Sci-Tech news

• High court will hear Microsoft appeal over Xbox lawsuit

  15-01-2016 23:35
  
  The Supreme Court will decide whether Microsoft Corp. must face a class action lawsuit by disgruntled owners of the Xbox 360 video-game system who say the console has a design defect that scratches game disks.
  
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• US freezes new coal mine permits in environmental review

  15-01-2016 23:29
  
  The US government announced Friday a freeze on issuing permits for new coal mines on government land, in a review of the environmental impact of federal coal policy.
  
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• Amazon dips toes into maritime shipping (Update)

  15-01-2016 23:19
  
  Amazon said Friday it has taken the first steps to begin maritime shipping operations, adding to its already vast arsenal of logistical operations.
  
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• Amazon dips toes into maritime shipping

  15-01-2016 23:19
  
  Amazon said Friday it has taken the first steps to begin maritime shipping operations, adding to its already vast arsenal of logistical operations.
  
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• Fires did not destroy (as fast as we thought)

  15-01-2016 23:11
  
  Today, people are major agents of landscape change and catalysts for erosion, but what did people do to the environment before the industrial revolution—before mechanized agriculture? The impact that indigenous peoples had on their landscapes, and when, are often difficult to determine. In this article for Geology, Eric W. Portenga and colleagues show that the use of fire by native Australians had little impact on the erosion of the landscapes they inhabited.
  
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• 'Call of Duty' conquered video game market in 2015

  15-01-2016 23:11
  
  The "Call of Duty" video game installment released in November went on to rule the market, becoming the top-selling title last year at retail outlets, according to industry tracker NPD Group.
  
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• Two-for-one bacterial virulence factor revealed

  15-01-2016 23:10
  
  We've all seen the headlines. "Man found to be shedding virulent strain of polio"; "Virulent flu strain in Europe hits the economy"; "Most virulent strain of E. coli ever seen contains DNA sequences from plague bacteria."
  
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• 'Space Warps' and other citizen science projects reap major dividends for astrophysics

  15-01-2016 23:08
  
  Thanks to the Internet, amateur volunteers known as "citizen scientists" can readily donate their time and effort to science—in fields ranging from medicine to zoology to astrophysics. The astrophysics project Space Warps offers a compelling example of why citizen science has become such a popular tool and how valuable it can be.
  
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• Who guided the national discussion on Ferguson?

  15-01-2016 21:58
  
  The fatal shooting of Michael Brown on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, set off a national wave of dialogue and protests, from the streets to social media, as people nationwide grappled with myriad complex issues, including police use of force, race relations in America, and criminal justice reform.
  
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• Predictability of DNA markers for population-level study based on species-level variation

  15-01-2016 21:57
  
  Biologists who use molecular data to study evolutionary dynamics between closely related organisms, such as populations, are constantly searching for regions of the genome with high amounts of variability.
  
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• Genetic 'paint box' shuffled between butterfly species to create new wing patterns

  15-01-2016 21:57
  
  New research on butterfly genomes has revealed that the genetic components that produce different splotches of colour on wings can be mixed up between species by interbreeding to create new patterns, like a "genetic paint-box".
  
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• Researchers track tyrannosaur's trail

  15-01-2016 21:53
  
  Just outside the tiny town of Glenrock, Wyoming the footprints of a 66 million-year-old monster are cemented in stone. This fossil trackway was brought to light with the help of University of Alberta paleontologist Scott Persons, who first viewed the tracks as a 13-year-old while visiting the Glenrock Paleon Museum.
  
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• Tropical Cyclone Victor born in South Pacific Ocean, Cook Islands on alert

  15-01-2016 21:52
  
  NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured an image of newborn Tropical Cyclone Victor in the South Pacific Ocean. On Jan. 15 a gale warning was in effect for Rakahanga, Manihiki, Suwarrow, Nassau and Pukapuka in the Northern Cook Islands.
  
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• Former Hurricane Pali peters out near Equator

  15-01-2016 21:51
  
  Imagery from NOAA's GOES-West satellite has shown that former Hurricane Pali has petered out near the Equator.
  
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• NASA provides in-depth analysis of unusual Tropical Storm Alex

  15-01-2016 21:46
  
  NASA has provided forecasters with a variety of data on the out-of-season tropical cyclone Alex. The AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite provided valuable temperature data, the RapidScat instrument identified the strongest winds, the GPM core satellite provided rainfall rates and cloud heights, and NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible image of the storm.
  
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• Watch: Meet the YouTube Stars Interviewing Obama

  15-01-2016 20:16
  
  Destin Sandlin, Ingrid Nilsen and Adande Throne asked the president questions about his final State of the Union address.
  
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• Watch: Hyatt Reveals Data Breach Impacted About 250 Hotels

  15-01-2016 20:15
  
  A widespread malware attack on Hyatt Hotels last year hit about 250 locations worldwide according to a list published online late Thursday by the hotel chain.
  
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• Money troubles may delay Europe-Russia Mars mission

  15-01-2016 19:03
  
  Part of a joint European-Russian mission to search for signs of life on Mars may be delayed due to cash flow problems, the European Space Agency said Friday.
  
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• Auto industry agrees to cooperate with government on safety

  15-01-2016 19:03
  
  After two tumultuous years of recalls, fines and friction, the government and the auto industry struck a peace treaty of sorts by agreeing to cooperate on safety issues in the future.
  
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• Spacewalk aborted after water leaks into astronaut's helmet (Update 5)

  15-01-2016 19:02
  
  Two astronauts aborted their spacewalk Friday and hurried back into the International Space Station after water leaked into one of the men's helmets in a scary repeat of a near-drowning 2½ years ago.
  
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• Spacewalk aborted after water leaks into astronaut's helmet (Update 3)

  15-01-2016 19:02
  
  Two spacewalking astronauts—including Britain's first—successfully restored full power to the International Space Station on Friday. But the spacewalk was cut short after water leaked into one of the men's helmets in a scary repeat of a near-drowning 2½ years ago.
  
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• Ghost town tests self-driving cars of tomorrow

  15-01-2016 18:40
  
  Tucked away on a tree-lined US college campus, a sprawling ghost town has been built to test the self-driving cars of the future.
  
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• Bird flu found at Indiana turkey farm not same as 2015 virus (Update)

  15-01-2016 18:26
  
  A bird flu virus that's a different strain than the one that ravaged turkey and chicken farms in the Midwest last summer has been found at a southern Indiana turkey farm, federal officials said Friday, cautioning that a quick response could stem any larger outbreak.
  
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• Bird flu at Indiana turkey farm not same as 2015 strain

  15-01-2016 18:26
  
  Federal officials say a bird flu virus that is different from the one that ravaged turkey and chicken farms last summer has been found in Indiana.
  
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• NIST simulates fast, accurate DNA sequencing through graphene nanopore

  15-01-2016 18:24
  
  Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have simulated a new concept for rapid, accurate gene sequencing by pulling a DNA molecule through a tiny, chemically activated hole in graphene—an ultrathin sheet of carbon atoms—and detecting changes in electrical current.
  
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• Astronomers Detect Signs of an Invisible Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way

  15-01-2016 18:24 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using the Nobeyama Radio Telescope, a team of astronomers has detected signs of an invisible black hole with a mass of 100 thousand times the mass of the Sun around the center of the Milky Way. The team assumes that this possible “intermediate mass” black hole is a key to understanding the birth of the […]
  The post Astronomers Detect Signs of an Invisible Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• New Horizons Spacecraft Reveals Possible Ice Volcano on Pluto

  15-01-2016 17:48 via scitechdaily.com
  
  A new image from the New Horizons Spacecraft reveals more of Pluto’s surface features. Scientists with NASA’s New Horizons mission have assembled this highest-resolution color view of one of two potential cryovolcanoes spotted on the surface of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. This feature, known as Wright Mons, was informally named […]
  The post New Horizons Spacecraft Reveals Possible Ice Volcano on Pluto appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• WISE Reveals Most Luminous Galaxy W2246-0526 Is Ripping Itself Apart

  15-01-2016 17:32 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New research reveals that the distant galaxy W2246-0526 is expelling tremendously turbulent gas (a phenomenon never seen before in an object of this kind) and is tearing itself apart. In a far-off galaxy, 12.4 billion light-years from Earth, a ravenous black hole is devouring galactic grub. Its feeding frenzy produces so much energy, it stirs […]
  The post WISE Reveals Most Luminous Galaxy W2246-0526 Is Ripping Itself Apart appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• The development of a smart desk for teamwork projects

  15-01-2016 16:04
  
  New technologies are changing the way people work; in recent years, many companies have tended towards using large open plan spaces, without individual offices, which help to facilitate teamwork. With this in mind, Pynk Systems is launching a new work concept called the "Ergon Desk". This smart desk has an ergonomic design incorporating movable elements, which can be adapted to both laptops and tablets; it is controlled by an application.
  
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• European space boss has Moon Village plan

  15-01-2016 16:03
  
  The European Space Agency's new boss elaborated Friday on his vision for a multinational research village on the Moon—a leading contender for a project to succeed the International Space Station.
  
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• Holiday sales rose 3 percent below 3.7 percent gain

  15-01-2016 15:50
  
  Holiday shoppers flocked online during the critical holiday shopping season, but overall sales in November and December were disappointing.
  
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• First estimate of Pygmy population in Central Africa reveals their plight

  15-01-2016 15:50
  
  The forests of Central Africa could be home to up to 920,000 Pygmies, according to researchers from UCL, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Malaga, who have conducted the first measured estimate of the population and distribution of these indigenous groups.
  
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• Trust is a 'double-edged sword', new study says

  15-01-2016 15:40
  
  The trust of a boss can be as burdensome as it is beneficial for employees, a new Aston University study has found.
  
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• ReCRED project takes device-centric access control into the future

  15-01-2016 15:40
  
  With e-commerce now exceeding 1 trillion USD per annum, the sharing economy on the rise, and the emergence of the Internet of Things, the need for reliable and user-friendly authentication and authorization mechanisms is more pressing than ever. Researchers from IMDEA Networks are collaborating in the newly launched ReCRED (ReCRED: Real-world Identities to Privacy-preserving and Attribute-based CREDentials)– a research project that aims to improve end-user internet security using the mobil
  
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• Public contributions to science increasingly common

  15-01-2016 15:37
  
  So-called citizen science has become a significant force in several scholarly disciplines. The phenomenon can be found in both the natural and the social sciences, according to the largest systematic analysis to date on the topic, the results of which are published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
  
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• Researchers investigate how light behaves in curved space

  15-01-2016 15:33
  
  To investigate the influence of gravity on the propagation of light, researchers usually have to examine astronomical length scales and huge masses. However, physicists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Friedrich Schiller University Jena have shown that there is another way. In a recent issue of the journal Nature Photonics they find the answers to astronomical questions in the laboratory, shifting the focus to a previously underappreciated material propert
  
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• bioRxiv preprints can now be submitted directly to leading research journals

  15-01-2016 15:32
  
  Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) today announced that authors of manuscripts posted on its preprint server bioRxiv can now submit their papers directly to several leading research journals, avoiding the need for reloading files and re-entering information at the journal's website.
  
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• Weather-worn lizards might adapt to new climates

  15-01-2016 15:30
  
  James Cook University scientists have found lizards exposed to rain, hail and shine may cope better with extreme weather events predicted as a result of climate change than their fair-weather cousins.
  
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• Bosses' right to snoop on staff emails is an invasion of privacy and ignores the way we work

  15-01-2016 15:30
  
  Since Edward Snowden revealed the existence of internet surveillance programmes such as XKeyScore, Prism and Tempora, there have been many discussions of digital snooping and its implications for privacy, freedom and civil rights.
  
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• Follow a live planet hunt—Pale Red Dot campaign launched

  15-01-2016 15:25
  
  A unique outreach campaign has been launched that will allow the general public to follow scientists from around the globe as they search for an Earth-like exoplanet around the closest star to us, Proxima Centauri. The observing campaign will run from January to April 2016 and will be accompanied by blog posts and social media updates. No one knows what the outcome will be. In the months following the observations, the scientists will analyse the data and submit the results to a peer-reviewed jo
  
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• Signs of second largest black hole in the Milky Way: Possible missing link in black hole evolution

  15-01-2016 15:21
  
  Astronomers using the Nobeyama 45-m Radio Telescope have detected signs of an invisible black hole with a mass of 100 thousand times the mass of the Sun around the center of the Milky Way. The team assumes that this possible "intermediate mass" black hole is a key to understanding the birth of the supermassive black holes located in the centers of galaxies.
  
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• Teaching animals increasingly being replaced by dummies

  15-01-2016 15:20
  
  Simulator-based training of students at Vetmeduni Vienna has been part of the curriculum since 2012. The Skills Lab is a simulated veterinary practice in which students have the chance to train a variety of veterinary interventions in a near-realistic setup on animal dummies.
  
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• How do you build a mirror for one of the world's biggest telescopes?

  15-01-2016 15:20
  
  When astronomers point their telescopes up at the sky to see distant supernovae or quasars, they're collecting light that's traveled millions or even billions of light-years through space. Even huge and powerful energy sources in the cosmos are unimaginably tiny and faint when we view them from such a distance. In order to learn about galaxies as they were forming soon after the Big Bang, and about nearby but much smaller and fainter objects, astronomers need more powerful telescopes.
  
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• Study reveals the way CRISPR/Cas9 cleaves enzymes and positions them for cutting

  15-01-2016 15:17
  
  (Phys.org)—A team of researchers with the University of California has learned more about the process that is involved during CRISPR/Cas9 gene splicing by using a crystallization technique to get a closer look. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes their study of the way three-stranded structures known as R-loops are formed during the technique and how they used a familiar technique to capture 3D images of the process and what they learned as a result.
  
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• New type of animated crystal structure discovered

  15-01-2016 15:15
  
  (Phys.org)—A trio of researchers has discovered what they are calling a new type of crystal, one that is always moving. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, Latham Boyle, Jun Yong Khoo, and Kendrick Smith describe how the idea for the crystal came about, how it was defined mathematically and whether they believe it could ever possibly exist in the real world.
  
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• Energy saving options for the cultivation of chrysanthemum

  15-01-2016 15:10
  
  What energy-saving options are most suitable to be applied at a the cultivation of chrysanthemum? Together with DLV Plant, Wageningen UR greenhouse horticulture has carried out two surveys commissioned by the program 'Kas als Energiebron': one inventory for saving on electricity and one inventory for saving on heat.
  
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• Biologists gain new insights about how Hox gene controls feeding behaviour

  15-01-2016 15:10
  
  In experiments on the fruit fly model organism Drosophila melanogaster, Heidelberg University biologists gained new insight into how feeding behaviour is encoded and controlled. The research team led by Prof. Dr. Ingrid Lohmann of the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) studied the function of a special developmental gene of the Hox gene family. This gene is essential for maintaining a motor unit in the fly's head that consists of a muscle and the stimulating neurons that enable the fly to feed.
  
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• Mountain climbing more dangerous due to climate change

  15-01-2016 15:00
  
  Climate change increases the danger of falling rocks in the Alps and other mountain regions, adding to existing risks for mountain climbers. This is the conclusion of a study by Arnaud Temme of Wageningen University using climbing guides written by mountaineers in the past.
  
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• Even greener solar power on the way

  15-01-2016 15:00
  
  Europe wants to reduce its needs for raw materials and raise the level of recycling of resources in the solar power industry. If this project is successful, greenhouse gas emissions from solar panel manufacture will fall by 25 to 30 per cent.
  
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• Building antimicrobial viruses from breast milk

  15-01-2016 15:00
  
  Scientists from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and UCL have converted a breast milk protein into an artificial virus that kills bacteria on contact.
  
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