Sci-Tech news

• SOFIA Confirms Nearby Epsilon Eridani System Is Remarkably Similar To Our Solar System

  02-05-2017 23:53 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Using data from NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), astronomers confirm that the nearby Epsilon Eridani system has an architecture remarkably similar to that...
  The post SOFIA Confirms Nearby Epsilon Eridani System Is Remarkably Similar To Our Solar System appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Apple growing cash stash spurs talk of huge acquisition

  02-05-2017 23:25
  
  As Apple's stash of cash grows, so does the possibility that the company will use some of the money for a huge acquisition that would expand its empire beyond iPhones and other gadgets.
  
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• Cancer-causing virus masters cell's replication, immortality

  02-05-2017 23:23
  
  Viruses are notorious for taking over their host's operations and using them to their own advantage. But few human viruses make themselves quite as cozy as the Epstein-Barr virus, which can be found in an estimated nine out of ten humans without causing any ill effects.
  
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• Novel designs for interference microscopy objectives earn Rudolf Kingslake Medal

  02-05-2017 23:21
  
  Two researchers from Zygo Corporation are recipients of the Rudolf Kingslake Medal and Prize for 2016. The award is presented annually to the most noteworthy original paper published in the journal Optical Engineering by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.
  
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• Apple's Big Problem: iPhone Sales Are Flat

  02-05-2017 23:15 via nbcnews.com
  
  Apple reported quarterly earnings on Tuesday that beat expectations, but revenues fell short of estimates as the company sold fewer iPhones than expected.
  
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• Holy chickens: Did Medieval religious rules drive domestic chicken evolution?

  02-05-2017 23:00
  
  Chickens were domesticated from Asian jungle fowl around 6000 years ago. Since domestication they have acquired a number of traits that are valuable to humans, including those concerning appearance, reduced aggression and faster egg-laying, although it is not known when and why these traits evolved.
  
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• Waiting for a Siri version of Amazon Echo? Just make your own - CNET

  02-05-2017 22:42 via cnet.com
  
  CNET
  Waiting for a Siri version of Amazon Echo? Just make your own
  CNET
  You don't need to spend money on an Amazon Echo or whatever Apple's smart speaker turns out to be. Just use an old iPhone and put Siri to work. Tyler Lizenby/CNET. Rumor has it Apple will jump on the smart-speaker bandwagon at next month's WWDC, ...and more »
  
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• Scientists scrutinize first aid for man o' war stings

  02-05-2017 22:39
  
  In recent decades, trusted first aid resources have recommended stings from man o' war (Physalia species) be treated differently from other jellies. But when researchers at the University of Hawai'i - Mānoa (UHM) dug into the scientific literature, they found scant evidence to support such individualized first aid. Adding to a recent push for evidence-based sting treatments, members of the Pacific Cnidaria Research Laboratory (PCRL) at UHM teamed up with colleagues in Ireland to investigate
  
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• Hear Saturn's 'Big Empty' from Cassini, Which Just Made 2nd Ring Dive - Space.com

  02-05-2017 22:07 via space.com
  
  Space.com
  Hear Saturn's 'Big Empty' from Cassini, Which Just Made 2nd Ring Dive
  Space.com
  The space between Saturn and its rings is eerily silent: Researchers monitoring the Cassini spacecraft were surprised to encounter almost no dust and debris during the spacecraft's first dramatic dive through the gap, and you can hear the strange lack ...
  This Is Our First 'Sound' From the Creepy Void Inside Saturn's RingsGizmodo
  Here's the nothingness Cassini heard as it flew through the empty space betwe
  
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• Oklahoma author awarded ownership of microfilm lunar Bibles

  02-05-2017 21:41
  
  A Texas state agency has withdrawn its ownership claim to 10 microfilm Bibles that Apollo astronauts took into space, ceding them to an author who says they were left to her
  
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• California proposes stringent cap on toxic chemical in drinking water

  02-05-2017 21:40
  
  California regulators are proposing a strict limit on a toxic man-made chemical that has contaminated water supplies throughout the state, particularly in its vast agricultural heartland.
  
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• USA Today owner Gannett warns workers of possible breach

  02-05-2017 21:24
  
  Gannett, the publisher of USA Today and other newspapers, has warned about 18,000 current and former employees that hackers may have had access to their personal information after breaking into the emails of members of its human resources department.
  
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• Biology's need for speed tolerates a few mistakes

  02-05-2017 21:07
  
  Biology must be in a hurry. In balancing speed and accuracy to duplicate DNA, produce proteins and carry out other processes, evolution has apparently determined that speed is of higher priority, according to Rice University researchers.
  
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• Putting students closer to explosive solar events

  02-05-2017 21:05
  
  NJIT has a long-established reputation as a leader in researching phenomena originating on the star closest to Earth—the Sun. NJIT's optical telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory and radio telescope array at Owens Valley, both in California, have greatly expanded our understanding of solar events that periodically impact our home planet, events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that can disrupt terrestrial communications and power infrastructure in addition to other
  
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• Astronomers confirm nearby star a good model of our early solar system

  02-05-2017 20:04
  
  NASA's SOFIA aircraft, a 747 loaded with a 2.5-meter telescope in the back and stripped of most creature comforts in the front, took a big U-turn over the Pacific west of Mexico.
  
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• Facebook Denies Letting Ad Buyers Target Emotional Teens

  02-05-2017 20:01 via nbcnews.com
  
  Advertising has long appealed to consumers' emotions, but a new report claims Facebook may have taken it a bit too far.
  
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• Rise Of The Super Telescopes: The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope - Universe Today

  02-05-2017 19:40 via pinterest.com
  Rise Of The Super Telescopes: The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope - Universe Today
  
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• Rise Of The Super Te

  02-05-2017 19:40 via pinterest.com
  
  Rise Of The Super Telescopes: The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope - Universe Today
  
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• Microsoft out to regain ground in schools with Surface Laptop

  02-05-2017 19:26
  
  Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled a Surface laptop and streamlined operating software in a move aimed at regaining ground in classrooms, where Google Chromebooks have taken hold.
  
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• Microsoft launches Surface laptop, streamlined Windows 10

  02-05-2017 19:26
  
  Microsoft is introducing a Surface device aimed at students.
  
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• Walrus, caribou face extinction risk in Canadian Arctic

  02-05-2017 19:23
  
  Both Atlantic walrus and eastern migratory caribou are at risk of extinction in Canada's Arctic, a panel of experts has warned.
  
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• Toxic mine pollution halted near scenic Washington lake

  02-05-2017 19:23
  
  Toxic mine pollution is no longer flowing into Washington state's picturesque Lake Chelan for the first time in nearly 60 years because of a $500 million cleanup to contain contamination from the a mine, officials said this week.
  
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• India-based IT company Infosys plans Indiana tech center

  02-05-2017 19:23
  
  India-based information technology company Infosys announced Tuesday that it will establish a central Indiana tech center as part of a broader expansion in the United States that is projected to create 10,000 jobs in the coming years.
  
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• Scientists find giant wave rolling through the Perseus galaxy cluster

  02-05-2017 19:22
  
  Combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory with radio observations and computer simulations, an international team of scientists has discovered a vast wave of hot gas in the nearby Perseus galaxy cluster. Spanning some 200,000 light-years, the wave is about twice the size of our own Milky Way galaxy.
  
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• Study reveals first recording of cuttlefish fighting over a mate in the wild

  02-05-2017 19:10
  
  On a research dive in 2011 off the Aegean Sea coast of the fishing village Çe?mealt?, Turkey, a lucky pair of graduate students bore accidental witness to a phenomenon scientists have otherwise only ever seen in the lab: the theater and violence of male cuttlefish competing for a mate.
  
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• Got a sweet tooth? Blame your liver

  02-05-2017 19:03
  
  A hormone called FGF21 that is secreted by the liver after eating sweets may determine who has a sweet tooth and who doesn't, according to a study in Cell Metabolism published May 2. Researchers at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen found that people with particular variants of the FGF21 gene were about 20% more likely to be top-ranking consumers of sweets and candy, such as ice cream, chocolate, and gumdrops than their counterparts in
  
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• Wastewater injection rates may have been key to Oklahoma's largest earthquake

  02-05-2017 19:02
  
  Changes to the rate of wastewater injection in disposal wells may have contributed to conditions that led to last year's Pawnee earthquake in Oklahoma, according to a new report published May 3 as part of a focus section in Seismological Research Letters.
  
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• New NIST data to aid production and storage of 'fascinating' medication

  02-05-2017 19:00
  
  Amantadine hydrochloride may be the most common medication you've never heard of. This compound has been around for decades as the basis for antiviral and other medications, from flu therapy to treatments for brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease and the fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis.
  
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• Mysterious Gamma-Ray Glow at the Center of the Milky Way Most Likely Caused by Pulsars, Not Dark Matter

  02-05-2017 18:20 via scitechdaily.com
  
  A newly published study reveals that the mysterious gamma-ray glow at the center of the Milky Way is most likely caused by pulsars, not dark...
  The post Mysterious Gamma-Ray Glow at the Center of the Milky Way Most Likely Caused by Pulsars, Not Dark Matter appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Facebook Messenger rolls out Instant Games worldwide - TechCrunch

  02-05-2017 18:20 via techcrunch.com
  
  TechCrunch
  Facebook Messenger rolls out Instant Games worldwide
  TechCrunch
  Facebook is sidestepping the app stores by now allowing everyone to play no-download HTML5 “Instant Games” inside of Facebook Messenger. Launched in the U.S. in November, Instant Games are now globally available with 50 titles to play, from Pac-Man ...
  Here's why Facebook Messenger isn't building a voice-controlled assistant like Alexa or SiriRecode
  Facebook Messenger games now available to all usersYaho
  
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• Fin24.com | Listen to music wirelessly at a cheaper cost

  02-05-2017 18:12
  
  The iFrogz Audio Impulse Wireless Bluetooth headphones are an impressive option for wireless audio needs at an affordable cost.
  
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• Evolution: On mosaics and melting-pots

  02-05-2017 18:04
  
  Genetic studies of cichlid fishes suggest that interspecies hybrids played a prominent role in their evolution. Analysis of a unique fossil cichlid from the Upper Miocene of East Africa now provides further support for this idea.
  
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• Zelda: Breath of the Wild's DLC Sounds Like 'The Division' DLC, And That Isn't A Compliment - Forbes

  02-05-2017 17:54 via forbes.com
  
  Forbes
  Zelda: Breath of the Wild's DLC Sounds Like 'The Division' DLC, And That Isn't A Compliment
  Forbes
  Now that I've had some time to process last night's Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC announcement, I find that I'm a bit disappointed with it all (and I'm not alone). Years ago, Nintendo was reluctant to jump on the DLC train, but as they showed in games ...
  Nintendo details the first DLC pack for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildNintendo
  All The New Zelda Breath Of The Wild DLC Costumes
  
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• Did Intelligent Space Aliens Once Live in Our Solar System?

  02-05-2017 17:37 via nbcnews.com
  
  A respected scientist says that if the existence of a home-grown intelligent alien species has never been established, it's never been ruled out either.
  
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• Origin of Milky Way's hypothetical dark matter signal may not be so dark

  02-05-2017 17:36
  
  A mysterious gamma-ray glow at the center of the Milky Way is most likely caused by pulsars – the incredibly dense, rapidly spinning cores of collapsed ancient stars that were up to 30 times more massive than the sun. That's the conclusion of a new analysis by an international team of astrophysicists, including researchers from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The findings cast doubt on previous interpretations of the signal as a potential sign of dark matte
  
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• NASA Issues a Challenge – High Performance Fast Computing Challenge

  02-05-2017 17:28 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Improve the speed of computational fluid dynamics algorithms in NASA’s FUN3D software. A prize purse of up to $55,000 in overall cash prizes is available....
  The post NASA Issues a Challenge – High Performance Fast Computing Challenge appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Black rhinos to come back home to Rwanda

  02-05-2017 17:24
  
  Around 20 of Africa's endangered Eastern black rhinos are returning in an "extraordinary homecoming" to Rwanda after the species disappeared there 10 years ago, the African Parks organisation said Tuesday.
  
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• Healthy housing for refugees in extreme climates

  02-05-2017 17:22
  
  Refugees living in extreme climates ranging from 45 degrees to -10 degrees, such as those in Jordan, could benefit from improved living conditions as a result of an international collaborative research project led by the University of Bath.
  
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• Why space dust emits radio waves upon crashing into a spacecraft

  02-05-2017 17:20
  
  When spacecraft and satellites travel through space they encounter tiny, fast moving particles of space dust and debris. If the particle travels fast enough, its impact appears to create electromagnetic radiation (in the form of radio waves) that can damage or even disable the craft's electronic systems.
  
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• How fluids flow through shale

  02-05-2017 17:20
  
  Most of the world's oil and natural gas reserves may be locked up inside the tiny pores comprising shale rock. But current drilling and fracturing methods can't extract this fuel very well, recovering only an estimated 5 percent of oil and 20 percent of gas from shale. That's partly due to a poor understanding of how fluids flow through these small pores, which measure only nanometers across.
  
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• Scientists say agriculture is good for honey bees

  02-05-2017 17:19
  
  While recent media reports have condemned a commonly used agricultural pesticide as detrimental to honey bee health, scientists with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture have found that the overall health of honey bee hives actually improves in the presence of agricultural production.
  
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• Video: The chemistry of whiskey

  02-05-2017 17:10
  
  Derby Day is around the corner, and with it comes big hats, horses with funny names, and bourbon. The latest episode of Reactions celebrates the chemical process of distillation that makes bourbon and other whiskey varieties possible. Since water and ethanol, along with tasty flavors, have different boiling points, they can be separated by carefully heating the mash that starts off every whiskey.
  
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• Losses reduce subsequent risk taking among bettors—applies to many other risky decisions, too

  02-05-2017 17:10
  
  Psychologically, loss is known to cause about twice as much pain as pleasure caused by similar gain. However, earlier studies focusing on how prior outcomes affect subsequent risk taking have reported conclusions that appear mutually contradictory.
  
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• Some—but not all—corals adapting to warming climate

  02-05-2017 17:07
  
  A new WCS study reveals evidence that some corals are adapting to warming ocean waters - potentially good news in the face of recent reports of global coral die offs due to extreme warm temperatures in 2016. The study appears in the latest issue of Marine Ecology Progress Series.
  
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• NASA to measure greenhouse gases over the mid-Atlantic region in may

  02-05-2017 17:07
  
  In May, a team of Goddard scientists will begin measuring greenhouse gases over the Mid-Atlantic region—an area chosen in part because it encompasses a range of vegetation, climate, and soil types that would influence the exchange of carbon dioxide and methane between the Earth and the atmosphere.
  
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• Yale Researchers Stop Sugar-Craving in Fruit Flies

  02-05-2017 16:46 via scitechdaily.com
  
  Working with fruit flies, researchers from Yale University have discovered ways to blunt the craving for sugar. A single pair of neurons in the throat...
  The post Yale Researchers Stop Sugar-Craving in Fruit Flies appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
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• Feeding strategies in competing hummingbird species observed in a small area in Brazil

  02-05-2017 16:46
  
  Being the vertebrates with the highest metabolic rate thanks to their rapid wing flaps, the hummingbirds have evolved various types of feeding behaviour. While the nectar-feeders tend to go for food high in energy, strong competition affects greatly their preferences and behaviour towards either dominance, subordination, a strategy known as trapline and a fourth one named hide-and-wait, conclude the Brazilian scientists Lucas L. Lanna, Cristiano S. de Azevedo, Ricardo M. Claudino, Reisla Oliveir
  
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• Bacteria take a deadly risk to survive

  02-05-2017 16:45
  
  Bacteria need mutations—changes in their DNA code—to survive under difficult circumstances. When necessary, they can even mutate at different speeds. This is shown in a recent study by the Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics at KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium. The findings open up various new avenues for research, ranging from more efficient biofuel production methods to a better treatment for bacterial infections and cancer.
  
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• Ecology team finds leaf litter has slower decomposition rate in warm temperatures

  02-05-2017 16:41
  
  The time it takes for a leaf to decompose might be the key to understanding how temperature affects ecosystems, according to Kansas State University ecologists.
  
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• Deep learning helps scientists keep track of cell's inner parts

  02-05-2017 16:40
  
  Donnelly Centre researchers have developed a deep learning algorithm that can track proteins, to help reveal what makes cells healthy and what goes wrong in disease.
  
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