http://www.voanews.com Voice of America is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:49:26 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Most of the loss Antarctic ice is not caused by icebergs falling apart into the sea, but instead by warmer ocean waters underneath the massive ice shelves causing melting, according to a new study by NASA and university researchers. The study found that so-called basal melt accounted for 55 percent of all ice shelf mass loss from 2003 to 2008.  Using reconstructions of ice accumulation as well as satellite and aircraft readings of ice thickness and changes in elevations, scientists were ... http://www.voanews.com/content/warming-oceans-cause-antarctic-ice-loss/1682131.html http://www.voanews.com/content/warming-oceans-cause-antarctic-ice-loss/1682131.html Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:44:43 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/warming-oceans-cause-antarctic-ice-loss/1682131.html#relatedInfoContainer Decades of drought in central Africa may have had a surprising cause, according to new research that challenges the notion that the severe dry weather was triggered mainly by bad agricultural practices and overgrazing. The research, done at the University of Washington, shows that the drought was at least partially caused by pollution in the Northern Hemisphere. The researchers said that sulfate-laden aerosols coming from coal-burning factories from the 1960s through the 1980s actually ... http://www.voanews.com/content/pollution-in-northern-hemisphere-led-to-african-drought/1677607.html http://www.voanews.com/content/pollution-in-northern-hemisphere-led-to-african-drought/1677607.html Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:06:58 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/pollution-in-northern-hemisphere-led-to-african-drought/1677607.html#relatedInfoContainer Astronauts on future missions to Mars may be able to dial up a pizza via a 3D printer. NASA announced it awarded a $125,000 grant to Systems & Materials Research Corporation’s Anjan Contractor, who has already designed the printer. The head of the printer will be fed with a combination of nutrients, water, oils and flavors, which can be sprayed, layer by layer to create three dimensional food. The base ingredients could have a shelf life of up to 30 years. The first test: printing a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/future-astronauts-could-print-food/1666201.html http://www.voanews.com/content/future-astronauts-could-print-food/1666201.html Wed, 22 May 2013 12:37:20 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/future-astronauts-could-print-food/1666201.html#relatedInfoContainer Could bioluminescent plants one day replace light bulbs? That is the goal of a group of California scientists who are looking to genetically engineer bioluminescent plants that could eventually be used as streetlights or bedside reading lamps. “We are using Synthetic Biology techniques and Genome Compiler’s software to insert bioluminescence genes into Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant and member of the mustard family, to make a plant that visibly glows in the dark,” the scientists write ... http://www.voanews.com/content/scientests-developing-glow-in-the-dark-plants/1657714.html http://www.voanews.com/content/scientests-developing-glow-in-the-dark-plants/1657714.html Thu, 09 May 2013 10:23:52 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/scientests-developing-glow-in-the-dark-plants/1657714.html#relatedInfoContainer Are you a poet and a space geek? If so, NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is offering a unique chance to send your poem all the way to Mars aboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft that will be launched in November.  Poems should be in the form of a haiku, and the deadline for submissions is July 1. Through an online public vote, the top three will be selected and burned onto a DVD, which will be placed aboard MAVEN. Anyone who sends ... http://www.voanews.com/content/send-your-poems-to-space-maven/1653450.html http://www.voanews.com/content/send-your-poems-to-space-maven/1653450.html Thu, 02 May 2013 15:17:51 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/send-your-poems-to-space-maven/1653450.html#relatedInfoContainer China leads the world in computer espionage, according to an annual report that monitors the state of global cyber threats. Ninety-six percent of cyber espionage cases targeting intellectual property and business trade secrets were attributed to “threat actors in China,” while the remaining four percent were unknown, according to the “2013 Data Breach Investigations Report," which is issued by Verizon, a large U.S. telecom firm. “This may mean that other threat groups perform their ... http://www.voanews.com/content/china-leads-world-in-computer-espionage-report/1648326.html http://www.voanews.com/content/china-leads-world-in-computer-espionage-report/1648326.html Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:45:25 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/china-leads-world-in-computer-espionage-report/1648326.html#relatedInfoContainer The recent arrest of three men diving near a damaged undersea fiber optic cable off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt and damage to another nearby cable a week earlier led to a flurry of speculation that the network of cables carrying the bulk of the world’s internet traffic could be at risk of sabotage. But those who operate the cables, as well as those who monitor the industry, say such speculation is overblown. “I don’t expect to see a rash of sabotage,” said Mark Simpson, the CEO of ... http://www.voanews.com/content/sabotage-threat-to-undersea-cables-overblown/1637672.html http://www.voanews.com/content/sabotage-threat-to-undersea-cables-overblown/1637672.html Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:28:27 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/sabotage-threat-to-undersea-cables-overblown/1637672.html#relatedInfoContainer Asian-American students outperform other racial or ethnic groups in math and science courses, according to a new study of 367 10th grade students in the Philadelphia area. The study, published in Psychology of Women Quarterly, claims to be “the first study to examine math and science attitudes and achievement at the intersection of gender and ethnicity across four major ethnic groups,” including whites, Asian-Americans, Latinos and African-Americans. “Asian-American male adolescents ... http://www.voanews.com/content/study-shows-asian-americans-outpace-other-minorities-math-science/1635115.html http://www.voanews.com/content/study-shows-asian-americans-outpace-other-minorities-math-science/1635115.html Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:01:18 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/study-shows-asian-americans-outpace-other-minorities-math-science/1635115.html#relatedInfoContainer What some are calling the biggest cyber-attack ever is reportedly slowing down Internet connections around the world. At the root of the problem is an apparent dispute between two organizations -- Spamhaus, a group of volunteers who work with companies to monitor and block email spammers, and Cyberbunker, a free-wheeling Dutch web hosting company. Spamhaus allegedly blocked Cyberbunker’s servers because it suspected they were hosting spammers. Spamhaus now says Cyberbunker is working with ... http://www.voanews.com/content/powerful-cyber-attack-slows-internet/1629933.html http://www.voanews.com/content/powerful-cyber-attack-slows-internet/1629933.html Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:24:59 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/powerful-cyber-attack-slows-internet/1629933.html#relatedInfoContainer China has unblocked the popular entertainment website IMDB (Internet Movie Database), which has been blocked since 2010. “I know very few cases where a site that’s been blocked for a long time is unblocked,” said Doug Young, a journalism professor at Fudan University in Shanghai and author of the new book The Party Line: How the Media Dictates Public Opinion in Modern China. “No reason is ever given. People are always left to guess.” No reason for blocking IMDB was ever given, but Young ... http://www.voanews.com/content/china-lifts-block-on-imdb/1624782.html http://www.voanews.com/content/china-lifts-block-on-imdb/1624782.html Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:20:53 -0400 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/china-lifts-block-on-imdb/1624782.html#relatedInfoContainer The U.S. Department of Defense has made a rare acknowledgement that it is developing offensive cyber capabilities. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee this past week, Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, said 13 cyber warfare “teams” would be ready by 2015. According to a prepared statement, the teams would be “analogous to battalions in the Army and Marine Corps—or squadrons in the Navy and Air Force.” Furthermore, “they will soon be capable ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-cybercom-to-go-on-offensive/1622489.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-cybercom-to-go-on-offensive/1622489.html Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:21:25 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/us-cybercom-to-go-on-offensive/1622489.html#relatedInfoContainer Despite 300 million users generating more than 100 million posts per day, Chinese censors are very adept at deleting unwanted material on Weibo, the country’s main blogging platform. The censors are also fast, according to new research. “What’s interesting is how effective they’re able to be despite growing to a large size,” said Dan Wallach of Rice University, one of the authors of the study. The research, conducted by computer scientists from Rice University, Bowdoin College and the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/weibo-censors-move-with-great-spead/1620992.html http://www.voanews.com/content/weibo-censors-move-with-great-spead/1620992.html Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:38:15 -0400 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/weibo-censors-move-with-great-spead/1620992.html#relatedInfoContainer In 2012, the Chinese film industry produced numerous movies and television dramas with anti-Japanese themes, many of them dealing with the two wars between the countries. The trend seems set to continue in 2013, with at least nine anti-Japan productions in progress. According to a report in the Guangzhou-based Yangcheng Evening News, Hengdian World Studio, known as China’s Hollywood, produced between 40 and 50 such shows last year alone. The newspaper estimated the number of deaths of ... http://www.voanews.com/content/chinese-hollywood-stokes-anti-japanese-sentiment/1612698.html http://www.voanews.com/content/chinese-hollywood-stokes-anti-japanese-sentiment/1612698.html Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:22:40 -0500 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/chinese-hollywood-stokes-anti-japanese-sentiment/1612698.html#relatedInfoContainer The Kingdom of Bahrain has taken the unusual step of banning the importation of stylized Guy Fawkes masks, which were made popular in the 2005 movie V for Vendetta. In the movie, the main character, who seeks to overthrow the British government, wears the mask.  Bahrain’s minister of industry and commerce, Hassan Fakhro, announced the ban saying anyone who is caught importing the mask faces arrest. The masks have become a global symbol of protest, and the de facto symbols of the Occupy ... http://www.voanews.com/content/bahrain-bans-guy-fawkes-mask-importation/1611885.html http://www.voanews.com/content/bahrain-bans-guy-fawkes-mask-importation/1611885.html Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:26:36 -0500 Middle East webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/bahrain-bans-guy-fawkes-mask-importation/1611885.html#relatedInfoContainer Computer hacking by the Chinese has been causing a stir in recent weeks, but experts warn that focusing too much on Beijing could open the door to cyber spies from other countries the U.S. government is monitoring. For example, the most recent National Intelligence Estimate, a classified document said to represent a consensus view of the U.S. intelligence community, named Russia, Israel and France, in addition to China, as leading countries engaged in hacking against U.S. targets for economic ... http://www.voanews.com/content/china-russia-israel-france-iran-cyber-threat/1608419.html http://www.voanews.com/content/china-russia-israel-france-iran-cyber-threat/1608419.html Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:37:27 -0500 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/china-russia-israel-france-iran-cyber-threat/1608419.html#relatedInfoContainer While China’s official statement about the North Korean nuclear test was to “resolutely” oppose it, Chinese netizens erupted with opinions, many much stronger and more colorful than the official stance. North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on February 12, despite warnings from the international community. In the aftermath, Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like service in China, was filled with canine references about the China-North Korea relationship. One netizen wrote Pyongyang was like a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/chinese-netizens-react-north-korea-nuclear-test-weibo/1603971.html http://www.voanews.com/content/chinese-netizens-react-north-korea-nuclear-test-weibo/1603971.html Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:08:06 -0500 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/chinese-netizens-react-north-korea-nuclear-test-weibo/1603971.html#relatedInfoContainer When the Taliban came to power in 1996, Zainularab Miri was a teacher in Kabul. The Taliban shut down schools for girls, and Miri fled to her home province of Ghazni where the Taliban had less influence. There, she continued to teach secretly and opened a small, clandestine beekeeping and honey-making business, all the while fearing that if the Taliban found out about either, it could cost her life. She called the Taliban era “a black period for Afghan women.” When the Taliban were ... http://www.voanews.com/content/project-artemis-brings-afghan-women-entrepreneurs-thunderbird/1602184.html http://www.voanews.com/content/project-artemis-brings-afghan-women-entrepreneurs-thunderbird/1602184.html Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:21:27 -0500 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/project-artemis-brings-afghan-women-entrepreneurs-thunderbird/1602184.html#relatedInfoContainer Every year, the large Vietnamese-American community in the Little Saigon area of Orange County, California, eagerly anticipates the Tet parade, both to ring in the lunar new year and to affirm their cultural heritage. This year, however, a row over the participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] activists in the February 10 parade has stirred controversy in the community. In years past, LGBT activists have participated in what was a city-sponsored event, but this year, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/vietnamese_american_lgbt_tet_parade_orange_county/1600231.html http://www.voanews.com/content/vietnamese_american_lgbt_tet_parade_orange_county/1600231.html Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:56:08 -0500 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/vietnamese_american_lgbt_tet_parade_orange_county/1600231.html#relatedInfoContainer With another North Korean nuclear test looming, the country’s official website, Uriminzokkiri, has posted an unusual video on its YouTube channel showing what appears to be a U.S. city in flames after some kind of attack from space. The video was soon pulled from the popular video sharing site, apparently for violating copyright laws, according to a message posted in place of the video. Some footage in the video appears to come from the video game Modern Warfare 3 by gamemaker Activision ... http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korean-video-depicts-burning-us-city/1597779.html http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korean-video-depicts-burning-us-city/1597779.html Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:53:00 -0500 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korean-video-depicts-burning-us-city/1597779.html#relatedInfoContainer The stifling pollution currently plaguing much of northeastern China has reached levels so high it is beyond the measurements used in the U.S. to chart air quality. “What Beijing is experiencing–and even worse in the provinces–is off the charts from anything we experience in the United States, and likely more than anything we’ve experienced in our country’s history,” said John Walke, the director of the Climate & Clean Air Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/china-pollution-us-comparison/1593328.html http://www.voanews.com/content/china-pollution-us-comparison/1593328.html Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:41:37 -0500 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn) http://www.voanews.com/content/china-pollution-us-comparison/1593328.html#relatedInfoContainer