Technology News
Roblox, the game platform teaching young kids to code
Phys.org - 15 Feb 2019 09:33
With its Lego-like avatars and easy-to-learn coding for budding programmers, the online gaming app Roblox has cornered the market in younger gamers, with 80 million monthly users, many of them under 16.
CMS gets first result using largest-ever LHC data sample
Phys.org - 15 Feb 2019 15:10
Just under three months after the final proton-proton collisions from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)'s second run (Run 2), the CMS collaboration has submitted its first paper based on the full LHC dataset collected in 2...
Hong Kong 'smart' prisons test trackers, poo robots, and AI cameras
Slash Gear - 15 Feb 2019 00:45
Hong Kong’s Correctional Services has revealed plans to test various surveillance technologies with the intention of creating ‘smart prisons,’ according to a local news report. The technologies are intended to moni...
The Lypla1 gene impacts obesity in a sex-specific manner
EurekAlert! - 15 Feb 2019 07:00
(Deutsches Zentrum fuer Diabetesforschung DZD) Susceptibility to obesity, insulin resistance and other cardio-metabolic traits may also be dependent on a person's sex. An international research team studied sex differenc...
Report: Facebook, FTC discussing 'multibillion dollar' fine
ABC News - 15 Feb 2019 04:04
A report says Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission are negotiating a record, "multibillion dollar" fine for the social network's privacy lapses
Pokémon GO may be forced to change Poké Stops and Gyms in game after lawsuit settlement
9 to 5 Mac - 15 Feb 2019 21:17
A proposed settlement for Pokémon GO developer Niantic in its class action lawsuit suggests that it could be removing or changing some Poké Stops and Gyms within the game. According to a report from Variety, the propos...
That Toilet Paper Spitball Blaster Gets a Much-Needed Rapid-Fire Upgrade
Gizmodo - 15 Feb 2019 17:19
Despite being one of the many poop-themed, gross-out toy reveals at last year's New York Toy Fair, Jakks Pacific's toilet-paper shooting Skid Shot turned out to be a fun alternative to traditional toy blasters that just ...
Twitter may let us 'clarify' (but not edit) our old tweets
Engadget - 15 Feb 2019 17:11
There are reasonable arguments for and against being able to edit tweets once they've been posted to Twitter dot com. Jack Dorsey doesn't necessarily want everyone to re-write their own history, but may allow us to re-co...
What It Will Take For Humans to Be Self-Sustaining in Space
Singularity Hub - 15 Feb 2019 17:00
We take for granted that we live on a planet that is rich in life. With over 14 million identified species, the sheer biodiversity on Earth is outstanding. We depend on this diversity for food and resources, which in ret...
Apple upgrades older iPhones to bypass sales ban in Germany
ZDNet - 15 Feb 2019 15:45
Apple has ditched Intel modems and switched over to Qualcomm hardware in the German market in order to bring to an end last year's ban following a patent infringement ruling.
Australian miner Fortescue says two driverless trucks involved in low-speed incident
Reuters - 15 Feb 2019 04:38
Australian iron ore miner Fortescue said on Friday that one of its driverless trucks, traveling at low speed, ran into another that was parked at its remote Western Australian operations in an incident earlier this week.
Scientists think Mars lake may be created by recent volcanic activity - CNET
CNET - 15 Feb 2019 03:19
The dead, Red Planet may be more alive than we previously believed -- giving life a chance at surviving.
Scientists developed a 'nano-drug' painkiller that could save us from opioids
BGR - 15 Feb 2019 03:12
As the United States continues to struggle with a rising number of opioid addicts who were previously prescribed powerful painkillers due to a variety of ailments, the medical community is stuck between a rock and a hard...
Genetic vulnerability to menthol cigarette use
Science Daily - 15 Feb 2019 23:20
A genetic variant found only in people of African descent significantly increases a smoker's preference for cigarettes containing menthol, a flavor additive. The variant of the MRGPRX4 gene is five to eight times more fr...
Drug to rejuvenate muscle cells
Science Daily - 15 Feb 2019 23:20
Researchers have developed a promising drug that has proven to significantly increase muscle size, strength and metabolic state in aged mice, according to a new study.
Open-science model for drug discovery expands to neurodegenerative diseases
Science Daily - 15 Feb 2019 23:20
Parkinson's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis are the newest frontiers for open science drug discovery, a global movement led by academic scientists that puts knowledge sharing and medication affordability ahead ...
Industrial 3D NAND-Based SSDs
Medical Design Technology - 15 Feb 2019 22:31
Product Announcement Virtium announced it will expand its extensive StorFly® family of SSDs to include industrial-grade 3D NAND-based drives, beginning the first quarter 2019. The new Virtium® SSDs will leverage 3D NAN...
Brain Discovery Explains A Great Mystery of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
Neuroscience News - 15 Feb 2019 22:11
Researchers may have solved one of the great mysteries of neuroscience; namely, why neurons in the temporal lobe are the first to die in Alzheimer's disease, and why dopaminergic neurons are damaged first in Parkinson's.
Hidden Genes May Underlie Autism Severity
Neuroscience News - 15 Feb 2019 20:51
Researchers have implicated a largely hidden part of the human genome in the severity of autism symptoms.
'Lack of Cleaning' in Brain Cells is Central to Alzheimer's
Neuroscience News - 15 Feb 2019 20:48
Researchers report dysfunctional mitophagy may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease. When mitophagy is improved, symptoms of Alzheimer's almost disappeared in animal models of the disease.
Breaks in the Blood-Brain Barrier Can Cause Brains to Get Old Before Their Time
Neuroscience News - 15 Feb 2019 20:41
A new study reports damage to the blood-brain barrier can cause age related cognitive decline, and sheds light on how we could reverse the aging process in the brain.
NASA's MacGyver of sensors is a 3D printed nanomaterial marvel
Slash Gear - 15 Feb 2019 20:23
A potentially groundbreaking nanomaterial sensor could revolutionize how NASA explores planets, dramatically shrinking existing technologies into a far more capable form-factor. After refinement, the 3D printed sensor co...