Vitamin D supplements don’t prevent colds

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (UPI) -- A randomized controlled trial of people who received a large dose of vitamin D did not have fewer incidence or severity of colds, New Zealand researchers say.Dr. David R. Murdoch of the University of Otago in Christchurch, New Zealand, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial to examine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on incidence and severity of upper

Oct. 4, 2012

'Vampire' dinosaur preferred plant diet

A dwarf dinosaur weighing less than a modern house cat had a sharp beak and fangs like a vampire but was a plant-eater, a U.S. paleontologist says.The single specimen of the new species was originally chipped out of red rock in southern Africa in the 1960s but lay mostly unexamined in a fossil collection at Harvard University until Paul Sereno, a paleontology professor at the University of Chicago

Oct. 4, 2012

Samsung claims jury foreman misconduct tainted Apple trial

Apple’s billion-dollar trial victory in August was tainted by the jury foreman’s failure to disclose a lawsuit and his personal bankruptcy, Samsung Electronics Co. said in a request to a judge for the verdict to be thrown out. Samsung said foreman Velvin Hogan was asked during jury selection whether he’d been involved in lawsuits and didn’t tell the judge that he had filed for bankruptcy in 1993 and had been sued by his former employer, Seagate Technology Inc. Samsung has a “substantial strategi

Oct. 3, 2012

Galaxy Note 2 faces off with iPhone 5 in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (Yonhap News) ― Supply issues could hinder Apple Inc. in its latest smartphone showdown with Samsung Electronics Co. as the two tech behemoths face off in Hong Kong following the release of their new mobile gadgets here last month. Samsung Electronics started selling the Galaxy Note 2 in Hong Kong last Thursday, six days after Apple’s iPhone 5 hit the Chinese territory.So far, Hong Kong and Britain are the only places in the world where the latest products from the two top smartphone m

Oct. 3, 2012

Space station to move to avoid debris

 The Russian space program's Mission Control Center says it will move the International Space Station into a different orbit to avoid possible collision with a fragment of debris.   Mission Control Center spokeswoman Nadyezhda Zavyalova said the Russian Zvevda module will fire booster rockets to carry out the operation Thursday at 07:22 a.m. Moscow time (0322 GMT).   The space station performs eva

Oct. 3, 2012

Samsung adds iPhone 5 to patent row

Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it has officially added Apple Inc.’s iPhone 5 to the ongoing patent war between the two smartphone titans, a move that could affect sales of the latest iPhone.In a statement, Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone maker, said it has filed a motion to add Apple’s latest gadget to the U.S. patent row on charges of infringing its patents.“Apple continues to take aggressive legal measures that will limit market competition. Under these circumstances, we have lit

Oct. 2, 2012

Samsung motions to add iPhone 5 to patent case

South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. says it has filed a motion with a U.S. court to add Apple's iPhone 5 to their ongoing patent battle.Samsung says it filed the motion Monday with the California court, alleging that Apple's new phone infringes on eight of its patents.The two companies are locked in a struggle for supremacy in the global smartphone market, leading to legal cases in courts across

Oct. 2, 2012

New Zealand produces allergy-free milk

Researchers in New Zealand say they have genetically engineered a cow to produce milk free of a protein that causes allergies in children.The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used a technique known as RNA interference to block the production of the protein beta-lactoglobulin, which is produced in cows but not found in human milk.Study co-author Dr. Stefan Wagner

Oct. 2, 2012

Korean scientists identify a source of neural disorders

 A group of South Korean scientists have discovered what could be a significant source of neurological disorders, such as depression, and may lead to the development of better treatment for such illnesses, the science ministry said Saturday.The team led by Lee Chang-joon, a researcher from the Korea Institute of Science & Technology, confirmed for the first time in the world that non-neuronal cell

Sept. 29, 2012

Instagram overtakes Twitter among mobile users

Photo sharing app Instagram has overtaken Twitter for the first time among U.S. smartphone users, according to data from comScore.In August, Instagram received an average of 7.3 million daily visitors, while Twitter attracted 6.9 million users, the website said.ComScore’s data reflects usage among U.S. smartphone owners aged 18 and older accessing the service on a device running iOS, Android, or RIM operating systems via a mobile web browser or app.The data also showed that Instagram visitors sp

Sept. 28, 2012

Korea’s industrial output remains sluggish in August

South Korea’s industrial output inched up in August from a year earlier, but its growth pace remained subdued apparently affected by sluggish demand amid concerns over the eurozone debt crisis and global slowdowns, a government report showed Friday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, production in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries grew 0.3 percent last month from a year earlier. It gained a revised 0.2 percent on-year in July. The output, however, shrank 0.7 perc

Sept. 28, 2012

Samsung joins hands with Swiss chip firm

World’s largest memory chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday that it has forged a business tie-up with a Swiss semiconductor solution firm in promoting their foundry business.Samsung said that it has cooperated with STMicroelectronics N.V. in developing the 32 and 28-nano chip technology, and will continue the bilateral cooperation.Geneva-based STMicroelectronics is the seventh-largest chipmaker that designs, develops and manufactures semiconductor products used in various electronic dev

Sept. 28, 2012

Tips for safe, injury-free hiking

Autumn is a perfect season for hiking and mountain climbing, with crisp and cool weather and colorful foliage. Yet, it is also peak time for hiking-related injuries, which can be life-threatening. According to the National Emergency Management Agency, of the 7,826 mountain accidents reported last year, more than a quarter were concentrated in two autumn months ― September and October. Although not as serious as to require a mountain rescue team, some hikers experience considerable pain and soren

Sept. 27, 2012