Science & Technology News

By Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) – A British space venture is giving ordinary citizens the chance to leave their mark on the moon in a decade’s time while helping scientists scout a possible location for a permanent base there. Lunar Mission One launched a crowdfunding drive on Wednesday to cover its start-up costs. By mid-morning organisers had raised around 74,000 pounds, according to the Kickstarter website, towards an initial target of 600,000 pounds ($940,000) they aim to reach within a month. …

By Vidya Ranganathan SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Stung by billion-dollar fines for malpractice on their trading floors, the world’s big banks are using ‘fuzzy logic’ tools such as relationship mapping and behavioural analytics to read the minds of would-be cheats among their traders. On Wednesday six global banks agreed to pay $4.3 billion to settle claims they failed to stop traders from trying to rig foreign exchange markets, which came hot on the heels of similar fines for manipulating benchmark interest rates. …

The “Zen Master” Phil Jackson have won a combined 11 championships in Chicago and Los Angeles For a team sport like basketball, there …

By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Upcoming bracelets with technology from Intel Corp and design cues from fashion brand Opening Ceremony will connect the wearer with Facebook, Google and Yelp via an AT&T data plan without having to carry a smartphone. Called My Intelligent Communication Accessory, or MICA, the snakeskin bracelets are aimed at fashion-conscious women and are an attempt by the two companies to stand out in a growing field of often-clunky smartwatches and fitness brands that have yet to catch on widely with consumers. …

By Brent Smith INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) – The parents of an American aid worker beheaded by Islamic State militants after his abduction in Syria asked for prayers for other captives in Syria and Iraq in a brief public statement at their Indianapolis church on Monday. Abdul-Rahman Kassig, whose name was Peter before his conversion to Islam, was the fifth European or American captive killed by the militants. His severed head was seen in a video that was released on Sunday and also showed the beheadings of at least 14 men. …

By Irene Klotz REUTERS – Gas jets from inside a comet hosting Europe’s Philae lander may launch the hibernating probe out of its ditch and back into sunlight for a battery recharge, a former mission manager said on Monday. The European Space Agency’s Philae lander wrapped up an unprecedented 57-hour mission on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on Saturday. The washing machine-sized spacecraft, which was released by its orbiting Rosetta mother ship on Thursday, ended up in a ditch after bouncing off the comet’s surface. …

By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Upcoming bracelets with technology from Intel Corp and design cues from fashion brand Opening Ceremony will connect the wearer with Facebook, Google and Yelp via an AT&T data plan without having to carry a smartphone. Called My Intelligent Communication Accessory, or MICA, the snakeskin bracelets are aimed at fashion-conscious women and are an attempt by the two companies to stand out in a growing field of often-clunky smartwatches and fitness brands that have yet to catch on widely with consumers. …

By Lincoln Feast and Jane Wardell BRISBANE Australia (Reuters) – The G20 communique will include a significant passage on climate change, EU officials said on Sunday, as the United States and other heavyweight nations override host Australia’s attempts to keep the issue off the formal agenda. Much of the meeting of world leaders in Australia has been overshadowed by the crisis in Ukraine, with Western leaders warning Russian President Vladimir Putin that he risked more economic sanctions if he failed to end Russian backing for separatist rebels. …

REUTERS – A pioneering robotic spacecraft shut down on Saturday after radioing results of its first and probably last batch of scientific experiments from the surface of a comet, scientists said. Batteries aboard the European Space Agency’s Philae comet lander drained, shutting down the washing machine-sized probe after an adventurous and largely unscripted 57-hour mission. Carried aboard the orbiting Rosetta mothership, Philae floated to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Thursday, but failed to deploy anchoring harpoons. …

By Lincoln Feast and Timothy Gardner BRISBANE Australia/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Friday pledged a $3 billion U.S. contribution to an international fund to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change, putting the issue front and centre of the G20 Leaders Summit in Australia. The large size of the contribution took climate policy watchers by surprise and doubles what other countries had previously pledged ahead of a Nov. 20 deadline. …