Zagat: Italian Food Survey: Favorite Pastas, Is Home Cooking Better?

It's Italian Food week, and some of the biggest debates over pasta, wine and celeb chefs are going to get settled right here. We surveyed 1,468 avid diners about their Italian eating habits and discovered that grandma's cooking may not always be the best. The results in the slideshow will answer all your questions: which Boot-cuisine celeb is the most popular? Which pasta is the most comforting? How much is too much to spend on a dish at a restaurant. Click through to see the winners and losers of our first ever Italian Food Survey, and sound off about the results in the comments. Also check out our list of the top Italian restaurants in 25 U.S. cities here.

[Also see: 9 Pricey Pastas From Around the U.S.]

• People Are Addicted to Italian

  Italian constantly ranks as a favorite cuisine in our restaurant surveys, so it's no surprise to see that people are getting their pasta fix at least weekly, with 44% reporting that they eat Italian one or two times a week. Even more sauced up are the 23% of respondents who say they eat Italian three to four times a week. As for the 8% who say they eat Italian five or more times each week, we salute you. In place of confetti at your parade, we will throw grated Parmesan. <strong>How often do you typically eat Italian food?</strong> 1-2 times a week: 44% 3-4 times a week: 23% A few times a month: 21% 5 or more times a week: 8% Once a month or less: 4% <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/chefs-guide-to-italy-insider-travel.html">Chef's Guide to Italy: Insider Travel Tips From the Pros</a>]</strong>

• Home Cooking's Not All That

  When people go out, they don't want to eat the same old pasta dishes they can make in their kitchen. A whopping 79% of respondents report that they avoid ordering dishes they can throw together at home when they're at a restaurant. And even though a lot of Italian grandmothers think their red sauce reigns supreme, the survey takers disagree - 59% of Italian food lovers say that they prefer restaurant cooking vs. 41% who say they prefer home cooking. But people expect more from restaurants. When going out to eat, 75% said it's either very important or extremely important to have authentic and imported Italian ingredients, while only 53% of home cooks said it's very or extremely important to have those imported and authentic ingredients in their kitchen. The takeaway? A lot of folks are reaching for premade sauces when making pasta at home. <strong>When ordering Italian food at a restaurant, do you:</strong> Avoid ordering dishes you can cook at home: 79% Order dishes you can make at home: 17% I don't cook Italian food at home: 4% <strong>How important is it that a restaurant use authentic and imported ingredients in its cuisine?</strong> Extremely: 37% Very: 38% Somewhat: 19% Not Very: 5% Not At All: 1% <strong>How important is it to use authentic and imported ingredients at home?</strong> Extremely: 22% Very: 31% Somewhat: 34% Not Very: 11% Not At All: 2% <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/the-top-italian-restaurants-in-25-us.html">The Top Italian Restaurants in 25 U.S. Cities</a>]</strong>

• Diners Will Pay for Good Pasta

  When you're out to eat and you see a pasta dish that contains the same ingredients you can get for less than $4 at your local grocery store, fuggadeboutit, right? Actually, no. Our survey found that diners are more than willing to pay for top-notch plates of pasta - so it's no wonder that restaurants aren't hesitant to push the prices into the $20-a-dish range. In fact, 32% said that they'd spend $20-25 on a restaurant-prepared pasta dish, while 22% said that they would go beyond that and plop down over $25 for an awesome ravioli. $15-25 seems to be the sweet spot, with 63% saying they'd pay that much for a good dish. <strong>What is the most you would spend on a restaurant prepared pasta dish?</strong> Less than $10: 1% $10-14.99: 14% $15-19.99: 31% $20-24.99: 32% $25 or more: 22% <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/the-hottest-italian-restaurants-in-us.html">The Hottest Italian Restaurants in the U.S.</a>]</strong>

• Pasta Preference: Pappardelle Is the Best, Spaghetti Doesn't Make Top 5

  The votes are in and it's official: people are so over spaghetti. The childhood staple didn't even rank in the top five favorite pastas, with broad and flat pappardelle taking the top slot. Also outranking spaghetti were linguine, ravioli and angel hair, which placed in spots two, three and four, respectively. All the way at the bottom of the list is tagliatelle, which ranked at No. 10 behind orecchiette. People are passionate about their pastas, so see the full rankings below and debate away! 1. Pappardelle 2. Linguine 3. Ravioli 4. Angel Hair 5. Penne 6. Spaghetti 7. Fettuccine 8. Rigatoni 9. Orecchiette 10. Tagliatelle <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/break-out-parmesan-its-italian-week.html">Break Out the Parmesan, It's Italian Food Week!</a>]</strong>

• It's the Sauce That Counts

  When it come time to smother your favorite pasta in sauce, people want a little meat in the mix. Bolognese was the No. 1 choice for sauce, scoring 17% of the vote, while classic marinara came in second with 13%. Spicy arrabbiata landing in third with 8% of the vote, while carbonara and vodka sauce landed in fourth and fifth place, respectively, with 7% each. There was a wide spread in the pasta sauce department, check out the full results: Bolognese: 17% Marinara: 13% Arrabbiata: 8% Carbonara: 7% Vodka Sauce: 7% Pesto: 7% Aglio Olio (garlic and oil): 7% Pomodoro: 6% Clam Sauce: 6% Puttanesca: 6% Ragu: 5% All'amatriciana: 4% Alfredo: 3% Squid Ink: 1% Other: 1% <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/italian-food-survey-favorite-pastas-is.html">Italian Food Survey: Favorite Pastas, Is Home Cooking Better?</a>]</strong>

• Twirling Your Pasta in a Spoon is Uncommon, But Cutting It Is Just Weird

  An impressive 40% of surveyors still use the old-school method of twirling pasta with a spoon to insure they don't end up slopping sauce all over those checkered tablecloths. However, taking a knife to the noodles is just going too far. Only 18% of surveyors say they cut long strands before scarfing them, while a super-majority of 82 percent are a firm "no" when it comes to cutting. <strong>Do you twirl your pasta with a spoon?</strong> Yes: 40% No: 56% I don't twirl my pasta at all: 4% <strong>Do you cut long strands before eating them?</strong> Yes: 18% No: 56% <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/best-meal-ever-2013-another-epic-look.html">Best Meal Ever 2013: Another Epic Look at Favorite Meals</a>]</strong>

• Wine Wire: Overall, People Prefer Red to White, but Pinot Grigio Is Tops

  It was a tight race for the favorite Italian vino - our poll included a dozen types of wines, and Pinot Grigio was the favorite varietal, eeking out a victory with 16% of the vote. Close behind the spritely white was Chianti (15%), Montepulciano (14%) and Sangiovese (12%), with Prosecco securing a sparkling fifth-place finish with 11% of the vote. Even though Pinot won the battle, red wine won the war. Though the vote for the top five vinos (one of which was chosen by 68% of respondents) was split between different grapes, 41% said their favorite pour was a red compared with 27% that said their favorite was a white. Take a look at the top 10 vinos below: <strong>What is your favorite Italian wine?</strong> 1. Pinot Grigio 2. Chianti 3. Montepulciano 4. Sangiovese 5. Prosecco 6. Moscato 7. Barbera 8. Nebbiolo 9. Nero d'Avola 10. Primitivo <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/9-must-visit-international-food-streets.html">9 Must-Visit International Food Streets</a>]</strong>

• Trend Watch: Whole-Wheat Pasta and Aperitif Spirits Have Yet to Catch On

  If you're friends with a cocktail geek, chances are you're heard them wax poetic about Italian herbal liqueurs, which are all the rage in upscale libation lounges. Well, these spirits may be popular with diehards, but the trend hasn't swayed the general public yet. When it comes to Italian booze, people still want their limoncello, with a plurality of 38% saying that it's the favorite. In second place is Sambuca with 14% of the vote, while Campari, the first aperitif on the list, only sneaks into third place with 13% of the vote. Another trend that hasn't caught on? Whole wheat pasta. When asked if they order whole wheat noodles when available, 68% of those surveyed said no. <strong>What is your favorite Italian spirit?</strong> Limoncello: 38% Sambuca: 14% Campari: 13% Frangelico: 13% Grappa: 11% Amaro: 6% Strega: 2% Other: 3% <strong>Do you prefer to eat whole-wheat pasta?</strong> Yes: 32% No: 68% <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/when-chefs-tweet-9-culinary-twitter.html">When Chefs Tweet: 9 Culinary Twitter Feuds</a>]</strong>

• Cheese and Comfort Food (But Aren't They One and the Same)?

  News flash: Italian food is comforting. Ok, no one is shocked by that. But when you're looking to dig into some pasta on an ice-cold day, what is your go-to? Pizza is the best food to provide solace on a day that has got you down, with 18% of voters saying it's their favorite comfort food. There was a pretty even split between the top five choices, with lasagna (17%), pasta Bolognese (13%), eggplant Parmigiana (13%) and spaghetti and meatballs (12%) rounding out the selection. Or if you're for comfort - say cheese! We also polled the top fromages from Italy, and are you really surprised that Parmigiano-Reggiano came out on top with 35% of the vote, followed by Mozzarella at 19% and Pecorino-Romano at 12%. <strong>What's Your Favorite Comfort Food Dish?</strong> Pizza: 18% Lasagna: 17% Pasta Bolognese: 13% Eggplant Parmigiana: 13% Spaghetti and Meatballs: 12% Veal Parmigiana: 8% Chicken Parmigiana: 7% Baked Ziti: 4% <strong>What Is Your Favorite Cheese? </strong> Parmigiano-Reggiano: 35% Mozzarella: 19% Pecorino-Romano: 12% Gorgonzola: 6% Provolone: 6% Ricotta: 5% Asiago: 4% Grana Padano: 3% Taleggio: 3% Fontina: 2% Burrata: 2% Mascarpone: 1% <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/7-super-bowl-fast-food-deals-that-can.html">7 Fast Food Super Bowl Deals That Can Break Your Belt</a>]</strong>

• Batali is Boss, Giada Inspires a Love/Hate Response

  With numerous restaurants, countless television appearances (including a guest-host gig on The Chew) and cookbooks galore, it's no surprise that Mario Batali is the most beloved personality in the Italian food world, with 30% of folks saying he's their favorite chef. Lidia Bastianich, one of his partners at NYC's Eataly, came in second place with 22% of the vote, while Giada di Laurentiis was in third with 19%. Not everyone loves her, though - a number of voters took the time to call her out in an open-ended question that asked about the "most annoying Italian trend," with folks complaining that they can't stand her "pronunciation of Italian words." <strong>Who's your favorite chef/personality specializing in Italian cuisine?</strong> Mario Batali: 30% Lidia Bastianich: 22% Giada di Laurentiis: 19% Michael Chiarello: 7% Fabio Viviani: 4% Michael White: 4% Anne Burrell: 3% Scott Conant 2% Joe Bastianich: 1% <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/10-best-restaurants-in-las-vegas.html">10 Best Restaurants in Vegas</a>]</strong>

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zagat/italian-food-survey_b_2575806.html

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Android and BlackBerry 10: How they stack up

It’s BlackBerry 10 day today, and you knew we had to take a few minutes to see just what BlackBerry has to offer. Right off the bat, we’re going to say it’s good enough to keep folks still using the BlackBerry platform happy that they hung around, and probably even tempt a few people to give BlackBerry a try for the first time. Kevin has a good look at the hardware and some of the UI and features in the video. Give it a watch, then join us after the break we can see how it all matches up to Android.

For more info, be sure to check out CrackBerry's reviews:

• BlackBerry Z10 Review
• BlackBerry 10 Review

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/3LiDwyqH7PQ/story01.htm

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Hydrogen sulfide: The next anti-aging agent?

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Hydrogen sulfide* (H₂S) may play a wide-ranging role in staving off aging, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. In this review article, a team from China explores the compound's plethora of potential anti-aging pathways.

"H₂S has been gaining increasing attention as an important endogenous signaling molecule because of its significant effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems," the team writes. The evidence is mounting, they note, that hydrogen sulfide slows aging by inhibiting free-radical reactions, by activating SIRT1, an enzyme believed to be a regulator of lifespan, and probably through its interactions with a gene, klotho, which appears to have its own market basket of anti-aging activity.

Hydrogen sulfide is produced within the human body, and has a variety of important physiological effects. For example, it relaxes the vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells, which is important to maintaining clean arteries as one ages, says first author Zhi-Sheng Jiang, of the University of South China, Hunan. It functions as an antioxidant. And it inhibits expression of pro-inflammatory factors, all of which "imply an important role in aging and age-associated diseases," according to the paper. For example, mice lacking CSE, the gene for an enzyme involved in producing H₂S, manifest extensive, premature arteriosclerosis, an inevitable consequence of aging, says Jiang.

The gene, klotho, which appears to be upregulated by hydrogen sulfide, is thought to extend lifespan via a number of different pathways, some of which promote production of endogenous antioxidants, according to the report. Produced in the kidneys, it has direct angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibiting activity; that is, it's an ACE inhibitor, just like certain drugs that mitigate high blood pressure. Not surprisingly, plasma H₂S declines with age, and is lower in spontaneously hypertensive rats than in those with normal blood pressure. More generally, a lack of H₂S is implicated in cardiovascular disease.

A decline in H₂S is also thought to undermine neurological health. Endogenous H₂S has been found wanting in an animal model of Parkinson's disease, and is found to be depressed in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. There are even suggestions, mostly in animal models, but also in human studies, that H₂S may be protective against cancer, according to the report.

"Data available so far strongly suggest that H₂S may become the next potent agent for preventing and ameliorating the symptoms of aging and age-associated diseases," concludes Jiang. In the future, he says, people may take H₂S via food, or as an anti-aging supplement.

* Hydrogen sulfide (British English: hydrogen sulphide) is the chemical compound with the formula H₂S. It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas that gives off the odor of rotten eggs.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Society for Microbiology.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Y. Zhang, Z.-H. Tang, Z. Ren, S.-L. Qu, M.-H. Liu, L.-S. Liu, Z.-S. Jiang. Hydrogen Sulfide: Next Potent Preventive and Therapeutic Agent in Aging and Age-associated Diseases. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1128/MCB.01215-12

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/jEAT1lRShRo/130129121945.htm

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Coming soon: Atomic-scale, 2-D electronics

7 hrs.

John Roach , NBC News

A world filled with teeny tiny two-dimensional electronic devices is a giant step closer thanks to a pioneering technique to make atom-thick patterns that combine a conductor and an insulator.

Conventional microelectronic devices have three basic parts;?a metal to conduct electricity, semiconductor components and an insulator to protect the components from the free-flowing electricity.

?The long-term proposal is to have the different components, but all of them at the level of atomic-layer thickness,? Pulickel Ajayan, a nanomaterials scientist at Rice University, told NBC News.?

He and his colleagues have successfully mated two of the three components ? a conductor and insulator. The conductor is the wonder material graphene, and the insulator is hexagonal boron nitride.

Meanwhile,?Tom?s Palacios and his?colleagues at the?Massachusetts Institute of Technology?are?working with molybdenum disulfide?to?create?the?semiconductor piece of the puzzle.

?Ultimately, one will be able to build complete circuits with semiconductors, metals, and insulators all at the atomic level with our system,? Ajayan said.

The new?technique expands earlier research that showed graphene can be merged with hexagonal boron nitride, an insulator, since they both have the same chicken-wire atomic array.

The new work, published Sunday in Nature Nanotechnology, describes a method for finely controlling the deposition of graphene onto gaps in sheets of hexagonal boron nitride through a lithorgraphic process.

?You can essentially stitch one onto the other and that enabled us to do this pretty well,? Ajayan said.

As a proof of principle, the team created designs such as combs, rings, and an owl, the Rice University mascot.

The technique starts with a sheet of hexagonal boron nitride. Then masks are laid on top the sheets. The exposed material is etched away with boron gas. Once the masks are washed away, graphene is grown in the gaps via chemical vapor deposition.

The graphene bonded with the hexagonal boron nitride, as seen in the image at left. This layer can be picked up and placed on any substrate.

Going forward, the team aims to integrate a third element, a semiconductor, to the 2-D fabric. If this?works, it would allow for truly integrated in-plane devices.

?There is no limit to what you can build,? Ajayan said, who noted that functional layers could be stacked, creating a stacked devices at the atomic scale.

?You get a very robust, flexible, functional device that includes not just the device but also power and other peripherals,? he said. ?That is the road we are going down.?

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/coming-soon-atomic-scale-2-d-electronics-1B8179074

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Our View: California should invest in college preparation

At last week?s Cal State University Board of Trustees meeting, Gov. Jerry Brown and Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander argued where California should invest its money.

Brown said the state should invest in K-12 education in an attempt to fix what he called the ?K-12 failure,? or the failure of schools to prepare students for college-level courses.

Alexander said higher education still needs funding to help lower-income students get a college degree.

Both Brown and Alexander made valid points as to where California should focus its financial efforts for education.

We at the Daily 49er decided to weigh in on the idea on where more money should be spent.

Brown believes investing more into K-12 will better prepare students for life after high school. Whether it be a continuation into higher education or the workforce, Brown said this is an area of need for financial backing.

Alexander, however, said the state needs to give low-income students a chance at a college education. By helping these students afford their degrees, these students can pay to go to institutions like CSULB.

Alexander also explained more money is needed to cover the cost of remedial courses that universities have to offer.

These classes are expensive to run and impacted, and they cover material that most students should have learned in high school.

This brings us back to Brown?s argument. By spending more money in K-12, Brown hopes to eliminate the K-12 failure.

This makes more students prepared for college and thus cutting the need for remedial courses.

However, being prepared to attend college does not mean the student will be able to afford college.

Our editorial board had a tough time deciding which side to take. Being 49ers, we want to give every worthy student a chance to come to CSULB, even if they cannot afford the costs. Yet, we cannot ignore how much money is being spent on repeat courses.

The editorial board chose to lean towards Brown?s plan. A majority of people get their high school diplomas and not their bachelor?s degrees. We feel it would be more productive to make sure the majority of Californians are properly educated.

We understand not all high school graduates go to college. However, they still need to be prepared for their entry-level jobs. In order to have a more productive workforce, we must focus on the time during which most people are educated, at K-12 levels. In doing so, we hope putting more money toward these schools will properly educate the students who choose to go to college, thus making remedial classes unnecessary ? and cutting the course cost. ?

Source: http://www.daily49er.com/opinion/our-view-california-should-invest-in-college-preparation-1.2806440

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Check out pictures from UFC on Fox 6

Check out UFC on Fox 6 pictures from the always-amazing Tracy Lee. She caught images of Demetrious Johnson outlasting John Dodson, Quinton Jackson's final UFC fight, and more from Saturday night's fights. To see more of Lee's work, follow her on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/check-pictures-ufc-fox-6-204314877--mma.html

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This Is Why Vine Is Stupid

I don't get Vine. I don't give a looping turd about it. Every video I've seen so far is six seconds of jerky concentrated idiocy. I may be too old for this crap but I'm not alone—thanks, [Willa via Laughing Squid via Petapixel] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XcJKgkKzY_A/this-is-why-vine-is-stupid

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Google Challenges Hackers To Pwn Chrome OS In Pwnium 3 Competition, Offers Up To $3.14159M In Prizes

Competitions like Pwn2Own are a staple of the security research scene and with Pwnium 3, Google today announced the latest edition of its own competition. What's different this time around is the target. For the first time, the focus of the Pwnium competition is now Chrome OS, Google's Linux-based browser-centric operating system. In total, Google is making up to $3.14159 million in pi prize money available for this competition.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/e1XikE3lTHI/

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Nine Cycling Jerseys That Are Totally Unacceptable

The secret word is "novelty cycling jersey," (AHHHH!) and it's inspired by this incredible PeeWee Herman bike riding outfit that is amazing in that it simply exists. You know what else is great? The vast amount of ridiculously nerdy pop culture-inspired suits available on the ol' world wide web. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/HqoQsX9qNUg/9-ridiculous-cycling-jerseys

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How to enable system sounds on your Android device

Part of having a modern smartphone is the media experience. Today's Android phones rival about any desktop system when it comes to audio and visual cues for the way you interact with them. Case in point -- audible alerts for system UI actions.

Making your Android phone or tablet give you an affirming "tick" when you press a button or unlock your screen is easy. Open your settings, and find the "Sound" entry in the menu list. You'll see something like the above, where you can set the standard ringtone and notification. If you scroll down a bit you'll see where you can enable or disable the audible prompt when doing things like dialing a number, or unlocking your phone. What's really cool is that you can set these sounds individually, so your phone only makes the noises you want it to make.

Once you have things set up the way you like, just press the back button and leave the settings menu. Now you're set!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/ZmiM3MVC5X8/story01.htm

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Jenelle Evans Bans Courtland Rogers From Hospital Post-Miscarriage

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/jenelle-evans-bans-courtland-rogers-from-hospital-post-miscarria/

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Bugs in the atmosphere: Significant microorganism populations found in middle and upper troposphere

Jan. 28, 2013 ? In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers used genomic techniques to document the presence of significant numbers of living microorganisms -- principally bacteria -- in the middle and upper troposphere, that section of the atmosphere approximately four to six miles above Earth's surface.

Whether the microorganisms routinely inhabit this portion of the atmosphere -- perhaps living on carbon compounds also found there -- or whether they were simply lofted there from Earth's surface isn't yet known. The finding is of interest to atmospheric scientists, because the microorganisms could play a role in forming ice that may impact weather and climate. Long-distance transport of the bacteria could also be of interest for disease transmission models.

The microorganisms were documented in air samples taken as part of NASA's Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) program to study low- and high-altitude air masses associated with tropical storms. The sampling was done from a DC-8 aircraft over both land and ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and portions of the Atlantic Ocean. The sampling took place before, during and after two major tropical hurricanes -- Earl and Karl -- in 2010.

The research, which has been supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation, was scheduled to be published online January 28th by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"We did not expect to find so many microorganisms in the troposphere, which is considered a difficult environment for life," said Kostas Konstantinidis, an assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "There seems to be quite a diversity of species, but not all bacteria make it into the upper troposphere."

Aboard the aircraft, a filter system designed by the research team collected particles -- including the microorganisms -- from outside air entering the aircraft's sampling probes. The filters were analyzed using genomic techniques including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene sequencing, which allowed the researchers to detect the microorganisms and estimate their quantities without using conventional cell-culture techniques.

When the air masses studied originated over the ocean, the sampling found mostly marine bacteria. Air masses that originated over land had mostly terrestrial bacteria. The researchers also saw strong evidence that the hurricanes had a significant impact on the distribution and dynamics of microorganism populations.

The study showed that viable bacterial cells represented, on average, around 20 percent of the total particles detected in the size range of 0.25 to 1 microns in diameter. By at least one order of magnitude, bacteria outnumbered fungi in the samples, and the researchers detected 17 different bacteria taxa -- including some that are capable of metabolizing the carbon compounds that are ubiquitous in the atmosphere -- such as oxalic acid.

The microorganisms could have a previously-unidentified impact on cloud formation by supplementing (or replacing) the abiotic particles that normally serve as nuclei for forming ice crystals, said Athanasios Nenes, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

"In the absence of dust or other materials that could provide a good nucleus for ice formation, just having a small number of these microorganisms around could facilitate the formation of ice at these altitudes and attract surrounding moisture," Nenes said. "If they are the right size for forming ice, they could affect the clouds around them."

The microorganisms likely reach the troposphere through the same processes that launch dust and sea salt skyward. "When sea spray is generated, it can carry bacteria because there are a lot of bacteria and organic materials on the surface of the ocean," Nenes said.

The research brought together microbiologists, atmospheric modelers and environmental researchers using the latest technologies for studying DNA. For the future, the researchers would like to know if certain types of bacteria are more suited than others for surviving at these altitudes. The researchers also want to understand the role played by the microorganisms -- and determine whether or not they are carrying on metabolic functions in the troposphere.

"For these organisms, perhaps, the conditions may not be that harsh," said Konstantinidis. "I wouldn't be surprised if there is active life and growth in clouds, but this is something we cannot say for sure now."

Other researchers have gathered biological samples from atop mountains or from snow samples, but gathering biological material from a jet aircraft required a novel experimental setup. The researchers also had to optimize protocols for extracting DNA from levels of biomass far lower than what they typically study in soils or lakes.

"We have demonstrated that our technique works, and that we can get some interesting information," Nenes said. "A big fraction of the atmospheric particles that traditionally would have been expected to be dust or sea salt may actually be bacteria. At this point we are just seeing what's up there, so this is just the beginning of what we hope to do."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Georgia Institute of Technology. The original article was written by John Toon.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Natasha DeLeon-Rodriguez et al. Microbiome of the upper troposphere: Species composition and prevalence, effects of tropical storms, and atmospheric implications. PNAS, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1212089110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/cYVLxy1Cfts/130128151912.htm

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Advantages Of Cell Phone Spying Software Program | Liberty

Technology has made communication and daily life much easier. Cell phones have become so widespread that it simply doesn?t seem sensible to not own one. Because of mobile devices, it?s now possible to communicate from almost everywhere on the planet. Because of this development, numerous concerns have also been produced; the issue of mobile phone robbery has turned into a serious problem. A way of combating this situation is making use of a phone spy.

Phone tracking makes it easy for those who lose their phones through theft to retrieve them. Due to this kind of monitoring it is possible to determine the exact whereabouts of a cell phone. As mentioned, a cell phone tracker can be wanted on account of stealing; a few other reasons include misplacement of a mobile phone as well as when law enforcement officials want to nab a lawbreaker.

To track down the location of a phone, it doesn?t need to make a call. Nonetheless it will only be achievable when the cell phone is powered up. The mobile phone could be found by a procedure generally known as triangulation. This involves figuring out its position by using 2 other set up towers. These two points will usually send out cell phone signals.

The article is about the different techniques of cell phone tracking. If you want to learn more about the mobile phone spy and how you can use it, you should visit: cellphonetrackerx.net

This entry was posted in Science on January 28, 2013 by admin.

Source: http://dwiminneapolis.com/science/advantages-of-cell-phone-spying-software-program-2/

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ASU scientists unravel the mysteries of spider silk

Public release date: 27-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jenny Green
jenny.green@asu.edu
480-965-1430
Arizona State University

Scientists at Arizona State University are celebrating their recent success on the path to understanding what makes the fiber that spiders spin weight for weight - at least five times as strong as piano wire. They have found a way to obtain a wide variety of elastic properties of the silk of several intact spiders' webs using a sophisticated but noninvasive laser light scattering technique.

"Spider silk has a unique combination of mechanical strength and elasticity that make it one of the toughest materials we know," said Professor Jeffery Yarger of ASU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and lead researcher of the study. "This work represents the most complete understanding we have of the underlying mechanical properties of spider silks."

Spider silk is an exceptional biological polymer, related to collagen (the stuff of skin and bones) but much more complex in its structure. The ASU team of chemists is studying its molecular structure in an effort to produce materials ranging from bulletproof vests to artificial tendons.

The extensive array of elastic and mechanical properties of spider silks in situ, obtained by the ASU team, is the first of its kind and will greatly facilitate future modeling efforts aimed at understanding the interplay of the mechanical properties and the molecular structure of silk used to produce spider webs.

The team published their results in today's advanced online issue of Nature materials and their paper is titled "Non-invasive determination of the complete elastic moduli of spider silks."

"This information should help provide a blueprint for structural engineering of an abundant array of bio-inspired materials, such as precise materials engineering of synthetic fibers to create stronger, stretchier, and more elastic materials," explained Yarger.

Other members of Yarger's team, in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, included Kristie Koski, at the time a postdoctoral researcher and currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, and ASU undergraduate students Paul Akhenblit and Keri McKiernan.

The Brillouin light scattering technique used an extremely low power laser, less than 3.5 milliwatts, which is significantly less than the average laser pointer. Recording what happened to this laser beam as it passed through the intact spider webs enabled the researchers to spatially map the elastic stiffnesses of each web without deforming or disrupting it. This non-invasive, non-contact measurement produced findings showing variations among discrete fibers, junctions and glue spots.

Four different types of spider's webs were studied. They included Nephila clavipes (pictured), A. aurantia ("gilded silver face"-common to the contiguous United States), L. Hesperus the western black widow and P. viridans the green lynx spider, the only spider included that does not build a web for catching prey but has major silk elastic properties similar to those of the other species studied.

The group also investigated one of the most studied aspects of orb-weaving dragline spider silk, namely supercontraction, a property unique to silk. Spider silk takes up water when exposed to high humidity. Absorbed water leads to shrinkage in an unrestrained fiber up to 50 percent shrinkage with 100 percent humidity in N. clavipes silk.

Their results are consistent with the hypothesis that supercontraction helps the spider tailor the properties of the silk during spinning. This type of behavior, specifically adjusting mechanical properties by simply adjusting water content, is inspirational from a bio-inspired mechanical structure perspective.

"This study is unique in that we can extract all the elastic properties of spider silk that cannot and have not been measured with conventional testing," concluded Yarger.

###

Source:

Jeffery Yarger, jyarger@gmail.com
Phone: (480)965-0673

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 27-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jenny Green
jenny.green@asu.edu
480-965-1430
Arizona State University

Scientists at Arizona State University are celebrating their recent success on the path to understanding what makes the fiber that spiders spin weight for weight - at least five times as strong as piano wire. They have found a way to obtain a wide variety of elastic properties of the silk of several intact spiders' webs using a sophisticated but noninvasive laser light scattering technique.

"Spider silk has a unique combination of mechanical strength and elasticity that make it one of the toughest materials we know," said Professor Jeffery Yarger of ASU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and lead researcher of the study. "This work represents the most complete understanding we have of the underlying mechanical properties of spider silks."

Spider silk is an exceptional biological polymer, related to collagen (the stuff of skin and bones) but much more complex in its structure. The ASU team of chemists is studying its molecular structure in an effort to produce materials ranging from bulletproof vests to artificial tendons.

The extensive array of elastic and mechanical properties of spider silks in situ, obtained by the ASU team, is the first of its kind and will greatly facilitate future modeling efforts aimed at understanding the interplay of the mechanical properties and the molecular structure of silk used to produce spider webs.

The team published their results in today's advanced online issue of Nature materials and their paper is titled "Non-invasive determination of the complete elastic moduli of spider silks."

"This information should help provide a blueprint for structural engineering of an abundant array of bio-inspired materials, such as precise materials engineering of synthetic fibers to create stronger, stretchier, and more elastic materials," explained Yarger.

Other members of Yarger's team, in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, included Kristie Koski, at the time a postdoctoral researcher and currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, and ASU undergraduate students Paul Akhenblit and Keri McKiernan.

The Brillouin light scattering technique used an extremely low power laser, less than 3.5 milliwatts, which is significantly less than the average laser pointer. Recording what happened to this laser beam as it passed through the intact spider webs enabled the researchers to spatially map the elastic stiffnesses of each web without deforming or disrupting it. This non-invasive, non-contact measurement produced findings showing variations among discrete fibers, junctions and glue spots.

Four different types of spider's webs were studied. They included Nephila clavipes (pictured), A. aurantia ("gilded silver face"-common to the contiguous United States), L. Hesperus the western black widow and P. viridans the green lynx spider, the only spider included that does not build a web for catching prey but has major silk elastic properties similar to those of the other species studied.

The group also investigated one of the most studied aspects of orb-weaving dragline spider silk, namely supercontraction, a property unique to silk. Spider silk takes up water when exposed to high humidity. Absorbed water leads to shrinkage in an unrestrained fiber up to 50 percent shrinkage with 100 percent humidity in N. clavipes silk.

Their results are consistent with the hypothesis that supercontraction helps the spider tailor the properties of the silk during spinning. This type of behavior, specifically adjusting mechanical properties by simply adjusting water content, is inspirational from a bio-inspired mechanical structure perspective.

"This study is unique in that we can extract all the elastic properties of spider silk that cannot and have not been measured with conventional testing," concluded Yarger.

###

Source:

Jeffery Yarger, jyarger@gmail.com
Phone: (480)965-0673

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/asu-asu012713.php

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Canada denies Randy Quaid's request to stay

TORONTO (AP) ? Canadian immigration officials have denied U.S. actor Randy Quaid's request for permanent resident status in Canada.

A Canadian government official confirmed late Saturday his request for permanent status has been denied. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Quaid can appeal the decision to the federal court.

U.S. officials last year refused to seek extradition of the actor and his wife from Canada to face felony vandalism charges in Santa Barbara, California, but authorities in the coastal town say they'll still have the couple arrested if they return to the states.?

Quaid has sought to stay in Canada, claiming he was being hunted by "Hollywood star-whackers" who had killed his friends David Carradine and Heath Ledger.?

Quaid's trouble began in 2010 when he and his wife were arrested for causing more than $5,000 damage at a hillside home they were renting.?

Randy Quaid is the older brother of actor Dennis Quaid and is best-known for his roles in films such as "National Lampoon's Vacation" and "Independence Day." He won a Golden Globe award for his depiction of President Lyndon Johnson in a TV movie in the late 1980s.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-denies-randy-quaids-request-stay-054909956.html

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Uribana Prison Riot Kills Dozens In Barquisimeto, Venezuela (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuela's top prisons official said the government was evacuating a prison Saturday after a deadly riot that reportedly left dozens of people dead amid a clash between National Guard soldiers and armed inmates.

Penitentiary Service Minister Iris Varela said officials decided to evacuate all inmates from the Uribana prison in the central city of Barquisimeto after the bloodshed on Friday in order to "close this chapter of violence." Varela said inmates were being taken to other facilities. She spoke in a televised news conference and did not immediately give a death toll.

(WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS BELOW)

Vice President Nicolas Maduro called the violence tragic and said Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega Diaz and National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello would lead the investigation.

"The prisons have to be governed by law," Maduro said on television early Saturday.

Humberto Prado, an activist who leads the watchdog group Venezuelan Prisons Observatory, said inmates' relatives and media accounts put the toll at 55 killed and 88 injured.

The Venezuelan newspaper Ultimas Noticias and the television channel Globovision reported more than 50 killed, both citing Ruy Medina, the director of Central Hospital in the city.

Relatives wept outside the prison during the violence, and cried at the morgue Saturday as they waited to identify bodies.

Varela said Friday that the riot broke out when groups of inmates attacked National Guard troops who were attempting to carry out an inspection.

Varela said the violence had affected a number of prisoners and officials, but said the authorities would hold off until control had been re-established at the prison to confirm the toll. She said the government decided to send troops to search the prison after receiving reports of clashes between groups of inmates during the past two days.

The death toll provided by Medina rose late Friday after he had initially reported four killed and dozens injured. Ultimas Noticias reported that the victims included a Protestant pastor and a member of the National Guard, as well as inmates.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles condemned the government's handling of the country's overcrowded and violent prisons.

"Our country's prisons are an example of the incapacity of this government and its leaders. They never solved the problem," Capriles said on his Twitter account. "How many more deaths do there have to be in the prisons for the government to acknowledge its failure and make changes?"

The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory said in a statement that in 2007 the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights had ordered the government to seize weapons that inmates had in their possession at Uribana prison and to take measures to avoid deaths in the facility. The group called for the government to release a list with the names of the dead and wounded in Friday's violence, as well as details about weapons seized in the search.

"No one doubts that inspections are necessary procedures to guarantee prison conditions in line with international standards, but they can't be carried out with the warlike attitude as (authorities) have done it," Prado told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "It's clear that the inspection wasn't coordinated or put into practice as it should have been. It was evidently a disproportionate use of force."

Prado's group says Uribana prison was built to hold up to 850 inmates but currently has about 1,400.

It was the latest in a series of bloody riots in the country's severely overcrowded prisons where inmates often freely obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards. Venezuela currently has 33 prisons built to hold about 12,000 inmates, but officials have said the prisons' population is about 47,000.

In April and May, a prison uprising in La Planta prison in Caracas blocked authorities from going inside for nearly three weeks. One prisoner was killed and five people were wounded, including two National Guard soldiers and three inmates.

Two months later, another riot broke out at a prison in Merida, and the Venezuelan Prisons Observatory reported 30 killed.

In August, 25 people were killed and 43 wounded when two groups of inmates fought a gunbattle inside Yare I prison south of Caracas.

Chavez's government has previous pledged improvements to the prison system, but opponents and activists say the government hasn't made progress.

Varela, the prisons minister, said news media including Globovision and a local newspaper had run reports on the inspections, which she said had in fact been a "trigger for the violence."

Prado denied that, saying: "The problem isn't the work of the media. The problem is that the government hasn't disarmed the prison population."

___

Associated Press writer Ian James contributed to this report.

"The prisons have to be governed by law," Maduro said.

Humberto Prado, an activist who leads the watchdog group Venezuelan Prisons Observatory, said inmates' relatives and media accounts put the toll at 55 killed and 88 injured.

The Venezuelan newspaper Ultimas Noticias and the television channel Globovision reported more than 50 killed, both citing Ruy Medina, the director of Central Hospital in the city.

Relatives wept outside the prison during the violence, and cried at the morgue Saturday as they waited to identify bodies.

Penitentiary Service Minister Iris Varela said Friday that the riot broke out when groups of inmates attacked National Guard troops who were attempting to carry out an inspection.

Varela said the violence had affected a number of prisoners and officials, but said the authorities would hold off until control had been re-established at the prison to confirm the toll. She said the government decided to send troops to search the prison after receiving reports of clashes between groups of inmates during the past two days.

The death toll provided by Medina rose late Friday after he had initially reported four killed and dozens injured. Ultimas Noticias reported that the victims included a Protestant pastor and a member of the National Guard, as well as inmates.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles condemned the government's handling of the country's overcrowded and violent prisons.

"Our country's prisons are an example of the incapacity of this government and its leaders. They never solved the problem," Capriles said on his Twitter account. "How many more deaths do there have to be in the prisons for the government to acknowledge its failure and make changes?"

The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory said in a statement that in 2007 the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights had ordered the government to seize weapons that inmates had in their possession at Uribana prison and to take measures to avoid deaths in the facility. The group called for the government to release a list with the names of the dead and wounded in Friday's violence, as well as details about weapons seized in the search.

"No one doubts that inspections are necessary procedures to guarantee prison conditions in line with international standards, but they can't be carried out with the warlike attitude as (authorities) have done it," Prado told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "It's clear that the inspection wasn't coordinated or put into practice as it should have been. It was evidently a disproportionate use of force."

Prado's group says Uribana prison was built to hold up to 850 inmates but currently has about 1,400.

It was the latest in a series of bloody riots in the country's severely overcrowded prisons where inmates often freely obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards. Venezuela currently has 33 prisons built to hold about 12,000 inmates, but officials have said the prisons' population is about 47,000.

In April and May, a prison uprising in La Planta prison in Caracas blocked authorities from going inside for nearly three weeks. One prisoner was killed and five people were wounded, including two National Guard soldiers and three inmates.

Two months later, another riot broke out at a prison in Merida, and the Venezuelan Prisons Observatory reported 30 killed.

In August, 25 people were killed and 43 wounded when two groups of inmates fought a gunbattle inside Yare I prison south of Caracas.

Chavez's government has previous pledged improvements to the prison system, but opponents and activists say the government hasn't made progress.

Varela, the prisons minister, said news media including Globovision and a local newspaper had done reports on the inspections, which she said had in fact been a "trigger for the violence."

Prado denied that, saying: "The problem isn't the work of the media. The problem is that the government hasn't disarmed the prison population."

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/26/uribana-prison-riot-kills-dozens-venezuela_n_2558484.html

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Stunning Photo Captures Reflective Cloud in Orion Constellation

A telescope in South America has captured a spectacular new view of an intricate cloud of interstellar dust in the famed Orion constellation.

The new space cloud photo, taken by the?Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX)?telescope in Chile, reveals what astronomers call the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex in unprecedented detail. It gives scientists a glimpse into the heart of the closest, most active region of massive star formation to our solar system, researchers said.

The molecular cloud is located about 1,500 light-years from Earth in the Orion constellation. The new APEX image includes a reflection nebula called NGC 1999, which is only part of the vast molecular cloud. The cloud is actually a separate entity from the more well-known Orion nebula, which is located nearby.

Reflection nebulas get their name because their dark dust clouds reflect the light of nearby stars. For NGC 1999, the light stems from the young star V380 Orionis, ESO officials said in an image desciption.

Near the center of new APEX image is a dark spot that stands out against the more colorful background, a feature that surprised some researchers studying the photo.

"Normally, a dark patch such as this would indicate a dense cloud of cosmic dust, obscuring the stars and nebula behind it," officials with the European Southern Observatory, which oversees the APEX?said in a statement. "However, in this image we can see that the patch remains strikingly dark, even when the APEX observations are included."

Scientists suspect that the dark spot was created when a star sucked up all the material in that part of its stellar nursery, leaving an empty spot in its place.

The extremely sensitive telescope captured the photo by measuring long wavelengths of light that aren't on the visible spectrum. Most telescopes aren't able to observe light at these submillimeter wavelengths, and would only see dust and clouds obscuring the star formation in the background.

At 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter, APEX is the largest single dish telescope operating at these hard to detect wavelengths in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a prototype designed to test technology needed for a next-generation submillimeter telescope called the Atacama?Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA.

The $1.3 billion ALMA observatory will ultimately be a network of 66 telescopes spread across 11 miles (18 kilometers) in Chile. ALMA has already completed its test cycle of experimentation, and will officially open in March.

Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitter?@mirikramer?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.?

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stunning-photo-captures-reflective-cloud-orion-constellation-131311219.html

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Fab Sale Roundup: GILT Baby & Kids, gDiapers and More!

Check out our roundup of this week's best mommy and baby deals.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/WPsz5KR3eS4/

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Many credit cards around longer than spouse

By Gerri Detweiler, Credit.com

Will you be sticking with your credit card longer than your spouse? For some Americans, the answer will be "yes." Overall, we are are pretty faithful to our plastic. According to Experian, the average time a credit card account remains open is approximately 129 months ? or 10.75 years.

Contrast that with the fact that the U.S. Census Bureau reports that in 2009, first marriages that ended in divorce lasted a median of 8 years for men and women overall. The median time from marriage to separation was seven?years.

It appears that Americans are also more loyal to their cards than their counterparts across the pond. Research by MoneySupermarket found that credit card users in the U.K. have remained loyal to their card provider for six years on average.

Related: Getting a Divorce? Here's How to Protect Your Credit

Is loyalty to a card issuer good or bad? On the plus side, holding on to your cards for a long time may help your credit rating. FICO High Achievers ? those with FICO scores of 785 or above ??opened their oldest credit card account 25 years ago on average; and the average credit account is 11 years old. Plus, if you've been a good customer for many years, you may be able to negotiate a lower interest rate or get a fee waived more easily than a new customer.

On the other hand, issuers are trying to woo new new customers with flashy promotions, such as the Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express that currently allows new cardholders to earn 10,000 points after their first purchase, and 15,000 points after spending $10,000 within six months. Just try matching the British Airways credit card 100,000 miles sign-up bonus with your current card. Fat chance it even comes close.

Related: Can You Really Get Your Credit Score for Free?

But that doesn't mean you should be fickle.

Perhaps the best strategy is to plan on a long-term relationship with your cards, and choose accordingly. But check in periodically to make sure they still offer you the best deal. If not, let them know you think you can do better ??and why. They may be able to able to come up with a reason for you to stay.

If not, and you do break up with your credit card company, you don't have to end the relationship completely. You can still keep the account open in case you decide you want to come back later. Just think of it as keeping your options open.

More from Credit.com

The financial expert and host of "The Suze Orman Show" quizzes TODAY's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb about how much they really know about money, including the comparative size of January paychecks.

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/01/26/16589121-many-americans-have-longer-relationship-with-credit-card-than-spouse?lite

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AP Interview: CERN chief firmer on 'God particle'

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? The world should know with certainty by the middle of this year whether a subatomic particle discovered by scientists is a long-sought Higgs boson, the head of the world's largest atom smasher said Saturday.

Rolf Heuer, director of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, said he is confident that "towards the middle of the year, we will be there." By then, he said reams of data from the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider on the Swiss-French border near Geneva should have been assessed.

The timing could also help Scottish physicist Peter Higgs win a Noble Prize, Heuer said in an interview with The Associated Press in the Swiss resort of Davos.

CERN's atom smasher helped scientists declare in July their discovery of a new subatomic particle that Heuer calls "very, very like" a Higgs boson, that promises a new realm of understanding the universe.

The machine, which has been creating high-energy collisions of protons to investigate dark matter, antimatter and the creation of the universe, is being put to rest early this year. The data from it, however, takes longer to analyze.

"Suppose the Higgs boson is a special snowflake. So you have to identify the snowflake, in a big snowstorm, in front of a background of snowfields," Heuer said by way of analogy. "That is very difficult. You need a tremendous amount of snowfall in order to identify the snowflakes and this is why it takes time."

He said the standard model of particle physics describes only 5 percent of the universe, which many theorize occurred in a massive explosion known as the Big Bang.

To explain how subatomic particles, such as electrons, protons and neutrons, were themselves formed, Higgs and others in the 1960s envisioned an energy field where particles interact with a key particle, the Higgs boson.

The idea was that other particles attract Higgs bosons and the more they attract, the bigger their mass will be. But a big question remains: Is this new particle a variation of the Higgs boson, or the same as the Higgs boson that was predicted?

The phrase "God particle," coined by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman, is used by laymen, not physicists, more as an explanation for how the subatomic universe works than how it all started.

"Now, if there is a deviation in one of the properties of this Higgs boson, that means we open a new window, for example, hopefully into the part of the dark universe, the 95 percent of the unknown universe," said Heuer.

"If you find the deviation," he added, "that means if it is not the ? but a ? Higgs boson, then we might find a fantastic window into the dark universe so we would make another giant leap from the visible to the dark."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-interview-cern-chief-firmer-god-particle-213153385.html

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Skype prodded by privacy groups over transparency

22 hrs.

Devin Coldewey , NBC News

As Skype becomes more and more integrated with Microsoft's other products, privacy advocates around the world have asked it and its parent company to come clean on how, when and why the widely used?video chatting program?complies with government requests for information.

The request comes in the form of an open letter?Thursday,?addressed to Skype's president and Microsoft's chief privacy officer and general counsel, and ?is?signed by dozens of?organizations, including?the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Digital Rights Foundation.

People all over the world use Skype, including not just distant friends and family members, but journalists and activists for whom the secure and private chat platform is indispensable, the organizations say. And since Skype's takeover, there hasn't been a clear line on whether the service would remain that way.

Since 2011, when Microsoft purchased Skype for $8.5 billion, there have been relatively few bugs and breaches in the service. But at the same time, no information has been publicized that details what information Skype?collects, how it protects it, and with whom that information is shared.

In the letter, the signers ask for regular reports, like those put out by Google and Twitter, describing requests for information made by the government or private individuals. Details on what information is vulnerable to (or protected from) network providers and hackers are also suggested, and a statement on how Skype plans to cooperate with certain information-collection and wiretapping laws in the U.S. and China.

A Microsoft spokesperson declined to address the questions of the letter specifically, but offered the following statement to NBC News:

We are reviewing the letter. Microsoft has an ongoing commitment to collaborate with advocates, industry partners and governments worldwide to develop solutions and promote effective public policies that help protect people's online safety and privacy.

The letter can be read in its entirety here; references and links are at the bottom of the page.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBCNews Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/skype-prodded-privacy-advocates-over-transparency-vulnerabilities-1C8103618

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Clegg risks coalition rift with attack on cuts

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron risked harming the economic recovery early in his premiership because his flagship austerity policy cut spending too deeply, his deputy said on Thursday, in comments that could deepen rifts in the coalition government.

Nick Clegg, leader of the Lib Dems, said it had been a mistake to make such big cuts to capital spending, an area that includes new roads, schools and hospitals.

His comments came a day before official figures are expected to show the British economy shrank in the fourth quarter of 2012 and risks falling into its third recession since the financial crisis if the weakness persists early this year.

A bleak set of GDP figures on Friday would cast more doubt on Britain's triple-A credit rating and pile pressure on Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne to soften their austerity measures and do more to stimulate the economy.

"If I'm going to be sort of self-critical, there was this reduction in capital spending when we came into the coalition government," Clegg said in an interview with The House, a weekly political magazine.

"We have all realised that you actually need, in order to foster a recovery, to try and mobilise as much public and private capital into infrastructure as possible."

Cameron and Clegg made reducing Britain's budget deficit - which hit a record 11.2 percent of GDP before the 2010 election - their biggest priority when they came to power.

The main opposition Labour Party repeatedly attacked their public spending cuts, saying attempts to balance the books were too strong and too deep and had choked the economic recovery.

In December, the government set out new measures aimed at boosting growth, including looser planning rules and investment in railways, roads and schools.

RATINGS SLIDE

Clegg and Cameron promised this month to stick with their coalition until an election due in 2015, despite falling out on a range of issues, most recently on Britain's ties with Europe.

Osborne said on Thursday he would stick with his fiscal plans.

The Lib Dems have seen their poll ratings tumble since they took power with the larger Conservatives. Clegg upset many supporters by breaking a promise not to raise university tuition fees and has been accused of turning his back on his party's values to maintain the coalition.

Labour, leading in polls, seized on Clegg's comments as an admission the coalition had mishandled the recovery.

"This is the first admission that this government has made serious mistakes on the economy," Labour finance spokeswoman Rachel Reeves said.

(Reporting by Peter Griffiths; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/clegg-risks-coalition-rift-attack-cuts-231836836--business.html

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