In The News

Online Game, Made in US, Seizes the Globe

Seth Schiesel September 5, 2006
Almost 7 million people around the world join in playing World of Warcraft, an online game that offers true global competition. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment, based in California, the game breaks cultural barriers by appealing to a massive global audience and offering an increasing array of languages. In the past, popular interactive games attracted hundreds of thousands of players at most...

100,000 Heads Are Better Than One

Chris Reidy August 25, 2006
The internet widens the market for any business, increasing the pool of buyers and sellers. Operating on that principle, some websites allow major corporations to post anonymous research challenges, inviting free-lance scientists to volunteer solutions. For example, a Canadian engineer earned $25,000 for providing an easier way for one company to move toothpaste ingredients into a tube. The...

Singapore Acts as Haven for Stem Cell Research

Wayne Arnold August 18, 2006
Singapore has a conservative government, with strict rules in many areas – but it bestows ample freedoms and financial incentives for its scientists. As a result, the country has become a magnet for biomedical researchers from around the world. The US, world leader in medical research, presents an uncertain legal environment for stem-cell researchers, by legalizing abortions and fertility...

In the Midst of War, Bloggers Are Talking Across the Front Line

Sarah Ellison August 3, 2006
Both Israeli and Lebanese citizens rely on the internet to provide live updates of their experiences. Before the fighting started, communications across the border were rare, as Lebanon prohibits Israeli citizens from crossing the border, and there are no phone connections between the two states. While most of the bloggers are Western educated, the conversations come in all forms, ranging from...

Cell Out

David A. Shaywitz July 26, 2006
When US President Bush vetoed stem-cell legislation, he did not stop scientists from pursuing stem-cell research. The US creates hundreds of thousands of embryos for infertile couples, many of which are disposed of or frozen, but prohibits federal funding to study any new embryo lines created after August 2001. Researchers hope to use the cells to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes and...

Custom-Built Pathogens Raise Bioterror Fears

Joby Warrick July 25, 2006
In 2002, German-born molecular geneticist Eckard Wimmer created the first live and fully functioning virus in a lab. Built from scratch, this virus was a variation of one that causes polio. Wimmer points out that he didn’t invent the technology that made his experiment possible, but only drew attention to equipment that’s available at any well-funded university. Al Qaeda has sought biological...

Dare Violate a Copyright in Hong Kong? A Boy Scout May Be Watching Online

Keith Bradsher July 24, 2006
The Hong Kong government has unveiled a plan to use 200,000 young people from organizations like the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides as watchdogs for internet copyright infringement. Many civil liberties advocates question the use of teenagers in state-sponsored law enforcement. While Hong Kong authorities claim that the program encourages good citizenship among a population with a high rate of...