Jan
27

DNA privacy: don't flatter yourself

The secrets contained in our individual genomes are less valuable than we like to believe IMAGINE donating your DNA to a project aimed at discovering links between genes and diseases. You consent to your genome sequence being released anonymously into the public domain, though you are warned there is a remote possibility that it might...
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Ex-CNB chief's defence asks court not to convict innocent man

SINGAPORE: The final leg of the corruption trial of the former chief of the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), Ng Boon Gay, started on Monday with the defence asking the court not to convict an innocent man just to bring home the message that corruption is wrong.Ng, 46, is accused of obtaining oral sex from 36-year-old Cecilia Sue, a former IT sales representative, in exchange for helping...
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New iPad 4 reportedly in the works -- perhaps a 128GB model

Are you ready for an iPad with beefier memory?A new fourth-generation iPad with Retina display -- and perhaps as much as 128 gigabytes of memory -- is being readied for release, sources tell 9to5Mac. The upcoming slate would not be a new design but rather an addition to the current fourth-generation line, with the same color and wireless combinations as the iPad 4, these unnamed sources say.Pricing...
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Doomed Dolphin Speaks to New York's Vibrant Wildlife

By the time New Yorkers spied a dolphin swimming through the superfund sludge of the Gowanus Canal last Friday, it was too late. The marine mammal didn't even survive long enough for a rescue plan to come together. First sighted on Friday afternoon, the dolphin perished at 6:00 p.m.The reason the marine mammal died, and why the dolphin swam up the...
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'Barrier of Bodies' Trapped Nightclub Fire Victims

A fast-moving fire roared through a crowded, windowless nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, filling the air in seconds with flames and a thick, toxic smoke that killed more than 230 panicked partygoers, many of whom were caught in a stampede to escape.Inspectors believe the blaze began when a band's small pyrotechnics show ignited foam sound insulating material on the...
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Jan
26

Get cirrus in the fight against climate change

FEATHERY cirrus clouds are beautiful, but when it comes to climate change, they are the enemy. Found at high-altitude and made of small ice crystals, they trap heat - so more cirrus means a warmer world. Now it seems that, by destroying cirrus, we could reverse all the warming Earth has experienced so far. ...
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Voters decided WP is better party to serve them: Ng Eng Hen

SINGAPORE: Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen said voters of Punggol East have decided that the Workers' Party (WP) is the better party to serve them.Dr Ng, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, described this as democracy.He pointed out that voters in his GRC decided in previous elections that the People's Action Party (PAP) is the better party to serve them. Dr...
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The ultimate gall of a heartless iPhone thief

An object of desire?(Credit:CNET)One should never expect justice in life.The best one can hope for is poetry. And yet, just once or twice, both manage to collide with a deliciousness that moves the soul.Here is the tale of a teenage girl who had her iPhone stolen.As The New York Times composes it, the girl had her iPhone 4S ripped from her by a teenage boy in Brooklyn's notoriously difficult Prospect...
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Pictures: The Story Behind Sun Dogs, Penitent Ice, and More

Photograph by Art Wolfe, Getty ImagesIf you want the beauty of winter without having to brave the bone-chilling temperatures blasting much of the United States this week, snuggle into a soft blanket, grab a warm beverage, and curl up with some of these natural frozen wonders. Nieve penitente, or penitent snow, are collections of spires that resemble robed monks—or penitents. They are flattened columns...
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Squatter, Bank of America Battle for $2.5M Mansion

Bank of America is taking a Florida man to court after he attempted to use an antiquated state law to legally take possession of a $2.5 million mansion that is currently owned by the bank.Andre "Loki" Barbosa has lived in a five-bedroom Boca Raton, Fla., waterside property since July, and police have reportedly been unable to remove him.The Brazilian national, 23, who reportedly...
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