Study finds white dwarf stars may hold the key to detecting life on other...
(Phys.org) —Because it has no source of energy, a dead star—known as a white dwarf—will eventually cool down and fade away. But circumstantial evidence suggests that white dwarfs can still support...
View ArticleMars Icebreaker Life mission
Missions to Mars have only scratched its surface. To go deeper, scientists are proposing a spacecraft that can drill into the Red Planet to potentially find signs of life.
View ArticleProba-V opens its eyes
(Phys.org) —Earth watcher Proba-V is in good health following its launch last week. The Vegetation imager has been switched on and the first image has been captured over western France.
View ArticleBeachcombing for early humans in Africa
(Phys.org) —From the earliest modern humans to the present day, our species has evolved dramatically in both biological and behavioural terms. What forces prompted these momentous changes?
View ArticleHands-free texting still distracting for drivers (Update)
Using voice commands to send text messages and emails from behind the wheel, which is marketed as a safer alternative for drivers, actually is more distracting and dangerous than simply talking on a...
View ArticleFraternal singing in zebra finches
The song of songbirds is usually transmitted from one generation to the next by imitation learning and is thought to be similar to the acquisition of human speech. Although song is often learnt from an...
View ArticleResearchers using Kinect to allow deaf people to communicate via computer (w/...
Researchers from Microsoft Asia and the Institute of Computing Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have been working together to develop a computer system able to translate gestures used in...
View ArticleSelf-replicating alien probes could already be here
Mathematicians in Scotland calculate that "self-replicating" alien probes could already have explored our solar system and may still be here but undetectable to our current technologies.
View ArticleEmail 'phishing' attacks by hackers growing in number, intensity
At least 2 million people received the email May 16 notifying them that an order they had just made on "Wallmart's" website was being processed, though none of them had done any such thing.
View ArticleIf we landed on Europa, what would we want to know?
(Phys.org) —Most of what scientists know of Jupiter's moon Europa they have gleaned from a dozen or so close flybys from NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1979 and NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the...
View ArticleThe Drake Equation revisited: An interview with Sara Seager
Planet hunters keep finding distant worlds that bear a resemblance to Earth. Some of the thousands of exoplanet candidates discovered to date have similar sizes or temperatures. Others possess rocky...
View ArticleResearchers say ExoMars could detect bacteria on Mars—past or present
Signs of life on the Martian surface would still be visible even after bacteria were zapped with a potentially fatal dose of radiation, according to new research—if life ever existed there, of course.
View ArticleGrocery stores add tech features to stay competitive
Like many grocery shoppers, Michele Ricketts dreads long checkout lines. But lately, she's been breezing by the cash register at her neighborhood Ralphs even with the usual crowds at the store.
View ArticleIndigenous sign languages protected in online dictionary
A University of Melbourne researcher has helped develop the first online dictionary of sign languages used by Indigenous communities across central Australia.
View ArticleFlorida won't promote its new texting-while-driving law
Starting Oct. 1, texting while driving will be illegal in Florida, but absent state funding to promote the law, efforts to get the public up to speed with the changes could be spotty.
View ArticleKinect Sign Language Translator expands communication possibilities for the deaf
Worldwide, an estimated 360 million people are deaf or hard of hearing. Because the majority of hearing individuals do not understand sign language, people who are deaf often have difficulties...
View ArticleRing and bracelet system designed to help the hearing-impaired
(Phys.org) —Take rings, add a bracelet, and you have a helping mechanism for the hearing-impaired in a novel design. For people who have hearing handicaps and do not know sign language, the ring and...
View ArticleVolvo researches car tech to see if you are sleepy
(Phys.org) —Volvo Cars announced on Monday its work on a driver sensor system that can tell if the driver is alert, distracted, or even nodding off. The idea is to provide a safety system, where, on...
View ArticleGoogle Glass adaptation opens the universe to deaf students
Ordinarily, deaf students are left in the dark when they visit a planetarium. With the lights off, they can't see the ASL interpreter who narrates their tour of outer space. With the lights on, they...
View ArticleResearchers study technology that could display traffic signs inside vehicles
(Phys.org) —It's an act as automatic as turning the ignition: You come to a stop sign at a traffic intersection and bring your car to a halt before proceeding. Even if no other vehicles are around, you...
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