Sci-Tech news

• 12 nations to take aim at fishing subsidies at WTO

  14-09-2016 23:19
  
  The United States and 11 other countries on Wednesday announced the start of a drive at the World Trade Organization to eliminate harmful fishing subsidies that contribute to ocean depopulation.
  
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• US official: Difficult to alter US elections through hacking

  14-09-2016 23:16
  
  President Barack Obama's homeland security adviser said Wednesday that it would be very hard for someone to hack into America's voting systems in a way that could alter an election outcome.
  
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• Ford expects lower profit in 2017

  14-09-2016 23:15
  
  Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that a plan to embrace "mobility" and spend billions on electric and autonomous vehicles will hurt its bottom line in the short term but lead to frothier profit margins in the future.
  
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• The New iMessage is the Most Fun You've Ever Had Texting

  14-09-2016 22:56 via nbcnews.com
  
  Apple's iOS 10 was rolled out on Tuesday and although there were some snags, for many users it felt like an early holiday gift.
  
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• Apple Stock Hits 2016 High on Strong iPhone Orders

  14-09-2016 22:33 via nbcnews.com
  
  Apple' s stock hit a 2016 high on Wednesday, with its market value peaking above $600 billion for the first time since April.
  
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• New optofluidic platform features tunable optics and novel 'lightvalves'

  14-09-2016 22:13
  
  For well over a decade, electrical engineer Holger Schmidt has been developing devices for optical analysis of samples on integrated chip-based platforms, with applications in areas such as biological sensors, virus detection, and chemical analysis. The latest device from his lab is based on novel technology that combines high-performance microfluidics for sample processing with dynamic optical tuning and switching, all on a low-cost "chip" made of a flexible silicone material.
  
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• Facebook Just Created the Ultimate Tech Girl Squad

  14-09-2016 22:11 via nbcnews.com
  
  Facebook's femme force just created the ultimate Silicon Valley girl squad.
  
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• Surviving earth's extremes: BYU research in the mountains of Antarctica

  14-09-2016 22:10
  
  Here's what it takes to conduct research in Antarctica if you're BYU biologist Byron Adams:
  
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• Mercury contamination prevalent in western North America

  14-09-2016 22:04
  
  Mercury contamination is widespread across western North America in the air, soil, lake sediments, plants, fish and wildlife, according to an international research team that included a University of Michigan biologist.
  
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• Only Canadian-led experiment at Large Hadron Collider gets first results

  14-09-2016 22:02
  
  While Canadians were winning medals at the Olympics in Rio de Janiero this summer, MoEDAL (pronounced "medal"), the only Canadian-led experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, celebrated its first published results.
  
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• Fighting cancer with space research

  14-09-2016 21:56
  
  Every day, NASA spacecraft beam down hundreds of petabytes of data, all of which has to be codified, stored and distributed to scientists across the globe. Increasingly, artificial intelligence is helping to "read" this data as well, highlighting similarities between datasets that scientists might miss.
  
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• Tame your Oobleck: Researcher able to control thickening

  14-09-2016 21:53
  
  Shear thickening – the increase of a liquid's viscosity through applied force – is a well-known phenomenon. Mix equal parts corn starch and water and you come up with "Oobleck," a liquid that turns solid the more vigorously you stir it.
  
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• Know thy star, know thy planet

  14-09-2016 21:50
  
  When it comes to exoplanets, astronomers have realized that they only know the properties of the planets they discover as well as they know the properties of the stars being orbited. For a planet's size, precisely characterizing the host star can mean the difference in our understanding of whether a distant world is small like Earth or huge like Jupiter.
  
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• Five things to know about the Bayer-Monsanto deal

  14-09-2016 21:46
  
  German chemicals firm Bayer on Wednesday clinched a $66-billion deal to buy the US seeds and pesticides giant Monsanto, a high-profile takeover likely to face close scrutiny as debate rages in Europe over the use of genetically modified crops.
  
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• Nanoparticles that carry three or more drugs hold potential for targeted cancer therapy

  14-09-2016 21:43
  
  Nanoparticles offer a promising way to deliver cancer drugs in a targeted fashion, helping to kill tumors while sparing healthy tissue. However, most nanoparticles that have been developed so far are limited to carrying only one or two drugs.
  
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• Some farmers worry Monsanto merger will drive up costs

  14-09-2016 21:31
  
  Bayer's buyout of St. Louis-based Monsanto has agricultural groups and farmers concerned that the merger will lead to higher prices for seed and crop protection products, though some experts are confident the deal will be good for farmers.
  
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• Tesla says France fire caused by badly tightened connection

  14-09-2016 21:15
  
  Tesla says that a fire in one of its electric cars in France broke out because an electrical connection had not been tightened properly.
  
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• New T Cell Subsets Have Potential to Improve Cellular Therapy for Cancer

  14-09-2016 20:56 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Researchers from the Yale Cancer Center have identified that two genes, NR4A1 and ABC transporters, mark a distinct subset of quiescent T cells within human tissues, and have developed methods to mobilize them into circulation for potential application in adoptive T cell therapy of cancer. The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. […]
  The post New T Cell Subsets Have Potential to Improve Cellular Therapy for Cancer appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Organic panic—finding the right combination

  14-09-2016 20:48
  
  Organic vegetables are popular. However, growing them is notoriously high-maintenance for farmers. Researchers are trying to identify the best ways to grow these crops in order to keep the shelves stocked.
  
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• Oldest textile dyed indigo blue found

  14-09-2016 20:46
  
  A George Washington University researcher has identified a 6,200-year-old indigo-blue fabric from Huaca, Peru, making it one of the oldest-known cotton textiles in the world and the oldest known textile decorated with indigo blue.
  
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• New discovery shatters previous beliefs about Earth's origin

  14-09-2016 20:41
  
  A new study led by Western University's all-star cosmochemist Audrey Bouvier proves that the Earth and other planetary objects formed in the early years of the Solar System share similar chemical origins – a finding at odds with accepted wisdom held by scientists for decades.
  
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• Tropical crow species is highly skilled tool user

  14-09-2016 20:39
  
  An international team of scientists and conservation experts has discovered that the critically-endangered Hawaiian crow, or 'Alalā, is a highly proficient tool user, according to a paper published today in the leading scientific journal Nature.
  
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• Survival of the smallest? Bigger sea species more threatened

  14-09-2016 20:34
  
  In the Earth's oceans these days, the bigger a species is, the more prone it is to die off. That's unheard of in the long history of mass extinctions, a new study finds.
  
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• Pluto 'paints' its largest moon Charon red

  14-09-2016 20:17
  
  In June 2015, when the cameras on NASA's approaching New Horizons spacecraft first spotted the large reddish polar region on Pluto's largest moon, Charon, mission scientists knew two things: they'd never seen anything like it elsewhere in our solar system, and they couldn't wait to get the story behind it.
  
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• Charon’s Polar Coloring the Result of Seasonally Cold-Trapped Volatiles

  14-09-2016 19:55 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New research reveals that Charon’s reddish polar coloring comes from Pluto itself. In June 2015, when the cameras on NASA’s approaching New Horizons spacecraft first spotted the large reddish polar region on Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, mission scientists knew two things: they’d never seen anything like it elsewhere in our solar system, and they couldn’t […]
  The post Charon’s Polar Coloring the Result of Seasonally Cold-Trapped Volatiles appeared first
  
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• WATCH: Uber Rolls Out Autonomous Car Technology in Pittsburgh

  14-09-2016 19:45 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Select users in Pittsburgh could be matched up with one of the vehicles.
  
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• Speckle Imaging Helps Provide the Highest-Resolution Images Available of TRAPPIST-1

  14-09-2016 19:37 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using the Gemini-South telescope and a speckle imaging camera, a team of astronomers have obtained the highest-resolution images available of TRAPPIST-1. When it comes to exoplanets, astronomers have realized that they only know the properties of the planets they discover as well as they know the properties of the stars being orbited. For a planet’s […]
  The post Speckle Imaging Helps Provide the Highest-Resolution Images Available of TRAPPIST-1 appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• X-ray detection sheds new light on Pluto

  14-09-2016 19:36
  
  Scientists using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have made the first detections of X-rays from Pluto. These observations offer new insight into the space environment surrounding the largest and best-known object in the solar system's outermost regions.
  
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• UPS to hire 95,000 seasonal workers for upcoming holidays

  14-09-2016 19:30
  
  It's not even officially fall yet, but delivery companies and retailers are making their hiring lists for the holiday season.
  
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• Facebook chooses New Mexico for new data center over Utah

  14-09-2016 19:24
  
  Facebook chose New Mexico for a new data center over Utah after questions arose about a tax-break deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich said Wednesday.
  
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• Pentagon push to tap tech talent in 'weird' Texas city

  14-09-2016 19:23
  
  Pentagon chief Ashton Carter on Wednesday announced the creation of a new defense innovation center in Austin, Texas—the latest expansion in an ongoing effort to connect with some of America's hippest tech communities.
  
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• Senior official says UK exploring national internet filter

  14-09-2016 19:10
  
  The head of Britain's newly formed cybersecurity agency says authorities are exploring the creation of a national internet filter to block malicious software and rogue websites, a proposal that has raised eyebrows among internet freedom advocates.
  
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• Fin24.com | Vodacom in R5bn gov't contract - sources

  14-09-2016 19:08
  
  Vodacom has won an estimated R5bn contract with the government as the National Treasury seeks to cut costs, according to three people familiar with the matter.
  
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• Demystifying shrinking cities

  14-09-2016 19:00
  
  A new book by geography and planning experts examines several decades worth of data to provide an analysis of the state of shrinking cities across the United States.
  
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• Adjusting exchange rates affects currency value

  14-09-2016 18:50
  
  Forthcoming research from Cass Business School and the Bank of International Settlements has found that newly proposed currency valuation metrics display strong predictive power for exchange rates, offering valuable insights for global policymakers and investors alike.
  
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• Complex materials can self-organize into circuits, may form basis for multifunction chips

  14-09-2016 18:45
  
  Researchers studying the behavior of nanoscale materials at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have uncovered remarkable behavior that could advance microprocessors beyond today's silicon-based chips.
  
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• Facebook's algorithms give it more editorial responsibility—not less

  14-09-2016 18:40
  
  Recent criticism of Facebook for removing a post containing the iconic image of a naked girl during the Vietnam War isn't the first time it has been accused of censorship. Yet at the same time, it is regularly rebuked for failing to remove quickly enough hateful, illegal or inappropriate material, most recently by the German government.
  
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• Wheat producers advised to take advantage of existing soil nitrogen

  14-09-2016 18:39
  
  As producers across the state are planting winter wheat, it is important they consider crediting soil nitrogen in their management plans, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist.
  
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• Physicists develop new touchscreen technology

  14-09-2016 18:37
  
  Physicists at the University of Sussex are at an advanced stage of developing alternative touchscreen technology to overcome the shortfall in the traditional display, phone and tablet material that relies on electrodes made from indium tin oxide (ITO).
  
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• Explained: why a reboot is the go-to computer fix

  14-09-2016 18:35
  
  It's the most common answer to our computing woes: when your PC or mobile is playing up, try turning it off and on again. Or, alternatively, rebooting.
  
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• Chemists report new insights about properties of matter at the nanoscale

  14-09-2016 18:16
  
  UCLA nanoscience researchers have determined that a fluid that behaves similarly to water in our day-to-day lives becomes as heavy as honey when trapped in a nanocage of a porous solid, offering new insights into how matter behaves in the nanoscale world.
  
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• Spotify surpasses 40 million paying subscribers

  14-09-2016 17:47
  
  Swedish streaming music giant Spotify said Wednesday it had surpassed 40 million paying subscribers, consolidating its position as world leader.
  
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• Protecting streams that feed Lake Erie will take much work, study finds

  14-09-2016 17:44
  
  While current efforts to curtail agricultural runoff will improve the health of Lake Erie, much more work will be needed to protect the streams that feed the lake, new research shows.
  
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• Fin24.com | EU seeks stricter controls over WhatsApp, Skype

  14-09-2016 17:30
  
  The European Union will subject internet services like WhatsApp and Skype to similar rules that traditional telecommunications firms face, according to major reform proposals.
  
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• New CCCCC pentadentate chelates with properties for use in photothermal therapy

  14-09-2016 17:00
  
  (Phys.org)—Macrocyclic and chelating molecules are important in physiological processes and pharmaceuticals. Hemoglobin, for example, is a chelating molecule in which iron is coordinated to donor atoms in a porphyrin ring. Often the donor atoms are some combination of nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, and sulfur. For example, nitrogen serves as the donor atoms in hemoglobin. Sometimes carbon acts as a donor atom, but it is usually as a heterocycle with one of these other atoms.
  
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• Brexit will change UK role in Europe's space programmes: ESA

  14-09-2016 16:56
  
  Britain will stay in the European Space Agency when it leaves the EU, but will have to renegotiate terms to continue participating in certain projects, the ESA said Wednesday.
  
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• What happened after the lights came on in the universe?

  14-09-2016 16:52
  
  An experiment to explore the aftermath of cosmic dawn, when stars and galaxies first lit up the universe, has received nearly $10 million in funding from the National Science Foundation to expand its detector array in South Africa.
  
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• Russian Arctic station besieged by polar bears gets supplies

  14-09-2016 16:35
  
  It's been polar bears versus Russian scientists on a remote island in the Arctic.
  
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• Polar bears vs scientists: Russians get emergency supplies

  14-09-2016 16:35
  
  It's been polar bears versus Russian scientists on a remote island in the Arctic.
  
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• Similar nanomaterials behave differently, but why

  14-09-2016 16:32
  
  Nanotubes can be used for many things: electrical circuits, batteries, innovative fabrics and more. Scientists have noted, however, that nanotubes, whose structures appear similar, can actually exhibit different properties, with important consequences in their applications. Carbon nanotubes and boron nitride nanotubes, for example, while nearly indistinguishable in their structure, can be different when it comes to friction. A study conducted by SISSA/CNR-IOM and Tel Aviv University created comp
  
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