Safety Council Urges Ban on Drivers Using Cell Phones
The National Safety Council is starting the new year with a push to ban the use of cell phones and other mobile devices while driving… The dangers should outweigh the need for convenience, according to NSC, which used a study from the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis to make its point. The HCRA report said cell-phone use while driving contributes to six percent of crashes, or 636,000 crashes and 330,000 injuries; 12,000 serious injuries; and 2,600 deaths each year. The risk of injury or death is just one factor, according to the report, which put the annual financial toll of cell-phone-related crashes at $43 billion.

FOXNews.com – Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months
A new study from the National Academy of Sciences outlines grim possibilities on Earth for a worst-case scenario solar storm. Damage to power grids and other communications systems could be catastrophic, the scientists conclude, with effects leading to a potential loss of governmental control of the situation. The prediction is based in part on a major solar storm in 1859 that caused telegraph wires to short out in the United States and Europe, igniting widespread fires.

Popularity of tiny `netbooks’ set to rise in 2009
LAS VEGAS – Last year so-called “netbooks” crept into stores — computers that often cost less than $400, with small screens and keyboards that made them look Lilliputian next to laptops that seemed perfectly portable just months earlier. These little computers introduced consumers to the idea that extreme portability could be combined with a low price, as long as people were willing to use the computer for getting on the Internet and not much more. Netbooks won’t include a DVD drive, the fastest microprocessor or enough storage space to house endless amounts of photos and videos. This year, because of the dismal economy and laptop buyers’ increasing comfort with these miniature computers, more netbooks are headed to store shelves.

States supporting moves to streamline sales taxes
There are 22 states participating in the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, an effort to simplify the nationwide patchwork of tax rates. In exchange, some retailers will collect online sales taxes in those states even if the companies have no operations located there. Eventually, if Congress goes along, the states could be allowed to force businesses that don’t have a physical presence there — such as online retailers — to collect sales taxes.

Text Messages Nab Carjacking Suspect
An Ohio man used a friend’s cell phone to get back his car, cell phone, and cash, all of which were stolen in a car jacking, according to a local TV report.

UK hacker offers guilty plea to avoid extradition
LONDON – A British man accused of hacking into U.S. military computers is offering to plead guilty to a criminal charge in Britain to avoid extradition to the United States, his lawyer said Monday.

China honors scientists to spur innovation
China honored two top scientists on Friday with awards created to encourage Chinese innovation as Beijing struggles to gain international recognition for its research.

In High-Stakes Stock Trading, Finger Length Matters
Study finds testosterone exposure in womb creates long ring finger, financial success 

Coloring the Mice to Trace a Potential Virus
Day-Glo talcum powder helped scientists study how deer mice spread a virus that causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

How Viruses Work: Natural Motors Revealed
Like microscopic machine shops, some viruses assemble their parts with the help of tiny motors. Now, researchers have figured out the structure and workings of the natural molecular motors in one virus.

My Genome, My Self
In the coming era of consumer genetics, your DNA will have much to tell you about the biological bases of your health, your physique and even your personality. But will this knowledge really amount to self-knowledge?

Should Patients Be Told of Better Care Elsewhere?
The quality of cancer care at different hospitals is uneven and raises thorny questions about what informed consent should mean.

Top U.S. Doc Urges Electronic Family Tree
A good family health history is far more important than a gene test in predicting your future medical needs, but it’s hugely underused. The government is offering a free new service to try to change that.

Where Am I? How Our Brain Works As A GPS Device
Being disoriented is not pleasant, and it can even be scary, but luckily for most of us, this sensation is temporary. The brain employs a number of tricks to reorient us, keeping our confusion to a minimum and quickly pointing us in the right direction.

Why We Procrastinate And How To Stop
[T]hose who thought about the questions abstractly were much more likely to procrastinate–and in fact some never got around to the assignment at all. By contrast, those who were focused on the how, when and where of doing the task e-mailed their responses much sooner, suggesting that they hopped right on the assignment rather than delaying it.

You Can Look — But Don’t Touch
Consumers are often told that if they break an item, they buy it.  But a new study suggests that if they just touch an item for more than a few seconds, they may also end up buying it.

Spirituality Is Key To Kids’ Happiness, Study Suggests
New study suggests spirituality, not religious practices, determine how happy children are.

Eating Habits And Exercise Behaviors In Children Can Deteriorate Early
As children transition from preschool-age to school-age, they may develop eating habits and leisure-time patterns that may not meet current recommendations and may contribute to childhood obesity.

Protein Has Pivotal Role In Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome
A protein known to play a role in development and the formation of organs is also an important factor in the control of obesity and diabetes, said researchers.

Lack of Sleep Linked to Common Cold
Getting less than seven hours a night boosts your risk, study found.

Gene clue explains major source of epileptic fits
PARIS (AFP) – Tiny variations in a key gene on Chromosome 15 may help explain a common form of epilepsy

Brain Disorder Suggests Common Mechanism May Underlie Many Neurodegenerative Diseases
Studying just eight families worldwide, the international team of researchers have discovered a genetic defect that results in profound depression and parkinsonism in a disorder known as Perry syndrome. Although this syndrome is exceedingly rare, the mechanism implicated in it may help explain the origins of a variety of neurodegenerative disorders

Killer cells craftier than thought
In the rough-and-tumble world of your immune system, cells don’t come any tougher than the “natural killer” cells the body deploys as front-line troops to battle infection.

Gene Fusions May Drive Certain Cancers
Prostate cell findings could reveal targets for future treatments

Sodium, Potassium Intake Tied to Heart Disease
Study finds 24% greater risk per unit increase in salt-to-mineral ratio

High Insulin Levels Raise Risk Of Breast Cancer In Postmenopausal Women
Higher-than-normal levels of insulin place postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer, researchers … report. Their findings … suggest that interventions that target insulin and its signaling pathways may decrease breast cancer risk in these women.

Quakes feed fears of Yellowstone eruption
Hundreds of small earthquakes at Yellowstone National Park in recent weeks have been an unsettling reminder for some people that underneath the park’s famous geysers lurks one of the world’s biggest volcanoes.

Japan to launch multi-satellite mission
TOKYO – Japan got its first commercial order to launch a satellite on a homegrown rocket on Monday, a deal that Japanese officials hope will grow into a business that could support the country’s cash-strapped space program.

Astronauts Primed for Space Station Power Boost
WASHINGTON – Seven astronauts are gearing up to launch toward the International Space Station next month to deliver a final piece of the outpost’s power grid, the last major American-built addition to the orbiting laboratory.

Dead Stars Tell Story Of Planet Birth
Observations made with NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope reveal six dead “white dwarf” stars littered with the remains of shredded asteroids. This might sound pretty bleak, but it turns out the chewed-up asteroids are teaching astronomers about the building materials of planets around other stars.