Sci-Tech news

• Amazon signs deal to boost its restaurant delivery service

  22-09-2017 23:18
  Amazon wants to deliver more burritos and hamburgers to your doorstep.
  
  Read more

• Facebook backs off plan for non-voting shares

  22-09-2017 23:17
  Facebook on Friday reversed course on a plan to issue a new non-voting class of shares, avoiding a public trial in a suit filed by investors in the huge social network.
  
  Read more

• Study finds no-tillage not sufficient alone to prevent water pollution from nitrate

  22-09-2017 23:13
  A new IUPUI study funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture answers a long-debated agricultural question: whether no-tillage alone is sufficient to prevent water pollution from nitrate. The answer is no.
  
  Read more

• Twitter bots for good: Study reveals how information spreads on social media

  22-09-2017 23:12
  After an election year marked by heated exchanges and the distribution of fake news, Twitter bots earned a bad reputation—but not all bots are bad, suggests a new study co-authored by Emilio Ferrara, a USC Information Sciences Institute computer scientist and a research assistant professor at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Department of Computer Science.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• The anatomy of a hurricane

  22-09-2017 22:35
  
  ScienceHere's how these huge storms form.
  Every tropical cyclone that forms on Earth has the same basic structure that sets these storms apart from the rest.
  
  Read more

• Lake Michigan Itself Is the Greatest Asian Carp Deterrent

  22-09-2017 22:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  For years, people have been freaking out that Asian carp are about to invade the Great Lakes.That concern seemed more real than ever this summer after an Illinois fisherman caught a carp in June less than 10 miles from Lake Michigan — beyond the barriers designed to keep them out.These voracious fish have already decimated Midwestern rivers. They’re filters feeders who feast on plankton — the tiny plants and critters that prop up foodchains. And they eat lots of them. Adult Asi
  
  Read more

• Drone Pilot Bobs and Weaves Through Moving Freight Train

  22-09-2017 21:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  Flying low, through a truss bridge, under a Union Pacific train, and even in a boxcar are just a few of the stunts a drone pilot shows off in a YouTube video while a UP mixed freight is in motion.The video went live on Sept. 20 and has already received more than 250,000 views as of Friday morning. The recording shows a double-tracked right-of-way bridging a river near a highway. The location appears to be just south of Verdi, Nev., on former Southern Pacific tracks over the Truckee River
  
  Read more

• NASA Explains Space Radiation and Its Effects on the Human Body

  22-09-2017 21:46 via scitechdaily.com
  NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) is investigating charged particles to solve one of its biggest challenges for a human journey to Mars: space radiation and...
  The post NASA Explains Space Radiation and Its Effects on the Human Body appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Panda Gut Microbes Change with the Seasons

  22-09-2017 21:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  A change in seasons can mean it's time to take the sweaters out of the back of your closet, plant your garden, or—if you're a panda—remake your gut microbiome. Scientists have found that pandas, rather than a summer and winter wardrobe, have different sets of gut bacteria for different seasons. The rotating roster of bugs helps pandas make the most of their drab diet of bamboo, bamboo and more bamboo.The panda menu does have seasonal variations. Pandas munch more
  
  Read more

• Why Is Europe So Much Better at Cyber Security?

  22-09-2017 21:22 via nbcnews.com
  As America grapples with the Equifax breach, Europe is already taking steps to comply strict new rules designed to make sure something like this never happens.
  
  Read more

• Don't Give Up! Babies Learn Persistence from Adults

  22-09-2017 21:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Don’t give up.” I do, from my mom, all the time, and she’s always led by example. A new study from MIT shows she likely taught me persistence, just from my observing her.The study reveals that kids as young as 15 months can learn persistence from adults. Of course, this also means adults setting not-so-good examples for kids could be inspiring that same behavior in them. This study is apparently the first that shows 
  
  Read more

• Quantifying Drug Use With Sewage and Cell Phones

  22-09-2017 21:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  Obtaining information about illegal drug use isn't a simple task. The illicit nature of the subject makes gathering information on the who and the what of drug consumption problematic. Self-reported surveys, a common tool, aren't always accurate because people aren't always honest about their drug use.But reliable information on drug use is a requisite for public health officials, and to gather the kind of detailed data necessary researchers in Norway turned to two an odd (at first glanc
  
  Read more

• Five rad and random kitchen items I found this week

  22-09-2017 20:53
  
  GadgetsThe end-of-week dispatch from PopSci's commerce editor. Vol. 24.
  Five rad and random kitchen things I found this week. The end-of-week dispatch from PopSci's commerce editor. Vol. 24.
  
  Read more

• MIT Study Predicts Thresholds for a Sixth Mass Extinction

  22-09-2017 20:26 via scitechdaily.com
  According to a newly published study from MIT, Earth’s oceans may hold enough carbon to launch mass extinction of species in future millennia. In the...
  The post MIT Study Predicts Thresholds for a Sixth Mass Extinction appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
  Read more

• New technique spots warning signs of extreme events

  22-09-2017 20:00
  Many extreme events—from a rogue wave that rises up from calm waters, to an instability inside a gas turbine, to the sudden extinction of a previously hardy wildlife species—seem to occur without warning. It's often impossible to predict when such bursts of instability will strike, particularly in systems with a complex and ever-changing mix of players and pieces.
  
  Read more

• Hooded Grebes Are Bringing Sexy Back—Or Trying To

  22-09-2017 18:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  Love is a battlefield, and in the case of the hooded grebe, that battle takes place on the dance floor. These endangered freshwater divers have a mating ritual that is not only extremely intricate, but also highly entertaining. And lucky for us, we now have it on film.Not much is known about the hooded grebe, Podiceps gallardoi, as these aquatic birds were discovered only 43 years ago in the frigid waters of Patagonia. Though they tend to keep to themselves, footage of them is incredibly
  
  Read more

• Algae on river flowing into Lake Erie prompts warning

  22-09-2017 18:53
  Health officials in Ohio are telling children, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions not to swim in the river that flows through Toledo because of an algae outbreak.
  
  Read more

• Not home? Walmart wants to walk in and stock your fridge

  22-09-2017 18:52
  Would you be OK with letting a stranger into your house for the sake of convenience?
  
  Read more

• London ouster of Uber not justified: US commerce chief

  22-09-2017 18:52
  The decision by London transport authorities to oust US ride-hailing firm Uber is "not really justified," US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Friday.
  
  Read more

• Russia firm unveils 'surveillance-proof' smartphone

  22-09-2017 18:51
  For Russians who fear that someone may be eavesdropping on their phone conversations, leading IT entrepreneur Natalya Kaspersky says she has a solution.
  
  Read more

• NASA's asteroid chaser swings by Earth on way to space rock

  22-09-2017 18:51
  NASA's asteroid-chasing spacecraft is swinging by Earth on Friday on its way to a space rock.
  
  Read more

• Fires in Australia pop up in places already burned

  22-09-2017 18:50
  Fires that span across the Northern Territory and Western Australia appear to have broken out in areas that have already been burned in previous fires. Areas that sport "burn scars", those areas that are a darker, almost red-brown color, are surrounded by fires that are anywhere from a few hours old to 7 days old. The areas that are seven days old can be attributed to fires that spread but areas that are just a few hours old may be fires that have presumably been put out only to have them break
  
  Read more

• Enhancing the sensing capabilities of diamonds with quantum properties

  22-09-2017 18:50
  Pure diamond consists of carbon atoms in a perfect crystal lattice. But remove a few carbons and swap some others for nitrogen, and you get a diamond with special quantum-sensing properties. These properties are useful for quantum information applications and sensing magnetic fields, and as a platform for probing the mysteries of quantum physics.
  
  Read more

• Dentistry study pinpoints role of proteins that produce pearls

  22-09-2017 18:50
  Pearls are among nature's most beautiful creations, and have been treasured for countless centuries. Beneath one's iridescent surface lies a tough and resilient structure made of intricately arranged tiles of calcium carbonate organized by a crew of proteins that guide its formation and repair.
  
  Read more

• NASA tracking Hurricane Maria on Bahamas approach

  22-09-2017 18:49
  NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a look at Maria's temperatures to find the strongest sides of the storm, while NOAA's GOES satellite revealed the extent of the storm in a visible image as it moved toward the Bahamas.
  
  Read more

• NASA's Terra satellite sees a very stubborn post-Tropical Cyclone Jose

  22-09-2017 18:47
  Jose continues to bring tropical storm conditions to southern New England although the storm has become post-tropical. NASA's Terra satellite caught a view of the storm sitting almost stationary about 100 miles from Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.
  
  Read more

• Juno Spacecraft Image From Its Eighth Flyby of Jupiter

  22-09-2017 18:43 via scitechdaily.com
  NASA’s Juno Spacecraft captured this striking image of Jupiter as it performed its eighth flyby of the gas giant planet. The image was taken on...
  The post Juno Spacecraft Image From Its Eighth Flyby of Jupiter appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
  Read more

• Can Neuroscience Inform Everyday Life? The "Translation Problem"

  22-09-2017 18:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new paper asks why neuroscience hasn't had more "impact on our daily lives."
  The article, Neuroscience and everyday life: facing the translation problem, comes from Dutch researchers Jolien C. Francken and Marc Slors. It's a thought-provoking piece, but it left me feeling that the authors are expecting too much from neuroscience. I don't think insights from neuroscience are likely to change our lives any time soon.Francken and Slors describe a disconnect between neuroscience re
  
  Read more

• First large scale study of cocaine users leads to breakthrough in drug testing

  22-09-2017 18:40
  Scientists from the University of Surrey have developed a rapid and highly sensitive fingerprint test that can take just seconds to confirm whether someone has used cocaine.
  
  Read more

• JVLA Details the Structure of the Mini-Halo in the Perseus Cluster

  22-09-2017 18:30 via scitechdaily.com
  Using radio and X-ray data, astronomers reveal that the mini-halo in the Perseus cluster seems to be influenced both by the AGN activity and the...
  The post JVLA Details the Structure of the Mini-Halo in the Perseus Cluster appeared first on SciTech Daily.
  
  Read more

• Is Lab-Grown Leather the Next Wardrobe Staple?

  22-09-2017 18:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  Leather jackets are a must-have in many wardrobes. While some adore genuine leather straight from our bovine buds, others seek alternatives to genuine leather, whether due to price or their stance on animal products. This could be their new go-to substitute: lab-grown leather.New York-based Modern Meadow has ditched the cow in favor of growing leather in a lab. Growing materials otherwise found in nature isn’t new; we’ve seen scientists working on in vitro meat and teeth.Leather is a
  
  Read more

• Enormous dinosaur poops show that even herbivores ate shellfish

  22-09-2017 18:14
  
  SciencePlus a heaping portion of decayed wood for fiber.
  Everyone cheats on their diets—dinosaurs were no exception. And there's one delicacy that paleontologists didn't know until now: crustaceans.
  
  Read more

• Setting the Record Straight on Earthquakes

  22-09-2017 17:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  This past month has seen Mexico suffer two major earthquakes. The latest earthquake destroyed multitudes of buildings in Mexico City and over 200 people died as a result of collapses and fires. As with any major natural disaster, a lot of misinformation or speculation gets thrown around and earthquakes tend to encourage a lot of the doomsayers. So, I thought it would be useful to try to set the record straight on what earthquakes can do, what they can't do and what may or may not cause earth
  
  Read more

• NASA's asteroid-collecting spacecraft will slingshot around Earth today

  22-09-2017 16:39
  
  SpaceIt has to pick up an extra boost.
  OSIRIS-REx is stopping by to pick up an extra boost from Earth’s gravity.
  
  Read more

• Carmakers face billions in European CO2 fines from 2021: study

  22-09-2017 16:20
  Big-name carmakers including Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler face fines running into the billions for failure to meet tough new European carbon dioxide emissions limits slated for 2021, a study has found.
  
  Read more

• Russia floats out powerful nuclear icebreaker

  22-09-2017 16:13
  Russia on Friday held a launching ceremony for a powerful nuclear icebreaker, called Sibir (Siberia), in its drive to prepare a fleet for navigating the Northern Passage and hauling goods, particularly energy, to Asian markets.
  
  Read more

• Indonesia raises Bali volcano alert to highest level

  22-09-2017 16:13
  Indonesian authorities have raised the alert level for the Mount Agung volcano on the tourist island of Bali to the highest level, and some 10,000 villagers have left their homes around the mountain, officials said Friday.
  
  Read more

• Rainbow colors reveal cell history

  22-09-2017 16:08
  Tracing the history of individual cells in the developing organism can reveal functional differences among seemingly uniform cells. This knowledge is important for defining the characteristics of highly regenerative cells in order to target them for cellular therapies, as well as to prevent the formation of unfit cells, which compromise the overall health of the organism. The study introduced here presents a new method for tracing the history of β-cells, which perform the essential function
  
  Read more

• Ancient textiles reveal differences in Mediterranean fabrics in the 1st millennium BC

  22-09-2017 16:08
  Textiles represent one of the earliest human craft technologies and applied arts, and their production would have been one of the most important time, resource and labour consuming activities in the ancient past.
  
  Read more

• Winter cold extremes linked to high-altitude polar vortex weakening

  22-09-2017 16:05
  When the strong winds that circle the Arctic slacken, cold polar air can escape and cause extreme winter chills in parts of the Northern hemisphere. A new study finds that these weak states have become more persistent over the past four decades and can be linked to cold winters in Russia and Europe. It is the first to show that changes in winds high up in the stratosphere substantially contributed to the observed winter cooling trend in northern Eurasia. While it is still a subject of research h
  
  Read more

• Crowning the 'King of the Crops': Sequencing the white Guinea yam genome

  22-09-2017 16:05
  An international collaboration involving the Earlham Institute, Norwich, UK, and the Iwate Biotechnology Research Centre, Japan, has for the first time provided a genome sequence for the white Guinea yam, a staple crop with huge economic and cultural significance on the African continent and a lifeline for millions of people.
  
  Read more

• Party discipline for jumping genes

  22-09-2017 15:59
  Jumping genes, transposons, are part of the genome of most organisms, aggregated into families and can damage the genome by jumping. How hosts suppress the jumping is well investigated. Why they still can jump has hardly been understood so far. Researchers from Vetmeduni Vienna investigated for the first time in all transposons of the host organism, which properties and host environments facilitate jumping. They showed that family affiliation is more important than position.
  
  Read more

• Development of an artificial orchid cultivation kit

  22-09-2017 15:55
  Orchids are loved by gardeners around the world but are notoriously difficult to cultivate. Japanese researchers have developed a new orchid cultivation kit that allows seed germination, flowering, and fruiting, and have succeeded in the complete artificial cultivation of an autonomous orchid. Since this kit can be made from materials costing only a few dollars, it can broaden the range of opportunities for orchid cultivation in general households. It is also expected to be a useful tool for pre
  
  Read more

• The hectic around-the-clock effort to save an endangered, orphaned bat

  22-09-2017 15:40
  Early one Wednesday morning in January, in an exhibit at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a fruit bat named Patty went into labor.
  
  Read more

• Robotic ships from Rolls-Royce (not that one) could carry out naval missions without a crew

  22-09-2017 15:30
  
  MilitaryNew autonomous vessels possible by the end of the decade
  Rolls-Royce, the marine company, wants to design long-range autonomous ships for the world's navies.
  
  Read more

• Amazon plans to double staff in New York City

  22-09-2017 15:30
  It's not a second headquarters, but Amazon.com says it will add about 2,000 employees in New York City during the next three years, more than doubling an outpost focused on the online retailer's advertising business.
  
  Read more

• Singapore ranks first as launchpad for global cyber attacks

  22-09-2017 15:20
  Singapore has overtaken nations including the U.S., Russia and China as the country launching the most cyber attacks globally, according to Israeli data security company Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
  
  Read more

• Coordinated automated road transport

  22-09-2017 15:10
  A new report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) explores how connected vehicles and intelligent systems could change transport and the (r)evolution these changes could bring to people's lives.
  
  Read more

• Complete structure of mitochondrial respiratory supercomplex decoded

  22-09-2017 15:10
  (Phys.org)—Piece by piece, the circuit diagram for electron transport in the mitochondria has come closer to completion. Each new structure obtained for any of the five respiratory complexes further constrains the assembled puzzle. Eventually, big blocks are arranged into their final placements. The exact composition of the biggest block, the so-called megacomplex, has long eluded researchers. Now, after imaging 140 individual subunits down to 3.9 anstrom resolution, the Full Monty is has
  
  Read more

Follow @NewslockSciTech on Twitter!