The latest news reports claim that falling birth rates show that Japan will not have any kids under 15 by 3011. The results of the stunning study also reveal that the population of Japan could disappear in no less than 1,000 years. In the present the number of children under 14 is 16.6 million but it is decreasing rapidly. Hiroshi Yoshida, an economics professor at Tohoku University,’ told AFP that, “If the rate of decline continues, we will be able to celebrate the Children’s Day public holiday on May 5, 3011 as there will be one child,”. He also added that, “But 100 seconds later there will be no children left,[...]The overall trend is towards extinction, which started in 1975 when Japan’s fertility rate fell below two.”.

According to scientific reports the number of older people increases constantly. Japan struggles with the problem of pensioners and the decreasing number of workers who could support these sums. According to DailyMail.co.uk “Life expectancy – already the highest in the world – is expected to rise from 86.39 years in 2010 to 90.93 years in 2060 for women and from 79.64 years to 84.19 years for men.”.

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The first drug shown to prevent HIV infection among high risk groups is on the way to be approved as a panel of federal advisers endorsed it on Thursday. FDA panel advisers recommended approval of the  Truvada  drug which has been marketed by Gilead Sciences Inc since 2004 as a treatment for people infected with the virus.

Truvada is a combination of Emtriva and Viread, two older HIV drugs which are part of the cocktail doctors prescribe for suppressing the virus. The drug is recommended for daily use by people who are at a high risk of contracting the virus such as gay and bisexual men and heterosexual couples with one HIV-positive partner.

A three year study found that the drug was more effective in protecting men than women. During the study, it was discovered that daily doses cut the risk of infection in healthy gay and bisexual men by 42 percent, when accompanied by condoms and counseling. More impressive results were found last year when it was discovered that the drug reduced infection by 75 percent in heterosexual couples in which one partner was infected with HIV.

Concerns about the drug have already began to emerge despite the fact that a final decision will only be made on June 15. Most concerns are related to the fact that the pill needs to be taken daily to have an effect and following through with this recommendation might prove unrealistic.

With all the efforts on reducing our dependency of conventional energy sources, the alternative technologies are in the spotlight on a regular basis. The high cost of the possible answers to the burning problems are undoubtedly a cause of concern particularly as far as solar panels are concerned. And, while government subsidies are part of the solution, encouraging cheaper alternative is also highly recommended.

A possible cheaper solution can be  dye-sensitised solar cells (DSCs) which aim to make solar energy more available without needing government subsidies or other financial incentives. In a DSC the solar energy is absorbed and then it extracts electrons from dye molecules in a layer beneath the coating, thus generating a flow of electrons and producing a current, ScienceDaily reports. The costs are definitely the thing that might seem like the biggest advantage but proponents of the new technology also point out the advantages in manufacturing.

The new technology isn’t subjected to clean-room manufacturing like photovoltaic cells which means there’s no need for complex resources, which in turn make the process of manufacturing easier and cheaper.  Jongyun Moon and his colleges who wrote in the International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management this month even point out the priorities and choices might change once the DSCs become more efficient and comparable with silicone devices.

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Big news everyone! According to a recent study made by psychologists from the University of Bergen in Norway women are more likely to become addicted to Facebook. How is this possible? Well, the team of researchers studied 423 students for signs of addictive behavior in the way they used and felt about Facebook. The result? Just like people addicted to drugs, alcohol and other chemical substances, some participants to the test showed some clear signs of ‘Facebook addiction’.

Besides women, younger people and those suffering from anxiety or social insecurity are at great risk to be dependent on Facebook. Moreover, it seems that extroverted people “were more likely to be addicted to Facebook, while people who were well organized and ambitious were less at risk, using the website primarily for work or networking purposes.”

The study, published in the Psychological Reports journal, was developed using the “Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale”, a new list of six criteria for each of which a person is given a score from one (“very rarely”) to five (“very often”). And according to the findings, scoring “often” or “very often” on at least four of the criteria suggests you may be addicted to Facebook. Categories contain feeling an urge to use Facebook an increasing amount, trying and failing to limit your use of the website, and feeling unsettled if you are denied access to your account. Symptoms anyone?

The latest scientific researches revealed the presence of GPS brain cells within pigeon brain. According to experts the 53 cells can respond to the strength and direction of the Earth’s magnetic field. Numerous experiments were conducted to see whether these birds use magnetic fields to improve their navigation skills. The latest studies shed light on the way these specific ‘GPS neurons’ illustrate how “magnetic information is represented in birds’ brains” (BBC News).

David Dickman of the Baylor College of Medicine in the US conducted an experiment in which these birds were held in the same spot and experts changed the magnetic field around them. Other experts like Prof Dickman and his colleague Le-Qing Wu claimed that the 53 ‘GPS neurons’ act like real sensors so they measured the signals from each cell as the direction and strength of the field was changed. According to the report of BBC News experts revealed that, “Every neuron had its own characteristic response to the magnetic field, with each giving a sort of 3-D compass reading along the familiar north-south directions as well as pointing directly upward or downward.[...]And just like a compass, the neurons had opposite responses to different field “polarity” – the magnetic north and south of a field, which surprised the researchers most of all.”.

There were numerous theories related to this subject Prof Dickman claims that, “That’s what makes this whole field exciting, because there are these competing ideas out there and now, since we’ve discovered regions in the brain that are actually responding to the magnetic field, it intensifies our search for the receptor and how it might work.”.

Image courtesy of BBC News

According to the latest international news reports there will be a new cannabis cafe law in The Netherlands. According to a judge tourists should be banned from entering into these ‘coffeeshops’. Authorities are concerned that foreign visitors are in the country only to purchase and sell soft drugs. The new law will be implemented next month in three southern provinces. Till the end of this year the ban will go nationwide.

The response to this new law came pretty quick. According to BBC News, “A group of cafe owners argued at The Hague district court that the ban was discriminatory against foreigners.”. Dutch residents will have the right to enter these cafes to purchase soft drugs but only if they have a valid ID or passport. In The Netherlands there are no less than 700 similar coffee shops. Michael Veling, a spokesman for the Dutch Cannabis Retailers Association is among those who protest against the implementation of the new law. The activist told BBC World Service “It is going to cost me 90% of my turnover,[...]That is a very good reason for anyone to oppose any plan. Second it puts our customers in a very difficult spot, because why do you have to register to buy a substance that is still illegal?”.

Moreover, we find out that even the Mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan is challenging the new law because the majority of tourists who visit the capital want to smoke cannabis and use soft drugs in these coffeeshops. Back in “November the city of Maastricht brought a coffee shop ban for foreign tourists from all countries, except Belgium and Germany, from where the majority of foreign customers come.” (BBC News)

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Facebook is buying about 650 of the 925 patents and patent applications from Microsoft for $550 million. The patents, that Microsoft bought from AOL two weeks ago for more than $1 billion, raised three times what analysts had expected, but it seems that Microsoft has essentially gotten back half of what it paid.

“Today’s agreement with Microsoft represents an important acquisition for Facebook. This is another significant step in our ongoing process of building an intellectual property portfolio to protect Facebook’s interests over the long term,” said the dominant social network’s general counsel, Ted Ullyot, in a written statement.

Facebook will get a license to use the rest of the patents, while Microsoft will also get a license to use the patents that the social network is buying. Microsoft is a Facebook partner, having bought a 1.6% stake in the social networking giant in 2007 for $240 million.

“Facebook is just getting in the game. It goes to show that if you are a significant player in this landscape, you have to have patent protection,” BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis said adding that, “Facebook realizes it’s a target.”

A group of researchers from Newcastle University is working on high-tech cars for old people. These inventions want to ease the task of people who have difficulties with driving after a certain age. One of the main causes of accidents are slow reactions. Therefore, one of the most important projects of the Intelligent Transport team is the ‘Granny-Nav’ which shows the safest way for the driver and allows his to avoid right turns.

The Newcastle University leads this project which is defined as part of the “social inclusion through the digital economy (SiDE)”. Its greatest objective is to make a mobile laboratory of an electric car. The ‘DriveLAB” has different night vision systems, navigation tools as well as ‘intelligent speed adaptations’ (BBC News).

Older drivers will wear glasses which check their concentration level as well as driving habits. According to BBC News, “The team looked at developing a bespoke sat-nav because the elderly drivers they spoke to said finding a route they were comfortable with was a major factor in making them feel comfortable driving.[...]Many avoid turning right because they do not feel confident about judging the speed of oncoming traffic.”.

Phil Blythe is a professor who participates in this project. He added that, “For many older people, particularly those living alone or in rural areas, driving is essential for maintaining their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others.
“And people base their whole lives around driving a car, having mobility.[..]But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactions slow down and this often results in people avoiding any potentially challenging driving conditions and losing confidence in their driving skills. The result is that people stop driving before they really need to.[...]What we are doing is to look at ways of keeping people driving safely for longer, which in turn boosts independence and keeps us socially connected.”. We’re looking forward to see the prototypes of these revolutionary car models.

Image courtesy of BBC News

Tattoos should be forever, however things don’t always work out that way. Countless tattoos done without too much consideration beforehand end up being regretted and the long process of ink removal begins. An innovation in the tattoo removal technique is setting up to change all that and making erasing a mistake quicker. The new procedure is called R20 and it cuts the tattoo removal time by shortening the time between procedures.

While in the conventional method the laser is passed through the skin just once and the skin is left to heal for about six weeks before a new session, with the new method the waiting times is reduced to 20 minutes. Furthermore, the laser is passed 4 times on the tattooed area instead of just once. Scarring is another important aspect to consider for those who might want to try this technique. Though the initial scarring is stronger compared to the traditional method when the amount of ink removed was factored in and compared to the traditional method in one session, the results were in the new method’s favor.

In fact, according to Dr. Mitchell Chasin, director of The Reflections Center for Skin and Body in Livingston, N.J., the benefits extend beyond reduced removal time: “It is not only a way to decrease the number of treatments but to improve the appearance of skin after removal”. With the new improvements, it comes as no surprise that the procedure doesn’t come cheap. The price tag of one such session is set at about $600.

The author of Norwegian massacre from July 22, 2011, that resulted in the death of 77 people, Anders Behring Breivik, 32, who admitted to the killings but pleaded not guilty to the crime, has unveiled that he ‘trained’ for the day of the horrific massacre by playing violent video games for up to 17 hours a day. Apparently the shooter spent more that one year training with video games that helped him refine his shooting skills, although he was practicing on fictional, online enemies.

Anders told the court in Oslo that playing Call of Duty and World of Warcraft helped simulate the plan he had carefully put together and enabled him to come up with the best strategies to escape the police. He told the court that:
“I don’t really like those games but it is good if you want to simulate for training purposes. I calculated the likelihood of surviving unharmed at less than five per cent. I trained myself to get out of such a situation. That is what I was simulating.”

To prepare for his attack, Anders Behring Breivik said that decided to move in with his mother in 2006, so he could save money and train. He said that he did not tell his mother what he was up to and that the year before the attack, sleeping and playing were his only activities. He said:

“During that year I played perhaps 16 hours a day. It was a lot. Only playing for an entire year – playing and sleeping, playing and sleeping. It was a dream I had, and I wanted to do this.”

Anders, who labelled his actions as heroic as he considered the victims were traitors, had also named the weapons he chose for the July 22 attack after Norse mythology. He said:

“The rifle I called Gungnir, which is the name of the magical spear of Odin, which returns after you have thrown it. And the Glock I called Mjoelnir…It is the warrior god Thor’s Hammer.”

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