Sci-Tech news

• Civilization VI review: Learning from some (but not all) of history's mistakes - PCWorld

  25-10-2016 23:25 via pcworld.com
  
  PCWorld
  Civilization VI review: Learning from some (but not all) of history's mistakes
  PCWorld
  Just like that, five days are gone. I fell into quite a few “One More Turn” traps over the weekend, looked up more than once to realize it was past 3 A.M., and I come before you now having made my way through three Civilization VI campaigns. I've got ...
  Sid Meier's Civilization 6 reviewPolygon
  Review: 'Civilization 6' Fixes Most of the Series' Biggest FlawsTIME
  Review: 'Sid Meier's Civili
  
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• Apple spins services with iPhone sales slumping (Update)

  25-10-2016 22:47
  
  Apple's quarterly profit slumped on a widely expected drop in iPhone sales, but gains in services offered some optimism on the company's efforts to curb dependence on its smartphone.
  
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• Apple quarterly profit slips 19% on lower iPhone sales

  25-10-2016 22:47
  
  Apple said Tuesday its profit over the past quarter fell 19 percent to $9 billion, pulled down by a widely expected drop in iPhone sales.
  
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• First results of NSTX-U research operations presented

  25-10-2016 22:46
  
  First results of NSTX-U research operations presented at the International Atomic Energy Agency Conference in Kyoto, Japan
  
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• AT&T says new streaming service will cost $35 a month

  25-10-2016 22:45
  
  AT&T says a streaming service with more than 100 popular TV channels that's coming out next month will cost $35 a month.
  
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• Caught 'napping': First direct evidence of migratory hoary bats hibernating

  25-10-2016 22:43
  
  Perched among the branches and needles of California's redwood forests are nestled wayfaring hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus). A migratory species capable of traveling hundreds of miles, hoary bats may wander throughout western North America before settling into California's north coast...to sleep.
  
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• We Left the Internet Vulnerable to Hackers. Now We're Paying the Price. - Slate Magazine

  25-10-2016 22:41 via slate.com
  
  USA TODAY
  We Left the Internet Vulnerable to Hackers. Now We're Paying the Price.
  Slate Magazine
  cyber security. There are now about 10 billion Internet of Things devices in the world: That's a lot of bots that a hacker can enslave for an attack. tiero/Thinkstock. On the day (perhaps not long from now) when the entire internet crashes, no one will ...
  How one rent-a-botnet army of cameras, DVRs caused Internet chaosArs Technica
  Dyn attack: U.S. Senator wants to know why IoT security is so anemi
  
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• How friendship networks at college impact students' academic and social success

  25-10-2016 22:35
  
  Student friendships at college should not be underestimated, as they can either help or hinder students academically and socially, according to a Dartmouth study "Friends with Academic Benefits," published in the current issue of Contexts. The article by Janice McCabe, associate professor of sociology at Dartmouth, serves as a precursor to her upcoming book, "Connecting in College: How Friendship Networks Matter for Academics and Social Success" (University of Chicago Press, to be released Novem
  
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• SLAC, Stanford launch 'Bits & Watts,' the first-of-its-kind holistic approach to creating the 21st century electric grid

  25-10-2016 22:33
  
  To stave off the worst effects of global warming, energy experts say society needs to switch to low-carbon, inexpensive energy sources like wind and solar on a massive scale. But it will be a challenge to add large numbers of these variable sources to today's electric grid without throwing it off balance and triggering potential outages.
  
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• Indian roadside refuse fires produce toxic rainbow

  25-10-2016 22:30
  
  Samples of smoke particles emanating from burning roadside trash piles in India have shown that their chemical composition and toxicityare very bad for human health.
  
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• Scientists assess bleaching damage on Great Barrier Reef

  25-10-2016 22:28
  
  Scientists are surveying the continuing aftermath of the worst coral bleaching event ever recorded on the Great Barrier Reef.
  
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• Why do consumers pay more? Research finds the surprising effect of consumer local identity

  25-10-2016 22:27
  
  New research by a Rice University marketing professor debunks a long-held belief by companies that they could charge more for locally produced goods and services because of consumers' sense of attachment to their community. The study, published in the Journal of Marketing, determined consumers with a local identity will pay more than consumers with a global identity even when a product's country of origin is unknown.
  
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• Study shows that space travel affects spine of astronauts

  25-10-2016 22:23
  
  How does space travel affect the spine? Astronauts on long missions in space have atrophy of the muscles supporting the spine—which don't return to normal even several weeks after their return to Earth, reports a study in Spine.
  
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• Robotic cleaning technique could automate neuroscience research

  25-10-2016 22:19
  
  For scientists listening in on the faint whispers of brain neurons, a first-ever robotic technique for cleaning the tiny devices that record the signals could facilitate a new level of automation in neuroscience research. That could accelerate the gathering of information used to map the functions of brain cells and ultimately provide a better understanding what's going on between our ears.
  
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• Apple's MacBook Pro event: what to expect - The Verge

  25-10-2016 22:07 via theverge.com
  
  The Verge
  Apple's MacBook Pro event: what to expect
  The Verge
  If there has been one refrain from Apple fans over the past year, it's that the Mac is well overdue for an upgrade. This week, it looks like it's finally going to get one. Apple is holding an event at its Cupertino campus on Thursday where it's ...
  Official Apple images show new MacBook Pro with OLED 'Magic Toolbar,' Touch ID, new speaker designAppleInsider (press release) (blog)
  More leaked macOS assets show Touch ID on new MacBook
  
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• What to Expect From Microsoft's October Windows Event - PC Magazine

  25-10-2016 22:02 via pcmag.com
  
  PC Magazine
  What to Expect From Microsoft's October Windows Event
  PC Magazine
  Get ready to fire off your wittiest tweets tomorrow, when Microsoft will be live in New York City with a Windows 10 press event. The official announcement only includes the date and time—10 a.m. Eastern—and a link to Microsoft's live stream, but we ...
  New Windows 10 preview build updates 2 apps, makes Narrator more awareDigital Trends
  Microsoft Surface Studio, Surface Laptop, Dial - Trademarks Filed - The
  
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• A Washington Ritual: Reading John Podesta's Stolen Emails

  25-10-2016 22:00
  Poring through thousands of private, stolen emails from Hillary Clinton's confidants has become a daily ritual in Washington
  
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• PHOTOS: Nikon's 2016 Small World Photography Contest Winners

  25-10-2016 21:16
  
  Nikon's 2016 World Microscopic Photography Contest Winners
  
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• Robots Taking Down the Internet Was Scary? Look at This...

  25-10-2016 20:46 via nbcnews.com
  
  After seeing the artificially intelligent "Nightmare Machine" created by M.I.T. researchers, you may never look at Clinton or Trump the same way.
  
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• The ExoMars spacecraft's crash landing may have been caused by a computer glitch - The Verge

  25-10-2016 20:39 via theverge.com
  
  International Business Times
  The ExoMars spacecraft's crash landing may have been caused by a computer glitch
  The Verge
  Europe and Russia's ExoMars lander may have suffered a computer glitch during its descent to Mars last week, ultimately causing it to crash-land into the planet's surface, Nature reports. As the lander fell, the mysterious software bug may have caused ...
  ExoMars Schiaparelli Lander May Have Crashed Because Of A Computer GlitchInternational Business Times
  Did a computer glitch
  
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• Harvard Engineers Create the First Fully 3D-Printed Heart-on-a-Chip

  25-10-2016 20:06 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Engineers from Harvard University have made the first entirely 3D-printed organ-on-a-chip with integrated sensing. Using a fully automated, digital manufacturing procedure, the 3D-printed heart-on-a-chip can be quickly fabricated and customized, allowing researchers to easily collect reliable data for short-term and long-term studies. This new approach to manufacturing may one day allow researchers to rapidly design […]
  The post Harvard Engineers Create the First Fully 3D-Printed Heart-on
  
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• Obama Just Got Trolled on Snapchat... By His Daughters

  25-10-2016 20:02 via nbcnews.com
  
  Obama's youngest daughter, Sasha, taught the president how to use Snapchat - while sneakily recording him lecturing her on social media.
  
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• STAT2: Much more than an antiviral protein

  25-10-2016 20:00
  
  A protein known for guarding against viral infections leads a double life, new research shows, and can interfere with cell growth and the defense against parasites. In a new paper publishing 25 October in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, Johnathan Ho and Uwe Vinkemeier at the University of Nottingham, UK, and colleagues describe the duplicitous nature of this essential protein, called STAT2, which they discovered while investigating the mechanisms behind interferon signaling.
  
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• Save the vaquita: Plea at world whale assembly

  25-10-2016 19:50
  
  The vaquita, a diminutive Mexican porpoise feared near-extinct, made a big splash at a world whaling meeting Tuesday with pleas to arrest illegal fishing to prevent its extermination.
  
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• Judge approves $15 billion Volkswagen emissions settlement

  25-10-2016 19:43
  
  A federal judge in San Francisco has approved a nearly $15 billion court settlement of most claims against Volkswagen for its emissions-cheating scandal.
  
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• Google adds digital whiteboard to expanding device lineup

  25-10-2016 19:43
  
  Google has designed a giant touch-screen canvas for companies trying to make it easier for their employees to brainstorm as they work on team projects and other assignments.
  
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• Anger still flares after judge OKs Volkswagen emissions deal (Update)

  25-10-2016 19:43
  
  A federal judge approved the largest auto-scandal settlement in U.S. history Tuesday, giving nearly a half-million Volkswagen owners and leaseholders the choice between selling their cars back or having them repaired so they don't cheat on emissions tests and spew excess pollution.
  
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• Politics and social media: Americans see overload

  25-10-2016 19:40
  
  The political debate on Facebook and Twitter is getting too mean for many Americans.
  
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• Dutch unveil giant vacuum to clean outside air

  25-10-2016 19:39
  
  Dutch inventors Tuesday unveiled what they called the world's first giant outside air vacuum cleaner—a large purifying system intended to filter out toxic tiny particles from the atmosphere surrounding the machine.
  
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• New method reduces amount of training data needed for facial performance capture system

  25-10-2016 19:33
  
  Disney Research has found a way to tailor a facial capture system to the characteristics of a specific actor's expressions while dramatically reducing the time and effort it would normally require.
  
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• Ant genomics help reshape biological history of the Americas

  25-10-2016 19:32
  
  Scientists have long believed that the Isthmus of Panama emerged from the ocean three million years ago, triggering a massive interchange of species between the Americas in its wake. However, recent conflict in both geological and biological literature suggests that this simple story is insufficient to explain the available evidence. In a new study, published in the journal of Molecular Ecology, Field Museum scientists explored questions fundamental to this interchange using novel genomic method
  
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• Are the lives of the one percent less lavish than we think?

  25-10-2016 19:31
  
  Around the world, growing concern about economic inequality has resulted in a polarized view of what it means to be "extremely" wealthy.
  
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• Long, Curved, Akimbo: Hope Uncovered for Bird Beak Deformity

  25-10-2016 19:29
  Researchers are hoping they've found what's causing some bird species' beaks to grow twice as fast as normal
  
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• What happens when people are treated like pollution?

  25-10-2016 19:24
  
  In cities where homeless persons are viewed as an "environmental contaminant"—a form of pollution, efforts to purge the homeless from the area tend to push them to the fringes of the community and diminish their access to the urban environment and the resources it provides, according to an article published in Environmental Justice, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers. The article is available free on the Environmental Justice website until November 28, 2
  
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• Scientists Generate the Fastest Electric Current Ever Measured Inside a Solid Material

  25-10-2016 19:15 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using ultrafast laser flashes, physicists from the Max Planck Institute have generated the fastest electric current that has ever been measured inside a solid material. In the field of electronics, the principle ‘the smaller, the better’ applies. Some building blocks of computers or mobile phones, however, have become nearly as small today as only a […]
  The post Scientists Generate the Fastest Electric Current Ever Measured Inside a Solid Material appeared first on SciTech Dai
  
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• 10 Years of Revolutionary Solar Views from NASA’s STEREO Mission

  25-10-2016 19:06 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Ten years ago the twin STEREO spacecraft joined a fleet of NASA spacecraft monitoring the sun and its influence on Earth and space – and they provided a new and unique perspective. Launched 10 years ago, on October 25, 2006, the twin spacecraft of NASA’s STEREO mission – short for Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory […]
  The post 10 Years of Revolutionary Solar Views from NASA’s STEREO Mission appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Google is trying to reinvent the whiteboard - Computerworld

  25-10-2016 18:29 via computerworld.com
  
  WIRED
  Google is trying to reinvent the whiteboard
  Computerworld
  What's big, red and supposed to be the next big thing in workplace collaboration? Google's new Jamboard, a massive touch display and accompanying cloud service that's supposed to help business users brainstorm together. Jamboard works like a digital ...
  Google gets into the whiteboard businessTechCrunch
  Google adds digital whiteboard to expanding device lineupTulsa World
  Google's Jamboard is a 4K digital whiteboard for collabo
  
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• Cheaper phones are fine—if top-end camera isn't a must

  25-10-2016 17:55
  
  You can easily save hundreds of dollars on an Android phone—especially if you, like many people, don't need a top-end camera.
  
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• Improved water splitting advances renewable energy conversion

  25-10-2016 17:52
  
  Washington State University researchers have found a way to more efficiently create hydrogen from water - an important key in making renewable energy production and storage viable.
  
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• University of Washington gets $210M from Gates Foundation

  25-10-2016 17:30
  
  The University of Washington is getting $210 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help build a new facility to advance efforts to improve the health and well-being of people around the world, officials said Tuesday.
  
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• Gates Foundation gives University of Washington $210 million

  25-10-2016 17:30
  
  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving the University of Washington $210 million to help build a new facility to advance efforts to improve the health and well-being of people worldwide, officials said Tuesday.
  
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• Fluorescent holography: Upending the world of biological imaging

  25-10-2016 17:26
  
  Optical microscopy experts at Colorado State University are once again pushing the envelope of biological imaging.
  
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• Scientists root for more cassava research to help meet greater demand for food

  25-10-2016 17:16
  
  Global food demand is expected to grow by 110 per cent over the next 30 to 35 years, and for many of the poorest people on the planet, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, cassava is the most important source of calories. Cassava is also important as a crop that is resistant to climate change, but it has not received the same amount of attention as other staple food crops.
  
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• Researchers identify genes for 'Help me!' aromas from corn

  25-10-2016 17:16
  
  When corn seedlings are nibbled by caterpillars, they defend themselves by releasing scent compounds that attract parasitic wasps whose larvae consume the caterpillar—but not all corn varieties are equally effective at giving the chemical signal for help.
  
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• Researchers find weakness in common computer chip

  25-10-2016 17:15
  
  Researchers from Binghamton University—State University of New York and the University of California, Riverside have found a weakness in the Haswell central processing unit (CPU) components that makes common computer operating systems vulnerable to malicious attacks.
  
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• Supersonic phenomena, the key to extremely low heat loss nano-electronics

  25-10-2016 17:14
  
  Freak waves, as well as other less striking localised excitations, occur in nature at every scale. The current theory and models of such waves can be applied to physics and, among others, to oceanography, nonlinear optics and lasers, acoustics, plasmas, cosmological relativity and neuro-dynamics. However, they could also play a significant role at the quantum scale in nano-electronics. In a recent study, Manuel G. Velarde from the Pluridisciplinary Institute of the University Complutense of Madr
  
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• Genome editing: Efficient CRISPR experiments in mouse cells

  25-10-2016 17:13
  
  In order to use the CRISPR-Cas9 system to cut genes, researchers must design an RNA sequence that matches the DNA of the target gene. Most genes have hundreds of such sequences, with varying activity and uniqueness in the genome. The search for the best sequences is therefore hardly achievable by hand. The new "CrispRGold" program helps scientists to identify the most effective and specific RNA sequences. It has been devised by a group of researchers headed by Prof. Klaus Rajewsky of the Max Del
  
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• NASA's Aqua satellite sees Tropical Cyclone 3B developing in Bay of Bengal

  25-10-2016 17:12
  
  A tropical low pressure area previously designated System 99B has been lingering in the Northern Indian Ocean's Bay of Bengal for days and as NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead, the storm was consolidating into a tropical storm.
  
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• Making silicon-germanium core fibers a reality

  25-10-2016 17:12
  
  Glass fibres do everything from connecting us to the internet to enabling keyhole surgery by delivering light through medical devices such as endoscopes. But as versatile as today's fiber optics are, scientists around the world have been working to expand their capabilities by adding semiconductor core materials to the glass fibers.
  
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• State partnerships can promote increased bio-energy production, reduce emissions

  25-10-2016 17:11
  
  Under the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan, states soon could be mandated to significantly reduce carbon emissions. Researchers at the University of Missouri have identified the most effective ways for various Midwest states to partner and share resources in order to increase the amount of renewable energy they produce through burning woody biomass, which is recognized as a carbon neutral source of energy. Francisco Aguilar, an associate professor of forestry in the MU Co
  
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