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May 9 | News
It’s
a situation we’ve all probably encountered: a coffee shop full of
laptop users and no place to sit. According to recent studies at Boston
College, “plugged-in” customers are increasingly grabbing extra seats
counter space and table tops by using cell phones, laptops, and cups of
steaming hot coffee to shield others from seemingly public spaces
May 3 | News
Four
months ago the U.S. government sought to block publication of two
studies about how scientists created an easily spread form of bird flu.
Now a revised version of one paper is seeing the light of day with the
government's blessing. The second paper, which is more controversial
because it involves what appears to be a more dangerous virus, is
expected to be published later.
Apr 30 | News
Engineers
are developing new and innovative ways of coating medical materials
with nano-sized particles of silver, an element that has long been known
for its antimicrobial properties. However, a recent paper from the
University of Notre Dame highlights the fact that a vast majority of
bacteria are actually neutral, or even beneficial. Overuse of nanosilver
might harm their useful functions in daily life, the paper reports.
Apr 26 | News
Shortly
after Tuesday's release of the long-awaited Google Drive service,
technology blogs and Twitter users were picking apart a legal clause
that made it sound as if all the users' content stored in Google Drive
automatically would become the intellectual property of Google Inc. As it
turns out, the worries are probably unfounded.
Apr 9 | News
With
about a third of the world's rare earth reserves and supplying 90% of
what is consumed, China has come under fire for imposing limits on rare
earths production and exports. In response, the country has begun an
industry association designed fend off these complaints and administer
greater regulation of the sector.
Apr 2 | News
Today,
scientists map entire genomes mostly for research, but as genome
mapping gets faster and cheaper, scientists and consumers have wondered
about possible broader use: Would finding all the glitches hidden in
your DNA predict which diseases you'll face decades later?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, say experts.
Apr 2 | News
On
Friday, the U.S. government's biosecurity advisers said they support
publishing research studies showing how scientists made new
easy-to-spread forms of bird flu because the studies, now revised, don't
reveal details bioterrorists could use. The announcement could end
debate sparked by the government’s request last December that scientists
refrain from publishing all the details of their work.
Mar 29 | News
China
holds about a third of the world's rare earth reserves but supplies
about 90% of what is consumed. In the past two years it has imposed
limits on its exports, citing a need to impose order on an unruly
domestic market and to reduce environmental damage. Officials from the
U.S. the European Union, and Japan met recently to propose ways to
ensure secure supplies of strategically vital rare earths and other
critical materials.
Mar 27 | News
The
Supreme Court this week threw out a lower court ruling allowing human
genes to be patented. The court overturned patents belonging to Myriad
Genetics Inc. of Salt Lake City on two genes linked to increased risk of
breast and ovarian cancer.
Mar 7 | News
Financially
troubled Proview Electronics Co., a computer monitor and LED light
maker, says it registered the iPad trademark in China and elsewhere more
than a decade ago and wants Apple to stop selling or making the popular
tablet computers under that name. Whatever the outcome, the dispute
highlights the rising stakes of the trademark name game in the
increasingly lucrative China consumer market, one that most global
companies cannot afford to miss out on regardless of the risks.
