Sci-Tech news

• Ford triples autonomous fleet, poses drone challenge

  05-01-2016 23:50
  
  Ford is to unveil Tuesday a smorgasbord of technology initiatives ranging from tripling its fleet of autonomous Fusion sedans to funding new mobility startups and also challenging software wizards to program drones and F-150 pickup trucks to navigate disaster relief sites.
  
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• Fitbit 'smart fitness watch' disappoints market (Update)

  05-01-2016 22:40
  
  Fitbit on Tuesday unveiled its "smart fitness watch," aiming to get into the growing smartwatch segment with upgraded fitness tracking features.
  
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• IT experts say Ukraine blackout caused by a cyberattack

  05-01-2016 22:30
  
  A power failure that plunged parts of western Ukraine into the dark last month was caused by a cyberattack, IT experts said Tuesday, and one source called it a world first.
  
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• The latest at gadgets: Samsung fridge comes with screen (Update 8)

  05-01-2016 22:27
  
  The latest developments surrounding the consumer-electronics show in Las Vegas known as CES (all times local):
  
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• The latest at gadgets: Samsung fridge comes with screen (Update 10)

  05-01-2016 22:27
  
  The latest developments surrounding the consumer-electronics show in Las Vegas known as CES (all times local):
  
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• Runaway stars leave infrared waves in space

  05-01-2016 22:24
  
  Astronomers are finding dozens of the fastest stars in our galaxy with the help of images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.
  
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• Netflix extends online video licensing deal with DreamWorks

  05-01-2016 22:21
  
  Netflix's online video service will feature more series and movies from DreamWorks Animation as part of a contract extension with the studio.
  
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• Huawei targets premium segment with new phone, watch

  05-01-2016 22:20
  
  Chinese electronics giant Huawei took aim Tuesday at the premium segment dominated by Apple, unveiling a new large-screen smartphone along with a tablet and luxury smartwatch.
  
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• Tweets too short? Twitter mulling 10,000 characters: report

  05-01-2016 22:16
  
  Twitter's 140 character limit on tweets has long frustrated and challenged its most verbose users.
  
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• Meteorologists: 'Darth Nino' ties record for strongest seen

  05-01-2016 22:16
  
  Meteorologists say the current El Nino has stormed its way into the record books, tying 1997-1998 as the strongest recorded.
  
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• Ford teams with Amazon to connect homes with cars

  05-01-2016 22:15
  
  Ford unveiled an alliance Tuesday with US online giant Amazon aimed at allowing people to connect their cars into "smart home" networks.
  
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• British astronaut's first spacewalk set for Jan 15

  05-01-2016 22:15
  
  Tim Peake, the first British astronaut to travel to the International Space Station, is poised to embark on his first spacewalk January 15, global space agencies announced Tuesday.
  
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• Ultra-thin, high-def TVs battle for CES crown (Update)

  05-01-2016 22:12
  
  A battle for the title of best new television opened Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show, with titans fielding new slim, smart, ultra high-definition models.
  
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• Ultra-thin, high-def TVs battle for CES crown

  05-01-2016 22:12
  
  A battle for the title of best new television opened Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show, with LG unveiling a new model no thicker than four stacked credit cards.
  
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• Rich, thin televisions vie for crown at CES

  05-01-2016 22:12
  
  A battle for the Consumer Electronics Show television crown commenced on Tuesday with LG unveiling a rich new model no thicker than four stacked credit cards.
  
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• Latvian who co-wrote worldwide computer virus can go home

  05-01-2016 22:12
  
  A Latvian computer code writer who admitted a role in spreading a virus to over a million computers worldwide, including some at NASA, can return home after serving over 20 months in prison.
  
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• Yahoo pulls plug on video hub as CEO refocuses company

  05-01-2016 22:04
  
  Yahoo pulled the plug on an online video hub that had once been envisioned as the beleaguered company's answer to Netflix and YouTube.
  
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• Government agencies to cull up to 900 Yellowstone bison

  05-01-2016 22:04
  
  Government agencies aim to kill or remove up to 900 wild bison from Yellowstone National Park this winter as part of an ongoing effort to reduce the animals' annual migration into Montana by driving down their population.
  
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• Sugar-based carbon hollow spheres that mimic moth eyes

  05-01-2016 22:01
  
  Antireflective coatings are used to cut surface glare in everything from eyeglasses and camera lenses to solar cells, TV screens and LED devices. Now researchers from Research Institute for Nuclear Problems of Belarusian State University in Belarus and Institut Jean Lamour-Université de Lorraine in France have developed a novel, low-cost, ultra-lightweight material that could be used as an effective anti-reflective surface for microwave radiation based on the eyes of moths.
  
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• Lumosity to pay $2M to settle deceptive ad allegations

  05-01-2016 21:16
  
  The developer of Lumosity "brain training" games will pay $2 million to settle federal allegations that it misled customers about the cognitive benefits of its online apps and programs.
  
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• Rare galaxy with 2 black holes has 1 starved of stars

  05-01-2016 21:10
  
  An astrophysicist has discovered something even rarer than a double-black hole galaxy: a skinny black hole.
  
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• Traveling salesman uncorks synthetic biology bottleneck

  05-01-2016 21:05
  
  Researchers have created a computer program that will open a challenging field in synthetic biology to the entire world.
  
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• The dandelion uses latex to protect its roots against insect feeding

  05-01-2016 21:04
  
  Dandelions are troublesome weeds that are detested by most gardeners. Yet dandelions also have many insect enemies in nature. However, they are able to protect themselves with their latex, a milky, bitter-tasting sap. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, and the University of Bern, Switzerland, have now demonstrated that a single compound in the latex protects dandelion roots against voracious cockchafer larvae. Thus, latex plays a crucial role in dandeli
  
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• What a 'CERN' for agricultural science could look like

  05-01-2016 21:03
  
  The Large Hadron Collider, a.k.a. CERN, found success in a simple idea: Invest in a laboratory that no one institution could sustain on their own and then make it accessible for physicists around the world. Astronomers have done the same with telescopes, while neuroscientists are collaborating to build brain imaging observatories. Now, in Trends in Plant Science on January 5, agricultural researchers present their vision for how a similar idea could work for them.
  
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• Archaeologists return to Neanderthal cave as ISIS pushed from Iraq

  05-01-2016 21:02
  
  As the terrorist group ISIS is pushed out of northern Iraq, archaeologists are resuming work in the region, making new discoveries and figuring out how to conserve archaeological sites and reclaim looted antiquities
  
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• Irradiation preserves blueberry, grape quality

  05-01-2016 21:01
  
  It is often necessary to treat produce for insects in order to transport crops out of quarantine areas. Fumigation with methyl bromide, one of the most common treatments, is in the process of being phased out because of its depleting effect on the ozone layer. Alternately, ionizing irradiation at low doses is being used worldwide as a promising phytosanitary treatment for fruit such as guava, rambutan, and mango. New research reveals that irradiation can also be effective for treating blueberrie
  
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• New Navy Leader: Nukes 'Foundational to Our Survival'

  05-01-2016 20:38
  
  The Navy's new leader says a nuclear force second to none is essential to US survival
  
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• An apatite for progress

  05-01-2016 20:30
  
  Apatite has recently gained considerable attention as a mineral with many uses within the Earth and planetary sciences. Apatite chemistry has recently given new insight into a wide range of geological processes and tools, such as magmatism, metasomatism, planetary geochemistry, and geochronology. In their open-access Geology article, Emilie Bruand and colleagues expand the utility of apatite by presenting a novel way to fingerprint magma chemistry and petrogenesis using apatite inclusions within
  
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• Service-learning courses can positively impact post-graduate salaries, study finds

  05-01-2016 20:29
  
  Service-learning experiences in college can reach beyond the classroom—and help grow graduates' bank accounts once they enter the workforce, according to a recent University of Georgia study.
  
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• Scientists discover nursery ground for sand tiger sharks in Long Island's Great South Bay

  05-01-2016 20:16
  
  Scientists and veterinarians working for WCS's New York Aquarium have discovered something noteworthy in the near shore waters of Long Island's Great South Bay: a nursery ground for the sand tiger shark, a fearsome-looking but non-aggressive fish.
  
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• Kaolin effectively controls whitefly in beans

  05-01-2016 20:16
  
  In Colombia, bean crops contribute significantly to the region's agriculture. Because these important crops are vulnerable to pests and diseases, growers often need to rely on chemicals to protect valuable crops. New research on the use of kaolin (aluminosilicate clay) contains information that can help bean producers limit the use of conventional pesticides and develop new strategies for integrated pest management.
  
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• Lipoprotein nanoplatelets shed new light on biological molecules and cells

  05-01-2016 20:13
  
  An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a new material composite derived from quantum dots. These lipoprotein nanoplatelets are rapidly taken up by cells and retain their fluorescence, making them particularly well-suited for imaging cells and understanding disease mechanisms.
  
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• Scientists discover shark nursery in New York waters

  05-01-2016 20:11
  
  The waters just off the shore of Long Island’s Great South Bay have revealed a nursery where young sand tiger sharks swim up from the south and bask in New York waters each summer.
  
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• Study: We trust in those who believe in God

  05-01-2016 20:08
  
  It's political season and there's one thing you're sure to hear a lot about from candidates vying for support—religion. Talking directly or subtly about religion has become part of the American way in political campaigns.
  
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• Promising new approach for controlled fabrication of carbon nanostructures

  05-01-2016 20:08
  
  An international team of researchers including Professor Federico Rosei and members of his group at INRS has developed a new strategy for fabricating atomically controlled carbon nanostructures used in molecular carbon-based electronics. An article just published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications presents their findings: the complete electronic structure of a conjugated organic polymer, and the influence of the substrate on its electronic properties.
  
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• Flying lab to investigate Southern Ocean's appetite for carbon

  05-01-2016 20:05
  
  A team of scientists is launching a series of research flights this month over the remote Southern Ocean in an effort to better understand just how much carbon dioxide the icy waters are able to lock away.
  
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• Genetic changes in birds could throw light on human mitochondrial diseases

  05-01-2016 20:00
  
  Deakin University and UNSW Australia researchers have made a rare observation of rapid evolution in action in the wild, documenting the spread of a newly arisen genetic mutation in invasive starlings, which could shed light on mitochondrial disease in humans.
  
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• New material for detecting photons captures more quantum information

  05-01-2016 19:59
  
  Detecting individual particles of light just got a bit more precise—by 74 picoseconds to be exact—thanks to advances in materials by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers and their colleagues in fabricating superconducting nanowires.
  
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• Tropical Storm Ula weakens, moves south

  05-01-2016 19:58
  
  Former hurricane Ula has weakened to a tropical storm in the Southern Pacific Ocean. NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured an infrared image of the storm on Jan. 5 that showed it moved further south of Fiji.
  
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• First ever digital geologic map of Alaska published

  05-01-2016 19:00
  
  A new digital geologic map of Alaska is being released today providing land users, managers and scientists geologic information for the evaluation of land use in relation to recreation, resource extraction, conservation, and natural hazards.
  
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• Stargazers' delight: All five visible planets set to showcase

  05-01-2016 18:42
  
  From Jan. 20 to Feb. 20, the five visible planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be simultaneously visible in the predawn and dawn sky.
  
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• Study of a pregnant cockroach paves a new direction in genetics research

  05-01-2016 18:05
  
  The sequencing of the first genome involving a cockroach species may one day serve as a model system comparable to how research on mice can apply to humans. In this case, the model could hold new revelations about how stress during pregnancy could affect both the mother and her offspring. Emily Jennings, a University of Cincinnati doctoral student in the Department of Biological Sciences, will present a study using RNA-sequencing analysis on a pregnant insect at the annual national meeting of th
  
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• Chandra finds supermassive black hole burping nearby

  05-01-2016 18:03
  
  Evidence for powerful blasts produced by a giant black hole has been discovered using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This is one of the nearest supermassive black holes to Earth that is currently undergoing such violent outbursts.
  
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• Andromeda galaxy scanned with high-energy X-ray vision

  05-01-2016 18:00
  
  NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has captured the best high-energy X-ray view yet of a portion of our nearest large, neighboring galaxy, Andromeda. The space mission has observed 40 "X-ray binaries"—intense sources of X-rays comprised of a black hole or neutron star that feeds off a stellar companion.
  
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• Chandra Reveals Supermassive Black Hole Undergoing Powerful Outbursts

  05-01-2016 17:57 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using Chandra observations, astronomers have discovered one of the nearest supermassive black holes to Earth that is currently undergoing powerful outbursts. Such outbursts are part of the “feedback” process that is important to the evolution of the black hole and its host galaxy. Evidence for powerful blasts produced by a giant black hole has been […]
  The post Chandra Reveals Supermassive Black Hole Undergoing Powerful Outbursts appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Fighting fire with FireFOAM

  05-01-2016 17:55
  
  Roughly 40 percent of all industrial property loss in the United States comes from fire, and fire is the leading cause of commercial property damage. For insurance companies, understanding how fires spread can help save their industrial clients from massive property and business interruption losses, ultimately saving both insurer and insured millions of dollars. Businesses with large warehouses are at particular risk, because as storage warehouses get bigger, providing adequate protection using
  
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• US to consider alternative to Yellowstone dam

  05-01-2016 17:52
  
  U.S. officials will consider an alternative to a dam on the Yellowstone River over worries it could hurt an endangered, dinosaur-like fish—the pallid sturgeon.
  
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• New TV tech promises sharper colors, but not much to watch

  05-01-2016 17:52
  
  For years, TV makers have focused on making pictures sharper by squeezing more pixels onto screens. Now, their attention is shifting to improving the way sets display color, with a newish technology called HDR taking center stage.
  
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• Autonomous car breakthroughs to be featured at gadget show

  05-01-2016 17:50
  
  Powerful computers that can drive better than people, high-definition road maps and low-cost sensors are about to remove some big barriers to self-driving cars.
  
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• Bacteria streaming through a lattice behave like electrons in a magnetic material

  05-01-2016 17:49
  
  There are certain universal patterns in nature that hold true, regardless of objects' size, species, or surroundings. Take, for instance, the branching fractals seen in both tree limbs and blood vessels, or the surprisingly similar spirals in mollusks and cabbage.
  
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