• Science

    Islamic Countries Take Swine Flu Precautions for Hajj

    By Stuart Fox Posted on 7.23.2009 1 Comments

    The Hajj, a journey to Mecca that retraces the steps of Mohammed, is one of the religious pillars of Islam. Pilgrims making the Hajj are the primary reason why Saudi Arabia is one of the world's most visited tourist spots. Like a religious version of Orlando, Mecca and Medina draw about three million visitors every year, from every country in the world. Unfortunately, the date for this year's Hajj, November 25th to the 29th, falls right smack dab in the middle of flu season, and Muslim countries from Morocco to Indonesia have begun wrestling with the problem of religious duty in a swine-flu world.

    8.9.2009 at 09:51am - Comment by quatra

    Do those Muslims know that the swine flu is called so because the virus contains a part of swine DNA. So in case a Muslim gets infected, he, or she, gets a part of a swine in their cells. You know, like ingesting, or eating, pig....

  • Entertainment & Gaming

    Desktop Linux – Will It Ever Stick?

    By Tom Conlon Posted on 4.2.2009 33 Comments

    About seven years ago, I tried to free myself from the oppression and misery of running Windows ME by installing Linux on my PC. Ever installed the Linux operating system? It’s not for the faint of heart. So, when it was recently reported that Linux-based netbooks are being returned at a rate four-times higher than their Windows-based brethren, I can’t say I was surprised.

    11.15.2008 at 08:18pm - Comment by quatra

    I really, really don't understand all the discussions about operating systems. I've used Windows all my computing life from 95, 98 to XP and have never had any problems with viruses, malware, adware, etc. I never "use" Windows but the programs that use Windows to run. Period. Months go by and I don't see anything on my computer that remotely looks like something "Windows". So Windows for me is just something I know that's on my machine but I really don't care. I never use the things under "Accesories" like Calculator, Paint, Wordpad, Games, etc. etc. I'm an Industrial Designer so you'll get the drift about the kind of software I use and it has definitely not anything to do with Apple, Windows, Linux or other Joe Smith-stuff.

  • Gadgets

    The $188 and Counting Laptop

    By Posted on 4.23.2008 1 Comments

    The ambitious One Laptop per Child program continues to flounder. OLPC's cornerstone XO laptop, which was widely lauded when it was functionally revealed in 2006, has still failed to reach its original price point of $100. Currently selling for $188 and achieving a narrower distribution than initially intended, the machine has yet again run into problems. Last week, Walter Bender, long the second in command on the project, left the group apparently out of disagreement over a significant internal shift in goals and direction.

    4.26.2008 at 08:45pm - Comment by quatra

    Well, at least it's almost 100 Euros.

  • Science

    Fighting Staph Through Viral Infection

    By Posted on 4.10.2008 3 Comments

    Using living organisms to combat human disease is nothing new to medicine. The Greeks used leeches to balance the humors (didn't work). Civil war medics used maggots to clean dead tissue from wounds (did work, and is still selectively used today). The next step in fighting infection with outside help looks to come from the bacteriophages, which are viruses that only infect bacteria.

    4.10.2008 at 08:33pm - Comment by quatra

    Uhhh. We used phags to identify particular strains of Staphylococcus in our lab some 35 years ago...

  • Science

    The Impending Alzheimer’s Boom

    By Posted on 3.19.2008 5 Comments

    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.

    4.6.2008 at 09:15pm - Comment by quatra

    According to the conspiracy theories, governments are convinced that there are too many people on this world. Maybe that's why "...you think that the government is hustling to support researchers in search of a cure, or effective treatment, right? Not exactly."

  • Technology

    Using Phones In-Flight

    By Posted on 4.1.2008 1 Comments

    European travelers may soon have a chance to chat away on their own phones while in flight. For the new system to work, planes would be outfitted with small mobile base stations known as pico cells. The cells would be switched off during take-off, and turned on once the planes reach a given altitude, which would be a minimum of 3,000 meters. Phone signals would be routed to the mobile base stations, which would in turn dispatch signals to ground-based networks through a satellite link.

    4.6.2008 at 02:15pm - Comment by quatra

    There have to be rules e.g. only 30 minutes after reaching cruising altitude and 30 minutes before starting descent. And maybe 10 dollars per minute.



Download Our iPhone App

Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone with full articles, images and offline viewing



Follow Us On Twitter

Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed



Become a Fan On Facebook

Share links with friends, comment on stories and more


December 2009: Best of What's New

In our December issue, Popular Science names the 100 best innovations of the year: bombproof wallpaper, self-parking cars, the fastest helicopter, and 97 more. Plus inventor profiles and videos.

Check out the best of what's new here.

Popular Science Photo Pool


Share your photos in the Pop Sci pool at www.flickr.com!
tags_sprite.png
POP_embeddedForm_cover_May09.jpg