Strong solar storm lashes Earth

24 January 2012 Last updated at 09:55 ET By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website

Our planet is being bombarded by high-energy particles unleashed by the strongest solar storm since 2005, scientists say.

The charged particles are mostly a concern for satellites - which they can disrupt - and astronauts.

But they can also cause communication problems for aircraft travelling near the poles.

The geomagnetic storm has been caused by a potent flare that erupted from the Sun at 0400 GMT on Monday.

The effects are likely to be felt on Earth throughout Wednesday.

A more benign effect of the outpouring of particles is the ability to see aurorae, or "Northern lights", farther south than is usually possible.

A spokesman for US space agency Nasa said that flight surgeons and solar scientists have modelled the flare's predicted effects.

They decided that the six astronauts on the International Space Station do not have to take any action to protect themselves from the incoming stream of particles.

Solar flares are caused by the sudden release of magnetic energy stored in the Sun's atmosphere.

In an event called a coronal mass ejection (CME), bursts of charged particles are released into space.

Solar scientist Dr Lucie Green says the solar storms have meant people further south can see the Northern Lights

Nasa's Goddard Space Weather Center predicted that the coronal mass ejection was moving at almost 2,200 km/s when it was due to reach Earth's magnetosphere - the magnetic envelope that surrounds our planet - on Tuesday at 1400 GMT (plus or minus 7 hours).

This can interfere with technology on Earth, such as electrical power grids, communications systems and satellites - including satellite navigation (or sat-nav) signals.

In 1972, a geomagnetic storm provoked by a solar flare knocked out long-distance telephone communication across the US state of Illinois.

And in 1989, another storm plunged six million people into darkness across the Canadian province of Quebec.

But a spokesman for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (Noaa) Space Weather Prediction Center said the effects of this solar eruption seem likely to be moderate.

Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16701407

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Abortion Safer for Women Than Childbirth, Study Claims (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, opponents have questioned the safety of medical procedures used to terminate pregnancy. Now, a new study contends that having a legal abortion is safer than carrying a baby to term.

The risk of death associated with a full-term pregnancy and delivery is 8.8 deaths per 100,000, while the risk of death linked to legal abortion is 0.6 deaths per 100,000 women, according to the study. That means a woman carrying a baby to term is 14 times more likely to die than a woman who chooses to have a legal abortion, the study finds.

"Regardless of one's sentiments about abortion, legal abortion is very safe, and dramatically safer than continuing the pregnancy," said the study's lead author, Dr. David Grimes, a clinical professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill.

Sunday was the 39th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the landmark case that struck down state laws prohibiting abortion.

Grimes and his colleagues had several reasons for undertaking the study, published in the February issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. One is that medical abortion, in which a woman can take a pill early in pregnancy, instead of surgical abortion, "has changed the landscape of abortion, and the mortality information needed to be updated."

Another reason is that in many states, women are given information before getting an abortion. "There's been a proliferation of these women's-right-to-know pamphlets, and some of them are misleading, if not downright incorrect or patently wrong," Grimes said.

A pamphlet given out in Texas lists more complications for abortion than it does for pregnancy, he explained. "Someone without a medical background might infer that abortion is more dangerous than continuing a pregnancy," he said.

To estimate the risk of death, the authors combined information from several national datasets gathered between 1998 and 2005. One, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, listed the number of pregnancy-related deaths in women delivering live babies. Another CDC dataset gave the number of legal abortions performed in the United States. Information on deaths from legal abortion came from an estimate provided by the Guttmacher Institute, which conducted an annual survey of U.S. hospitals, clinics and physicians' offices that provide abortions. The Guttmacher Institute also provided information from abortion patient surveys, and the researchers searched published studies for additional estimates of mortality.

From known live births, they found there were 2,856 deaths in women between 1998 and 2005. That translates to a risk of death of 8.8 per 100,000 pregnancies, according to the study.

For legal abortion, 64 deaths were reported in the same time frame. That translates to a risk of 0.6 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies, the study authors said.

In addition, the authors found that complications -- such as postpartum hemorrhage, infections and high blood pressure disorders -- were more common in women choosing to continue their pregnancies. This is, in part, because a woman with a full-term pregnancy has that much more time for pregnancy-related problems to develop, the authors said.

Dr. Donna Harrison, director of research and public policy at the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, disagreed with the authors' conclusions. This study's findings are "speculation," she said.

"Abortion mortality is not systematically collected. What Dr. Grimes' paper most clearly illustrates is the immediate need for reporting requirements for abortion deaths in all 50 states," Harrison said.

"Abortion carries significant risks to the mother in addition to death, and women need to have good and accurate information," Harrison said. "Since we don't have an objective academic format yet, the information provided should probably be left up to the state medical boards and agreed to by the state legislature."

Dr. Mitchell Creinin, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, Davis, said that pregnant women considering their options "are often scared by the rhetoric."

"If a state is going to feel a responsibility to be involved in this private matter, we need to ensure that the material is factual," said Creinin, who wrote an accompanying editorial in the same issue of the journal. "If it comes from the state or the government, people assume it's true," he added.

On its website, the Guttmacher Institute describes its mission as advancing "sexual and reproductive health and rights through an interrelated program of research, policy analysis and public education designed to generate new ideas, encourage enlightened public debate and promote sound policy and program development."

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more information on medical abortion.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120124/hl_hsn/abortionsaferforwomenthanchildbirthstudyclaims

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Students create world's largest video game controller (Digital Trends)

Currently on display at?London?s Liverpool Street Station in relation to the release of?Guinness Book Of World Records Gamer?s Edition 2012, engineering students Benjamin Allen, Stephen van?t Hof, and Michel Verhulst?has created a working, twelve foot long Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)?controller that?s 30 times the size of a standard controller. Weighing approximately 265 pounds, the controller requires at least two people to operate both the?directional?pad and the red ?A,B? buttons. According to Allen?s team, the planning phase for the controller took approximately five months, but the controller was constructed in about four weeks. While the buttons can simply be pushed with hands to operate NES games like Super Mario Bros and Tetris, the controller is also strong enough to handle people standing on the giant structure to jump on the buttons similar to a Dance Dance Revolution pad.

Since operating the controller requires vastly more force than a standard NES controller, Allen?s team had to include a?light-based system within the $6,000 controller rather than the?mesh found on the original controller?s circuit board. When a button is pushed on the huge controller, a beam of light is broken and a sensor feeds the?appropriate?response into the NES. The controller is built around a steel frame and designed to look identical to the original controller except for one detail. Above the two red buttons on the right side, Allen?s team painted the word ?NEStalgia.? The three students built the controller to celebrate the?105th anniversary of their electrical engineering student association?at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Other?Guinness Book record holders that came to view the enormous NES creation included?a Super Mario Kart fanatic that has the record for the fastest lap and the man that hold the record for most?Street Fighter competition wins. The event also celebrated the longest video game marathon in the world, a ridiculous 109-hour record set while playing?Assassin?s Creed: Brotherhood.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20120122/tc_digitaltrends/studentscreateworldslargestvideogamecontroller

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Republicans Romney, Gingrich battle for South Carolina (Reuters)

GREENVILE, South Carolina (Reuters) ? Presidential rivals Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich battled to win last-minute supporters on Saturday in a South Carolina primary that could reshape the Republican nominating contest.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, must win the conservative southern state to secure his front-runner status in the race to determine who will challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in November.

Gingrich's recent rise in popularity has slowed Romney's momentum.

A victory by the former speaker of the House of Representatives could prolong the state-by-state Republican nominating battle and give Obama's re-election campaign a boost as his would-be Republican opponents beat each other up.

"I'm the only guy's who's spent his life in the real world," said Romney, standing on a chair in a crowded restaurant, Tommy's Country Ham House. He referred to Gingrich as a "Washington insider" and acknowledged he might not lock up the nomination this weekend.

"We've got a long way to go. So come join us in Florida, in Nevada, Michigan, Colorado. We've got a long way to go."

Romney may be helped if the South Carolina conservative vote is splintered among Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and libertarian Congressman Ron Paul.

Voter turnout, which weather could influence, will also be key. A tornado watch was in effect for much of the state and severe thunderstorms were on the forecast.

Gingrich was hoping to create a storm of his own. A new poll conducted by the American Research Group showed him leading Romney 40 percent to 26 percent among likely voters. The margin of error in the survey, conducted Thursday and Friday, was 4 percentage points.

Gingrich's latest surge in opinion polls came after disappointing finishes in the first contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. He has fended off publicity about his turbulent marital history and painted himself as the more conservative candidate whose experience in Washington would help him lead.

That was convincing to some voters in Charleston.

"Yeah, he had his baggage. Who doesn't?" said Bryan Riddle, 48, who voted for Gingrich. "I don't think he spins everything that comes out of his mouth."

Kim Woods, 53, a photographer, said Gingrich's Washington experience -- which Romney has attempted to demonize -- was an asset. "He's been in D.C. He's been in the political realm. He can get some things done," she said.

A multimillionaire ex-businessman who runs a sleek campaign, Romney has consistently won the support of a quarter of Republicans nationally with his message on jobs and the economy. But he has failed to capture the hearts of many conservatives.

Gingrich is a former history teacher with strong debating skills and a personal life that is dotted with marital infidelity, in contrast to Romney's stable family tableau, punctuated by five sons and 16 grandchildren.

TWO MAN RACE

With two other candidates trailing in the polls, the primary looks like a straight fight between the two very different men.

"Newt has positioned himself as the 'anti-Romney' and this strategy has played well in South Carolina," said Republican strategist Ron Christie.

"The question is whether this has broader appeal in more diverse states. As for Romney, this sparring will serve him well for the general election should he become the Republican nominee."

Fueled by a grudge that has become almost personal, Gingrich has sown seeds of doubt among Republicans who were beginning to see Romney as the inevitable nominee after strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Romney has stumbled, acknowledging in the last week he pays a much lower tax rate than many Americans and struggling to answer questions about a planned release of tax records.

Romney's campaign tried to turn the tables and ask for more information about ethics violations for which Gingrich was sanctioned in Congress in the 1990s.

The campaign noted that Saturday was the 15th anniversary of Gingrich being reprimanded by fellow lawmakers.

"Don't you love these guys? He doesn't release anything, he doesn't answer anything. And he's even confused about whether or not he will ever release anything. And then he's decided to pick a fight over releasing stuff," Gingrich said.

Animosity between the two has been festering since December, when a group supporting Romney launched a blitz of negative TV ads in Iowa that effectively ruined Gingrich's campaign there.

He has hit back by attacking Romney's business record.

The fight has been bruising in South Carolina, a conservative state with a history of dirty politics.

Romney's team is playing up his family background. His wife of 42 years, Ann, appears in an ad extolling the virtues needed in a strong president.

"If you really want to know how a person will operate, look at how they have lived their life. And I think that's why it's so important to understand the character of a person," she says.

The winner of South Carolina's Republican presidential primary has gone on to win the party's nomination in every election since 1980. Romney's path to the nomination would be nearly clear if he can clinch the state on Saturday. Polling closes at 7 p.m. eastern/0000 GMT.

The next contest is in Florida, where Romney has agreed to participate in more debates, which have been Gingrich's most successful venues.

"Regardless of what happens in South Carolina, this is still Mitt Romney's race to lose, and I don't think he's going to lose it," said Republican strategist Todd Harris, adding that Gingrich had failed repeatedly to capitalize on his strengths.

"Romney's campaign is like a slow and methodical game of chess. Newt's is more like Chutes and Ladders."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120121/ts_nm/us_usa_campaign

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Parents Concerned About Increased Asthma Episodes in School (ContributorNetwork)

Childhood asthma is back in the news as parents in a Maryland school found that their asthmatic children had more episodes after being back in school from winter break, reports ABC 7. Their concerns are prompting another look at asthma and what families can do to help make life easier for kids who have it.

* The American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) describes asthma as an inflammation of the airways that causes wheezing, chest pain and shortness of breath.

* There are several kinds of asthma: occupational (or environmental), allergic and childhood asthma. If a child is going to develop any one of these kinds of asthma he will most likely do so before age five or at least by his teen years.

* According to the CDC, nearly 10 percent of children have some form of asthma. Parents who have asthma or those with a family history of asthma are much more likely to have children with asthma.

* AAAAI says asthma is usually triggered by one of several things: exercise, cold air and air quality problems. AIRNow offers state-by-state air quality alerts to help asthma sufferers prepare for attacks.

* One of the most dangerous triggers is second hand tobacco smoke. The CDC advises smoker parents with asthmatic children to only smoke outside the home and avoid smoking in the car or around children.

* Other triggers in the home include: dust mites, mold, pet fur and dander, wood smoke and cockroaches. The CDC advises parents to keep an asthma-prone child's environment vacuumed and free of clutter. Children should be kept away from campfires and excess bulky bedding that traps dust. Running an air conditioner, heating with gas instead of a wood stove and keeping furry pets clean and brushed helps, too.

* Maryland parents said that school was another place where kids experience problems with asthma. One mother said that since returning to school after winter break her son was back on his asthma medication, double doses in fact, when he had needed none at home, says ABC News.

* Triggers at school include fluctuating temperatures from antiquated heating and ventilation systems. Most schools are little used during vacation and dust and mold build up caused problems too.

* Cold winter temperatures outside plus stale air inside make asthma conditions worse, too, says WebMD. They advise parents to be vigilant about taking medications and make sure children dress warmly, including wearing a scarf over the mouth.

* There are several asthma treatment methods available for children. Parents, along with the child's doctor should create an Asthma Action Plan so that all family members, caregivers, babysitters and school staff know how to help the child in case of an asthma attack.

* The CDC encourages parents to educate their children about asthma and help them plan strategies to avoid triggers and prevent attacks. There are several websites for children about how to manage asthma, including BAM, Airnow Kids and AAAAI Just for Kids.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about parenting from 23 years raising four children and 25 years teaching, K-8, special needs, adult education and homeschool.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120120/hl_ac/10850955_parents_concerned_about_increased_asthma_episodes_in_school

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1st Private Rocket Launch to Space Station Delayed Until March (SPACE.com)

The launch of the first privately built spacecraft to the International Space Station has been delayed until late March at the earliest, the company building the spaceship revealed today (Jan. 20).

The California-based company Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) originally planned to launch its unmanned Dragon space capsule on a maiden flight to the space station on Feb. 7, but the company ?postponed the orbital test flight to allow time for more work on the spacecraft.

Now, SpaceX officials said the flight will likely occur sometime in the spring, though NASA and SpaceX have not yet to set official launch target.

"It won't be earlier than late March," SpaceX spokesperson Kirstin Grantham told SPACE.com.

In the meantime, the company will resume preparations for the upcoming flight, which aims to test the Dragon capsule's ability to rendezvous and dock with the orbiting complex.

SpaceX's Dragon capsule will launch atop the company's Falcon 9 rocket on a mission to demonstrate the vehicle's ability to carry cargo to the space station. As the spacecraft approaches, members of the space station crew will use a robotic arm to grab the vehicle and attach it to the station.

If it is successful, SpaceX will be the first commercial company to rendezvous and dock to the orbiting outpost.

This will be SpaceX's second flight under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. Dragon launched on its first test flight in December 2010, completed two orbits of Earth, and then splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. The mission marked the first time a commercial company launched and returned a capsule from space.

NASA's COTS program is designed to nurture the development of new private spaceships to deliver vital supplies to the space station. Under the agency's current agreement with SpaceX, the California-based company will receive up to $396 million for the successful completion of the milestones outlined in their Space Act Agreement.

You can follow SPACE.com staff writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120120/sc_space/1stprivaterocketlaunchtospacestationdelayeduntilmarch

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Monkey long believed extinct found in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia?? Scientists working in the dense jungles of Indonesia have "rediscovered" a large, gray monkey so rare it was believed by many to be extinct.

They were all the more baffled to find the Miller's Grizzled Langur ? its black face framed by a fluffy, Dracula-esque white collar ? in an area well outside its previously recorded home range.

The team set up camera traps in the Wehea Forest on the eastern tip of Borneo island in June, hoping to capture images of clouded leopards, orangutans and other wildlife known to congregate at several mineral salt licks.

The pictures that came back caught them all by surprise: groups of monkeys none had ever seen.

With virtually no photographs of the grizzled langurs in existence, it at first was a challenge to confirm their suspicions, said Brent Loken, a Ph.D. student at Simon Fraser University in Canada, and one of the lead researchers.

The only images out there were museum sketches.

"We were all pretty ecstatic, the fact that, wow, this monkey still lives, and also that it's in Wehea," said Loken.

The monkey, which has hooded eyes and a pinkish nose and lips, once roamed the northeastern part of Borneo, as well as the islands of Sumatra and Java and the Thai-Malay peninsula. But concerns were voiced several years ago that they may be extinct.

Forests where the monkeys once lived had been destroyed by fires, human encroachment and conversion of land for agriculture and mining and an extensive field survey in 2005 turned up empty.

"For me the discovery of this monkey is representative of so many species in Indonesia," Loken told The Associated Press by telephone.

"There are so many animals we know so little about and their home ranges are disappearing so quickly," he said. "It feels like a lot of these animals are going to quickly enter extinction."

The next step will be returning to the 90,000 acre-forest to try to find out how many grizzly langurs there are, according to the team of local and international scientists, who published their findings in the American Journal of Primatology on Friday.

They appear in more than 4,000 images captured over a two-month period, said Loken, but it's possible one or two families kept returning.

"We are trying to find out all we can," he said. "But it really feels like a race against time."

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Experts not involved in the study were hugely encouraged.

"It's indeed a highly enigmatic species," said Erik Meijaard, a conservation scientist who spent more than eight years doing field research in the area.

In the past they were hunted to near extinction for their meat and bezoar "stones," he said, which can, on occasion, be found in their guts.

Bezoars, as Harry Potter fans know from lectures given by Prof. Snape to first year students, are believed by some to neutralize poison.

Meijaard said the animal has long been considered a subspecies of the Hose's Leaf Monkey, which also occurs on the Malaysian side of Borneo, but it now looks like that may not be the case.

"We think it might actually be a distinct species," he said, "which would make the Wehea discovery even more important."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46072837/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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