News about science and new technology
Science & Technology News
Astronaut, cosmonauts depart space station for Earth
By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. (Reuters) – Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut left the International Space Station on Wednesday and headed back to Earth after nearly six months in orbit. Former station commander Steve Swanson and cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev strapped themselves inside the Russian Soyuz capsule that carried them to the station in March and pulled away from the outpost at 7:01 p.m. EDT/2301 GMT as the station soared about 260 miles (418 km) over eastern Mongolia. “We accomplished a lot. …
Tempers flare as mass flood evacuations begin in Kashmir
By Rupam Jain Nair NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Floods that have killed 450 people in India and Pakistan began to recede on Wednesday giving rescue teams a chance to evacuate thousands of villagers stranded by the heaviest rainfall in 50 years in the heavily militarised and disputed region of Kashmir. On the Indian side of the divided region, floods and landslides have cut off more than 1 million people from basic services, triggering a massive military rescue operation that has so far evacuated 80,000 from villages and city rooftops. …
No quick technology fix for problem bowlers – ICC
By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The ICC is cautiously optimistic that wearable sensors can provide the technological breakthrough needed to stamp out illegal bowling actions but does not expect them to be ready for trial in matches before mid-2015. Geoff Allardice, the International Cricket Council’s general manager of cricket, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that there has been lots of progress in using the technology but stumbling blocks remain to deploying it in matches. …
Intel’s CEO says its costly tablet chip strategy has paid off
By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Intel Corp’s plan this year to pay manufacturers to use its processors to make tablets was boosting the chipmaker’s market share, Chief Executive Officer Brian Krzanich said on Tuesday, adding that he hoped to avoid such a costly strategy with smartphones. After falling behind rival chipmakers in mobile in recent years, Krzanich set a goal for Intel’s chips to be used in 40 million tablets in 2014, up from 10 million the previous year. …
Erdogan battles “Assassins” in power struggle over Turkish courts
By Humeyra Pamuk and Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Likening foes in the judiciary to medieval “Assassins” betraying Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan made one thing clear as he assumed the presidency last month: his battle to purge their influence over the courts is far from over. The power struggle has transformed a judicial election next month, normally an unassuming affair, into a key battleground. The vote will decide the members of the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), responsible for the appointments, transfers, promotions and expulsions of the country’s top judicial figures. …
This 12-toed athlete knows where the shoe pinches
By Amlan Chakraborty NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Pursuing a largely unrewarding Olympic sport in a cricket-obsessed country requires adjustments but heptathlete Swapna Barman has taken it to a new level – squeezing six toes in each shoe designed for five. “Even after all these years, it still hurts every time I put my shoes on,” Barman told Reuters in an interview. She paused when asked if she tried customised shoes. It did not last two days.” Coach Subhash Sarkar, who discovered her and remains her greatest motivation, explains what a reticent Barman would not.
Hemingway grandsons push for marlin conservation in Cuba
By Daniel Trotta COJIMAR Cuba (Reuters) – Ernest Hemingway’s grandsons sailed into the fishing village that inspired “The Old Man and the Sea” on Monday in a campaign to save game fish like the giant marlin that dragged the fictitious Santiago out to sea. John and Patrick Hemingway arrived in Cojimar, on the eastern outskirts of Havana, to begin a weeklong visit to try to enlist Cuban marine scientists to join an effort to conserve billfish in the Straits of Florida. …
Harvard receives largest-ever gift, $350 million for public health
By Sharon Begley NEW YORK (Reuters) – Harvard University has received the largest donation in its history, the school announced on Monday: $350 million from the Morningside Foundation to the School of Public Health. The donation is unrestricted, and will support efforts including increased financial aid for students, loan forgiveness for graduates who work in underserved areas, new classrooms and seed money for pathbreaking research too novel to win support from other funders. In particular, said the school’s dean, Julio Frenk, the Morningside gift will support research and training in four areas: pandemics ranging from malaria and Ebola to obesity and cancer; The Morningside Foundation was established in 1996 by Drs. Ronnie and Gerald Chan to support higher education in North America and Asia.
Apple courts fashionistas as smartwatch expectations mount
By Christina Farr SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc has invited top fashion editors and bloggers in unprecedented numbers to its Tuesday launch gala, further evidence that the iPhone maker is preparing to take the wraps off a smartwatch. Apple is forging closer ties to the fashion world as it plots its foray into the fertile field of wearable technology, trying to win over a critical crowd that may prove crucial to the success of consumer gadgets worn around the body. Several fashion media editors told Reuters they received invitations for the first time to an annual September product-launch, which they took as confirmation of a wristwatch in the wings. “This suggests Apple is serious about tapping into the fashion world, which often sits on the sidelines.” Apple declined to comment.