VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed an automatic ice detection system for cars  that makes use of a new, real-time method of obtaining information on a road's actual slipperiness.  

Obviously, such a system helps drivers avoid personal injuries and damage to vehicles in slippery road conditions. Not only are vehicles are warned in advance of a road's actual slipperiness, if the road becomes slippery, other vehicles arriving in the area will also be warned immediately.
 

Predicting weather events is more mysticism than science and it's only after the fact that predictions are recalibrated to try and hone in on more accuracy.  Hurricane Sandy in the eastern United States was predicted to be a super-storm but by the time it hit New York City was a regular old tropical storm, though one that became a welcome $17 billion federal stimulus plan and a call for action on global warming that did not cause it.

During our zeal to recapture manufacturing like Apple iPhone and solar panel construction during the last four years, something obvious was ignored; the environmental hazards were never going to be acceptable in the USA. The rich people who can afford the latest technology turn a blind eye to non-union wages, slave labor and environmental impact as long as it is happening in th developing world.

Optimal Monitoring has produced a free eBook about the Department of Energy and Climate Change consultation period, which is open until the end of January.

 The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has invited companies to influence the latest Climate Change Bill and UK government energy policy. This consultation period on the UK draft Energy Bill is open until January 31st, 2013 and asks for ideas on how the Government can help businesses reduce their energy usage and therefore their cost. Carbon monitoring software provider Optimal Monitoring has created a free guide which addresses the opportunities the DECC consultation period presents for businesses and landlords to influence the Energy Bill. 

A century ago, “past” and “future”, previously strictly apart, mixed up and merged.  Temporal terminology improved.  Today, not actualized quantum states, that is merely “possible” alternatives, objectively “exist” (are real) when they interfere.  Again, two previously strictly immiscible realms mix. 

Almost three years have passed since the US patent for a Domestic Animal Telephone was issued. The patent describes :

“A phone for pets and pet owners is taught [sic?] which allows the owner to call the house and ‘talk’ to the pet”.

But then, in Feb. 2011 a new patent was issued (also entitled 'Domestic Animal Telephone') to the same inventors – at first glance strikingly similar to the original :

Studies are revealing new details about a molecular surveillance system that helps detect and correct errors in cell division that can lead to cell death or human diseases.

The purpose of cell division is to evenly distribute the genome between two daughter cells. To achieve this, every chromosome must properly interact with a football-shaped structure called the spindle. However, interaction errors between the chromosomes and spindle during division are amazingly common, occurring in 86 to 90 percent of chromosomes, says cell biologist Thomas Maresca at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The key to flawless cell division is to correct dangerous interactions before the cell splits in two.  

“It is demonstrable,” said he, “that things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for as all things have been created for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end. Observe, for instance, the nose is formed for spectacles, therefore we wear spectacles. The legs are visibly designed for stockings, accordingly we wear stockings.”

- Candide by Voltaire

Humans are unique among the great apes (of which we are one) in various ways. One of them is our possession of a very long Achilles tendon, which is quite short in chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.

Safe, Tasty, Nutritious Almonds We Shouldn't Take For Granted

Sometimes we need to hear about things that are working well in our food system.  I'd like to describe a case where sound regulation and well-applied technology combine to protect us from a significant risk posed by a natural chemical called Aflatoxin - one of the most toxic and carcinogenic chemicals known.  

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is going to take the field in two hours and it won't just be a vindication of the decision by coach Jim Harbaugh to replace Alex Smith and his 13-3 run with a passer rating over 100 - Harbaugh can't lose in the eyes of the public even if the team does - it will be a vindication of science.