Cosmologists at the University of Illinois say ancient light absorbed by neutral hydrogen atoms could be used to test certain predictions of string theory - but they'll need a gigantic array of radio telescopes to do it, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 square kilometers.

String theory is commonly considered (and one of our Ph.D.s will likely point out the flaws in this simplified explanation) a theory in which the fundamental building blocks are tiny one-dimensional filaments. One of its many flavors is usually the leading contender for a 'theory of everything' that unifies all four fundamental forces of nature - the strong and weak nuclear forces, electromagnetism, and gravity. It's not an easy thing to test.

Now these cosmologists say absorption features in the 21-centimeter spectrum of neutral hydrogen atoms could be used for such a test.

NEW YORK, January 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- MTV Networks Germany to advertise and promote FunkySexyCool across Germany, Switzerland and Austria on its TV and digital platforms

MTV Networks Germany (MTVN) and FunkySexyCool, the global mobile social community for 18-34 year olds, signed a cooperation agreement to promote FunkySexyCool across Germany, Switzerland and Austria on MTVN's German, Swiss and Austrian TV, web and mobile networks.

MTVN and FunkySexyCool also agreed to co-brand FunkySexyCool's service in the German-speaking territories with MTVN's popular VIVA brand. VIVA is Germany's market-leading TV channel for music and youth culture and its fields of activities expand far beyond traditional TV into various online and mobile platforms.

First results from a new NASA-funded scientific instrument at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii are helping scientists overturn long-standing assumptions about powerful explosions called novae and have produced the first unified model for a nearby nova called RS Ophiuchi.

"We were getting ready for a routine engineering run when all of a sudden the nova went off. It was very bright and easy to observe, so we took this opportunity and turned it into gold," says team member Marc Kuchner of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

TEL AVIV, Israel, January 28 /PRNewswire/ --

Stanford Venture Capital Holdings has announced it has committed to invest US$10 million in AquAgro Fund L.P., a venture capital fund formed to focus on Israel's innovative water, agriculture and clean-tech technology businesses.

PALM DESERT, California, January 28 /PRNewswire/ --

ikordo, the free online meeting planner that organizes and schedules meetings, has an onsite meeting pod open for business at the DEMO 08 conference, being held from January 28th - 30th 2008 in Palm Desert, CA at the JW Marriott Resort and Spa. DEMO is the premier launch venue for new products, technologies and companies. As a gold sponsor of DEMO, ikordo invites delegates to schedule their onsite and follow up meetings at the meeting pod located in the Sponsor Network Lounge. Delegates will have the opportunity to receive tips on best practices from an ikordo expert.

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland, January 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- Providing any-to-any multi-path switching, security, survivability, and presence/reachability, SmartNode(TM) Unified Communication Agent integrates IP-based communications with existing TDM/PSTN telephony and SIP/H.323 VoIP systems

Patton Electronics -- the leader in business and carrier-class network access, connectivity, and voice-over-IP equipment -- has announced the new Unified Communication Agent (UCA) for SmartNode(TM) VoIP Gateway-Routers.

COLUMBIA, Maryland, January 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- Scaleable Gateway MSC, HLR, Prepaid, USSD Callback, Multi-IMSI Support and TDM and IP Routing Built On Carrier-Grade Architecture

- Visit Tecore Networks at Mobile World Congress, Stand 8C78

NEW YORK, January 28 /PRNewswire/ --

Nanotech Briefs has announced a Call for Nominations for its fourth annual Nano 50 awards competition, which launched on January 7. The Nano 50 recognizes the top 50 technologies, innovators, and products with the greatest potential to advance the commercialization of nanotechnology.

Nominations are accepted at no cost via an online submission form at the official awards Web site: www.nanotechbriefs.com/nano50. The awards categories are:

RALEIGH, North Carolina, January 28 /PRNewswire/ --

Campbell Alliance, the leading management consulting firm specializing in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, today announced that Nader Naeymi-Rad, Senior Vice President of the firm's Brand Management practice, will speak at the EyeForPharma Oncology Summit Europe. The event will be held on January 30-31, 2008, at the Regent's Park Marriott Hotel in London, England.

Mr. Naeymi-Rad's presentation, titled "Key Success Factors for Launching Oncology Products in Europe," is slated for 2:00 pm GMT on January 30 and will cover:

LONDON, January 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- The Winner of the $100,000 USD Live EDGE Prize Package Will be Announced Live by Premier Farnell's CEO Harriet Green

- Winning Design in the Opinion of the Judges Will Have Creative and Intuitive Design Using Electronic Components That Will Have a Positive Impact on the Environment.

Premier Farnell plc (LSE: PFL), the leading multi-channel, high service distributor supporting millions of engineers and purchasing professionals globally, has announced open registration to the technical conference and awards ceremony for Live EDGE - Electronic Design for the Global Environment. The awards ceremony will announce the $100,000 USD prize package winner and the five highly commended designs receiving $5,000 USD each.