A gravity model of the Earth constructed with data from GRACE. Credit: University of Texas Center for Space Research and NASA



It is all about gravity these days. First came GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and then we'll have GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer). I'll reveal the difference right away: GRACE measures time variations while GOCE measures the static gravity field. Both are equally important for a number of societal application and both are hot on the satellite scene this fall. Well, actually amazing science results have come out based on data from GRACE ever since it was launched in 2002. In particular the increased resolution is stunning and continue to enthuse the scientists. One of my colleagues, Srinivas Bettanpur at the University of Texas, has increased the spatial resolution beyond our wildest dreams and provides now researchers with an instrument that can estimate mass changes with a spatial resolution of less than 322 km (200 miles) – a lot better than first anticipated.

Wind farms pose less of a threat to farmland birds than previously feared, new research has found. The study, published this week in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology, helps resolve a potentially major environmental conflict: how to meet renewable energy targets at the same time as reversing dramatic declines in biodiversity on European farmland.

Dr Mark Whittingham and colleagues from Newcastle University conducted bird surveys on arable farmland around two wind farms in the East Anglian fens. They recorded almost 3,000 birds from 23 different species, including five red-listed species of high conservation concern – the yellowhammer, the Eurasian tree sparrow, the corn bunting, Eurasian skylark and the common reed bunting.

In case you haven’t noticed, election season is upon us! Ok, it has been upon us for almost two years, but never mind that. Pollsters are busy trying to determine why people might be voting for one candidate or another, with special attention being paid to the so-called undecided voters, on whose last-minute whim the fate of the nation -- and the world -- seems to hinge.

Two recent studies, however, provide much food for thought about why people vote one way or the other, and about the reasons they give to themselves and others.

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland. and BERN, Switzerland, September 30 /PRNewswire/ --

- The high-precision clock in SmartNode(TM) digital VoIP IADs preserves DECT, PBX, and FAX functionality when converting ISDN telephony systems to Voice-over-IP.

- SmartNode(TM) VoIP...more than just talk.

Patton -- the leader in business-class network access, connectivity, and VoIP equipment -- together with Patton-Inalp Networks AG -- creator of SmartNode(TM) industry-leading VoIP technology -- announces new BRI and PRI VoIP product lines that ensure seamless inter-operation with Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) and PBX systems.

LONDON, September 30 /PRNewswire/ --

Business is responsible for more than 40% of the UK's carbon emissions. Visit Working Buildings Week 2008, to find out how companies are tackling this issue and making their places of work more efficient and environmentally friendly. Bringing together 1000s of professionals, 400 built environment solution providers and over 300 hours of educational content, Working Buildings 2008 aims to empower those responsible for the UK's workplaces. Highlights of this year's show include:

PHILADELPHIA, September 30 /PRNewswire/ --

- Joint solution provides rapid test configuration and root cause analysis of application defects without physical access to hardware or far reaching branch offices.

Shunra Software (www.shunra.com), the world's leading provider of network emulation and application performance testing solutions, and VMware Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) program member, today announced it has released Shunra VE for VMware Infrastructure 3. VMware provides TAP program members with tools to develop products that are complementary to VMware virtualization software and help deliver high-value solutions to our joint customers.

KEIGHLEY, England, September 30 /PRNewswire/ -- IDT Finance, issuer of the Prime Card, has introduced a cashback reward site for all registered cardholders.

It's the 56th site of its kind developed by Cashback Partners (http://www.cashbackpartners.com/) in eight months, for UK companies looking for ways to keep customers during tough economic times.

On PrimeCashback.com (http://www.primecashback.com/) shoppers get their usual online purchases at exactly the same price, but are rewarded with cashback. This is a large proportion of the fee paid by the retailer.

I am obsessed with CSI (excluding CSI Miami, David Caruso is just too smarmy). I simply can’t help it. I will watch an episode of CSI that I have already seen twice, just for the thrill of seeing the cases unfold. I even downloaded the entire first season of CSI and watched every single episode, back to back, without sleeping. I know that I am not alone. Shows like CSI have swept the nation due partly to its drama, but also to its science. The fact that a single hair, nail or swath of skin could yield a lead on a case is captivating. It is also true.

Granted shows like CSI sensationalize the lab work and results yielded by forensic science, but its basis is accurate. DNA profiling is one of the most valuable tools used by law enforcement and in fact does help to solve cases.

People come to this web site for well written, interesting columns on science. To some degree it must be questioned as to whether economics is a science. That being said, the current financial crisis is worthy of some commentary here as it will affect all of us to some degree. As a futurist, I see this crisis as part of a bigger transition from one Age to another. The Information Age began in the 1970s and is now giving way to the Shift Age. All year, in speeches given around the country, I have stated that the economic downturn we are going through must be looked at from a new perspective. The ‘is it a recession or not’ and ‘is it a bear stock market or not’ is a far too narrow focus for insightful discussion. There is something much larger that we are beginning to move through.

NEW YORK, September 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Asset Control, a world-wide leader in financial data management solutions, today announced that Germany's largest retail bank Postbank has chosen Asset Control's AC Plus financial and reference data management software.

Postbank will use Asset Control to provide quality controlled pricing data to the bank's risk control department and support its Internal VaR (Value at Risk) Model for market risk. Postbank required a solution that could be implemented to meet its time-to-market objectives, while requiring only minimum IT resources in the day-to-day management of the system.