From the BBC:

New UK attempt to capture carbon

By David Shukman Science editor, BBC News

A renewed attempt to develop ways of making power stations greener is set to be unveiled by the government.

For the second time in five years, £1bn will be offered for schemes to trap and bury carbon dioxide.

An earlier competition collapsed after all nine entrants pulled out, most citing cost as the main problem.

The last to withdraw was a project run by Scottish Power at its Longannet station in Fife, and the prize money was not awarded

Known as "carbon capture and storage" (CCS), the idea is to prevent CO2 escaping into the atmosphere.

A major part of the government's low-carbon strategy, CCS has been plagued by delays and uncertainty.

Its attraction is that existing fossil fuels including coal and gas can be burned without releasing the usual quantities of CO2, the key greenhouse gas.

Instead of being vented into the air, the gas would be trapped and then piped into long-term storage in old oil fields under the North Sea.

The original hope was for British firms to design systems that could be fitted to the soaring numbers of coal plants in China and India to reduce their emissions.

However the research has proved costlier and more complicated than many expected, and the timescale keeps slipping.

Revised rules

Only last month the National Audit Office criticised the government for taking "too long to get to grips" with the commercial and technical risks involved.

Now ministers are hoping that by revising the rules for the competition they will have a better chance of attracting more interest.

In the last contest, entries were originally limited to designs that could only be used at power stations burning coal, not gas.

And the rules also only allowed systems that trapped carbon dioxide after the fuel was burned - so-called "post-combustion".

By contrast, the new competition will be open to coal and gas stations, and to schemes that attempt to capture carbon before combustion.

As one official put it to me: "Lessons have been learned and we're not closing our eyes to what industry is suggesting."

A three-month consultation opens with selected projects expected to be running by 2016-2020.

But, as with the last competition, a key factor will be viability. Although many of the technologies have been proven at a small scale, no industrial-scale project has yet been tested.

A further concern is price. With the precise designs still to be settled, estimates for future running costs are uncertain, including the price of emitting carbon and the size of low-carbon subsidy.

The announcement comes amid uncertainty about the government's energy policy, after RWE and e.ON pulled out of a major project for new nuclear power stations last week.

The policy has four key strands: new nuclear stations, a huge expansion of renewables like wind, efficiency measures to cut energy use and reducing emissions from coal and gas by using carbon capture and storage.

So the new announcement will mark another important effort to revive a potentially crucial technology that has faltered so far.

From the BBC:

Self-sculpting sand robots are under development at MIT

Tiny robots that can join together to form functional tools and then split apart again after use might be ready for market in little more than a decade, according to researchers.

A team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says it has developed about 30 prototype "smart pebbles" and the software to run them.

The sides of each cube are 1cm (0.4 inches) in length.

Efforts are now focused on creating smaller models.

The researchers from the university's Distributed Robotics Laboratory liken the ultimate product they are trying to develop to "self-sculpting sand".

"We want to have a bag of this material that can form any shape you demand," PhD student Kyle Gilpin told the BBC.

"So if you are in an isolated situation and you need a certain tool, you can tell that to the bag by making a miniaturised model of the tool, drop it into the bag, shake it around - and what you would end up with inside would be a magnified copy of the tool which is usable."

Limited memory

The test cubes have electropermanent magnets embedded into their sides to allow them to stick together. The magnetic effect can be switched on and off and does not require an electric current to remain active.

The cubes also contain a microprocessor to work out which of the magnets should be activated and when.

Each processor can currently store 32 kilobytes of code and has only two kilobytes of working memory - so the algorithm powering the process had to be kept simple.

The solution was to use a "subtractive" method - removing modules rather than adding them.

The first step works out what the original object looks like by covering it with the "pebbles".

"The idea is that they sense the border of the original shape - if a module detects it doesn't have a neighbour, it assumes it may be on the border of the shape," Mr Gilpin explained.

The cubes then message the shape of the original object to other "pebbles" a fixed distance away. These then define themselves as the perimeter of the duplicate object. If the replicated object is supposed to be five times the size of the original, then each square surrounding the object will map onto five cubes making up the reproduced perimeter.

All the cubes inside the duplicated border then recognise themselves to be part of the newly created tool.

"Once all those modules within the border have been notified and have confirmed their status, then we start the disassembly process," added Mr Gilpin.

"All the other bonds which are not crucial to the duplicate shape are broken, while the bonds between the modules in the shape are left intact - and so you are left with just the recreated shape when the process ends."

'A decade away'

Mr Gilpin admits a lot more work needs to be done, but he has an ambitious targets.

"It's not something that's going to happen in two years or necessarily five years," he said.

"But in 10 years you might see a product on the market that starts to rival traditional manufacturing approaches. I think we might all be surprised at how quickly this advances once people really start looking at the technology."

More details of the project will be presented to the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in St Paul, Minnesota next month.

From the BBC:

TomTom issues software 'fix' for sat-nav bug

TomTom has issued a fix for a fault that had caused some of its satellite navigation devices to malfunction.

The firm said that a problem with its global positioning system firmware - code embedded into the devices - had caused models worldwide to fail to identify their location.

Affected users were presented with a grey screen and a message saying the machine lacked a GPS signal.

The firm said a software update was now available to correct the problem.

The Dutch company said that the issue first emerged on 31 March.

It said the several models were affected including both new and discontinued products. It suggested that owners of the following devices should install the new code:

• Start 20/25
• Via 110/120/125
• Via Live 120/125
• Go Live 820/825
• Go Live 1000/1005/1005 World

Customer complaints

The process involves connecting the sat-nav device to a PC and then downloading the software. Users who had not previously created a TomTom account will need to sign up to the service.

Messages posted to the firm's user forums suggest the update works for some owners, but others have complained they are still facing problems.

"The software update downloaded and got stuck on 99% downloaded. It didn't install properly and now my PC can't even connect to it," wrote one user.

Another added: "There seem to be some devices where the fix is is not working properly. I guess we have to wait for TomTom to give us more information about this."

A spokeswoman for TomTom told the BBC that the firm believed some users had not followed all the installation instructions. She said the company was certain that its solution should work on all affected devices.

She suggested that users still experiencing problems should contact TomTom for further help through its website's support pages.

She said she could not provide a figure for the number of users affected.

A thread entitled "No GPS Signal" on TomTom's site had attracted more than 700 posts by Wednesday morning.

From the BBC:

Graphene windows' clearer focus

The carbon-based material graphene can help scientists study liquids more clearly with high-power microscopes.

Details of the advance are reported in Science journal.

Graphene can form a clear "window" to see liquids at higher resolution than was previously possible using transmission electron microscopes.

Liquids had been difficult to view at the same resolution as solids because these microscopes require the liquids to be encapsulated by some material.

Traditionally, silicon nitride or silicon oxide capsules, or liquid cells, have been used. But these are generally too thick to see through clearly.

Now, Jong Min Yuk at the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues have shown that pockets created by sheets of graphene can be used to study liquids at clear, atomic, resolution using transmission electron microscopes (TEMs).

The researchers used their new graphene-based liquid cell to study the formation of platinum nanocrystals in solution.

With this technique, the team of scientists was able to observe new and unexpected stages of nanocrystal growth as it happened.

They noted how the crystals selectively coalesced and modified their shape.

Graphene consists of a flat layer of carbon atoms tightly packed into a two-dimensional honeycomb arrangement.

Because it is so thin, it is also practically transparent. The unusual electronic, mechanical and chemical properties of graphene at the molecular scale promise numerous applications.

Its discoverers, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov from Manchester University, were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010.

The technique described by Mr Yuk and colleagues might enable scientists to study other physical, chemical, and biological phenomena that take place in liquids on the nanometre scale.

"Their approach opens new domains of research in the physics and chemistry in the fluid phase in general," said Christian Colliex, from the Universite Paris Sud in France, who was not involved with the research.

In another paper published in this week's Science magazine, researchers from the US and Spain report that the stress of pressing the tip of an atomic force microscope into a thin film of material can switch the direction of the film's electric charge.

This phenomenon, called "flexoelectricity", could be harnessed to improve memory in electronic devices.

It could achieve this by allowing digital bits of information to be written mechanically but read electrically - which would use less power.

The process has been likened to a nanoscale typewriter - mechanically "writing" changes in the direction of electric charge.

From the BBC:

Light pollution 'saturates' UK's night skies

Half of the UK's population cannot see many stars because the night skies are still "saturated" with light pollution, campaigners have warned.

Some 53% of those who joined a recent star count failed to see more than 10 stars in the Orion constellation.

That had decreased only very slightly from 54% since 2007, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Campaign for Dark Skies said.

The problem remained despite attempts to curb street lighting, they said.

They said that in 2010, local authorities collectively spent more than £500m on street lighting, accounting for 5% to 10% of each council's carbon emissions.

A number of councils have tested schemes to switch off or dim street lights when they are not needed, although the trials have often proved controversial with residents.

Sleeping patterns

The information was gathered as part of the annual Star Count survey, which was held across two weeks in January and February this year.

Almost 1,000 people in different locations around the country took part.

Participants were instructed to pick a clear night to count the number of stars in the constellation of Orion.

Fewer than one in 10 said they could see between 21 and 30 stars, and just 2% of people had truly dark skies, seeing 31 or more stars.

Emma Marrington, a rural policy campaigner for the CPRE, says: "When we saturate the night sky with unnecessary light, it damages the character of the countryside and blurs the distinction between town and country.

"But this isn't just about a spectacular view of the stars; light pollution can also disrupt wildlife and affect people's sleeping patterns."

'Glaring lights'

Bob Mizon of the CfDS believes light pollution is a disaster for anyone trying to study the stars.

"It's like a veil of light is being drawn across the night sky, denying many people the beauty of a truly starry night.

"Many children growing up today will never see the Milky Way; never see the unimaginable glory of billions of visible stars shining above them," he said.

For the first time, national guidance has been issued by the government, to encourage local planning authorities to reduce light pollution through design improvements.

The National Planning Policy Framework, published at the end of March, states that by encouraging good design, planning policies and decisions "should limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light on local amenity, intrinsically dark landscapes and nature conservation".

Ms Marrington from the CPRE welcomed the move, saying poor excuses for bad or excessive lighting were heard too often.

"Of course we need the right, well-designed lighting in the right places - and some areas need to be lit for safety reasons - but there should not be a blanket assumption that glaring lights are needed.

"The evidence gathered during this year's Star Count Week shows that we need to take action now to roll back the spread of light pollution."

The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said local authorities were "well ahead of the game on this issue".

"Over the past two years scores of local authorities up and down the country have been trialling the switching off and dimming of street lights late at night in quieter areas," it said.

However, it added, public safety had to come first and councils would not cut lighting if a large number of people were strongly opposed to the idea and there were genuine safety concerns.

It added: "There is also a role for businesses to play in ensuring glaring lights and neon signs that light up the night sky are not left on unnecessarily."

From the BBC:

Stardust recycling mystery solved

A long-standing mystery about how dying stars spew out the material of future planets is now solved, scientists say.

While stars like our Sun are known to eject much of their mass in their final years, it has remained unclear just how the dust is blown away.

Scientists reporting in Nature describe an astronomical study of extraordinary resolution to tackle the mystery.

They found dust grains of nearly a millionth of a metre across, big enough to be pushed out by dying stars' light.

The team of astronomers from Australian and European universities took a look at three so-called red giant stars - stars that were once like our Sun is now, but that have exhausted their supply of hydrogen and grown to gargantuan proportions.

In a process that is an extreme case of the kind of solar wind that our own Sun experiences, such stars blow much of their mass away in the form of gas and grains of mineral material on their way to becoming white dwarfs.

Lead author of the study Barnaby Norris, of the University of Sydney, told BBC News that the stars were "the galaxy's great recyclers" - the material that they spit out "goes on to make the next generation of stars and planets".

Polarising discussion

What has confused astronomers until now is just how that material is expelled; computer models of the process suggest that particles coming from the stars should be so small that they would simply absorb the light around them and undergo significant heating.

To get a look at the dust surrounding the three red giants, Mr Norris and his colleagues used the Very Large Telescope in Chile, applying a technique called polarimetric interferometry.

The light from the three stars, like that from our Sun, is unpolarised - the light waves undulate in random directions.

But light that strikes the dust surrounding them is preferentially bounced toward us undulating along a particular direction - just as sunlight reflected off of a body of water is polarised along a direction parallel to the water's surface.

The team refined a method of blocking some of the VLT's light and combining images of the stars in different polarisations. As a result, they could tell apart distant objects separated by just 15 billionths of a degree in the sky.

"This is equivalent to standing in Sydney and looking at a coffee cup sitting on a desk in Melbourne, and being able to measure its size," Mr Norris explained.

The team saw that the sphere of dust surrounding the red dwarfs was smaller than many models suggest - within two times the radius of the star itself.

Because grains of dust scatter the light differently depending on the colour of the light that hits them, the team was able to analyse their data for different colours and determine an average grain size: not much more than half a millionth of a metre.

That is far larger than anticipated, and as Mr Norris explained, large enough to solve the mystery of how the dust gets expelled: "The dust grains are like lots of little sails catching the wind, or in this case, starlight."

"The mechanism by which mass is transported away from these stars is one of the biggest questions in stellar astronomy, and underpins our whole understanding of how heavy elements are spread throughout the galaxy. Our study is just one small piece in this puzzle."

From the BBC:

Majorana particle glimpsed in lab

By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

Scientists think they may finally have seen evidence for a famously elusive quarry in particle physics.

The Majorana fermion was first predicted 75 years ago - a particle that could be its own anti-particle.

Now Dutch researchers, who have devised some exotic and minute circuitry to test for the Majorana's existence, believe their results show the fermion to be real.

The team has reported the details of its experiments in Science magazine.

"It opens up some very interesting ideas," said Leo Kouwenhoven from the Delft University of Technology.

Majoranas should behave quite differently from more familiar matter particles, such as electrons.

When these confront their opposites - positrons - they annihilate each other in a flash of gamma rays.

The idea that a particle existed that might be equal to its anti-particle was put forward by Italian Ettore Majorana, a brilliant theorist who mysteriously went missing after withdrawing all his money to go on a boat journey in 1938.

Many have tried to prove his fermion's existence, with a lot of the recent interest pursued not in giant accelerators, which have traditionally hunted new particles, but rather in incredibly small electronic devices where lengths are measured on the order of just billionths of a metre (nanometres).

Down to the wire

Prof Kouwenhoven's group fabricated just such a device with the help of colleagues from the Eindhoven University of Technology.

It comprised a phenomenally thin wire in contact with a semiconductor and a superconductor.

When a magnetic field was applied along the length of this "nanowire", electrons in it were restricted to a certain set of energies. But the set-up created a specific gap in energy in which electrons could gather together, acting in synchrony as a Majorana particle.

The team applied a voltage to the wire, measuring the degree to which the wire conducted electricity at several points along its length.

The scientists say they saw two distinct dips in this conductance, one at either end of the wire. This is where they believe the Majorana particles were hiding.

"If you take a solid material and you make the right combinations, the natural particles living in these condensed matter structures, will also obey this defining property of Majorana fermions - that a particle is equal its anti-particle," Prof Kouwenhoven told BBC News.

"The system is still built out of atoms, with nuclei and electrons, but the electrons behave together in such a way that their collective state is a Majorana fermion."

Other groups working in this field of solid state physics are thought to be close to making similar announcements.

Probing the novel properties of Majorana particles could allow scientists to understand better the mysterious realm of quantum mechanics, which explains the behaviour of matter and its interactions with energy on the very smallest scales.

Those properties are also expected to make the fermions ideally suited to be the stable "bits" of information in the long-talked-about quantum computer, a theoretical device that would make use of quirky quantum effects to perform computation at incredible speeds.

And it has even been suggested that the "missing mass" in the Universe - the matter we cannot detect directly but which we know to exist because of its gravitational influence on everything we can see - is made up in some part by Majorana particles.

From the BBC:

Walking could be a useful tool in treating depression

By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

Something as simple as going for a brisk stroll could play an important role in fighting depression, according to researchers in Scotland.

Vigorous exercise has already been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression, but the effect of less strenuous activities was unclear.

A study in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity showed walking had a "large effect" on depression.

One in 10 people may have depression at some point in their lives.

The condition can be treated with drugs, but exercise is commonly prescribed by doctors for mild symptoms.

Researchers at the University of Stirling scoured academic studies to find data on one of the mildest forms of exercise - walking.

They found eight studies, on a total of 341 patients, which fitted the bill.

Therapy

The report's authors showed "walking was an effective intervention for depression" and had an effect similar to other more vigorous forms of exercise.

They said: "Walking has the advantages of being easily undertaken by most people, incurring little or no financial cost and being relatively easy to incorporate into daily living."

However, they cautioned that much more research needed to be done. There are still questions over how long, how fast and whether walking should take place indoors or outdoors.

Prof Adrian Taylor, who studies the effects of exercise on depression, addiction and stress at the University of Exeter, told the BBC: "The beauty of walking is that everybody does it."

He added: "There are benefits for a mental-health condition like depression."

How any form of exercise helps with depression is unclear. Prof Taylor said there were ideas about exercise being a distraction from worries, giving a sense of control and releasing "feel-good" hormones.

The mental-health charity Mind said its own research found that spending time outdoors helped people's mental health.

Its chief executive, Paul Farmer, said: "To get the most from outdoor activities it's important to find a type of exercise you love and can stick at. Try different things, be it walking, cycling, gardening or even open-water swimming.

"Exercising with others can have even greater impact, as it provides an opportunity to strengthen social networks, talk through problems with others or simply laugh and enjoy a break from family and work. So ask a friend to join you."

From the BBC:

Quantum computing: Is it possible, and should you care?

By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News

What is a quantum computer and when can I have one? It makes use of all that "spooky" quantum stuff and vastly increases computing power, right? And they'll be under every desk when scientists finally tame the spooky stuff, right? And computing will undergo a revolution no less profound than the one that brought us the microchip, right?

Well, sort of.

That is broadly what has been said about quantum computers up to now, but it's probably best to pause here and be clear about what is, at this stage, most likely to come.

First things first, though: just what do they do? Many media outlets have dived into the academic literature sporadically to shed some light on the effort.

BBC News has reported that quantum computers "exploit the counterintuitive fact that photons or trapped atoms can exist in multiple states or 'superpositions' at the same time", and "quantum computing's one trick is to perform calculations on all superposition states at once" - plus, other quantum weirdness means the whole business "can then be done 'in the cloud' completely securely".

This week has seen two more advances in the field. In one, a team reporting in Nature describes the first fully quantum network, in which "qubits" - quantum bits, the information currency of quantum computers - were faithfully shuttled between two laboratories.

In another, a team writing in Science says they have "entangled" two qubits - representing the simplest core of a quantum computer - within a semiconductor, materials that standard computer makers are already familiar with manufacturing.

(It has been truly busy recently; the largest ensemble of working qubits was reported on Arxiv in January, and the biggest quantum computer number-crunching feat was published in Physical Review Letters in late March.)

Bet it works

It is all a bit bewildering, so to sum up the state of the field: very small-scale, laboratory-bound quantum computers that can solve simple problems exist; most researchers say the idea of massively scaled-up versions looks perfectly plausible on paper; but making them is an engineering challenge that practically defies quantifying.

Scott Aaronson, an expert in the theory of computation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one believer in the scaled-up quantum computer. He recently offered a $100,000 prize for a convincing proof that such a device could not be made.

But he has no illusions that it is just around the corner.

"I get kind of annoyed by all the (popular media) articles reporting every little experimental advance," he told BBC News.

"The journalists have to sell everything, so they present each thing like we're really on the verge of a quantum computer - but it's just another step in what is a large and very difficult research effort.

"It was more than 100 years between Charles Babbage and the invention of the transistor, so I feel like if we can beat that, then we're doing well - but that's a hundred years for people to say 'works great on paper, but where is it?'"

More than that, though, even the most optimistic researchers believe that quantum computers will not be a wholesale replacement for computers as we now know them.

The only applications that everyone can agree that quantum computers will do markedly better are code-breaking and creating useful simulations of systems in nature in which quantum mechanics plays a part.

Martin Plenio, director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Ulm, Germany, said that "it might never happen that it will be a device that sits here under my desk".

"A quantum computer can do all the things that a classical computer can do, and some of those things it can do much better, faster, like factoring large numbers," he told BBC News.

"But for many questions it's not going to be superior at all. There is simply no point to use a quantum computer to do your word processing."

Quantum add-ons

Others are more sanguine about the utility of what will come out of the current research efforts.

Alan Woodward, a professor of computing at the University of Surrey, cites a couple of recent advances that, to his mind, signify a significant push toward a computer that might sit under his or Prof Plenio's desk.

Most quantum computers to date have been designed to tackle a single problem, unlike the general-purpose computers we use now. But Prof Woodward says that a report in Nature Photonics in December represents the first "programmable" quantum computer.

And, he said it is significant that an industry giant like IBM is getting into the game; at a meeting of the American Physical Society in March, IBM researchers reported significant advances in just how long they could preserve the quantum information in their qubits.

"Are you going to have a purely quantum computer in five years? No - what you'll have is elements of these things coming out, you always do with technology," he told BBC News.

"In the same way you have a graphics processor card along with a main processor board in a modern computer, you'll see things added on; people will find a means of using quantum computing and the quantum techniques, and that's how I think it'll move forward.

"And those I can definitely see in the five-year period."

Prof Woodward is in the minority in thinking that the consumer market will benefit widely from quantum computers; the problem of course is making predictions about a technology that has, since its inception, always seemed possible but even now is not incontrovertibly achievable.

Dr Aaronson concedes that perhaps the long term may bear out a greater desire and use for it.

"It's hard for me to envision why you'd want a quantum computer for checking your email or for playing Angry Birds. But to be fair, people in the 1950s said 'I don't see why anyone would want a computer in their home', so maybe this is just limited imagination.

"Maybe quantum video games will be all the rage 100 years from now."

From the BBC:

'Action needed' to meet UK's cookie tracking deadline

There are on average 14 tracking tools per webpage on the UK's most popular sites, according to a study.

Privacy solutions provider Truste suggests that means a user typically encounters up to 140 cookies and other trackers while browsing a single site.

The research was published less than 40 days before strict rules come into effect governing cookie use.

The study was carried out in March and covered the UK's 50 most visited organisations.

The firm said that 68% of the trackers analysed belonged to third-parties, usually advertisers, rather than the site's owner.

"The high level of third-party tracking that is taking place is certainly an area of question and scrutiny," Dave Deasy, Truste's vice president of marketing, told the BBC.

"It's not illegal to do the tracking - the question is whether you are giving consumers enough awareness that it is happening and what you are doing with the data."

Deadline

On 26 May the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) imposes an EU directive designed to protect internet users' privacy.

The law says that sites must provide "clear and comprehensive" information about the use of cookies - small files which allow a site to recognise a visitor's device.

It says website managers must:

• Tell people that the cookies are there
• Explain what the cookies are doing
• Obtain visitors' consent to store a cookie on their device

"The information needs to be upfront - without information people can't give consent," the ICO's principal policy adviser for technology, Simon Rice, told the BBC.

The ICO says the rules cover cookies used to provide information to advertisers, count the number of unique visitors to a page and recognise when a user has returned to a site to adjust the content that is subsequently displayed.

However, it says exceptions are likely to be made if the cookie is only being used to ensure a page loads quickly by distributing the workload over several servers, or is employed to track a user as they add goods to a shopping basket.

Many sites have yet to add a feature asking for users' consent.

95% of 55 major UK-based organisations surveyed on behalf of KPMG were still not compliant with the cookie law at the end of last month, the accountancy firm reported.

Truste acknowledges that the vast majority of those who took part in its study had published a privacy policy - but adds that only 16% had a summary section that was "easily digestible", and 80% did not disclose how long data about visitors was retained.

Half-baked idea?

The move has proved controversial.

A survey published last month by the digital marketing firm, Econsultancy, found that 82% of 700 marketers contacted did not believe the cookie law was a positive development.

One respondent said: "Plain and simple - this will kill online sales."

The claim reflects a belief that when presented with a choice, most users would refuse to allow cookies to track them - making it impossible, for instance, for a retailer to target adverts for a computer at a user who had previously looked at an article about upgrading IT equipment.

The ICO's own research suggests this could be an issue. Since asking users to click a box if they agree to accept cookies from its site, the organisation says just 10% of visitors have complied.

However, BT's experience points to a possible solution.

Since March a pop-up message on its home page has told first-time visitors that unless they take up an offer to change its settings, then they have consented to its "allow all cookies" default rule.

"So far, we can see that customers are generally choosing to keep the cookies that we use to provide the best experience on our webpages," a spokeswoman told the BBC.

Early adopter

The ICO says it has not been prescriptive about the wording that firms use.

However, organisations need to be careful about relying too heavily on opt-out schemes.

"At present evidence demonstrates that general awareness of the functions and uses of cookies is simply not high enough for websites to look to rely entirely in the first instance on implied consent," the regulator warns.

It adds that those who fail to implement its rules properly could be fined up to £500,000.

Truste says companies across the EU and beyond will closely watch how the regulator enforces the directive.

"A lot of this starts with making sure companies understand what level of third-party tracking is actually happening on their sites - in many cases they don't," said Mr Deasy.

"The UK is somewhat taking a leadership role in terms of actually following through and having a hard date for when compliance needs to start taking place."

From the BBC:

'Dr Who's sonic screwdriver invented at Dundee University

Scientists claim to have invented their own version of Doctor Who's famous sonic screwdriver.

The Dundee University researchers have created a machine which uses ultrasound to lift and rotate a rubber disc floating in a cylinder of water.

It is said to be the first time ultrasound waves have been used to turn objects rather than simply push them.

The study could help make surgery using ultrasound techniques more precise, the physicists said.

Surgeons use ultrasound to treat a range of conditions without having to cut open a patient.

The ability to steer ultrasound waves to the precise spot where they are needed could make those treatments even more effective.

The ultrasound waves could also be used to guide a drug capsule through the body and activate it, for instance right inside a tumour.

Ultrasound waves could already be made to push objects and scientists believed they could also turn them - but the Dundee University team claims to have now proved it.

They used energy from an ultrasound array to form a beam that can both carry momentum to push away an object in its path and, by using a beam shaped like a helix or vortex, cause the object to rotate.

Dr Mike MacDonald, of the Institute for Medical Science and Technology (IMSAT) at Dundee, said: "This experiment not only confirms a fundamental physics theory but also demonstrates a new level of control over ultrasound beams which can also be applied to non-invasive ultrasound surgery, targeted drug delivery and ultrasonic manipulation of cells.

"The sonic screwdriver device is also part of the EU-funded nanoporation project where we are already starting to push the boundaries of what ultrasound can do in terms of targeted drug delivery and targeted cellular surgery.

"It is an area that has great potential for developing new surgical techniques, among other applications, something which Dundee is very much at the forefront of.

"Like Doctor Who's own device, our sonic screwdriver is capable of much more than just spinning things around."

The results of the sonic screwdriver experiment are published in the American Physical Society's journal Physical Review Letters.

The research also forms part of a UK-wide Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council project known as Sonotweezers, which aims to bring dexterity and flexibility to ultrasonic manipulation, allowing applications in a wide range of topics including regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, developmental biology and physics.

In the popular BBC TV series, Doctor Who uses his sonic screwdriver to perform medical scans, remotely control other devices and pick locks.

From the BBC:

'Extreme Universe' puzzle deepens

By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News

The mystery surrounding the source of the highest-energy particles known in the Universe has grown deeper.

The particles, known as cosmic rays, can show up with energies a million times higher than the biggest particle accelerators on Earth can produce.

Astrophysicists believed that only two sources could make them: supermassive black holes in active galaxies, or so-called gamma ray bursts.

A study in Nature has now all but ruled out gamma ray bursts as the cause.

Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are the brightest events we know of, though their sources remain a matter of some debate. They can release in hours more energy than our Sun will ever produce.

Computer models predict that GRBs could be the source of cosmic rays - mostly subatomic particles called protons, accelerated to incredibly high speeds.

But they were also predicted to produce a stream of neutrinos, the slippery subatomic particles recently brought to fame in claims of faster-than-light travel.

So researchers at the IceCube neutrino telescope went looking for evidence of neutrino arrival that coincided with measurements of gamma ray bursts detected by the Fermi and Swift space telescopes.

But it found none - suggesting that active galactic nuclei, where supermassive black holes reside, are likely to be the source.

'Huge breakthrough'

Given that neutrinos have such a low probability of interacting with matter as we know it, IceCube is a neutrino detector of immense proportions.

Situated at the South Pole, it consists of more than 5,000 optical sensors buried across a cubic kilometre of glacial ice, each looking for the brief blue flash of light produced when a neutrino happens to bump into atomic nuclei in the ice.

Over the course of measurements taken between mid-2008 and mid-2010, some 300 GRBs were recorded - but IceCube scientists detected none of the eight or so neutrinos that they predicted would be associated with those events.

The models that lead to such predictions are making guesses about the most violent, highest-energy processes of which physics can conceive.

Because those models include a few educated guesses, GRBs are not completely out of the running as the source of the highest energy cosmic rays we see; perhaps neutrinos are not produced in the numbers that physicists expect.

Nevertheless, Julie McEnery, a project scientist on the Fermi space telescope who was not involved with the research, said it was a "huge breakthrough for IceCube to make an astrophysically meaningful measurement".

"This is the question," she told BBC News. "The origin of cosmic rays is in general one of the longest-standing questions in astrophysics, and the ultra-high-energy rays are particularly interesting.

"They're just completely cool however you think about them, but they're also pointing to something extraordinary that can happen in some astrophysical sources - and it's key to understanding not only where but how they are produced."

From the BBC:

Intel's Ivy Bridge chips launch using '3D transistors'

By Leo Kelion Technology reporter

Intel is launching its Ivy Bridge family of processors - the first to feature what it describes as a "3D transistor".

The American firm says the innovation allows it to offer more computational power while using less energy.

The initial release includes 13 quad-core processors, most of which will be targeted at desktop computers.

Further dual core processors, suitable for ultrabooks - thin laptops - will be announced "later this spring".

Intel and PC manufacturers expect the release to drive a wave of new sales.

"The momentum around the system design is pretty astonishing," Intel's PC business chief, Kirk Skaugen, who is spearheading the launch, told the BBC.

"There are more than 300 mobile products in development and more than 270 different desktops, many of which are all-in-one designs.

"This is the world's first 22 nanometre product and we'll be delivering about 20% more processor performance using 20% less average power."

"This is Intel's fastest ramp ever," Mr Skaugen added.

"There will be 50% more supply than we had early in the product cycle of our last generation, Sandy Bridge, a year ago. And we're still constrained based on the amount of demand we're seeing in the marketplace."

Low power

The fact that Intel's new transistor technology - the on/off switches at the heart of its chips - are more power-efficient could be crucial to its future success.

To date it has been largely shut out of the smartphone and tablet markets, where devices are most commonly powered by chips based on designs by Britain's Arm Holdings.

Arm now threatens to encroach on Intel's core market with the release of Windows 8 later this year.

Microsoft has decided to let one variant of its operating system work on Arm's architecture, paving the way for manufacturers to build laptops targeted at users who prioritise battery life over processing speeds.

Tri-gate transistors

Intel hopes a new transistor technology, in development for 11 years, will help it challenge Arm's reputation for energy efficiency.

Bell Labs created the first transistor in 1947, and it was about a quarter of the size of an American penny.

Since then, engineers have radically shrunk them in size - so there are now more than one billion fitted inside a single processor.

Moore's law - named after Intel's co-founder Gordon Moore - stated that the number of transistors that could be placed on an integrated circuit should double roughly every two years without a big leap in cost.

However, transistors had become so small that there were fears they would become unreliable if they were shrunk much further.

"A lot of people had thought that Moore's law was coming to an end," said Mr Skaugen.

"What Intel has been able to do is instead of just shrinking the transistor in two dimensions, we have been able to create a three-dimensional transistor for the first time.

"For the user, that means the benefits of better performance and energy use will continue for as far as Intel sees on the road map."

Graphics gains

Mr Skaugen said that those who use the integrated GPU (graphics processing unit) on the chips, rather than a separate graphics card, would see some of the biggest gains.

He said the processing speed had been significantly boosted since Sandy Bridge, meaning devices would be capable of handling high-definition video conferences and the 4K resolution offered by top-end video cameras.

The GPU's transcoding rate also benefits from the upgrade, allowing users to recode video more quickly if they want to send clips via email or put them on a smartphone.

The chips also offer new hardware-based security facilities as well as built-in USB 3.0 support. This should make it cheaper for manufacturers to offer the standard which allows quicker data transfers to hard disks, cameras and other peripherals.

Chip challenge

It all poses quite a challenge to Intel's main competitor in the PC processor market - Advanced Micro Devices.

AMD plans to reduce the amount of power its upcoming Piledriver chips consume by using "resonant clock mesh technology" - a new process which recycles the energy used by the processor. However, full details about how it will work and a release date are yet to be announced.

One industry analyst told the BBC that Intel was expected to retain its lead.

"AMD did briefly nudge ahead of Intel in the consumer space in the early 2000s at the time of Windows XP, but since then Intel has been putting in double shifts to break away from its rival," said Chris Green, principal technology analyst at the consultants Davies Murphy Group Europe.

"Intel is making leaps ahead using proven technology, while AMD is trying to use drawing board stuff. So there's less certainty AMD will succeed, and PC manufacturers may not want to adopt its technology in any volume, at least initially."

As advanced as Ivy Bridge sounds, the one thing it is not is future-proof. Intel has already begun to discuss its successor, dubbed Haswell.

"We are targeting 20 times better battery life on standby - always on, always connected," Mr Skaugen said about the update, due for release in 2013.

"So you can get all your files and emails downloaded onto your PC while it's in your bag, and still get more than 10 days of standby and all-day battery life."

From the BBC:

Ancient viruses thrive in our DNA

By David Shukman Science editor, BBC News

Traces of ancient viruses which infected our ancestors millions of years ago are more widespread in us than previously thought.

A study shows how extensively viruses from as far back as the dinosaur era still thrive in our genetic material.

It sheds light on the origins of a big proportion of our genetic material, much of which is still not understood.

The scientists investigated the genomes of 38 mammals including humans, mice, rats, elephants and dolphins.

The research was carried out at Oxford University, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Centre in New York and the Rega Institute in Belgium.

It is reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

One of the viruses was found to have invaded the genome of a common ancestor around 100 million years ago with its remnants discovered in almost every mammal in the study.

Another infected an early primate with the result that it was found in apes, humans and other primates as well.

The work established that many of these viruses lost the ability to transfer from one cell to another.

Instead they evolved to stay within their host cell where they have profilerated very effectively - spending their entire life cycle within the cell.

Forced choice

The researchers found evidence of the viruses multiplying so extensively within mammals' genomes that they have been compared to an outbreak of disease.

The senior author of the study, Dr Robert Belshaw from Oxford University's Zoology Department, said: "This is the story of an epidemic within every animal's genome, a story which has been going on for 100 million years and which continues today.

"We suspect that these viruses are forced to make a choice: either to keep their 'viral' essence and spread between animals and species. Or to commit to one genome and then spread massively within it."

The study shows that the viruses involved have lost a gene called envwhich is responsible for transmission between cells.

Known as endogenous retroviruses, these micro-organisms have gone on to become 30 times more abundant in their host cells.

The study is one of many attempting to understand the full complexity of the human genome.

Astonishingly, only 1.5% of the genetic material in our cells codes for human life. Half of the rest is sometimes described as "junk DNA" with no known function, and the other half consist of genes introduced by viruses and other parasites.

Positive services

According to the lead author, Dr Gkikas Magiorkinis, "much of the dark matter in our genome plays by its own rules, in the same way as an epidemic of an infectious disease but operating over millions of years.

"Learning the rules of this ancient game will help us understand their role in health and disease."

This raises the extraordinary scenario of our DNA serving as an environment in which viruses can evolve - a micro-ecology within the double-helix of our genetic material.

There is evidence that they can provide positive services. For example the protein syncytin - derived from a virus - helps develop the placenta.

Dr Belshaw says that endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are not known to have any obvious or direct health effects.

"But there could be effects we're not picking up on or things we could even take advantage of if we detect ERVs moving around or expressing proteins as a result of cancer or infection."

The study was supported by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society

From the BBC:

Insecure websites to be named and shamed after checks

By Mark Ward Technology correspondent, BBC News

Companies that do not do enough to keep their websites secure are to be named and shamed to help improve security.

The list of good and bad sites will be published regularly by the non-profit Trustworthy Internet Movement (TIM).

A survey carried out to launch the group found that more than 52% of sites tested were using versions of security protocols known to be compromised.

The group will test websites to see how well they have implemented basic security software.

Security fundamentals

The group has been set up by security experts and entrepreneurs frustrated by the slow pace of improvements in online safety.

"We want to stimulate some initiatives and get something done," said TIM's founder Philippe Courtot, serial entrepreneur and chief executive of security firm Qualys. He has bankrolled the group with his own money.

TIM has initially focused on a widely used technology known as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

Experts recruited to help with the initiative include SSL's inventor Dr Taher Elgamal; "white hack" hacker Moxie Marlinspike who has written extensively about attacking the protocol; and Michael Barrett, chief security officer at Paypal.

Many websites use SSL to encrypt communications between them and their users. It is used to protect credit card numbers and other valuable data as it travels across the web.

"SSL is one of the fundamental parts of the internet," said Mr Courtot.

"It's what makes it trustworthy and right now it's not as secure as you think."

Compromised certificates

TIM plans a two-pronged attack on SSL.

The first part would be to run automated tools against websites to test how well they had implemented SSL, said Mr Courtot.

"We'll be making it public," he added. "Everyone is now going to be able to see who has a good grade and who has a bad grade."

Early tests suggest that about 52% of sites checked ran a version of SSL known to be compromised.

Companies who have done a bad job will be encouraged to improve and upgrade their implementations so it gets safer to use those sites.

The second part of the initiative concerns the running of the bodies, known as certificate authorities, which guarantee that a website is what it claims to be.

TIM said it would work with governments, industry bodies and companies to check that CAs are well run and had not been compromised.

"It's a much more complex problem," said Mr Courtot.

In 2011, two certificate authorities, DigiNotar and GlobalSign were found to have been compromised. In some cases this meant attackers eavesdropped on what should have been a secure communications channel.

Steve Durbin, global vice president of the Information Security Forum which represents security specialists working in large corporations, said many of its members took responsibility for making sure sites were secure.

"You cannot just say 'buyer beware'," he said.

"That's not good enough anymore. They have a real a duty of care."

He said corporations were also increasingly conscious of their reputation for providing safe and secure services to customers.

Data breaches, hack attacks and poor security were all likely to hit share prices and could mean they lose customers, he noted.

From the BBC:

Mobile phones: 'Still no evidence of harm to health'

By Jane Hughes Health correspondent, BBC News

There is still no evidence mobile phones harm human health, says a major safety review for the UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Scientists looked at hundreds of studies of mobile exposure and found no conclusive links to cancer risk, brain function or infertility.

However, they said monitoring should continue because little was known about long-term effects.

The HPA said children should still avoid excessive use of mobiles.

It is the biggest ever review of the evidence surrounding the safety of mobile phones.

There are now an estimated 80 million mobiles in the UK, and because of TV and radio broadcasting, Wi-Fi, and other technological developments, the study said exposure to low-level radio frequency fields was almost universal and continuous.

A group of experts working for the HPA looked at all significant research into the effects of low-level radio frequency.

'Relatively reassuring'

They concluded that people who were not exposed above UK guideline levels did not experience any detectable symptoms.

That included people who reported being sensitive to radio frequency.

They also said there was no evidence that exposure caused brain tumours, other types of cancer, or harm to fertility or cardiovascular health.

But they said very little was known about risks beyond five years, because most people did not use mobile phones until the late 1990s.

Prof Anthony Swerdlow, who chaired the review group, said it was important to continue monitoring research.

"Even though it's relatively reassuring, I also think it's important that we keep an eye on the rates of brain tumours and other cancers," he said.

"One can't know what the long-term consequences are of something that has been around for only a short period."

There has been speculation about the health effects of using mobile phones for years.

The HPA conducted a previous review in 2003, which also concluded that there was no evidence of harm. But there is now far more research into the subject.

Advice on children

The experts said more work was needed on the effect of radio frequency fields on brain activity, and on the possible association with behavioural problems in children.

They also called for more investigation into the effects of new technology which emits radio frequency, such as smart meters in homes and airport security scanners.

The HPA said it was not changing its advice about mobile phone use by children.

"As this is a relatively new technology, the HPA will continue to advise a precautionary approach," said Dr John Cooper, director of the HPA's centre for radiation, chemical and environmental hazards.

"The HPA recommends that excessive use of mobile phones by children should be discouraged."

From the BBC:

Descriptive camera developed by student Matt Richardson

By Dave Lee Technology Reporter, BBC News

A camera which produces written descriptions of scenes rather than photographs has been invented by a student in the US.

The device uploads pictures to the web which are described within minutes by users on Amazon's Mechanical Turk service.

The short description is then sent back to the camera and printed.

It was developed by Matt Richardson, an Interactive Communications graduate student at New York University.

"I'd been thinking a lot about how cameras capture a lot of metadata when we take a picture: the location where you are, it captures the date, the camera make and model," he told the BBC.

"A lot of information, but most of it's not really useful or has limited use."

Menial tasks

The machine uses a BeagleBone, a tiny computer used to power prototypes and other experimental computers.

It links up to Mechanical Turk, a service in which people can perform menial tasks in exchange for small sums of money.

In this case, Mr Richardson paid $1.25 (80p) for each picture to be described.

"I had started off by sending a very low price and it was taking about 15 minutes for a description to come back," he said.

"I wanted to get a response much faster. I incrementally raised the price, and I finally hit this $1.25 mark - which is about the cost of a Polaroid print. At that price, a description would come through in about three to six minutes."

As well as using Mechanical Turk, Mr Richardson also added a setting on the camera which would send the picture to any available online friends to describe for free.

'What if?'

Mr Richardson said that while there was no practical technology available to carry out the same task, he hoped such innovations would eventually exist, giving the camera more useful applications.

"I was picturing a time in which cameras could possibly capture more useful information that can then be searched, cross-referenced and sorted," he said.

"While the technology isn't really here yet, I thought it would be interesting to make a camera that would explore that 'what if?'"

He said he noticed that most people adopted an analytical tone to describe pictures rather than offer any human emotion.

"They speak very plainly about it, they're being very subjective. They're not making any value judgements or saying something is pretty or ugly," Mr Richardson said.

"I think perhaps I could coach people and say feel free to throw in your own opinions about it. If something's pretty, say it's pretty."

From the BBC:

Australian billionaire Clive Palmer to build Titanic II

Clive Palmer, one of Australia's richest men, has commissioned a Chinese state-owned company to build a 21st Century version of the Titanic.

The mining billionaire told Australian media that construction will start at the end of next year.

It would be ready to set sail in 2016.

The plan, he added, is for the vessel to be as similar as possible to the original Titanic in design and specifications, but with modern technology.

Mr Palmer told Australian media that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with CSC Jinling Shipyard to construct the ship.

"It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic but of course it will have state-of-the-art 21st Century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems," he said in a statement.

The announcement comes just weeks after the centenary of the sinking of the ill-fated Titanic.

The vessel, the largest luxury ship in its time, struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. It went down on 15 April 1912, leaving more than 1,500 people dead.

"Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it,'' Mr Palmer said in response to questions from reporters on whether the Titanic replica would sink.

The new vessel is scheduled to sail from London to New York in late 2016, if all goes as planned.

"It is going to be designed so it won't sink,'' he added. ''But, of course, if you are superstitious like you are, you never know what could happen.''

The cost of the construction is not known, a spokesman for Mr Palmer told Australian media.

The mining magnate from Queensland, who has strong business relations with China, has expanded into tourism. He owns a luxury resort on the Sunshine Coast and has plans to build a fleet of luxury liners.

His plan to build the Titanic replica was announced on the same day that he revealed plans, in a separate news conference, to contest the next federal election in Queensland.

He told reporters that he has expressed interest in standing for Queensland's Liberal National Party (LNP), part of the conservative opposition at federal level, in the Brisbane seat of Lilley - currently held by Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan.

From the Bee Bee Cee:

Family disputes create rebel bees

Worker bees rebel when faced with the prospect of raising their nephews and nieces, research has found.

Scientists in Poland have studied post-swarm bee colonies to understand how workers react to a change in queen.

They discovered that when a daughter replaces her mother as head of the colony, some worker bees reproduce instead of caring for their monarch's offspring.

The findings are published in the journal Current Biology.

Prof Michal Woyciechowski from the Institute of Environmental Sciences at Jagiellonian University in Poland led the research.

In a honey bee colony there is a single fertile queen and thousands of fertile male drones, all supported by the queen's sterile daughters, which are known as workers.

Swarming is a natural occurrence in which the queen and part of her colony leave en masse to find a new nest site.

Before she leaves, the queen bee lays a number of eggs, one of which will develop into a new fertile queen supported by the remaining workers.

In this case, Prof Woyciechowski explained, rather than rearing their brothers and sisters, "workers are obligated to rear nieces and nephews".

"This drop in relatedness causes the old queen's workers to lay their own eggs."

The scientists say this is not simply a behavioural switch, but a fundamental change in the workers' biology.

To analyse changes in the bees, the team split a bee colony, causing the temporary lack of a queen that occurs naturally after a swarm. They also examined a natural swarm.

For both experiments the researchers found that, before a new queen developed, the worker larvae actually grew ovaries - forming egg-producing tubes in place of the food-producing glands they use to "nurse" the colonial brood.

"Most investigators of honey bees strongly believe that the number of [egg-producing tubes] in workers' ovaries is determined genetically," said Prof Woyciechowski.

"This is of course true, however, none of them expected that, during workers' development, larvae have a possibility to switch from nursing to rebel strategy."

But the observed rebellion was brief: once the new queen's own workers hatched they were able to suppress the reproducing rebels.

Prof Woyciechowski suggested that, among animals well-known for their altruism, the motivation for the workers development is surprisingly "selfish".

"Rebel strategy - direct reproduction and an increase in personal fitness - probably gives the workers a better chance to multiply their genes than indirect reproduction via [the] sister-queen," he said.

From the BBC:

Amateur astronomers take stargazing to Kabul

By Hannah King BBC News

A campaign is being launched to take astronomy to schools, orphanages and refugee camps throughout Afghanistan.

Amateur astronomers, government officials and science communicators are behind the project, which will dole out star-gazing kits first around Kabul.

The Reach for the Stars project will establish the country's first astronomy curriculum for young children.

Drawing on the rich heritage of astronomy under Islam, the campaign hopes to expand to other countries too.

"During the so called 'dark ages' in Europe, Islamic civilisation championed both astronomy and physics, shaping our modern science," said Christopher Phillips, who is leading the project.

"In more recent times this has been suppressed; it was taught that the skies were the realm of Allah, and astronomical study and investigation were un-Islamic and forbidden.

"Now we want to help Afghan children regain ownership of their astronomical heritage and take advantage of its educational opportunities."

Kit form

The joint initiative of the international organisation Astronomers Without Borders and the Afghanistan Astronomy Association, with support from Afghanistan's Ministry of Education, will send astronomy kits to schools, orphanages and refugee camps around Kabul.

The kits will include The Little Book of Stars, a specially written introductory text for young Afghan children.

It will cover astronomical topics from A-Z accompanied by cartoon illustrations, in English and Pashto, the language spoken by Afghanistan's largest ethnic group.

As many schools lack even the most basic classroom materials, the kits will also include pencils, pens and paper.

Solar viewing glasses, star charts and simple astronomy learning exercises will teach children the movements of the Sun and planets.

"The kits are designed to familiarise children with the Universe on a basic level," said Mr Phillips.

"They're a guide to our own stellar backyard."

The book and the kits will be designed to avoid cultural controversies - for example, avoiding picturing boys and girls playing together.

Once established around Kabul, the programme will expand to cover the rest of Afghanistan.

The eventual aim is to reach other parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

From the BBC:

Motorola wins Xbox and Windows 7 ban in Germany

Motorola Mobility has been granted an injunction against the distribution of key Microsoft products in Germany.

The sales ban covers the Xbox 360 games console, Windows 7 system software, Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player.

It follows a ruling that Microsoft had infringed two patents necessary to offer H.264 video coding and playback.

A US court has banned Motorola from enforcing the action until it considers the matter next week.

The handset maker is in the process of being taken over by Google.

Appeal

This is just one of several cases involving about 50 intellectual properties that the smartphone maker has claimed that Microsoft should have licensed.

Microsoft has said that if it met all of Motorola's demands it would face an annual bill of $4bn (£2.5bn). Motorola disputes the figure.

A statement from Motorola said: "We are pleased that the Mannheim Court found that Microsoft products infringe Motorola Mobility's intellectual property. As a path forward, we remain open to resolving this matter. Fair compensation is all that we have been seeking for our intellectual property."

Microsoft said it planned to appeal against the German ruling.

"This is one step in a long process, and we are confident that Motorola will eventually be held to its promise to make its standard essential patents available on fair and reasonable terms for the benefit of consumers who enjoy video on the web," a spokesman said.

"Motorola is prohibited from acting on today's decision, and our business in Germany will continue as usual while we appeal this decision and pursue the fundamental issue of Motorola's broken promise."

US hearing

Microsoft moved its European software distribution centre from Germany to the Netherlands last month ahead of the verdict to minimise potential disruption.

However, Motorola cannot enforce the ruling until a Seattle-based judge lifts a restraining order.

The restriction was put in place after Microsoft claimed that Motorola was abusing its Frand-commitments - a promise to licence innovations deemed critical to widely-used technologies under "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory" terms.

A hearing is scheduled for 7 May, although the judge may issue his ruling at a later date.

The German case is also likely to be considered by the European Commission.

It is carrying out two probes into whether Motorola's Frand-type patent activities amount to "an abuse of a dominant market position".

From the BBC:

Microsubmarines could clean oil spills, researchers say

Tiny submarines that are 10 times smaller than the width of a human hair could be used to clean up oil spills, researchers have suggested.

The self-propelled microsubmarines are able to gather oil droplets and take them to collection facilities.

The team from the University of California San Diego's nano-engineering department said their tests showed "great promise".

Similar technology is able to deliver drugs through a person's bloodstream.

The research, which appeared in journal ACS Nano, suggested that the microsubmarines were capable of "a facile, rapid and highly efficient collection" of motor and olive oil droplets.

The tiny motors are propelled by bubbles created from internal oxidation of hydrogen peroxide.

This means they require small amounts of fuel and can move very quickly.

Self-propelled

Although currently just a lab-based proof of concept, it gives hope to improved methods of dealing with future spill disasters - a requirement made more pressing following painstaking attempts to deal with spills in the Gulf of Mexico.

"This is the first example of using nanomachines for environmental remediation," lead researcher Joseph Wang told the BBC.

"We had earlier developed self-propelled nanomachines.

"Here, we coated them with a superhydrophobic layer that offers strong 'on-the-fly' interaction with oil droplets."

Superhydrophobic materials are designed to be extremely hard to make wet, while also able to absorb oil effectively.

Last year, researchers at Penn State University demonstrated micromachines capable of bringing drugs to certain areas of the body via the bloodstream.

The research drew humorous parallels with 1960s science fiction film Fantastic Voyage in which a submarine and its crew are shrunk in order to get into the bloodstream of a key informant.

From the BBC:

Curry's ability to fight cancer put to the test

A chemical found in curry is to be tested for its ability to kill bowel cancer tumours in patients.

Curcumin, which is found in the spice turmeric, has been linked to a range of health benefits.

Studies have already shown that it can beat cancer cells grown in a laboratory and benefits have been suggested in stroke and dementia patients as well.

Now a trial at hospitals in Leicester will investigating giving curcumin alongside chemotherapy drugs.

About 40,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK each year.

If the disease spreads around the body, patients are normally given a combination of three chemotherapy drugs, but about half will not respond.

Forty patients at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Leicester General Hospital will take part in the trial, which will compare the effects of giving curcumin pills seven days before starting standard chemotherapy treatment.

'Difficult to treat'

Prof William Steward, who is leading the study, said animal tests combining the two were "100 times better" than either on their own and that had been the "major justification for cracking on" with the trial.

He said: "Once bowel cancer has spread it is very difficult to treat, partly because the side effects of chemotherapy can limit how long patients can have treatment.

"The prospect that curcumin might increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy is exciting because it could mean giving lower doses, so patients have fewer side effects and can keep having treatment for longer.

"This research is at a very early stage, but investigating the potential of plant chemicals to treat cancer is an intriguing area that we hope could provide clues to developing new drugs in the future."

Joanna Reynolds, from Cancer Research UK, said: "By doing a clinical trial like this, we will find out more about the potential benefits of taking large amounts of curcumin, as well as any possible side effects this could have for cancer patients."

From the BBC:

Magnetic bacteria may help build future bio-computers

Magnet-making bacteria may be building biological computers of the future, researchers have said.

A team from the UK's University of Leeds and Japan's Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have used microbes that eat iron.

As they ingest the iron, the microbes create tiny magnets inside themselves, similar to those in PC hard drives.

The research may lead to the creation of much faster hard drives, the team of scientists say.

The study appears in the journal Small.

As technology progresses and computer components get smaller and smaller, it becomes harder to produce electronics on a nano-scale.

So researchers are now turning to nature - and getting microbes involved.

Magnetic bacteria

In the current study, the scientists used the bacterium Magnetospirilllum magneticum.

These naturally magnetic microorganisms usually live in aquatic environments such as ponds and lakes, below the surface where oxygen is scarce.

They swim following the Earth's magnetic field lines, aligning in the magnetic field like compass needles, in search of preferred oxygen concentrations.

When the bacteria ingest iron, proteins inside their bodies interact with it to produce tiny crystals of the mineral magnetite, the most magnetic mineral on Earth.

Having studied the way the microbes collect, shape and position these nano-magnets inside themselves, the researchers copied the method and applied it outside the bacteria, effectively "growing" magnets that could in future help to build hard drives.

"We are quickly reaching the limits of traditional electronic manufacturing as computer components get smaller," said lead researcher Dr Sarah Staniland of the University of Leeds.

"The machines we've traditionally used to build them are clumsy at such small scales.

"Nature has provided us with the perfect tool to [deal with] this problem."

Biological wires

Besides using microorganisms to produce magnets, the researchers also managed to create tiny electrical wires from living organisms.

They created nano-scale tubes made from the membrane of cells, grown in a lab-controlled environment with the help of a protein present in human lipid molecules.

A membrane is a biological film-like "wall" that separates a cell's interior from the outside environment.

Such tubes could in future be used as microscopic bio-engineered wires, capable of transferring information - just like cells do in our bodies - inside a computer, Dr Masayoshi Tanaka from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology told the BBC.

"These biological wires can have electrical resistance and can transfer information from one set of cells inside a bio-computer to all the other cells," he said.

Besides computers, such biological wires could even be used in future for human surgery because they are highly biocompatible, Dr Tanaka added.

"Various tiny wires have been already developed all over the world, but the biocompatibility is still problematic," he said.

"The fabricated nano-wires in this study were covered with components of cell membrane, so theoretically they are highly biocompatible."

From the BBC:

Lack of contact with nature 'increasing allergies'

By Mark Kinver Environment reporter, BBC News

A lack of exposure to a "natural environment" could be resulting in more urban dwellers developing allergies and asthma, research has suggested.

Finnish scientists say certain bacteria, shown to be beneficial for human health, are found in greater abundance in non-urban surroundings.

The microbiota play an important role in the development and maintenance of the immune system, they add.

The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"There are microbes everywhere, including in the built environment, but the composition is different between natural environments and human-built areas," explained co-author Ilkka Hanski from the University of Helsinki.

"The microbiota in natural environments is more beneficial for us," he told BBC News.

'Special function'

The team collected samples from 118 teenagers in eastern Finland, and found that those living on farms or near forests had more diverse bacteria on their skin, and also displayed lower allergen sensitivity.

"They are important for us because they promote microbiota… that are important for the normal development and maintenance of the immune system," Dr Hanski observed.

The study also allowed the team to identify one class of bacteria, known as gammaproteobacteria, which had a "special function".

"It demonstrates that there are different functions between different microbes," he said.

One type of gammaproteobacteria , called Acinetobacter, was singled out as being "strongly linked to the development of anti-inflammatory molecules".

"Basically, our study showed that the more you had of this particular gammaproteobacteria on your skin then you had a immunological response which is known to suppress inflammatory responses ( to pollen, animals etc)."

Dr Hanski said that there was a tendency for gammaproteobacteria to be more prevalent in vegetative environment, such as forests and agricultural land rather than built-up areas and water bodies.

"Urbanisation is a relatively recent phenomenon, and for most of our time we have been interacting in an area that resembles what we now call the natural environment," he said.

"Urbanisation can be seen as a lost opportunity for many people to interact with the natural environment and its biodiversity, including the microbial communities."

While it was not possible to reverse the global trend of urbanisation, he said that there were a number of options.

"Apart from reserving natural areas outside of urban areas, I think it is important to develop city planning that includes green spaces, green belts and green infrastructure," Dr Hanski suggested.

Stressful spaces

Another recent study also illustrated a link between the lack of green spaces and higher stress levels among people living in urban areas described as deprived.

The study published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning measured levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress, found in residents' saliva.

"The stress patterns revealed by these cortisol samples were related to the amount of green space around people's homes," explained co-author Catharine Ward Thompson, director of the OPENspace Research Centre, based in Scotland.

"We were actually surprised by the strong relationship between the two," she told BBC News.

Prof Ward Thompson said that the study provided an objective measure of stress associated by the lack of green spaces in urban areas.

"We know that if you live near more green spaces, and you are from a deprived urban population, you are more likely to be healthier," she observed.

Researchers from OPENspace have also been involved in another study that looks at the wellbeing of people over the age of 65 and their ability to get out and about.

The Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors consortium (I'dgo) - involving scientists from the universities of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Salford and Warwick - identified a direct link between the ease of getting outdoors and health and quality of life.

The study, involving 4,350 older people across the UK, found that good walkable access to local shops, services and green spaces doubled the chances of an older person achieving the minimum recommended amount of walking - 2.5 hours each week.

"One of the interesting things from my point of view is how strongly the importance of the natural environment came out in that study," said Prof Ward Thompson, who led the research.

"If you lived within 10 minutes of a park, then you were twice as likely to achieve the recommended minimum amount of physical activity."

However, she added that the study also highlighted that people needed to have confidence in reaching the park or shops before they would leave their homes.

Some of the barriers that would discourage people included uneven pavements, and a lack of seats or public toilets.

Growing interest

The studies are the latest offerings in a growing body of research that looks at the relationship between human health and access to green spaces.

The concept of "nature deficit disorder " - a phrase coined by Richard Louv, the US author of Last Child in the Wood - has gained traction on both sides of the Atlantic.

In London, child expert Tim Gill published a report in November 2011 that looked at whether children in inner-city London were disconnected from the natural world.

While he acknowledged that "nature deficit disorder" had no clinical basis, he pointed out that his research showed that access to a natural environment formed part of a "balanced diet" in a child's development.

He added that children that had this access tended to fare better than those that did not.

More recently, the National Trust published a report that concluded that UK children were losing contact with nature at a "dramatic" rate, and their health and education were suffering as a result.

Prof Ward Thompson said there was probably an underlying reason why researchers were reaching these sorts of conclusions.

"Some of the theories behind the green space and human health suggest that our whole neuroendocrine system has evolved over millennia to respond positively to environments that are seen as providing what we need to live and thrive," she suggested.

"There is something about the natural environment that is biologically part of our system. In a way, we are hard-wired to respond to it.

"Ecosystem services - even at a local, urban level - by giving people the opportunity to mentally, as well as physically, engage with the natural environment may just be tuning our bodies back into something, biologically, we have evolved to respond positively to."

From the BBC:

On-demand music gets own chart

The popularity of music streamed on-demand is to be measured in a new weekly chart.

The top 100 rundown will be compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) using statistics from audio streaming sites such as Spotify, We7 and Deezer.

However, video streaming services, including YouTube, will not contribute to the new chart for the time being.

The Official Charts Company estimates that 2.6bn audio streams were delivered in the UK last year.

It will launch the new chart on its website next Monday, 14 May, at 13:00 BST.

Nielsen Soundscan, which compiles the US Billboard Charts, has previously reported that streaming services are now more popular than paid-for downloads.

Some 26% of consumers streamed music online or watched it on YouTube, compared to 17% who listened to downloads, it reported last year.

However, it noted that YouTube dwarfed other services in the market, accounting for about 55% of all music streamed online.

Accordingly, the streaming market has become an increasingly important source of money for the music industry.

In the UK, it is worth £35m, according to the BPI, accounting for about 4.5% of total music industry revenues.

However, a number of artists have complained that they see very little money from streaming services.

"It's set up to be a little bit more fair for the labels than it is for the artists, I think," said Patrick Carney from rock group Black Keys last year.

Carney went on to explain that his band had decided to withhold their critically-acclaimed album El Camino from Spotify.

"It still isn't at a point where you're able to replace royalties from record sales with the royalties from streams," he told VH1.

'Important'

According to figures released by the OCC, the most-streamed track in the UK this year is former number one Gotye's Somebody That I Used To Know.

However, Ed Sheeran is the most popular artist - with three of his songs, Drunk, Lego House and The A Team, all featuring in the top 20 most-streamed tracks.

The singer-songwriter said he was "amazed" by the achievement.

"Streaming services and online in general have always been an important way for me to get music out to my fans," he added.

"A new official streaming chart that recognises another way of enjoying music can only be a good thing."

BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor added the chart would "provide fresh insight into the consumption patterns of music buyers".

The OCC's latest initiative comes a few weeks after it launched a chart reflecting album sales in independent records stores across the UK.

It says it is holding discussions with YouTube about creating a stand-alone chart for streaming video over the coming months.

There is no word on whether the streaming services will later be included in the mainstream top 40, as they are in America.

However, the OCC said in 2009 it was "bound to" include streaming and subscription services at some point.

One could draw a comparison to the emergence of digital downloads in the early 2000s.

A stand-alone download chart was first launched in 2004. Within a year, downloads were incorporated into the main singles chart and, by 2006, Gnarls Barkley had scored the first ever number one single based on download sales alone.

In 2011, digital sales accounted for 98.4% of all singles sold in the UK, and 23.5% of albums.

From the BBC:

Video Standards Council to take over games age ratings

The system by which video games are rated in the UK is to be made "simpler and stronger", the government has said.

Games will now be rated by the Video Standards Council (VSC) in line with Europe-wide guidelines.

Previously, additional ratings were decided upon by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

The new system means for the first time that anybody selling a 12-rated game to a child under that age could face jail.

The Pan European Game Information system (Pegi) gives games an age rating as well as additional information such as violent content and bad language.

The VSC will now rate games to Pegi's specifications while enforcing compliance among retailers.

The new ratings do not apply to games bought online.

'Much-needed clarity'

Creative Industries Minister Ed Vaizey said: "It will give parents greater confidence that their children can only get suitable games while we are creating a simpler system for industry having their games age-rated."

While the BBFC will now largely stop assessing content in games, it will still be called upon to judge games with gross violence or sexual material.

Games and entertainment body Ukie said the new system provides "much needed clarity for consumers".

"We are also in the planning stages of a major awareness campaign to help the public understand the system and other aspects of responsible gaming as soon as Pegi become law in the UK," Ukie chief executive Jo Twist said.

Richard Wilson, from UK games industry trade association Tiga, said the changes were a necessary "evolutionary" step.

"It simplifies the system," he told the BBC.

"The Pegi system is reasonably easy to understand.

"The fact there are criminal sanctions in place will mean that retailers will want to train and support their staff."

The new system is expected to come into force by July this year.

From the BBC:

Crows know familiar human voices

By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature

Crows recognise familiar human voices and the calls of familiar birds from other species, say researchers.

The ability could help the intelligent birds to thrive in urban environments; using vocal cues from their human and avian neighbours to find food or be alerted to potential threats.

The team used recordings of human voices and jackdaw calls to test the birds' responses.

They published the findings in the journal Animal Cognition.

Lead researcher Claudia Wascher from the University of Vienna said that, although it was widely known that crows were "very intelligent", most studies had focused on their ability to recognise and communicate with their own species.

"In cities crows live alongside jackdaws, magpies and seagulls, and alongside humans," Dr Wascher told BBC Nature.

"Some of those people might be very nice to the crows and feed them and others might be nasty and chase them away.

"You even get some people hunting crows.

To find out if they might be able to distinguish between these different birds and humans, the researchers studied eight carrion crows kept in the university's aviary.

The same people feed and interact with the birds every day. So the team recorded five of these people saying "hey" and recorded the same word said by five people who "had never met the crows".

When they played these recordings to the birds, they responded much more - looking up and turning towards the speaker - when they heard the unfamiliar human voices.

"Since humans can be a serious threat for crows," explained Dr Wascher, "it's important that if they hear someone unfamiliar, they are on alert."

Multi-species teams

The researchers repeated the same experiment using calls from jackdaws that shared the crows' aviaries.

They played brief "contact calls" - short vocal greetings the birds use - from these familiar jackdaws and from jackdaws the crows had never encountered.

In this experiment, the team found the opposite result - the birds responded more to the familiar than the unfamiliar birds.

Dr Wascher said that this result suggested that crows might "team up with preferred individuals outside of their own species".

"We already know that corvids are very specific in which other crows they choose to co-operate with," she said.

Previous research has show that when the birds are foraging or solving tasks, "they avoid certain individuals and choose to work with others".

"So maybe," Dr Washcher suggested, "there's also something [like this] going on outside the species."

From the BBC:

AMD unveils Trinity chipsets to challenge Ivy Bridge

By Leo Kelion Technology reporter

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has launched its new Trinity processor family boasting "twice the performance per watt" of its earlier Llano chips.

Like Intel's rival Ivy Bridge release, the update includes up to four CPU (central processing unit) cores and a single GPU (graphics processing unit).

AMD claims its product offers gamers a superior experience.

The first computers using the chips go on sale in June, with the US launch of a Hewlett Packard "Sleekbook".

AMD's focus on low power requirements reflects manufacturers' desire to offer thinner laptops and slimmer all-in-one desktop models.

Trinity can be set to run off as low as 17 watts, half the minimum amount possible using Llano.

The move should also allow traditional-sized laptops to run off their batteries for longer. The firm says systems could last up to 12 hours, although the figure cannot be verified until models utilising the chips are released.

Recycled power

While Intel has shifted to a new manufacturing process - radically changing the design of its transistors - to make gains, AMD has opted for an alternative innovation.

The "Piledriver" architecture of its CPU cores introduces an energy-saving technique called "resonant clock mesh technology" which allows it to "recycle" some of the energy consumed as it carries out calculations.

"Over the past decade, several test chips successfully demonstrated a variety of resonant clocking implementations," AMD's chief technology officer Steve Scott told the BBC.

"None however, has achieved integration into a commercial processor due to various practicality or cost issues. AMD has managed to overcome these challenges.

"[It] results in a reduction in total core power consumption of up to 10%."

GPU-powered gaming

Further power savings will be achieved by running more processes on the chipset's GPU which is the same "Northern Islands" design used in its standalone Radeon graphics cards.

AMD claims that the component and the accompanying software drivers are superior to the equivalent products from Intel.

Third-party software including Photoshop, the media-player VLC, Adobe's Flash plug-in and many of the leading web browsers have undergone recent updates to take advantage of GPU's skill at handling "parallisable" tasks - processes that are split into different parts and then run simultaneously.

This ability is also particularly suited for handling computer graphics, and AMD is keen to promote Trinity's ability to handle high definition games on systems not fitted with discrete graphics cards.

"Thirty frames per second is the industry standard for smooth gaming," Sasa Markinkovic, AMD's head of desktop and software product marketing, told the BBC.

"What we are able to do with Trinity is offer HD, 1080p resolution, gaming and deliver 30 frames per second.

"When you look at Ivy Bridge it is a step forward for Intel in terms of graphics performance, but it's still not good enough for HD gaming - and that makes the difference between playable and not playable."

'Intel's advantage'

Computers using Trinity will also offer AMD's "Steady Video" feature which automatically stabilises playback of shaky videos posted to sites such as YouTube; and "Quick Stream", a setting which ensures PCs prioritise streaming video when downloading several files from the internet at once.

Despite its advantages, one analyst said AMD might still find itself at a disadvantage against its long-term rival.

"Trinity is a compelling product from a graphics performance and power consumption perspective," said Sergis Mushell, processor expert at the tech analysis firm Gartner.

"But Intel's advantage is that it has a bigger ecosystem - there will be 10 to 15 times the number of systems using its chips than AMD's.

"This gives it better economies of scale and the ability to offer its chips at more price points, ultimately putting it in a strong position to challenge Trinity."

From the BBC:

Nvidia chip aims to power fastest supercomputer

By Leo Kelion Technology reporter, BBC News

Chip maker Nvidia has revealed details of a new graphics processing unit (GPU) which it says will create the world's most powerful computer.

Thousands of the firm's Tesla K20 modules will be fitted to an existing supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, US.

Nvidia says the machine will run nearly eight times faster than at present, carrying out up to 25,000 trillion floating point operations per second.

It marks the shift to hybrid computing.

Traditionally supercomputers relied on central processing units (CPUs) to carry out most of their calculations.

While CPUs tend to outpace GPUs at carrying out a single set of instructions, GPUs have an advantage in that they can carry out hundreds of tasks at the same time.

This makes GPUs particularly suited for what are termed "parallisable" jobs - processes that can be broken down into several parts and run simultaneously because the outcome of any one calculation does not determine the input of another.

Hybrid computing involves combining a system with CPUs and GPUs and then writing software to divide up work to best take advantage of each type of processor's strengths.

Parallel power

Oak Ridge is the US Department of Energy's biggest science laboratory and the souped-up computer is expected to be used to help develop more energy-efficient engines for vehicles, improved biofuels and to model climate change.

Time on the computer will also be rented to third parties.

"If you take a look at scientific applications, 99% of the operations can be done in a highly parallel manner, and that can be done much more efficiently by large numbers of very simple GPU processors than on a traditional CPU burning a lot of power trying to make a single thread go fast," Steve Scott, Nvidia's chief technology officer, told the BBC.

"I liken CPUs to a Tour de France where a whole team of trucks and support staff are built around one athlete to help them win the race - a lot of energy making one thing go fast - as opposed to a parallel throughput approach where you make thousands of things in aggregate go fast."

Investment

Nvidia says the addition of its chips should allow Oak Ridge's Titan system to leapfrog from the world's third fastest supercomputer to the top spot.

But the extra speed comes at a cost.

The upgrade is expected to involve the addition of almost 19,000 Tesla K20s. Each is set to have a list price of between $1,500 and $2,000 (£930-£1,245), although the laboratory will get a discount for buying in bulk.

However, the investment will be partly offset by the fact that the machine should burn up less energy.

Cutting clock speeds

A focus on maximising performance per watt led Nvidia to take the unusual step of making the cores in its new Kepler architecture run about a third slower than their equivalents in its previous generation of chips.

But because the cores use smaller transistors, more cores can be crammed on to each GPU - in this case more than 2,000 per processor.

Nvidia says that its technology will allow Titan to be more than twice as powerful as the current record holder- Fujitsu's K Computer in Japan - and also more than three times as energy efficient.

"A machine like Titan has a budget of around 10 megawatts, and that costs roughly $10m per year just for the electricity, so people are concerned about the electrical bills," said Mr Scott.

"They are also concerned about how much power they can provide to their facility as there is a limited amount of power you can get from the utilities.

"Oak Ridge is probably the best site in the world at providing additional power, but a lot of other centres are limited in their power and cooling infrastructure and so for them their facilities do constrain the amount of performance that they can get."

From the BBC:

Japan penguin escapee 'spotted' in Tokyo Bay

A penguin which escaped from Tokyo's Sea Life Park has reportedly been spotted swimming in waters around the Japanese capital.

The one-year-old Humboldt - which fled its enclosure in March - was caught on video near Tokyo's Rainbow Bridge, according to Reuters news agency.

A Sea Life Park official identified it as the escapee, recognising a distinctive ring round a flipper.

"It looks like it's been living quite happily," Kazuhiro Sakamoto said.

"It didn't look like it has got thinner over the last two months - or been without food," he added.

In March, the penguin - known only as No 337 - escaped by scaling a rock wall and a barbed-wire fence, the Tokyo Sea Life Park believes.

It says the penguin now most likely feeds on small fish in Tokyo Bay and returns to the shore to rest at night.

After the escape, the aquarium launched an appeal for help, sending some of its employees on a daily penguin hunt throughout Tokyo Bay.

The penguin hatched last January and lived with 134 penguins in the enclosure. Humboldt penguins breed on the Pacific coast of South America and offshore islands of Chile and Peru.

They are thought to be declining in number. One of the reasons is due to increasing water temperatures caused by the El Nino effect and reduced food supply.

From the BBC:

Met Police to extract suspects' mobile phone data

By Dave Lee Technology Reporter, BBC News

The Metropolitan Police has implemented a system to extract mobile phone data from suspects held in custody.

The data includes call history, texts and contacts, and the BBC has learned that it will be retained regardless of whether any charges are brought.

The technology is being used in 16 London boroughs, and could potentially be used by police across the UK.

Campaign group Privacy International described the move as a "possible breach of human rights law".

Until now, officers had to send mobiles off for forensic examination in order to gather and store data, a process which took several weeks.

Under the new system, content will be extracted using purpose built terminals in police stations.

It will allow officers to connect a suspect's mobile and produce a print out of data from the device, as well as saving digital records of the content.

'Retained and handled'

A Met Police spokesman told the BBC that when a suspect was released, "data received from the handsets is retained and handled in accordance with other data held by the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service]" - regardless of whether charges had been brought.

Guidelines given to officers state that data extraction can happen only if there is sufficient suspicion the mobile phone was used for criminal activity.

"Mobile phones and other devices are increasingly being used in all levels of criminal activity," said Stephen Kavanagh, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.

"When a suspect is arrested and found with a mobile phone that we suspect may have been used in crime, traditionally we submit it to our digital forensic laboratory for analysis.

"Therefore, a solution located within the boroughs that enables trained officers to examine devices and gives immediate access to the data in that handset is welcomed."

'Illegal'

Over 300 London officers will be trained in using the "intuitive, fully-guided touchscreen desktop data acquisition tool", created by mobile forensic firm

Radio Tactics.

The cost of leasing the 16 terminals for 12 months and training the officers will be £50,000, the Met said.

Privacy International has expressed serious concern over the system.

"We are looking at a possible breach of human rights law," spokeswoman Emma Draper told the BBC.

"It is illegal to indefinitely retain the DNA profiles of individuals after they are acquitted or released without charge, and the communications, photos and location data contained in most people's smartphones is at least as valuable and as personal as DNA."

Ms Draper added that while the Met's current plans were limited to fixed extraction terminals in stations, portable technology was readily available.

"Examining suspects' mobile phones after they are arrested is one thing, but if this technology was to be taken out onto the streets and used in stop-and-searches, that would be a significant and disturbing expansion of police powers."

From the BBC:

Making a dramatic impact on dementia

By Marie-Louise Connolly BBC Northern Ireland health correspondent

Dressed in black and moving slowly but purposefully across the stage, the Black Widows dance company, is making a dramatic impact on the local health service.

Aged between 85 and 102, the silver haired women, all have various degrees of dementia.

Instead of taking a back seat, the group is taking part in the Arts Care 21st anniversary international conference being hosted in Belfast this week.

Arts Care is all about bringing art into a diverse range of healthcare services - including dementia.

Movement

Step up the Black Widows, who approach dementia with a fresh, even youthful, approach. Guided by instructors, through movement, they're able to express their feelings.

Also, muscles that may have lain dormant for some years get to benefit.

The Black Widows, who are members of Ballyowan Day Care centre in North Belfast, were formed during the Arts Care Older Peoples Art Festival in 2010.

While their illness often means they look back to the past, the group are forward thinking with their approach to coming to grips with the condition.

As well as dancing, they're socialising and enjoying sharing their experiences with other similar groups.

While rehearsing for the event at Stranmillis College in Belfast, the women danced to music provided by a group of young people.

Emotional

It was an emotional few hours with young and old sharing a few laughs and tears.

One of the dancing team said: "It's just lovely to meet people especially the wee ones."

Another said: "I love coming together with everyone, especially with the children; having fun and learning new dances gives me a sense of achievement and pride."

Chief Executive of Arts Care, Dr Jenny Elliott said: "Arts in health is a growing field within healthcare practice and Northern Ireland is leading the way, not only nationally but also internationally. The conference will be filled with examples of evidence-based practice from leading academics and practitioners, including Clown Doctors."

It's estimated that there are 19,000 people living here with dementia; fewer than 1,000 of these people are under 65. But as the population of Northern Ireland ages, dementia will increasingly be a major public health and societal issue. It's estimated that figures will rise to 23,000 by 2017 and around 60,000 by 2051. The cost to society is also likely to increase dramatically.

Health officials are keen to promote alternative therapies, such as dance to complement conventional medical interventions.

Benefits

It also fits into the ongoing plan to treat more people in the community closer to home. In fact there are various benefits.

Alternative therapies will, in time, help reduce the massive medication bill that the Department of Health is keen to reduce.

It also helps people who live with depression, to seek help in the community and leave their house to socialise. Their families also feel the benefits.

Arts Care is a charity and receives funding support from the Department of Health and is endorsed by the five Northern Ireland health trusts. It also receives crucial funding and support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Damien Coyle, vice chair, Arts Council of Northern Ireland said: "The Arts Council has been a steadfast supporter and funder of Arts Care for the last 21 years. Art introduces a reassuring human dimension to health care environments and through working with patients, staff and visitors artists can complement conventional medical interventions."

This weeks conference will host influential guest speakers from the UK, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Finland, Canada and the United States.

According to the organisers its aim is to explore, celebrate and gain in-depth knowledge of international models of best arts in health practice and research development.

From the BBC:

Redefine concept of drought, Environment Agency urges

By Anna-Marie Lever Science reporter, BBC News

Policy makers should drop "drought" as a blanket term and move to a sliding scale to describe dry conditions, the Environment Agency says.

This would help distinguish small environmental impacts from emergencies that require drought orders, it said.

It said "refinement" was needed to guide people on what action was needed.

Recent relabelling of some English counties, from drought status to being environmentally stressed, reflected this approach, the agency added.

Ten days ago drought status was lifted in 19 areas of south-west England, the Midlands and parts of Yorkshire following persistent rainfall last month - the wettest April on record. These areas are now considered to be in "environmental stress due to rainfall deficit".

Areas across the south-east and east of England remain in drought, with hosepipe bans in place.

Sliding scale

The perceived problem with the word drought is that, for many, it conjures up the dry cracked land that can be found in dry parts of the world, which is at odds with green countryside. The Environment Agency hopes that a new approach to describing the lack of rainfall in England could help inform people if action is needed.

Trevor Bishop, head of water resources at the Environment Agency, told a media briefing in London: "Drought is a very blunt term. It encompasses everything from salmon having a little trouble moving up river, to hosepipe bans and drought orders. We need to show the gradation from something that is less serious to situations where farmers and economics are impacted.

"We need refinement to help inform those who are affected and guide them on how to act.

"The jury is still out on what terms we will use, but it will probably be a nuance of what we have just currently implemented."

The reconsideration of the term drought is being led by the Environment Agency in collaboration with the National Drought Group, which includes the Met Office, Defra, and Natural England.

April showers

The Environment Agency predicts that water companies will not need to step up their current water restrictions this summer, with the wet April helping to recharge chalk aquifers in the south east.

Mr Bishop said: "We were surprised how the water in these aquifers has increased. They are still chronically deficient - but the rain has helped. We won't know by how much until all the water has seeped down - this might take a few weeks."

So far this month, from 1-15 May, the UK has had 52mm of rain according to provisional figures from the Met Office. The average monthly rainfall for May is 66mm.

However, a Met Office spokesperson says that much rainfall is not unusual, as May tends to be "a month of two halves". He explained: "The month of May has been on the unsettled side but it looks as if the second half of the month will turn out drier, brighter and a bit warmer too."

From the BBC:

Rewritable DNA memory shown off

Researchers in the US have demonstrated a means to use short sections of DNA as rewritable data "bits" in living cells.

The technique uses two proteins adapted from viruses to "flip" the DNA bits.

Though it is at an early stage, the advance could help pave the way for computing and memory storage within biological systems.

A team reporting in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences say the tiny information storehouses may also be used to study cancer and aging.

The team, from Stanford University's bioengineering department, has been trying for three years to fine-tune the biological recipe they use to change the bits' value.

The bits comprise short sections of DNA that can, under the influence of two different proteins, be made to point in one of two directions within the chromosomes of the bacterium E. coli.

The data are then "read out" as the sections were designed to glow green or red when under illumination, depending on their orientation.

The two proteins, integrase and excisionase, were taken from a bacteriophage - a virus that infects bacteria. They are involved in the DNA modification process by which the DNA from a virus is incorporated into that of its host.

The trick was striking a balance between the two counteracting proteins in order to reliably switch the direction of the DNA section that acted as a bit.

After some 750 trials, the team struck on the right recipe of proteins, and now have their sights set on creating a full "byte" - eight bits - of DNA information that can be similarly manipulated.

The work is at the frontier of biological engineering, and senior author of the research Drew Endy said that applications of the approach are yet to come.

"I'm not even really concerned with the ways genetic data storage might be useful down the road, only in creating scalable and reliable biological bits as soon as possible," Dr Endy said.

"Then we'll put them in the hands of other scientists to show the world how they might be used."

As the DNA sections maintained their logical value even as the bacteria doubled 90 times, one clear application would be in using the DNA bits as "reporter" bits on the proliferation of cells, for example in cancerous tissue.

But longer-term integrations of these computational components to achieve computing within biological systems are also on the researchers' minds.

"One of the coolest places for computing is within biological systems," Dr Endy said.

4G interference 'threatens two million Freeview homes'

Next generation mobile services have the potential to cause interference issues for up to two million UK households, the head of Freeview has warned.

Ilse Howling has called on the government to make sure there are sufficient funds to deal with the problem.

Millions of homes are likely to need filters installed to mitigate the issue.

4G services will be launched next year.

Spectrum freed up by the switch over to digital TV is highly sought after by mobile operators, because it offers in-building coverage and promises to speed up services significantly.

Loss of channels

But because the 4G spectrum will sit next to that used by the free-to-air digital platform Freeview, there could be a problem.

"They are butted up against each other. As 4G services are launched next year there will be interference," said Ms Howling.

Currently 24 million households in the UK watch TV via Freeview. Of these around half use Freeview as their sole TV platform, according to the firm.

Homes within two kilometres (1.24 miles) of a 4G base station are likely to experience interference and, for some, there will also be a loss of channels.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced contingency plans for those affected by interference.

Filters will be fitted to some houses, while those worst affected will need to be transferred to other platforms, such as satellite and cable. The costs for this will be paid by the mobile operators who take over the spectrum.

Ms Howling told the BBC that the government has underestimated the amount of money needed to fix the problem.

'No funding'

"It has set aside £180m - but we think it will actually cost £400m," she said.

For some houses, fitting the filter will be relatively easy and can be done by the householder.

But for the majority - 83% - an aerial installer will need to complete the installation.

"There has been no funding set aside for this," said Ms Howling.

"It isn't fair. These people have bought into Freeview in good faith and are suddenly being asked to pay out around £100.

"For many Freeview viewers it is their only way of watching TV and we want to make sure their interests are looked after."

A spokesman from the DCMS said: "There will be some interference when 4G services are rolled out but we will have the solutions in place to eliminate the disruption to television viewers.

"The vast majority of affected households will simply need to fit their TV with a filter that will be supplied by the help scheme."

He added that extra help would be available for the over-75s and those registered disabled.

Ms Howling has already met MPs to discuss the issue and is due to meet Culture Minister Ed Vaizey soon.

4G services are due to be rolled out in 2013. The auction to share out the airwaves is set to take place at the end of the year, although the process has already been held up several times.

Everything Everywhere, which operates the Orange and T-Mobile brands, is hoping to roll out 4G services ahead of the auction, using its existing 3G network. 4G delivered in this way will not cause interference.

From the BBC:

Russian spam mastermind jailed for creating botnet

A cybercrime mastermind who hijacked the PCs of more than 30 million people has been jailed for four years.

Russian hi-tech criminal Georgiy Avanesov was found guilty of computer sabotage by an Armenian court.

Mr Avanesov was tried and sentenced in Armenia, as he was arrested at the country's Yerevan airport in 2010.

The authorities closed in on Mr Avanesov after they took and dismantled the network of computers he controlled.

Bredolab began operating in 2009 and Mr Avanesov used a variety of techniques, including automated attacks and phishing messages, to expand it. A network of hijacked machines run in this way is known as a botnet and they have become the staple of many hi-tech criminals.

At its height, the Bredolab botnet - as it was called by security investigators - was sending out more than three billion junk mail messages a day. The network was also hired out to other cyber criminals who used it to carry out attacks on websites, advertise fake anti-virus programs and send out their own spam and viruses.

By sending out spam and doing work for hire, Bredolab reportedly produced a revenue of about 100,000 euros (£80,000) a month for its 27-year-old creator.

In October 2010, Dutch police gained control of the Bredolab botnet and began taking it apart to reveal who was controlling it. Mr Avanesov tried to hamper this investigation using a web-based attack on the police but the attempt to regain control of Bredolab failed. His arrest followed soon after.

The trial is a milestone for Armenia as it is reportedly the first time the country has convicted a computer criminal.

From the BBC:

Falling stout bubbles explained

By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News

Irish mathematicians may have solved the mystery of why bubbles in stout beers such as Guinness sink: it may simply be down to the glass.

Simulations suggest an upward flow at the glass's centre and a downward flow at its edges in which the liquid carried the bubbles down with it.

But the reasons behind this flow pattern remained a mystery.

Now a study on the Arxiv server reports simulations and experiments showing the standard glass' shape is responsible.

Many stout beers contain nitrogen as well as the carbon dioxide that is present in all beers.

Because nitrogen is less likely to dissolve in liquid, that results in smaller and longer-lasting bubbles.

But it is the sinking bubble that has confounded physicists and mathematicians alike for decades.

Like many such "fluid dynamics" problems, getting to the heart of the matter is no easy task; only recently was it proved they actually sink rather than being the result of an optical illusion.

Now the University of Limerick's William Lee, Eugene Benilov and Cathal Cummins have discovered the simple answer to the problem - and a test that can be carried out by consumers as well.

The team has been generally interested in the formation of bubbles in liquids.

"One of the things we found was it's actually very easy to see bubbles forming in stout beer rather than in, say, champagne where the bubble formation process is much more violent," Dr Lee told BBC News.

Drag race

But as has happened to a generation of like-minded scientists before them, the question of falling bubbles became their focus.

The team had the idea - borne out by calculations carried out by Mr Cummins - that the relative density of bubbles and the surrounding liquid could be behind the phenomenon.

"If you imagine your pint is full of bubbles, then the bubbles will start to rise," Dr Lee said.

But the bubbles in a standard pint glass find themselves in a different environment as they rise straight up.

"Because of the sloping wall of the pint, the bubbles are moving away from the wall, which means you're getting a much denser region next to the wall," Dr Lee explained.

"That is going to sink under its own gravity, because it's less buoyant, and that sinking fluid will pull the bubbles down."

The bubbles, that is, are "trying" to rise, but the circulation that creates drives fluid down at the wall of the glass.

"You'll see sinking bubbles not because the bubbles themselves are sinking, but because the fluid is and it's pulling them down with it."

The same flow pattern occurs with other beers such as lagers, but the larger bubbles of carbon dioxide are less subject to that drag.

Mr Cummins carried out calculations using a simulated pint and "anti-pint" - that is, the upside-down version of a pint glass - showing the effect at work; in the anti-pint, the bubbles rise as expected.

For those interested in experimenting in the pub, the effect can be best seen if a pint of stout is served in a straight-sided, cylindrical glass (not quite filled up).

If the glass is tilted at an angle while the pint settles, the side in the direction of the tilt represents the normal situation of a pint glass, while the opposite side is the "anti-pint" - and bubbles can be seen to both rise and fall in the same glass.

From the BBC:

Swing bowling not due to humidity, research suggests

By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News