http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (AP) -- Maybe it's neat, childish, lucky, ambitious and insane - just depends on what traits gamers choose for their neighborhood of virtual playthings in "The Sims 3," Electronic Arts and Maxis' popular life-simulating game for the PC and Mac. http://www.physorg.com/news162199100.html Technology Fri, 22 May 2009 08:18:51 EST news162199100 A new article in the journal Risk Analysis assessed various ways in which aerosol transmission of the flu, a central mode of diffusion which involves breathing droplets in the air, can be reduced. Results show that face protection is a key infection control measure for influenza and can thus affect how people should try to protect themselves from the swine flu. http://www.physorg.com/news162056414.html Medicine & Health Wed, 20 May 2009 16:41:12 EST news162056414 (PhysOrg.com) -- Ever since the 1940s, chrome has been used to add a protective coating and shiny luster to a wide range of metal products, from bathroom fixtures to car bumpers. http://www.physorg.com/news162048924.html Chemistry Wed, 20 May 2009 14:37:41 EST news162048924 Starting in 2012, U.S. cars and trucks will have stricter fuel emissions standards -- up to 39 miles per gallon for cars and 30 mpg for trucks by 2016 -- under a proposed new standard President Barack Obama plans to announce Tuesday, a senior administration official said Monday night. http://www.physorg.com/news161960209.html Space & Earth Tue, 19 May 2009 13:57:32 EST news161960209 Trade mark protection serves the needs of trade mark owners well -- but to the detriment of the consuming public and other traders and rivals, says a new study from the University of Leicester. http://www.physorg.com/news161871959.html Other Sciences Mon, 18 May 2009 13:26:55 EST news161871959 The German parliament passed a law Friday outlawing secret genetic testing to determine the father of a child along with other privacy protection measures. http://www.physorg.com/news161602572.html Medicine & Health Fri, 15 May 2009 10:36:47 EST news161602572 (AP) -- A budget proposal from the Obama administration would spend $475 million on beach cleanups, wetlands restoration and removal of toxic sediments from river bottoms around the Great Lakes. http://www.physorg.com/news161595128.html Space & Earth Fri, 15 May 2009 08:34:55 EST news161595128 (AP) -- Google said Wednesday it will reshoot all photos in Japan for its Street View service after residents complained the 360-degree panoramic images provided a view over the fences around their homes. http://www.physorg.com/news161507393.html Technology Thu, 14 May 2009 08:10:24 EST news161507393 Federal environmental regulators are warning pet owners and veterinarians to closely follow instructions if they use several popular flea and tick treatments, and monitor their pets, as they investigate thousands of reports about the products, some involving animals becoming sick or dying. http://www.physorg.com/news161366655.html Space & Earth Tue, 12 May 2009 17:04:48 EST news161366655 Microsoft launched its first bond issue on Monday, sparking rumors the US software giant was contemplating a takeover bid. http://www.physorg.com/news161281473.html Technology Mon, 11 May 2009 17:24:57 EST news161281473 Greece's data protection agency Monday barred Google from taking any more images on the nation's streets for its Street View feature, pending "additional information" from the US search engine service. http://www.physorg.com/news161276391.html Technology Mon, 11 May 2009 16:00:32 EST news161276391 People in 34 states who live near 210 coal ash lagoons or landfills with inadequate lining have a higher risk of cancer and other diseases from contaminants in their drinking water, two environmental groups reported Thursday. http://www.physorg.com/news160942759.html Space & Earth Thu, 07 May 2009 19:19:45 EST news160942759 (AP) -- A tiny mammal that can't handle warm weather could become the first animal in the lower 48 states to get Endangered Species Act protection primarily because of climate change. http://www.physorg.com/news160848942.html Biology Wed, 06 May 2009 17:16:11 EST news160848942 (AP) -- The Environmental Protection Agency says that corn ethanol - as made today - wouldn't meet a congressional requirement that ethanol produce 20 percent less greenhouse gas than gasoline. But the agency said it is still more climate friendly than gasoline. http://www.physorg.com/news160751096.html Space & Earth Tue, 05 May 2009 14:05:22 EST news160751096 (AP) -- The Obama administration called hydrofluorocarbons widely used in refrigerators and air conditioners "a very significant" threat to climate change Monday, and expressed a preference for drastically reducing HFCs that are promoted under the U.N.'s ozone treaty rather than phasing them out entirely. http://www.physorg.com/news160674985.html Space & Earth Mon, 04 May 2009 16:58:09 EST news160674985 (AP) -- President Barack Obama's commitment to take on climate change and put science over politics is about to be tested as his administration faces a politically sensitive question about the widespread use of ethanol: Does it help or hurt the fight against global warming? http://www.physorg.com/news160593602.html Space & Earth Sun, 03 May 2009 18:20:23 EST news160593602 (AP) -- The Obama administration, in a major environmental policy shift, is leaning toward asking 195 nations that ratified the U.N. ozone treaty to enact mandatory reductions in hydrofluorocarbons, according to U.S. officials and documents obtained by The Associated Press. http://www.physorg.com/news160295222.html Space & Earth Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:27:26 EST news160295222 (AP) -- Sixty percent of Americans live in areas with unhealthy air pollution levels, despite a growing green movement and more stringent laws aimed at improving air quality, the American Lung Association said in a report released Wednesday. http://www.physorg.com/news160207575.html Space & Earth Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:11:29 EST news160207575 Levees and floodwalls surrounding New Orleans -- no matter how large or sturdy -- cannot provide absolute protection against overtopping or failure in extreme events, says a new report by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council. The voluntary relocation of people and neighborhoods from areas that are vulnerable to flooding should be considered as a viable public policy option, the report says. If relocation is not feasible, an alternative would be to elevate the first floor of buildings to at least the 100-year flood level. http://www.physorg.com/news159790965.html Space & Earth Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:41:40 EST news159790965 A Swedish judge who found four men guilty of promoting copyright infringement by running filesharing site The Pirate Bay may have been biased and a retrial may be ordered, legal experts said Thursday. http://www.physorg.com/news159714296.html Technology Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:05:17 EST news159714296 Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that among preteens, the use of photographs to measure ultraviolet (UV) exposure, could motivate them to improve sun protection practices and limit number of sunburns. These findings appear in the April 2009 issue of the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association. http://www.physorg.com/news159685661.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:08:16 EST news159685661 The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday called for the nation's first limits on mercury emissions from the more than 100 cement factories across the U.S. http://www.physorg.com/news159646809.html Space & Earth Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:21:01 EST news159646809 (AP) -- The last time Congress passed major environmental laws, acid rain was destroying lakes and forests, polluted rivers were on fire and smog was choking people in some cities. http://www.physorg.com/news159344981.html Space & Earth Sun, 19 Apr 2009 07:30:03 EST news159344981 Bankrupt Polaroid Corp. has been bought by a pair of private equity firms after a judge threw out the acquisition of the iconic inventor of instant photography by another investor. http://www.physorg.com/news159199367.html Technology Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:03:34 EST news159199367 Just like gasoline, diesel fuel has plummeted in price since last summer after reaching almost $5 a gallon. So now that diesel goes for about $2.25, sales of diesel-powered vehicles, which almost always get better mileage than their gas-powered counterparts, have risen, right? http://www.physorg.com/news159192120.html Technology Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:02:34 EST news159192120 For decades, researchers have evaluated the thermal performance of protective clothing worn by firefighters. A particular area of current interest is how to address the burns received by firefighters when they are not directly in contact with fire - called stored heat burns. Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a testing apparatus and measurement protocol that allow firefighter suits to be evaluated for their ability to prevent and minimize stored heat burns. http://www.physorg.com/news158931276.html Technology Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:35:27 EST news158931276 (AP) -- "Don't let the bedbugs bite." Doesn't seem so bad in a cheerful bedtime rhyme, but it's becoming a really big problem now that the nasty critters are invading hospitals, college dorms and even swanky hotels. With the most effective pesticides banned, the government is trying to figure out how to respond to the biggest bedbug outbreak since World War II. http://www.physorg.com/news158927415.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:30:58 EST news158927415 (AP) -- A clean water expert at Auburn University hopes a new project that enlists middle and high school students will help reduce farm runoff that is a growing pollution threat to the Gulf of Mexico. http://www.physorg.com/news158562652.html Space & Earth Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:11:24 EST news158562652 After ignoring its own research for most of the last decade, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this spring will test the air outside dozens of schools across the nation that are close to industrial polluters. http://www.physorg.com/news158346416.html Space & Earth Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:07:24 EST news158346416 (PhysOrg.com) -- NASA has chosen the material for a heat shield that will protect a new generation of space explorers when they return from the moon. After extensive study, NASA has selected the Avcoat ablator system for the Orion crew module. http://www.physorg.com/news158337577.html Space & Earth Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:40:44 EST news158337577