ScienceDaily: Top Science News

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top_news/top_science/ Top science news, featured on ScienceDaily's home page.en-usThu, 28 Feb 2013 13:43:51 ESTThu, 28 Feb 2013 13:43:51 EST60http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gifhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top_news/top_science/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113447.htm A new model suggests that inhospitable hydrodgen-sulfide rich waters could have delayed the spread of complex life forms in ancient oceans. The research considers the composition of the oceans 550-700 million years ago and shows that oxygen-poor toxic conditions, which may have delayed the establishment of complex life, were controlled by the biological availability of nitrogen.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113447.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113436.htm Using new technology at the telescope and in laboratories, researchers have discovered an important pair of prebiotic molecules in interstellar space. The discoveries indicate that some basic chemicals that are key steps on the way to life may have formed on dusty ice grains floating between the stars.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113436.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113401.htm An international team of scientists have discovered a meteorite with a mass of 18 kilograms embedded in the East Antarctic ice sheet, the largest?such meteorite found in the region since 1988.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113401.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228103341.htm Astronomers have obtained what is likely the first direct observation of a forming planet still embedded in a thick disc of gas and dust. If confirmed, this discovery will greatly improve our understanding of how planets form and allow astronomers to test the current theories against an observable target.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228103341.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093833.htm The acceleration of a free electron by a laser is a long-time goal of solid-state physicists. Physicists have established that an electron beam can be accelerated by a laser in free space. This has never been done before at high energies and represents a significant breakthrough, and may have implications for fusion as a new energy source.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093833.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093829.htm In a significant advance for brain-computer interfaces, engineers have developed a novel wireless, broadband, rechargeable, fully implantable brain sensor that has performed well in animal models for more than a year.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093829.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093823.htm Researchers have electronically linked the brains of pairs of rats for the first time, enabling them to communicate directly to solve simple behavioral puzzles. A further test of this work successfully linked the brains of two animals thousands of miles apart -- one in Durham, N.C., and one in Natal, Brazil.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093823.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228080242.htm Order tends towards disorder. This is also true for quantum states. Measurements show that in quantum mechanics this transition can be quite different from what we experience in our daily lives.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:02:02 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228080242.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183502.htm Bearded capuchin monkeys deliberately place palm nuts in a stable position on a surface before trying to crack them open, revealing their capacity to use tactile information to improve tool use.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:35:35 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183502.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183311.htm For the first time, scientists have shown that transplanted eyes located far outside the head in a vertebrate animal model can confer vision without a direct neural connection to the brain. Biologists used a frog model to shed new light -- literally -- on one of the major questions in regenerative medicine and sensory augmentation research.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183311.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151306.htm Researchers have achieved a major advance in understanding how genetic information is transcribed from DNA to RNA by providing the first step-by-step look at the biomolecular machinery that reads the human genome.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:13:13 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151306.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134425.htm Unique fossils literally 'lift the lid' on ancient creature's head to expose one of the earliest examples of food manipulating limbs in evolutionary history, dating from around 530 million years ago.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134425.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134340.htm After four years of confinement to a wheelchair, Rick Constantine, 58, is now walking again after undergoing an unconventional surgery to restore the use of his leg.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134340.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134336.htm As a bird sings, some neurons in its brain prepare to make the next sounds while others are synchronized with the current notes?a coordination of physical actions and brain activity that is needed to produce complex movements. The finding that may lead to new ways of understanding human speech production.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134336.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134334.htm A new study reports that a viral predator of the cholera bacteria has stolen the functional immune system of bacteria and is using it against its bacterial host. This provides the first evidence that this type of virus, the bacteriophage, can acquire an adaptive immune system. The study has implications for phage therapy, the use of phages to treat bacterial diseases.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134334.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227132544.htm Two X-ray space observatories, NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton, have teamed up to measure definitively, for the first time, the spin rate of a black hole with a mass 2 million times that of our sun.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:25:25 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227132544.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227121903.htm While water bottles may tout BPA-free labels and personal care products declare phthalates not among their ingredients, these assurances may not be enough. According to a new study, we may be exposed to these chemicals in our diet, even if our diet is organic and we prepare, cook, and store foods in non-plastic containers. Children may be most vulnerable.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227121903.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102022.htm A look at how the brain processes information finds distinct pattern in autistic children. Using EEGs to track the brain's electrical cross-talk, researchers found structural difference in brain connections. Compared with neurotypical children, those with autism have multiple redundant connections between neighboring brain areas at expense of long-distance links. The study, using "network analysis" like with airlines or electrical grids, may help in understanding some classic autistic behaviors.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102022.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101951.htm Oocytes of lions, tigers and other cat species survive the preservation in liquid nitrogen. Scientists have now succeeded in carrying out cryopreservation of felid ovary cortex.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101951.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101929.htm Older people who have low expectations for a satisfying future may be more likely to live longer, healthier lives than those who see brighter days ahead, according to new research.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101929.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085944.htm A new study offers the first evidence of source memory in a nonhuman animal. The findings have fascinating implications, both in evolutionary terms and for future research into the biological underpinnings of memory, as well as the treatment of diseases marked by memory failure such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's, or disorders such as schizophrenia, PTSD and depression.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:59:59 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085944.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085942.htm Scientists are using a novel fabrication process to create ultra-efficient solar energy rectennas capable of harvesting more than 70 percent of the sun's electromagnetic radiation and simultaneously converting it into usable electric power.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:59:59 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085942.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085842.htm Continuing a tradition stretching back more than 25 centuries, astronomers have used the new 2.3-meter 'Aristarchos' telescope, sited at Helmos Observatory (2340m high) in the Pelοponnese Mountains in Greece, to determine the distance to and history of an enigmatic stellar system, discovering it to likely be a binary star cocooned within an exotic nebula.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:58:58 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085842.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085838.htm Pregnant women should avoid taking vitamin D supplements, new research suggests. Substitution appears to raise the risk of children developing a food allergy after birth.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:58:58 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085838.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226194006.htm A study finds an increased risk of narcolepsy in children and adolescents who received the A/H1N1 2009 influenza vaccine (Pandemrix) during the pandemic in England.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226194006.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226141233.htm An international team led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has documented a 78 percent decline in the number of nests of the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) at the turtle's last stronghold in the Pacific Ocean.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226141233.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226134259.htm Researchers are testing the power of holography to artificially stimulate cells in the eye, with hopes of developing a new strategy for bionic vision restoration. Computer-generated holography, they say, could be used in conjunction with a technique called optogenetics, which uses gene therapy to deliver light-sensitive proteins to damaged retinal nerve cells. In conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), these light-sensing cells degenerate and lead to blindness.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226134259.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226120551.htm Plentiful food can accelerate the spread of infections, scientists have shown in a study of water fleas. Scientists studying bacterial infections in tiny water fleas have discovered that increasing their supply of food can speed up the spread of infection.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:05:05 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226120551.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226114023.htm Glass doesn't have to be brittle. Scientists propose a way of predicting whether a given glass will be brittle or ductile -- a property typically associated with metals like steel or aluminum -- and assert that any glass could have either quality.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226114023.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226114021.htm Scientists have developed a new method that better preserves the units necessary to power lightning-fast electronics, known as qubits. Hole spins, rather than electron spins, can keep quantum bits in the same physical state up to 10 times longer than before, the report finds.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226114021.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226113830.htm Fresh insights into the protective seal that surrounds the DNA of our cells could help develop treatments for inherited muscle, brain, bone and skin disorders. Researchers have discovered that the proteins within this coating -- known as the nuclear envelope -- vary greatly between cells in different organs of the body.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226113830.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226113828.htm Researchers have demonstrated a stretchable lithium-ion battery -- a flexible device capable of powering their innovative stretchable electronics. The battery can stretch up to 300 percent of its original size and still function -- even when stretched, folded, twisted and mounted on a human elbow. The battery enables true integration of electronics and power into a small, stretchable package that is wirelessly rechargeable.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226113828.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101454.htm Firefighters now have a new tool that could help save lives. A team of researchers have developed a new technique using digital holography that can "see" people through intense flames -- the first time a holographic recording of a live person has been achieved while the body is moving. The new technique allows imaging through both.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101454.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101400.htm Scientists have long been dreaming about building a computer that would work like a brain. This is because a brain is far more energy-saving than a computer, it can learn by itself, and it doesn't need any programming. Scientists are experimenting with memristors -- electronic microcomponents that imitate natural nerves.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101400.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226092142.htm Researchers have successfully generated human kidney cells from human embryonic stem cells in vitro1. Specifically, they produced the renal cells under artificial conditions in the lab without using animals or organs. This has not been possible until now.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226092142.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226092128.htm Researchers have succeeded in showing experimentally that vacuums have properties not previously observed. According to the laws of quantum mechanics, it is a state with abundant potentials. Vacuums contain momentarily appearing and disappearing virtual pairs, which can be converted into detectable light particles.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226092128.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226081155.htm During sleep, our brains store what we have learned during the day a process even more effective in children than in adults, new research shows.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:11:11 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226081155.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225181536.htm Results of a major study aimed at assessing the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases show that such a diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or tree nuts reduces by 30 percent the risk of suffering a cardiovascular death, a myocardial infarction or a stroke.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225181536.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162231.htm Researchers have found significantly higher levels of toxic metals in children with autism, compared to typical children. They hypothesize that reducing early exposure to toxic metals may help lessen symptoms of autism, though they say this hypotheses needs further examination.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162231.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153130.htm For decades scientists around the world have attempted to regenerate primary liver cells known as hepatocytes because of their numerous biomedical applications, including hepatitis research, drug metabolism and toxicity studies, as well as transplantation for cirrhosis and other chronic liver conditions. But no lab in the world has been successful in identifying and growing liver stem cells in culture -- using any available technique -- until now.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153130.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153128.htm The world has suffered from severe regional weather extremes in recent years, such as the heat wave in the United States in 2011. Behind these devastating individual events there is a common physical cause, propose scientists in a new study. It suggests that human-made climate change repeatedly disturbs the patterns of atmospheric flow around the globe's Northern hemisphere through a subtle resonance mechanism.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153128.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153126.htm Particles from the upper atmosphere trapped in a deep pile of Antarctic snow hold clear chemical traces of global meteorological events, climate scientists from France have found. Anomalies in oxygen found in sulfate particles coincide with several episodes of the world-wide disruption of weather known as El Nino and can be distinguished from similar signals left by the eruption of huge volcanoes, the team reports.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153126.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153124.htm Scientists have concluded that during the Late Archaic, maize (corn) was a primary component in the diet of people living in the Norte Chico region of Peru, an area of remarkable cultural florescence in 3rd millennium B.C. Up until now, the prevailing theory was that marine resources, not agriculture and corn, provided the economic engine behind the development of civilization in the Andean region of Peru.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153124.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153122.htm Environmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread chemical found in plastics and resins, may suppress a gene vital to nerve cell function and to the development of the central nervous system, according to a new study.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153122.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131618.htm Even dying stars could host planets with life -- and if such life exists, we might be able to detect it within the next decade. This encouraging result comes from a new theoretical study of Earth-like planets orbiting white dwarf stars. Researchers found that we could detect oxygen in the atmosphere of a white dwarf's planet much more easily than for an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:16:16 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131618.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131532.htm People become more politically liberal immediately after practising a spiritual exercise such as meditation, researchers have found.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131532.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225122045.htm New maps by scientists show how rising sea temperatures are likely to affect all coral reefs in the form of annual coral bleaching events under different emission scenarios. If carbon emissions stay on the current path most of the world's coral reefs (74 percent) are projected to experience coral bleaching conditions annually by 2045, results of the study show.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225122045.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225112510.htm Low-birth-weight babies with a particular brain abnormality are at greater risk for autism, according to a new study that could provide doctors a signpost for early detection of the still poorly understood disorder.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:25:25 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225112510.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225112508.htm Researchers developed a model that can help determine the future range of nearly any disease-causing parasite under climate change, even if little is known about the organism. Their method calculates how the projected temperature change for an area would alter the creature's metabolism and life cycle.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:25:25 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225112508.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225102141.htm Researchers have demonstrated the existence of communicative signalling from female mice that induces male parental behavior.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225102141.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225092252.htm Researchers have refined a method they previously developed for capturing and analyzing cancer cells that break away from patients' tumors and circulate in the blood. With the improvements to their device, which uses a Velcro-like nanoscale technology, they can now detect and isolate single cancer cells from patient blood samples for analysis.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225092252.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130224142917.htm A new method of harvesting the sun's energy is emerging. Though still in its infancy, the research promises to convert sunlight into energy using a process based on metals that are more robust than many of the semiconductors used in conventional methods.Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130224142917.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130224142829.htm Scientists have demonstrated a quantum algorithm that performs a true calculation for the first time. Quantum algorithms could one day enable the design of new materials, pharmaceuticals or clean energy devices.Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:28:28 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130224142829.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130224142725.htm The islands Reunion and Mauritius, both well-known tourist destinations, are hiding a micro-continent, which has now been discovered. The continent fragment known as Mauritia detached about 60 million years ago while Madagascar and India drifted apart, and had been hidden under huge masses of lava.Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:27:27 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130224142725.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130224124635.htm Scientists are putting their bananas away, because chimpanzees don't need any persuading when it comes to getting stuck into brain games.Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130224124635.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130223111356.htm For years researchers have been searching for a way to treat diabetics by reactivating their insulin-producing beta cells, with limited success. The "reprogramming" of related alpha cells into beta cells may one day offer a novel and complementary approach for treating type 2 diabetes. Treating human and mouse cells with compounds that modify cell nuclear material called chromatin induced the expression of beta cell genes in alpha cells, according to a new study.Sat, 23 Feb 2013 11:13:13 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130223111356.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222143233.htm Running cockroaches start to recover from being shoved sideways before their dawdling nervous system kicks in to tell their legs what to do, researchers have found. These new insights on how biological systems stabilize could one day help engineers design steadier robots and improve doctors' understanding of human gait abnormalities.Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:32:32 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222143233.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222143142.htm Researchers have now found stem cells inside the parasite that cause schistosomiasis, one of the most common parasitic infections in the world. These stem cells can regenerate worn-down organs, which may help explain how they can live for years or even decades inside their host.Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222143142.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222120753.htm Humans have at least two functional networks in their cerebral cortex not found in rhesus monkeys. This means that new brain networks were likely added in the course of evolution from primate ancestor to human.Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:07:07 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222120753.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222102958.htm When fruit flies sense parasitic wasps in their environment, they lay their eggs in an alcohol-soaked environment, essentially forcing their larvae to consume booze as a drug to combat the deadly wasps. The finding adds to the evidence that using toxins in the environment to medicate offspring may be common across the animal kingdom.Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222102958.htm

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/top_news/top_science.xml

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David Boies And Theodore B. Olson, Bipartisan Gay Marriage Lawyers, Land Book Deal

NEW YORK -- The bipartisan legal team leading the fight for gay marriage has a book deal.

Democrat David Boies and Republican Theodore B. Olson have signed with Viking for "A Just Cause: Law, Love, and the Case for Marriage Equality." Viking told The Associated Press on Wednesday the book is scheduled for mid-2014.

"Our collective journey tells of a crucial and historical civil rights movement that brings us closer to the ideals on which our country was founded," Boies, 71, said in a statement issued by Viking.

Olson, 72, said he and Boies between them have "nearly 100 years in the law."

"We have never handled a more important, dramatic and emotionally compelling challenge," he said in a statement.

Boies and Olson have formed an unlikely partnership to represent the challengers to Proposition 8, approved by California voters in 2008. The ballot initiative overturned a state Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage. Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the California case on March 26.

Boies and Olson were on opposite sides for one of the court's most historic cases, when Boies represented Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore and Olson represented Republican George W. Bush in a dispute over the Florida vote count in 2000. The court ruled 5-4 in Bush's favor.

Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), promised the Boies-Olson book will be a "dramatic, intimate, and informed account of this historic issue."

Also on HuffPost:

• Connecticut

  Since November 12, 2008

• Iowa

  Since April 3, 2009

• Maine

  In 2012, Maine voted in favor of a ballot amendment to legalize gay marriage.

• Maryland

  The gay marriage bill was signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on March 1, 2012. Opponents later gathered enough signatures to force the issue back onto the ballot in November 2012, but voters rejected the effort against gay marriage.

• Massachusetts

  Since May 17, 2004

• New Hampshire

  Since January 1, 2010

• New York

  Since July 24, 2011

• Vermont

  Since September 1, 2009

• Washington

  On February 13, 2012, Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) signed a law allowing same-sex marriage ceremonies to begin on June 7, 2012. The process was delayed by gay marriage opponents who gathered enough signatures to put the issue up to a state vote in November 2012. They voted to approve it on Election Day.

• Washington D.C.

  Since March 9, 2010

• California

  The state initially began conducting gay marriages on June 16, 2008. On November 5, 2008, however, California voters passed Proposition 8, which amended the state's constitution to declare marriage as only between a man and a woman.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/david-boies-theodore-b-olson-gay-marriage-book-deal-_n_2777732.html

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Cyprus draft bailout measures 'sufficient'

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? Cyprus' new finance minister says spending cuts and tax increases agreed with international creditors and included in a draft bailout agreement are sufficient to get the country's finances under control.

Michalis Sarris says Wednesday he would be "surprised" if more austerity was demanded.

Sarris says the faster a rescue package is finalized with the other 16 European Union countries that use the euro and the IMF the better. Outgoing Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly said Cyprus has enough money to pay bills until the end of May.

Cyprus needs as much as ?17 billion ($22.3 billion) to stave off bankruptcy after its banks lost billions on bad Greek debt. The sum is equal to the value of the country's economy, raising questions whether it will be able to repay any loan.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-27-Cyprus-Financial%20Crisis/id-f470b92a2c3e48e4839e64b8f3dd4e2a

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Did Amanda Seyfried Dress Bomb Anne Hathaway?

We'd heard that Anne Hathaway's controversial pink Prada Oscar dress was a last-minute pick. But why ditch the dress she'd been planning on wearing for months? Now, thanks to a statement Hathaway issued to People, we know the truth. 

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/anne-hathaway-apologizes-oscar-dress-not-reason-you-think/1-a-524162?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aanne-hathaway-apologizes-oscar-dress-not-reason-you-think-524162

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5 surprisng facts about your body bugs

By Tanya Lewis
LiveScience

As far back as we know, animals have been home to microbes. Scientists have known for some time that these tiny tenants have the ability to make humans powerfully sick, while others are vital to maintaining the body's normal flora and fauna.

Collectively, the microbes inside everyone make up the "microbiome" ? what microbiologist Martin Blaser of the NYU School of Medicine defines as "all the organisms that call us home, that live in us and that interact with each other and with ourselves."

These teensy creatures, from bacteria and fungi to protozoans (mostly single-celled animal-like organisms), have a surprisingly rich story to tell. Here are five fascinating facts about the critters that call your body home.

Your body has more microbes than human cells
The human body is teeming with microbes. A number that gets bandied about is that there are 10 times as many bacterial cells as human cells inside you. While no one's bothered to count them, "the exact number doesn't matter as much as the idea that there are certainly more bacterial cells in our body than human cells," Blaser told LiveScience. As humans have evolved, these microbes have evolved with them. A whole lot of viruses call humans home, too.

And 2013 marks the end of the Human Microbiome Project, a five-year effort involving hundreds of scientists to catalogue the microbiome of human beings. [Image Gallery: Belly Button Bacteria]

You are born bacteria-free
With all these bacteria living inside, it seems natural that humans would just be born with them. Not so. According to Blaser, people are born without bacteria, and acquire them in the first few years of life. Babies get their first dose of microbes as they're passing through their mother's birth canal. (Of course, babies born by Caesarean section?don't acquire their microbes this way. In fact, studies show that C-section babies have a markedly different microbiota from vaginal birth babies, and may be at higher risk for certain types of allergies and obesity.)

A baby acquires most of its microbiome by the age of 3, Blaser said ? during a time when the baby's metabolic, immune, cognitive and reproductive systems are undergoing extensive development.

Bacteria can be good and bad for you
You're probably aware that while some germs can make you sick, others are important for keeping you healthy?and fending off infections. Sometimes, the same bacteria can do both.

Consider Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria responsible for causing stomach ulcers. The bacteria were once found in the majority of the population, but their prevalence has steadily been decreasing, and today only about half of the world's population has it. Most of them do not have symptoms, but a small number develop painful ulcers in an acidic part of the digestive tract (a finding that earned a Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2005).

Helicobacter?infections are treatable with antibiotics, but there's a twist: Blaser and colleagues have found the absence of Helicobacterappears to be associated with diseases of the esophagus, such as reflux esophagitis and certain cancers of the esophagus. In other words, Helicobactermay be bad for our stomachs, but good for our throats. Though not all scientists agree, "There's a big body of evidence that Helicobacter has both biological costs and biological benefits," Blaser told LiveScience. [Tiny & Nasty: Images of Things That Make Us Sick]

Antibiotics can cause asthma and obesity
Penicillin was a major breakthrough when Alexander Fleming discovered it in 1928. Antibiotics have enjoyed widespread popularity ever since, but antibiotics overusehas given rise to deadly strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Now, there's some evidence that antibiotics also increase the risk for developing asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and obesity.

Of course, there are times when antibiotics are necessary. "I would never withhold antibiotics from a very sick child," Blaser told LiveScience. Nevertheless, he said, many common childhood ailments, from ear infections or throat infections, go away by themselves.

(Store-bought) probiotics are overrated
The recognition that bacteria can be good for you has spawned something of a craze in probiotic supplements, consisting of live microbes purported to bestow health benefits. Many people take them after a course of antibiotics. But do they actually work?

"The concept of a probiotic to help re-establish our baseline microbiota after an antibiotic is a good concept," Blaser told LiveScience. "But the idea that, of all thousand species in our bodies, taking a single species that comes from cow or cheese is na?ve." Current probiotics are very well marketed, Blaser said, but there's not much benefit. He does think medicine will one day develop probiotics that will be used to treat illness, but as of now, "it's a very young field," he said.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?and Google+.?

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17105010-5-surprisng-facts-about-your-body-bugs?lite

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Reports: Plan could end Kurdish conflict in Turkey

Ozan Kose / AFP - Getty Images

Hundreds of Turkish nationalists march in Istanbul Sunday to protest at the resumption of peace talks with Kurd rebels.

By Daren Butler, Reuters

ISTANBUL -- Jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan envisages the withdrawal of his fighters from Turkey by August under a draft peace plan sent to his group's leadership and Kurdish politicians, media reports said Wednesday.

Held in an island jail since his capture in 1999, Ocalan has been negotiating with Turkey's government since October over the outlines of a deal to end a conflict which has killed 40,000 people since his fighters took up arms in 1984.

Under the plan -- to which his Kurdistan Workers Party was expected to respond within two weeks -- the rebels would begin a formal ceasefire on March 21, the Kurdish New Year, said the Sabah and Star newspapers, which are close to the government.

They said the militants' withdrawal from Turkish territory was planned for completion by Aug. 15, the 29th anniversary of a conflict which has destabilized Turkey and held back development in its mainly Kurdish southeast.

The accuracy of the reports could not immediately be confirmed.

This timetable is dependent on Turkey passing reforms increasing the rights of a Kurdish minority numbering about 15 million - around 20 percent of Turkey's population of 76 million.

The newspaper reports said Ocalan's plan proposed maintaining Turkey's unitary structure, with no demand for Kurdish autonomy.

"Nobody should stand up and demand anything which is aimed at harming our national unity," Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told reporters late Tuesday.

"If they put down their weapons and leave our country there are many places in the world they can go," he said.

Kurdish cultural rights boosted
During his decade in power, Erdogan has pushed through reforms boosting Kurdish cultural rights but Kurdish politicians seek wider political reforms, including a new constitution boosting equality and increased Kurdish language education.

The PKK took up arms in 1984 with the aim of carving out a Kurdish state, but subsequently moderated its goal to limited self-rule. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

The militants have pledged allegiance to Ocalan but voiced caution about the prospects of rapid progress towards a deal, criticizing continued military operations in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, where thousands of the militants are based.

Among initial steps proposed under the process, the PKK could release more than a dozen Turkish security forces personnel that it is holding captive.

However, senior PKK commander Duran Kalkan said any such release would depend on what steps Turkey takes.

"Nobody should expect this from us unilaterally," Kalkan said in an interview with the PKK-linked Firat news agency.

In talks with Kurdish politicians at the weekend, Ocalan warned Turkey could become as troubled as Syria or Iraq if steps were not taken to end the insurgency.

Related:

After decades of oppression, Kurds in Syria get taste of freedom as Assad's troops flee?

US troops arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missile batteries on Syria border

'Pushed aside': Turkey's Kurds lose hope

?

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17114649-reports-kurdish-militants-consider-plan-to-end-near-30-year-conflict-in-turkey?lite

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PayPal co-founder Max Levchin returns to online payments with Affirm

Curious what Max Levchin's been up to ever since he left Google in 2011? Well, wonder no more. Today, PayPal's co-founder revealed his return to the payment world with a new company called Affirm. Like many startups, Affirm is looking to make online payments quicker and easier, but the real question is whether you'll be willing to come along for the ride. AllThingsD managed to catch Levchin for an interview, in which he revealed that Affirm will issue credit to consumers and guarantee payment to merchants for all online transactions. Curiously, Affirm will use Facebook to verify a user's identity, and it'll also use a wide range of social and location-based data to determine an individual's credit worthiness. The payment startup will launch in beta with 1-800-Flowers as its partner, and it's said that consumers will be given 30 days to settle the resulting bill with Affirm. There's no word of what fees or interest rates will be assessed for late payments, but we imagine you'll find strong incentive to pay for that flower arrangement.

Filed under: Internet

Comments

Source: AllThingsD

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/YPTQOebDxmg/

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Alastair Cook all praise for new-ball pacers ? Cricket News Update ...

Alastair Cook all praise for new-ball pacers ? Cricket News Update

England skipper Alastair Cook on Saturday lavished praise on pacers James Anderson and Steve Finn after his side won the third and final One Day International against New Zealand by five wickets to win the three-match series 2-1.

After putting the hosts into bat in the series decide, in Auckland, the new-ball duo of Finn and Anderson left the Kiwis reeling at 11 for 3 in the 8^th over. Finn accounted for BJ Watling (1) and Hamish Rutherford (2), while Anderson had Kane Williamson caught behind by Jos Buttler on 7.

"They have been magnificent, these two games," said Alastair after the match. "Finny's pace, I think, has been up around the 90mph mark pretty much all the time, and Jimmy's world class and he showed it again here."

"I think they were 20 for 2 in the game before, and today they were 20 for 3 after 10 or 15 overs. From a captain's point of view it's pretty easy after that. When McCullum gets going, it's a little frustrating, but 180 wasn't enough and we handled the pressure of chasing pretty well."

Skipper Brendon McCullum top scored for New Zealand with a 68-ball 79, laced with six four and five sixes. Ross Taylor (28) and Grant Elliott (24) were the other two notable performers, as the hosts were rolled over inside 44 overs for 185.

Finn was the pick of English bowlers, with three wickets from nine overs at an economy rate of 3.00 an over. Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann both picked up two wickets apiece.

In reply, skipper Cook led the side from the front with the bat, playing a meticulous knock of 46 runs from 67 balls as the tourists chased down the middling target in 37.3 overs, with five wickets to spare.

Finn also expressed delight over his partnership with Anderson, whom he termed as one of the best seamers in the world.

"To be able to bowl at the other end and to feed off him and learn off him is brilliant," the gangling pacer told Sky Sports 1. "We felt we didn't quite get it right in the first game - maybe we were a little bit rusty but playing these last few games we felt really good. We've set the tone early and the batsmen have been brilliant as well, so it's been great."

England and New Zealand will next play a three-match Test series, starting in Dunedin from March 6, 2013.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Alastair-Cook-all-praise-for-new-ball-pacers-Cricket-News-Update-a213721

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Did Dame Shirley Bassey's ?Goldfinger? Performance Save The ...

Did You Hear?

:: Yes, Adele won Best Original Song for her 007 theme ?Skyfall? last night. But the musical highlight, some are saying, of the 2013 Oscars was Shirley Bassey?s performance (watch above) of classic James Bond tune ?Goldfinger.? Leave it to a Dame. [Los Angeles Times]

BONUS: Read what critics say about Shirley Bassey?s ?Goldfinger? performance too.

:: Is MC Hammer heading to the slammer? The iconic rapper was arrested in Northern California on Thursday (February 21) last week for obstructing an officer while sitting in a car outside a shopping center. The artist claims he was the victim of racial profiling. [Rolling Stone]

:: For ?artistic reasons,? Michael Jackson?s brother Jermaine has legally changed his last name to Jacksun. Meanwhile, stay tuned, as we?re currently in the process of officially changing this site?s name to EyeDollUhTer. [The Hollywood Reporter]

:: We love moody British duo Hurts, and so do many others. But apparently their new album is not quite up to scratch. [PopJustice]

After the jump, find out which music acts you can catch on TV today.

Music On TV:

:: Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) ? Aaron Neville
:: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) ? Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite
:: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) ? Tame Impala
:: Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) ? Blitzen Trapper

Source: http://idolator.com/7443315/dame-shirley-bassey-goldfinger-performance-oscars

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Controversial dam removals founded on value conflicts

Monday, February 25, 2013

Researchers at Ume? University in Sweden conclude that public opposition to dam removal is not based on knowledge deficiency, as is sometimes argued in dam removal science. It is instead a case of different understandings and valuation of the environment and the functions it provides. The findings are now published in the journal Ecology and Society.

Dam removal is an increasingly common practice as old splash dams and small hydropower dams have become obsolete. Although the removal of these dams has ecological benefits by restoring rivers to their former courses, local residents sometimes contest dam removals.

"We wanted to understand how the proponents and opponents of dam removal think about the function of two contrasting ecosystems ? an existing dam with a pond and a potential running stream without the pond. The local people who fight to have a dam remain in place have often been dismissed as unknowledgeable," says Dolly J?rgensen, environmental historian at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science.

Together with ecologist Birgitta Malm-Ren?f?lt, she investigated the types of arguments made for and against dam removal in newspaper articles about dams in the Swedish towns Alby, Hallstahammar, Orsa, and Tall?sen.

They found that those who want to remove the dam place a high value on the return of game fish to the ecosystem, recreational fishing, and restoration in general. Opponents want the dam to remain because of recreational opportunities for bathing and beaches, the aesthetics of the pond's still water, and the cultural heritage of the pond and the historic dam.

"The public opposition is not based on knowledge deficiency, where more information would lead to better ecological decision-making. The locals simply value different aspects of the environment than scientists or environmentalists that want the dam removed, " says Dolly J?rgensen.

As the number of dam removal projects continues to grow in Sweden and other places in the world, controversies are likely to become more common. Because a decision to remove or keep the dam will result in one side losing the ecosystem services they value, compromise solutions may be difficult to reach.

###

Jrgensen, D. and B. Malm Renflt. 2013. Damned If You Do, Dammed If You Don't: Debates on Dam Removal in the Swedish Media. Ecology and Society 18 (1): 18. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss1/art18/

Umea University: http://www.umu.se/umu/index_eng.html

Thanks to Umea University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 28 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126986/Controversial_dam_removals_founded_on_value_conflicts

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Prp | Leading Glendale AZ Pain Management Clinic, Arizona Pain ...

The leading pain clinic in Glendale AZ and the West Valley , Arizona Pain Specialists , is now providing platelet rich plasma therapy for patients. PRP is an effective regenerative medicine treatment for ligament injuries, tendonitis, soft tissue injuries and arthritis.

Glendale, AZ (PRWEB) February 23, 2013

Platelet rich plasma treatment has been used for in areas in medicine such as urology, wound care ophthalmology and cardiovascular medicine for quite a while. However, it was only recently that PRP has begun to be used for relieving musculoskeletal pain.

Studies are showing promise that it relieves pain from soft tissue inflammation problems like golfer?s and tennis elbow, and it is working well for treating ligament injuries and tendonitis. Three professional sports leagues ? the NBA, NFL and MLB ? approve of PRP, and several professional athletes have obtained PRP therapy such as Dwight Howard, Hines Ward, and Troy Polamolu.

The treatment involves a simple blood draw, and the blood is then spun down two cycles in a centrifuge machine. The resulting top layer is the PRP, and it is then injected into the problem area. Most recently, some papers presented at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons have shown effectiveness for arthritis.

Arizona Pain has the West Valley clinic in Glendale AZ, and also has two other Phoenix area clinics in Scottsdale and Chandler AZ. These AZ pain clinics offer comprehensive treatments that are individualized to offer patients the best chance of success.

Arizona Pain has Award Winning, Board Certified pain management doctors that offer cutting edge treatments ranging from medication management to interventional therapies like joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, chiropractic therapy, acupuncture, spinal decompression therapy, spinal cord stimulators and more.

For more information and scheduling with the best pain management Glendale AZ and the West Valley offers, call Arizona Pain at (623) 335-0448

Jennifer
Arizona Pain Specialists
(623) 335-0448
Email Information

Related Websites

Source: http://healthy-tips.net/prp-leading-glendale-az-pain-management-clinic-arizona-pain-specialists-now-offering-regenerative-medicine-with-platelet/

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Microsoft says small number of its computers hacked

Staff , Reuters ? ? ? 20 hrs.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Friday a small number of its computers, including some in its Mac software business unit, were infected with malware, but there was no evidence of customer data being affected and it is continuing its investigation.

The world's largest software company said the security intrusion was "similar" to recent ones reported by Apple Inc and Facebook Inc.

The incident, reported on one of the company's public blogs happened "recently", but Microsoft said it chose not to make any statement publicly while it gathered information about the attack.

"This type of cyberattack is no surprise to Microsoft and other companies that must grapple with determined and persistent adversaries," said Matt Thomlinson, general manager of Trustworthy Computing Security at Microsoft, in the company's blog post.

Over the past week or so, both Apple and Facebook said computers used by employees were attacked after visiting a software developer website infected with malicious software.

The attacks come at a time of broader concern about computer security.

Newspaper websites, including those of The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, have been infiltrated recently. Earlier this month U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order seeking better protection of the country's critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.

(Reporting By Bill Rigby; Editing by Gary Hill and Andrew Hay)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/microsoft-says-small-number-its-computers-hacked-1C8513890

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The Bachelor Spoilers: Sean Lowe Engaged To ...

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/the-bachelor-spoilers-sean-lowe-engaged-to/

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Director Of Product Blake Ross Is Leaving Facebook

Facebook Director of Product Blake Ross is leaving the company, he announced in a Facebook post yesterday afternoon. For those of you who weren't reading TechCrunch in 2007, Firefox co-founder Ross and Joe Hewitt came to Facebook through its acquisition of?Parakey, a web OS that was still in stealth at the time. Parakey was Facebook's first acquisition.?Hewitt, who spearheaded many Facebook Mobile projects, left the company in 2011.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/tJ59snxPyVY/

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Pope's last blessing from window draws crowd

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus noon prayer, from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Benedict XVI gave his pontificate's final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St. Peter's Square, but sought to reassure the faithful that he wasn't abandoning the church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer. The 85-year-old Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to vigorously lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus noon prayer, from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Benedict XVI gave his pontificate's final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St. Peter's Square, but sought to reassure the faithful that he wasn't abandoning the church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer. The 85-year-old Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to vigorously lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus noon prayer, from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Benedict XVI gave his pontificate's final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St. Peter's Square, but sought to reassure the faithful that he wasn't abandoning the church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer. The 85-year-old Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to vigorously lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Archbishop Georg Gaenswein closes the window of Pope Benedict XVI's studio overlooking St. Peter's Square from where the pontiff delivered his last Angelus noon prayer, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Benedict XVI gave his pontificate's final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St. Peter's Square, but sought to reassure the faithful that he wasn't abandoning the church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer. The 85-year-old Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to vigorously lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A large sign with writing in German reading "Danke!!!" (Thank you) is displayed in front of faithful prior to Pope Benedict XVI's last Angelus noon prayer, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. The last chance for a Sunday blessing from Pope Benedict XVI from his studio window is drawing a crowd to St. Peter's Square. Benedict, 85, steps down on Thursday, the first pontiff to resign in 600 years. He'll hold his last public audience in the square on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Nuns pray prior to Pope Benedict XVI's last Angelus noon prayer, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. The last chance for a Sunday blessing from Pope Benedict XVI from his studio window is drawing a crowd to St. Peter's Square. Benedict, 85, steps down on Thursday, the first pontiff to resign in 600 years. He'll hold his last public audience in the square on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI gave his pontificate's final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St. Peter's Square, but sought to reassure the faithful that he wasn't abandoning the church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer.

The 85-year-old Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

But while he has lately looked tired and frail, the crowd filling the cobblestone square seemed to energize him, and he spoke in a clear, strong voice, repeatedly thanking the faithful for their closeness and affection as they interrupted him, again and again, with applause and cheers. Police estimated some 100,000 people turned out.

Benedict told the crowd that God is calling him to dedicate himself "even more to prayer and meditation," which he will do in a secluded monastery being renovated for him on the grounds behind Vatican City's ancient walls.

"But this doesn't mean abandoning the church," he said, as many in the crowd looked sad at his departure from regular view. "On the contrary, if God asks me, this is because I can continue to serve it (the church) with the same dedication and the same love which I have tried to do so until now, but in a way more suitable to my age and to my strength."

The phrase "tried to" was the pope's adlibbed addition to his prepared text.

Benedict has one more public appearance, a Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square.

Benedict smiled at the crowd after an aide parted the white curtain at his window, telling the people, "thank you for your affection."

Heavy rain had been forecast for Rome, and some drizzle dampened the square earlier in the morning. But when Benedict appeared, to the peal of church bells as the clock struck noon, blue sky crept through the clouds.

"We thank God for the sun he has given us," the pope said, sounding cheerful.

As cheers continued in the crowd, the pontiff simply turned away from the window and stepped back down into apartment, which he will leave on Thursday, taking a helicopter to the Vatican summer residence in the hills outside Rome while he waits for the monastery to be ready.

A child in the crowd held up a sign on a yellow placard, written in Italian, "You are not alone, I'm with you." Other admirers held homemade signs, saying "Grazie."

No date has yet been set for the start of the conclave of cardinals, who will vote in secret to elect Benedict's successor.

One Italian in the crowd seemed to be doing a little campaigning, hoisting a sign which mentioned the name of two Italian cardinals considered by observers to be potential contenders in the selection of the next pontiff.

Flags in the crowd represented many nations, with a large number from Brazil.

The cardinals in the conclave will have to decide whether it's time to look outside of Europe for a pope.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-24-Vatican-Pope/id-7df4fec004ef4ee5870bcb2847077c19

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Built For Entrepreneurs And Investors, Simplr For iPhone Sorts And Prioritizes Your AngelList Feeds

If you do a search for "AngelList" in the Apple App Store, you'll only get four results - and one is an app featuring quotes from entrepreneurs. In other words, there's not a lot of selection despite AngelList's readily available API. That being said, in the past an app called?AngelList Wings?has served as a useful resource for browsing, searching and following early-stage startups, founders and investors. Today, however, it has some new competition from a mobile app called Simplr.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/T6Z7I--Ac-o/

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7digital Expands Streaming Music Footprint To India, South America, South Africa To Bolster Partner Samsung?s Smartphone Blitz

7digital ? the streaming music company that offers a direct-to-consumer service but also partners with the likes of Samsung and Pure to power respectively its Music Hub and radio services ? on connected devices like smartphones, tablets and music players, today announced a significant international expansion into the emerging markets of India, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and South Africa, where it says it has now inked deals both with major as well as independent labels to further expand its catalog of 22 million tracks in 42 countries. The expansion also means that London-based 7digital has stolen a march on Spotify, which is in 26 countries, including much of Europe and the U.S., but yet to hit emerging markets.

The move underscores the shift we are seeing in growth of mobile services from more saturated markets like the U.S. and Europe to more nascent opportunities in less developed countries ? and reflects the same shift we are seeing among hardware makers to target users in these countries. Samsung is currently the world?s largest smartphone maker, making devices on the world?s most popular smartphone platform, Android.

?We?ve seen strong growth in mobile throughout 2012, and believe it will become the largest platform for music in 2013,? Ben Drury, CEO of 7digital, said in a statement announcing the news. ?The natural route for us is further international expansion in territories where we?re seeing strong mobile growth.?

7digital says that requests for music via its API have grown 137% in the last year and now tally at 13,500 per minute. We have reached out to Spotify to ask how this compares with their traffic at the moment.

While 7digital continues to offer a direct-to-consumer service, 7digital?s growth has largely been down to the popularity of its partner?s services (and devices). In addition to Samsung and Pure, it powers music services, including streaming, discover and purchases, for RIM, Toshiba, HP, Acer, HTC, T-Mobile US, Ubuntu, Shazam, Last.fm, Winamp, Songbird, HMV, Waterstone?s, Universal Music, EMI, Warner Music and Sony.

As with Spotify, one of the fastest growing countries for 7digital at the moment is the U.S., where it has seen 180% growth in the last year ? riding on the popularity of Samsung and Pure devices. Canada at number-two at 117% growth, Switzerland at 79%, France at 70% and Italy at 60%. It notes that some territories have seen year-on-year growth as high as 600% (but doesn?t specify which region that is).

It?s notable that this growth matches with countries with strong smartphone usage already, so the challenge ? as it is for all companies that target emerging markets ? is whether 7digital will be able to repeat those patterns in markets where smartphone usage is less prevalent, and where users may have less wallet share for digital music services and mobile data to consume them.

And in the absence of players from the U.S. and Europe like Spotify and (until now) 7digital, emerging countries have seen the rise of local companies offering the same services, e.g. Saavn, the ?Spotify of India.?

Another partner of 7digital?s, Sonos, uses the music streaming company?s technology to power music purchases, and the service is also available on smartTVs.

7digital is a privately held company based in central London, UK and is backed by Benchmark Capital, the venture capital firm behind eBay and other leading technology companies. 7digital is the UK?s leading digital media delivery company, catering for record companies, artists, film and TV companies as well as other digital media owners throughout the world. In March of 2008, the company secured the first deal to exclusively sell Warner Music?s full catalogue of DRM-free music across Europe.The site already...

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Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/22/7digital-expands-streaming-music-footprint-to-india-south-america-south-africa-to-bolster-partner-samsungs-smartphone-blitz/

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