Sci-Tech news

• Trump Transition Team Seeks Details on Energy Dept. Workers

  09-12-2016 23:15 via abcnews.go.com
  
  President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is probing the Energy Department for information about the agency's operations and personnel
  
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• The world's oldest known seabird is expecting—again

  09-12-2016 22:52
  
  The world's oldest known seabird is expecting—again.
  
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• What to know before buying a drone this Christmas

  09-12-2016 22:38
  
  UN aviation officials cautioned anyone Friday who might want to leave a gift of a drone under the Christmas tree this season, to learn how to safely operate it first.
  
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• Obama orders 'full review' of 2016 election cyberattacks

  09-12-2016 22:37
  
  President Barack Obama has ordered a review of all cyberattacks that took place during the 2016 election cycle, the White House said Friday as concerns over Russian interference mount.
  
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• Ancient enzyme morphed shape to carry out new functions in humans

  09-12-2016 22:36
  
  New research led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reveals that a human enzyme has changed little from its days as a bacterial enzyme. In fact, the enzyme appears to be unique in its ability to change its shape—and its job in cells—without overhauling its basic architecture.
  
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• Study examines how CEO power affects companies in times of crisis

  09-12-2016 22:35
  
  A new study from UT Dallas finds that bestowing considerable power in the CEO does not create value for the firm during industrywide downturns.
  
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• Cow gene study shows why most clones fail

  09-12-2016 22:33
  
  It has been 20 years since Dolly the sheep was successfully cloned in Scotland, but cloning mammals remains a challenge. A new study by researchers from the U.S. and France of gene expression in developing clones now shows why most cloned embryos likely fail.
  
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• Study provides new focus for developing drugs to fight cancer

  09-12-2016 22:20
  
  Cancer researchers and drug companies may have been too quick to ignore a promising line of inquiry that targets a specific cell protein, according to a research team led by a biomedical scientist in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside.
  
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• Sexual harassment common among middle school children, study finds

  09-12-2016 22:20
  
  The recent suicide of Brandy Vela, a teen in Texas City, Texas, was a potent reminder of the sometimes tragic consequences of bullying. According to Vela's parents, the teen fatally shot herself Nov. 29 following months of bullying and sexual harassment, perpetrated in part through text messages and social media.
  
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• Early US astronauts faced uncertainty, danger and death

  09-12-2016 22:19
  
  John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, but for a solid hour of that journey, NASA feared he was about to die in a blazing fireball.
  
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• Discovery of Dinosaur Tail Encased in Amber Sheds Light on Evolution

  09-12-2016 22:14 via abcnews.go.com
  
  A scientist chanced upon the specimen at a market in Myanmar.
  
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• Samsung Cuts Service to All Galaxy Note 7 Phones

  09-12-2016 21:55 via nbcnews.com
  
  Samsung's toxic Galaxy Note 7 will officially go down in flames on December 19.
  
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• The Latest: President Obama Orders Flags Lowered for Glenn

  09-12-2016 21:12 via abcnews.go.com
  
  President Barack Obama has ordered that U.S. flags on all public buildings and military posts be flown at half-staff as a "mark of respect for the memory" of retired astronaut John Glenn
  
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• Juno Mission Prepares for Jupiter Flyby

  09-12-2016 21:04 via scitechdaily.com
  NASA’s Juno spacecraft will make its third science flyby of Jupiter on Sunday, December 11, at 9:04 a.m. PST. At the time of closest approach (called perijove), Juno will be about 2,580 miles (4,150 kilometers) above the gas giant’s roiling cloud tops and traveling at a speed of about 129,000 mph (57.8 kilometers per second) […]
  The post Juno Mission Prepares for Jupiter Flyby appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Kepler Reveals Solar-Like Oscillations in Other Stars

  09-12-2016 20:57 via scitechdaily.com
  Using the refurbished Kepler Space Telescope, astronomers studied solar-like oscillations in the Hyades open star cluster in Taurus. Our Sun vibrates due to pressure waves generated by turbulence in its upper layers (the layers dominated by convective gas motions). Helioseismology is the name given to the study of these oscillations, which can shed light on […]
  The post Kepler Reveals Solar-Like Oscillations in Other Stars appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• NASA spots Tropical Cyclone Vardah's off-center strength

  09-12-2016 20:55
  
  NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Tropical Cyclone Vardah that showed strongest storms expanding west of the center.
  
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• Government Proposal Weighs Phone Calls on Flights

  09-12-2016 20:47 via nbcnews.com
  
  Airlines could let passengers make in-flight phone calls using Wi-Fi under a proposal from federal regulators.
  
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• Endangered sea otters fly into France

  09-12-2016 20:44
  
  A pair of jetlagged sea otters arrived in France on Friday after a 9,000-kilometre (5,600-mile) flight from Alaska to their new home at a sea life park.
  
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• Samsung to disable Note 7 phones in recall effort

  09-12-2016 20:43
  
  Samsung announced Friday it would disable its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in the US market to force remaining owners to stop using the devices, which were recalled for safety reasons.
  
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• Snapchat: How the vanishing-photo app managed not to fade

  09-12-2016 20:42
  
  Snapchat has managed to build something lasting out of photos that vanished almost instantly.
  
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• Michigan lets autonomous cars on roads without human driver

  09-12-2016 20:42
  
  Companies can now test self-driving cars on Michigan public roads without a driver or steering wheel under new laws that could push the state to the forefront of autonomous vehicle development.
  
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• Why YouTube's Biggest Star Said He'd Delete His Account

  09-12-2016 20:27 via nbcnews.com
  
  The most followed man on YouTube pulled a fast one on his followers after claiming he'd delete his account once he hit 50 million followers.
  
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• Research offers clues about the timing of Jupiter's formation

  09-12-2016 20:00
  
  A peculiar class of meteorites has offered scientists new clues about when the planet Jupiter took shape and wandered through the solar system.
  
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• Monkey speak: Macaques have the anatomy, not the brain, for human speech

  09-12-2016 20:00
  
  Monkeys known as macaques possess the vocal anatomy to produce "clearly intelligible" human speech but lack the brain circuitry to do so, according to new research.
  
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• Fukushima Radiation Detected on Oregon Shores

  09-12-2016 17:44 via abcnews.go.com
  Seaborne radiation from Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster has been detected on Oregon shores
  
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• Biology, meet philology: First application of phylogenetic evolutionary framework to color naming

  09-12-2016 17:00
  
  (Phys.org)—That there are universal patterns in the naming of colors across languages has long been a topic of discussion in a range of disciplines, including anthropology, cognitive science and linguistics. However, previous color term research has not applied an evolutionary framework to the analysis of these worldwide patterns. Recently, scientists at Yale University traced the history of color systems in language by applying phylogenetic methods across a large language tree. They not o
  
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• Hubble catches a transformation in the Virgo constellation

  09-12-2016 16:48
  
  The constellation of Virgo (The Virgin) is especially rich in galaxies, due in part to the presence of a massive and gravitationally-bound collection of over 1300 galaxies called the Virgo Cluster. One particular member of this cosmic community, NGC 4388, is captured in this image, as seen by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
  
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• Hydrogen from sunlight—but as a dark reaction

  09-12-2016 16:44
  
  The storage of photogenerated electric energy and its release on demand are still among the main obstacles in artificial photosynthesis. One of the most promising, recently identified photocatalytic new materials is inexpensive graphitic carbon nitride. Scientists have now explored a modified form that can produce light-generated electrons and store them for catalytic hydrogen production even after the light has been switched off. They present this biomimetic photosynthesis approach in the journ
  
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• Japan launches much-needed supplies to space station

  09-12-2016 16:31
  
  A Japanese capsule blasted off with much-needed supplies for the International Space Station on Friday, a week after a Russian shipment was destroyed shortly after liftoff.
  
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• At Boeing's 777X wing factory, robots get big jobs

  09-12-2016 16:20
  
  As the first 110-footlong wing skin panel for Boeing's new 777X jet moved slowly across a mammoth new factory building one recent morning, a small crew walked alongside, watching for any possibility of an expensive collision.
  
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• A step to understanding polymorphs

  09-12-2016 16:10
  
  In a paper published in Acta Cryst. B, Carol Brock of the University of Kentucky looks at some of the organizing principles behind crystal structures with high Z', where Z' is loosely the number of symmetry-independent molecules in the asymmetric unit.
  
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• Rock layers preserve record of ancient sea tides near Blythe, California

  09-12-2016 16:08
  
  Five million years ago, the Colorado River met the Gulf of California near the present-day desert town of Blythe, California. The evidence, say University of Oregon geologists, is in the sedimentary rocks exposed at the edges of the valley where the river flows today.
  
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• First measurement of the flow reversal of negative ions

  09-12-2016 16:07
  
  The National Institutes of Natural Sciences National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) has succeeded in revealing the flow of negative hydrogen ions using a combination of infrared lasers and electrostatic probes in the ion-source plasma, which generates a negative-hydrogen-ion beam. This is the first time in the field of fusion research that the detailed ion flow, which changes direction and moves toward the beam direction in the ion source, has been demonstrated experimentally.
  
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• Making citizen science tools discoverable and accessible

  09-12-2016 16:03
  
  At SciStarter, we aim to make it easy to find and join meaningful citizen science projects. Choose a location, activity, or topic to find appropriate adventures and learn more about the project and what tools (sensors, digital scales, rain gauges, etc) are needed to participate. But, for many projects and would-be participants, there are challenges to accessing the right tools for the job. (We define "tools" as equipment not usually found at home.) So, we took the follow steps to find a solution
  
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• Blueprint for shape in ancient land plants

  09-12-2016 16:01
  
  Scientists from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge have unlocked the secrets of shape in the most ancient of land plants using time-lapse imaging, growth analysis and computer modelling.
  
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• Researchers watch biomolecules at work

  09-12-2016 15:57
  
  Scientists at the University of Bonn have succeeded in observing an important cell protein at work using a method that measures structural changes within complex molecules. The procedure makes it possible to elucidate such processes in the natural environment. The researchers are also providing a tool kit, which allows a wide range of molecules to be measured. Their study has been published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
  
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• Environmental DNA effectively monitors aquatic species populations

  09-12-2016 15:57
  
  Environmental DNA (eDNA), the nuclear or mitochondrial DNA shed from an organism into its environment, is a rapidly evolving tool for monitoring the distribution of aquatic species. A new study published in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society discusses the ability of eDNA to accurately predict the presence, relative abundance, and biomass of wild Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations.
  
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• Damaged seaweed can recover

  09-12-2016 15:57
  
  Seaweed, which is vital for marine life, is disappearing throughout the world at an alarming rate. Different currents and wave patterns can bring about recovery, but more research is needed. This is the conclusion of Achmad Adhitya. His PhD defence has a political edge because of his proposition and the presence of his father-in-law, Habibie, former president of Indonesia.
  
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• The origin of linear magnetoresistance—exotic or classical?

  09-12-2016 15:56
  
  New materials sometimes exhibit spectacular resistance phenomena, though the explanation does not always prove to be exotic. Physicists from the Nijmegen High Field Magnet Laboratory (HFML) and the ETH in Zürich have demonstrated that a simple physical model is sufficient to explain the phenomenon of linear magnetoresistance. They published their results this week in an Editor's Suggestion article in Physical Review Letters.
  
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• Watson-powered robot aimed at aiding elderly and caregivers

  09-12-2016 15:55
  
  IBM Research today announced the creation of the prototype IBM Multi-Purpose Eldercare Robot Assistant (IBM MERA) done in collaboration with Rice University. IBM MERA is a first of a kind Watson-enabled application designed to help assist the elderly and their caregivers. IBM Research also has plans to work with Sole Cooperativa, an independent healthcare provider in Italy, to instrument senior housing with sensors to monitor day-to-day activities of its residents.
  
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• Nanoceramic material for more safe and economical nuclear reactors

  09-12-2016 15:55
  
  An international team of researchers has created a nanoceramic material that not only can withstand the harsh effects of radiation, but also becomes tougher under radiation.
  
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• Why does Siberia get all the cool meteors?

  09-12-2016 15:50
  
  In 1908 it was Tunguska event, a meteorite exploded in mid-air, flattening 770 square miles of forest. 39 years later in 1947, 70 tons of iron meteorites pummeled the Sikhote-Alin Mountains, leaving more than 30 craters. Then a day before Valentine's Day in 2013, hundreds of dashcams recorded the fiery and explosive entry of the Chelyabinsk meteoroid, which created a shock wave strong enough to blow out thousands of glass windows and litter the snowy fields and lakes with countless fusion-cruste
  
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• Scientist pioneers novel ways to study endangered baleen whales

  09-12-2016 15:40
  
  Although North Atlantic right whales, humpback whales and bowhead whales–all species of baleen whales–are some of the largest animals on Earth, they are also among the most critically endangered. These whales were hunted nearly to extinction over the last 300 years for their blubber, which was used to produce oil. Fortunately, these species are repopulating, but because they reproduce slowly, their numbers are more vulnerable to dangers such as collisions with ships and entanglement
  
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• Weather radar helps researchers track bird flu

  09-12-2016 15:33
  
  The same weather radar technology used to predict rain is now giving UC researchers the ability to track wild birds that could carry the avian influenza virus. Avian influenza, which kills chickens, turkeys and other birds, can take a significant economic toll on the poultry industry. In 2014-15, the United States experienced its worst bird flu outbreak in history, resulting in more than 48 million birds dying in 15 states, including California.
  
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• WATCH: Scientists Discover Link Between Feathers and Dinosaurs

  09-12-2016 15:33 via abcnews.go.com
  
  The 99-million-year-old find preserved in amber shows skeletal material still attached to a feather.
  
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• New tool for fighting wildlife trafficking

  09-12-2016 15:32
  
  A new tool for fighting wildlife trafficking developed by a team led by a UC San Diego mechanical engineering alum has been selected as the overall winner of the inaugural global "Zoohackathon" sponsored by the U.S. Government's Task Force on Combating Wildlife Trafficking.
  
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• Quality management (QM) leads to healthier small businesses

  09-12-2016 15:30
  
  Many economists have surmised that the health of U.S. small businesses is key to the health of the U.S. economy. In fact, a Forbes article by Ian Shepherdson, "Small Businesses Are The (Missing) Key To A Full Economic Recovery," cites that small firms account for about half of the nation's gross domestic product and employ about half the workforce, "so if they are struggling it is very hard for the economy as a whole to grow in line with its long-term trend."
  
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• Geomorphological science can mitigate severe storm and flood damage

  09-12-2016 15:30
  
  A year after Storm Desmond struck the UK and at a time when the UK's Committee on Climate Change have called for urgent action to address the risks to the UK from climate change, a group of world-leading geomorphologists have laid out how their discipline can help policymakers and practitioners develop more effective storm and flood-damage limitation and mitigation strategies.
  
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• Encounters with 'familiar strangers' play overlooked role in human interactions

  09-12-2016 15:30
  
  (Phys.org)—According to a new study, there are more familiar strangers in our lives than friends, coworkers, and all other acquaintances combined. Encounters with familiar strangers, defined as pairs of individuals who repeatedly encounter each other but have never been acquainted, has so far been overlooked in research on human networks. The new study finds that familiar strangers may play a significant role in processes such as information sharing and disease spreading.
  
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• Digitally reconstructed skull and face may reveal Robert the Bruce, king-hero of the Scots

  09-12-2016 15:26
  
  Could this be the face of Robert the Bruce, as it has never been seen before?
  
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