Sci-Tech news

• Use Chromecast to Play Angry Birds Friends, More Games - PC Magazine

  22-12-2015 23:43 via
  PC Magazine
  Use Chromecast to Play Angry Birds Friends, More Games
  PC Magazine
  How would you like to play Angry Birds on your TV? Now you can, with Google Chromecast. Google on Tuesday announced that Rovio's Angry Birds Friends now plays nice with its $35 media streamer, meaning birds are about to fly on the big screen.
  You can now play Angry Birds Friends, Monopoly, Risk, and more on your ChromecastVentureBeat
  Games Like Angry Birds Friends And Risk Hit The Chromecast Right Before The ...TechC
  

• Closest relatives of Baltic Sea plankton are found in brackish North American waters

  22-12-2015 23:13
  
  The first large-scale mapping of genomes of bacterial plankton in the Baltic Sea shows that the bacterias' closest relatives are not in oceans or freshwater lakes, but in other brackish environments. The genomes may not yet answer where these plankton came from, but they will help scientists to better understand brackish, or briny, ecosystems.
  
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• Research links inorganic mercury exposure to damaged cell processes

  22-12-2015 23:09
  
  University of Georgia research has found that inorganic mercury, which was previously thought to be a less harmful form of the toxic metal, is very damaging to key cell processes.
  
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• Ringing in a new way to measure and modulate trapped light

  22-12-2015 23:07
  
  Researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a novel way to noninvasively measure and map how and where trapped light vibrates within microscale optical resonators.
  
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• Sanrio Fixes Security Hole in 'Hello Kitty' Fan Database

  22-12-2015 22:50 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Sanrio, creator of Hello Kitty and other popular characters, confirmed the existence of (and fixes to) a security vulnerability that exposed millions.
  
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• Here's Why the SpaceX Rocket Landing Is Such a Big Deal

  22-12-2015 22:33 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  For fans of "Star Wars" and other science-fiction movies, landing a rocket seems like no big deal. But it's much more difficult in real life.
  
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• Apple comes out against U.K. anti-encryption bill, would 'weaken security for ... - Washington Times

  22-12-2015 22:17 via
  Washington Times
  Apple comes out against U.K. anti-encryption bill, would 'weaken security for ...
  Washington Times
  FILE - In a Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011, file photo, a person stands near the Apple logo at the company's store in Grand Central Terminal, in New York. Apple will show off its newest products Sept. 9, 2014. The iPhone ... more >. By Andrew Blake - The ...
  US tech firms criticize proposed British terrorism lawMinneapolis Star Tribune
  Apple warning over UK plan for more online s
  

• Algorithm helps turn smartphones into 3-D scanners

  22-12-2015 22:06
  
  While 3-D printers have become relatively cheap and available, 3-D scanners have lagged well behind. But now, an algorithm developed by Brown University researchers my help bring high-quality 3-D scanning capability to off-the-shelf digital cameras and smartphones.
  
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• Beneficial bacteria in Hawaiian squid attracted to fatty acids

  22-12-2015 21:43
  
  The small but charismatic Hawaiian bobtail squid is known for its predator-fooling light organ. To survive, the nocturnal cephalopod depends on a mutually beneficial relationship with the luminescent bacterium, Vibrio fischeri, which gives it the ability to mimic moonlight on the surface of the ocean, and deceive monk seals and other predators that would happily make a meal of the small creature.
  
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• Scientists discover how arsenic builds up in plant seeds

  22-12-2015 21:40
  
  Researchers from FIU's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Barry P. Rosen and Jian Chen, both from the Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, are part of an international team that has identified how arsenic gets into the seeds of plants such as rice. The discovery holds the promise of healthier rice grains.
  
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• China's Yutu lunar rover finds a new kind of moon rock - Mashable

  22-12-2015 21:37 via
  Mashable
  China's Yutu lunar rover finds a new kind of moon rock
  Mashable
  The first Chinese mission to softly land on the surface of the moon has discovered a new kind of volcanic moon rock. This finding marks the first time in about 40 years that a new discovery has confirmed from the surface of the moon. The rock samples ...
  What China's Yutu Rover Learned on the MoonGizmodo
  The First Lunar Lander in Four Decades Discovered a New Kind of Moon RockPopular Mechanics
  Chinese rover analyzes moon r
  

• Oculus Rift due out in Q1, founder Luckey tweets - USA TODAY

  22-12-2015 21:21 via
  Engadget
  Oculus Rift due out in Q1, founder Luckey tweets
  USA TODAY
  Virtual reality fans pining for the release of Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles can "enjoy a stress-free holiday," as founder Palmer Luckey tweeted Tuesday that his company is still on track for a first quarter product delivery. He added that he won ...
  Space simulator a killer VR appThe Straits Times
  Early Builds of Final Oculus Rift Shipping to DevelopersPC Magazine
  Oculus Rift sends VR headset hardware to devs in final pu
  

• Google Tests Password-Free Logins Using Just Your Phone - NBCNews.com

  22-12-2015 21:11 via
  NBCNews.com
  Google Tests Password-Free Logins Using Just Your Phone
  NBCNews.com
  Google is testing out a new way to log into its services that requires no password, just a couple taps on your phone. The new method could be handy when logging in from a new location like a friend's computer, if your password is long or complicated, ...
  Google Testing Password-Free Login SystemPC Magazine
  Google Is Gearing Up To Kill Your Email PasswordFast Company
  Google Wants To Eliminate Password LoginInfor
  

• Google Tests Password-Free Logins Using Just Your Phone

  22-12-2015 21:10 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Google is testing out a new way to log into its services that requires just a couple taps on your phone.
  
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• Mixing modern materials? NIST math app helps you manage your mashup

  22-12-2015 20:56
  
  Imagine you're baking a special cake, one in which the shape of each mote of spice mixed into the batter can have a profound effect on your dessert's color, its taste, its texture on the tongue. That's a rough description of creating new lightweight materials for aircraft, cars and windmills that use tiny nanoparticles as ingredients, and scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made recipe development a more palatable job.
  
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• Cool roofs in China offer enhanced benefits during heat waves

  22-12-2015 20:54
  
  It is well established that white roofs can help mitigate the urban heat island effect, reflecting the sun's energy back into space and reducing a city's temperature under normal weather conditions. In a new study of Guangzhou, China, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researchers working with Chinese scientists found that during a heat wave, the effect is significantly more pronounced.
  
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• Are you Facebook dependent?

  22-12-2015 20:53
  
  What drives you to Facebook? News? Games? Feedback on your posts? The chance to meet new friends?
  
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• California aquarium welcomes birth of baby sea otter

  22-12-2015 20:40
  
  There's another reason to rejoice this holiday season: the birth of a wild sea otter at a California aquarium.
  
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• Google is testing a way for users to log in without a password - The Verge

  22-12-2015 20:27 via
  The Verge
  Google is testing a way for users to log in without a password
  The Verge
  Google's plot to kill the password is moving forward. The company is testing a method for users to log into their Google accounts using only a mobile phone and without having to type in a memorized string of characters. Android owner Rohit Paul, who ...
  Google Testing Password-Free Login SystemPC Magazine
  Google Wants To Eliminate Password LoginInformationWeek
  Google Begins Testing Password-Free LoginsTechCrunch
  

• NASA suspends March launch of InSight mission to Mars (Update)

  22-12-2015 20:20
  
  NASA has suspended the March 2016 launch of its InSight mission to Mars because of problems with a key scientific component, the US space agency said Tuesday.
  
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• NASA calls off next Mars mission because of instrument leak

  22-12-2015 20:20
  
  NASA has called off its next Mars mission because of a leak in a science instrument.
  
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• SpaceX landing a 'feat' but not yet a game-changer, expert says

  22-12-2015 20:10
  
  A day after SpaceX pulled off an upright landing of its powerful Falcon 9 rocket, the head of France's space agency called it a "technological feat" but warned of more work ahead.
  
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• Lowdown on Ceres: Images from Dawn's closest orbit

  22-12-2015 20:06
  
  NASA's Dawn spacecraft, cruising in its lowest and final orbit at dwarf planet Ceres, has delivered the first images from its best-ever viewpoint. The new images showcase details of the cratered and fractured surface. 3-D versions of two of these views are also available.
  
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• 4.5 tonnes of ivory seized in huge Interpol operation

  22-12-2015 19:58
  
  A huge international police operation has seized 4.5 tonnes of elephant and rhino tusks, leading to 376 arrests, Interpol said Tuesday.
  
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• Gift Guide: The season's weird and wacky tech gifts

  22-12-2015 19:57
  
  Whether you're shopping for a Trekkie, a tech-savvy fisherman or a paranoid chef, gadget gifts abound this year.
  
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• Jefferson Lab Accelerator delivers its first 12 GeV electrons

  22-12-2015 19:52
  
  The newly upgraded accelerator at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has delivered full-energy electrons as part of commissioning activities for the ongoing 12 GeV Upgrade project. At 4:20 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 14, operators of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) delivered the first batch of 12 GeV electrons (12.065 GeV) to its newest experimental hall complex, Hall D.
  
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• Some consumers have an unerring knack for buying unpopular products

  22-12-2015 19:46
  
  Diet Crystal Pepsi. Frito Lay Lemonade. Watermelon-flavored Oreos. Through the years, the shelves of stores have been filled with products that turned out to be flops, failures, duds, and losers.
  
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• Corals may fare better in turbid waters, research finds

  22-12-2015 19:44
  
  New research from Florida Institute of Technology scientists Chris Cacciapaglia and Rob van Woesik shows that corals may survive better in warm oceans where the water is clouded by floating particles.
  
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• Study advances hydrogen production efforts

  22-12-2015 19:42
  
  Researchers at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have made advances toward affordable photoelectrochemical (PEC) production of hydrogen.
  
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• Simple shell of plant virus sparks immune response against cancer

  22-12-2015 19:40
  
  The shells of a common plant virus, inhaled into a lung tumor or injected into ovarian, colon or breast tumors, not only triggered the immune system in mice to wipe out the tumors, but provided systemic protection against metastases, researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Dartmouth University report.
  
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• Mystery of heat loss from the Earth's crust has been solved

  22-12-2015 19:37
  
  The first discovery of a new type of hydrothermal vent system in a decade helps explain the long observed disconnect between the theoretical rate at which the Earth's crust is cooling at seafloor spreading ridge flanks, and actual observations. It could also help scientists interpret the evidence for past global climates more accurately.
  
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• Dating App Makes It Easier to Come Up With an Opening Line

  22-12-2015 19:36 via abcnews.go.com
  
  You're on a dating app, you match, but what do you say to stand out from every other potential suitor?
  
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• Newly developed liquid crystal elastomer material could enable advanced sensors

  22-12-2015 19:35
  
  Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), essentially rubbers with liquid crystal properties, can do a number of fascinating things, especially in the fields of optics, photonics, telecommunications and medicine. They can curl up, bend, twist, wrinkle and stretch when exposed to light, heat, gases and other stimuli. Because they are so responsive, they are ideal for applications like artificial muscles and blood vessels, actuators, sensors, plastic motors and drug delivery systems. They can even be used
  
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• Research may lead to new control for devastating rice disease

  22-12-2015 19:24
  
  In a "clash of the microbes," University of Delaware plant scientists are uncovering more clues critical to disarming a fungus that is the number one killer of rice plants.
  
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• Old drugs, new tricks: Medications approved for other uses also have antibiotic action

  22-12-2015 19:22
  
  A number of drugs already approved to treat parasitic infections, cancers, infertility and other conditions also show promise as antibiotic agents against staph and tuberculosis infections, according to a new study by University of Illinois chemists and collaborators. Because these agents act against multiple targets within the bacteria, it may be harder for bacteria to develop resistance.
  
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• Could Clinton's Encryption 'Manhattan Project' Work?

  22-12-2015 19:21 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Hillary Clinton called for a "Manhattan-like project" to break encrypted terrorist communications.
  
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• ORNL achieves milestone with plutonium-238 sample

  22-12-2015 19:18
  
  With the production of 50 grams of plutonium-238, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have restored a U.S. capability dormant for nearly 30 years and set the course to provide power for NASA and other missions.
  
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• NASA Calls Off Next Mars Mission Due to Instrument Leak

  22-12-2015 19:07 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  The Insight spacecraft was supposed to take off in March and land on the red planet next year.
  
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• New Technique for Developing Nanodevices at One-Hundredth the Current Cost

  22-12-2015 18:21 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Researchers from MIT have developed new techniques for building microelectromechanical systems at one-hundredth of the current cost. Microelectromechanical systems — or MEMS — were a $12 billion business in 2014. But that market is dominated by just a handful of devices, such as the accelerometers that reorient the screens of most smartphones. That’s because manufacturing […]
  The post New Technique for Developing Nanodevices at One-Hundredth the Current Cost appeared fir
  
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• Forensic seismology tested on 2006 munitions depot 'cook-off' in Baghdad

  22-12-2015 18:00
  
  On Oct. 10, 2006, a mortar round hit the ammunition supply depot at the U.S. Forward Operating Base Falcon south of Baghdad. The round started a smoldering fire punctuated by whizzing skyrockets, a rain of incandescent fragments, and massive explosions that bloomed into mushroom clouds. Soldiers who videotaped the "cook-off" can be heard wondering what exactly was in the dump and how much longer the explosions would continue.
  
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• New Images From Dawn’s Closest Orbit of Ceres

  22-12-2015 17:59 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New images from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft provide a better look at the surface of Ceres. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, cruising in its lowest and final orbit at dwarf planet Ceres, has delivered the first images from its best-ever viewpoint. The new images showcase details of the cratered and fractured surface. 3-D versions of two of these […]
  The post New Images From Dawn’s Closest Orbit of Ceres appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Fin24.com | Cell C gets ratings boost over acquisition plans

  22-12-2015 17:30
  
  Cell C has received a ratings boost, following reports that Blue Label Telecoms plans to acquire a 35% stake in South African telecommunications business.
  
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• Oracle Settles FTC Charges Over Deceptive Java Updates - PC Magazine

  22-12-2015 17:16 via
  PC Magazine
  Oracle Settles FTC Charges Over Deceptive Java Updates
  PC Magazine
  Oracle has settled with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that it deceived consumers about the security of Java SE updates. Under the deal, Oracle must give consumers the ability to easily uninstall insecure, older versions of the Java Platform ...
  Oracle Settles With FTC Over Java Security UpdateseWeek (blog)
  Oracle settles FTC claim that it deceived consumers about Java…SDTimes.com
  Oracle Settle
  

• Move aside carbon: Boron nitride-reinforced materials are even stronger

  22-12-2015 17:00
  
  Carbon nanotubes are legendary in their strength—at least 30 times stronger than bullet-stopping Kevlar by some estimates. When mixed with lightweight polymers such as plastics and epoxy resins, the tiny tubes reinforce the material, like the rebar in a block of concrete, promising lightweight and strong materials for airplanes, spaceships, cars and even sports equipment.
  
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• Chinese rover analyzes moon rocks: First new 'ground truth' in 40 years

  22-12-2015 17:00
  
  In 2013, Chang'e-3, an unmanned lunar mission, touched down on the northern part of the Imbrium basin, one of the most prominent of the lava-filled impact basins visible from Earth.
  
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• At what age should teenagers pass the 'digital age of consent'?

  22-12-2015 16:50
  
  Four years in the making, the European Union's new data protection rules have finally been agreed by the European Council and await the approval of the European Parliament. But a last-minute addition has sparked a debate about responsibility and consent, by proposing to raise to 16 the "age of consent" under which it is illegal for organisations to handle the individual's data. This would force younger teenagers to gain parental permission to access social networking sites such as Facebook, Snap
  
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• Study shows domestication of dogs led to an increase in harmful genetic changes

  22-12-2015 16:40
  
  (Phys.org)—A team of researchers from the U.S. and Spain has found that domestication of canines appears to have led to an increase in harmful genetic changes in dogs. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes their study that included genome analysis of wolves, wild dogs and domesticated dogs and why they believe notice should be taken of such genetic changes in domesticated animals moving forward.
  
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• Why SpaceX Rocket Landing Is Giant Leap for Space Travel

  22-12-2015 16:35 via abcnews.go.com
  
  By successfully launching and returning a rocket to Earth for reuse, Elon Musk and his SpaceX team have edged closer to making space travel more affordable.
  
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• Andromeda IV turns out to be a solitary gas-rich dwarf galaxy

  22-12-2015 16:30
  
  (Phys.org)—Andromeda IV, discovered in 1972 by Canadian astronomer Sidney Van den Berghan, is believed to be an irregular satellite of our neighboring Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31. Now, a new study conducted by an international team of scientists led by Igor Karachentsev of the Special Astrophysical Observatory in Nizhnij Arkhyz, Russia, tells a different story regarding Andromeda IV's true nature. The study, published online on Dec. 18 in the arXiv pre-print server, indicate
  
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• The awesomeness of bats

  22-12-2015 16:20
  
  Just how awesome are bats? It's easy to forget that one in five species of mammal on this planet have wings capable of delivering spectacularly acrobatic flying abilities. Equally incredibly, two-thirds of these 1,200 species of flying mammal can fly in the dark, using exquisite echolocation to avoid obstacles and snatch airborne prey with stunning deftness.
  
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