School to give smartphones to students

(Yonhap News)A U.S. university is giving every entering freshman in the class of 2016 a new smartphone and the associated AT&T cellular service, school officials say.Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., said the program is meant "to support the university's mission of providing technology tools to enhance the student experience and prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world,"

June 13, 2012

Undersea volcano gave off eruption signal

(Bloomberg)An undersea volcano located about 250 miles off the Oregon coast produced clear seismic signals hours before an eruption, researchers say.Last year, researchers at Oregon State University correctly forecast the eruption of Axial Seamount in advance.Documentation of inflation of the undersea volcano from gradual magma intrusion over a period of years led to the eruption forecast, but new

June 13, 2012

Research could help cancer treatment

A team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have found the cause of resistance to an anti-tumor drug, which may open new possibilities for cancer treatment.The scientists used computer simulations and mathematical biology to investigate the cause of the drug resistance. They discovered that cell signaling ― how cells communicate and respond to their environment ― plays an important role in the mechanism.The study, supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technol

June 12, 2012

Telecom firms begin taking pre-orders for Galaxy S3

Telecom giants have begun accepting reservation purchases for Samsung Electronics’ much-awaited flagship smartphone Galaxy S3.SK Telecom, Korea’s largest mobile carrier, said that it started promoting Samsung’s 3G and long-term evolution mobile handsets, taking pre-orders from 5,000 customers on a first-come, first-served basis on Tuesday morning.After about two and a half hours, the telecom company said that pre-orders for all of the 5,000 3G phones had ended, while Samsung’s LTE phone continue

June 12, 2012

Is dental hygiene linked to premature death?

Failing to brush your teeth regularly could increase the risk of dying prematurely from cancer, scientists claim.According to researchers, one in five cancers is affected by dental plaque which plays a key role in infection and inflammation.A Swedish research team analyzed the health of 1,390 adults from Stockholm for 24 years and found that those with the most bacteria on the surface of their teeth and gums had 80 per cent increased risk of premature death.The study tracked the health of 1,390

June 12, 2012

Atkins diet may increase risk of heart disease: study

The Atkins diet may increase the risk of heart disease, a recent study conducted over a period of 25 years has revealed.The diet, officially called the Atkins Nutritional Approach, was welcomed by dieters around the globe as it encourages consumption of fatty foods while shunning sugar and starch.Now, however, scientists have raised a red flag over the diet, warning that it could increase blood cholesterol to dangerous levels causing heart problems.Researchers from Sweden analyzed data on the fo

June 12, 2012

Traces of ancient impact on Earth found

(MCT)Researchers say they've found evidence of an extraterrestrial impact on Earth 13,000 years ago that may have been involved in a major life extinction event.An international team of scientists says melted glass material in a thin layer of sedimentary rock in Pennsylvania and South Carolina, and in Syria, was formed at temperatures of 3,100 to 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit and is the result of a cos

June 12, 2012

Use body weight to fend off attacker

The history of the human race depended on basic survival instincts of protecting oneself from animal or enemy attack.We live in a modern world where society has evolved to have well-defined laws, proprieties, standards, and other things to protect us.But this doesn’t mean that we live in a safe and comfortable world without strangers or enemies. We never know what lurks around the corner.This column is meant for those who would like to know the basics on self-defense and be prepared to protect y

June 11, 2012

Likelihood of death rises with ‘birthday blues’: study

For those over 60 years old, birthdays could be a stressful event that raises the likelihood of death from heart attacks, strokes, falls, suicides and even cancer, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday.According to a study conducted by researchers from Switzerland, those over age 60 are 14 percent more likely to die on their birthdays.On the special day, scientists found heart attacks rose more than eighteen percent while the stoke levels increased by 21.5 percent.“One interesting finding is that mo

June 11, 2012

Doctor tries oriental medicine to treat hair loss

When 41-year-old Ryu Yeong-ho realized that her seborrheic dermatitis was not getting any better, she decided to seek an alternative route. Her condition, a debilitating scalp condition that can ultimately lead to permanent hair loss among other complications, has recently affected an increasing number of individuals. For Ryu, the diagnosis had been the same: all the dermatologists she visited had prescribed similar shampoos and ointments to stave off the symptoms and told her it was incurable.D

June 10, 2012

Explorer's study of 'sexually depraved' penguins unearthed

He risked freezing or starving to death on a doomed expedition to the South Pole 100 years ago -- but for George Murray Levick, the real horror lay in the twisted sexual mores of the Adelie penguin.London's Natural History Museum has unearthed a landmark study by Levick, a scientist with the ill-fated 1910-13 Scott Antarctic Expedition, detailing the birds' sexual shenanigans, the Guardian newspap

June 10, 2012

Study: Dogs show empathy to crying people

 Dogs respond to a person who is crying regardless of whether it is their owner or an unfamiliar person, researchers in Britain found.Dr. Deborah Custance and Jennifer Mayer, both of the Department of Psychology at the University of London, developed a procedure to examine whether domestic dogs could identify and respond to emotional states in humans.Eighteen pet dogs -- a range of ages and breeds

June 10, 2012

Shrimp's weapon could inspire better armor

Mantis ShrimpThe unique structure of a club-like arm of a crustacean could inspire changes in military body armor and vehicle and aircraft frames, U.S. scientists say.The bright orange fist-like club of the mantis shrimp, a 4-inch-long crustacean found in tropical waters, accelerates underwater faster than a .22-caliber bullet and can smash through mollusk shells and crab exoskeletons, researchers

June 10, 2012

U.S. teen recovering from rare illness after having fry-ups

A U.S. teenager has a “dream diet” that makes him the envy of his friends. The 15-year old boy consumes mountains of fry-ups including 56 sausages, 24 rashers of bacon and 24 burgers fried in a liter-and-a-half of olive oil every week. But he is no grease-lover -- he eats fatty foods to survive.Lee Jones suffers from a rare disease, contracted by just one in 14 million people, called GLUT1 that means he can’t process glucose and has to eat lots of high-fat foods to survive. Without his special d

June 8, 2012