Sci-Tech news

• Bulgarian man pleads not guilty in US cybercrime case

  22-12-2016 23:45
  
  A Bulgarian man pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges that he used sophisticated malware designed to steal banking credentials and other confidential information from infected computers of two western Pennsylvania companies and two California firms.
  
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• Uber moves self-driving cars from California to Arizona

  22-12-2016 23:44
  
  A fleet of self-driving Uber cars left for Arizona on Thursday after they were banned from California roads over safety concerns.
  
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• Researchers capture video of false killer whale's encounter with longline

  22-12-2016 23:43
  
  A team of researchers and fishermen has directly observed for the first time how Hawaiian false killer whales remove fish from longline fishing gear.
  
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• The hidden inferno inside your laser pointer

  22-12-2016 23:41
  
  If you thought that a kid's room, a Norwegian Nobel Laureate and a laser pointer had nothing in common, two UA physicists are about to enlighten you.
  
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• Enhanced energy: Team seeks more powerful electronic devices

  22-12-2016 23:38
  
  Groundbreaking energy research from the United Arab Emirates, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG), is the focus of an article published this week in the Nature Magazine journal Scientific Reports.
  
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• APNewsBreak: New Mexico OKs Reopening Troubled Nuclear Dump

  22-12-2016 23:33 via abcnews.go.com
  New Mexico regulators have approved restarting normal operations at the nation's only underground nuclear waste repository, a major step for U.S. officials aiming to reopen the facility nearly three years after a radiation leak
  
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• The Latest: Watchdogs Concerned About Push to Open Nuke Dump

  22-12-2016 22:45 via abcnews.go.com
  Watchdog groups are concerned the federal government is rushing to reopen its underground nuclear waste dump after a radiation leak, saying numerous safety violations have yet to be addressed
  
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• The Latest: Hundreds Celebrate Oldest Gorilla's Birthday

  22-12-2016 22:15 via abcnews.go.com
  
  Hundreds of people have visited the Columbus Zoo to celebrate the 60th birthday of the world's oldest gorilla
  
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• Super Mario Run Is a Hit With Players — and Scammers

  22-12-2016 22:13 via nbcnews.com
  
  You're not the only one who doesn't want to pay to unlock premium features in Super Mario Run.
  
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• Popular mobile game 'Pokemon Go' lands on Apple Watch

  22-12-2016 20:36
  
  The popular mobile game "Pokemon Go" is now available on the Apple Watch, squashing rumors that the game's maker was scrapping such plans.
  
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• Future 'smart cities' should be super-connected, green and resilient

  22-12-2016 20:34
  
  When Superstorm Sandy lashed New Jersey in 2012, Narayan B. Mandayam lost power in his East Brunswick home for five days.
  
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• Group: 3rd Uber driver deemed employee, not contractor

  22-12-2016 20:04
  
  A New York City advocacy group says a third former Uber driver has been deemed to have been an employee of the company, not a contractor.
  
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• Advance in intense pulsed light sintering opens door to improved electronics manufacturing

  22-12-2016 20:03
  
  Faster production of advanced, flexible electronics is among the potential benefits of a discovery by researchers at Oregon State University's College of Engineering.
  
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• Using super-slow motion movie, scientists pin down the workings of a key proton pump

  22-12-2016 20:00
  
  Using powerful new tools, scientists from the RIKEN SPring-8 Center and collaborators have demonstrated how bacteriorhodopsin, a "proton pump", uses light to transport protons across the cell membrane to create a charge difference that can be used to power a cell's activities.
  
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• Researchers estimate time since death using necrobiome

  22-12-2016 20:00
  
  Currently, when a deceased human is discovered, the forensic techniques for estimating time elapsed since death is not very precise. However, in a new study appearing in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers have turned to analyzing the human microbiome, the bacteria and other microbes that live on and in our bodies, for clues about the postmortem interval of a cadaver.
  
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• Mass insect migrations in UK skies

  22-12-2016 20:00
  
  As Britain voted for Brexit amid furious debate over migration, trillions of migrants were coming and going, unseen by all but the sharpest eyes.
  
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• Jujube genome study sheds light on fruit tree's domestication

  22-12-2016 20:00
  
  The high quality genome sequence of the dry jujube, along with sequences from trees throughout its range, have illuminated the domestication history of this ancient fruit tree, which humans have grown for more than 7,000 years.
  
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• Global climate target could net additional six million tons of fish annually

  22-12-2016 20:00
  
  If countries abide by the Paris Agreement global warming target of 1.5 degrees Celsius, potential fish catches could increase by six million metric tons per year, according to a new study published in Science.
  
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• Electron-photon small-talk could have big impact on quantum computing

  22-12-2016 20:00
  
  In a step that brings silicon-based quantum computers closer to reality, researchers at Princeton University have built a device in which a single electron can pass its quantum information to a particle of light. The particle of light, or photon, can then act as a messenger to carry the information to other electrons, creating connections that form the circuits of a quantum computer.
  
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• Researchers publish reference genome of gulf pipefish

  22-12-2016 19:38
  
  University of Oregon biologists have produced a detailed genome of the snakelike gulf pipefish, delivering a new research reference tool to help explore an ancient fish family that includes seahorses and sea dragons and has generated bodies with vastly different features over time through genetic changes.
  
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• In Ukraine, More Evidence of a Hacking Group's Kremlin Ties

  22-12-2016 19:06 via abcnews.go.com
  For those searching for stronger evidence of Russia's connection to the hack of the Democratic National Committee, the tale of an infected Ukrainian Android app used for cellphones or tablets may help
  
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• Britain reports bird flu in wild duck

  22-12-2016 18:26
  
  Britain on Thursday announced the discovery of a highly contagious strain of bird flu in a wild duck found dead in Wales, warning poultry keepers to remain vigilant as Christmas approaches.
  
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• Inquiry says Snowden in contact with Russia's spy services

  22-12-2016 18:10
  
  Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has remained in contact with Russian intelligence services since he arrived in Moscow three years ago, according to a declassified report on a congressional investigation released Thursday.
  
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• A smarter, safer way to reduce corrosion

  22-12-2016 18:07
  
  A smarter, safer way to reduce corrosion: Swansea University steel experts win Royal Society award for research breakthrough
  
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• These dinosaurs lost their teeth as they grew up

  22-12-2016 18:00
  
  By comparing the fossilized remains of 13 ceratosaurian theropod dinosaurs known as Limusaurus inextricabilis collected from the Upper Jurassic Shishugou Formation of northwestern China, researchers have been able to reconstruct the dinosaur's growth and development from a young hatchling of less than a year to the age of 10. The findings, reported in Current Biology on December 22, uncovered something unexpected: the dinosaurs had teeth as young juveniles that were gradually lost as they grew u
  
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• Biologists use fossils to pinpoint when mammal and dinosaur ancestors became athletes

  22-12-2016 18:00
  
  Many mammals and birds are remarkable athletes; mice work hard to dig burrows for protection and sparrows fight gravity with each flap of their wings. In order to have the energy to sustain vigorous exercise, the body's tissues need a steady supply of oxygen, and red blood cells (RBCs) are the center of the oxygen delivery system. Size matters, too; athletic mammals and birds have much smaller RBCs than other vertebrates with lesser capacities for exercise. Biologists have long been puzzled over
  
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• What's Next for Uber After California Snub?

  22-12-2016 17:50 via nbcnews.com
  
  The decision to halt the experiment doesn't necessarily mean Uber is ready to abandon its efforts to put autonomous vehicles on the road, however.
  
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• Road paved with solar panels powers French town

  22-12-2016 17:08
  
  France on Thursday inaugurated the world's first "solar highway", a road paved with solar panels providing enough energy to power the street lights of the small Normandy town of Tourouvre.
  
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• NASA spots Tropical Storm Nock-ten intensify

  22-12-2016 17:07
  
  NASA's Aqua satellite flew over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and captured a visible image of Tropical Storm Nock-ten after it strengthened from a tropical depression.
  
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• A better way to simulate accretion of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way developed

  22-12-2016 17:07
  
  Scientists at Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have developed a rigorous new method for modeling the accretion disk that feeds the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The paper, published online in December in the journal Physical Review Letters, provides a much-needed foundation for simulation of the extraordinary processes involved.
  
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• Hubble chases a small stellar galaxy in the Hunting Dog

  22-12-2016 17:05
  
  On a clear evening in April of 1789, the renowned astronomer William Herschel continued his unrelenting survey of the night sky, hunting for new cosmic objects—and found cause to celebrate! He spotted this bright spiral galaxy, named NGC 4707, lurking in the constellation of Canes Venatici or The Hunting Dog. NGC 4707 lies roughly 22 million light-years from Earth.
  
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• NASA finds heavy rainfall area increasing in Tropical Cyclone Yvette

  22-12-2016 17:03
  
  NASA found that the area of heavy rainfall had increased in size as Tropical Cyclone Yvette continued to intensify in the Southern Indian Ocean.
  
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• Video: Do you burn more fat in the cold?

  22-12-2016 16:35
  
  With the holidays in full swing, all of those feasts and festivities can lead to a few extra pounds. But the winter season also brings something that could help with weight loss—cooler temperatures.
  
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• Best of Last Year—The top Phys.org articles of 2016

  22-12-2016 16:23
  
  (Phys.org)—It has been another great year for physics as a team at the University of California, Irvine confirmed the possible discovery of a fifth force of nature—an unknown subatomic particle that, if proven to exist, could change how scientists view their understanding of the universe.
  
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• Quantum membranes for ultraprecise mechanical measurements

  22-12-2016 16:20
  
  Quantum mechanics dictates sensitivity limits in the measurements of displacement, velocity and acceleration. A recent experiment at the Niels Bohr Institute probes these limits, analyzing how quantum fluctuations set a sensor membrane into motion in the process of a measurement. The membrane is an accurate model for future ultraprecise quantum sensors, whose complex nature may even hold the key to overcome fundamental quantum limits. The results are published in the prestigious scientific journ
  
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• New record for US original television series in 2016

  22-12-2016 16:14
  
  The number of scripted original US television series airing new seasons in 2016 hit a record 455, reflecting an explosion of original shows by online subscription services, research showed on Wednesday.
  
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• Evolution of ideas: Scientists to decode genetic story of Newton's apple

  22-12-2016 16:14
  
  Scientists will connect two of the most important scientific theories of all time - the law of universal gravitation and the theory of evolution - by unravelling the genetic code of the apple which inspired Isaac Newton's greatest discovery 350 years ago this year.
  
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• Astrophotography as a gateway to science

  22-12-2016 16:08
  
  Non-science students enrolled in astrophotography classes created by scientists at the University of California, Riverside reported a better understanding of how to use a telescope and camera and how to process images, according to a recently published paper about the class.
  
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• Solvent-free, catalyst-free way to produce alkali metal hydrides

  22-12-2016 16:04
  
  Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have found a way to create alkali metal hydrides without the use of solvents or catalysts.  The process, using room temperature mechanical ball milling, provides a lower cost method to produce these alkali metals which are widely used in industrial processes as reducing and drying agents, precursors in synthesis of complex metal hydrides, hydrogen storage materials, and in nuclear engineering."
  
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• From outer space to inner eye

  22-12-2016 16:04
  
  Contact lenses, spectacles and eye implants are now being made more accurately thanks to research instruments flying on the International Space Station.
  
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• Small RNAs interact with newly synthesized transcripts to silence chromatin

  22-12-2016 16:00
  
  Yukiko Shimada, Fabio Mohn, and Marc Bühler at the FMI elucidated an important mechanistic detail of small RNA mediated chromatin silencing. They showed in fission yeast that the small RNA in the RNA induced silencing complex (RISC) interacts with nascent transcripts and not with complementary DNA to induce heterochromatin formation. In addition, both the transcription rate and transcript processing have an impact on the silencing process.
  
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• Researchers discover new ancient tombs at Qubbet el-Hawa in Aswan

  22-12-2016 15:57
  
  Archaeologists from the University of Birmingham have found "compelling evidence" of new Pharaonic tombs at Qubbet el-Hawa in Aswan, Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities has revealed.
  
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• Bigger brains outsmart harsh climates

  22-12-2016 15:57
  
  It helps to have a larger brain if you're living in an extreme climate, according to a study of birds published in Nature Communications. The research suggests that birds have evolved larger brains to cope in harsh environments where the tasks of finding food, evading predators and finding shelter are more demanding.
  
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• Scientists call for industry intervention to reduce toxicological footprint

  22-12-2016 15:56
  
  Scientists are calling for an increase in sustainable and less toxic material in global manufacturing as one way of firms reducing their toxicological footprint and combating climate change.
  
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• Scientists discover a new state of matter for water

  22-12-2016 15:50
  
  One of the most basic things we are taught in school science classes is that water can exist in three different states, either as solid ice, liquid water, or vapour gas. But an international team of scientists have recently found signs that liquid water might actually come in two different states.
  
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• Two felid cousins responded in the past very differently to climate change

  22-12-2016 15:49
  
  Southeast Asia is home to numerous felids, including the Asian golden cat and the bay cat. The two cat species are closely related sister species which split from each other 3.16 million years ago. Yet, their more recent history was quite different. Scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and their international partners could now show that, after a massive volcanic eruption about 73,000 years ago, the Asian golden cat survived only in Indochina, from wh
  
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• "Ladies choice" reigns in the greater sac-winged bat

  22-12-2016 15:48
  
  Females of the greater sac-winged bat select their mating partner by smell and unerringly choose a male which differs from them the most in genetic terms. Females with more variants of olfactory receptors of the TAAR-group have an advantage over other females. The results of this study have been released by the Nature Publishing Group in their open access journal Scientific Reports.
  
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• How an experimental 3D-printed artwork could help save modern art

  22-12-2016 15:46
  
  Many contemporary artworks are endangered due to their extremely fast degradation processes. NANORESTART—a project developing nanomaterials to protect and restore this cultural heritage—has created a 3-D printed artwork with a view to testing restoration methods.
  
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• Spin filtering at room temperature with graphene

  22-12-2016 15:45
  
  An interdisciplinary team of scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have reported the first demonstration of metallic spin filtering at room temperature using ferromagnet-graphene-ferromagnet thin film junction devices—spin is a fundamental property of electrons, in addition to charge, that can be used to transmit, process and store data.
  
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• "Urban cold islands" driving plant evolution in cities

  22-12-2016 15:42
  
  A tiny plant is providing big clues about how human development is driving the evolution of living organisms. New research from the University of Toronto Mississauga reveals the first evidence that common white clover changes genetically to adapt to urban environments.
  
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