Science

A new study of both computer-created and natural proteins suggests that the number of unique pockets – sites where small molecule pharmaceutical compounds can bind to proteins – is surprisingly small, meaning drug side effects may be impossible to avoid. The study also found that the fundamental biochemical processes needed for life could have been enabled by the simple physics of protein folding. Source: Georgia Institute of Technology - Discipline: Health

(Phys.org) —A team of European researchers working at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland has created an artificial compound eye that is comparable to those in insects such as the fruit fly. In their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes how they overcame the problem of accurately aligning photoreceptors and other optical components on a curved surface by using stacked layers of microelectronics.

The privacy management of 16 popular social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter, is "seriously deficient," according to a study being published in the June issue of Computer magazine.

Will Xbox mark the spot once again for Microsoft?

In two critical reports released at the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna, Sweden on May 15th, the scientific expertise of the Wildlife Conservation Society helped inform an international body of senior government officials about changing conditions in the Arctic, and potential responses to those changes.

The vast majority of some 22,000 swimming beaches in the EU are clean and safe, the European Environment Agency said Tuesday.

(Phys.org) —An international team of wildlife researchers has found evidence to support the theory that some birds, such as penguins, lost the ability to fly because of adaptations that allowed for better swimming. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes the results of testing energy efficiency levels of birds that both fly and dive as compared to birds that have lost the ability to fly.

Australian home computer users and businesses are being warned to consider more closely the risks associated with cloud computing, as well as its many advantages.

Soon, it will be possible to produce electricity from heat over 30 degrees emitted from a waste incinerator, refinery, or data processor. The start-up Osmoblue has just confirmed the feasibility of this new concept.

New research that studied why people choose to make large donations to charity anonymously has found that it may act as a signal to other donors of the charity's quality. The findings, published today, also show that anonymous gifts rather than public ones induce larger donations from subsequent donors.