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Latest Articles: Science/Tech
Japan Robot Chats With Astronaut on Space Station
Post Date: 2013-12-21 05:41:21 by Tatarewicz
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The first humanoid robot in space made small talk with a Japanese astronaut and said it had no problem with zero gravity on the International Space Station. Footage released by the robot's developers on Friday showed Kirobo performing its first mission on the station, talking in Japanese with astronaut Koichi Wakata to test its autonomous conversation functions. Wakata says he's glad to meet Kirobo, and asks the robotic companion how it feels about being in a zero-gravity environment. "I'm used to it now, no problem at all," Kirobo quips. Kirobo is programmed to process questions and select words from its vocabulary to construct an answer, instead of giving ...
Scientists Have Made Old Mice Young Again
Post Date: 2013-12-20 15:57:22 by Ferret
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The fountain of youth may have been discovered after scientists found they could reverse the aging process in mammals. Harvard researchers managed to turn the clock back for mice by helping their cellular DNA communicate more efficiently. After just one week of restoring this communication scientists found two-year- old mice now had the body tissue of a six-month-old. "In human years, this would be like a 60-year-old converting to a 20-year-old in these specific areas," said Professor David Sinclair, an expert in genetics at Harvard Medical School. Researchers discovered that the nuclear DNA — found in the nucleus of a cell — and the Mitochondrial DNA — found in ...
Cryptolocker Ransomware Being Described As ‘The Perfect Crime’
Post Date: 2013-12-20 07:25:46 by Ada
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BOSTON (CBS) — It is being called the perfect crime and it has law enforcement around the globe baffled. It all starts with a simple email.“They are scared and they are angry. It is a real terrible experience for them.” Joe Ruthaford is talking about computer users who mistakenly launched a potent internet phishing scheme. He recently saw one of those ravaged computers in his Beacon Hill repair shop. “It is extremely damaging. It is one of the worst ones.”It’s called cryptolocker ransomware.Kevin Swindon is with the FBI in Boston. “I would think about this particular type of malware as what would happen if your computer was destroyed,” Swindon ...
Sen. Coburn: Government Wasted $30 Billion in 2013
Post Date: 2013-12-17 20:14:07 by BTP Holdings
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Sen. Coburn: Government Wasted $30 Billion in 2013 Image: Sen. Coburn: Government Wasted $30 Billion in 2013 Tuesday, 17 Dec 2013 01:18 PM By Drew MacKenzie Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has released his annual Wastebook, detailing the 100 leading examples of government waste — amounting to $30 billion this year. The congressional watchdog said that one of the primary offenders for trashing federal money was the disastrous launch of the Affordable Care Act website HealthCare.gov, which cost at least $319 million. Millions more were wasted on ads in various states for President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, including a campaign featuring an Elvis impersonator in ...
USS Ronald Reagan sailors report cancers after Fukushima rescue mission
Post Date: 2013-12-16 20:23:26 by X-15
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Fifty-one crew members of the USS Ronald Reagan say they are suffering from a variety of cancers as a direct result of their involvement in Operation Tomodachi, a U.S. rescue mission in Fukushima after the nuclear disaster in March 2011. The affected sailors are suing Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), alleging that the utility mishandled the crisis and did not adequately warn the crew of the risk of participating in the earthquake relief efforts. Crew members, many of whom are in their 20s, have been diagnosed with conditions including thyroid cancer, testicular cancer and leukemia. The Department of Defense says the Navy took "proactive measures" in order to "mitigate ...
Pentagon unveils laser capable of shooting down drones, mortars
Post Date: 2013-12-16 05:06:54 by Tatarewicz
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RT...The US Army has successfully used a vehicle-mounted laser to shoot down numerous mortar rounds and drone aircraft for the first time. Taking place over the course of several weeks, the test involved destroying more than 90 incoming mortar rounds and multiple drones. Eventually, the Army hopes to test an even more advanced laser system that could shoot down more dangerous weapons, such as incoming cruise missiles. Named the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD), the current version of the weapon features three to five lasers that can be attached to the top of a military vehicle in a dome-like turret structure. According to Terry Bauer, the Army’s program manager for the ...
New System Allows for High-Accuracy, Through-Wall, 3-D Motion Tracking; Technology
Post Date: 2013-12-16 04:14:09 by Tatarewicz
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Science Daily... Imagine playing a video game like Call of Duty or Battlefield and having the ability to lead your virtual army unit while moving freely throughout your house. Share This: Tweet?Gaming could become this realistic, thanks to new technology developed by Dina Katabi's research group at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) that allows for highly accurate, 3-D motion tracking. The new system, dubbed "WiTrack," uses radio signals to track a person through walls and obstructions, pinpointing her 3-D location to within 10 to 20 centimeters -- about the width of an adult hand. The researchers will present their findings during the Usenix ...
Study: Earth was warmer in Roman, Medieval times
Post Date: 2013-12-15 06:51:20 by Ada
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If you think the Earth is hot now, try wearing plate armor in the Middle Ages. A Swedish study found that the planet was warmer in ancient Roman times and the Middle Ages than today, challenging the mainstream idea that man-made greenhouse gas emissions are the main drivers of global warming. The study, by scientist Leif Kullman, analyzed 455 “radiocarbon-dated mega- fossils” in the Scandes mountains and found that tree lines for different species of trees were higher during the Roman and Medieval times than they are today. Not only that, but the temperatures were higher as well. “Historical tree line positions are viewed in relation to early 21st century equivalents, ...
Agriculture the most promising market for drones
Post Date: 2013-12-15 06:25:01 by Tatarewicz
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. . . ..PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Idaho farmer Robert Blair isn't waiting around for federal aviation officials to work out rules for drones. He and a friend built their own, outfitting it with cameras and using it to monitor his 1,500 acres. Under 10 pounds and 5 feet long nose to tail, the aircraft is the size of a turkey and Blair uses it to get a birds-eye view of his cows and fields of wheat, peas, barley and alfalfa. "It's a great tool to collect information to make better decisions, and we're just scratching the surface of what it can do for farmers," said Blair, who lives in Kendrick, Idaho, roughly 275 miles north of Boise. While Americans are abuzz about ...
Apple iPad Mini Retina vs. the new Google Nexus 7
Post Date: 2013-12-15 04:48:28 by Tatarewicz
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Apple iPad Mini Retina vs. the new Google Nexus 7 It's an epic battle between the two titans of 7-inch tablets. It's Apple's iPad Mini with Retina Display versus Google's new Nexus 7. Which will be crowned king of the Prizefight ring? by Brian Tong December 11, 2013 4:42 PM PST ◦Follow @briantong iPad Mini Retina vs. New Nexus 7 It's a Prizefight punchout between Apple and Google once again and both sides of this longstanding have brought their best 7-inch tablets to the table. Apple's iPad Mini finally brings its Retina Display, the best-designed 7-inch tablet, and the power of its iTunes and App Store ecosystems. The new Nexus 7, which is one of the ...
Instagram launches private messaging feature
Post Date: 2013-12-15 04:29:42 by Tatarewicz
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.Photo-sharing service Instagram unveiled a new feature Thursday that allows users to send images and messages privately, as the Facebook-owned company sought to bolster its appeal among younger consumers who are increasingly using mobile messaging applications. The new Instagram Direct feature allows users to send a photo or video to a single person or up to 15 people, and to have real-time text conversations. “Sometimes you want to be able to share, not with everyone, but just with a specific group,” said Kevin Systrom, Instagram co-founder and chief executive during a presentation in New York. “Instagram Direct is a simple way to send photos and videos to your ...
Electric Universe 2014 Conference
Post Date: 2013-12-14 12:30:49 by Horse
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Poster Comment:Conference info here: http://www.thunderbolts.info/wp/2013/09/10/eu2014-home-page/
Yahoo chief apologizes for 'frustrating week'
Post Date: 2013-12-14 05:49:29 by Tatarewicz
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San Francisco (AFP) - Yahoo chief Marissa Mayer posted an apology late Friday for a "frustrating week" experienced by millions of its email service users. "This has been a very frustrating week for our users and we are very sorry," Mayer said in a message at Yahoo-owned blog platform Tumblr. "For many of us, Yahoo Mail is a lifeline to our friends, family members and customers," she continued. "This week, we experienced a major outage that not only interrupted that connection, but caused many of you a massive inconvenience." A hardware problem in a data center late Monday knocked out a storage system serving about one percent of Yahoo Mail ...
Supervolcano under Yellowstone larger than previously thought, could doom mankind
Post Date: 2013-12-13 18:47:37 by Ada
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The supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park is much, much larger than was previously believed. A new study shows the volcano’s magma chamber about 2.5 times larger than previous estimates suggested, stretching more than 55 miles and containing about 125 and 185 billion cubic miles of molten rock. The cavern is about 20 miles wide and nearly 2 miles deep. “We’ve been working there for a long time, and we’ve always thought it would be bigger,” said Bob Smith, University of Utah professor. “But this finding is astounding.” The findings were presented this week at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco. “We record ...
Oculus Rift makers get $75 million from investors to finish consumer model
Post Date: 2013-12-13 06:17:36 by Tatarewicz
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Short of attending an industry event or ordering your own dev kit, it's a bit tricky to get your hands on an Oculus Rift VR headset. Soon, that could change: the company just secured $75 million in funding to bring the product to market. The extra capital comes from Andreessen Horowitz, an investment firm known for funding companies like Jawbone, Facebook Twitter and Skype. As part of the deal, the group's co-founder, Mark Andreessen, will join the Oculus VR board of directors. "We believe Oculus will not only alter the gaming landscape, but will redefine fundamental human experiences in areas like film, education, architecture and design," Andreessen said in the ...
New Strain of Bird Flu Packs a Punch Even After Becoming Drug-Resistant
Post Date: 2013-12-12 06:26:48 by Tatarewicz
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Dec. 11, 2013 — Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai reported that a virulent new strain of influenza -- the virus that causes the flu -- appears to retain its ability to cause serious disease in humans even after it develops resistance to antiviral medications. The finding was included in a study that was published today in the journal Nature Communications. Share This: TweetIt is not uncommon for influenza viruses to develop genetic mutations that make them less susceptible to anti-flu drugs. However, these mutations usually come at a cost to the virus, weakening its ability to replicate and to spread from one person to another. Initial reports suggested ...
Forget the Big Bang - 'Rainbow Gravity' theory suggests our universe has NO beginning and stretches out infinitely
Post Date: 2013-12-11 12:06:26 by Horse
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Claims that gravity's effect is felt differently by various wavelengths of light Current belief is light will follow the same set path regardless of frequency If theory is correct, it means that our universe stretches back into time infinitely with no singular point where it started To think that our universe is 13.8 billion years old is incredible enough. But now researchers are proposing that the universe stretches back into time infinitely with no singular point where it started. The idea is one possible result of something known as ‘rainbow gravity’- a theory that is not widely accepted among physicists, though many say the idea is interesting. The theory’s ...
JPMorgan files patent for Bitcoin-style payment system
Post Date: 2013-12-11 06:40:31 by noone222
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JPMorgan Chase has filed a US patent application for a computerised payment system that resembles some aspects of Bitcoin, the controversial virtual currency. Like Bitcoin, JPMorgan’s proposed system would allow people to make anonymous, electronic payments over the internet, without having to reveal their name or account numbers or pay a fee, according to the patent application. The application put a spotlight on the behind-the-scenes battle being waged between the biggest banks, credit card operators and companies such as Google, Apple and PayPal – are all keen to grab a slice of the rapidly expanding business of providing mobile and internet payments as more people shift to ...
Tired of all the dopey ads?
Post Date: 2013-12-10 18:23:54 by Lod
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It's working great here.
COLD DIS-COMFORT: ANTARCTICA SET RECORD OF -135.8
Post Date: 2013-12-10 08:38:12 by Ada
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Feeling chilly? Here's cold comfort: You could be in East Antarctica which new data says set a record for "soul-crushing" cold. Try 135.8 degrees Fahrenheit below zero; that's 93.2 degrees below zero Celsius, which sounds only slightly toastier. Better yet, don't try it. That's so cold scientists say it hurts to breathe. A new look at NASA satellite data revealed that Earth set a new record for coldest temperature recorded. It happened in August 2010 when it hit -135.8 degrees. Then on July 31 of this year, it came close again: -135.3 degrees. The old record had been -128.6 degrees, which is -89.2 degrees Celsius. Ice scientist Ted ...
New Drug Approach Could Lead to Cures for Wide Range of Diseases
Post Date: 2013-12-10 03:13:00 by Tatarewicz
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Dec. 9, 2013 — A team led by a longtime Oregon Health & Science University researcher has demonstrated in mice what could be a revolutionary new technique to cure a wide range of human diseases -- from cystic fibrosis to cataracts to Alzheimer's disease -- that are caused by "misfolded" protein molecules. Share This: Tweet ? Misfolded protein molecules, caused by gene mutation, are capable of maintaining their function but are misrouted within the cell and can't work normally, thus causing disease. The OHSU team discovered a way to use small molecules that enter cells, fix the misfolded proteins and allow the proteins to move to the correct place and function ...
Food-tech startups aim to replace eggs and chicken
Post Date: 2013-12-09 06:35:36 by Tatarewicz
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The startup is housed in a garage-like space in San Francisco's tech-heavy South of Market neighborhood, but it isn't like most of its neighbors that develop software, websites and mobile-phone apps. Its mission is to find plant replacements for eggs. Inside, research chefs bake cookies and cakes, whip up batches of flavored mayonnaise and pan-fry omelets and French toast — all without eggs. Funded by prominent Silicon Valley investors and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Hampton Creek Foods seeks to disrupt a global egg industry that backers say wastes energy, pollutes the environment, causes disease outbreaks and confines chickens to tiny spaces. ...
'Humans evolved after a female chimpanzee mated with a pig': Extraordinary claim made by American geneticist
Post Date: 2013-12-09 03:15:44 by Tatarewicz
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MailOnline... 1,624 comments The human species began as the hybrid offspring of a male pig and a female chimpanzee, an American geneticist has suggested. The startling claim has been made by Eugene McCarthy, who is also one of the world's leading authorities on hybridisation in animals. He points out that while humans have many features in common with chimps, we also have a large number of distinguishing characteristics not found in any other primates. Domestic Pig Louis, the chimpanzee who starred as 007 in TV adverts for PG Tips tea The origin of the species? A remarkable new theory advanced by a leading geneticist suggests that human beings may have originally emerged as the ...
Exploring methane hydrates
Post Date: 2013-12-08 23:43:08 by Tatarewicz
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National > Environment Will natural gas eventually come from sea ice? Prospect thrills some, dismays others By Sean Cockerham WASHINGTON — Buried beneath the world’s oceans and the Arctic permafrost lies a global energy source that many think might dwarf today’s fracking revolution: huge reservoirs of natural gas trapped in ice crystals. They’re called methane hydrates and are sometimes known as “flammable ice.” If tapping methane hydrates ever becomes feasible, it once again would change the geopolitical map of the planet. Nations like Japan and India that lack their own conventional oil and gas resources suddenly could become energy power players. ...
CRISPR for genetic Cures?
Post Date: 2013-12-08 05:44:07 by Tatarewicz
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CRISPR corrected a cataract-causing genetic defect in a mutant mouse (left); control cataract-model mouse (right). JINSONG LIIt was less than a year ago that scientists first applied CRISPR, a genome-editing technique, to human cells. In short order, the technique has taken off like wildfire. And now, two papers appearing in Cell Stem Cell today (December 5) show that CRISPR can be used to rewrite genetic defects to effectively cure diseases in mice and human stem cells. “What’s significant about this is it’s taking CRISPR to that next step of what it can be used for, and in this case, it’s correcting mutations that cause disease,” said Charles Gersbach, a genomics ...
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