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SCIENCE
Protein
Locks Out Prion Diseases - [New Scientist] A chance
discovery could lead to the development of a drug that blocks
prion diseases such as variant CJD. However, it would only
be useful when combined with mass screening to identify
infected people who have not yet developed any symptoms.
Happiness
is All in the Genes, Say Scientists - [Ananova] The
secret of happiness lies mainly in our genes, according
to the latest research. Scientists
listed the top 10 factors governing happiness and found
having a genetic propensity to happiness ranked highest.
Plants
Detonated Cambrian Explosion - [Nature] The first land
plants might have triggered a rush of animal evolution.
German researchers are proposing a controversial theory
that the plants cooled Earth, making it conducive to complex
life.
GM
Fish Made Quickly - [Nature] A new technique that speeds
up the production of genetically modified fish could help
to preserve endangered species such as Atlantic salmon and
Gila trout.
Could
We Ever Be Time Lords? - [The Age] The prospect of time
travel has, for long, caught the imagination of many. Stephen
Cauchi attempts to find out how realistic it really is.
Ten
Thousand New Views of Mars - [Astronomy.com] The Mars
Global Surveyor camera team has released more than ten thousand
new images of the Red Planet's fascinating surface.
Male
Contraceptive Trial Has 100% Success - [New Scientist]
A male contraceptive treatment has achieved a 100 per cent
success rate in trials involving 55 couples, Australian
scientists have reported. The treatment was fully reversible
and the men suffered no undesirable side-effects.
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TECHNOLOGY
Net
Guru Peers into Web's Future - [BBC] The inventor of
the web, Tim Berners-Lee, outlines his ideas for a more
"intelligent" web in an interview with the BBC
programme, Go Digital.
MIT
to Uncork Futuristic Bar Code - [MSNBC] A group of academics
and business executives is planning to introduce next month
a next-generation bar code system, which could someday replace
with a microchip the series of black vertical lines found
on most merchandise.
Advanced
Chip Opens Door to Software Choice - [New Scientist]
A computer chip designed to run more than one operating
system at a time could break Microsoft's stranglehold on
PC software. Plans for the chip were announced last week
by Intel, the world's largest maker of processor chips.
The
Fast-Forward, On-Demand, Network-Smashing Future of Television
- [Wired] What happens when digital video recorders give
viewers control of the TV schedule, the content, and the
ads? The whole world is watching.
Grid
Helps Science Go Sky-High - [BBC] Astronomers could
be among the first to reap the rewards of plans to turn
the internet into a vast pool of computer processing power.
Boldly
Googling into the Future - [ZDNet UK] Google's chief
technology officer Craig Silverstein claims the future of
search technology will see science fiction become science
fact, but in the meantime, the best option is to fake it.
Chatbot
Bids to Fool Humans - [BBC] A computer program designed
to talk like a human is preparing for its biggest test in
its bid to be truly "intelligent."
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Is
Microsoft Liable for Software Breaches? - [Silicon Valley]
A proposed class action lawsuit asking that Microsoft be
held liable for software security vulnerabilities has reportedly
been filed in a Los Angeles court, prompting a new round
of discussion about the legal liabilities faced by large
software vendors.
Business
Continuity: Still Adrift? - [CFO Europe] Last month’s
blackout in the US had a limited impact on businesses. Was
it just luck?
Myhrvold
Aims to Reinvent the Spirit of Inventing - [Boston Globe]
Nathan P. Myhrvold, the frenetic and intellectually versatile
founder of Microsoft Research, may turn out to be the Thomas
Edison or Edwin Land of his generation.
Digital
Printing Kiosks May Rescue Polaroid From Oblivion -
[FOX News] Polaroid is back, reconstituted and trying to
refocus under new ownership by Chicago-based BankOne.
Malaysia-Japanese
Venture to Produce Dust-Sized Chips
- [The Star Online] Malaysia will produce an advanced microchip
the size of dust motes that can be used for a broad range
of applications, from fighting forgery to killing cancer
cells.
The
Dell of Software? - [The Economist] Sun's latest plan
to convince the world that it has a future.
Breaking
Geopolitical Barriers - [Optimize] Ask anyone in real
estate and they'll tell you what matters: "Location,
location, location." Where you are, the accepted wisdom
goes, determines how well you'll do. But as the world settles
into what may be called a post-globalization paradigm, this
old geographic chestnut is becoming obsolete. The way a
company achieves global leadership has been turned on its
head.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
PowerPoint,
Robomanagers, and You: The Growing Intimacy of Technology
- [HBS Working Knowledge] Can robots take on some roles
of the manager? MIT’s Sherry Turkle ponders the psychological
effects of technologies today and tomorrow in this Harvard
Business Review excerpt.
Fashion
Lovers Show Signs of Fatigue - [The Star] Backlash brewing
against luxury brands. Hip youth in Japan first to lose
interest.
Nigeria
Tops Happiness Survey - [BBC] A new study of more than
65 countries published in the UK's New Scientist magazine
suggests that the happiest people in the world live in Nigeria
-- and the least happy, in Romania.
Fewer
Americans Likely to Attend College, Study Finds - [Axcess
Business News] According to the Educational Commission of
the States, the United States has fallen from first place
to 13th among developed nations in college participation
and access in the last decade.
'Survivor'-Like
Contest Dangles a Job as its Prize
- [Boston Globe] Some would say that finding a job in the
current market already is a lot like the TV show "Survivor."
One Manhattan ad firm, though, has taken it a bit more literally.
Loyalty,
What's That? - [The Age] Blind
loyalty to the employer is dead. So why is the L-word all
the rage again?
Next
Pope Could Come from Third World - [Miami Herald] Pope
John Paul II's selection of 31 new cardinals has cemented
the conservative line of the group that will pick his successor,
but it has also broadened it geographically and increased
the possibility of a Third World pope, experts said.
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ENVIRONMENT
Birds
Trying to Fly South Face Many Roadblocks - [Yale Global
Online] Reclamation of wetlands disrupts bird life patterns
along East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
World's
Eels on Slippery Slope - [Nature] The world's eels are
disappearing fast and need protection before it's too late,
fisheries scientists announced.
Virtuous
Boron - [EV World] Interview with Graham Cowan on the
advantages of boron as the fuel of tomorrow.
GM
Crops Could Be New 'Green' Fuel - [Independent] Biotechnology
firms are pressing to be allowed to grow GM crops across
more than a million acres of Britain to provide "green''
fuel for cars, as ministers become increasingly wary about
licensing them for food.
Uplands
Face Plans for 33 Wind Farms - [Scotsman] Some of the
most attractive unspoilt landscape of south-east Scotland
is under threat following confirmation that up to 33 proposals
for wind farm projects are "at various stages of gestation."
Mexican
Maize Meets Banned Variety - [IPS]
Contamination of Mexico's maize by genetically modified
(GM) varieties, including the banned StarLink, is much more
widespread than previously reported, according to a new
study sponsored by a coalition of indigenous and farmer
groups.
US
Firms to Trade Greenhouse Gases - [BBC] A "voluntary"
electronic trading market in greenhouse gas emissions has
launched in the US city of Chicago. The scheme offers an
innovative new approach to tackling global warming.
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THE FUTURE
Future
Toy Boy - [MSNBC] It’s never been more fun to be
a kid, says a futurologist. In 10 years, it’ll be ‘fantastic.’
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