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SCIENCE
Genes
Point to Schizophrenia Cells - [Nature] Faulty brain
cells may cause schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according
to a UK study. The report is helping to rewrite scientists'
view of the diseases.
Digging
Deep for Life on Mars - [MSNBC] Martian biology is likely
alive and well on the red planet, but tucked away in caves
or dwelling underground, sustained by pockets of water.
That prospect has spurred scientists to look for exotic
life forms here on Earth, far from the maddening crowd of
topside biota that covers our planet.
Tiny
Atomic Clock Could Make Smarter Missiles - [New Scientist]
A matchbox sized atomic clock could be used to build more
accurate automated aircraft navigation systems, its US military
creators say.
Molecules
of Life Come in Waves - [Nature] Physicists have watched
biological molecules become waves in a dramatic demonstration
of the effects of quantum mechanics.
New
Cryo-Electron Microscope Brings Into Sharp Focus The Mechanics
Of Human Cells - [Science Daily] There’s a powerful
new way of looking at disease at UT Southwestern Medical
Center at Dallas -- the cryo-electron microscope, or cryo-EM.
Drip
Drip Drip Under A Feeble Sun - [Space Daily] A team
of researchers from the University of Arkansas has measured
water evaporation rates under Mars-like conditions, and
their findings favor the presence of surface water on the
planet. Water on the planet's surface makes the existence
of past or present life on Mars a little more likely, according
to the group.
Asteroid
Update: End of World on Hold - [CNN] A newly discovered
asteroid has zero chance of colliding with Earth in 11 years,
although preliminary data had suggested such a doomsday
scenario was possible, astronomers said.
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TECHNOLOGY
IP
Addresses For Coke Cans? - [Silicon Valley] VeriSign
is quickly making plans to hook every can of Coke -- and
box of screws and shirt -- into the Internet.
Japan
Signals Mobile Future - [BBC] Japan leads the way in
mobile phone innovation, as BBC ClickOnline's Richard Taylor
reports from Tokyo, one of the most connected cities in
the world.
The
World's Smallest Buckets - [BBC] Now, there are "nano
test tubes" so small they hold just a few hundred atoms.
New
VoIP Standard for Videoconferencing - [Business Week]
A United Nations-affiliated telecommunications group ratifies
a new standard for videoconferencing using voice over IP,
a technology that routes calls over the Net.
Leveraging
Mobile and Wireless Internet - [Learning Circuits] Learning
is getting poised to make yet another rush forward into
the era of mobile and wireless learning.
Firms
Divided Over Web Services Standard - [ZDNet] A technical
committee will forge ahead on Thursday with development
of a Web services reliable-messaging specification without
the backing of industry heavyweights IBM and Microsoft.
MIT’s
RoboSnails Model Novel Movements - [Science Daily] The
humble snail, trailed by its ribbon of slime, now has its
first robotic counterpart in research at MIT that could
lead to new forms of locomotion for future machines.
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Keeping
Up With the Global Economy - [Global Envision] Marginalization
and hyper-development: two risks of globalization.
Experience
Lends a Hand - [CFO] Australian CFOs are joining the
global mentoring trend with programs to encourage young
talent.
Where
Has All the Ambition Gone? - [Fast Company] Where has
all the ambition gone? There's a growling bear in the marketplace
of ideas.
EC
to Take On France and Germany - [Guardian] Commissioners
threaten to 'throw the book' at Europe's big hitters if
they do not comply with 3% deficit rule.
Facing-Off
in Public - [Stanford Business] Environmentalists hijacked
Coke's polar bear ad campaign to fight global warming, a
strategic maneuver in the battle between social activists
and big business.
Cracking
the Social Code - [Darwin] Can networking tools work
their magic on your bottom line? Some companies hope so.
Big
Bad World - [Information Week] Actually, when it comes
to computer security, it's a small -- and threatening --
world. A global reach calls for global security measures.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Peace
Offering for File Traders? - [Wired] The music industry
plans to offer what it calls a "general amnesty"
to file traders who step forth and promise not to do it
again, but experts say few will take the bait.
Muslims'
Mobile Call to Prayer - [BBC] A mobile phone company
in the United Arab Emirates is giving Muslims the option
of receiving the call to prayer on their telephones.
China's
AIDS Epidemic, a Human Rights Disaster, Says Rights Group
- [VOA] In a new report, Human Rights Watch says China's
AIDS epidemic not only constitutes a health crisis but also
a human rights disaster. The rights group says Chinese authorities
have done little to compensate thousands of citizens who
contracted HIV through the blood collection system.
Shops
Play Tag with Consumer Privacy - [Infomatics] Consumers
need to know about the potential privacy issues if retailers
want to use smart chips to crack down on shoplifting, according
to civil rights group Liberty.
Recording
Cell Phones Ring Privacy Alert - [ZDNet] Cell phone
makers have proven adept at cramming their devices with
unlikely new features -- and also at ignoring the social
mayhem that can follow.
Selling
Your Personal Data - [c|net] It's a startling idea:
Instead of relying on regulators to protect our privacy
against telemarketers, data miners and consumer companies,
we should capitalize on the value of our personal information
and get something in return.
Justice
For Sale - [Le Monde Diplomatique] Resolving the conflict
between legal concepts based on market values and those
based on the non-market values of human rights is crucial
to future world order. And the law is not equipped to deal
with non-market values.
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ENVIRONMENT
Parks
Congress Plots Reserves Without Borders - [Nature] International
cooperation is increasingly important to parks management.
Rivers that run through many nations, or animals' seasonal
migrations create conservation issues cutting across national
borders.
Albatrosses
Face Growing Peril - [BBC] The plight of several species
of albatross has worsened significantly in the last year,
conservationists say.
Australia
Outlines Nutty Green Power Project - [IOL] What is believed
to be the first power plant using the shells of macadamia
nuts for fuel is expected to go online in two years.
Climate
Change is Really Bugging Our Forests - [Washington Post]
As lightning continues to ignite wildfires across the parched
North American West, an unseen armada of beetles, encouraged
by warming, burrows beneath the bark of drought-weakened
trees, killing vast stands rapidly and transforming them
into kindling. Together, climatic extremes and the pests
they foster are stalking our nation's forests, threatening
habitat, wildlife and even human health.
Alarming
Level of Pollution in the Caspian Sea - [Pakistan Times]
A study report prepared by the Russian Hydro-Meteorological
Institute [RosHydroMet] says that the northern part of the
Caspian Sea contains alarming levels of hydrocarbon contamination.
Pentagon
Awards Contract for the Real Eco-Warrior - [EDIE] The
Pentagon has awarded a US$5 million contract for environmentally
friendly, lead free bullets.
Ozone
Hole Shows Signs of Growing to Record Level - [Ananova]
The United Nations' weather organisation says the "ozone
hole" has formed again over the Antarctic and is showing
signs of growing toward record size.
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THE FUTURE
Challenge
Questions - [Accelerating Change Conference 2003] The
Collective Intelligence Dinner blends small-group brainstorming
with large-group idea presentation to gain individualized
perspectives on a range of Challenge Questions.
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