The Korea Herald

Early full-term babies may face later school woes

CHICAGO (AP) ― Even for infants born full-term, a little more time in the womb may matter.The extra time results in more brain development, and a study suggests perhaps better scores on academic tests, too.Full-term is generally between 37 weeks and 41 weeks; newborns born before 37 weeks are called premature and are known to face increased chances for health and developmental problems.The children in the study were all full-term, and the vast majority did fine on third-grade math and reading te

July 5, 2012

Rabies

1. What is rabies?Rabies, also known as hydrophobia or mad dog disease, occurs when the nervous system becomes infected with the rabies virus. It is a communicable disease between men and warm-blooded animals. Rabies is a contagious disease, fitting into the third prevention category of the officially designated communicable diseases and the first Domestic Animal Infectious Disease Control Law. When animals are infected with this disease, it is called rabies, and when people are infected, it is

July 5, 2012

Are you vaccinated?

Summer is a good time to travel abroad. According to Statistics Korea, the number of outbound travelers in July and August 2010 marked 2.27 million, about 20 percent of the annual global trotters. But not many people are aware that they could be subject to various infectious diseases, with some quite serious. Vaccination makes some of these illnesses preventable to some degree. Taking into account that two weeks is needed for inoculation to take effect, now may be the right time for summer holid

July 5, 2012

Living alone ups death risk from 45 to 80

An study of stable outpatients at risk of or with coronary disease found those ages 45-80 who lived alone had an increased risk of death, U.S. researchers say.Dr. Jacob A. Udell of Brigham and Women‘s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues examined whether living alone was associated with increased mortality and cardiovascular risk in a global study involving 44,573 people --

July 5, 2012

Seabirds studied for clues to human aging

Canadian researchers say they're studying diving seabirds in Hudson Bay to better understand the aging process.Brunnich's guillemots reach their 30s and then die quickly and suddenly, showing few signs of aging prior to death.The guillemots, which look similar to penguins, expend substantial energy when diving. Researchers say their high metabolism and frequent dives should produce oxidative stres

July 5, 2012

Seoul pushes for drinking ban in parks

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it is pushing to ban drinking in public parks starting next year to enhance public health and reduce disturbances. The municipal government said it submitted to the land ministry last month a proposal of revising relevant law to prohibit drinkingin the city's 2,000-odd parks.Smoking is not allowed in public parks according to law, but no similar rule

July 5, 2012

Korea Herald launches Android application

The Korea Herald, the country’s top English-language newspaper in offline and online circulation, launched Tuesday a new application for Android smartphones.The app offers the e-paper, real-time news and English education content including video lectures by popular English teacher Lee Bo-young. The app also features translations of selected Korea Herald articles and audio narration.Potential subscribers can avail themselves of a free trial before purchase.The app, created using the latest HTML5,

July 5, 2012

Korea Herald launches Android application

SKT opens center for cloud computing

Company vows to further strengthen its cloud and big data businessSK Telecom, Korea’s largest mobile carrier, has opened the first center in the country for monitoring cloud computing data and protection systems for enterprises.The company said Wednesday that it has established the cloud monitoring center within its Cloud Data Center in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, where it will run 24 hours a day throughout the year.The establishment of the center comes after SK Telecom launched the T Cloud Biz se

July 4, 2012

Apple will debut mini iPad this year: sources

Apple Inc. plans to debut a smaller, cheaper iPad by year-end, two people with knowledge of the plans said, to help maintain dominance of the tablet market as Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. prepare competing handheld devices. The new model will have a screen that’s 7 inches to 8 inches diagonally, less than the current 9.7-inch version, said the people, who asked not to be identified because Apple hasn’t made its plans public. The product, which Apple may announce by October, won’t have the hig

July 4, 2012

Apple will debut mini iPad this year: sources

Micron’s Elpida purchase to challenge Samsung

Micron Technology Inc.’s 200 billion yen ($2.5 billion) purchase of bankrupt Japanese chipmaker Elpida Memory Inc. will give the U.S. company a stronger foundation to challenge Samsung Electronics Co. in the market for memory used in computers and mobile devices. “We can see so many synergies and so many opportunities to really become a much stronger competitor in the memory space,” Chief Executive Officer Mark Durcan said in a Bloomberg Television interview today. “While we’re not quite as big

July 4, 2012

Micron’s Elpida purchase to challenge Samsung

Higgs-like particle found in 'milestone' for mankind

(MCT)After a quest spanning nearly half a century, physicists on Wednesday said they had found a new sub-atomic particle consistent with the Higgs boson which is believed to confer mass.Rousing cheers and a standing ovation broke out at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) after scientists presented data in their long search for the mysterious particle.The new find is "consistent

July 4, 2012

Higgs-like particle found in 'milestone' for mankind

Apple reportedly plans smaller iPad to compete with Google Nexus

Apple Inc. plans to debut a smaller, cheaper iPad by year-end, two people with knowledge of the plans said, to help maintain dominance of the tablet market as Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. prepare competing handheld devices.The new model will have a 7-8 inch screen, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because Apple hasn’t made its plans public. The product, which Apple may announce by October, won’t have the high-definition screen featured on the iPad that was released in March, o

July 4, 2012

Dinosaur feathers revise image as lizards

A well-preserved squirrel-tailed dinosaur fossil found in Germany suggests all dinosaurs had some sort of feathers, a researcher said.The 150-million-year-old fossil found in a Bavarian limestone quarry dubbed Sciurumimus albersdoerferi was likely a young megalosaur, a group of large, two-legged meat-eating dinosaurs, National Geographic reported Monday.“I was overwhelmed when I first saw it. Even apart from the preservation of feathers, this is certainly one of the most beautiful dinosaur fossi

July 4, 2012

Video games can improve employee health

Employers are using health wellness video games to promote health and save employers direct and indirect healthcare costs, U.S. researchers say.Bill Ferguson, editor-in-chief of Games for Health Journal wrote in an editorial that wellness programs using health games could have a significant impact on human well-being and the costs, pain and suffering of preventable illnesses and conditions.Video g

July 4, 2012

SKT establishes personal data protection system for customers

SK Telecom, Korea’s largest mobile carrier, has put in place a personal data protection system for consumers subscribing to the company’s mobile network services.The system will be used at some 2,200 nationwide retail stores certified by SK Telecom where customers can sign up for its services or purchase new mobile phones without filling out paper forms.They also can use its security system to request product information or consultation via tablet PCs such as Apple’s iPads or Samsung Electronics

July 3, 2012

Samsung develops faster, energy-efficient DRAM chip module

Samsung Electronics, the world’s biggest memory chip manufacturer, has developed the industry’s first 30 nanometer-class Double Data Rate 4 DRAM module.The memory chip module, used for enterprise servers and controller solutions, can transfer data at a rate of nearly 3.2 gigabits per second, the company said.The new DDR4 module can not only process data faster, but is also 40 percent more energy-efficient compared with its previously developed DDR3 DRAM module with speeds of 1.6 gigabits per sec

July 3, 2012

Samsung develops faster, energy-efficient DRAM chip module

Cat parasite infection may lead to suicide attempts

Scientists have uncovered a potential link between a common cat parasite infection and female suicide attempts, according to news reports.Researchers from University of Maryland School of medicine found that women infected with toxoplasma gondii have a higher tendency to kill themselves than those who are not.Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite that is transmitted via cat feces, eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables. In case of animal infections, toxoplasma gondii alters the host’s b

July 3, 2012

Cat parasite infection may lead to suicide attempts

Sunken city near U.K. to be unveiled

(123rf)A U.K. news report said scientists on Tuesday will reveal Britain’s answer to the fabled sunken city of Atlantis.The story behind "Doggerland" -- a land that was slowly submerged by water between 18,000 B.C. and 5,500 B.C. -- will be unveiled at the annual Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.Doggerland supposedly stretched from Northern Scotland across to Denmark and down the English Ch

July 3, 2012

DNA test identifies descendant of world’s first woman

A DNA test on a Scottish man revealed that he is directly related to the world’s first woman, British media reported Saturday.A 72-year-old retired lecturer, Ian Kinnaird, carries a genetic marker L1B1 that links him directly to “Eve,” the first-ever woman who is assumed to have lived in Africa about 190,000 years ago. Scientists believe that Kinnaird has maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA which is only two mutations removed from Eve, who was nicknamed after the first woman created by God in

July 3, 2012

DNA test identifies descendant of world’s first woman

Caffeine may reduce risk of skin cancer: report

Drinking more than two cups of coffee per day, or any other combination of caffeinated beverages, may lower the risk of developing skin cancer, according to a new report.The report in the journal Cancer Research found that caffeinated products including soda, tea and chocolate potentially reduced the risk of developing basal-cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.“Our data indicate that the more caffeinated coffee you consume, the lower your risk of developing basal cell carcinoma,” said J

July 3, 2012