Sci-Tech news

• How Apple's HomePod compares to the competition

  09-02-2018 23:39
  "The music quality is second to none," said one reviewer.
  
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• Shipping shakeup? Amazon may deliver its own packages

  09-02-2018 23:19
  Retail giant Amazon may be about to flex its muscle in the package-delivery business
  
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• SpaceX's 'Falcon' feat may be just a prelude to the main event

  09-02-2018 22:59 via nbcnews.com
  Elon Musk looks forward to the Big F---ing Rocket that he says will take humans to the moon and Mars.
  
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• US Army Now Holding Drills With Ground Robots That Shoot

  09-02-2018 22:51 via technocracy.news
  Technocrats in the military think that technology is the answer to warfare, and that means armed robotics ultimately equipped with autonomous AI. China and Russia have responded in kind, sparking an intense development war. Automated killing machines will make the first mechanized war, WW I or the ‘Great War’, appear like a minor skirmish. ⁃ TN EditorIn a historic first, the Army conducted a live fire exercise with a remote-controlled ground combat vehicle armed with a .50-cali
  
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• This Is Why Some Bats Have Hairy Tongues

  09-02-2018 22:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  Nectar-drinking bats possess hairy tongues, and now scientists reveal these hairs are designed to maximize how much sweet nectar the bats can guzzle.The South American Pallas' long-tongued bat, Glossophaga soricina, dips its long tongue in and out of flowers while hovering in mid-air, and the hairs on its tongue apparently helping it collect nectar that pools at the bottom of the blossoms. Other animals, such as honeybees and mouse-like marsupials, known as honey possums, native to Austr
  
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• Did The Dino-Killing Asteroid Trigger Global Volcanoes?

  09-02-2018 22:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  Earth’s worst day happened 66.043 million years ago — give or take 32,000 years. Let’s say it was a Monday. And if it was, then around Friday afternoon a strange new star would’ve begun growing brighter and brighter in the sky.Tragically, it wasn’t a cool new star at all. It was a Mount Everest-sized space rock traveling 45,000 mph. Surprise! The asteroid was so gargantuan, that as its leading edge plunged into the Gulf of Mexico, you would have seen the other side
  
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• Your Weekly Attenborough: Sitana attenboroughii

  09-02-2018 21:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  It's a lizard!It is my distinct pleasure to welcome Sitana attenboroughii, Attenborough's fan-throated lizard to the world. Measuring somewhere under three inches from snout to vent, the lizard is a welcome addition to the Agamidae family, and bears the "Attenborough" distinction proudly. In lieu of gifts, we are instead asking that you simply be nice to the environment. These little guys live in a fragile habitat.S. attenboroughii was just described in the January issue of Zootax
  
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• We May Have Found Billions Of Exoplanets Outside Our Galaxy

  09-02-2018 21:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  Discoveries of exoplanets in our galaxy exceed 3,700 to date, but if that’s not enough for you, astronomers are now probing outside of the Milky Way to find exoplanets in other galaxies. A group of researchers at the University of Oklahoma has just announced the discovery of a large population of free-floating planets in a galaxy 3.8 billion light-years away. Their results were published February 2 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.The researchers used a method known as q
  
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• Fin24.com | Careers24 reaches 3 million candidate milestone

  09-02-2018 21:00
  
  One of South Africa’s leading online recruitment sites, Careers24, reached the milestone of 3 million registered candidates on Monday.
  
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• These record-breaking pictures were taken by the farthest camera from Earth - Washington Post

  09-02-2018 20:59 via washingtonpost.com
  Washington Post
  These record-breaking pictures were taken by the farthest camera from Earth
  Washington Post
  They may not look like much more than blue-green smudges, but the images are record-breakers. The machine that took these photos was farther from Earth than any other functioning camera in existence. NASA released the pictures, captured at the end of ...
  NASA probe makes history by snapping the most distant photos taken away from EarthThe Verge
  Space Photos of the Week: New Horizons Break
  
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• Farthest photos ever taken, from nearly 4 billion miles away

  09-02-2018 20:39
  The NASA spacecraft that gave us close-ups of Pluto has set a new record for the farthest photos ever taken
  
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• Anker Soundbuds Curve are champions among cheap, wireless headphones

  09-02-2018 20:30
  
  GadgetsThese $30 headphones can go a long way—just don't tell your audiophile friends.
  A cheap pair of headphones can be a great investment, even if you're a music snob.
  
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• No, Facebook is not adding a dislike button

  09-02-2018 20:18 via nbcnews.com
  Mark Zuckerberg has long resisted calls to add a dislike button. And the new 'downvote' feature is not that button, the company stresses.
  
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• Scientists: When Sun Cools, So Does Earth’s Temperature

  09-02-2018 20:06 via technocracy.news
  Man-made global warming is incredibly egotistical in the face of creation itself: there is a direct relationship between the sun and earth’s temperature, and the sun is headed toward an unusually cool period. That means global cooling is straight ahead. ⁃ TN EditorBy 2050, our Sun is expected to be unusually cool.It’s what scientists have termed a ‘grand minimum’ — a particularly low point in what is otherwise a steady 11-year cycle.
  Over this cycle, the
  
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• A fish that barely sleeps could help turn humans into all-night party animals

  09-02-2018 19:30
  
  AnimalsThe Mexican cavefish have no eyes, little pigment, and require about two hours of sleep per night to survive.
  The blind Mexican cavefish only needs two hours of sleep a night to survive and thrive—researchers are trying to understand how and why.
  
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• Fin24.com | FlySafair first to enable card payment for inflight refreshments

  09-02-2018 19:27
  
  FlySafair has become the first local low-cost carrier to offer card payments on all of its flights, enabling passengers to use their credit and debit cards to purchase refreshments.
  
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• Hackers hijack Nintendo Switch, show Linux loaded on console - Ars Technica

  09-02-2018 19:22 via arstechnica.com
  Ars Technica
  Hackers hijack Nintendo Switch, show Linux loaded on console
  Ars Technica
  Last month, we reported on hackers' accelerating efforts to get full control of the Nintendo Switch, allowing the popular system to run homebrew code and, potentially, pirated games. This week, the hacking team fail0verflow claimed a major advance in ...
  Hello Neighbor headlines six TinyBuild games on the way for Nintendo SwitchPolygon
  Nintendo Switch Hacked to Run Linux, So Can We Get Save Game Backups Now?E
  
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• Five rad and romantic ways to turn your home into a karaoke bar

  09-02-2018 18:54
  
  GadgetsOn Valentine's Day, warm up those pipes and start serenading.
  Five rad and random ways to turn your home into a romantic Valentine’s Day karaoke bar so you can serenade your way into their heart.
  
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• When Hummingbirds Visit, This Flower Pops Open like a Jack-in-the-Box

  09-02-2018 18:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  Most plants are sneaky. You think they're staying put, until one morning when you wake up to find your houseplant bent toward the window, or a vine that's clambered up your fence. But other plants operate more quickly. They close up their leaves at a touch, or fling their pollen onto a bee. Researchers discovered a previously unknown bit of plant acrobatics in Costa Rica. There, a flower works like a jack-in-the-box to shove its stamens into a hummingbird's face.Dusty Ga
  
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• Laser Experiments Verify ‘Turbulent Dynamo’ Theory

  09-02-2018 18:45 via scitechdaily.com
  The universe is highly magnetic, with everything from stars to planets to galaxies producing their own magnetic fields. Astrophysicists have long puzzled over these surprisingly...
  The post Laser Experiments Verify ‘Turbulent Dynamo’ Theory appeared first on SciTechDaily.
  
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• Uber, Waymo reach surprise $245 million settlement in trade secrets case

  09-02-2018 18:34 via nbcnews.com
  The jury had already heard testimony from former CEO Travis Kalanick
  
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• Researchers Shed Light on the Mysterious Lives of Narwhals

  09-02-2018 18:30 via scitechdaily.com
  Narwhals are some of the most elusive creatures in the ocean, spending most of their lives in deep water far from shore. But research being...
  The post Researchers Shed Light on the Mysterious Lives of Narwhals appeared first on SciTechDaily.
  
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• Scientists Use Stem Cells to Create Functioning Kidney Tissue

  09-02-2018 18:18 via scitechdaily.com
  Scientists have successfully produced human kidney tissue within a living organism which is able to produce urine, a first for medical science. The study led...
  The post Scientists Use Stem Cells to Create Functioning Kidney Tissue appeared first on SciTechDaily.
  
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• Astronomers Unlock the Mysteries of Super-Earths

  09-02-2018 17:52 via scitechdaily.com
  A star about 100 light years away in the Pisces constellation, GJ 9827, hosts what may be one of the most massive and dense super-Earth...
  The post Astronomers Unlock the Mysteries of Super-Earths appeared first on SciTechDaily.
  
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• Neuroscientists Reveal First Glimpse of Molecular Mechanisms of Memory Formation

  09-02-2018 17:29 via scitechdaily.com
  MIT neuroscientists have uncovered a cellular pathway that allows specific synapses to become stronger during memory formation. The findings provide the first glimpse of the...
  The post Neuroscientists Reveal First Glimpse of Molecular Mechanisms of Memory Formation appeared first on SciTechDaily.
  
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• Fin24.com | Facebook tests 'dislike' button for comments

  09-02-2018 17:28
  
  For years Facebook users have campaigned for a “dislike” button on the social network - the closest button to it might be coming soon… But for comments only.
  
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• Curiosity Rover Inspects Star-Shaped Bumps in Martian Bedrock

  09-02-2018 17:18 via scitechdaily.com
  Star-shaped and swallowtail-shaped tiny, dark bumps in fine-layered bright bedrock of a Martian ridge are drawing close inspection by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. This set...
  The post Curiosity Rover Inspects Star-Shaped Bumps in Martian Bedrock appeared first on SciTechDaily.
  
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• Censorship: China Orders Churches To Forbid Entry To Minors

  09-02-2018 17:08 via technocracy.news
  As a Technocracy, Chinese Technocrats want no competition for societal influence, especially churches and Christianity, which they believe is fantasy and myth. China’s draconian surveillance system will make for easy management of this new policy. ⁃ TN EditorThe instruction is part of a new set of communist party-controlled regulations on religious activities that went into effect on February 1 and is aimed at preventing children and young people from getting religious instruction or
  
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• New Horizons Spacecraft Captures Record-Breaking Images

  09-02-2018 17:03 via scitechdaily.com
  NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft recently turned its telescopic camera toward a field of stars, snapped an image – and made history. The routine calibration frame...
  The post New Horizons Spacecraft Captures Record-Breaking Images appeared first on SciTechDaily.
  
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• Meet the birds that work as wingmen for other males

  09-02-2018 17:00
  
  AnimalsWelcome to the strange world of cooperative courtship.
  Sex in the animal kingdom isn’t all about competition. Sometimes males help each other out.
  
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• Lightning nearly struck this kid. What happened?

  09-02-2018 16:40
  
  It seemed harmless enough, to play in the rain with an umbrella under an overflowing rain gutter. The thunderstorm was passing and the worst of it was over. Or was it?
  
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• Hostile Questions at Scientific Meetings

  09-02-2018 15:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  A brief letter in Nature got me thinking this week: Don’t belittle junior researchers in meetingsAnand Kumar Sharma writes to urge scientists not to grill their junior colleagues at conferences:
  The most interesting part of a scientific seminar, colloquium or conference for me is the question and answer session. However, I find it upsetting to witness the unnecessarily hard time that is increasingly given to junior presenters at such meetings. As inquisitive scientists, we do not ha
  
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• How to share photos without blasting them all over the internet

  09-02-2018 15:30
  
  DIYShow off cute baby pics without losing your privacy.
  You want to show off pictures to friends and family members—without compromising privacy. Here are the best ways to share photos among a small private group.
  
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• Another Reason To Save Snakes: They Disperse Seeds (Probably)

  09-02-2018 15:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  We're about a month away from the 60th annual rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater Texas. The event proudly calls itself the world's largest—and for good reason. Last year, nearly 8,000 lbs of snakes were killed in this barbaric slaughterfest. But there are so many reasons why this all-out assault on Texas' reptiles is a terrible idea. Rattlesnakes have complex social lives, can live for decades, and are essential to their native ecosystems. As predators, they help keep po
  
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• The strange history of the Olympic Torch—and why it has to stay lit

  09-02-2018 14:00
  
  EntertainmentIt’s hard to keep a fire burning across a many-thousand-mile relay race.
  The symbolic torch has come a long way since it began as Nazi propaganda, and every year it proves to be a new engineering challenge.
  
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• Fin24.com | Zim turns to plastic, cyber payment options amid cash constraints

  09-02-2018 13:57
  
  The Zimbabwean government is looking to mobile, electronic and cyber payments - which accounted for 96% of $97.5bn in total payments in 2017 - as a desperate measure to plug payment glitches.
  
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• WATCH: Facebook tests 'downvote' button, not to be confused with dislike button

  09-02-2018 13:42
  Facebook is testing a "downvote" button that will allow users to give feedback on content they find offensive or misleading.
  
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• Flashback Friday: How Much Cocaine Is in Your Wallet?

  09-02-2018 13:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  Image: Flickr/Tax Credits
  Urban legend has it that “all” of our paper currency is tainted with cocaine. These scientists decided to test whether this is true, and if so, how much of the drug is there. By testing over four thousand bills of various denominations gathered from 90 locations over more than a decade, they estimate that the “average” bill carries only 2.34 ng of cocaine (a tiny, tiny amount), but any given bill has ~15% chance of having more than 20 n
  
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• Fin24.com | Net1 profit down after challenging quarter

  09-02-2018 12:19
  
  Net1, the company behind CPS that used to run SA’s social grant payment system, is upbeat about its future performance after restructuring and addressing challenges in the past quarter.
  
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• Android Messages may soon let you text from the web - The Verge

  09-02-2018 02:55 via theverge.com
  The Verge
  Android Messages may soon let you text from the web
  The Verge
  For a year and a half now, Google's semi-official strategy for messaging apps has been a three-legged stool: Allo for consumer chat, Hangouts for corporate chat, and good ol' SMS for texting (with RCS in the future). None of those strategies were ever ...
  Google's new messaging app might finally be able to compete with iMessageBGR
  The game-changing side effect a Chrome OS tablet could createComputerworld
  Android Feature Req
  
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• Trudeau pitches Canadian globalism to California tech firms

  09-02-2018 02:44
  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pitched Canadian globalism and its new fast-track visa as reasons Silicon Valley companies _ and their money _ should consider Canada
  
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• Chinese cops are using facial-recognition sunglasses. Here’s how that tech works.

  09-02-2018 02:00
  
  TechnologyThere's at least one big problem in the field.
  Facial-recognition technology is no longer a gimmick seen in dystopian science fiction movies. This is how it works.
  
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• Creationist's speech canceled at university in Oklahoma

  09-02-2018 01:51
  An Oklahoma university has cancelled a planned speech by the founder of a Kentucky museum dedicated to creationism.
  
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• Sea ice just set another record low—in winter—offering new evidence that the era of the 'New Arctic' is here

  09-02-2018 00:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  And what's happening in the New Arctic is not staying there
  Another month, yet another record low for Arctic sea ice extent in a warming world.January's average ice extent in the Arctic was 525,000 square miles below the 1981-to-2010 average, making it the lowest January extent in the satellite record. This is an astonishingly large loss of ice — equivalent to 80 percent of Alaska.But what happened in January was equally, if not more significant, for its timing. It 
  
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• Arctic Sea Ice Just Set Another Record Low—In Winter

  09-02-2018 00:39 via feedproxy.google.com
  And what's happening in the New Arctic is not staying there
  Another month, yet another record low for Arctic sea ice extent in a warming world.January's average ice extent in the Arctic was 525,000 square miles below the 1981-to-2010 average, making it the lowest January extent in the satellite record. This is an astonishingly large loss of ice — equivalent to 80 percent of Alaska.But what happened in January was equally, if not more significant, for its timing. It 
  
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• What snakes lack in legs they make up for with strange body manipulations

  09-02-2018 00:00
  
  AnimalsAn elongated spine is just as useful as a pair of arms and legs
  Although it seems strange to us, snakes’ lack of legs mean that they have evolved numerous fantastic techniques to survive, making ingenious use of their cylindrical…
  
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