengthening on approach to Socotra Island, Yemen

  06-11-2015 19:15
  
  Yemen's Socotra Island just endured Cyclone Chapala and just a week later is facing a second tropical cyclone: Megh. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Megh and captured data on the strengthening storm on Nov., 6.
  
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• Carnival Of Space #429

  06-11-2015 19:08 via pinterest.com
  Carnival Of Space #429
  
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• 12-Foot Mammoth Tusk Unearthed in Idaho; Skeleton Sought

  06-11-2015 19:08
  12-foot Columbian mammoth tusk unearthed at reservoir in Idaho; more of skeleton sought
  
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• Spacewalkers Encounter Leaking Ammonia, Spoils Radiator Work

  06-11-2015 19:01
  
  Spacewalkers encounter leaking toxic ammonia, spoils radiator work; NASA says no safety threat
  
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• NASA Astronauts Step Outside Space Station for Repairs

  06-11-2015 18:55
  
  For the second time in a little more than a week, Commander Scott Kelly and his American co-worker, Dr. Kjell Lindgren have stepped outside the ISS.
  
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• UK astronaut dreams of heavenly Christmas pudding

  06-11-2015 18:41
  
  Brushing off any last-minute nerves, Britain's first astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) insists he is more concerned about his out-of-this-world Christmas dinner than potential disaster.
  
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• Review: Three Android phones that offer something different

  06-11-2015 18:40
  
  New Android phones appear with regularity, but far too few of them really seem ... new.
  
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• What makes a leader? Clues from the animal kingdom

  06-11-2015 18:39
  
  As the American media continues to buzz over who is more or less likely to secure the Republican and Democratic nominations for U.S. President, researchers in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution review some interesting perspectives on the nature of leadership. The experts from a wide range of disciplines examined patterns of leadership in a set of small-scale mammalian societies, including humans and other social mammals such as elephants and meerkats.
  
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• Monitoring farmland biodiversity across Europe: It could cost less than you think

  06-11-2015 18:31
  
  How can we monitor Europe-wide farmland biodiversity so that it makes sense to farmers, is ecologically credible and scientifically sound and can be implemented for a reasonable price? Two new studies answer these questions.
  
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• GMRT discovers a dying, giant radio galaxy 9 billion light years away

  06-11-2015 18:31
  
  A team of astronomers working at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA, TIFR), Pune have discovered, using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), an extremely rare galaxy of gigantic size. This galaxy—located about 9 billion light years away towards the constellation Cetus—emits powerful radio waves and has an end to end extent of a whopping 4 million light years! Such galaxies with extremely large 'radio size' are appropriately called giant radio galaxies.
  
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• New Chemical Compound Could Clear Up Cataracts

  06-11-2015 18:27 via scitechdaily.com
  
  A team of scientists has identified a chemical that could potentially be used in eye drops to reverse cataracts. Identified as a “priority eye disease” by the World Health Organization, cataracts — caused when the lenses of the eyes lose their transparency — affect more than 20 million people worldwide. Although cataracts can be successfully […]
  The post New Chemical Compound Could Clear Up Cataracts appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• How did the stonefly cross the lake? The mystery of stoneflies recolonising a USA island

  06-11-2015 18:27
  
  Massive glaciers once covered an island in one of the Great Lakes, USA, leaving it largely devoid of life. Its subsequent recolonisation by insects triggered the curiosity of entomologist R. Edward DeWalt and graduate student Eric J. South of the Illinois Natural History Survey and Department of Entomology. Not only did they prove there were significantly fewer species, compared to the mainland, but also that smaller stonefly species appeared to be more capable of recolonizing the island. This s
  
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• Gut microbiota regulates antioxidant metabolism

  06-11-2015 18:27
  
  A recently published study shows that gut microbiota regulates the glutathione and amino acid metabolism of the host. Glutathione is a key antioxidant, found in every cell in our body. Deficiency of glutathione contributes to oxidative stress, which plays a major role in several lifestyle diseases.
  
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• Professor to unveil self-levitating displays (w/ Video)

  06-11-2015 18:16
  
  An interactive swarm of flying 3D pixels (voxels) developed at Queen's University's Human Media Lab is set to revolutionize the way people interact with virtual reality. The system, called BitDrones, allows users to explore virtual 3D information by interacting with physical self-levitating building blocks.
  
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• SETI Finds No Sign of Aliens at KIC 8462852 ... Yet

  06-11-2015 18:11 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Alien hunters have been training their telescopes on the mysterious KIC 8462852 star system for longer than than two weeks.
  
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• Quantum Process Significantly Boosts the Energy That Can Be Harnessed from Sunlight

  06-11-2015 18:09 via scitechdaily.com
  
  A newly published study details how a quantum process increases the number of electrons produced when light strikes a metal-dielectric interface. Researchers believe this finding could lead to better solar cells or light detectors. The new approach is based on the discovery that unexpected quantum effects increase the number of charge carriers, known as electrons […]
  The post Quantum Process Significantly Boosts the Energy That Can Be Harnessed from Sunlight appeared first on SciTech Dail
  
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• Hubble Uncovers the Blueprints of Our Galaxy’s Early Construction Phase

  06-11-2015 17:54 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope to conduct a “cosmic archaeological dig” at the very heart of our Milky Way galaxy, astronomers have uncovered the blueprints of our galaxy’s early construction phase. Peering deep into the Milky Way’s crowded central hub of stars, Hubble researchers have uncovered for the first time a population of […]
  The post Hubble Uncovers the Blueprints of Our Galaxy’s Early Construction Phase appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• MAVEN Reveals That Solar Wind Has Transformed Martian Atmosphere

  06-11-2015 17:32 via scitechdaily.com
  
  NASA’s MAVEN mission reveals that solar wind appears to have played a key role in the transition of the Martian climate from an early, warm and wet environment that might have supported surface life to the cold, arid planet Mars is today. MAVEN data have enabled researchers to determine the rate at which the Martian […]
  The post MAVEN Reveals That Solar Wind Has Transformed Martian Atmosphere appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Toyota Makes $1 Billion Bet on Artificial Intelligence

  06-11-2015 17:25
  
  Toyota is investing $1 billion in a new company focused on developing artificial intelligence and robotics,
  
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• Why 'Call of Duty' Rakes in So Much Cash

  06-11-2015 17:13 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  You're probably going to be hearing a lot more about 'Call of Duty' this holiday season.
  
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• New Mexico Museum Unveils First-of-Its-Kind Dinosaur Fossil

  06-11-2015 16:51
  
  New Mexico museum unveils first baby Pentaceratops skull ever discovered to dinosaur fans
  
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• Spacewalkers Encounter Ammonia Leak, NASA Says No Danger

  06-11-2015 16:49 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Spacewalking astronauts encountered leaking ammonia and minor glove damage while performing plumbing work outside the ISS on Friday.
  
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• BlackBerry Priv wins plaudits, but price tag questioned - Reuters

  06-11-2015 16:33 via
  NDTV
  BlackBerry Priv wins plaudits, but price tag questioned
  Reuters
  TORONTOBlackBerry Ltd launched its first Android-based device on Friday, with the future of the company's hardware business riding on a slick smartphone called Priv that boasts an impressive array of features and a hefty price tag. The company is ...
  BlackBerry's PRIV Secure Smartphone Powered by Android Now AvailableCNNMoney
  Review: Three Android phones that offer something differentSan Jose Mercury News
  BlackBerry Priv revie
  

• Microbot Push allows for remotely pushing buttons or flipping switches

  06-11-2015 16:10
  
  Naran, a Korean startup has created some buzz with the development of a device called the Microbot Push—it allows for turning legacy devices on or off remotely without having to reconfigure them. Naran has announced that it plans to launch an Indiegogo project on November 9th to help bring the device to market.
  
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• Structure and configuration of Jurassic pigments reveal unique naturally-occurring boron metabolites

  06-11-2015 16:00
  
  (Phys.org)—A group of researchers from the University of Göttingen, the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, and the University of Linz has determined the structure and origin of Jurassic period borolithochromes. It is the first reported boronated aromatic polyketide, whose structural similarity to modern-day clostrubin A, a secondary metabolite, suggests that borolithochromes may come from ancient bacteria. Their report appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Socie
  
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• The largest to have existed—giant rat fossils

  06-11-2015 15:44
  
  Archaeologists with The Australian National University (ANU) have discovered fossils of seven giant rat species on East Timor, with the largest up to 10 times the size of modern rats.
  
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• From starving chicks come fat birds

  06-11-2015 15:43
  
  The researchers, led by Professor Melissa Bateson and Dr Clare Andrews, discovered that stress and difficulties as a chick made a long lasting impression on a starling's relationship with food.
  
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• One Girl's Search Brought Her 48 Brothers and Sisters

  06-11-2015 15:40 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Think one or two siblings is a lot to keep track of? Try to keep up when you may be one of 49.
  
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