Researchers and filmmakers imagine year 2050 – “At the kick-off event, IBM researchers discussed the potential for self-healing spinal cords; embedded digital assistants that remember all you hear or say; the concept of “longevity management” for life spans that stretch past the century mark; drinkable, purified water everywhere; changes to the human genome; and many other insights into what the world might be like in the year 2050 and beyond…”

Researchers Propose $12 Computer for Developing Countries – “As the prices of educational laptops for children in developing countries creep upward, a group of researchers attempts to create a new, even lower-tech computer that would cost as little as $12…”

In search of Western civilisation’s lost classics – “The unique library of the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, buried beneath lava by Vesuvius’s eruption in AD79, is slowly revealing its long-held secrets…”

Here’s a preview of the ballyhooed Mythbusters moon-landing hoax episode – “As I type this we’re a bit over 12 hours from blastoff for a new season of Mythbusters, set for 9 tonight. We’ll have to wait three more weeks, however, for what will be one of the myth-busting gang’s most eagerly awaited episodes: puncturing the fairy tale that the moon landings were faked, as in filmed in a studio…”

6 Tips For Saving Fuel and Getting Better Gas Mileage – “So what else can you do to help lessen your gas consumption? I spoke with the experts at the NASCAR Technical Institute and Traffic.com, two groups that know a little something about fuel management. Here are their top tips for squeezing out more miles from every gallon…”

Seals find secrets of deep Antarctic – “SCIENTISTS are uncovering the deepest secrets of the freezing Antarctic waters by enlisting elephant seals to carry probes to places never before reached by humans…”

Drink it or Drive it: The Promise of Agave for Ethanol – “Soybeans generate a measly 60 gallons of biodiesel annually from an acre of land and has an energy balance of 2.5. Corn generates about 300-400 gallons of ethanol per acre and has an energy balance of 1.3. Sugar cane can generate 600-800 gallons of ethanol per acre annually and has an energy balance of 8. Sugar cane unfortunately is very labor intensive to cultivate and could contribute to deforestation. Agave however can yield an impressive 2,000 gallons of distilled ethanol per acre each year annually…”

Cooking and Cognition: How Humans Got So Smart – “It consumes huge amounts of calories, is rather temperamental and, when harnessed just right, exhibits incredible prowess. The brain’s roaring metabolism, possibly stimulated by early man’s invention of cooking, may be the main factor behind our most critical cognitive leap, new research suggests…”

Game developer wants to learn from pirates, asks them “why” – “Whether PC gaming is dying or not, one thing is certain: piracy of PC games is a serious talking-point for developers on either side of the debate. A growing number of developers big and small have become increasingly vocal about piracy rates for PC games. One developer, though, has finally put aside the complaints, the indignant state of mind, and is asking the pirates directly a simple question: why? “

MIT developing super-realistic image system – “By producing “6-D” images, an MIT professor and colleagues are creating unusually realistic pictures that not only have a full three-dimensional appearance, but also respond to their environment, producing natural shadows and highlights depending on the direction and intensity of the illumination around them…”

Aussies crack cancer secret – “The team has unlocked the secrets behind the protein which controls the way the blood cancer cells spread when it is damaged – and have found a way to stop its deadly process…”

Junk Mail Produces as Much CO2 as 7 States Combined – “A report by the group ForestEthics estimates that destroying forests to make paper for junk mail releases as much greenhouse gas pollution as 9 million cars…”

Evolution or revolution? Suspense builds for Wii 2 – “Nintendo fans rejoice: there may well be a new arrival in the group’s family of consoles sooner than you think. Satoru Iwata, president of the Japanese computer games group that has been lauded for its ability to attract new waves of gamers, has admitted that the company is hard at work on a follow-up to the motion-sensing Wii…”

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