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Submission + - European court ruling raises hurdles for CRISPR crops (sciencemag.org)

Okian Warrior writes: Hopes for an easier regulatory road for genetic engineering in European agriculture were dashed today by the Court of Justice of the European Union. In a closely watched decision, the court ruled that plants created with new gene-editing techniques that don’t involve transferring genes between organisms—such as CRISPR—must go through the same lengthy approval process as traditional transgenic plants.

Many researchers had argued that regulators should take a lighter touch when evaluating products created with the new technologies, but environmental groups and their allies successfully argued that they should be subject to the same EU rules that apply to other genetically modified organisms.

Comment Re:You don't know what you don't know (Score 1) 913

Part of the overall problem with this debate is that "Bachelor's Degree" means different things to different people, but everyone in the corporate HR world wants to require one for job candidates at a professional level.

For some people, having a degree should mean that you have a well-rounded view of the world because professors have verified that you have been exposed to a diverse array of subjects and studies. For others, having a degree is supposed to indicate a devotion and thorough understanding of the technical aspects of your chosen vocation, also verified by the staff of the educational institution you attended.

Unfortunately, there's no standard applied to the "Bachelor's required" rider on a job listing. I have been to job interviews where holding a degree is the first step in proving that you can do the job they're asking and the interview is where you prove you're a valid human being who can get along with others and finish what you start. I've then turned around and had an interview for the same position at a different company only to find out that I had to go through a whole array of technical screening because the hiring manager considers a degree to merely mean you can finish what you start, and gives it no credibility whatsoever on your ability to do what you're being hired to do.

My personal opinion is that the USA -- because that's where I live and work, and therefore I know very little about the situation elsewhere -- needs a differentiation between types of degrees. There should be a general, "I can learn in a structured environment and finish what I start" degree (which, incidentally, is what I always assumed a BA was supposed to be), and then a second, equally valid degree which says only that you have studied your field and proven your ability to perform it at a professional level. Speaking as someone who has had to perform job interviews for a technical field, I know it would make my life a lot easier when we've got positions to fill.

Cellphones

PlayStation App Coming To iOS, Android 47

Sony has announced plans to launch PlayStation-centric apps for iOS 4 and Android devices. While the apps doesn't actually let users play games, it allows them to interact with various PlayStation Network functions. "This includes allowing players to view various trophies they and their friends have won in order to validate their self-worth. Players will also be able to view friends' online status and browse games for the PS3, PS2, and PSP with the app, as well as catch up on news and any relevant hardware announcements. If they see anything they like, the app will integrate with Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail to make for easy sharing." The app will be released for several European countries to start, with more versions and languages to follow.
Classic Games (Games)

New Oddworld Games In Development 36

Game developer Just Add Water announced today that the Oddworld series, dormant since 2005, will be getting multiple new titles in the near future. Quoting: "... for the past 12 months we have been working extremely closely with the fantastic people at Oddworld Inhabitants, from what started off as brief discussions in June 2009, to now working on multiple projects, across multiple platforms. Whilst we cannot go into specifics right now, we can tell you that over the coming weeks and months we will be announcing these exciting projects starring all of your favorite Oddworld characters."

Comment Past behavior predicts... (Score 1) 270

According to games designer Peter Molyneux, the game exploits psychological techniques to make a person feel that Milo is real. Each Milo character will be unique because every player's interaction with the virtual character will sculpt the type of virtual person Milo will evolve to become.

Given my experience with the "sculptable" interactions from Black & White I, Black & White II and Fable, we can expect Milo to randomly throw temper tantrums for no reason, poop in village food stores even after being repeatedly beaten for it, and either run screaming or fawn all over his owner any time his owner walks into the room. Thanks for continuing to improve your digital personality software, Lionhead!

Censorship

Australia Waters Down, Delays Internet Filter Policy 122

An anonymous reader writes "Looks like Australia's government is running a bit scared of a population enraged by its controversial mandatory filtering project. The Government today announced a suite of measures designed to provide controls around the filter project, including independent oversight and a review of content which would be included. In addition, some Australian ISPs will voluntarily censor any child pornography URLs. But the whole project is still going ahead — it's just been delayed and slightly modified."
Science

The Proton Just Got Smaller 289

inflame writes "A new paper published in Nature has said that the proton may be smaller than we previously thought. The article states 'The difference is so infinitesimal that it might defy belief that anyone, even physicists, would care. But the new measurements could mean that there is a gap in existing theories of quantum mechanics. "It's a very serious discrepancy," says Ingo Sick, a physicist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, who has tried to reconcile the finding with four decades of previous measurements. "There is really something seriously wrong someplace."' Would this indicate new physics if proven?"
PC Games (Games)

Activision Wants Consoles To Be Replaced By PCs 344

thsoundman writes with this excerpt from thegamersblog: "We live in a world where we have multiple platforms for gaming: PC, PS3, 360, Wii, etc. Each platform has varying amounts of power when it comes to playing games. Activision, one of the leading cross-platform publishers, wishes to move away from the 'walled gardens' set by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. ... [Activision CEO Bobby] Kotick’s solution is to turn to the PC, where it can set its own model for pricing — not unlike what Blizzard has done with World of Warcraft and Battle.net. Kotick stated that Activision would 'very aggressively' support the likes of HP and Dell in any attempt at making an easy 'plug-and-play' PC that would hook up directly to the TV."
Image

Publishing Company Puts Warning Label on Constitution 676

Wilder Publication is under fire for putting warning labels on copies of historical US documents, including the Constitution. The label warns "This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today." From the article: "The disclaimer goes on to tell parents that they 'might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work.'"
Security

CERT Releases Basic Fuzzing Framework 51

infoLaw passes along this excerpt from Threatpost: "Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Emergency Response Team has released a new fuzzing framework to help identify and eliminate security vulnerabilities from software products. The Basic Fuzzing Framework (BFF) is described as a simplified version of automated dumb fuzzing. It includes a Linux virtual machine that has been optimized for fuzz testing and a set of scripts to implement a software test."
Input Devices

Project Natal Pricing and Release Date Revealed 156

tekgoblin writes "According to Edge-online.com, their source says that we can expect Microsoft's Project Natal to cost around $149. 'The figure for the standalone unit is significantly higher than a previous sub-£50 estimate, but less than pricing recently suggested by European retailers. It’s also more expensive than Sony’s Natal rival, Move, which will be available later this year with a game for less than $100.'"
Medicine

Glaxo Open Sources Malaria Drug Search Data 80

smellsofbikes writes "GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second-largest pharmaceutical company, is putting thousands of possible malaria-treating drugs into the public domain in a move that the Wall Street Journal calls a 'Linux approach' to pharmaceutical screening. Andrew Witty, who is described as the boss of GSK, says the company thinks it is 'imperative to earn the trust of society, not just by meeting expectations but by exceeding them.' Of course, synthesis or discovery of new chemicals is cheap compared to efficacy and qualification studies, but this is a refreshing change from not handing out any information until after everything is patented."

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