Sci-Tech news

• WikiLeaks aftermath: Can you protect your phone or TV from spying? - CBS News

  08-03-2017 23:46 via cbsnews.com
  
  CBS News
  WikiLeaks aftermath: Can you protect your phone or TV from spying?
  CBS News
  The publication by WikiLeaks of documents it says are from the CIA's secret hacking program describe tools that can turn a world of increasingly networked, camera- and microphone-equipped devices into eavesdroppers. Smart televisions and automobiles ...
  What the CIA thinks of your anti-virus programKOMO News
  With Claims of CIA Hacking, How to Protect Your DevicesNew York Times
  Apple, Google And Samsung Res
  
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• WATCH: Postmates reveals new robot food delivery service

  08-03-2017 23:23
  
  Postmates' senior vice president of operations, Russell Cook, shows ABC News the company's new robot food delivery service.
  
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• Nest is working on at least 3 new smart-home gadgets right now — here's what we know - Business Insider

  08-03-2017 23:21 via businessinsider.com
  
  Business Insider
  Nest is working on at least 3 new smart-home gadgets right now — here's what we know
  Business Insider
  Nest, the struggling connected-smart-home company bought by Google's parent company, Alphabet, in 2014, will expand its range of smart-home products with new and updated devices you can control from apps on your mobile devices, according to ...
  Nest reportedly planning a cheaper smart thermostat for “under $200”Ars Technica
  Nest reportedly working on chea
  
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• Uber self-driving cars are coming back to California roads

  08-03-2017 22:50
  
  Uber's self-driving cars will return to California's streets, though the ride-hailing company doesn't immediately plan to pick up passengers.
  
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• German prosecutors examining WikiLeaks report on CIA base

  08-03-2017 22:40
  
  Germany's federal prosecutors say they are examining a WikiLeaks report suggesting that the Central Intelligence Agency used the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt as a base for covert hackers.
  
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• Dawn identifies age of Ceres' brightest area

  08-03-2017 22:38
  
  The bright central area of Ceres' Occator Crater, known as Cerealia Facula, is approximately 30 million years younger than the crater in which it lies, according to a new study in the Astronomical Journal. Scientists used data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft to analyze Occator's central dome in detail, concluding that this intriguing bright feature on the dwarf planet is only about 4 million years old—quite recent in terms of geological history.
  
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• Activists' fury over Norway hunt of pregnant whales

  08-03-2017 22:30
  
  Animal rights activists expressed anger on Wednesday after reports emerged that a large majority of whales harpooned each year in Norway are pregnant.
  
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• Eco-warriors win first S. Africa climate change case

  08-03-2017 22:22
  
  South African environmental activists declared a major victory Wednesday after winning the country's first climate change case and forcing the government to reassess the impact of a coal power plant.
  
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• Zoo rhino killing hints at new European avenue for poachers

  08-03-2017 22:21
  
  This week's brutal killing of a rhino in its enclosure at a French zoo points to a new European frontier for greedy poachers that must be closed as a matter of urgency, environmentalists and officials say.
  
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• Chicago tries to learn from New York crime fighting success

  08-03-2017 22:20
  
  Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has visited New York to learn how it achieved long term success in reducing violent crime.
  
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• Delivery startup Instacart bags new funding

  08-03-2017 22:16
  
  Instacart on Wednesday announced it bagged $400 million in fresh funding to ramp up and improve its US-focused grocery delivery service.
  
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• Q&A: A look at questions about current US wildfires

  08-03-2017 22:14
  
  Wildfires scorching hundreds of square miles of Kansas, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma have been blamed in at least six deaths as of Wednesday. Thousands of people have been displaced by the wind-whipped flames.
  
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• Increasing minimum wage would reduce teen pregnancies

  08-03-2017 22:10
  
  A $1 increase in the minimum wage would likely reduce the U.S. adolescent birth rate by about 2 percent, according to new Indiana University research.
  
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• Sub-second system seizures: Unexpected consequences of sub-second delays on fast-moving data systems

  08-03-2017 22:05
  
  Professor Neil Johnson, a physicist at the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences, is interested in complex networks. He studies how fast-moving packets of information spread and interact in large networks like stock markets and the human brain, and what makes the overall system then behave in ways that are unexpected.
  
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• Researchers link methane in groundwater in Parker and Hood counties to natural sources

  08-03-2017 21:42
  
  Scientists from The University of Texas at Austin have found that high levels of methane in well water from two counties near Fort Worth are probably from shallow natural gas deposits, not natural gas leaks caused by hydraulic fracturing operations in the underlying Barnett Shale.
  
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• Destiny Age Of Triumph Update Detailed During Livestream - GameSpot

  08-03-2017 21:20 via gamespot.com
  
  GameSpot
  Destiny Age Of Triumph Update Detailed During Livestream
  GameSpot
  [UPDATE] The show has now ended. A roundup of the key points can be found below. The broadcaster indicated that the channel is intended for mature audiences. Start Watching. You must be 21 to view this content. Please enter your date of birth. Sorry ...
  Destiny's Age of Triumph update will revive every raid in the gamePolygon
  Bungie's final 'Destiny' in-game event seems to miss the pointMashable
  Destiny is bringing back
  
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• Small Nanoparticles Provide Dramatic Improvements in Polymer Materials

  08-03-2017 20:26 via scitechdaily.com
  
  New research from Oak Ridge National Laboratory shows that blending nanoparticles and polymers enables dramatic improvements in the properties of polymer materials. Polymer nanocomposites mix...
  The post Small Nanoparticles Provide Dramatic Improvements in Polymer Materials appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• How Can I Protect My Smartphone and Smart TV From Getting Hacked?

  08-03-2017 20:17 via nbcnews.com
  
  A WikiLeaks dump of purported CIA documents has set off a flurry of questions about who may be watching you in your own home.
  
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• Leaf-cutting ants learn to identify unsuitable plants from cues within the colony

  08-03-2017 20:10
  
  Leaf-cutting ants can learn which plants are not suitable for the fungus gardens that supply their food before they even leave the colony, according to a study published March 8, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Andrés Arenas and Flavio Roces from University of Wurzburg, Germany.
  
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• Biologists identify ancient stress response in corals

  08-03-2017 20:10
  
  Stanford marine biologists have discovered that corals activate a specific group of ancient, defensive genes when exposed to stressful environmental conditions. These stress-induced genes could serve as a kind of warning sign for coral bleaching events.
  
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• Ancient southern China fish may have evolved prior to the 'Age of Fish'

  08-03-2017 20:00
  
  An ancient fish species with unusual scales and teeth from the Kuanti Formation in southern China may have evolved prior to the "Age of Fish", according to a study published March 8, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Brian Choo from Flinders University, Australia, and colleagues at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, China.
  
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• Tech sector scrambles after CIA hacking allegations

  08-03-2017 19:30
  
  The tech sector was scrambling to understand the implications of an alleged broad CIA hacking arsenal, capable of spying on phones and other connected devices.
  
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• Tech sector scrambles after CIA device-hacking allegations

  08-03-2017 19:30
  
  The tech sector was scrambling Wednesday to understand the implications of an alleged broad CIA hacking arsenal, capable of spying on phones and other connected devices.
  
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• Bird-slaying snakes ravage island forests too: study

  08-03-2017 19:20
  
  A non-native snake species that has already wiped out most of Guam's tree-dwelling birds is also decimating the Pacific island's forests, researchers said Wednesday.
  
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• US study: Climate change goosed odds of freaky warm February

  08-03-2017 19:14
  
  Climate scientists say a freakishly warm February broke more than 11,700 local daily records for warmth in the United States. But it didn't quite beat 1954 for the nation's warmest February on record.
  
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• Kepler Provides Additional Data on TRAPPIST-1

  08-03-2017 19:12 via scitechdaily.com
  
  NASA has released additional Kepler data about TRAPPIST-1 – an ultra-cool dwarf star that hosts a total of seven Earth-size planets. On February 22, astronomers...
  The post Kepler Provides Additional Data on TRAPPIST-1 appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• The proteins that domesticated our genomes

  08-03-2017 19:00
  
  EPFL scientists have carried out a genomic and evolutionary study of a large and enigmatic family of human proteins, to demonstrate that it is responsible for harnessing the millions of transposable elements in the human genome. The work reveals the largely species-specific gene-regulatory networks that impact all of human biology, in both health and disease.
  
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• Silk Road evolved as 'grass-routes' movement

  08-03-2017 19:00
  
  Nearly 5,000 years ago, long before the vast east-west trade routes of the Great Silk Road were traversed by Marco Polo, the foundations for these trans-Asian interaction networks were being carved by nomads moving herds to lush mountain pastures, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.
  
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• Researchers create 'time crystals' envisioned by Princeton scientists

  08-03-2017 19:00
  
  Time crystals may sound like something from science fiction, having more to do with time travel or Dr. Who. These strange materials—in which atoms and molecules are arranged across space and time—are in fact quite real, and are opening up entirely new ways to think about the nature of matter. They also eventually may help protect information in futuristic devices known as quantum computers.
  
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• New enzyme-like tool lets chemists modify hard-to-reach spots on drug molecules

  08-03-2017 19:00
  
  March 8, 2017 - Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have devised a versatile molecule-building tool for creating new drugs and other chemical products.
  
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• Dental plaque DNA shows Neandertals used 'aspirin'

  08-03-2017 19:00
  
  Ancient DNA found in the dental plaque of Neandertals - our nearest extinct relative - has provided remarkable new insights into their behaviour, diet and evolutionary history, including their use of plant-based medicine to treat pain and illness.
  
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• Aboriginal hair shows 50,000 years connection to country

  08-03-2017 19:00
  
  DNA in hair samples collected from Aboriginal people across Australia in the early to mid-1900s has revealed that populations have been continuously present in the same regions for up to 50,000 years - soon after the peopling of Australia.
  
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• Paper pumps power portable microfluidics, biomedical devices

  08-03-2017 18:56
  
  Biomedical engineering researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed inexpensive paper pumps that use capillary action to power portable microfluidic devices, opening the door to a range of biomedical tools.
  
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• New survey finds 'Peter Pan' radio galaxies that may never grow up

  08-03-2017 18:30
  
  A team of astronomers has doubled the number of known young, compact radio galaxies—galaxies powered by newly energized black holes. The improved tally will help astronomers understand the relationship between the size of these radio sources and their age, as well as the nature of the galaxy itself.
  
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• Study finds massive rogue waves aren't as rare as previously thought

  08-03-2017 18:20
  
  University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science scientist Mark Donelan and his Norwegian Meteorological Institute colleague captured new information about extreme waves, as one of the steepest ever recorded passed by the North Sea Ekofisk platforms in the early morning hours of Nov. 9 2007.
  
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• Small nanoparticles have surprisingly big effects on polymer nanocomposites

  08-03-2017 18:20
  
  Polymer nanocomposites mix particles billionths of a meter (nanometers, nm) in diameter with polymers, which are long molecular chains. Often used to make injection-molded products, they are common in automobiles, fire retardants, packaging materials, drug-delivery systems, medical devices, coatings, adhesives, sensors, membranes and consumer goods. When a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory tried to verify that shrinking the nanoparticle size would adversely aff
  
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• Phonon nanoengineering: Vibrations of nanoislands dissipate heat more effectively

  08-03-2017 18:20
  
  Europium silicide has for some time attracted the attention of scientists. Recognized as being promising for electronics and spintronics, this material has recently been submitted by a team of physicists from Poland, Germany and France to comprehensive studies of the vibrations of its crystal lattice. The results yielded a surprise: deposited on a substrate of silicon, some structures of europium silicide appear to vibrate in a way that clearly broadens the possibilities of designing nanomateria
  
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• In-cell NMR: A new application

  08-03-2017 18:20
  
  The structure of biological macromolecules is critical to understanding their function, mode of interaction and relationship with their neighbours, and how physiological processes are altered by mutations or changes in the molecular environment.
  
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• Fin24.com | Treasury won't break law on Sassa deal - ANC

  08-03-2017 18:19
  
  Treasury will not act illegally and approve a new welfare distribution deal with Net1 UEPS Technologies, says ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa.
  
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• Chemists create molecular 'leaf' that collects and stores solar power without solar panels

  08-03-2017 18:15
  
  An international team of scientists led by Liang-shi Li at Indiana University has achieved a new milestone in the quest to recycle carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere into carbon-neutral fuels and others materials.
  
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• Most Distant Galaxy Ever Observed by ALMA Sheds Light on the First Stars

  08-03-2017 18:09 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using ALMA, a team of astronomers has detected a huge mass of glowing stardust in a galaxy seen when the Universe was only four percent...
  The post Most Distant Galaxy Ever Observed by ALMA Sheds Light on the First Stars appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Synthesis of medicinally privileged heterocycles through dielectric heating

  08-03-2017 18:00
  
  Heterocyclic compounds are enormously crucial in various industries including food, agricultural, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Heterocyclic pharmacophores are one of the main chemical components in drug discovery research. A report in 2013 claims that four out of six and nine out of twenty one highest selling medicines in the world are small molecule heterocyclic compounds. Therefore, easy access of medicinally active heterocycles or drug candidates is essential for a routine structure-activit
  
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• Alaska volcano erupts again, sends ash cloud over Aleutians

  08-03-2017 17:55
  An Alaska volcano that's been active since mid-December has erupted again with an ash cloud that could threaten airliners
  
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• Researchers propose technique for measuring weak or nonexistent magnetic fields

  08-03-2017 17:50
  
  Physicists at the University of Iowa have proposed a new technique to detect and measure materials that give off weak magnetic signals or have no magnetic field at all. Their solution would use a noninvasive probe to induce a magnetic response in the material being studied and then detect how that response changes the probe's own magnetic field.
  
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• Researchers to develop new math theory for improvement of imaging technology

  08-03-2017 17:49
  
  Researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington are working on a project which could have a sizable impact on imaging technologies, by developing new mathematical theories that can help solve outstanding problems.
  
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• NASA satellites see Tropical Cyclone Enawo moving through central Madagascar

  08-03-2017 17:44
  
  Tropical Cyclone Enawo continued to move through central Madagascar on a southern track as NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites gathered imagery and data on the powerful storm.
  
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• New technology platform propels the use of 'organs-on-chips'

  08-03-2017 17:40
  
  A research team led by scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital has developed a novel technology platform that enables the continuous and automated monitoring of so-called "organs-on-chips"—tiny devices that incorporate living cells to mimic the biology of bona fide human organs.
  
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• Polymer-coated silicon nanosheets—an alternative to graphene

  08-03-2017 17:30
  
  Silicon nanosheets are thin, two-dimensional layers with exceptional optoelectronic properties very similar to those of graphene. Albeit, the nanosheets are less stable. Now researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have, for the first time ever, produced a composite material combining silicon nanosheets and a polymer that is both UV-resistant and easy to process. This brings the scientists a significant step closer to industrial applications like flexible displays and photosensors
  
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• Atomic resolution of muscle contraction

  08-03-2017 17:20
  
  At the molecular level, muscle contraction is defined by myosin molecules pulling actin filaments. New electron cryomicroscopy images with unprecedented resolution taken by researchers at Osaka University reveal unexpectedly large conformational changes in the myosin molecule during the pull. These findings, which can be seen in Nature Communications, provide new insights into how myosin generates force and a paradigm for the construction of nanomachines.
  
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• What the CIA thinks of your anti-virus program

  08-03-2017 17:19
  Scattered throughout the 8,000 pages of purported Central Intelligence Agency data released by WikiLeaks are product reviews of several security products
  
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