Spanish Parliament to Extend Rights to Apes
MADRID - Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/49030/story.htm

15 videogiochi per smettere di fumare
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSPAR64389220080626

Smile detector
Jacob Whitehill, studente della University of California di San Diego, ha creato un detector di espressioni facciali che può inviare comandi a un computer a seconda dei movimenti del viso. Fa parte di un progetto che punta a rendere i robot dei migliori insegnanti. (c'è il video di come funziona)
http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2008/06/gurning_is_a_way_of_control.html
http://www.livescience.com/technology/080625-face-remote.html
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2008/06/25/coming-soon-the-robot-teacher-that-reads-your-face/

Energia pulita dalla potenza dei tornado
Generare energia da un tornado fatto in casa: questa è l'idea di un ingegnere canadase che progetta di produrre dei tornado creando gradienti di temperatura all'interno di un'arena di 200 mt di diametro e di alimentare con la loro potenza alcune turbine che tradurrebbero l'energia naturale in energia elettrica.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/080625-pf-vortex-engine.html

Troppe persone di colore nel palinsesto della BBC
Troppi neri in tv: secondo Samir Shah, membro della direzione della BBC, la mancanza di dirigenti appartenenti a minoranze etniche è stata rimediata malamente con la presenza in tv di molti, troppi volti asiatici o di colore, che mettono in imbarazzo gli spettatori.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jun/26/bbc.television

Take This Quiz to Find Out if Your are a Water Waster or Saver
With a single flush, you put as much water down the drain as an average person in the developing world uses all day.
http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/37496

Negli Usa debutta il WiFi in volo
La compagnia American Airlines domani lancerà il WiFi a bordo dei suoi aerei. I primi passeggeri a usufruire del servizio saranno quelli in volo da New York - JFK a Los Angeles.
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/24/american-airlines-wi.html

New digital images of the butterfly and moth collections of Carl Linnaeus launched online for National Insect Week
http://www.linnean.org/index.php?id=243&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=189&tx_ttnews[backPid]=212&cHash=fc8bcd5a43

Rwanda names 20 gorillas in colourful ceremony to help preserve the habitat of the endangered apes
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=85019&videoChannel=74

Pianificata l'eco-città vicino a Shanghai
Anche la Cina avrà la sua città eco-sostenibile: ospiterà 400.000 persone e dovrebbe essere un modello di armonia ecologica, interamente alimentata da energia rinnovabile.
Il progetto è stato notevolmente modificato rispetto a quello di partenza (se ne parlava già nel 2003) e la costruzione, che partirà nel 2009, sarà terminata entro il 2050.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSSHA27016120080623?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=10179

Supereroi dei fumetti anche sul cellulare
In Giappone i fumetti sono una lettura comune anche tra i businessman e il numero dei telefonini si aggira intornoa i 108 milioni (85% della popolazione.) Perciò i distributori di telefonia mobile vogliono coniugare le due passioni rendendo disponibile la lettura dei manga e dei fumetti anche sul cellulare
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSPER01628420080620

One Third of Mauritius Electricity to Come From Sugar
PORT LOUIS - About a third of Mauritius' electricity will come from sugar waste by 2015, making it by far the largest component of an ambitious national target for renewable energy, a senior sugar official said on Wednesday.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48864/story.htm

Tierra del Fuego: the beavers must die
War is declared on the introduced pests. The most likely scenario would be to go in with trappers and dogs using helicopters and boats, and adapting techniques from beaver control in the United States and Canada.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080618/full/453968a.html
Addio castori della Terra del fuoco
Introdotti in Argentina negli anni '40 dal Nord America, i castori sono diventati una specie infestante nella Terra del Fuoco. Da 50 esemplari sono saliti fino a 100.000 e sono fuori controllo, non avendo predatori naturali. Poichè rischiano di radere al suolo le foreste locali, i governi di Argentina e Chile progettano di estirparli dal territorio in maniera totale. L'area interessata sarà la più ampia su cui sia mai stata condotta l'eradicazione di una specie infestante.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080618/full/453968a.html

The essence of happiness
Neuroscientists describe the mechanics of pleasure.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080618/full/news.2008.900.html

Diving lessons from the world's biggest fish
Ecologists on an Australian reef spy on the secret life of whale sharks.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080618/full/news.2008.899.html
Lezioni di nuoto dallo squalo balena
Gli scienziati hanno scoperto che gli squali balena, non certo noti per la loro velocità, sono in grado di scendere in picchiata negli spostamenti verticali, come un falco sulla preda, sfruttando peso e forza gravità anzichè la propulsione delle pinne.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080618/full/news.2008.899.html

Cura per il melanoma con cellule clonate dal paziente
Utilizzata per la prima volta e con successo una cura per il melanoma che utilizza cellule clonate da qualle del paziente. L'esperimento è stato portato a termine in America su un uomo di 52 anni, ma i ricercatori avvertono: sono necessari ancora motli studi per determinare l'effettiva percentuale di successi con un trattamento simile, molto delicato a causa della possibile risposta negativA del sistema immunitario.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7460743.stm

Olympic torch to reach Tibet Saturday
Organizers of the Olympic torch relay say the flame
will reach Tibet on Saturday in a one-day stop that
has been shrouded in secrecy.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080618/ap_on_re_as/china_tibet_torch;_ylt=AkXAS0jD_N1tBCzNZdT1RMWs0NUE

La torcia olimpica visita il Tibet
Dopo varie perplessità sembra che la fiamma olimpica farà tappa in Tibet sabato. La tappa sarà di un giorno anzichè di tre come era stato previsto in principio.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080618/ap_on_re_as/china_tibet_torch;_ylt=AkXAS0jD_N1tBCzNZdT1RMWs0NUE

Clonato il cane in grado di annusare e individuare il cancro. Gli scienziati sperano che anche i cuccioli cloni del labrador giapponese abbiano le stesse capacità.
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=84668&videoChannel=6&refresh=true
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-34083420080616

Le stategie sessuali degli scimpanzè
Uno studio britannico ha messo in evidenza alcuni comportamenti sessuali particolari tra gli scimpanzè: le femmine cercano di accoppiarsi con il maggior numero possibile di maschi in modo da far credere a tutti di essere i padri dei loro figli e assicurando così maggiore protezione alla prole. Inoltre gli accoppiamenti avvengono in silenzio, per evitare che le altre femmine reagiscano punendo le loro simili per aver conquistato i maschi migliori.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1748882720080618

Unusual Green Architecture In Japan: Namba Parks
In a city with few green spaces, Namba Parks is a welcome swath of green for the inhabitants of Osaka. Check out this full size photo of this amazing piece of architecture. The complex stands where Osaka’s baseball stadium used to be until 2003, and consists of a 30-floor skyscraper, Parks Tower, and a shopping mall with eight floors of terraced gardens.
http://www.enn.com/green_building/article/37415

Stasera la luna dà spettacolo
Tempo permettendo, questa sera si verificherà la cosiddetta moon illusion o solstizio di luna, il giorno dell'anno in cui il satellite terrestre sembra più grande che mai, in particolare quando sorge all'orizzonte.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-06-17-moon-illusion_N.htm
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659757265&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
http://www.livescience.com/mysteries/060907_moon_big.html

Linkedin ha incrementato il proprio capitale di 53 milioni di dollari portando il valore complessivo della società a 1 miliardo.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1625440420080618
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/18/technology/18linkedin.php

Controllo e salvaguardia della libertà
Le tecnologie, come le tv a circuito chiuso e l'uso di informazioni legate al DNA, agevolano la sicurezza e proteggono la libertà dei cittadini: questo il succo del discorso tenuto ieri a Londra da Gordon Brown, che ha raccolto la sfida di David Davis nell'aprire un dibattito nazionale sul futuro delle libertà civili.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/18/civilliberties.uksecurity

L'icredibile Hulk ha problemi col funo
I medici dell'American Medical Association hanno lanciato una campagna contro l'Incredibile Hulk, film uscito venerdì nelle sale americane. Il cattivo di turno, interpretato da William Hurt, fuma troppo.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/17/healthscience/16smoke.php
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/17/healthscience/16smoke.php

Manila Offers Loans to Convert Bus and Taxi Engines
MANILA - The Philippine government said on Monday it would lend up to 1 billion pesos (US$22 million) to owners of taxis and buses to convert their diesel engines and cut their reliance on costly imported fuel
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48827/story.htm

UK: Spot più duri per convincere i giovani a non bere
Una nuova serie di spot shock viene mandata in onda in Inghilterra per scoraggiare i ragazzi a bere e evidenziare i rischi e l'assurdità causati dall'esagerare con il bere. Vengono mostrati ragazzi che si fanno male da soli, che diventano violenti, che si vomitano nei capelli, ecc.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7457746.stm

I violini fatti con legno un po' marcio suonano meglio
Secondo una ricerca svizzera un po' di marciume e qualche fungo nel legno conferiscono un suono migliore ai violini perchè contribuiscono a rendere meno denso il materiale che li costituisce.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080616/full/news.2008.894.html

Scoperte nuove Super-Terra
Scoperta una nuova famiglia di tre pianeti con caratteristiche simili alla Terra, grandi da 4 a 9 volte il nostro pianeta e orbitanti intorno a una stella molto simile al sole. Gli scienziati sono stupiti dalla facilità con cui è possibile trovare le cosiddette Super-Terre (pianeti simili alla Terra): su 150 stelle esaminate, il 30% è circondato da pianeti simili alla Terra

Git along, big doggies!
This is more a bit of fun in the park for lazy dog walkers than a serious method of transport (especially if your office doesn’t provide dog kennels for employees). If the video below is anything to go by, dogs may even enjoy the experience. Whatever blows your hair back.
http://ecostreet.com/blog/responsible-transport/2008/06/17/git-along-little-dogies-big-doggies/
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NYC: No trans fats in restaurants as of July 1
Unhealthy trans fats in restaurant food? Not in New
York City.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080616/ap_on_re_us/diet_trans_fat_ban;_ylt=AvtbHtk.WBW8Acdic4TPGWes0NUE

Judge cuts US dog's $12m legacy
A judge in New York has agreed to slash $10m (£5.1m)
off the $12m inheritance given by real estate
billionaire Leona Helmsley to her pet dog, Trouble.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7457700.stm

Armpit sniffer gets jail and cane
A Singapore man with a penchant for sniffing women's
armpits was sentenced to 14 years in jail and 18
strokes of the cane for molesting his victims, a local
newspaper reported Friday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080613/od_nm/armpits_dc;_ylt=AnRy4CChInITFju5lsjbsHCs0NUE

Umore e cibo: trovato un nuovo legame
Il cosiddetto ormone della fame (grelina), che stimola l'appetito, è collegato alla depressione: secondo uno studio di Nature Neuroscience minore di stress e ansia sono collegati ad alti livelli di quest'ormone, che tente a essere più scarso nelle persone obese e viene regolato nelle cure dimagranti.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7453516.stm

Long-exposure shots in St Petersburg, Russia turn people into ghosts
Alexey Titarenko's "City of Shadows" is a series of haunting, gorgeous long-exposure shots of street-scenes in St Petersburg, Russia. The long exposure-times turn the people in the shots into ghosts and suggestions of motion
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/13/longexposure-shots-i.html

Domato incendio in Norvegia
La Norvegia ha richiesto l'aiuto di altri paesi per domare l'enorme incendio che da cinque giorni sta bruciando le sue foreste: ha già devastato 2000 ettari di bosco ed è il più grande incendio nel paese scandinavo dalla II Guerra Mondiale ad oggi.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48807/story.htm
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/features/article_1411258.php/In_photos_Norway_Forest_Fire

Allergia al traffico
Una ricerca tedesca dimostra il legame tra allergie infantili e inquinamento da traffico. Asma, allergia da fieno, eczema e altri sintomi allergici sono 50% più diffusi tra bambini che vivono entro i 50 metri da una strada trafficata rispetto a quelli che vivono a una distanza di 1000 metri.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48785/story.htm

Nonostante i problemi economici, gli inglesi ricorrono sempre più spesso a interventi di chirurgia estetica. Secondo l'Harley Medical Group, uno dei più grandi centri di chirurgia estetica in Inghilterra, la richiesta è salita del 35% negli ultimi 10 mesi. I più richiesti sono i lifting addominali (5000 sterline) e le mastoplastiche al seno.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL1532099020080616

Madagascar to Sell Carbon Credits to Protect Forest
Madagascar will sell nine million tons of carbon offsets in a voluntary scheme to help protect one of its biggest and most pristine forests, a conservation group said on Thursday
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48759/story.htm
Il Madagascar venderà nove milioni di tonnellate di crediti carbone per proteggere, con i soldi dei paesi più inquinanti, una delle sue foreste più importanti, Makira Forest, che ospita la metà della biodiversità dell'isola, tra cui 22 specie di lemuri.

US Cities Promote Bicycling as Gas Prices Soar
US cities that have long promoted bicycle use by commuters are now seeing a steady rise in the popularity of pedal power as gasoline prices soar.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48764/story.htm

Semi di 2000 anni fa riportano in vita una palma estinta
Alcuni semi risalenti a 2000 anni fa e ritrovati nella fortezza di Masada sul Mar Nero, ridaranno vita a una specie arborea estinta da secoli: una palma che cresceva nella valle del fiume Giordano e che ora ha ripreso a germinare da questi semi conservati intatti.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1231579120080612
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/06/12/sciseed112.xml

U.S. retains global science, tech preeminence: study 2:25am EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States retains its global preeminence in science and technology, with a big boost from foreign students, scientists and engineers, a RAND Corporation report issued on Thursday said
Gli Usa mantengono il promato nelle scienze e tecnologie
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1141747120080612

Life expectancy rises, Alzheimer's deaths mount
La vita degli americani si allunga ma crescono anche i casi di Alzheimer
Secondo un'indagine del Centro per il controllo e la prevenzione delle malattie in Usa l'aspettativa di vita nel 2006 si è alzata, raggiungendo il record di 78,1 anni (per le sole donne è di 80,7 anni). Ma contemporaneamente l'Alzheimer è salito al sesto posto tra le principali malattie fatali.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1127521220080611
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5049262&page=1

Why it hurts to sell your stuff
Brain-imaging study proves that it's hard to part with the things we own.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080611/full/news.2008.886.html

Alberi termostatici grazie alle foglie
Le foglie sono in grado di regolare la temperatura delle piante mantenendola costante a circa 21° C sia quando il sole è molto caldo, sia quando è brutto tempo o il clima è freddo. La scoperta è il risultato di una ricerca condotta su 39 specie arboree nord americane nell'arco di 50 gradi di latitudine.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080611/full/news.2008.884.html

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http://news.excite.it/estero/551124
Unicorns do exist.
A young one-horned row deer lives in the Centre of Natural Science in Prato, Italy. That shows that all the myths and stories telling about these fantastic animals were not just phantasy, but the result of a morphologic anomaly.

http://www.livescience.com/imageoftheday/siod_080611.html
Useful pollution in the sky.
Automated flying science experiments have shown that air pollution may help keep the planet cool. Because sunlight is reflecting back into space, reducing air pollution could make global warming worse, researchers found.
Isn’t a vicious circle?

http://www.corriere.it/cronache/08_giugno_11/finlandia_pizza_renna_berlusconi_464cdb58-37be-11dd-a7f3-00144f02aabc.shtml
When politics meet food.
After Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi critics to Finnish food, in 2005, Finland has now created the “pizza Berlusconi”, made with smoked reindeer.
Advertisements say “Bit Berlusconi”: a funny way to revenge on the italian politician and a good marketing strategy.

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Drivers in NZ are using inflatable dolls to help them beat traffic rules. By law, they can drive in a special lane if they have 3 more than passengers in the car.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKWEL25334220080612?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Albinos in Tanzania are being killed for their body parts, because the locals think they have magical powers.
http://www.neatorama.com/2008/06/12/albinos-murdered-in-africa-for-their-bodies-magical-powers/

A study shows that the higher your IQ is, the less likely you are to believe in God.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2111174/Intelligent-people-'less-likely-to-believe-in-God'.html

Africa's Deforestation Twice World Rate - UN Atlas
Africa is suffering deforestation at twice the world rate and the continent's few glaciers are shrinking fast, according to a UN atlas on Tuesday.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48727/story.htm
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1064180420080610

Africa: allarme deforastazione
Secondo una ricerca dell'Unep (Programma delle NU per l'ambiente) la deforestazione in Africa avanza a velocità doppia rispetto al resto del mondo: 4 milioni di ettari di foresta all'anno (circa le dimensioni della Svizzera). Anche i ghiacciai si ritirano velocemente: le nevi perenni del Rwenzori si sono dimezzate dal 1987 al 2003.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48727/story.htm
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1064180420080610

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Google lets users measure the power of words
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Number-crunchers can rejoice as Google Inc offers deeper access to the underlying figures for users' Web searches, giving some insight into trends based on the relative popularity of various words.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1037635920080611

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Google Trends confronta la popolarità delle parole
Google Trends incrementa le proprie funzioni: gli utenti potranno cercare le parole, vereficarne la popolarità (si poteva già fare?) e confrontare i dati riguardanti le varie ricerche trasferendole su un foglio di calcolo elettronico.

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Cittadini più sportivi dei campagnoli (Galileo)
Vivere vicino alla natura non incentiva il movimento. Anzi, secondo una ricerca tedesca le persone che vivono vicino ai parchi cittadini o in campagna sono meno propense a fare passeggiate o ad andare in bici.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1025545/Townies-exercise-country-folk-study-reveals.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL109927020080610

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Bikini effect
Secondo uno studio del Journal of Consumer Research i bikini e altri stimoli sexy rendono gli uomini più impulsivi, più propensi a pensare all'immediato futuro ma anche più creativi.
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/080610-bikini-effect.html

Usa: un passo importante contro la pedopornografia
Verizon , Sprint e Time Warner Cable si sono uniti nella battaglia alla pedopornografia: tramite un accordo con il procuratore capo di New York, le tre aziende americane si impegnano a bloccare i siti internet che mettono in circolazione immagini pedopornografiche in tutti gli Usa.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0930574820080610


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Una lavatrice in un bicchiere d'acqua
Da un progetto della Università di Leeds, presto in commercio (in Gran Bretagna per ora) una lavatrice eco-friendly, che per ogni lavaggio consuma una quantità d'acqua pari a una tazza da tè.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48719/story.htm

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Internet companies to block child porn sites: report
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon , Sprint and Time Warner Cable have agreed to block Internet bulletin boards and Web sites nationwide that disseminate child pornography, The New York Times reported on Monday.
The move is part of an agreement with New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo, to be formally announced on Tuesday, the paper said.
The companies are reported to have agreed to shut down access to newsgroups that traffic such images on one of the oldest outposts of the Internet, known as Usenet, as well as Web sites that host child pornography.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0930574820080610

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Riso refrattario all'arsenico
Gli scienziati hanno scoperto come alcuni alimenti, tra cui il riso, sono in grado di assorbire l'arsenico. L'assorbimento è controllato dallo stesso gene che combatte le infezioni fungine. L'arsenico viene ingerito inconsapevolmente essendo veicolato da acqua contaminata e cibo. Producendo coltivazioni geneticamente modificate sarà possibile neutralizzarne le intossicazioni da arsenico frequanti nelle popolazioni povere.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL0952016120080609

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Bananas are atheist nightmares!
Check out this installment in the infamous series of religious anti-evolution videos starring former TV star Kirk Cameron. In this one, Kirk looks on in amazement as some weenie explains that the banana is "the atheist's nightmare," because it is so perfectly suited to the human hand that God must have created it expressly for our benefit.
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/09/bananas-are-atheist.html

Banca per ragazzi
Una banca aperta con laiuto di una ong e gestita da ragazzi di strada per una clientela di ragazzi di strada.
Dove depositare i loro "piccoli" risparmi senza rischiare di farsi derubare ogni minuto.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bank7-2008jun07,0,3767951.story?track=ntothtml

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7439610.stm
Marijuana prescribed in Los angeles medicinal clinic.
It's a "medicinal clinic" where "qualified patients" could obtain a doctor's recommendation allowing them the legal use of marijuana.

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080605/full/news.2008.876.html
Seratonin, the Ultimatum Game and your mood.
Researchers measured the mood, fairness judgement and reward processing of participants to the Ultimatum Game, which involves accepting or rejecting offers of money.
Those with lower serotonin levels showed increased retaliation to offers that they perceived to be unfair.

http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/P/PATIENT_WEB_SITES?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-06-08-14-27-54
Patients turn to the Internet to have support.
They all turned to the Internet, setting up individual Web sites to give progress reports. In return, they get posted notes of encouragement and support - all without having to repeat the details in emotional and exhausting phone calls.

L'ulltimo audiolibro di Sedaris, autore di Diatio di un fumatore (2007), è disponibile online scaricabile dal sito zipidee (DRM-free )
http://www.zipidee.com/zipidAudioPreview.aspx?aid=15bfff61-40a3-41a1-9344-9dc4ba93cec0

Albinos in Tanzania face deadly threat
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania: Samuel Mluge steps outside his office and scans the sidewalk. His pale blue eyes dart back and forth, back and forth, trying to focus.
The sun used to be his main enemy, but now he has others
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/08/africa/tanzania.php

A Heavenly Feast
www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSDEL27714220080606
A rich 80-year-old Indian widow has spent thousands of dollars on a
feast for 100,000 people in the hope it would please the gods and open
the doors of heaven for her, local officials said.

Tips on how to live longer and healthier
features.us.reuters.com/wellbeing/news/9517EF20-3336-11DD-8327-E910DFDD.html
Along with a team of demographers and scientists, Buettner spent seven
years studying places where people were living longer and better. That
research, funded in party by the National Institute on Aging, found
that people in these four zones are more likely to see their 100th
birthday. Many of them also manage to avoid diseases of lifestyle and
aging.

Killing strangers in Tokyo
edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/08/japan.attack.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
A 25-year-old man, Tomohiro Kato, was arrested with blood on his face.
Police said Kato provided no motive for the attack -- other than he
wanted to murder stranger

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=164540&in_page_id=2
Surgeons in Glasgow left a 10cm (4in) metal bar inside a teenager's head. Eighteen year old Donovan McGowan lived with the piece of metal inside him for three months after an operation.

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1212925112708&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
Bahrain has elected a Jewish woman as its ambassador to the United States, and is standing up against criticism of the decision by stressing that the envoy is as much Bahraini as any other citizen of the small Gulf kingdom.

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=84182&videoChannel=4
A group of mainly housewives from the Japanese city called Obama have come together as Hula dancers under the title, Obama's Girls, in support of US Democratic candidate, Obama, Barak Obama. They have saved up money and are planning to go to Hawai in support of him.

Estrogen Applied To Human Penis Could Block Spread Of HIV, Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (Jun. 5, 2008) — In a world first, a University of Melbourne study has shown that topical oestrogen could help prevent HIV infection by blocking entry of the virus into the human penis.
Estrogeni preservativi
Uno studio condotto dall'università di Melbourne ha dimostrato che l'utilizzo di estrogeni può aiutare a prevenire la trasmissione dell'HIV. Lo strofinamento di un estrogeno sul pene umano stimola la produzione di uno stato di cheratina che blocca la trasmissione del virus.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604161313.htm

Teddy bear car navigation system
On June 3, engineers at iXs Research Corporation unveiled a robotic teddy bear designed to work as a talking car navigation system. The prototype robot stands 30 centimeters (1 ft) tall and has 6 joints in its arms and neck, which it uses to make gestures while providing spoken directions.
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2008/06/robot-teddy-bear-car-navigation-system/
http://dvice.com/archives/2008/06/gps_teddy_bear.php

Un gruppo di scienziati ha studiato gli spostamenti di 100'000 persone usando il segnale dei loro cellulari (forniti da un carrier di telefonia mobile europeo). Ne è emerso che le abituduni, gli schemi di vita e gli spostamenti delle persone sono più prevedibili di quanto si potesse pensare. Questi risultati potrebbero essere utili per pianificare un'evacuazione cittadina in caso di emergenza.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN0434343620080604

Grantham Prize Finalists Announced

Which US or Canadian environmental journalist or team of journalists will win $75,000 for exemplary reporting in 2007?
www.treehugger.com

Moose On The Loose In Scotland, Wolves To Follow?
Paul Lister is a British businessman. Last year he spent 16,000 pounds ($31,630) buying a pair of moose in Sweden and flying them to Scotland in a chartered plane. His aim is both to restore a section of the deforested and depopulated highlands to its former glory by releasing once native species into his vast Alladale wilderness reserve, and to turn a profit by charging people to visit.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48628/story.htm

Materials engineers create perfect light “sponge”
A team of scientists from Boston College and Duke Univ. has developed a highly-engineered metamaterial capable of absorbing all of the light that strikes it—to a scientific standard of perfection—they report in the latest edition of Physical Review Letters.
http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=014&ACCT=1400000100&ISSUE=0805&RELTYPE=MS&PRODCODE=000000&PRODLETT=NF&CommonCount=0

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Man teaches bird to fly
A bird lover has taught an orphaned baby heron to fly by flapping his arms and pretending to try to take off.


Free street games at NYC's Come Out and Play Festival this weekend!
25 brand new street games are premiering at the annual Come Out and Play Festival in New York City this weekend (June 6 - 8 2008). Everything is open to the public and 100% free to play!
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/03/free-street-games-at.html

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The Science of Sarcasm (Not That You Care)
(...) All Katherine P. Rankin did was use an M.R.I. to find the place in the brain where the ability to detect sarcasm resides. (...) perceiving sarcasm, the smirking put-down that buries its barb by stating the opposite, requires a nifty mental trick that lies at the heart of social relations: figuring out what others are thinking. Those who lose the ability, whether through a head injury or the frontotemporal dementias afflicting the patients in Dr. Rankin's study, just do not get it when someone says during a hurricane, "Nice weather we're having."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/health/research/03sarc.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Pandas get hugs to overcome trauma
After the chinese earthquake, Pandas are getting psychological support from their keepers in the zoo to recover from the trauma.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2008/jun/03/wildlife.chinaearthquake?picture=334546261

4 christians are arrested for praying at home in Argelia
Each one got from 2 to 6 months in prison and had to pay a fine, because they declared to be Christians in front of a judge.
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Condenados/argelinos/rezar/casa/particular/elpepuint/20080604elpepiint_13/Tes (in spanish)

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http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080602/full/news.2008.868.html
“Devolution” may make humans walk on all fours.
A 2006 British television documentary showed a Turkish quadrupedal family.
Today, at the European Society of Human Genetics meeting in Barcelona, Spain, researchers presented the isolation of a gene that is affected in some quadrupedal families.

http://www.livescience.com/health/080603-bottle-emotions.html
You better be silent
We all know the assumption in popular culture, and even in clinical practice, that people need to talk in order to overcome a collective trauma.
Now researchers say exactly the opposite: people who chose not to express were better off than people who did choose to express.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/health/research/03sarc.html?ref=health
Nice weather we’re having”.
Perceiving sarcasm, the smirking put-down that buries its barb by stating the opposite, requires a nifty mental trick that lies at the heart of social relations: figuring out what others are thinking.
Through a head injury or the frontotemporal dementias patients just do not get it when someone says during a hurricane, “Nice weather we’re having.”

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=160731&in_page_id=34
A drunk driver ploughed into a group of professional cyclists along the border between Mexico and the USafter he fell asleep at the wheel.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4070522.stmù
Using bioglass, a special bioactive ceramic which mimics the structure of bone material, researchers are growing rings made out of the couples' bone. They will be grown from bone cells taken from their jawbone.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jun/03/drugs.drugsandalcohol
Smoking cannabis for long periods of time may shrink parts of the brain that govern memory, emotion and aggression, according to researchers in Australia.

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1 billion fat X 850 million starving
That's what the world looks like right now nutrition wise. And that's why 50 Govern leaders and 150 Agriculture ministers are together in Rome for FAO's convention. It starts today and finishes on Thursday. Will they be able to come up with solution to such a contradictory panorama?
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/planeta/famelicos/obesos/elpepuint/20080603elpepiint_3/Tes (in spanish)

Not sorry anymore
For four years Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, has lived in the shadows, confined to his Islamabad home since a tearful televised confession in which he admitted selling nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya. But yesterday the 76-year-old scientist returned to the spotlight with a bold new twist: that he had not meant a word of his earlier admission.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/30/pakistan.nuclear

"We don't want foreign dogs"
That's how far Treviso mayor is taking his against immigration agenda!
http://tribunatreviso.repubblica.it/multimedia/home/2288473?ref=rephpsp6
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No more bananas?
Did you know that the banana we now consume is not the same one our grandparents had back in the day? Their banana, known as the Gros Michel, was bigger and more delicious than the Cavendish we eat today. Why did we adopt something less superior? Read on to find out...
http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/no-more-bananas

Satellite Images Reveal Papua Forest Destruction
SYDNEY - Thirty years of satellite imagery of Papua New Guinea's rainforests has revealed destruction on such a rapid scale that by 2021 most accessible forest will be destroyed or degraded, a study released on Monday said.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48607/story.htm
http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/half-papua-new-guinea-forests-could-be-gone-15-years

Tiniest extrasolar planet discovered
ST. LOUIS — There's a new extrasolar planet on the block: a mini-orb likely covered with a deep ocean. And it takes the record for the lowest mass exoplanet to orbit a normal star, astrophysicists announced today.
http://www.livescience.com/space/080602-aas-tiny-planet.html

Scoperto un nuovo pianeta molto simile alla Terra
Gli astronomi hanno scoperto un nuovo pianeta dalle caratteristiche interessanti. Ha una massa simile a quella terrestre, è grande tre volte la Terra e gli scienziati ritengono che siano buone premesse per pensare che potrebbe ospitare nuove forme di vita.
http://www.livescience.com/space/080602-aas-tiny-planet.html