Sci-Tech news

• Good Washington Snowpack Raises Hopes of Calmer Fire Season

  08-02-2016 23:51
  A federal agency says mountain snowpack came in above normal in Washington state, raising hopes the normally soggy state will not repeat last year's drought conditions that helped fuel the worst wildfire season in its history
  
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• Innate teaching skills 'part of human nature', study says

  08-02-2016 23:23
  
  Some 40 years ago, Washington State University anthropologist Barry Hewlett noticed that when the Aka pygmies stopped to rest between hunts, parents would give their infants small axes, digging sticks and knives.
  
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• 'Hidden fish' genus described for two new weakly electric mormyrid species from Gabon

  08-02-2016 23:21
  
  A new weakly electric mormyrid fish genus of two new species has been described from only three specimens collected over a period of 13 years in the rivers of the Central African country of Gabon. The genus has been named Cryptomyrus, meaning 'hidden fish' in Greek, and is the first new genus to be described within the family Mormyridae since 1977.
  
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• An Icky New Hero: Roach-Like Robots May Help in Disasters

  08-02-2016 23:07
  Scientists have built a robot inspired by the repulsive cockroach
  
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• Mountain snowpack above normal across Washington state

  08-02-2016 23:00
  
  Mountain snowpack came in above normal in Washington state, raising hopes the normally soggy state will not repeat last year's drought conditions that helped fuel the worst wildfire season in its history, a federal agency said Monday.
  
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• UN agency proposes greenhouse gas emissions rules for planes

  08-02-2016 22:56
  
  A U.N. panel on Monday proposed long-sought greenhouse gas emissions standards for airliners and cargo planes beginning in 2020 for new aircraft designs and three years later for designs already in production.
  
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• Intensifying Atlantic storm examined by NASA's GPM

  08-02-2016 22:56
  
  As a low pressure area continued to intensify in the Atlantic Ocean off the United States' East Coast, NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM core satellite gathered information about the precipitation the storm was packing.
  
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• Studying the solar system with NASA's Webb Telescope

  08-02-2016 22:55
  
  NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will look across vast distances to find the earliest stars and galaxies and study the atmospheres of mysterious worlds orbiting other stars. But the observatory also will investigate objects in Earth's own neighborhood - planets, moons, comets and asteroids in our solar system.
  
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• Making sense of metallic glass

  08-02-2016 22:55
  
  If you freeze any liquid fast enough, even liquid metal, it becomes a glass. Vitrified metals, or metallic glasses, are at the frontier of materials science research. They have been made by rapidly cooling alloys of various metals including, zirconium, palladium, iron, titanium, copper, and magnesium, and used for a variety of applications from making golf clubs to aerospace construction. But much about them remains poorly understood.
  
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• Tiny diatoms boast enormous strength

  08-02-2016 22:52
  
  Diatoms are single-celled algae organisms, around 30 to 100 millionths of a meter in diameter, that are ubiquitous throughout the oceans. These creatures are encased within a hard shell shaped like a wide, flattened cylinder—like a tambourine—that is made of silica. Researchers in the lab of Julia Greer, professor of materials science and mechanics in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science, have recently found that these shells have the highest specific strength—
  
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• Cleanup plan approved for asbestos-contaminated Montana town

  08-02-2016 22:50
  
  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted final approval on Monday to a costly cleanup program for a Montana community where health officials say hundreds of people have been killed by asbestos poisoning.
  
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• After 15 years, cleanup plan approved for contaminated town

  08-02-2016 22:50
  
  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted final approval Monday to a costly cleanup program for a Montana community where health officials say hundreds of people have been killed by asbestos poisoning.
  
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• US: More registered drone operators than licensed pilots

  08-02-2016 22:40
  
  The Federal Aviation Administration says there are now more registered drone operators in the U.S. than there are licensed pilots.
  
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• Indiana to lift most bird flu-related restrictions soon

  08-02-2016 22:40
  
  Animal health officials monitoring the bird flu outbreak in southwestern Indiana say they will lift most restrictions in two weeks if ongoing testing finds no additional infections.
  
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• Announcement Thursday on Einstein's gravitational waves

  08-02-2016 22:38
  
  Scientists are set to make a major announcement Thursday on efforts to pinpoint the existence of gravitational waves, or ripples of space and time that transport energy across the universe.
  
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• Video: Zika, mosquitoes and how to not get bitten

  08-02-2016 22:35
  
  Diseases from mosquito bites kill hundreds of thousands of people every year worldwide. Now another mosquito-borne illness is making headlines: the once-rare Zika virus.
  
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• Researchers identify most dangerous strains of often-deadly bacteria

  08-02-2016 22:29
  
  A multi-disciplinary group of researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) have for the first time determined the genetic makeup of various strains of E. coli, which every year kills hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
  
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• Nanoparticle therapy that uses LDL and fish oil kills liver cancer cells

  08-02-2016 22:26
  
  An experimental nanoparticle therapy that combines low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and fish oil preferentially kills primary liver cancer cells without harming healthy cells, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.
  
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• Fossil discovery: Extraordinary 'big-mouthed' fish from Cretaceous Period

  08-02-2016 22:26
  
  An international team of scientists have discovered two new plankton-eating fossil fish species of the genus called Rhinconichthys (Rink-O-nik-thees) from the oceans of the Cretaceous Period, about 92 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the planet.
  
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• Cotton candy machines may hold key for making artificial organs

  08-02-2016 22:18
  
  Cotton candy machines may hold the key for making life-sized artificial livers, kidneys, bones and other essential organs.
  
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• Lab offers new strategies, tools for genome editing

  08-02-2016 22:15
  
  Rice University bioengineers have found new techniques for precision genome editing that are more accurate and have fewer off-target errors.
  
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• Scientists create synthetic biopathway to turn agriculture waste into 'green' products

  08-02-2016 22:14
  
  Researchers at the University of Minnesota have engineered a new synthetic biopathway that can more efficiently and cost-effectively turn agricultural waste, like corn stover and orange peels, into a variety of useful products ranging from spandex to chicken feed.
  
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• Yelp shares roller-coaster on early earnings release

  08-02-2016 22:12
  
  Yelp shares took a roller coaster ride on Monday after quarterly earnings that beat expectations were accidentally released before the close of market.
  
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• A new role for vitamin B6 in plants

  08-02-2016 22:10
  
  Vitamin B6, which exists in different natural forms called vitamers, is essential for all living organisms, as it participates in numerous aspects of cells' everyday life. Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have discovered an unexpected role for this micronutrient, in relation to nitrogen metabolism. Described in the journal The Plant Cell, the results indicate that one of the vitamers informs the plant of its content in ammonium, a basic nitrogen compound needed for
  
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• 5 sports tech ideas for coaches and athletes

  08-02-2016 21:13 via rss.cnn.com
  
  As athletes strive to set new records and engineers invent new technology, their worlds are intersecting more and more.
  
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• What's nature worth? Study helps put a price on groundwater and other natural capital

  08-02-2016 21:00
  
  Most people understand that investing in the future is important, and that goes for conserving nature and natural resources, too. But in the case of investing in such "natural" assets as groundwater, forests, and fish populations, it can be challenging to measure the return on that investment.
  
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• Physics: It's happening inside your body right now

  08-02-2016 21:00
  
  Simple physics may play a larger role than previously thought in helping control key bodily processes such as how the body fights infection.
  
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• Cockroach inspires robot that squeezes through cracks (w/ Video)

  08-02-2016 21:00
  
  Our fear and disgust that cockroaches can quickly squeeze through the tiniest cracks are well justified, say University of California, Berkeley scientists.
  
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• Twittersphere Roasts Tim Cook Over Blurry Super Bowl Pic

  08-02-2016 20:14 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  If you're going to share a picture taken by your flagship product with two million followers, you better make sure it's a good one.
  
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• Is Facebook Draining Your Phone's Battery Life?

  08-02-2016 19:28 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Facebook has long been considered one of the ultimate time sucks, but now it seems it could actually be sucking the life out of your phone's battery t
  
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• These Magnetic 'MoonWalker' Shoes Help You Defy Gravity

  08-02-2016 19:16 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  A New York-based startup plans to turn this lunar fantasy into a reality, and it could be as simple as putting on a pair of magnetic loafers.
  
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• TV producers may start making you wait for new shows online

  08-02-2016 18:53
  
  The Golden Age of Online Television may be in peril.
  
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• Swedish telecom chief to steer web body ICANN to independence

  08-02-2016 18:26
  
  Sweden's Goran Marby was Monday named head of the body that manages Internet addresses, pledging to uphold checks and balances as it steps out from under US government oversight.
  
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• Earthquakes on thrust faults can spread 10 times farther to a second nearby thrust fault than previously thought

  08-02-2016 18:25
  
  A team of researchers, including one from the University of California, Riverside, has discovered that earthquake ruptures can jump much further than previously thought, a finding that could have severe implications on the Los Angeles area and other regions in the world.
  
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• Nanoscale cavity strongly links quantum particles

  08-02-2016 18:23
  
  Scientists have created a crystal structure that boosts the interaction between tiny bursts of light and individual electrons, an advance that could be a significant step toward establishing quantum networks in the future.
  
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• Scientists create laser-activated superconductor

  08-02-2016 18:21
  
  Shining lasers at superconductors can make them work at higher temperatures, suggests new findings from an international team of scientists including the University of Bath.
  
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• Anarchistic proteins could hide secret to develop crops with high stress resistance

  08-02-2016 18:19
  
  Some proteins behave rather anarchistic. Unraveling their unusual behavior might hold the secret to develop crops with a higher tolerance to stress. A group of researchers at the University of Copenhagen will unveil the mysteries of these disordered proteins thanks to a 7 million kr grant from the Villum Foundation Young Investigator Program.
  
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• Claims for solar cell efficiency put to test at NREL

  08-02-2016 18:18
  
  The sheet of paper taped to the door of Keith Emery's office tells the story. On the paper is a simple fever chart showing the improvements made in increasing the efficiency of two dozen types of solar cells. Some of the lines marking record efficiencies date to the mid-1970s. Others start much more recently, with the advent of newer technologies.
  
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• Red or white? Healthy humans need both

  08-02-2016 18:15
  
  When it comes to wine, we can choose red or white depending on our tastes. With blood cells, however, we need both red and white in order to stay healthy and function well.
  
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• Team explains the higher cellulolytic activity of a vital microorganism

  08-02-2016 18:13
  
  Researchers at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) say better understanding of a bacterium could lead to cheaper production of cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels.
  
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• NREL patents method for continuous monitoring of materials during manufacturing

  08-02-2016 18:13
  
  The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was recently issued a patent for a novel method that rapidly characterizes specialized materials during the manufacturing process. This approach significantly improves on standard quality control techniques by allowing for complete monitoring of materials without interrupting workflow.
  
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• No more hippy trail routes as backpackers become tourists

  08-02-2016 18:09
  
  Low cost airlines, natural disasters, regional competition, tightening visa rules and terrorism have all changed backpacking in South East Asia.
  
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• Climate change helps bats to spread their wings

  08-02-2016 18:08
  
  Climate change is most likely behind the extraordinary spread of a type of vesper bat across Europe over the last four decades. Kuhl's pipistrelle has extended its range by nearly 400 percent, says Leonardo Ancillotto, lead author of a study supervised by Danilo Russo of the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, in Springer's journal The Science of Nature. It is the first to record a range expansion for bats on such a continental scale.
  
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• Oregano may reduce methane in cow burps

  08-02-2016 18:00
  
  It may sound pretty harmless, but methane emissions from cows are a large problem for the climate. When ruminants digest their feed, methane is formed as a natural by-product of the microbial process in the rumen, and since methane is a 25 times more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, there is a need to devise methods to reduce such emissions from cattle.
  
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• Experts urge extreme caution on 'rewilding' to save wild places

  08-02-2016 18:00
  
  European bison imported from Poland now roam Denmark's Baltic island of Bornholm in places where the animals haven't lived for thousands of years. Meanwhile, in a far corner of Siberia, scientists are attempting to reconstruct an ecosystem that was lost many thousands of years ago along with the woolly mammoth by introducing bison, musk oxen, moose, horses, and reindeer to a place they call Pleistocene Park.
  
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• A step closer to understanding fertilization

  08-02-2016 18:00
  
  Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have taken a step closer to understanding the mechanism that leads to the fusion of egg and sperm at fertilisation. Using the technique X-ray crystallography, they have determined the 3D structure of Juno, a mammalian egg protein essential for triggering gamete fusion. Their findings are not only interesting from an evolutionary perspective, but also reveal the shape of a possible target for future non-hormonal contraceptives.
  
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• Researchers find new cause of strong earthquakes

  08-02-2016 17:59
  
  A geologic event known as diking can cause strong earthquakes—with a magnitude between 6 and 7, according to an international research team.
  
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• Earth-like planets have Earth-like interiors

  08-02-2016 17:13
  
  Every school kid learns the basic structure of the Earth: a thin outer crust, a thick mantle, and a Mars-sized core. But is this structure universal? Will rocky exoplanets orbiting other stars have the same three layers? New research suggests that the answer is yes - they will have interiors very similar to Earth.
  
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• Scientists Characterize Nerve Cells That Detect Motion by Light Changes

  08-02-2016 17:06 via scitechdaily.com
  
  In a newly published study, neurobiologists from the Max Planck Institute reveal that (in fruit flies) four classes of nerve cell are involved in calculating directionally selective signals. The ability to see the direction in which something is moving is vital for survival. Only in this way is it possible to avoid predators, capture prey […]
  The post Scientists Characterize Nerve Cells That Detect Motion by Light Changes appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Tweeters Decry Reported Plan to Prioritize Tweets

  08-02-2016 17:01 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  BuzzFeed, which did not disclose the source of its information, said Twitter will order tweets to prioritize those it believes more users want to see.
  
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