Sci-Tech news

• Gimme Shelter? A 3-D Printer Made This House In Just 24 Hours

  07-03-2017 23:57 via nbcnews.com
  
  3-D printing has come a long way - and now, San Francisco-based startup Apis Cor is building entire houses.
  
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• Principles of 3-D genome folding and gene expression studied across species

  07-03-2017 23:10
  
  It seems like a feat of magic. Human DNA, if stretched out into one, long spaghetti-like strand, would measure 2 meters (six feet) long. And yet, all of our DNA is compacted more than 10,000 times to fit inside a single cell. How is this accomplished while preserving the overall, vital genomic organization?
  
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• WikiLeaks: CIA has targeted everyday gadgets for snooping

  07-03-2017 23:00
  
  Maybe the CIA is spying on you through your television set after all. Documents released by WikiLeaks allege a CIA surveillance program that targets everyday gadgets ranging from smart TVs to smartphones to cars. Such snooping, WikiLeaks said, could turn some of these devices into recorders that could snoop on everyday conversations—and could also circumvent data-scrambling encryption on communications apps such as Facebook's WhatsApp.
  
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• RIT helps advance space camera being tested on ISS

  07-03-2017 22:50
  
  Imaging technology advanced by researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology and Florida Institute of Technology is being tested on the International Space Station and could someday be used on future space telescopes.
  
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• Cells communicate better when not squeezed together, research shows

  07-03-2017 22:44
  
  Scientists are beginning to realize that many cellular behaviors, such as metastasizing cancer cells moving through the body or wound healing, aren't random events, but the result of coordinated actions by cells.
  
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• Canada faces 'herculean shift' to meet climate targets

  07-03-2017 22:40
  
  Canada requires a "herculean shift" in energy use to meet its international commitment to reduce greenhouse gases, according to a Senate study out Tuesday.
  
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• Uber seeks a second-in-command to steady the wheel

  07-03-2017 22:30
  
  Uber on Tuesday began searching for a second-in-command to help embattled chief executive Travis Kalanick steady the wheel at the fast-growing on-demand ride service.
  
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• New kids streaming service will have 'Scooby Doo,' 'Jetsons'

  07-03-2017 22:30
  
  A new streaming service aimed at kids will have episodes of classic cartoons like "Scooby Doo," ''The Flintstones" and "The Jetsons" as well as original series.
  
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• Research finds link between unemployed women trading sex for security and high HIV rates

  07-03-2017 22:20
  
  Dr. Kelly Austin, Lehigh University assistant professor of sociology, finds in the first research paper to consider the role of unemployment in predicting the female HIV rate, that unemployment among young women significantly impacts the proportion of female HIV cases among those aged 15-24 in developing - especially Sub-Saharan African - countries.
  
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• NASA sees powerful Tropical Cyclone Enawo make landfall in Madagascar

  07-03-2017 22:10
  
  Tropical Cyclone Enawo was battering the northeastern region of Madagascar when NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed overhead on March 7. Enawo strengthened to the equivalent of a Category 4 or major hurricane and made landfall.
  
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• Detailed chemical structure of P22 virus resolved

  07-03-2017 22:07
  
  Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Purdue University have completed a model of unprecedented near-atomic resolution of the chemical structure of the P22 virus. The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
  
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• Vision, not limbs, led fish onto land 385 million years ago

  07-03-2017 22:05
  
  A provocative new Northwestern University and Claremont McKenna, Scripps and Pitzer colleges study suggests it was the power of the eyes and not the limbs that first led our ancient aquatic ancestors to make the momentous leap from water to land. Crocodile-like animals first saw easy meals on land and then evolved limbs that enabled them to get there, the researchers argue.
  
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• Group tolerance linked to perceptions of fairness and harm

  07-03-2017 22:00
  
  Look for the fault line in any modern conflict and it likely follows a familiar division between the opposing groups. Whether that divide is sectarian, ethnic or ideological, people's devotion to the values that define their communities can make it seem as if violence along their boundaries is inevitable.
  
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• Researchers develop equation that helps to explain plant growth

  07-03-2017 21:50
  
  It is rare in biology that a single trait can answer questions spanning several fields of research. One such trait is plant biology's "leaf mass per area," a simple measurement calculated by weighing a dried leaf and dividing by its original fresh area. Leaf mass per area, or LMA, which has been measured in thousands of studies, is used in nearly every field of plant biology to make predictions of many processes and properties such as leaf photosynthetic rates, nitrogen content and plant environ
  
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• Trump set to roll back federal fuel-economy requirements

  07-03-2017 21:47
  
  The Trump administration is moving to roll back federal fuel-economy requirements that would have forced automakers to increase significantly the efficiency of new cars and trucks, a key part of former President Barack Obama's strategy to combat global warming.
  
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• Judge won't stop construction of Dakota Access pipeline

  07-03-2017 21:45
  
  A federal judge declined Tuesday to temporarily stop construction of the final section of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline, clearing the way for oil to flow as soon as next week.
  
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• US desert songbirds at risk in a warming climate

  07-03-2017 21:40
  
  Projected increases in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves in the desert of the southwestern United States are putting songbirds at greater risk for death by dehydration and mass die-offs, according to a new study.
  
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• ASHG opposes new executive order restricting travel to the US

  07-03-2017 21:30
  
  The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) opposes and urges the White House to rescind its recent Executive Order "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," issued March 6.
  
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• Snake bit? Chemists figure out how to easily and cheaply halt venom's spread

  07-03-2017 21:26
  
  Chemists at the University of California, Irvine have developed a way to neutralize deadly snake venom more cheaply and effectively than with traditional anti-venom—an innovation that could spare millions of people the loss of life or limbs each year.
  
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• 'Black swan' events strike animal populations

  07-03-2017 21:00
  
  Black swan events are rare and surprising occurrences that happen without notice and often wreak havoc on society. The metaphor has been used to describe banking collapses, devastating earthquakes and other major surprises in financial, social and natural systems.
  
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• Scientists engineering cells to eat deadly bacteria

  07-03-2017 20:00
  
  Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University are working to engineer single-cell organisms that will seek out and eat bacteria that are deadly to humans.
  
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• Species appears to evolve quickly enough to endure city temperatures

  07-03-2017 19:40
  
  The speed at which a tiny ant evolves to cope to its warming city environment suggests that some species may evolve quickly enough to survive, or even thrive, in the warmer temperatures found within cities, according to a new study by researchers at Case Western Reserve University.
  
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• HiRISE Views Viscous Flow Features on Mars

  07-03-2017 19:37 via scitechdaily.com
  
  This new HiRISE image shows a mass of flow features on the surface of Mars. Viscous, lobate flow features are commonly found at the bases...
  The post HiRISE Views Viscous Flow Features on Mars appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Who's Policing Facebook's Secret Groups?

  07-03-2017 19:14 via nbcnews.com
  
  While Facebook says it "removes content that promotes sexual violence," it can't keep track of every bad thing that is happening, experts agree.
  
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• General Mills boosts eco-friendly grain Kernza

  07-03-2017 19:09
  
  A sweet, nutty-tasting new grain called Kernza is getting a big boost from food giant General Mills, which is intrigued by the potentially big environmental benefits of the drought-resistant crop with long roots that doesn't need to be replanted every year.
  
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• Where did the Scythians come from?

  07-03-2017 19:08
  
  The Lomonosov Moscow State University anthropologists have put forward an assumption that the Scythian gene pool was formed on the basis of local tribes with some participation of populations, migrated to the northern Black Sea region from Central Asia. The research results have been published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
  
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• Fin24.com | MTN mulls first rand-bond sale in 7 years on Nigerian woes

  07-03-2017 19:08
  
  MTN is gauging investor interest for its first sale of rand-denominated bonds in seven years as Africa’s largest mobile-phone operator struggles to repatriate earnings from its Nigerian business.
  
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• Crowdfunding innovation: It's backers—not money raised—that predicts market success

  07-03-2017 19:07
  
  Research from North Carolina State University finds that the number of backers a new product attracts during crowdfunding predicts the financial success of the product when it reaches the marketplace - but the amount of money raised during crowdfunding does not.
  
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• Forget Trump; Slovenian president rules Instagram

  07-03-2017 18:33
  
  Donald Trump may rule Twitter, but he's no match for his Slovenian counterpart on Instagram.
  
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• Computer simulations first step toward designing more efficient amine chemical scrubbers

  07-03-2017 18:20
  
  A proof-of-concept molecular modeling study from North Carolina State University analyzes the efficiency of amine solutions in capturing carbon dioxide. This series of new computer models is the first step toward the design of cheaper, more efficient amine chemicals for capturing carbon dioxide - and reducing harmful CO2 emissions - in industrial installations.
  
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• Survival instinct, not family bonds, weave massive spider colonies together

  07-03-2017 18:10
  
  Spiders will live in groups if environmental conditions make it too difficult for single mothers to go it alone, new research shows.
  
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• Fault system off San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles counties could produce magnitude 7.3 quake

  07-03-2017 18:05
  
  A fault system that runs from San Diego to Los Angeles is capable of producing up to magnitude 7.3 earthquakes if the offshore segments rupture and a 7.4 if the southern onshore segment also ruptures, according to an analysis led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego.
  
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• Study examines tungsten in extreme environments to improve fusion materials

  07-03-2017 18:00
  
  A fusion reactor is essentially a magnetic bottle containing the same processes that occur in the sun. Deuterium and tritium fuels fuse to form a vapor of helium ions, neutrons and heat. As this hot, ionized gas—called plasma—burns, that heat is transferred to water to make steam to turn turbines that generate electricity. The superheated plasma poses a constant threat to the reactor wall and the divertor (which removes waste from the operating reactor to keep the plasma hot enough t
  
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• New frog from the Peruvian Andes is the first amphibian named after Sir David Attenborough

  07-03-2017 18:00
  
  While there are already a number of species named after famous British broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, including mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and plants, both extinct and extant, not until now has the host of the BBC Natural History's Life series been honoured with an amphibian.
  
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• Newly Discovered Phenomenon Shows Electrons Can Move Much Faster Than Expected

  07-03-2017 17:55 via scitechdaily.com
  
  A new study shows that electrons passing through a narrow constriction in a piece of metal can move much faster than expected, and that they...
  The post Newly Discovered Phenomenon Shows Electrons Can Move Much Faster Than Expected appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Innocent African-Americans more likely to be wrongfully convicted

  07-03-2017 17:50
  
  African-American prisoners who were convicted of murder are about 50 percent more likely to be innocent than other convicted murderers and spend longer in prison before exoneration, according to a report released today that's co-edited by a Michigan State University College of Law professor.
  
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• NASA Scientists Will Create the Coolest Spot in the Universe

  07-03-2017 17:43 via scitechdaily.com
  
  NASA scientists plan to create the coolest spot in the universe at the International Space Station by freezing gas atoms to a mere billionth of...
  The post NASA Scientists Will Create the Coolest Spot in the Universe appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Computer linguists are developing an intelligent system aid for air traffic controllers

  07-03-2017 17:40
  
  Together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), computer scientists from Saarland University have now developed a new system that listens in to these conversations and engages with the controllers. The scientists are presenting their prototype at the Cebit computer fair in Hannover, Germany (Hall 6, Stand E28).
  
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• White rhino killed by poachers at French zoo

  07-03-2017 17:39
  
  Intruders at a French zoo have shot dead a white rhino and hacked off its horns in a grizzly overnight poaching incident, the police and the zoo said Tuesday.
  
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• New Cassini Spacecraft Image of Enceladus

  07-03-2017 17:31 via scitechdaily.com
  
  This newly released Cassini image shows Enceladus at a distance of approximately 41,000 miles away. Enceladus is a world divided. To the north, we see...
  The post New Cassini Spacecraft Image of Enceladus appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• New design results in compact, highly efficient frequency comb

  07-03-2017 17:30
  
  Northwestern University researchers have designed a quantum cascade laser (QCL) frequency comb that is dramatically more efficient than previous iterations.
  
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• Earth is bombarded at random

  07-03-2017 17:30
  
  Do mass extinctions, like the fall of the dinosaurs, and the formation of large impact craters on Earth occur together at regular intervals? "This question has been under discussion for more than thirty years now," says Matthias Meier from ETH Zurich's Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology. As late as 2015, US researchers indicated that impact craters were formed on Earth around every 26 million years. "We have determined, however, that asteroids don't hit the Earth at periodic intervals," say
  
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• Plant species discovered in Colombia named to honor Santos

  07-03-2017 17:29
  
  Scientists have named a recently discovered Colombian plant species in honor of President Juan Manuel Santos' efforts to build peace following five decades of armed conflict.
  
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• Austrian official: Turkish cyberattack on foreign ministry

  07-03-2017 17:23
  
  Austria's foreign ministry says that Turkish hackers have again attacked its internet pages amid simmering tensions between the two countries.
  
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• New study finds price discounts may backfire when combined with large donations

  07-03-2017 17:20
  
  Providing consumers the opportunity to feel altruistic by donating a portion of the purchase price to a charity is an effective way for businesses to drive sales, as is providing items and services at discounted prices. However, businesses should proceed with caution when combining these two marketing techniques, as it can have the opposite effect. According to a forthcoming study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, offering price discounts can reduce rather than increase sales in cause ma
  
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• Legacy of brilliant young scientist is a major leap in quantum computing

  07-03-2017 17:11
  
  Researchers from the University of Bristol and Université Libre de Bruxelles have theoretically shown how to write programs for random circuitry in quantum computers.
  
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• Copper mining with bioactive substances derived from bacteria

  07-03-2017 17:10
  
  Chile is one of the most important suppliers of copper to German industry. Within the framework of the scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries, research is now being pursued into how Chilean copper ores can be extracted in a more environmentally sustainable way. Bioactive substances derived from bacteria may replace or reduce chemicals. A further aim is to increase metal yield while extracting metals that are traditionally difficult to separate out, in particular the m
  
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• A light rain can spread soil bacteria far and wide, study finds

  07-03-2017 17:10
  
  A good rain can have a cleansing effect on the land. But an MIT study published today in Nature Communications reports that, under just the right conditions, rain can also be a means of spreading bacteria.
  
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• 'Traveling' droughts bring new possibilities for prediction

  07-03-2017 17:00
  
  A small subset of the most intense droughts move across continents in predictable patterns, according a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters by researchers in Austria and the United States. The study could help improve projections of future drought, allowing for more effective planning.
  
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• Synchrotron sheds X-ray light on carbon chemistry at ocean surfaces

  07-03-2017 17:00
  
  Nature's carbonate system, the dynamic chemistry involving carbon dioxide (CO2), carbonate (CO32-), bicarbonate (HCO3-), and carbonic acid (H2CO3), is a vital component of the biosphere. Carbonate, bicarbonate, and carbonic acid emerge when atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in the oceans, which is the largest sink for this greenhouse gas. Researchers are interested in better understanding the carbonate system to potentially help facilitate carbon sequestration schemes, especially with carbon-
  
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