Mobile advertising market soars

The trend in online marketing is fast shifting into mobile advertisements, as smartphones have become a necessity for Koreans, according to financial investment industry data. The shift comes as the number of smartphone users in Korea surpassed 30 million. This year’s mobile ad business is expected to reach about 204 billion won ($190 million), about 107 times more than two years ago, when it was just 1.9 billion won. Hanwha Investment & Securities Co. expects that the mobile ad market will keep

Nov. 29, 2012

Glitches do not deter Korea’s space program

Korea has once again canceled the launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, or the Naro, on Thursday due to technical problems on the second-stage solid-fuel rocket’s thrust vector control system.Given that this will make it the final attempt to blast the rocket, jointly developed by Russia and Korea, into space, Korea is playing it safe by making sure everything is in perfect order before launching the Naro one last time.“Rockets require more than a million sophisticated components. One small

Nov. 29, 2012

Dry eye syndrome

Tears do not only express sad emotions, but are essential to maintain healthy eyes. When there is not enough tear production, or when the components of the tears are not normal, discomfort in the eyes can occur. This can include a prickling sensation, feeling of a foreign substance in the eyes, a burning sensation, or production of sticky sleep. Sometimes, patients complain of a feeling of drying out of the eyes. These uncomfortable sensations are associated with long hours of computer use, and

Nov. 29, 2012

Successful organ transplant sparks change in donation law

In response to a successful organ transplant for a 6-year-old girl, four additional organs will be added to the transplant list starting next month.The Ministry of Health and Welfare drew up revised legislation on organ transplants and it passed the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.Doctors will be able to transplant the stomach, duodenum, colon and spleen legally after the revision takes effect next month, on the condition that they are transplanted simultaneously with the small intestine. Before the

Nov. 29, 2012

Japan mobile phone will monitor skin condition

TOKYO (AFP) -- A mobile phone that monitors the user’s skin condition, checking for blemishes and colour, was unveiled in beauty-conscious Japan on Thursday.The “Hada Memori” (skin memory) programme allows women to keep tabs on their complexion and track changes over time by storing records in the cloud.Users can also share their data through social networking sites, said IT giant Fujitsu, which plans to use the information to target advertising of beauty products.A spokeswoman said the skin sys

Nov. 29, 2012

NASA warns on negative impact of 2012 doomsday rumors

NASA scientists on Wednesday attempted to squash rumors that the world is coming to an end on Dec. 21, and warned of negative effects deriving from such fears.“There is no true issue here. This is just a manufactured fantasy,” said NASA’s astrobiologist David Morrison during a NASA Google+ Hangout event. “While this is a joke to some people and a mystery to others, there is a core of people who are truly concerned.”According to a report on the Livescience website, Morrison and other NASA officia

Nov. 29, 2012

S. Korea delays scheduled launch of space rocket

South Korea's third attempt to send a space rocket from its own soil was again pushed back Thursday due to problems in the upper second-stage rocket of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1.When the launch will be possible was to be determined later, according to Cho Yul-rae, vice minister for science and technology."Abnormal signals from the thrust vector system of the upper (second) stage rocket of Naro have been detected," he told a press briefing.Thrust vectoring refers to the ability of an aircr

Nov. 29, 2012

Social media as weapon against disease?

Social media posts and tweets may be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to stopping diseases from spreading, researchers at Kansas State University say.A well-timed post or tweet from a public authority or trustworthy person could be as beneficial as flu shots, hand-washing or covering the mouth during a sneeze, they said.“Infectious diseases are a serious problem and historically have been a major cause of death,” said Faryad Sahneh, a doctoral candidate in electrical engineering who is

Nov. 29, 2012

Samsung-Apple litigation sparks supply chain upheaval

Gone are the days when rival electronics firms set apart their parts supply businesses from current affairs such as patent disputes.It was in April of last year when Apple Inc. filed a lawsuit involving patent infringement against Samsung Electronics at a court in San Jose, and the two have been putting forward multiple suits against each other in nine different countries ever since. While Samsung has stressed numerous times that it will maintain its partnership with the Cupertino-based IT behem

Nov. 28, 2012

How to throw off an approaching attacker

When an attacker approaches you from the front or you have little space between the opponent and yourself, the best way you can defend yourself is to throw them off balance. Follow these pictures to see how you can do this.1. An opponent close to you will instinctively grab at your clothes as shown in picture 1.2. Swing a leg behind the opponent’s knee against the calf while grabbing the opponent’s clothing as shown in picture 2. Move your body forward, instead of backward, to pull on your leg f

Nov. 28, 2012

Most U.S. youth with HIV don't know

U.S. teens and adults ages 13-24 represent more than a quarter of new HIV infections each year, but 6-in-10 are unaware they are infected, officials say.A Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said an estimated 12,200 new HIV infections occurred in 2010 among young people ages 13-24 -- 72 percent of estimated new HIV infections in young people occurred in young men who have sex with men and 57 percent were African-Americans.“That so many young people b

Nov. 28, 2012

Researchers claim sequenced 'Bigfoot' DNA

A Texas veterinarian says she and fellow genetic researchers have confirmed the existence of "Bigfoot," though their findings have yet to pass peer review.Dr. Melba S. Ketchum of Nacogdoches, founder of DNA Diagnostics Inc. in the eastern Texas town of Timpson, said she and her team spent five years on their study of purported Bigfoot hair and concluded they have confirmed the existence of a hominin hybrid species, the legendary creature commonly called "Bigfoot" or "Sasquatch," living in North

Nov. 28, 2012

Gardening could help long space missions

NASA says it is conducting plant research aboard the International Space Station because life in space may depend on it during future long-duration missions.Using plants to provide a food source and to recycle carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen may prove critical for astronauts who will live in space for months at a time, the space agency said in a release Tuesday.Several plant-growing experiments have been conducted to help scientists understand the impact of zero gravity conditions on plant

Nov. 28, 2012

About 80 drugs interact with grapefruit

More than 80 common medications interact with grapefruit -- about half with serious complications, including death, Canadian researchers say.David Bailey, a clinical pharmacologist at the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, first discovered the interaction between grapefruit and certain medications more than 20 years ago. Since then the number of drugs with the potential to interact has jumped. “What I‘ve noticed over the last four years is really quite a disturbing trend and th

Nov. 28, 2012

Life found buried beneath Antarctic ice

U.S. scientists say they found metabolically active bacteria in the brine of an Antarctic lake sealed for thousands of years under more than 65 feet of ice.Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the finding sheds light on the limits of life in extreme environments.The brine has been isolated from the surface environment, and from any external sources of energy, for at least 2,800 years, they said."This provides u

Nov. 28, 2012