Politics

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2199093.stm sadly it looks like this probe isn't going to get to bite the cometary dust like it was intended to. Looks like it bit it's own dust first...

from wired.com

In 2001, researches found the FOXP2 gene to be linked to many aspects of language, specifically through enabling precise orofacial control. When this gene is not functioning correctly, severe speech impairment occurs. According to a new study appearing in Nature, this gene was a mutation in humans about 200,000 years ago- around the same time cultures begin to develop. The gene, found on the 7th chromosome, contains 2 polyglutamine tracts, which contains repeats of CAG and CAA, which is conducive to elevated mutation rates. It has been found there are mutations in other primates preventing the gene from being functional, however ignoring the polyglutamine sections, there …

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2188107.stm now if they did this, would it not be infinitely cool? I'm a little cynical about the price tag though. someone mentions $10bn .... no way ...... ten trillion maybe, I can't see them building it with such a trivially small amount of cash.

From Yahoo News:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2166598.stm nice little atricle abuot ESA's quest to deflect an asteroid.

MSNBC is carrying a report on how The National Academy of Sciences is evaluating the advantages of witholding information when studies are published, in an attempt to keep the information from terrorists. In my opinion, it is common sense with the war on terrorism to censor any information that could be used by our "enemy". Homeland Security advisors should have considered this quite a while ago. And as the headline questions, Should scientists hold back research?

A natural chemical, known as PYY3-36, is normally released by the gut after eating in proportion to the amount of calories consumed. It sends signals to the feeding circuits in the brain that convey a sense of satiety that reduces the urge to eat. Full Story: here. Why do I keep posting about obesity? Well, considering half of America is overweight, I guess it's a "hot" topic. Plus, I always appreciate something new coming out of science.

While watching CNN Headline News the other night, I saw this interesting story on how Botox (a wrinkle-smoothing toxin) can ease movement after a stroke. One patient, a woman in her 20s, had suffered a stroke after giving birth. With one hand permanently clenched, she was reduced to changing diapers with the help of her teeth. After the toxin injections directly into the hand, she was able to handle diapers again. Source: CNN Read the full story, here.

The percentage of students using any illicit drug -- including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and others -- dropped to 22.3 percent, the lowest level registered by the study since the 1993-94 school year. Source: CNN Full Story,here. This is kind of old news, but very interesting considering all the anti-drug related commercials you see on TV these days. Someone must be doing something right.

NewScientist is reporting that pairs of photons quantumly entangled can pass through sheets of metal without the entanglement being destroyed. This could lead to advances in quantum computing. Journal reference: Nature (vol 418, p 304)

BBC is reporting that scientists have broken the second law of thermodynamics. I somehow feel that this is a media distortion, as usual, but I could be very wrong. Perhaps someone more well versed in physics can explain better.

This is kind of an old story, but I just noticed it today and since I'm in the PDA market, I thought this was really cool... 80211-planet.com is reporting on a 802.11b NIC card for SD slots on most devices. SyChip projects OEM manufacturers may be producing it late this year, according to a more recent article. Also, I'd like to hear any advice/comments on high-end PDAs, reply to this thread or post in the computer science forum.

NewScientist is reporting that "Doctors in the US have detected the first Staphyloccocus aureus bacteria that are highly resistant to vancomycin, known as the antibiotic of last resort." Won't be long until none of our drugs work

Scientific American Magazine has a very interesting article on the benefits of asynchronous computing, and how synchronous computing could be a thing of the past soon. Moore's Law is proving more and more true every day.

MERNA, Neb. - A mysterious mile-wide dent in the earth has generated a debate among scientists about whether the depression was the catastrophic creation of a meteorite, or the patient work of Mother Nature. Kinda interesting. Its an AOL keyword, ill get a link to the story in a few days. Sorry to any non-AOL users. [[Link for non-aol users mystery crater -blike]]

PopularScience has an article on a new prototype vehicle that could travel from N.Y. to D.C. using only 1 gallon of gasoline. This could help our homeland security, by allowing us to rely less on foreign imports, and also our smog problem in major cities.

New Scientist.com reports of a possible amino acid found in space. This will certainly add to the debate of potential life outside our planet. The article can be accessed here.

MSNBC has an article on how scientists have improved the brains of mice by altering their genetic structure.

PhysicsWeb is carrying an article on the improvement of silicon usage.

NewScientist is reporting on a quantum gyroscope that could reveal Universe's spin..

In the largest pharmaceutical acquisition ever, CNN Money is reporting that the largest drug company in the world, Pfizer, will purchase rival Pharmacia for $60 billion in stock. The immediate effects of this were Pfizer shares going down, and Pharmacia shares going up. Click here for the Pharmacology forum.

According to an article in NewScientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers have officially admitted that data was fabricated when they reported Kr ions being fired into a Pb target produced element 118. They retracted their discovery after it could not reproduced, and now have come forward stating 1 member of the 15 person team falsified data. Click here for the Theoretical Chemistry forum.

BioMedCentral has an article on the decision made by the Presidentially Appointed Council on Biomethics. Click here for the Biomedical Ethics forum.

Nature Science Update posted an article about an experiment showing that a perovskite (LaFe0.57Co0.38Pd0.05O3) can reduce the amount of precious metal currently used to break down harmful vehicle exhaust gases by up to 90%. Check out the article for more details, as I'm not familiar enough with this area to write about it.