Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×

Submission + - Schizophrenia Is Not a Single Disease (wustl.edu)

An anonymous reader writes: New research from Washington University has found that the condition known as schizophrenia is not just a single disease, but instead a collection of eight different disorders. For years, researchers struggled to understand the genetic basis of schizophrenia, but this new method was able to isolate and separate all of the different conditions, each with its own symptoms, which are classified the same way (abstract, full text). "In some patients with hallucinations or delusions, for example, the researchers matched distinct genetic features to patients’ symptoms, demonstrating that specific genetic variations interacted to create a 95 percent certainty of schizophrenia. In another group, they found that disorganized speech and behavior were specifically associated with a set of DNA variations that carried a 100 percent risk of schizophrenia." According to one of the study's authors, "By identifying groups of genetic variations and matching them to symptoms in individual patients, it soon may be possible to target treatments to specific pathways that cause problems."

Submission + - Getting around the UN's ban on blinding laser weapons (thebulletin.org)

Lasrick writes: Despite the UN’s 1995 Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, the world is moving closer to laser weapons in both military and law enforcement situations that can cause temporary and even permanent blindness. Military-funded research in this area continues to be conducted by the Optical Radiation Bioeffects and Safety program, and already "dazzlers" have been in use in Afghanistan. Domestic versions of these weapons are intended for use by law enforcement agencies and in theory cause motion-sickness type illness but not blindness. 'But something bright enough to dazzle at 300 meters can cause permanent eye damage at 50 meters, and these devices can be set to deliver a narrow (and more intense) beam. To get around the ban against blinding weapons, systems like the GLIS run off of a low-power source.' Great info.

Submission + - Cheetah robot can run and jump, untethered, across grass Read more at http://sci (scienceblog.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Speed and agility are hallmarks of the cheetah: The big predator is the fastest land animal on Earth. Now MIT researchers have developed an algorithm for bounding that they’ve successfully implemented in a robotic cheetah — a sleek, four-legged assemblage of gears, batteries, and electric motors that weighs about as much as its feline counterpart. The key to the bounding algorithm is in programming each of the robot’s legs to exert a certain amount of force in the split second during which it hits the ground. So far they've gotten the beast up to a steady 10 mph, with leaps thrown in, and think the current model can be coaxed to 30 mph.

Comment Re:Atheism offers no values - you have to add them (Score 1) 937

Atheism offers no values - you have to add them

Means I as atheist are much better than a theist. Theists would murder, steal, betray without limit if they were not afraid to be punished after death by big daddy. I as atheist am not hindered by such fear, and despite that I don't do such things. Looks like I have my a moral compass on my own.

Comment Re:Google should win this if they went to court... (Score 1) 290

...and the law is effectively a bad law as a result...

You have no idea how bad. And for companies like Google, this can be handled. But this law demands those infos for all German websites. Some argue that it is even necessary for a 'under construction' place holders. So every small hobby website has to deal with the spam problem. But this is not the worst. The worst are Lawyers. In Germany any lawyer can assume that you do not want to be sued for any infraction against this (or other) laws. So he can assume that you want him to become active on your behalf and send you a cease and desist letter... for a small three figure fee, of course. Many lawyers do this to make some extra money. For some this is actually the main source of income.

Now, of course none of this scum dares to go against Google, but a small site owner can get such a cost-reinforced cease and desist letter for not answering an email fast enough... the law says 'fast electronic contact'. It makes hobby websites in Germany very dangerous.

Unless there's also a law against IVR in Germany?

IANAL :-)

Comment Re:Google should win this if they went to court... (Score 1) 290

Paragraph 5 TMG establishes the following general information obligations:

2. Information to permit a fast electronic contact and direct communication with them, including electronic mail address,

IANAL, but email address is explicitly required. And neither 'fast' nor 'direct' sounds much like "we don't read this address" and possibly not even like: "Nope, please use form 'foo' or call us via 'expensive service number'".

is 'Send Feedback' enough? I as I said: IANAL. My gut feeling? Perhaps for Google. Any other smaller site with less deep pockets can expect expensive 'cease and desist' letters and in worse case lengthy court battles.

Slashdot Top Deals

All your files have been destroyed (sorry). Paul.

Working...