Experts warn of legal risk of Kakao rumors

Kakao Talk, a mobile messenger highly popular among smartphone users in South Korea, might come off as a closed, private platform that you could safely share critical comments about others with your friends. Think twice: Such comments could get you to real legal trouble. In a recent court ruling, a Korean man who spread rumors to nine people on his Kakao Talk messenger list during the 19th general election was fined 5 million won ($4,600) for violating the Public Official Election Act.In another

March 7, 2013

Brain conditions

Symptoms related to the brain can include loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, tingling of the skin, language disturbance, double vision, gait abnormalities, memory loss, sensory loss, and abnormal movements such as tremor and rigidity. Headaches and dizziness can arise from brain disorders, but abnormalities may not present themselves upon examination even with the presence of symptoms. People may feel the need to undergo tests, in particular, a brain MRI to confirm the diagnosis when th

March 7, 2013

Yellow dust protection needs more than a mask

Wearing facial masks during sandstorm season is essential to prevent people from inhaling dust particles, but experts say there is more that can be done to prevent diseases such as respiratory infections, eye inflammation and dermatitis often caused by yellow dust blowing in from Inner Mongolia.Recent findings have shown that yellow dust is even more dangerous than previously thought. Yellow dust contains particles of dust and metal, but also germs, researchers said.According to Seoul Health and

March 7, 2013

Indonesian volcano spews ash; tourists barred

  Indonesian scientists are closely monitoring a smoking volcano popular with tourists on Java island and are urging everyone to stay off the mountain‘s slope.　Government volcanologist Hendra Gunawan said Thursday that Mount Tangkuban Perahu in West Java province has spewed smoke and ash nearly 500 meters (1,640 feet) into the air since Monday. Scientists have put it on the second-highest alert level.Debris and lava have not tumbled far, and nearby towns and villages remain safe. Authorities are

March 7, 2013

Demise of Neanderthals linked to rabbits

A recent study conducted by researchers in Europe suggested that the rabbit was the nail in the coffin for the ancient Neanderthals.Tens of thousands of years ago, Neanderthals hunted for large-bodied animals such as mammoths and rhinos and didn’t go after small and fast animals like rabbits. As the number of mammals decreased, they had difficulty hunting them.The researchers collected some remains of rabbits in parts of Europe and found that rabbits were very popular among ancient humans 30,000

March 7, 2013

Volvo debuts cyclist-avoidance system

Swedish automaker Volvo has debuted a system it says can sense a cyclist swerving into a car‘s path and trigger an alarm and automatically brake the car. Volvo, now owned by a Chinese holding company, introduced the feature -- an enhanced version of Volvo’s pedestrian detection system launched in 2010 -- at the Geneva Motor Show.The system -- a radar unit in the car‘s grille and a camera located between its windshield and rear view mirror -- can detect multiple pedestrians and cyclists at the sa

March 7, 2013

New giant ministry mired in political wrangling

A new powerful ministry dealing with policies on science, information and IT is finding it difficult to set sail due to political wrangling, more than a week after the Park Geun-hye government was inaugurated on Feb. 25.President Park proposed the establishment of the so-called Ministry of Future Planning and Science to embody her vision of a “creative economy.” But the proposal for government reorganization has failed to win approval from the National Assembly in the face of objection by opposi

March 6, 2013

How firms can become ‘social businesses’

There’s a misconception that the transformation into a social business is simply about bringing social networking tools into an enterprise and letting employees have at it. Many organizations are diving into social head first and finding themselves gasping for air. As companies ramp up their investments in social technologies, many are struggling, because of cultural and organizational issues, to weave these innovations into how business is done. A recent IBM survey, The Business of Social Busin

March 6, 2013

Microsoft developing interactive whiteboard

Microsoft said it was developing a whiteboard that completes a diagram or chart based on the user’s drawing, the BBC reported. With the digital whiteboard, users will be able to create diagrams or charts with a simple sketch. For instance, when a teacher draws a simple stick figure and a battery, related data such as population and electricity usage cited in research will be automatically drawn up. “As computers grow more capable of handling massive amounts of data, they also need to become more

March 6, 2013

Giant camel fossil discovered in Arctic

A research team found fossils of an extinct giant camel in Canada’s High Arctic, providing direct evidence linking the animal to modern camels, sources reported.The camel’s 30 fragmented bones were found on Ellesmere Island, where many other mammal fossils have been discovered. The ancient animal was about 30 percent larger than today’s camels, measuring roughly 2.7 meters from foot to shoulder, according to the BBC and Science Daily. The camel fossil found in the High Arctic region came as a su

March 6, 2013

New iPhone 5S this summer?

The next iPhone, likely to be dubbed the iPhone 5S, will arrive this summer, probably in August, an Apple-watching website reported.The website iMore, citing “sources familiar with the plans,” said the 5S will retain the form factor and size of the iPhone 5 but will be equipped with an improved camera and an advanced processor.The source also said Apple could also be releasing an updated line of iPads, including an iPad 5 and a second generation of the smaller iPad Mini even earlier, possible in

March 6, 2013

The key to fight obesity is unveiled: study

The absence of a gene related to storing fat and controlling metabolism is found to prevent obesity, according to a study conducted in the U.S. The research team at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have created mice without the PLIN2 gene, which produces the protein perilipin to regulate fat storage and metabolism. The observation of the mice found that the size of their fat cells is 20 percent smaller than the average size. Moreover, they ate less but were more active and did not s

March 6, 2013

30 percent of child ADHD have it as adults

Nearly 30 percent of those with childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder still have the condition as adults, U.S. researchers say. Dr. William J. Barbaresi of the Boston Children‘s Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic, Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine tracked hundreds of children with ADHD into adulthood and reported the majority had mental health problems such as alcohol or drug dependence, anxiety, depression, or a personality di

March 5, 2013

SimCity rebuilt for modern life

A 10-year wait ends Tuesday with the arrival of 'SimCity,' a computer game that challenges players to build thriving cities in the face of conditions such as limited funds and climate change.The sequel to the city-building computer game that factors in real-world consequences of energy choices, urban plans, and policy decisions debuts in the US for $60 a copy.'SimCity' will be available in Britain three days later as part of a global rollout, according to game publisher Electronic Arts. The game

March 5, 2013