Another ’80s comeback: All-in-one PCs
Computer makers are going all out for all-in-one PCs, which combine a monitor and a processing unit in one piece.

Microsoft HealthVault: Web-Based Platform for Medical Records
After two years spent building a team, technology, and the attached expertise, Microsoft announced HealthVault [Thursday] in Washington. HealthVault is a web-based personal health record tracking data such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, surgical procedures, etc. Centralizing medical data for physician access alleviates problems in both personalized care and also insurance.

Even without math, ancients engineered sophisticated machines
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., October 1, 2007—Move over, Archimedes. A researcher at Harvard University is finding that ancient Greek craftsmen were able to engineer sophisticated machines without necessarily understanding the mathematical theory behind their construction. Recent analysis of technical treatises and literary sources dating back to the fifth century B.C. reveals that technology flourished among practitioners with limited theoretical knowledge.

Hormone May Play Key Part in Creating Memories
Rise in norepinephrine levels tied to emotionally charged events, study finds

Gene-Based Screen Spots Cervical Cancer Earlier
It could lengthen the time needed between tests, researchers say

Lizard love triangles exposed!
A three-way sex struggle resembling the game rock-paper-scissors may have existed for 175 million years or more in lizards, research now suggests.

Crows bend twigs into tools to find food
WASHINGTON – Mounting tiny video cameras to the tail feathers of crows, researchers discovered that the birds use a variety of tools to seek food, and even make their own tools, plucking, smoothing and bending twigs and grass stems.

Bird flu virus mutating into human-unfriendly form
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The H5N1 bird flu virus has mutated to infect people more easily, although it still has not transformed into a pandemic strain, researchers said on Thursday.

Study: Vitamin C Essential For Plant Growth
University of Exeter – Scientists from the University of Exeter and Shimane University in Japan have proved for the first time that vitamin C is essential for plant growth. This discovery could have implications for agriculture and for the production of vitamin C dietary supplements.

Plants know how to woo a pollinator
Lots of plants use a third party in reproduction to carry their pollen. An ancient type of plants called cycads have put their own special spin on the process.

Deep sea thermal vents yield thousands of new microbes
Hot vents deep in the ocean harbor thousands of previously unknown microorganisms, scientists report.

Scientists show San Andreas rock cores
LOS ANGELES – A team of scientists on Thursday showed off the first rock samples taken from a borehole being drilled into the mighty San Andreas Fault to better understand how earthquakes are born.

Fireball in the Sky Spotted in Minnesota, Iowa
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Residents from the Twin Cities to the southwestern corner of Minnesota and into Iowa reported seeing a flaming object shooting through the sky Wednesday, and experts said they may have been watching a meteor.

Japan lunar probe reaches orbit
TOKYO – Japan put its first satellite into orbit around the moon Friday, placing the country a step ahead of China and India in an increasingly heated space race in Asia.