Reuters Science News Summary

08/12/2016 8:57

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Piltdown breakdown: new details about a famed scientific hoax

Researchers applying modern forensic techniques to a century-old puzzle have laid bare intriguing new details about one of the most notorious scientific hoaxes on record, the so-called Piltdown Man, and are confident in the culprit's identity. The phony fossil remains of a "missing link" between apes and humans, planted in gravel near the English village of Piltdown, were concocted using the jawbone and teeth from a single orangutan, two or three sets of old human remains and the liberal use of dental putty, the researchers said on Wednesday.

Paralysis partly reversed using brain-machine interface training

Paraplegic patients recovered partial control and feeling in their limbs after training to use a variety of brain-machine interface technologies, according to new research published on Thursday in the journal "Scientific Reports." The researchers followed eight patients paralyzed by spinal cord injuries as they adapted to the use of the technologies, which convert brain activity into electric signals that power devices such as exoskeletons and robotic arms.

Long in the tooth: the Greenland shark may live four centuries

The Greenland shark, a big and slow-moving deep-ocean predator that prowls the frigid waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic, can claim the distinction of being the planet's longest-living vertebrate, with a lifespan perhaps reaching about 400 years. Its extremely sluggish growth rate, about four-tenths of a inch (1 cm) per year, had already tipped off scientists that it lived a very long time, and research published on Thursday calculated the Greenland shark's lifespan for the first time.

What3words keeps Olympics visitors on track in Rio

An innovative addressing system that assigns every patch of earth in the world an easy to remember three-word address is being used to help visitors get around at the Olympics in Rio de Jeneiro. Some 500,000 foreigners are expected to pass through the city during the Games that run until August 21. London-based company what3words has divided the world up into 57 trillion 3-by-3 meter squares, each with their own unique three word address. For example, the face of the Sphinx at Giza, Egypt is at "foiled.policy.blueberry," while a spot of ocean a few hundred kilometers west of Hawaii is given the tag "help.incredibly.lost."

Tethered drone could fly 'forever'

An unmanned aircraft system (UAS) developed by engineers from the University of Southampton uses a powered tether to provide unlimited flight time for drones. The developers say it could offer a more cost-effective solution for aerial monitoring and surveillance than other options on the market. The tethered drone system was a collaboration between the team from Southampton and security firm Cardinal Security, based in Essex, who wanted to build a low-cost observation platform for both military and civilian security operations.

08/12/2016 8:57