To millions of people, the Christmas tree is a cheerful sight. To scientists who decipher the DNA codes of plants and animals, it’s a monster.We’re talking about the conifer, the umbrella term for cone-bearing trees like the spruce, fir, pine, cypress and cedar. Apart from their Yuletide popularity, they play big roles in the lumber industry and in healthy forest ecosystems.Scientists would love to identify the billions of building blocks that make up the DNA of a conifer. That’s called sequenci

Technology Dec. 16, 2012

Korean scientists have discovered the role of a hormone that could help develop medicines to treat and cure diabetes and obesity-associated diseases.Dr. Lee Myung-sik of Samsung Medical Center, who is also a professor at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, led a study into “mitokine” signals, which are sent by cells having trouble with their metabolism. They identified that the signal involved a hormone, encoded as the fibroblast growth factor 21, or FGF21. The hormone is induced by mito

Technology Dec. 16, 2012

Attention wealthy nations and billionaires: A team of former NASA executives will fly you to the moon in an out-of-this-world commercial venture combining the wizardry of Apollo and the marketing of Apple.For a mere $1.5 billion, the business is offering countries the chance to send two people to the moon and back, either for research or national prestige. And if you are an individual with that kind of money to spare, you too can go the moon for a couple days.Some space experts, though, are skep

Technology Dec. 9, 2012

Korean scientists have discovered a way to restore DNA in human cells damaged by ultraviolet radiation from the sun, chemical and toxic agents, and smoking that can potentially lead to aging and cancer.A team led by professor Kang Tae-hong of Dong-A University Department of Biological Science said nucleotide excision repair, or NER, holds the key through the modulation of enzymes to prevent diseases such as skin cancer, developmental disorder and progeria.NER has been widely known to play a vita

Technology Dec. 9, 2012

On the shopping streets of Myeong-dong, it is hard to miss the sound of a bell rung by a man clad in a military-style black coat and hat.Standing beside a tripod with a bright red kettle hanging from it, and facing a line of trees and buildings glistening with Christmas lights, the man continues to ring the bell to attract attention.The sound, the handbell, the kettle and the man are all too familiar to hundreds of Korean passersby at this time of the year, when the cold begins to bite.They have

Social Affairs Dec. 7, 2012

Park Man-hee, Korea’s territorial commander and commissioner of the Salvation Army, has dedicated his life to serving those in need since the late 1960s when he first attended an Army church.With less than a year left to his retirement and the expiration of his three-year command post, Park’s remaining wishes are to see a younger commander carry on the Korean Army’s long-term plan under God, and one day see a Korean voted general of the Salvation Army, which is based in London and administers an

Social Affairs Dec. 7, 2012

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are remaining vigilant over North Korea’s expected rocket launch between Dec. 10 and 22.The three countries have deployed destroyers and surveillance aircraft with advanced radar systems to track and intercept the long-range rocket.North Korea announced its intention to fire the rocket Saturday and notified countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan of its launch and path.The first-stage propulsion rocket is expected to separate and fall into the sea s

Defense Dec. 4, 2012

South Korea and the U.S. are strengthening their joint surveillance operations as North Korea prepares to launch a long-range rocket between Dec. 10 and 22, defense sources said.The allies are putting their reconnaissance aircraft on standby, while further sharing intelligence via U.S. satellites over North Korea, where signs have been detected of the rocket being transported to a launch pad in Dongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, bordering China.“The two allies are closely collaborating to mon

North Korea Dec. 3, 2012

For the first time, scientists have figured out how to determine the age of a lobster ― by counting its rings, like a tree.Nobody knows how old lobsters can live to be; some people estimate they live to more than 100.But knowing ― rather than simply guessing ― their age and that of other shellfish could help scientists better understand the population and assist regulators of the lucrative industry, said Raouf Kilada, a research associate at the University of New Brunswick who was the lead autho

Technology Dec. 2, 2012

Korean scientists have discovered a way to improve the energy output and lifecycle of lithium-ion batteries by applying nanotechnology in the development of lithium manganese oxide for use in cathodes.The materials have been studied over the years as an alternative to lithium cobalt oxide to boost power and life expectancy of rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles.However, the dissolution of manganese during the chemical reaction process to create the compound has shortened the life cycle

Technology Dec. 2, 2012

Korea called off the launch of its first space rocket again on Thursday due to a technical glitch on its electronic systems.Officials of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said that they detected malfunctions in the control system for a hydraulic pump that provides the thrust to the second-stage solid rocket.“We will further look for and resolve the problem, and announce a new launch date in the near future,” Education, Science and Techno

Technology Nov. 29, 2012