October 2008 in science

October 29, 2008 (Wednesday)

• Researchers created a programmable molecular clock that can be inserted into organisms such as E. coli to be used as a biosensor. It can be tailored to change blink rates based on chemical readings. (TechReview)
• SecondLight is demonstrated at the Professional Developers Conference. It works with Microsoft Surface to provide a secondary image overlaid with the display and appears when see through objects (such as paper) are put above and on the display. (PCPro)

October 28, 2008 (Tuesday)

• Google settles the Book Search lawsuits for $125 million, and will start sharing search profits with authors. (AP)
• Scientists identify the "hate circuit" and the psychological similarities of hate and love, with the key difference being that for love, the part of the cerebral cortex involved in judgment and reasoning is turned off. (Reuters)
• The Phoenix Mars Lander is slowly being shut down to preserve energy as Mars sunlight dims. Shutting down in stages will permit several more weeks of experiments to take place. (Reuters)
• Using strong red LEDs on the skin significantly reduced wrinkles. (NewScientist)

October 27, 2008 (Monday)

• Microsoft shows Windows Azure, its ambitious cloud platform. (AP)
• SideSight, a system allowing users to use multitouch on small devices by using infrared sensors to detect finger movements around the device, is demonstrated by Microsoft researchers. (NewScientist)
• The 2008 South Ossetia war is the first war in which cyber-warfare is used when Russian hackers deface the official website of the government of Georgia. (PopSci)

October 23, 2008 (Thursday)

• Microsoft releases a critical update outside the regular schedule, indicating a significant threat as it permits infection of computers on local networks with no user intervention. (CNet)
• A green fluorescence protein gene was inserted into a cat to test if it was harmless. It is a first step in curing diseases using gene therapy. (Telegraph)
• Scientists successfully erase a one-month-old memory from mice. (NewScientist)
• In the Netherlands a teen is convicted of stealing virtual goods on RuneScape. (PCWorld)

October 22, 2008 (Wednesday)

• India successfully launches moon mission Chandrayaan-1 to map the moon surface and search for minerals, water and helium 3 for fusion power. (BBC)
• A method for high-volume single-wall carbon nanotube electrical interconnects without high-temperatures is developed. (Physorg)

October 21, 2008 (Tuesday)

• Transcranial magnetic stimulation receives U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use on adults to treat depression on those who do not respond to drugs. (NewScientist)

October 17, 2008 (Friday)

• A new hybrid material has been created that addresses two problems with solar power, it absorbs all frequencies of sunlight instead of being selective and creates easier to capture electrons. (ScienceDaily)
• Attempts to revive Hubble using backup circuits have encountered glitches. (AP)
• Exons in junk DNA play a role in gene regulation. (Physorg)
• Re-analysis of the Miller–Urey experiment shows 22 amino acids rather than 5 were created in the volcanic apparatus. (NewScientist)
• John McCain's campaign is complaining to YouTube about their prompt removal of official campaign ads under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). YouTube responds that the DMCA requires their video content to be fair use; and checking if content follows the requirements prior to removal is simply not realistic. (BetaNews)

October 16, 2008 (Thursday)

• The United States Environmental Protection Agency is significantly reducing the amount of lead allowed in the air from 1.5 micrograms to 0.15. (AP)
• Four genes known to suppress cancer have been found to regulate adult stem cell function, and shut them down during aging. (Physorg)
• Samsung shows the first carbon nanotube-based color active matrix electronic paper with a size of 14.3 inches. (Physorg)
• After testing ten U.S. bottled water brands it was found they contain 38 different pollutants in varying amounts, four had bacteria and some at levels no better than tap water. (EWG)

October 15, 2008 (Wednesday)

• Tiktaalik roseae a key transitional fossil is providing new evidence of how fish transitioned into land animals. (ScienceDaily)
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation has brought a patient out of a coma. (NewScientist)
• Best microscopic images of 2008 are announced. (NationalGeographic)

October 14, 2008 (Tuesday)

• Searching the web doubles the brain activity of adults 55 to 78 years old, specifically in areas associated with decision making and complex reasoning. (WebMD)

October 13, 2008 (Monday)

• OpenOffice 3.0 is released by Sun Microsystems, a key feature is it can open and convert Microsoft Office 2007/2008 files. (TechSpot)
• During the 18th Loebner Prize every AI chatbot was able to fool at least one human judge into thinking they were chatting to a human. The 25% margin is edging closer to the 30% rate needed to win the prize. (ScienceDaily)

October 11, 2008 (Saturday)

• Paul Krugman wins the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. (NobelPrize)

October 10, 2008 (Friday)

• Martti Ahtisaari wins the Nobel Peace Prize. (NobelPrize)
• It's discovered that when embryonic stem cells change into various cell types there are dramatic changes in how DNA is replicated and organized. (Physorg)
• IBM builds an interactive full scale virtual Forbidden City. (Physorg)
• Confirmation that virgin birth (asexual reproduction) is possible for sharks. (AP)

October 9, 2008 (Thursday)

• Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio won the Nobel Prize for literature. (NobelPrize)
• The newly discovered bacteria candidatus desulforudis audaxviator found in a gold mine may serve as a model for finding life on other planets, as it lives without light and oxygen. (NewScientist)
• Daily dose of ginkgo may prevent stroke induced brain damage. (Physorg)
• It has been determined vitamin D plays an important role for our health as 36 organ tissues responded to the vitamin. 2000 IU daily is recommended. (Physorg)

October 8, 2008 (Wednesday)

• For the first time the transmission of data secured by quantum cryptography is demonstrated within a commercial telecommunications network. (Physorg)
• Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie and Roger Y. Tsien share the Nobel Prize for chemistry. (NobelPrize)

October 7, 2008 (Tuesday)

• Yoichiro Nambu, Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa share the Nobel Prize for physics. (NobelPrize)
• Professor Takeo Someya of the University of Tokyo starts working on the first sensitive skin for robots. (PopSci)

October 6, 2008 (Monday)

• Complete Genomics announces complete human gene sequencing for $5,000 next spring, which is 1/20th of the current 2008 price. (ABC)
• Harald zur Hausen, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier jointly win the Nobel Prize for medicine. (NobelPrize)

October 3, 2008 (Friday)

• Ig Nobel Prize award ceremony. (BBC)
• Sony releases its third e-reader the PRS-700, which has a built in light and will work with multiple vendors. (Physorg)

October 2, 2008 (Thursday)

• A DNA analysis of old HIV samples places the initial infection of humans around 1908 (+/- 20 years). (Reuters)
• Lack of control has been found to increase superstitious and conspiracy theory seeking behavior. (Reuters)
• The molecule ACF7 is found which regulates extracellular matrix movement and could help explain how cancer cells metastasize. (Physorg)
• Musicians use both sides of their frontal cortex more than average people, and are better at divergent thinking. (Physorg)

October 1, 2008 (Wednesday)

• Researchers have proposed a way to train single-celled organisms using molecular circuits. It is hoped bacteria could be used to precisely deliver drugs. (TechReview)

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