Sci-Tech news

• Spacecraft, Mini-Drones and Robotic Arms: Obama Nerds Out

  13-10-2016 23:51 via abcnews.go.com
  President Barack Obama has a confession: He's a science geek, a nerd, and he's not apologizing to anyone
  
  Read more

• 10x more galaxies in our universe than we'd estimated

  13-10-2016 23:48 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Turns out we were wrong; there aren't200 billion galaxies in the universe.
  
  Read more

• HP Inc. will cut 3,000 to 4,000 jobs over next 3 years

  13-10-2016 23:30
  
  HP Inc. says it will cut 3,000 to 4,000 jobs over the next three years as it faces continued challenges in the markets for personal computers and printers.
  
  Read more

• Hall of Shame: Think Samsung Is Bad? Check These Recalls

  13-10-2016 23:29 via nbcnews.com
  
  A look at some of the most explosive and deadly recalls in recent history.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• The Universe Has 10 Times More Galaxies Than Scientists Thought - Space.com

  13-10-2016 22:49 via space.com
  
  Space.com
  The Universe Has 10 Times More Galaxies Than Scientists Thought
  Space.com
  More than a trillion galaxies are lurking in the depths of space, a new census of galaxies in the observable universe has found — 10 times more galaxies than were previously thought to exist. An international team of astronomers used deep-space images ...
  Astronomers may now fully understand why the sky is dark at nightBusiness Insider
  Surprise! The universe has 10 times as many galaxies as scientists thou
  
  Read more

• Apple needs to release new Macbooks soon or it's in big trouble - Business Insider

  13-10-2016 22:46 via businessinsider.com
  
  Business Insider
  Apple needs to release new Macbooks soon or it's in big trouble
  Business Insider
  Reports issued this week by IDC and Gartner both indicate that PC sales have now declined for eight straight quarters. Gartner calls it "the longest duration of decline in the history of the PC industry." Overall, the two analyst firms say that there ...
  Today only, Best Buy is offering $100 off the iPad ProDigital Trends
  Week's best Apple deals: Lowest-ever prices on refurb MacBook Pros and other
  
  Read more

• Paypal founder raises $100 mn for new payments startup

  13-10-2016 22:33
  
  Affirm, a startup led by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, said Thursday it secured $100 million in financing to expand its consumer lending business that aims to disrupt the credit card industry.
  
  Read more

• Amazon seeking 120,000 seasonal workers

  13-10-2016 22:33
  
  US online giant Amazon on Thursday announced that it plans to hire 120,000 seasonal workers to help handle an expected crush of holiday shopping.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 14,000-year-old rock paintings found in Spanish resort town

  13-10-2016 22:33
  
  Rock paintings dating back about 14,000 years have been found in a cave in a Spanish seaside resort town, the local government announced Thursday.
  
  Read more

• Verizon says Yahoo data breach had a 'material' impact

  13-10-2016 22:32
  
  Verizon's top lawyer says it now has reason to believe Yahoo's recently disclosed data breach has a "material" impact on Verizon's pending $4.8 billion acquisition of Yahoo. That leaves open the possibility that Verizon could seek a change in the price or other terms.
  
  Read more

• Dubai port titan invests in futuristic Hyperloop train

  13-10-2016 22:32
  
  Shipping port industry colossus DP World Group of Dubai on Thursday joined backers of a US startup working on the futuristic super-speedy train concept Hyperloop.
  
  Read more

• Engineers reveal fabrication process for revolutionary transparent sensors

  13-10-2016 22:30
  
  In 2014, when University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers announced in the journal Nature Communications that they had developed transparent sensors for use in imaging the brain, researchers around the world took notice.
  
  Read more

• Barnacle busting: Research targets ship biofouling

  13-10-2016 22:29
  
  Individually, tiny barnacles pose little threat to hulking U.S. Navy ships. But when clustered in thick clumps on a vessel's hull—a natural occurrence called biofouling—these sticky crustaceans can slow the ship and increase its fuel consumption by 40 percent.
  
  Read more

• Scholars team up to show forest biodiversity is green in more ways than one

  13-10-2016 22:28
  
  Loss of biodiversity has long been recognized as detrimental for nature, for nature's sake. Now a team of scholars from 90 institutions in 44 countries show that it also provides enormous economic benefits. The team, formally known as the Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI), consolidated field-based forest inventory data from 777,126 permanent plots across the world, and discovered that for forests in every part of the world, those with many tree species are more productive than nearby
  
  Read more

• Study identifies new mechanism of RNA degradation in plants

  13-10-2016 22:26
  
  The totality of RNA molecules in an organism at any one time is the product of a delicate dance. Genes must be "turned on," or expressed, in order to turn DNA into RNA and then that RNA into proteins that accomplish an organism's physiological needs. But, just as important, those RNA transcripts must be cleared away once they are no longer required.
  
  Read more

• Wind patterns in lowest layers of supercell storms key to predicting tornadoes

  13-10-2016 22:25
  
  New research from North Carolina State University has found that wind patterns in the lowest 500 meters of the atmosphere near supercell thunderstorms can help predict whether that storm will generate a tornado. The work may help better predict tornado formation and reduce the number of false alarms during tornado season.
  
  Read more

• Quantum physicist Carl M. Bender wins 2017 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics

  13-10-2016 22:11
  
  The American Institute of Physics (AIP) and the American Physical Society (APS) announced today, on behalf of the Heineman Foundation for Research, Educational, Charitable, and Scientific Purposes, that Carl M. Bender of Washington University in St. Louis is the recipient of the 2017 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics, which is awarded annually to honor significant contributions to the field.
  
  Read more

• Today only, Best Buy is offering $100 off the iPad Pro - Digital Trends

  13-10-2016 22:02 via digitaltrends.com
  
  Digital Trends
  Today only, Best Buy is offering $100 off the iPad Pro
  Digital Trends
  Apple's iPad Pro is the Cadillac of tablets. Available with a 9.7-inch or 12.9-inch screen, the Pro may sound absurdly big, but after a few minutes of use it feels like the tablet you've always wanted. Although the Apple Store offers the entry-level ...
  Apple Could Be Working On A Magic E-Ink Keyboard That Can Change Keys At A Tap Of A ButtonTech Times
  Week's best Apple deals: Lowest-ever prices on refurb MacBo
  
  Read more

• Brain Chip Helps Paralyzed Man Feel His Fingers

  13-10-2016 21:32 via nbcnews.com
  
  Nathan Copeland, paralyzed from the chest down for 12 years, can feel his fingers again. And he fist-bumped President Obama with a robotic hand.
  
  Read more

• Galaxy Count May Now Top 2 Trillion Across Universe

  13-10-2016 21:29 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Thought the universe was crowded with 100 billion to 200 billion galaxies? Latest count may now top 2 trillion galaxies across the universe
  
  Read more

• Did a Cosmic Crash Heat up Earth 56 Million Years Ago?

  13-10-2016 20:45 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Scientists have found evidence of a comet or asteroid smacking Earth 56 million years ago, just about the time the planet started mysterious massive warming
  
  Read more

• Pinterest tops 150 mln monthly users

  13-10-2016 20:36
  
  Pinterest on Thursday announced that the number of monthly users soared in the past year to top 150 million, with most of that growth coming from outside the United States.
  
  Read more

• Universe Contains 10 Times More Galaxies Previously Thought

  13-10-2016 20:34 via scitechdaily.com
  
  A new study of Hubble’s deep-field surveys reveals that at least 10 times more galaxies exist in the observable universe than astronomers thought. The universe suddenly looks a lot more crowded, thanks to a deep-sky census assembled from surveys taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories. Astronomers came to the surprising conclusion that […]
  The post Universe Contains 10 Times More Galaxies Previously Thought appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
  Read more

• Researchers probing the beneficial secrets in dolphins' proteins

  13-10-2016 20:34
  
  Why reinvent the wheel when nature has the answer?
  
  Read more

• Archaeology under the canopy

  13-10-2016 20:32
  
  A Life's Work
  
  Read more

• Brain Scan Helmets, Mini-Satellites Getting Federal Cash

  13-10-2016 20:31 via nbcnews.com
  
  The Obama administration announced several hundred million dollars for projects ranging from its brain science initiative to traffic control programs.
  
  Read more

• 'Add Spice' to Your Personal Pics With This Camera Drone

  13-10-2016 20:11 via nbcnews.com
  
  You'll want to take this camera drone with you on vacation.
  
  Read more

• Smartphone Wars: Google, Motorola, and Apple Circling Over Samsung

  13-10-2016 20:05 via nbcnews.com
  
  What happens now for Samsung and the smartphone industry?
  
  Read more

• Migration routes hold key to bird flu spread, global study finds

  13-10-2016 20:00
  
  Monitoring the migration routes of wild birds could help to provide early warning of potential bird flu outbreaks, experts say.
  
  Read more

• Future of Antarctic marine protected areas at risk

  13-10-2016 20:00
  
  Antarctica's surrounding waters are home to some of the healthiest marine ecosystems on Earth and support thriving populations of krill, seabirds, fish and whales. But efforts to establish a network of effective Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Southern Ocean are being hobbled by political infighting and demands that prioritize fishing interests over conservation by members of the international consortium tasked with conserving the region, Stanford scientists say.
  
  Read more

• Extraterrestrial impact preceded ancient global warming event

  13-10-2016 20:00
  
  In a new study, scientists say they have found evidence along the New Jersey coast that an extraterrestrial object hit the earth at the same time a mysterious release of carbon dioxide suddenly warmed the planet, some 55.6 million years ago. The warm period, known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), is often cited as the closest analog to today's rapid human-induced climate change. The study does not explicitly say that an impact triggered the PETM, but the implication is consistent
  
  Read more

• Drivers of evolution hidden in plain sight

  13-10-2016 20:00
  
  Research led by the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and the University of Washington has shown that the biological diversity needed for evolution can be generated by changes in protein modifications. The findings, published today in Science, provide valuable insights into how different species adapt to different environments and could shed light on how pathogens evolve and become resistant to drugs.
  
  Read more

• Antifungal RNA spray could help fight barley crop disease

  13-10-2016 20:00
  
  Spraying barley crops with RNA molecules that inhibit fungus growth could help protect the plants against disease, according to a new study published in PLOS Pathogens.
  
  Read more

• Facebook now lets cast videos to your TV - TechCrunch

  13-10-2016 19:41 via techcrunch.com
  
  TechCrunch
  Facebook now lets cast videos to your TV
  TechCrunch
  Facebook wants you to lean back and watch its News Feed videos on your television with a new feature that lets you stream clips via Apple TV, AirPlay devices, Google Chromecast, and Google Cast devices. The move could help Facebook generate more ...
  Facebook adds Apple TV & Chromecast support to Web and iOS videosAppleInsider (press release) (blog)
  Facebook App Gains Video Streaming Support for Apple TVMac Rumors
  Facebook n
  
  Read more

• Next-generation navigation system uses existing cellular signals, not GPS, will support autonomous vehicle development

  13-10-2016 19:06
  
  A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside has developed a highly reliable and accurate navigation system that exploits existing environmental signals such as cellular and Wi-Fi, rather than the Global Positioning System (GPS). The technology can be used as a standalone alternative to GPS, or complement current GPS-based systems to enable highly reliable, consistent, and tamper-proof navigation. The technology could be used to develop navigation systems that meet the string
  
  Read more

• LRO Spacecraft Reveals Earth’s Moon Hit by Surprising Number of Meteoroids

  13-10-2016 19:06 via scitechdaily.com
  
  A newly published study reveals that a random bombardment by comets, asteroids and associated fragments are altering the lunar surface at a higher rate than previously thought. After simulating the distant view of a new impact, the camera zooms up to the surface to show actual before/after images of a new 12-meter crater taken by […]
  The post LRO Spacecraft Reveals Earth’s Moon Hit by Surprising Number of Meteoroids appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
  Read more

• Biologists use genomics to identify evolving new bird species in southern Idaho

  13-10-2016 19:06
  
  The South Hills crossbill, potentially a newly discovered species of finch, has evolved over the past 6,000 years with a unique dependence on its food source, the Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine, in a coevolutionary arms race that also changed the tree, according to a genomic study led by Tom Parchman, a biologist at the University of Nevada, Reno.
  
  Read more

• Obama Turns Attention to 'Space Weather' Chaos

  13-10-2016 18:52 via nbcnews.com
  
  The president warned that space weather, such as solar flares, could lead to widespread disruptions in the power grid, and disrupt life on Earth.
  
  Read more

• Astronomers Reveal That Proxima Centauri Might Be More Sunlike Than Previously Thought

  13-10-2016 18:45 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New research from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics reveals that the nearby star Proxima Centauri shows signs of a 7-year activity cycle. In August astronomers announced that the nearby star Proxima Centauri hosts an Earth-sized planet (called Proxima b) in its habitable zone. At first glance, Proxima Centauri seems nothing like our Sun. It’s a […]
  The post Astronomers Reveal That Proxima Centauri Might Be More Sunlike Than Previously Thought appeared first on SciTech
  
  Read more

• Ornamental plants for conserving bees, beneficial insects

  13-10-2016 18:43
  
  Insects play a vital role in ecosystem health, helping to aerate soil, keeping the natural system in balance, and preventing detrimental pests from taking over essential natural resources. Additionally, insects provide critical biological services such as pollination and biological controls. The authors of a study in the August 2106 issue of HortScience say that flowering ornamental plants have the potential to support beneficial insect communities, such as pollinating bees, wasps, and predatory
  
  Read more

• Spacecraft 'nuclear batteries' could get a boost from new materials

  13-10-2016 18:42
  
  No extension cord is long enough to reach another planet, and there's no spacecraft charging station along the way. That's why researchers are hard at work on ways to make spacecraft power systems more efficient, resilient and long-lasting.
  
  Read more

• How shoot removal, rootstock cultivar affect grafting tomatoes

  13-10-2016 18:40
  
  As small-acreage and organic vegetable growers increasingly utilize high tunnels, researchers are working to determine effective production strategies to help limit soilborne diseases. Grafting interspecific hybrid rootstock has been shown to be effective for tomato growers, but the technique is not without its challenges. "Small-acreage growers would like to produce grafted plants themselves, but many have difficulty with propagation due to water stress in the scion postgrafting and/or high tem
  
  Read more

• How UFOs can improve sweet cherry production

  13-10-2016 18:39
  
  Sweet cherry growers must address many challenges to producing marketable crops, including high labor costs, pests, diseases, rain-induced cracking, and bird damage. The authors of a new study (HortScience, August 2016) say that high-density tree training systems can help growers make sweet cherry production more efficient and reduce pesticide use. Tiffany Law and Gregory Lang, from the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University, evaluated the first-year establishment of upright fru
  
  Read more

• Why some hummingbirds choose to balloon up before flying south

  13-10-2016 18:33
  
  New U of T Scarborough research has found adult ruby-throated hummingbirds choose to pack on significant weight in the four days before their long migratory flights south for the winter.
  
  Read more

• Periscope extends beyond phones as Twitter ups ante on video

  13-10-2016 18:29
  
  Twitter is taking the smartphone shackles off its live-video service Periscope in its latest attempt to broaden its audience.
  
  Read more

• That jumping spider can hear you from across the room

  13-10-2016 18:00
  
  According to the standard textbooks, spiders are acutely sensitive to airborne vibrations from nearby sources. That is, they are supposed to respond to sounds and "hear," but only when the sound is coming from a few centimeters or so away. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on October 13 have found that jumping spiders, and most likely other spiders too, can actually hear sounds over much greater distances.
  
  Read more

• Researchers identify enzyme that removes molecular modifications from transfer RNA

  13-10-2016 18:00
  
  New research by scientists from the University of Chicago demonstrates that the enzyme ALKBH1 can remove molecular modifications from transfer RNA, causing a measurable effect on protein translation in the cell. The study, published Oct. 13 in Cell, sheds new light on how cells control gene expression, and suggests the possibility that transfer RNA (tRNA) influences cellular processes beyond protein translation.
  
  Read more

• Extreme Antarctica ice melt provides glimpse of ecosystem response to global climate change

  13-10-2016 18:00
  
  New research led by Portland State University glacier scientist Andrew Fountain reveals how a single warming event in Antarctica may be an indication of future ecosystem changes.
  
  Read more

• Chemists design organic molecules that glow persistently at room temperature

  13-10-2016 18:00
  
  LEDs have inspired a new generation of electronics, but there is still work ahead if we want luminescent materials to consume less energy and have longer lifespans. Certain inorganic metals seem promising, but they are rare, expensive to process, and potentially toxic. In Chem on October 13, researchers in China present an alternative: a group of metal-free phosphorescent molecules that efficiently and persistently glow different colors at room temperature and are potentially three times more ef
  
  Read more

• Antarctica is practically defined by ice: What happens when it melts?

  13-10-2016 18:00
  
  A single season of intense melting buffeted Antarctica in 2001-2002. It yielded changes that ranged from speeding up microbial food webs to shifting penguin populations. A special section in the October issue of BioScience examines the impacts on two very different Antarctic ecosystems.
  
  Read more

Follow @NewslockSciTech on Twitter!