EXTRA Radio Release - New Scientist June 7 edition

EXTRA Radio Release - New Scientist June 7 edition

HORSE CLONERS BET RACING BAN WON'T LAST LONG The world's first cloned horse could be born any day now, and another pregnancy is already well-established. While cloned horses are currently prevented from competing, some believe the ban will not last long. Page 5

WEEDKILLING ROBOTS Danish researchers have found that selectively spraying weeds identified by a robot reduces overall herbicide use by 70 per cent, thus helping out the environment. The robot scans the ground with a camera and recognises the shape of weed species, by using software techniques from face-recognition research. Page 16

HEAT WILL SOAR AS HAZE FADES By blocking sunlight, smoke from burning rainforests and fossil fuels is reducing the impact of global warming by up to three-quarters, according to findings presented at a Berlin workshop last week. But, say climate experts, as this smoke cover diminishes over time, we're in for a dramatic rise in warming--much higher than the official future estimates. Page 7

GOODBYE NET GRIDLOCK a team from the California Institute of Technology is promising an Internet connection so fast it will let you download a whole movie in just 5 seconds. The new system called Fast TCP can run on current internet infrastructure at speeds of more than 6000 times today's broadband links. Page 24

RESEARCH FUNDED BY DRUG COMPANIES IS 'BIASED' Research financed by drug companies is much more likely to produce results that favour the sponsor's product, a new British study has found. New Scientist's free public website at http://www.newscientist.com

INTERVIEW: ROUGH JUSTICE The US criminal system needs an overhaul to make it more scientific, more reliable and more just, says lawyer Peter Neufeld. He co-founded the Innocence Project, which uses DNA evidence to free the wrongly convicted. Pages 46-49

CELLPHONES RING FOR RESCUE Toshiba has developed a system to help people trapped and buried after an avalanche or earthquake--as long as they have a mobile phone with them. Rescue workers arriving at the disaster scene ring and emergency number, which instructs the local network to call all mobile phones within the area. The idea is that unaffected people will switch their phones off leaving the victims' phone ringing. Page 16

INDDOR POOLS BLAMED FOR ASTHMA EPIDEMIC The toxic gas that builds up over indoor swimming pools when the chlorine reacts with sweat and urine damages lungs and may trigger asthma attacks in children, according to a Belgian researcher. Page 9

SOLAR POWER SET FOR TAKE-OFF The latest technology for converting sunlight into electricity could make solar panels cheap and efficient enough to become a widespread source of domestic power. Page 14

CURE FOR DEAFNESS COMES A STEP CLOSER Gene therapy has been used by an American and Japanese team to generate new sound-detecting hair cells in the inner ear of guinea pigs. Page 15

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