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Cellular mechanics...
Scientists at Purdue University have clarified
how tiny gates in living cells open and close to let in
nutrients and eliminate waste. Like airlocks in a spacecraft,
they allow nutrients to enter through an outside door into
a holding area, while an inside door remains closed. Once
the nutrient has entered, the outside door closes and the
inside door opens, releasing it into the cell. Better understanding
of this mechanism may help to increase the effectiveness
of cancer therapy, as many cancer cells pump anticancer
drugs out before they can work.
Only skin deep...
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University
have found that changing just one amino acid in a single
gene may account for differences in human skin color. People
in African and East Asian populations have the original
version of the SLC24A5 gene, while Europeans have a modified
version where alanine has been replaced by threonine. The
scientists showed that dark- and light-striped zebrafish
have the same two variants of this gene. When the original
version of the human gene was injected into embryos of the
light-striped fish, the pigmentation in the embryos returned
to normal levels.
A sense of touch...
The Miami Herald reports that six
teams of researchers, working in Italy, Germany, Spain and
Denmark, have developed a robotic hand that would allow
amputees to have a sense of touch. James Patton, a scientist
at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, says it is "the
first prosthetic hand that really is fully integrated into
the nervous system."
My way...
Teens and tweens like to have it their own
way says NorthJersey.com. Market research shows they love
customization -- personalizing iPods with their own music,
and choosing individualized ring tones for their cellphones.
Companies are taking notice, the website says. The new theme
is, "Express your own individuality."
IndianTelevision.com says Generation Y --
tweens, teens and college students -- are now harder to
reach through traditional media. Video games and Internet
surfing are popular pastimes. This age group is also resistant
to a hard sell. Integrating products and brands into lifestyle
activities is the best way to reach this audience, a global
marketing agency says. Jack Morton Worldwide creates more
than 1,000 live events each year for its clients. The company
commissioned a recent survey of US consumers, in which 76
percent of 13- to 23-year olds said that participating in
an event would make them more receptive to a brand or product's
advertising.
Living online...
Summer intern at Business Week magazine,
Paula Lehman, writes on social networks -- the web of online
connections that fuels a new generation's high-speed lives.
"There's an overwhelming need for constant connection,"
Lehman says, "to the extent that none of us can remember
how we got on without cell phones..." She says online
networking is now just part of the daily routine.
Business Week says social networks
are a way of life for "Generation @." MySpace.com
now has 40 million members. It accounted for 10% of all
online ads viewed last October. Other top tier sites include
Facebook.com and Xanga.com, and there are 300 similar but
smaller offerings. The MySpace generation, the magazine
says, have embraced the virtual world and live their lives
simultaneously online and offline.
Personal Computer World says 80 percent
of Koreans now have mobile phones. It says a recent study
of teenagers in Korea found that many are addicted to their
phones. A fifth kept them close while bathing. A third reported
hallucinations, hearing them when they were not ringing.
Many play mobile games -- sometimes for hours every day.
Ownership, the magazine says, is heavily concentrated in
the age group under 40 and the youth market is close to
saturation.
The Scotsman reports that mobile
phone bullying has become a growing problem -- in primary
school playgrounds. A study found that 80% of teachers had
been approached by children bullied by mobile phone messages.
Watching you...
Mother Jones reports on "total
surveillance" -- where radio frequency identification
enhances supply-chain management and pushes the envelope
on customer surveillance. The magazine interviews Katherine
Albrecht, author of the book Spychips (Nelson Current),
who details her concerns about the threats to personal privacy.
The new silk route...
India and China may join forces in the search
for new energy resources. India's Oil Minister and China's
state energy policy planner are expected to sign a memorandum
of understanding later this month. It will encourage Indian
and Chinese state companies to make joint bids for energy
assets. There is also talk of a pan-Asian oil and gas grid
-- which India's Oil Minister calls a "21st-century
silk route."
Diminishing options...
Reuters reports that unemployment rates
in some West African countries are as high as 80 percent.
Three quarters of the population in the area is under 30,
and the lack of options threatens stability in the region.
The number of unemployed increases every year, Reuters says,
"fueling crime and providing the least stable countries
with cheap recruits for militia groups and rebel factions."
The number one issue...
Ross Gelspan, author of Boiling Point,
argues in a Globalist article that climate change
is the number one global threat. And he says solving the
problem could "mend a profoundly fractured world."
Tackling the issue collaboratively could create millions
of jobs and raise living standards in developing countries,
he says. And if the United States led the effort, it would
create more constructive international relationships.
Looking ahead: the future consumer...
Battelle says emerging "value zones"
offer insights into changing consumer behavior. The company
has identified three such zones that it believes will be
significant for American consumers through to the year 2015:
sustainable wellness (extending life and good health), infotainment
(convergence of entertainment, information and education),
and personalized energy (individualized, packaged and mobile
power).
David Forrest
we welcome your comments and feedback at mail@innovationwatch.com
SCIENCE
Discovery
and Competitiveness: The Keywords in Europe's Policies and
Programmes for Space - [SpaceRef] The Ministers in charge
of space activities within the 17 ESA Member States and
Canada meet in Berlin to deliberate on a plan for discovery
and competitiveness for Europe in space, and to decide on
the relevant future programmes.
Chandra
Proves Black Hole Influence is Far Reaching - [Spaceflight
Now] Scientists using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have
discovered evidence of energetic plumes - particles that
extend 300,000 light years into a massive cluster of galaxies.
The plumes are due to explosive venting from the vicinity
of a supermassive black hole, and they provide dramatic
new evidence of the influence a black hole can have over
intergalactic distances.
Purdue
Biologists Clarify How A Cellular 'Spacecraft' Opens Its
Airlock - [Science Daily] Scientists have a tough time
visualizing the tiny hatchways that allow nutrients to pass
into our cells, but a group of Purdue University biologists
may have found the next best thing: a glimpse into the workings
of the "motor" that opens and closes them.
Fish
Help Unlock Mystery of Our Skin Color - [MSNBC] Zebrafish
zipping around an aquarium have led researchers to a gene
that may play an important role in human skin color, an
attribute that has served as a basis for social discrimination
through the ages.
Scientists
Enter the Brain's 'Matrix' - [CNN] In a breakthrough
that brings the technology of futuristic film "The
Matrix" closer to reality, scientists say they have
cracked part of the brain's own computer code.
Microbial
Martians? - [Discovery Channel] Methane-making microbes
inside Greenland ice could be telling us there's life on
Mars, say researchers.
Poison
Gas 'Caused' Great Dying - [BBC] The Earth's greatest
mass extinction was probably caused by poisonous volcanic
gas, according to a study published in the journal Geology.
TECHNOLOGY
Europeans'
Robot Hand has Feel of Real - [Miami Herald] Researchers
have spent the past 3 ½ years creating the first
prosthetic hand capable of eliciting natural sensory signals.
Nanotech
Discovery Could Have Radical Implications - [PhysOrg]
It has been 20 years since the futurist Eric Drexler daringly
predicted a new world where miniaturized robots would build
things one molecule at a time. The world of nanotechnology
that Drexler envisioned is beginning to come to pass, with
scientists conjuring new applications daily.
Carbon
Nanotube 'Paper' Stronger than Steel - [Automotive Design
Line] Recent research using carbon nanotubes in place of
conventional carbon fibers is revealing large gains in such
critical material properties as tensile strength and electrical
and thermal conductivity.
RFID
Spending to Rocket in Healthcare - [silicon.com] Research
from analyst house Frost and Sullivan has found that the
revenue from RFID within healthcare and pharmaceuticals
will rise almost sixfold, from 2004's total of $370m to
$2.3bn in 2011.
New
Muscles: Faster, Lighter, Better? - [CNN] A new study
has raised the potential for a new generation of robotic
"artificial muscles" to be used to perform tasks
currently impossible for humans, from carrying out dangerous
repair work to assisting in complicated surgery.
Robo-patients
Allow Medical Students To Practise Until Perfect - [Science
Daily] Robotic, simulated patients are allowing students
in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine to practise
clinical skills before they reach human patients.
Ships
Power into Faster Future - [BBC] The current expansion
in world trade, particularly trade with China, is causing
a rethink of the way goods are transported across the world's
oceans.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Wal-Mart’s
RFID Crusade - [CIO] Wal-Mart’s quest to use radio
frequency identification (RFID) technology to track shipments
will reach a new milestone in January: The company is requiring
200 of its second-tier suppliers to begin tagging cases
and pallets with the chips.
ZoomInfo
Mines Deep for Personal Data - [PhysOrg] By promising
to sift through the avalanche of information on the World
Wide Web, ZoomInfo is hoping it has found a market niche
as a data mine for those who want reliable information about
specific companies and the executives behind them.
TVs
Turn into Vending Machines for Programs - [USA Today]
Three major networks — ABC, CBS, and NBC — took
small but important steps away from a business model that
has served them for about 50 years but is being stressed
by new technology. For the first time, they agreed to let
viewers see for a fee current prime-time hits on cable and
satellite video-on-demand (VOD) and via Internet download.
High
Energy Prices to Stimulate Innovation - [Credit Suisse
Emagazine] One of the mysteries of the global economy is
that the energy and commodity sectors have been investing
in refineries at only a modest pace for two to three decades,
as if unaware of the boom in Asia. Meanwhile, the world's
manufacturers, big and small, are expanding operations in
Asia at breakneck speed. Little wonder that energy and commodity
prices have risen sharply.
Customization
Key to Young Consumers' Choices - [North Jersey Media]
According to data based on interviews with 1,000 youngsters
nationwide, 55 percent of today's teens and tweens say they
have their "own way" of doing things and are "comfortable
with and cling fiercely" to their individuality. This
is up eight percentage points from the 2004 youth survey.
Gen
Y to US Marketers: Engage Us with Experiential Marketing
- [Indian Television] Gen Y is difficult to reach through
traditional mass media. Not only are they highly fragmented
in their viewing habits -- surfing the Internet and playing
video games are favourite activities. However coming of
age in the information age has made them skeptical of 'hard
sell' tactics. Technology such as Tivo and spamblockers
enable them to block out messages that they not wish to
see.
Study
Shows Nearly One in Six Americans are Online Sellers
- [Daily Toreador] From rare "He-Man" action figures
to tickets to the Super Bowl, taking classified ads digital
has made almost any item or service available to anyone
-- provided they have Internet access and sufficient funds.
SOCIETY
The
Networked Life of a 21-Year-Old - [Business Week] Super-plugged-in
Gen Y'er Paula Lehman provides some lessons for an older
colleague about navigating in the always-connected world.
Nanotechnology's
Dilemmas - [The Scientist] If nanotechnology is billed
as the "Next Industrial Revolution," then it also
must raise a host of important social and ethical questions
that we need to consider now.
Korea
Becoming a Nation of Phone Junkies - [Infomatics] South
Korean teenagers are so attached to their mobile phones
that some researchers are classifying them as 'addicts',
according to recent reports.
Debunking
the Myths of the Aging Workforce - [Credit Suisse Emagazine]
Older people are the only growing segment of the population
in Europe. Despite the facts, a recent Hewitt study revealed
that 30 European multi-national companies view older workers
– 50 plus – as a hindrance to promotion opportunities
for younger workers. Those unemployed at that age have little
or no chance of finding a job.
The
MySpace Generation - [Business Week] As the first cohort
to grow up fully wired and technologically fluent, today's
teens and twentysomethings are flocking to Web sites like
Buzz-Oven as a way to establish their social identities.
Mobile-Phone
Bullying 'An Epidemic' - [Scotsman] TEACHERS warned
that mobile-phone bullying in schools is reaching epidemic
proportions. Three in four teachers said text pests had
become commonplace, particularly in primary school playgrounds.
Total
Surveillance - [Mother Jones] Imagine a future in which
your every belonging is marked with a unique number identifiable
with the swipe of a scanner; where your refrigerator keeps
track of its contents; where the location of your car is
always pinpoint-able; and where signal-emitting microchips
storing personal information are implanted beneath your
skin or embedded in your inner organs.
GLOBAL POLITICS
FBI
Is Taking Another Look at Forged Prewar Intelligence
- [Los Angeles Times] The FBI has reopened an inquiry into
one of the most intriguing aspects of the pre-Iraq war intelligence
fiasco: how the Bush administration came to rely on forged
documents linking Iraq to nuclear weapons materials as part
of its justification for the invasion.
Russia
Reins In Foreign Funding - [CBS News] All of Russia's
estimated 450,000 civic groups -- from community sports
clubs to charities and nationwide human rights movements
-- will need to re-register next year with a special state
agency. The sweeping amendments to Russia's law on nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs), approved by a Duma majority, would
add up to levels of state control not seen since Soviet
times.
Italy
Furious Over CIA Terror Kidnap - [The Age] Since July,
prosecutors and judges in Milan have issued arrest warrants
charging 22 alleged CIA operatives, including the head of
the CIA Milan substation, with kidnapping and other crimes.
India
and China: An Energy Team? - [Business Week] The two
giants' alliance is part of a possible pan-Asian oil and
gas grid. India's Oil Minister calls the concept a "21st
century silk route."
Unemployment
Will Force More Youths to Flee Africa - [Reuters] Almost
three quarters of West Africa's population are under 30
and unemployment rates in some countries are as high as
80 percent. In the overcrowded corridors of Senegal's top
university, students say that leaves them with only one
option.
Profile
of a Killer - [Foreign Policy] Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
is the most wanted man in Iraq. How did this high school
dropout tie the United States down in its deadliest conflict
since the Vietnam War? From the slums of Jordan to the battle
of Falluja, this is how it happened.
Remorse
from Japan in Face of Isolation - [International Herald
Tribune] With Japan facing growing international isolation
over World War II history, the Japanese foreign minister,
Taro Aso, urged his nation to show "deep remorse."
ENVIRONMENT
War
on Climate Change Targets Flatulent Cows - [Times] British
scientists are fighting climate change by reducing the harmful
greenhouse gases produced by flatulent cows.
Inuit
Link Dramatic Lifestyle Changes to Global Warming -
[USA Today] From eroding shorelines, to thinning ice and
loss of hunting and polar bears, Canadian Inuits of the
Arctic north have seen rising temperatures transforming
their lives.
Global
Warming 'Claims First Village' - [The Sunday Mail] Rising
seas have forced 100 people on a Pacific island to move
to higher ground in what may be the first example of a village
formally displaced because of modern global warming, a UN
report has said.
New
Climate Deal May Take Years, UN Says - [IOL] Backers
of the United Nation's Kyoto protocol on curbing global
warming may need three to five years to work out a successor
to the pact that runs out in 2012, the UN's climate change
chief said.
Pollution
the Cost of Development - [New Zealand Herald] When
pondering risks to China's outlook, investors tend to focus
on non-performing loans, trends in per capita income or
the success of initial public offerings. Yet nothing captures
the tension between China's rapid growth and need to maintain
social stability as the environment.
Fuel
Unloaded From Chernobyl Reactor - [ABC News] Experts
have begun unloading radioactive fuel from one of the closed
reactors at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Climate
Change as Number One? - [The Globalist] News of the
War on Terror and high oil prices continue to dominate today's
headlines. But as Ross Gelbspan points out in his book Boiling
Point, these issues pale in the face of the looming
threat posed by global climate change.
THE FUTURE
Battelle
Predicts Future Consumer Value Zones: The Convergence of
Value, the Market, and Technology - [PR Newswire] Battelle
has created a way to anticipate consumer value by identifying
Future Consumer Value Zones. These emerging value zones
are areas where changes converge to create particularly
rich opportunities for consumer value.
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