STOCKHOLM (AFP) – A 16-year-old Iraqi immigrant, who figured out a solution to a complex maths puzzle, was not the first person to come up with a successful formula, Sweden's Uppsala University said in a statement Thursday. Swedish media, including the website of the Dagens Nyheter daily, reported Thursday that Mohamed Altoumaimi had found a formula to explain and simplify the so-called Bernoulli... [read more]

Biofortified rice as a contribution to the alleviation of life-threatening micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries A good start is a food start!Dietary micronutrient deficiencies, such as the lack of vitamin A, iodine, iron or zinc, are a major source of morbidity (increased susceptibility to disease) and mortality worldwide. These deficiencies affect particularly children, impairing... [read more]

  Carol CampbellThe possibility that the swine flu virus — influenza A(H1N1) — could pass between humans through faeces could have important ramifications for developing countries, where millions live without proper sanitation, according to WHO director-general Margaret Chan. In her address to the 62nd World Health Assembly held in Geneva this week (18 May) she said that diarrhoea and vomiting... [read more]

Brunton makes a good range of flexible solar cells that use CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide) instead of the usual silicon. The Brunton Solaris 26 is a flexible solar charger that generates 26 watts but measures only 21.5” by 37.5″ and folds down to 11″ by 8.5” by 1”. Solaris chargers can charge a laptop or digital video camera. They can power a satellite or cell phone. It takes between... [read more]

A new optical recording method could pave the way for data discs with 300 times the storage capacity of standard DVDs, Nature journal reports. The researchers say this could see a whopping 1.6 terabytes of information fit on a DVD-sized disc. They describe their method as "five-dimensional" optical recording and say it could be commercialised. The technique employs nanometre-scale particles... [read more]

Nadia El-Awady* Blame for the turmoil in Egypt over swine flu can be laid squarely at the feet of the media and politicians, says Nadia El-Awady. The emergence of a new influenza virus — A(H1N1) or 'swine flu' — has thrown Egypt into a state of disarray. As rumours and conspiracy theories spread, 70 million people are blindly thrashing their wooden swords to ward off an unseen and ubiquitous... [read more]

Currently, diamond is regarded to be the hardest known material in the world. But by considering large compressive pressures under indenters, scientists have calculated that a material called wurtzite boron nitride (w-BN) has a greater indentation strength than diamond. The scientists also calculated that another material, lonsdaleite (also called hexagonal diamond, since it’s made of... [read more]

Intel Capital to invest in Jeeran and ShooFeeTV underline Intel’s commitment to extend region’s technological expertise World Economic Forum, Dead Sea, Jordan, May 17, 2009 – As part of its ongoing commitment to Jordan, Intel today announced that Intel Capital, its investment organization, will be investing in two digital content companies. The company also pledged to expand its World Ahead... [read more]

  Despite being one of the great green hopes for the future, electric cars still have a long road to travel before they can hope to replace their internally-combusted brethren. To illustrate this, AFP is today reporting that agreement has been reached on a ‘common plug’ for recharging the vehicles. In a few years drivers may find themselves pulling into filling stations and... [read more]

Solar-Powered Stadiumby Justin A couple of years ago, we wrote about a 1.3 megawatt solar-powered stadium in Switzerland. A new solar powered stadium has been built in Taiwan for the 2009 World Games in July. Designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the stadium incorporates 8,844 solar panels on the roof. The roof will generate enough energy to power the building’s 3,300 lights and two giant... [read more]

A new carmaker has a plan for cheap, environmentally friendly cars to be built all over the country An air-powered car? It may be available sooner than you think at a price tag that will hardly be a budget buster. The vehicle may not run like a speed racer on back road highways, but developer Zero Pollution Motors is betting consumers will be willing to fork over $20,000 for a vehicle that can motor... [read more]

  Online shops are suffering the same fate as the high street with fewer customers spending money. US net measurement firm comScore found that online shopping was in decline for the first time since it began measuring it in 2001. Online shoppers in the US spent $8.2bn (£5.3bn) in November, down 4% on last year's figures. ComScore forecast flat growth for the upcoming Christmas shopping... [read more]

  (CNN) -- Things didn't go quite according to plan for astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper during her spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Tuesday. First, a grease gun inside her tool bag leaked, coating everything inside with a film of lubricant. While she was trying to clean it up in the absence of gravity, the whole bag floated away. Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve Bowen... [read more]

  A company called GreenCore Air has released an air conditioner than can be powered by a single 170 watt solar panel. The GreenCore air conditioning unit can heat and cool a 600 square foot room. It runs on DC power, so there is no need to put an AC inverter between the solar panel and the air conditioner. This eliminates the power losses associated with converting AC to DC.   When the... [read more]

Evidence continues to build that many of the same poor lifestyle choices that lead to major health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer, are similarly detrimental to the brain. Our dietary decisions are no exception. The quality of the diet appears to affect brain health and function, including memory. So what makes for good brain food? Despite the claims on various... [read more]

Federal Aviation Administration radar appears to confirm the presence of unidentified aircraft on Jan. 8 over the Stephenville-Dublin area, with at least one appearing to head toward President Bush’s Crawford Ranch, the same night that dozens of people reported seeing UFOs, according to a report released Thursday by a national group that studies reports of unidentified flying objects. According... [read more]

  LONDON, England (CNN) -- The apocalyptic tales of nature's impending demise are as well worn as they are numerous. But while our leaders wrangle over quotas for greenhouse emissions over banquets at lavish summits, there are remarkable individuals who are doing their small bit to prevent our planet from peril. Take Nigerian civil engineer, Dr Joseph Adelegan for instance. He firmly believes... [read more]

Abstract Can a book that doesn't come from comprehensibly materialized textual means still be considered a book? What happens when, in the form of an electronic publication on the World Wide Web, a typical book-type volume is designed to be networked and includes multi-media? As the physical object itself disappears, one of the conditions required for the existence of book science faces extinction... [read more]

There have been pen phone concepts before, even a few working products, but none as slim and small as this one sent us by an anonymous tipster. He told us this "design A" is not a finished product yet, and added that the undisclosed company he's working for wants to gauge interest in such a device. While most users will connect the phone to Bluetooth earpieces, those two target-shaped areas on... [read more]

In 1878 Thomas Edison invented the first electric light bulb. This single invention proved to be so popular that it caused a major recession in the oil industry. Since 1856 kerosene lamps were used in homes and street lamps. Historians state that the introduction of kerosene initiated the oil industry. Sales and production of kerosene trickled to a standstill as electricity and the electric light bulbs... [read more]