Sci-Tech news

• Scientists find a new way to see inside black holes

  15-06-2016 23:44
  
  Scientists at Towson University and the Johns Hopkins University are reporting a new way to peer through the event horizons around black holes and visualize what lies beneath. Their results could rewrite conventional ideas about the internal structure of spinning black holes. Current approaches use special coordinate systems in which this structure appears quite simple, but quantities that depend on an observer's choice of coordinates can give a distorted view of reality, as anyone knows who has
  
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• Rules on GMO crops in Hawaii heads to US appeals court

  15-06-2016 23:37
  
  The fight over regulating genetically engineered crops and pesticides in three Hawaii counties will be back in a federal courtroom Wednesday as some agricultural giants look to protect their research farms from bans against modified food in paradise.
  
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• Guilty plea in terrorists' hack of US military information

  15-06-2016 23:32
  
  Twenty-year-old Ardit Ferizi readily admitted his crime: hacking computers to obtain personal data of more than 1,300 U.S. government and military personnel, then turning the data over to the Islamic State group. But he couldn't explain why.
  
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• Functional traits of Giant Sequoia crown leaves respond to environmental threats

  15-06-2016 23:16
  
  Hundreds of feet above the ground, atop a giant sequoia tree, as many as 2 billion leaves vie for resources. Twigs teem with leaves growing long and splayed or short and tight, depending on their placement in the crown. Leaves that establish live for up to 20 years, drawing water up the tree's trunk and sending nutrients down, while the trunk amasses wood and survives for thousands of years. The giant sequoia's size—-it's the most massive non-fungal organism on Earth—-is possible in
  
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• Facebook rolls out suicide prevention to users worldwide

  15-06-2016 23:07
  
  Facebook said Wednesday that it will extended its suite of anti-suicide tools to users worldwide, simplifying the process for worried users to flag postings by friends who may be considering harming themselves.
  
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• Napster is back as digital music service Rhapsody rebrands

  15-06-2016 23:06
  
  Napster, the brand that popularized online music sharing in the early days of the Internet, is back.
  
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• Watch: What Is an AR-15? A Look at the Rifle

  15-06-2016 23:01
  
  Katie Meyers of Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly, Virginia, demonstrates an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and explains its use.
  
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• 'Mosh pits' in star clusters a likely source of LIGO's first black holes

  15-06-2016 23:00
  
  Northwestern University astrophysicists have predicted history. In a new study, the scientists show their theoretical predictions last year were correct: The historic merger of two massive black holes detected Sept. 14, 2015, could easily have been formed through dynamic interactions in the star-dense core of an old globular cluster.
  
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• After Mass Shootings, Search Interest Follows a Familiar Cycle

  15-06-2016 22:54
  
  Google data shows the predictable search fatigue after every shooting.
  
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• Hints That Antibiotics, C-Sections May Affect Baby Gut Bugs

  15-06-2016 22:45
  Two new studies are offering some of the clearest snapshots yet of how babies build up protective gut bacteria
  
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• Historic fossils find new life telling the story of ancient proteins

  15-06-2016 22:31
  
  A few snippets of protein extracted from the fossil of an extinct species of giant beaver are opening a new door in paleoproteomics, the study of ancient proteins. Ancient proteins can be used to place animals on the evolutionary tree, and could offer insights into how life and Earth's environment have evolved over time. Typically, paleoproteomics relies on fossils collected for the purpose. But in a paper published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers at Rensselaer Polyt
  
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• A $499 phone for people who hate phones

  15-06-2016 22:25 via rss.cnn.com
  
  If you need a break from the constant stress of technology, you can pay up to $499 for a peculiar disk that acts like a parred down smartphone, available in reclaimed ocean plastic or sustainable madrone wood.
  
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• Video game giant Ubisoft thinking young at age 30

  15-06-2016 22:23
  
  French video game star Ubisoft is still diving into new worlds at the age of 30.
  
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• Greece: Wreck survey fails to find more parts of ancient cog

  15-06-2016 22:20
  
  New underwater investigations at a rich ancient shipwreck in Greece have uncovered dozens of artifacts, but no more pieces of the most famous item on the ship's cargo—a 2,000-year-old astronomical instrument.
  
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• Sony Hopes PS4 Neo Can Keep Gamers From Going Back to High-End PCs - PlayStation LifeStyle

  15-06-2016 20:50 via playstationlifestyle.net
  
  PlayStation LifeStyle
  Sony Hopes PS4 Neo Can Keep Gamers From Going Back to High-End PCs
  PlayStation LifeStyle
  The point of confirming the existence of PlayStation 4 Neo and the bare bones of the plan last week was about not disappointing the fan base who would obviously come to E3 with high expectations of all kinds of announcements. And from past experience, ...
  PlayStation VR's Batman, Star Wars, and Final Fantasy games are all deeply disappointingVentureBeat
  PlayStation didn't need a n
  
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• Young Star FU Orionis May Hold Clues to Planet Formation

  15-06-2016 20:31 via scitechdaily.com
  
  By combining data from two telescopes collected over a 12-year interval, astronomers were able to gain a unique perspective on FU Orionis. In 1936, the young star FU Orionis began gobbling material from its surrounding disk of gas and dust with a sudden voraciousness. During a three-month binge, as matter turned into energy, the star […]
  The post Young Star FU Orionis May Hold Clues to Planet Formation appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• SpaceX launches satellites, loses rocket

  15-06-2016 20:17 via rss.cnn.com
  
  SpaceX successfully launched two commercial satellites Wednesday morning into orbit but lost its rocket during the mission.
  
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• Graphene Provides a New Way to Turn Electricity Into Light

  15-06-2016 20:02 via scitechdaily.com
  
  By slowing down light to a speed slower than flowing electrons, scientists have developed a new way to turn electricity into light. When an airplane begins to move faster than the speed of sound, it creates a shockwave that produces a well-known “boom” of sound. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have discovered a similar […]
  The post Graphene Provides a New Way to Turn Electricity Into Light appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Why people help distant kin: Math simulations support theory of 'socially enforced nepotism'

  15-06-2016 20:00
  
  It's easy to understand why natural selection favors people who help close kin at their own expense: It can increase the odds the family's genes are passed to future generations. But why assist distant relatives? Mathematical simulations by a University of Utah anthropologist suggest "socially enforced nepotism" encourages helping far-flung kin.
  
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• Researchers identify gene required for sperm production in blood flukes

  15-06-2016 20:00
  
  Scientists can interfere with sperm production in the parasitic blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni by blocking expression of the Nuclear Factor Y-B gene (NF-YB). The new study by Harini Iyer and Phillip A. Newmark of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of Illinois and James Collins (now at UT Southwestern) appears on June 15 in PLOS Genetics.
  
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• Male banana fiddler crabs may coerce mating by trapping females in tight burrows

  15-06-2016 20:00
  
  While male banana fiddler crabs (Uca mjoebergi) in Australia typically court females, some may coerce mating by waiting for females to enter their burrows and then trapping them there, according a study published June 15, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Christina Painting from The Australian National University, Canberra, and colleagues.
  
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• A male-killing bacterium results in female-biased sex ratios in green lacewings

  15-06-2016 20:00
  
  A maternally transmitted Spiroplasma bacterium is the likely cause of the green lacewing's female-biased sex ratio, according to a study published June 15, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Masayuki Hayashi from Chiba University, Japan, and colleagues.
  
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• LIGO Detects Gravitational Waves Again

  15-06-2016 19:43 via scitechdaily.com
  
  The twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has detected gravitational waves for the second time. The signal was produced by two black holes colliding 1.4 billion light years away. For the second time, scientists have directly detected gravitational waves — ripples through the fabric of space-time, created by extreme, cataclysmic events in the distant universe. […]
  The post LIGO Detects Gravitational Waves Again appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• University of Pittsburgh and ANSYS develop new computing tools to push the boundaries of additive manufacturing

  15-06-2016 19:37
  
  From energy-efficient jet engines to personalized medical devices, companies can quickly and easily design and manufacture cutting-edge, safe and reliable products thanks to a new collaboration between ANSYS and the University of Pittsburgh. The partnership will further education and research to solve some of the industry's toughest additive manufacturing problems.
  
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• Six-story, steel-frame building put to earthquake test

  15-06-2016 19:36
  
  California researchers plan to rock and rattle a six-story steel-frame building on the world's largest shake table to see if the structure can withstand the force equal to a 6.7-magnitude earthquake.
  
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• Scientists Have Detected Gravitational Waves Again - Gizmodo

  15-06-2016 19:16 via gizmodo.com
  
  Gizmodo
  Scientists Have Detected Gravitational Waves Again
  Gizmodo
  Computer simulation of two black holes merging into one. Image: The SXS (Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes) Project. For the second time this year, physicists at the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Waves Observatory (LIGO) are giddy with ...
  Scientists have detected gravitational waves for the second timeThe Verge
  More gravitational waves detectedBBC News
  Gravitational Waves From Colliding Black Holes Shake Scientis
  
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• Gravitational waves detected from second pair of colliding black holes

  15-06-2016 19:10
  
  On December 26, 2015 at 03:38:53 UTC, scientists observed gravitational waves—ripples in the fabric of spacetime—for the second time.
  
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• Marine biologists discover that shark traffic in and out of a remote Pacific island's lagoon peaks just after dusk

  15-06-2016 19:04
  
  Halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa lies a group of small islands and inlets. Among them is Palmyra Atoll, an almost 5-square-mile ring of coral.
  
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• 'Jet' disrupts one of Saturn's rings

  15-06-2016 19:04 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Although it might look like a bit of smudgy celestial mischief, neither Pandora nor any of Saturn's other moons is to blame for a recent disruption of one of the planet's rings, according to NASA. Considering that the gas giant has 53 moons in orbit (and nine other moons awaiting confirmation), scientists monitoring NASA's Cassini spacecraft were curious.
  
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• Bioactive film improves how implants bond with bone in animal study

  15-06-2016 19:02
  
  Researchers have developed a technique for coating polymer implants with a bioactive film that significantly increases bonding between the implant and surrounding bone in an animal model. The advance could significantly improve the success rate of such implants, which are often used in spinal surgeries. The work was done by researchers at North Carolina State University, the University of Cambridge and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
  
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• New method opens door to development of many new medicines

  15-06-2016 19:00
  
  Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed a powerful new method for finding drug candidates that bind to specific proteins.
  
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• Defining the consequences of genetic variation on a proteome-wide scale

  15-06-2016 19:00
  
  Combining two emerging large-scale technologies for the first time—multiplexed mass spectrometry and a mouse population with a high level of natural genetic diversity —researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) can crack an outstanding question in biology and medicine: how genetic variants affect protein levels.
  
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• Bright spots shine light on the future of coral reefs

  15-06-2016 19:00
  
  Researchers have discovered a handful of 'bright spots' among the world's embattled coral reefs, offering the promise of a radical new approach to conservation.
  
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• Smartwatches are getting smarter, though not quickly enough

  15-06-2016 18:55
  
  Apple and Android smartwatches are getting better as their makers sand off the rough edges that have frustrated many early adopters. But the improvements are just small steps in a long journey to convince people they need a computer on their wrist.
  
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• SpaceX launches satellites but fails to recover rocket

  15-06-2016 18:54
  
  SpaceX successfully launched two satellites into orbit on Wednesday, but failed in an attempt to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket undamaged on a barge in the Atlantic.
  
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• Physicists deploy magnetic vortex to control electron spin

  15-06-2016 18:50
  
  Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed a way to swiftly and precisely control electron spins at room temperature.
  
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• Invasive Asian carp respond strongly to carbon dioxide

  15-06-2016 18:50
  
  Adding carbon dioxide gas to water, a process similar to making carbonated soda water, could help control the movement and behavior of invasive carp in the Great Lakes basin, according to a recent study.
  
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• New X-ray method allows scientists to probe molecular explosions

  15-06-2016 18:48
  
  Summer blockbuster season is upon us, which means plenty of fast-paced films with lots of action. However, these aren't new releases from Hollywood studios; they're one type of new "movies" of atomic-level explosions that can give scientists new information about how X-rays interact with molecules.
  
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• When Britain was fringed by tropical seas

  15-06-2016 18:47
  
  A team from the University of Bristol has shed new light on the creatures that inhabited the tropical seas surrounding Britain at the start of the age of the dinosaurs.
  
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• Scientists replace iron in muscle protein with non-biological metal

  15-06-2016 18:46
  
  There may soon be a new way to make molecules to form the basis of pharmaceuticals, fuels, agrochemicals, materials, and an array of other products in our modern life. Chemists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have successfully married chemistry and biology to create reactions never before possible.
  
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• Misleading images in cell biology

  15-06-2016 18:46
  
  Light cannot be used to image any structures smaller than half its wavelength - for a long time, this was considered to be the ultimate resolution limit in light microscopy. The development of superresolution microscopy, however, showed that there are certain loopholes to this rule. By imaging individual molecules at different points in time, their exact positions can eventually be combined to one clear picture. In 2014, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for this idea. Since then, superre
  
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• Did gravitational wave detector find dark matter?

  15-06-2016 18:45
  
  When an astronomical observatory detected two black holes colliding in deep space, scientists celebrated confirmation of Einstein's prediction of gravitational waves. A team of astrophysicists wonderedsomething else: Had the experiment found the "dark matter" that makes up most of the mass of the universe?
  
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• A simple numbers game seems to make kids better at math

  15-06-2016 18:43
  
  Although math skills are considered notoriously hard to improve, Johns Hopkins University researchers boosted kindergarteners' arithmetic performance simply by exercising their intuitive number sense with a quick computer game.
  
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• Restaurant improbable: Costs, productivity may prompt restaurant reinvention

  15-06-2016 18:40
  
  As unpalatable as the thought may be to some, tight profit margins and increasing labor costs may force restaurant owners and food service professionals to reinvent their business models, according to a team of researchers.
  
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• Collaboration reveals a new mechanism for protein secretion

  15-06-2016 18:39
  
  A UK research team has discovered that a cell's protective layer acts like a turnstile, allowing proteins to be exported while preventing them from moving back in.
  
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• New study highlights power of crowd to transmit news on Twitter

  15-06-2016 18:38
  
  The tiny fraction of headlines that news editors push out on Twitter draw a large share of eyeballs, but it's the stories recommended by friends that trigger more clicks.
  
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• Study resolves long-disputed theory about stem cell populations

  15-06-2016 18:34
  
  Adult stem cells represent a sort of blank clay from which a myriad of different cell and tissue types are molded and as such are of critical importance to health, aging and disease. In tissues that turn over rapidly, such as the intestines, the self-renewing nature of stem cells and their susceptibility to cancer-causing mutations has led researchers to postulate that these cells also act as the cell of origin in cancers. The rarity of adult stem cells relative to their differentiated daughter
  
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• When it comes to evolution, testes may play a key role, studies find

  15-06-2016 18:33
  
  A pair of studies led by Indiana University researchers provide new evidence that when it comes to evolution, the testes may play a key role.
  
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• Team uses smart light to track human behavior

  15-06-2016 18:31
  
  Using the power of the light around us, Dartmouth College researchers have significantly improved their innovative light-sensing system that tracks a person's behavior continuously and unobtrusively in real time.
  
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• Making vinyl records even groovier

  15-06-2016 18:29
  
  Audiophiles have reason to celebrate. Vinyl records are experiencing a comeback, and scientists are working to make their sound quality even better. An article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, takes a look at how past inventions led to the classic vinyl record, or LP, and what the future might hold.
  
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