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SCIENCE
Genome
Mappers Target Man's Best Friend - [ABC] US researchers
plan to start sequencing the genome of a dog in June. The
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) chose the
boxer out of 60 breeds.
Satellite
Snaps Earth's Photo From Mars - [USA Today] NASA released
what it billed as the first portrait of Earth as seen from
Mars.
Dark
Matter's Pull Spotted - [Nature] A massive survey of
galaxies orbiting each other has revealed how dark matter,
the unseen stuff that is inferred to make up 27% of the
Universe, tugs on the 4% that is the visible matter of stars,
planets and dust.
Mouse
Study Suggests Mammoth Evolutionary Change - [Science
Daily] A study of a common wild mouse by two University
of Illinois at Chicago biologists has found evidence of
dramatic evolutionary change in a span of just 150 years,
suggesting genetic evolution can occur a lot faster than
many had thought possible.
Historic
Mars Lander 'Did Find Life' - [BBC] Claims have re-emerged
that the US space agency (NASA) did find signs of life on
Mars during the historic Viking landings of 1976.
Mule
Cloned - [Nature] Scientists and a mule-racing philanthropist
are celebrating the birth of the first cloned mule -- alive
and kicking. The new arrival is the first equine animal
to be cloned, and the technique that created him could prove
valuable to racehorse breeders.
Stem
Cell 'Immortality' Gene Found - [New Scientist] The
key gene that keeps embryonic stem cells in a state of youthful
immortality has been discovered. The
breakthrough may one day contribute to turning ordinary
adult cells into those with the properties of human ESCs.
This would end the need to destroy embryos to harvest the
cells for new medical treatments.
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TECHNOLOGY
Working
Remotely, Robots in Place - [Wired] How would you feel
about sitting across a conference table from a robot remotely
controlled by a colleague who could not make the meeting?
Fears of severe acute respiratory syndrome and terrorism,
combined with drastically reduced travel budgets, mean more
companies are considering video conferencing as an alternative
to face-to-face meetings.
This
Palm Reads Your Mind - [Wired] Call it a two-minute
drill for the mind. A Palm OS application will tell users
whether or not they're sober enough to drive, attentive
enough to impress a cynical corporate recruiter or responsive
enough to prevail in a bloody bout of WWF Smackdown.
Spam
Blockers May Wreak E-Mail Havoc - [c|net] Here's an
unhappy prediction: The explosion of spam-blocking technology
could herald the death of much legitimate e-mail.
Big
Changes for Search Engines - [Wired] Tweaking existing
search engines and developing new ways to find specialized
data were the subjects of two dozen papers presented at
the 12th International World Wide Web Conference in Budapest.
Designing
Robots That Can Reason and React - [Space Daily] In
a large room in Georgia Tech's College of Computing, Thomas
Collins is tweaking the behavior of a machine.
US
Digital Radio Revolution Stalls - [New Scientist] Crystal-clear
digital radio was set to hit America this September -- but
the technology has run into trouble. The US National Radio
Systems Committee (NRSC) decided the system's sound quality
is not good enough to broadcast.
Software
On-Demand, Pricing by the Byte? - [Internet.com] On-demand
is the next progression from client-server computing to
a more distributed model offering utility-like data center
computing services to corporate customers. The positioning
for on-demand computing services, utility-style, also reflects
the IT industry's profit margin shift to higher-value, value-added
technology such as software and services.
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Outsourcing
Guides See Green Offshore - [c|net] As CEO of NeoIT,
a consulting firm that helps companies outsource some operations
overseas, Atul Vashistha has little trouble these days pitching
the value of his company's services.
What
World Migration Means for Business - [c|net] Immigration
is changing the world more than at any other time in history,
opening up business opportunities and introducing new challenges,
according to Harvard University professor Marcelo M. Suarez-Orozco.
Firm
Offers Whistle-Blower Service - [c|net] Shareholder.com
unveiled a whistle-blower service designed to help businesses
adhere to new corporate governance regulations under the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Fast
Forward: A New Framework for Rapid Organizational Change
- [Ivey Business Journal] Organizations don’t necessarily
need five or ten years to change. In fact, as the authors
discovered, speed, focus and unstoppable momentum can make
organizational change succeed – and last. Ten winning
conditions must be in place to make organizational change
work.
Nanotechnology
Hits Congressional Fast Track
- [Internet.com] The House Science Committee approved legislation
that would authorize $2.36 billion over three years for
nanotechnology research and development programs. The bill
provides a formal structure for coordination of research
across a number of agencies.
India
Wants to Be a Parts Power, Too - [Business Week] For
a place better known for its software than for grimy stuff
like axles and steering columns, India sure is selling a
lot of auto parts these days. The country's auto sector
is expected to export some $800 million worth of parts this
year, and has grown by 20% annually over the past half-decade
as Toyota, Delphi, Visteon and others have set up operations.
Bigger,
Better, Faster - [Fast Company] If current growth rates
hold up, the company that Sam Walton built will become the
world's first trillion-dollar business within a decade.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Annan
Calls for Bridging Digital Divide in World's Poorest Countries
- [UN News Centre] With millions of people in the world's
poorest countries still excluded from the right to communicate,
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for bridging
the digital divide between developed and developing countries.
Health
Officials Fear SARS Spread in Third World - [Washington
Times] As public health specialists work to contain the
outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in
China, concern is growing that the illness could spread
to crowded developing countries, such as those in Africa,
with potentially devastating effects.
Troops
'Vandalise' Ancient City of Ur - [Observer] One of the
greatest wonders of civilisation, and probably the world's
most ancient structure - the Sumerian city of Ur in southern
Iraq - has been vandalised by American soldiers and airmen,
according to aid workers in the area.
Privacy
Laws 'Hamper E-Government' - [BBC] UK data protection
laws are hindering the progress of online government projects,
a study has found.
FCC
debate--Is the Net enough? - [c|net] An FCC vote on
"broadcast ownership" and "cross-ownership"
rules has morphed from an obscure regulatory process into
a national debate over modifying rules that currently limit
how many television or radio stations a media company may
own.
Are
Google Privacy Policies OK? - [Master New Media] Google
is up to being heavily criticized by privacy interest groups
unless it can make sun shine again on the heavy clouds of
doubts that are hovering its privacy policy approach and
methods of utilizing individual search data that should
be indeed owned by each individual.
Malaria
is Killing One African Child Every 30 Seconds - [Nature]
Malaria is killing more children in Africa than ever before,
it continues to impoverish much of the continent, and drugs
to fight it have all but run out.
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ENVIRONMENT
"Make
or Break" for Europe's Fisheries - [New Scientist]
The unveiling of the European Commission's last-ditch effort
to save Europe's fisheries unleashed a desperate political
battle in Brussels.
Mercury
in Packaged Whale Meat across Japan May be a Major Health
Problem - [American Chemical Society] Dangerous levels
of mercury appear to be present in whale, dolphin and porpoise
meat sold widely as food in Japan, according to a study
by Japanese scientists.
"Never-Till"
Farming—A Boon to the Environment - [Hudson Institute]
New research shows that the biggest factor in soil health
is a recently discovered gooey protein called glomalin,
which is produced naturally in the soil by the mychorrizal
fungi that live on the roots of most plants.
FedEx
to Switch 30,000 Trucks to Hybrids - [World Business
Council for Sustainable Development] The FedEx Corporation
plans to replace 30,000 of its delivery trucks with energy-saving,
environmentally friendly hybrid-powered vehicles.
Future
Climate Change to be More Rapid - [EDIE] As sulphur
dioxide levels fall off, the change in climate due to greenhouse
gases will become more rapid, according to a study by a
group of scientists at the world renowned Hadley Centre
for Climate Change, in the UK.
Global
Warming Threatens Himalayas - [NDTV] The World Wildlife
Fund warns that climate change could bring disaster to the
Himalayas. It says the effects of global warming can already
be seen in Nepal's Everest National Park.
Half
U.S. Climate Warming Due to Land Use Changes - [ENS]
The growth of cities and industrial agriculture is responsible
for more of the rise in temperature across the United States
than scientists previously believed, according to a new
study by scientists at the University of Maryland. They
found that land use changes may account for up to half of
the observed surface global warming.
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THE FUTURE
Bold
Moves: What Governments Might Accomplish in the Next 50
Years - [Global Foresight] The primary objective of
this project is to stimulate governments and other concerned
parties to think about possible goals that could be achieved
over a long time period (30-50 years) and with a proactive
approach to governance. (PDF file)
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