2007 August

The reported sighting of a Yangtze River dolphin, or Baiji, means there is still a chance for people to take further action and protect the cetaceans in the Yangtze from extinction, according to World Wildlife Fund.
The Chinese media reported that a local businessman in Tongling City in east China’s Anhui Province filmed “a big white […]

If half your company’s bandwidth is allocated to your mirror in New York, and it’s the middle of the night there, and your sites in London and Tokyo are slammed, that New York bandwidth is going to waste. UC San Diego computer scientists have designed, implemented, and evaluated a new bandwidth management system for cloud-based […]

Greenhouse gases likely accounted for over half of the widespread warmth across the continental United States in 2006, according to a new study that will be published 5 September in Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union. Last year’s average temperature was the second highest since recordkeeping began in 1895. The team […]

In work that could one day help prevent millions of dollars in economic losses for seaside communities, MIT chemists have demonstrated how tiny marine organisms likely produce the red tide toxin that periodically shuts down U.S. beaches and shellfish beds.
In the Aug. 31 cover story of Science, the MIT team describes an elegant method for […]

Streams, lakes, and bays may soon be cleaner thanks to an innovative approach to managing stormwater runoff being developed at Virginia Tech and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
A novel software application will help engineers and planners select the most efficient and site specific methods — called "Best Management Practices" (BMPs) — of […]

Researchers may be able to tinker with a single amino acid of an enzyme that helps viruses multiply to render them harmless, according to molecular biologists who say the discovery could pave the way for a fast and cheap method of making vaccines.
"We have successfully tested this technique with poliovirus," said Craig Cameron, the Paul […]

Sleep disorder and ear, nose and throat specialists at Thomas Jefferson University are examining an innovative procedure to treat obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
In the procedure, known as Genial Bone Advancement Trephine (GBAT), a small portion of the lower jaw which attaches to the tongue is moved forward, to pull the tongue away from the back […]

We took a first look at Logitech’s VX Nano notebook mouse when it was first announced, and from all angles (read theoretically) it appeared to be another successful product in the company’s ever expanding peripherals portfolio. Yes, we tend to be biased from time to time, but you can’t blame us. Logitech has a historic […]

Computer scientists at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, in collaboration with colleagues from the Netherlands, are using a novel peer-to-peer video sharing application to explore a next-generation model for safe and legal electronic commerce that uses Internet bandwidth as a global currency.
The application is an enhanced version of a program called Tribler, originally […]

Is heading straight for a goal the quickest way there” If the name of the game is evolution, suggests new research at the Weizmann Institute of Science, the pace might speed up if the goals themselves change continuously.
Nadav Kashtan, Elad Noor and Prof. Uri Alon of the Institute’s Molecular Cell Biology and Physics of Complex […]

A nasal spray is safe and effective at rapidly treating cluster headaches, which are considered to be the most painful kind of headache with few treatment options, according to a study published in the August 28, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The double-blind trial involved 52 people with […]

Researchers at Purdue University have further developed a technology that could represent a pollution-free energy source for a range of potential applications, from golf carts to submarines and cars to emergency portable generators.
The technology produces hydrogen by adding water to an alloy of aluminum and gallium. When water is added to the alloy, the aluminum […]

DLO is the new Kensington with its simple, functional products that do one thing and do it well. Simplicity is the new theme in consumer electronics, and it shows, especially with DLO. The latest in DLO’s iPod accessory lineup is iBoom Travel, a wisely named boombox for the world’s most popular media player. This is […]

Archaeologists have discovered a footprint made by the sandal of a Roman soldier in a wall surrounding the Hellenistic-Roman city of Hippos (Sussita), east of the Sea of Galilee. The footprint was discovered during this eighth season of excavation, led by Prof. Arthur Segal from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa […]

Rice University chemists have found a way to package some of nature’s most powerful radioactive particles inside DNA-sized tubes of pure carbon — a method they hope to use to target tiny tumors and even lone leukemia cells.
"There are no FDA-approved cancer therapies that employ alpha-particle radiation," said lead researcher Lon Wilson, professor of chemistry. […]

Australian and French scientists have made another breakthrough in the technology that will drive next generation computers and teleportation.
The researchers have successfully superposed light beams, which produces a state that appears to be both on and off at once.
Light beams that are simultaneously on and off are vital for the next-generation super computers which should […]

Planning for a summer delivery for your child? You might want to choose an ophthalmologist along with an obstetrician.
If your child is born in the winter or fall, it will have better long-range eyesight throughout its lifetime and less chance of requiring thick corrective glasses, predicts a Tel Aviv University investigation led by Dr. Yossi […]

Scientists are researching new ways of harnessing the sun’s rays which could eventually make it cheaper for people to use solar energy to power their homes.
The experts at Durham University are developing light-absorbing materials for use in the production of thin-layer solar photovoltaic (PV) cells which are used to convert light energy into electricity.
The four-year […]

University of Minnesota astronomers have found an enormous hole in the Universe, nearly a billion light-years across, empty of both normal matter such as stars, galaxies and gas, as well as the mysterious, unseen “dark matter.” While earlier studies have shown holes, or voids, in the large-scale structure of the Universe, this new discovery dwarfs […]

The traditional emphasis on dense, fast-growing, conifer-dominated forests in the Pacific Northwest raises questions about the health of dozens of animal species that depend on shrubs, herbs and broad-leaf trees, a new analysis by Oregon State University and the U.S. Geological Survey suggests.
At least 78 vertebrate species have been documented that require, in one way […]