Sci-Tech news

• This startup is protecting rare emeralds

  29-08-2016 23:43 via rss.cnn.com
  
  In Afghanistan, where decades of warfare have ravaged the country, there's a beautiful green oasis tucked between the mountains that's home to something rare and precious.
  
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• Race for Facebook data center raises tax-break questions

  29-08-2016 23:35
  
  The race between a small town on the Rio Grande in New Mexico and a Salt Lake City suburb to entice a new Facebook data center with millions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies is raising questions about public investments in a booming cloud-computing economy that typically brings few local jobs.
  
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• How gay men navigate the corporate world

  29-08-2016 23:13
  
  Recent sociology research at the University of Cincinnati looked closely at the various strategies gay men use to manage both their gendered and sexual identities in the workplace.
  
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• 3-D printed tool for building aircraft achieves Guinness World Records title

  29-08-2016 23:07
  
  A 3D printed trim-and-drill tool, developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to be evaluated at The Boeing Company, has received the title of largest solid 3D printed item by GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS.
  
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• Purest yet liver-like cells generated from induced pluripotent stem cells

  29-08-2016 23:04
  
  A research team including developmental biologist Stephen A. Duncan, D. Phil., SmartState Chair of Regenerative Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), has found a better way to purify liver cells made from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Their efforts, published August 25, 2016 in Stem Cell Reports, will aid studies of liver disease for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)'s $80 million Next Generation Genetic Association Studies (Next Gen) Program.
  
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• Electron anions impart unconventional properties in a unique cement semiconductor

  29-08-2016 23:03
  
  Simple cements are everywhere in construction, but researchers want to create novel construction materials to build smarter infrastructure. The cement known as mayenite is one smart material—it can be turned from an insulator to a transparent conductor and back. Other unique properties of this material make it suitable for industrial production of chemicals such as ammonia and for use as semiconductors in flat panel displays.
  
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• Mark Zuckerberg 'Friends' Pope Francis

  29-08-2016 21:55 via nbcnews.com
  
  Mark Zuckerberg met with Pope Francis during a trip to Italy and gave him a small memento: a Facebook drone model.
  
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• NASA team probes peculiar age-defying star

  29-08-2016 21:49
  
  For years, astronomers have puzzled over a massive star lodged deep in the Milky Way that shows conflicting signs of being extremely old and extremely young.
  
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• Double your genes: Stepping stones for the next century of understanding plant polyploidy

  29-08-2016 21:48
  
  We might think of living organisms as typically having two sets of chromosomes—-one from mom and one from dad. But there are lots of variations out there. Polyploidy, or having more than two chromosome copies, is especially common in plants, including some of the tasty ones we eat, such as potatoes, wheat, and strawberries. In fact, polyploidy is a major driver of plant diversity both on our plates and in the wild.
  
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• FAA forecast: 600,000 commercial drones within the year

  29-08-2016 21:42
  
  There will be 600,000 commercial drone aircraft operating in the U.S. within the year as the result of new safety rules that opened the skies to them on Monday, according to a Federal Aviation Administration estimate.
  
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• Apple expected to show new iPhone at event next week

  29-08-2016 21:42
  
  Apple is expected to show off a new iPhone next week when the company holds its fall product launch event in San Francisco.
  
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• 60 percent of key S.Asian water basin not usable: study

  29-08-2016 21:40
  
  Sixty percent of the groundwater in a river basin supporting more than 750 million people in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh is not drinkable or usable for irrigation, researchers said Monday.
  
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• Propagation protocols determined for two Nyssa species

  29-08-2016 21:36
  
  The genus Nyssa L. includes several woody species with traits valued by horticulturists, but only black gum (Nyssa sylvatica Marsh.) is prevalent in the nursery trade. Considered among the most beautiful trees native to North America, cultivars of black gum provide outstanding foliage color in autumn. The authors of a new study (HortScience, June 2016) say that another Nyssa species, swamp tupelo (Nyssa biflora Walt.), which is indigenous to swamps and bottomlands of the southeastern United Stat
  
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• NASA sees Typhoon Lionrock approaching Japan

  29-08-2016 21:36
  
  Tropical Storm Lionrock continued crawling toward the main island of Honshu, Japan, as NASA's Aqua and NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellites passed overhead and gathered data on the storm.
  
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• Miracle fruit's flowering, fruiting behaviors revealed

  29-08-2016 21:33
  
  Miracle berry (Synsepalum dulcificum), also known as miracle fruit, is a valuable horticultural species indigenous to West Africa. The authors of a study in the June 2016 issue of HortScience say that miracle fruit is "a very promising species" that has not been adequately studied. "Miracle fruit is a rare fruit crop with high economical value in the medical and food industry," they explained. The fleshy pulp of the miracle fruit contains miraculin, a glycoprotein that has an extraordinary effec
  
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• WATCH: New FAA Drone Regulations

  29-08-2016 21:11 via abcnews.go.com
  
  A quick look at the new FAA drone regulations released on Aug. 29, 2016.
  
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• Why mole rats are more flexible than we previously thought

  29-08-2016 21:00
  
  One of the most interesting facts about mole rats - that, as with ants and termites, individuals specialise in particular tasks throughout their lives - turns out to be wrong. Instead, a new study led by the University of Cambridge shows that individuals perform different roles at different ages and that age rather than caste membership accounts for contrasts in their behaviour.
  
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• Research outlines cellular communication processes that make life possible

  29-08-2016 21:00
  
  Researchers have discovered a mechanism of intercellular communication that helps explain how biological systems and actions - ranging from a beating heart to the ability to hit a home run - function properly most of the time, and in some scenarios quite remarkably.
  
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• Isotope study determines fish were more prominent in early Alaskans' diets

  29-08-2016 21:00
  
  Ice age inhabitants of Interior Alaska relied more heavily on salmon and freshwater fish in their diets than previously thought, according to a newly published study.
  
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• Inferring urban travel patterns from cellphone data

  29-08-2016 21:00
  
  In making decisions about infrastructure development and resource allocation, city planners rely on models of how people move through their cities, on foot, in cars, and on public transportation. Those models are largely based on surveys of residents' travel habits.
  
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• Climate change has less impact on drought than previously expected

  29-08-2016 21:00
  
  As a multiyear drought grinds on in the Southwestern United States, many wonder about the impact of global climate change on more frequent and longer dry spells. As humans emit more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, how will water supply for people, farms, and forests be affected?
  
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• Ancient dental plaque sheds new light on the diet of Mesolithic foragers in the Balkans

  29-08-2016 21:00
  
  The study of dental calculus from Late Mesolithic individuals from the site of Vlasac in the Danube Gorges of the central Balkans has provided direct evidence that Mesolithic foragers of this region consumed domestic cereals already by c. 6600 BC, i.e. almost half a millennium earlier than previously thought.
  
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• NASA peers into Tropical Depression 9 in the Gulf of Mexico

  29-08-2016 20:54
  
  The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite analyzed Tropical Depression 9 after formed in the Gulf of Mexico after a slow crawl over the last week.
  
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• America's wars take uneven toll, study finds

  29-08-2016 20:52
  
  In today's wars, Americans who die or are wounded in battle are disproportionately coming from poorer parts of the country, according to a new study released this week.
  
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• Graphene key to growing 2-D semiconductor with extraordinary properties

  29-08-2016 20:51
  
  A newly discovered method for making two-dimensional materials could lead to new and extraordinary properties, particularly in a class of materials called nitrides, say the Penn State materials scientists who discovered the process. This first-ever growth of two-dimensional gallium nitride using graphene encapsulation could lead to applications in deep ultraviolet lasers, next-generation electronics and sensors.
  
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• How machine learning can help with voice disorders

  29-08-2016 20:50
  
  There's no human instinct more basic than speech, and yet, for many people, talking can be taxing. 1 in 14 working-age Americans suffer from voice disorders that are often associated with abnormal vocal behaviors - some of which can cause damage to vocal cord tissue and lead to the formation of nodules or polyps that interfere with normal speech production.
  
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• Device to control 'color' of electrons in graphene provides path to future electronics

  29-08-2016 20:49
  
  A device made of bilayer graphene, an atomically thin hexagonal arrangement of carbon atoms, provides experimental proof of the ability to control the momentum of electrons and offers a path to electronics that could require less energy and give off less heat than standard silicon-based transistors. It is one step forward in a new field of physics called valleytronics.
  
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• New research sheds light on how aged wine gets its aroma

  29-08-2016 20:40
  
  Researchers have discovered an enzyme that plays a leading role in the formation of compounds that give aged wines their sought-after aroma.
  
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• NASA spots Central Pacific's Madeline strengthening into a hurricane

  29-08-2016 20:40
  
  As Hurricane Lester in the Eastern Pacific Ocean strengthened into a major hurricane, Tropical Storm Madeline in the Central Pacific became a hurricane. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image as Madeline was transitioning and organizing.
  
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• Europe is going to hit Apple with its largest tax penalty ever - Business Insider

  29-08-2016 20:18 via businessinsider.com
  
  Business Insider
  Europe is going to hit Apple with its largest tax penalty ever
  Business Insider
  European Union competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager has distributed a 130-page judgment on Apple's Ireland operations, the Financial Times reports, ahead of an official ruling on Apple's tax structure expected on Tuesday. The European ...
  Apple Will Reportedly Be Hit With a Record-Breaking Tax PenaltyFortune
  EU Set to Rule as Soon as Tuesday Apple Tax Deals With Ireland IllegalWall Stree
  
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• From the iPhone 7 to the Apple Watch 2, here's everything we expect Apple to announce next week - BGR

  29-08-2016 20:16 via bgr.com
  
  BGR
  From the iPhone 7 to the Apple Watch 2, here's everything we expect Apple to announce next week
  BGR
  Earlier today, Apple sent out official invitations for a special event set to take place on September 7 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California. While Apple's iPhone 7 will undoubtedly be the primary focus of the event, it ...
  'See you on the 7th:' Apple announces 'iPhone 7' eventAppleInsider (press release) (blog)
  Apple slates Sept. 7 for iPhone 7 introductionCompute
  
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• Honest question: what does T-Mobile think data actually is? - The Verge

  29-08-2016 20:08 via theverge.com
  
  USA TODAY
  Honest question: what does T-Mobile think data actually is?
  The Verge
  Everyone gets unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited high-speed 4G LTE smartphone data on the fastest LTE network in America. The second line: With T-Mobile ONE, even video is unlimited at standard definition so you can stream all you want.
  T-Mobile Tweaks Unlimited ONE Plan After Backlash, Adds ONE “Plus” OptionDroid Life (press release) (blog)
  T-Mobile quadruples tethering speed on “unlimit
  
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• Drones For Business Can Take Off Under New FAA Regs

  29-08-2016 19:40 via nbcnews.com
  
  The Federal Aviation Administration's new rules for small commercial drones take effect today, making it easier for businesses to take to the skies.
  
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• New Cassini Image Shows a Glowing Spot on Saturn’s B Ring

  29-08-2016 19:32 via scitechdaily.com
  
  This new image from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shows an ethereal, glowing spot on Saturn’s B ring. There is nothing particular about that place in the rings that produces the glowing effect — instead, it is an example of an “opposition surge” making that area on the rings appear extra bright. An opposition surge occurs when […]
  The post New Cassini Image Shows a Glowing Spot on Saturn’s B Ring appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Facebook's Trending News Is A Total Mess - Gizmodo

  29-08-2016 19:28 via gizmodo.com
  
  Gizmodo
  Facebook's Trending News Is A Total Mess
  Gizmodo
  Facebook unceremoniously fired at least 15 editors from its trending news team on Friday, as Quartz first reported. The decision to eliminate humans came three months after Gizmodo's reporting revealed the inner workings of the trending news group, ...
  Facebook fires human editors, algorithm immediately posts fake newsArs Technica
  Why Getting Rid of Human Editors Won't Solve Facebook's Bias ProblemFortune
  Facebook removes fake articl
  
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• NASA Probes Peculiar Age-Defying Star IRAS 19312+1950

  29-08-2016 19:26 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New research suggests that IRAS 19312+1950 might be a protostar a star still in the making. For years, astronomers have puzzled over a massive star lodged deep in the Milky Way that shows conflicting signs of being extremely old and extremely young. Researchers initially classified the star as elderly, perhaps a red supergiant. But a […]
  The post NASA Probes Peculiar Age-Defying Star IRAS 19312+1950 appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Facebook CEO says group will not become a media company - Business Insider

  29-08-2016 19:19 via businessinsider.com
  
  Business Insider
  Facebook CEO says group will not become a media company
  Business Insider
  ROME (Reuters) - Facebook Inc. will not become a media company, its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday, telling students the firm would remain a technology platform. An increasing number of users are turning to social media networks, such ...
  Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook hasn't ruined face-to-face communicationVentureBeat
  Francis meets Facebook founder: friendly, if not yet 'friends'National
  
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• Simple equation predicts force needed to push objects through granular and pasty materials

  29-08-2016 18:57
  
  For those of you who take sandcastle building very seriously, listen up: MIT engineers now say you can trust a very simple equation to calculate the force required to push a shovel—and any other "intruder"— through sand. The team also found that the same concept, known as the resistive force theory, can generate useful equations for cohesive materials like muds.
  
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• FBI warns of possible state election-system hacks

  29-08-2016 18:57
  
  The FBI is warning state officials to boost their election security in light of evidence that hackers breached related data systems in two states.
  
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• SwRI to demonstrate low-cost miniature solar observatory

  29-08-2016 18:56
  
  Southwest Research Institute will flight test a miniature solar observatory on a six-hour high-altitude balloon mission scheduled for the end of August. The SwRI Solar Instrument Pointing Platform (SSIPP) is a complete, high-precision solar observatory about the size of a mini fridge and weighing 160 pounds.
  
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• Researchers find thin layers of water can become ice-like at room temperature

  29-08-2016 18:56
  
  New research by scientists at The University of Akron (UA) shows that a nanometer-thin layer of water between two charged surfaces exhibits ice-like tendencies that allow it to withstand pressures of hundreds of atmospheres. The discovery could lead to better ways to minimize friction in a variety of settings.
  
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• If Tesla Model 3 Delivers, “Gas Vehicles Are History,” Gasoline & Automotive Services Dealers Of America Exec Says - CleanTechnica

  29-08-2016 18:42 via cleantechnica.com
  
  CleanTechnica
  If Tesla Model 3 Delivers, “Gas Vehicles Are History,” Gasoline & Automotive Services Dealers Of America Exec Says
  CleanTechnica
  No doubt about it, many of us EV enthusiasts have been blown away by the Tesla Model 3 and believe it's the car that is really going to break the gasoline auto industry's back. But we're just EV enthusiasts, right? Treehuggers, tech heads, climate ...
  Why Electric Cars Are Still Years Away From Wide AdoptionInc.com
  Tesla Autopilot Revisio
  
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• Astrophysicists Show Milky Way Had a Blowout Bash 6 Million Years Ago

  29-08-2016 18:34 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New research from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics shows that the center of the Milky Way was once a very active place. The center of the Milky Way galaxy is currently a quiet place where a supermassive black hole slumbers, only occasionally slurping small sips of hydrogen gas. But it wasn’t always this way. A […]
  The post Astrophysicists Show Milky Way Had a Blowout Bash 6 Million Years Ago appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• WATCH: Scientists Exit Hawaii Dome After Yearlong Mars Simulation

  29-08-2016 18:30 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Six scientists have completed a yearlong Mars simulation in Hawaii, where they lived in a dome in near isolation.
  
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• 'Strong signal' stirs interest in hunt for alien life

  29-08-2016 18:27
  
  A "strong signal" detected by a radio telescope in Russia that is scanning the heavens for signs of extraterrestrial life has stirred interest among the scientific community.
  
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• Hubble Image of the Week – A New View of Alpha Centauri A and B

  29-08-2016 18:23 via scitechdaily.com
  
  This newly released Hubble images shows Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. The closest star system to the Earth is the famous Alpha Centauri group. Located in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur), at a distance of 4.3 light-years, this system is made up of the binary formed by the stars Alpha Centauri A […]
  The post Hubble Image of the Week – A New View of Alpha Centauri A and B appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• WATCH: As Apple Prepares Release of IPhone 7, New Survey Reveals Upgrades Most Buyers Desire

  29-08-2016 18:21 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Surprising survey results pit technological advances against simple concerns like battery life and more storage.
  
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• WATCH: Pope Meets Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg

  29-08-2016 18:20 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Pope Francis met with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to discuss how technology may be able to help relieve poverty.
  
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• Isolation of Fe(IV) decamethylferrocene salts

  29-08-2016 18:10
  
  (Phys.org)—Ferrocene is the model compound that students often learn when they are introduced to organometallic chemistry. It has an iron center that is coordinated to the π electrons in two cyclopentadienyl rings. (C5H5- or Cp). Ferrocene is often used as a standard in electrochemical experiments because of its characteristic reversible oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III).
  
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• Iceland's Met Office: Two earthquakes rock large volcano

  29-08-2016 18:10
  
  Iceland's Meteorological Office says two earthquakes early Monday rocked the caldera of Katla, one of the country's largest volcanos.
  
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