Funky Frog
Universal Music is teaming up with SpiralFrog to offer free music downloads for 2007. The scheme intends to make money via advertising on the Web site. Apparently, users will have to watch advertisements before being able to download any music. Universal hopes this will pose serious competition to the Apple’s iTunes music store, which has had a lion’s share of the online music market. SpiralFrog has decided that some form of copy protection will be necessary, so it may use the WMA format (instead of MP3) and subsequently lock out the iPod. Also, information is lacking on whether users will be able to listen to the music on anything other than the PC used to download.
Welcome to the Dark Side
Scientists have finally provided evidence about the existence of that elusive substance often termed “dark matter” and “dark energy.” They were able to ascertain this through studying data from a collision of two giant galaxy clusters. While the scientific community is still unsure about the nature of dark matter and dark energy, it is firm in the belief that the workings of the universe cannot clearly be explained without it. This theory about dark matter and energy evolved a few decades ago when observations proved that there wasn’t enough observable mass in the universe to explain the workings of gravity and how it prevents galaxies from flying apart. The new results came from observations obtained from NASA’s orbiting Chandra X-ray observatory. Apparently, the amount of energy released in the massive collision between the galaxies was second only to the amount released in the Big Bang!
FDA’s new plan
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved over-the-counter sales of emergency contraceptive pills, known as Plan B, without prescriptions. Females who desire Plan B only have to prove that they are older than 18 to the pharmacists, who will keep the pills behind the counter. Younger teens will require prescriptions. This marks the first time that a hormonal contraceptive is available in the United States without a prescription. Opponents are already formulating plans to block it, either in court or through the Congress. Plan B consists of two pills that contain a synthetic version of the hormone progestin, used in standard birth control pills. The FDA’s move reverses a decision it made three years ago that prohibited sales of the pill without prescriptions. Radha Venkatagiri, a recently graduated masters student in electrical and computer engineering, believes that “it is a good move on the part of the FDA, but it might result in people developing a more careless attitude towards sex and especially contraception.”
Blocking that suspicious white powder
Scientists have made a blocker that prevents the lethal anthrax toxin from attacking the human body. This inhibitor works by binding itself to the receptors in the body where the anthrax toxic attacks. A similar approach could be used to stop SARS, influenza or even AIDS. Currently, antibiotics were the only known effective treatment for anthrax, but this could lead to antibiotic resistance in the body, which would render this mode of treatment useless. The other problem with antibiotic treatment is that it could still not prevent fatalities from the inhalation of anthrax, which are as high as 75 percent. The inhibitor was tested on rats to find what works best, and a polyvalent inhibitor design that displays multiple copies of the peptides that bind to the receptor was chosen because of its ability to bind at multiple sites. This is more potent than ones that bind to a single receptor site.
Compiled by Sibin Mohan
