Sci-Tech news

• Smartphone with Google 3-D Tango from Taiwan's Asus

  04-01-2017 23:00
  
  Taiwan-based electronics group Asus announced Wednesday it was launching a new smartphone which uses Google Tango 3D technology and allows users to experience augmented and virtual reality.
  
  Read more

• Samsung's new Chromebooks are Google's answer to the iPad Pro and Surface Pro - The Verge

  04-01-2017 23:00 via theverge.com
  
  The Verge
  Samsung's new Chromebooks are Google's answer to the iPad Pro and Surface Pro
  The Verge
  Live coverage from the year's biggest technology conference, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The year in tech starts here. Following months of leaks, Samsung is today making its latest Chromebook official. The new computer is actually two ...
  Playing with Android apps on the first laptop built especially for themDigital Trends
  Samsung and Google teamed up to make two shape-shifting
  
  Read more

• US oil industry chief calls for more access to offshore

  04-01-2017 22:49
  
  The head of the US oil industry called Wednesday for expanded offshore oil and gas production, delivering a call for deregulation two weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
  
  Read more

• Tesla starts mass production of batteries

  04-01-2017 22:49
  
  Tesla Motors announced Wednesday that it has begun mass production of energy-saving batteries that it vows will take electric cars mainstream.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• NASA sending African-American to space station for the first time

  04-01-2017 22:49
  
  NASA is sending an African-American astronaut to the International Space Station for the first time.
  
  Read more

• LG kicks off gadget gala with 'wallpaper' thin TV

  04-01-2017 22:48
  
  LG Electronics showed off a "wallpaper" thin television and task-tending robots that learn, as a day packed with gadget unveilings got underway Wednesday in Las Vegas.
  
  Read more

• Humpback habitats off Madagascar revealed as energy exploration ramps up

  04-01-2017 22:46
  
  How humpback whales use marine habitats off the eastern coast of Africa is only partially understood, and that has become a conservation concern as offshore energy exploration expands in the region. However, a new study published in Marine Ecology Progress Series found that humpback whales that were satellite tagged off the coast of Madagascar during peak breeding season are traveling much further in the southwest Indian Ocean than previously thought. This research can help define potentially se
  
  Read more

• Eelgrass in Puget Sound is stable overall, but some local beaches suffering

  04-01-2017 22:46
  
  Eelgrass, a marine plant crucial to the success of migrating juvenile salmon and spawning Pacific herring, is stable and flourishing in Puget Sound, despite a doubling of the region's human population and significant shoreline development over the past several decades.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Scientists learn how to ramp up microbes' ability to make memories

  04-01-2017 22:45
  
  Some microbes can form memories—although, inconveniently for scientists who study the process, they don't do it very often.
  
  Read more

• Increasing rainfall in a warmer world will likely intensify typhoons in western Pacific

  04-01-2017 22:00
  
  An analysis of the strongest tropical storms, known as super typhoons, in the western Pacific over the last half-century reveals that they are intensifying. Higher global temperatures have enhanced global rainfall, particularly over the tropical oceans. Rain that falls on the ocean reduces salinity and allows typhoons to grow stronger.
  
  Read more

• NASA announces two missions to study early solar system

  04-01-2017 21:57
  
  The US space agency NASA on Wednesday announced two unmanned missions to asteroids designed to study one of the earliest eras in the history of the solar system.
  
  Read more

• At This ‘Tempest,’ Digital Wizardry Makes ‘Rough Magic’

  04-01-2017 21:49 via nytimes.com
  The Royal Shakespeare Company is using a motion-capture process and other technology to make Ariel seem even more like a magical sprite.
  
  Read more

• The Latest at CES: Spy on your fridge to restock

  04-01-2017 21:45
  
  The Latest on the CES gadget show in Las Vegas (all times local):
  
  Read more

• Hulu adds CBS for upcoming live TV streaming service

  04-01-2017 21:44
  
  Hulu is teaming up with CBS to add three of the network's channels to its upcoming live TV streaming service.
  
  Read more

• Scientists: Ash cloud from Alaska volcano has dissipated

  04-01-2017 21:40
  
  Scientists say an ash cloud from a remote Alaska volcano that might have gone more than 6 miles into the atmosphere has dissipated after it was tracked north over the Bering Sea.
  
  Read more

• Researchers discover new mechanism for Type IV pili retraction in Vibrio cholerae

  04-01-2017 21:40
  
  Type IV pili, essential for many pathogens to cause disease, are hair-like appendages that grow out of and are retracted back into bacteria cells, enabling them to move and adhere to surfaces. Although pathogenic bacteria often rely on a specialized molecular motor to retract their pili, a new study in PLOS Pathogens reveals that a minor pilin protein elicits pilus retraction in the cholera bacterium, Vibrio cholerae.
  
  Read more

• Research identifies icy ridges on Pluto

  04-01-2017 21:40
  
  Using a model similar to what meteorologists use to forecast weather on Earth and a computer simulation of the physics of evaporating ices, a new study published in the journal, Nature by York University's Professor John Moores, Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering at York's Lassonde School of Engineering, has found evidence that snow and ice features previously only seen on Earth, have been spotted on Pluto.
  
  Read more

• NASA Unveils 2 New Missions to Study Truly Strange Asteroids - Space.com

  04-01-2017 21:32 via space.com
  
  CNBC
  NASA Unveils 2 New Missions to Study Truly Strange Asteroids
  Space.com
  NASA's next low-cost planetary missions will attempt to unravel the mysteries of some seriously bizarre asteroids. The space agency has selected projects called Lucy and Psyche via its Discovery Program, which funds highly focused space missions to ...
  NASA is visiting 8 asteroids in 8 years. Here are 8 things to know about the missionsThe Planetary Society (blog)
  NASA's Newest Robots Will Spy on Mysterious Lil Ast
  
  Read more

• Faraday Future: Tesla Rival or Just an Also-Ran?

  04-01-2017 21:31 via nbcnews.com
  
  The Faraday Future FF91 electric car is faster than a Ferrari, and runs clean. But the company behind it has run into a series of problems.
  
  Read more

• Faraday Future: Tesla Competitor or Just an Also-Ran?

  04-01-2017 21:31 via nbcnews.com
  
  The Faraday Future FF91 electric car is faster than a Ferrari, and runs clean. But the company behind it has run into a series of problems.
  
  Read more

• Study finds potential instability in Atlantic Ocean water circulation system

  04-01-2017 21:30
  
  One of the world's largest ocean circulation systems may not be as stable as today's weather models predict, according to a new study.
  
  Read more

• Higher pay no enticement to blue-collar politicians, study finds

  04-01-2017 21:30
  
  Contrary to popular belief, increasing politicians' paychecks is not likely to encourage more working-class people to run for office, new research from Duke University finds.
  
  Read more

• Green chemistry: Au naturel catalyst mimics nature to break tenacious carbon-hydrogen bond

  04-01-2017 21:30
  
  A new catalyst for breaking the tough molecular bond between carbon and hydrogen holds the promise of a cleaner, easier and cheaper way to derive products from petroleum, says a researcher at Southern Methodist University, Dallas.
  
  Read more

• What do Google search queries reveal about brand attitudes?

  04-01-2017 21:20
  
  It has been widely thought that brand search volume—the counts of queries that a search engine receives from users that include specific brand names, like "iPhone"—can predict sales for that brand. Google makes this information available to marketers for free through Google Trends, an application that allows anyone to see how frequently popular brand names are searched, and it has become a valuable tool for marketers. But new research from Drexel University, Brigham Young University
  
  Read more

• Researcher examines role of nonprofits in community recovery from Deepwater Horizon oil spill

  04-01-2017 21:10
  
  For 87 days starting April 20, 2010, oil flowed freely into the Gulf of Mexico after a deadly explosion rocked the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster spoiled the environment in large parts of the Gulf Coast of the U.S., imperiling communities that rely on Gulf waters for trade and tourism.
  
  Read more

• Murky Amazon waters cloud fish vision

  04-01-2017 21:10
  
  Cichlids are a remarkably diverse family of fish, with many African freshwater species known for their incredible visual system. These cichlids' complex vision results from a diverse array of visual pigment proteins in their retinas: while humans have the genes to produce three of these proteins (called opsins), many cichlids have seven. Each African cichlid species produces a specific suite of opsin proteins that matches well with the light spectrum of their environment.
  
  Read more

• Faster, cheaper methods to synthesize compounds used in drug discovery

  04-01-2017 21:10
  
  Chemists at The University of Texas at Arlington are developing new methods to synthesize groups of chemical compounds to provide faster, less expensive routes to produce the compounds for subsequent use in medical drug discovery and development.
  
  Read more

• Apple Confirms $1 Billion Investment in SoftBank Vision Fund - Wall Street Journal

  04-01-2017 21:04 via wsj.com
  
  Wall Street Journal
  Apple Confirms $1 Billion Investment in SoftBank Vision Fund
  Wall Street Journal
  Apple Inc. headlines a growing list of investors in SoftBank Group Corp.'s $100 billion technology fund, which is expected to include Foxconn Technology Group Ltd. and the family office of Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison, the Japanese ...
  Apple confirms $1 billion investment into SoftBank's 'Vision Fund' for tech business growthAppleInsider (press release) (blog)
  Apple joins SoftBank's
  
  Read more

• People aren't the only beneficiaries of power plant carbon standards

  04-01-2017 21:01
  
  When the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Clean Power Plan in 2015 it exercised its authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions to protect public welfare. The Plan, now the focus of escalating debate, also put the nation on course to meet its goals under the Paris Climate Agreement. Given that other pollutants are emitted from power plants—along with carbon dioxide—research has shown that carbon emission standards for the power sector benefit human health. New researc
  
  Read more

• Feature issue on nonlinear optics provides insight into field's latest ideas

  04-01-2017 21:00
  
  A large number of researchers are working in the area of nonlinear optics, which is the study of all effects that can be described as multi-photon interactions in various materials systems, including cases where the frequency of one or more photons tends to zero. Motivated by the needs of these researchers, meetings have sprung up over the past few years under the name "Foundations of Nonlinear Optics." The two most recent of these meetings took place at Lehigh University in 2015, and at Tufts U
  
  Read more

• Sea sponges offer clues to how human-made structures can resist buckling

  04-01-2017 20:59
  
  Judging by their name alone, orange puffball sea sponges might seem unlikely paragons of structural strength. But maintaining their shape at the bottom of the churning ocean is critical to the creatures' survival, and new research shows that tiny structural rods in their bodies have evolved the optimal shape to avoid buckling under pressure.
  
  Read more

• Mark Zuckerberg Wants to Meet You...Yes, You

  04-01-2017 20:54 via nbcnews.com
  
  Zuckerberg is famous for setting and achieving ambitious New Year's resolutions, which have ranged from learning Mandarin to killing what he eats.
  
  Read more

• Scientists expand toolbox to study cellular function

  04-01-2017 20:53
  
  Scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed a new tool for studying the molecular details of protein structure.
  
  Read more

• NASA selects mission to study Jupiter's Trojan asteroids

  04-01-2017 20:49
  
  NASA has selected a mission that will perform the first reconnaissance of the Trojans, a population of primitive asteroids orbiting in tandem with Jupiter. The Lucy mission will launch in 2021 to study six of these exciting worlds.
  
  Read more

• Nano-chimneys can cool circuits

  04-01-2017 20:43
  
  A few nanoscale adjustments may be all that is required to make graphene-nanotube junctions excel at transferring heat, according to Rice University scientists.
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Fiat Chrysler Unveils Portal Concept Car at CES 2017

  04-01-2017 20:34
  
  The Portal is an electric semiautonomous minivan concept designed for millennials.
  
  Read more

• NOAA challenged the global warming 'pause.' Now new research says the agency was right - Washington Post

  04-01-2017 20:06 via washingtonpost.com
  
  Washington Post
  NOAA challenged the global warming 'pause.' Now new research says the agency was right
  Washington Post
  It may have been the most controversial climate change study in years. In the summer of 2015, a team of federal scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a blockbuster paper in Science that appeared to wipe away one of ...
  Earth's Oceans Are Steadily WarmingThe Atlantic
  Prominent climate-denying politician gets schooled by science, againMa
  
  Read more

• Study confirms steady warming of oceans for past 75 years

  04-01-2017 20:00
  
  A controversial paper published two years ago that concluded there was no detectable slowdown in ocean warming over the previous 15 years - widely known as the "global warming hiatus" - has now been confirmed using independent data in research led by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Berkeley Earth, a non-profit research institute focused on climate change.
  
  Read more

• Routes of migratory birds follow today's peaks in resources

  04-01-2017 20:00
  
  Movement of migratory birds is closely linked to seasonal availability of resources. The birds locate the areas with the most resources across continents. Researchers from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, have tracked three long-distance migratory birds. By comparing their migration routes to climate projections, the scientists show that finding food may become a challenge to the birds by the end of this century.
  
  Read more

• Potential biofuel crops in Hawaii may successfully sequester carbon in soil

  04-01-2017 20:00
  
  Two potential biofuel crops in Hawaii—sugarcane and napiergrass—may sequester more carbon in soil than is lost to the atmosphere, according to a study published January 4, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Meghan Pawlowski from University of Hawaii Manoa, U.S., and colleagues.
  
  Read more

• Neotropical spotted cats may appear more frequently near protected areas

  04-01-2017 20:00
  
  Neotropical spotted cats may occur more near protected areas, according to a study published January 4, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Mariana B. Nagy-Reis from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, and colleagues.
  
  Read more

• At 70, JBL still knows how to throw sound

  04-01-2017 19:20
  
  At least one participant at the upcoming presidential inauguration will care more about how clearly the speeches will be heard than about anything said that day.
  
  Read more

• Surprise! Monster Burst of Radio Waves Arose in Tiny Galaxy - Space.com

  04-01-2017 19:06 via space.com
  
  Space.com
  Surprise! Monster Burst of Radio Waves Arose in Tiny Galaxy
  Space.com
  For the first time, scientists have directly traced an incredibly intense, blindingly bright burst of radio waves — known as an FRB — back to its home galaxy. Surprisingly, this impressive cosmic radio flasher has somewhat humble origins, according ...
  Mystery cosmic radio bursts pinpointedBBC News
  In a first, scientists detect 'fast radio bursts' from beyond the Milky Way galaxyLos Angeles Times
  Astrono
  
  Read more

• More frequent hurricanes not necessarily stronger on Atlantic coast

  04-01-2017 19:00
  
  Active Atlantic hurricane periods, like the one we are in now, are not necessarily a harbinger of more, rapidly intensifying hurricanes along the U.S. coast, according to new research performed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  
  Read more

• Fast radio burst tied to distant dwarf galaxy, and perhaps magnetar

  04-01-2017 19:00
  
  One of the rare and brief bursts of cosmic radio waves that have puzzled astronomers since they were first detected nearly 10 years ago has finally been tied to a source: an older dwarf galaxy more than 3 billion light years from Earth.
  
  Read more

• 280 million-year-old fossil reveals origins of chimaeroid fishes

  04-01-2017 19:00
  
  High-definition CT scans of the fossilized skull of a 280 million-year-old fish reveal the origin of chimaeras, a group of cartilaginous fish related to sharks. Analysis of the brain case of Dwykaselachus oosthuizeni, a shark-like fossil from South Africa, shows telltale structures of the brain, major cranial nerves, nostrils and inner ear belonging to modern-day chimaeras.
  
  Read more

• Unconventional Snap Spectacles make discrete video capture a cinch

  04-01-2017 18:20
  
  For decades, from Kodak to Polaroid to GoPro, companies have marketed cameras by touting features such as focal length, image size and memory space.
  
  Read more

• New gadgets only part of CES's success story

  04-01-2017 17:30
  
  It's easy to get caught up with all the new gizmos at CES.
  
  Read more

• Select Comfort's new bed tracks whether you sleep badly, and then does something about it

  04-01-2017 16:50
  
  Select Comfort's latest bed promises to adjust to your sleep patterns throughout the night, including warming the foot of your bed before you get in, changing position when it senses snoring and waking you gently in the morning.
  
  Read more

• The fire through the smoke: Working for transparency in climate projections

  04-01-2017 16:44
  
  The government of a low-lying island nation is considering the construction of a seawall to protect its capital and economic hub from the rising seas brought on by climate change. The length and expense of the project depends on how high the wall needs to be—3 feet? Four?
  
  Read more

Follow @NewslockSciTech on Twitter!