Straits Times Interactive - TECH AND SCIENCE

Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:08:00 GMT

PARIS (AFP) - A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

Toy makers gear up for year of the 'AppCessory'

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:18:00 GMT

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Having found this holiday season that they cannot beat iPad, iPhone and iPod, toy makers have lined up a host of play things that come to life when hooked up to the devices, gadgets that kids love to play with.

Love is just a click away in Indonesia's Twitter Republic

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:30:00 GMT

JAKARTA (AFP) - He was a geeky kid from Yogyakarta, she a glamorous city girl in Jakarta. In a country with one of the world's most vibrant social networking scenes they fell in love on Twitter.

Twisted Metal gamers get shot at real gunplay

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:32:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Fans of Twisted Metal will get to welcome a long-awaited sequel of the car-battle video game with a real-world bang by blasting an ice cream truck to bits with a machine gun.

Google users warned of threat to smartphone wallets

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:01:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Users of Google smartphone wallets were being warned on Friday that there is a way to crack pass codes intended to thwart thieves from going on illicit shopping sprees.

New mental health manual is 'dangerous': Experts

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

LONDON (REUTERS) - Millions of healthy people - including shy or defiant children, grieving relatives and people with fetishes - may be wrongly labelled mentally ill by a new international diagnostic manual, specialists said on Thursday.

Apple to reveal latest iPad in March: Sources

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:35:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (REUTERS) - Apple plans to introduce its latest iPad tablet at an event in the first week in March, the website AllThingsD reported, citing unnamed sources.

Baby unharmed if pregnant mum has chemotherapy: Study

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:49:00 GMT

PARIS (AFP) - Women who are given chemotherapy during pregnancy do not run a risk of harming their baby, doctors reported in The Lancet Oncology on Friday.

Catholic leaders to use Internet against paedophiles

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:14:00 GMT

ROME (REUTERS) - Roman Catholic Church leaders unveiled an Internet teaching project on Thursday to help clergy around the world root out paedophiles in their ranks and protect children from potential abusers.

First Google hire leaving for online academy

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:09:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - The first person hired by Google's founders is leaving the Internet giant to devote himself to an innovative online education website called Khan Academy.

FBI releases background check file on Steve Jobs

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:04:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday released a 191-page file on Steve Jobs that paints an occasionally unflattering portrait of the late Apple founder.

Cannabis twice as likely to cause road smash

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:27:00 GMT

PARIS (AFP) - Driving under the influence of cannabis almost doubles the risk of a serious accident, according to a paper published on Friday in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Google to make home entertainment system

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:20:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Google will mirror Apple's winning hardware-software formula with an Android-powered entertainment system that wirelessly streams content through homes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Investor activists see little to 'like' in Facebook: Analysis

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A new crop of companies entering the United States (US) public markets, including such high-profile offerings as Facebook, are turning the clock back on the way US corporations are run.

Samsung can continue selling Galaxy tabs in Germany

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:52:00 GMT

FRANKFURT (AFP) - South Korea's Samsung Electronics can continue to sell its Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet computer in Germany, a German court ruled on Thursday, rejecting a bid by arch-rival Apple to have them banned.

'Pyramids' planted to revive Philippine corals

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:42:00 GMT

MANILA (AFP) - Thousands of small 'pyramids' are being planted off the Philippines' famous Boracay resort island in an effort to bring its nearly destroyed coral reefs back to life, an environment group said on Thursday.

Facebook gives details on Zuckerberg's bonus

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:09:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) - Facebook's top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are eligible for twice-a-year bonuses of up to 45 per cent of their base salaries and other earnings, according to a recent regulatory filing.

Social network Path apologises in privacy flap

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:35:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Social network Path on Wednesday apologised for uploading users' address book information without asking for permission.

Eczema tied to higher impotence risk: Study

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:33:00 GMT

(REUTERS) - Men who have the allergic skin condition eczema may have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction than other men, according to a Taiwanese study.

Women with low literacy suffer more than men: Study

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:08:00 GMT

BOSTON (REUTERS) - Women with low literacy suffer disproportionately more than men, encountering more difficulties in finding a well-paying job and being twice as likely to end up in the group of lowest wage earners, a study released on Wednesday said.

Researchers probe 200-year-old shipwreck off US

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:16:00 GMT

WESTERLY, Rhode Island (AP) - For two centuries it rested a mile (1.6km) from shore, shrouded by a treacherous reef from the pleasure boaters and beachgoers who haunt New England's southern coast.

Windows 8 preview set for Feb 29: Microsoft

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:58:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Microsoft on Wednesday revealed plans to unveil a test version of its latest Windows computer operating software later this month.

New advance in gene therapy for blindness

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:45:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - United States scientists on Wednesday reported a new advance in using gene therapy to restore eyesight in people with a rare, inherited form of blindness.

Brain stimulation may boost memory: Study

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:19:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - California scientists said on Wednesday they may have found a way to stimulate a part of the brain so that it forms memories more easily.

Tai chi improves balance in Parkinson's patients: Study

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:19:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - People with Parkinson's disease who practiced the Chinese martial art tai chi for six months showed better balance than counterparts who did other forms of exercise, said a US study on Wednesday.