Rivalry over wireless high-def TVs
NEW YORK – Flat-panel TVs look lovely on a wall — the cords hanging from them, less so. After a few years of false starts, the industry finally seems close to tackling that problem. At least three dueling wireless technologies for high-definition TVs will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which starts Monday.
I look forward to the day when we don’t need any wires at all.  Even power will be provided to our devices and appliances by radio frequency signals.

Cell phone users tie up traffic: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) – If you’re late for work, a driver using a cell phone may be to blame. U.S. researchers said on Wednesday that people who use cell phones while behind the wheel impede the flow of traffic, clog highways and extend commute times.

Happiness may be good for your health
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A happy heart just might be a healthier one as well, new research suggests.

What to Expect in 2008: Work, Work, Work
If you’ve resolved to work less or cut stress in 2008, expect to break your resolution. A surprisingly large segment of the global workforce spends long hours on the job, despite all the time-saving promises of technology. In fact, technology simply brings more work for many, as modern communication devices erase boundaries between work and home.

The Modern Vacation: Fully Wired, Totally Ruined
“If I were a manager, I would insist that my employees leave their cell phones at work during vacation and not check their e-mail while away,” [said Dov Eden, an organizational psychologist at Tel Aviv University]. “In the long run, the employee will be better rested and better able to perform his or her job because true respite affords an opportunity to restore depleted psychological resources.”

Snorting a Brain Chemical Could Replace Sleep
A nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests. The discovery’s first application will probably be in treatment of the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy.
Considering all the recent research finding how important sleep is to our bodily functions, color me skeptical on the long-term effects of chemical sleep deprivation.

Bad Dreams Associated With Difficult Temperaments In Children
ScienceDaily (Jan. 3, 2008) — Bad dreams in pre-schoolers are less prevalent than thought. However, when they do exist, nightmares are trait-like in nature and associated with personality characteristics measured as early as five months according to new research.

Minorities Less Likely to Get Powerful Painkillers in ER
Study finds whites are prescribed opioids more often than blacks, Hispanics

Most Free Drug Samples Go to Wealthy and Insured
Study undercuts notion that they’re given to help the poor, some experts say

Possible Parkinson’s trigger identified
LONDON (Reuters) – A glitch in the way cells clear damaged proteins could be the trigger for the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, researchers said in a finding that could lead to new treatments for the incurable condition. 

Scientists look to sperm to power nanobots
A tiny assembly line that powers the whip-like tail of sperm could be harnessed to send future nanobots or other tiny medical devices zooming around the human body, according to a preliminary research report.

Scientists Report Refinements to Brain Surgery
Technique reduces chances of damage to areas that control language

Colon cancer risk traced to common ancestor
LONDON (Reuters) – A married couple who sailed to America from England around 1630 are the reason why thousands of people in the United States are at higher risk of a hereditary form of colon cancer, researchers said on Wednesday.

Missing Evolutionary Link Found By Using Tiny Fungus Crystal
ScienceDaily (Jan. 3, 2008) — The crystal structure of a molecule from a primitive fungus has served as a time machine to show researchers more about the evolution of life from the simple to the complex.

Sea Cucumber Protein Used To Inhibit Development Of Malaria Parasite
ScienceDaily (Jan. 3, 2008) — Scientists have genetically engineered a mosquito to release a sea-cucumber protein into its gut which impairs the development of malaria parasites, according to new research. Researchers say this development is a step towards developing future methods of preventing the transmission of malaria.

Survey: 61 Percent Agree with Evolution
Americans would rather hear about evolution from scientists than from judges or celebrities, according to a new survey that finds a majority agree that evolution is at work among living things.
This is actually very good news.  The polls I heard about a couple of years ago said that only 30 percent of Americans believe in evolution.

Hot on the Trail of Cosmic Rays
The mysterious origins of cosmic rays that slam into the Earth’s atmosphere could soon be revealed, thanks to a better ground-based sensor that costs less than balloons or satellites.

Must-See Meteor Shower Friday Morning
The Quadrantid meteor shower is due to reach maximum in the predawn hours of Friday, Jan. 4. The Quadrantids are notoriously unpredictable, but if any year promises a fine display, this could be it.

Is There Gravity in Space?
Sure! Gravity is everywhere. The effect diminishes with distance, but it never goes away. So the term “zero-g” is a misnomer. What really happens to astronauts (or satellites) is they fall sideways as they’re falling toward the planet, a setup that keeps them in orbit and feeling weightless.

Red Planet Still Packs Surprises
Even though orbiters have eyed it from space and landers have rumbled across its surface, Mars still has more secrets to reveal. Two findings emerged this week: the possibility of an active glacier far from the planet’s poles and evidence that sulfur–not carbon–was the element driving the planet’s warmer climate long ago. Both discoveries could force some rethinking about martian evolution and dynamics–and maybe even provide insights about Earth’s past.

Young Planet Orbits Sun-Like Star
Astronomers say they have discovered the youngest planet to date circling a sun-like star, a find that will be a boon to the field of planet-formation theory.