The Korea Herald

LG Display tops LCD market for fourth year running

South Korea’s panel giant LG Display Co. led the global market for large-sized liquid crystal displays for the fourth consecutive year in 2013, market research data showed Tuesday.LG Display accounted for 26.7 percent of the world’s 9.1-inch-and-above LCD market last year by shipping 186.6 million units, according to the data compiled by DisplaySearch.While LG maintained its No. 1 spot for the 17th consecutive quarter since the October-December period of 2009, the latest figure marked a slight d

Feb. 4, 2014

Oil sands pollution two to three times higher than thought

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The amount of harmful pollutants released in the process of recovering oil from tar sands in western Canada is likely far higher than corporate interests say, university researchers said Monday.Actual levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon missions into the air may be two to three times higher than estimated, said the findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed U.S. journal.The study raises new questions about the accuracy of environment

Feb. 4, 2014

Oil sands pollution two to three times higher than thought

Beer tasting with ...an artificial twist

Spanish researchers have created an electronic “tongue” capable of distinguishing between beer varieties and their alcohol content.The artificial organ was accurate nearly 82 percent of the time, said its creators ― and could be the first step toward developing robots with a sense of taste.The taster was made using 21 electrodes, each responsive to different chemical compounds, such as ammonium, sodium, nitrate and chloride, according to researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.Ex

Feb. 4, 2014

Elements come together for next big telescope

All the pieces of the most powerful space telescope ever are ready for assembly at NASA, the space agency said Monday.The $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled for launch in 2018 and aims to provide an unprecedented look at far-away planets and the first galaxies formed.A successor to the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, it is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.All 18 of its primary mirror segments and four science instruments

Feb. 4, 2014

Causes of bad breath and treatment options

A Seoul National University professor disclosed the causes of and preventative measures for halitosis, as a survey suggested that 30 percent of Koreans suffer from bad breath.　Prof. Park Hee-kyung from the university’s dental hospital introduced a method for self-evaluating one’s breath in the morning. First, exhale in a paper cup and smell the breath. Second, wash your hands, lick the back of your hand and smell it.　If it smells bad, it is mainly due to poor oral health and medical conditions,

Feb. 4, 2014

Causes of bad breath and treatment options

For longevity, men need sleep

Sleep plays a far more important role in men’s mortality than in women’s, Daily Mail reported.According to a study led by Melbourne-based Monash University, women can live long lives despite poor sleep habits as long as they eat a diverse diet that includes vitamin B6 and plenty of vegetables. Vitamin B6 can be found in food such as meat, bananas, nuts, garlic and pistachios.Elderly participants in the study who did not sleep well were also less able to chew, had poor appetites, and did less phy

Feb. 4, 2014

Worldwide cancer cases to soar by 70% over next 20 years

Cancer cases worldwide are predicted to increase by 70 percent over the next two decades, from 14 million in 2012 to 25 million new cases a year, according to the World Health Organization.The incidence of cancer globally has increased in just four years from 12.7 million in 2008 to 14.1 million new cases in 2012, when there were 8.2 million deaths. Over the next 20 years, it is expected to hit 25 million a year, a 70 percent increase.Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type among

Feb. 4, 2014

Samsung fast catching up with Apple in tablets: data

South Korea's tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. is quickly catching up with Apple Inc. in the tablet PC market, data showed Tuesday, taking over markets previously dominated by its U.S. rival.The world's No. 1 smartphone maker emerged as the largest seller of tablet PCs in three regions in 2013 -- Latin America, Central-Eastern Europe and Africa-Middle East -- by taking up 22.8 percent, 25 percent and 18.3 percent of the markets, respectively, Strategy Analytics said.Apple, which held a compara

Feb. 4, 2014

[Newsmaker] LG Uplus rises on LTE leadership

LG Uplus was always the smallest and branded the worst telecommunication service provider that stood in the shadows of SK Telecom and KT.Feature phones carried by LG Uplus did not work especially in provincial areas, and its fiber optic broadband was weak compared to its rivals, leading many a consumer to shun its services.Just when it was struggling to find the next big thing that could help the company surpass the formidable No. 2 KT, if not SKT, LG Uplus headed by CEO Lee Sang-chul pounced on

Feb. 3, 2014

[Newsmaker] LG Uplus rises on LTE leadership

Mass sea star deaths off U.S. west coast puzzle scientists

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Starfish have been mysteriously dying by the millions in recent months along the U.S. west coast, worrying biologists who say the sea creatures are key to the marine ecosystem.Scientists first started noticing the mass deaths in June 2013. Different types of starfish, also known as sea stars, were affected, from wild ones along the coast to those in captivity, according to Jonathan Sleeman, director of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center.“The two speci

Feb. 3, 2014

Dolphins in bad shape after BP oil spill: study

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Bottlenose dolphins with missing teeth, lung disease and abnormal hormone levels were found swimming in the Gulf of Mexico a year after the BP oil spill, U.S. researchers say.Pneumonia, liver disease and a pregnant female carrying a dead fetus were also reported in the first major study of dolphin health after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that spilled 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.Half of the 32 dolphins studied off the coast of Louisiana i

Feb. 3, 2014

Stop smoking and apply sunscreen to fight skin ageing

A posting that analyses factors in skin ageing is heating up online communities. 　According to National Health Information Portal, skin ageing is affected by endogenous and exogenous factors. 　Endogenous skin ageing is mainly due to free oxygen radicals that accumulate in the body and heighten the risk of skin ageing.　Exogenous skin ageing involves factors like sun exposure and smoking. Sun exposure is known to be the determining factor for skin ageing and the development of fine wrinkles. Sm

Feb. 3, 2014

Stop smoking and apply sunscreen to fight skin ageing

Apple's iPad market share down amid Android rise

U.S. tech giant Apple Inc.'s market share in tablet PCs declined on-year in 2013 despite improved sales of iPad lineup as Android-powered models became more dominant, market data showed Monday.The world's No. 2 smartphone maker sold 74.2 million units of iPad last year, up 8.5 million iPads from a year earlier, to take up 32.7 percent of the global tablet PC market, according to the data by market researcher Strategy Analytics.It marked a 5.7 percentage point drop from 2012 when Apple accounted

Feb. 3, 2014

Mystery of "flying snakes" revealed

Four American scientists recently unveiled the secret of “flying snakes,” Chrysopelea Paradisi, a species endemic to Southeast Asia, which has long been a mystery in the field of science. The flying snake can glide between distant trees by flattening its body in a unique cross-sectional shape, which becomes a lifting surface far more powerful than thick airfoils.“When gliding, the flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi morphs its circular cross-section into a triangular shape by splaying its ribs a

Feb. 3, 2014

Global ICT leaders to discuss Internet governance

It has been a long time since the Internet took on a life of its own, and these days, how to govern and regulate cyberspace is a central issue.There is now a silent but potent power struggle going on between developed and developing countries over who should call the shots on Internet governance. Min Won-ki, the chairman designate of ITU-PP. (ICT ministry)The issue will most likely turn up at the upcoming International Telecommunications Union Plenipotentiary Conference in Busan from Oct. 20-N

Feb. 2, 2014

Global ICT leaders to discuss Internet governance

Lenovo-Motorola out to overtake Apple, Samsung in smartphones

Lenovo, the world’s largest personal computer maker, is ready to beef up its smartphone business with the aim of selling more than 100 million units globally in two years as soon as the U.S. approves its acquisition of Google’s Motorola Mobility.Its goal is to gain hard on the heels of Samsung Electronics and Apple, the world’s top smartphone makers, following its $2.9 billion acquisition, which marks the fourth-biggest by a Chinese company.This has enabled the Chinese PC maker to further boost

Feb. 2, 2014

Lenovo-Motorola out to overtake Apple, Samsung in smartphones

Fossils of Neanderthal DNA clump found in human genome

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Next time you call someone a Neanderthal, better look in a mirror. Many of the genes that help determine most people’s skin and hair are more Neanderthal than not, according to two new studies that look at the DNA fossils hidden in the modern human genome.About 50,000 years ago, modern day humans migrated out of Africa north to Europe and East Asia and met up with furrow-browed Neanderthals that had been in the colder climates for more than 100,000 years. Some of the two specie

Feb. 2, 2014

Oust that tune: Study details cures for earworms

WASHINGTON (AP) ― It happens to nearly everyone: A song ― let’s say Abba’s “Waterloo” ― is stuck in your head and just won’t go away.Now science has not one but three ways to dig that dreaded earworm out. And none of them are too surprising, as researchers surveyed 18,000 residents of Finland and England and reported their findings in the journal PLOS One.Researchers at the University of London found that earworm victims say you can listen to the complete song or sing it; you can just not let it

Feb. 2, 2014

Vending machine sells fresh salads

Entrepreneur Luke Saunders has launched Farmer’s Fridge, a vending machine that sells fresh kale and strawberries instead of candy, Fast Company said. (Farmer's Fridge)Each morning, the machine is filled with freshly made salads and snacks packed in recyclable jars. At 10 a.m., the unsold food is removed to maintain freshness and refilled with new salads.The ingredients, carefully layered to stay crisp throughout the day, are all organic, and locally grown when possible. The price is around $8.“

Feb. 2, 2014

Male contraceptive pill: a step closer

A pill that provides a safe, effective and reversible method of contraception for men, has been brought a step closer to realization by scientists, the Observer reported. (Wikimedia)Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne discovered a way to block a couple of proteins that control the movement of sperm.The medication would be taken orally, just like the female contraceptive pill. Taking it would have no impact on libido or sexual behavior.The Observer said the male contraceptive pill is a

Feb. 2, 2014