R&D Mag - News

Judge outlines new plan for Gulf oil spill trial

Thu, 31 May 2012 08:40:47 GMT

A federal judge has outlined a new structure for a trial of Gulf oil spill claims that wouldn't be resolved by a proposed class-action settlement between BP PLC and a team of plaintiffs' attorneys.In an order Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said the trial scheduled to start Jan. 14,...

Pioneer Surgical’s nanOss Bioactive Bone Graft Now Available Worldwide

Thu, 31 May 2012 07:51:58 GMT

By Nick Gilbert Pioneer Surgical Technology has announced that its proprietary nanOss Bioactive has undergone successful human implantation in Europe, thus paving the way to international...

GM signs 5-year deal to sponsor Manchester United

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:41:07 GMT

General Motors is still working out how it will spend the money it is saving by scrapping ads on Facebook and pulling out of the Super Bowl.But it has decided that at least some will go toward a five-year deal to make Chevrolet the official automotive sponsor of the popular British soccer club...

China approves new Apple wireless device

Wed, 30 May 2012 03:40:42 GMT

Chinese regulators have approved a new Apple wireless device, possibly moving the company closer to the launch of its latest iPad in the fast-growing Chinese market.The Chinese government's telecommunications equipment certification agency identified the product as A1430 in an announcement...

Ecuador plaintiffs try to collect from Chevron

Wed, 30 May 2012 03:40:30 GMT

The plaintiffs who won an $18 billion pollution judgment against Chevron Corp. in Ecuador say they have begun their campaign to collect the money, filing suit against the company in Canada.Plaintiffs' lawyer Pablo Fajardo says the case filed in an Ontario court Wednesday is the first in a...

NexTech Materials Wins Contract to Develop Energy Systems for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

Wed, 30 May 2012 02:51:42 GMT

NexTech Materials, Ltd. is pleased to announce that it has received a contract from the Office of Naval Research for a Future Naval Capability (FNC) project aimed at design, development and...

New lab turns SD gold town into scientific hub

Wed, 30 May 2012 01:45:57 GMT

On Wednesday, the Large Underground Xenon experiment, or LUX, became official when part of the closed Homestake Gold Mine nearly 5,000 feet beneath the earth at Lead, S.D., opened for business, not as a mine, but as an underground campus. The primary curriculum: finding out where dark matter is.

Google giving away Zagat ratings in search results

Wed, 30 May 2012 01:41:35 GMT

Google is adding a new entree to its menu: free restaurant ratings from the Zagat review service.Zagat, which Google bought in September, was charging $25 annually or $5 monthly for online access to its survey of diners. Those diners have rated about 35,000 restaurants in more than 100 cities...

Caesars Entertainment CFO going to NV Energy

Wed, 30 May 2012 01:41:14 GMT

A Caesars Entertainment Corp. executive is leaving the Las Vegas-based casino giant to take a senior position with Nevada's largest utility company, NV Energy Inc.Caesars announced Wednesday that Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Halkyard is departing.NV Energy named...

American to hold new round of talks with unions

Wed, 30 May 2012 01:40:52 GMT

American Airlines plans to start contract talks this week with its unions while it waits for a federal bankruptcy judge to decide whether the company can impose its own terms on workers.Thomas Horton, the CEO of American Airlines parent AMR Corp., said Wednesday that the talks will be mediated...

Comptroller: NYC could recoup $163M in 911 effort

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:41:07 GMT

A contractor hired by New York City to overhaul its 911 system may have received as much as $163 million in unjustified payments, city Comptroller John Liu announced Wednesday, saying he had asked prosecutors to investigate whether there had been any criminal fraud.Auditors in Liu's office...

Gov't expanding E. coli tests in meat

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:40:49 GMT

The government is expanding E. coli testing in some raw meat, a move expected to prevent more people from contracting the bacteria that can cause severe illness or death.Starting Monday, the meat industry will have to test beef trimmings for six new strains of E. coli that have been linked to a...

AptarGroup plans to buy Stelmi for about $207M

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:40:18 GMT

AptarGroup Inc., which makes dispensers for perfumes and other liquids, said Wednesday it agreed to buy Stelmi Group for about $207 million.Stelmi Group is based in France and makes packaging components used for injectable drugs. AptarGroup will pay 165 million euros ($206.7 million) for the...

Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:38:40 GMT

Sometime in the next 15 to 30 years, says Kenyan-born paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey, scientific discoveries will have accelerated to the point that "even the skeptics can accept” that evolution is the answer. A professor at Stony Brook University on Long Island, he recently spent several weeks in New York promoting the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya.

New telescope to be in South Africa, Australia

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:27:35 GMT

South Africa and Australia had competed fiercely against each other for the Square Kilometer Array telescope project, which will become the world’s biggest instrument when built. Recently, the consortium overseeing the effort decided to award it to both countries, with South Africa getting the lion’s share of the radio dishes.

Review: A mapping contender emerges in MapQuest

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:42:13 GMT

The summer travel season has arrived in the U.S., and with gas prices going down, it's time to plan a road trip.For a Memorial Day weekend trip to Arizona, I checked four free services that provide driving directions — Google, Yahoo, AOL's MapQuest and Microsoft's Bing. I made it from Phoenix's...

Hundreds of salmonella cases tied to chicks

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:41:56 GMT

Those cute mail-order chicks that wind up in children's Easter baskets and backyard farms have been linked to more than 300 cases of salmonella in the U.S. — mostly in youngsters — since 2004.An estimated 50 million live poultry are sold through the mail each year in the United States in a...

Brazil prosecutors seek payment from Shell, BASF

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:41:28 GMT

Brazilian prosecutors said Wednesday that they asked a court to force oil company Shell and the world's largest chemical company, BASF, to immediately pay $500 million into a compensation fund for hundreds of workers who may have been contaminated at an agricultural chemicals plant.The...

Europe proposes banking union to ease debt crisis

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:41:10 GMT

As Europe's debt crisis intensifies, top officials say the continent urgently needs a central authority with the financial muscle to fix its broken banks.The proposal could give immediate relief to Spain's increasingly fragile economy, with its borrowing rates rising to unsustainable levels,...

Heart attack blamed in NYC death of French scholar

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:42:21 GMT

The New York City medical examiner says a French scholar whose body was found in a Manhattan hotel room died of natural causes.A medical examiner spokeswoman said Wednesday that tests showed that Richard Descoings (day-KWAHNGZ') had a fatal heart attack.The 53-year-old's naked body was found in...

14 million meals to be served at London Olympics

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:41:35 GMT

From the British staple of fish and chips to African barbecues, athletes and fans won't go hungry at the London Olympics.Organizers announced plans Wednesday to serve 14 million meals during the games, calling it "the largest peace time catering operation in the world."The food choice will...

GM expected to unveil deal with Manchester United

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:41:26 GMT

General Motors is preparing to announce a marketing deal between Chevrolet and the Manchester United soccer club.A deal with Manchester United would be significant for Chevrolet. The club claims to be the most popular sports franchise in the world. Its fan base has doubled in the past five...

Union workers in Joliet reject Caterpillar offer

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:41:19 GMT

Union workers at Joliet's Caterpillar Inc. plant have again rejected a contract proposal from the company.Steve Jones is the union's directing business agent. He tells the Chicago Sun-Times ( http://bit.ly/JuiYUx ) that workers voted 504-116 on Wednesday against Peoria-based Caterpillar's...

Houston city council OKs Southwest expansion

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:41:11 GMT

Houston's city council has approved Southwest Airlines' plan to spend $100 million to improve and expand Hobby Airport, including the addition of the airport's first international flights.Southwest, the nation's fourth-largest airline by passenger traffic, plans to begin international service...

Black pilots sue United over bias claims

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:41:01 GMT

Black pilots for United Airlines are claiming in a federal bias lawsuit that few minority workers are promoted to upper management.The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco says nearly all black employees at United Continental Holdings Inc., United's parent company, are in...

Biofuel executives praise US support for industry

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:40:28 GMT

Executives with the Danish firm that invested $200 million in a new enzyme plant in Nebraska praised the U.S. government's continued support for biofuels.Novozymes celebrated the completion of the plant near Blair on Wednesday.The plant employs about 100 people to make enzymes that help break...

InnoCal calibration and repair adds services

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:59:15 GMT

Expanding its range of calibration services, InnoCal, a division of Cole-Parmer, has added calibration services for key laboratory equipment. The metrology laboratory now calibrates mixers, stirrers, hot plates, incubators, ovens, refrigerators, freezers, pipettes, and viscometers.

Sex offenders fight for right to use Facebook

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:41:35 GMT

Registered sex offenders who have been banned from social networking websites are fighting back in state courts.Sex offenders have successfully challenged many of the restrictions, arguing that the laws infringe on free speech and their right to participate in common online discussions.The...

Facebook launches Mideast office in Dubai

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:41:22 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Facebook Inc. launched its first office in the Arab world Wednesday, aiming to drum up new advertising business from Dubai as investors fret over its struggling share price.The online meet-up site and other social networking tools were instrumental in connecting...

GM schedules announcement with Manchester United

Wed, 30 May 2012 19:41:01 GMT

General Motors says it is getting ready to announce a marketing deal between Chevrolet and the Manchester United soccer club.The company has scheduled a press conference with the popular team on Thursday in Shanghai. GM's marketing chief also will make a sports announcement in Detroit.GM...