Are self-driving cars really the answer for older drivers?

With more of us living longer, driving is becoming increasingly important in later life, helping us to stay independent, socially connected and mobile.

* This article was originally published here

Daylight robbery: how human-built structures leave coastal ecosystems in the shadows

About half of the coastline of Europe, the United States and Australasia is modified by artificial structures. In newly published research, we identified a new effect of marine urbanisation that has so far gone unrecognised.

* This article was originally published here

A new, more user-friendly language for programming supercomputers

Decades ago, computers were costly, complex and rare.

* This article was originally published here

Study shows how to improve production at wind farms

What's good for one is not always best for all.

* This article was originally published here

Early days, but we've found a way to lift the IQ and resilience of Australia's most vulnerable children

What happens in our first three years profoundly influences the rest of our lives.

* This article was originally published here

From dealing drugs to selling tortillas: the surprising future of former gang members

Becoming a gang member is often assumed to imply few long-term life opportunities beyond dying or being imprisoned. In most of the world, however, this only concerns a minority of gang members, with the majority tending to "mature out" out of their gang, and becoming (more or less) upstanding members of society.

* This article was originally published here

A bio-inspired flow-sensing cupula for submersible robotics

Nature can be a precious source of inspiration for researchers developing robots and artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Studies in submersible robotics, for instance, have often tried to replicate or incorporate mechanisms observed in aquatic life, such as fish locomotion patterns and shark skin textures.

* 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

Sports playbook helps doctors predict cancer patient outcomes

In this season of global soccer competitions and hotly contested political primaries, bookies and pundits are scouring every evolving scrap of information and sifting through mountains of data in an effort to predict the outcome of the next game or election. These predictions can change on a dime, however, based on a player's poor pass or a candidate's stellar debate performance.

* This article was originally published here

Don't let fireworks deafen you

(HealthDay)—Fireworks are a beautiful sight to behold, but they can damage your hearing if you're not careful.

* This article was originally published here

Four steps to make your lawn a wildlife haven – from green desert to miniature rainforest

If you could ask British insects about the habitats they prefer, they'd probably tell you that you can't improve on grassland that's rich with wildflowers. For farmers, though, grassland is said to be "improved" if it has been treated with fertiliser and sown with fast growing grasses.

* This article was originally published here

In new study, researchers controlled behavior in a mouse's brain with single-cell precision

For the first time, a team of neuroscientists from Columbia University have controlled a visual behavior of a mouse by activating a few neurons in its visual cortex.

* This article was originally published here

Smart glasses follow our eyes, focus automatically

Though it may not have the sting of death and taxes, presbyopia is another of life's guarantees. This vision defect plagues most of us starting about age 45, as the lenses in our eyes lose the elasticity needed to focus on nearby objects. For some people reading glasses suffice to overcome the difficulty, but for many people the only fix, short of surgery, is to wear progressive lenses.

* This article was originally published here

Tiny motor can 'walk' to carry out tasks

Years ago, MIT Professor Neil Gershenfeld had an audacious thought. Struck by the fact that all the world's living things are built out of combinations of just 20 amino acids, he wondered: Might it be possible to create a kit of just 20 fundamental parts that could be used to assemble all of the different technological products in the world?

* This article was originally published here

Genes could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease

Tooth decay and gum disease impact on illness and healthcare spending, yet the role of genetics in dental problems is largely unknown. New research led by an international team, including researchers at the University of Bristol, suggests hereditary traits and factors such as obesity, education and personality could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/genes-could-play-a-role-in-tooth-decay-and-gum-disease

Stromboli clears up ash after deadly volcano eruption

The village of Ginostra on Stromboli began sweeping away layers of ash on Thursday, the day after a dramatic volcanic eruption on the tiny Italian island killed a hiker.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/stromboli-clears-up-ash-after-deadly-volcano-eruption

Scientists combine light and matter to make particles with new behaviors

Every type of atom in the universe has a unique fingerprint: It only absorbs or emits light at the particular energies that match the allowed orbits of its electrons. That fingerprint enables scientists to identify an atom wherever it is found. A hydrogen atom in outer space absorbs light at the same energies as one on Earth.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-combine-light-and-matter-to-make-particles-with-new-behaviors

New Zealand slams Google over murder case gaffe

Google was accused of "giving the middle finger" by New Zealand's Justice Minister Thursday, after the US tech giant refused to tighten publication standards after breaching court suppression orders in a high-profile murder case.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-zealand-slams-google-over-murder-case-gaffe

Chinese official: Pig fever outbreak 'complicated and grim'

The death toll from a disease outbreak in China's pig herds that has pushed up global pork prices has risen to 1.2 million animals, but its spread has "significantly slowed," a deputy agriculture minister said Thursday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/chinese-official-pig-fever-outbreak-complicated-and-grim

French lawmakers approve 3% tax on online giants

France's lower house of parliament approved Thursday a small, pioneering tax on internet giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook—and the French government hopes other countries will follow suit.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/french-lawmakers-approve-3-tax-on-online-giants

Hot weather in Greek capital shuts down Acropolis

Greece's most famous archaeological site, the Acropolis in Athens, has shut down to visitors for four hours because of hot weather in the capital.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/hot-weather-in-greek-capital-shuts-down-acropolis

Jakarta residents sue Indonesia government over air pollution

Residents of Indonesia's capital on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the government over the toxic levels of air pollution that regularly blanket the city.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/jakarta-residents-sue-indonesia-government-over-air-pollution

Pain signaling in humans more rapid than previously known

Pain signals can travel as fast as touch signals, according to a new study from researchers at Linköping University in Sweden, Liverpool John Moores University in the U.K., and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S. The discovery of a rapid pain signaling system challenges our current understanding of pain. The study is published in the scientific journal Science Advances.

* This article was originally published here

Protein-linked sugars are crucial for the uptake of proteins linked to Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 6 million people worldwide, is caused by the buildup of alpha-synuclein proteins in the brain. The biological function of alpha-synuclein is still not well understood, but because of its role in neurodegenerative diseases, researchers are actively studying this protein to understand the mechanisms of the disease and to look for new treatment strategies.

* This article was originally published here

New technique could brighten screens and make smartphone batteries last longer

Our future TV and smartphone screens could have double the energy efficiency, thanks to a technique invented by Imperial scientists.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-technique-could-brighten-screens-and-make-smartphone-batteries-last-longer

Sharing control with robots may make manufacturing safer, more efficient

Hulking robots common to assembly line manufacturing tend to be loners. They often cut, bend and weld metal inside cages and behind barriers meant to safely separate them from human workers.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/sharing-control-with-robots-may-make-manufacturing-safer-more-efficient

Simpler name for cancer genetic syndrome could save lives

As medical science links certain genetic mutations with a greater variety of cancers, the names for these risk syndromes are falling out of step.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/simpler-name-for-cancer-genetic-syndrome-could-save-lives

Creation of big data tool leads to new ideas on form and function of insect eggs

Sometimes disproving an old hypothesis is as important as proving a new one. In a new paper in Nature, Cassandra G. Extavour manages to do both, while helping create a tool that will enable similar big-data studies moving forward.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/creation-of-big-data-tool-leads-to-new-ideas-on-form-and-function-of-insect-eggs

Further insight needed into potential development delays in preterm children

Executive functioning delays—such as difficulties with attention, concentration and self-control—which frequently occur in preterm children actually persist beyond early infancy, through to school-entry age, new research has found.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/further-insight-needed-into-potential-development-delays-in-preterm-children

Researchers map crystals to advance treatments for stroke, diabetes, dementia

Medications attach to the proteins in our bodies the way spacecrafts dock into the International Space Station. Describing that process in detail can reveal a lot about how the medications work—and what form new medications should take.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-map-crystals-to-advance-treatments-for-stroke-diabetes-dementia

Incarceration and economic hardship strongly associated with drug-related deaths in the US

Growing rates of incarceration in the USA since the mid-1970s may be linked with a rise in drug-related mortality, and may exacerbate the harmful health effects of economic hardship, according to an observational study involving 2,640 US counties between 1983 and 2014, published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/incarceration-and-economic-hardship-strongly-associated-with-drug-related-deaths-in-the-us

More money, skills and knowledge needed for social prescribing to serve as route into work

New funding, greater expertise and wider awareness in the system—and beyond—are needed to embed work outcomes into social prescribing practice.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/more-money-skills-and-knowledge-needed-for-social-prescribing-to-serve-as-route-into-work

Scientists discover autoimmune disease associated with testicular cancer

Using advanced technology, scientists at Chan Zuckerberg (CZ) Biohub, Mayo Clinic and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have discovered an autoimmune disease that appears to affect men with testicular cancer.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-discover-autoimmune-disease-associated-with-testicular-cancer

One in 10 UK hospital inpatients is alcohol dependent

A new review of evidence from the UK has found high levels of alcohol dependence among hospital inpatients. The researchers estimate one in five patients in the UK hospital system uses alcohol harmfully, and one in ten is alcohol dependent.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/one-in-10-uk-hospital-inpatients-is-alcohol-dependent

Facebook services back online after worldwide outage

Facebook said it was "back at 100 percent" Wednesday evening after an outage on all of its services affected users in various parts of the world.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/facebook-services-back-online-after-worldwide-outage

Tornado kills 6, injures nearly 200 in China

A tornado has left six people dead and nearly 200 injured after ripping through a northeastern Chinese city, local authorities said Thursday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/tornado-kills-6-injures-nearly-200-in-china