Today In Science and Technology:
	Microsoft Cuts Back Plans for Longhorn 'Fifty Planets' Could Have Life 'Pig Brother' Web Site is Big Hit Intel Promises to Make Cleaner 'Chips' New Synchrotron Dazzling Light Source Satellite to Put Einstein to the Test U.S. Prescription Drug Web Site Coming Unmanned Spacecraft to Deflect Asteroids?
	Microsoft Cuts Back Plans for Longhorn
	Source: United Press International REDMOND, Wash. (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Microsoft's release of Longhorn is now targeted for the first half of 2006, timing that will force the company to scale back the next version of Windows. CNETnews.com reported the version will still include three major advances: a new file system called WinFS, a new graphics engine dubbed Avalon and a Web Services architecture known as Indigo. "There may be specific features within those subsystems that will be scaled back," lead product manager Greg Sullivan told CNETnews.com Friday. Microsoft had earlier shifted programmers away from Longhorn and assigned them to adding security features into Windows XP Service Pack 2, or SP2, an update due to be released shortly. Copyright 2004 by United Press International. Back to Top
	'Fifty Planets' Could Have Life
	Source: World Entertainment News Network Astronomers estimate about half the planetary systems so far discovered in our galaxy could contain Earth-like worlds. And they say that space telescopes will be capable of observing these planets and investigating them to see if they support life in about 15 years' time. Scientists have recently discovered more than 100 stars other than our Sun with planets circling about them. But they are all giant planets like Jupiter that cannot sustain life. Planets more like the Earth should, in theory, exist too. But they are too small to be seen using current technology. Research work by the UK's Open University suggests there are perhaps 50 or so of these small, rocky bodies on which there is liquid water and possibly life. (KTW/WNWCCB/TN) (c) 2004 World Entertainment News Network Back to Top
	'Pig Brother' Web Site is Big Hit
	Source: United Press International LONDON (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A 24-hour Web cam watching six German boars and their offspring has become the latest Internet rage, attracting 1.5 million hits in its first two weeks. The Web site, which tracks the activities of three males called Kalle, Oskar and Willy, three females named Luise, Berta and Sophie, and their little ones in the Eifel mountain range in western Germany, has been called "Pig Brother," in a nod to the popular reality TV show "Big Brother," Britain's Sky News reported Friday. A German hunting association developed the Web site, which will run through May. "Germans, whether children or adults, don't have much chance these days to experience nature and see wild animals in their environment," said Anke Nuh, the association's spokesperson. The site's Web address is wildtiere-live.de. Copyright 2004 by United Press International. Back to Top
	Intel Promises to Make Cleaner 'Chips'
	Source: United Press International SANTA CLARA, Calif. (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Intel, the world's largest maker of computer chips, said Friday it will reduce the amount of lead in its products for environmental reasons. The company plans to make the changes in its microprocessors and chips, which handle the flow of data between the processor and the rest of a computer, BBC News Online reported. "Lead-free is required for the future. This is the right time for this launch of the technology," said Michael Garner of Intel. Intel is following in the footsteps of other manufacturers, such as Japan's NEC, in switching to lead-free components. The chip giant said it is planning to reduce the amount of lead in its products by 95 percent starting later this year. Copyright 2004 by United Press International. Back to Top
	New Synchrotron Dazzling Light Source
	Source: Medinews.com A new x-ray light produces beams that are 10 billion times brighter than dental x-rays, forming a powerful microscope for research in biology, chemistry, and materials science. The new light source, called SPEAR3 (Stanford Positron Electron Asymmetric Ring), incorporates the latest technology, much of it developed at the Stanford Synchroton Radiation Laboratory (SSRL, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA). An estimated 2,000 U.S. scientists will use the light in conducting research. Synchroton light is created when electrons traveling the speed of light take a curved path around a storage ring, a structure in which high-energy particles can be circulated many times and thus stored. The electrons emit electromagnetic light in x-rays through infrared wavelengths. The resulting light beam has characteristics that make it ideal for revealing the intricate architecture and utility of many kinds of matter. SPEAR3 and the upgraded facility were built by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. SPEARs brilliant x-ray beams provide the ability to study smaller objects at higher resolution. In many cases, the greater brightness at SPEAR3 will also enable researchers to take their data faster, do more difficult experiments, and use smaller samples of material, noted SSRL physicist John Arthur. To see more of Medinews.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.medinews.com Copyright 2004 Medinews.com. All Rights Reserved. Back to Top
	Satellite to Put Einstein to the Test
	Source: World Entertainment News Network A satellite designed to test two fundamental predictions made by Albert Einstein about the universe is ready for launch, 45 years after it was first proposed. Since 1959, Gravity Probe B has overcome a half-dozen attempts at cancellation, countless technical hurdles and several delayed launches. The Nasa-funded, university-developed spacecraft is now scheduled to begin its mission following a 17 April (04) lift-off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The unmanned, Earth-orbiting satellite is designed to test two of Einstein's predictions about the nature of space and time, and how the Earth and other bodies warp and twist the fabric that combines the two. (KTW/WNWCAN/TN) (c) 2004 World Entertainment News Network Back to Top
	U.S. Prescription Drug Web Site Coming
	Source: United Press International WASHINGTON (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A U.S. government Web site will soon enable Medicare beneficiaries to find the prescription drugs they need for the lowest price. The new site, Medicare.gov, will open some time this month and allow users to find the lowest cost prescription drugs in a zip code, the New York Times reported Monday. The site also will allow users to compare the cost of generic equivalents and other brand name drugs used to treat the same condition. Ana Nunez-Poole, Web site manager at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the main purpose of providing such information was to help beneficiaries compare the merits of the drug discount cards issued by private entities and approved by the government. Through the federal Web site, consumers and government officials will have access to prices for more than 60,000 products sold at nearly 75,000 pharmacies around the country. Copyright 2004 by United Press International. Back to Top
	Unmanned Spacecraft to Deflect Asteroids?
	Source: World Entertainment News Network An unmanned spacecraft should test ways to deflect a threatening asteroid, two astronauts have told the American government. Rusty Schweickart and Edward Lu said a mission of this type could be launched to an asteroid in 2015. In February (04), Earth was almost placed on impact alert because of an asteroid then thought to be on an impact course. Mr Schweickart told a hearing that "the media and the general public realise that asteroids are of more than passing interest." More than nuclear Testifying before an investigation into the threat from asteroids to the Earth, Apollo astronaut Russell L Schweickart called for a new mission to develop the technologies needed to protect the Earth. "More and more people are coming to know that some of these asteroids do not silently pass the Earth, but indeed crash in, largely unannounced. On the rare occasions when this happens they can wreak havoc of a magnitude unprecedented in human history." He pointed out that even the small, most frequent events are more powerful than the blast from the most powerful nuclear weapon in the current US nuclear arsenal. He added that, "A known threat that can potentially destroy millions of lives and can be predicted to occur ahead of time, and prevented, cannot responsibly go unaddressed." (WVD/WNWCCB/GES) (c) 2004 World Entertainment News Network Back to Top

Click here to send your comments about this Ezine.

Free Software - Macmillan Dictionary for Children

The #1 children's dictionary is now available for your computer! This CD-ROM version of the authoritative textbook, used in schools nationwide, offers easy access to more than 12,000 words and definitions, plus audio pronunciations, sound effects and four-color illustrations.

Yours for FREE! You pay ONLY Shipping Delivery! Click here!

ADVERTISING With ArcaMax
Reach up to 2.4 Million Readers Daily! Permission email that pays -- Get details today!