Sci-Tech news

• FAA tells drone owners to skip registration firms

  16-11-2015 23:50
  
  The government says requirements to register drones will be simple enough that owners don't need to pay a "drone registration" firm to do it for them.
  
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• Here we go again: Paris attacks may renew encryption debate

  16-11-2015 23:40
  
  The deadly attacks in Paris may soon reopen the debate over whether—and how—tech companies should let governments bypass the data scrambling that shields everyday commerce and daily digital life.
  
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• Pandora boosts streaming music arsenal with Rdio assets

  16-11-2015 23:39
  
  Streaming music service Pandora announced Monday it is buying "key assets" from Rdio to bolster its position against Apple, Spotify and other rivals.
  
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• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists win five R&D 100 awards

  16-11-2015 23:39
  
  Technologies that impact cyber security, increase our ability to detect trace amounts of chemicals, convert sewage into fuel, view energy processes under real-world conditions and forecast future electric needs are among the newest R&D 100 award winners. R&D Magazine honored five advancements developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at an event in Las Vegas on Nov. 13.
  
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• James Webb Space Telescope 'wings' successfully deployed

  16-11-2015 23:35
  
  Recently inside the clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, engineers successfully completed two deployments for the James Webb Space Telescope's "wings" or side portions of the backplane structure that fold up. The wings and telescope structure are essential because they make up the telescope's carbon fiber framework which will hold all 18 of the telescope's mirrors and the tower for the primary mirror.
  
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• Watch: TechBytes: Wireless Carriers Provide Free Calls to Paris

  16-11-2015 23:18
  
  Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile make it easier for customers to reach loved ones in the wake of the terror attack.
  
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• Climate Activists Want to March in Paris Despite Attacks

  16-11-2015 23:10
  Climate activist groups determined to march in Paris despite attacks
  
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• In a Tooth, DNA From Some Very Old Cousins, the Denisovans

  16-11-2015 23:06 via nytimes.com
  A fossil found in a Siberian cave yields evidence from a vanished, once-hardy branch of the human tree that lived at least 110,000 years ago.
  
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• Space station suffers short circuit, power system degraded

  16-11-2015 22:30
  
  The International Space Station has taken a power hit, and spacewalking repairs may be needed. First, though, a replacement part must be delivered via rocket.
  
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• Research team refrigerates liquids with a laser for the first time

  16-11-2015 22:29
  
  Since the first laser was invented in 1960, they've always given off heat—either as a useful tool, a byproduct or a fictional way to vanquish intergalactic enemies.
  
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• Presence of female executives may negatively impact other women aspiring to senior leadearship

  16-11-2015 22:29
  
  After analyzing 20 years of data on the S&P 1,500 firms, researchers have proposed a theory that women in top management face an implicit quota, whereby a firm's leadership makes an effort to have a small number of women on the top management team but makes less effort to have, or even resists having, larger numbers of women.
  
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• Study: How students of different backgrounds use strategies to strengthen college applications

  16-11-2015 22:27
  
  Over the past 25 years, the higher education system in the United States has grown more competitive, with students trying to gain admissions to the most desirable institutions and institutions vying for the most desirable students. During this time period, high school students across the country—particularly those from families of higher socioeconomic status—have increasingly used multiple strategies to enhance their college applications, finds research led by NYU's Steinhardt School
  
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• Scientists uncover re-evolution of disruptive camouflage in horned praying mantises

  16-11-2015 22:15
  
  A scientist from The Cleveland Museum of Natural History led research that revised the horned praying mantis group and traced the evolution of its distinctive camouflage features. Dr. Gavin Svenson and his colleagues identified a new genus and new tribe of praying mantis and discovered that disruptive camouflage evolved twice within the group. The second, more recent, occasion occurred after the re-evolution of a special leg lobe that disguises the body profile to help the insect hide from preda
  
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• Flowers that point to the sky may attract more moth pollinators

  16-11-2015 22:15
  
  Plants that have flowers that point towards the sky may be better at attracting moth pollinators than plants that have 'shy' flowers that point sideways.
  
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• Microbes that are key indicators of Puget Sound's health in decline

  16-11-2015 22:14
  
  Paleontologists with the University of Washington's Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture find that tiny organisms called foraminifera have a big story to tell about the health of Puget Sound.
  
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• How new technologies will impact the engineering of biological systems

  16-11-2015 22:04
  
  A new Biotechnology and Bioengineering viewpoint article provides insights on how rapid advancements in DNA reading and writing technologies will impact how researchers go about engineering biological systems, which include processes that occur within and around cells.
  
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• Fast and optimized internet: New filter with the widest tuning span ever demonstrated on a silicon chip

  16-11-2015 22:03
  
  The amount of data that flows over the internet has exploded in the last decade. Whether people are watching cat videos, streaming movies, or uploading vacation photos to social media sites, they are demanding ever higher performance from the optical networks that are the physical foundation of the World Wide Web.
  
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• Marginalized groups use the Internet to broaden their networks, rather than reinforce ties

  16-11-2015 21:58
  
  A new research study from Indiana University supports the commonly held view that people from disadvantaged groups are using the Internet to broaden their social networks.
  
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• Long-term effects of common pesticides on aquatic species

  16-11-2015 21:58
  
  New research indicates that commonly-used insecticide mixtures continue to impact aquatic invertebrate species over multiple weeks, even when the chemicals are no longer detectable in water.
  
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• New fat cell metabolism research could lead to new ways to treat diabetes and obesity

  16-11-2015 21:56
  
  Researchers at the University of California, San Diego report new insights into what nutrients fat cells metabolize to make fatty acids. The findings pave the way for understanding potential irregularities in fat cell metabolism that occur in patients with diabetes and obesity and could lead to new treatments for these conditions. The researchers published their findings online in the Nov. 16 issue of Nature Chemical Biology.
  
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• RNA-based drugs give more control over gene editing

  16-11-2015 21:54
  
  In just the past few years, researchers have found a way to use a naturally occurring bacterial system known as CRISPR/Cas9 to inactivate or correct specific genes in any organism. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing activity runs continuously, though, leading to risk of additional editing at unwanted sites. Now, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Ludwig Cancer Research and Isis Pharmaceuticals demonstrate a commercially feasible way to use RNA to turn the CRISPR-Cas9 sy
  
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• Study reveals how climate influences sediment size

  16-11-2015 21:00
  
  In a new paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), San Francisco State University Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences Leonard Sklar and colleagues show how two established geochemical techniques can be combined in a novel way to reveal both the altitude where river rocks were originally produced and the rate of erosion that led them to crumble into the river.
  
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• Researchers sequence genomes of parasite that is actually a 'micro jellyfish'

  16-11-2015 21:00
  
  It's a shocking discovery that may redefine how scientists interpret what it means to be an animal.
  
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• Plant metabolic protein tailored for nighttime growth

  16-11-2015 21:00
  
  Everyone who took high school biology learned that photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae and select bacteria transform the Sun's energy into chemical energy during the daytime. But these photosynthetic organisms activate other biochemical pathways at night, when they generate energy by breaking down the sugars, starches, and oils that they created during the day. New work that focused on this nighttime growth found a protein that is necessary for it to occur and, surprisingly, the
  
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• Nature and nurture: Human brains evolved to be more responsive to environmental influences

  16-11-2015 21:00
  
  Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, but what is it about the human brain that makes us so different? Researchers at the George Washington University may have unearthed another piece of the puzzle. In a study published on Nov. 16, scientists discovered that human brains exhibit more plasticity, propensity to be modeled by the environment, than chimpanzee brains and that this may have accounted for part of human evolution.
  
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• Mysteries of bony fish genome evolution

  16-11-2015 21:00
  
  As the 20th-century novelist Joseph Conrad famously wrote, "It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose," and Nature is very busy, so she makes lots of them. But as a genius, she can use them to advantage. Take for example whole genome duplication—an error in DNA replication, or mating between different species, that doubles the number of chromosomes, leading to a duplication of the vast majority of genes. Such grand mistakes turn out to be among the major forces accele
  
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• Large-scale modeling shows confinement effects on cell macromolecules

  16-11-2015 21:00
  
  Using large-scale computer modeling, researchers have shown the effects of confinement on macromolecules inside cells—and taken the first steps toward simulating a living cell, a capability that could allow them to ask 'what-if' questions impossible to ask in real organisms.
  
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• Global energy demand has adverse effects on freshwater resources of less developed nations

  16-11-2015 21:00
  
  Global energy demand from developed nations has an adverse impact on freshwater resources in less developed nations according to a new study.
  
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• CT analysis of 210 million-year-old fossil suggests mammalian ancestors diversified in the Triassic

  16-11-2015 21:00
  
  A new analysis of the jaw of Haramiyavia clemmenseni, one of the earliest known proto-mammals, clarifies the timeline of early mammalian evolution. Through high-resolution computer tomography, scientists from the University of Chicago, Harvard University and Brown University were able to examine the Haramiyavia type specimen in unprecedented detail.
  
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• Bats use weighty wings to land upside down

  16-11-2015 20:00
  
  Compared to birds and insects, bats have heavy wings for their body size. Those comparatively cumbersome flappers might seem a detriment to maneuverability, but new research shows that bats' extra wing mass makes possible a quintessential bit of aerobatics: the ability to land upside down.
  
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• Misinformation Spreads Online Following Paris Attacks

  16-11-2015 19:12 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Social media sites can be a quick way for people to learn about breaking news—but it's not always accurate.
  
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• Brushing up peptides boosts their potential as drugs

  16-11-2015 18:37
  
  Peptides promise to be useful drugs, but they're hard to handle. Because peptides, like proteins, are chains of amino acids, our bodies will digest them and excrete the remnants. Even if delivered to their targets intact through intravenous injection, peptides mostly can't get into cells without help.
  
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• Astronomers Measure “Heartbeats” of a Distant Galaxy’s Stars

  16-11-2015 18:22 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Astronomers at Yale and Harvard have measured the “heartbeats” of stars within elliptical galaxy M87 and used that data to determine the galaxy’s age in a new way. M87 is located 53 million light-years from Earth. It is the first time scientists have measured the effect that pulsating, older red stars have on the light […]
  The post Astronomers Measure “Heartbeats” of a Distant Galaxy’s Stars appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• New nanoscopic tools to study ligand-binding of receptors and quantifying two ligand-binding sites

  16-11-2015 18:03
  
  Signalling processes in organisms are governed by specific extracellular and intracellular interactions and involve hundreds of different functionally highly versatile receptors situated in cell membranes. For scientists wishing to understand signalling processes the situation is made more complex by the receptors not only being unevenly distributed and often able to bind more than one ligand but also by the same type of receptor being able to bind a ligand strongly, weakly or not all. New metho
  
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• Fermi Satellite Detects Gamma-Ray Pulsar in the Tarantula Nebula

  16-11-2015 18:02 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using NASA’s Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, a team of astronomers has discovered the first gamma-ray pulsar in a galaxy other than the Milky Way. The object sets a new record for the most luminous gamma-ray pulsar known. The pulsar lies in the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy […]
  The post Fermi Satellite Detects Gamma-Ray Pulsar in the Tarantula Nebula appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Half the world's natural history specimens may have the wrong name

  16-11-2015 18:00
  
  As many as 50% of all natural history specimens held in the world's museums could be wrongly named, according to a new study by researchers from Oxford University and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
  
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• Anonymous hackers declare war on IS

  16-11-2015 17:59
  
  The Anonymous internet hacking network declared war on the Islamic State group in a Youtube video Monday, vowing vengeance for attacks in Paris that left 129 dead and hundreds injured.
  
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• Study finds High Plains Aquifer peak use by state, overall usage decline

  16-11-2015 17:55
  
  A new Kansas State University study finds that the over-tapping of the High Plains Aquifer's groundwater beyond the aquifer's recharge rate peaked in 2006. Its use is projected to decrease by roughly 50 percent in the next 100 years.
  
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• Researchers develop system to control information leaks from smartphone apps

  16-11-2015 17:54
  
  If you've used the fitness-tracking app Map MyRun, there's a chance that your password has been leaked.
  
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• Earth's climate more sensitive to CO2 than previously thought, study finds

  16-11-2015 17:52
  
  Ancient climates on Earth may have been more sensitive to carbon dioxide than was previously thought, according to new research from Binghamton University.
  
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• Quantum computer coding in silicon now possible

  16-11-2015 17:51
  
  A team of Australian engineers has proven—with the highest score ever obtained—that a quantum version of computer code can be written, and manipulated, using two quantum bits in a silicon microchip. The advance removes lingering doubts that such operations can be made reliably enough to allow powerful quantum computers to become a reality.
  
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• Researchers to study thermonuclear reaction rates to determine how much of certain elements exploding stars can produce

  16-11-2015 17:50
  
  We are all made from stars. And that's not just a beautiful metaphor.
  
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• Cygnus Freighter Fue

  16-11-2015 17:48 via pinterest.com
  
  Cygnus Freighter Fueled and Loaded to Resume American Cargo Launches to Space Station
  
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• Changes in metabolites can regulate earliest stages of development

  16-11-2015 17:46
  
  Changes in cellular metabolites have been shown to regulate embryonic stem cell development at the earliest stages of life. Metabolites are simple compounds generated during life-sustaining chemical activities in cells.
  
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• Hubble Image of the Week: Young Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3610

  16-11-2015 17:36 via scitechdaily.com
  
  This newly released Hubble image shows elliptical galaxy NGC 3610, which is located 70 million light-years away. At the center of this amazing image is the elliptical galaxy NGC 3610. Surrounding the galaxy are a wealth of other galaxies of all shapes. There are spiral galaxies, galaxies with a bar in their central regions, distorted […]
  The post Hubble Image of the Week: Young Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3610 appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Facebook Broadens 'Safety Check' Feature After Paris

  16-11-2015 17:29 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the social network will make more frequent use of its "Safety Check" tool after the terrorist attacks in Paris.
  
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• Apple to Open Singapore Store Powered Only By the Sun

  16-11-2015 17:22 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Apple will open its first retail store in Singapore, which will also be Southeast Asia's first to be powered solely by solar energy, officials said.
  
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• Are ISIS 'Geeks' Using Apps, Games to Spread Terror?

  16-11-2015 17:04 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Officials fear tech-savvy ISIS geeks are using phone apps, encryption and even computer games to help the terror group hide its communications.
  
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• We've got the beat: Astronomers discover a distant galaxy with a pulse

  16-11-2015 17:00
  
  Astronomers at Yale and Harvard have found a galaxy with a heartbeat—and they've taken its pulse.
  
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• Valley current control shows way to ultra-low-power devices

  16-11-2015 17:00
  
  University of Tokyo researchers have demonstrated an electrically-controllable valley current device that may pave the way to ultra-low-power "valleytronics" devices.
  
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