Phys Org

• newTrump administration backs off plans to open land near Utah national parks to drilling
  The Trump administration has canceled plans to open tens of thousands of acres for oil and gas drilling near three national parks in Utah next month, a victory for environmentalists and residents angered by its proposal.
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:50pm -
• newBig dogs face more joint problems if neutered early
  Heavier mixed-breed dogs have higher health risks if neutered or spayed early, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis. The study found mixed-breed dogs weighing more than 44 pounds as adults are at higher ris…
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:45pm -
• newTo understand the machinery of life, this scientist breaks it on purpose
  "I'm fascinated with life, and that's why I want to break it."
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:40pm -
• newNew catalyst efficiently turns carbon dioxide into useful fuels and chemicals
  As levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide continue to climb, scientists are looking for new ways of breaking down CO2 molecules to make useful carbon-based fuels, chemicals and other products. Now, a team of Brown University researchers has found a way…
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:38pm -
• newCover crop roots are an essential key to understanding ecosystem services
  To judge the overall effectiveness of cover crops and choose those offering the most ecosystem services, agricultural scientists must consider the plants' roots as well as above-ground biomass, according to Penn State researchers who tested the chara…
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:38pm -
• newBacterial enzymes 'hijacked' to create complex molecules normally made by plants
  Chemists at Scripps Research have efficiently created three families of complex, oxygen-containing molecules that are normally obtainable only from plants.
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:35pm -
• newEmbracing remote research can benefit postdocs and their research teams
  As the uncertainty around reopening college and university campuses this fall continues, those who work, study, teach and conduct research are navigating the uncertain terrain of the "new normal." They are balancing physical distancing and other COVI…
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:32pm -
• newScientists discover way to make quantum states last 10,000 times longer
  If we can harness it, quantum technology promises fantastic new possibilities. But first, scientists need to coax quantum systems to stay yoked for longer than a few millionths of a second.
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:31pm -
• newResearchers design efficient low-cost system for producing power at night
  Researchers have designed an off-grid, low-cost modular energy source that can efficiently produce power at night. The system uses commercially available technology and could eventually help meet the need for nighttime lighting in urban areas or prov…
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:30pm -
• newResearchers demonstrate fundamentally new approach to ultrasound imaging
  North Carolina State University researchers have demonstrated a new technique for creating ultrasound images. The new approach is substantially simpler than existing techniques and could significantly drive down technology costs.
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:28pm -

Wired

• new'Project Power' Is a Secret Lesson About Science's Dark Side
  Netflix's new film updates a played-out superhero trope with a hidden message about the evils of human experimentation.
  - 1 hour ago 14 Aug 20, 1:00am -
• newEpic Games' Lawsuits Fire a Shot at Apple and Google's App Store 'Monopolies'
  The Fortnite developer filed suits today in California that suggest it may even want to launch its own app stores on iOS and Android.
  - 4 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 9:59pm -
• newISIS Allegedly Ran a Covid-19 PPE Scam Site
  The Justice Department says that an agent of the terrorist organization operated FaceMaskCenter.com, in part of a series of cryptocurrency-related complaints.
  - 6 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 8:17pm -
• newThe Logic Around Contact Tracing Apps Is All Wrong
  Rather than tracking individual exposures, we should be using them for real-time info on what activities and locations may be responsible for the spread.
  - 13 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 1:00pm -
• newMotorola Edge and Edge Plus Review: 2-Day Battery (and Some Quirks)
  Motorola's first flagships in years are fantastic in many ways, but the Edge and Edge Plus have high price tags and too many quirks.
  - 13 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 1:00pm -
• newSamsung's Galaxy Buds Live Review: Weird But Good
  They won't grow a magic beanstalk, but the Galaxy Buds Live offer a unique fit, good sound with decent noise-canceling, and a price that's easy to stomach.
  - 14 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 12:00pm -
• newA Plan to Turn Military Bases Into ‘Sandboxes’ for 5G
  A top Trump adviser outlines a blueprint for experimenting with wireless tech on bases and using software to counter China's lead in hardware.
  - 14 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 12:00pm -
• newShe Helped Wreck the News Business. Here’s Her Plan to Fix It
  Nandini Jammi’s advertiser boycotts scared brands away from journalism and into shady ad tech. Now she wants to teach marketers to think for themselves again.
  - 15 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 11:00am -
• newShould We Conserve Parasites? Apparently, Yes
  A group of ecologists and biologists say the world's ticks, leeches, and tapeworms need love and conservation, too. Now they've got a 12-point plan.
  - 15 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 11:00am -
• newPhotoshop Will Help ID Images That Have Been … Photoshopped
  Adobe is adding technology to tag images with metadata, part of an effort to identify deepfakes and other efforts at manipulation.
  - 15 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 11:00am -

Security

Popular Science

• newSocial distancing can make living with eating disorders harder

  

  Social distancing affects people with eating disorders in a number of ways, understanding them can help researchers better treat people who live with these conditions.
  - 5 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 9:00pm -
• newPushing an electric Corvette to 212 mph isn’t easy without causing a meltdown

  

  The Veep would love this 'Vette.
  - 8 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 6:30pm -
• newYou’ll never want to leave bed with these breathable sheets

  

  Made from moisture-wicking and lightweight materials, these sheet sets are ideal for those who tend to overheat during deep sleep.
  - 10 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 4:19pm -
• newComfortable and durable workout shorts—with pockets!

  

  These workout shorts are not only comfortable and versatile for men and women, they also feature pockets. That's a real game-changer for people used to carrying their keys and phone in-hand.
  - 10 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 4:11pm -
• newBest projectors for a better viewing experience

  

  These projectors provide top-of-the-line picture quality for any and all viewing experiences. It's great for outdoor movie viewing, home theaters, and run-of-the-mill media set-ups.
  - 10 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 4:06pm -
• newThis triceratops cousin suffered from osteosarcoma, just like many humans do

  

  Scientists from the Royal Ontario Museum and McMaster University have discovered that an ancient triceratops-like beast that lived over 75 million years ago developed an osteosarcoma tumor in its leg bone.
  - 10 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 4:00pm -
• newSocial distancing saves lives. Here’s the proof.

  

  Between March 10 and March 25, all 50 states and the District of Columbia adopted at least one form of social distancing. These restrictions prevented 621,000 cases of COVID-19 across the United States within three weeks of being implemented, the res…
  - 16 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 10:00am -
• newFancy, fun tank decor to keep your fish happy

  

  Fanciful aquarium or tank decorations will lift your spirits when your mood is otherwise floundering.
  - 17 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 9:20am -
• You can try the new Apple Watch features—including sleep tracking—right now

  

  Apple typically doesn't offer public beta software for watchOS, but you can try version 7 right now and test features like sleep tracking and more customizable faces.
  - 1 day ago 12 Aug 20, 10:19pm -
• Russia just approved a COVID vaccine—but that’s not necessarily good news

  

  Yesterday, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced that the country’s health regulators (Russia’s equivalent of the FDA) had approved a COVID-19 vaccine for limited use. However, the vaccine itself has yet to complete clinical trials, having o…
  - 1 day ago 12 Aug 20, 10:00pm -

Singularity Hub

• newThese Sleek Houses Are 3D Printed, and They Fit in Your Backyard
  If you’d told me ten years ago that I could go live in a house built by a giant concrete-spitting 3D printer, I not only would’ve thought you were crazy, I wouldn’t have known what you were talking about. Five years ago I still would have been…
  - 12 hours ago 13 Aug 20, 2:00pm -
• An Indian Company Is Gearing Up to Make Millions of Doses of a $3 Covid-19 Vaccine
  As the Covid-19 pandemic drags on, there’s one thing we’re all counting on to rescue us from the drudgery of socially-distanced life: a vaccine. How many times have you heard “X won’t happen again until there’s a vaccine”? Concerts, confe…
  - 2 days ago 12 Aug 20, 2:00pm -
• Scientists Gene-Hack Cotton Plants to Make Them Every Color of the Rainbow
  Imagine this: You’re on a drive through cotton country. The sun’s out, top’s down. It’s a beautiful, totally normal day. Only, what was once a sea of white puff balls has transformed into a multi-hued swirl. Lines of deep purple, bright yello…
  - 3 days ago 11 Aug 20, 2:00pm -
• The Secret to a Long, Healthy Life Is in the Genes of the Oldest Humans Alive
  The first time I heard nematode worms can teach us something about human longevity, I balked at the idea. How the hell can a worm with an average lifespan of only 15 days have much in common with a human who lives decades? The answer is in their gene…
  - 4 days ago 10 Aug 20, 2:00pm -
• Science Fiction Explores the Interconnectedness Revealed by the Coronavirus Pandemic
  In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, a theory widely shared on social media suggested that a science fiction text, Dean Koontz’s 1981 science fiction novel, The Eyes of Darkness, had predicted the coronavirus pandemic with uncanny precisi…
  - 5 days ago 9 Aug 20, 2:00pm -
• This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through August 8)
  ROBOTICS For Robots, It’s a Time to Shine (and Maybe Disinfect) Lisa Prevost | The New York Times “…cleaning robots are having a moment in commercial real estate. Their creators are promoting the machines as cost-effective solutions to the clea…
  - 6 days ago 8 Aug 20, 2:00pm -
• The Deck Is Not Rigged: Poker and the Limits of AI
  Tuomas Sandholm, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, is not a poker player—or much of a poker fan, in fact—but he is fascinated by the game for much the same reason as the great game theorist John von Neumann before him. Von Neuma…
  - 7 days ago 7 Aug 20, 2:00pm -
• The Global Work Crisis: Automation, the Case Against Jobs, and What to Do About It
  The alarm bell rings. You open your eyes, come to your senses, and slide from dream state to consciousness. You hit the snooze button, and eventually crawl out of bed to the start of yet another working day. This daily narrative is experienced by bil…
  - 7 days ago 6 Aug 20, 2:30pm -
• These Scientists Just Completed a 3D ‘Google Earth’ for the Brain
  Human brain maps are a dime a dozen these days. Maps that detail neurons in a certain region. Maps that draw out functional connections between those cells. Maps that dive deeper into gene expression. Or even meta-maps that combine all of the above.…
  - 9 days ago 5 Aug 20, 2:00pm -
• Airships Are No Longer a Relic of the Past; You Could Ride in One by 2023
  As concern over climate change and rising temperatures grows, the airline industry is taking heat (pun intended). Flying accounts for 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions; that’s lower than car travel and maritime shipping, but still a ch…
  - 10 days ago 4 Aug 20, 2:00pm -