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Medicine

Airborne Prions Prove Lethal In Mouse Studies 116

Posted by Soulskill from the denny-crane dept.
sgunhouse writes "Wired has a story up on the lethality of airborne prions. It should be noted that prions (which cause 'mad cow disease' and similar disorders) are not normally airborne, and take a long time to kill the infected animal, but so far are 100% lethal if something else doesn't kill the animal first. So, they are not likely to be useful as a biological weapon (my first thought when reading their headline), but they present another safety precaution to consider."

Comment Re:I suspect... (Score 2, Informative) 187

by sirlatrom (#34305806) Attached to: Autonomous Audi TT Conquers Pike's Peak

Heck, even trains, the one kind of vehicle that could drive itself completely safely today, are still manned by "drivers" who spend their time pushing a button to tell the computer they're still alive, because passengers would be scared without drivers and unions prevent their removal from the trains.

Well except in at least Copenhagen, Denmark, where our metro is without in-train operators. As far as I know there is no union for the operating computers, as they have yet to gain sentience.
Privacy

Web-Users Fall For Fake Anti-Virus Scams 272

Posted by CmdrTaco from the i-use-magnum-xl-av dept.
jhernik writes "Fearing their computers may be prone to viruses, many web-users download fake anti-virus software, only to find later that their bank details have been hacked. According to the latest research by GetSafeOnline.org, the UK's national internet security initiative, a rising nunber of organised criminal gangs are tricking security-conscious intenet-users into purchasing anti-virus software to access their bank details. Posing as legitimate IT helpdesks, these fraudsters target internet users concerned about protecting their computers. By offering free virus checks, they normally tell consumers that their machines are infected and offer fake security software protection – usually costing around £30 – which is actually malicious software in disguise." The fact that there is such a thriving market for fake AV scams really says something about the present state of the legitimate AV market.
Earth

Researchers Race To Recover Radioactive Rabbits 145

Posted by samzenpus from the night-of-the-lepus dept.
Ponca City writes "The Tri-City Herald reports that radioactive rabbit droppings were recently found near the old Hanford Nuclear Site in southeast Washington that produced nuclear materials for 40 years and is now being decontaminated. The Department of Health looks for contamination off-site to make sure there is no public hazard and a rabbit trapped at the 300 Area caught their attention because it was close enough to the site's boundaries to potentially come in contact with the public. Joe Franco, an assistant manager for the Department of Energy, said workers erected fences, removed potential food sources and even sprayed the scent of a predator around the perimeter to prevent any other rabbit contamination and the Department of Energy said only one of 18 rabbits surveyed were deemed contaminated. Researchers narrowed the area of possible contamination to the 327 Building used during the Cold War for testing highly radioactive materials, particularly fuel elements and cladding that were irradiated at Hanford reactors as part of plutonium production for the nation's nuclear weapons program. Because the number of contaminated droppings being discovered on-site has decreased, officials now believe it's possible that just one rabbit might have been contaminated and they now are finding old droppings from it."

Comment Re:As opposed to... what? (Score 1) 200

by sirlatrom (#34135028) Attached to: EU Commission Says People Have a 'Right To Be Forgotten' Online

I do realise you're being sarcastic, but whereas "scary" and "inconsistent" are valid adjectives to associate with the continent Europe depending on what your opinion is, "nanny-state" isn't because Europe isn't a state, it's a continent, and furthermore The European Commission is a political body within the European Union, which is not the same as the continent Europe. Just the same way as [North] America isn't the same as the United States of America.

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