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SCIENCE
Biological
Alternative to Electronic Pacemakers - [New Scientist]
Genetically-engineered heart cells may be able to replace
the electronic pacemakers that hundreds of thousands of
cardiac patients have transplanted each year, suggests a
new study in guinea-pigs.
Cow
and Dog Genomes Next Up - [Nature] Cows, dogs and a
single-celled predator called Oxytricha trifallax are next
in line to have their genomes sequenced when the mouse,
rat and human projects wrap up within the next year.
Speed
of Light Broken with Basic Lab Kit - [New Scientist]
Electric signals can be transmitted at least four times
faster than the speed of light using only basic equipment
that would be found in virtually any college science department.
First
Genomic Blueprint of Broccoli's Anti-Cancer Agent
- [Nutra Ingredients] Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health have identified the blueprint of
genes and enzymes in the body that enable sulforaphane,
a compound found in broccoli and other vegetables, to prevent
cancer and remove toxins from cells.
Chemists
Show Proteins Behave Differently Inside Cells - [Science
Daily] In findings they believe are fundamentally important
to both biology and medicine, chemists at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown experimentally
for the first time that proteins can behave differently
inside cells than when taken out of those cells and studied
in test tubes.
50,000
Atoms of Anti-Hydrogen Made - [Nature] Physicists have
made 50,000 atoms of anti-hydrogen, the antimatter counterpart
of normal hydrogen. This new substance will enable them
to test one of the fundamental assumptions of modern physics
- the Standard Model.
Life
Cycle of Black Hole Emissions Seen for First Time -
[Space.com] Astronomers have observed for the first time
the entire life cycle of one of Nature's most powerful events
as jets of energy emerge from a distant black hole, slow
down while plowing through interstellar gas and then finally
fade away. The jets came from a so-called stellar black
hole, a compact object in our own galaxy that resulted from
the death of a massive star.
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TECHNOLOGY
Spam
Stampede Clogs the Internet - [SFGate] Amid all the
unwanted e-mail pitches for Viagra, porn and Nigerian get-
rich schemes comes this message from computer experts: You
ain't seen nothing yet.
Analysts
See Intel Poised for Silicon 'Big Grab' - [CNET] Intel
Corp., the world's largest semiconductor maker, has promoted
a vision that foresees high-speed connections just about
everywhere, seamlessly linking almost every electronic device
to the Internet and other networks. But some analysts increasingly
see that promise -- linking personal computers, handheld
organizers, cellular telephones and other devices -- as
an implicit threat to rivals and smaller semiconductor companies.
Computer
Worm Networks Infected Machines - [New Scientist] Thousands
of internet servers have been infected by a new computer
worm that links machines together to create a peer-to-peer
attack network.
VISA
Readies Wireless Smart Cards - [CNET] Visa International
is making a push with a new smart-card payment system that
would allow hands-free transactions.
Biometric
Tests Uncover Passport Fraud -
[ZDNet] The Australian government is poised to crack down
hard on identity fraud amid indications trials of biometric
technology are already unveiling instances of individuals
illegally securing multiple passports.
Proposal:
Removing Earth's Radiation Belts - [Space.com] By using
highly charged orbiting space tethers, the Earth's cocoon
of menacing and deadly radiation belts might be easily and
largely aced out. For one, satellites in the future could
live longer not having to fend off the frenzy of energetic
particles. Moreover, human-carrying spacecraft would be
far safer zooming about in Earth orbit or speeding outward
to distant destinations.
Google
Eyes the Next Innovation - [PCWorld] The successful
Web search technology Google was born from an unassuming
Stanford University research project fueled by innovation
and a dorm room full of computers. Sergey Brin, co-founder
and president of technology at Google, speaking here at
the InfoWorld Next-Generation Web services II: The Applications
conference, said innovation based on Web services is the
means to drive the next set of inventions and improve upon
existing services.
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BUSINESS
Enron
Probed for Power-Price Fraud - [MSNBC] Federal prosecutors
are investigating alleged fraud by Enron Corp. in the manipulation
of power prices in three Western states during the California
electricity crisis two years ago.
Web
Grocer Moves into New Markets - [CNET] British grocer
Tesco this week will expand its U.S. online operations to
include Southern California as it reports a boom in such
sales back home.
'Disastrous'
GM Crops Have Cost US Economy - [Independent] The introduction
of genetically modified crops in North America has been
an "economic disaster," the Soil Association claimed
yesterday. A report on the North American market drawn up
by the association, which supports organic farming, said
the new crops had cost the United States economy £8bn
since 1999. The costs were said to have been caused by contamination
of crops, subsidies paid to compensate for low prices and
lost trade from manufacturers in Europe that refused GM
products - and the complete recall of one product.
Prolonged
Slump in Global Economy Cuts Foreign Investment in Half
- [UN] The prolonged economic recession and weakening business
confidence that has clouded global financial markets for
more than a year also diminished world flows of foreign
direct investment by more than half in 2001, according to
a report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development (UNCTAD).
Cut
Back Sweatshop Imports, U.S. Told - [BBC] US human rights
and trade union groups are launching a campaign aimed at
restricting US imports of goods made under alleged sweatshop
conditions.
China
Jets Aim for Regional Markets - [Guardian] Challenging
international aircraft makers, Chinese officials are launching
a commercial venture to turn out medium-range aircraft intended
for regional flights within China and other developing markets.
Building
Economic Democracy - [AlterNet] Here we are a decade
and a half removed from the savings and loans scandals,
in the midst of a perfect storm in ethics. Turbulence patterns
are converging from Enron, Arthur Andersen, Global Crossing,
Tyco, Dynegy, Adelphia, WorldCom and the rest.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Pre-Loved
PCs Are Just the Job - [smh] It's been with mixed feelings
that Andrew Mahar, director of GreenPC, has watched as his
trainees are snapped up by other employers within weeks
of starting at the computer refurbishment business. "It's
amazing the number of organisations happy to take on someone
who already has a job," he says. These are people who
before they were hired by GreenPC had been unemployed for
at least six months. Few have formal qualifications beyond
secondary school. "All we ask from applicants is that
they are enthusiastic about computers and that they are
happy to work as part of a team," Mahar says.
Changing
Dynamics of India-Central Asia Relations - [Financial
Express] The recent attacks on the World Trade Centre in
New York and the subsequent US military response to terrorism
has given a renewed impetus to the geo-strategic significance
of Central Asia, which has recently seen the induction of
US troops in some of these countries. Given Washington's
high strategic and economic stakes in Central Asia, the
large US military presence is unlikely to be a short one,
and can only add to the region's strategic significance.
UK
Accused of Human Rights Abuse - [BBC] The British Government
has been accused of contravening human rights with the anti-terrorist
laws established in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks.
Amnesty International said the Anti-Terrorism Crime and
Security Act, passed in November 2001, breached fundamental
human rights.
Military
Takes Asteroid Threat Seriously - [UPI] Celestial objects
crossing Earth's orbit threaten society in ways far more
realistic than the doomsday scenarios Hollywood portrays
in films such as "Armageddon," an Air Force general
said Thursday. The most immediate threat is from smaller
objects hitting the atmosphere and exploding, said Brig.
Gen. Pete Worden, vice director of operations at Air Force
Space Command.
DNA
Database "Should Include Every Citizen"
- [New Scientist] The inventor of DNA fingerprinting believes
every citizen's genetic information should be stored on
the UK national register. This would solve the problem of
some individuals being listed even if they have been cleared
of committing a crime.
China's
Looming Catastrophe - [International Herald Tribune]
China took some halting steps forward this month in its
belated efforts to catch up with a widening HIV-AIDS epidemic.
Health officials raised their estimate of the number of
Chinese infected with the AIDS virus, asked for international
help in combating the epidemic and pressed for a sharp reduction
in the prices charged for drugs needed to treat these patients.
The
Faces of China's Future - [Washington Post] China is
an eerily apolitical country as it heads toward what is
described officially as a momentous congress of the Communist
Party in November that will choose a new leadership for
the country.
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ENVIRONMENT
Dutch
Might Breach Kyoto Protocol - [Expatica] The environment
policies of the Balkenende government make it "uncertain"
if the Netherlands will fulfil its requirements according
to the Kyoto Protocol, it has been claimed.
Climate
Changes to Hammer China Hard - [China Daily] Global
climate change will have a heavy impact on China's agricultural
production, according to the latest research findings. "If
we do not take urgent measures, crop yields in China may
decrease by 5 to 10 per cent in the coming 30 years,"
Lin Erda, head of a climate and agriculture research team,
told China Daily.
Humanity
Tries to Mend Ozone Layer - [Space Daily] Readings of
the lower atmosphere show that ozone-depleting substances
continue their slow decline since reaching a peak in the
1992-1994 period, proving that policies to control certain
human activities are having the desired effect, says the
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
Rings
Around the Earth: A Clue to Climate Change? - [Space
Daily] While most of us know about rings around Saturn and
Jupiter, some scientists believe there once were rings of
rock debris around our own planet. Two scientists -- Peter
J. Fawcett, of the University of New Mexico, and Mark B.E.
Boslough, of the US Department of Energy's Sandia National
Laboratories -- have suggested that a geologically "recent"
collision (about 35 million years ago) may have caused such
a temporary debris ring.
Will Global Warming Improve Crop Production - [Space
Daily] Winter temperatures are on the rise and scientists
note this change will actually increase a plant's exposure
to freezing temperatures.
Car
Industry Struggles to Wean Drivers Off Oil - [Financial
Gazette] The hydrogen-based fuel cell, which emits only
water and electricity to drive the vehicle, has long been
the best hope for a "clean car" paradigm shift,
but experts say such technologies are still a far-off dream
for ordinary drivers.
Look
Ma, No Pesticides - [Wired] Hermetically sealed tunnels
developed in the United Kingdom are producing abundant pesticide-free
crops in a computer-controlled environment that is rich
in carbon dioxide and nutrients. The tunnels allow crops
to grow year-round -- some in just 35 days -- such as spinach
and arugula, as well as more exotic foodstuffs like bok
choy and chilies.
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THE FUTURE
China:
The Economic and Technological Powerhouse of the 21st Century
(PDF document) - [Plausible Futures] a collection of articles
on China - covering population control, economics, nanotechnology,
stem cell research, telecom, environment, internal politics,
Taiwan relations, defence and the "war on terror".
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