Microsoft specs out ‘pay as you go’ PC scheme
Microsoft Corp. last week applied for a patent that spells out a ”pay as you go” concept under which users would be charged for both the software they run and the computing horsepower they use. According to the patent application filed last week with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the “Metered Pay-As-You-Go Computing Experience” scheme would meter software use and access to specific computer hardware. Fees would be charged against a prepaid or billed account.

Chinese software pirates get prison sentences
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The alleged ringleaders of a Chinese counterfeiting gang that sold at least $2 billion worth of bogus Microsoft Corp. software were sentenced Wednesday to prison terms of up to 6 1/2 years, in what is believed to be the harshest penalties yet under China’s tightened piracy laws.

Nano ‘Tractor Beam’ Traps DNA
Using a beam of light shunted through a tiny silicon channel, researchers have created a nanoscale trap that can stop free floating DNA molecules and nanoparticles in their tracks. By holding the nanoscale material steady while the fluid around it flows freely, the trap may allow researchers to boost the accuracy of biological sensors and create a range of new ‘lab on a chip’ diagnostic tools.

How Technology May Soon “Read” Your Mind
Neuroscience has learned so much about how we think and the brain activity linked to certain thoughts that it is now possible – on a very basic scale – to read a person’s mind.

Religion May Have Evolved Because Of Its Ability To Help People Exercise Self-control
Psychologists reveal that religion facilitates the exercise of self-control and attainment of long-term goals

Beloved Pets Everlasting?
Living with the clones of a dead dog has its surprises. The DNA may be the same but the behavior is another story.

Beat the Winter Blues
Expert offers tips for staying upbeat during dreary months

Shovel Snow Safely
Experts offer tips on how to avoid injury while performing winter task

Winter Workouts Are Cool
Tips on having fun, staying fit in the snowy season

To Protect Yourself, Wash Those Germs Away
Doctors say it’s the best way to keep colds and flu at bay.

Lingering Cold Symptoms May Mean Sinusitis
Common wintertime problem stems from blocked sinus cavities

Fathering sons or daughters may be in men’s genes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A UK researcher has a new explanation for how the human race manages to keep a fairly even balance of males and females, despite massive deaths of young males in war and selective abortion of female fetuses in certain parts of the world.

Prenatal Nutrition, Postnatal Allergy Protection
Certain foods consumed during pregnancy might protect against asthma and eczema.

Nutrigenomics: Developing Personalized Diets For Disease Prevention
Nutrigenomic’s bidirectional approach to investigating how the genetic traits of an individual or population interact with their diet offers many possibilities for targeted clinical interventions and preventive medicine. These may include modifying either diet or the biochemical response to food exposure to prevent disease in individuals shown to be susceptible to the consequences of unfavorable dietary/genomic interactions.

Cancer Drug Effectively Treats Transplant Rejections
researchers have discovered a new therapy for transplant patients, targeting the antibody-producing plasma cells that can cause organ rejection.

Physical Disability Brings Marital Happiness
A new study finds that the onset of physical disability boosts marital happiness more often than not.

Grape Seed Extract Kills Leukemia Cells in Lab
Finding might lead to new treatment for blood cancers, researchers say

Insomnia Costs Billions in Lost Productivity
Canadian study hints at huge costs here in the United States

Immune Molecule Decreases Severity Of Multiple Sclerosis-like Disease In Mice
[Researchers] have explored the expression of an immune molecule (CXCL1) that interacts with myelin-producing cells, finding that CXCL1 decreases the severity of disease in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Trying To Eat Less Becomes More Important To Fend Off Middle-Age Weight Gain
[A] new study shows that practicing restraint becomes more important with age. Women who participated in the study had more than twice the risk of substantial weight gain if they did not become more restrained in their eating.

Surgeons Often Are Blamed When Hip Replacements Fail
Consumers urged to pay more attention to choosing the doctor, not the device

Vitamins C And E And Beta Carotene Again Fail To Reduce Cancer Risk In Randomized Controlled Trial
Women who took beta carotene or vitamin C or E or a combination of the supplements had a similar risk of cancer as women who did not take the supplements, according to data from a randomized controlled trial.

Many studies needed to tie genes to cancer: study
LONDON (Reuters) – Many genes linked to various cancers do not appear to raise the risk of getting cancer after all, according to an analysis of hundreds of studies published on Tuesday.

Genes Predict Chances of Breast Cancer’s Spread
THURSDAY, Jan. 1 (HealthDay News) — In a finding that could help doctors fine-tune breast cancer treatments even further, a new study confirms that there are genes that increase the likelihood that the disease will spread throughout a woman’s body.

Fat Tissue Is Sensitive To Irradiation
[The] results call into question the effectiveness of transplanting adipose tissue during radiation therapy.

Ancient ship found buried near Argentine river
Workers digging to lay the foundation of a luxury apartment complex in Argentina uncovered a Spanish ship believed to be from the 18th century.

Elephants give up treats and lose 11,314 pounds
SAN DIEGO – They could be the next stars of “The Biggest Loser.” Seven elephants at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park have lost a combined total of 11,314 pounds ever since zookeepers enforced a nutrition and exercise regiment for them in 2000.

China finds major dinosaur site
Scientists in China say they believe a group of dinosaur fossils discovered in the east of the country could be the largest collection ever found. The researchers, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, say they have unearthed 7600 dinosaur bones since March in Shandong province. Most of the bones date back to the late Cretaceous period which is around the time when dinosaurs became extinct. The scientists hope the find will help to explain why the creatures died out.

Ancient Fossil Suggests Origin of Cheetahs
A nearly complete skull of a primitive cheetah that sprinted about in China more than 2 million years ago suggests the agile cats originated in the Old World rather than in the Americas.

Night Sky Highlights in 2009
Here are some of the more noteworthy sky events that will take place this year. SPACE.com’s weekly Night Sky column will provide more extensive coverage of each event as they draw closer.

International Year of Astronomy: Get Cheap Telescopes!
Four hundred-year-old light from the Pleiades star cluster will be used early this year to initiate a virtual ribbon-cutting in the Second Life online community for the International Year of Astronomy — aimed at bringing astronomy to more of the general public.

Mars rover mission reaches 5th anniversary
PASADENA, Calif. – Five years after the NASA rover Spirit landed on Mars, the six-wheel robotic geologist and its twin Opportunity are still on the job.