Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Submission + - Cyanide-producing GM grass linked to Texas cattle deaths (cbsnews.com)

Submitted by Peristaltic
Peristaltic writes: Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are trying to determine if an unexpected mutation in a popular GM grass, Tifton 85, is responsible for the sudden deaths of a small herd of cattle in Elgin, Texas three weeks ago. The grass has been used for grazing since 1992 without incident, however after a severe drought last year in Texas, the grass started producing cyanide in sufficient quantities to kill a small herd of cattle in Elgin, Texas. Testing has found the cyanide-producing grass in nearby fields as well.

This latest incident once again highlights the debate regarding the benefits vs. the risks of using gmo in agriculture
Science

Submission + - Sexy Female Scientist Video Draws Fire (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: A new video released by the The European Commission--ostensibly aimed at getting girls interested in science--is drawing widespred condemnation from around the web for its depiction of female scientists as sexy models strutting into the frame in high heels and short skirts. A male scientist watching them from behind his microscope doesn't seem to mind that none of them are wearing safe lab attire—he just pops his glasses on for a better look. The rest of the video is a mish-mash of heels, nail polish, lipstick, and sexily smoldering Erlenmeyer flasks, arbitrarily punctuated by girly giggles.
 

Comment Re:The mistake was the airport chosen... (Score 1) 36

by Jazari (#40392009) Attached to: Canadian Government Backs Down On Airport Recording
No, it's been going on at many airports: "Similar audio-video equipment has been operating at other Canadian airports and ports of entry for "many years," according to the CBSA" ( http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/politics/Toews+orders+airport+eavesdropping+pending+privacy+review/6807247/story.html )

Submission + - Remotly recording conversations at Canadian airports (edmontonjournal.com)

Submitted by Jazari
Jazari writes: Careful what you say when traveling, since the authorities will soon be able to zoom in on your conversations and record them for an indefinite amount of time. The story is about Canada, but I see no reason to think that this capability will not soon be installed in most places (if it's not already).
Japan

Submission + - Japan restarts two of their 50 nuclear reactors (go.com) 1

Submitted by
Darth_brooks
Darth_brooks writes: "Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda ordered the restart of two idle nuclear reactors Saturday, amid split public response. The Japanese government is trying to fill a summer power shortfall. According to the article, the two reactors supply power to the Kansai region near Osaka, where local officials were predicting a 15% shortfall in power capacity during July and August."
Medicine

Submission + - Black Death Discovered In Oregon (ibtimes.com)

Submitted by
redletterdave
redletterdave writes: "The Black Death, a strain of bubonic plague that destroyed nearly a third of Europe's entire population between 1347 and 1369, has been found in Oregon. Health officials in Portland have confirmed that a man contracted the plague after getting bitten by a cat. The unidentified man, who is currently in his 50s, had tried to pry a dead mouse from a stray cat's mouth on June 2 when the cat attacked him. Days later, fever and sickness drove the man to check himself into Oregon's St. Charles Medical Center, where he is currently in "critical condition.""
Government

Submission + - Zero-Day exploit market sells mostly to US government (forbes.com)

Submitted by
mpol
mpol writes: "Forbes magazine published a profile of French exploit-selling firm Vupen last April. Now there's a blog article about a broker from South Africa, complete with a price-list of zero-day exploits and their platform. iOS is the highest valued here.
The article also claims most exploits are being sold to agencies of the US government.
It does raise a concern though. What if black-hats got more serious, and the US government would become a victim. When shit hits the fan, how will they react."
Space

Submission + - It's Baaack! XB-37B finally lands. (af.mil)

Submitted by ColdWetDog
ColdWetDog writes: The US Air Force / DARPA 'baby shuttle', the Boeing built XB-37B has just landed after 469 days in orbit. No official explanation of why controllers kept the mission going past the original duration of 270 days other than 'because we could'.

I, for one, welcome our long duration, unmanned orbital overlords.
XBox (Games)

Submission + - Microsoft is doing its own glasses like Google - Kinect Glasses (theverge.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A 56-page leaked document details Microsoft's plans to build a Project Glass competitor. Kinect Glasses is marked as a 2014 project designed to connect to a future Xbox 720 console. The document also includes potential pricing for the next Xbox — $299 with a Kinect 2.
Intel

Submission + - US-CERT discloses security flaw in Intel chips (csoonline.com)

Submitted by Fnord666
Fnord666 writes: The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has disclosed a flaw in Intel chips that could allow hackers to gain control of Windows and other operating systems, security experts say.

The flaw was disclosed the vulnerability in a security advisory released this week. Hackers could exploit the flaw to execute malicious code with kernel privileges, said a report in the Bitdefender blog.

"Some 64-bit operating systems and virtualization software running on Intel CPU hardware are vulnerable to a local privilege escalation attack," the US-CERT advisory says. "The vulnerability may be exploited for local privilege escalation or a guest-to-host virtual machine escape."
Businesses

Submission + - Why VCs Really Reject Startups (itworld.com)

Submitted by
itwbennett
itwbennett writes: "Instead of simply not following up with startup proposals that he doesn't intend to pursue, venture capitalist Josh Breinlinger decided to change things up and not only hear every pitch request but respond with honest feedback. For those on the receiving end of that honest feedback, Breinlinger's silence may have been golden. It turns out that Breinlinger, and perhaps most VCs, reject your proposals because you lack experience and leadership skills and your team is weak. Would you rather hear the hard truth about why your startup didn't get funded or some vague dismissal?"

Comment evidence (Score 1) 1226

by Jazari (#40142801) Attached to: Debate Over Evolution Will Soon Be History, Says Leakey
There's already enough evidence that earth is >6,000 years and yet some people don't believe it. There's also enough evidence for evolution today, so I doubt the situation will change in 30 years. Perhaps things will change when we're able to create life from scratch (go Venter!) or simulate consciousness in a computer.

Comment Re:No Question At All (Score 1) 342

by Jazari (#39972561) Attached to: Wear a Mask During a Protest In Canada: 10 Years In Jail
I would have thought that the answer is pretty obvious: A riot will be considered illegal if three things are true:
1- The police (usually provincial -- nothing to do with the Federal Conservatives) consider it a riot, and arrest you;
2- The Crown attorney (usually provincial -- nothing to do with the Federal Conservatives) agrees with the police and presses charges; and
3- The judge or jury agree with the Crown attorney and convict you.

In a free country like Canada, if you're reached this stage, it probably means that you did in fact participate in a riot.

Slashdot Top Deals

"Protozoa are small, and bacteria are small, but viruses are smaller than the both put together."

Close