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SCIENCE
Report
Recommends Program to Reduce Asteroid Threat - [Spaceflight
Now] NASA should be assigned to lead a new research program
to better determine the population and physical diversity
of near-Earth objects that may collide with our planet,
down to a size of 200 meters, according to the final report
of a workshop on the scientific requirements for the mitigation
of hazardous comets and asteroids.
Gene
Vital for 'Immune Memory' - [BBC] The human immune system
needs to learn how to spot dangerous infections -- and scientists
may now know which gene controls this.
'Bird
Flu' Death in Hong Kong Raises Fears - [New Scientist]
A man in Hong Kong died and his son fell critically ill
after contracting avian influenza or "bird flu",
the World Health Organization has confirmed. Genetic tests
show that the virus is the H5N1 strain that emerged in 1997,
killing six out of 18 people it infected. But the new cases
in a single family have raised fears that a more contagious
mutation of the deadly virus may have surfaced.
Berkeley
Scientists Create First 3-D Map Of Protein Universe
- [Science Daily] Researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of
California at Berkeley have created the first three-dimensional
global map of the protein structure universe. This map provides
important insight into the evolution and demographics of
protein structures and may help scientists identify the
functions of newly discovered proteins.
China
Plans Three-Phase Moon Exploration - [New Scientist]
China has revealed further details of its plans to explore
the Moon -- the first unmanned probe could be launched by
2005, say officials. They also hinted that the motivation
for the missions is to mine the Moon's resources.
Gene
Reorder May Drive Evolution - [UPI] Researchers from
three British centers have put the natural course of events
in reverse to reveal how a rearrangement of genetic matter
could help drive evolution.
World's
First Brain Prosthesis Revealed - [New Scientist] The
world's first brain prosthesis -- an artificial hippocampus
-- is about to be tested in California. Unlike devices like
cochlear implants, which merely stimulate brain activity,
this silicon chip implant will perform the same processes
as the damaged part of the brain it is replacing.
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TECHNOLOGY
BT
Scheme to Fight ID Fraud - [BBC] BT has launched an
ID verification scheme that it hopes will become the universal
system for government and businesses wanting to check identities
on the net.
Carbon
Fiber Future - [Metropolis Magazine] Can a prototype
skyscraper made entirely of composite materials survive
the post-9/11 mania for safety?
Waging
Cyber Warfare - [CBS] Although information operations
has been a tool of warfare for centuries, the Internet and
other technologies are boosting capabilities -- and the
stakes. The Pentagon has sent unsolicited e-mails to Iraqi
generals, encouraging them to defect.
Gentle
Touch of Robot Milker - [BBC] Dairy farmers may soon
be able to enjoy regular lie-ins knowing that their cows
have spent the morning being milked by a friendly robot.
Ink
Changes Colour at Flick of a Switch - [Nature] Iridescent
nanospheres may deliver full-colour electronic newspaper.
Internet
to Become 3,500 Times Faster - [India Times] Researchers
at a Stanford University-affiliated research centre claimed
to have found a way to send data across the Internet more
than 3,500 times faster than the typical broadband connection.
MEMS
Worn to Be Wild - [Small Times] An Italian protective
sports clothing company and an Israeli technology firm are
in the final stages of developing the D-Air system, a vest
that contains three air bags and gas generators to protect
a motorcycle rider's back, neck and chest in the event of
an accident. The air bags, governed by a system that includes
MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes, deploy into a protective
balloon-shaped cushion.
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
China
Looks East to Fill Skilled Worker Vacuum - [Asia Times]
China's most economically dynamic region, the eastern area
including and around Shanghai, is planning to hire laid-off
and retired skilled workers from Japan.
War
and the World Economy - [Economist] The growing likelihood
of war with Iraq has focused attention on the costs of military
intervention to America. War will inevitably be expensive
in cash terms. Does history suggest the global economic
cost could be even greater?
Speaking
in Tongues - [High Technology Careers] In a turnabout
from the English-speaking-only requirements for employees
formerly proposed (and then shot down as discriminatory)
by businesses over the past few years, many companies coast
to coast have instead started actively cultivating relationships
with their multilingual employees. The intention is to gain
a needed edge in today's competitive environment.
Desperate
Job Seekers Flood Companies with Electronic Resumes
- [Mercury News] E-mail and the Web have made it easier
to find job openings and apply for them. But in today's
market, they have also helped inundate employers with résumés,
creating new challenges for both job seekers and employers.
Spammers
Shun Spotlight - [Silicon Valley Biz Ink] Even though
their products scream to get your attention, the companies
behind the estimated 6 billion spam e-mails sent each day
worldwide shy from media scrutiny.
Grid
Computing to Compensate Musicians - [Internet Magazine]
A Dutch Internet company has developed software to enable
users to swap music files for free, generate revenue for
the musicians, and cut the music industry out of the loop.
BT
Confirms Plans for Indian Call Centres - [Guardian]
BT, the telecommunications giant, is facing the threat of
strike action after confirming plans to open two new call
centres in India that will create more than 2,000 jobs.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Brawling
Europe Must Pull Together - [Guardian] 'The European
Union was not constructed to do peace and war.' So confessed
Joschka Fischer, Germany's Foreign Minister. Germans, especially,
fear that the row over Iraq which has split Europe has left
'the common foreign and security policy' of the EU in smithereens.
Europe,
US Face Divide Far Beyond Iraq - [Miami Herald] Despite
efforts on both sides of the Atlantic to limit the damage,
the bitter dispute over Iraq has split Europe between countries
that support America and those who see it as a global menace.
The division shows Europe's inability to create a united,
credible voice in world affairs and threatens the unity
of the West and decades of close trans-Atlantic relations,
politicians and experts say.
Europe
is in Tatters - [Independent] The war against Iraq has
produced a sudden and unexpected shift in European alignments
and attitudes. When the dust of war has settled, Europe
will be a different place.
China's
Mounting Challenges - [BBC] As China's National People's
Congress approves a new generation of leaders, BBC correspondent
Francis Markus looks at the challenges they face.
Grenade-Proof
Cars in Demand - [USA Today] A looming war in Iraq is
bad news for most automakers -- unless the car you are trying
to sell can withstand armor-piercing bullets, grenade blasts
and gas attacks.
Covering
the Next War Online - [Online
Journalism Review] Will the start of a second Gulf War be
reported first on the Internet? Some pundits certainly think
it's possible, citing weblogs as the most likely source
of speedy information emerging from the war zone. Others
have even suggested that the 'blogosphere' will come to
supplant traditional media as the main news source for a
web-savvy public.
Save
Cities, Unlock Ivory Towers - [Christian Science Monitor]
America's cities are facing challenges on a scale not experienced
in 25 years. The weak economy and lingering effects of Sept.
11 have placed an inordinate strain on budgets. Cities have
had to narrow economic and social agendas, focusing on the
most immediate needs of their citizens.
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ENVIRONMENT
These
Fuelish Things - [Economist] The fuel cell is enchanting
politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. It is too soon,
though, for them to dream of freedom from fossil fuels.
'Real
Conflicts' Over World's Water - [BBC] Former USSR president
Mikhail Gorbachev told the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto
that a failure to reverse the global water crisis could
lead to "real conflicts" in the future.
Shell
Chief Delivers Global Warming Warning - [Guardian] Shell
chairman Sir Philip Watts risks stirring up a controversy
in America when he calls for global warming sceptics to
get off the fence and accept that action needs to be taken
"before it is too late".
First
Hydrogen Gas Station Will Appear in Iceland - [Nftegaz]
Norwegian company Norsk Hydro has sent to the capital of
Iceland equipment for the first commercial hydrogen gasoline
station.
Why
the SUV is All the Rage - [TIME] They're family-size
and fun, but gulp gas. Who's right in the war over America's
favorite vehicles?
Intense
Droughts Blamed for Mayan Collapse
- [New Scientist] The Mayan civilisation of Central America
collapsed following a series of intense droughts, suggests
the most detailed climatic study to date.
Farewell
Cool Britannia - [Guardian] London will be like Naples.
Mediterranean temperatures will be the norm from Brighton
to Bristol. Freak weather events will dominate the news
as tornadoes and hurricanes crash across the country.
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THE FUTURE
Business
in a Fragile World - [Accenture] A glance at two sets
of scenarios reveals how much (and in some ways how little)
our expectations of the future have changed in the space
of just a few years. The four scenarios demonstrate that,
while globalisation may well continue, a globalised world
could come in very different forms, some much more positive
for business than others. (PDF file)
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