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Global warming experts recommend drastic measures to save species
An international team of conservation scientists from Australia, the United Kingdom and United States, including University of Texas at Austin professor Camille Parmesan, call for new conservation tactics, such as assisted migration, in the face of the growing threat of climate change.
EurekAlert!  –  Jul 17, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Technology: Science
Surges of trust hormone between mother and infant are created by dendrites
Researchers from China, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom, have created a model that shows exactly how, when a baby suckles at a mother's breast, it starts a chain of events that leads to a surge of the "trust" hormone oxytocin in their mother's brain. Details are published July 18 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology.
EurekAlert!  –  Jul 17, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Technology: Science
Rock Out With Your Clock Out: We Test Atomic Watches
For a watch that’s more accurate than a sniper with a Ritalin rush, nothing beats an atomic watch. Automatically synchronized via low-frequency radio signals, these clocks keep perfect time up to six miles in the air, never need winding and sync themselves when you fly across time zones. Some are rugged enough to survive a trip up Mount Kilimanjaro while others are fancy enough to wear at a black-tie gala. And hey, for watches with such geeky features, that’s pretty bomb. --Michael S. LaskyCasio G-Shock Riseman Say you’re about to summit Everest. Or you’re schlepping through the narrows of Hong Kong. Or you’re tearing through hard angles at Le Mans. You want to know what time it is and you want it to be accurate. Casio’s G-Shock Riseman has you covered. A true globetrotter, the watch receives time-calibration signals from six different world transmitters in the United States, Japan, China, Germany and the United Kingdom. (Most atomic watches sold in the United States receive time updates solely from the Atomic Clock at Fort Collins, Colorado.) But playing nice with a worldwide network of Atomic Clocks is just an opening act for the Riseman. Four side buttons control displays for altitude (up to 32,800 feet ... higher than Everest!) temperature, barometric pressure and a stopwatch. As one might assume from its G-Shock moniker, the 2.2-ounce Riseman is rugged, shock-proof with its rubber and metal case and its black, industrial Terminator design. Seriously, we dragged this thing through mud, froze it, dunked water on it, threw it, even called it names. It didn’t lose a single speck of functionality. Powered by a solar cell that replenishes the watch’s rechargeable battery, there’s never a need to replace batteries. We put the watch in a coma by leaving it in a drawer for six days. But it only took a few minutes in the sun for the timepiece to perk up again. Note to the farsighted: The battery indicator is so squinty-small it can induce temple-shattering headaches. But all these features come with a steep learning curve -- mastering the features of this watch took us several days. The manual, a 132-page credit card size flipbook, is a maze of details for each function. Just switching the temperature readings from Celsius to Fahrenheit takes a whopping 14 button pushes. But in time (hi-yo!) the Riseman is the ideal wrist-mounted companion to take on a trek up the Himalayas or an urban safari. WIRED Lightweight, ruggedized multifunction watch packs a full house of environmental data great for world travelers and outdoor adventurers. With a few exceptions, digital display is easy to read in any light setting.TIRED Massive, complex, obtuse instructions. Set aside a three-day weekend to figure out the feature load. Don’t hide the watch behind a shirtsleeve -- like the villain from Superman IV it needs direct sunlight to work. $220, Casio8/10Citizen Skyhawk ATSlip on the Skyhawk AT before getting on a plane and risk getting charged for an extra carry-on. At 6.3 ounces, this watch is heavier than a Royale with cheese but is crammed with enough features to nearly justify the heft. With an impressive black-and-silver face (really, it could pass for a control panel of a private jet) the appropriately named Skyhawk displays data on four analog mini-faces and two digital displays. World time for 43 cities, two alarms, 1/100-second chronograph with a 24-hour recorder, a 99 minute countdown time, perpetual calendar, a rotating slide rule bezel -- just some of the device’s capabilities. Too bad the teeny fonts on the mini-faces are nearly impossible to read in dim light. Forget eyeglasses, you’ll need a scanning electron microscope to read it. Setting up the Skyhawk takes a load of patience and a good deal of time. All controls require a combination of pulling the center crown one or two notches, aligning dials on the mini-faces or one of the two digital displays. While the relatively slim 40-page manual carefully guides you through the steps, there are still many features that require a lengthy process of trial and error to master. WIRED Atomic timekeeping with radio-controlled accuracy and solar-powered rechargeable battery make this function-loaded, flight chronograph world watch a convenient tool for world travelers, pilots and gadget-philes.TIRED Despite its handsome face, the embedded mini-faces are hard to read, and operating the watch’s wealth of features requires a long learning curve. The 6.3-ounce weight (hey, another 1.7 ounces and you would be carrying a half-pound) can be uncomfortable and less than ergonomic.$695 (as tested), Citizen Watch7/10Casio PathfinderGot time? If you decide to put the Casio Pathfinder PAW1500T-7V on your wrist, you’ll need it. This nearly quarter-pound, atomic, solar watch is armed with a slew of functions that require a Herculean effort to master. Accompanied by a thick, 155-page manual, Casio makes sure every detail of the watch is covered, short of pawning it for booze money. Some functions are easy. Want to know how high you are? Push the altimeter button. Want to know how hot it is? Push the thermometer button. See what type of (atmospheric) pressure you are under with the barometer button. Others are not: A digital compass puts you in the right direction and even calibrates bi-directionally with readings from either the North or South Poles, but its hard to decipher. Same goes for interpreting readouts on the phases of the moon or the tide. The thick, military styled Pathfinder looks like a watch Rambo would wear. And we’re talking about psychotic killing machine Rambo from First Blood, not geriatric, overly tanned Rambo from the 2008 film. But you’ll need a Stallone-style workout just to carry the damned thing around. After a week of wearing the device, we were literally walking crooked from an enormous atomic bracelet weighing down our left wrist. WIRED Enough features to keep hikers (altimeter), seafarers (tide readings) or soldiers of fortune (hefty weight = bludgeoning device) satisfied. Solar power means no battery changes, and an atomic radio maintains perfect standard and daylight savings time around the world.TIRED Steep learning curve. 155-page manual reads like a Tolstoy novel. 3.9-ounce weight is enough to dislocate a geeky wrist. $400, Path Finder6/10Oceanus OCWS1000A Atomic Solar WatchDon’t let the relatively simple design of the Oceanus fool you. The rising tide of chronographic features built into its three-ounce titanium case are, well, a bit staggering. But so are its price tag and some of its more complex functions. First off, the extremely pretty black and silver face sports three mini-dials. Each motor controls a movement on the watch face -- the sweep second hand, the chronograph, world time, 24-hour time and date display. While the Oceanus name might suggest this is a great diving watch, it surprisingly can only resist water up to 50 meters. (Similar chronographs reach depths of 200 meters.) But that’s nearly excusable since this is jewelry best used above sea level. Its world clock function lets you check current times in 27 cities and 29 time zones. If you are traveling out of your time zone, a few taps on one of the four control buttons on either side of the watch will toggle a world time with your regular home city setting. The 1/20th second stopwatch measures elapsed time up to 59 minutes, and 59.99 seconds. Too bad it doesn’t have a memory to handle more than one lap. We had to write down each lap time before restarting the timer. Watch those clumsy fingers too -- push the wrong button and the stopwatch quickly resets to zero. Its tachymeter function used to convert time intervals to speed or rates of events is etched around the rim of the analog face. But the silver on silver markings -- no doubt designed with cosmetics more than functionality in mind -- are more difficult to read than any other watch we tested.After wearing and using the Oceanus OCWS1000A for a week, its overall usefulness begins to pale -- especially in the face of other timepieces (like the Casio) that are cheaper and far easier to operate. Call us hopeless nerds, but shouldn’t an atomic watch with a $1,095 price tag spend its time both looking good and functioning perfectly?WIRED Elegant looks coupled with cool factor make this a device that would feel at home on the wrist of George Clooney. Four seamless integrated side control buttons eliminate garish angles found in other watches. TIRED Small type fonts on watch face can be hard to read. Setting instructions require a time-consuming, initial learning curve. Float me a loan so I can afford one of these things.$1095, Oceanus5/10
Wired News  –  Jul 17, 2008 12:00 AM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Technology
Penn West Energy Trust announces the pricing of a proposed private placement of Notes in the United Kingdom and confirms its July cash distribution
Read full story for latest details.
Canada NewsWire  –  Jul 16, 2008 9:50 PM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Canada
Choice Hotels International to Accelerate Clarion Brand Growth in United Kingdom, Germany and Russia
Read full story for latest details.
PR Newswire  –  Jul 16, 2008 8:38 PM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Top Stories: Press Releases
Visit Florida takes aim at United Kingdom with tourism marketing effort
Visit Florida is introducing a new marketing campaign focused on luring tourists from the United Kingdom. The announcement comes on the fourth day of Gov. Crist's ongoing trade mission to Europe.
bizjournals.com  –  Jul 16, 2008 6:55 PM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Business: Sales and Marketing
Stephen Hawking has no plans to leave United Kingdom for Waterloo
TORONTO - Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has no immediate plans to leave his University of Cambridge posting to work in Waterloo, Ont.
Canoe.ca  –  Jul 16, 2008 5:50 PM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Technology: Science
Big Brother Getting Bigger Part 2: United Kingdom
In a move to bring direct competition to the US on who can be the bigger, badder, more blatant Big Brother, the United Kingdom has apparently decided to create a database holding the telephone numbers and email accounts of everyone in Britain. The details of every phone conversation, SMS, and...
ZDNet  –  Jul 16, 2008 3:32 PM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Technology: Software
Cases Of Discrimination Against HIV-Positive Children Discovered In U.K., Group Says
HIV-positive children throughout the United Kingdom are being turned away and excluded from primary and secondary schools, which is against the country's anti-discrimination laws, London's Observer reports.According to an investigation by the
Medical News Today  –  Jul 16, 2008 1:00 PM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Health: AIDS - HIV
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Flesh-Eating Slug Found in Wales
The ghastly predators, which sucks up earthworms like spaghetti, may have traveled to the United Kingdom as stowaways in imported plants from the Caucasus region.
NationalGeographic.com  –  Jul 16, 2008 12:00 AM [GMT]  ¦  comment?
found in Technology: Science