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Science News
for 02/05/2010

(last updated 7:30am EST 02/05/2010)

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• Missing funny bone leads to DMCA for Awk... Missing funny bone leads to DMCA for Awkward Stock Photos
02/04/2010
One of the most recent Internet meme trends has been to launch a site of ridiculous, funny, or awkward photos of things and people that are otherwise found in everyday life. You're probably familiar with some of them: People of Walmart , LATFH , Awkward Family Photos , Regretsy , and so on. Usually these sites become so virally popular that they end up getting book deals, but that's not the case for one such site. Awkward Stock Photos , a site that featured some of the more questionable pictures found in stock photo databases, received a DMCA notice for the contents of its entire site, despite the fact that it removed no watermarks, linked back to the original stock photo page, and made no money off the venture. Awkward Stock Photos (ASP) was originally born on Facebook as a give-and-take between Mark Hauge and his friends, who encouraged him to start a blog. Once he finally bit the bullet and signed up with Tumblr, ASP became an immediate hit, and Hauge started receiving hundreds of submissions from readers. An Ars reader and graphic designer himself, Hauge was familiar with how finicky some companies can be, so he made sure to try and cover his bases. Or so he thought: "I made sure to only use watermarked photos that I downloaded and re-uploaded to Tumblr (so I wasn't hotlinking) and then linked them back to their original source," he told Ars. (11 h ago)

• Apple may be paying to get flawed iMacs ... Apple may be paying to get flawed iMacs back in the UK
02/04/2010
Apple is reportedly offering UK iMac owners full refunds plus 15 percent of the original purchase price for 27" iMacs suffering any of the maladies that have plagued the model since its release in October of 2009. According to an Apple Authorized shop speaking to Gizmodo , Apple has already completed the transaction with two of the shop's customers. Apple seems to be brokering the deals due to a shortage in parts needed to repair the units, as well as a repair backlog of over 200 machines. The 27" iMacs have had problems from the get-go with some users reporting issues with discolored displays and others reporting flickering screens. Most recently , there were reports of an internal support document telling technicians to explain that slight screen variations are normal, but if the customer continued to complain, to say that the machine could be repaired in "approximately three weeks." If that wasn't enough, they were told to offer a refund, but not a replacement. When Ars called an official Apple Store in the US to inquire about refunds, they were of little help and recommended we make an appointment with a "Genius" or call the AppleCare support number. Likewise, when we called two Apple Certified dealers, we received very similar responses. One tech did direct us to the recently released firmware update, but was unable to tell us anything regarding refunds or part lead times. The reports are based on a small number of cases, but Gizmodo's source seemed quite confident that these were not isolated results. Nonetheless, we remain skeptical of Apple offering refunds—let alone refunds plus 15 percent—until more reports come in. That being said, if you are at your wit's end with your iMac, it can't hurt to ask. Maybe with the extra cash you can upgrade to a Mac Pro. (12 h ago)

• Mozilla Weave 1.0: take your tabs and bo... Mozilla Weave 1.0: take your tabs and bookmarks everywhere
02/04/2010
Mozilla Labs recently announced the official release of Weave Sync 1.0, an add-on for Firefox that can automatically synchronize browser settings and metadata between multiple computers over the Internet. Mozilla launched the Weave project in 2007 with the goal of cloud-enabling the Firefox Web browser. Weave consists of a Web-based service that is hosted by Mozilla and client-side add-on that integrates with the browser. The user's browser data, including bookmarks, passwords, preferences, page history, and active tabs, are encrypted by the add-on and transmitted to Mozilla's servers in the cloud. The data can then be relayed to other instances of Firefox that are authorized by the user. (13 h ago)

• Cisco's wiretapping system open to explo... Cisco's wiretapping system open to exploit, says researcher
02/04/2010
To meet the needs of law enforcement, most telecommunications equipment includes hardware and software that allow for the monitoring of traffic originating with the targets of investigations. The precise capabilities are often dictated by formalized standards, which allow any hardware maker to implement a compliant system. Unfortunately, these standards often leave the hardware wide open to various attacks that leave regular users vulnerable, and provide savvy surveillance targets the opportunity to evade the snooping. An IBM researcher has put Cisco's system under the microscope at a Black Hat Conference, and found it comes up short. Although the standard was designed to put Cisco hardware in compliance with EU directives, it has apparently been adopted by a number of other hardware makers. The presentation, described in detail by Dark Reading, describes how its reliance on SNMPv3, creates a variety of options for attack. For example, the protocol was initially vulnerable to a brute force attacks on its authentication system; although Cisco has patched that flaw, there's no way to determine how many unpatched machines remain in the wild. SNMP also defaults to operating over UDP, and it's relatively easy to spoof things like the source address and port for that protocol. It's possible to use TCP instead, and even limit the addresses that can access the hardware, but the protocol doesn't specify either of these. Communications aren't encrypted by default, and the system won't notify administrators when a trace is activated or disabled, meaning that hackers could potentially set up or eliminate surveillance without anyone being aware of it. The IBM researcher, Tom Cross, notified Cisco of the issues back in December, and recommends revisions to the standard that will ensure that it is more secure by default. That might be helpful, but it still wouldn't deal with the problems posed by unpatched systems—Cross himself apparently recognizes that network administrators can be hesitant to risk the disruption of service that may come with updating major pieces of equipment. (14 h ago)

• Buy Office 2007, get 2010 free? Microsof... Buy Office 2007, get 2010 free? Microsoft posts, pulls deal
02/04/2010
Microsoft has accidentally posted details about a promotion it will be running for those who buy Office 2007 a few months before and after the release of Office 2010 in June 2010 . It is called the "Microsoft Office 2010 Technology Guarantee Program," though Redmond is not yet ready to announce it. "Microsoft has not disclosed an Office 2010 Technology Guarantee," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. "We have no further comment at this time." According to a cached copy of a post on " In The Know - Charles Van Heusen's Weblog ," which is part of the Microsoft US Partner Community website, Customers who purchase a copy of Office 2007, with or without a new PC, from an authorized reseller between March 5, 2010 and September 30, 2010 qualify for the promotion. They must install and activate Office 2007 by September 30, 2010 and request their free Office 2010 product by October 31, 2010 using an activated Office 2007 Product Key and a dated sales receipt. Office 2010 will be available for a free download for those that qualify, though discs will be orderable for a fee (Microsoft usually charges for shipping and handling when sending out copies of discs for software it is giving away via download). One Office 2010 product is allowed per qualifying Office 2007 purchase, though there is a limit of 25 per person. (16 h ago)

• JooJoo maker: iPad won't crowd us out of... JooJoo maker: iPad won't crowd us out of tablet space
02/04/2010
When Fusion Garage invited us down to their Singapore office yesterday for a look at the JooJoo tablet, we went with the assumption that they would be showing us the final software running on actual production hardware. As it happens, we were shown the same device that the company used for its launch back in December. Nevertheless, I had a chance to speak with founder and CEO Chandra Rathakrishnan, and was able to confirm additional information on the company’s plans, and about the device itself. (16 h ago)

• In wake of hack, Google negotiating coop... In wake of hack, Google negotiating cooperation with the NSA
02/04/2010
In January, Google went public with news that some of its systems had been hacked, along with those of a number of US-based companies. The attacks had targeted both accounts maintained by political activists and commercial code, and Google pointed the finger straight at China, vowing to change its entire approach to business in that country. But a report now suggests that the company is also looking to beef up its internal defenses to prevent a repeat of the attacks. The Washington Post is reporting that Google has started negotiations with the US National Security Agency about a collaborative effort to analyze the attack and figure out how best to prevent a recurrence. The Post is citing confidential sources, as the deal isn't final and, even if it were, it's unlikely that Google would seek to publicize it. For starters, both organizations have already been the target of many complaints by privacy advocates, the NSA for its domestic surveillance efforts, Google for its data retention policies. The combination of the two would clearly make the advocates far more uneasy, and might help them make their case with the wider public. Meanwhile, as the report notes, private companies have often been loath to share information about their proprietary systems with the government for a variety of reasons. That may explain why the negotiations have been going slowly, as the NSA would clearly need access to and understanding of Google's infrastructure in order to fully evaluate the attacks and future risks. And that's precisely the sort of proprietary information that Google is presumably reluctant to provide anyone with—even a highly secretive organization like the NSA. (17 h ago)

• feature: Studios crushed: ISP can't be f... feature: Studios crushed: ISP can't be forced to play copyright cop
02/04/2010
In a definitive defeat for film studios—and in a first case of its kind worldwide—Australia's Federal Court has ruled that ISPs have no obligation to act on copyright infringement notices or to disconnect subscribers after receiving multiple letters. If copyright holders want justice for illegal file-sharing, they need to start by targeting the right people: those who committed the infringement. The ruling handed down today by Judge J. Cowdroy aims to be nothing less than magisterial: in 200 pages, it examines the issue from every possible angle because of the "obvious importance of these proceedings to the law of copyright both in this country and possibly overseas." (18 h ago)

• Graphene transistors promise 100GHz spee... Graphene transistors promise 100GHz speeds
02/04/2010
Researchers are running into the physical limits of speed and scaling in silicon transistor technology, forcing them to look elsewhere for next-generation devices. The leading candidate to replace silicon being pursued by, well, pretty much everyone, is graphene. Graphene, single sheets of graphitic carbon, is exciting because it is a single atom thick and has remarkably high electron mobilities (100 times greater than silicon), making it ideally suited to atomic-scale, high-speed operation. Also, graphene's electrical properties can be controlled, switching it among conducting, semiconducting and electrically insulating forms. That means graphene-only (or, more likely, graphene-mostly) devices are, in principle, possible. In this week's Science , researchers from IBM demonstrate graphene-based field effect transistors (FETs) that may operate at much higher speeds (100GHz) than Si FETs. Graphene layers were thermally grown on two-inch SiC wafers and the FETs were formed using standard Si fabrication techniques with HfO 2 as the gate oxide. That's a rather significant point—the researchers actually created an entire wafer of these devices. (19 h ago)

• Microsoft warns of IE flaw, turns PC int... Microsoft warns of IE flaw, turns PC into public file server
02/04/2010
Microsoft has issued Security Advisory (980088) to address a publicly disclosed vulnerability in Internet Explorer that may allow information disclosure for Windows XP users or for users who have disabled Internet Explorer Protected Mode. The advisory explains that content can be forced to render incorrectly from local files in such a way that information can be exposed to malicious websites. The vulnerability was discussed in depth at this week's Black Hat DC conference by Jorge Luis Alvarez Medina , a security consultant with Core Security Technologies who revealed the issue a day after Microsoft released an out-of-band security bulletin for the browser. Here's the official description of the briefing: "In this presentation we will show how an attacker can read every file of your filesystem if you are using Internet Explorer. This attack leverages different design features of Internet Explorer entailing security risks that, while low if considered isolated, lead to interesting attack vectors when combined altogether. We will also disclose and demonstrate proof of concept code developed for the scenarios proposed." Users running a version of Internet Explorer that does not have Protected Mode, or users who have decided to disable Protected Mode, are exposed to an attacker who can access files with an already known filename and location. Versions affected include Internet Explorer 5.01 and IE6 SP1 on Windows 2000 SP4, as well as IE6, IE7, and IE8 on supported editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Microsoft made sure to note that Protected Mode prevents exploitation of this vulnerability and is running by default for IE7 and IE8 on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2. Redmond also underlined that it is currently unaware of any attacks trying to use the vulnerability and is actively monitoring the situation and may provide a security update on an upcoming Patch Tuesday or an out-of-cycle patch once it is ready. The next Patch Tuesday is scheduled for February 9, 2009, but we're not likely to see a patch out that soon. As always, Microsoft is recommending users upgrade to IE8 (the company urged users to upgrade away from IE6 and XP after hacks affecting IE6 last month). In the meantime, the software giant listed five mitigating factors for the vulnerability: Protected Mode in IE7/IE8 on Windows Vista and later limits the impact of the vulnerability. In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a webpage that is used to exploit this vulnerability or do so via a webpage that accepts or hosts user-provided content or advertisements. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these websites and would have to convince them to do so, which is typically achieved via an e-mail or instant message. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less affected than users who operate with administrative user rights. By default, Internet Explorer on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 runs in a restricted mode known as Enhanced Security Configuration. This mode sets the security level for the Internet zone to High and so is a mitigating factor for websites that you have not added to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone. By default, all supported versions of Outlook, Outlook Express, and Windows Mail open HTML e-mail messages in the Restricted sites zone, which should mitigate attacks trying to exploit this vulnerability by preventing Active Scripting and ActiveX controls from being used. However, if a user clicks a link in an e-mail message, the user could still be vulnerable to exploitation of this vulnerability through the Web-based attack scenario. Microsoft outlined three workarounds in the security advisory. The first is to modify Internet Explorer's settings: set the Internet and Local intranet security zone settings to "High" to prompt before running ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting in these zones. The second suggests configuring Internet Explorer to prompt before running Active Scripting or disabling Active Scripting completely in the Internet and local intranet security zone. The third one is to enable Internet Explorer Network Protocol Lockdown for Windows XP. It requires editing the Windows registry, but thankfully Microsoft has created a "Fix it for me" for this workaround, available at KB 980088 . Just click the "Fix this problem" link and you're good to go. The Fix It automates Network Protocol Lockdown and can be run on individual systems and deployed by enterprises through their automated systems. (20 h ago)

• Sling reduces 3G bandwidth use enough to... Sling reduces 3G bandwidth use enough to make AT&T happy
02/04/2010
After stripping SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone of its 3G streaming capabilities last year, AT&T has changed course and "approved" a version of the app with 3G streaming for sale in the App Store. Key to the reversal were changes that Sling Media made to make bandwidth use more efficient over 3G connections. It took almost a year and a half for Sling to bring SlingPlayer Mobile to the App Store, and many users were disappointed when the app arrived without 3G streaming capabilities. AT&T cited a clause in its terms of service that prohibited "redirecting a TV signal to a personal computer," noting that it considered the iPhone a personal computer. (21 h ago)

• Sega reveals 2D Sonic the Hedgehog 4, co... Sega reveals 2D Sonic the Hedgehog 4, coming this summer
02/04/2010
Sega has finally taken the wraps off of the not-so-mysterious Project Needlemouse , and it turns out it's just what everyone was hoping for: a return to classic 2D Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay. The game will officially be known as Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Network, and WiiWare this summer. The announcement, which was exclusive to Gamespot , also revealed a few details about the game itself. Sega is positioning it as a direct sequel to Sonic & Knuckles for the Sega Genesis, originally released back in 1994, and will feature familiar gameplay mechanics like the spin dash and power sneakers. It will also incorporate leaderboards and, at least in the case of the PS3 and Wii versions, motion controls. Little else was revealed about the game, though Sega did launch a website for the title, which features several countdowns, so we should be seeing more information over the next few weeks. Sonic fans have been burned many times in the past, so it's hard to get too excited until we actually play the game. But this looks like it could be the real thing. Let's just hope there is a distinct lack of werehogs . (22 h ago)

• RealVideo: going, going, gone RealVideo: going, going, gone
02/04/2010
Call it a sign of the times: C-SPAN has given up on Real's streaming video format. A notice on C-SPAN's website says, "Due to lack of demand for the RealVideo format, we will be retiring our links to C-SPAN live video streams in the RealVideo format effective March 1, 2010." Windows Media and Flash are the two remaining formats supported by C-SPAN. Say whatever you want about Flash, but it certainly beats Windows Media for cross-platform ease-of-use... and the less said about using RealVideo, the better. While C-SPAN may not be on the cutting edge of technical innovation, the real laggards are government agencies, the only places I have encountered RealVideo over the last year. Before the Julius Genachowski-led FCC mercifully switched to Flash, the FCC broadcast its open meetings on the 'Net in postage-stamp sized RealVideo from a server that could handle a max of 200 users. Real lives on especially in the dark corners of Congressional committees—the Senate's Committee on Environment and Public Works still uses it, for instance, but even they have added Flash support as well. It's a sad fate for a once-proud codec. (22 h ago)

• Security flaw puts iPhone users at risk ... Security flaw puts iPhone users at risk of phishing attacks
02/04/2010
When Apple introduced iPhone OS 3.0, it attempted to beef up the security of over-the-air enterprise management of iPhones by adding support for Cisco Systems' Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP). However, a flaw in the implementation of the standard could allow hackers to offer mobile configuration files that appear to be from a legitimate source, but may otherwise set your iPhone to access malicious servers. Ars spoke with a mobile security expert who discovered the problem (who asked to remain anonymous because he did not have approval to talk about the issue). He told Ars that the issue is one of trust: "Who would you trust to change your iPhone configuration over the air? Your carrier? Your company? Your IT security admin?" he asked. Apple uses SCEP as a way for the iPhone to check in with a certificate server to verify that a mobileconfig file has been signed by a trusted source, but flaws in the set-up on the iPhone mean that the process doesn't always work as intended. (23 h ago)

• IE6 users to be evicted from Gmail, Goog... IE6 users to be evicted from Gmail, Google Calendar
02/04/2010
Late last week , Google announced it will phase out old browser support next month on Google Docs and Google Sites. The search giant also sent out an e-mail to Google Apps administrators to warn them of the date, as well as tell them something it did not disclose publicly last week: Gmail and Calendar are next on the IE6 support kill list. Here's the relevant snippet: We plan to begin phasing out support of these older browsers on the Google Docs suite and the Google Sites editor on March 1, 2010. After that point, certain functionality within these applications may have higher latency and may not work correctly in these older browsers. Later in 2010, we will start to phase out support for these browsers for Google Mail and Google Calendar. Google Apps will continue to support Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Firefox 3.0 and above, Google Chrome 4.0 and above, and Safari 3.0 and above. We contacted Google to verify the authenticity of the e-mail. "We plan to stop supporting older browsers for the rest of the Google Apps suite, including Gmail, later in 2010," a Google spokesperson confirmed with Ars. We asked whether phasing out the support for older browsers on Gmail and Google Calendar would affect everyone, and not just Google Apps that companies have deployed. "Correct, both enterprise and consumer users," the spokesperson told us. IE6 started off 2010 with about one-fifth of the browser market share. Actually, if we add all browser versions below IE7, Firefox 3.0, Chrome 4.0, and Safari 3.0, it's clear that at least one in four users are using browsers that Google plans to stop supporting. There's no telling if this number is the same for those who access Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, or Google Sites; we asked, but Google refused to provide data from its end. The company has been using Gmail to convert IE6 users to Chrome for over a year , but later this year it's going to deal another blow to the ancient browser, moving it that much closer to its well-deserved demise. (1 d ago)

• China, US vie for mantle of world's bigg... China, US vie for mantle of world's biggest hacking victim
02/04/2010
China and the US have been battling lately to portray themselves as the more pathetic victim of cyberattacks. The US has lamented its own lack of preparedness for a major Internet hack attack and focused on the 30+ companies affected by the recent China-based hack that set Google off on its recent anti-censorship kick. But it is Beijing that has been most at pains to claim the mantle of "victim." (1 d ago)

• What we'd do (in a perfect world) to fix... What we'd do (in a perfect world) to fix the PSP Go
02/04/2010
There is a rumor making its way around the gaming blogs that Sony is planning on "relaunching" the PSP Go . Rumors come and go, and this is an admittedly shaky one, but it's an interesting idea. The PSP Go has all but disappeared from the world of gaming. It exists, you can buy one in stores, but we have yet to hear any sales numbers. The system is rarely discussed. If people are buzzing about a possible relaunch, does that mean the original launch was a failure? Until we see some hard data one way or the other, we'll likely never know. If we do see a new strategy from the corporate level for the device, on the other hand, that's pretty compelling evidence that the original product plan didn't work as well Sony had hoped. We rather notoriously didn't like the original product. So let's give Sony some free advice and take a look at what could be done for the hardware/strategy combo that would make the PSP Go a hit. (1 d ago)

• Pound for pound, bats can drink you unde... Pound for pound, bats can drink you under the table
02/03/2010
One of the very nice things about fruit is that it will often ferment all on its own. And a few animal species take advantage of this, deliberately seeking out fermented fruit with the objective of painting the jungle red and waking up in the natural equivalent of a ditch at the side of the road. This works well if you happen to be fairly safe from predators, but not many animals have this luxury. Fruit and nectar eating bats certainly don't fall under the heading of "immune from predation," so researchers wondered what happened to fruit bats that ate from the fermented fruit. Considering body weight and the amount of energy required to keep a fruit bat going, the researchers figured that even the low alcohol content of fruit should still be enough to mean that a night's feeding involved a substantial amount of imbibing. (1 d ago)

• Nintendo, Modern Warfare worldwide top s... Nintendo, Modern Warfare worldwide top sellers in 2009
02/03/2010
The NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track Limited, and Enterbrain, Inc. track the three biggest gaming markets in the world: the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. How did those three markets do in 2009? A report from the three groups claims overall sales were down eight percent, with game sales totaling 379.3 million units. The year-end report also shows the top five games in the world for the calendar year 2009. There isn't much in terms of surprises, but the number of copies of Modern Warfare 2 sold shows the power of the US market in the gaming world, and Nintendo's dominance on the list likewise shows that company's stranglehold on the industry. With four of the top-five selling games being Nintendo first-party releases, and the best-selling game of the year being powered mostly by American dollars, it's clear that Nintendo and Activision had a very good year... and that the West is a powerful force in game sales. While we don't have access to the numbers below the top five, it must be quite a battlefield down there. Even without that data, this offers even more evidence that the Wii is very comfortable at the top of the heap. Sales this strong of both Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit mean that both the Balance Board and MotionPlus peripherals will continue to gain traction in the marketplace, which should lead to stronger support in terms of both first- and third-party software. (1 d ago)

• Hands-on: new single-window mode makes G... Hands-on: new single-window mode makes GIMP less gimpy
02/03/2010
The venerable GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is undergoing a significant transformation. The next major release, version 2.8, will introduce an improved user interface with an optional single-window mode. Although this update is still under heavy development, users can get an early look by compiling the latest source code of the development version from the GIMP's version control repository. The GIMP is an open source software application for editing raster graphics. It is intended to serve as a free and open alternative to high-end image editing programs for a professional audience. Although the GIMP still has some limitations relative to industry-leading commercial products like Photoshop, it is becoming an increasingly viable solution for professional artists and photographers. (1 d ago)

• New system provides hybrid electric auto... New system provides hybrid electric autos with power to spare
02/05/2010
An advancement in hybrid electric vehicle technology is providing powerful benefits beyond transportation. (1 h ago)

• Couples who say 'we' do better at resolv... Couples who say 'we' do better at resolving conflicts
02/05/2010
People often complain about those seemingly smug married couples who constantly refer to themselves as "we." But a new study suggests that spouses who use "we-ness" language are better able to resolve conflicts than those who don't. (1 h ago)

• 'Zen' bats hit their target by not aimin... 'Zen' bats hit their target by not aiming at it
02/05/2010
New research shows Egyptian fruit bats find a target by NOT aiming their guiding sonar directly at it. Instead, they alternately point the sound beam to either side of the target. The new findings suggest that this strategy optimizes the bats' ability to pinpoint the location of a target, but also makes it harder for them to detect a target in the first place. (1 h ago)

• Scientists map out regulatory regions of... Scientists map out regulatory regions of genome, hot spots for diabetes genes
02/05/2010
Researchers have generated a complete map of the areas of the genome that control which genes are "turned on" or "off." The discovery, made in pancreatic islet cells, opens new avenues for understanding the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes and other common illnesses. (1 h ago)

• Commercial fishing endangers dolphin pop... Commercial fishing endangers dolphin populations, new study finds
02/05/2010
Extensive commercial fishing endangers dolphin populations in the Mediterranean, according to a new study by researchers in Israel. (1 h ago)

• Prion leaves lasting mark on memory Prion leaves lasting mark on memory
02/05/2010
Prions are a special class of proteins best known as the source for mad cow and other neurodegenerative diseases. Despite this negative reputation, a prion may also have important and very positive roles in brain function. The researchers suggest that a prion-like protein may participate in memory in higher eukaryotes, from sea slugs on up. (1 h ago)

• Engineers aim to make air travel greener Engineers aim to make air travel greener
02/05/2010
Carbon emissions from air travel could be reduced, thanks to a new collaboration between engineers in the UK and the aerospace industry. The million project will investigate new ways of using composite materials for wing panels in aircraft. The research will be using carbon fibres that are curved within flat plates to produce damage-tolerant, buckle-free structures. (1 h ago)

• Haiti: International relief efforts rema... Haiti: International relief efforts remain fragmented, warn doctors
02/05/2010
Despite the frightening regularity of humanitarian disasters like the earthquake in Haiti, international responses remain fragmented and must be improved, argue a group of trauma surgeons. (1 h ago)

• Melatonin precursor stimulates growth fa... Melatonin precursor stimulates growth factor circuits in brain
02/05/2010
N-acetylserotonin, the immediate precursor to melatonin, activates the same growth circuits in the brain as BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). The results have implications for how some antidepressants function and suggest that the molecules and pathways involved in mood regulation and circadian rhythms are intertwined. (1 h ago)

• Madly mapping the universe Madly mapping the universe
02/05/2010
It takes special software to map the universe from noisy data. Scientists have developed a code called MADmap to do just that for the cosmic microwave background, then posted it on the web for other interested sky mappers. Scientists probing the sky with the PACS instrument aboard the Herschel satellite have adapted MADmap to make spectacular images of the infrared universe. (1 h ago)

• 'Artificial pancreas' a step nearer for ... 'Artificial pancreas' a step nearer for children with type 1 diabetes
02/05/2010
Scientists have made a significant step towards developing a so-called "artificial pancreas" system for managing type 1 diabetes in children. The team has developed and successfully tested a new algorithm, providing a stepping stone to home testing for the artificial pancreas. (1 h ago)

• How sperm get a move on; discovery sugge... How sperm get a move on; discovery suggests new target for male contraception
02/05/2010
Most of us probably think of sperm as rather active little cells, swimming with quick movements of their "tail" or flagella. But actually sperm's motility is in fact short lived. When in the male reproductive tract they have to rest easy, lest they wear themselves out prematurely and give up any chance of ever finding an egg. (1 h ago)

• New material absorbs, conserves oil New material absorbs, conserves oil
02/05/2010
Researchers make new material to clean up oil spills in factories or on the ocean, and conserve the oil. (1 h ago)

• Novelty lures rats from cocaine-paired s... Novelty lures rats from cocaine-paired settings, hinting at new treatments for recovering addicts
02/05/2010
The brain's innate interest in the new and different may help trump the power of addictive drugs, according to new research. In controlled experiments, novelty drew cocaine-treated rats away from the place they got cocaine. (1 h ago)

• Growth factor gene shown to be key to cl... Growth factor gene shown to be key to cleft palate
02/05/2010
Cleft palate has been linked to dozens of genes. During their investigation of one of these genes, researchers were surprised to find that cleft palate occurs both when the gene is more active and when it is less active than normal. (1 h ago)

• Study maps effects of acupuncture on the... Study maps effects of acupuncture on the brain
02/05/2010
New research about the effects of acupuncture on the brain may provide an understanding of the complex mechanisms of acupuncture and could lead to a wider acceptability of the treatment. (1 h ago)

• Bacteria toxic to wound-treating maggots Bacteria toxic to wound-treating maggots
02/05/2010
Bacteria that infect chronic wounds can be deadly to maggot "bio-surgeons" used to treat the lesions, show researchers. The findings could lead to more effective treatment of wounds and the development of novel antibiotics. (1 h ago)

• Computers that use light instead of elec... Computers that use light instead of electricity? First germanium laser created
02/05/2010
Researchers have demonstrated the first laser built from germanium that can emit wavelengths of light useful for optical communications. It's also the first germanium laser to operate at room temperature. Unlike the materials typically used in lasers, germanium is easy to incorporate into existing processes for manufacturing silicon chips. So the result could prove an important step toward computers that move data -- and maybe even perform calculations -- using light instead of electricity. (1 h ago)

• Vaccine to protect pregnant women from c... Vaccine to protect pregnant women from contracting malaria?
02/05/2010
Researchers have synthesized the entire protein that is responsible for life-threatening malaria in pregnant women and their unborn children. The protein known as VAR2CSA enables malaria parasites to accumulate in the placenta and can therefore potentially be used as the main component in a vaccine to trigger antibodies that protect pregnant women against malaria. The research team is now planning to test the efficacy of the protein-based vaccine on humans. (1 h ago)

• Dinosaur had vibrant colors, microscopic... Dinosaur had vibrant colors, microscopic fossil clues reveal
02/05/2010
Deciphering microscopic clues hidden within fossils, scientists have uncovered the vibrant colors that adorned a feathered dinosaur extinct for 150 million years. (1 h ago)

• 7 terrific toad survival tactics 7 terrific toad survival tactics
02/04/2010
They're everywhere! Toads have been able to populate most of the world's continents in the relative blink of an eye. Now scientists have figured out seven factors responsible for the toads' success. Health - Medicine - Ophthalmology - Medical Specialties - Recreation (14 h ago)

• Windsurfing insects have real direction Windsurfing insects have real direction
02/04/2010
More than 1,500 years before Christopher Columbus and his crew sailed to the New World, Native Americans had already domesticated turkeys twice: first in south-central Mexico at around 800 B.C. and again in what is now the southwestern U.S. at about 200 B.C., according to a new study. Christopher Columbus - United States - New World - Mexico - Native Americans in the United States (14 h ago)

• Declined: Pika won't be protected specie... Declined: Pika won't be protected species
02/04/2010
Federal officials decide not to provide endangered species protections to the American pika, a tiny, mountain-dwelling animal thought to be struggling because of climate change. Climate change - Endangered species - United States - Environment - Animal (15 h ago)

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02/04/2010
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• Bees see your face as a strange flower Bees see your face as a strange flower
02/04/2010
Bees can learn to recognize human faces, or at least face-like patterns, a new study suggests. Rather than specifically recognizing people, these nectar-feeding creatures view us as "strange flowers," the researchers say. Bee - Flower - Nectar - Human - Biology (17 h ago)

• Ancient dinosaur had stripes, researcher... Ancient dinosaur had stripes, researchers say
02/04/2010
Some dinosaurs had russet-colored feathers and one jazzy specimen had a Mohawk crest and stripes, researchers say in the first reports to confidently assign colors to dinosaurs. Dinosaur - Feather - Paleontology - Earth Science - earth (19 h ago)

• Pandas leave D.C., Atlanta for China Pandas leave D.C., Atlanta for China
02/04/2010
Two giant pandas born in American zoos were headed to China by special cargo jet Thursday to become part of a breeding program in their endangered species' native land. Giant Panda - Endangered species - China - Tai Shan - Atlanta (22 h ago)

• Cosmic Log: 10 history-makers in science Cosmic Log: 10 history-makers in science
02/03/2010
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Black History Month is not only an occasion for celebrating past achievements by African-Americans, but also for anticipating future discoveries. Black History Month - African American - Alan Boyle - Ethnicity - African (1 d ago)

• Ancient giant snakes devoured crocodiles Ancient giant snakes devoured crocodiles
02/03/2010
The largest snake the world has ever known likely had a diet that included crocodile, or at least an ancient relative of the reptile. Snake - Reptile - Crocodile - Biology - Reptiles and Amphibians (1 d ago)

• Chinese language tutor sought for U.S. p... Chinese language tutor sought for U.S. panda
02/03/2010
Ni hao — hello — Mei Lan! Chinese zookeepers are advertising for a tutor to teach Chinese to an American-born giant panda arriving this week in her parents' homeland. Mei Lan - United States - Chinese language - Chinese - Ethnicity (1 d ago)

• Reactions faster than actions, study fin... Reactions faster than actions, study finds
02/02/2010
The mythology of the Wild West suggests the person who draws first in a gunfight is usually the first to get shot, and new findings now hint at a reason why this might happen. American Old West - Mythology - Wild West - United States - Arts (2 d ago)

• Cosmic Log: Can you dodge the arrow of t... Cosmic Log: Can you dodge the arrow of time?
02/02/2010
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The last season of "Lost" might clear up fictional time-travel mysteries, but the true mysteries of time can be found in "From Eternity to Here." Time travel - Lost - Alan Boyle - Arrow of time - Physics (2 d ago)

• Hotter sands a threat to sea turtles Hotter sands a threat to sea turtles
02/02/2010
For the world's largest population of sea turtles, beach sand made hotter by climate change poses the greatest threat to their breeding success, a study finds. Sea turtle - Climate change - Population - Environment - Turtles (2 d ago)

• Some primates share, but others ... not ... Some primates share, but others ... not so much
02/02/2010
No matter how enticing the toy, bonobo apes always share, according to two recently published studies. Primate - Ape - Movies - Arts - Chimpanzee (2 d ago)

• Nice view! Space station gets a bay wind... Nice view! Space station gets a bay window
02/04/2010
Life has never been so good off the planet, and it's about to get better. Space station - Space - Technology - Bay window - Missions (15 h ago)

• New pictures of Pluto raise new question... New pictures of Pluto raise new questions
02/04/2010
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Pluto hasn't been getting much respect lately, but the Hubble Space Telescope's team has just unveiled a fresh look at the dwarf planet that's just a foretaste of the extreme close-up to come. Hubble Space Telescope - Dwarf planet - Pluto - Solar System - Astronomy (20 h ago)

• Video: Amateur video shows Challenger ex... Video: Amateur video shows Challenger explosion
02/04/2010
Never-before-seen amateur video surfaces showing the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports. (msnbc.com) Space Shuttle Challenger - Dara Brown - Msnbc.com - Space Shuttle - Space (21 h ago)

• Who owns this tennis-ball-sized space ro... Who owns this tennis-ball-sized space rock?
02/03/2010
An out-of-this world rock has become the center of a down-to-earth dispute over who its rightful owner should be. Tennis - sport - Shopping - Instruction - Training (1 d ago)

• Iran sends mouse, two turtles into space Iran sends mouse, two turtles into space
02/03/2010
Iran launches a research rocket carrying several animals into space and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his country can defeat the West in the battle of technology. Iran - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Middle East - Technology - West (1 d ago)

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02/03/2010
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• A star is born in nearby cosmic nursery A star is born in nearby cosmic nursery
02/03/2010
A near view offers astronomers a relatively local test bed for studying intense star formation processes that are usually hard to observe in detail because of their great distance from us. Star formation - Astronomy - Star - Milky Way - Star cluster (1 d ago)

• NASA grieves over canceled program NASA grieves over canceled program
02/02/2010
NASA and President Barack Obama's administration expect to spend months working out the specifics for their new plan for U.S. space exploration, even as some within the space agency mourn the loss of its current effort to send astronauts back to the moon. NASA - Barack Obama - Space exploration - President of the United States - Astronaut (2 d ago)

• The 'new' NASA will look back at Earth The 'new' NASA will look back at Earth
02/02/2010
NASA's new proposed budget will in part shift the space agency's focus from landing people on the moon back to Earth, with more money slated to go to projects that will help us understand our planet's climate and even plans to re-launch the carbon observatory that failed to launch last year. NASA - Earth - Technology - Space - List of space agencies (2 d ago)

• Probe tracks solar eclipse from outer sp... Probe tracks solar eclipse from outer space
02/02/2010
A spacecraft in Earth orbit recently captured a rare view of a solar eclipse from space. Solar eclipse - Earth - Eclipse - Astronomy - Eclipses Occultations and Transits (2 d ago)

• Two asteroids suspected in space collisi... Two asteroids suspected in space collision
02/02/2010
A mysterious trail of debris spotted in space suggests two asteroids recently slammed into each other. Asteroid - Space - Astronomy - Solar System - Small Bodies (2 d ago)

• Crystals in meteorite harder than diamon... Crystals in meteorite harder than diamonds
02/02/2010
Researchers using a diamond paste to polish a slice of meteorite stumbled onto something remarkable: crystals in the rock that are harder than diamonds. Rock music - Diamond - Business - Jewelry - Meteorite (2 d ago)

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On May 27, 2010 Obama gave a speech stating he wan...
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Last night 01/19/2009 there was a lot of movement ...
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• etc: Feathered, pigmented dinosaurs app... etc: Feathered, pigmented dinosaurs appear to be everywhere these days. This week, they're in Science, along with a picture that shows just how fuzzy the bird/dinosaur border is.
02/04/2010
Feathered, pigmented dinosaurs appear to be everywhere these days. This week, they're in Science , along with a picture that shows just how fuzzy the bird/dinosaur border is. Read More: The paper , Some coverage. (19 h ago)

• No formal charges from first climate e-m... No formal charges from first climate e-mail investigations
02/03/2010
There seemed to be no end of armchair scholars willing to evaluate the legal, scientific, and policy implications of the e-mail archive stolen from climate researchers at the University of East Anglia. But the actual relevant authorities are beginning to weigh in and, so far, the decisions are quite nuanced. In the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office was tasked with investigating whether the e-mails constituted evidence of violations of that nation's Freedom of Information Act. The ICO has decided that, although information requests were "not dealt with as they should have been," prosecutions need to be started within six months of the violation. Since any actual violations occurred in 2008, there's no point in launching a full investigation, although the ICO is now considering whether a change in the law is justified. Some of the e-mails in the archive were exchanged with Michael Mann, a climate researcher at Penn State most closely identified with the "hockey stick" profile of modern temperatures. The university began receiving calls and e-mails filled with complaints about Mann once the CRU e-mails went public. "Given the sheer volume of the communications to Penn State," the university's investigation states, "the similarity of their content and their sources, which included University alumni, federal and state politicians, and others, many of whom had had no relationship with Penn State, it was concluded that the matter required examination by the cognizant University official." Despite the huge volume of material, nobody ever formally lodged any charges of research misconduct, so the investigative committee essentially had to make up its own by distilling the essence of the various complaints. After having examined the relevant e-mails, other e-mail provided by Mann, and interviewing Mann himself, the committee determined that there was no evidence that Mann destroyed, suppressed, or falsified data, or misused any confidential or privileged information obtained during peer review or from embargoed papers. But the committee did not give Mann a complete exoneration, as the university's research policy contains the following: "Public trust in the integrity and ethical behavior of scholars is essential if research and other scholarly activities are to play their proper role in the University and in society." The committee has felt that an investigation was warranted into whether the obvious lack of public trust in Mann among some communities may be the product of some of his past actions, even though his scientific work has been cleared via an investigation by the National Academies of Science. That issue has the potential to be quite interesting. For a variety of reasons, the entire scientific community has lost the trust of some segments of society, who are literally accusing its members of engaging in fraud and political conspiracies. Mann himself is also unusual in terms of his public engagement, given that he's a contributor to the Real Climate blog. To a certain extent, the investigators will have to consider the role of a scholar in light of the Internet, which both enables direct public engagement and rampaging conspiracy theories. (1 d ago)

• LHC gears up for a long run at half powe... LHC gears up for a long run at half power before long pause
02/03/2010
Last week, the people in charge of CERN, the European physics lab that is responsible for the highest energy particle collider on the planet, met to decide a course of action for the coming years. Faced with the reality that equipment upgrades would be necessary before the Large Hadron Collider could reach its full, 14TeV energy levels, the managers decided to plan for a long run at half the rated maximum before shutting it down for extensive work. According to the CERN news page , 7.0TeV collisions (meaning each of the collider's proton beams running at 3.5TeV) are within the current operational bounds of the machine. But the superconducting hardware that distributes power to the the magnets that control the beams haven't been fully updated. This hardware was responsible for the failure that shut the LHC down after its short initial run, so its limitations should be fairly clear to the CERN staff. Replacing this equipment requires that the LHC be warmed up from its normal operating temperatures, which are near absolute zero. That, in turn, requires major downtime. So, run a machine at the highest energies yet achieved, or shut it down for a long time in order to go even higher? The decision was to perform an initial run at 7TeV until a specific data target was reached, which should take 18 months to two years. At that point, the LHC would be shut down for upgrades that could take a year or more. Science is reporting that the delay has caused Fermilab administrators to reevaluate plans to shut the Tevatron down. The initial run of the machine allowed researchers to calibrate their instruments on known particles—a scientist who works on the ATLAS detector told Ars that the initial data was "absolutely beautiful." Dealing with extended operational data should give the grid computing system that analyzes the results a full workout, and may even turn up some predicted particles that lie outside of the reach of the Tevatron's energies. Next week, we'll be taking a tour of Brookhaven's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider that will include a teleconference with scientists at CERN, so expect more from the world of particle physics soon. (1 d ago)

• The Lancet retracts paper linking MMR va... The Lancet retracts paper linking MMR vaccines and autism
02/03/2010
This week, after receiving the conclusions of a multiyear ethics investigation of UK doctor Andrew Wakefield performed by the General Medical Counsel (GMC), the editors of British medical journal The Lancet formally retracted a study which purported to find a link between the childhood MMR vaccine, gastrointestinal disease, and autism. It was published in 1998 and has been a source of controversy ever since. When I started at Nobel Intent, I found that there were five topics that were guaranteed to cause a flame-fest to erupt in the comments: evolution, circumcision, climate change, dark matter/energy, and vaccine-autism links. While people have issues with the scientific consensus for any number of reasons, much of the problems with the final topic can be traced to Wakefield's study. (1 d ago)

• Paleontologists find evidence of birds' ... Paleontologists find evidence of birds' dinosaur ancestors
02/02/2010
Many different kinds of animals coexisted during the Jurassic period, from primitive birds to two-legged, large-jawed dinosaurs. As different as they sound, paleontologists have found extensive evidence that they share a common ancestry. Two new studies of fossils from China show that bird-like dinosaurs predate the earliest official birds, and shed light on the origin of feathers. Scientists have generally accepted that birds and theropods, bipedal dinosaurs à la Tyrannosaurus rex, share a common history somewhere back down the genetic line, but they've had trouble locating ancestors of the two groups. The early appearance of the first known bird-like animal, the archaeopteryx, relative to theropods has been particularly confounding, and has even been taken as evidence by some paleontologists that the two groups are unrelated. (2 d ago)

• Med schools not responding to ghostwriti... Med schools not responding to ghostwriting scandals
02/02/2010
The open access journal PLoS Medicine has been at the forefront of a closely related issue: full disclosure. In 2009, it was on the winning side of a suit that helped reveal the extent of ghostwriting in the biomedical literature. The practice, in which pharmaceutical companies pay for the production of a medical research article without the activity being disclosed, can distort the scientific record. Now, the journal has published a new study that indicates few of the top medical schools have any policy in place to govern ghostwriting among their faculty. Most medical journals recognize that industry-sponsored studies can suffer from conflicts of interest, and may selectively promote positive results or underplay the significance of negative ones. As a result, they generally demand that all authors of a paper disclose potential conflicts. This specific form of ghostwriting undercuts that process: since the writers aren't credited, their conflicts never get listed. The new article cites specific instances where misleading results were ghostwritten in a way that minimized the issues with Vioxx and Paxil. So, how are medical institutions responding to this problem? For the most part, they're not. The authors searched for policies regarding authorship and ghostwriting at the top 50 medical research centers and, in over half the cases, failed to find any, even after consulting research librarians at those institutions. Only 10 specifically prohibit ghostwriting, while another three have stringent authorship policies that effectively block its use. The authors make an impassioned argument that this must change, as they view ghostwriting as a public health threat, and one that violates academic norms. They call on deans of academic medical centers to explicitly ban the practice by the end of this academic year, and call on the National Institutes of Health to refuse to fund any research at institutions that refuse. It would be a radical measure, but the institutions are apparently not responding to repeated discoveries of unethical behavior, suggesting something radical might be needed. PLoS Medicine , 2010. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000230 (2 d ago)

• Pluto images show a dynamic wo... Pluto images show a dynamic world
02/04/2010
The dwarf planet looks icy and dark molasses-colored, and it shows dramatic seasonal atmospheric changes, astronomers say. Newly computer-processed images of Pluto taken by the Hubble Space Telescope show that it is not simply a ball of ice and rock, but a dynamic world that undergoes dramatic atmospheric changes produced by its seasons, NASA said Thursday. (17 h ago)

• Proposed NASA budget plots ent... Proposed NASA budget plots entrepreneur-friendly course
02/04/2010
President Obama's plan to abandon a return mission to the moon and rely more on private start-ups would be a blow to big contractors like Northrop and Boeing while encouraging smaller rivals. Big defense firms are reeling from President Obama's call to reshape NASA and scrap plans for sending astronauts back to the moon, an ambitious endeavor that would have meant billions of dollars in spending to develop new rockets and spacecraft. (1 d ago)

• Penn State panel partially cle... Penn State panel partially clears professor in climate e-mail inquiry
02/04/2010
Exonerated of three allegations, a full investigation is launched into whether Michael E. Mann violated academic standards in researching global warming. A Penn State University panel on Wednesday cleared a climate professor of falsifying data, concealing information and misusing confidential information, but ordered a full investigation into whether he violated academic standards in researching global warming. (1 d ago)

• Brains of vegetative patients ... Brains of vegetative patients show life
02/04/2010
Five of 54 unresponsive subjects in a new study demonstrate brain activity indicating awareness, with one able to respond to simple questions. In a study certain to rekindle debate over life-sustaining care for those with grievous brain injuries, researchers report that five patients thought to be in a persistent vegetative state showed brain activity indicating awareness, intent and, in at least one case, a wish to communicate. (1 d ago)

• Turkeys domesticated not once,... Turkeys domesticated not once, but twice
02/03/2010
New research indicates that the birds were tamed in Mesoamerica and what is now the southwestern United States, with the poultry we eat today is descending from the former region. Turkeys, the only domesticated animals from the New World that are now used globally, were actually domesticated twice -- once in Mesoamerica as was previously believed and once in what is now the southwestern United States. (1 d ago)

• Astronomers spot aftermath of ... Astronomers spot aftermath of asteroid collision
02/02/2010
An object trailing debris was originally thought to be a comet, but images taken by Hubble indicate that two asteroids apparently collided head-on. Researchers have never seen anything like it. An object imaged last week by the Hubble Space Telescope looks at first glance to be a comet, but a closer examination indicates it is something researchers have never seen before -- the immediate aftermath of two asteroids colliding. (2 d ago)

• Report linking autism to vacci... Report linking autism to vaccines is retracted by medical journal
02/02/2010
The Lancet issues a retraction on the 12-year-old paper by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, which suggested a possible connection between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism. The report led to a sharp drop in vaccination rates. Twelve years after Dr. Andrew Wakefield published his research in the international medical journal the Lancet purporting that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine may be linked to autism, the journal on Tuesday formally retracted the paper. (2 d ago)

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