SCIENCE News, Jul 19, 2011

Last U.S. space shuttle leaves station Mon,18 Jul 2011 11:54 PM PDT Reuters - CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The last U.S. space shuttle departed the International Space Station on Tuesday, ending a 12-year program to build and service the orbital outpost, the primary legacy of NASA's shuttle fleet. Full Story

Space shuttle prepares to depart station for last time Mon,18 Jul 2011 11:45 AM PDT Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - The crew of NASA's final space shuttle mission closed the hatch to the International Space Station for the final time on Monday in preparation for the shuttle's last flight back to Earth. Full Story

Brain swelling may be common with Alzheimer's drugs Mon,18 Jul 2011 09:49 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - Three patients treated with an experimental Bristol-Myers Squibb Alzheimer's drug have developed a type of brain swelling known as vasogenic edema, but the side effect may be common in Alzheimer's patients, researchers said on Monday. Full Story

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

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HEALTH News, Jul 19, 2011

U.N. begins food aid airlift to rebel-held Somalia Mon,18 Jul 2011 02:37 PM PDT Reuters - NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it had started airlifting food aid to rebel-held parts of drought-hit Somalia and that Islamist insurgents had abided by a pledge to allow relief workers free access. Full Story

Tests for inherited colon cancer may be worth cost Mon,18 Jul 2011 02:35 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Screening tumors from all colon cancer patients could be a cost-effective way of spotting families at high genetic risk of the disease, a study published Monday suggests. Full Story

Secondhand smoke tied to teens' hearing loss Mon,18 Jul 2011 01:37 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teens who are exposed to secondhand smoke may be at a higher risk of hearing loss, researchers have found. Full Story

Hispanics still lagging in sun-safe behaviors Mon,18 Jul 2011 01:33 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Hispanics shouldn't assume their darker skin means they can't get skin cancer, and they should make sure to protect themselves when they're out in the sun, according to a new report. Full Story

Hispanics still lagging in sun-safe behaviors Mon,18 Jul 2011 01:31 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Hispanics shouldn't assume their darker skin means they can't get skin cancer, and they should make sure to protect themselves when they're out in the sun, according to a new report. Full Story

Most drugs for Parkinson's psychosis unproven Mon,18 Jul 2011 12:35 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

Birth defects linked to coal smoke, pesticides: China study Mon,18 Jul 2011 12:06 PM PDT Reuters - HONG KONG (Reuters) - Pregnant women who are exposed to coal smoke and pesticides are up to four times more likely to have babies with serious birth defects than women not exposed to these chemicals, a Chinese study has found. Full Story

Falls, eye tests may hint at early Alzheimer's Mon,18 Jul 2011 10:33 AM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - People at risk for Alzheimer's are twice as likely to fall as healthy people, and the disease might also be visible in scans of the eye, researchers said on Sunday. Full Story

Autopsy guidelines revised for Alzheimer's Mon,18 Jul 2011 09:03 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

Pediatrician feels heat over child obesity idea Mon,18 Jul 2011 09:02 AM 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

FDA signals support for Edwards heart valve Mon,18 Jul 2011 08:45 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Drug reviewers said Edwards Lifesciences Corp's heart valve "demonstrated superiority" in a trial that also showed the device's safety and effectiveness for patients considered to be too sick to have open-heart surgery. Full Story

Heavy teens need more health talks: study Mon,18 Jul 2011 01:19 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pediatricians often miss important opportunities to talk about nutrition, exercise, and emotional issues with overweight teens, suggests new research from California. Full Story

Sharing mom's bed won't harm kids' social skills Mon,18 Jul 2011 01:19 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There is no need to worry about harming your toddler's intellectual or social development if bed-sharing works for your family, researchers say. Full Story

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

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BUSINESS News, Jul 19 2011

No consensus as Europe limps toward Greece summit Mon,18 Jul 2011 11:40 PM PDT Reuters - BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) - European governments and banks struggled to reconcile competing proposals for a second bailout of Greece on Monday, three days before leaders meet to prevent the crisis from spreading through the region. Full Story

Gold hovers below record, extends gains to 12th day Mon,18 Jul 2011 11:33 PM PDT Reuters - SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold held steady below its record high on Tuesday, on course for a 12th straight day of gains, as growing sovereign debt worries on either side of the Atlantic continued to support sentiment. Full Story

Stocks stabilize but vulnerable to Europe Mon,18 Jul 2011 11:08 PM PDT Reuters - SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Equities stabilized on Tuesday, helped by technology shares ahead of Apple's earnings, though the euro sagged, suggesting investors may keep cutting their exposure to risks in the face of default threats in the United States and Europe. Full Story

Novartis expects to be able to fend off generics Mon,18 Jul 2011 10:45 PM PDT Reuters - ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis expects volume growth at its pharma unit to more than offset the impact of generic competition, the Swiss drugmaker said after posting a 27 percent rise in second-quarter sales. Full Story

Amid local debt worries, China's tax revenue surges 30 percent Mon,18 Jul 2011 10:26 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China's tax revenues in the first half of the year surged 29.6 percent from a year earlier to 5 trillion yuan ($773 billion), underscoring the government's ability to deal with any fallout from piles of local government debt. Full Story

Analysis: McConnell plan may be reckoning for Republicans Mon,18 Jul 2011 10:04 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Mitch McConnell's plan to avert an imminent U.S. debt default could lead to a day of reckoning for his Republicans as they weigh the prospect of fiscal disaster against the demands of Tea Party activists. Full Story

Apple set to wow investors, outlook eyed Mon,18 Jul 2011 09:51 PM PDT Reuters - Apple shares rose nearly 2.5 percent on Monday to close at a record high of $373.80 on expectations that the company will beat analysts' forecasts for the fiscal third-quarter, which saw an easing of the supply constraints surrounding the iPad 2. Full Story

Cisco to cut workforce by 15 percent, sell factory to Hon Hai Mon,18 Jul 2011 09:48 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Cisco Systems plans to cut 15 percent of its staff and sell a set-top box factory as part of a plan to cut annual expenses by $1 billion as the network equipment maker tries to revive its fortunes. Full Story

Borders, unable to find white knight, to liquidate Mon,18 Jul 2011 06:05 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc, the second-largest U.S. bookstore chain, said it has canceled an upcoming bankruptcy auction and will close its doors for good. Full Story

Microsoft seals record year, stock still stuck Mon,18 Jul 2011 05:45 PM PDT Reuters - SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is set to post a 9 percent jump in fiscal fourth-quarter profit on Thursday, putting the cap on its best financial year ever, but investors are fidgety over flagging computer sales and a gnawing feeling that the tech pioneer will never recapture old growth rates. Full Story

Clorox rejects Icahn bid as too low Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:44 PM PDT Reuters - CHICAGO/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Clorox Co on Monday rejected as too low an offer from billionaire investor Carl Icahn that values it at more than $10 billion. Full Story

Well Go USA signs deal with Japan's Sushi Typhoon Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:40 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Well Go USA has become the North American distributor for the Japanese genre label Sushi Typhoon. Full Story

Murdochs face questions in parliament Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:39 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch and his son James face questions from parliament on Tuesday in a phone-hacking scandal that has rocked Britain's establishment right up to Prime Minister David Cameron. Full Story

Borders, unable to find white knight, to liquidate Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:33 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc, the second-largest U.S. bookstore chain, said it has canceled an upcoming bankruptcy auction and will close its doors for good. Full Story

IBM's services signings surge, stock rises Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:31 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - IBM's signings of new business at its services division surged 16 percent in the second quarter, trouncing expectations and raising hopes that 2011 will be a good year for the technology sector. Full Story

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