Science News
Tae kwon do VR simulator to train UK Olympians
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 09:00
As well as full-contact sparring, which risks injury, fighters will be able to train against a virtual opponent that reacts to their every move
Bio-inspired speaker uses clear gel to play music
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 22:32
The stretchy speaker is the first to use ions in place of electronics - it could be used to build noise-cancelling windows or music-making smartphone screens
Robot Security Guard Will Watch Old People While They Sleep
Popular Science - 29 Aug 2013 22:15
A new project aims to teach robots how to work alongside humans. These eyeball-y robots, created by a consortium of European researchers, are designed to learn how to navigate dynamic human environments without running i...
Singularity University Graduates 2013 Class: Startups Emerge To Solve Major Health Problems
Singularity Hub - 29 Aug 2013 21:25
Over the weekend, the latest graduates of Singularity University's Graduate Studies Program presented their proposals for using accelerating technologies to solve major world problems. The exhibition offered a sneak peek...
Reroute town's traffic to get emergency vehicles through
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 21:19
Using a network of vehicle sensors - and "evolutionary algorithms" - to rejig traffic could one day get emergency responders on the scene faster
Astrophile: Milky Way's black hole is a picky eater
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 21:07
Our galaxy's central black hole is a fussbudget, refusing to eat most of what it pulls to its lips because the food is too hot
The 10 Best Fictional Laboratories, Ranked
Popular Science - 29 Aug 2013 20:48
Dek Array The Batcave! Because the World's Greatest Detective needs a lab, for analyzing blood samples and also for metaphysical brooding. Science cred: Believable, in some ways. A supercomputer that can globally monitor...
Skype Confirms 3-D Chatting: 'We Have It In The Lab'
Popular Science - 29 Aug 2013 20:45
Don't you want that kid to break free of his 2-D Skype chat? In an interview with the BBC, a Microsoft executive described as the corporate vice-president for Skype confirmed that Microsoft is working on 3-D chatting for...
Vast canyon discovered under Greenland ice sheet
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 20:00
At almost twice the length of the Grand Canyon, the enormous channel was a gushing river before Greenland froze over
Technology May Enable Texting After Your Phone Dies
Physics Buzz - 29 Aug 2013 19:56
Originally published: Aug 23 2013 - 11:15am, Inside Science News Service By: Joel N. Shurkin, ISNS Contributor (ISNS) -- In Shyamnath Gollakota's dream world, every object can talk to every other object, which is particu...
FYI: What Are Cruise Missiles, And How Do They Work?
Popular Science - 29 Aug 2013 19:45
Everything you ever wanted to know about this retro-'90s weapon, which the Obama administration might use against Syria's government. The Obama administration is considering what sort of military action to take, if any, ...
Why your brain may work like a dictionary
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 19:15
A new analysis of the links between definitions of English words has uncovered structures that may resemble how our brains represent language
Turkish Scientists Genetically Modify Bunnies to Glow Green
Singularity Hub - 29 Aug 2013 19:03
Two bunnies were recently born glowing green. They're not radioactive--they carry jellyfish genes. If you've never read about animals genetically modified to glow, this may sound bizarre, edgy, sci-fi. It's not. Scientis...
Today on New Scientist
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 18:45
All the latest on newscientist.com: how your mechanical brain works, growing mini human "brains" in the lab, wild horses, element 115 and more
Idea: Let's Name Storms After Climate Change Deniers
Popular Science - 29 Aug 2013 18:30
"Hurricane Marco Rubio ravages the East Coast." Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana eight years ago today, killing at least 1,836 people. Now, a group of activists wants to know: Why place that morbid association on the peop...
Boa constrictor swallows strangled monkey
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 18:08
Say goodbye to a howler monkey as it disappears into the boa constrictor that has just killed it - the first time anyone has documented such an attack
The knockout enigma: How your mechanical brain works
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 17:00
Your neurons are whirring with movement like clockwork. Understanding how it works may give us a new way to tinker with the brain, says Anil Ananthaswamy (full text available to subscribers)
Harnessing The Hidden Power of Cow Manure
KQED Quest - 29 Aug 2013 16:00
A dairy farm in British Colombia uses new technologies to convert manure into electricity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and remove the stink.
Primordial broth of life was a dry Martian cup-a-soup
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 15:46
Mars, but not Earth, contained the right elements at the right time to create life's precursor - and this primordial soup was devoid of water
Why The U.S. Is Building A High-Tech Bubonic Plague Lab In Kazakhstan
Popular Science - 29 Aug 2013 15:00
When Kazakhstan's Central Reference Laboratory opens in September 2015, the $102-million project laboratory will serve as a Central Asian way station for a global war on dangerous disease. In 1992, Dr. Kanatjan Alibekov,...
Millions of Chinese at risk of arsenic poisoning
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 13:19
Arsenic from rocks can get into drinking water if wells are sunk in the wrong place. A survey has highlighted areas of China in danger of contamination
Biodiversity app logs insects by their telltale call
New Scientist - 29 Aug 2013 12:58
Much like Shazam, which can identify unknown songs, a new app can recognise a species from a sample of its call