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SCIENCE
Gene-Engineered
Rice Withstands Drought, Salt Water - [ABC] Scientists
said they had genetically engineered rice to withstand drought,
salt water and cold temperatures by borrowing a gene from
the E. coli bacteria. They hope the new stress-tolerant
rice will help farmers in poor countries grow more food
under the worst conditions.
Time
for a New Pair of Genes? - [Wired] Bioethicists say
changing the DNA of future generations in order to correct
genetic diseases raises serious ethical questions, and the
National Institutes of Health has funded a study to evaluate
when, if at all, hereditary genetic changes might be appropriate.
Scientists
Uncover the Genetic Code of Mice
- [Christian Science Monitor] Scientists announced that
they have mapped the genetic code for mice, an accomplishment
second in importance only to the mapping of the human genome
itself.
Tiny
Transistors Lift Lid on Cell Life - [Nature] Silicon
sensors show cell's molecular machinery working in real
time.
Scientists
Find Biological Clock Protein - [UPI] The biological
clock that keeps time for almost every activity within living
creatures turns out to be a single protein, Purdue University
researchers have reported.
Most
Distant Planet Found - [BBC] Astronomers have discovered
the most distant known planet, a hot Jupiter-class world
closely orbiting a star about 5,000 light-years away.
Beer
Belly 'Gene' Found - [BBC] Genetic
make-up could be to blame for the beer belly. Scientists
have found that men with a certain gene variation have a
tendency to get a flabby stomach.
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TECHNOLOGY
Brainless
Robots Likely to Work Well - [Washington Times] A self-willed,
6-pound Frisbee on wheels probably isn't the first thing
that comes to mind when you think of vacuuming the house,
but that could change. Which shows that robots may be better
if they're, well, sort of dumb.
Humanoid
Robots: Companions or Just Costly Toys? - [Japan Times]
In the 1950s, Astro Boy drew on his 100,000 horsepower and
hip-mounted machineguns to fight evil-doers. Despite his
supposed April 7, 2003, birthday, however, the creation
of robots the likes of Astro will probably remain a superhero
pipe dream forever.
Data
Stored in Multiplying Bacteria - [New Scientist] A message
encoded as artificial DNA can be stored within the genomes
of multiplying bacteria and then accurately retrieved, US
scientists have shown.
'Gadget
Printer' Promises Industrial Revolution - [New Scientist]
The idea of printing a light bulb may seem bizarre, but
US engineers are now developing an ink-jet printing technology
to do just that. The research at the University of California
in Berkeley will allow fully assembled electric and electronic
gadgets to be printed in one go.
The
Network is the Battlefield - [Business Week] The Pentagon's
aim is to meld weapons systems and people into a whole,
called network-centric warfare, that's greater than the
sum of its parts.
Organ
on the Wall - [Mechanical Engineering] An English doctor
consults a four-foot, sliceable, movable image of a patient's
liver while operating on the real thing.
Automatons
Acting on Attitudes - [ABC News] Researchers develop
robots that react to human emotions. The line between man
and machine is becoming less distinct as technology evolves.
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
AOL
May Write Down Billions Again - [c|net] AOL Time Warner
is expected to write off several billion dollars -- on top
of the record $54 billion charge it took last year -- increasing
the strain on its balance sheet, analysts and investors
say.
All
Together Now - [Context] The author argues that major
innovations such as the Internet take shape in waves of
cooperation -- and that it's high time for us to work in
unison again.
What
Should I Do With My Life? - [Fast Company] Over the
course of two years, a celebrated novelist and business
writer listened to the life stories of more than 900 people
who had decided to be honest with themselves. What he found
was a way to get back to what matters -- and the makings
of a new era for business.
Illegal
Music Sites 'Here to Stay' - [BBC] Illegal music download
sites will never be eradicated, the president of the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA) has admitted.
China
Comes of Age for Foreign Companies
- [SMH] The Asian giant need not be a financial black hole:
some Western firms are doing big business. KFC opens a new
store in China every other day, all funded by profits in
that market.
Preview
2003 - [Washington Business Forward] Preconceptions,
predictions and premonitions on the year ahead.
A
Firefight Over Burning DVDs - [Business Week] 321 Studios'
software is simple to use. But the movie industry wants
it off the market.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Climate
for Giving has been Chilly This Year - [USA Today] It's
the season for giving - but not like we used to. Charities
across the USA report holiday contributions off significantly,
largely the result of a sluggish economy. Making things
worse: That soft economy also is driving up demand for shelter,
food, counseling and other social services.
India
Says 'No' to Food Aid from US - [India Express] India
has disallowed shipment of food aid from the United States
suspecting it of having genetically modified (GM) contents.
According to Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh, the country
has yet to take a decision on the import of GM foods.
Living
with a Superpower - [Economist] Some values are held
in common by America and its allies. As three studies show,
many others are not.
Personalized
Medicine's Bitter Pill - [Technology Review] Drugs tailored
to an individual's genetic makeup promise to be safer and
more effective, but they raise tricky economic and ethical
questions.
Americans
Give Thumbs-Up to Biometrics -
[Register] Most Americans are willing to accept increased
use of biometric technologies by private sector firms, providing
proper privacy safeguards are applied.
Students
Facing Computer Test for Plagiarized Work
- [Ananova] British students are facing a new test following
the introduction of a national computer system that identifies
copied work. Academics at all British universities and colleges
can now use the Plagiarism Advisory Service, which is based
at the University of Northumbria.
Huge
Increase in Gun Use as Crime Figures Soar
- [Independent] Gun crime in England and Wales soared by
35 per cent last year and criminals used handguns in nearly
50 per cent more offences, Home Office figures revealed.
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ENVIRONMENT
Wind
Farms Face Green Resistance - [CBS] Proposals to build
windmills off the Atlantic coast are meeting with resistance
from environmentalists who might be expected to support
an alternative, "clean" energy source.
Next
Generation Solar Cells Could Put Power Stations in Space
- [Science Daily] Someday, large-scale solar power stations
in space could beam electricity to the surface of the moon,
the earth and other planets, decreasing our dependence on
a dwindling fossil-fuel supply. Scientists at Rochester
Institute of Technology are developing the next generation
of solar cells, advancing the technology that could put
a solar power system into earth's orbit.
French
Seek Oil Spill Compensation -
[BBC] Two local authorities in south-west France are seeking
compensation for oil damage incurred by the sinking of the
tanker Prestige off the coast of Spain. Oil from the tanker
has devastated the Atlantic coast of Spain and France and
its precious fishing industries.
US
Senate Bill Would Cap Greenhouse Gas Emissions - [ENS]
A bipartisan bill introduced in a U.S. Senate hearing would
attempt to curb global warming by establishing a market
based trading system in greenhouse gas emissions.
Drought
Deprives 11 Million Ethiopians of Food - [ENS] More
than 11 million people in Ethiopia are facing serious food
shortages and possible starvation, following a long dry
spell that led to a poor harvest in many parts of the country,
says a joint report released by two United Nations agencies.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World
Food Programme (WFP) say poor rains that came late and ended
early are the main cause of grain production that fell 25
percent below last year's harvest.
Panel:
Skeptical Environmentalist Perverted Message - [ENS]
An official Danish scientific ethics panel has ruled that
Bjorn Lomborg "perverted the scientific message"
in his book "The Sceptical Environmentalist,"
which disputes the seriousness of many key environmental
problems.
Global
Warming Will Bring Increased Costs to Communities
- [Stuff] More droughts, floods and higher temperatures
predicted for most parts of New Zealand as a result of global
warming will mean significant costs for communities, climate
change experts say.
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THE FUTURE
The
World Question Center - [Edge] "What are the pressing
scientific issues for the nation and the world, and what
is your advice on how I can begin to deal with them?"
-- GWB. Says John Brockman, "I wish the above was really
an email from President Bush. It is not. It's the set-up
for this year's Edge Annual Question -- 2003, and because
this event receives wide attention from the scientific community
and the global press, the responses it evokes just might
have the same effect as a memo to the President... that
is, if you stick to science and to those scientific areas
where you have expertise." Members of the Edge community
respond.
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