Scientist who claimed polar bears were drowning is investigated for 'scientific misconduct'

• Probe hailed by climate change sceptics
• Defenders accuse U.S. government of 'persecution'

The scientist who claimed polar bears were drowning because of melting ice caps is being investigated for 'scientific misconduct'.

Dr Charles Monnett, an Alaskan wildlife biologist working for the U.S. government, stunned the world after spotting four polar bear bodies floating in the sea miles from shore.

He suggested the high winds and waves of a recent storm had exhausted the predators, which are normally good swimmers.

Strong swimmers: A female polar bear with two cubs near Churchill, Canada. A scientist who suggested polar bears were drowning due to a loss of pack ice caused by global warming is under investigation

And in a scientific paper, he and colleagues argued that the increased incidence of storms caused by global warming, and the loss of ice for polar bears to walk on, could lead to more deaths in the future.

While the findings were seized upon by environmentalists as another peril of climate change, sceptics and some other scientists questioned the conclusions.

 

Yesterday it emerged Dr Monnett – who works for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement – has been placed on leave and is being investigated for 'integrity issues' apparently linked to the polar bear report.

Dr David Whitehouse, science adviser to the sceptical Global Warming Policy Foundation, said: 'The dangers of climate science is that once you passionately believe in man-made global warming, you see connections everywhere when you should be scientifically cautious about drawing conclusions.'

Dr Monnett is in charge of a £30million project researching the Arctic's wildlife. A BOEMRE spokesman declined to comment on an 'on-going internal investigation'.

The organisation is believed to have barred Dr Monnett from talking to reporters.

However, his suspension has  infuriated conservationists who say the Obama administration is  'persecuting' Dr Monnett.

Loss of habitat: A polar bear sow and two cubs on the Beaufort Sea coast within the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Dr Monnett's bear sighting in 2004 was the first such recorded incident. It was cited by Al Gore in his documentary An Inconvenient Truth.

In an article published two years later, Dr Monnett and his colleague Jeffrey Gleason said bear  'drowning-related deaths may increase if the observed trend of regression of pack ice and/or longer open water periods continues'.

Polar bears are considered strong swimmers, they wrote, but long-distance swims may be more exhausting than standing or walking on ice in better weather.

The paper drew worldwide attention and helped make the polar bear a 'poster child' for the global warming movement.

In 2008, the U.S. classified the polar bear as a threatened species, the first with its survival at risk due to global warming.

Last year scientists working for the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change came under fire for exaggerating the threat of  global warming.

The body falsely claimed Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035 after lifting claims from an unsubstantiated report written by the green charity WWF. (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

BBC iPlayer launches in Europe ... and costs half the price of the licence fee

The BBC's iPlayer service today launched in Europe for less than half the price of the British TV licence fee.

The European version of the iPlayer costs just 6.99EUR (£6.14) per month - which equates to £73 per year.

The annual licence fee for British viewers is £145.50 per year.

Going global: The European version of the iPlayer costs just 6.99EUR (£6.14) per month - which equates to £73 per year

John Smith, head of BBC Worldwide, said: 'Today marks a significant next step on a digital journey that has already seen 12million BBC Worldwide apps downloaded across brands as diverse as Lonely Planet and Good Food.

 

While the global iPlayer app will not provide all of the BBC's content to overseas subscribers, the catch-up service is expected to allow those abroad access to full series of shows.
The iPlayer app is due to launch internationally in the next few months - in the U.S. it is expected to cost around $10 (£6.09) per month.

DOES iPLAYER REQUIRE A TV LICENCE IN BRITAIN?

Yes and no is the strange answer to that seemingly simple question.
According to the TV Licencing authority, if you use iPlayer to watch TV programmes at the same time as they are being shown on TV - such as live sporting events - then you need to be covered by a valid TV licence.
However, if you use the service to watch programmes after they have been broadcast, either as downloads or via streaming on-demand, then you do not need a licence.

The licence fee gives Britons access to ten TV channels and 55 radio stations, as well as the Online, Mobile and iPlayer services.
However, the BBC said that the international iPlayer app will help to provide more funding for services for people in Britain, a view was echoed by industry experts.
'There are two ways of looking at this,' Ian Maude, head of internet at Enders Analysis, said recently.
'One way is that people overseas should pay more for BBC content than those in the UK who are forced to pay the licence fee, whether they like or not, as it is imposed as a flat tax.
'However, the other way to view it is that any more money the BBC can generate overseas is good for UK licence fee payers because the extra money will help keep the fee down.'
Mark Thompson, the BBC's director general, said the iPlayer app will allow the BBC to 'sell directly to consumers' without the need to rebrand them for broadcast internationally, which would seem to bring it into conflict with the business model of the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.

BBC director general Mark Thompson. The global iPlayer app will not provide all of the BBC's content to overseas subscribers, but the catch-up service is expected to allow those abroad access to full series of shows

But as mobile TV technology improves Mr Thompson called for broadcasters, mobile phone companies and the government to work together and create guidelines for the developing frontier.

'I believe that there's a strong case for the UK's broadcasters, mobile phone operators, Ofcom and government to come together to develop a road map for the introduction of mobile TV in this country,' he said earlier this year.

'This would be complementary to the availability of TV content on demand, whether streamed or cached on the device and would enable the public to access time-critical content – news, major sports events and so on – wherever they are.' (Achmad zaenudin Ali)

Riddle of the vanishing Neanderthals finally solved... they were overrun by modern humans

 

 

 

Neanderthals ruled the world for 300,000 years before being overrun

It has been one of the great mysteries of human existence.

But scientists have cracked what happened to our Neanderthal ancestors, who ruled the globe for 300,000 years then suddenly vanished.

For generations, experts have pointed to humans’ superior brains or better hunting techniques as the reason for our supremacy.

But Cambridge University researchers have discovered the real answer was much simpler - we overran them.

Modern humans, who evolved in the cradle of Africa, arrived in Europe with more than ten times the population of the Neanderthals and took over their habitats.

This dramatic increase  in numbers meant the Neanderthals were unable to compete for animals and scarce food supplies during the freezing sub-zero winters.

And with more of our own kind, and more complex systems of communication, humans relied on each other for help and were able to trade resources in times of scarcity.

Professor Sir Paul Mellars, Professor Emeritus of Prehistory and Human Evolution at the Department of Archaeology, said:  ‘Faced with this kind of competition, the Neanderthals seem to have retreated initially into more marginal and less attractive regions of the continent and eventually – within a space of at most a few thousand years – for their populations to have declined to extinction….around 40,000 years ago.’

 

His teams studied ruins from the Perigord region of south-western France which contains the largest concentration of Neanderthal and early human sites in Europe.

There they found clear evidence that humans penetrated the region in ten times the numbers of the local Neanderthals and much bigger areas of occupation – seen in stone tools and animal food remains.

Neanderthal populations declined to extinction around 40,000 years ago

The researchers believe their findings, published in the journal Science, demonstrate for the first time the massive numerical supremacy the earliest modern human populations had over the Neanderthals and resolve the long-running debate over the reasons for their extinction.

Modern humans arrived in Europe from Africa with ten times the population of Neanderthals and simply overran them

Whether humans also possessed more highly developed brains and associated mental capacities than the Neanderthals still remains a matter of intense debate, but experts have pointed to their sophisticated cave paintings and use of spears for hunting as evidence of their innovations.

Prof Mellars added: ‘In any event, it was clearly this range of new technological and behavioural innovations allowed the modern human populations to invade and survive in much larger population numbers than those of the preceding Neanderthals across the whole of the European continent.’

Neanderthals and modern humans shared a common ancestor in Africa. 

Around 400,000 years ago early Neanderthals left Africa and headed for Europe and Asia.

However, our ancestors stayed behind, and evolved into modern humans.

Then, 100,000 years ago, they too left Africa in a wave of migrations.

The two species lived side by side in Europe and Asia for up to 20,000 years until the Neanderthals vanished.

Last year genetic research revealed there was a small amount of inter-breeding, and modern Asians and Europeans have between one and four per cent of Neanderthal DNA.(Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

When auto-correct goes bad: How smartphone users are left red-faced by typing blunders

For a mobile that calls itself a 'smartphone' the auto-correct function isn't so clever.

The predictably ends up interfering in people's messages, changing them to vastly different meanings.

The unwitting sender usually forwards them, oblivious to the fact that they may have just sent a bit of a blunder.

One father gives his child a shock when he attempts to tell them of their holiday plans

At least this lothario didn't text his date this message blunder

Learning the hard way: At least it's out in the open

Accidentally outing: This mother will have some explaining to do

From changing the words 'kissing' to 'killing' or 'cross country' to 'cross dressing' the receiver normally gets a bit of a shock, before a laugh.

And the red-faced sender usually has to send a hurried explanation, just in case they get the wrong idea.

 

Check it before you send it! The auto-correct can lead to texting bloopers

The auto-correct howlers on devices like the iPhone mean that although the mobiles might have all the latest technology, sometimes a good old-fashioned phone call might spare the sender's blushes.

One son gets the shock of his life after hearing that his brother was 'adopted' before his mother realised her mistake and has to convince him she meant 'accepted'.

Another a boy accidentally 'outs' himself as gay to his delighted parents, before he has to persuade them that he's not, before asking them why they had 'always' suspected he was.

The howlers have been collected by a website dedicated to the blunders, called www.damnyouautocorrect.com.

Bombshell blunder: One child almost finds out their sibling might be adopted over the phone

Racy revelations: This sender's good news was spoilt by his unwitting confession that he had made a significant lifestyle choice

Heartfelt: One girl's soothing to another's concerns takes a turn for the worse

Too much information: His Monday just got a little bit worse. (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

Travel the electric highway: Free solar-powered charging points kickstart a green car revolution

• Electric vehicles will for the first time be able to travel anywhere in Britain

The world's first national motorway network of electric car-charging points opens across Britain today.

Free to use, the solar-powered 'top-up' stations are already at 12 Welcome Break services - with 17 more due to open by the end of September.

The move means electric vehicles will for the first time be able to travel anywhere in Britain.

World first: Transport Minister Mike Penning uses a solar-powered 'top-up' point at South Mimms service station in Hertfordshire. The points are already at 12 Welcome Break services in Britain - with 17 more due to open by the end of September

Previously, the main barrier for people wanting to buy electric cars was range anxiety, the restriction of only being able to drive within their own city.

Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity, the firm behind the network, said: 'Until now, charging posts have all been in city centres like London, but this is where you need them the least.

 

'Statistics show that it’s not in towns and cities where electric cars need to recharge, but on longer journeys between cities - and that means motorways.'

Each charging post will be powered with 100 per cent green energy made at Ecotricity’s wind and solar parks across Britain.

The posts will be located outside the main entrance, with two sockets that can be accessed by registering for a free swipecard.

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Newfound freedom: The move means electric vehicles will for the first time be able to travel anywhere in Britain

Electric car owners need to register for a swipecard with Ecotricity in order to use the service

Electric cars can top-up in just 20 minutes using rapid recharge points with a 32A supply or fully charge in two hours. Those using the slower 13A supply will be able to recharge fully if staying overnight at motorway service hotels.

Within 18 months all Welcome Break motorway services will have charging points.

Electric car drivers, and motorcycle riders, will then be able to drive from across Britain completely free and with vastly reduced emissions.

Mr Vince added: 'We’re creating the infrastructure to get Britain’s electric car revolution moving. This marks the beginning of the end for the old combustion engine.

'With world oil prices going through the roof, you’ll now be able to get around Britain using only the power of the wind. It costs 1p a mile in an electric vehicle, compared with 10p in a petrol car.' (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

It's grim up North... which gives the locals bigger brains

Grey matter: Has Northern dimness led to the evolution of bigger brains?

For Northerners tiring of those old jokes about them being less than bright, help is at hand.

Scientists say the Northern brain is actually bigger than those of the South.

But before Northerners round triumphantly on their pea-brained Southern critics, big doesn’t necessarily mean smarter.

Instead, the extra grey matter simply helps them see clearly in the lower light levels that come with living at high latitudes. 

To put it another way, Northern dimness led to the evolution of bigger brains. 

The intriguing theory comes from Oxford University scientists who measured the brain volume of 55 skulls from around the world.

Some were English, others came from  as far afield as China, Africa and the Pacific Islands. 

Plotting brain volume with the geographical location of the person’s country clearly showed that the further north they lived, the bigger their brain.

Scandinavians had the most brain power and Pacific Islanders the least.  Measurements of the eye sockets also showed that those from northern climes had bigger eyes. 

 

Finally, the research team showed that the eyesight of those living in the north is just as good as those based near the equator, despite their days being illuminated by less of the sun’s light. 

Researcher Eiluned Pearce, from the university’s school of anthropology, said that this suggests that the bigger brains and eyes are needed to see properly in dimmer light. 

The skull of a Somalian male used in the study, but which had eye sockets larger than you would expect at that latitude. The further North, the larger your brain and eye sockets, according to scientists

Dim and grim... but this is of benefit to those who live in the North

‘As you move away from the equator, there’s less light available, so humans have had to evolve bigger and bigger eyes. Their brains also need to be bigger to deal with the extra visual input.’

Northerners, however, should not get too big-headed as the researcher added: ‘Having bigger brains doesn’t mean that higher latitude humans are smarter, it just means they need bigger brains to be able to see well where they live.’

The study, published in the Royal  Society journal Biology Letters, took into account other factors that could have affected the results, including the fact that people living at higher latitudes are physically bigger over all. 

The study did not examine differences in brain size in individual countries, however these are expected to be bigger in long, thin countries such as Brazil and Chile.

In the UK, there may be very slight differences between northern and southern cities – if they haven’t been wiped out by the population mixing over the years. (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

Stealth mode: Blainville's beaked whales avoid predators by maintaining complete silence near the sea surface

They are among the most mysterious animals which man has ever studied.

But now Blainville's beaked whales have surprised researchers once again - after they discovered they have ‘stealth’ mode.

The mammals do not communicate with each other when near the surface so that they cannot be found by predators.

Once they get to within 170metres of the water’s surface there is no talking at all, even though such a climb typically took 19 minutes.

Full of surprises: Blainville's beaked whales do not communicate with each other when near the surface so that they cannot be found by predators

This is also in spite of the fact that the whales spend 60 per cent of their lives in waters above the 170metre cut-off.

During their research, the scientists recorded sounds made at the deepest depth ever recorded by a mammal - some 900 metres.

The team got their results by attaching suction cups with listening devices to eight whales and monitored them for a total of 102 hours, BBC Nature reported.

 

The researchers discovered the 170metre cut-off even though whales would need to communicate with other at such a depth for a number of social and familial reasons.

Such radio silence was essential however to avoiding killer or orca whales which swim in shallow waters and pick off prey - including other whales.

Below 450metres where they were safe the beaked whales were a lot more communicative, and the researchers recorded regular whistles and clicks which they called ‘rasps’.

Keeping silent near the surface is an unexpected behaviour and strikingly in contrast with that of other toothed whales

Such noises, which are thought to help with navigation, had never before been recorded.

There are 21 species of beaked whales and they are known as the deepest divers in the world having been tracked to depths of 1,899metres.

But little is known about them and there are thought to be more species which have not even been discovered because they remain in the depths, away from mankind.

The research was carried out by Natacha Aguilar of La Laguna University in Tenerife, Spain.

Also assisting on the project were colleagues at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts in the U.S. and Aarhus University in Denmark.

‘For Blainville's beaked whales that live in cohesive associations and co-ordinate their activities, keeping silent near the surface is an unexpected behaviour and strikingly in contrast with that of other toothed whales,’ they wrote in the study.

The findings were reported in the journal Marine Mammal Science. (AZA)

Scientists see evidence of the 'God particle' - the last piece in a theory explaining the universe

Scientists believe they are one step closer to cornering the elusive Higgs boson, or 'God particle' -  a tiny but fundamental element in the construction of life as we know it.

Research being carried out deep under the mountains on the French-Swiss border has provided the first hard evidence that the theorised particle actually exists.

At a press conference on Friday, researchers at the Large Hadron Collider particle physics lab near Geneva announced findings of their latest research.

Large Hadron Collider: Two teams of scientists at the circular accelerator say they have found preliminary evidence of the Higgs boson, or 'God particle'

Smashed together: A CMS simulation shows the result of smashing two protons together. Yellow lines show the paths of particles produced by the collision

Two separate teams, working with different detectors at the collider, reported 'bumps' in their data - usually an indicator of a new discovery.

Experts were quick to point out, however, that the bumps could also be caused by computer glitches and flaws in data models.

Fabiola Gianotti, spokeswoman for a 3,000-strong team using detection equipment called Atlas, said: 'We cannot say anything today, but clearly it's intriguing.'

Her view was shared by Guido Tonelli, spokesman the other team using CMS detectors, who independently discovered bumps in their data as well.

More study needed: Scientists from both Atlas and CMS detectors have a bewildering array of data to sift through to find more proof of the Higgs boson

He said more research was needed to isolate the difference between 'statistical fluctuations or possible hints of a signal'.

If the bumps are from nature and not man-made error, scientists will have found proof of the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle that forms a theory of how we understand the universe.

The Higgs boson, or God particle, was first theorised in 1964 to resolve inconsistencies in theoretical physics.

It is the only part of the Standard Model of particle physics that has not been observed by scientists in experiments.

The problem with seeing the Higgs boson is that scientists have to slam two tiny particles together at almost the speed of light for it to be created - and even then it will only last for a fraction of a percentage of a second.

But it leaves behind traces - a 'smoking gun' that  scientists can detect.

The Higgs boson gets its name from Peter Higgs, a physicist at Edinburgh University, who postulated that fundamental particles gained mass from an invisible field that pervaded the cosmos.

Nobel prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman nicknamed the boson the 'God particle' in 1993 - which makes it popular in the media but has angered many scientists, including Higgs. (AZA)

After a hard day's flight, birds love a stress relieving massage

By Achmad Zaenudin Ali

No wonder birds seem so chirpy. When their feathers are ruffled they treat each other to a soothing massage.

The habit of pecking and smoothing each other’s plumage was thought to be simply part of their bathing routine.

But scientists have found it is done to relax, often after a bout of foraging for food.

Stress relief: The process known as 'allogrooming' is like a massage, according to scientists

It can also be a way for dominant birds to bond with junior members of the flock.
Dr Andrew Radford, who studied the behaviour of 20 groups of wild birds, said the process, known as ‘allogrooming’, is ‘rather like a massage’.

The six-month study, published in the journal Biology Letters, looked at green woodhoopoes, a non-migratory bird in sub-Saharan Africa closely related to the kingfisher.

 

Dr Radford, from Bristol University, said bird grooming has very specific purposes.

When they peck and smooth each other’s heads, they are helping each other keep clean.

However when it extends over the whole body, the bird has gone into massage mode.

Why time travel will remain a sci-fi fantasy: Scientists prove nothing can travel faster than the speed of light

By Achmad Zaenudin Ali

For those that while away their days dreaming about travelling into the distant past or future, it is disappointing news.

But scientists claim to have proved that a single photon obeys Einstein's theory that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light - meaning time travel is impossible.

Their findings close a decade-long debate about the speed of a single photon, the fundamental unit of light.

No heading Back To The Future: Scientists have proved that a single photon obeys Einstein's theory that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light and that time travel is therefore impossible

Lead researcher Professor Shengwang Du, from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), said: 'The results add to our understanding of how a single photon moves. They also confirm the upper bound on how fast information travels with light.

'By showing that single photons cannot travel faster than the speed of light, our results bring a closure to the debate on the true speed of information carried by a single photon.'

Professor Du and his team found that a single photon obeys the traffic law of the universe.

 

Einstein claimed that the speed of light was the traffic law of the universe - or, simply, that nothing can travel faster than light.

The HKUST team is the first to show that optical precursors exist at the single-photon level, and that they are the fastest part of the single-photon wave packet even in a so-called 'superluminal' - or faster than light - medium.

Mankind's long-held dream of time travel was given a shot in the arm ten years ago with the discovery of superluminal propagation of optical pulses in some specific medium.

But scientists later realised that it is only a visual effect - where the superluminal 'group' velocity of many photons could not be used for transmitting any real information.

Hard at work: Lead researcher Shengwang Du and his team measured the ultimate speed of a single photon with controllable waveforms

Researchers then set their hope on single photons because of the possibility that a single photon may be able to travel faster.

Due to a lack of evidence of single photon velocity, this has also been an open debate among physicists.

To confront this impasse, Professor Du's team measured the ultimate speed of a single photon with controllable waveforms.

Their study confirmed Einstein's theory that an effect cannot occur before its cause.

The researchers not only produced single protons but separated the optical precursor - the wave-like propagation at the front of an optical pulse - from the rest of the photon wave packet.

To do so, they generated a pair of photons, and then passed one of them through a group of laser-cooled rubidium atoms with an effect called electromagnetically induced transparency.

For the first time, they successfully observed optical precursors of a single photon.

The team found that, as the fastest part of a single photon, the precursor wave front always travels at the speed of light in vacuum.

The main wave packet of the single photon travels no faster than the speed of light in vacuum in any dispersive medium, and can be delayed up to 500 nanoseconds in a slow light medium.

Even in a superluminal medium where the group velocity is faster than the speed of light in vacuum, the main part of the single photon has no possibility to travel faster than its precursor.

The study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Chinese officials find FIVE fake Apple stores in one city, just days after blogger revealed pictures of single counterfeit shop

Chinese officials have discovered five bogus Apple stores in the same city just days after a foreign blogger exposed one as an elaborate fake.

An investigation was launched after an Apple store was spotted in Kunming by U.S blogger BirdAbroad, who was convinced at first that it was a real store.

But then she noticed that the sign said ‘Apple Store’ - and Steve Jobs’ electronics giant never writes that on its signs.

Shutdown: Five fake Apple stores have been found in Kunming, China

After news of the elaborate fake shop went global Chinese officials investigated and found five fake Apple stores.

They ordered two of them to suspend business while they're investigated, a local government website said.

 

Officials couldn't do anything about the other three stores - which prominently displayed Apple signs and logos - because they did not find any fake Apple products for sale, according to a report by a local newspaper posted on the Kunming city government's website.

The investigation follows a blog post last week by an American woman who lives in Kunming in Yunnan province, who stumbled across three shops masquerading as bona fide Apple stores in the city.

Feeling blue: The staff even wear authentic-looking Apple T-shirts

Would you be fooled? The outside of the Apple shop looks very convincing - but the 'Apple Store' sign is not the correct branding

She took photos and posted them on her BirdAbroad blog.

She said they were modelled on the company's iconic stores right down to the winding staircase and the staff wearing the customary blue T-shirts.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed other things that weren’t quite right.

‘The name tags around the necks of the friendly sales people didn’t actually have names on them – just an Apple logo and the anonymous designation “Staff”,’ she wrote on her blog.

‘Also, the stairs were poorly made and the walls hadn’t been painted properly.’

She added: ‘This was a total Apple store rip-off. A beautiful rip-off – a brilliant one – the best rip-off store we had ever seen. Even the salespeople genuinely thought they worked for Apple.'

An Apple spokeswoman confirmed that BirdAbroad was absolutely correct.

Reality check: It looks real, but this Apple store in Kunming is anything but

The exception: BirdAbroad did think the products looked genuine

Stairway to a lawsuit: The blogger realised that the stairs weren't built to Apple standards

After the blog appeared on Wednesday, the Kunming Trade and Industry Bureau inspected more than 300 electronics stores in Kunming and found the five fake Apple stores, the city government's website said.

Calls to the Kunming Trade and Industry Bureau rang unanswered Monday.

The maker of the iPhone and other hit gadgets has four company stores in China - two in Beijing and two in Shanghai - and various official resellers.

The proliferation of the fake stores underlines the slow progress that China's government is making in countering a culture of a rampant piracy and widespread production of bogus goods that is a major irritant in relations with trading partners.

The real thing: The Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York, complete with its glowing fruit signs

She told MailOnline that the Kunming store was indeed ‘unauthorised’.

The fake shop, however, certainly isn’t in danger of denting Apple’s profit margins.

It has just managed to set a record for its quarterly profit and revenue, driving its shares up to more than seven per cent.

Blockbuster sales of the iPhone and strong Asian business are being credited for the surge as sales of its iconic products far outpaced forecasts.

This helped drive a near-doubling of revenue in the fiscal third quarter. Its shares leapt to a high of $405 after a brief after-hours trading suspension and closed at a record high of $376.85.

Apple sold 20.34 million iPhones during the quarter versus an expected 17 to 18 million, which analysts say helped it vault past Nokia and Samsung Electronics to become the world's biggest smartphone maker.

One weak spot in Apple's strong quarter was the 7.5 million iPods that the company sold, which is about 20 per cent lower than its iPod sales last year.

Last quarter marked the first time Apple's tablet outsold its iconic MP3 player. (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

 

Solar power tower in Arizona to be world's second tallest building (a whopping twice the height of the Empire State Building)

• Huge tower will generate electricity using turbines, the sun's heat and a massive 2,600 foot chimney
• Enough power will be generated to run 150,000 homes
• Building will provide jobs for 1,500 people
• Massive structure, which will have a two mile diameter base, will cost $700million to build

A gargantuan solar power tower is to be built in the Arizona desert, which, at double the height of the Empire State Building, will be the second tallest building in the world.

The tower, which will be built 130 miles west of Phoenix in La Paz County, is planned as a revolutionary electricity source deep in the desert.

Massive: The structure will be the second tallest in the world - twice the height of the Empire State Building

Mammoth: The greenhouse base of the huge tower will be more than two miles in diameter

Turbines will be used to force air which is heated by the sun through a 2,600 foot chimney in order to generate huge amounts of natural power.

It is estimated that more than one million megawatt hours will be produced by the huge building, providing enough electricity to power 150,000 homes.

The project is being planned by a company called EnviroMission. Its president, Chris Davey, told azfamily.com: 'It doesn't use water; it does it reliably; it does it cost competitively. I don't think the industry could ask for more than that.'

Revolutionary: If it goes through, the $700million project will open up 1,500 new jobs, for engineers and workmen required to help build the facility

Power: The structure will create electricity using wind from turbines and solar heat

Bigger: Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building

The greenhouse base of the huge tower will be more than two miles in diameter and the diameter of the tower itself will be as big as a football field.

It will be double the height of the Empire State Building and just a bit shorter than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which, standing at 2,717 feet, is the tallest building in the world.

EnviroMission is currently negotiating a land deal with the state and has already agreed a 30-year power purchase agreement with the Southern California Public Power Authority.

 

If it goes through, the project will open up 1,500 new jobs, for engineers and workmen required to help build the facility.

It is estimated the project will cost $700million.

The plans come more than a decade after a smaller prototype was built in Spain.

The area in Arizona chosen for the project was picked because it is hot, flat and close to transmission lines in both Arizona and California.

If all goes well, the company plans further facilities in Mexico, India and Australia, as well as more replicas in Arizona.  

'Arizona is large enough for us to build multiple facilities,' Mr Davey said. 'Where the first project is located, there's enough land for half a dozen facilities out there. (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

Why 'friends with benefits' relationships are doomed to failure

It may initially prove an ideal romantic adventure - and has inspired countless films including the new comedy Friends With Benefits.

But having a 'no-strings-attached' sexual relationship with a friend is all-but-impossible to navigate successfully, according to a study.

Scientists believe that because the nature of such a relationship is undefined - as opposed to the more typical boyfriend/girlfriend model - then such unions are doomed to fail.

Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake in Friends With Benefits, a romantic comedy that follows two friends who embark on a no-strings-attached relationship. Researchers believe such relationships are doomed to failure

Lead researcher Rebecca Plante, of Ithaca College in New York, interviewed 14,000 U.S. university students.

She said: 'The sexual context of "friends with benefits" is largely undefined, which can make it very difficult to deal with when or if feelings change, such as when one of the pair wants to end the sex but remain friends or wants to become more than friends.'

An expert on sexuality among young people, Dr Plante said a 'friends with benefits' situation can provide a healthy outlet for sexual needs and desires.

 

But she warned that complications will almost certainly arise.

She said: 'My research shows that perhaps the most frequent consequence is awkwardness, accompanied by strained or ceased contact and eventually either future hook-ups or the resumption of a non-sexual friendship.'

Many respondents told Dr Planet that the reason they didn't want to officially commit to a loving relationship, and instead preferred a commitment-free sexual relationship, was because they were too busy.

Other reasons given were that relationships take too much work, that they aren’t sure about the depth and extent of their feelings, or that they already have long-term relationships in other places.

Dr Plante said: 'Friends with benefits is a way to explore some sexuality within a friendship, an existing framework of some care and knowledge of one another.

'Despite the assumption - furthered by films like Friends With Benefits - that the U.S. is a very sexually open culture, sexual intimacy is not well-discussed.

'Multiple media depict sex, but that doesn’t mean that individuals get any schooling in how to understand what they want sexually, romantically and intimately.'

Friends With Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, depicts a couple whose professional relationship turns into a friendship, which they turn into a sexual relationship with no strings or expectations attached. (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

Like a moth to the flame: Scientists capture first clear X-ray image of the flow of gas towards a black hole

The flow of hot gas toward a black hole has been clearly imaged for the first time in X-rays.

The observations from Nasa’s Chandra X-ray Observatory will help tackle two of the most fundamental problems in modern astrophysics - understanding how black holes grow and how matter behaves in their intense gravity.

The black hole is at the centre of a large galaxy known as NGC 3115, located some 32million light-years from Earth.

A large amount of previous data has shown material falling towards and onto black holes, but none with this clear a signature of hot gas.

Composite: This image contains X-rays from Chandra (blue) and optical data from the VLT (gold) of the galaxy NGC 3115. Using the Chandra data, the flow of hot gas towards the supermassive black hole in the centre of this galaxy has been imaged - the first time that clear evidence for such a flow has been observed in any black hole

By imaging the hot gas at different distances from the supermassive black hole, scientists at the University of Alabama have observed a critical threshold where the motion of gas first becomes dominated by the black hole’s gravity and falls inward.

The distance from the black hole is known as the 'Bondi radius'.

Lead researcher Dr Ka-Wah Wong said: 'It’s exciting to find such clear evidence for gas in the grip of a massive black hole.

'Chandra’s resolving power provides a unique opportunity to understand more about how black holes capture material by studying this nearby object.'

As gas flows toward a black hole, it becomes squeezed, making it hotter and brighter, a signature now confirmed by the X-ray observations.

 

The researchers found the rise in gas temperature begins about 700 light-years from the black hole, giving the location of the Bondi radius.

This suggests the black hole in the center of NGC 3115 has a mass about two billion times that of the sun, making it the closest black hole of that size to Earth.

The Chandra data also show that the gas close to the black hole in the centre of the galaxy is denser than gas further out, as predicted.

Using the observed properties of the gas and theoretical assumptions, the team then estimated that each year gas weighing about 2 per cent the mass of the sun is being pulled across the Bondi radius toward the black hole.

Making certain assumptions about how much of the gas’s energy changes into radiation, astronomers would expect to find a source that is more than a million times brighter in X-rays than what is seen in NGC 3115.

'It’s exciting to find such clear evidence for gas in the grip of a massive black hole'

Dr Jimmy Irwin, from the University of Alabama and the study's co-author, said: 'A leading mystery in astrophysics is how the area around massive black holes can stay so dim, when there’s so much fuel available to light up.

'This black hole is a poster child for this problem.'

There are at least two possible explanations for this discrepancy. The first is that much less material actually falls onto the black hole than flows inside the Bondi radius.

Another possibility is that the conversion of energy into radiation is much less efficient than is assumed.

Different models describing the flow of material onto the black hole make different predictions for how quickly the density of the gas is seen to rise as it approaches the black hole.

A more precise determination of the rise in density from future observations should help astronomers rule out some of these models.

The research is published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

Why blue-eyed boys (and girls) are so brilliant

The colour of your eyes could determine your achievements in life, say scientists.

They claim those with blue eyes are more likely to sparkle academically than those with brown.

They are more intelligent and gain more qualifications because they study more effectively and perform better in exams.

Blue-eyed Lily Cole recently secured a place at King's College, Cambridge, to read social and political sciences after achieving five As at A-level

The discovery might help explain the success of such disparate individuals as Stephen Hawking, Alexander Fleming, Marie Curie, Stephen Fry and Lily Cole.

In reaction time trials conducted by U.S. scientists, the brown-eyed performed better, making them more likely to succeed at activities such as football, hockey and rugby.

But the researchers concluded that those with lighter eyes appeared to be better strategic thinkers.

Blue-eyed boys and girls proved to be more successful in activities that required them to plan and structure their time, such as golf, cross-country running - and studying for exams.

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Those highly intelligent Stephens (Hawking and Fry): New research has revealed that blue-eyed individuals may study more effectively and perform better in exams than those with dark eyes

Stephen Hawking, author of A Brief History Of Time, is Britain's most eminent physicist.

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin while Marie Curie was the first twice-honoured Nobel laureate for her work on radioactivity.

Writer and actor Stephen Fry gained a scholarship to Cambridge while model Lily Cole secured a place at King's College, Cambridge, after achieving five As at A-level.

Joanna Rowe, professor emeritus at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, who conducted the tests, said the results suggested a hitherto unexplored link between eye colour and academic achievement.

"It is just observed, rather than explained," she said. "There's no scientific answer yet." Dr Tony Fallone, senior psychology lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire, who has also studied eye colour, believes it should be taken more seriously as an indicator of personality and ability.

Most babies have blue eyes but they usually darken as the pigment melanin builds up in the iris.

Less melanin produces green, grey, or light brown eyes. Eyes with very little melanin appear blue or grey. (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)

More than a third of people plan to buy an iPhone 5... despite not knowing what features it will have (or when it's coming out)

More than a third of consumers are planning to buy the iPhone 5 even though a release date has not yet been announced.

The Apple smartphone is thought to be coming out in the U.S. in September, with an international release the following month.

And despite having no idea what features the iPhone 5 will or will not have, a staggering 35 per cent of people plan to buy it anyway, according to a survey.

Apple boss Steve Jobs launches the iPhone 4 in June 2010

Of these, 51 per cent said they will buy the smartphone within a year of its release; 30 per cent before the end of the year; 14 per cent within the first month; and 7 per cent in the first week.

 

The study of 2,852 U.S. consumers was carried out by PriceGrabber, a part of credit check company Experian.
Researchers found that 59 per cent of respondents want a better battery life, and 55 per cent are looking for cost reduction.

iPHONE 5 TO HIT SHOPS 'ON SEPTEMBER 5'

The eagerly-awaited iPhone 5 will be released in the U.S. on September 5, according to a report on an Italian iPhone website.
The latest version of Apple's trailblazing device will arrive in shops internationally the following month, ComputerWorld said.
The California-based tech company is due to announce the iPhone 5 launch next month.
Meanwhile, technology blog Boy Genius Report has said telecommunications firm AT&T is preparing employees for the iPhone 5 launch in September and has hired staff to cope with 'new product launches'.

Forty-six per cent said that 4G network compatibility was important to them, 45 per cent are hoping for a larger screen, and 42 per cent would like an improved camera.

Graham Jones, a spokesman for PriceGrabber, said: 'Our survey data confirms the strong following Apple has built around its iPhone, with more than one-third of consumers planning to upgrade to the latest model only a little over a year following the release of the iPhone 4.

'Anticipation and brand loyalty are certainly high, but in today's 24/7 work culture and uncertain economic environment, consumers are cautious to look for a reasonably priced phone that will perform optimally over an extended time period.'

The survey found that Apple's mobile operating system is the most popular too.

When asked which smartphone operating system they prefer, 48 per cent of respondents said Apple iOS; 19 per cent prefer Android OS; 7 per cent said Microsoft Windows; and 6 per cent chose RIM BlackBerry.

When the survey subjects were asked which smartphone they would prefer to receive as a gift, Apple won by a landslide again, with 69 per cent wanting the latest iPhone. (Achmad Zaenudin Ali)