February 2008 in science

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Events in science and technology

February 29, 2008 (Friday)

• The electronic nature of DNA is revealed. This could lead to understanding how radiation damages DNA and how it can spontaneously repair by an electric charge being sent through the helix. (EurekAlert)
• The Judge involved in the Wikileaks lawsuit has reversed his decision to block Wikileaks domain name. (Reuters)
• A Dell presentation in March 2007 discussed how late changes to Windows Vista broke drivers and forced hardware vendors to "limp out with issues" when Vista launched. (NYTimes)

February 28, 2008 (Thursday)

• A new protein-friendly chip that is 10 times smaller than existing sensors promises to detect a variety of diseases from one drop of urine or blood. (NewScientist)

February 27, 2008 (Wednesday)

• Large carbon nanotube sheets have been produced by an American company, with more strength than stainless steel and 1/30th of the density. The material can be folded and cut like paper. (Nature)
• Microsoft has demonstrated its WorldWide Telescope which is an extensive virtual telescope that allows uses added context and news stories on what they are viewing. (CNet)

February 26, 2008 (Tuesday)

• Yale University scientists have created "artificial cell-like particles" to boost the T cell activation and expansion 45-fold, important for fighting cancer and infectious diseases. (EurekAlert)
• University of Granada researchers have developed a new micropore material that can absorb a variety of organic solvent pollutants. (EurekAlert)
• The Planetary Society announced a $25,000 winner of 37 low-cost proposals to track asteroid 99942 Apophis, which has a 1 in 45,000 chance of impacting Earth in 2036. (NewScientist)

February 25, 2008 (Monday)

• The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) conducts a public hearing on Comcast's blocking of BitTorrent applications during high traffic periods; becoming an extension of the net neutrality debate and raising questions about ISP disclosure and the FCC's ability to act. (CNet)
• A lawsuit alleging Microsoft's "Windows Vista Capable" marketing campaign was a bait and switch tactic is granted class action status. (InformationWeek.com)
• MetaRAM created by ex-AMD employees allows computers to quadruple their memory capacity (RAM) with minimal cost, lower power consumption and higher performance. (TechNewsWorld)

February 23, 2008 (Saturday)

• Malicious websites are exploiting Facebook and MySpace ActiveX plug-ins made by Aurigma for image uploading. This enables hackers to upload programs and create placeholders for future uploads. (WashingtonPost)

February 22, 2008 (Friday)

• Hacker group Cult of the Dead Cow releases an open source automated vulnerability scanner using Google searching techniques to allow users and organizations to easily check the security of their web property. (CRN)
• Researchers at Princeton University show that if DRAM is chilled with compressed air it retains data significantly longer when the system is shut down. The security keys used for data-encryption remain and if read then encrypted systems can be easily compromised. (NYTimes)

February 21, 2008 (Thursday)

• Scientists precisely identify the cellular connections made when new memories are created. (TechnologyReview)
• The first 10 teams are revealed for Google Lunar X Prize which awards $20-million to the first private company to land a rover on the moon. (CNet)
• Microsoft launches a charm offensive to the open-source community; promising to not block non-commercial uses of its software patents. (CNet)
• AMD makes its AMD Performance Library freely available allowing developers to further optimize performance for their applications. (CNet)

February 20, 2008 (Wednesday)

• The genetic pathway to oxidative stress, key to aging and many diseases, is discovered. (EurekAlert)
• Self-healing rubber is developed by the Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution in Paris. (NewScientist)
• A new fiber-optic signal amplifier based on nanotechnology could replace bulky electronic versions that slow down the signal. (Nanowerk)
• The moon was eclipsed by Earth in the evening; resulting in an orange tinge. (CTV)
• The Florida Board of Education voted four to three to add evolution as part of the school curriculum, previously the curriculum specified "biological changes over time". This was accomplished after a last-minute amendment required the word "evolution" to be replaced by "scientific theory of evolution". (Reuters) (Wired)
• New species of giant sea creatures are found on the Antarctic ocean floor by Australia's marine science research vessel Aurora Australis. (ScienceDaily)

February 19, 2008 (Tuesday)

• A Cedars-Sinai Medical Center study details a new gene therapy approach that teaches the immune system how to kill brain cancer and establishes long term immunity. It also appears to help the brain return to normal function with no significant side-effects. (EurekAlert)
• MIT researchers have revealed biodegradable surgical tape inspired by Geckos' feet. As it does not irritate the body it can replace surgical sutures/staples and be used to deliver drugs. (TechnologyReview)
• Toshiba announces it will stop supporting HD DVD. This leaves Sony's Blu-ray as the only next generation video format. (Toshiba)
• Wikileaks domain was locked by is registrar after a Cayman Islands bank operated by the Julius Baer Group sought to shut the site down as it contained documents alleging illegal activities. (CBC)
• A new tool by DVD Jon has been beta released called doubleTwist which simplifies the removal of controversial digital rights management from media files. (CNet)

February 18, 2008 (Monday)

• Space Shuttle Atlantis leaves the International Space Station ahead of a planned inoperative spy satellite demolition by the U.S. military. Russia and China accuse the operation of being a weapon test. (SciAm)
• Leading video game creators begin the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco to discuss the success and future of video gaming, including the mobile market and new brain interfaces. (BBC)

February 15, 2008 (Friday)

• University of Michigan have developed a 300 terawatt laser, which is twice as powerful as the previous world record holder. This research will help cancer treatment research and at higher intensities may create matter or impact fusion research. (UMich)
• A solar system similar to ours is discovered 5,000 light-years away by an international team of scientists using gravitational microlensing. (NYTimes)

February 14, 2008 (Thursday)

• Virginia Bioinformatics Institute releases a detailed map of human proteins interacting with viral proteins. The interactions form a network that reveals possible key points for interventions against infectious diseases. (EurekAlert)
• Japanese researchers demonstrate that stem cells created from adult cells using a retrovirus are not cancerous. (USNews.com)

February 13, 2008 (Wednesday)

• For the first time a 3-D molecule is observed folding in real time. A piece of RNA is stretched out and then allowed to recoil. (NanoWerk)
• Researchers at Yale School of Medicine develop a blood test which detects early stage ovarian cancer with 99 percent accuracy. (ScienceDaily)
• A transitional fossil in bat evolution may help resolve a longstanding debate, whether echolocation or flight came first. The 52 million year old fossil has wing development while the ear lacks echolocation structures. (ScienceDaily)

February 12, 2008 (Tuesday)

• The new Columbus (ISS module) is activated successfully on the International Space Station. (SpaceFlightNow)

February 11, 2008 (Monday)

• Researchers at the University of Delaware find a promising way to repair the gene defect that causes spinal muscular atrophy. (UDel)
• A study found that rats given artificial sweetener gained more weight than those on a sugar diet. Scientists speculate the body increases its metabolism anticipating calories that never come, then requires more food to make up the shortfall. (SciAm)

February 8, 2008 (Friday)

• The first commercial vessel to use a kite to help save fuel created by SkySails finished its maiden voyage. Estimates are that the ship saved 10–15% fuel while the kite was in use, which translates into $1,000 to $1,500 in fuel costs per day. (Nature)
• San Diego scientists have successfully used stem cells to treat Type I diabetes in mice. (NewScientist)

February 7, 2008 (Thursday)

• Space Shuttle Atlantis launched successfully (STS-122) en route to the International Space Station to install the $1.9 billion European science laboratory named "Columbus". (IBTimes)
• One 2008 submarine cable disruption is explained by abandoned boat anchor, while four other cuts remain unexplained. Speculation of sabotage and conspiracy theories are surfacing. (Inquirer)
• A new knee device is demonstrated that can generate electricity efficiently from walking with minimal effort. The system acquires energy from deceleration similar to how hybrid-electric cars regain energy from regenerative braking. (CBC)
• New studies in the journal Science conclude Biofuels are not beneficial to climate change, as they require increased land use to grow crops and unintentionally increases the cost of food. (SciAm)

February 5, 2008 (Tuesday)

• Compound PTC124 also proves effective against cystic fibrosis. As PTC124 appears to suppress "nonsense mutations" it may help in treating more than 2,400 genetic diseases. (PhysOrg)
• British scientists use a healthy mitochondrion from a second woman to create human embryos containing DNA from two women and one man. This may prevent conditions including epilepsy, diabetes and heart failure. (PhysOrg)

February 4, 2008 (Monday)

• India and Egypt experience Internet disruption when a second middle-eastern submarine cable (SEA-ME-WE 4) was cut. This compounds congestion caused by a Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe break on January 30. (BBC)
• French and Spanish researchers have identified 582 genes which is new evidence of recent evolution in humans, which allows survival in new habitats and protects against common diseases. (ScienceNow)
• Intel creates the first microchip, known as Tukwila, that contains more than two billion transistors. (PhysOrg)
• Researchers at MIT and Texas Instruments create a new chip design for portable electronics which could be up to 10 times more energy-efficient. (PhysOrg)
• A doubling of storage capacity for phase-change memory is announced by Intel. This kind of memory combines the power efficiency of flash memory with the speed of random-access memory. (TechnologyReview)

February 3, 2008 (Sunday)

• A new technique for reading a single strand of DNA and RNA which does not require chemical agents or detours has been developed by scientists at the Institute for Analytical Sciences (Dortmund). (ScienceDaily)

February 1, 2008 (Friday)

• Researchers at Stanford University found in mice trials that carbon nanotubes leave the body as waste products; answering toxicity concerns that they may accumulate in vital organs. (Stanford)