Tripedal robots and Earth Imaging

SPACE.com

Space Based Solar Power Fuels Vision of Global Energy Security - The deployment of space platforms that capture sunlight for beaming down electrical power to Earth is under review by the Pentagon, as a way to offer global energy and security benefits – including the prospect of short-circuiting future resource wars between increasingly energy-starved nations.

news@nature

Opiates for the masses - During the next few weeks farmers in one of the world's poorest countries will begin sowing seeds for what is expected to become the biggest and most lucrative opium crop yet. Field upon field of beautiful blooms belie a dark legacy that wends a destructive path from the growing fields of Afghanistan to individuals in cities thousands of miles away. With the population so financially dependent on the crop, international bodies are increasingly looking at alternatives to eradication to address the illicit drugs trade problem, including introducing a legal, licensing scheme. On 12 September, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs issued a report calling for its council to put a proposal to the Afghan government for turning part of the poppy crop into legal analgesics, such as morphine and codeine.

The Globe and Mail - Technology News

U.S. Patriot Act poisoning the groves of academe - A controversial U.S. law designed to fight terrorism has reached into the halls of Canadian academia, with universities finding ways to keep electronic data about their students out of American hands. Some provinces have passed legislation designed to protect private information from sweeping powers outlined in the U.S. Patriot Act, which compels American companies to turn over virtually any information that the U.S. government requests.

washingtonpost.com - Technology

Searching Passengers' Faces For Subtle Cues to Terror - Looking for signs of "stress, fear and deception" among the hundreds of passengers shuffling past him at Orlando International Airport one day last month, security screener Edgar Medina immediately focused on four casually dressed men trying to catch a flight to Minneapolis. After obtaining the passengers' ID cards and boarding passes, the Transportation Security Administration officer quickly determined the men were illegal immigrants traveling with fake Florida driver's licenses.

New Scientist Tech - Technology

Tripedal robot swings itself into action - A three-legged robot with an unconventional and graceful walk has been developed by US researchers. Like humans, it exploits gravity to save energy with each step, but it also flips its entire body upside-down with each stride.

Physics Org

Natural gas inhabited by unusual specialists - A German-American research team of biologists and geochemists has discovered hitherto unknown anaerobic bacteria in marine sediments which need only propane or butane for growth, as reported by the scientific journal Nature in its current online issue.

Childhood vaccination may protect adult eyes - Childhood vaccination for the rubella virus may have also almost entirely eliminated an inflammatory eye disease from the U.S.-born population, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

ABC News: Technology & Science

Earth-Imaging Satellite Travels to Space - A rocket carrying a next-generation Earth-imaging satellite blasted off Tuesday on a mission that promises to zoom in on objects as small as 18 inches across.

Become a Vegan, Save the Environment? - Eating less meat could help slow global warming by reducing the number of livestock and thereby decreasing the amount of methane flatulence from the animals, scientists said on Thursday.

Cabbies: GPS Could Reveal 'Trade Secrets' - A group of cabbies sued city regulators Wednesday in an attempt to block a new requirement that all taxis be outfitted with global positioning systems and software that will record where they drive. n the lawsuit, the drivers argue that the city overstepped its authority and acted unconstitutionally when it mandated the GPS units. Their lawsuit also makes an unusual claim that the GPS devices will give away trade secrets by disclosing the cabbies' driving patterns.

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