Latest science news in Mathematics & Economics
E. coli could convert sugar to biodiesel at 'an extraordinary rate'
(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to making biodiesel cheaply and efficiently enough to be commercially feasible, E. coli may prove to be "the little bacterial engine that could," say Stanford...
Japan opens Fukushima reactors to outside eyes
Japan took a group of journalists inside its crippled nuclear plant for the first time on Saturday, stepping up efforts to prove to the world it is on top of...
Survey results and the 4th BHD Symposium
Thank you very much for taking the time to complete our blog survey. We had a good response with many positive comments. In particular, we are pleased to hear that...
iFling robot gets juiced for third design iteration
(PhysOrg.com) -- The team at the Coordinated Robotics Lab at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), which created the little iFling robot, says the iFling is now in the...
Economix Blog: Uwe E. Reinhardt: Equalizing Payments for Medical Care
An economist writes about a system in which insurers would pay providers the same amount for the same care, ending price discrimination and helping to lower the nation’s health-care costs.
Plan Would Delay Sales of Generic for Lipitor
Pfizer is offering to give discounts on Lipitor to pharmacists who keep filling prescriptions with the name-brand drug once generic competition begins.
S&P: Year-old web change caused France rating error
Embarrassed ratings agency Standard & Poor's said Friday that its erroneous downgrade of France arose when an automatic email was sent out after an old web page on French banks...
Green Blog: An American Look at Fukushima, Minute by Minute
Experts cite some mistakes that the American nuclear industry can learn from, but also some innovations that were developed on the fly.
Defend the block
The comic sci-fi horror flick Attack The Block has done good business in my house since it came out on DVD, especially with my kids. The lead characters are a gang of...
Initial 7 Wonders of Nature list announced
A global competition has named its "provisional" New 7 Wonders of Nature, but no Canadian sites have made the list.
Letters: The right words to shift perceptions of financial matters
The almost universal use of the terms "firepower" and "firewalls" in reporting on the financial crisis is odd and strangely revealing (Pressure on Germany to allow ECB to stop the rot, 8...
U.S. food lobby fighting hard to defend kid ads
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of the world's biggest food companies won a partial victory in a battle over junk food advertising for children and now they are going for the...
Dot Earth Blog: Dot Connection: From Palestinian Politics to Tsunami Warnings
A United Nations vote on the Middle East has ramifications in Asia's tsunami zones.
NSF Center for Identification Technology Research
The National Science Foundation has designated Clarkson University as the lead site for its Center for Identification Technology Research, one of NSF's Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers.
Probiotics show potential in certain health conditions
(Medical Xpress) -- Products containing probiotics are popping up in many foods and dietary supplements found at your local grocery store. Although most people assume that probiotics are in fermented...
Logitech pulls plug on Google TV set-top boxes
Logitech has pulled the plug on Google TV set-top boxes, saying consumers just aren't ready for the device which merges television and the Internet.
Sustainable innovation: the key to global development
Next year's Rio+20 meeting must put science-based innovation at the heart of the development agenda. But the real battle will be political.
'Sound of Football' project allows blind to play football (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a show of just how far Smartphone technology has come, a new group funded by the Pepsi Refresh Project, has put together various technologies that allow blind...
Glooko app offers diabetics easier self-checks
(PhysOrg.com) -- A consumer health management app has joined an ever-growing list of Apple App Store items; Glooko helps diabetics check their blood sugar daily. Glooko is a Palo Alto...
iPhone 4S making frenzied debut in 15 new markets
Apple's new iPhone 4S made glitzy and chaotic debuts in three new Asian markets on Friday, with customers and profiteers queuing for up to a week to get their hands...
New Acer Ultrabook is no MacBook Air, but it's not bad
I'm a big fan of Apple's MacBook Air computer. Revamped by Apple last year, the notebook is a thin, ultralight, speedy computer. Instead of a high-powered processor, a traditional hard...
Universal takes over EMI recorded music unit
Universal Music Group and its parent company French giant Vivendi will buy the recorded music division of British music label EMI from US bank Citigroup for £1.2 billion (1.4 billion...
Sorry Mayans, Killer Solar Flares Impossible In 2012
The last few years have seen a real spike in end-of-the-world conspiracy theories. Why? More asteroids, more flares, more earthquakes? No, just more Internet to talk about them, which gives...
Space and its benefits for citizens and society: A top priority for Europe
After the recent launch of the first Galileo satellites – an event of paramount political importance for Europe – politicians, policymakers, space agency managers, industrialists, satellite operators and members of...
Science channels explode onto YouTube
Google is investing in education and science, with 10 of 100 new YouTube channels dedicated to mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, physics – and spectacular demonstrationsBack in May I wrote a blog post about YouTube...
THAAD Test Flight
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during the system's first operational test at 1:56 a.m. EDT Oct. 5, 2011, at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai,...
We know who [Johnny] Depp is, thank you | Mind your language
How to use square brackets, and how not to [over] use themUnless you are a mathematician or DIY enthusiast, all you need to know about square brackets is contained in the Guardian...
Who are your favourite web celebs?
Internet darling Kina Grannis made headlines with her stop-motion jellybean video, but she's not the only rising star who attracted an online following before having mainstream appeal. Do you have...