Sci-Tech news

• Beauty brands hope virtual makeovers encourage shoppers to try new looks

  02-03-2016 23:20
  
  Mulling what one might look like with electric blue eye shadow is one thing. Buying, applying and venturing out in public in an unconventional hue is quite another.
  
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• Target ramps up spending on supply chain

  02-03-2016 22:48
  
  Target Corp. is stepping up spending on capital expenditures this year, primarily in its supply network and technology, as the retailer aims to be more nimble in an era of online shopping.
  
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• Racially diverse US neighborhoods undergoing re-segregation

  02-03-2016 22:47
  
  Racially segregated neighborhoods in the United States persist for many social and economic reasons. Yet new research shows that many racially diverse neighborhoods—seemingly a sign of progress in racial equality - are, in fact, segregating over time. These findings suggest greater racial segregation in U.S. neighborhoods within the next two decades.
  
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• Googling for 'Move to Canada' Spiked on Super Tuesday

  02-03-2016 22:42 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Hot on the heels of Super Tuesday wins by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Google searches for 'how to move to Canada' started to take off.
  
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• Trudeau seeks climate consensus among Canada's 10 provinces

  02-03-2016 22:30
  
  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday urged the leaders of Canada's 10 provinces to come together to tackle climate change, as a self-imposed deadline looms to start cutting CO2 emissions.
  
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• Researchers examine the dark side of 'green' products

  02-03-2016 22:14
  
  If you buy a hybrid SUV rather than a conventional SUV of equal size, you naturally think you have chosen the "green" option. But that hybrid vehicle is not greener than a conventional compact car that gets poorer mileage than the hybrid.
  
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• Scientists harvest hybrid poplar stand in next step toward a biobased economy

  02-03-2016 22:12
  
  A small stand of poplar trees harvested from a University of Tennessee AgResearch Center is set to help scientists progress further down the path toward low-cost, high-quality biomass and a bioeconomy.
  
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• Google tests digital wallets that can stay in pockets

  02-03-2016 21:42
  
  Google on Wednesday said it is testing ways to let people use digital wallets without having to even take smartphones out of their pockets.
  
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• Astronomers, billboard companies clash over signs that shine

  02-03-2016 21:30
  
  Arizona has long been a haven for astronomers who take advantage of its mountain peaks and vast stretches of dark, desert sky to gaze at stars and planets. The state is also home to a thriving billboard industry whose signs light up a vast network of freeways.
  
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• Monster volcano gave Mars extreme makeover: study

  02-03-2016 21:12
  
  A volcano on Mars half the size of France spewed so much lava 3.5 billion years ago that the weight displaced the Red Planet's outer layers, according to a study released Wednesday.
  
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• Breeding birds use alligators to protect nests from raccoons, opossums

  02-03-2016 21:10
  
  Breeding birds that nest above alligators for protection from mammalian predators may also provide a source of food for the alligators living in the Everglades, Florida, according to a study published March 2, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Lucas Nell from the University of Florida and colleagues.
  
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• A small dragonfly is found to be the world's longest-distance flyer

  02-03-2016 21:08
  
  A dragonfly barely an inch and a half long appears to be animal world's most prolific long distance traveler - flying thousands of miles over oceans as it migrates from continent to continent - according to newly published research.
  
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• Yahoo launches eSports arena to win video game fans

  02-03-2016 20:16
  
  Yahoo launched an online arena for eSports Wednesday in a challenge to venues hosted by YouTube and Amazon-owned Twitch.
  
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• Extreme tornado outbreaks have become more common, says study

  02-03-2016 20:15
  
  Most death and destruction inflicted by tornadoes in North America occurs during outbreaks—large-scale weather events that can last one to three days and span huge regions. The largest ever recorded happened in 2011. It spawned 363 tornadoes across the United States and Canada, killing more than 350 people and causing $11 billion in damage.
  
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• It just gets better: NIST net-zero house quadruples energy surplus in second year

  02-03-2016 20:07
  
  Tweaking ventilation and temperature control systems along with a mild winter helped the experimental net-zero-energy house at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) quadruple the amount of surplus energy it sent to the power grid during its second year-long demonstration.
  
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• Seven miles deep, ocean still a noisy place

  02-03-2016 19:40
  
  For what may be the first time, NOAA and partner scientists eavesdropped on the deepest part of the world's ocean and instead of finding a sea of silence, discovered a cacophony of sounds both natural and caused by humans.
  
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• MIT Research Shows How Diet Influences Colon Cancer

  02-03-2016 19:39 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New research from MIT reveals ties high-fat diet to changes in intestinal stem cells, helping to explain an increased cancer risk. Over the past decade, studies have found that obesity and eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet are significant risk factors for many types of cancer. Now, a new study from MIT reveals how a high-fat […]
  The post MIT Research Shows How Diet Influences Colon Cancer appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• New method reveals high similarity between gorilla and human Y chromosome

  02-03-2016 19:32
  
  A new, less expensive, and faster method now has been developed and used to determine the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosome in the gorilla. The technique will allow better access to genetic information of the Y chromosome of any species and thus can be used to study male infertility disorders and male-specific mutations. It also can aid in conservation genetics efforts by helping to trace paternity and to track how males move within and between populations in endangered species, lik
  
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• New study pinpoints stress factor of mega-earthquake off Japan

  02-03-2016 19:25
  
  Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego researchers published new findings on the role geological rock formations offshore of Japan played in producing the massive 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake, one of only two magnitude 9 mega-earthquakes to occur in the last 50 years.
  
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• Targeted online ads can actually change how you view yourself

  02-03-2016 19:20
  
  Online advertisements targeted specifically at you because of your behavior can actually change how you feel about yourself, a new study suggests.
  
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• How Extraterrestrial Astronomers May Have a Chance of Discovering Earth

  02-03-2016 19:11 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New research suggests that future searches for habitable planets and for the signals from extraterrestrial observers focus on that part of the sky in which potential distant observers of the planetary system can notice the yearly transit of the Earth in front of the Sun. Are we alone in the universe? To answer this question, […]
  The post How Extraterrestrial Astronomers May Have a Chance of Discovering Earth appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Invigorating Japanese energy and environmental policy five years after Fukushima

  02-03-2016 19:10
  
  Japanese researchers call for increased interdisciplinarity and internationalization in Japanese energy and environment research to provide effective scientific advice and invigorate Japanese energy and environmental policy five years after Fukushima.
  
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• Pharmaceutical, personal care products show scant presence in crop irrigated with wastewater

  02-03-2016 19:06
  
  What would you do without water? Farmers in drought areas are especially concerned by this question. As fresh water resources become scarce, one option for water-conscious farmers is to water crops with treated wastewater. This effluent is becoming a more popular option for applications that don't require drinking-quality water. However, there are still questions about how the effluent interacts with and affects the rest of the ecosystem.
  
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• Study shows whales dine with their own kind

  02-03-2016 19:00
  
  For a few weeks in early fall, Georges Bank—a vast North Atlantic fishery off the coast of Cape Cod—teems with billions of herring that take over the region to spawn. The seasonal arrival of the herring also attracts predators to the shallow banks, including many species of whales.
  
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• Mysterious cosmic radio bursts found to repeat

  02-03-2016 19:00
  
  Astronomers for the first time have detected repeating short bursts of radio waves from an enigmatic source that is likely located well beyond the edge of our Milky Way galaxy. The findings indicate that these "fast radio bursts" come from an extremely powerful object which occasionally produces multiple bursts in under a minute.
  
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• Pentagon invites hackers to attack its websites

  02-03-2016 18:56
  
  Ever wanted to hack Uncle Sam? Provided you are American and can pass a background check, you can go right ahead, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
  
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• Nearly half of American children living near poverty line

  02-03-2016 18:54
  
  Nearly half of children in the United States live dangerously close to the poverty line, according to new research from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Basic Facts about Low-Income Children, the center's annual series of profiles on child poverty in America, illustrates the severity of economic instability and poverty conditions faced by more than 31 million children throughout the United States. Using the latest data f
  
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• $1M Turing Award Goes to Pioneers of Internet Encryption

  02-03-2016 18:25 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Turing Award goes to a pair of cryptographers whose ideas helped make the Internet possible.
  
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• Recoupling crops and livestock offers energy savings to Northeast dairy farmers

  02-03-2016 18:00
  
  For Pennsylvania dairy farmers, producing feed grain on-farm requires significantly less energy than importing it from the Midwest, according to Penn State researchers whose findings may help dairy farmers save energy and money in the face of rising feed costs.
  
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• Molecular architectures see the light

  02-03-2016 18:00
  
  Organic photovoltaics bear great potential for large-scale, cost-effective solar power generation. One challenge to be surmounted is the poor ordering of the thin layers on top of the electrodes. Utilizing self-assembly on atomically flat, transparent substrates, a team of scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has engineered ordered monolayers of molecular networks with photovoltaic responses. The findings open up intriguing possibilities for the bottom-up fabrication of optoele
  
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• ACLU: Apple Ruling for the Feds Would Be 'Catastrophic'

  02-03-2016 18:00 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  The American Civil Liberties Union is filing a "friend of the court" brief in California on Wednesday supporting Apple in its stand against the FBI.
  
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• Production practices evaluated for organic trailing blackberry

  02-03-2016 17:50
  
  Organic blackberry production is becoming an important niche market in Oregon, where nearly 50% of conventional and organic blackberries in the U.S. are grown. In the area, trailing blackberry types used for the processed market are most common. A study published in HortScience can inform blackberry growers on production practices and recommends management strategies to increase production and profits.
  
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• Sugar-power—scientists harness the reducing potential of renewable sugars

  02-03-2016 17:40
  
  Inspired by nature, University of Huddersfield scientist Dr Jason Camp is pioneering the use of simple sugars to power chemical reactions. It means that industries such as pharmaceuticals and agro-chemicals will have a renewable, inexpensive and non-toxic method of catalysis. The project has received financial backing from several leading firms.
  
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• Blueberry types identified for resistance, susceptibility to pathogen

  02-03-2016 17:40
  
  Phytophthora cinnamomi is a soilborne pathogen associated with root rot in many woody perennial plants. An extensive study from researchers in Oregon has identified a number of highbush blueberry cultivars that show resistance to the disease, as well as those varieties that are susceptible.
  
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• Zynga shares spike after company names new CEO

  02-03-2016 17:35
  
  Zynga shares shot higher in early trade Wednesday after the struggling social gaming company named industry veteran Frank Gibeau as its chief executive in its latest effort to reboot.
  
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• Indonesia lifts tsunami warning issued after powerful quake

  02-03-2016 17:35
  
  Indonesia lifted a tsunami warning issued Wednesday after a powerful earthquake off Sumatra sent islanders rushing to high ground.
  
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• Mystery on the marsh: A newly discovered Anglo-Saxon island

  02-03-2016 17:30
  
  The remains of an Anglo-Saxon island have been uncovered in one of the most important archaeological finds in decades.
  
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• Metamaterial separation proposed for chemical, biomolecular uses

  02-03-2016 17:20
  
  The unique properties of metamaterials have been used to cloak objects from light, and to hide them from vibration, pressure waves and heat. Now, a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher wants to add another use for metamaterials: creating a new directional separation technique that cloaks one compound while concentrating the other.
  
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• How parents, romantic partners influence student spending

  02-03-2016 17:20
  
  When college students introduce a new boyfriend or girlfriend to their parents for the first time, Mom and Dad may have lots of questions for the love interest: Where did you grow up? What's your major? What are your plans after graduation?
  
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• What gives parmesan cheese its unique taste?

  02-03-2016 17:10
  
  When it comes to pasta and pizza dishes, nothing beats a sprinkle of grated parmesan on top. But the flavor quality of the popular cheese can be inconsistent. Now scientists are using "molecular food engineering" to help ensure its good taste. In a report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they identify key components that contribute to the cheese's signature flavor.
  
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• Toward diagnosing diseases such as cancer in their earliest stages

  02-03-2016 17:10
  
  Detecting diseases such as cancer in their earliest stages can make a huge difference in patient treatment, but it is often difficult to do. Now scientists report in the journal ACS Central Science a new, simple method that could make early disease diagnosis much easier. In addition, their approach only requires a minute sample of patient blood and is 1,000 times more sensitive in detecting biomarkers for thyroid cancer than the current government-approved test.
  
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• Hair forensics could yield false positives for cocaine use

  02-03-2016 17:10
  
  Hair analysis has become standard practice for determining whether someone has abused illicit drugs. But some experts have questioned whether current methods to wash away external contaminants from samples might affect test results. Now one team confirms that for cocaine detection, a pretreatment step can cause the drug on the outside of a hair shaft to wash into it and potentially lead to falsely identifying someone as a drug user. Their study appears in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry.
  
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• What happens to pharmaceuticals in the digestive system of a bird?

  02-03-2016 17:03
  
  Scientists at the University of York have conducted new research into measuring how commonly-prescribed pharmaceuticals behave in the guts of starlings.
  
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• Researchers stack the odds for novel optoelectronic 2-D materials

  02-03-2016 17:03
  
  Stacking layers of nanometer-thin semiconducting materials at different angles is a new approach to designing the next generation of energy-efficient transistors and solar cells. The atoms in each layer are arranged in hexagonal arrays. When two layers are stacked and rotated, atoms from one layer overlap with those in the other layer and can form an infinite number of overlapping patterns, like the Moiré patterns that result when two screens are overlaid and one is rotated on top of the
  
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• Overfishing increases fluctuations in aquatic ecosystems

  02-03-2016 17:00
  
  Intense fishing of primarily larger fish not only makes fish populations smaller, it changes the remaining fish. When the fish which have a chance to reproduce before being caught are smaller and have reached sexual maturity earlier, these characteristics are passed down to future generations. In many fish populations targeted by intense fishing, e.g., Atlantic cod across the west coast of North America, the sizes of fish have been observed to have decreased and the age of sexual maturity to hav
  
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• Ruby red improves in the microwave oven

  02-03-2016 16:59
  
  Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT) have tested a new way to improve the colour, clarity and lustre of rubies: microwaves. The study, conducted by Subhashree Swain, is published in Springer's journal Applied Physics A.
  
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• STARS4ALL, a platform to stimulate the European conscience about defending dark skies

  02-03-2016 16:49
  
  STARS4ALL, a European Union project which started at the end of 2015 —The International Year of Light— will bring together for the first time groups related to information technology, social science, economics, astronomy and ecology, to create self-sustaining initiatives related to light pollution
  
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• Some Hackers Charge as Little as $2.50 an Hour

  02-03-2016 16:46 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Hackers are selling their services to take down websites on the internet for significantly less than the minimum wage.
  
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• NGOs sue Monsanto, EU food safety watchdog over pesticide

  02-03-2016 16:30
  
  A group of European NGOs on Wednesday sued agri-giant Monsanto and the EU's food safety watchdog for allegedly distorting scientific data on the carcinogenic effects of controversial weedkiller glyphosate, ahead of a key EU vote to renew its approval for another 10 years.
  
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• Apple Files Formal Objection in iPhone Battle With FBI

  02-03-2016 16:25 via feeds.nbcnews.com
  
  Apple and the FBI are battling over an FBI request to access a locked iPhone.
  
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