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BreakingwindowsJul9th2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionGoogletakesitsrivalrywithmicrosoftastepfurtherTheannouncementcameasahumbleblogpostongoogle'scorporatewebsitelateonjuly7th,butitheraldswhatcouldbeadramaticshake-upfortheinformationtechnology(it)industry.Bypromisingtolaunchafreeoperatingsystemforpersonalcomputers(pcs)laterthisyear,theonlinegiantismountingadirectattackonmicrosoftanditsdominantwindowsoperatingsystem.Techcrunch,atechnologyblog,reportedthenewsas“googledropsanuclearbombonmicrosoft".Thebombhasaverylongfuse,however.Thefirstmachinesrunningchromeos,asthenewsoftwareistobecalled,willnotbeavailableuntillatenextyear.Theinitialversionwillonlybesuitablefornetbooks,thesmall,cheaplaptopsthathaveprovedpopularoflate.Theideaistoprovideacompactandsimple-to-useoperatingsystemthatbootsupinafewsecondsandworkssecurelyandeasilywithweb-basedapplications,suchassocialnetworksandonlinee-mail.Thesoftwarewillcombinelinux,theopen-sourceoperatingsystem,withchrome,google'sbrowser.Butgoogle'sintentionisclear.Itplanstodowhatthenow-defunctnetscapeattemptedwhenitlauncheditsfirstwebbrowserinthemid-1990s:tomakewindowsobsoleteandturnthebrowserintothedominantcomputingplatform.Allapplicationswrittenforchromeoswillbeweb-based,althoughitwillallowuserstoworkofflineandsynchronisechangeslater.Thatmeanschromeosapplicationswillalsoworkwithotherbrowsersthatarecompliantwiththelatestwebstandards.Microsofthasnotyetofficiallyresponded.Butgoogle'sassaultcomesatatimewhentheonce-omnipotentsoftwaregiantlooksvulnerable.Windowsvista,themostrecentversionofitsoperatingsystem,hasnotbeenasuccess.Itsforaysintogoogle'smainterritory,websearchandonlineadvertising,havenotbroughtbiggains.Yetitismuchtooearlytocountmicrosoftout.Itrecentlylaunchedbing,anewsearchservice,whichhasbeenwellreceived.InOctober;aroundthetimewhengooglewillmakechromeosavailable,microsoftwillreleasewindows7,themuch-improvednextiterationofitsoperatingsystem.Thefirmisalsospendingbillionsofdollarsona“cloud”—aglobalnetworkofhugedatacentres-whichwillrivalgoogle'sinfrastructureforweb-basedapplications.Willtherebeaclearwinner?Probablynotintheforeseeablefuture.Thatisagoodthing:theepicfightbetweenthetwogiantspromisestospeedupinnovation,whichiswhattherecession-bounditindustrymostneeds.美國〉科技窗體底端googletolaunchrivaltowindowsasitchallengesmicrosoft'sdominanceByrichardwaters,chrisnuttaliinsanfrancisco2009-07-09Thefinalelementingoogle'sdrivetoreshapethecomputinglandscapefellintoplaceyesterdaywhenitunveiledplansforapcoperatingsystemthatwouldcompetedirectlywithmicrosoft'swindows.Butthefortressthatmicrosofthasbuiltaroundwindowsislikelytowithstandthisattackforsometimetocome,givingthesoftwarecompanyroomformanoeuvreasittriestoreshapeitsowntechnologyaroundtheinternet,analystssaid.Googlesaidanumberoflow-pricedlaptopsknownasnetbooks,basedonitsnewoperatingsystem,wouldgoonsaleinthesecondhalfofnextyear.Itpredictedthatthesoftwarewouldbringbenefitstopcusersfromgreatlycuttingthetimeittakesforamachinetostartuptoreducingthecomplexityofmanagingpersonalcomputers.Cominginthewakeofitsandroidoperatingsystemforsmartphonesandchromebrowserforaccessingtheinternet,google'splannedoperatingsystem,tobecalledchromeos,willcompletetherangeofsoftwarethatthecompanyproducesforinternet-connecteddevices.Googlemakesnomoneydirectlyfromopen-sourcesoftwarelikechromeos.Theimportancetothecompanyofthesoftwareisthatitservesasaplatformthatcouldeventuallydrivemoreuserstoitswebservices,feedingitsdominantsearchadvertisingbusiness.Userswillnothavetorelyonmicrosoft'sdominantwindows.

1Thechallengetomicrosoftisclear.Some45percentofits$22.5bnofoperatingprofitslastyearcamefromthewindowspcoperatingsystem,butthesoftware'ssignificancetomicrosoftextendsmuchfurther.Itssecondbigmoney-spinner;theofficesuiteofapplications,istiedtowindows.Asanopen-sourcesystembasedonfreelyavailablelinuxsoftware,chromeostakesaimatthat.GivenWindows'sdeeplyentrenchedpositionincomputing,however,mostanalystssaidthatgooglewouldfindithardtounseatthesoftwaregroup,“thisisn'tgoingtobesomethingthatisgoingtohurtmicrosoftveryquickly,it*sgoingtotakesometimebeforeitreallymakesadent/saidmikesilver;ananalystatgartner.Iran'srebelliousstudentsGoundergroundJul9th2009|tehranfromtheeconomistprinteditionOnthesurface,normalityisreturning.Underground,thingsmaybedifferentDespitearenewedcrackdownbythesecurityforces,iran'sstudentsarelookingforclevernewwaystokeeptheircampaignfordemocracygoing.Butitisastruggle.Nearlyallforeignjournalists,barahandfulofagencyreporters,arebeingkeptout,sothatchannelofcommunicationisbarred.Websitessuchasthoseofthebbcandfacebookareblocked.Thetext-messagesystemhasbeenstop-go.Theauthoritieshaverandomlydeclaredpublicholidaysandtoldpeopletostayoffthestreetsbecauseof"/unhealthypollutionlevels'*.Securitymeninplainclothesstoppeople,especiallyyoungones,atcrossroads,tochecktheirbagsandidentities.Communicationbetweentehranandotherbigcitiesissimilarlytricky;therehavebeenreportsofdozensofstudentsbeingarrestedatauniversityinthecentralcityofisfahan,aformercapitalofpersia.Theauthoritieshavecloseddowntehran/smainuniversity,wheretheislamicrevolutionbeganin1979.lastmonthitwitnessedbloodybattlesbetweenpoliceandstudents.Stone-facedsecuritymennowstandguardatthefrontgate,whileotherentranceshavebeenpadlocked.Asmallnumberofteachersandstudentsfavouredbytheauthoritiesareletin.FinalexamshavebeenpostponeduntilSeptember;thoughafewweretakenlastmonth.Graffitipraisingmirhoseinmousavi,thethwartedpresidentialchallenger,havebeenscrubbedoff,leavingahugeofficiallysanctionedmuraldepictingthestatueoflibertyhurlingrocksatcoweringwomenandchildren.Othercentresoflearningintehran,suchasamirkabiruniversityoftechnologyandsharifuniversity,havealsobeenlockeddown.Manystudentssaythatallislost.z/atfirst,iwasangry/saysoneatshahidbeheshtiuniversity.z/theniwasdisappointed.Nowijustfeelemptiness/Arecentgraduatefromtheiranuniversityofscienceandtechnologysaysheandhisclassmateshavelosthope.Aboveall,asenseofparanoiahastakenhold.Largenumbersofstudentsenteruniversityasarewardforjoiningthebaseej,avigilantemilitiathatanswerstotherevolutionaryguard,sothecampusesareheavingwithinformers.Studentsareafraidtotalktoforeigners.Somerefuseeventoglanceatthem.Thegovernmenthasunnervedmanyyoungpeoplebythreateningtousedeadlyforceonalargerscale.Sofar;itadmitsthatascoreofpeoplehavebeenkilled.Human-rightscampaignerssaymorethan2,000peoplehavebeenarrestedacrossiran.Thatincludesperhapsahundredseniorpeopleassociatedwithmrmousaviorthepairofformerpresidents,muhammadkhatamiandakbarhashemirafsanjani,whohavecomeoutagainstmahmoudahmadinejadandhismentor,ayatollahalikhamenei,iran/ssupremeleader.Tehran'spolicechiefhasadmittedthatmorethan1,000werearrestedintehranalonebutsaysthattwo-thirdshavebeenfreed.GreenisnaughtyInanyevent,thecampaignismovingunderground.Acoreofprotestersisbentonkeepingthetorchburning,remindingfellowstudentsthattherevolutionariesof1979endurednearlyayearofrepressionandstreetskirmishesbeforetheymanagedtooverthrowtheshah.Today'sprotesterswritesubversiveslogansonbanknotesandpourgreenpaintontothestreetsatnight,takingcaretomixyellowandblueratherthanbuytheready-madegreenstuff,whosesalesarecarefullymonitored.Noneofthesetacticshasmademuchofadentsofar.Everydaylifeintehranseemstobebacktonormal.Trafficisonceagainbumpertobumper.Mellatpark,oneoftehran'sbiggest,isfulloffamilieswithchildrenplayingfootball.Coffeeshopsareagainfrequentedbyyoungpeopleflirting,despitethedemureveils.Butbeneaththesurface,agameofcatandmouseisunderway.Thegovernmentisstillonedge,warythatunrestcouldresume.Onedatecomingupsoonistheendofthe40-daymourningperiodsincenedasoltan,asymbol

2forthecampaigners,wasshotdeadwhilearrivingatademonstrationintehran.E-mailscallingformoredemonstrationsarestillcirculating.Publicprotesthasdwindledbutmaynotbeover.Theatmosphere,amongstudentsandotherIranians,is:"let/swaitandsee".ScienceandtheenlightenmentGiftofilluminationJul9th2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionTheageofwonder:howtheromanticgenerationdiscoveredthebeautyandterrorofscience.Byrichardholmes.Pantheonbooks;552pages;$40,harperpress;￡25.butfromamazon.com,amazon.co.ukRichardholmes'snewbook,whichwaspublishedtogreatacclaiminbritainlastOctoberandisnow,finally,comingoutinamerica,isacaptivatingstudyofthelate18thandearly19thcenturies,theheydayofromanticscience.Romanticismisgenerallyperceivedasthepolaroppositeofscience,“itsidealofsubjectivityeternallyopposedtothatofscientificobjectivity”.Butromanticscienceemergesfromthissubtle,illuminatingandhugelyenjoyableworkasanideaofmanyparts.Knownprincipallyforhisbiographiesofsamueltaylorcoleridgeandpercybyssheshelley,mrholmeshasfoundanewsetofheroesinsirjosephbanks,abotanist,anastronomer,sirwilliamherschel,andsirHumphrydavy,achemist.Theromanticscientistswerecoevalsofthegreatpoetsofthetime,coleridgeandwilliamwordsworth,shelleyandjohnkeats.Intellectually,theyshared“acommonidealofintense,evenreckless,personalcommitmenttodiscovery”,drivenbyasenseofwonderatthemysteriesoftheuniverse.Thevoyageofdiscovery,whethergeographicalorexperimental,wasanalmostgeneticcharacteristicintheromanticscientists,exemplifiedbydavy'sexperimentsonhimselfwithnitrousoxide.Twoepicvoyages,captaincook'sintheendeavourfrom1768andCharlesdarwin'sinthebeaglefrom1831,definemrholmes'speriod.Buttheauthorteasesoutadeeperandmoreelusivemeaninginthelinksbetweenthescientistsandthegreatromanticpoets.Coleridge,whowasfascinatedbythingsscientific,inparticular;madetheconnectionbetweentheworkofpoetandscientistexplicit.“theageofwonder"isthelong-awaitedfermentationoftheauthor'sknowledgeoftheromanticpoetsandhislifelongfascinationwithscience.Thepresidingspiritofthebookisbankswhosailedtotahitiwithcookandbecamepresidentoftheroyalsocietyattheageof35in1778.havingestablishedhisreputationearly,banksspenttherestofhislifepromotingbothbritishscienceandthecareersofhisproteges.Hediedin1820,havingbeen,inalanmoorehead'sphrase,the“virtualdictatorofscientificaffairsinengland".Herschel,aneccentricmusicianfromhanoverwhocametoenglandanddevotedhimselftoastronomy,discoveringuranusin17S1,wasanotherromanticwhosemethodswererigorouslyscientific.Herschelinventedandbuiltunprecedentedlypowerfultelescopes.Assistedbyhisindomitablesister,Caroline,hemappedtheheavensmoreaccuratelyandtoagreaterdepththananyonehadmanagedbeforehim.Davy,acornishmanandanotherpioneer,inventedthesafetylampthatsavedthelivesofcountlessminers.Togetherwiththesupportingcast,frommungoparktomaryshelley,theyofferapowerful“senseofindividualwonder;thepowerofhope,andthevividbutquestingbeliefinthefutureoftheglobe/science&technology

3ExtendinglifespanOfmiceandmonkeysJul9th2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionAndmen?IllustrationbyclaudiomunozMostpeopleacceptthatdeathandtaxesareinevitable.Butthatdoesn'tmeanyoushouldnottrytopostponethem.Agoodaccountantcanhelpwiththelatter,buttheusualprescriptionfortheformerisawayoflifethatavoidsexcess.Thatadvicemightbeeventruerthanmanyofitsproponentsrealise,for*haslongbeenknownthatrestrictingthedietsofseveralspeciesoflaboratoryanimalseemstoslowdowntheprocessofageing.Thisisaquestionnotjustofavoidingobesity,butofreducinganindividual'sintakeofcaloriestoapointsignificantlybelownormalconsumption-almost,butnotquite,tothepointofmalnutrition.Atthesametime,somedrugsarealsoknowntohaveanti-ageingproperties-again,in“l(fā)ower"anima|s.Itisthereforegoodnewsforpotentialmethuselahsthatboththese^approacheshavenowbeenbroughtcloser;phylogeneticallyspeaking,tohumanity."--/Caloricrestriction,asthedietarymethodisproperlyknown,wastestedbyrichardweindruchandhisteamattheuniversityofWisconsinusingrhesusmonkeys—theworkhorses(tomixliteralandmetaphoricallivestock)oflaboratorystudiesonnon-humanprimates.Previously,thenearestspeciestoahumanforwhichcaloricrestrictionhadbeenprovedtoworkwasamouse.Drweindruch'sresultsarepublishedinthisweek'seditionofscience.Meanwhilethatpublication'srival,nature,hasareportbydavidharrisonofthejacksonlaboratoryinmaineandhiscolleaguesonthelife-prolongingeffectsofadrugcalledrapamycin.Inthiscasetheexperimentwasdoneonmice.Butthatismuchclosertohumansthanthenematodewormsandfruitflieswhichwerethesubjectsofprevioussuccessfulexperimentsondrug-inducedlifeextension.Nopain,nogainOnereasonwhyprimateshavenotbeenthesubjectofanti-ageingstudiesuntilnowisthattheylivesolonganyway.Drweindruch/spaperistheresultof20yearsofwork.Overthecourseofthatperiodheandhisteamhavelookedat76monkeys(30malestostartwithand,since1994,another16malesand30females).Halftheseanimalswerekeptascontrols,withnochangesintheirdiet,andtheotherhalfexperimentedupon.Eachanimalintheexperimentalgroupwasobservedforuptosixmonthstofindouthowmuchitatewhenfoodwasfreelyavailable.Itthenhadthecalorificvalueofthisbaselinedietcut,inthreemonthlytranches,untilithadbeenreducedbyatotalof30%.Theupshotisthat,sofar,14ofthe38controlanimalshavediedofage-relatedillnessessuchastypeii(lateonset)diabetes,cancerandheartdisease.Onlyfiveoftheexperimentalanimalssosuccumbed.Astatisticalanalysisshowedthat,atanygiventimeduringthestudy,ananimalinthecontrolgroupwasthreetimesaslikelytodiefromanage-relatedcauseasoneintheexperimentalgroup.Notalloftheanimalsthatdieddidsofromage-relatedconditions.Somesuccumbedtoinjury,infectionandevencomplicationsfromanaesthesia.Butwhenitcametothesemorerandomdeaths,bothgroupssufferedalmostequally.Sevenwentdowninthecontrolgroup,andnineintheexperimentalone.Anapparentwin,then,forcaloricrestriction—thoughitwillnotbepossibletosayforsureuntilallmembersofbothgroupshavediedandtheextrayearsoflife(ifany)oftheexperimentalsubjectscanbeknownprecisely.Semi-starvationisnot,however,acourseofactionmostpeoplewouldbewillingtoundertakeinthehopethatitmightprolongtheirlives.Buttheymightbewillingtotakeapill.Indeed,acompanycalledsirtrispharmaceuticalsisalreadyrunningtrialsofdrugsthataffectproteinscalledsirtuins-agroupofenzymeswhichexperimentsoninvertebrateshaveshowntobeinvolvedinextendinglifespan.Drharrisonandhiscolleaguespickedadifferentmoleculethathasbeenseentoworkoninvertebrates:rapamycin.Thissubstance,isolatedoriginallyfromastrainofbacteriumfoundoneasterisland—orrapanuiasitisknowntothelocals-actsbysuppressingaparticularsignallingmechanisminsidecells,calledthetorpathway.Thetorpathway,inturn,promotesproteinproductionandinhibitstheactivedestructionofpartsofcellsthatarenolongerneeded.Slowingdownallthismolecularturnoverseemstoslowageing,atleastinwormsandflies.Sodrharrison'steamdecidedtogiveitagoinmice.

4EastereggsLaboratorymice,whichhavenopredatorsotherthanthewhite-coatedvariety,liveforamaximumofjustover1,000days.Theresearchersstartedfeedingthemwithrapamycinattheageof600days-aboutthesamepointintheirlivesasa60-year-oldhumanhasreached.Theresultswereimpressive.Maximumfemalelifespanincreasedfrom1,094daysto1,245,thoughmalesdidsomewhatlesswell,goingfrom1,078daysto1,179.measuredfromthetimethedrugswerefirstadministeredinearlyoldage,thesefigurestranslateintoa38%increaseinlifeexpectancyforfemalesand28%formales.Whatisequallyinterestingisthatboththetorpathwayandtheonecontrolledbysirtuinsarealsoaffectedbycaloricrestriction.Itlooks,inotherwords,asifthedrug-basedanddiet-basedapproachesareactinginsimilarways.Thatisnottorecommendpeopletakedosesofrapamycin.Itsmainmedicaluseistosuppresstheimmunesystem,soanyoneconsumingitcasuallywouldopenhimselftoseriousinfection.Butitdoesholdoutthetantalisinghopethat,atsomepointinthefuture,itmightbepossibletopopapillandputanextradecadeortwoonyourlife.BusinessHollywoodintherecessionOne-dimensionalJul9th2009|losangelesfromtheeconomistprinteditionThedownturnforcessweepingchangesonareputedlyrecession-proofbusinessAlamyJohndavishasproducedfilmssuchas〃i,robot"and"norbit”,andisworkingonanadaptationof“gulliver'stravels'*.Healsoinvestsinbusinessesasdiverseasrestaurantsandscaffolding.Thesedaysheismuchmoreoptimisticaboutthefilmindustrythananythingelse.Itisameasureoftherecession'sseveritythatabusinessbuiltonfickleteenageaudiencesandmulti-million-dollarwagershascometoseemcomparativelyreliable.Thedownturnhasaffectedhollywoodinawaythatfewexpected.Michaellynton,headofsonypicturesentertainment,saysthatifhehadbeenaskedtopredictwhethertherecessionwouldencouragepeopletostayathomewatchingthelargetelevisionsonwhichtheyhadspentsomuchorgoouttocinemas,hewouldhaveguessedwrong.Sofarthisyearbox-officereceiptsareupby12%overlastyear.Yetsalesofdvdsarefalling(seearticle).Odderstill,thefilmbusinessisprovinghardierthantheconglomeratesofwhichthebigstudiosareapart.Sonymade￥30billion($299m)onfilmandtelevisionintheyearthatendedinmarch,butitlost￥168billiononelectronics.Disney,foxanduniversalusedtorakeinprofitsfromtheirlocaltelevisionstations;theslumpincaradvertisinghasputanendtothat.Timewarnerhasbeenweigheddownbyaolandmagazines.Sothemessagehasbeendispatchedtotinseltown:spendlessmoney,anddonotdoanythingrisky.Unfortunatelythathasbecomedifficult.Lastyearatorrentofwallstreetmoney,whichhadallowedthebigstudiosandindependentoutfitstosharetheriskandexpenseofmakingfilms,abruptlydriedup.Equityinvestorshavelearned,likemanybeforethem,thatthefilmbusinessproducesbetterpartiesthanprofits.Domesticlendersareconcentratingonrepairingtheirbalancesheets;foreignonesarebeingpressuredtofocusontheirhomecountries.Davidshaheen,headoftheentertainmentgroupatjpmorgan,reckonstherewere25to30banksactiveinfilmfinancingbeforethecreditcrisis.Nowtherearenomorethan12.Asaresulttherewillbefewerfilms.Accordingtothemotionpictureassociationofamerica,606newfilmswerereleasedlastyear,althoughmanyweredestinedforjustahandfulofcinemasinnewyorkandlosangeles.Thisyearthenumbercanbeexpectedtodropto400orbelow.Itwillnothappenimmediately.Thefilmbusinessislikeasnakedigestingalargemeal:theproductionbulgecausedbythesurgeofmoneyin2006and2007willtakeayearorsotoworkitswaythroughthesystem.Theprospectofaslowdownrathercheersthestudiosandthelargerindependentdistributors.Inretrospect,theyreckon,thereadyavailabilityoffilmfinancingmeanttoomanytitleswerecompetingforattention.Withaclutchofnewreleaseseveryfriday,steepdrop-offsinaudienceshavebecomeroutine.Ticketsalesfor"wolverine"fellby69%betweenthefirstandsecondweekendsofitsreleaseinmay.Andthatfilmwasasuccess.Betteryet,fromthestudios'pointofview,thepriceoftalentisfalling.Withfewerfilmsbeingputintoproductionitisabuyers'marketforactorsanddirectors-onereasonanactors'strikefailedtomaterialisethisyear.

5Middlingstarsarebeingofferedmuchsmallerguaranteedfeesinreturnforabiggercutoftheprofitsifafilmsellswellondvdandtelevision.Thetoptieroftalentstillcommandshugesums.Butthatclubhasshrunk,inpartbecausebig-budgetfilmsthesedaysaresoldlessontheappealofanactorthanonfamiliaritywiththetelevisionprogrammes,booksorcomicsthatsoofteninspirethem.ThefilmsloadedwithspecialeffectsthatdominatethesummerandChristmasholidayswillnot,however,becomemuchlesscommonorcheapertomake.Inthepastfewyearsfilmscostingmorethan$150mtoproducehaveprovenreliablyprofitable.Healthyreturnsthissummerfrom3-danimatedfilms,whicharemoreexpensivetomakethanthetwo-dimensionalsort,areencouragingstudiostoputmoreintoproduction.Norarethestudioslikelytotinkermuchwiththeircarpet-bombingapproachtomarketingbigfilms.Afterall,thecostofadvertisingisfalling.Kevinmisher;theproducerbehind“publicenemies”,believesthefilmbusinesswillbecomeincreasinglypolarised.Therewillbeplentyofspectacular,big-budgetsummeractionfilmsandasteadysupplyofcheapcomedies(atabigstudio,a"cheap"filmisonethatcostslessthanabout$40mtoproduce).Whatthesefilmshaveincommon,mrmisherpointsout,isthattheypromiseacollectiveexperience.Peopleliketowatchspectacularactionfilms,comediesandhorrorfilmsingroupsandwillabandontheirtelevisionsandmobilephonestodoso.Theinevitablelosersinallthiswillbecomplex,well-madefilmsthatdonotfitneatlyinasinglegenre,suchas“duplicity",ahybridofcomedy,dramaandromancestarringjuliarobertsandcliveowen.Itfailedattheboxofficeearlierthisyear.Studioexecutiveshavelongknownthatsuchfilmsarechancy.Theeaseofspreadingfinancialriskallowedthemtosuspendtheirdisbelief.Nolonger.Hollywood'sabilitytorespondquicklytochangehashelpedthefilmbusinesstoremainstable,withthesamenumberofbigstudiosnowasintheearly20thcentury.Yetthenewausteritycomesatacost.Cutbacksindevelopmentandproductionmeanstudioswillhavefewerfilmstoreleasewhentherecessionends.Thatmeanslesspotentialprofitfromdiscs,televisionrights,toysandtherestofit-nottomentionlessvarietyforfilmgoers.BusinesssignsofhopeforthecarindustryLivingonscrapsJul9th2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionTheworstmaybeoverforcarmakers,buttheyarestillinforalonghaulCallthemgreenfumes.Salesofcarsandtrucksinamericashowedtheirsmallestyear-on-yeardeclinelastmonthsinceSeptember;whenlehmanbrotherscrashed—althoughthedropwasstillamassive31%.Thatwouldcorrespondtoannualsalesof9.7m.Butaccordingtogeneralmotors,thefirstthreeweeksofthemonthwereagooddealbetter;runningatarateof10.3m.Salessubsequentlyslowedassomecustomersheldbackinanticipationofthefederal/zcash-for-clunkersz/scheme,whichbeganthismonth.Suchincentivesappeartobeworkingwell.Datareleasedthisweekbyj.d.powerautomotiveforecastingshowedthatduringjune,carsalesinwesterneuropegrewby4.1%.Ingermany,whichhasthemostgenerousofthemanyscrappageschemesinoperation,saleswereupbyanastounding40.5%forthemonthand26%fortheyearsofar.Monthlysalesrosebynearly12%initalyandby7%infranee.Althoughtheamericanscrappageincentivesapplyfromjuly1st,buyersmayholdbackuntilthedetailsoftheplanarefinalisedlaterinthemonth.Thatcouldturnouttobegoodnewsforgeneralmotors.Thisweek'sdecisionbyjudgerobertgerbertoallowthe"new”gmtoacquirethegoodassetsof"old"gm,followingtheexamplesetbyChrysler'sfast-trackexitfromchapter11,shouldensuretheemergencefrombankruptcyofamerica'sbiggestcarmakerwithinweeks.Havinglostnearlytwopercentagepointsofmarketshareduringthebankruptcyproceedings,thenewgmisplanningamarketingblitznextmonthtoannounceitsresurrection.Theindustryisfearfulaboutwhatwillhappenwhenthevariousscrappageschemesarephasedout(allarelimitedeitherintimeorfunding).Thereisawidespreadbeliefthattheincentives,whichrangeinvaluefromabout€750($1,050)to€2,500andareonlyavailabletobuyerswithcarsovertenyearsold,areonly“pullingforward"

6demandandwillthusenfeebletherecoverywhenitcomes.Saschaheidenofihsglobalinsight,aforecastingfirm,thinksthescrappageschemesinwesterneuropewillboostsalesbyabout1.2mthisyearandreducethemby600,000nextyear.Butmaxwarburtonofbernsteinresearcharguesthatmostofthesales"arenewandincremental,ratherthanpull-forward^sincecustomerswithnine-toten-year-oldcarsusuallyreplacethemwithusedinsteadofnewones.Mrwarburtonbelievesthat“normal“buyersofnewcarswillbegintoreturntothemarketnextyearastheeconomyimproves.Heexpectswesterneuropeansalestoberoughlystablein2010,butwithdemandforbiggerandmoreprofitablevehiclesreplacingtheartificialsurgeindemandforsmall,cheapcars.Thereareotherreasonsfortheindustrytofeelmoreoptimistic.Inventorieshavenowbeenalmostfullydepleted,pavingthewayforajumpinproductioninthelastfourmonthsoftheyear.Apronouncedincreaseinamericanvehiclesales,whichfellby40%towardstheendoflastyearandhavestayedattheirlowestlevelsincethe1970s,isanearcertainty.Althoughrisingunemploymentwillcontinuetoactasadragonthemarket,carloans,thelifebloodoftheindustry,havebecomeavailableagain,eventoless-than-primeborrowers.Mrwarburtonalsopointstoarecoveryinprofitability,thankstofallingraw-materialcosts,thatshouldbeworthasmuchas€500acarnextyear.Norshouldthepositiveimpactoncarmakersinbothamericaandeuropeofaradicallyslimmeddowngmbeunderestimated.Gmzsaysmrwarburton,hasbeen"theoverridingdeflationaryforceonindustrypricing"fordecades.Thereisstilluncertaintyaboutwhenmaturecarmarketswillreturntothekindofsalesseeninthedecadeupto2007(accordingtoihsglobalinsightitwillnotbeforatleastfouryears)andwhowillbethewinnersandlosersamongthebigcarmakers.Butfornow,itisenoughthattheworstofthenightmareseemstobeover.science&technologyHigh-techdentistryStelmo'sfrierJun17th2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionUsingaplasmatorchtocleanyourteethSciencephotolibrarygettingtotherootofitInfectionsintherootsofteetharehelltotreat.Thetoothneedstobedrilledinto,rightdowntothebottomofthenerve-carryingcanalthatrunsthroughtheroot.Theinfectedmaterialmustthenbecleanedoutcompletelyandthedrilledsectionfilledin.Althoughtheprocedureisroutine,itiscommonforsomeofthebacteriatosurviveitandthereforeforinfectionstore-emergeshortlyaftertreatment.Thesurvivingbacteriaareoftengatheredintheformofwhatisknownasabiofilm.Bacteriainsuchafilmareembeddedinapolymermatrix,whichmakesthemhardertokillthanisolatedindividuals.Hightemperaturescandestroybiofilms,ascansomechemicals,butneitherapproachissafetouseinsidethedelicateinteriorofahumantooth.Howeverchunqijiang,aphysicistattheuniversityofsouthernCalifornia,losangeles,andhercolleagueshavecomeupwithapossiblealternative:adentalplasmatorch.Plasmasaregasesinwhichthemoleculeshavebeenstrippedofsomeoralloftheirelectrons,tocreatepositiveions.Onewaytodothisistoheatthegasup.Conventionalplasmatorchesemploysuchhotplasmatocutmetal.Butcoldplasmascanbemadeusinghighelectricalvoltages.Stelmo'sfire-violetandblue"flames“thatappeararoundships/mastsduringthunderstorms-isagoodexample.Drjiangreckonedthatacoldplasma,particularlyonerichinoxygenions(whicharenotoriouslydestructiveoforganicmaterials),wouldbeenoughtodothejobofbreakingupabiofilmwithoutharmingthepatient.Totestthisidea,sheandhercolleaguesdesignedadevicethatusesshortpulsesofelectricitytoionisethesurroundingair;creatingapurpleplumeofplasmarichinoxygenions.Anditworked.Theteamreportinplasmaprocessesandpolymersthatwhentheplumewasdirectedintotheinfectedinteriorsofteeth,itsucceededinclearingupwell-establishedinfectionscompletely.Thatmayjustbethebeginning.Bacteriainbiofilmsarealsomoreresistanttoantibioticsthantheirisolatedconfreres,sothenewdevicecouldhaveothermedicalapplications.Woundinfections,forexample,oftenform

7biofilms.Iftheycannotbetreatedsuccessfully,theresultmaybegangrene.Andifdrjiang'sversionofstelmo'sfirecandealwiththatproblem,thesaintmaybecomepatronofalotmorepeoplethanjustsailors.science&technologypaternityandparentalinvestmentLikefather,likesonJun18th2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionThereisabenefitinlookinglikedadAlamyyou'llbeaman,mysonMenaredoomedtouncertainty.Womenknowwhotheirchildrenare,buttheubiquityofsexualcheatingmakesitdifficultformalesofmanyspecies,humansincluded,tobesurewhichyoungstersactuallybelongtothem.Ifamale'sreproductivestrategyamountstolittlemorethan"wham,bam,thank-youma'am",thismaynotmattertohimmuch.Butifasinthehumancase,hetakesaninterestinhisoffspring,itmattersalot.Therearefewmorefoolishactions,fromanevolutionarypointofview,thanraisinganothermale'sprogeny.Thislineofreasoningledalexandraalvergneandhercolleaguesattheuniversityofmontpelliei;infranee,towonderifhumanfathersrecognisefeaturesofchildrenthatmightgiveawaywhoseoffspringtheyreallyare,andusethosetoguidetheamountofattentiondoledouttoeachputativesonanddaughter.Tofindout,theyestablishedanexperimentamongvillagersinthesinesaloumregionofSenegal,wherepolygynousmarriages(ie,menwithmultiplewives)arecommon.Insuchsocietiestheincentivesforunmarriedmenandtheopportunitiesforneglectedwomentoengageinwhatzoologistswhostudyotherharem-formingspeciesrefertoas“sneaking"areparticularlyhigh.Itgivesthemenachancetoreproduceandthewomenachancetospreadtheirbets.Thirtyfamilieswithatleasttwochildrenagedbetweentwoandsevenagreedtoparticipateinatwo-partstudy,inreturnforgiftsoffarmingequipmentandschoolsuppliesthatweregiventotheheadoftheirvillageforappropriatedistribution.Inthefirstpart,photographsweretakenofchildrenandtheir“fathers".Over100judges,selectedfromdistantvillages,werethengivenimagesofindividualchildrenalongwithimagesofthreeadultmen.Thesejudgeswereaskedtodecidewhichmanwaseachchild'sfather.Inasecondpartofthestudy,theresearcherscollectedt-shirtswornbyfathersandtheirchildrenwhilesleeping.Theset-shirtswerepresentedto300judgesfromothervillageswhohadnotparticipatedinthefirstpartofthestudy.Previousworkhasshownthatparentsandoffspringcanoftenbepairedfromthesmellofsucht-shirts,sothejudgeswereaskedtocomparethescentofeachchild'st-shirtwiththatoftwot-shirtswornbymen,andidentifytheshirtthathadbeenwornbythechild'sfather.Duringinterviewsconductedindividuallywithmothersandfathers,dralvergneandherteamaskedquestionsabouthowmanyhoursadayfathersspentwiththeirchildren.Theyalsoaskedindirectquestions,likewhetherthefathergavethemothermoneyforthechildrenand,ifso,howmuch.Answerswerescorednumerically,withresponseslike"hegivesmealotofmoneyeachweek"gettingfourpointsand"hegivesmenomoney"gettingzero.Questionsassociatedwithmaritalconflict,druguseandjealousycouldgeneratenegativepoints.Thescoreswerecombinedtocreateapaternal-investmentindexwhichrangedfromahighof+4toalowof-4.thenutritionalconditionofallthechildreninthestudywasalsoassessed,intheformoftheirbody-massindices(bmi),ameasureofhowmuchfattheirbodiescontained.Theresult,publishedinthelatesteditionofanimalbehaviour,isthatchildrenwholookedandsmelledliketheirfathersdidindeedenjoymorepaternalcarethanthosewhodidnot.Theyaveraged+1onthepaternal-investmentindex.The^non-resemblers^thoseadjudgedbyoutsidersnottosmellorlookliketheirfathers,averaged-1.thismattered,fortherewasalsoastrongconnectionbetweenpaternalinvestmentandachild'snutritionalstate.Childrenwhoseindexwas+2hadanaveragebmiof16.5.thosewhoseindexwas-2averagedabmiof15.Abmiof15isnotunhealthy(itisonlyslightlybelowtheaverageforafive-year-oldamericanboy).But16.5isnicelynearthetopoftherangeforafive-year-old,withouthimtippingintobeingoverweight.Familyresemblances,then,domatter.Looksmaynotkill,buttheycanleaveyoufeelingpeckish.science&technologyEvolutionandclimatechangeSurvivalofthelessfit

8Jul3rd2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionThemysteryofScotland'sshrinkingsheepmayhavebeensolvedAlamydownsizingOntheremoteislandofhirta,inthestkildaarchipelagobeyondtheouterHebrides,livehundredsofwildsoaysheep.Overthepast20yearsbiologistsstudyingthisprimitivebreed,whichhasnotchangedmuchsincethebronzeage,havenoticedthatthesheeparegettingsmaller.Thiswasapuzzlebecause,ingeneral,biggeranimalsareusuallymuchbetteratsurvivingtheisland'sextremelycoldwinters.Thebiologistsnowthinkthatclimatechangecouldbeinvolved.Timcoulsonofimperialcollege,london,andhiscolleaguesexaminedtheweightsofabout2,000femalesheepthatlivedontheislandinthetwodecadesoftheirstudy.Theycombinedthisinformationwithdetailedhistoriesofindividualanimals.Theyfoundthatdaughterswere,onaverage,lighterthantheirmothershadbeenatthesameage.Theirlegswereshorter;too,suggestingthatthebreedreallywasshrinking.Whyisthishappening?Theresearchers,whopublishedtheirresultsinthecurrentissueofscience,suspectedthatitmighthavesomethingtodowithclimatechange.Toexplorethistheyusedanindexofweatherseveritycalledthenorthatlanticoscillation.Thistracksthedifferenceinairpressurebetweenicelandandtheazoresand,duringthewintermonths,determinesthestrengthofthewinds,temperaturesandrainfallinthestkildaarchipelago.Fromthisindextheresearchersconcludedthatthewintersonhirtaaregettingshorterandwarmer,andthatmaybebecauseofclimatechange.Thishastwoconsequencesforthesheep.First,theydonotneedtohavesuchlargefatreservestoliveoffifthewinterstheyfacearegettingmilder.Second,moresheepsurvivethewinter,solambsfacemorecompetitionwithlargeranimalsforfood,sotheygrowlessfast.Iftheresearchers'explanationisrightandclimatechangeisinvolvedinshrinkingthesheepofhirta,itshowshowrapidlyenvironmentalchangecanchangepopulations.books&artsphysicsandphilosophyMuchadoaboutnothingJul9th2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionIllustrationbydanielpudlesNothing:averyshortintroduction.Byfrankclose.Oxforduniversitypress;157pages;￡7.99.tobepublishedbyoupinamericanextmonth.Buyfromamazon.co.ukDoesanythingremainwheneverythingistakenaway?Thisquestionhasperplexedphilosophersforthousandsofyears.Inanewtreatment,frankclose,aphysicist,examinesthelatestscientificthinkingonthesubject.Mostscientistsbelievethattheuniversewasborninthebigbangsome14billionyearsago.Thevastnessofspace,itssmatteringofgalaxiesandstars,itsplanetsandtheconsciouslifethatinhabitsatleastonesuchorballcamefromthisgiantfireball.Notonlywasmattercreatedatthatpoint,sotooweretheforcesthatgovernitandthefieldsthattheygenerate.Further,timeitselfburstforth.Wheredidallthisstuffcomefrom?Sciencesaysthatitcamefromquantumfluctuationsinthevoid.That,inturn,raisesquestionsaboutwhatthevoidmightbe.Strippedofallmatter,forcesandfields,wouldspaceandtimeexist?Theuniverseisexpanding,beingthrustapartbysomemysterious"darkenergy”,minutetracesofwhichpervadeallspace.Isdarkenergythe"cost"ofhavingfreespace?Mrclosearguesthatemptinessisacollectiveeffectsimilartothatofmagnetism,whichoccursinisolationbutonlywhenmanyatomsarepresent.Physicistscallsuchphenomena“emergent“becausetheydependonamultiplicityofrelativelysimpleinteractions.Mrclosereckonsthatconsciousnessmaybeacollectiveeffect,too.Heoutlineshowthehiggsfield,whichisthoughttoberesponsibleforendowingmatterwithmassandthusenablinggravitytoactonit,mayalsobeacollectiveproperty.Physicistsareengagedinthebiggestscientificexperimentinthehistoryoftheworldatcern,theeuropeanparticlephysicslaboratory,inanattempttofindtheparticlesassociatedwiththisfieldandtherebyconfirmitsexistence.Thehiggsfieldisthoughttohavepervadedthe

9voideversinceatrillionthofasecondafterthebigbang.Moveawayfromthecollectivescale,however,andpeercloseratemptyspace,thatis,avolumefromwhichallmatterandforceshavebeenremoved,anditbuzzeswithenergy.Thesmallerthespace,thegreaterthefluctuationsintheenergythatpervadesit.Thismakesthevoidfizzwithactivity,asparticlesandtheirantimattercounterpartszipinandoutofexistence.Itisthisactivity,atquantummechanicalscales,thatbanishesnothingnessandwhichisthoughttohavegivenbirthtotheuniverse.Mrclosesurveys3,000yearsofthinkingtoarriveatthemodernsolutiontothequestionofwhereeverythingcamefrom.Theanswerisnothing.Whytheuniverseisasitisremainsanenigmatoscience.science&technologyencouragingcompetitivenessPsychedoutJul9th2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionThefewerthecompetitors,thehardertheytryAlamycalculatetheanswerwhennapproachesinfinityWhatrelationshipthereisbetweenthenumberofparticipantsinacompetitionandthemotivationofthecompetitorshaslongeludedresearchers.Doesthepresenceofalotofrivalsstimulateactionorleadsomeonetogiveuphope?Itismorethananacademicquestion.Or,rather,itisaveryacademicquestionindeed,foritmayaffectthewaythatexaminationsareconductediftheyaretobeafairtestforall.Toinvestigatethemattertwobehaviouralresearchers,stephengarciaattheuniversityofmichiganandavishalomtorattheuniversityofhaifainisrael,lookedattheresultsofthesatuniversityentranceexaminationinamericain2005.thistestgeneratesascoresupposedlybasedonthetest-takerzsverbalandanalyticalprowess.Thetworesearchersuseddataonthenumberoftest-takersineachstateoftheunionandthenumberoftest-takingvenuesinthatstatetocalculatetheaveragenumberoftest-takerspervenueinthestateinquestion.Theyfoundthattestscoresfellasthenumberofpeopleintheexaminationhallincreased.Andtheydiscoveredthatthispatternwasalsotrueforthecognitivereflectiontest,anotheranalyticalexam.Theseresultsareintriguing,butlendthemselvestomorethanoneexplanation.Tofindoutwhethertheywerecausedbyapsychologicaleffectrelatedtothenumberofperceivedcompetitors,orweremerelyaconsequenceofthegreaterdistractionproducedbycrowdingmorepeopletogether,drgarciaanddrtorconductedanexperiment.Theyasked74universitystudentstotakeatimed,easygeneral-knowledgequizwhichtheywereaskedtofinishasquicklyaspossiblewithoutcompromisingaccuracy.Eachstudentcompletedthetestalone,buthalfweretoldtheywerecompetingagainsttenotherpeopleandtheotherhalfthattheywerecompetingagainst100.allwereinformedthatthosewhosecompletiontimeswereinthetop20%wouldreceive$5.Theresultsbackedupthepsychologicalhypothesis.Studentswhobelievedtheywerecompetingagainstonlytenpeoplefinishedinanaverageof28.95seconds.Thosewhobelievedtheywerecompetingagainst100averaged33.15seconds.Curiousastowhymerebeliefthathewasfacingmorecompetitorswouldalteranindividual'sperformance,thetworesearchersranasecondexperiment.Theyaskedstudentstoimaginetheywererunningafive-kilometreraceagainst50peopleandthenagainst500(or;inhalfofthecases,theotherwayround).Inbothnotionalracesthetop10%ofcompetitorswouldgeta$1,000prize.Theresearcherstoldthestudentstorate,onaseven-pointscale,howmuchfasterthannormaltheywouldrunineachnotionalrace,withaonebeingslightlyfasterthannormalandasevenbeingthefastestoftheirlives.Theaveragevalueinthecompetitionagainst50otherswas5.43;inthecompetitionagainst500itwas4.89—aresultconsistentwiththeothertwopartsofthestudy.Whenthatbitofthetestwasover;drgarciaanddrtorthenaskedtheparticipantsaseriesofquestionscommonlyusedbypsychologiststoevaluateanindividuaTstendencytocomparehimselfwithothersinasocialenvironment.Theyfoundthatthosewiththehighesttendencytomakesuchcomparisonshadthelowestscoresinthenotionalraceagainst500others.Thesesociallyawareindividualsare,asitwere,lookingaround,assessingthesituationandthinkingthatitisnotworthtryingtoohard.Intheirreportonthematterinpsychologicalscience,drgarciaanddrtordubtheirdiscoverythe/zn-effect/z

10since"n"representsanynumericalvalueinmathematics.Ifconfirmed,itmaymeannotonlythatexaminationhallsshouldbekeptsmall-or;atleast,thesamesizeforallparticipantssothattheplayingfieldislevel—butalsothatothercompetitiveactivitiesshouldbescaleddownforbestresults.science&technologypsychologyMotivatingmindsJan22nd2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionPeopleprocrastinatewhenaskedtothinkintheabstractTosomethereisnothingsourgentthatitcannotbepostponedinfavourofacupoftea.Suchprocrastinationisamysterytopsychologists,whowonderwhypeoplewouldsabotagethemselvesinthisway.Ateamofresearchersledbyseanmccreaoftheuniversityofkonstanz,ingermany,reckontheyhavefoundapieceofthepuzzle.Peopleactinatimelywaywhengivenconcretetasksbutdawdlewhentheyviewtheminabstractterms.Drmccreaandhiscolleaguesconductedthreeseparatestudies.Firsttheyrecruited34studentswhowereoffered€2.50($3.30)forcompletingaquestionnairewithinthesubsequentthreeweeks.Halfofthestudentswerethensentanemailaskingthemtowriteacoupleofsentencesonhowtheymightgoaboutvariousactivities,suchasopeningabankaccountorkeepingadiary.Theotherswereaskedtowriteaboutwhysomeonemightwanttoopenabankaccountorkeepadiary.Fortheirsecondstudy,drmccreaandhiscolleaguesrecruited50students,whowereofferedthesamesumsandtimespansasthefirstlot.Halfofthesestudentswereaskedtoprovideexamplesofmembersofagroup,forexample,naminganytypeofbird.Thetaskwasinvertedfortheotherstudents,whowereaskedtonameacategorytowhichbirdsbelong.Finallytheresearchersasked51students,whowereagainofferedcashandgivenadeadline,toexamineacopyof“l(fā)aparade"bygeorgesseurat,a19th-centuryfrenchartist.Halfweregiveninformationaboutpointillism,thetechniqueseuratusedtocreatetheimpressionofsolidcoloursfromsmalldotsofpaint.Theothersweretoldthatthepaintingwasanexampleofneo-impressionisminwhichtheartisthadusedcolourtoevokeharmonyandemotion.Bothgroupswerethenaskedtoratetheimportanceofcolourin13otherworksofart.Astheteamreportinpsychologicalscience,inallthreestudies,thosewhowerepresentedwithconcretetasksandinformationrespondedmorepromptlythandidthosewhowereaskedtothinkinanabstractway.Moreover;almostallthestudentswhohadbeenpromptedtothinkinconcretetermscompletedtheirtasksbythedeadlinewhileupto56%ofstudentsaskedtothinkinabstracttermsfailedtorespondatall.Theoriesaboundforwhypeopleprocrastinate.Somepsychologiststhinkthatthosewhodelaycompletingtasksdosobecausetheyhavelowconfidencethattheywillsucceedinthattask.Perhapsprocrastinatorsareperfectionistsortheymayjustbedepressed.Othersbelievetheyareimpulsiveandlackself-control.Earlierresearchhasshownthatpeopledefertasksthatareunappealing,difficultorexpensive,whichisnogreatsurprise.Drmccreaandhiscolleagues,however,arethefirsttoshowthatthewayinwhichataskispresentedalsoinfluenceswhenitgetsdone.Thoseseekingtocajoleacolleague,friendorspouseintoactionmightponderthefinding,thoughperhapsnotfortoolong.Itmightbebettertoofferaprocrastinatoraconcretechoice-lapsangsouchongordarjeeling?-ratherthanaskinghimjustwhatsortofapersonitiswhowoulddrinkteawhentimeisoftheessence.books&artscommunismDeadendJul2nd2009fromtheeconomistprinteditionMankind'sbiggestmistakeCorbisTheriseandfallofcommunism.Byarchiebrown.Ecco;736pages;$35.99.thebodleyhead;￡25.buyfrom

11amazon.com,amazon.co.ukWhydidcommunismtakeroot?Givenitssorrowfulharvest,whydiditkeepspreading?Andwhateverenabledittolastsolong?Archiebrown'snewhistoryofcommunismidentifiesthreebigquestions,perhapseventhebiggest,ofthepastcentury.Atfirstsight,allseempuzzling.Communismwasanimpracticalmishmashofideas,imposedbysquabblingzealotsthatpromisedmuch,deliveredlittleandcostmillionsoflives.Itisstrikingthat36countriesatonetimeoranotheradoptedthissystemandthatfive—Cuba,laosznorthkorea,Vietnamandthebiggestofthemall,china-stillpaylipservicetoit.Communism'sfirstbigadvantagewasthatitplayedontwohumanappetites-thenobledesireforjusticeandthebaserhungerforvengeance.Mrbrown,emeritusprofessorofpoliticsatoxforduniversity,tracescommunism'sidealisticrootsinthestruggleagainstfeudaloppressionandbeastlyworkingconditions.Themoralweightofkarlmarx'scriticismsof19th-centurycapitalismevenwonhimpraisefromthehighpriestofwesternliberalism,karlpopper;aviennese-bornphilosopherwhoemigratedtolondon.Buttheintoxicatingexcitementofrevolutionaryshortcutsattractedtheruthlessanddogmatic,whosawthechancetoputintopracticemarx'smuddledutopiannotions—andsettlesomescoresontheway."themorerepresentativesofthereactionaryclergyandreactionarybourgeoisiewesucceedinkilling,thebetter/wroteleninin1922.evenso,manystillresisttheideathatthefoundingfathersofcommunismweremurderousmaniacs.Revolutionsagainstcorruptandossifiedregimesincountriessuchasrussiaandchinastokedasteamyenthusiasmthattookdecadestodissipate.Thecommunistblockalsohadtwobitsofgoodfortune.Theeconomicslumpofthe1930sdiscrediteddemocracyandcapitalism.Thencamehitler'sdisastrousattackonthesovietunion.Thevictoryoverfascismineuropegavethesovietunion,anallyofamericaandbritain,renewedmoralweight.Givenwhathadhappenedinrussiaunderstalininthe1930s,thathardlyseemeddeserved.Asmrbrownnotes,Stalintrustedthenazileadermorethanhetrustedhisowngenerals.Thesovietunionkilledmoretopgermancommuniststhanhitler'sregimedid.Yetinsomecountries,Czechoslovakiaforexample,sovietforceswereinitiallywelcomedasliberators,andstalinistregimestookpowerwithadegreeofpopularconsent.Inothercountries,suchaspolandandthebalticstates,itlookeddifferent:oneoccupationgavewaytoanother.Thepromisedcommunistnirvanabroughtamixtureofmassmurder,liesandlatterlythegreyrealityofself-interestedrulebyauthoritarianbureaucrats.Butitwasabitlateforsecondthoughts.Communistregimesprovedremarkablydurable,partlythankstotheuseofprivilegesforthedocileandintimidationoftheindependent-minded.Anothersourceofstrengthwastightcontroloflanguageandinformationthatdeemedmostcriticismunpatriotic.Crackscameasinformationspread,especiallyaboutthesystem'sbogushistoryandeconomicfailings.Nationalismwasapotentsolventtoo,particularlyinplacessuchasthebalticstates,thatfelttheywerecaptivenationsofaforeignempire.Mrbrowndealsconscientiouslywithcommunisminasiaandthesolitarylatinamericanoutpostofcuba.Buthismainexpertise,acquiredoverdecadesofscholarlystudy,isinthesovietunionanditseasteuropeanempire.Hisaccountisstuddedwithdelightfullypertinentandpithypersonalobservationsandanecdotes:thecensorsintsaristrussiadecidedthatkarlmarx's"daskapitaPwassoboringthatitwasn'tworthbanning.Leninthought1917wastooearlyforrevolutioninrussia.AtthebattleofStalingrad,50,000sovietcitizens,includingturncoats,volunteersandconscripts,werefightingonthegermanside.Anamericancommunistagitatoroncebeganaspeechwiththeimmortallines:"workersandpeasantsofbrooklynz/.Nikitakhrushchevhatedputtingthingsinwritingbecausehecouldn'tspell.Itiseasytobepolemicalaboutcommunism.Mrbrownstrivestobefair-minded.Hegivescarefulweighttotheachievementsofthesovietregime,particularlyinbringingmassliteracytorussia,andunparalleledsocialmobility.Butheissometimestoolenient.Wasthesovietunionunderleonidbrezhnevreallyjustanauthoritarianregime,ratherthanatotalitarianone?Sayingthatthesovietunion“repossessed“thebalticstatesinthesecrethitler-stalinpactin1939wouldstrikemostpeoplethereasaglaringmisreadingofhistory.Andhisdiscussionofeconomicsisskimpyandcliched.Yetasasingle-volumeaccountofmankind'sbiggestmistake,mrbrown'sbookishardtobeat.Readersovertheageof40willfinditanuncomfortablereminderofadangerousanddismalpast.Formostyoungerreaders,itwillseemallbutunimaginable.

12bookishardtobeat.Readersovertheageof40willfinditanuncomfortablereminderofadangerousanddismalpast.Formostyoungerreaders,itwillseemallbutunimaginable.July9,2009|,mostnewdrugshavehadtheirrootsinnaturalproducts,butscientistsworrythattheapproachisindeclineByMedicineman:actorseanconneryonceportrayedascientisthuntingforacureforcancerintheamazon.Alanlight/flickrInthe1992filmmedicineman,actorseanconnerystarsasagrizzledscientistwhodiscoversacureforthenstrugglestoreplicatehisfindingsasbulldozersdestroytheveryforeststhatharborit."whatdon*tyouunderstand?"."ifoundthecureforthe...plagueofthe20thcentury,andnowi'velostit!"ifconneryreprisedthatroletoday,hisenemymightinsteadbebigpharma,whoseworkingmethodshavestaunchedthepipelineform?id=mother-natures-medicine-c"|medicinesderivedfromnature.Theadventoftechnologieshasallowedcompaniestotest100,000compoundsperdayforspecificbiologicalfunctions,butthatspeedcomesataprice:drugapprovalratesarefarlowerforsyntheticcompoundsthanthosederivedfromnaturalproducts,which,duetotheircomplexity,arehardertoscreen."ibelievethisisbadinthelongtermforboththepharmaceuticalcompaniesandthepublic/'saysoftheuniversityofalberta,"thecurrentbalancebetweenhigh-throughputscreeningofsyntheticlibrariesandpursuitofnatural-productleadsisskewedinanunfavorableway."Inthisweek'sscience,vederasandhisstudentjesseliexplainthatthisshiftfromnaturalproducts,alongwithtightersafetyrequirementsandafocusonblockbusterdrugs,isakeyreasonwhythepharmaceuticalpipelineisdryingup.Today,justover100nature-deriveddrugsarecurrentlyinclinicaltrials,a30percentdeclinefromjustafewyearsago.Theproblemwithcurrentscreeningtechnologiesisthat,animalsandmicrobeshavemorecomplicatedstructuresthanthoseinsyntheticchemicallibraries,leadingtochallengesintheirisolation,identificationandmanufacture.Moreover;naturalcompoundsareoftenpresentatsuchlowlevelsthattheycannotbereadilytestedusingcurrentautomatedtechnologies.Finally,drugmakersexploringthenaturalworldfacetheriskofisolatingandidentifyingaknowncompoundthatcannotbepatented.Evenso,there'sabrightsidetothestory.Vederasbelievesthatthistrendcouldbeturnedaroundbyautomatingthehuntfornaturalcompounds.Forinstance,itmaysoonbepossibletoautomaticallyseparateallofthechemicalsinanorganism,identifythem,andcataloguetheminalibraryforfuturescreening.Healsoadvocates"smartscreening"methods,suchasusingengineeredsaysthathelpweedoutcommonantibioticsproducedbysoilmicrobestospeedthesearchfor.Whetherornotallthisnoveltechnologymeansthatseanconnery,er;"dr.Robertcampbell/'willmakeamorecrediblescientistinthefuture,it'sstillworthtakingalookatsomeofthegreatesthitsfromnature'smedicinecabinet.willmakeamorecrediblescientistinthefuture,it'sstillworthtakingalookatsomeofthegreatesthitsfromnature'smedicinecabinet.July9,2009|lookingtoreplacebush-erapollutionrulesSoot,smogandmercuryemissionscouldallberedoneByEmissionrules:theepaisurgentlyworkingtotightenregulationoftoxicairpollutants.Flickr/pfalaisworkingtoissuereplacementrulesforbush-eraregulationsaimedatslashingpowerplantemissionsofsoot,smogandmercuryasquicklyaspossible,theagency'stopairofficialtoldasenatepaneltoday.Bothbushadministrationprogramsweretossedoutlastyearinafederalappealscourt.Infebruary2008,theu.s.circuitcourtofappealsforthedistrictofColumbiavacatedcamr;findingthattheagencyhadunlawfullyallowedtradingofthetoxicpollutant.Lastjuly,thesamecourttossedoutcair,whichwouldhavecutsoot-andintheeastern

13unitedstates.Thecourttemporarilyreinstatedthatruleindecember,givingtheagencytimetocraftareplacement.McCarthytoldthesenatecleanairsubcommitteetheagencywasworkingtoensurethatthecairreplacementwouldwithstandanypossiblelitigationefforts.Areplacementprogramcouldincludetradingprograms,sheadded.Epaisalsomovingforwardonsetting(mact)standardsformercurypollutionforpowerplants,shesaid.Sucharulewouldrequireplant-specificpollutioncontrols,asopposedtothetradingprogramsetupbythebush-eramercuryrule.Epalastweekissuedanoticeofitsintenttocollectinformationabouttoxicairemissionsfrompowerplants.Thosedatawillallowtheagencytomoveforwardtoset"smartandaggressive"mactstandardsformercuryandothertoxicpollutantsfrompowerplants,mccarthysaid.Mactstandardswouldrequireepatosetstandardsforexistingsourcesatleastasstringentlyasthetopperforming12percentofsources.JohnStephenson,directorofnaturalresourcesandtheenvironmentatthe,toldcongresstodaythatatleast90percentreductionsofmercuryemissionsappearstobeachievableandaffordableatmostplants.Thechairmanofthecleanairpanel,democrattomcarperofdelaware,andsen.Lamaralexander(r-tenn.)Arehopingtointroducelegislationinthenextseveralweeksaimedatcurbingthethreeconcernedthatwithoutcongressionalaction,epa'sregulationscouldbemiredinthecourtsforyears.Industryrepresentativesurgedcongresstotakeactionquicklytoimplementalegislativesolution.Randalllabauve,vicepresidentofenvironmentalservicesfor,saidhiscompanybelievesthat"onlycongresscaneffectivelyaddresstheconfusingandincompletepatchworkofonerousairemissionsregulationsthatarestiflingthedecisionprocessesforupgrading,maintaining,repoweringandbuildingnewpowerplants."Cleancar,dirtywater:howdoyoukeepbothyourrideandtheenvironmentclean?Byincarmaylooksparklingcleanafterawash,butthegrime,oilandsudshosedontothepavementdon'tdomuchforthecleanlinessoftheenvironment."thesoapsarejustastoxicassomeofthechemicalsweregulateintheindustrial[sector].Theykillfish/'sandyhoward,aspokespersonforthe,toldthetoday.Thedepartmenthassingledoutsurfacewaterrunoff,includingthecarwashstreamthatflowsdowndriveways,astheleadingsourceofpollutioninthepugetsound.Ofcourse,officialsaren'tsuggestingeveryonedrivearoundincarscoatedwithenoughdirtthatafinger-written“deanme"isvisible.Rather,avisittothelocalcarwashwheretheregulatesrecyclinganddisposingoftheusedwatercouldsignificantlylimitthesentdownthestormdrainandstraightintolocalwaterways.Forthedie-harddo-it-yourselfer;parkingthecaronsomegrassorgravelbeforeturningonthehoselimitsthecontaminatedrunoffbycatchingandpartiallyfilteringthewater.Evenusingabuckettocatchthedirtiedwaterandthenreleasingitoveranaturallypermeablesurfaceforfiltrationcanhelp.Forthoseinclinedtogoextragreen,waterlesscarwashproductsareavailable.Inadditiontoreducingrunoff,thisapproachsavesthenearly140gallonsofforanaverageat-homecarwash.Seattleisjustoneofmanycitiespromotingnaturalwaystoreducerunoffintorivers,streamsandlakes.Santamonica,calif.,isfiningresidents$500ifrunoffleavestheirproperty,reportedtheap.Aneco-consciouscarwashingisnowofferedinsanantonio,tex.And,australia,maysoongoasfarasbarringallhomewashingsonroadsorpaveddriveways,evenpubliccarwashes,despiteoutcryfromlocalsportsteamsandcharities.Ofallthewaystocleanyourcar;awildlifeparkoutsideofeugene,ore.,mayhavethemostcreative,ifnotnecessarilythegreenest,alternativeyet.There,trainedelephantsdothejob."thecarwashconsistsoftwooftheelephantssuckingwaterintotheirlong,slendertrunksbeforeshoweringituponwaitingvehicles/reportsthepongeintheirsnoutsandscrubthewindows/Theshowisperformedoverpermeableearth—/zsavannah-likeland/accordingtothereport.This$20"wash"maybemoreentertainingthancleansing,however.U.S.scienceistops,butmostamericansdon'tthinkitis,anewsurveyfinds.Byintodaythe(aaas)andthereleasedresultsofasurveyexaminingtheattitudesofthegeneralpublicandthescientificcommunityastheyregardtoscience.The,collectedfrom2,553aaasmembersand2,001publicrespondents,suggestthatalthoughaverageamericansholdapositiveviewofscientistsandsupportthefundingofresearch,theydonotsharethesameperspectivesasthe

14scientificcommunityonavarietyofscienceissues.Only17percentofthepublicfeelsthatu.s.scientificachievementsrankfirstintheworld,farlessthanthe49percentofscientistswhothinkso.,chiefexecutiveofficeroftheaaas,wassurprisedbythelowpercentageofbothnumbers,statinginatelephonepressconferencetodaythatmuchoftheworldconsidersamericanscienceasthestandardtoseek.Hegoesontonotethatu.s.sciencepapersarestillthemostfrequentlycitedintheworld.Amongotherfindings,thestudyresultsshoweddifferencesinopinionsontopicswherescienceandworldviewstendtoconflict.Only32percentofthepeoplesurveyedbelievethathumansevolvedovertimebynaturalprocesses,comparedwith87percentofscientists.Theextensivesurveyalsotouchesonscientists'viewsofthemediaandeducation.Amajorityofthescientistsbelievethatnewscoverageisatbestfairandthatthemediadoespoorlyateducatingthegeneralpublic.Alsowithinthestudywasaquizforthegeneralpubliconbasicscienceknowledge.The12-question"http://pewresearch.org/sciencequiz/"|quiz(whichwebsurferscantake)revealedthatpeopleknowaboutsciencethataffectsdailylife,suchasdrug-relatedquestions,butlessaboutmore“textbook"topicssuchasatomsandelectrons.Accordingtoleshnei;thesurveyoutlines,forboththescientistsandgeneralpublic,somekeyproblemsinthescientificarena,andheemphasizestheneedforthescientificcommunitytoengagemorewiththegeneralpublicJul9,200903:55pmin//www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=fewer-calories-longer-life-a-new-p-2009-07-09"\l"comments#comments"|7comments}|Fewercalories=longerlife?Anewprimatestudysays,yesByintswitheverythingfromyeasttomice—thequestionofwhetherao-live-longer"|increaseslifespan}whiledecreasingdiseasehasanewsmorgasbordofevidence.A2O-year-longrhesusmonkeystudy,releasedtodayin,foundthatmonkeysthatconsumed30percentlesscaloriesthanaveragepeerswereonethirdaslikelytogetaage-relateddiseaseandwerelikelytolivelonger.Ofthemonkeysinthetrial,80percentofthoseontherestricteddietare8"|stillalive,whereasjusthalfofthosethatateastheypleasedarestillaround.Thedietalsoseemedtoimprovebrainfunctioninto913D525BDCB08"|oldage."theatrophyorlossofbrainmassknowntooccurwithagingissignificantlyattenuatedinseveralregionsofthebrain/leadauthor,aprofessorattheuniversityofwisconsin-maidsonschoolofmedicineandpublichealth,saidinastatement,^that'sacompletelynewobservation/7Recentstudieshaveshownthatlighterdietscanalsokeep.com/article.cfm?id=caloric-restriction-intelligence"|memorywheelsspinningintoolderage.Weindruch,wroteanarticleforscientificamericancalled/z.com/index.cfm?fa=Products.ViewlssuePreview&ARTICLEID_CHAR=F0616DBF-073E-4A3B-8D68-1385E61DB9C"|caloricrestrictionandaging”in1996,inwhichhediscussedearlyfindingsfromtheprimatework.Butbeforeyoucutoutcakeentirely,thestudyauthorsnotethattheprinciplehasyettobeproventobeequallyeffectiveinhumans.Yin1996,inwhichhediscussedearlyfindingsfromtheprimatework.Butbeforeyoucutoutcakeentirely,thestudyauthorsnotethattheprinciplehasyettobeproventobeequallyeffectiveinhumans.Fromthe|Pride:deadlysinorsociallubricant?FeelingproudmakespeoplemoredominantandlikableinsocialtasksBy窗體頂端窗體底端

15)窗體頂端窗體底端MorefromthisissueofmindThinkbacktothelasttimethatyoubeatafriendatacardgameoroutdidyourpreviousrecordina5krace.Didyoutrytosuppressyoursatisfactionsothatotherswouldn/tthinkyouwereconceited?Infact,newresearchsuggeststhatpride,aslongasitstemsfromarealsuccessanddoesn'tslideintoknow-it-allobnoxiousnessornarcissism,notonlypushesustokeeptryinghardbutactuallymakesotherslikeusmore.studydidnotexaminethesignalsproudpeoplesendthatmakeotherslikethem,butotherresearchhasshownthatfeelingpleasedwithyourselftendstochangeaperson'ssubtlenonverbalbehaviors-forexample,triggeringmoresmilingoramoreconfidentposture.July12,2009|weswear?ForpainreliefDroppingthef-bomborotherexpletivesmaynotonlybeanexpressionofagony,butalsoameanstoalleviateitByFrak!Swearinghelpsyoutoleratepain.Emiliolabrador/flickrBadlanguagecouldbegoodforyou,anewstudyshows.Forthefirsttime,psychologistshavefoundthatswearingmayserveanimportantfunctioninrelieving.Thestudy,publishedtodayinthejournalmeasuredhowlongcollegestudentscouldkeeptheirhandsimmersedincoldwater.Duringthechillyexercise,theycouldrepeatanexpletiveoftheirchoiceorchantaneutralword.Whenswearing,the67studentvolunteersreportedlesspainandonaverageenduredabout40secondslonger.Althoughcursingisnotoriouslydecriedinthepublicdebate,researchersarenowbeginningtoquestiontheideathatthephenomenonisallbad."swearingissuchacommonresponsetopainthattherehastobeanunderlyingreasonwhywedoit,“sayspsychologistofkeeleuniversityinengland,wholedthestudy.Andindeed,thefindingspointtoonepossiblebenefit:"iwouldadvisepeople,iftheyhurtthemselves,to

16swear,"headds.Howswearingachievesitsphysicaleffectsisunclear;buttheresearchersspeculatethatbraincircuitrylinkedtoemotionisinvolved.Earlierstudieshaveshownthatunlikenormallanguage,whichreliesontheouterfewmillimetersinthelefthemisphereofthebrain,expletiveshingeonevolutionarilyancientstructuresburieddeepinsidetherighthalf.Onesuchstructureistheamygdala,analmond-shapedgroupofneuronsthatcantriggerafight-or-flightresponseinwhichourheartrateclimbsandwebecomelesssensitivetopain.Indeed,thestudents'heartratesrosewhentheyswore,afacttheresearcherssaysuggeststhattheamygdalawasactivated.Thatexplanationisbackedbyotherexpertsinthefield.Psychologistofharvarduniversity,whosebookthestuffofthought(vikingadult,2007)includesadetailedanalysisofswearing,comparedthesituationwithwhathappensinthebrainofacatthatsomebodyaccidentallysitson."isuspectthatswearingtapsintoadefensivereflexinwhichananimalthatissuddenlyinjuredorconfinederuptsinafuriousstruggle,accompaniedbyanangryvocalization,tostartleandintimidateanattacker,"hesays.Butcursingismorethanjustaggression,explains://www.mcla.edu/Undergraduate/majors/psychology/timothyjay/,'|timothyjay,apsychologistatthemassachusettscollegeofliberalartswhohasstudiedouruseofprofanitiesforthepast35years,"it22aliowsustoventorexpressanger,joy,surprise,happiness/'heIremarks,"it'slikethehornonyourcar;youcandoalotofthingswiththat,it'sbuiltintoyou."inextremecases,thehotlinetothebrain'semotionalsystemcanmakeswearingharmful,aswhenroadrageescalatesintophysicalviolence.Butwhenthehammerslips,somewell-chosenswearwordsmighthelpdullthepain.Thereisacatch,though:themoreweswear;thelesslemotionallypotentthewordsbecome,stephenscautions.AndWithoutemotion,allthatisleftofaswearwordistheworditself,unlikelytosootheanyone'spain.cautions.Andwithoutemotion,allthatisleftofaswearwordistheworditself,unlikelytosootheanyone'spain.Jul9,200903:20pminERLINK"http://www.scientificamerican.eom/blog/60-second-science/ppst.cfm?id=bottled-up-data-on-contaminants-in-2009-07-09"\l"comments#comments,,|2comments}|Bottledup:dataoncontaminantsinbottledwaterstilllacking,governmentsaysByinbabiesonrollerskates,breakdancingandweavingbetweenbottlesofwater;impartanimageofvitalityandpurity.Atleastthat'swhat,ahigh-endproducerofbottledwater;wouldhaveyoubelievewithitsnew.Asthecompany'sworldwidedirectorofbrand,michaelaidan,toldtoday,“inthemajorityofcountriesinrecentyears,ourcommunicationhasbeenveryfact-based.Butconsumersexpectmorefromabigbrand:emotion,dream."The(gao)andtheadvocacynmentalworkinggroup(ewg)wouldprefertheystickwiththefacts.Reportsfromthetwogroupslandedincongressyesterday,bothquestioninghowbottledwater,regulated

17bythe,compareswithtapwater,regulatedbythe.Annualreportsnamingsources,treatmentsandcontaminants,alongwiththeirhealtheffects,arerequiredofmunicipalwaterproviders.Bottlersarecurrentlynotforcedtodothesame,despitemanyrecallsoftheirproductsinrecentyearsbecauseofcontamination.Americansguzzledabout8.6billiongallonsofbottledwaterin2008—aboutdoublewhattheydrankadecadeago.Althoughsaleshavedippedabitinthelastyear;likelyfromtherecessionandenvironmentalconcerns,consumerscontinuetoplunkdownthedollarortwoforabottle.Theewgsurveyfoundthatfewbottled-waterproductsdisclosecomprehensiveinformationontheirwebsites,“instead,theysimplymakeclaimsofpurityandhealthbenefitsnotbackedbypublicdata,“janehoulihan,ewg'sseniorvicepresidentforresearch,toldthentaultra-purifiedwaterlistedthedetailsrequiredoftapwaterproviders.Thegaoandewgwouldliketochangethat.Althoughthefdahasbeenincreasingitswatchontheindustry—newruleswillsoonrequirebottlerstoeliminatee.Colifromtheirproductsandreportanytestresultsthatshowserioushealththreats—theysuggestthefdaalsobeginrequiringcompaniestolabeltheirproductswithinstructionsforhowconsumerscanfindmoreinformation.Lettersfromthepanelareoutnowto13companiesrequestingsourceandtestinginformationabouttheirwater,accordingtotheerday.Residentsofbundanoon,atownofabout2,500peopleacouplehourssouthofSydney,votednearlyunanimouslytoeliminatethesourceofmonetaryandenvironmentalwaste."we'rehopingitwillactasacatalysttopeople'smemoriestorememberthedayswhenwedidnothavebottledwater/'jondee,whocampaignedfor"bundyontap/'toldthee.'"July9Z2009|Ifswinefluweren'tenough,nowthere'sswineebolaScientistsreportthatdomesticpigsharborrestonebolavirus,theonlyebolaspeciesthathasnotcauseddiseaseinhumansByEbolainpigs:acookroastsababypigatthelydialechonrestaurantinquezoncity,Philippineshellochris/flickrDon'tworry,itcan'thurtyou—yet.Scientistshaveidentifiedrestonebolavirus—amemberofthedeadlygroupofhemorrhagicviruses-indomesticswinefromthePhilippines.Thevirus,whichlookslikeapieceofyarnwithaslightbend,istheonlyebolapathogennotknowntocausediseaseinhumans.Evenso,theu.s.centersfordiseasecontrolandpreventioninatlantaconsidersitabiosafetylevel4pathogen,reservedforthemostdangerousandexoticdiseases.andthecloselyrelatedmarburgvirusesarehighlycontagious,causingvomiting,diarrheaandbleedingwithdeathratesashighas90percent.Theseviruses,originallyfromafrica,arethoughttobecaughtfromclosecontactwithmonkeysand,theirprimaryhosts,althoughtheyhavealsobeenisolatedfromthatshownosymptoms.Indeed,restonebolaviruswasfirstidentifiedin1989incrab-eatingmacaquemonkeysthatwereshippedfromthePhilippinesforresearchinreston,va.Humancaretakersdevelopedanimmuneresponsetothevirus,buttheynevercamedownwithanysymptoms.Thelatestoutbreakoftheebolafamilywasdiscoveredinjuly2008asthePhilippinedepartmentofagriculturewasinvestigating"blueeardisease"inpigs,arespiratoryconditionthatcausestheirearstoturnbluefromlackofoxygen.Investigatorssenttissueandbloodsamplestomichaelmcintoshattheu.s.departmentofagriculture'sforeignanimal

18diseasediagnosticlaboratoryattheplumislandanimaldiseasecenteringreenport,n.y.mcintoshsayshewassurprisedtofindthatthetissuesamplesalsocontainedtherestonstrain,whichhadnotbeenpreviouslyidentifiedinswine.Histeamalsoconfirmedpig-to-humanebolatransmissionbyidentifyingsixpighandlers,whosebloodtestedpositiveforantibodiestothevirus,althoughtheyshowednosymptoms.ManilahadpreliminaryfindingsinJanuary,andmcintosh'sstudyispublishedinthisweek'sscience.Mcintoshsaystherearestillalotofunknowns,includinghowtheviruswastransmittedtothepigsandwhethertheyshowanysymptomsindependentofblueeardisease.Heworriesthatthevirus'spassagethroughpigscouldallowittomutateintosomethingmoreharmful.Theresearchalsoraisesthepossibilitythatpigscouldbeinfectedwithlethalebolastrains,"whatisthelevelofrisk?Wereallydon'tknow“hesays,"thefactthatitshowsupindomesticpigsraisesthatrisk."factthatitshowsupindomesticpigsraisesthatrisk."Fromthe|Dobraintrainergamesandsoftwarework?FewstudiesconvincinglyshowimprovementsfromthepopularprogramsByMorefromthisissueofmindThemarketforbrain-trainingsoftwarecontinuestogrow,butevidenceoftheprograms'abilitytoboostmemoryorintelligenceinabroadlyapplicableway(ratherthansimplymakingpeoplebetteratthetasktheyarepracticing)remainsscarce.Newstudiesofferatantalizingsuggestionthatcertainprogramsmaywork—butthebulkoftheresearchismurky.Neuroscientistpetersnyderofbrownuniversityreviewednearly20softwarestudiesandconcludedthat,asagroup,theywereunderwhelming.Theyaremarredbyflawsthatinduceconfoundingfactors,suchasalackofcontrolgroupsandfollow-up,snyderwarns.Morethanathirdofthosehereviewedweretooshoddyeventoincludeintheanalysisheprintedearlythisyearinthejournalalzheimer's&dementia,“you'dbesurprisedatwhatgetspublished/hesays.Althoughsomeproductsclaimedtotreatdementia,snyderdidnotfindanyevidencetobacksuchclaims.Onepaper,however,exceededexpectations:inanewstudysnydercalledthe“mostwell-designed"ofthoseheevaluated,themayoclinictestedthebrainfitnessprogrambypositscience,[forareviewofthisandotherprograms,seebykasparmossman;scientificamericanmind,april/may/june2009.]encouragingly,theresearchersfoundthatthesoftwareboostedthebraininwaysunrelatedtothetraining.Ratherthansimplylearningtoparrotbackwhattheyhadpracticed,participantsimprovedtheirtestscoresacrossarangeofbrainfunctions,saysclinicalneuropsychologistglennsmith,wholedthestudy.Peoplewhousedtheprogrambolsteredtheirworkingmemory-thesystemthatholdsinformationinmindmomentarilyintaskssuchasdialingphonenumbers-andprocessingspeed,twoassetsthatdeterioratewithage.Still,theboostwasminimal.Subjectswhoplayedimprovedtheirmemorybytwiceasmuchasdidthoseinthecontrolgroup(whospentanequalamountoftimewatchingeducationaldocumentaries).Aftereightweeksoftraining,thatimprovementwasonlyabout4percent.Smalleffectssuchasthoseareahallmarkofbrain-trainingsoftwarestudies,snydersays.Headds,however,“thisisagoodfirststudytoemergeoutofaterriblymessyliterature/andhewouldliketoseeifitcanbereplicated.Positsciencefundedthestudy,butnoneoftheresearchersinvolvedhasafinancialstakeinthecompany.Althoughthemagnitudeofimprovementmaybesmall,training/seffectonthebrainisvisible,accordingtoanotherrecentstudy.InfebruaryneuroscientistsatthekarolinskainstituteinSwedenusedpetandfunctionalmriscanstorevealchangesinthenumberofreceptorsfordopamine-achemicalmessengerinvolvedinlearning,amongotherimportantfunctions.Whethervolunteersstartedwitharelativelyloworrelativelyhighnumberofdopaminereceptors,braintrainingresultedinashiftclosertotheoptimumbalance.Snyderpraisedklingberg'sstudybutalsopointedoutthatitisagiventhatthebrainwillchangeinresponsetoavarietyofinterventions.Fromhisperspective,softwarecompaniesremainhard-pressedtoprovetheirproductsdomuch,especiallyoverthelongterm,andfewprogramshavedemonstratedtheflexibilitytoboostskillsthatwerenot

19practiced.Thebestmemoryenhancerisexercise,snydersays,[formoreonexerciseandthebrain,seeSecondarily,agooddietandanactivesociallifehavebrainbenefits.Doessoftwareimproveonthosestandbys,heasks?”frankly/havemydoubts.Theevidenceisn'tin."Fewstudiesconvincinglyshowimprovementsfromthepopularprograms

20Jun26,200911:15amin||eeraoftheelectricautomayfinallyhaveeasedoutofthedriveway.Hundredsofpeopleinseveralstatesaretestdrivingelectricminicoopersandapreproductionversionofthechevyvolthitthestreetsearlierthisweek,weeksaheadofschedule.Butbeinganearlyadopterisn'tcheap.Gm'sfastlaneblogfeaturesabouthisexperiencedrivingthevoltforafewlapsaroundthecompany'stechnicalcentercampusinwarren,mich.Besidestheexpectedglowingreviewofthecar;farahreportsthatchevyismakingafewvoltsperweeknowandplanstohaveabout80preproductionvehiclesbuiltbyOctober.Theproductionvoltisn'tdueuntil2011.readersoffarah'sblogpostwereconcernedwithhowmuchthevoltwasgoingtosetthemback.Citinga%20"|rumoredcostofmorethan$40,000,readerlaszloSteinercommented,"themainvalueofthecarwouldbeforthosefewrichpeoplewantingtomakeanenvironmentalstatementasopposedtothosewantingorneedingpracticaltransportation."anotherreaderquestionedhowmuchanewbatterywouldcostandpointedoutthatsomestateschargeasmuchas$3,000forahazardousdisposalfeetogetridoftheoldbattery.Farahtriedtoaddresssomeoftheseconcerns.Whenaskedwhetherchevycouldreducethepriceofthevoltby25percentandextendthelifeofthebatteryoverthenextsixtoeightyears,farahrespondedthathiscompanyhasagoodchanceofmeetingthosegoals,"sixtoeightyearsisalongtimewhenworkingwithemergingtechnologiesthatarebeingusedintheelectrificationoftheautomobile/*hewrote,addingthat"earlypublicacceptance"iscriticalwhendrivingdowncosts,"soitisabitofachickenandeggissue."Ilcarselectric.com/blog/1021505_what-its-like-to-lease-and-drive-the-mini-e-electric-car"|bmwisog/1020573_mini-e-enthusiasm-on-the-rise-as-deliveries-beginH[takingitsminicooperestraighttothepeople(450peoplelivinginCalifornia,newjerseyandnewyorkstate,anyway).Thesetestdrivers(chosenfromapoolofapplicants)aregettingbehindthewheelofapreproductionversion,theactualminiewon'tdebutuntil2012.yledennis,editorinchiefofthesiteallcarselectric.com(publishedbytlyhighmarks.Hedescribesthecarasastandardminicooperthat'soeenmodified,witha500-poundlithiumionbattery□ackthatreplacesthebackseat.Hecallsthecar'extremelyfastandexcitingtodrive,"whilenoting:here's"aslightdelayintorque"whentakingofffromacompletestop.Healsodescribeshowthetar'sregenerativebrakingsystembeginstoslowthe二arassoonasthedriver'sfootisliftedfromtheaccelerator;makingitoftenunnecessarytoactuallyusethebrakepedal.Allofthistechnologycomesatacost,however.Dennisandtheothertestdriversarepaying$850permonthtoleasethecarsfrombmw.Thestandardgas-poweredcooperhardtopsellsforabout$20,000.hardtopsellsforabout$20,000.Jul10,200901:15pmin||Sweetsmellofsuccessfollowsreintroductionofstinkinghawk's-beardtou.k.

21Byinaftergoingextinct30yearsagointheu.k,arareplantcalledthe(crepisfoetida)hasreturneditsformerhomelands.Thecouldofferlessonsforthereintroductionofotherextantspecies.Thestinkinghawk's-beard,knownforitsbitter-almondsmell,wasneverexactlycommonintheu.k.humandevelopmentfurthershrankitshabitats,andtheplantdisappearedfromitslastsiteindungeness,kent,in1980.sincethen,theorganizationsnaturalengland,theroyalsocietyfortheprotectionofbirds(rspb)zandroyalhollowaycollegehaveinitiatedseveralprojectstotrytoreintroducetheplant,usingseedscollectedbeforeitdiedoff.Thosefirstreintroductionprojectsfailedorhadlimitedsuccess,buttheyofferedenoughinformationtohelpwiththelatest,successful,effort.Nowatleastlz000plantsarethrivingattheryeharbournaturereserve,wherejust10plantsexistedfouryearsago.Keepingrabbitsawayfromtheplantsturnedouttobeoneofthemostimportantfactorsinthesuccessfulreintroduction.Historically,rabbitspopulationsmayhavebeensuppressedincertainareasbypredatorsorfactorsthatnolongerexistinmoderntimes,saysjanesears,biodiversityprojectsofficerfortherspb.Thefailedreintroductionattemptsalsoallowedtheprojectteamtofindtheoptimalfactorsthatthestinkinghawk's-beardneedstosurvive,"wenowhaveamuchbetterunderstandingoftheecologicalrequirementsofthisplant,"saysspears.Theseincludeidealsoilandweatherconditions,andresearchersarelearninghowotherfactors,includingchangingclimates,maketheplantvulnerabletopredatorysnailsandslugs.Stinkinghawk's-beardstillexistsinseveralotherpartsofeurope,butpopulationsappeartobeshrinkinginallofitshabitats,"itappearstobeshowingthesameretreatelsewhereinnorthwesterncontinentaleuropethatwehaveseeninbritainwhereitbecamerestrictedtoisolatedpopulationsbeforedyingout/*saysspears.Inparticular;theplant'srangehasdramaticallyshrunkinthenetherlandsandbelgium,andpossiblyalsoinfrance.Accordingtospearsandherprojectpartners-conservationconsultantbrainbanksandroyalhollowaycollegebotanylecturerbrianferry-theunderstandinggainedthroughreintroducingthestinkinghawk's-beardmaybeapplicabletootherscarcespeciesfacinghabitatlossintheu.k."oneinterestinglessonthathasbeenlearnedisthatlifeiscomplexandthatchangesthatmightappeartobebeneficialdonotalwayshavetheanticipatedoutcome,"saysspears,"forasoutherneuropeanplantyoumightexpectatrendtowardsmilderconditionstohavebeenadvantageous,yetthisdoesnotalwaysseemtohavebeenthecase."theworkforthisprojecthasbeenfundedwithmoneyfromnaturalenglandandtherspb,andryeharbournaturereservepaidfortherabbit-prooffencingatthesite.Theentireprojectboastsaverysmallbudget-between￡1,000and￡2,000($1,600to$3,200)peryear—whichfundsecologicalresearch,rearingtheyoungplantsandmonitoringtheirsurvival,"muchoftheworkhasbeencarriedoutatnon-commercialratesandthroughthegoodwillofthekeypartners,"saysspears,"thekeycomponentsarededicationandpatience."keycomponentsarededicationandpatience.H窗體底端窗體底端ChinacarsalesLex2009-07-10Vroomvroom.Carsales,swooningintherestoftheworld,leapt48.5percentinchinainjune,year-on-year,

22fuelledbygovernmentincentives.Andforgetprotectionism.Foreigncarmakersaremakinghaytoo;generalmotors'salesinchinaareracingahead,whilebmwandmercedeshavebeenapprovedasofficialcarsforbureaucrats.Thoselatetothepartyarepilingin:Italy'sfiatthisweeksigneda€400mjointagreementtomakecarsandenginesinchina.Chinesemanufacturers,meantime,arestillbentonacquiringoverseasassets,undeterredbyearliermishaps.Beijingautomotiveindustrycorporationisbiddingforgm'sopelbusinessineurope.Roadconditionsaheadlookgood.Penetrationinchinaisstillminuscule,at3percentofthepopulation.Vehiclesalesthisyear;forecastat11m,putthecountryontracktoovertaketheusastheworld'sbiggestcarmarket.Beijinghaslongsoughttobuilditsautomotiveindustry,mindfulofthatindustry'sroleasalinchpinofthemanufacturingprowessoftheusandjapan.Regardlessofthefactthatithasfailedtodeliveranationalchampion,beijingwillcontinuetosupporttheindustry.Thatincludesdirectsupport:csmworldwide,thecarconsultancy,estimates6percentofcarsareboughtbythegovernment.Buttherearepotholes,includinglastmonth'shikeingasolinepriceswhichmakesitmoreexpensivetofillthetankinchinathanintheus.Competitionisescalating,andnotjustduetonewcomers.Originalequipmentmanufacturersareraisingthestakesandbranchingoutintodesign.Alltold,theChinesemarketwillsee80newmodelsthisyear;csmreckons,probablyheraldingafreshroundofpricecutsasmanufacturersvietoflogtheircars.Squeezedmarginsmeanprofitsaretrackinglowerforthetop19domesticplayerssofarthisyear.Prepareformorebrakingfurtherdownthehighway.reckons,probablyheraldingafreshroundofpricecutsasmanufacturersvietoflogtheircars.Squeezedmarginsmeanprofitsaretrackinglowerforthetop19domesticplayerssofarthisyear.Prepareformorebrakingfurtherdownthehighway.＞評(píng)論窗體底端}＞評(píng)論窗體底端whenaquietwordbeatssendinge-mailBylukejohnson2009-07-03E-mailmightjustberesponsiblefortheproductivityincreasesthateconomiststellusarethekeytorisingprosperity.Butitcouldalsobesendingusallmad.Thetruthisthatbusinessisgenerallybestdonefacetoface,andifthatisimpossible,thenspeakingviathephone.Buttoomanyofusnowhidebehindsilent,typedcommunications.Thetroubleisthattherecipientofane-maildoesnothearatoneofvoiceorseeafacialexpression;norcanthesendermodifytheirmessagehalfwaythrough,sensingthatitiscausingoffence.Whenyoureadane-mailyoucannottellthemoodofthee-mailer.Apermanentwrittenformisdeadlyifyouarefeelingimpetuousandemotional.Toooftenihavemadethemistakeofsendinganirritableresponse,whichwillhavefesteredandangeredtheotherendmuchmorethanadifficulttelephoneexchange.Spokenwordsfade;bute-mailisforever.Ihavelearnedthatifireceiveareallynastye-mail-asidooccasionallyaboutchannel4programmes,orabadmealinoneofmyrestaurants-thenthebestpolicyissimplytodeleteitimmediately.Itisarareweekthatidonotwitnessorparticipateinsomefoolishmisunderstandingtriggeredbywronginterpretationsofe-mail.Everysooften,ivowtoalwayscallormeetpeopleratherthansendthemelectronicmonologues(orperhapsdiatribes).Butconvenienceandlazinessseizeme,andilapse.Itissomucheasiertobetoughviae-mail,ortogetawaywithweakexcuses,ortomakethingsup,ortosayno.Almostinvariably,itismorehumanandserioustohavearealdiscussionratherthanabizarreonlineconversation.Iknowemployeeswhohavebeenfiredforsendingabusivee-mails,orwhohavefacedseverelegalconsequencesforwritingsomethingtheyshouldhavejustsaidverbally.Mostofusarerunningourworkingliveslikerichardnixonrantheovaloffice-forgettingthatthetapesarerunning.Irecentlyhadtochairameetinganddiscoveredmonstrousmicrophonesinthemiddleoftheroom,recordingeveryword,whichhadapparentlybeenthepreviouscustombecauseofdisputesaboutminutes.Iinsisted

23theywereswitchedoff,andtheatmospherelightenedrightawayandbecamemoreconducivetoopendebate.Idonotwanttospendmytimeinacorporateversionofthebigbrotherhouse.Moreover,e-mailcanbeaterribledistraction,especiallyifyouuseablackberry.Iwasrecentlyreprimandedforpeekingatmineduringaboardmeeting-agrossformofhypocrisyonmypart,becauseioncethreatenedtoslingoutofthewindowanypda-typedevicesbeingusedinmeetingsichaired.Ihavenowvowedtoswitchoffbothblackberryandmobileinallmeetings-anythinglessisuncivil.Itmustbeadmittedthate-mailishardtobeatasatransmitterofdocumentsanddata.Itforcesthesendertocarefullythinkthroughtheirargumentsandexpressthemselveslogically.Itallowsyoutoreplyswiftlytoahostofdifferentquestionswhentimeisshort.Youdon'thavetoworryaboutjourneytimesortravelcosts,unreliablepostageorengagedphonesorvoicemail.E-mailisamarvellouslyeconomicaltoolforkeepingintouchwithfar-flungcommercialcontacts;youcansendthemanoteatyourleisure,24hoursaday.Itisalsoisaterrificmethodofdiscreetlyanddirectlypitchingtosomeonepowerful.Itcertainlybeatstryingtogetameetingorevenreachthemonthephone.Likeitornot,icouldnotdomyjobwithoute-mail.Meanwhile,iknowaseniorfinancier,anex-chairofaftsecompany,whostillhashissecretaryprintouthise-mailsforhimtoreadsohecanthendictaterepliesforhertoe-mailback.Nowthatreallyismad.>窗體底端)窗體底端chinainattackondollarBygeorgeparker,guydinmoreinl\'aquilainWashington,krishnaguhainhongkong,justinelau2009-07-10Chinalauncheditshighest-profilecriticismofthedominantroleoftheusdollarasaglobalreservecurrencyyesterdayatameetingoftheworld'sbiggesteconomies.Daibingguo,Chinesestatecouncillor,raisedtheissuewhenhejoinedtheleadersoffourotheremergingeconomiesfortalkswiththeleadersoftheg8industrialisednations-includinguspresidentbarackobama-intheearthquake-damageditaliantownofI'aquila.Theremarks,whichcameinfrontofmrobama,causedconcernamongwesternleaders,someofwhomfearthatevendiscussionoflong-termcurrencyissuescouldunsettlemarketsandundercuteconomicrecovery.Gordonbrown,britain'sprimeminister;saidhedidnotremembermrdaimakingtheremarks.Buthesaidthefocusshouldbeonmovingtheworldoutofrecession./zwedon'twanttogivetheimpressionthatbigchangeisaroundthecornerandthepresentarrangementswillbedestabilised/mrbrownsaid.“weshouldhaveabettersystemforreservecurrencyissuanceandregulation,sothatwecanmaintainrelativestabilityofmajorreservecurrenciesexchangeratesandpromoteadiversifiedandrationalinternationalreservecurrencysystem/saidmrdai,accordingtotheChineseforeignministry.Thedollarweakenedinearlytrading,althoughitwasdifficulttotellwhetherthiswasbecauseoftheChineseremarksorcross-currentsinriskappetiteandeconomicdata.Analystssaidmrdai'scomments-whichfollowearlierstatementsbythepeople'sbankofchinainmarch-appearedmostlypoliticalinnature.Whilechinadesiresinthelongruntomovetoamoremultipolarglobalfinancialsystem,Chineseofficialsunderstandthatthereisnoalternativetothedollarintheshorttermandmaynotbeformanyyears.Byfaultingthedollarbeijingcanexpressitsdispleasureatuspolicyandexertleverageovertheusingeneral,includinginthebroaddebateoverthefuturegovernanceoftheinternationalfinancialsystem.Thechallengeservesasashotacrossthebowsfortheusatatimewhenchinaisconcernedaboutgiantusgovernmentdeficitsandthefederalreserve'sunorthodoxmonetarypolicy.Beijingwantstheustotakeseriouslyitsobligationtosustainthevalueofchina'snearly$2z000bninustreasuries.

24Separately,josephyam,chiefexecutiveofthehongkongmonetaryauthority,yesterdaysaidhongkongmightconsiderdiversifyingmoreofitsus$200bnreservesawayfromtheusdollar.z/theremaycomeatimeinthefuturewhenwethinkthatasmall,modestexposuretotherenminbi-notwithstandingitbeinganon-convertiblecurrencystill-maybesomethingthatwemaypursue.Butwedon'thaveanyplansatthismoment,anyconcreteplans/hesaid.esaid.>窗體底端)窗體底端microsoftandfacebookstepupefforttocounterriseoftwitterByrichardwaters,davidgellesinsanfrancisco2009-07-03Theraceamongsomeofthebiggestonlinecompaniestorevealmoreoftheinstantopinionsandinformationfloodingacrosstheinternetinrealtimehasintensified,withmicrosoftandfacebookeachannouncingimportantinitiativesinrecentdays.Theinitiativesreflectthebroaderimpactontheinternetthatisstartingtobefeltbythesoaringpopularityoftwitter,theservicethatletsusersbroadcastshortmessages.BingonWednesdaybecamethefirstsearchenginetoshowreal-timetweets,theshortmessagespostedbytwitterusers,initssearchresults,althoughtechnicalconstraintsthatrestricthowmanydatarequeststwittercanhandlehaveforcedittolimittheservice.Microsoftsaidtheservice,restrictedtopostsfromseveralthousandsofthemostpopulartwitterersintheus,wouldbringnewtweetsontothesearchengineinlessthanaminute.Theinitiative,althoughlimited,gavemicrosoftalegupovergoogleinitseffortstofindwaystodifferentiatethenewbingsearchengine,saiddannysullivan,editorofsearchengineland.Googlewasmorelikelytowaittoshowtwitter'sreal-timecontentuntilitcanindextheentireservice,headded.Meanwhile,facebookhastakenstepsinrecentdaystomakeitsowncollectionofreal-timeviewsandinformation,postedbytheservice's225mactiveusers,morepubliclyavailable,markingadirectattempttocountertwitter'srisingpopularity.Thesocialnetworkingsitehasbeguntrialsofasearchserviceonitsownsitethatwouldenableuserstofind“statusupdates'7-facebook'sequivalentoftweets-fromanyotherusersoftheservice,providedthemessagehadbeenmadepubliclyavailable.Inasecondsteptocountertwitter;facebookthisweeksaiditwastestingnewprivacysettings,inthehopethatitsuserswouldchoosetomakemoreoftheirpersonalinformationavailabletoanyone.thisweeksaiditwastestingnewprivacysettings,inthehopethatitsuserswouldchoosetomakemoreoftheirpersonalinformationavailabletoanyone.窗體底端)窗體底端billionslosttointernetcrimeByjamesboxell,jamesblitz2009-06-26Internationalcybercriminalsarecostingthebritisheconomy"billionsofpounds'*everyyearthroughactivitiessuchasindustrialespionageandcreditcardfraud,seniorWhitehallofficialsadmittedyesterday.

25Theestablishmentofacybersecurityoperationscentre-attachedtogchq,thegovernment'selectroniclisteningpostinCheltenham-isanadmissionbythegovernmentthatitmustdomoretocounterperceivedthreatsfromcountriessuchaschinaandrussia,terroristgroups,criminalgangsandmalicioushackers.Thenewfacilityisthecentrepieceofthegovernment'supdatednationalsecuritystrategy,unveiledbygordonbrownyesterday.Theprimeministerisalsosettingupaseparateofficeofcybersecuritytoco-ordinateWhitehallpolicyunderaseniorofficial,neilthompson,withstaffrecruitedfrommi5,mi6andothergovernmentagencies.Thesecurityservicesaredevelopingtheabilitytolaunchattacksagainsthostileagents,lordwest,thesecurityminister,disclosed.Lordwestplayeddowntheimmediatethreatofcyberwarfareagainstukgovernmentdepartments,arguingthathewas“notawareofanykeypieceofinformationthatiwouldbereallyworriedabout"thathadbeenstolen.Whitehallofficialsseemedmoreconcernedaboutthethreattobusinessandthebankingsystem,revealingthatbtwasfacing1,000onlineattacksaday.Mrthompsonwillworkwithindustrytocombatcyber-crime,officialssay,whiletheCheltenhamcentrewillmonitorandcountercyberattacks-providingvaluabledatatocompaniesonthenatureofthethreat.Theauthorsofthenewcyberstrategyestimatethat￡50bnisspentonlineeveryyear.Jonathanevans,headofmi5,hasgivenwarningaboutChineseandrussianhackerstargetingtheukfinancialsystem.Lordwestalsocitedattacksoriginatingfromchinaaimedatstealingindustrialsecretsfromcompaniessuchasrolls-royce.窗體底端)窗體底端privacyfearsriseoverspateofapplicationsByrichardwatersinsanfrancisco2009-06-26Asoneofthemostwidelyusedapplicationsonfacebook,we'rerelated,isattheforefrontofanewclassofinternetservicesthatrideonthebackofthepopularityofsocialnetworks.Theservice,whichclaims15mactiveuserseachmonth,seekstoidentifyandlinkfamilymemberswhoarealreadyonthenetwork,eveniftheyareonlydistantlyrelated.However,facebookuserswhosignupforwe'rerelatedaregivenlittleideahowmuchoftheirpersonalinformationwillbesiphonedbytheapplication,or-inthesoothinglybenignlanguageofsocialnetworking-withwhomthisinformationwillbe“shared".Newusersareaskedtogiveablanketapprovaltolettheapplication“pullyourprofileinformation,photos,yourfriends'infoandothercontentthatitrequirestowork”.Theapplicationthenappearstogiveitselfthepowertoreleasethisinformationtoanyoneelseonfacebook-evenifusershavesetstricterprivacysettingstolimitaccesstotheirpersonaldata.Thatisthesortofthingthathasnowattractedtheattentionofeurope'sprivacyregulators.Inalandmarkopinionpaper,agroupofnationaldataprotectionregulators,knownasthearticle29workingparty,saiditwastimetocastaclosereyeoverthisareaofinternetactivity.Whiletheirinterestisinprotectingonlyeuropeaninternetusers,thefactthatmanysocialapplicationsaredevelopedintheuswillgivetheiractionsfarwidersignificance.Theprivacyissuesextendfarbeyondsocialnetworks,particularlyasadvancedmobilehandsetssuchastheiphoneturnintobroaderplatformsforapplications,andasmanyapplicationsaddasocialelementthatdrawsonsomelevelofpersonaldata."it'sanewfrontier-i'mnotsurprisedthparticularlyineurope,aresaying:/what'sgoingonhere?”'Saidbartdecrem,co-founderoftapulous,ausdeveloperwhosetaptaprevenueisthemostdownloadedgameontheiphone.

26Ifthisleadstotighterregulationsonhowpersonalinformationflowstotheapplicationsthatrideontopofthenetworks,itcouldhavelong-termbusinessimplications.Givingapplicationdevelopersaccesstodatatomaketheirservicesmoreengaging-and,foradvertisers,tomaketheirmessagesmorerelevant-iscentraltohowthesocialnetworkshopetoattractusers,andmakemoney,inthefuture.Thatcouldturntheeuropeanattempttograpplewiththesubjectinto"aroadmapfortheirbusinessfuture",saysjeffChesterofthecenterfordigitaldemocracy,aWashingtonprivacyactivist.Thesocialnetworkspointoutthattheyalreadyhaveagreementsthatgoverntherightsandresponsibilitiesofapplicationdevelopers,andtakeactionagainstthosethatmisusepersonalinformation.Therehasalsobeenplentyofevidencethatusersofsocialnetworksarepreparedtotakeactionthemselveswhentheyfeeltheirprivacyisbeingthreatened.Facebookfacedarevoltin2007afteritlaunchedanewadvertisingservice,knownasbeacon,thatrevealedinformationaboutusers'recentpurchasestotheirnetworkoffriendsandconnections.Facebookhassincewonovertheactivistsbygivingitsusersalimitedsayinhowitsetsitstermsofuse,governingissuessuchasprivacy,thoughitdidsoonlyafterwidespreadcomplaints.Whilethismarket-drivenapproachhasshapedtheevolutionofthenetworks,aeuropeandriveforovertregulationscouldleadtoaclearerandmoreconsistentapproach-thoughattheriskoflimitingthenetworks'abilitytofindtheirownaccommodationwithusersandapplicationdevelopers.Facebookgavetentativesupporttotheeuropeanmoveas“animportantstepinprovidingtheindustrywithpracticalguidance'7.Inathinlyveiledwarningtotheregulators,however;itaddedthatthis/"requiresaregulatoryframeworkthatenablescompaniestocontinuetoinnovateandprovidepeoplewithusefulwebsites".