http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl News for nerds, stuff that matters en-us Copyright 1997-2009, Geeknet, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2009-12-16T19:33:12+00:00 Geeknet, Inc. help@slashdot.org Technology hourly 1 1970-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/topicslashdot.gif http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851890&from=rss Scientists have developed a nanolithographic technique that can produce high-resolution patterns of at least three different chemicals on a single chip at writing speeds of up to one millimeter per second. The nanopatterns can be designed with any shape and are stable enough to be stored for weeks and used elsewhere. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:33:02+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851884&from=rss How do we know that certain combinations of letters have certain meanings? Reading and spelling are complex processes, involving several different areas of the brain, but researchers have now identified a specific part of the brain -- named the left fusiform gyrus -- which is necessary for normal, rapid understanding of the meaning of written text as well as correct word spelling. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:32:51+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851876&from=rss The DNA of a 1st century shrouded man found in a tomb on the edge of the Old City of Jerusalem has revealed the earliest proven case of leprosy. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:32:40+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851868&from=rss Inhibiting fatty acid synthesis in brain cancer cells may offer a new option to treat about 50 percent of deadly glioblastomas that are driven by amplified signaling of the epidermal growth factor receptor, according to a first-of-its-kind study. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:32:29+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851860&from=rss How do you find an image or video on the Internet or YouTube without a text description? Researchers have developed software that can find objects and concepts automatically in images and video clips. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:32:17+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851850&from=rss As soon as babies are born, they are susceptible to diseases and infections, such as jaundice and e-coli. For up to a month, their immune systems aren't adequately developed to fight diseases. Although these infections are often minor, they can lead to serious problems if left untreated. To help strengthen newborns' immune systems, researchers have pinpointed a group of depleted white blood cells, which might lead to an immune-strengthening vaccine. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:32:04+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1135370/Alienware-M15x-Intel-Core-i7-720QM-3GB?from=rss Alienware M15x (Intel Core i7 720QM, 250GB HDD, 3GB) series name itself is self explanatory and screamingly saying about its space as well as the RAM it lends.This Alienware’s M15x (Intel Core i7 720QM, 250GB HDD, 3GB) series is offering its dimensional specs like width 14.5in, depth 1.75in, and height 11.75in whilst its weight is 9.4pd. Anonymous Coward 2009-12-16T19:22:18+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1135368/iFixit-Open-Licenses-All-Repair-Manuals?from=rss As of today, all of iFixit's repair manuals are licensed under Creative Commons' BY-NC-SA license. They're committing to make their manuals available to everyone in the world, forever, for free. Anonymous Coward 2009-12-16T19:18:58+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851318&from=rss A spectroscope with unrivaled performance, able to identify tiny amounts of trace gases in real time, has now been developed. Scientists designed an instrument based on two femtosecond laser frequency combs. This is a major step forward both for fundamental research and for many applied fields. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:13:50+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851310&from=rss Men may shuffle on to the dance floor this Christmas, but once there, they will be impressed by their moves, according to new research. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:13:39+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851306&from=rss Scientists in Sweden are reporting for the first time that a group of drugs used to treat heart failure shows promise for fighting colon cancer. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, with more than 150,000 cases diagnosed in the US each year. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:13:28+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851296&from=rss Chemists and biologists have developed a new technique that could be used to diagnose and develop treatments for age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cancer. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:13:17+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851286&from=rss Researchers are aiming to tackle diseases that affect millions -- such as asthma, blindness and clogged arteries -- by jamming 'sat nav'-like signals that drive the body to damage itself. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:13:06+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851274&from=rss New research has revealed for the first time that genes work together by huddling in clusters inside the nucleus -- the information center of a cell. These findings represent a paradigm shift in our understanding of how the genome is spatially organized in relation to gene expression. It marks the first step towards a 'virtual nucleus', a dynamic tool simulating interactions in the nucleus, which could revolutionize computer-based drug design. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:12:55+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851270&from=rss Volunteer service, such as tutoring children, can help older adults delay or reverse declining brain function, according to a new study. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers found that seniors participating in a youth mentoring program made gains in key brain regions that support cognitive abilities important to planning and organizing one's daily life. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:12:44+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851262&from=rss Astronomers have discovered a "super-Earth" orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. They found the distant planet with a small fleet of ground-based telescopes no larger than those many amateur astronomers have in their backyards. Although the super-Earth is too hot to sustain life, the discovery shows that current, ground-based technologies are capable of finding almost-Earth-sized planets in warm, life-friendly orbits. There are also tantalizing hints that the planet has a gaseous atmosphere. sdfeed 2009-12-16T19:12:32+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851252&from=rss Namco keeps its foot on the gas with regular iPhone announcements and reveals another classic franchise. macworldfeed 2009-12-16T19:12:18+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7851246&from=rss Tycho: The Dante's Inferno demo is a demo that must be played. It's funny, but given what they're attempting here it really shouldn't be. Weird is the word; it's the result of so many warring drives that teasing out the throughline becomes difficult. You can impale dudes on your scythe and them throw them, which has kind of a lacrosse vibe. Lacrosse is pretty cool. Outside of that, I'm not sure I have much use for it. UPDATE: Gabriel wants me to tell you that the game is bad, despite the presence of (what he referred to as) "boobies." Though far ... pennyarcadefeed 2009-12-16T19:12:03+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1135364/Dell-IT-Not-Interested-in-Greening-Datacenters?from=rss Executives at Dell recently revealed ironic insider information regarding IT's stance toward the ongoing energy crisis — namely, that the customers Dell talks to have little to no interest in greening their datacenters. Ironic, writes Sustainable IT's Ted Samson, because datacenter operators' chief concerns, to increase datacenter efficiency and cut costs, would be well-served by a more green-minded approach to IT. 'Energy waste is a huge ongoing (and rising) expense in the datacenter,' writes Samson, who notes that powering and cooling a single midrange server costs upward of $1,870 per year. 'Yes, there's a risk of turning off customers by overhyping the benefits of green, but I firmly believe that the benefits of green are clear and measurable in terms of money and GHG emissions.' But until IT connects the dots between energy costs and the bottom line, many of those benefits will go lost, much to the detriment of IT. snydeq 2009-12-16T19:09:04+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1135362/Astronomers-Discover-Waterworld?from=rss Astronomers said Wednesday that they had discovered a planet composed mostly of water.Though not the most human friendly environment, with a 400 degree Fahrenheit surface temperature, its discovery has encouraged a growing feeling among astronomers that they are on the verge of a breakthrough and getting closer to finding a planet we could live on.“This probably is not habitable, but it didn’t miss the habitable zone by that much,” said David Charbonneau of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who led the team that discovered the new planet and will reports its findings on Thursday in the journal Nature. TaggartAleslayer 2009-12-16T19:08:19+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7850832&from=rss Super Monkey Ball was one of the first games to hit the App Store back in August 2008 but received mixed critical response. But with Super Monkey Ball 2, Sega finally delivers a fun monkey-rolling experience for the iPhone. macworldfeed 2009-12-16T18:53:47+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7850824&from=rss Macworld’s Editorial Brain Trust—Jason Snell, Philip Michaels, and Dan Miller—gather in the Podcave to discuss the recent Editors’ Choice and App Gems awards. macworldfeed 2009-12-16T18:53:36+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7850820&from=rss Mozilla patched 10 bugs in Firefox, half of them critical, in the browser's rendering and JavaScript engines, media and video libraries, and other components. macworldfeed 2009-12-16T18:53:25+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7850812&from=rss PCalc Lite 1.9 now features in-app purchasing to let you buy just the features you need a calculator to do and nothing else. macworldfeed 2009-12-16T18:53:15+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7850808&from=rss The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed an antitrust-related lawsuit against Intel, charging the world's largest computer chip maker with stifling competition. macworldfeed 2009-12-16T18:53:04+00:00