New cable cut compounds net woes

A submarine cable in the Middle East has been snapped, adding to global net problems caused by breaks in two lines under the Mediterranean on Wednesday.

The Falcon cable, owned by a firm which operates another damaged cable, led to a "critical" telecom breakdown, according to one local official.

Brain rewards aggression much like it does sex, food, drugs

New research from Vanderbilt University shows for the first time that the brain processes aggression as a reward—much like sex, food and drugs—offering insights into our propensity to fight and our fascination with violent sports like boxing and football.

"Aggression occurs among virtually all vertebrates and is necessary to get and keep important resources such as mates, territory and food,"

'Wii warm-up' good for surgeons

Playing computer games such as the Nintendo Wii can improve a surgeon's performance in the operating theatre, a US study shows.

Only certain games are effective - those requiring delicate movements.

Assessing the Life Cycle of Wind Turbine Production

One of the major strengths to renewable energy generation -- whether wind, solar or other technologies -- is that after a project is completed, the systems produce power for decades with little or no additional investments.

Like any manufactured item, there is an environmental cost to the manufacture of renewable energy hardware

States try to pull plug on 'robo-calls'

States are trying to disconnect computer-generated political calls that are flooding the nation's households at election time.

More than 5 million automated "robo-calls" have been made to potential voters in early primary states. The number of robo-calls could run into the hundreds of millions this election year as the political parties battle for control of the White House, Congress and state governments.

Somebody asked me the other day what the life cycle impacts of a wind turbine are and how long it would take to pay back the energy used to manufacture one of those tall majestic beasts. Considerable amounts of raw materials and energy are required to make these big windy wonders. I was stumped of course as that information is not something one can just come up with.

The life cycle assessment of a 3.0 MW wind turbine indicates that it would have to generate electricity for only 6.8 months , of their assumed 20 year useful life, before it produces as much energy as is used during the manufacturing phase.

“This, they say, means the turbine model earns its own worth more than 35 times during its energy production lifetime.”

The Claim: Too Much Cola Can Cause Kidney Problems

It is well known that too much soda can increase the risk of diabetes and obesity. But when it comes to kidney problems, is there a difference between colas and other kinds of soda?

Colas contain high levels of phosphoric acid, which has been linked to kidney stones and other renal problems.

Scientists Build First Man-Made Genome; Synthetic Life Comes Next

Scientists have built the first synthetic genome by stringing together 147 pages of letters representing the building blocks of DNA.

The researchers used yeast to stitch together four long strands of DNA into the genome of a bacterium called Mycoplasma genitalium.

5 Douchebag Behaviors Explained by Science

#5. The Egocentric Douchebag

Histrionic Personality Disorder or HDP. The disorder is characterized as an overwhelming desire to be noticed and willingness to engage in any attention-seeking behavior.

Scientists at a small biotech company in California say they have cloned five human embryos in a technological feat they claim will one day provide a source of viable embryonic stem cells.

The coveted primordial cells that scientists theorize may one day be used to treat a range of human afflictions were not generated in the experiment. And the five clones, created in the laboratories of Stemagen Corp., in La Jolla, were destroyed.

Dr. Samuel Wood, a medical doctor and chief executive of the company, along with a colleague, donated skin cells to begin the process of making human clones. DNA from those cells was transferred to human eggs. Creating human clones is not considered groundbreaking. But the next step, which could have been a landmark -- generating viable stem cells from human clones -- did not occur.

We were able to get cheeseburgers and other various and sundry delights for good grades while growing up in the McD's homeland, but they never actually printed Ronald McDonald on our report card envelope.

Health advocates are setting their outrage phasers on kill over a McDonald's ad appearing on the report cards of Seminole County, Florida elementary schools. The ad promises free Happy Meals to kids with good grades, despite promises by McDonald's that they would " ban advertising to children under 12 or limit them to food and snacks that meet certain nutritional guidelines."

The Seminole County district said it has created such partnerships for years. Pizza Hut had been a partner for a decade and opted not to participate for the 2007-08 school year. McDonald's took its place. Under the terms of the deal, McDonald's fronted the bill ($1,600) for the printing costs associated with produced report cards for 27,000 students.

McDonald's has decided to stop branding report card envelopes in a program that gave kids in Florida free food as a reward for good grades after a backlash from parents concerned about exploitive marketing.

it's really about training a future army of consumers.

Sausage shortage looms for Swiss

Swiss butchers have raised the alarm over a shortage of the Brazilian cows' intestines used to wrap the nation's favourite sausage, the Cervelat.

The Swiss Meat Association says dwindling stocks may run out by the summer, when football fans descend for the Euro 2008 championship.

Netflix enters internet TV race

US DVD rental firm Netflix is to release a set-top box which will let subscribers download movies and other programmes over the net.

The box will be built by LG and is the latest move in the battle among content providers and hardware manufacturers to dominate the digital living room.

China unveils healthcare scheme

China's health minister has announced an ambitious programme to provide basic healthcare for every citizen in the world's most populous nation.

Chen Zhu said the Healthy China 2020 programme would provide a universal national health service and promote equal access to public services.

Switchgrass shows promise for ethanol production: study

A five year trial of the native North American prairie grass on farmland in the Midwestern United States revealed that the crop produces 540 percent more renewable energy than energy consumed in its production.

Previous estimates, based on small scale research plots, suggested the grass would yield a net energy production of about 343 percent. Net energy production is considered an important measure of sustainability.

Gift cards, the gift that keeps on taking

Now that Christmas celebrations are over and the dust has settled, millions of people around the world are holding the number one gift for this holiday season.

A plastic gift card is once again the top gift that will be purchased for loved ones and friends.

Will The iPod Kill Blockbuster?

Forget the cavernous big box stores that laid waste to the retail landscape a decade ago. Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs' tiny iPod has turned his company into a category killer for the digital era--first wiping out music stores and now, potentially, the corner video store.

Starting in mid-January, the Cupertino, Calif., computer and gadget maker will take on Blockbuster (nyse: BBI - news - people ) and Netflix (nasdaq: NFLX - news - people ) by renting movies from Fox on its iTunes digital media store, according to a report first published in the Financial Times earlier this week.

San Fran. Zoo could face penalties, charges in tiger attack

The deadly tiger escape at the San Francisco Zoo could prove to be a costly blow to an institution that has come under fire repeatedly in just the past few years over the deaths of two elephants and the mauling of a zookeeper.

The zoo could face heavy fines from regulators. It could be stripped of its exhibitor license.

Fidel Castro to retire?

Fidel Castro, Cuba's dictator since 1959, hinted yesterday that he may be willing to hand over power to younger Cuban leaders.

In a letter discussing the Bali summit on global warming, Castro wrote, "My elemental duty is not to cling to positions, or even less to obstruct the path of younger people, but to share experiences and ideas whose modest worth comes from the exceptional era in which I lived."