Sci-Tech news

• Twitter's Chief Operating Officer to Step Down - New York Times

  09-11-2016 23:02 via nytimes.com
  New York Times
  Twitter's Chief Operating Officer to Step Down
  New York Times
  Adam Bain, who is leaving Twitter, was well liked by Wall Street for building up and running the company's advertising business. Credit Bryan Thomas for The New York Times. SAN FRANCISCO — For many months, Twitter has been trying to reshape itself as ...
  Twitter COO Adam Bain is stepping downBusiness Insider
  Twitter COO Bain Exits; Noto Ascends to PostWall Street Journal
  Twitter COO Flees The NestForbes
  USA
  
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• Blizzard wants to create 'Overwatch' league with city-specific video game fans

  09-11-2016 22:40
  
  Blizzard Entertainment pioneered e-sports with its "Starcraft" franchise more than a decade ago.
  
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• Peter Thiel's Bet on Donald Trump Pays Off - New York Times

  09-11-2016 22:33 via nytimes.com
  New York Times
  Peter Thiel's Bet on Donald Trump Pays Off
  New York Times
  Peter Thiel at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times. SAN FRANCISCO — Peter Thiel, the billionaire investor at odds with much of Silicon Valley, will have President Trump's ear on tech issues.
  Trump's shocking victory could squeeze Silicon Valley on immigration, tradeLos Angeles Times
  Post Election, Entrepreneurs Say It's Time To Look Beyond The Silicon Val
  
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• Drowning in a sea of messaging apps

  09-11-2016 21:40
  
  We've got too many ways to talk digitally. WhatsApp, HipChat, Slack, Facebook Messenger and more.
  
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• Amazon looks to clean house— literally

  09-11-2016 21:10
  
  Is Amazon.com thinking of providing good housekeeping as its next Prime member perk?
  
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• Silicon Valley Had This Response to a Trump Presidency

  09-11-2016 21:06 via nbcnews.com
  
  Trump has a contentious relationship with the tech community.
  
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• Review: Google's entry into smartphone design has some very cool features

  09-11-2016 20:30
  
  I always thought Google was missing out on a great opportunity in not having its own phone to take advantage of its Android operating system.
  
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• Hackers might be a pain, but we need them, expert says

  09-11-2016 20:20
  
  Sure, they might take your credit card information, stop you from watching Netflix and figure a way to use any key fob to access your car, but don't think too poorly of hackers.
  
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• Southern wildfires create smoky haze, prompt health concerns

  09-11-2016 20:04
  
  Wildfires burning across the South have created a smoky haze over metro Atlanta and prompted a public health advisory in Kentucky—and the forests are expected to continue burning for days as flaming leaves fall to the ground and spread the fire, authorities said Wednesday.
  
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• Why do seabirds eat plastic? The answer stinks

  09-11-2016 20:00
  
  If it smells like food, and looks like food, it must be food, right?
  
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• Visitors to countryside not attracted by conservation importance

  09-11-2016 20:00
  
  Countryside visitors choose where to go based on the presence of features such as coastline, woodland or abundant footpaths, rather than a site's importance to conservation, according to new research.
  
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• The golden drool: Study finds treasure trove of info in saliva of foraging bears

  09-11-2016 20:00
  
  The rivers and streams of Alaska are littered in the summer and fall with carcasses of tens of thousands of salmon that not only provide a smorgasbord for hungry brown bears but are also the newest database in the arsenal of wildlife biologists.
  
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• Rising CO2 threatens coral and people who use reefs

  09-11-2016 20:00
  
  As atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels rise, very few coral reef ecosystems will be spared the impacts of ocean acidification or sea surface temperature rise, according to a new analysis. The damage will cause the most immediate and serious threats where human dependence on reefs is highest.
  
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• Remote sensing data reveals hundreds more species at risk of extinction

  09-11-2016 20:00
  
  A new Duke University-led study finds that more than 200 bird species in six rapidly developing regions are at risk of extinction despite not being included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
  
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• Narwhal echolocation beams may be the most directional of any species

  09-11-2016 20:00
  
  Analysis of some of the first recordings of wintering narwhals showed that they may have the most directional sonar of any species, according to a study published November 9, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Jens Koblitz from Bioacoustics Network, Germany, and colleagues.
  
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• A warm climate is more sensitive to changes in atmospheric CO2

  09-11-2016 20:00
  
  It is well-established in the scientific community that increases in atmospheric CO2 levels result in global warming, but the magnitude of the effect may vary depending on average global temperature. A new study, published this week in Science Advances and led by Tobias Friedrich from the International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) at the University of Hawai?i at Mānoa (UHM), concludes that warm climates are more sensitive to changes in CO2 levels than cold climates.
  
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• What it would really mean if Trump pulls the US out of the Paris climate agreement - Washington Post

  09-11-2016 19:55 via washingtonpost.com
  
  Washington Post
  What it would really mean if Trump pulls the US out of the Paris climate agreement
  Washington Post
  After Tuesday's U.S. election upset, climate change watchers and wonks are scrambling to assess what it would really mean if Donald Trump, true to his word, ditches or simply fails to participate in the Paris climate change agreement (which he could do ...
  We Can Make the Earth Great Again, Even Under President TrumpSlate Magazine
  Donald Trump's Victory Could Mean Disaster for
  
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• Markarian 1018: Starvation diet for black hole dims brilliant galaxy

  09-11-2016 19:53
  
  Astronomers may have solved the mystery of the peculiar volatile behavior of a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy. Combined data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other observatories suggest that the black hole is no longer being fed enough fuel to make its surroundings shine brightly.
  
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• Tinder world swiped for Clinton—except Russia

  09-11-2016 19:46
  
  Tinder users worldwide looking for their perfect political match swooned by and large for Hillary Clinton—all except for the Russians.
  
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• Accelerating cancer research with deep learning

  09-11-2016 19:45
  
  Despite steady progress in detection and treatment in recent decades, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States, cutting short the lives of approximately 500,000 people each year.
  
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• Geologists find key indicator of carbon sources in Earth's mantle

  09-11-2016 19:44
  
  Scientists have found a key indicator in determining whether the presence of carbon, found in the Earth's mantle, is derived from continental crust - a step toward better understanding the history of crustal formation on Earth's surface and the rate at which tectonic plates have moved throughout geologic time, which can be linked to the cooling of Earth's mantle.
  
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• Apple out of touch with both fans and average consumers

  09-11-2016 19:33
  
  Apple is looking more and more like it's lost its way. Revenue and earnings are falling. Sales of all its major products are in decline. Numerous individual products are getting long in the tooth, waiting years for updates. Even for products that are getting refreshed, the updates are underwhelming.
  
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• Study finds major ocean current is widening as climate warms

  09-11-2016 19:28
  
  A new study by University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science researchers found that the Indian Ocean's Agulhas Current is getting wider rather than strengthening. The findings, which have important implications for global climate change, suggest that intensifying winds in the region may be increasing the turbulence of the current, rather than increasing its flow rate.
  
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• Paralyzed monkeys regain control of their legs after brain implants - CNN

  09-11-2016 19:08 via cnn.com
  
  CNN
  Paralyzed monkeys regain control of their legs after brain implants
  CNN
  (CNN) A new form of brain implant could one day help people with paraplegia regain control of their legs, based on a new study proving its potential in paralyzed monkeys. Researchers at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland ...
  A small step for monkeys is a giant leap toward helping paralyzed people walk againLos Angeles Times
  Monkeys Regain Control Of Paralyzed Leg
  
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• Particles Exhibit Their Quantum Nature Close to Absolute Zero

  09-11-2016 19:03 via scitechdaily.com
  
  A newly published study from the Max Planck Institute reveals what would happen if an electric current no longer flowed, but trickled instead. What would happen if an electric current no longer flowed, but trickled instead? This was the question investigated by researchers working with Christian Ast at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State […]
  The post Particles Exhibit Their Quantum Nature Close to Absolute Zero appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• ESO Views Protoplanetary Discs Being Shaped by Newborn Planets

  09-11-2016 18:32 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using data from the SPHERE instrument mounted on ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers reveal protoplanetary discs being shaped by newborn planets. Sharp new observations have revealed striking features in planet-forming discs around young stars. The SPHERE instrument, mounted on ESO’s Very Large Telescope, has made it possible to observe the complex dynamics of young solar […]
  The post ESO Views Protoplanetary Discs Being Shaped by Newborn Planets appeared first on SciTech
  
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• Trump Win Raises Questions About US Pledge in Climate Deal

  09-11-2016 18:17
  Trump's election alarms environmentalists and climate scientists, raising questions about whether America, once again, would pull out of an international climate deal
  
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• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Views Wind Carved Rock on Mars

  09-11-2016 18:09 via scitechdaily.com
  
  This newly released NASA image shows wind carved rock on the surface of Mars. The distinctively fluted surface and elongated hills in this image in Medusae Fossae on Mars are caused by wind erosion of a soft fine-grained rock. Called yardangs, these features are aligned with the prevailing wind direction. This wind direction would have […]
  The post Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Views Wind Carved Rock on Mars appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• What makes Francisella such a bad actor?

  09-11-2016 18:00
  
  Scientists are gaining an insider's look behind the notorious infectivity of Francisella tularensis. This bacterium is an equal opportunity pathogen. It causes the disease tularemia in humans, rabbits and rodents, among others.
  
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• Lack of plasmodium surface-protein blocks mosquito infection

  09-11-2016 18:00
  
  A previously unknown feature of the malaria parasite development has just been published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
  
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• The double wonder of worms—research shows vermicomposting can produce cleaner soil and animal feed

  09-11-2016 17:56
  
  In North America, a whopping 30 to 40 per cent of our residential waste is organic—biodegradable garbage that could be composted but is often sent to landfills.
  
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• Focus on quiescent cells brings to light the essential role of RNA interference in transcription control

  09-11-2016 17:54
  
  Some cells just don't get the respect they deserve. In fact, most cells don't. Over 99 percent of the innumerable cells on our planet exist in a state of quiescence. Pick up a handful of soil: it contains thousands of microorganisms, almost every one of which would not grow if you placed it in a culture dish. These cells are metabolically active—yes, alive—but they are not dividing. And they will remain in a reproductively "quiet" state unless stimulated under specific conditions to
  
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• Experts call on climate change panel to better reflect ocean variability in their projections

  09-11-2016 17:50
  
  Ocean variability and realistic marine regional projections should be included in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports to better inform policy-makers, state researchers from the University of Bristol and University of Tasmania.
  
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• Novel method to identify illicit designer drugs developed

  09-11-2016 17:48
  
  A new technique has been identified that quickly and cheaply recognizes illegal designer drugs that normally evade detection.
  
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• Endangered Deer Get Medication Stations to Fight Screwworms

  09-11-2016 17:45
  Wildlife officials are adding medication pit stops in the Florida Keys after an infestation of screwworms has killed more than 130 Key deer
  
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• Fin24.com | Govt tight-lipped on broadband tender deal

  09-11-2016 16:09
  
  Government officials have kept mum on whether Telkom would be the preferred bidder to supply and maintain a national broadband project.
  
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• When crystal vibrations' inner clock drives superconductivity

  09-11-2016 15:48
  
  Superconductivity is like an Eldorado for electrons, as they flow without resistance through a conductor. However, it only occurs below a very low critical temperature. Physicists now believe they can enhance superconductivity - the idea is to externally drive its underlying physical phenomena by changing how ions vibrating in the crystal lattice of the conductor material, called phonons, interact with electron flowing in the material. Andreas Komnik from the University of Heidelberg and Michael
  
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• Computers made of genetic material? Researchers conduct electricity using DNA-based nanowires

  09-11-2016 15:44
  
  Tinier than the AIDS virus—that is currently the circumference of the smallest transistors. The industry has shrunk the central elements of their computer chips to fourteen nanometers in the last sixty years. Conventional methods, however, are hitting physical boundaries. Researchers around the world are looking for alternatives. One method could be the self-organization of complex components from molecules and atoms. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and Paderb
  
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• Solar physicists unlock easier way to observe peculiar particles that reveal the inner workings of the sun

  09-11-2016 15:41
  
  In 2009, applied physicist Peter Sturrock was visiting the National Solar Observatory in Tucson, Arizona, when the deputy director of the observatory told him he should read a controversial article about radioactive decay. Although the subject was outside Sturrock's field, it inspired a thought so intriguing that the next day he phoned the author of the study, Purdue University physicist Ephraim Fischbach, to suggest a collaboration.
  
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• Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals to be made of recycled metals

  09-11-2016 15:38
  
  Medals for the Tokyo Olympics will be made from old smartphones and other electronic products, organisers said Wednesday, as they look to give the Games an environmentally friendly hue.
  
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• Taking statistics to the quantum domain

  09-11-2016 15:30
  
  (Phys.org)—The change point problem is a concept in statistics that pops up in a wide variety of real-world situations, from stock markets to protein folding. The idea is to detect the exact point at which a sudden change has occurred, which could indicate, for example, the trigger of a financial crisis or a misfolded protein step.
  
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• What the 'cold fusion' debacle has revealed

  09-11-2016 15:24
  
  "Cold fusion" has a serious legacy problem. Back in 1989, researchers announced that they had demonstrated the phenomenon—a nuclear reaction producing excess heat at room temperature—that promised to revolutionize clean energy. Soon after, they were ridiculed for the assertion. Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, reports how the debacle scarred science and has tainted the continued search for similar energy technologies.
  
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• Skin pigment could help strengthen foams and fabrics

  09-11-2016 15:22
  
  Melanin is the natural molecule in animals' skin, hair and the iris of eyes that gives them color and helps protect them from ultraviolet light. Someday soon, the pigment could be found in unexpected places such as sofa cushions or clothing—but not for its hue. Scientists have found that adding a small amount of melanin to polyurethane makes it far stronger than the material by itself. Their study appears in the ACS journal Biomacromolecules.
  
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• Toward a hand-held 'breathalyzer' for diagnosing diabetes

  09-11-2016 15:21
  
  For several years, scientists have been working toward "breathalyzers" that can diagnose various diseases without painful pinpricks, needles or other unpleasant methods. Now, one team has developed a new, portable breath analyzer that could someday help doctors diagnose diabetes noninvasively in the office. The report appears in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry.
  
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• Fin24.com | REVIEWED: BlackBerry's most secure Android phone yet

  09-11-2016 15:20
  
  BlackBerry recently announced its own-produced swansong to the South African market which is touted as the “most secure Android device in the world”.
  
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• Environment-friendly hydrophobic coating made with salt particles

  09-11-2016 15:12
  
  Superhydrophobic surfaces have attracted global attention due to their water-repellant characteristics and myriad number and variety of applications. A team of researchers with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), led by Professor Dong Sung Kim and comprised of Research Professor Donghwi Choi and 4th year undergraduate student Jaewon Yoo, has found an elegant, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method of applying a superhydr
  
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• Nano-scale electronics score laboratory victory

  09-11-2016 15:11
  
  Researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering have pioneered a method for growing an atomic scale electronic material at the highest quality ever reported. In a paper published in Applied Physics Letters, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Davood Shahrjerdi and doctoral student Abdullah Alharbi detail a technique for synthesizing large sheets of high-performing monolayer tungsten disulfide, a synthetic material with a wide range of electronic and optoelectronic appl
  
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• Impostor planet exposed by astronomers

  09-11-2016 15:00
  
  (Phys.org)—Don't be fooled by its light curve exhibiting anomalies like those caused by planets—one microlensing event with a fancy name OGLE-2016-BLG-0733 is doing a really good job of mimicking an extrasolar world. This case of a binary-source event masquerading as a planet could have further implications for the search of exoplanets using the gravitational microlensing method.
  
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• What are Magellanic clouds?

  09-11-2016 14:50
  
  Since ancient times, human beings have been staring at the night sky and been amazed by the celestial objects looking back at them. Whereas these objects were once thought to be divine in nature, and later mistaken for comets or other astrological phenomena, ongoing observation and improvements in instrumentation have led to these objects being identified for what they are.
  
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• Personality tests for fish could boost reproduction rates

  09-11-2016 14:40
  
  Aquaculture experts from the University of Stirling and the Institute for Food and Agricultural Research and Technology (IRTA) in Catalonia, have found the way fish, Senegalese sole, cope with stress is determined by their personality and remains consistent regardless of the situation they are in.
  
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