Sci-Tech news

• SoftBank delivers first $1 bn of Trump pledge, to space firm

  19-12-2016 23:05
  
  Satellite broadband firm OneWeb on Monday announced a $1.2 billion funding round led by SoftBank, the first concrete investment from the Japanese group which made a pledge to President-elect Donald Trump.
  
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• Famous red star Betelgeuse is spinning faster than expected; may have swallowed a companion 100,000 years ago

  19-12-2016 22:57
  
  Astronomer J. Craig Wheeler of The University of Texas at Austin thinks that Betelgeuse, the bright red star marking the shoulder of Orion, the hunter, may have had a past that is more interesting than meets the eye. Working with an international group of undergraduate students, Wheeler has found evidence that the red supergiant star may have been born with a companion star, and later swallowed that star. The research is published today in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical So
  
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• Study helps prove galaxy evolution theory

  19-12-2016 22:54
  
  Everyone has a backstory, even our own Milky Way galaxy. And much like social media, the picture is not always as pretty as it appears on the current surface, says Texas A&M University astronomer Casey Papovich.
  
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• Pan-STARRS releases catalogue of 3 billion astronomical sources

  19-12-2016 22:51
  
  The Pan-STARRS project, including astronomers at the Max Planck Institutes for Astronomy in Heidelberg and for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, is publicly releasing the world's largest digital sky survey today. The catalogue is based on 4 years of observations of 3/4 of the night sky and provides extensive information on more than 3 billion stars, galaxies and other sources.
  
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• NGC 6357: Cosmic 'winter' wonderland

  19-12-2016 22:47
  
  Although there are no seasons in space, this cosmic vista invokes thoughts of a frosty winter landscape. It is, in fact, a region called NGC 6357 where radiation from hot, young stars is energizing the cooler gas in the cloud that surrounds them.
  
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• Ancient skeleton to return to Native Americans for reburial

  19-12-2016 22:36
  
  One of the oldest and most complete skeletons found in North America will be given back to American Indian tribes in Washington state for reburial.
  
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• Researchers analyze 125 compounds from oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico to determine their longevity

  19-12-2016 22:34
  
  The oil discharged into the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) rig in 2010 contaminated more than 1,000 square miles of seafloor. The complexity of the event has made it difficult for scientists to determine the long-term fate of oil in this ocean environment.
  
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• Think the Yahoo Hack Doesn't Affect You? Think Again

  19-12-2016 22:27 via nbcnews.com
  
  If you play fantasy sports, post photos on Flickr or blog at Tumblr, then you have a Yahoo account.
  
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• Super Mario Run: Price, connectivity missteps for Nintendo

  19-12-2016 22:19
  
  Super Mario might be running, but a hefty price tag for a mobile game just won't fly with the masses.
  
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• Cuba slashes internet costs

  19-12-2016 22:17
  
  Cuba cut the price of internet access by 25 percent Monday, but getting online still costs more than a day's wages for the average worker in one of the world's least connected countries.
  
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• Culture not a factor in management styles globally

  19-12-2016 22:09
  
  Geert Hofstede's "Culture's Consequences" is one of the most influential management books of the 20th century. With well over 80,000 citations, Hofstede argues that 50 percent of managers' differences in their reactions to various situations are explained by cultural differences. Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri has determined that culture plays little or no part in leaders' management of their employees; this finding could impact how managers are trained and evaluated globally.
  
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• On the road to autonomy, remember the operator

  19-12-2016 22:07
  
  Automakers and their tech partners may be looking toward a future when they can offer fully autonomous cars, but Mica Endsley, the author of the recently released Human Factors paper, "From Here to Autonomy," contends that without considering the cognitive constraints of the driver, safety can't be assured. People will still be needed to oversee, direct, and intervene in the actions of autonomous systems for the foreseeable future. Automobiles are only one among many areas of implementation to w
  
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• Researchers estimate 10,000 metric tons of plastic enter Great Lakes every year

  19-12-2016 22:05
  
  A new study by Rochester Institute of Technology that inventories and tracks high concentrations of plastic in the Great Lakes could help inform cleanup efforts and target pollution prevention.
  
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• First use of graphene to detect cancer cells

  19-12-2016 22:04
  
  What can't graphene do? You can scratch "detect cancer" off of that list.
  
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• Tech Gift Guide: What to Get the Person Who's Hardest to Shop For

  19-12-2016 21:19 via nbcnews.com
  
  What to get for that hard-to-shop-for person who seems to have everything? We've found some gift ideas that are both thoughtful and useful.
  
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• Investing in fisheries management improves fish populations

  19-12-2016 21:00
  
  Research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that successful fisheries management can be best achieved by implementing and enforcing science-based catch or effort limits. The study is authored by researchers from the University of Washington and California Environmental Associates.
  
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• Freezing in record lows? You may doubt global warming, says scientist

  19-12-2016 21:00
  
  If you're shivering from unusually teeth-rattling cold this holiday season, global warming is probably the last thing on your mind.
  
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• El Nino fueled Zika outbreak, new study suggests

  19-12-2016 21:00
  
  Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that a change in weather patterns, brought on by the 'Godzilla' El Niño of 2015, fuelled the Zika outbreak in South America.
  
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• Zuckerberg builds software butler for his home

  19-12-2016 20:32
  
  Mark Zuckerberg's artificial intelligence-imbued software "butler"—named Jarvis—is now in service, and even plays with his family, the Facebook chief said Monday.
  
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• DNA markers distinguish between harmless, deadly bacteria

  19-12-2016 20:31
  
  The virulent pathogen that causes the disease tularemia, or "rabbit fever," was weaponized during past world wars and is considered a potential bioweapon. Through a new study of the coccobacillus Francisella, Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers are working to use DNA markers to discern related but relatively harmless species as they are identified and to provide a means to distinguish them from the harmful F. tularensis.
  
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• Ring-tailed lemurs: Going, going, gone?

  19-12-2016 20:29
  
  The ring-tailed lemur, an iconic primate that is emblematic of the wild and wonderful creatures inhabiting the tropical island of Madagascar, is in big trouble.
  
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• Researchers find ultra-thin solution to primary obstacle in solid-state battery development

  19-12-2016 20:29
  
  A team of researchers at the University of Maryland Energy Research Center and A. James Clark School of Engineering have announced a transformative development in the race to produce batteries that are at once safe, powerful, and affordable.
  
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• Nanoparticle-based method shows promise in DNA vaccine delivery

  19-12-2016 20:27
  
  Scientists at Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed a novel method for delivering therapeutic molecules into cells. The method harnesses gold nanoparticles that are electrically activated, causing them to oscillate and bore holes in cells' outer membranes and allowing key molecules—such as DNA, RNA, and proteins—to gain entry. Unlike other approaches, the nanoparticles are not tethered to their biological cargo, a refinement that can boost therapeutic potency and effectiveness.
  
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• US fails to renegotiate arms control rule for hacking tools

  19-12-2016 20:11
  
  The Obama administration has failed to renegotiate portions of an international arms control arrangement so that it's simpler to export tools related to hacking and surveillance software—technologies that can be exploited by bad actors, but are also used to secure computer networks.
  
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• House report urges clearer guidance on cellphone technology (Update)

  19-12-2016 20:10
  
  Clearer guidelines are needed for law enforcement's use of secretive and intrusive cellphone tracking technology, and police and federal agents should be upfront with a judge about their deployment, a House committee said in a report Monday.
  
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• House report urges clearer guidance on cellphone technology

  19-12-2016 20:10
  
  House lawmakers say Congress should set clearer guidelines for law enforcement's use of cellphone tracking technology.
  
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• Probes help surgeons detect cancer cells: study

  19-12-2016 20:09
  
  Nanoscale fluorescent probes that switch on in the presence of cancer cells helped surgeons remove tumours in mice without harming healthy tissue, according to a study published Monday.
  
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• The case of the missing diamonds

  19-12-2016 20:05
  
  It all began innocently enough. Tyrone Daulton, a physicist with the Institute for Materials Science and Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, was studying stardust, tiny specks of heat-resistant minerals thought to have condensed from the gases exhaled by dying stars. Among the minerals that make up stardust are tiny diamonds.
  
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• Satellites observe 'traffic jams' in Antarctic Ice Stream caused by tides

  19-12-2016 20:02
  
  For the first time, researchers have closely observed how the ocean's tides can speed up or slow down the speed of glacial movement in Antarctica. The new data will help modelers better predict how glaciers will respond to rising sea levels.
  
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• New prehistoric bird species discovered

  19-12-2016 20:01
  
  A team of geologists at the University of Rochester has discovered a new species of bird in the Canadian Arctic. At approximately 90 million years old, the bird fossils are among the oldest avian records found in the northernmost latitude, and offer further evidence of an intense warming event during the late Cretaceous period.
  
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• Brain Changes Seen in Pregnancy May Help in Preparing for Baby

  19-12-2016 19:44 via abcnews.go.com
  New study says pregnancy affects not only a woman's body.
  
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• NYC launches mobile parking payment system

  19-12-2016 19:05
  
  New York City has announced a new mobile payment system for parking on the streets.
  
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• Climate report says 2016 on pace to be hottest year yet

  19-12-2016 19:05
  
  A monthly global climate report by US government scientists Monday offered more evidence that 2016 is likely to be the warmest year in modern times, as sea ice at both poles hit record lows.
  
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• Rudolph's antlers inspire next generation of unbreakable materials

  19-12-2016 19:03
  
  Scientists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have discovered the secret behind the toughness of deer antlers and how they can resist breaking during fights.
  
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• North Korean seismic event of May 2010 likely was earthquake, not nuclear test

  19-12-2016 18:56
  
  A tiny seismic event that occurred in North Korea on 12 May 2010 appears to have bene an earthquake rather than a small underground nuclear explosion, according to a new analysis published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA).
  
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• Arctic lakes thawing earlier each year

  19-12-2016 18:56
  
  Scientists from the University of Southampton have found Arctic lakes, covered with ice during the winter months, are melting earlier each spring.
  
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• Newly discovered 'Casper' octopod at risk from deep-sea mining

  19-12-2016 18:54
  
  Last spring, researchers made headlines with the discovery of what was surely a new species of octopod, crawling along the seafloor at a record-breaking ocean depth of more than 4,000 meters (about 2.5 miles) off Necker Island near Hawaii. The octopod's colorless and squishy appearance immediately inspired the nickname "Casper." Now, a report published in Current Biology on December 19 reveals that these ghost-like, deep-sea octopods lay their eggs on the dead stalks of sponges attached to seafl
  
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• Bisphenol A in canned dog food may increase BPA concentrations in pets

  19-12-2016 18:52
  
  Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used industrial chemical found in many household items, including resins used to line metal storage containers, such as food cans. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that short-term feeding of canned dog food resulted in a significant increase of BPA in dogs. Scientists believe that because of shared environments, dog exposure to BPA through canned foods could have human health implications.
  
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• Czechs open production of batteries based on nanotechnology

  19-12-2016 18:51
  
  A Czech company has opened a production line for batteries based on nanotechnology, using tiny parts invisible to human eyes. The batteries are touted as potentially more efficient, longer-lasting, cheaper, lighter and above all safer.
  
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• Apple appeals EU order to collect $14B in back taxes

  19-12-2016 18:50
  
  Apple is appealing a European Union order to collect a record 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in back taxes based on the way it reports European-wide profits through Ireland.
  
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• ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time

  19-12-2016 18:30
  
  In a paper published today in the journal Nature, the ALPHA collaboration reports the first ever measurement on the optical spectrum of an antimatter atom. This achievement features technological developments that open up a completely new era in high-precision antimatter research. It is the result of over 20 years of work by the CERN antimatter community.
  
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• Studies refute hypothesis on what caused abrupt climate change thousands of years ago

  19-12-2016 18:24
  
  Two new studies in the Journal of Quaternary Science refute the hypothesis that one or more comets/bolides struck North America approximately 12,900 years ago triggering rapid climate change and the start of the Younger Dryas period.
  
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• Fuel cells with PFIA-membranes

  19-12-2016 18:21
  
  HZB scientists have teamed up with partners of 3M Company in order to explore the water management in an alternative proton exchange membrane type, called PFIA. The experiments have been conducted using the infrared facilities of BESSY II synchrotron to reveal how water is retained even at dry conditions in PFIA. The observations explain why PFIA membranes are superior to the widely used NAFION membranes at higher temperatures and low humidity.
  
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• Studies of one of the world's rarest birds, the Rufous-headed Robin

  19-12-2016 18:19
  
  Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden have put together all known information about the endangered Rufous-headed Robin. Very few observations have been made since it was first discovered in 1905. The researchers suggest that its distribution might be larger than previously thought.
  
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• Movement of rainforest butterflies restricted by oil palm plantations

  19-12-2016 18:18
  
  Scientists at the University of York have found that oil palm plantations, which produce oil for commercial use in cooking, food products, and cosmetics, may act as a barrier to the movement of butterflies across tropical landscapes.
  
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• Detection system reads biomolecules in barcoded microgels

  19-12-2016 18:16
  
  Single-stranded, noncoding micro-ribonucleic acids (microRNAs), consisting of 18-23 nucleotides, play a key role in regulating gene expression. Levels of microRNAs circulating within blood can be correlated to different states of diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and cardiovascular conditions. Many microRNAs within the blood are encapsulated within exosomes, nanoscale vesicles released by the cells.
  
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• 'Tiny earthquakes' help scientists predict mountain rock falls

  19-12-2016 18:13
  
  The risk of mountain rock falls in regions with sub-zero temperatures, such as the Swiss Alps and parts of Canada, could be better predicted by using technology which measures 'tiny earthquakes' - according to a group of international experts.
  
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• Study reveals inequalities in carbon footprints of Chinese households

  19-12-2016 18:12
  
  Inequalities in China's household carbon footprints and incomes risk undermining the country's attempts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, according to new research involving the University of East Anglia (UEA).
  
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• New leaf study sheds light on 'shady' past

  19-12-2016 18:11
  
  A new study led by a research scientist at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) highlights a literally shady practice in plant science that has in some cases underestimated plants' rate of growth and photosynthesis, among other traits.
  
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• Astronomers release largest digital survey of the visible Universe

  19-12-2016 18:10
  
  The world's largest digital survey of the visible Universe, mapping billions of stars and galaxies, has been publicly released.
  
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