Sometimes we talk about a water shortage but it's really more of an energy shortage.    Less than 2% of the water on Earth can be consumed but with cheaper energy the water availability, even in remote areas, is unlimited.   

But if cheap energy isn't on its way any time soon, energy efficient water purification is a good interim step.     Engineered osmosis could be a key to addressing the global need for affordable clean water, according to two Yale researchers.
 

A 2000-year-old painted statue is being restored to her original glory by scientists from Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG),  an academic department of the University of Warwick, along with the University of Southampton and the Herculaneum Conservation Project.

Individuals who get less than seven hours of sleep per night appear about three times as likely to develop respiratory illness following exposure to a cold virus as those who sleep eight hours or more, according to a report in the January 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Studies have demonstrated that sleep deprivation impairs some immune function, according to background information in the article. Research indicates that those who sleep approximately seven to eight hours per night have the lowest rates of heart disease illness and death. However, there has previously been little direct evidence that poor sleep increases susceptibility to the common cold.

Keep Britain Tidy today has named McDonald's as the most littered fast food brand in the country, meaning the people who litter are more likely to be throwing their wrappers on the streets than any other fast food brand.  It's no surprise, given McDonalds is the top fast food brand.

It's super-sized shame for the residents of ten city centers and suburbs/out-of-town locations across England.  But McDonalds isn't alone.   They made up more than a quarter of all fast food litter (29%), mostly burger wrappers, condiment packets and plastic straws.

In second place, as a group, were local chippie or kebab shops: Keep Britain Tidy found a huge amount of unbranded chip wrappings and packaging in all locations (21%).

Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker's genome is being sequenced as part of the Personal Genome Project, and he's been gazing at the results, attempting to divine some meaning in the A''s, T's, G's and C's. He shares his musings in a Sunday Times Magazine essay that captures both the excitement of personal genomics and its pitfalls.

Personal Genomics and Disease

DETROIT, January 12 /PRNewswire/ --

- 100mpg Fisker Karma Makes its World Wide Premiere at the 2009 North American International Auto Show

Fisker Automotive, Inc., the new American manufacturer of premium green automobiles, unveiled its first production car -- the 2010 Fisker Karma -- at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit today. The four-door, four-seat Karma fuses the traditional and timeless styling of veteran auto designer and Fisker Automotive CEO Henrik Fisker, with Quantum Technologies' clean Q-DRIVE(R) plug-in hybrid powertrain to become the world's first luxury plug-in hybrid car.

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PARIS, January 12 /PRNewswire/ -- After a successful launch in Europe, Valeo's Park4U(TM) system will equip the Ford Lincoln MKS and MKT models presented at the Detroit Motor Show. These are the first American vehicles to feature this technology.

Intuitive and easy to use, Park4U(TM) offers drivers comfortable and safe parking in the tightest spaces. Using ultrasonic sensors located in the front and rear fenders to precisely calculate the length of the parking slot available, the system automatically handles the maneuver into the slot.

The Park4U(TM) is already available on six Volkswagen models and on the Audi A3, and Skoda Superb, and by 2010 it will appear on eighteen vehicles.

PARIS and NEW YORK, January 12 /PRNewswire/ --

- 'Gender Balance Key to Corporate and Economic Growth' www.WOMEN-omics.com

Women are business's secret weapon, and the world's highest performing companies -- and smartest men -- are realizing and acting upon the opportunity, says Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, publisher and founder of the new Website, WOMEN-omics.com, which is launching today.

NEW YORK, January 12 /PRNewswire/ --

- Leading European fragrance and cosmetics retailer turns to Microsoft's next-generation POS platform to deliver a richer customer experience and meet present and future business needs.

Today, at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Annual Convention Expo, Microsoft Corp. announced that Douglas, Europe's largest fragrance and cosmetics retailer, is migrating its point of service (POS) systems in 23 countries around the world to Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, the next generation of Windows Embedded for Point of Service.

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