SCIENCE News, Jul 18, 2011

Astronauts pack up for last shuttle ride home Sun,17 Jul 2011 03:29 PM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - The shuttle Atlantis astronauts finished packing more than 2 tonnes of old equipment and trash from the International Space Station into a cargo hauler on Sunday for the last shuttle ride back to Earth. Full Story NASA probe enters orbit around asteroid Vesta Sun,17 Jul 2011 02:50 AM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - A robotic NASA science probe slipped into orbit around the potato-shaped asteroid Vesta on Saturday to begin a yearlong study of the second largest object in the asteroid belt. Full Story NASA probe headed into orbit around asteroid Sat,16 Jul 2011 02:49 AM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - A robotic NASA science probe was scheduled to slip into orbit around the potato-shaped asteroid Vesta on Saturday to begin a yearlong study of the second largest object in the asteroid belt. Full Story Astronaut welcomes China to space brotherhood Fri,15 Jul 2011 10:18 AM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - A U.S. astronaut on the final shuttle mission said on Friday China's first space station will be a welcome addition to the orbital brotherhood. Full Story U.S. astronauts gird for post-shuttle era Thu,14 Jul 2011 03:10 PM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - Former chief astronaut Steve Lindsey announced his retirement on Thursday, the latest in a series of departures from the ranks of NASA's elite corps spurred by the end of the space shuttle program. Full Story Atlantis crew unpacks, rocks out to "Rocket Man" Thu,14 Jul 2011 01:14 PM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - The crew of NASA's final space shuttle mission restocked the International Space Station with tons of supplies on Wednesday after waking to the music of Elton John. Full Story Carbon dating technique to aid energy from waste Thu,14 Jul 2011 07:28 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A new use for carbon dating will aid the production of energy from wood and waste, said a bio-energy group on Thursday after British regulatory approval of the new test. Full Story Texas artist's work hurtling through space with Atlantis Tue,12 Jul 2011 04:12 PM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - It's a rare person who can say that her artwork is hurtling through space. Full Story Spacewalkers pack gear for last shuttle home Tue,12 Jul 2011 01:59 PM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - A pair of spacewalking astronauts floated outside the International Space Station on Tuesday to pack up a broken cooling pump and tackle other tasks before NASA's last space shuttle heads back to Earth. Full Story Billions of bugs wiped out on Dutch roads Tue,12 Jul 2011 10:33 AM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch motorists kill about 133 billion insects a month, splattering bugs on their vehicles and eliminating important members of the food chain, according to a study released this week. Full Story Space robot to practice refueling satellites Mon,11 Jul 2011 02:35 PM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - With the end of the space shuttle program in sight, the U.S. government intends to stimulate development of private space transportation and also to lay the foundation for an entire new industry to service satellites in orbit. Full Story Japan idled reactors could restart after stress test Mon,11 Jul 2011 04:05 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's idled nuclear reactors could restart work if they pass the first stage of two-step post-Fukushima safety checks, the government said on Monday.Full Story End of shuttle program could be boon for startup SpaceX, others Fri,8 Jul 2011 10:47 AM PDT Reuters - CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - After the U.S. space shuttle program ends this month, NASA will rely on Russia and its Soyuz craft to deliver Americans to the International Space Station -- at a cost of more than $50 million a seat. Full Story Factbox: Space shuttle Atlantis' final mission Fri,8 Jul 2011 10:05 AM PDT Reuters - CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Space shuttle Atlantis is due to launch on Friday on the 135th and final flight in NASA's shuttle program. The mission, scheduled to last 12 days, is intended to stockpile a year's worth of supplies on the International Space Station. Full Story   Analysis: Summer to test Japan resolve over nuclear power Thu,7 Jul 2011 08:31 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Two months of baking heat will test Japan's resolve to wean itself off nuclear power and show whether an energy-saving drive set off by meltdowns at the Fukushima plant will bring lasting efficiency gains the way the 1970s oil crisis did. Full Story

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HEALTH News, Jul 18, 2011 (2)

U.S. autopsy guidelines revised for Alzheimer's Sun,17 Jul 2011 11:19 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - For many years, an autopsy done by a pathologist was considered the best way to confirm the presence of Alzheimer's disease. Full Story   Japanese nuclear-contaminated beef "sold in and around Tokyo" Sun,17 Jul 2011 10:56 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's second-biggest retailer said on Sunday it had sold beef from cattle that ate nuclear-contaminated feed, the latest in a series of health scares from radiation leaking from a quake-crippled nuclear power plant. Full Story Falls, eye tests may detect early Alzheimer's Sun,17 Jul 2011 08:01 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - People at risk for Alzheimer's are twice as likely to fall as healthy people, and the disease may also be visible in scans of the eye, researchers said on Sunday. Full Story Avid CEO confident in Alzheimer's imaging agent Sat,16 Jul 2011 11:53 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - The chief executive of Eli Lilly and Co's Alzheimer's imaging unit is confident it can create a training program for its imaging drug that will satisfy concerns raised by U.S. regulators. Full Story U.S. pediatrician feels heat over child obesity idea Fri,15 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston pediatrician David Ludwig, the center of a media firestorm this week, wants to set the record straight on his view that a state should intervene in the most extreme cases of child obesity. Full Story Millions at risk of cholera in Ethiopia: WHO Fri,15 Jul 2011 01:38 PM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Five million people are at risk of cholera in drought-hitEthiopia, where acute watery diarrhea has broken out in crowded, unsanitary conditions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. Full Story Most drugs for Parkinson's psychosis unproven Fri,15 Jul 2011 01:36 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly every prescription written to treat Parkinson's psychosis -- a common psychiatric side effect of Parkinson's disease -- is for medications that have not been shown to improve the condition, a new study finds. Full Story Patients worse off with more-experienced docs? Fri,15 Jul 2011 01:35 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a study that flies in the face of common sense, sicker patients turned out to fare worse under the care of seasoned doctors than when newcomers to medicine looked after them. Full Story Traffic court does not reduce crashes later on Fri,15 Jul 2011 01:33 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drivers who choose to fight a speeding ticket in court, rather than pay a fine by mail, are more likely to be involved in a car crash later on, a new study of Maryland drivers shows. Full Story Medicare Part D sees falling drug costs: study Fri,15 Jul 2011 01:32 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cheaper generic drugs will continue to hold down costs for the U.S. government, insurers and patients enrolled in the federal prescription drug benefit, according to a report released on Friday. Full Story Millions at risk of cholera in Ethiopia, WHO warns Fri,15 Jul 2011 06:19 AM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Five million people are at risk of cholera in drought-hit Ethiopia, where acute watery diarrhea has broken out in crowded, unsanitary conditions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. Full Story Ad hoc efforts help cut U.S. healthcare costs Fri,15 Jul 2011 04:57 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare, comparative research made physicians realize that inducing early childbirth in healthy women created unnecessary and costly risks for newborns. Full Story Panel backs stricter blood cancer drug label Thu,14 Jul 2011 03:12 PM PDT Reuters - SILVER SPRING, Maryland (Reuters) - A U.S. advisory panel backed an experimental drug from Seattle Genetics Inc for treating two rare types of blood cancer, but recommended stricter labeling than the company sought. Full Story U.S. medical devices spending steady: report Thu,14 Jul 2011 02:44 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medical devices accounted for about 6 percent of the total U.S. health spending in 2009, barely changed from 10 years earlier and slightly higher than two decades ago, according to an industry report. Full Story Vitamin A may not prevent asthma: study Thu,14 Jul 2011 02:43 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite the important role of vitamin A in lung development, researchers have found that giving the nutrient to pregnant women or preschoolers in Nepal doesn't protect kids against asthma. Full Story

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BUSINESS News, Jul 18 2011

Paris hopes for Greek debt deal this week Sun,17 Jul 2011 11:51 PM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - France hopes a Greek rescue plan can be agreed this week and believes that the private sector should participate in efforts to resolve the euro zone's debt crisis, government spokeswoman Valerie Pecresse said on Monday. Full Story Philips surprises with 1.3 billion euro Q2 loss Sun,17 Jul 2011 11:47 PM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Philips on Monday made a surprise writedown on acquisitions that dragged the group to a 1.3 billion euro ($1.8 billion)second-quarter net loss, just weeks after warning on profits at two key divisions. Full Story Man Group buys Lehman exposure from GLG funds Sun,17 Jul 2011 11:41 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Hedge fund firm Man Group said on Monday it will take on exposure to the estates of defunct U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers from funds managed by its subsidiary GLG Partners for a total cash consideration of $355 million. Full Story Risk aversion lifts gold, Swiss franc; stocks dip Sun,17 Jul 2011 11:16 PM PDT Reuters - HONG KONG (Reuters) - Gold and the Swiss franc hit record highs on Monday with further gains likely as the lack of any breakthrough to the escalating debt crisis in the euro zone and the United States saps demand for risky assets. Full Story News Corp shares slide as hacking scandal deepens Sun,17 Jul 2011 10:53 PM PDT Reuters - MELBOURNE (Reuters) - News Corp's Australian shares fell more than 7 percent to a two-year low as the UK phone hacking scandal fallout worsened, while investors worried that a $2 billion bid for an Australian pay-tv firm involving News Corp could be derailed by political intervention. Full Story Democrats, Republicans still at odds on debt ceiling Sun,17 Jul 2011 10:03 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With five days remaining before President Barack Obama's deadline for a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, Republicans and Democrats have yet to agree on a big plan to cut the nation's deficit and raise its debt limit in time to avoid an unprecedented U.S. default. Full Story Analysis: China's big banks cushioned from local govt debt Sun,17 Jul 2011 09:43 PM PDT Reuters - HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - While investors fret about a jump in bad loans from China's local government entities, the country's so-called "Big Four" banks are busy squirreling money away for the day when borrowers start defaulting in large numbers. Full Story Snapshot: Developments in debt talks Sun,17 Jul 2011 08:49 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Here is the status as of late Sunday in negotiations to raise the U.S. $14.3 trillion debt limit. Full Story Borders bidding deadline passed without offers: report Sun,17 Jul 2011 07:22 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc inched closer to liquidation on Sundayafter a bidding deadline passed without offers, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter. Full Story Allegations against Chinese companies to continue: Fitch Sun,17 Jul 2011 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Allegations of fraud and accounting irregularities at Chinese companies are likely to continue for at least the near term and the accusations may hamper the firms' access to funds regardless of the claims' merit, Fitch Ratings said.Full Story Greenhill profit jumps as investors fret Sun,17 Jul 2011 05:01 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boutique financial advisory firm Greenhill & Co posted better-than-expected second-quarter earnings on Sunday, rushing the results out after reports on departures at the firm hit the company's stock. Full Story Euro govts consider bank levy in Greek rescue: report Sun,17 Jul 2011 05:01 PM PDT Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Euro zone governments are considering a banking levy as a way to involve private creditors in a Greek rescue, Germany's Die Welt newspaper reported on Monday, citing diplomatic sources. Full Story Fallback plan gains momentum in debt talks Sun,17 Jul 2011 04:39 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With time running short in U.S. debt talks, Republican and Democratic senators sought on Sunday to craft a plan that could avert an unprecedented government default while making modest cuts in the deficit. Full Story Markets set to target near failures of EU bank test Sun,17 Jul 2011 04:20 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Banks that scraped through the European Union's stress test of 90 lenders will start feeling the heat Monday from investors to beef up capital buffers. Full Story

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