Hot, young planets may be easier to spot because they stay that way longer than astronomers have thought, according to new work by MIT planetary scientist Linda Elkins-Tanton.

For a few million years after their initial formation, planets like Earth may maintain a hot surface of molten rock that would glow brightly enough to make them stand out as they orbit neighboring stars. Elkins-Tanton, Mitsui Career Development Professor of Geology in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, says the “magma ocean” stage for Earth-sized planets may last a few million years, much longer than previously estimated. “That means we may actually see them elsewhere, as detection systems get better,” she said.

Schoolchildren, families and citizen scientists around the world will gaze skyward after dark from Oct. 20 to Nov.3, 2008, looking for specific constellations and then sharing their observations through the Internet.

The Great World Wide Star Count, now in its second year, helps scientists map light pollution globally while educating participants about the stars.

The event, which is open to everyone who wants to participate, is organized by the Windows to the Universe project at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, Colo., in conjunction with planetariums and scientific societies across the country and abroad.

MARANELLO, Italy, October 15 /PRNewswire/ --

- Desk-side supercomputing is poised to revolutionise automotive design and engineering.

Two of the most dynamic, high-performance companies in the world joined forces today when Ferrari SpA decided to use Microsoft Corp's newest high-performance computing (HPC) technology to push the boundaries of automotive engineering, design and development.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

Ferrari's sport department is one of the first companies to test Microsoft's new high-performance computing system -- Windows HPC Server 2008. With broad industry support from its partners and customers, Microsoft is demonstrating the impact of high-performance computing in the automotive sector.

Yale Cancer Center researchers have identified a genetic biomarker that may help to determine why some people are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer.

The findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, could help identify smokers who should be carefully screened for lung cancer.

“Only 10% of smokers will develop lung cancer in their lifetime and genetic testing to determine the population of smokers who are most predisposed to develop the disease is needed to help guide better evaluation for these people,” explained Joanne B. Weidhaas, MD, PhD, assistant professor of therapeutic radiology at Yale School of Medicine and senior author on the study in collaboration with Frank Slack, PhD, associate professor in the department of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at Yale University.

AALSMEER, Netherlands, October 14 /PRNewswire/ --

- Eosta Signs Climate Agreement With Other Dutch Organisations

In the presence of Al Gore and the Environment Minister Jacqueline Cramer, Eosta and twelve other Dutch organisations signed a climate agreement yesterday in Aalsmeer. The agreement to achieve completely climate neutral management was signed together with a variety of other companies, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, PGGM, ANWB Wegenwacht, Triodos Bank and other leading companies.

I have a secret; as much as I enjoy reading about the latest advancements in biology and physics, I sometimes like reading about the darker side of experimentation.

Most scientists have a fundamental basis for experimentation and results but then there were (and are - we'll get to them in future installments) others who ran with their own rules and avoided opposition by keeping the results mostly secret. These are the people I am referring to as 'Mad Scientists' rather than using the more colloquial 'crazy' meaning of the term.

We all know most doctors are around to help patients, for example, but those who perform their own twisted experimentation make this list. Some will be more controversial (you may not think they are mad at all) but they made my list of "World's Maddest Scientists" and we can discuss it. (dun dun dun...)

LEEDS, England, October 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Masternaut Three X is celebrating success at the Fleet Hero Awards 2008. The UK's leading vehicle tracking company was runner up to BMW in the fiercely contested industry supplier category for its CO2 reducing GreenerFleet solution. Fleet and fuel management company Arval who are part of the multinational BNP Paribas took third place. Organised by the Energy Saving Trust in partnership with Fleet News, The Guardian and The Observer, the awards recognise heroic leadership in reducing the environmental impact of vehicle fleets.

Sitting atop the Big Island of Hawaii is majestic Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s largest volcano and also the site of the latest test site for NASA’s new moon probe, Scarab. Its mission: lunar prospecting.

Although the inactive volcano may not seem to resemble the moon, Mauna Kea does provide a similar environment to field test the robot for a mission to the moon. Mauna Kea has rocky slopes and, due to its elevation, cold temperatures. Mauna Kea is a paradise to many a migrating astronomer and, with its 14,000-foot summit, is often covered in snow. NASA will field test Scarab at 9,000 feet, where it will encounter rain, fog and daily temperatures of 40 degrees.



The four-wheeled Scarab will travel to different sites and obtain geologic core samples by drilling; the samples will be tested by on-board instruments to determine a chemical analysis of the sample. This allows Scarab to evaluate the site for possible mining of materials.

WASHINGTON, October 14 /PRNewswire/ --

- Emphasizes value of global collaboration on critical issues

The Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC) today announced it has elected Terrence C. "Terry" Morgan of Cisco Systems to the position of NCOIC chairman. Michael Curtis, of IBM, and Edgar Buckley, of Thales, will support Morgan as vice chairmen.

NEW YORK, October 14 /PRNewswire/ --

- Site Becomes the Only Source of Consolidated, Searchable Access to Both FDA and EMEA Drug Approval Documents

NEW YORK, October 14 /PRNewswire/ --

PharmaPendium ( http://www.info.pharmapendium.com/ ), Elsevier's online resource for authoritative drug safety data, has significantly expanded its content offering with a new release containing the European Medicines Agency's (EMEA) European Public Assessment Reports (EPARs). The addition of this content makes PharmaPendium the only source of consolidated, searchable access to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and EMEA drug approval documents on a single site, with a single search.