"Don't let the bed bugs bite" is no longer a harmless adage. In reality today, these bloodthirsty bugs infest thousands of homes. According to entomologists, biopesticides -- naturally occurring microorganisms -- might provide an answer to this pest problem.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120160954.htm
ANIMALS - Small bats squeak at higher pitch to focus better, study reports
Small bats have to emit higher-pitched squeaks than their bigger cousins for their sonar navigation systems to work equally well, scientists said Wednesday.
http://phys.org/news272726774.html
ART - Artist Paints With Beer to Save Animals
Depending on your point of view, this artist's work is either an innovative new use for beer, or the waste of a good beverage. But at least it's for a good cause.
http://www.treehugger.com/culture/artist-paints-beer-save-animals.html
ART - Teens in arts report depressive symptoms, study says
Teens who participate in after-school arts activities such as music, drama and painting are more likely to report feeling depressed or sad than students who are not involved in these programs, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-teens-arts-depressive-symptoms.html
BOOKS - Not Far From The Tree: Ray Kurzwiel And The Verticality Of The Silicon Valley Mind
In his new book, How to Create a Mind, The Secret of Human Thought Revealed, Ray Kurzweil expounds on the biggest of big ideas. Kurzweil, the inventor of software that underlies Siri and many current speech recognition applications, proposes "the pattern recognition theory of mind (PRTM)" which "describes the basic algorithm of the neocortex (the region of the brain responsible for perception, memory, and critical thinking)." He argues that the mind can be characterized as the complex, recursive and hierarchical thinking process of that most human part of the brain.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2012/11/21/not-far-from-the-tree-ray-kurzwiel-and-the-verticality-of-the-silicon-valley-mind/
BOOKS - The Biblio-Mat is an "Antiquarian Book Randomizer", a Vending Machine For Old Books
It's all over the web these days; I had to see it and try it.
http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/biblio-mat-antiquarian-book-randomizer-vending-machine-old-books.html
CLIMATE - Climate Change Hitting Europe Hard, Going To Get Worse
A new report from the European Environment Agency once again reveals the dangerous folly of ignoring climate change.
http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/climate-change-hitting-europe-hard-going-get-worse.html
CLIMATE - Four-degrees briefing for the World Bank: The risks of a future without climate policy
Humankind's emissions of greenhouse gases are breaking new records every year. Hence we're on a path towards 4-degree global warming probably as soon as by the end of this century. This would mean a world of risks beyond the experience of our civilization - including heat waves, especially in the tropics, a sea-level rise affecting hundreds of millions of people, and regional yield failures impacting global food security. These are some of the results of a report for the World Bank. The poorest in the world are those that will be hit hardest, making development without climate policy almost impossible, the researchers conclude.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119104842.htm
CLIMATE - Scientists say new signs of global warming in Russian Arctic
The Russian Arctic is losing ice cover and being inhabited by species from the south in the latest sign of climate change, according to a group of Russian scientists.
http://phys.org/news272726802.html
ECONOMICS - 12 Warning Signs An Investment Is A Scam
With the economy uncertain and CD rates low, investment scams are flourishing. Here's how to spot a fraud before you're taken.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fhjj45fjj/pay-attention/
ECONOMICS - After The Carnage, Wall Street Recruiter Craig Enderlin Talks Brokerage Jobs For 2013
After several rough years, Wall Street's employment scene for 2013 may look less like a blood bath, which, for many, is a welcome relief; on the other hand, the industry is a long way from where it was before the carnage began.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/billsinger/2012/11/21/after-the-carnage-wall-street-recruiter-craig-enderlin-talks-brokerage-jobs-for-2013/
ECONOMICS - Cisco Spends $1.2 Billion For Respect, Was It Worth It
In a recent article discussing the dull nature in which network giant Cisco is perceived to operate, I said that the company needed to do something to excite investors. Because although Cisco has beaten earnings estimates in seven consecutive quarters (and counting), the company is finding it progressively more difficult to earn the respect of Wall Street. However, this time, the company is looking to buy its way into the growth discussion after spending $1.2 billion in cash for Meraki, an acquisition that has left some investors thinking, "Oh no, not again."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardsaintvilus/2012/11/21/cisco-spends-1-2-billion-for-respect-was-it-worth-it/
ECONOMICS - Is This Meeting Necessary?
Though they're not exactly popular, meetings are necessary in the business world--usually.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/douglasmerrill/2012/11/20/is-this-meeting-necessary/
ECONOMICS - Why We are Picky: The Importance of Curation in Crowdfunding
One of the questions I am asked most frequently is: How do you choose the companies featured on CircleUp, our equity-based crowdfunding platform? For donation based crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo, any person, company or project can raise money, with the prominence of the project dictated by its ensuing popularity. When people are giving $50 to support a cause or because they want to pre-buy some product, that works well. However, we believe the equity-based crowdfunding model requires a higher standard. Investors are investing their money in search of risk-adjusted returns, the same way as they would in a stock or bond.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryancaldbeck/2012/11/20/why-we-are-picky-the-importance-of-curation-in-crowdfunding/
EDUCATION - How Would You Like A Four-Year Brick-And-Mortar Bachelor's Degree For Only $10,000?
There's lots of talk these days about free or near-free degrees. However, they all entail taking courses exclusively online. Hardly what most of us need or seek when it comes to "the college experience."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2012/11/20/how-would-you-like-a-four-year-brick-and-mortar-degree-for-only-10000/
EDUCATION - Who Says MOOCs Will Cause the Death of Universities?
By Tom Katsouleas, Jeff and Penny Vinik Dean of Duke University?s Pratt School of Engineering. He serves as Chair of the National Academy of Engineering?s Advisory Committee on Engineering Grand Challenges for the 21st Century.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/singularity/2012/11/21/who-says-moocs-will-cause-the-death-of-universities/
ENERGY - 1.4 Million Megawatts of Coal Power Plants Currently Being Developed Globally
Three quarters of these are in India and China, though a surprising amount are still being proposed in the United States.
http://www.treehugger.com/fossil-fuels/1-point-4-million-megawatts-coal-power-plants-currently-being-developed-globally.html
ENERGY - As Coal Use Drops In U.S., China and India Burn Even More
Coal, the longtime king of America's energy supply and a leading agent of climate change, is in rapid decline in the U.S. Four years ago it produced 50 percent of our electricity; by the end of the decade that may drop closer to 30 percent. Another 353 coal plants may be as good as dead. But don't write the obituary yet -- coal is booming in India and China will continue to do so for decades to come.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidferris/2012/11/20/as-coal-use-drops-in-u-s-china-and-india-burn-even-more/
ENERGY - Mapping The World's Energy On The Move
Commodity traders can get a real-time view of their most important assets with a new interactive data and mapping tool on Thomson Reuters Eikon., its trader desktop.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomgroenfeldt/2012/11/20/mapping-the-worlds-energy-on-the-move/
ENERGY - Nanotechnology simplifies hydrogen production for clean energy
In the first-ever experiment of its kind, researchers have demonstrated that clean energy hydrogen can be produced from water splitting by using very small metal particles that are exposed to sunlight.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120160931.htm
ENERGY - Rich Kinder's Energy Kingdom
He walked away from Enron and positioned Kinder Morgan perfectly for the Great American Oil and Gas Boom. Could politicians hot for "energy independence" undo it all?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2012/11/21/rich-kinders-energy-kingdom/
ENERGY - Study details natural gas leaks in Boston
(Phys.org)-The City of Boston is riddled with more than 3,000 leaks from its aging natural-gas pipeline system, according to a new study by researchers at Boston University and Duke University. Their findings appear this week in the online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Pollution.
http://phys.org/news272704856.html
ENVIRONMENT - Study: Unexpected microbes fighting harmful greenhouse gas
The environment has a more formidable opponent than carbon dioxide. Another greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, is 300 times more potent and also destroys the ozone layer each time it is released into the atmosphere through agricultural practices, sewage treatment and fossil fuel combustion.
http://phys.org/news272720739.html
GARDENS - Kickstart a Table-top Aquaponic Garden System
Think aquaponics systems need to be big and ugly? The Aquaponics Garden is cute and small enough to place in your home.
http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/kickstart-table-top-aquaponic-garden-system.html
GARDENS - Patch is a Collapsible Self-Watering Windowsill Planter
Want a self-watering container, but don't have the space? Patch is a self-watering container that fits in your window.
http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/patch-collapsible-self-watering-planter-your-windowsill.html
HOMES - Photos: The Makings Of Green Buildings
Using sustainable materials and designs to build homes and office buildings is a big business as architects and builders look for ways to set their projects apart by touting energy efficient features that lower carbon footprint and reduce utility bills. The U.S. Green Building Council held its annual Greenbuild in downtown San Francisco last week, and the large trade show took up three halls of the Mascone Center. It showcased building materials designed to better insulate homes, reduce water use or make use of sunlight instead of artificial lighting. The building industry is conservative, though, and it isn't quick to adopt the more cutting-edge technologies, which tend to be more expensive, even if they promise energy savings over time.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/uciliawang/2012/11/20/photos-the-makings-of-green-buildings/
MOVIES - 'Lord of the Rings' volcano erupts in New Zealand
A New Zealand volcano used as a backdrop to "The Lord of the Rings" films erupted on Wednesday, spewing a column of ash three kilometres (1.9 miles) above the North Island, scientists said.
http://phys.org/news272697159.html
MUSIC - Anyone Can Learn Guitar With a Videogame: Rockmith vs You Rock vs Rockband
Video games have long plundered music making as a rich vein of entertainment. Games as diverse as Guitar Hero, Elite Beat Agents, Jam with the Band and Rhythm Thief use a range of technology to trick the player into thinking they are creating music.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andyrobertson/2012/11/21/anyone-can-learn-guitar-with-a-videogame-rockmith-vs-you-rock-vs-rockband/
PEOPLE - Most Powerful Women in the United States
Out of the 100 most powerful women in the world, 61 live and work in the US. From politicians to CEOs, these women are shaping the United States and the world.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlj45jjmg/the-united-states-most-powerful-women-2/
PLANTS - Algae can take energy from other plants
Flowers need water and light to grow. Even children learn that plants use sunlight to gather energy from earth and water. Biologists have made an astounding discovery that one plant has another way of doing this. They have confirmed for the first time that a plant not only engages in photosynthesis, but also has an alternative source of energy: it can draw it from other plants. This finding could also have a major impact on the future of bioenergy.
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/~3/IG6AQURNJ04/121120121913.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120121913.htm
PLANTS - Birch tree genome sequenced for first time
Scientists have sequenced the genetic code of a birch tree for the first time, which could help protect birch populations.
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/plants_animals/~3/8c7DCpb7-HI/121120193517.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120193517.htm
SCIENCE - Dark matter detector nearing activation in US mine (Update)
Scientists hoping to detect dark matter deep in a former South Dakota gold mine have taken the last major step before flipping the switch on their delicate experiment and say they may be ready to begin collecting data as early as February.
http://phys.org/news272646813.html
SCIENCE - Gold nanoparticles quickly detect hazardous chemicals
Scientists have developed a system to quickly detect trace amounts of chemicals like pollutants, explosives or illegal drugs. The new system can pick out a single target molecule from 10,000 trillion water molecules within milliseconds, by trapping it on a self-assembling single layer of gold nanoparticles. The technology opens the way to develop devices that are compact, reusable and easy to assemble, and could have a range of uses including detecting illegal drugs, explosives, pollutants in rivers or nerve gases released into the air.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120152338.htm
SCIENCE - Major advance in using sunlight to produce steam without boiling water
Scientists have developed a revolutionary new way to use sunlight to produce steam and other vapors without heating an entire container of fluid to the boiling point. The advance has potential applications, especially in the poverty-stricken areas of the developing world, that include inexpensive, compact devices for purification of drinking water, sterilization of medical instruments and sanitizing sewage.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119104835.htm
Researchers create solar steam using nanoparticles at Rice University
SCIENCE - One size cloaks all
A metamaterial invisibility cloak that can adapt to hide different sized objects is demonstrated by in Nature Communications this week. The findings represent a useful advance for more practical applications of metamaterial cloaking. The research is led by Yonsei University, Korea.
http://phys.org/news272708581.html
SCIENCE - Researchers devise method of sending quantum encryption keys over shared fiber cable
(Phys.org)-Researchers from Toshiba and Cambridge University working together in Britain have developed a technique for sending quantum encryption keys over a shared fiber cable. As they describe in their paper published in Physics Review X, their technique involves employing a super sensitive photon detector capable of detecting the photons that make up a quantum key at the precise moment they arrive.
http://phys.org/news272704378.html
SCIENCE - Researchers on a scientific quest to understand Higgs Boson
The search for a mysterious subatomic particle can certainly involve some enormous tools, not to mention a multitude of scientists. The effort to find the elusive "Higgs boson" includes over 5,800 scientists from 56 countries! It's a subatomic particle that gives other particles, such as quarks and electrons, their mass.
http://phys.org/news272709572.html
SOLAR - A Tour Of A Solar Energy Trade Show
Intersolar, one of the laregest solar trade shows in the U.S., takes place in San Francisco this week.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehim45glgg/solar-powered-car/
SOLAR - Mobile Solar Generators - One Man's Odyssey to Bring Power Back to New York
Shortly after Superstorm Sandy smashed in to the East Coast, Chris Mejia of Consolidated Solar decided to do something about it. Chris's company is a distributor for portable solar generators out of Harrisburg, PA.. He leases trailers with a solar unit/battery combination made by DC Solar Solutions in California. On a normal day, he leases the units for somewhere around $500 to folks who need power someplace where it's hard to get. He does pretty well with construction sites, where it's a lot cheaper to lease a solar generator than string lines to a site. Construction workers only need limited juice for charging power tools and perhaps a cellphone power, pretty much the same thing disaster survivors require immediately after impact.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdetwiler/2012/11/14/mobile-solar-generators-one-mans-odyssey-to-bring-power-back-to-new-york/
SOLAR - Super-efficient solar-energy technology: 'Solar steam' so effective it can make steam from icy cold water
Scientists have unveiled a revolutionary new technology that uses nanoparticles to convert solar energy directly into steam. The new "solar steam" method is so effective it can even produce steam from icy cold water. The technology's inventors said they expect it will first be used in sanitation and water-purification applications in the developing world.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119140627.htm
SPACE - Astronomers Locate Massive 'Super-Jupiter' Around Giant Star
Astronomers have discovered a massive planet that's nearly 13 times the size of Jupiter, which puts it right on the dividing line between planet and star.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2012/11/20/astronomers-locate-massive-super-jupiter-around-giant-star/
SPACE - Final North American ALMA antenna delivered
(Phys.org)-After an odyssey of design and construction stretching across more than a decade, North America has delivered the last of the 25, 12-meter-diameter dish antennas that comprise its share of antennas for the international ALMA telescope. This is an important milestone in the construction of an observatory that astronomers are already using to open up a "final frontier" of the spectrum of invisible light to high-resolution exploration.
http://phys.org/news272708652.html
SPACE - Has Curiosity made an 'Earth-shaking' discovery?
The Mars Science Laboratory team has hinted that they might have some big news to share soon. But like good scientists, they are waiting until they verify their results before saying anything definitive. In an interview on NPR today, MSL Principal Investigator John Grotzinger said a recent soil sample test in the SAM instrument (Sample Analysis at Mars) shows something 'earthshaking.'
http://phys.org/news272708413.html
SPACE - Life on Mars? Maybe not: NASA rows back on findings
NASA downplayed Wednesday talk of a major discovery by its Martian rover after remarks by the mission chief raised hopes it may have unearthed evidence life once existed on the Red Planet.
http://phys.org/news272733768.html
SPACE - New 2013 phases of the Moon animation released
(Phys.org)-A new animation highlighting the phases of the Moon has been released by the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
http://phys.org/news272707439.html
SPACE - Planet 'devoured in secret' by its own sun
(Phys.org)-A planet roughly 1.4 times the size of Jupiter is being consumed by its own star behind a shroud thanks to a magnesium veil absorbing all of certain light wavelengths, according to new observations by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).
http://phys.org/news272709062.html
SPACE - Planets Outside Of Our Solar System
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehde45edhef/super-earth-55-cancri-e/
SPACE - Snap the stars to see your photo on ESA portal
Have you taken an interesting astronomical photo this year? From planets and moons to the Sun, stars and galaxies, we'd like you to send us your images to feature as our Space Science Image of the Week on 31 December.
http://phys.org/news272647005.html
SPACE - Why E.T. Would Also Breathe Oxygen
What are the odds that visiting space aliens could simply walk off their craft and start breathing our own oxygen-rich atmosphere?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2012/11/20/why-e-t-would-also-breathe-oxygen/
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