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Conference on service research, Stuttgart, Germany

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The RESER conference 2008 on service research will take place on September 25 and 26 in Stuttgart, Germany. RESER (European Association for Research on Services) is an interdisciplinary European network focusing on issues of service research. At …

International symposium on RNAi in vivo applications, Brussels, Belgium

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The European research project RIGHT ('RNA interference technology as human therapeutic tool') is organising its final international symposium on ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) in vivo applications from 3 to 5 November in Brussels, …

Arctic ice possibly heading for all time low

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The Arctic ice pack has shrunk to its second lowest level since satellite observations began some 30 years ago, according to new data released by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). On 26 August, …

Water treatment technology to clean up arsenic problem in southern Asia

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Researchers from Queen's University Belfast, Ireland, have developed a low-cost, eco-friendly and easy-to-use groundwater treatment technology that addresses the problem of widespread arsenic poisoning in southern Asia. The development came …

The answer to changing currents lies in the wind

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

In the Age of Sail, knowledge of the world's ocean currents was a must. They controlled the fortunes of sailors and whole nations. Now a collaborative study between Spanish and German researchers has discovered for the first time how small …

Speculation Focuses on iPhone Tethering Approval

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Having banned from its App Store an application that turned an iPhone 3G into a wireless modem, is Apple ready to enable just such an application itself?

That's the rumor based on an e-mail response allegedly from Apple CEO Steve Jobs to an inquiring user. The questioner forwarded the response to the Gizmodo blog, which posted the question and Jobs' purported response.

The question: Why, since AT&T offers a plan by which users can pay an extra $30 to tether their laptops to their BlackBerry, don't Apple and AT&T offer a similar plan for iPhone 3G users?

The response: "We agree, and are discussing it with ATT." The message is signed "Steve" and includes the familiar tag, "Sent from my iPhone."

E-Mail Legit?

Gizmodo thinks the response is "legitimate-looking," but concedes "that 'Sent from my iPhone' kicker either makes this e-mail completely legitimate or illegitimate." On the other hand, Wired News engaged in a little grammatical sleuthing, noting that a message, purportedly from Jobs, posted on the MacRumors site contained a similar construction.

"We are working on some bugs which affect around two percent of the iPhones shipped, and hope to have a software update soon," the message read. Wired points out that both messages incorrectly use a comma before the "and." (A comma is appropriate to separate independent clauses; in both cases the phrases after the comma are dependent clauses.)

"I don't mean to draw a conclusion based on this nitpicky observation, but I just thought it'd be interesting to point out," Wired writer Brian Chen pointed out.

AT&T Terms of Service

Any tethering application would require a change to AT&T's terms of service. Those terms state: "Furthermore, plans (unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/PDA-to-computer...

Yahoo Will End Mash To Start a New Social Service

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Yahoo plans to smash Mash, just one year after launching the new profile service. Yahoo describes Mash as a new approach to users' profiles that brings people together and keeps things interesting.

Mash users are being told that Mash will close on Sept. 29. The company plans to consolidate what it has learned with Mash into a new profile experience.

"We launched Mash as an experimental profile service with the goal of providing an interactive and social way of connecting with others," said Yahoo spokesperson Devon Corvasce. "Yahoo has announced we will soon be launching a new profile experience (an upgrade to profiles.yahoo.com) to work across the network, in the effort to make all of Yahoo more social."

Asked when the new service would launch, Corvasce said, "At this time, we are not publicly discussing the launch date of the new profile experience. You can look forward to seeing it in coming months."

Testing the Social Waters

Yahoo first began testing the Mash service is September 2007, making its foray into social networking. Yahoo offered the service to selected people outside of Yahoo's walls. Some observers speculated Yahoo offered the beta service after its expected purchase of Facebook failed.

Mash includes similar features to Facebook, MySpace, and My Yahoo. Mash users are able to create and customize a profile by filling Web pages with information, add modules such as photos and Web games, and add applications such as Flickr RSS, Common Friends, Asteroids, PimpMyPet, Kaleidescope and more. Friends are also able to make changes to the user's page.

The intent was to extend features of the experimental Mash into other Yahoo services, according to the company. Yahoo also hinted about adding social-networking functions to its e-mail service.

A Yahoo community manager said earlier this year that users' dedication to mashing had helped the community...

Apple Wont Fix iPhone Passcode Hole Until September

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The latest iPhone embarrassment is a security hole that makes it simple to access stored data on supposedly locked iPhones. Apple said Thursday that a software patch to solve the problem is in the works.

An unauthorized user can exploit the security hole simply by double-pressing the button to make an emergency call. That behavior brings up the owner's preferred contacts and clicking on a number provides full access to the phone's features. Clicking on an e-mail provides access to all e-mail. And clicking on a contact name provides full access to all contacts data.

Apple spokesperson Jennifer Bowcock said, "The minor iPhone security issue which surfaced this week is fixed in a software update which will be released in September."

There is a simple workaround, Bowcock said: iPhone owners can simply change the settings so double-clicking the emergency button returns a user to the home screen, which will present a password login field if password protection is turned on.

'Design Deficiency'

While an attacker must be in physical possession of the iPhone to exploit the security bug, it "highlights a fundamental design deficiency with the iPhone," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations with nCircle Network Security.

"Despite Steve Jobs from day one saying the iPhone was secure, functionality and aesthetics of the device seem to always win out over security," Storms said. A case in point, Storms said, "Apple quickly released updates to fix 3G connectivity issues this year, but consistently takes many months to release security updates."

This particular security hole -- a simple bypass of access restrictions -- was created by Apple's preference for functionality over security, he added. "Even when a user chooses to physically secure the device with a four-digit passcode, Apple has chosen to still permit the user to use some functionality," Storms said. "By selecting to perform...

Want IE8 Beta 2? You May Have To Jump Through Hoops

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Microsoft warned developers preparing to download the new Beta 2 release of Internet Explorer 8 that under certain conditions those who have already installed IE8 Beta 1 cannot revert to older iterations of the browser.

For Windows XP users with IE8 Beta 1 already installed, Windows XP Service Pack 3 and IE8 Beta 2 would become permanent, said Jane Maliouta, the deployment product manager for IE8 at Microsoft. "You will still be able to upgrade to later IE8 builds as they become available, but you won't be able to uninstall them," she said.

Incompatibility Issues

Developers will need to be careful because IE8 Beta 2 will not work with several key services, applications and add-on programs, including certain versions of the Google Toolbar, RealPlayer and Skype, and is even incompatible with Microsoft products and services, such as Visual Studio .NET and Windows Live Mail. IE8 Beta 2 users also are currently unable to view movies on demand from Netflix, though Microsoft said the two companies are working to resolve the compatibility issue as quickly as possible.

Maliouta strongly encouraged those who have already downloaded IE8 Beta 1 to follow several steps before installing the new Beta 2 version. First uninstall the Beta 1 version and SP3 for Windows XP, followed by reinstalling SP3, and only then install IE8 Beta 2.

"If you have IE8 Beta 1 installed, the IE8 installer will automatically uninstall any earlier versions and then install the latest version of IE8 Beta 2 for you," Maliouta said. "You will be prompted to reboot twice. The first reboot is to remove IE8 Beta 1 from your machine and the second one to complete the IE8 Beta 2 installation."

According to Microsoft, IE8 Beta 1 was only intended for use by developers. Consumers running Windows XP need not worry about downloading IE8...

Ancient gold treasure puzzles archaeologists

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

A priceless gold wreath has been unearthed in an ancient city in northern Greece, buried with human bones in a large copper vase that workers initially took for a land mine.

Grease to Greece racers run on cooking oil

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Fuelled only by used cooking fat, eight teams completed a 2,500-mile car rally from London to Athens on Wednesday in a bid to promote awareness of cheap and environmentally-friendly bio-fuels.

Comcast Limits Homes To 250GB in New Public Policy

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Comcast has made it official: Home Internet service customers are limited to 250GB of data per month. According to the company, the move is in response to heavy usage by some customers that can cause network congestion.

The new policy was posted on Comcast's Web site early Friday, and the meter starts running on Oct. 1.

Charlie Douglas, director of corporate communications for online services, said, "The amount of data measured is aggregate monthly usage of uploads and downloads."

And Comcast has added some teeth to the usage limit -- the first time the limit is exceeded, the offending customer will receive a phone call from a Comcast representative. The second violation will result in a shutdown of Internet service for one year.

The amended service policy states in part: "It's no secret we've been evaluating a specific monthly data usage or bandwidth threshold for our Comcast High-Speed Internet residential customers for some time." The threshold is high for the majority of Comcast users.

Examples of what a 250GB limit equates to are cited in the amendment, such as sending 50 million e-mails, downloading 62,500 songs, 125 standard-definition movies, or uploading 25,000 high-resolution digital photos. The policy says the median monthly usage for residential Comcast customers is 2GB to 3GB per month.

Bandwidth Hogs

Some observers say Comcast has a reasonable argument. The company has expanded rapidly into business and residential phone service, meanwhile maintaining its large cable-television enterprise. There is only so much available bandwidth at any given time.

Comcast is moving data, voice and television and high-definition video over the same pipes. It only takes a few peer-to-peer file-sharing applications to cause unexpected congestion.

Making Policies Public

Comcast's previous efforts to address the problem brought a rebuke from the Federal Communications Commission. Comcast was caught throttling down the connections of BitTorrent P2P users on...

Veoh Decision May Not Let Google Off the Hook

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

In a first-of-its kind decision, a California federal court has dismissed a copyright-infringement lawsuit against online video-sharing site Veoh Networks. IO Group, an adult entertainment company, filed the suit against Veoh, alleging the site displayed its content in violation of copyright laws. But Magistrate Judge Howard Lloyd of the U.S. District Court in San Jose ruled against the gay-porn distributor on Wednesday.

IO Group's suit is not unlike Viacom's $1.6 billion lawsuit against Google-owned YouTube. In fact, MySpace, MP3tunes, Hi5, Stage6 and several other sites are facing similar battles over user-generated content.

Could this ruling be a boon for these sites? Or is the ruling merely an isolated incident in a California trial court? Google and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are betting on the former.

Web 2.0 Required Reading

EFF Legal Analyst Fred von Lohman said the ruling should be required reading for the executives of every Web 2.0 business that relies on user-generated content. The key to Veoh's victory, he said, was its scrupulous attention to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbors.

"Veoh responded to compliant DMCA takedown notices on a same-day basis, it notified users of its policies against copyright infringement, it registered a copyright agent with the copyright office, it terminated users who were repeat infringers and blocked new registrations from the same e-mail addresses, it used hashes to stop the same infringing videos from being uploaded by other users," von Lohman wrote in the EFF blog.

As von Lohman sees it, Judge Lloyd's ruling debunks some of the favorite arguments of entertainment-industry lawyers and gives YouTube a boost in its billion-dollar battle against Viacom.

YouTube's Repeat Infringer Dilemma

But the Google case is a little different. While the California court did spell out that there is no affirmative obligation for service providers to track users or police their sites, the context of...

New technology transfer brochure: “Research – Development – Consulting”

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

From modelling or simulation technologies to new materials or ecological questions: The Universität Stuttgart is not only an internationally renown research university, but also an experienced partner for experts from industry, the government or public administration. The brochure “Research – Development – Consulting”, which has recently been published, provides an insight into the research being undertaken in more than 150 institutes and associated research centres of the university. The researchers of the university are experts in fundamental and applied research as well as third party research and materials testing and evaluation.

Category: Press
Date: 29 Aug 2008

Hackers Take Aim at Users of Facebook

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

On the Internet, popularity often draws the attention of hackers. So it is not surprising that Facebook has become the target of a spate of attacks, just as the membership on the site has swelled to about 100 million active users worldwide.

In recent days, many Facebook users have seen a sharp increase in spam, some of it pretty racy. Over the weekend, several Facebook users contacted this newspaper saying that their accounts appeared to have been hijacked, and some said their accounts had been deactivated.

Facebook acknowledges that it has been under attack but suggested the problems were largely under control. "Over the past few days, we have received reports from users of spam and phishing attacks," the company said in a statement. "We have also detected and contained a worm. We are investigating every report, removing false content, blocking bogus links and addressing the concerns of our users. These efforts have limited the affected users to a small percentage of those on Facebook."

Some of the attacks were linked to Koobface, an Internet worm that began targeting Facebook and MySpace users in late July. Since then, the Internet security firm Kaspersky Lab has identified about 27 variants of Koobface.

"It is very similar to a lot of the old worms," said David Emm, a senior technology consultant at Kaspersky.

Emm said Koobface, like many other viruses and worms, relies on what is known as "social engineering" techniques, which attempt to trick people into performing actions that will expose them unwittingly to a virus.

The technique may prove particularly effective on social networks, he said.

"If you receive messages from a friend on a social network, you are not expecting them to be a vehicle to carry a worm or Trojan horse," Emm said.

In the wake of Koobface, that may change.

In the meantime, Facebook recommends...

Blogger Arrested over Leak of Guns N Roses Songs

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

A blogger suspected of streaming songs from the unreleased Guns N' Roses album "Chinese Democracy" on his Web site was arrested Wednesday and appeared in court, where his bail was set at $10,000.

FBI agents arrested 27-year-old Kevin Cogill on Wednesday morning on suspicion of violating federal copyright laws. Cogill appeared in court in the afternoon wearing a T-shirt; his girlfriend sat court and afterward said, "Rally the troops," but declined further comment.

Federal authorities say Cogill posted nine unreleased Guns N' Roses songs on his Web site in June. The songs were later removed.

In later posts, Cogill wrote that the FBI had questioned him and asked his readers if any of them knew a good attorney. He was represented Wednesday by a federal public defender.

According to an arrest affidavit, Cogill admitted to agents that he posted the songs on his Web site. Prosecutors said Wednesday the leak could result in a "significant" financial loss for the band.

Cogill will not face any special Internet restrictions, but was ordered to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 17.

"Guns N' Roses representatives have been made aware of the arrest and are leaving the matter to the authorities," said Larry Solters, the band's spokesman.

"Chinese Democracy" is a much anticipated -- and repeatedly delayed -- new album by Guns N' Roses that is more than 10 years in the making. At least one of the album's songs could be heard legally: The band wrote on its Web site in July that its track, "Shackler's Revenge" will be featured on the video game Rock Band 2, slated for release in September.

Reborn Retail Site Fires Salvo in Shipping War

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

With gas prices high and consumers stretching shopping dollars, competition is heating up online for deals -- and a discount retail site hopes to fan the flames by shipping orders for $1.95.

Chicago-based Enable Holdings Inc. plans to launch RedTag.com on Friday and sell retailers' excess inventory at a fixed price. Its shipping charge will undercut a similar site, Overstock.com Inc., which charges $2.95 for standard ground shipping.

"We're willing to take less for shipping because we think you'll buy five more items from us -- as opposed to if we got as much as we could from you, shipping this product, you may never buy again," said Enable Holdings' CEO, Jeffrey D. Hoffman.

The site is coming online a few months after gas hit $4 per gallon, a milestone that caused many consumers to see buying online as a way to make fewer car trips, said Scott Silverman, executive director of the National Retail Federation's digital division, Shop.org.

Even though fuel prices have come down, he thinks the habits consumers have adopted to save gas are still in place. Cheap or free shipping could be another way to keep them shopping on the Web.

This launch marks a revival of RedTag.com, which shuttered in 2004. Enable Holdings, which runs uBid.com, an auction site for excess inventory, bought the RedTag Internet address this spring from one of its major shareholders.

RedTag is selling items it gets mainly from retailers that have gone out of business, or manufacturers that have produced more of a product than was sold. Sometimes companies want to get an older model -- a laptop, for example -- off store shelves to make room for a new one.

By selling such excess goods, a site like RedTag has more flexibility than regular retailers in negotiating with manufacturers on the final price of a product,...

Study: Missing Gene May Impair Appetite Control

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Some obese children and adults who eat excessively may be missing a gene for a brain chemical involved in controlling appetite, according to a study in today's New England Journal of Medicine.

Low levels of the chemical are also linked to long-term memory loss and difficulties in sensing pain.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health examined 33 children and adults with a rare condition in which groups of genes have been deleted. Called WAGR syndrome, the genetic aberration is found in about 250 people in the USA.

Half of the people studied lacked one of two genes for a brain chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The ones missing the gene had low blood levels of the chemical. By age 10, all of those missing the gene were obese and reported a strong tendency to overeat. Those who had two working copies of the BDNF gene were no more likely to be obese in childhood or to report unusually high levels of overeating than the general population.

Scientists suspected that people within the group had abnormalities with the gene, and they believe a larger segment of the population has the same problem.

The missing gene may explain why some people can't seem to control their eating or lose weight, says Jack Yanovski, head of the Unit on Growth and Obesity at NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

"We suspect that BDNF has important issues in many parts of the brain, including memory and ability to sense pain," he says.

Yanovski says the brain chemical works in combination with other chemicals in the body, including the hormone leptin, to regulate appetite and body weight. More research needs to be done so scientists can develop obesity drugs to treat people who don't make enough BDNF, he says.

"BDNF is just a small part...

Lexmark Offers To Help People Print Less

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

A leading printer maker wants to help you do less printing.

Printing an article off the Web often produces several pages of waste, including ads, links and boxes for entering text. So the latest version of a Web toolbar from Lexmark International Inc. gives people more ways to block such images from coming out of the printer, saving ink and paper.

Some of Lexmark's tools already exist in standard printer settings, but accessing them normally requires several mouse clicks. Lexmark's free program brings those functions to the forefront. For example, one click converts a Web page into black and white for printing, extending the life of expensive color ink cartridges.

The Web software also extends the "printer-friendly" features many sites offer. Often those printer-friendly versions still carry logos and other graphics; the Lexmark tools let you eliminate those as well.

Although printer companies make much of their money from ink cartridges and other products that consumers constantly have to replace, Lexmark figures it can improve customer satisfaction. Most of the features work regardless of whether your printer was made by Lexmark, Hewlett-Packard Co. or another rival.

Lexmark has versions available for both Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox browsers.

The Firefox version offers more functions. Lexmark says Firefox users tend to be more technically advanced, and thus open to more customization. While the Internet Explorer tool lets you eliminate images, for instance, the Firefox version lets you remove forms, links and other elements, too.

Craig Le Clair, a senior analyst at Forrester Research, said the Lexmark tools can help reduce office printing. Companies already have made progress going electronic with insurance claims, bank transactions and other paperwork, he said, and they are now turning to "the knowledge worker and the ad hoc use of paper."

But Le Clair said any effect will be small compared with initiatives...

The Next Phase of Convergence: LANs and IT Security

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

IT departments now must coordinate physical security and building automation needs. With voice over IP telephony (VoIP) deployments displacing traditional PBX installations, many enterprises are already realizing the efficiencies that can be gained from a consolidated voice and data infrastructure. LANs were first built to give desktop computer users access to corporate systems and e-mail. As the number of IT applications expanded, the LAN grew into a critical asset in the enterprise by enabling faster communication and greater efficiency.

The advent of IP-based physical security and building automation systems will cause the LAN to experience its next transformation. The facilities organization, with responsibility for an organization's physical plant and related services, must manage and maintain assets with long life cycles. Operating and maintenance expenditures for a facility during its life cycle can be up to 40 times greater than the original design and construction of the facility. Accordingly, cost containment has become a high priority for facilities organizations, with sustainability, energy management and building automation viewed as key enablers of this goal.

In addition, marketplace globalization has widened the scope of responsibility for many facilities organizations, not just in terms of geography but also with regard to management complexity, as regional customs and laws may drive different design and operation logistics for facilities within the same organization.

Security professionals, responsible for the protection of the organization's human and physical resources, are facing challenges similar as their facility counterparts. While security to gained higher priority for organizations in the last decade, security management has still been challenged to deliver more and improved services, while containing or reducing costs, with an eye toward demonstrating a return on investment for these often-costly technologies. Similarly, a global economy has created new challenges for security professionals, with more mobile employees and far-flung locations to protect.

Advances in security and...

Arctic Sea Ice Drops to Second-Lowest Level on Record

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

More ominous signs Wednesday have scientists saying that a global warming "tipping point" in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes: Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about 30 years.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that sea ice in the Arctic now covers about 2.03 million square miles. The lowest point since satellite measurements began in 1979 was 1.65 million square miles set last September.

With about three weeks left in the Arctic summer, this year could wind up breaking that previous record, scientists said.

Arctic ice always melts in summer and refreezes in winter. But over the years, more of the ice is lost to the sea with less of it recovered in winter. While ice reflects the sun's heat, the open ocean absorbs more heat and the melting accelerates warming in other parts of the world.

Sea ice also serves as primary habitat for threatened polar bears.

"We could very well be in that quick slide downward in terms of passing a tipping point," said senior scientist Mark Serreze at the data center in Boulder, Colo. "It's tipping now. We're seeing it happen now."

Within "five to less than 10 years," the Arctic could be free of sea ice in the summer, said NASA ice scientist Jay Zwally.

"It also means that climate warming is also coming larger and faster than the models are predicting and nobody's really taken into account that change yet," he said.

Five climate scientists, four of them specialists on the Arctic, told The Associated Press that it is fair to call what is happening in the Arctic a "tipping point." NASA scientist James Hansen, who sounded the alarm about global warming 20 years ago before Congress, said the sea ice melt "is the best current example" of that.

Last year...

Internet law made simple

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Internet law is a new frontier where SMEs fear to tread. Now European researchers have created a new internet law wiki designed to encourage more SMEs to go online.

The internet has enabled a brave, new world of online commerce, pushing new ventures and large corporations to launch confidently into cyberspace.

But SMEs have lagged far behind, held back in large part because they lack reliable information about their online legal obligations. Without the enormous resources of a legal department, many SMEs fear the potential repercussions.

Now European researchers have developed what is probably the first internet law wiki written for non-experts. A wiki is an online information source contributed by the users, like Wikipedia.

Category: Press
Date: 29 Aug 2008

Internet law made simple

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Internet law is a new frontier where SMEs fear to tread. Now European researchers have created a new internet law wiki designed to encourage more SMEs to go online.

The internet has enabled a brave, new world of online commerce, pushing new ventures and large corporations to launch confidently into cyberspace.

Now European researchers have developed what is probably the first internet law wiki written for non-experts. A wiki is an online information source contributed by the users, like Wikipedia.

Category: Press
Date: 29 Aug 2008

Why is it so hard to swat a fly?

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The brains of flies are wired to avoid the swatter, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

Why is it so hard to swat a fly?

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The brains of flies are wired to avoid the swatter, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

Fusion effort in flux

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Researchers are waiting for the verdict on the first phase of their unconventional nuclear fusion research project before moving on to the next step.

Fusion effort in flux

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Researchers are waiting for the verdict on the first phase of their unconventional nuclear fusion research project before moving on to the next step.

Gene test could prevent heart disease

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

NEWS ANALYSIS: Australian health authorities could prevent costly heart disease cases with a targeted genetic screening program, suggest some experts.

Gene test could prevent heart disease

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

NEWS ANALYSIS: Australian health authorities could prevent costly heart disease cases with a targeted genetic screening program, suggest some experts.

Why Greenland isnt so green

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Climatologists poring over Greenland's ancient past say global cooling, unleashed by a fall in atmospheric greenhouse gases, caused the vast island to ice over around three million years ago.

Why Greenland isnt so green

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Climatologists poring over Greenland's ancient past say global cooling, unleashed by a fall in atmospheric greenhouse gases, caused the vast island to ice over around three million years ago.

Opportunity to leave Martian crater

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Scientists from NASA have decided it's time for one of its Mars rover to get a move on and climb out of the big hole in the ground it has been exploring for nearly a year.

Opportunity to leave Martian crater

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Scientists from NASA have decided it's time for one of its Mars rover to get a move on and climb out of the big hole in the ground it has been exploring for nearly a year.

Intuition training proven to work

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The idea that intuition develops with experience and that it can inform decision-making is difficult to quantify in a laboratory setting. Researchers from University College London (UK) and the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (France) have …

Workshop on linkages between FP7, CIP and structural funds, Brussels, Belgium

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

A workshop entitled 'Linkages between the 7FP, CIP and structural funds' will be held on 18 September in Brussels, Belgium. The one-day event will address issues of regional innovation based on information and communication technologies …

Seminar on integration and diversity, Copenhagen, Denmark

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The EU-funded 'Networks of excellence' SUSDIV and CINEFOGO will run a joint seminar entitled 'Integration and diversity: diversity, civic participation and sustainability in Europe' in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 1 to 3 …

Viruses major players in deep sea ecosystems

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Viruses play a key role in the functioning of deep-sea ecosystems, according to EU-funded research published in the journal Nature on 28 August. The study reveals that viruses are the leading cause of death for micro-organisms living in the …

Uks Most Energy Efficient Dryer

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

A total drying solution for the manufacturing industry which is more energy efficient than any other on the market is being developed by a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between the University of Hertfordshire and Secomak.

Category: Press
Date: 28 Aug 2008

Commercial culture in three ages of the train

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Scholars at the University of York and the National Railway Museum (NRM) are to launch a major historical project to study the development of corporate culture on British railways.

Researchers will examine three critical periods in railway history spanning more than a century, to understand how rail companies developed commercial cultures that sought to build their markets and promote rail travel to the public.

Category: Press
Date: 28 Aug 2008

Erfolgsmodell interuniversitärer Zusammenarbeit in Baden-Württemberg Fünf Jahre Datenschutzstelle der Universitäten

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Ob es in Freiburg, Karlsruhe oder Stuttgart um die Verwaltung von Studenten- oder Mitarbeiterdaten, um die Onlineanmeldung für Prüfungen, die Notenabfrage im Internet oder um die Bewertung von Dozenten geht - die damit verbundenen datenschutzrechtlichen Fragen und Probleme sind oftmals identisch. Dabei geht es nicht nur um rechtliche Fragestellungen, sondern zunehmend auch um die datenschutzgerechte technische Umsetzung. Die Universitäten in Baden-Württemberg wollten mit der Zusammenarbeit beim Datenschutz nicht nur Aufgaben bündeln und Doppelarbeit vermeiden, sondern gleichzeitig rechtliche und technische Kompetenz aufbauen, um künftigen Herausforderungen gewachsen zu sein. Diese Idee bildete vor fünf Jahren den Ausgangspunkt für die Gründung der an der Universität Stuttgart angesiedelten Zentralen Datenschutzstelle (ZENDAS) der Landesuniversitäten. Seither sorgen die Fachleute von ZENDAS mit Rat und Tat dafür, dass der Datenschutz an den Landesuniversitäten gewahrt und – falls erforderlich – verbessert wird. Das Know-how dieses erfolgreichen Modells interuniversitärer Zusammenarbeit ist inzwischen nicht nur in Baden-Württemberg, sondern bundesweit nachgefragt. Über 40 Hochschulen in fünf Bundesländern zählen zu den „Kunden“. Die Kompetenz hat sich herumgesprochen: Inzwischen müssen die Stuttgarter Fachleute Anfragen aus anderen Bundesländern gelegentlich ablehnen.

Category: Press
Date: 28 Aug 2008

Space station dodges controversial junk

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

For the first time in five years, the international space station changed course on Wednesday to avoid a piece of space junk — in this case, satellite debris that the Russians have insisted wasn't there.

Dead star inside Crab Nebula still shines bright

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The glowing Crab Nebula, a spectacular and colorful object famously imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope, represents the leftovers from a supernova explosion observed by Chinese and Arab astronomers in 1054 C.E.

Stuck pin delays shuttles trek to launch pad

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

NASA engineers successfully freed a stuck metal pin on the space shuttle Atlantis late Tuesday, but the work delayed plans to roll the spacecraft out to its Florida launch pad this week.

Computer virus strikes space station

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

A virus designed to swipe passwords from online gamers has inexplicably popped up in some laptop computers aboard the international space station.

Dark matter detected in cosmic crash

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Astronomers say fresh imagery of a powerful collision of galaxy clusters supports the idea that dark matter is something totally separate from ordinary matter.

Galaxy surprise sheds light on dark matter

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

A study of small galaxies circling around the Milky Way found that while they range dramatically in brightness, they all surprisingly pack about the same mass.

Cosmic Log: Rocket racer remade

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The Rocket Racing League's bigger, more powerful prototype plane gets its first flight tests.

Giant clams may have fed early humans

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Giant clams two feet long might have helped feed prehistoric humans as they first migrated out of Africa, new research reveals.

How the Amazon’s lost cities worked

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

Researchers explain how an urban culture flourished 1,500 years ago in what are now the overgrown jungles of the Brazilian Amazon.

Live architecture: Grow your own home

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200

The concept of coaxing living trees into useful objects, sometimes called tree shaping, arborsculpture, living art or eco-architecture, isn’t new. But now engineers and plant scientists from Tel Aviv University have taken their leafy designs to the next, and more practical and playful, level.