News
The secrets of another Japanese success story
June 12, 2013 2:19 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsJapanese manufacturers have practically cornered the world market on components for lithium-ion batteries, films for LCDs and other advanced materials — with almost no competition from abroad. The secrets to their success are the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN).
Hands-free talking and texting are unsafe
June 12, 2013 2:06 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsUsing hands-free devices to talk, text or send e-mail while driving is distracting and risky, contrary to what many people believe, says a new University of Utah study issued today by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "Our research shows that hands-free is not risk-free," says University of Utah psychology Professor David Strayer, lead author of the study....
Nuclear plant closures show industry's struggles
June 12, 2013 1:55 pm | by RAY HENRY and MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press | CommentsThe decision to close California's San Onofre nuclear plant is the latest setback for an industry that seemed poised for growth not long ago. In Wisconsin, a utility shuttered its plant last month after it couldn't find a buyer. In Florida - and now California - utilities decided it was cheaper to close plants....
Executives admit that TV isn't everywhere yet
June 12, 2013 1:43 pm | by RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer | CommentsTV was supposed to be everywhere by now - watchable anytime, anywhere, on your smartphone or tablet. But four years into the industry's effort, network executives readily admit: TV isn't everywhere. The promise of "TV Everywhere" has been a key strategy in the cable and satellite TV industry's fight to retain customers in the face of challenges from online video providers such as Netflix.
Yale researchers unravel genetics of dyslexia and language impairment
June 12, 2013 1:42 pm | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsA new study of the genetic origins of dyslexia and other learning disabilities could allow for earlier diagnoses and more successful interventions, according to researchers at Yale School of Medicine. Many students now are not diagnosed until high school, at which point treatments are less effective....
Data highways for quantum information
June 12, 2013 12:13 pm | by Vienna University of Technology | CommentsResearchers at the Vienna University of Technology quantum mechanically couple atoms to glass fiber cables. Now, they have shown that their technique enables storage of quantum information over a sufficiently long period of time to realize global quantum networks based on optical fibers.
Carnegie Mellon method uses network of cameras to track people in complex indoor settings
June 12, 2013 12:13 pm | by Carnegie Mellon University | CommentsResearchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a method for tracking the locations of multiple individuals in complex, indoor settings using a network of video cameras, creating something similar to the fictional Marauder's Map used by Harry Potter to track comings and goings at the Hogwarts School.
New tasks become as simple as waving a hand with brain-computer interfaces
June 12, 2013 11:59 am | by University of Washington | CommentsSmall electrodes placed on or inside the brain allow patients to interact with computers or control robotic limbs simply by thinking about how to execute those actions. This technology could improve communication and daily life for a person who is paralyzed or has lost the ability to speak from a stroke or neurodegenerative disease.
US leaker Snowden faces hard choices while hiding
June 12, 2013 11:53 am | by KELVIN K. CHAN & PETER ENAV, Associated Press | CommentsEdward Snowden, the former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about U.S. surveillance programs, has few options to stay one step ahead of the authorities while in apparent hiding. One possibility is to seek asylum in a place that does not have an extradition pact with the United States...
Czechs present bicycle that can fly
June 12, 2013 11:35 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsIs it a bike? Is it a plane? Three Czech companies have teamed up to make a prototype of an electric bicycle that successfully took off Wednesday inside an exhibition hall in Prague and landed safely after a remote-controlled, five-minute flight.
Hands-free texting still distracting for drivers
June 12, 2013 11:34 am | by JOAN LOWY, Associated Press | CommentsUsing voice commands to send text messages and emails from behind the wheel, which is marketed as a safer alternative for drivers, actually is more distracting and dangerous than simply talking on a cellphone, a new AAA study found. Automakers have been trying to excite new-car buyers, especially younger ones, with dashboard infotainment systems...
Man linked to hacker group agrees to plead guilty
June 12, 2013 11:33 am | by MICHELLE L. PRICE, Associated Press | CommentsAn Ohio man linked to the hacker collective Anonymous plans to plead guilty to charges that he breached police-agency websites, under an agreement with the federal government that calls for prison time and nearly $230,000 in restitution.
Facebook starts first servers outside the US
June 12, 2013 11:24 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsFacebook says it has started processing data through its first server farm outside the United States, on the edge of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. The company inaugurated servers in its new, 300,000-square foot (28,000-square meter) facility outside the city Lulea Wednesday, saying it should improve the social network's performance in Europe.
Secret program leaker Snowden goes dark in HK
June 12, 2013 11:22 am | by CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press | CommentsThe former CIA employee who suddenly burst into headlines around the globe by revealing himself as the source of top-secret leaks about U.S. surveillance programs has just as quickly gone to ground again. Two days after he checked out of a Hong Kong hotel where he told the Guardian newspaper...
Moving iron in Antarctica
June 12, 2013 12:00 am | by Georgia Institute of Technology | CommentsThe seas around Antarctica can, at times, resemble a garden. Large-scale experiments where scientists spray iron into the waters, literally fertilizing phytoplankton, have created huge man-made algal blooms. Such geoengineering experiments produce diatoms, which pull carbon dioxide out of the air.
