Thursday 27 June 2019

Solar farm in Kings Park to power 1,000 homes

A 27-acre Kings Park property that started as a landfill during the 1940s and then became a golf driving range in the '80s is now home to a solar farm.

* This article was originally published here

Brain structure determines individual differences regarding music sensitivity

The white matter structure in the brain reflects music sensitivity, according to a study by the research group on Cognition and Brain Plasticity of the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (UB-IDIBELL).

* This article was originally published here

Immediate, science-based community action can stop insect decline

This year, German environmentalists collected 1.75 million signatures for a 'save the bees' law requiring an immediate transition toward organic farming. But to create healthy ecosystems worldwide, people in communities across the globe will need to take similar action based on empathy for insects—and not only for bees and butterflies—according to entomologists Yves Basset from the Smith-sonian Tropical Research Institute and Greg Lamarre from the University of South Bohemia, writing in Science. The authors present immediate, science-based actions to mitigate insect decline.

* This article was originally published here

Camera joins Apple band in patent for smartwatch

Camera at the end of a smartwatch strap, anyone? It is being suggested as a way to overcome some hurdles in smartwatch picture-taking.

* This article was originally published here

Drag-and-drop data analytics

In the Iron Man movies, Tony Stark uses a holographic computer to project 3-D data into thin air, manipulate them with his hands, and find fixes to his superhero troubles. In the same vein, researchers from MIT and Brown University have now developed a system for interactive data analytics that runs on touchscreens and lets everyone—not just genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropists—tackle real-world issues.

* This article was originally published here

Police cam maker nixes facial recognition deployment

Police equipment manufacturer Axon said Thursday it decided against deploying facial recognition on its body cameras after an ethics review found the technology "is not yet reliable enough."

* This article was originally published here

Robots to take 20 mn jobs, worsening inequality: study

Robots are expected to take over some 20 million manufacturing jobs worldwide by 2030, extending a trend of worsening social inequality while boosting overall economic output, a new study shows.

* This article was originally published here

Twitter adds warnings to rule-breaking tweets from public figures

Twitter announced Thursday it would add warning labels to tweets from officials and politicians that violate its rules—a move potentially affecting the prodigious output of US President Donald Trump.

* This article was originally published here

Airline group advocates more training for Boeing 737 Max

A trade group representing hundreds of airlines is renewing its push for additional pilot training and coordination among global aviation regulators to ensure that the Boeing 737 Max is safe before it is allowed to fly again after two deadly crashes.

* This article was originally published here

First-ever successful mind-controlled robotic arm without brain implants

A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, has made a breakthrough in the field of noninvasive robotic device control. Using a noninvasive brain-computer interface (BCI), researchers have developed the first-ever successful mind-controlled robotic arm exhibiting the ability to continuously track and follow a computer cursor.

* This article was originally published here

Artificial intelligence controls robotic arm to pack boxes and cut costs

Rutgers computer scientists used artificial intelligence to control a robotic arm that provides a more efficient way to pack boxes, saving businesses time and money.

* This article was originally published here

Infant mortality is higher for low-skilled parents

Infants of women with a short-term education are more likely to die within the first year of life. In more than half of cases, the cause of death is premature childbirth and low foetal weight. This is shown by research from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital.

* This article was originally published here

German chemical giant BASF says to slash 6,000 jobs

Massive German chemical company BASF said Thursday it would slash 6,000 jobs worldwide by 2021, as the company slims down its organisation in pursuit of fatter margins.

* This article was originally published here

How you charge your mobile phone could compromise its battery lifespan

Researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick have found that use of inductive charging, whilst highly convenient, risks depleting the life of mobile phones using typical LIBs (Lithium-ion batteries)

* This article was originally published here

New female external catheter technology reduces CAUTI by 50%

Hospital-wide introduction of new female external catheter technology halved the number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) according to new research presented last week in Philadelphia at the 46th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

* This article was originally published here

Little Raspberry Pi 4 debut marks big upgrade

That credit card-sized computer that has been a standout learning experience for students and hobbyists at affordable cost just stole the show, again. The new Raspberry Pi, announced Monday, "packs significant upgrades that could let it finally pass as an incredibly cheap desktop computer," said Gizmodo's Andrew Liszewski.

* This article was originally published here

It's easier to trust automated vehicles when we know what they plan to do ahead of time

When it comes to automated vehicles, humans continue to have difficulty trusting that the cars will make the right driving decisions to get them where they want to go and do it safely.

* This article was originally published here

Reining in the ecological effects of free-roaming horses

Free-roaming horses are an icon of the American West, frequently appearing in art and media as exemplars of the spirited freedom that underlies the region's folklore. Viewed through an ecological lens, however, these animals may present a different picture—one of degraded landscapes and shrinking biodiversity.

* This article was originally published here

Desert-dwelling carnivorous dinosaur found in Brazil

A desert-based carnivorous dinosaur that used claws to capture small prey 90 million years ago has been unearthed in southern Brazil, scientists said Wednesday.

* This article was originally published here

Climate warming could increase malaria risk in cooler regions

Malaria parasites develop faster in mosquitoes at lower temperatures than previously thought, according to researchers at Penn State and the University of Exeter. The findings suggest that even slight climate warming could increase malaria risk to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people—including travelers—in areas that are currently too cold for malaria parasites to complete their development.

* This article was originally published here