Gregory Mone

Everyone seems to be double-extra-cautiously optimistic about this finding, so dont go running out to your telescope tonight looking for greetings from friendly space creatures.

But in work reported today in Nature, astronomers say they used the Hubble Space Telescopes infrared imager to pick up signs of methane in the atmosphere of a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a star some 63 million light years from Earth. And methane, an organic molecule, is an indicator of the possible presence of life.

The Financial Times reported yesterday that Apple is considering a plan to give people free access to its library of tunes if they pay more for their iPods or iPhones.

It could slow carbon dioxide emissions, power cars and jets, and replace petroleum altogether. Pond scum or green slimewhatever you want to call italgae is the next great hope in the world of environmental startups.

The Alzheimers Association released a report yesterday with some frightening estimates regarding the future of the brain-wasting disease. One out of every eight baby boomers are likely to develop Alzheimers at some point, and the disease is now the seventh deadliest in the country.

By 2010, there will be 500,000 new cases each year. By 2050, that number will jump to a million. This means the costs of caring for these patients are, naturally, going to jump dramatically.

Yahoo surprised analysts yesterday, announcing that it is on track to meet its expected earnings for 2008. This changes the fight between the Sunnyvale-based company and Microsoft, which recently offered to pay $42 billion to swallow it up. Now Yahoo has a bit more leverage, and may be able to convince investors that its not in such bad shape after all. The company says it expects to double its cash flow and increase its revenue by 50 percent, mostly from banner and video advertising.

The gecko has been the star of numerous scientific papers over the last few years, most of which focus on its incredibly sticky toes, which can hold tight to and then release from vertical surfaces in a few thousandths of a second. But now scientists at the University of California, Berkeleya hotbed of gecko-related research are reporting that the magic isnt all in the toes. The geckos long tail is also critical. It helps keep the lizard stuck to the wall, but it also allows the gecko to land on its feet if it falls.

Is all this work on string theory and multiple dimensions and extra universes still science? Thats the question physicist Sean Carroll and writer John Horgan recently debated. Carroll, of the California Institute of Technology, also blogs regularly for Cosmic Variance, and he wrote out a detailed post explaining his position. Obviously, as a cosmologist who works full-time on these seemingly preposterous ideas, he is a bit biased. Hes not the guy youd expect to stop and say it isnt real science. But his piece on the subject does effectively explain why he and, one assumes, other theoretical physicists working on these problems think this way.

A new study by market research firm M:Metrics reveals that nearly 85 percent of iPhone users access news and information on the mobile Web through their handy new gadget. That makes it the most popular gadget for doing so, according to M:Metrics.

Granted, it will be far too small for her to show off to her friends, but if your potential fiancée has a love of science, she just might accept this bauble over something flashier. Its the worlds smallest diamond ring, created by a group of Australian physicists. The ring measures just 5 microns wide and 300 nanometers thick. And no, its not really for advertising your engagement. The ring is actually part of a device used to produce and detect single photons.

All reports suggest that the International Space Stations new robotic handyman will survive, and not freeze into a $209 million junk pile due to a power problem. Astronauts bypassed a faulty cable on Friday, and managed to get power to the robot arm, which will keep it warm, and ready for duty, in the deep cold of space.

A new player has stepped into the middle of the Cape Cod offshore wind farm debate, proposing a technological solution that may finally bring the long-running fight to an end. Blue H, a subsidiary of a Dutch company, has proposed the installation of 120 floating wind turbines that would be anchored far from shore and, more importantly, out of sight. Cape Wind, the company that first proposed an offshore wind farm in the area, wants to use standard turbines. But those with beachfront property in the area dont want their lovely views of the seascape ruined by the spinning blades.

Move over cheddar. Its time for something hairier…er, healthier. Researchers in Nepal and Canada are reporting [PDF] that yak cheese has higher levels of several healthy fatty acids than the stuff derived from dairy cattle.

A group of independent software developers claims to be close to loosening Apples reins over the software that can run on the iPhone once and for all. Apple announced recently that it plans to start releasing software made by third party developers in June. First, though, those applications will be checked, and then sold or given away free (whichever the developer chooses) directly by Apple, either through iTunes or a virtual store on the phone itself.

But if the independent group, known as the iPhone Dev Team, has its way, that strict outline is going to be shaken up a bit.

The International Space Stations new robotic repairman, a $200 million Canadian robot called Dextre, should end up working just fine despite some early glitches, officials say. Dextre, an incredibly dexterous ‘bot with two flexible three-meter arms (hence, of course, the name), is designed to be a kind of maintenance machine on the outside of the ISS.

Pop this pill, and eight hours later, doctors can examine a high-resolution video of your intestines for tumors and other problems, thanks to a new spinning camera that captures images in 360 degrees. Developed by the Japanese RF System Lab, the Sayaka endoscope capsule enters clinical trials in the U.S. this month.