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NASA

Submission + - Search begins for giant new planet (independent.co.uk) 1

Submitted by suraj.sun
suraj.sun writes: The hunt is on for a gas giant up to four times the mass of Jupiter thought to be lurking in the outer Oort Cloud, the most remote region of the solar system. The orbit of Tyche (pronounced ty-kee), would be 15,000 times farther from the Sun than the Earth's, and 375 times farther than Pluto's, which is why it hasn't been seen so far.

But scientists now believe the proof of its existence has already been gathered by a Nasa space telescope, Wise, and is just waiting to be analysed.

Whether it would become the new ninth planet would be decided by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The main argument against is that Tyche probably formed around another star and was later captured by the Sun's gravitational field.

The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/up-telescope-search-begins-for-giant-new-planet-2213119.html
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft's New Plan For Keeping the Internet Safe (itworld.com) 1

Submitted by itwbennett
itwbennett writes: Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Trustworthy Computing Scott Charney used to think it was the responsibility of ISPs to keep hacked PCs off the Internet. Now, he says the burden should be on consumers. Speaking at the RSA Conference, Charney suggested that the solution may be for consumers to share trusted certificates about the health of their personal computer: 'The user remains in control. The user can say I don't want to pass a health certificate,' he said 'There may be consequences for that decision, but you can do it.'
Censorship

The Companies Who Support Censoring the Internet 299

Posted by samzenpus from the list-you-don't-want-to-be-on dept.
RichiH writes "From Techdirt: 'A group of companies sent a letter to to Attorney General Eric Holder and ICE boss John Morton (with cc's to VP Joe Biden, Homeland Security boss Janet Napolitano, IP Czar Victoria Espinel, Rep. Lamar Smith, Rep. John Conyers, Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Charles Grassley), supporting the continued seizure of domain names they don't like, as well as the new COICA censorship bill, despite the serious Constitutional questions raised about how such seizures violate due process and free speech principles.' A full list of companies who you might want to avoid buying from is included, as well."
NASA

US Supreme Court Says NASA Background Checks OK 172

Posted by samzenpus from the tell-us-everything dept.
coondoggie writes "In a long-running dispute about privacy and security, the US Supreme Court today sided with NASA saying its background checks were not invasive and that the information required for not only NASA but most government positions was a reasonable security precaution and that sufficient privacy safeguards existed to prevent any improper disclosures. You may recall that in this case, 28 scientists and engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory filed suit against the US government and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2007 saying that NASA's invasive background investigations as required by government regulations [inappropriately violate workers' privacy]."
Biotech

Extinct Mammoth, Coming To a Zoo Near You 312

Posted by timothy from the no-unauthorized-reproduction dept.
Techmeology writes "Professor Akira Iritani of Kyoto University plans to use recent developments in cloning technology to give life to the currently extinct woolly mammoth. Although earlier efforts in the 1990s were unsuccessful due to damage caused by extreme cold, Professor Iritani believes he can use a technique pioneered by Dr Wakayama (who successfully cloned a frozen mouse) to overcome this obstacle. This technique will enable Professor Iritani to identify viable cell nuclei, and transfer them to egg cells of an African elephant which will carry the mammoth for a 600 day pregnancy."
Biotech

Microsoft Seeks Do-Let-The-Bed-Bugs-Bite Patent 176

Posted by timothy from the you'll-feel-a-slight-pinch dept.
theodp writes "In its just-published patent application for Adapting Parasites to Combat Disease, Microsoft lays out plans to unleash 'altered parasitic organisms' on humans, including mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, bed bugs, leeches, pinworms, tapeworms, hookworms, heart worms, roundworms, lice (head, body, and pubic), and the like. 'Irradiated mosquitoes can be used to deliver damaged Plasmodium to individuals,' explains Microsoft. 'Instead of contracting malaria, an individual receiving the damaged Plasmodium develops an immune response that renders the individual resistant to contracting malaria.' Don't worry about runaway breeding, advises Microsoft — 'a termination feature [that] can include programmed death' makes this impossible. As David Spade might say, I liked this movie the first time I saw it — when it was called Jurassic Park."
Power

Submission + - Solar Panel company moving to China (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/business/energy-environment/15solar.html) is reporting that Evergreen Solar is moving their factories from Massachusetts to China. Reasons cited include the Chinese government's readiness to heavily subsidize, far more than local, state, and federal government in the U.S. It was reported that Evergreen Solar received over $43 Million from State Government during their startup years — now, China will reap the export benefits. Combine this with China's overtaking America in production of wind turbines — has America already lost the War on Green Energy?
Firefox

Firefox 4 Beta 9 Out, Now With IndexedDB and Tabs On Titlebar 537

Posted by timothy from the let-us-now-praise-famous-foxes dept.
surveyork writes "''Mozilla today officially released Firefox 4 Beta 9 and it's a big improvement over previous betas and a parsec beyond the Firefox 3.6.x experience. At this stage, after months of development, Mozilla developers are clearly nearing the end of this development marathon.' After Firefox beta 9, a beta 10 and a single RC are scheduled (this road map can change, of course). The main features of Firefox beta 9 are IndexedDB and tabs on titlebar (just like Chrome and Opera). IndexedDB allows sites to store data on your computer (with your prior authorization). Tabs on titlebar is self-explanatory. Old-schoolers can always turn on the 'show menu bar' to get their familiar GUI back. Oh, and Fx beta 9 is fast and starts fast. Firefox beta 9 available here and in lots of official mirrors."

Submission + - Anonymous calls for day to defend free speech (alternet.org)

Submitted by jbell730
jbell730 writes: Anonymous has called for a day to protest in defense of free speech. The day named was Saturday, January 15. In a video posted to their AnonOps blog, they sought to rally others who supported their actions against corporations that censored or attempted to block actions of WikiLeaks. The video also called for people to "Stand up and fight. Every city, everywhere."
Science

Submission + - Extinct Mammoth: Coming to a Zoo Near You (telegraph.co.uk) 1

Submitted by Techmeology
Techmeology writes: Professor Akira Iritani of Kyoto University plans to use recent developments in cloning technology to give life to the currently extinct woolly mammoth. Although earlier efforts in the 1990s were unsuccessful due to damage caused by extreme cold, Professor Iritani believes he can use a technique pioneered by Dr Wakayama (who successfully cloned a frozen mouse) to overcome this obstacle. This technique will enable Professor Iritani to identify viable cell nuclei, and transfer them to egg cells of an African elephant which will carry the mammoth for a 600 day pregnancy.
Games

Submission + - The most disappointing sequels of 2010 (techspotlight.net)

Submitted by hbogard
hbogard writes: The videogame industry loves sequels, even moreso than Hollywood loves remakes or Bollywood loves dance numbers (well, almost; for the latter). Every publisher who ends up with a hit IP on their hands are always eager to have a sequel out the door as soon as possible to suck out an extra $60 or so from the established fanbase. But hey, gamers love them too! There’s a reason people kept sucking up to the roster-update-sequels of all the Madden games in the mid-2000s (saying that makes me feel old now). But pushing out sequels of franchises out the door doesn’t always bode well; because when a franchise becomes a hit, it builds up expectations and sometimes those expectations exceed the capabilities of the people who build the games.
United States

Patriot Act Up For Renewal, Nobody Notices 463

Posted by Soulskill from the wonder-how-long-we'll-put-up-with-it dept.
Ponca City, We Love You writes "When the Patriot Act was first signed in 2001, it was billed as a temporary measure required because of the extreme circumstances created by the terrorist threat. The fear from its opponents was that executive power, once given, is seldom relinquished. Now the Examiner reports that on January 5th, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) introduced a bill to add yet another year to the soon-to-be-expiring Patriot Act, extending it until February, 2012, with passage likely to happen after little debate or contention. If passed, this would be the second time the Obama administration has punted on campaign promises to roll back excessive surveillance measures allowed under the act. Last year's extension passed under the heading of the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act. 'Given the very limited number of days Congress has in session before the current deadline, and the fact that the bill's Republican sponsor is only seeking another year, I think it's safe to read this as signaling an agreement across the aisle to put the issue off yet again,' writes Julian Sanchez."
Science

34,000-Year-Old Organisms Found Buried Alive 150

Posted by Soulskill from the ceti-alpha-five-not-involved dept.
cold fjord writes "A scientist has made a weird and wonderful find. 'It's a tale that has all the trappings of a cult 1960s sci-fi movie: Scientists bring back ancient salt crystals, dug up from deep below Death Valley for climate research. The sparkling crystals are carefully packed away until, years later, a young, unknown researcher takes a second look at the 34,000-year-old crystals and discovers, trapped inside, something strange. Something... alive.' The Geological Society of America's current issue of GSA Today has the academic paper."

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