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SCIENCE
Scientists
Mix Spiders with Goats - [news.com.au] Scientists have
combined the DNA from a goat and spider to create an animal
which produces silk that is five times stronger than steel.
The fibre, derived from the goats' milk, harnesses the huge
strength of silk spun by spiders.
Embryos
Grow With the Flow - [Nature] Mice hearts are on the
left because the fluid they develop in flows from right
to left over their week-old embryos, Japanese researchers
have discovered.
Study
Throws New Light on How Gene Switches Operate - [UniSci]
Faulty regulation of genes is a common basis of many human
diseases, including many cancers. Understanding gene regulation
comes down to describing the components of gene switches
and understanding how the various components work together
to provide normal switch operation and, therefore, normal
gene expression. Now a discovery by Penn State College of
Medicine researchers refutes an idea widely accepted by
scientists and throws new light on how certain genes are
regulated by gene switches.
Symbiosis
Has Deep Roots - [New Scientist] Two studies have identified
the protein that enables some plant roots to exchange nutrients
with microbes. The discovery could help researchers alter
other plants so that they can do the same.
Molecular
Classification of Disease - [Bioportfolio] Personalized
medicine and pharmacogenomics were a major theme at the
6th International Biotech and Infotech summit in San Francisco.
Pharmacogenomics is the correlation of a patient's genetic
information to drug response, leading to "personalized"
prescription of the most appropriate medicine.
Bugs
Clean Teeth - [Nature] GM yoghurt could fight tooth
decay.
Scientists
Build Polio Virus from Scratch - [New Scientist] Scientists
have built the virus that causes polio from scratch in the
lab, using nothing more than genetic sequence information
from public databases and readily available technology.
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TECHNOLOGY
Microsoft Wants Security Hard-Wired in Your Computer
- [Washington Post] The company whose software helped launch
the personal computing revolution three decades ago announced
this week that it wants to redesign the computer so it will
have built-in security and privacy functions, including
some etched onto special chips to be manufactured by Intel
Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
Software
Bugs Cost Billions - [vnunet] Software bugs are costing
the US economy an estimated $59.5bn a year, according to
a new study, which has found that more than half the costs
are carried by software users and the remainder by software
developers and vendors.
VR
Hallucinations Used to Treat Schizophrenia - [New Scientist]
A virtual reality environment that conjures up the terrifying
sounds and sights of a patient's own hallucinations has
been designed to help treat people with schizophrenia.
Failed
Dot.coms to Live On in Digital Archive - [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
Attention former dot-commers. A University of Maryland professor
needs your disastrous business plans, pointless PowerPoints
and tales of failure.
We
Now Return Control of Your Television Set to You
- [Darwin Magazine] It's not the Outer Limits, but something
much more insidious: TiVo. How will broadcasters fare in
the new viewer-controlled world of TV?
Gates
@ Work - [Fortune] An up-close look at why Bill Gates
still holds the key to Microsoft's future.
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BUSINESS
Can
Reverse Splits Undo the Damage - [Business Week] Once
used mainly by small-fry, tech's walking wounded are eyeing
the strategy as a way to attract big investors and avoid
delisting.
Global
Values in a Local World - [Fast
Company] Meet Martha Nussbaum, one of America's leading
philosophers. She's asking some top businesspeople to confront
today's toughest question: Are there global values to connect
us all?
Clear
Sailing for Pirates - [Business Week] For now, the WTO
can't stop mainland counterfeiters.
Boeing
Plans for Revolutionary High-Speed Airliner in Doubt
- [The Independent] Boeing yesterday cast doubt on whether
it would go ahead with plans to build a revolutionary new
commercial airliner capable of travelling at just below
the speed of sound and flying non-stop from London to Sydney
in three-quarters of the current time.
New
Rules for Team Building - [Optimize] Whenever I board
a commercial airline flight, I have the impulse to stick
my head in the cockpit and ask, "First trip flying
together?" I would never actually do such a thing,
of course. But it comes to mind because of some analysis
by the National Transportation Safety Board that has profound
implications for airlines, their passengers, and anyone
who creates or leads organizational teams.
U.S.
Moves to Calm EU Fears About Steel
- [Washington Post] The threat of a trade confrontation
between the United States and the European Union receded
as the Bush administration announced that it will continue
excluding certain categories of imported steel from tariffs
in weeks to come.
Amazon.com
Reportedly in Talks with Clothing Manufacturers - [Seattle
Post-Intelligencer] Amazon.com is reportedly in talks with
retailers to open a clothing store on its Web site in time
for the holiday shopping season.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Pentagon
to Release Report on China Threat - [Taipei Times] The
Pentagon is expected to release a report soon on China's
military threat that is expected to raise concerns over
the buildup of missiles and naval forces across the Taiwan
Strait, US defense officials tell the Taipei Times. The
report also concludes that the buildup is aimed at undermining
Taiwan's democratic government, officials say.
U.N.
Predicts Chinese AIDS Epidemic - [Washington Post] Ten
million people could be infected with HIV by the end of
the decade as China approaches the brink of an "explosive"
epidemic of the disease, according to a U.N. study released
Thursday.
New
Data Highlights the Devastating Impact of AIDS in Africa
- [All Africa] The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) released data today about the unprecedented devastation
AIDS is causing in African societies and economies. Over
28 million Africans are living with HIV today, and in some
countries over 30% of the adult population are infected.
Global
AIDS Epidemic "In Early Phase" - [New Scientist]
The AIDS epidemic is still in an early phase, and the number
of cases of HIV in the worst-affected countries is climbing
higher than previously believed possible, according to a
major UNAIDS report.
Annan
Condemns U.S. Bosnia Veto - [BBC] UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan has written to the US Secretary of State, Colin
Powell, expressing serious concern about American objections
to the new International Criminal Court (ICC). In his letter,
Mr Annan says the US action is putting the whole system
of UN peacekeeping operations at risk.
U.S.
Pulls E. Timor Peacekeepers - [UPI] The U.S. military
is recalling the three U.S. service members assigned to
U.N. peacekeeping duties in East Timor, a direct response
to the new International Criminal Court treaty that went
into effect July 1 without U.S. approval, senior defense
officials confirmed Tuesday.
U.S.
Drops Demand for War Court Immunity
- [Washington Post] The Bush administration agreed to drop
its demand that the U.N. Security Council grant Americans
serving in U.N. peacekeeping missions permanent immunity
from the international war crimes tribunal.
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ENVIRONMENT
Pharm
Pollution - [Science News] Patrick K. Jjemba was curious
about the interplay of protozoa and the bacteria they eat
in soil. As part of his research, he began altering the
organisms' environment. When he applied large amounts of
protozoan-killing antibiotics to dirt around the roots of
soybeans, Jjemba was amazed at what happened. The drugs-widely
used in human and veterinary medicine-did far more than
subtly alter the balance of microbial predators and prey.
One drug stunted soybeans, and another killed the plants.
Beyond
Fossil Fuels - [Sierra Magazine] Triumphant gearheads,
standing ovations for a hydrogen bus, and a yuppie BMW that's
actually good for the planet. I've seen the future and I
like it.
New
York City Scales Back Recycling - [Environment News
Service] Starting today, New York City - the largest city
in the United States - will no longer recycle residential
glass or plastic wastes. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has cut
the money losing recycling program, saying the city can
no longer afford the program in the wake of the deadly and
costly September 11 terrorist attacks.
Peru
Swaps Debt for Tropical Rainforest Protection - [Environment
News Service] Peru's rare pink river dolphins, jaguars,
scarlet macaws, walking palms and giant water lilies will
be better protected after an agreement signed today in Washington
under which the United States cancelled $14 million in Peruvian
debt payments.
Toxic
Waste Cleanup Funds Dwindling - [Miami Herald] Cleanup
projects at toxic waste sites in 18 states -- including
Florida -- are being severely curtailed or halted under
a Bush administration plan to reduce spending for the nation's
Superfund program, according to an Environmental Protection
Agency report.
Shake-Up
for Climate Models - [Nature] Models simulating global
climate don't capture fine-scale ups and downs of temperature.
Humanity's
Massive Overdraft with Earth -
[New Scientist] Humanity is currently overusing the Earth's
resources by 20 per cent and, if current trends continue,
then by 2050 we will need two planet Earths in order to
live sustainably.
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THE FUTURE
Futurist Update
July 2002 - [World Future Society] News & previews
from the World Future Society.
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