THX, founded by George Lucas, sues Apple in patent case

Apple Inc. (AAPL) was accused by THX Ltd., a company founded by “Star Wars” producer George Lucas, of stealing speaker technology used in iPhones, iPads and iMac products. THX holds a 2008 patent for a speaker unit that can boost sound output and attach to computers or flat-screen televisions, according to a complaint filed yesterday in federal court in San Jose, California. Apple products that incorporate the speaker units infringe the THX patent, causing the company “monetary damage and irrepa

March 16, 2013

Doctors against prescribing 'study drugs'

 Prescribing drugs to boost memory and thinking abilities in healthy children and teens to study is misguided, U.S. researchers say. Study author Dr. William Graf of Yale University in New Haven, Conn., said some parents request doctors to prescribe attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder drugs for their children who don't meet the criteria for ADHD, to help them study for tests."Doctors caring for children and teens have a professional obligation to always protect the best interests of the chi

March 15, 2013

Chinese zoo shows pandas ‘porn’ to get them mating

A Chinese zoo recently tried an unusual method to encourage its giant pandas to mate: showing them a panda version of a porn video.The zoo -- which is located in Chengdu -- managed to get the pandas to mate after showing them a video of other panda’s copulating, according to the English edition of Chinese daily Global Times.Zoo officials said every time male panda Yongyong tried to mate with his companion KeLin, she would fight him off. Since the mating period for a panda is relatively short, Ke

March 15, 2013

Study: Early birds possibly had four wings

Early birds evolved from feathered dinosaurs with four wings but soon ditched "training wheels" for more efficient two-winged flight, Chinese scientists say.In 2003, a group of Chinese researchers excavated six fossils of flying dinosaurs with wings on their hind legs, dubbing them Microraptors."When we published that ten years ago there was some suspicion whether the fossil was faked," Xing Xu from Linyi University in Shandong province said.Now Xu and colleagues have described another find supp

March 15, 2013

Answering messages while driving like DUI

    Using a hands-free kit on a cellphone or texting affected driving as much as being above the legal alcohol limit, Australian and Spanish researchers say.　　Several Australian universities and the University of Barcelona measured the reaction capacity of 12 healthy volunteers who participated in a driving simulation test lasting two days, each a week apart.　　Study co-author Sumie Leung Shuk Man of the University of Barcelona said the drivers took the test having consumed alcohol, and then usin

March 15, 2013

Samsung refreshes iPhone-challenging Galaxy line

Samsung Electronics is kicking up its competition with Apple with its new Galaxy S4 smartphone, which has a larger, sharper screen than its predecessor, the best-selling S III.Samsung trumpeted the much-anticipated phone's arrival Thursday at an event accompanied by a live orchestra while an audience of thousands watched the onstage theatrics. The Galaxy S4, which crams a 5-inch (12.7-centimeter) screen into body slightly smaller than the S III's, will go sale globally in the April to June perio

March 15, 2013

Taking care of your lungs

I feel that more people are becoming worried about lung cancer these days. I have had students in their 20s come in with chest pain, who were found to have normal lungs, but insisted on a full check up because their uncle died of lung cancer. Of course, lung cancer can cause chest pain. This does not mean that all chest pain is caused by lung cancer. Many patients, on the other hand, can be diagnosed with lung cancer even without any symptoms.Get tested if you see blood in your phlegmThere are s

March 14, 2013

Dental microscopes boost quality of treatment

High-performance microscopes are powerful tools in dental treatment, but only a handful of university hospitals and professional clinics possess such equipment.These microscopes magnify the treatment area by 10 to 26 times, which allows dentists to detect miniscule cracks and nerve damage in the teeth that are invisible to the naked eye. In the past, it was difficult to detect the precise location of infection, and thus dentists frequently removed healthy teeth surrounding the infection point as

March 14, 2013

Dwelling on past increases risk of inflammation

A study suggests that people who dwell on past events can increase the risk of inflammation.Researchers in Ohio University recruited 24 young women and asked them to make a speech in front of stoned-faced interviewers.After dividing the participants into two groups, they asked the first group to contemplate on their past memories while asking the second group to think about other things such as sailing in boats and browsing for groceries.Blood samples collected from the first group showed a high

March 14, 2013

The ‘20-20-20-20’ strategy keeps your eye healthy

U.S. vision health professionals recommended heavy computer users to follow the ‘20-20-20-20’ healthcare strategy to reduce eye strain. The strategy is designed to let people blink for 20 times in every 20 minutes and watch an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Office workers and game players often suffer from dry eyes, since they need to use computers for long hours.“Today’s offices are commonly cool and dry, which is nice and comfortable, except for the eyes. Blinking is nature’s way of keepi

March 14, 2013

Google tosses Reader as house cleaning continues

Google said Wednesday it was tossing its Reader service and seven other products under a house cleaning campaign that has closed 70 of the Internet giant‘s features in the past two years.“These changes are never easy,” Google senior vice president of technical infrastructure Urs Holzle said in a blog post.“But by focusing our efforts, we can concentrate on building great products that really help in their lives.”Reader was launched in 2005 as a way for people to keep track of updates to favored

March 14, 2013