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SCIENCE
Robots
Designed to Fight Killer Asteroids - [MSNBC] At the
movies, the best way to stop an asteroid from wiping out
Earth is to lob a few nuclear missiles at the rocky beast
or blow it apart from the inside with megaton bombs. While
those methods promise some fantastic explosions -- and maybe
a blockbuster hit -- engineers are looking at a more patient
approach. Their weapon: a swarm of nuclear-powered robots
that could drill into an asteroid and hurl chunks of it
into space with enough force to gradually push it away from
an Earth-impacting course.
Boost
to Asteroid Wipe-Out Theory - [BBC] The idea that an
asteroid impact caused Earth's worst ever mass extinction
has been boosted by the discovery of a huge crater that
seems to date to the event.
Solar
Wind to Shield Earth During Pole Flip - [New Scientist]
Hollywood now has one less disaster scenario to worry about.
The Earth, it seems, will be safe when its magnetic field
falters during the next reversal of its magnetic poles.
A new model of the way the Earth interacts with the solar
wind indicates that a replacement field will form in the
upper atmosphere during the switch.
Surprising
'Ultra-Conserved' Regions Discovered In Human Genome
- [Science Daily] Researchers comparing the human genome
with the genomes of other species have discovered a surprising
number of matching DNA sequences in a variety of vertebrate
species. The fact that these sequences have remained unchanged
over long periods of evolutionary history indicates that
they are biologically important, but for now their functions
are largely a mystery.
Aspirin
Robs Males of Libido - [Nature] Expectant mothers who
take aspirin may produce sons with unusually low libidos,
a rat study suggests. It is not known whether a similar
effect occurs in humans, but the research reinforces the
need for prudence when taking any medication during pregnancy.
Nanobacteria
Revelations Provoke New Controversy - [New Scientist]
Some claim they are a new life form responsible for a wide-range
of diseases, including the calcification of the arteries
that afflicts us all as we age. Others say they are simply
too small to be living creatures.
Super-Healthy
Cress Created - [Nature] The humble cress has never
been so wholesome. UK researchers have modified the plant
so that it produces health-promoting chemicals that are
more commonly found in eggs and fish.
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TECHNOLOGY
New Anti-Piracy
Technology from Microsoft - [International Herald Tribune]
In a move designed to extend the range of devices on which
consumers can legally play and transfer music, movies and
other content downloaded from the Internet, Microsoft was
expected to announce a new version of its digital rights
management technology to combat piracy.
Computer
Virus Researcher Studies Biology - [RedNova] The sometimes-striking
similarities between biological viruses and their binary
namesakes are a focus of a National Science Foundation-funded
study.
Legoland
Uses Wireless and RFID For Child Security - [Information
Week] Parents visiting Denmark's Legoland amusement park
are signing away their privacy rights for a little peace
of mind. Legoland, one of Europe's largest amusement parks,
has bridged the great divide to deploy a Wi-Fi-based wireless
security and location RFID technology in the 2.5 million-square-foot
park for its annual 1.6 million visitors.
Space
Future: Race for the X-Prize - [BBC] Twenty-six companies
are vying for the $10 million Ansari X-prize. A handful
are serious contenders, many are less well advanced and
some are just dreamers.
Wi-Fi
Phones Wave of the Future - [CBS]
Now that some Wi-Fi "hot spots" have grown into
broader neighborhood "hot zones," the next wave
is waiting: Phones and gear that send conversations over
wireless Internet networks -- for free or at a fraction
of the cost of traditional calls.
Smart
Glasses Detect Eye Contact - [New Scientist] A pair
of sunglasses that can detect when someone is making eye
contact with the wearer has been developed by Canadian researchers.
Army
Plans Battle Biomonitors - [Nature] Soldiers of the
future may be wired up to sensors that raise the alarm when
they near exhaustion. That's part of a vision for military
health technology outlined in a new report.
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Online-Game
Developers Eye China Market - [ZDNet] A panel of gaming
and Internet industry executives agreed that China is a
potentially huge market for online computer games, but one
that's hindered by a maze of regulatory, cultural and business
factors.
Firms
Jump on the eBay Wagon - [USA Today] Mike James pocketed
$3,000 in 10 days by selling loads of old stuff on eBay.
He sold his battered cowboy boots. He unloaded some dust-collecting
artwork. He even hooked a buyer for his Eddie Bauer fishing
vest. And he did it without turning on his computer.
Web
Grocer Hits Refresh - [PC Magazine] 150,000 New York
City dwellers have registered for FreshDirect, a more convenient
online alternative that's often nicer to their wallets and
as personalized as a neighborhood grocer.
The
New Wal-Mart? - [Internet Retailer] With a critical
mass of customers, a powerful brand and a knack for leveraging
web technology, Amazon is making good on its early promises.
Europe
Revokes Controversial Gene Patent - [New Scientist]
A controversial patent on a breast cancer gene has been
revoked by the European Patent Office, paving the way for
cheaper screening across the continent. The verdict reflects
the transatlantic disparities that make gene patents much
tougher to uphold in Europe than in the US.
Climate:
Global Warming's Dollar Effects - [UPI] A warming climate
could bring either good news or bad news for the U.S. economy,
depending on whether you are an optimist or a pessimist,
according to a report from the Pew Center on Global Climate
Change.
The
CEO of the 21st Century - [Fast Company] With business
leaders' public -- and private -- behavior coming under
increasing scrutiny, it's becoming nearly impossible to
avoid getting caught in a lie. Few things detract more from
your credibility and the respect of your colleagues and
peers than being called on the carpet to deflect accusations
and defend an untruth. Can leaders who lapse learn how to
be truthful in words and honorable in deeds? Of course they
can.
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SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Barcelona
Nightclub Chips Customers - [The Register] US cybercorporation
Applied Digital Solutions has developed the so-called "VeriChip",
a "miniaturised, implantable radio frequency identification
device (RFID) that has the potential to be used in a variety
of personal identification, security, financial, and potential
healthcare applications". This
subdermal RFID chip could be used to restrict use of firearms
to authorised users or in a less lethal scenario pay for
drinks and admission at the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona.
Zombie
RFID Tags May Never Die - [ZDNet] Businesses are all
too keen to talk up the potential of radio frequency ID
(RFID) while privacy campaigners are similarly vocal in
calling for some hardcore data protection to go with the
new tagging technology, and one of the emerging battlegrounds
is all about when exactly the tracking chips need to die.
Oxfam
is Latest Entrant to Online Music Download Market -
[Revolution Magazine] Oxfam is the latest name to join the
UK music download market as the charity launches a service
backed by artists such as George Michael and Coldplay, who
are donating free tracks to the new venture.
For
Many Jobs in China, Looks Matter - [International Herald
Tribune] Chen is a prim and confident member of the Communist
Party. She scored high on the entrance exam, impressed her
interviewer. She knew her application was in trouble, though,
when she was called in for a second physical checkup. Soon
she got the bad news: She could not get the job, she was
told, because she is one centimeter, or half an inch, too
short.
Libel
Hits Chatroom Owners - [Canoe] A recent case from the
Supreme Court of British Columbia decided owners of chatrooms
can be held legally responsible for damages resulting from
information others post or statements others make on their
chatroom sites. It would apply to any service where third
parties can post information.
Austria
Enacts Animal Rights Law - [NEWS.com.au] Austrian lawmakers
today approved one of Europe's toughest animal rights laws,
an anticruelty measure that forces farmers to uncage their
chickens and prevents pet owners from clipping their dogs'
ears or tails.
Is
Global Civil Society a Good Thing? - [New Perspectives
Quarterly] Does the rising power of civil society augur
good or ill? Is the world to be rendered just and prosperous
by hordes of concerned citizens banding together to demand,
and create, a better world? Or will the fragile progress
toward democracy around the globe be undermined by unelected,
unaccountable extremists?
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ENVIRONMENT
Fast
Arctic Thaw Portends Global Warming - [Planet Ark] Global
warming is hitting the Arctic more than twice as fast as
the rest of the planet in what may be a portent of wider,
catastrophic changes, the chairman of an eight-nation study
has said.
Pollution
'May Lead to More Twins' - [Guardian] High levels of
pollution may increase the number of twins born in certain
areas, researchers claim.
Decline
of the Sea Turtle Threatens Third World Jobs - [Independent]
A global fall in the sea turtle population is putting jobs,
tourism and coastal economies at risk, particularly in developing
countries, according to a study.
NASA
Satellites and Balloons Spot Airborne Pollution 'Train'
- [Science Daily] NASA scientists discovered pollution could
catch an airborne "express train," or wind current,
from Asia all the way to the southern Atlantic Ocean.
Thaw
of Icy Gas May Worsen Global Warming - [ABC News] A
thawing of vast ice-like deposits of gas under oceans and
in permafrost could sharply accelerate global warming in
the 21st century, British-based scientists said.
'Water
Wars' Loom in Africa - [IOL] When
water affairs ministers from countries along the Nile met
recently to discuss the fate of the river, Boutros Boutros
Ghali was not in the room with them. But the lingering memory
of his comment that future wars would be fought over water
probably was.
Officials
Try to Hide Rise in Transport Pollution - [Guardian]
Official figures showing sharp increases in gases responsible
for climate change from air and freight transport were removed
from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) report on the
environment last week after pressure from the Department
for Transport.
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THE FUTURE
Zipping
into the Future - [San Francisco Chronicle] NextFest
in San Francisco zeroes in on inventions that are almost
ready to take off.
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