In 1963, Roy Kerr's hypothesis was of a "clean" black hole model and that remains the dominant paradigm. From theory to reality things may be quite different, black holes may be much "dirtier" than what Kerr believed, the authors write.

A tiny Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) accelerometer used in smart phones to adjust the orientation of the screen could serve to create a real-time urban seismic network and increase the amount of strong motion data collected during a large earthquake, according to a new paper in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.

Since the 1990s, (MEMS accelerometers have been measure the rate of acceleration of ground motion and vibration of cars, buildings and installations. They revolutionized the automotive airbag industry and are found in many devices used daily, including smart phones, video games and laptops.

The Affordable Care Act is not quite ready, some of the key aspects won't be available and many large corporations are still exempt, but it is rolling out for individuals tomorrow. 76% of U.S. adults are aware of the law's individual mandate - they know the law will require them to have insurance or pay penalties - but only 40% are aware that new health insurance marketplaces are (in many cases) opening on October 1, or that financial assistance that is available to help people with low or moderate incomes pay their health insurance premiums.

Oxytocin, colloquially called the 'love hormone' because of its correlation to mother-infant attachment and romantic bonding in adults, could also make us more accepting of other people, according to a new psychology paper. 

Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) in European countries is highly effective in reducing mortality from the disease. Some of the resources currently being devoted to breast and prostate screening programmes, where the evidence of effectiveness is much less clear-cut, should be reallocated to the early detection of CRC, the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013) [1] will hear today (Sunday).

The first Phase II study to investigate the use of the anti-cancer drug, everolimus, for the initial treatment of advanced papillary kidney cancer has shown that it is successful in slowing or preventing the spread of the disease, according to research to be presented today (Sunday) at the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013) [1].