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Apple's "Leopard" to hit stores Oct. 26

Apple Inc said on Tuesday the newest version of its Macintosh operating system would go on sale on October 26, hitting the market after a four-month delay due to the company's work on the iPhone.

©REUTERS/Courtesy of Apple/Handou
An undated screenshot of Apple's "Leopard" operating system. Apple Inc said on Tuesday the newest version of its Macintosh operating system would go on sale on October 26, hitting the market after a four-month delay due to the company's work on the iPhone.
Telescope

Stellar explosion outshines sun 100 billion times

Robert Quimby has an unusual distinction among astronomers. The Caltech postdoctoral researcher has discovered the two brightest star explosions ever witnessed within months of each other.

Quimby's latest find is supernova 2005ap, which at its peak blazed 100 billion times brighter than the sun and was twice as luminous as the previous record holder, a supernova called 2006gy, which he also discovered.
People

Fury at DNA pioneer's theory: Africans are less intelligent than Westerners

Celebrated scientist attacked for race comments: "All our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really".
Light Saber

How to fight an asteroid

Today there are more than 100 entries on NASA's list of asteroids that just might possibly hit Earth, even if it's less than a one-in-a-million chance. One of them, called Apophis, currently has a risk rating of 1 in 45,000 - serious enough to get people thinking about how to avoid a "cosmic Katrina." Chances are that Apophis will soon no longer be considered a threat, but what about those others? And what about the thousands of space rocks that are expected to be added to the list over the next few years?

©NASA
A massive asteroid strike would
have a catastrophic effect.
Display

India launches tsunami warning system

India on Monday unveiled a tsunami warning system designed to detect all earthquakes above a magnitude of six on the Richter scale in the Indian Ocean within 20 minutes, the government said.

©Unknown
Bizarro Earth

From the depths, rare sea creatures

Scientists exploring a deep ocean basin in search of species isolated for millions of years found marine life believed to be previously undiscovered, including a tentacled orange worm -- "We don't know what it is," scientists said -- and an unusual black jellyfish near the sea floor.
Telescope

New Science Instruments For Hubble

To enhance the Hubble Space Telescope's science capabilities, two new instruments - the Wide Field Camera 3 and Cosmic Origins Spectrograph - will be installed during the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to the observatory in August 2008.

©NASA
Engineers check NASA's Wide Field Camera 3 instrument to ensure it will fit properly in the protective enclosure that will carry it to orbit aboard the space shuttle next summer for Servicing Mission 4 to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Heart

Doppler radar detects speeding hearts

The Army has turned to a Honolulu company for Doppler radar and advanced algorithm technology to be able to detect and monitor multiple subjects based on their heart rate, even through walls.

Comment: Coming to a law enforcement officer near you...

Monkey Wrench

Three Share Nobel in Economics for Work on Social Mechanisms

The Nobel in economic science was awarded to three American economists for creating and developing a sophisticated explanation of the interaction among individuals, markets and institutions.

Their work, called mechanism design theory, has influenced thinking on a wide range of problems in economics and political science, everything from the arrangement of government bond auctions to setting up patent systems and creating new voting procedures.

Comment: This is another Nobel Prize for work expanding on aspects of the Game Theory.

Interested readers are advised to have a look at Chapter 35 of "Adventures with Cassiopaea" for a fascinating look on what The Prisoner's Dillema, Al Gore and Enron have in common.

(They are all a consequence of - that's right - Game Theory)

Key

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.

Comment: As above - so below. It is fascinating to observe how certain types of behaviour in the animal or plant kingdoms closely parallel those found in humans.

One has to wonder, too - would these imprinted patterns extend to beings of a higher-dimensional nature...?