NewsTrust - Sci/Tech - Today's Picks

As Oil Giants Lose Influence, Supply Drops

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

New York Times - By Jad Mouawad - Aug. 19 (News Report) - Oil production has begun falling at all of the major Western oil companies, and they are finding it harder than ever to find new prospects even though they are awash in profits and eager to expand.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average - Reviews - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

How Anti-Intellectualism Is Destroying America

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

AlterNet - By Terrence McNally, Susan Jacoby - Aug. 18 (Interview) - "It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant." Barack Obama finally said it. Though a successful political and electoral strategy, the Right's stand against intelligence has steered them far off course, leaving them -- and us -- unable to deal successfully with the complex and dynamic circumstances we face as a nation and a society.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average - Reviews - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Russian Aggression Carries High Cost For NASA

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

Pajamas Media - By Rand Simberg - Aug. 18 (Special Report) - As Washington reassesses its overall relationship with Russia in the wake of the recent incursion into the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, our current space policy may be dramatically affected. Given how crucial the Russians are to supporting it, particularly after the planned Shuttle retirement in 2010, we may have to decide how much the International Space Station (ISS) is really worth to us.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.0 from source rating - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Minding Mistakes: How the Brain Monitors Errors and Learns from Goofs

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

Scientific American - By Markus Ullsperger - Aug. 17 (Review) - Key Concepts: The brain contains neural machinery for recognizing errors, correcting them, and optimizing behavior. ... The neurotransmitter dopamine plays a major role in our ability to learn from our mistakes. Genetic variants that affect dopamine signaling may partly explain differences between people in the extent to which they learn from errors or negative consequences. .....

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average - Reviews - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Windmills split town and families

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

Associated Press - By Helen O'Neill - Aug. 17 (News Report) - "Listen," John Yancey says, leaning against his truck in a field outside his home. The rhythmic whoosh, whoosh, whoosh of wind turbines echoes through the air. Sleek and white, their long propeller blades rotate in formation, like some otherworldly dance of spindly-armed aliens swaying across the land. Yancey stares at them, his face contorted in anger and pain.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average - Reviews - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Pinker on words, Lakoff on brains and politics

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

Australian Broadcasting - By Natasha Mitchell - Aug. 17 (Review) - All in the Mind this week features an encore broadcast of the Stephen Pinker's interview about The Stuff of Thought, his latest forensic excavation of language and its evolutionary delights. My original blog post about the interview (with some of your comments) is here. Feel free to add more thoughts.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 from source rating - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Timing Of Political Messages Influences Voter Preferences, Researcher Finds

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

ScienceDaily - Aug. 17 (News Report) - In political campaigns, timing is almost everything. Candidates communicate with voters over a long period of time before voters actually vote. What candidates say to these voters is, of course, important, but it turns out that when they say it also influences voter preferences.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 from source rating - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Oceanic Dead Zones Continue to Spread

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

Scientific American - By David Biello - Aug. 15 (News Report) - More bad news for the world's oceans: Dead zones--areas of bottom waters too oxygen depleted to support most ocean life--are spreading, dotting nearly the entire east and south coasts of the U.S. as well as several west coast river outlets.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.2 average - Reviews - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Hack the Vote

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

Slate - By Christopher Beam - Aug. 15 (Special Report) - This year, campaigns are relying more than ever on e-mail, texting, and the Web to get their message out and raise cash. But high-speed communication also means more opportunities for electronic skullduggery. Just as new technology lets voters get good information faster than ever in 2008, mischief-makers can spread bad information quickly.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 from source rating - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Eastern Uganda Grapples with Power Plant Project

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

National Public Radio - By Jason Kane - Aug. 14 (Special Report) - (text only) In the East African nation of Uganda, where 95 percent of the people live without electricity, a $750 million hydropower project has been approved by the government. While it promises to turn lights on in a handful of homes and businesses throughout the country, critics say the project will destroy cultural sites that are home to ancestral spirits, wreak environmental havoc and kill one of the best white-water rafting spots in the world.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average - Reviews - Review It

Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer