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SCIENCE
New
Theory Argues Genetics Link Evolutionary Biology, Economics
- [U-WIRE]
A new theory linking evolutionary
biology and economics argues that the industrial revolution
was in part triggered by our genes, according to a paper
by Brown University Professor of Economics Oded Galor and
Omer Moav, professor of economics at the Hebrew University
in Jerusalem.
Scientists
Identify 'Old Age' Gene Mutation - [ABC] Scientists
for the first time have identified a common genetic mutation
in people over 100 years old, a finding they say could be
a key to discovering a way to avoid the ravages of aging.
Common
Genes Might Link 14 Disorders - [WebMD] At least 14
different psychiatric and medical conditions -- ranging
from depression and eating disorders to migraine and irritable
bowel syndrome -- may all be related to the same genetic
abnormality, suggests a new study.
Study
Shows How Water May Have Flowed on Ancient Mars - [Spaceflight
Now] NASA scientists have discovered how an intricate martian
network of streams, rivers and lakes may have carried water
across Mars. Using new three-dimensional data from the Mars
Global Surveyor spacecraft and a powerful state-of-the-art
computer code that 'models' overland water flow, scientists
visualized the complex flow of martian water.
Astronomers
Look for Space-Time Atoms - [UPI] The most powerful
explosions in the universe finally might provide the clues
scientists need to uncover the structure of the very fabric
of the universe -- the very stuff of space-time -- a Canadian
researcher said. If the new theory can be supported, it
could help solve some of the greatest mysteries of the cosmos.
Prions
Get Wired - [Nature] Rogue proteins blamed for mad cow
disease could yet find a use -- in tiny electrical wires,
scientists revealed in Denver.
Mutant
Gene 'Sparked Art and Culture' - [Guardian] A tiny mutation
in a gene common to mammals may have changed the destiny
of humanity. The gene, foxp2 -- identified by British researchers
two years ago -- could have been the switch that lit up
art, culture and social behaviour in Homo sapiens
50,000
years ago.
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TECHNOLOGY
ITXC
Taps Cisco for VoIP Project - [Internet News] Cisco
Systems said it has been asked by wholesale Internet telephony
carrier ITXC to help create a massive Voice over IP (VoIP)
Network spanning more than 175 countries.
Chip
Makers Await Jump from Auto Electronics - [EE Times]
The average electronics content of cars will increase from
22 percent today to 35 percent by 2010, according to projections
made at the ISS Europe conference by Infineon Technologies
AG. Reinhard Ploss, head of Infineon's Automotive and Industrial
business unit, said the estimates offer hope to the embattled
chip industry as it looks for new applications to bootstrap
itself out of recession.
Sony
Shows First Blu-Ray Recorder - [PC World] Sony has taken
the wraps off the first commercial consumer-use video recorder
that uses blue-laser technology. The BDZ-S77 will go on
sale in Japan. It is based on the Blu-ray optical disc format
announced just over a year ago. The nine consumer electronics
companies behind it are promoting it as a system for recording
high-definition television broadcasts.
Can
Sensemaking Keep Us Safe? - [Technology
Review] New intelligence software finds meaning in the chaos
of clues scattered throughout data-saturated networks. The
challenge: to unravel terrorist plots before they happen.
Nanotechnology
R&D Bill Introduced - [Internet News] Legislation
to provide $2.1 billion over three years for nanotechnology
research and development programs was filed. The bill would
support nanotechnology programs at the National Science
Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Department of
Commerce, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
VoIP
Builds Momentum in Developing World - [Register] Internet
telephony is gaining ground, particularly in the developing
world, against traditional switched circuit telephony.
Pentagon
Researches Nuclear Planes - [New Scientist] The US Air
Force is examining the feasibility of a nuclear-powered
version of an unmanned aircraft. The USAF hopes that such
a vehicle will be able to "loiter" in the air
for months without refuelling, striking at will when a target
comes into its sights.
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
The
Hard Times in Silicon Valley - [MSNBC] A top venture
capitalist reflects on the go-go '90s and looks ahead to
new tech investments.
Illegal
Downloading Fight Targets Corporations
- [CNN] Movie studios and record labels are taking their
case against illegal Internet downloads directly to corporations,
where much of the offending action allegedly occurs.
Starbucks'
New Card Drives Customers to its Web Site
- [Internet Retailer] Starbucks Coffee Co. may have abandoned
its Internet Express service that allowed customers to order
and pay for a coffee order at Starbucks.com then pick up
the drink in the store, but it isn't backing away from using
its web site for customer convenience.
Biotech
Firms Seek to Crack EU Markets - [AP Wire] Taking the
European Union at its word that the biotech ban is about
to end, seed companies are testing the waters by submitting
new applications for genetically modified corn, cotton,
canola and other plants.
Consumer
Spending on Online Content Totals $1.3 Billion - [Media
Daily] The Online Publishers Association released its U.S.
Market Spending Report for paid online content covering
Q4 and the Full Year 2002, which determined that consumer
spending for online content in the U.S. totaled $1.3 billion
in 2002, an increase of 95% over 2001.
Congestion
Charge Creates Boom for Suburban Shops
- [Independent] Beleaguered traders in the suburbs have
experienced a mini-boom from the congestion charge as shoppers
shun central London. Even taking into account the general
gloom in the retail trade, the analysts FootFall reported
yesterday that the number of shoppers within the charge
zone had dipped in a way last seen during the fuel crisis
of 2000.
Has
Jeff Bezos Patented E-Mail Discussion Groups? - [PC
Magazine] First he received a patent for 1-Click e-commerce.
Now he has one for e-mail discussion groups. On February
25, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued a new patent
to Jeff Bezos, the CEO of online retailer Amazon.com, granting
him exclusive rights to "a method and system for conducting
an electronic discussion relating to a topic. Bezos has
gained control of a technology that may not seem particularly
innovative to the everyday Internet user.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Britain
May Force DNA 'Barcodes' for GM Food - [New Scientist]
The British government is considering forcing biotech companies
to use "DNA bar coding" to identify genetically
modified organisms.
An
Assault on Poverty is Vital Too - [Guardian] It's simple
-- we have to double aid to halve global suffering.
Diversity:
Isn't It Everybody's Business? - [Christian Science
Monitor] By 2050, the number of minorities is projected
to rise from 1 in every 4 Americans to 1 in every 2. After
2020, the Hispanic population is projected to add more people
to the United States every year than all other groups combined.
Italy
Losing Mom-and-Pop Shops - [CNN] Mom and pop are closing
up shop, hanging up their prosciutto knives, bagging the
last plump tomatoes and calling it a day. Or, rather, a
lifetime, as they take off their white grocers' aprons for
good.
Malaysia
Raises Water Stakes - [BBC] Malaysian Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad has pledged to supply water to neighbouring
Singapore until "doomsday", but said the city
state should pay more.
Word
'Bursts' May Reveal Online Trends - [New Scientist]
Searching for sudden "bursts" in the usage of
particular words could be used to rapidly identify new trends
and sort information more efficiently, says a US computer
scientist. Jon Kleinberg, at Cornell University in New York,
has developed computer algorithms that identify bursts of
word use in documents.
The
Wilder Shores of Liberty - [Economist] Fareed Zakaria
has a Big Idea. The world, he says, is suffering from a
surfeit of democracy. The claim is topical, certainly, and
it has profound policy implications. But is it right?
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ENVIRONMENT
Dramatic
Freshwater Fish Decline - [WWF] River fisheries experts
meeting at the Symposium on the Management of Large Rivers
for Fisheries have expressed alarm that freshwater fish
stocks have declined by up to 90 per cent in many of the
world's largest rivers. WWF is concerned that this has serious
implications for the livelihoods of the tens of millions
of people living in these river basins, not to mention natural
freshwater ecosystems.
US
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase 16% - [EDIE] The Environmental
Protection Agency has released its latest inventory of greenhouse
gas emissions -- from the year 2001. Since 1990, emissions
have increased 13% overall -- 20% if you include both sources
and sinks, which have decreased 22% since 1990.
Asia's
Arsenic Crisis Deepens - [Nature] New cases of arsenic
poisoning in India's Ganges Basin suggest that a crisis
in the sub-continent could extend much farther than previously
thought. Untold numbers of the region's 449 million residents
could be exposed to dangerous levels of the element in their
drinking water.
Coast
Conservation Criticized - [Nature] Coastal conservation
policy needs a re-think, experts warned. Studies showing
that young fish linger in small, fragile neighbourhoods
support the introduction of marine reserves.
Fresh
Alarm on Greenhouse Gases - [The Age] Unchecked, greenhouse
gases will raise the Earth's temperature as much as 10 degrees
by the end of the century, according to new American research.
Congestion
Charge Comes Into Force - [BBC] Motorists travelling
into central London face a £5 daily charge as the
capital's congestion charging scheme comes into force. The
scheme designed to alleviate traffic gridlock in London
is the most ambitious ever undertaken by a capital city
and its success is being watched closely by cities across
the UK.
States
to Sue EPA on Climate Change - [MSNBC] Attorneys general
from seven states announced their intention to sue the federal
government over global warming and in an effort to force
the Bush administration to regulate heat-trapping emissions
of carbon dioxide from the nation's power plants.
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THE FUTURE
The
New Humanitarianisms - [Overseas Development Institute]
This report looks at key aspects of change shaping the international
humanitarian system, including financing patterns, developments
in the United Nations, and trends in humanitarian policy
in the United States and the European Union. (PDF file)
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