Malaria control: X marks the spot

Credit: SPL/The Economist

After 5,000 years, malaria remains a major disease of humanity. Every minute, a child dies from malaria & it remains a major cause of poverty worldwide, due to effects such as worker productivity, absenteeism, premature mortality & medical costs.

Now there is hope that a genetic approach may lead to control of Anopheles gambiae, a major species of the mosquito which carries the malaria parasite.

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21604092-how-get-mosquitoes-breed-themselves-death-x-marks-spot
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Other references:

http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/malaria/en/

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v415/n6872/full/415680a.html / mosquito kill disease control controlling malaria insecticides eliminate malaria selective selectively killing transmits parasite mosquitoes genus Anopheles Nikolai Windbichler Andrea Crisanti Imperial College London paper Nature Communications females break the chain of transmission drink blood pass the parasite on longer term because females population cannot reproduce researchers’ trick engineer mosquitoes gene protein called homing endonuclease genetic parasite cut particular sequences of DNA damages chromosome destroy destroys chromosome copy copies endonuclease gene repair site homing parasitism homing endonuclease species of slime mould X chromosome destroying chromosome completely humans X chromosomes Y males unfertilised egg sperm cell transplanting endonuclease gene genomes male mosquitoes spermatogenesis researchers population caged populations experimented in the wild will break the chain of transmission natural selection parasite has gone reintroduced disruption to the local ecology /

Retinal scanner for Samsung Galaxy Note 4?

Credit: Samsung/BGR

A cryptic tweet from a Samsung account, which includes the image above, reads in part, "Security can be improved using features unique to us,” has lead BGR to speculate that the new Note 4 will include an, "eye scanner".

http://bgr.com/2014/07/14/galaxy-note-4-specs-eye-scanner/ / Samsung's sales starting to slow increased competition low end of the smartphone market saturation at the high end hit company profit declined third consecutive quarter several huge adjustments launch new high-end phones truly compelling differentiation combat Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6 handsets flagship phone Galaxy S5 soon-to-be-announced Galaxy Note 4 recent tweet official Samsung account new key Galaxy Note 4 image eye most secure smartphones hot topic unlock unlocking specs quad-core or octa-core processor 2K display 3GB RAM 32GB 16-megapixel rear camera 4-megapixel front-facing camera /

The effect of breastfeeding on infants

It has long been known that human breast milk has a positive outcome for baby's immune, & neurological development, but recent research is showing that breast milk of a mother nursing a male baby is different than that of a mother nursing a female baby & composition of breast milk can have impacts on baby's behaviour months later.

Read the transcript, stream, or download the podcast at:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/the-effect-of-breastfeeding-on-infants/5587144 / mother's breast milk contributes contribution immunological immune system neurobiological neurological neural behaviour behavioural develop development research researchers University of Chicago investigate investigation investigating how variation mother mother's milk shapes infant temperament behaviour post-natal post natal life adult adulthood /

Human memory-saving devices get $40m research boost

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has granted $40 million for research into brain function & dysfunction, as in epilepsy, memory loss & Alzheimer's.

Initial research will be with epilepsy sufferers to locate the origin of their attacks.

Ultimate aim is to develop brain implants to restore function in brains affected by epilepsy, traumatic brain injury & Alzheimer's.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-07/11/memory / team creating devices stimulate brain restore memory function grant granted $37.5 million £21.9 million Darpa develop technology people with epilepsy implants locate seizures originate researchers reuse data gathered monitor other brain activity patterns brain stores and retrieves memories memory map patterns record recording brain activity epilepsy sufferers mild memory problems play a computer game remembering pattern differences between best worst scores patents will be used develop algorithm personalised stimulation pattern keep brain performing perform performance optimal level wipe erase restore memories memory rat small device implanted into the brain record analyse electrical activity real time deliver stimulation brain brains brain's entorhinal cortex feeds information hippocampus evidence side effects precautions minimise disruption other areas of the brain extremely low levels of stimulation treat different types memory loss Alzheimer's disease device restore memories lost enhance ability form retrieve new memories team Michael Kahana University of Pennsylvania /

"Factory wipe" — does it make the data on your phone safe from prying eyes?

You're about to dispose of your old phone, so, to protect your privacy, do a factory reset & all you data is gone. Right?

Well, maybe. Exactly what is gone depends on the age of the phone & the version of the operating system it runs. On an Android phone the index into your data is erased. For most purposes, this is enough. But the data is still there & is recoverable by those with the tools & know-how.

If our phone runs Android 3.0 or later, there is a way around this.

Since 3.0, Android has included optional encryption of the phone. Encryption requires a user-supplied key without which data on the phone is unreadable. So before doing the factory reset, encrypt the phone. The factory reset will erase both the index into the data & the encryption key. Your data still won't be erased, but it will unreadable even to someone who has the know-how to recover it.

Apart from the first few versions of iOS, encryption of data has been automatic, so a factory reset will make your data irrecoverable. Earlier versions overwrite user data, so, either way, you're safe.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/11/factory-wipe-on-android-phones-left-naked-selfie-photos-and-worse-researchers-find / hundreds of naked selfies intimate pictures men women found batch Android smartphones owners thought they had wiped research study studying 20 handsets security company Avast factory reset function Android phones doesn't delete data on the phone retrieved using standard forensic security tools researches said found 40,000 photos 750 photos of women various stages of undress 250 photos male anatomy EXIF data picture file details location residence previous owners' identity file data Settings function doesn't actually wipe the data storage on the phone wipes the index points locations storage data is written sufficient accessing data forensic tools access storage areas Avast reconstruct the files Google Ars Technica research older devices versions Android security protections versions running software before Android 4.0 vulnerable Google's Android documentation setting file encryption is optional newer devices vulnerable Android 3.0 onwards encrypt the phone cryptographic key user-provided passcode factory reset delete the key rendering the data unreadable Google's spokesperson recommended disposing device enable encryption carry out a factory reset Apple iPhone iPad encrypt data AES 256 algorithm software key generated information user erase all content and settings cryptographic key deleted encrypted beyond any capability to decode existing data partition /

Hacking a Tesla Model S

Credit: Tesla Motors

Computerisation is a growing trend in motor vehicles. For some, this means the possibility of hacking the system, in similar ways & for similar reasons that other computing platforms are hacked.

Engine management, for pollution control & power management is an important application. Hackers have developed "hot chips" aka "big chips" to increase engine power.

While a reasonable increase in engine power will typically be benign, computers are also used to control anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control & in some cases suspension.

In parallel with computerisation, a growing number of vehicles are also being connected to the Internet. This raises the spectre of hacking by outside agencies.

With the above in mind, the organisers of the SyScan computer security conference in Beijing from 16-17 July are incorporating a hack-a-Tesla competition into their event. Prize is $10,000.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1093211_hack-a-tesla-model-s-and-win-10000

One of the commenters on the item linked above seems to see this as a consumer rights issue. I have no issue with anyone jail-breaking their phone, or modifying the operating system of their own desktop computer, where all of the risks are borne by the hacker & in any case are restricted to a bricked phone or some lost files.

Driving, or riding in, a motor vehicle is the most dangerous thing most of us do on a regular basis. Nor is the danger restricted to drivers & passengers. Pedestrians & even people inside buildings are sometimes killed or injured, by wayward motor vehicles. Inherent danger is one of the major driving forces behind incorporation of computers into cars. Think traction control, anti-lock braking, stability control & suspension control.

Given the inherent dangers, I see no place on public roads for hacked motor vehicles. / hack hacker hacking hacked process cracking software operating system OS computer smart phone smartphone car electric cars challenge hackTesla Model S electric $10,000 prize register registers SyScan conference eligible enter competition rules Tesla Model S experts try their luck learn lessons crack its software entirely-electric Tesla websites central display screen operating major functions of the car from a remote computer web browser 17 inch screen warranty would be void high-tech nature Tesla already takes security very seriously full vulnerability disclosure program allowing users to report any flaws in the car's system ex-Apple security expert Kristin Paget improve digital security research take control of cars hitting brakes jerking the steering wheel fun and games exploited experimentally subtext very sinister advanced hacking virus viruses lessons learned /

What men really find attractive in a woman's face is — the size of her feet?

Credit: New Scientist

Which of the faces in the image above is prettier?

Heterosexual male test subjects overwhelmingly chose the one on the left by 3.5 to one. Almost 10 times as many chose the same face as, "more feminine".

In fact, neither is the face of a single woman. Both are composites. On the left, of women with unusually small feet, & on the right, women with unusually large feet. This seems to tell us that men prefer women with small feet & they can spot foot size from the appearance of the face!

Something similar for narrowness of hip, length of thigh & overall height.

Things aren't so clear for women, but there is a preference for men with long torsos & small wrists — as evidenced by facial appearance.

More at New Scientist (free registration may be required):

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19118-why-men-are-attracted-to-women-with-small-feet.html#.U7-YUNB_W2c / face more attractive tastes most heterosexual men composite face morph faces eight women unusually small feet faces women unusually large feet smaller feet prettier faces men study longer thigh bones and narrower hips taller overall close most strikingly different morphs Jeremy Atkinson evolutionary psychologist University at Albany New York colleague Michelle Rowe measured hand length foot length thigh length hip width 60 white female college students adjusted individual differences in overall height 16 body-part measurements eight women shortest lengths longest constructed morphs faces rated attractiveness 77 heterosexual male students short-footed more attractive more feminine pick narrow-hipped morph more attractive long-thighed morph researchers reported Human Behavior and Evolution Society Eugene Oregon markers marker healthy childhood biologists stress poor nutrition during foetal development puberty affect sex hormone levels cause earlier puberty relatively short and stout more benign childhood continue growing for longer attain slender slenderer stereotypically feminine face body most men find more attractive David Perrett psychologist University of St. Andrews UK studies facial attractiveness small-wristed morph better candidate for a long-term relationship /