Latest science news in Mathematics & Economics
11-year-old boy helps solve chemistry puzzle
An 11-year-old Swedish boy is attracting media attention around the world after helping his father solve a chemistry problem that had stumped him and his colleagues for years and getting...
ShakeID tracks touch action in multi-user display
(Phys.org) -- How do you determine who is doing the touching with a multi-user touch display? Microsoft Research has published a paper that presents a technique for doing so. The...
Megaupload wants piracy charges dismissed
Megaupload has filed papers in US District Court to dismiss the federal government's massive online piracy case against the file-sharing website and its founder, Kim Dotcom.
Why is it so difficult to trace the origins of food poisoning outbreaks?
As illustrated by the 2011 E. coli outbreak in Germany, any delay in identifying the source of food poisoning outbreaks can cost lives and cause considerable political and economical damage....
Mobile phone-charge provider expands
Ever run out of battery life on your cellphone just when you need it most? GoCharge wants to be your go-to place to get your smartphone charged - for a...
The final frontier? Trillion-dollar plan to build Starship Enterprise
US engineer unveils ambitious, if unfeasible, proposal to build spaceship from original Star Trek series over two decadesIn its time, the original Star Trek series has inspired many inventions – the flip-open mobile...
Mobile ads' promise eludes Facebook, other businesses
Mobile ads are the Holy Grail of revenue for anyone with a social-media plan.
Review: New HTC phones are Ones to look for
When it comes to smartphones, I'm an iPhone guy. But I've long appreciated HTC's Android phones.
HLS dean elected to MacArthur board
Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow has been elected to serve on the MacArthur Foundation board of directors, joining 14 other members. The board sets policies and strategic direction for...
Former Finland prime minister headed to Harvard
Esko Aho, former prime minister of Finland and current executive vice president for corporate relations and responsibility at Nokia, has been appointed a 2012-13 senior fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center...
Whatever happened to the 'coldest May in 100 years'? | Leo Hickman
Alarming headlines forecasting extreme weather are not helpful - especially if they prove to be incorrectOn 19 April, the Daily Express splashed with a dramatic headline on its front cover: "COLDEST MAY FOR...
Green Blog: When Cleaning Up Power Plants, Time is Money
An analysis suggests that the power sector will incur far lower costs if federal pollution rules are phased in more gradually.
Is Tony B LIAR no longer welcome on Comment is free? | Open thread
A Telegraph editor wants to ban tired words and phrases from below the line. What would you like to see the back of?The assistant comment editor at the Telegraph, Tom Chivers, has...
Winter honey bee losses decline
Total losses of managed honey bee colonies from all causes dropped to 21.9 percent nationwide for the 2011/2012 winter, a decline of some 8 percentage points or 27 percent from...
Hurricane Season Is Here, and Florida State University Scientists Predict an Active One
Scientists at the Florida State University Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies have released their fourth annual Atlantic hurricane season forecast, using a unique computer model with a knack for predicting...
Students design underwater robot that does more than score points
(Phys.org) -- Since he was 12 years old and successfully talked his way onto an underwater robotics club for kids aged 13 and up, Trevor Uptain has been building robots...
Growing up, 'geeking out'
Mizuko "Mimi" Ito spends a lot of time "geeking out" at her computer. She plays video games, trolls the Internet, chats, and visits social media sites such as Facebook and...
Blow to Patagonian dam project
One of the two companies planning to build the giant HidroAysen dam in Patagonia has frozen the project, citing lack of government backing.
Making an impact: when science and politics collide | Adam Smith | Talking science to power
The 'impact agenda' is spreading from research councils to the higher education funding council, with increasing demands for strategic goals and public engagementBy the time Professor Alec Jeffreys worked out how to create...
Bursty behaviour found to have similar features across complex systems
Several complex systems live in periods of short bursts of high activity followed by long uneventful intermissions. This phenomenon called burstiness can be modelled and predicted with mathematical algorithms. Research...
Global cancer cases could jump 75% by 2030
Global cancer cases are projected to rise 75 per cent by 2030, in part because many other diseases are being stamped out and more developing countries are adopting Western lifestyles.
GM debate between Take the Flour Back and Rothamsted Research
Exchange between the activists and agricultural research group on genetically modified wheat crop trials[Written before a planned attack on Rothamsted's crop trial on 27 May]Dear Take the Flour Back,We are glad that you...
'Green' EU farm rules criticised
EU plans for new farm-subsidy rules will reduce European food production and are likely to harm the environment, a Commons committee warns.
Taiwan Computex to showcase laptop-tablet hybrids
(AP) Taiwan's struggling computer makers will use next week's Computex show to promote a new generation of ultra-thin laptops that might be their last hope of turning back the...
NY judge grants class status in Google book fight
(AP) A federal judge in New York has granted class certification to authors challenging Internet search leader Google over its plans for the world's largest digital library.
Truce in Activision legal war with 'Call of Duty' makers
Activision Blizzard on Thursday announced a settlement in a legal war that began two years ago with developers behind the blockbuster "Call of Duty" videogame franchise.
To Gulp or to Sip? Debating a Crackdown on Big Sugary Drinks
More than a few New Yorkers took it hard when they learned that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg wanted to take away their plus-size sodas in restaurants, movie theaters, stadiums, arenas...
US court battle over lethal drugs
A US government agency goes to court to secure supplies of a drug used in lethal injections, which have dwindled since an importation ban.