Sci-Tech news

• What's behind Amazon's frantic hiring binge

  14-10-2016 22:26 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Amazon announced Thursday that it's hiring 120,000 seasonal workers. That's the equivalent of hiring nearly every resident in Waco, Texas, or Charleston, South Carolina.
  
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• US bans Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones from airliners

  14-10-2016 22:20
  
  The Transportation Department is issuing an emergency order banning passengers and flight crews from bringing Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones on airline flights in response to reports of the phones catching fire.
  
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• Gov't bans Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones from airliners

  14-10-2016 22:20
  
  Passengers and flight crews will be banned from bringing Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on airline flights under an emergency order issued Friday by the Department of Transportation in response to reports of the phones catching fire.
  
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• Giving credit where credit is due

  14-10-2016 22:14
  
  Solving today's environmental problems involves vast amounts of data, which have to be gathered, stored, retrieved, analyzed and—increasingly—cited in academic journals. That last step, however, presents a problem.
  
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• Anyone can chat with the White House... through a bot

  14-10-2016 22:14
  
  It's now easy to chat on Facebook Messenger with the White House— or more accurately through the presidential "bot" released by the Obama administration on Friday.
  
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• Diamonds aren't forever: Team create first quantum computer bridge

  14-10-2016 21:12
  
  By forcefully embedding two silicon atoms in a diamond matrix, Sandia researchers have demonstrated for the first time on a single chip all the components needed to create a quantum bridge to link "People have already built small quantum computers," says Sandia researcher Ryan Camacho. "Maybe the first useful one won't be a single giant quantum computer but a connected cluster of small ones."
  
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• Top Twitter suitor walks away: report

  14-10-2016 21:11
  
  Twitter shares nose-dived on Friday after the Financial Times reported a top suitor walked away, making it likely the one-to-many messaging service will be left to fly solo.
  
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• Lego-like wall produces acoustic holograms

  14-10-2016 21:11
  
  Research Triangle engineers have developed a simple, energy-efficient way to create three-dimensional acoustic holograms. The technique could revolutionize applications ranging from home stereo systems to medical ultrasound devices.
  
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• With designer lignin, biofuels researchers reproduced evolutionary path

  14-10-2016 21:08
  
  When scientists reported in 2014 that they had successfully engineered a poplar plant "designed for deconstruction," the finding made international news. The highly degradable poplar, the first of its kind, could substantially reduce the energy use and cost of converting biomass to a number of products, including biofuels, pulp and paper.
  
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• Physicists pass spin information through a superconductor

  14-10-2016 21:06
  
  Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have made a discovery that could lay the foundation for quantum superconducting devices. Their breakthrough solves one the main challenges to quantum computing: how to transmit spin information through superconducting materials.
  
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• JILA's superradiant laser may one day boost atomic clocks

  14-10-2016 21:03
  
  JILA physicists have demonstrated a novel laser design based on synchronized emissions of light from the same type of atoms used in advanced atomic clocks. The laser could be stable enough to improve atomic clock performance a hundredfold and even serve as a clock itself, while also advancing other scientific quests such as making accurate "rulers" for measuring astronomical distances.
  
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• VW fix for some cheating diesels could be approved soon

  14-10-2016 20:02
  
  Repairs that would fix about 15 percent of Volkswagen's cheating 2-liter diesel engines could be approved by regulators in the next few weeks.
  
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• VISTA Finds Remains of Archaic Globular Star Cluster in The Milky Way

  14-10-2016 19:06 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using ESO’s infrared VISTA telescope, astronomers have discovered ancient stars, of a type known as RR Lyrae, in the center of the Milky Way for the first time. RR Lyrae stars typically reside in ancient stellar populations over 10 billion years old. Their discovery suggests that the bulging center of the Milky Way likely grew […]
  The post VISTA Finds Remains of Archaic Globular Star Cluster in The Milky Way appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• If This Election Makes You Confuse Fact with Fiction, Google Can Help

  14-10-2016 19:02 via nbcnews.com
  
  It's been tough to cut through the clutter this election cycle, but Google is here to help.
  
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• Study finds surface texture of gallium nitride affects cell behavior

  14-10-2016 19:00
  
  Researchers at North Carolina State University have determined that the surface texture of gallium nitride (GaN) materials can influence the health of nearby cells. The work is significant because GaN is a material of interest for developing new devices that can control cellular behavior.
  
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• Experiment to Weigh 'Ghost Particles' Starts in Germany

  14-10-2016 18:58 via abcnews.go.com
  Scientists in Germany have flipped the switch on a ?60 million ($66 million) device designed to help determine the mass of the universe's lightest particle
  
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• WATCH: Airlines to Carry Containment Bags in Case Electronics Catch Fire

  14-10-2016 18:56 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Delta, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines will stock the bags on oversea flights.
  
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• Yahoo Restores Automatic Email Forwarding After Brief Outage

  14-10-2016 18:52 via abcnews.go.com
  Yahoo says it has restored automatic email forwarding after a brief outage sent a flutter of indignation across the internet
  
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• Lawmakers Ask the White House to Review Yahoo's Email Spying

  14-10-2016 18:52 via nbcnews.com
  
  A group of lawmakers asked the Obama administration to brief Congress "as soon as possible" about a 2015 Yahoo program to scan incoming email.
  
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• Genetic diversity crucial to Florida scrub-jay's survival

  14-10-2016 18:51
  
  Ithaca, NY-Legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold once advised: "To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering." For the Endangered Florida Scrub-Jay, new research shows that saving every last grouping among its small and scattered remnant populations is vital to preserving genetic diversity—and the long-term survival of the species. 
  
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• MIT’s Alcator C-Mod Tokamak Nuclear Fusion Reactor Sets World Record

  14-10-2016 18:44 via scitechdaily.com
  
  MIT’s Alcator C-Mod tokamak nuclear fusion reactor set a new world record, achieving over 2 atmospheres of pressure for the first time. On Friday, September 30, at 9:25 p.m. EDT, scientists and engineers at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center made a leap forward in the pursuit of clean energy. The team set a new […]
  The post MIT’s Alcator C-Mod Tokamak Nuclear Fusion Reactor Sets World Record appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Will the Real Iron Man Voice Zuckerberg's Robot Butler?

  14-10-2016 18:39 via nbcnews.com
  
  Mark Zuckerberg is building an AI system for his home, like Jarvis in the "Iron Man" movie series. And Iron Man himself may be the voice.
  
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• Quantum Physics – Teleporting Toward a Quantum Internet

  14-10-2016 18:33 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New experiments in Calgary tested quantum teleportation in actual infrastructure, representing a major step forward for the technology. Quantum physics is a field that appears to give scientists superpowers. Those who understand the world of extremely small or cold particles can perform amazing feats with them — including teleportation — that appear to bend reality. […]
  The post Quantum Physics – Teleporting Toward a Quantum Internet appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Computer taught to intuitively predict chemical properties of molecules

  14-10-2016 18:21
  
  Scientists from MIPT's Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, together with Inria research center, Grenoble, France, have developed a software package called Knodle to determine an atom's hybridization, bond orders and functional groups' annotation in molecules. The program streamlines one of the stages of developing new drugs. A paper on the new development has been published in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling.
  
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• Forever quantum: physicists demonstrate everlasting quantum coherence

  14-10-2016 18:00
  
  (Phys.org)—Physicists have implemented the first experimental demonstration of everlasting quantum coherence—the phenomenon that occurs when a quantum system exists in a superposition of two or more states at once. Typically, quantum coherence lasts for only a fraction of a second before decoherence destroys the effect due to interactions between the quantum system and its surrounding environment.
  
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• Researchers discover microbes able to convert compounds released from coal directly into methane

  14-10-2016 17:55
  
  (Phys.org)—A team of researchers with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan has discovered the existence of a microbe that is able to convert organic compounds released from coal directly into methane. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes the experiments they conducted and the microbes they found. Cornelia Welte, with Radboud University in the Netherlands, offers a Perspective piece in the same journal issue explaining
  
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• NASA sees Tropical Storm Sarika approaching the Philippines

  14-10-2016 17:50
  
  NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible look at Tropical Storm Sarika after it formed and continued tracking toward the Philippines. Sarika was formerly known as Tropical Depression 24W.
  
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• Agriculture development and its imprints in environmental records during Neolithic Age in North China

  14-10-2016 17:48
  
  China has a long tradition of agriculture production. Millet crops including foxtail millet and broomcorn millet were first domesticated in North China. Tthereafter, the development of millet-based agriculture (also called "rain-fed" agriculture) provided an important foundation for the emergence of ancient Chinese civilization, which might have also exerted unprecedented impact on natural environments.
  
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• Plant discovered that neither photosynthesizes nor blooms

  14-10-2016 17:45
  
  Project Associate Professor Kenji Suetsugu (Kobe University Graduate School of Science) has discovered a new species of plant on the subtropical Japanese island of Kuroshima (located off the southern coast of Kyushu in Kagoshima prefecture) and named it Gastrodia kuroshimensis. This research was published on October 14 in the Phytotaxa.
  
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• Physicists dispel Rayleigh's curse

  14-10-2016 17:45
  
  The resolution of an optical system (like a telescope or a camera) is limited by the so-called Rayleigh criterion. An international team, led by Complutense University of Madrid, has broken this limit, showing that it is not a fundamental curse. This opens the door to considerable improvement in resolution and could force the revision of optics textbooks. This research is the culmination of a thrilling race between four groups of scientists around the world.
  
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• NASA sees large Hurricane Nicole moving past Bermuda

  14-10-2016 17:45
  
  Hurricane Nicole made landfall in Bermuda around 11 a.m. EDT on Oct. 13, and NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of the storm within the hour.
  
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• Adding windows to vacant houses and clearing vacant lots reduces gun violence, saves money

  14-10-2016 17:40
  
  Each dollar spent repairing abandoned buildings and vacant lots reduces neighborhood gun violence by as much as 39 percent and yields, respectively, a $5 and $26 return on investment (ROI) to taxpayers, and a $79 and $333 ROI to society at large through steps like installing working windows and doors in abandoned buildings, as well as removing trash and debris, and planting grass and trees.
  
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• Artificial enzyme for asymmetric synthesis using a synthetic chiral polymer

  14-10-2016 17:35
  Enzymes, high-molecular-weight chiral polymeric compounds, are complex biological catalysts. Capture of the substrate molecule, catalyzing the reaction, and release of the product are three important events performed by enzymes. In order to accomplish these important events using a synthetic catalyst, it must necessarily have a large molecular weight. However, synthetic chiral polymers for this purpose have not been designed so far. A research team in the Department of Environmental and Life Sci
  
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• Fin24.com | Naspers to sell Allegro for $3.25bn

  14-10-2016 17:34
  
  Cinven Group has agreed to buy Naspers' Polish online auction site Allegro for $3.25bnn, taking on rivals such as EBay in the eastern European country.
  
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• Newly launched sensor system could turn every locomotive into a track monitor

  14-10-2016 17:33
  
  Railway experts at the University of Huddersfield Institute of Railway Research (IRR) are working with engineering giant Siemens to develop an inexpensive and easily-fitted sensor that could turn virtually every rail vehicle into a track monitor, detecting and transmitting vital information about the condition of rails and rail bed throughout the network.
  
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• Why 'Asgardia' is more likely to be a pie in the sky than a nation in space

  14-10-2016 17:30
  
  I have become citizen number 62 of Asgardia, a new space nation dedicated to expanding peaceful exploration of space for the benefit of humanity. It is led by Igor Ashurbeyli, chairman of UNESCO's Science of Space Committee and founder of the Aerospace International Research Centre in Vienna. At first glance, it's an amazing concept and surely one that every space scientist should welcome.
  
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• Hungary's anti-migrant fence disrupts wildlife habitats

  14-10-2016 17:20
  
  Hungary's razor-wire border fence aims to keep refugees from entering the country—but it's also blocking the natural migratory patterns of thousands of deer and other wild animals.
  
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• A fungal infection that could help researchers to understand some allergies

  14-10-2016 17:17
  
  Researchers from UPM have revealed how mold from humidity caused by rotting fruits and vegetables unfolds a surprising strategy to infect plants. 
  
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• How astronomy paved the way for terra nullius, and helped to get rid of it too

  14-10-2016 17:10
  
  If you take a walk in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, about 50km from central Sydney, you will come across an engraving of a large emu in the tessellated sandstone overlooking the surrounding countryside. On a clear night, this site gives a panoramic view of the heavens with its twinkling stars and the bright streak of our home galaxy, the Milky Way.
  
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• Google adds fact-checking to news articles

  14-10-2016 17:10
  
  Google is adding "fact check" tags to its news articles, introducing the feature amid a US presidential race roiled by heated disputes over the accuracy of information.
  
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• Maritime archaeology expedition in Black Sea

  14-10-2016 17:09
  
  An expedition mapping submerged ancient landscapes, the first of its kind in the Black Sea, is making exciting discoveries.
  
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• Dartmouth-led team develops WristWhirl, a smartwatch prototype using wrist as a joystick

  14-10-2016 17:04
  
  Checking email, tracking fitness, and listening to music, are just a few things that a smartwatch can do but what if your hands aren't free (i.e. carrying groceries or holding a bus handle)? A Dartmouth-led team has come up with a solution by developing WristWhirl— a smartwatch prototype that uses the wrist wearing the watch as an always-available joystick to perform common touch screen gestures with one-handed continuous input.
  
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• Female chimpanzees don't fight for 'queen bee' status

  14-10-2016 17:03
  
  For wild chimpanzees, social status is more than just a matter of pride. High-ranking chimpanzees of both sexes usually have better access to food and mates, boosting chances of survival for themselves and their offspring.
  
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• People's tribunal accuses Monsanto of 'ecocide'

  14-10-2016 17:00
  
  Global activists Friday launched a people's tribunal, accusing giant US seeds firm Monsanto of violating human rights and committing the crime of "ecocide", by posing a "major threat" to the environment.
  
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• Is America still an 'empathetic and generous giant'?

  14-10-2016 16:59
  
  A first-of-its-kind study that ranks nations by empathy puts the United States at No. 7, behind countries ranging from Peru to Korea to Saudi Arabia.
  
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• In creation of cellular protein factories, less is sometimes more

  14-10-2016 16:58
  
  Ribosomes are the cellular machines that make proteins, the molecules that carry out the majority of life's functions. To make ribosomes, cells need to make an abundance of amino acids (the raw material of proteins) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP, the energy currency required to run the ribosome). However, the assembly of functional ribosomes also requires magnesium.
  
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• Bacteria can make underground nuclear waste repositories safer

  14-10-2016 16:57
  
  Naturally occurring bacteria could consume pent-up hydrogen gas in nuclear waste repositories to prevent radioactive leaks, say researchers at EPFL.
  
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• New extremely hard carbon nitride compound created

  14-10-2016 16:56
  
  New work from a team led by Carnegie's Alexander Goncharov has created a new extremely incompressible carbon nitride compound. They say it could be the prototype for a whole new family of superhard materials, due to the unexpected ratio of carbon and nitrogen atoms. Their work is published in the journal Chemistry of Materials.
  
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• Major advance in designer drug development

  14-10-2016 16:53
  
  In a world-first, researchers from The University of Queensland and University of Washington (UW) have produced tailor-made peptides – an advance expected to help improve drug design and environmentally-friendly pesticides.
  
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• Researchers identify new pathway in human pathogens

  14-10-2016 16:51
  
  Several of the more aggressive pathogens that infect humans can thrive in an oxygen-free environment of the human gut. These pathogens also have the ability to acquire the essential nutrient iron from an abundant cofactor, specifically heme (the cofactor that makes blood and muscle appear red).
  
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