Get cirrus in the fight against climate change

FEATHERY cirrus clouds are beautiful, but when it comes to climate change, they are the enemy. Found at high-altitude and made of small ice crystals, they trap heat - so more cirrus means a warmer world. Now it seems that, by destroying cirrus, we could reverse all the warming Earth has experienced so far. ...

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Thousands march in Washington for gun control

WASHINGTON: Thousands of people marched in Washington to demand stronger gun control legislation, in a solemn rally six weeks after the shock massacre of young children at a Connecticut school.Protesters, backed by senior officials, marched in silence for around 30 minutes along the National Mall near the US Capitol and Washington Monument, carrying white placards marked with the names...

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Bloomberg's giving to his alma mater tops $1B

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1964.STORY HIGHLIGHTSNYC mayor's latest gift to John Hopkins is $350 millionThat makes for a total of $1.1 billion over 45 yearsDonation will go toward a "transformational" academic initiativeBloomberg took out loans to attend Hopkins in the 1960s(CNN) -- A kid raised in a middle-class Boston suburb, Michael Bloomberg took...

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At least 5 die in Chicago shootings

CHICAGO Authorities are investigating the shooting deaths of five people in a single day of bloodshed in Chicago. Police Officer Daniel O'Brien says Saturday's first killing occurred at around 2:15 a.m. on the city's west side when a gunman opened fire on two men who were sitting in a parked car, killing one and wounding the other. Investigators say a few hours later, someone opened fire on three...

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Squatter, Bank of America Battle for $2.5M Mansion

Bank of America is taking a Florida man to court after he attempted to use an antiquated state law to legally take possession of a $2.5 million mansion that is currently owned by the bank.Andre "Loki" Barbosa has lived in a five-bedroom Boca Raton, Fla., waterside property since July, and police have reportedly been unable to remove him.The Brazilian national, 23, who reportedly...

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Today on New Scientist: 25 January 2013

Hagfish gulped up in first video of deep-sea seal hunt Watch the first sighting of a seal's underwater eating habits spotted by a teenager watching a live video feedWorld's oldest portrait reveals the ice-age mind A 26,000-year-old carved ivory head of a woman is not just an archaeological find - a new exhibition in London wants us to see works like this as artDung beetles navigate using the...

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Mini-tornado hits Australian town amid flood warnings

SYDNEY: A "mini-tornado" hit Australia's east coast on Saturday, officials said, as they warned parts of Queensland state to prepare for flooding, with torrential rains lashing the state set to intensify.Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said the storm had caused much damage near Bundaberg, about 300 kilometres north of Brisbane, and several people were reportedly injured."We've had......

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RNC chief 'intrigued' by proposed electoral change

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: A spokesman for the Virginia governor says he does not support the proposalGOP state legislatures consider changing how they allocate electoral votesThe proposed changes would have hurt President Obama in last year's electionA similar push followed the hotly contested 2000 presidential electionWashington (CNN) -- If at first you don't succeed, try to change the rules.A proposal...

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Notre Dame president defends handling of Te'o case

SOUTH BEND, Ind. Top administrators at Notre Dame decided within hours of hearing about the Manti Te'o dead girlfriend hoax that it did not involve a crime and within two days had concluded there was no NCAA violation, according to a letter sent by the university president to board of trustee members on Friday. The Rev. John Jenkins told trustees that despite "the unrelenting scrutiny of hundreds...

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WH, Senators to Begin Push on Immigration Reform

The White House and a bipartisan group of senators next week plan to begin their efforts to push for comprehensive immigration reform.President Barack Obama will make an announcement on immigration during a Tuesday trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, the White House said on Friday. The Senate group is expected make their plans public around the same time, the Associated Press reported.See...

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Shrinking proton puzzle persists in new measurement

A puzzle at the heart of the atom refuses to go away. The most precise measurement yet of the proton's radius confirms that it sometimes seems smaller than the laws of physics demand – an issue that has been hotly debated for two years. The latest finding...

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Man sails from PNG to Australian island on twig raft

SYDNEY: A Polish man was lucky to be alive on Friday after sailing from Papua New Guinea to a north Australian island on a raft made of twigs and sticks, through crocodile and shark-infested waters, during a cyclone.The man was found washed up in mangroves on Saibai Island in the Torres Strait, a treacherous stretch of water that lies between the two countries.What made his survival even...

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Te'o reveals biggest regret

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Te'o says he was embarrassed to discuss girlfriend upon learning she was fakeNEW: But while admitting some were misled, he says he "didn't lie" publicly Te'o has his first on-camera interview since news broke of the girlfriend hoax"I wasn't as forthcoming about (the story), but I didn't lie," he tells Katie Couric(CNN) -- He had wanted to help someone in need, this beautiful girl...

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Battery expert: "I would not fly in a Dreamliner"

(CBS News) WASHINGTON - Investigators say they still don't know what caused batteries to burn in two Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and until they figure that out and how to fix the problem, none of the planes will be allowed to fly. More than any other plane, the Dreamliner relies on lithium ion batteries to help power its advanced electrical system. They're lighter and more powerful than older battery...

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It's Official: Women Will Serve in Combat

Women will soon be able to serve in combat, as things officially changed with the stroke of a pen today at the Pentagon.At a joint news conference, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Charman Gen. Martin Dempsey signed a memorandum rolling back a 1994 directive prohibiting women from doing so."They serve, they're wounded, and they die right next to each...

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Wallace: Wonders of nature have been solace of my life

Alfred Russel Wallace discovered natural selection independently of Charles Darwin. Through his letters, available online for the first time, he tells us of his research, expeditions and enduring fascination for nature's mysteries. You are famously joint author, with Darwin, of the first paper describing...

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Resurgent inflation dampens Vietnam stimulus hopes

HANOI: Vietnam's inflation accelerated in January, according to official data, reducing expectations of further monetary stimulus to boost the economy.Consumer prices were up by 7.07 percent this month from a year earlier, following a 6.8 rise in December, the General Statistics Office in Hanoi said in a statement. Month-on-month prices gained 1.25 percent.A further increase in prices...

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Martin: You want black votes, GOP?

Roland Martin says one reason the GOP draws mainly white voters is its leaders' reluctance to reach out and listen to minorities.STORY HIGHLIGHTSRoland Martin: GOP National Committee's Priebus dodges appearing on Martin showsHe says GOP leaders in general avoid interacting with blacks; they lose black votes this wayHe says GOP leaders seem to think blacks don't have same concerns as all AmericansMartin:...

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Romney to be honored Friday at D.C. luncheon

Mitt Romney will make it to Washington, D.C. for inauguration week after all. The 2012 GOP presidential nominee and his wife Ann are scheduled to attend a luncheon in their honor Friday at Washington's J.W. Marriott hotel, National Journal reported this afternoon. The reception will be hosted by two of Romney's biggest campaign fundraisers: Virginia philanthropist Catherine Reynolds and hotel...

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Pentagon to Allow Women in Combat

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will lift a longstanding ban on women serving in combat, according to senior defense officials.The services have until this May to come up with a plan to implement the change, according to a Defense Department official.That means the changes could come into effect as early as May, though the services will have until January 2016 to complete the...

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