Three journalists die in Eritrean jail: rights group

Three journalists jailed for over a decade have died in prison in Eritrea, the world's worst country for press freedom, rights group Reporters Without Borders said Thursday.

Dawit Habtemichael, Mattewos Habteab and Wedi Itay were reported to have died by former prison guards who have since fled the secretive Red Sea state, RSF said.

"In Eritrea, journalists have been thrown in prison just for daring to express their opinions," RSF said in a statement. "Some have been held for more than 10 years and are disappearing one by one."

All three had been held since late 2001, arrested in a draconian purge by Eritrea's authoritarian leader Issaias Afeworki, when he shut down independent media.

A fourth journalist, whose identify could not confirmed, is also feared to have died in prison, the group added.

The journalists were held in the notorious desert prison of Eiraeiro, in the north-east of Eritrea, which RSF calls a "death camp" and an "African gulag."

Eritrean officials could not be reached for comment.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/three-journalists-die-eritrean-jail-rights-group-130918025.html

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Finding Home: Urban Meyer's Contract with His Family

Urban Meyer will take the field on Saturday for his first game as head football coach of Ohio State.

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In many ways, the 48-year-old will be coming full circle, both personally and professionally.?

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Born in Toledo, Meyer met his wife, Shelley, while attending the University of Cincinnati. He was hired as an assistant coach at Ohio State in 1986 and earned a master?s degree at the school prior to his departure for another coaching position with Illinois State. He then climbed the coaching ladder, eventually winning two national championships as head coach of the University of Florida.

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A self-acknowledged workaholic, Meyer?s health began failing in December of 2009. In a dramatic turn, he announced his resignation. But he quickly withdrew it and recovered, coaching another full season and retiring after a bowl game win against Penn State on January 1, 2011.

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But all along, even amidst all the success, Meyer knew something wasn?t right. Why was he so obsessed with coaching football? Why did he so suddenly quit and then change his mind just as quickly? He began to ask the questions that many people ask themselves when times turn tough:

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Who am I? Why am I here?

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Following his retirement in January of 2011, Urban Meyer spent weeks traveling the country, visiting and talking with friends. He sought the counsel of his pastor. He reconnected with his kids, Nicki, Gigi and Nate. His wife loved having him home and said he never seemed happier. She said she?d be delighted if he never coached again.

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Yet inside Meyer was still unresolved and missed the thrill of coaching football and the chance to make a difference in the lives of college kids. But his wife said that if he ever signed another football contract he was going to have to sign a contract with the family, too. Meyer thought that was a good idea, so much so that when he held a news conference announcing his new contract with Ohio State, he shared the family contract (which was written by his daughter, Nicki) with the press.

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What did it contain?? Ten promises:

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1. My family will always come first.

2. I will take care of myself and maintain good health.

3. I will go on a trip once a year with Nicki -- MINIMUM.

4. I will not go more than nine hours a day at the office.

5. I will sleep with my cellphone on silent.

6. I will continue to communicate daily with my kids.

7. I will trust God's plan and not be overanxious.

8. I will keep the lake house.

9. I will find a way to watch Nicki and Gigi play volleyball.

10. I will eat three meals a day.

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Urban Meyer says he feels ?blessed? to have realized before it was too late that his main responsibility in life is to raise his family. How he?s able to manage and maintain that delicate balance between family and work remains to be seen, but we certainly wish him all the best.

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The fact of the matter is that millions of families are in the midst of this very same struggle. They may not be nearly as high-profile, and millions of dollars may not be at stake, but the same factors are at play. No matter the family, children want the very same thing: they want their parents to be present and available to them. They would rather have their mom and dad at the head of the family dinner table than at the head of a big company or football team, if by being there they wouldn?t have them home for regular family activities.

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Let me ask you:

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Depending upon your profession, could you agree to a similar contract with your family? (Yes, I would like a lake house, too! J) But in all sincerity, how are you balancing your family life with your work these days??

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Source: http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/blogs/Finding_Home/2012/08/30/urban-meyers-contract-with-his-family

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Apartment Careers: Real Estate/Property Management jobs, N ...

Part-Time Leasing Consultant Job Code: PRE POSTED: Aug 29 Salary: Open Location: N Miami Beach, Florida Employer: Advenir Real Estate Management Type: Part Time - Experienced Category: Real Estate/Property Management Required Education: High School Advenir Real Estate Management maintains a culture of: Truth, Kindness, Fairness and Love, which is implemented as the Company's core values. We operate under constant open communication, which enhances our core values and overall culture. We take pride in the development of careers and encourage the defining of an Advenir associate's strengths. We invite you to learn more about who we are, what we do and the generous benefits we offer our associates at www.advenir.net View all our jobs Advenir Real Estate Management maintains a culture of Truth, Kindness, Fairness and Love which is implemented as the Company's core values.? We are always looking for positive and energetic associates to join our team.? We operate under constant open communication which enhances our core values and overall positive culture.? We take pride in the development of careers and encourage the defining of an Advenir associate's strengths. Responsibilities: Providing exemplary level of customer serivce Securing leases on available apartments Lease preparation and marketing reports Ability to remain organized and work well under pressure ? Excellent communication skills - verbal, written, and computer. Team player committed to success. Professional Image. Weekends required. Advenir Real Estate Management N Miami Beach FL http://www.advenir.net "); febox .html('') .addClass('featured-employer-box') .appendTo($('body')) .css({ "height":fWin.height() - 50, "width":980 }) .overlay({ top: 20, closeOnClick:true, load: false }); feframe = $('#featured-employer-frame'); }); $('body').delegate('.fe-popup','click',function(e) { var el = $(this); feframe.contents().find('body').html(""); feframe.attr('src',el.data('url')); febox.overlay().load(); }); })(jQuery);

Source: http://jobs.apartmentcareers.com/jobs/4897671/part-time-leasing-consultant

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Posh Peach: Bump update: 26 weeks

Thank you all for the congratulations! Husband and I are over the moon and can't wait to meet our baby boy at the end of the year.?

I am currently 26 weeks (26.5 really!) and here is a little update.?

How far along: 26 weeks

Gender: Boy!

Maternity clothes: I wear pretty much all maternity clothes. Let's just say my top half outgrew all my clothes before my bump did ;) ?I have had great luck finding stylish options!

Movement: It has been so fun to feel and see baby boy kick and move around!

Sleep: I get up once a night for a bathroom break, but have been sleeping well other than that. I bought a body pillow this past weekend and it really has made a difference in getting comfortable.

Cravings: Iced tea and fruit. I could eat fruit all day long. I've given up caffeine, but Starbucks Iced Passion Teas are decaf and I drink and crave those pretty often. My sweet tooth totally went away in the first trimester, but it came back in the second, unfortunately!

Other symptoms: I have had pretty intense back pain. I work a 10-hour day at my office and it is getting so hard to sit all day with my back pain. I've brought in a pillow, so we'll see if that helps.

Best moment of the week: Trying out the bedding on the crib. I hope baby boy loves it!

What I'm looking forward to: A family baby shower this upcoming weekend and moving forward with decorating and setting up the nursery.?

Source: http://www.poshpeachblog.com/2012/08/bump-update-26-weeks.html

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Health costs?more worrisome than reform

By Allison Linn, NBC News

Republicans and Democrats have made their political and ideological?stance on President Obama's health care law a key part of their respective campaigns. But recent data suggests that Americans are preoccupied with the more practical matter of how much it will cost them to get the care they need.

Experts say?the focus on pocketbook issues reflects both the nation?s preoccupation with household finances amid the difficult economy, and the fact that the Affordable Care Act is poorly understood.

?People don?t think about the nation?s health care costs,? said Mollyann Brodie, senior vice president for public opinion and survey research for the Kaiser Family Foundation. ?They?re not thinking about the total amount the nation is spending on health care. What they think about is the price they pay, the price coming out of their paycheck.?

Brodie noted that it?s been hard for either opponents or proponents of the Affordable Care Act to explain how the big health care reform program will affect people?s individual health care costs.

That's partly because the effect will be very different depending on what kind of health insurance, and health care needs, you have. And it's made more complicated because many provisions of the law aren?t set to take effect until 2014 or later.

Also, although people may have deep partisan feelings about whether such a plan is necessary, in their everyday lives they?re more concerned with how they can afford the health care they need.

?When you ask them what bothers me, what bothers me is I can?t afford the premium,? she said.

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey conducted this month finds that even among Republicans, health care costs are a bigger health-related concern than any issues they might have with "Obamacare."

The Kaiser survey of about 1,200 Americans found that 67 percent of Republicans said the cost of health care and health insurance was either extremely or very important when choosing a president, while 61 percent said Medicare was the top health care issue in choosing a president.

A smaller number of Republicans, 54 percent, said the 2010 health care law that has been such a hot topic of political debate was extremely or very important to their decision. Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, has vowed to undo many aspects of the law if elected.

Among Americans of all political affiliations, health care cost also ranked as the most second worrisome economic issue, right after jobs, in the Kaiser survey.

A separate Gallup survey also showed that health care costs remain a top worry among American workers as well. It found that American workers are more worried about getting their benefits cut than about having their job eliminated, despite an unemployment rate that is above 8 percent.

The Gallup poll of about 500 working adult Americans, which also was conducted in early August, found that 40 percent?were worried that their benefits will be cut, while 28 percent were worried about losing their job.

Paul Fronstin, director of the Employment Benefit Research Institute?s health research and education program, said it?s no surprise that Americans are so concerned about the cost and availability of benefits. Fronstin noted that health care costs have been rising for years. That?s left many?employees either being asked to contribute more toward the cost of their care, or finding that their employer simply doesn?t offer a plan they can afford.

?Benefits have been eroding. We have seen deductibles going up, and we have seen copayments going up,? he said.

The Gallup survey has for years shown that Americans are most worried about benefit cuts. But the concern spiked when the economy began to falter. Perhaps surprisingly, it has continued to outpace fears of a job loss even as millions of Americans have lost their jobs.

These days, Fronstin said many people may feel like they made it through the recession and therefore don?t have to be as worried that they will lose their job. Yet they still may worry that their employer will continue to ask them to pay more for health care, and they may wonder how they will swing that added cost.

?People are starting to get over that (fear that) they?re going to lose their job because the unemployment rate has been coming down, even slightly,? he said. ?But it doesn?t make them feel better about their benefits.?

Related:

More workers opting out of company health plans

One in five older Americans scrimp on health care to save money

{"contentId":"13531463","totalVotes":"2444"}

What health care issue is most important to you?

Source: http://economywatch.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/29/13531463-as-politicians-focus-on-health-care-act-americans-worry-about-health-benefits-and-costs?lite

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We Tried It: The DIY Site That Actually Has it All | Daily Savings From ...

Need a new space heater? How about some supplies for that DIY project you saw on Pinterest? Even if you feel like you?ve bitten off more than you can chew with a DIY project,?Build.com?is here to help.

As the second-largest and fastest-growing online home improvement retailer, Build.com is a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs.?With over 500,000 products, you can filter through your shopping list by room, brand or price. Instead of spending your day navigating your heavy cart through endless rows, just sit back, relax and let your mouse do the shopping.

So that overwhelming project you said you?d finish before summer is over, could actually happen.

Source: http://dailysavings.allyou.com/2012/08/28/build-comhomeimprovements/

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Jury foreman says Apple patents valid due to different processor ...

I would be less concerned about HN'ers being able to decipher the intracies of the law around the US patent system than a jury of 12 random people... That said, you are likely correct in one common misunderstanding. Too many people conflate, 1. the US patent system 2. patent law. The latter could be working as well as could be expected in any part of the US legal system or indeed the world. This is difficult to tell without being a lawyer and many HN'ers, like ordinary people, do not grok it. The US patent system itself, however, is an entirely different matter. The core aspects are far easier to understand and is routinely and increasingly derided, including by top members of many professions the world over as well as representatives of the US justice system. The latest cases have only furthered added to these views. reply

I think that the ones who do are silent on the issue because it's not a popular view point to defend these patents (or any patents). There are so many people that already had their minds made up that anything that ran counter to that viewpoint was obviously wrong, or biased, or ignorant. Or they would rather attack the jury for having to try to work through a really complicated case and coming to a different conclusion than they would have. Or maybe they'd rather just ridicule the foreman's patent... because that's helping a lot. But really, who has read the points of the patents, or the prior art? Who actually followed the case in it's entirely without cherry picking comments from media coverage? And more importantly, who actually understands patent law? I think a lot of people think that they do. This is one of the persistent issues that we'll have to deal with on HN for the next few months. Any time an Android vs. iOS article appears it polarizes this community like none other. Hopefully after a while it will all die down... Then just wait for the appeals court decision... reply

I don't think you can really jump to that conclusion. Prior art may have been 'ignored' but I have a feeling that the question in the minds of the jurors was 'Did Samsung copy apple?' I think that what's probably more at issue is that the vast majority of the populace regards copying as plagiarism / and/or something that ought to be punished. eg. copying = theft = bad = you should pay a fine. The jurors are just trying to stitch legal words and technical words together to create the impression that it was judged based on the law rather than the emotional feeling that copying is bad. The jury was probably looking for evidence to find for Apple, not examining the evidence to reach a conclusion. It's a hallmark of trials by jury, it's why when the facts and emotions are on your side you pick a jury trial and when the law is on your side you pick a trial by judge. I've heard that at one point in the trial the samsung lawyer said that the design of their tablet was so different that it couldn't be copied while pointing to an iPad. A gaffe like that in connection with the idea that copying = bad is game over for Samsung in court. Errol Morris interviewed a mob lawyer about how he got a mobster off a murder charge, it's a very telling insight into how the average person's mind works. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLEe496IS1o reply

Another juror sheds more light on what happened. The foreman's view on prior art had a big impact. "We were debating heavily, especially about the patents on bounce-back and pinch-to-zoom. Apple said they owned patents, but we were debating about the prior art. Hogan was jury foreman. He had experience. He owned patents himself...so he took us through his experience. After that it was easier. After we debated that first patent -- what was prior art --because we had a hard time believing there was no prior art." "In fact we skipped that one," Ilagan continued, "so we could go on faster. It was bogging us down." http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57500358-37/exclusive-appl... reply

Claim 1 is for a system with tv tuner, internal hardrive and a removable media. So it is slightly different then a Tivo. Although I don't think taking a Tivo and slapping a CD writer on it should be eligible for a patent. Especially if TV tuners where available at retail at the time (pretty sure they were, but I have no evidence of that.) Basically anybody that put a TV tuner into a computer with a CD writer is prior art for claim 1. reply

IANAL but here are two things I found interesting about the patent: 1. It doesn't claim the methods, only the systems. My (dim) understanding is that this means it isn't a software patent (a "method" patent), it's just a patent on a "system" (e.g. a device) implementing those methods. If you want to claim the algorithm, you have to claim the methods too; these claims commonly mirror the claims for the system, but with the words "a method" generally replacing "a system". 2. A claim stakes out an area of ownership; the more "and"s there are, the narrower the claim, just like a SQL query returns fewer results with the more AND phrases you include in the WHERE clause. That first long claim (on which all the others are based) could be paraphrased as "Like Tivo, but with the user additionally being able to cut/copy/paste ('edit') sections of video, but only when there's a hard drive, and only when there's a CD burner, etc." So a system that omitted or replaced one of those components would not infringe the patent. The other claims basically just preemptively stake out further sub-sections of the area of ownership so that the next guy to come along can't do what this guy did and just specialize/narrow/tweak the existing invention in those ways. reply

That description may fit an Apple TV. Or any computer One embodiment of the invention includes an apparatus equipped with a wireless keyboard and software that enables a user to access the Web and email services [?] and other functions reply

Yes, this is the sad thing. You have to prove that the jury tampered with itself or was too stupid to or too biased to do its job. Very hard to do. Alsup, in the Google trial, showed some great strategy here where he told the jury "assume you can copyright apis" while reserving to make a judgement as a matter of law on the issue later. So the Jury could say "guilty of copyright infringement" and he could say, "Thank you, oh by the way you can't copyright APIs, but if you could you would have infringed." If anything Judge Koh seemed more inclined to put as much into the juries hands as possible. reply

> Wow! throughout the interview the guy looked extremely confident. I'd attribute this to Dunning-Krueger. The guy thinks he was the smartest shit in the room - "I had an aha moment, I explained it to them, I laid it out, I this, I that." reply

So, if this is the new precedent, and a new processor means that we can disregard all prior art, am I correct in assuming that all I need to do to keep from infringing is to run this "ip" on a different processor in the future? (I am well aware that "legal reasoning" and real-world rationality umm... walk different paths, I'm just sayin'.) reply

I believe that this link is the 460 patent that the guy mentioned: http://www.google.com/patents/US7577460 The content presented in the patent drawings at the bottom are hardware-heavy, and the patent claims and diagrams discuss voltage control, etc. I am not a patent expert, and not subject to the trial content. But I find it plausible that "processor", or phone architecture in general, might have been an important factor that differentiated Apple from the claims of Samsung's patent. reply

Adding "with a voltage regulator" shouldn't be any more legit than "...but on the interwebs!". It looks to me like a snow job. Putting a camera in a smartphone and then (steady yourself) emailing the pictures you take! Seems pretty thin. So throw in a bunch of the technical details that all electronic devices have in common like voltage regulators, chip enable lines, data busses etc, and a bunch of the mundaneness of networking, like the sizes of email headers etc and now we're looking like we've got something that will sneak past an examiner or impress a layman. reply

He clearly says that he wasn't assessing actual damages, but wanted to teach the offending company a lesson. The whole thing is incredibly frustrating. reply

This is a disturbing farce. I realize that it is extremely difficult to appeal jury decisions, but this is getting ridiculous. Not only did he take it upon himself to ignore the court's instructions by dishing out punitive damages, but the entire reasoning behind these so-called deliberations now appear to have been completely devoid of rationality. The poster who compared the logic employed here to Vicini's "battle of wits" in the Princess Bride had it spot on. reply

You cannot dismiss a jury member's own experiences from their decision making process. It was the attorney's job to vet for the jury for problematic backgrounds, and to toss out those that they were concerned about. The fact that this person was on the jury tells me that they were comfortable with his background. Also, four of the jury members work for high tech companies, including Intel, AT&T, a circuit board manufacturer, and a hard drive company. So while the foreman was unique in that he holds a patent, many of the jurists have had at least some exposure to technology products in their professional careers. reply

But if they ship on MIPS, they'll have to deal with all the SGI IP... Better be safe and design a new processor architecture. reply

Juries are allowed and often requested to ask questions of the judge during deliberations, but it's up to them to decide that they need that clarification. I've never been on a jury in a trial such as this, but just as you'll find in regular conversations, members of a jury will present themselves as experts and spout "facts" to back themselves up. A confident "expert" can convince a lot of people. reply

Source: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4446102

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UN chief hits host Iran over human rights

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? The U.N. chief jolted his Iranian hosts for a nonaligned nations meeting Wednesday by pointing out "serious concerns" in Tehran's human rights record and urging cooperation with the world body to improve freedoms.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had signaled he would not shy away from criticism of Iran during his visit to the Nonaligned Movement gathering in Tehran, but the sharp comments appeared to catch Iranian officials off guard just hours after his arrival.

"We have discussed how United Nations can work together with Iran to improve the human rights situation in Iran. We have our serious concerns on the human rights abuses and violations in this country," he told a news conference as he sat next to Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who frowned at the remarks.

Iran's opposition groups had urged Ban to use his appearance in Tehran as a platform to criticize Iran's ruling system over its crackdowns on political dissent, including the house arrests of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi.

While in Tehran, Ban also could raise sensitive issues such as demands by U.N. nuclear inspectors for wider access to various sites, including a military base near Tehran suspected of being a proving ground for explosives experiments that could be used to test nuclear triggers. Iran denies it seeks nuclear arms, but Western nations and allies fear Tehran's uranium enrichment labs are moving close to warhead-grade material.

In Vienna, the U.N.'s nuclear agency has created a special Iran Task Force of nuclear weapons experts, intelligence analysts and other specialists focused on probing Tehran's atomic program, according to an internal document shared with The Associated Press.

Iran is seeking to use the weeklong meeting of the 120-nation Nonaligned Movement to promote its position that its nuclear program is peaceful and its uranium enrichment is within the U.N. treaty rules. The meetings are capped by a two-day summit that begins Thursday.

In advance, Ban also said he will discuss the Syria crisis with Iranian leaders, who remain staunch allies of Bashar Assad's regime. The U.N. chief called Iran a major player capable of mediating in regional conflicts, including Syria's civil war.

"Iran has a very important role to play in helping resolve the Syrian issue, reflecting the will of the Syrian people in a peaceful manner. This is one of the important issues that I'm going to discuss with the Iranian leadership," said Ban.

Ban met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later Wednesday, state TV reported.

Iran plans to propose the formation of a three-member nonaligned team, plus two neighbors of Syria, to help resolve the crisis there, Iran's state media quoted prominent lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi as saying.

The proposed troika will include Egypt, Iran and Venezuela plus Iraq and Lebanon. Boroujerdi, who met Assad during a visit to Syria last week, said the Syrian president said he would welcome the Iranian plan.

A senior Iranian official gave details of the plan.

"Iran's proposal ... is a cease-fire and the implementation of a three-month mechanism for national reconciliation talks in this country," the official IRNA news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying Wednesday.

Anti-regime fighters have dismissed any role for Iran in such a plan. The rebels and some others say it has little hope of succeeding. Also, the United States has rejected Iranian participation in international meetings on the Syrian crisis.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-chief-hits-host-iran-over-human-rights-152717377.html

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The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Tuesday ...

for Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Welcome to another edition of ScienceDaily's email newsletter. You can change your subscription options or unsubscribe at any time.

---

New maps may reduce tourism impacts on Hawaiian dolphins (August 27, 2012) -- Over-eager eco-tourists intent on seeing spinner dolphins up close may inadvertently be disturbing the charismatic animals' daytime rest periods and driving them out of safe habitats in bays along Hawaii's coast. Scientists have developed a promising new tool that may help to limit repeated human disturbances and help reduce their negative impacts on the dolphins. ... >?full?story

Oldest occurrence of arthropods preserved in amber: Fly, mite specimens are 100 million years older than previous amber inclusions (August 27, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered the oldest record of arthropods -- invertebrate animals that include insects, arachnids, and crustaceans -- preserved in amber. The specimens, one fly and two mites found in millimeter-scale droplets of amber from northeastern Italy, are about 100 million years older than any other amber arthropod ever collected. ... >?full?story

Neandertal's right-handedness verified, hints at language capacity (August 27, 2012) -- There are precious few Neandertal skeletons available to science. One of the more complete was discovered in 1957 in France, roughly 900 yards away from the famous Lascaux Cave. That skeleton was dubbed "Regourdou." Then, about two decades ago, researchers examined Regourdou's arm bones and theorized that he had been right-handed. ... >?full?story

Oceanic mystery solved: Connection between 'monster larva' and unique species of shrimp (August 27, 2012) -- The origin of Cerataspis monstrosa has been a mystery as deep as the ocean waters it hails from. For nearly two centuries, researchers have tried to track down the larva that has shown up in the guts of other fish over time but found no adult counterpart. Until now. ... >?full?story

Links between nutrients, genes and cancer spread documented (August 27, 2012) -- More than 40 plant-based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study. A professor of pharmaceutical sciences says he is encouraged by his findings because the spread of cancer is most often what makes the disease fatal. Moreover, he says, diet, nutrients and plant-based chemicals appear to be opening many avenues of attack. ... >?full?story

Panda preferences influence trees used for scent marking (August 27, 2012) -- As solitary animals, giant pandas have developed a number of ways to communicate those times when they are ready to come into close contact. One means of this communication occurs through scent marking. A recent study indicates that pandas make clear and specific choices about what trees are used for scent marking. ... >?full?story

Plants unpack winter coats when days get shorter (August 27, 2012) -- Mechanisms that protect plants from freezing are placed in storage during the summer and wisely unpacked when days get shorter. An expert in molecular genetics has demonstrated how the CBF cold response pathway is inactive during warmer months when days are long, and how it's triggered by waning sunlight to prepare plants for freezing temperatures. ... >?full?story

Adolescent pot use leaves lasting mental deficits; Developing brain susceptible to lasting damage from exposure to marijuana (August 27, 2012) -- The persistent, dependent use of marijuana before age 18 has been shown to cause lasting harm to a person's intelligence, attention and memory, according to an international research team. ... >?full?story

Long-held theory on human gestation refuted: Mother?s metabolism, not birth canal size, limits gestation (August 27, 2012) -- An anthropologist suggests that the length of human pregnancy is limited primarily by a mother's metabolism, not the size of the birth canal. The research challenges the long-held notion of an evolutionary trade-off between childbirth and a pelvis adapted for walking upright. ... >?full?story

One third less life on planet Earth? Scientists offer better estimate of living biomass (August 27, 2012) -- Previous estimates about the total mass of all life on our planet have to be reduced by about one third, according to the results of a study by a German-U.S. science team. ... >?full?story

Short- and mid-term cardiovascular effects of Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami: Incidence rises with the seismic peak (August 27, 2012) -- The Japanese earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, which hit the north-east coast of Japan with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale, was one of the largest ocean-trench earthquakes ever recorded in Japan. The tsunami caused huge damage, including 15,861 dead and 3018 missing persons, and, as of June 6, 2012, 388,783 destroyed homes. ... >?full?story

Darwin discovered to be right: Eastern Pacific barrier is virtually impassable by coral species (August 27, 2012) -- Coral from the eastern Pacific rarely crosses a deep-ocean barrier to reach the west coast of the Americas, according to new research. The finding has important implications for climate-change research, species-preservation efforts, and the economic stability of the eastern Pacific region, including the Galapagos, Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador. ... >?full?story

Why some fats are worse than others (August 27, 2012) -- All dietary fats are not created equal. Some types of fats have been linked to ailments like heart disease and diabetes, while others, like those often found in plants and fish, have well documented health benefits. So why do our bodies respond so destructively to some fats but not others? ... >?full?story

Cooled coal emissions would clean air and lower health and climate-change costs (August 27, 2012) -- Refrigerating coal-plant emissions would reduce levels of dangerous chemicals that pour into the air -- including carbon dioxide by more than 90 percent -- at a cost of 25 percent efficiency, according to a simple math-driven formula. ... >?full?story

Arctic sea ice reaches lowest extent ever recorded (August 27, 2012) -- The blanket of sea ice floating on the Arctic Ocean melted to its lowest extent ever recorded since satellites began measuring it in 1979, according to new research. ... >?full?story

Fossil skeleton of strange, ancient digging mammal clears up 30-year-old evolutionary debate (August 27, 2012) -- Shortly after dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops went extinct, the Earth became filled with mammals only distantly related to those alive today. Until recently, one of these creatures, Ernanodon antelios, was only known from a single, highly distorted specimen that raised many questions about its habits and evolutionary relationships. Scientists have now described a second specimen of Ernanodon that sheds new light on this curious beast. ... >?full?story

Probiotics supercharge plants' immunity to disease (August 27, 2012) -- Pathogens can slip through leaf pores and begin infecting a plant. However, new research shows that this invasion is halted when a beneficial bacterium is present in the soil where the plant is rooted. ... >?full?story

Advanced tornado/hurricane shelter panels from recycled materials (August 27, 2012) -- Recycled materials may become armor against flying debris: Panels for a new high-tech shelter have passed the National Storm Shelter Association?s tornado threat test. ... >?full?story

Fitting Kv potassium channels in the PIP2 puzzle (August 27, 2012) -- A recent study brings new insights to an area of ion channel regulation: whether voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels can be regulated by physiological changes to PIP2. ... >?full?story

New model of muscular dystrophy provides insight into disease development (August 27, 2012) -- Researchers report the development of a mouse model of Fukuyama's muscular dystrophy that copies the pathology seen in the human form of the disease. ... >?full?story

Studying how diseases spread in primates may help predict what diseases will emerge in humans (August 27, 2012) -- A new study has investigated how diseases are shared among species of primates with a view to predicting what diseases may emerge in humans in the future. The findings aim to help in the fight against these diseases by enabling scientists to develop treatments before outbreaks occur. ... >?full?story

Vitamin B3 may offer new tool in fight against staph infections, 'superbugs' (August 27, 2012) -- A new study suggests that nicotinamide, more commonly known as vitamin B3, may be able to combat some of the antibiotic-resistance staph infections and "superbugs" that are increasingly common around the world, have killed thousands and can pose a significant threat to public health. ... >?full?story

Scientists discover nerves control iridescence in squid's remarkable 'electric skin' (August 27, 2012) -- Nerves in squid skin control the animal's spectrum of shimmering hues -- from red to blue -- as well as their speed of change, biologists have found. The work marks the first time neural control of iridescence in an invertebrate species has been demonstrated. ... >?full?story

To cap or not to cap: Scientists find new RNA phenomenon that challenges dogma (August 27, 2012) -- Some RNA molecules spend time in a restful state akin to hibernation rather than automatically carrying out their established job of delivering protein-building instructions in cells. This restful period appears to be a programmed step for RNA produced by certain types of genes. Protein production in cells is not as clear-cut as biology textbooks suggest, scientists say. ... >?full?story

Breast milk promotes a different gut flora growth than infant formulas (August 27, 2012) -- The benefits of breast milk have long been appreciated, but now scientists have described a unique property that makes mother's milk better than infant formula in protecting infants from infections and illnesses. The finding explains how breast milk, but not infant formula, fosters colonies of microbiotic flora in a newborn's intestinal tract that aid nutrient absorption and immune system development. ... >?full?story

Precise and persistent cell sabotage: Control of siRNA could aid regenerative medicine, cancer therapy (August 27, 2012) -- Small interfering RNA (siRNA), can be packaged then unleashed as a precise and persistent technology to guide cell behavior, researchers report. The technology holds promise for tissue engineering and cancer therapy. ... >?full?story

How ocean currents affect global climate becoming better understood (August 27, 2012) -- Oceanographers have developed a "new paradigm" for describing how the world's oceans circulate -- and with it they may help reshape science's understanding of the processes by which wind, water, sunlight and other factors interact and influence the planet's climate. ... >?full?story

Nutrition tied to improved sperm DNA quality in older men: Healthy micronutrient intake linked to reduced DNA fragmentation (August 27, 2012) -- A healthy intake of micronutrients is strongly associated with improved sperm DNA quality in older men. In younger men, however, a higher intake of micronutrients didn't improve their sperm DNA. ... >?full?story

How methane becomes fish food (August 27, 2012) -- Methane is an organic carbon compound containing the fundamental building block of nearly all living material: carbon. It provides an important source of energy and nutrients for bacteria. Methane is produced in oxygen-free environments and is found in abundance at the bottom of lakes. ... >?full?story

Pesticides endanger bats (August 27, 2012) -- Bats are a highly threatened group of animals and many people are concerned with their conservation. The entire group of animals is protected in Europe. Therefore it is worrying that bats are not included in the EU-wide authorization procedures for plant protection products. A new study has revealed that pesticide contamination of their diet can lead to long-term effects in bats. ... >?full?story

X-ray chemist solves cholera mystery: Blood group O most susceptible (August 27, 2012) -- The likelihood of becoming seriously ill from cholera depends on your blood group. It is possible to find a new remedy for the feared illness by studying the molecular structure in the toxin in the cholera bacteria. ... >?full?story

Laser beam as a '3-D painter' to grow biological tissue or to create micro sensors (August 27, 2012) -- With laser beams, molecules can be fixed at exactly the right position in a three dimensional material. The new method can be used to grow biological tissue or to create micro sensors. ... >?full?story

Summer weather could mean fall colors pop in Northeast U.S. (August 27, 2012) -- The summer?s dry weather, combined with recent cool nights, could combine for a colorful fall foliage season in the Northeast, says a dendrologist. ... >?full?story

By text-mining the classics, professor unearths new literary insights (August 27, 2012) -- One researcher combines programming with text-mining to compare 18th- and 19th century authors? works with one another based on their stylistic and thematic connections. He crunches massive amounts of text to map how books are connected to one another -- from each's word frequency and choice to its overarching subject matter. ... >?full?story

Simplifying genetic codes to look back in time (August 26, 2012) -- Researchers show simpler versions of the universal genetic code can still function in protein synthesis. In addition to understanding early primordial organisms, the research could lead to applications preventing non-natural genetically modified materials from entering the natural world. ... >?full?story

'Cyborg' tissues: Merging engineered human tissues with bio-compatible nanoscale wires (August 26, 2012) -- Scientists have, for the first, time created a type of "cyborg" tissue by embedding a three-dimensional network of functional, bio-compatible nanoscale wires into engineered human tissues. ... >?full?story

Manipulating the microbiome could help manage weight (August 26, 2012) -- Vaccines and antibiotics may someday join caloric restriction or bariatric surgery as a way to regulate weight gain, according to a new study focused on the interactions between diet, the bacteria that live in the bowel, and the immune system. "Diet-induced obesity depends not just on calories ingested but also on the host's microbiome," said the study's senior author. For most people, he said, "host digestion is not completely efficient, but changes in the gut flora can raise or lower digestive efficiency." ... >?full?story

Rapid-scanning microscope with no loss of quality (August 24, 2012) -- Scientists have developed a rapid-scanning microscope with no loss of quality. ... >?full?story

Sunbathing helps these bugs stay healthy (August 24, 2012) -- Sunbathing may be healthy -- at least for one group of North American insects, the Western boxelder bug -- that apparently uses the activity to fight off germs. The bugs are known to group together in sunlit patches and release monoterpenes, strong-smelling chemical compounds that help protect the bugs by killing germs on their bodies. ... >?full?story

Only two percent of Canadians deny climate change (August 24, 2012) -- A new survey shows that only two percent of Canadians deny climate change. ... >?full?story

Microwave ovens may help produce lower cost solar energy technology (August 24, 2012) -- The same type of microwave oven technology that most people use to heat up leftover food has found an important application in the solar energy industry, providing a new way to make thin-film photovoltaic products with less energy, expense and environmental concerns. ... >?full?story

Boston subway system to be used to test new sensors for biological agents (August 24, 2012) -- The Department of Homeland Security?s Science and Technology Directorate has scheduled a series of tests in the Boston subways to measure the real-world performance of new sensors recently developed to detect biological agents within minutes. ... >?full?story

Superior fuel cell material developed (August 24, 2012) -- Using a mixture of gold, copper and platinum nanoparticles, researchers have developed a more powerful and longer lasting fuel cell material. ... >?full?story

Good news from the bad drought: Gulf 'Dead Zone' smallest in years (August 24, 2012) -- The worst drought to hit the United States in at least 50 years does have one benefit: It has created the smallest "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico in years, say researchers. ... >?full?story

Bigger creatures live longer, travel farther for a reason (August 24, 2012) -- A biological mystery about the longer lifespans of bigger creatures may be explained by the application of a physical law called the Constructal Law. It proposes that anything that flows -- a river, bloodstream or highway network -- will evolve toward the same basic configuration out of a need to be more efficient. A professor argues that this same basic law applies to all bodies in motion, be they animals or tanker trucks. ... >?full?story

New insights to the function of molecular chaperones (August 24, 2012) -- Molecular biologists have gained new insights into the function of so-called molecular chaperones in protein synthesis. Scientists were able to demonstrate how a molecular chaperone in bacterial cells can influence the formation of the three-dimensional structure of new proteins. ... >?full?story

Cup of herbal tea could help fight breast cancer (August 24, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered that an extract from a common plant in Pakistan may help treat breast cancer. ... >?full?story

New molecular interactions behind the inhibition of TGF beta-signaling described (August 24, 2012) -- Researchers describe new molecular interactions behind the inhibition of TGF beta-signaling. ... >?full?story

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