Sci-Tech news

• Chemists create adaptable metallic-cage gels

  17-11-2015 23:03
  
  MIT chemists have created a new material that combines the flexibility of polymer gels with the rigid structure provided by metal-based clusters. The new gels could be well-suited for a range of possible functions, including drug release, gas storage, or water filtration, the researchers say.
  
  Read more

• 'Changing the rules of the game' on collaborative climate change research

  17-11-2015 23:01
  
  To do effective climate change research, scientists need to collaborate with local participants.
  
  Read more

• EPA intends tougher downwind air-pollution rule in 23 states

  17-11-2015 23:00
  
  The Environmental Protection Agency proposed tougher new limits on Tuesday on smokestack emissions from nearly two dozen states that burden downwind areas with air pollution from power plants they can't control.
  
  Read more

• AP Exclusive: Big Texas Welcome for Google Self-Driving Cars

  17-11-2015 22:42
  
  AP Exclusive: Texas warmly welcomes Google self-driving cars despite quiet doubts on oversight
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• The fittest fiddle: Researchers study violin evolution via function and fancy

  17-11-2015 21:07
  
  It's tempting to believe the violin was created in the mind's eye of its most famous craftsmen: the Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri families.
  
  Read more

• Researcher's work offers more proof of Einstein's general theory of relativity

  17-11-2015 21:04
  
  A Florida State University high-performance computing researcher has predicted a physical effect that would help physicists and astronomers provide fresh evidence of the correctness of Einstein's general theory of relativity.
  
  Read more

• Small landscape changes can mean big freshwater gains

  17-11-2015 21:03
  
  A typical bird's-eye view of the Midwest offers a patchwork landscape covered mostly by agriculture but mottled with forest, wetland, grassland, buildings and pavement. This pattern influences the quality and supply of the many natural benefits the landscape provides people, including freshwater.
  
  Read more

• Leonids Meteor Shower: When, Where and How to Watch it

  17-11-2015 20:47
  
  The meteor shower will reach its peak at midnight across the U.S.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Some US ski resorts explore possibility of 'drone zones'

  17-11-2015 20:10
  
  A drone hovers about 30 feet above the skier's head, then quickly swoops down for a tighter angle so its video camera can capture his every move as he carves down a steep powder stash.
  
  Read more

• Can data on TV watching predict presidential election outcomes?

  17-11-2015 20:00
  
  A provocative new study shows that big data-derived models developed and trained based on people's television viewing behavior in "safe" U.S. states can be used to forecast the presidential election outcomes in "swing" states. The model design, potential for its use in 2016 and beyond, and implications for the billions of dollars of advertising spent in presidential elections are discussed in an Open Access article published in Big Data.
  
  Read more

• NY state seeks court shutdown of fantasy sports sites

  17-11-2015 19:40
  
  New York state's attorney general asked Tuesday for a court order shutting down fantasy sports websites DraftKings and FanDuel in the latest move in a legal battle over the operations.
  
  Read more

• US advised to examine 'hack back' options against China

  17-11-2015 19:26
  
  The United States remains ill-prepared to combat state-backed cyber intrusions from China and lawmakers should look at whether U.S.-based companies be allowed to 'hack back' to recover or wipe stolen data, a congressional advisory body said Tuesday.
  
  Read more

• Study shows how crop prices and climate variables affect yield and acreage

  17-11-2015 19:19
  
  When corn prices increase farmers reap higher yields by making changes. According to a recent University of Illinois study, about one-third of the yield increase derives from more intensive management practices and two-thirds from cropping additional acreage. Agricultural economist Madhu Khanna says the findings dampen the ongoing debate about the food price and land use changes due to corn ethanol.
  
  Read more

• Prior union experience correlates with voting for pro-labor issues

  17-11-2015 19:17
  
  A legislator's experience with unionization earlier in life is positively related to voting in favor of pro-worker legislation once he or she holds elected office, says a new paper from a University of Illinois labor expert who studies unions and politics.
  
  Read more

• Countries on the rebound making significant climate adaptation progress

  17-11-2015 19:17
  
  In the lead-up to 21st meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 21), 10 countries have come from behind to make marked progress in their ability to withstand the shocks and stresses of climate change, while five are distinctly less resilient, according to data released Tuesday (Nov. 17) by the University of Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index (ND-GAIN).
  
  Read more

• A new symmetry underlies the search for new materials

  17-11-2015 19:15
  
  A new symmetry operation developed by Penn State researchers has the potential to speed up the search for new advanced materials that range from tougher steels to new types of electronic, magnetic, and thermal materials. With further developments, this technique could also impact the field of computational materials design.
  
  Read more

• Stacking instead of mixing: Improving energy efficiency of topological insulators

  17-11-2015 19:13
  
  The overheating of computer chips is a major obstacle to the development of faster and more efficient computers and mobile phones. One promising remedy for this problem could be a class of materials first discovered just a few years ago: topological insulators, which conduct electricity with less resistance and heat generation than conventional materials. Research on these materials is still in its early stages. A team from Jülich and Aachen has now found a way to control the desired conduc
  
  Read more

• A flight management system available to all

  17-11-2015 19:11
  
  The aircraft industry is worth billions. But it's not just jets driving the dollars up—it's the complicated electronics that help them fly.
  
  Read more

• Washington group spells out concern over cross-device tracking

  17-11-2015 19:07
  
  Consumer privacy advocates find this seriously annoying: Some ads use inaudible sound to link your phone, TV, tablet, and PC. Dan Goodin of Ars Technica issued a "Beware" to readers earlier this month and the matter has concerned other technology-watching sites as well.
  
  Read more

• Watch: Leonids Meteor Shower Attracts Sky Watchers

  17-11-2015 18:49
  
  ABC News' Ned Potter follows the vast celestial show.
  
  Read more

• Rice Engineers Develop Light-Driven Nanosubmarines

  17-11-2015 18:18 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Scientists at Rice University have created single-molecule submersibles that contain just 244 atoms and are powered by ultraviolet light. Though they’re not quite ready for boarding a lá “Fantastic Voyage,” nanoscale submarines created at Rice University are proving themselves seaworthy. Each of the single-molecule, 244-atom submersibles built in the Rice lab of chemist James Tour […]
  The post Rice Engineers Develop Light-Driven Nanosubmarines appeared first on Sc
  
  Read more

• Gift Guide: Six ways to get streaming video to your big screen

  17-11-2015 18:18
  
  Watching video on a phone or personal computer can sometimes feel less than awesome—not to mention kind of lonely, given the limited viewing angle of the small screen.
  
  Read more

• Researchers create cheaper, high performing LED

  17-11-2015 18:16
  
  A team of Florida State University materials researchers has developed a new type of light-emitting diode, or LED, using an organic-inorganic hybrid that could lead to cheaper, brighter and mass produced lights and displays in the future.
  
  Read more

• Mathematical model helps show how zebrafish get their stripes

  17-11-2015 18:15
  
  A mathematical model developed by Brown University researchers is shedding new light on how zebrafish get their iconic stripes. The model helps to demonstrate how two dynamic processes—the movement of pigment cells across the skin, and the birth and death of cells as the fish grows—combine to keep zebrafish stripes in line.
  
  Read more

• Scarcity, not abundance, enhances consumer creativity, study says

  17-11-2015 18:14
  
  Even in an age of affluence and abundance in which round-the-clock consumerism and overspending are the norm, limits and constraints can still serve a purpose. According to new research co-written by a University of Illinois expert in new product development and marketing, resource scarcity actually translates into enhanced consumer product-use creativity.
  
  Read more

• NASA measures India's deadly flooding rains

  17-11-2015 18:10
  
  During the past week extreme rainfall from two slow moving tropical low pressure areas caused severe flooding in southeastern India. One of the lows, designated System 97B continued to linger along the southeastern Indian coast on November 17. As System 97B and another low pressure area dropped heavy rainfall, NASA and partners around the world gathered data using an array of satellites.
  
  Read more

• Pitt project aims to turn world on to DC power

  17-11-2015 18:09
  
  In the late 1880s, Pittsburgh native son George Westinghouse (using the work and genius of Nikola Tesla) won the campaign to base the United States' electric power grid on alternating current (AC). Thomas Edison, a proponent of direct current (DC), tried to paint AC as dangerous, but as things stood at the time, an AC grid was cheaper and more efficient, could carry electricity over longer distances, and was easier to build—so it prevailed.
  
  Read more

• NASA sees tropical storm 27W form in Marianas Islands, warnings up

  17-11-2015 18:07
  
  The tropical low pressure area previously known as System 95W consolidated and was classified as a Tropical Depression 27W on Nov. 17, 2015. The Suomi NPP satellite captured a view of the strengthening storm as warnings were posted in Micronesia.
  
  Read more

• Neutrons explain aging process in lithium ion batteries

  17-11-2015 18:06
  
  A key issue with lithium ion batteries is aging. It significantly reduces their potential storage capacity. To date, very little is known about the causes of the aging effects. Scientists from the Department of Technical Electrochemistry and the Research Neutron Source FRM II at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now come a step closer to identifying the causes in their latest experiments.
  
  Read more

• From nanocrystals to earthquakes, solid materials share similar failure characteristics

  17-11-2015 18:05
  
  Apparently, size doesn't always matter. An extensive study by an interdisciplinary research group suggests that the deformation properties of nanocrystals are not much different from those of the Earth's crust.
  
  Read more

• Research reveals connections between social science and high fashion

  17-11-2015 18:04
  
  While they're often linked with studying remote civilizations, the role of the contemporary anthropologist is changing. Stephanie Sadre-Orafai, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of anthropology, will apply one example as she examines how anthropology is linked with the high fashion industry in New York. The presentation is part of a panel at the 114th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association. Billed as the world's largest gathering of anthropologists, the meeting t
  
  Read more

• Parents aiming too high can harm child's academic performance

  17-11-2015 18:03
  
  When parents have high hopes for their children's academic achievement, the children tend to do better in school, unless those hopes are unrealistic, in which case the children may not perform well in school, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
  
  Read more

• How Genetic Defects in Myelin Formation Cause White Matter Diseases

  17-11-2015 17:23 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New research from Yale University may shed insight into mechanisms to control the course of multiple sclerosis. Their results point to a role for FAM126A in supporting myelination, an important process in development and also following acute exacerbations in multiple sclerosis. An inherited disease of myelin marked by slow, progressive neurological impairment is caused by […]
  The post How Genetic Defects in Myelin Formation Cause White Matter Diseases appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
  Read more

• Cassini Views Dione and Enceladus

  17-11-2015 17:08 via scitechdaily.com
  
  This new image from the Cassini Spacecraft shows Saturn’s moons Dione and Enceladus. Although Dione (near) and Enceladus (far) are composed of nearly the same materials, Enceladus has a considerably higher reflectivity than Dione. As a result, it appears brighter against the dark night sky. The surface of Enceladus (313 miles or 504 kilometers across) […]
  The post Cassini Views Dione and Enceladus appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
  Read more

• Researchers develope software for finding tipping points and critical network structures

  17-11-2015 17:00
  
  If you wanted to know whether shifts in the African climate during Paleolithic times correlated with the appearance and disappearance of hominin species, how would you find the answer? It's a tricky question because of the massive amounts of noisy, complicated data you would need to analyze.
  
  Read more

• Big Texas welcome for Google self-driving cars

  17-11-2015 16:42
  
  With Google's self-driving cars slowed in a gridlock of California regulation, Texas is offering a fast lane.
  
  Read more

• Video: Do vitamin supplements actually work?

  17-11-2015 16:41
  
  You've seen them in late night commercials and at your local pharmacy—little pills that claim to cure your cold, help you wake up or maybe help you lose weight.
  
  Read more

• Angie's List Board Rejects $512 Million Takeover From IAC

  17-11-2015 16:41
  Board of Angie's List rejects $512 million takeover deal from IAC/InterActiveCorp
  
  Read more

• Speech signal processing technology for smart devices to achieve multilingual speech translation service

  17-11-2015 16:40
  
  Hitachi today announced that it has developed a speech signal processing technology for smart devices to achieve a better multilingual speech translation service on the market. By removing background noise excluding speaker's voice, this innovative technology offers a speech recognition capability in noisy urban street environments in which its noise level is 70 dB. In addition, its automatic detection of speech intervals enhances usability with an accurate recognition of speech timing without r
  
  Read more

• New technique could prevent dangerous biofilms on catheters

  17-11-2015 16:39
  
  Biofilms frequently coat the surfaces of catheters, and of various medical implants and prostheses, where they can cause life-threatening infections. New research at the Sahlgrenska Academy show that coating implants with a certain "activator" can prevent Staphylococcus aureus, the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections, from forming biofilms.
  
  Read more

• Nanotech-based sensor developed to measure microRNAs in blood, speed cancer detection

  17-11-2015 16:39
  
  A simple, ultrasensitive microRNA sensor developed and tested by researchers from the schools of science and medicine at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center holds promise for the design of new diagnostic strategies and, potentially, for the prognosis and treatment of pancreatic and other cancers.
  
  Read more

• With El Nino, be careful what you wish for

  17-11-2015 16:20
  
  A few weeks ago in the hills north of Los Angeles, heavy rain set off widespread mudslides that blocked roads and covered highways, burying hundreds of vehicles and bringing much of Los Angeles' infamous traffic to a standstill.
  
  Read more

• Protein complex may help explain magnetic sensing in insects and animals

  17-11-2015 16:20
  
  (Phys.org)—A team of researchers with Peking University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tsinghua University has identified a protein that aligns with a magnetic field when polymerized and coupled with another well known protein. In their paper published in the journal Nature Materials, the researchers suggest the protein complex may be the means by which many insects and animals orient themselves using the Earth's magnetic field.
  
  Read more

• Climate through the lens of poverty, inequality, sustainability

  17-11-2015 16:10
  
  There is no religion that does not teach its adherents the need to nurture the earth, or the need for the brotherhood, equality and humility of men. In every generation, in every land and in every clime is born a populist who embraces such goals to rise as a leader of the people. Yet, on the eve of Paris, we are visited by gunfire and death, symbolizing the distrust that is bred by inequity of opportunity. Religions uniformly preach peace, even as some adherents invoke martyrdom as a path to add
  
  Read more

• Fungus causes emerging snake disease found in Eastern US

  17-11-2015 16:02
  
  Researchers working for the U.S. Geological Survey have identified the fungal culprit behind an often deadly skin infection in snakes in the eastern U.S. Published this week in mBio, an online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, the research shows that Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola is the definitive cause of snake fungal disease (SFD), which will help researchers pinpoint why it is emerging as a threat to snake populations and how its impacts can be mitigated.
  
  Read more

• Scientists create an all-organic UV on-chip spectrometer

  17-11-2015 16:00
  
  The U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory has developed a near ultra-violet and all-organic light emitting diode (OLED) that can be used as an on-chip photosensor.
  
  Read more

• The value of biodiversity is particularly high in poor environmental conditions

  17-11-2015 15:50
  
  The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning greatly depends on the prevalent environmental conditions. An interdisciplinary team consisting of microbiologists and ecological modellers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Stockholm Resilience Centre has now tested this hypothesis which is considered crucial for biodiversity research. Through extensive laboratory experiments on microbial communities, the researchers were able to demonstrate that al
  
  Read more

• Synthetic muscle experiment will likely return to Earth in March

  17-11-2015 15:50
  
  A synthetic muscle experiment on board the International Space Station (ISS) that was developed with the help of Princeton Plasma Physicists Laboratory scientists is now tentatively scheduled to return to earth in March of 2016 on a new SpaceX-10 rocket. It would be returning eight months later than originally planned after an unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket headed for the ISS exploded a few minutes after liftoff in late June.
  
  Read more

• Observing distinctive geologic features on asteroid Toutatis

  17-11-2015 15:50
  
  (Phys.org)—Asteroid (4179) Toutatis, an Apollo-type near-Earth object (NEO) was thoroughly studied by Chinese Chang'e-2 spacecraft in 2012, when the space rock flew by Earth at a distance of 18 lunar distances. The probe, imaging the asteroid in high-resolution, has provided compelling information regarding Toutatis' geological structure. Now, a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has published a paper onarXiv that sums up the findings about the asteroid's distinctive
  
  Read more

• Study examines how arrests in the homeless population impact long term attitudes toward police

  17-11-2015 15:48
  
  (Edmonton) A new study from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is giving important new insight into how officer interactions with the homeless can shape their long-term attitudes toward police.
  
  Read more

Follow @NewslockSciTech on Twitter!