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Science

Submission + - DNA Modifications Change as We Age (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: As we age, the core of our biological being—the sequence of our DNA, which makes up our genes—remains the same. Yet recent research suggests that more subtle chemical changes to our DNA occur as we age. Now, a comparison of the DNA of a newborn baby with that of a centenarian shows that the scope of these changes can be dramatic, and they may help explain why our risk of cancer and other diseases increases as we get older.
Privacy

Submission + - Ready or not, unmanned drones may soon be a staple of American life (networkworld.com)

Submitted by
coondoggie
coondoggie writes: "If you're worried about companies like Facebook and Google violating your privacy, just wait until you have unmanned aerial drones flying around your house.
While this may sound like some far-fetched futuristic scenario, it's actually something that could become a reality by 2015."
Science

Submission + - Autism linked to multiple gene mutations (nytimes.com)

Submitted by UnknowingFool
UnknowingFool writes: Monday was Autism day and teams of scientists are pointing to multiple gene mutations as the possible cause in some forms of autism. These mutations, called de novo mutations are not inherited but develop near or at conception. The risk of these mutations increase with parents older than 35 and are more likely to occur with the father's genes as sperm are more susceptible to fluctuations. While the studies have found that certain mutations occur in a small number of autism cases, the discovery provides some answers as brain development is influenced by hundreds if not thousands of genes.
Japan

Submission + - World is ignoring most important lesson from Fukushima (csmonitor.com)

Submitted by
mdsolar
mdsolar writes: "Kenichi Ohmae, an MIT-trained nuclear engineer also widely regarded as Japan’s top management guru, is dean of Business Breakthrough University. In the CSM he writes:

"Fukushima's most important lesson is this: Probability theory (that disaster is unlikely) failed us. If you have made assumptions, you are not prepared. Nuclear power plants should have multiple, reliable ways to cool reactors. Any nuclear plant that doesn't heed this lesson is inviting disaster.""
Desktops (Apple)

Submission + - Flashback Trojan Hits 600,000 Macs and Counting (techweekeurope.co.uk)

Submitted by
twoheadedboy
twoheadedboy writes: "A Flashback variant dubbed Backdoor.Flashback.39 has infected over 600,000 Macs, according to Russian security firm Dr Web. The virulent Flashback trojan infecting Apple machines sparked interest earlier this week after it was seen exploiting a Java vulnerability, although it was actually first discovered back in September last year. The Trojan has a global reach after Dr Web found infected Macs in most countries. More than half of the Macs infected are in the US (56.6 percent), while another 19.8 percent are in Canada. The UK has 12.8 percent of infected Macs."

Comment From a 1998 survey (Score 1) 403

by arbitrarymodulus (#39453475) Attached to: Do Women Make Better Bosses?
Not that it's fun to be informed, when you can share your "i walked on the moon" story, but the research comes from a 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey. The sample appears to have been conducted in the UK exclusively, focusing on small businesses. I wouldn't want to make inferences about a population when the sample is isolated or at least a decade old. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file12525.pdf

Comment What we need (Score 1) 440

by arbitrarymodulus (#26656277) Attached to: Teachers Need an Open Source Education
What we need is someone to teach us the basics about how it is useful and how it is compatible with our existing operating systems. We don't get a choice, ya know. Whatever the school buys, that's what we get. I'm planning on giving a talk at a future math conference on applications that are helpful (GIMP 2.0 for making graphs, etc.) You have to understand, too, that many teachers are aged, and can barely start up their own machine. Focus on the young teachers and you'll have your solution.

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