Evidence suggests new bird flu spread among people

Chinese scientists have found the strongest evidence yet that a new bird flu strain is sometimes able to spread from person to person, but they are emphasizing that the virus still does not transmit easily.The new bird flu strain, known as H7N9, was first reported by Chinese authorities in March. As of the end of May, there were 132 cases and 37 deaths in China and Taiwan linked to the virus. Health officials suspect patients were most likely infected by birds in live animal markets but acknowle

Aug. 7, 2013

LGE poised to unveil flagship G2

LG Electronics is poised to launch its latest flagship smartphone, the LG G2.The South Korean tech giant will unveil the handset at a press event in New York on Aug. 7, and customers in Korea will be able to purchase the handset the following day, according to industry sources. The price has not yet been fixed as the company is still in discussion with telecom operators, but it is expected to be around 950,000 won ($850), similar to the price of Galaxy S4 LTE-A which costs 954,800 won.The G2 wil

Aug. 6, 2013

The science of growing hamburger in the lab

LONDON (AP) ― At a public tasting in London on Monday, Dutch scientists served a single hamburger made from cow stem cells. Some questions and answers about the science behind the revolutionary patty, how it could help combat climate change and what it actually tastes like.Q: What are stem cells?A: Stem cells are an organism’s master cells and can be turned into any other cell type in the body, i.e. blood, tissue, muscle, etc. Adult stem cells are found in small numbers in most human tissues, in

Aug. 6, 2013

Instant coffee contains the highest level of caffeine

Instant coffee mix holds the highest level of caffeine among all coffee drinks according to a report from South Korea’s Food and Drug Ministry on Tuesday.A single kilogram of instant coffee mix contains an average of 8,134.3 milligrams of caffeine while brewed coffee from coffee houses contains 677.8 milligrams and canned coffee 590.0 milligrams per kilogram.Caffeine included in coffee mix also varied from 640 milligrams to 68,780 milligrams, depending on the brand. The report also revealed that

Aug. 6, 2013

More earthquakes hit Korean Peninsula

The Korean Peninsula has become more prone to earthquakes with the number of tremors soaring nearly 55 percent over the past three years, the state weather agency said Monday.According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, a total of 65 quakes were observed in the first seven months of this year, up 54.8 percent from 42 for all of 2010.This year‘s figure compares with 52 in 2011 and 56 in 2012, the weather agency said, adding that the final tally for this year, if this trend continues, may

Aug. 5, 2013

Ministry to invest W1.6b in satellite program

The government vowed on Monday to invest 1.6 billion won ($ 1.43 million) over the next three years to nurture qualified professionals in the satellite industry.The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning has partnered with the Satellite Technology Research Center of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology to jointly develop new training courses for selected postgraduate students and researchers. The ministry said it was seeking to increase manpower in the space industry from rou

Aug. 5, 2013

Samsung appeals ITC ruling on Apple’s patent infringement

In yet another twist in a series of patent wars with Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest smartphone maker, has submitted an appeal of a June ruling by a U.S. agency which said the iPhone maker was not infringing upon some of the South Korean company‘s patents, industry sources said Monday.Samsung’s appeal in the U.S Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit came as U.S. President Barack Obama last week issued a veto on a patent ruling by the International Trade Commission tha

Aug. 5, 2013

After Higgs breakthrough, CERN readies for next cosmic quest

A year ago, the world's largest particle collider made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of science, identifying what is believed to be the Higgs Boson -- the long-sought maker of mass.Today, its computer screens are dark, the control desks unstaffed and the giant, supercooled tunnel empty of the crashing proton beams whose snapshots of the Big Bang helped flush out the elusive particle.But the silence is an illusion.Behind the scenes, work is pushing ahead to give the vast machine

Aug. 5, 2013

Japanese rocket takes supplies, robot to station

TOKYO (AFP) ― Japan launched a cargo-carrying rocket Sunday loaded with supplies for the crew of the International Space Station, along with a small robot meant as a companion for one of the country’s astronauts.The H-2B rocket blasted off from the southern island of Tanegashima at 4:48 a.m. local time, images broadcast by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency showed.According to JAXA the launch had gone to plan.“The HTV4 module has separated from the rocket as scheduled and continues its journ

Aug. 4, 2013

Samsung may release latest phablet next month

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest smartphone maker, may roll out its latest phablet, the Galaxy Note 3, at a trade show next month, industry sources said Friday.According to the sources, Samsung is planning to showcase the phablet ahead of or during the IFA Berlin to be held from Sept. 6 to 11.Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 2, respectively, in 2011 and 2012, at the industrial fair.Specifications on the device were not immediately known, but the phablet will run on th

Aug. 2, 2013

USAID hails breakthroughs in infant, maternal health

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Security Adviser Susan Rice called for more “eureka moments” and “unorthodox partnerships” on Wednesday, as she addressed scientists working on decreasing nfant and maternal mortality in poor countries.Researchers, many of whom were finalists for a competitive USAID grant, came up with varied schemes, including using a football to stop women from bleeding to death after birth, using contaminated hospital waste to keep hands cleaner and engineering bacteria to fortify yogurt wi

Aug. 1, 2013

Earthquakes trigger undersea methane reservoirs: study

Earthquakes can rip open sub-sea pockets of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, according to a study by German and Swiss scientists published on Sunday.Quake-caused methane should be added to the list of heat-trapping carbon emissions that affect the world‘s climate system, although the scale of this contribution remains unclear, they said.The evidence comes from cores of sediment drilled from the bed of the northern Arabian Sea during a research trip by marine scientists in 2007.One of the

Aug. 1, 2013