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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 46 declined, 12 accepted (58 total, 20.69% accepted)

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Biotech

Submission + - Vote on British Embryo Research Bill (physorg.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "British lawmakers will debate Monday a bill which would allow scientists to use animal-human hybrid embryos in research after Prime Minister Gordon Brown passionately defended the controversial plan.

Brown reportedly takes a personal interest in the issue because his youngest son Fraser, aged nearly two, has cystic fibrosis, which could one day benefit from embryo research. But the Catholic Church and some opposition lawmakers are opposed to the bill, with one senior churchman warning it may lead to "Frankenstein" style experiments.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill would give scientists a legal framework to create hybrid embryos, yielding stem cells which could be used in research into treating conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The bill also backs the idea of "saviour sibling" children, who are created as a close genetic match for a chronically ill brother or sister, meaning their genetic material can help treat them."
Microsoft

Submission + - Xbox360 Sales Outpacing Sales of the Original Xbox (pcworld.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "From the article: According to official NPD data, which tracks North American console sales, the Xbox 360 took 30 months to reach the 10 million units sold milestone, 20 percent faster than the original Xbox, which didn't achieve the same mark until month 36.

So, is this a sign of success for the 360 or has the market changed so completely, voiding the comparison?"
Biotech

Submission + - Made-to-Order Isotopes (physorg.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "From the article:
Designer labels have a lot of cachet — a principle that's equally true in fashion and physics. The future of nuclear physics is in designer isotopes — the relatively new power scientists have to make specific rare isotopes to solve scientific problems and open doors to new technologies, according to Bradley Sherrill, a University Distinguished Professor of physics and associate director for research at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University.

The chemical changes that brought about the formation of the elements in the bellies of stars are being recreated in laboratories such as MSU's NSCL. Advances in basic nuclear science already have given way to technologies such as PET scans — medical procedures that use special isotopes to target specific types of tumors. "
Space

Submission + - Plans for a Probe Closer to the Sun Than Ever

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "NASA has tapped the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory to develop the ambitious Solar Probe mission, which will study the streams of charged particles the sun hurls into space from a vantage point within the sun's corona — its outer atmosphere — where the processes that heat the corona and produce solar wind occur. At closest approach Solar Probe would zip past the sun at 125 miles per second, protected by a carbon-composite heat shield that must withstand up to 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit and survive blasts of radiation and energized dust at levels not experienced by any previous"
Power

Submission + - 'Smart' Power Meters are the Wave of the Future

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "Utilities are now testing pricing schemes for power that vary with demand. These new pricing schemes are made possible by the ability that utilities now have to gather data about power usage in real time, from so-called 'smart' meters. The article showcases one man, Darrell Brubaker, who effectively used the new program from his utility and adjusted his power usage accordingly to save money. Some of the measures he took include running major appliances at night and cooking on the grill.

The article posits that these new real-time capabilities are already poised to revolutionize the grid. However, there are some that oppose the shift from the now conventional regimented monthly billing plans. Consumer advocacy groups warn that it would be a financial mistake for many to switch to a real-time rate."
Math

Submission + - Neutral Charge of Atom and Neutron Tested

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "Researchers from Stanford have devised a way to test the neutrality of the charge of an atom, and even a neutron, down to an extremely small fraction of elementary charge. The team of researchers likened the impressive accuracy of the test to "measuring the distance between the earth and the sun to an accuracy better than the size of a nucleus." The test is designed explore areas of the Standard Model concerning charge quantization, where there are considerable gaps in understanding. The researchers say that a new way of thinking about charge quantization is going to be required.

The instrument used to attain this impressive accuracy is a type of atom interferometer, which uses the properties of a particle's wavefunction to detect differences in atoms. The setup at Stanford, while involving complex physics, is comprised basically of a 10m cylinder, where rubidium atoms are streamed up through while being subjected to a series of laser pulses that induce measurable changes in the wavefuntions of the atoms."
Television

Submission + - NBC to Create Programs Centered on Sponsors (physorg.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "It sounds farcical when you first hear it, but NBC has teamed up with an ad agency to produce actual feature programs that are centered around promoting the products of the network's sponsors. The network has already began production on one sci-fi program entitled "Gemini Division", which will act as a platform for products from Microsoft, Intel, and Cisco. The programming will be broadcast via the network's "digital properties", eg the NBC web site. I guess it was only a matter of time for something like this to come along after product placement became the norm."
Biotech

Submission + - Evidence Hints that Nanoparticles are Non-Toxic (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "Even large amounts of manufactured nanoparticles, also known as Buckyballs, don't faze microscopic organisms that are charged with cleaning up the environment, according to Purdue University researchers.

In the first published study to examine Buckyball toxicity on microbes that break down organic substances in wastewater, the scientists used an amount of the nanoparticles on the microbes that was equivalent to pouring 10 pounds of talcum powder on a person. Because high amounts of even normally safe compounds, such as talcum powder, can be toxic, the microbes' resiliency to high Buckyball levels was an important finding, the Purdue investigators said."
Editorial

Submission + - Discussion of the New Layout

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "I know it is all on your minds, so I figure we should try and bring about a discussion concerning the new layout designs. Personally they sort of irk me. I've been around here for a few years, since before the contest to redesign the site and the first major overhaul. I'll admit openly that my apprehensions are nothing technical, but instead purely subjective. Slashdot is near and dear to my heart, and by extension, so is the general atmosphere around here. The softer and softer the look gets around here, the more uncomfortable I feel. I still sort of long for the old "no frills" look and feel.

What are the thought's of the community at large?"
Biotech

Submission + - 'Designer' Enzymes Finally Successful (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "Chemists from UCLA and the University of Washington, with support from DARPA, have created the first successful "designer enzymes". Scientists are looking to close the gap between naturally occurring enzymes and synthetic ones, thus bringing unprecedented abilities to biochemical engineers. The military is very interested in this research for purposes relating to biological warfare."
Supercomputing

Submission + - Grid Computing Sheds Light on Abiogenesis Theory

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "Science Daily is running a story on how the UK's national computing grid, along with their counterparts in the United States and Europe have helped University College London scientists shed light on one abiogenesis model.

Working from the iron-sulfur world theory that posits that earliest steps taken towards life occurred around hydrothermal vents in the ocean where high temperatures and an assortment of minerals provided the necessary conditions, grid-computing simulations have provided new insight into the formation and interaction of nucleic acids with the said minerals. Distributed computing methods are relatively new to such research, but show great promise, similar to other projects such as Stanford's Folding@home."
Biotech

Submission + - DNA 'fabricator' constructs walking DNA (newscientist.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "The goal of being able to program biochemical reactions as precisely and easily as computers crunch numbers and process words has moved a giant step closer. A group at the California Institute of Technology, led by biomolecular engineer Niles Pierce, has created a DNA-based fabricator. This is a system that allows the team to specify a piece of DNA with a desired shape and function, and then execute a molecular program to assemble it in a test tube. As an example, they used their system to construct a piece of DNA that walks along another strip of.

Just as computer languages let programmers create any number of applications, the researchers behind the approach predict that biochemical programming "languages" inspired by their work could let bioengineers create any number of desired molecular products and processes."
The Almighty Buck

Submission + - German Ban of Online Challenged Under EU Law (yahoo.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "Europe's online gaming industry filed a complaint with the European Commission on Tuesday, saying Germany's ban on online gambling breaks EU law on the free movement of services. "The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) calls on the European Commission to take swift action against the German Interstate Treaty on gaming," the lobby group said in a statement.

The treaty came into force on January 1 and bans online gaming and betting, except for horse races, in Germany. The EGBA said the ban "is in direct contravention of European Union law." "The German Interstate Treaty is incompatible with EU law, and its adoption has left us with no other choice but to make a formal complaint to the European Commission," said EGBA secretary general Sigrid Ligne."
Businesses

Submission + - Should IT Support the iPhone for Business?

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "Should IT departments support the iPhone for business use? A new report by Forrester Research suggests not. The report cites security issues and pricing as cons that outweigh the pros of usability and popularity. From the article: "Enterprises often make mobile device purchasing decisions based on the experience of their peers or industry analysts' recommendations, but with such information lacking about the iPhone, Forrester said it won't likely be making its way into many businesses anytime soon.""
Businesses

Submission + - Survey Finds People Skills Valued Over Technical (news.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "From the Article: Interpersonal skills are more important in the workplace than IT skills, according to the results of a survey commissioned by Microsoft. In the survey of approximately 500 board-level executives, 61 percent said interpersonal and teamworking skills were more important than IT skills. However, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said that while communication skills are important, IT skills now permeated every level and type of job. But Gates also acknowledged the value of people skills. "Software innovation, like almost every other kind of innovation, requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other people, and to sit down and talk with customers and get their feedback and understand their needs.""

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