News
People may welcome talking tissue boxes and other smart objects
May 1, 2013 10:57 am | by EurekAlert! | CommentsAs sensors and computers increasingly become smaller and cheaper, smart objects will appear in more homes and offices and not be hidden or shielded from interacting with people, according to the researchers. For example, smart refrigerators could talk or send tweets to signal when certain food items are almost out...
The case for optimism about a renewable energy future
May 1, 2013 10:54 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsProfessor Eric Martinot, the senior research director with the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Tokyo, told students and faculty at a seminar on April 18 that renewables have become “mainstream” and are “a major part of our energy system.”Martinot just completed a two-year project entitled the Renewables Global Futures Report — a compilation of 170 face-to-face interviews conducted with industry executives, CEOs of ...
China automaker to open electric bus plant in CA
May 1, 2013 10:42 am | by JOHN ROGERS, Associated Press | CommentsA Chinese company whose mantra is Build Your Dreams plans to build all-electric buses in California's Mojave Desert. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and officials of BYD Automotive scheduled a news conference Wednesday to announce plans to open the first Chinese-owned vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States.
Researchers track evolution of Philly's odd accent
May 1, 2013 10:07 am | by JOANN LOVIGLIO, Associated Press | CommentsWill Philly no longer be a place where residents drink wooder and root for the Iggles? Gid eowt! A University of Pennsylvania linguistics professor says the Southern-inflected sound of the Philadelphia dialect is moving toward a more Northern accent.
Russia charging NASA $70 million per rocket seat
May 1, 2013 10:01 am | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | CommentsNASA is paying $424 million more to Russia to get U.S. astronauts into space, and the agency's leader is blaming Congress for the extra expense. NASA announced its latest contract with the Russian Space Agency on Tuesday. The $424 million represents flights to and from the International Space Station aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft....
IBM makes tiny movie by pushing molecules around
May 1, 2013 9:52 am | CommentsScientists have taken the idea of a film short down to new levels. Molecular levels. IBM says it has made the tiniest stop-motion movie ever - a one-minute video of individual carbon monoxide molecules repeatedly rearranged to show a boy dancing, throwing a ball and bouncing on a trampoline.
Finding a gecko in the crowd
May 1, 2013 12:00 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsKeeping track of individuals in an endangered population of animals is a cumbersome and time-consuming task. Conservationists physically tag animals in the wild to better follow them over time. But tagging can be intrusive for many species, and difficult to accomplish in larger populations. As an alternative, scientists have photographed animals in their natural environments and catalogued the images, along with information such as in...
Apple sells $17 billion in bonds in record deal
April 30, 2013 8:59 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsApple Inc. sold $17 billion in bonds Tuesday in a record deal spurred by the company's plan to placate its frustrated shareholders. The Cupertino, Calif., company sold the bonds in its first debt issue since the 1990s to raise money to pass along to shareholders through dividend payments and...
NCR posts 1Q profit, revenue above expectations
April 30, 2013 8:50 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsNCR Corp. posted first-quarter profit and revenue that topped Wall Street's expectations Tuesday thanks to strength in its hospitality and retail divisions. NCR, which makes ATMs, self-service checkout machines and airport check-in-kiosks, also raised its profit outlook for the year. Its shares...
Research in the news: Illuminating the immune system
April 30, 2013 5:21 pm | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsTwo illuminating studies of the immune system have been published by leading researchers in the Department of Immunobiology of Yale School of Medicine....
NVision helps honor a fallen hero
April 30, 2013 4:40 pm | CommentsNVision recently volunteered its 3D laser-scanning services to help Sarasota sculptor Greg Marra create an exact replica of the rifle that former Navy Seal Chris Kyle used while in the military. Christopher Scott “Chris” Kyle is widely considered to have been the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history with over 150 confirmed kills.
Report: Apple selling record amount in bonds
April 30, 2013 4:29 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsApple Inc. is selling $17 billion in bonds on Tuesday, according to a published report. That would make it the largest corporate bond issue ever. Apple is selling the bonds in its first debt issue since the 1990s. The company is raising the money to give to shareholders through dividend payments...
NSE-led teams sweep energy innovation contest
April 30, 2013 1:47 pm | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsOn April 4 three teams led by MIT nuclear science and engineering (NSE) grads and postgraduates took the top prizes in a Boston-area pitch competition focused on finding radical new solutions to the world’s energy challenges.The pitch contest, Future Energy @ MIT, was convened by Ultra Light Startups, an organizer of pitch events, along with MIT partners the MIT Energy Club and the MIT Clean Energy Prize. The event featured eight ener...
Nuance Communications posts $25.8M fiscal 2Q loss
April 30, 2013 12:46 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsShares of Nuance Communications Inc. tumbled Tuesday after the company announced a $25.8 million loss for its fiscal second quarter, pulled down by hefty acquisition and other charges. The company's adjusted profit and revenue fell short of Wall Street predictions, and it issued a...
Diebold posts loss in 1Q, cuts about 700 jobs
April 30, 2013 12:21 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsDiebold Inc.'s shares sank Tuesday after the maker of bank teller machines, security systems and other equipment reported a first quarter loss and said it is cutting 700 jobs as part of a broader cost-cutting move. The North Canton, Ohio company posted a loss of $13.4 million, or 21 cents per...
