No tumour link to mobile phones, says study – “A very large, 30-year study of just about everyone in Scandinavia shows no link between mobile phone use and brain tumours, researchers reported on Thursday…”

Amino acid recipe could be right for long life – “Long life may stem from a proper imbalance of dietary nutrients. A new study in fruit flies suggests that the life-extending properties of caloric restriction may be due not only to fewer calories in the diet, but also to just the right mix of protein building blocks, called amino acids. The study, published online December 2 in Nature, may help explain some of the health benefits of restricted-calorie diets…”

First Commercial Spaceship Debuts – “While NASA frets over a looming hiatus in its ability to launch people into space, a commercial company is poised to unveil the first spaceship for private passenger travel…”

Scientists Create First Electronic Quantum Processor – “A team led by Yale University researchers has created the first rudimentary solid-state quantum processor, taking another step toward the ultimate dream of building a quantum computer…”

Physicist Michio Kaku invites viewers through the wormhole – “In a sense, all science starts as science fiction — in ideas that don’t yet have the substance of fact. “What if?” is where both begin, and they move on through the culture in tandem in a mutually encouraging way…”

The Myth of Wikipedia Democracy – ” Newscom Despite its reputation for openness, the online encyclopedia has long been ruled by a tight clique of aggressive editors who drive out amateurs and newcomers…”

Break out your Android goggles for Google Visual Search – “Google Visual Search is coming to Android. Hartmut Neven, Google Product Manage, revealed the new application during a recent CNBC special “Inside the Mind of Google“. The service allows users to take pictures of real world objects and generate a Google search related to the item. The technology uses visual recognition engines and location based services to provide accurate results…”

Google expands tracking to logged out users – “Anyone who’s a regular Google search user will know that the only way to avoid the company tracking your online activities is to log out of Gmail or whatever Google account you use. Not any more. As of last Friday, even searchers who aren’t logged into Google in any way have their data tracked in the name of providing a ‘better service’…” See also: Google Customizes More of Its Search Results – ““The key point is that Google is now tracking users of search who have specifically chosen not to log in to a Google account,” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. “They are obliterating one of the few remaining privacy safeguards for Google services.””

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1 Gadget for 100 Gadgets – Portable Solar Battery Charger – “How does it feel when you are in the middle of doing some really important task on your laptop or any other electronic device and suddenly it beeps out that the battery is dead? I have been through this particular situation for many times and believe me this is one of those times when I am really pissed off. Recently, I had discovered this device that amazed me a lot. It’s a High capacity Solar Battery Charger for laptops and portable electronics…”

The First Photo From Space – “On October 24, 1946, not long after the end of World War II and years before the Sputnik satellite opened the space age, a group of soldiers and scientists in the New Mexico desert saw something new and wonderful—the first pictures of Earth as seen from space…”

Ambassador Kirk: People would be “walking away from the table” if the ACTA text is made public – “Kirk said he was aware that there were those who wanted the text public, but the issue of transparency was “about as complicated as it can get,” and Kirk didn’t want people “walking away from the table,” which would likely happen if the text was public, he said…”

The arguments made by climate change sceptics – “At the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, 192 governments are aiming for a new global agreement to constrain greenhouse gas emissions and curb human-induced climate change. But some commentators are unconvinced that rising greenhouse gas emissions are the cause of modern-day warming. Or they say the world is not actually getting warmer – or that a new treaty would hurt economic growth and well-being. So what are their arguments, and how are they countered by scientists who assert that greenhouse gases, produced by human activity, are the cause of modern-day climate change?”

Why the FCC Should Stop Comcast from Buying NBC – “If approved, the purchase will create yet another instance where a company that delivers digital content will have a profit motive to discriminate against other content providers…”

Google Chrome OS Previewed – “Google’s Chrome operating system is about a year away, but a tour of Chromium OS — Chrome’s publicly available open source incarnation — reveals a lot…”

French scientists create skin fast from stem cells – “French scientists have found a way to create human skin rapidly from stem cells, a discovery that could save the lives of many burns victims who are vulnerable to infection and now wait weeks for a skin graft…”

Rethinking artificial intelligence – “A broad-based MIT project aims to reinvent AI for a new era. By going back and fixing past mistakes, researchers hope to produce ‘co-processors’ for the human mind…”

The future of WiFi: gigabit speeds and beyond – “Now that 802.11n has been officially ratified, attention is turning to the next big thing in wireless networking: gigabit WiFi. Ars explores the future of WiFi and how it may give gigabit Ethernet a run for its money…”

How December 25 Became Christmas – “On December 25, Christians around the world will gather to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Joyful carols, special liturgies, brightly wrapped gifts, festive foods—these all characterize the feast today, at least in the northern hemisphere. But just how did the Christmas festival originate? How did December 25 come to be associated with Jesus’ birthday?”

Pentagon: Zombie Pigs First, Then Hibernating Soldiers – “Around half of U.S. troop fatalities are caused by blood loss from battlefield injuries. Now, with another 30,000 troops deploying to Afghanistan, the Pentagon is pushing for medical advances that can save more lives during combat. The Defense Department’s latest research idea: Stop bleeding injuries by turning pigs into the semi-undead. If it works out, we humans could be the next ones to be zombified…”

Machine allows people to type with their minds – “By focusing on images of letters, people with electrodes in their brains can type with just their minds, scientists now reveal….”

[[[Jump to Interesting Reading #370 – Tiger’s physics book, better maps, the death of larrabee, robot scientists and much more…]]]