UPI NewsTrack Science and Technology News

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UPI NewsTrack Science and Technology News
White House supports phone unlockingWASHINGTON,[url=http://www.parajumpersjackenoutlet.de/]long bear parajumpers[/url], March 4 () -- The White House has responded to an online petition to make cellphone unlocking legal, saying it's time to legalize the practice."Neither criminal law nor technological locks should prevent consumers from switching carriers when they are no longer bound by a service agreement or other obligation,[url=http://www.parajumpersjackenoutlet.de/]parajumpers damen[/url]," the administration said.Unlocking a cellphone to allow its use to be moved to another carrier was legal under an exemption to the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, until the U.S. Copyright Office and Library of Congress refused to renew the exemption in January.That upset many users, prompting the initiation of a White House petition that eventually passed 100,000 signatures, which required the White House to respond, ABC news reported Monday."The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties," R. David Edelman, White House senior adviser for Internet, Innovation and Privacy, wrote on the White House Petitions Blog.The ability to transfer a phone to another carrier or network is "crucial for protecting consumer choice" and is important in making sure America maintains its "vibrant, competitive wireless market," the White House said.Although the White House has weighed in on the issue, it cannot directly act in the matter; that would require congressional legislation.But experts said it was a strong first step."This is a game-changer, now that it has the attention of all the powers that be," Bradley Shear, a social media and technology attorney in the Washington, D.C., area, said. "It will now be a much larger conversation about this issue." Chimps more aggressive in 'girl talk'MINNEAPOLIS, March 4 () -- Female chimpanzees are more "negative" when communicating with other females than they are with males, a U.S. researcher says.In a study, doctoral student Nicole Scott from the University of Minnesota analyzed the different gesturing strategies used by a group of females at Chester Zoo in Britain.Female chimps used more gestures of aggression when communicating with other females, she said, and "apologized" less often with gestures of reassurance.But when communicating with males, they used more expressions of greeting and submission."When communicating with males, females sort of 'suck up' to them," Scott told the BBC.Overall behavior in males and females showed no differences in the repertoire of gestures the animals used, she said,[url=http://www.christianlouboutinonlineshop.de/]christian louboutin outlet[/url], but differences in communication appeared when individual interactions were analyzed on a gender basis.While female chimpanzees in the group studied adopted a different gesture strategy depending on the sex of a partner,[url=http://www.isabelmarantsneakersbootss.com/]isabel marant boots[/url], the males did not, she said.She acknowledged her analysis of female aggression could be controversial because "there is a belief in the field that males are more aggressive than females.""Some researchers likely will have trouble accepting my results since I show that females are also aggressive," she said. Britain urged to gird for extreme weatherLONDON, March 4 () -- Britain's Environment Agency says the country must take urgent action to "prepare and adapt" for climate extremes liked floods and droughts.Urgent action was vital to help ready many aspects of Britain for such extremes, Environment Agency Chairman Chris Smith said.Data showed one in every five days saw flooding in 2012 but one in four days saw drought, the agency reported.Meteorologists have expressed concerns extremes of weather may increase as global temperatures slowly rise, the BBC reported Monday."The extremes of weather that we saw last year highlight the urgent need to plan for a changing climate," Smith said."In 2012 we saw environmental damage caused by rivers with significantly reduced flows, hosepipe bans affecting millions and farmers and businesses left unable to take water from rivers."But we also saw the wettest year on record in England, with around 8,000 homes flooded," he said."More of this extreme weather will exacerbate many of the problems that we already deal with including flooding and water scarcity, so taking action today to prepare and adapt homes, businesses, agricultural practices and infrastructure is vital."Robot can help in polar expeditionsWASHINGTON, March 4 () -- An autonomous robot dubbed "Yeti" could help explorers in the arctic and Antarctica avoid deadly crevasses hidden in ice-covered landscapes, researchers say.Researchers funded by the National Science Foundation have successfully tested a self-guided robot that uses ground-penetrating radar to map hidden crevasses, an NSF release reported.Such unseen fissures buried beneath ice and snow could potentially claim human lives and expensive equipment during scientific and exploratory expeditions, the researchers said.Yeti has been tested in Greenland in an over-ice supply expedition from Thule in the north of Greenland to NSF's Summit Station on the ice cap, and in Antarctica in a 1,031-mile, over-ice trek from McMurdo Station to the South Pole."Polar exploration is not unlike space missions; we put people into the field where it is expensive and it is dangerous to do science," said James Lever the U.S. Army's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.Yeti weighs 180-pounds and the battery powered, four-wheel drive vehicle is capable of operating in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. An on-board GPS system allows it to navigate and plot the position of under-ice hazards.Yeti and similar robots could not only improve safety but also have the potential to reduce the costs of logistical support of science in remote polar regions, Lever said, and could extend the capabilities of researchers. "We're not going to replace the scientists," he said. "But what we can do is extend their reach and add to the science mission."