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Hundreds of embryonic stem-cell lines that provide hope for treating devastating disorders such as sickle cell anemia and Down syndrome are available for research but are off-limits to federal scientists because of White House restrictions, scientists said Wednesday. The three presidential candidates - Republican John McCain and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - all support expanded federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research. Their actions would lift a restriction imposed by President Bush in 2001 that limits federally funded research to fewer than two dozen embryonic stem cell lines. --snip-- Wednesday's first-ever conference of the Global Forum of...

WASHINGTON - Republican and Democratic congressional leaders both forecast a change in President Bush's Iraq war policy as the president prepared to sign legislation Friday providing funds for military operations through Sept. 30. "I think the president's policy is going to begin to unravel now," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), who described the just-passed measure as a disappointment because it did not force an end to U.S. participation in the conflict. At a separate news conference, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record) predicted a change, and said Bush would show the way. "I...

We show that inferences of competence based solely on facial appearance predicted the outcomes of U.S. congressional elections better than chance (e.g., 68.8% of the Senate races in 2004) and also were linearly related to the margin of victory. These inferences were specific to competence and occurred within a 1-second exposure to the faces of the candidates. The findings suggest that rapid, unreflective trait inferences can contribute to voting choices, which are widely assumed to be based primarily on rational and deliberative considerations

WASHINGTON - House Democrats pressed ahead Wednesday with a budget plan predicting a sizable surplus in five years, but only if President Bush's tax cuts expire in 2010 as scheduled. The majority Democrats' $2.9 trillion budget outline for next year would produce a $153 billion surplus in 2012 while raising spending for veterans, education, defense and national security. Democrats say the plan would finally mean a surplus after years of red ink under Bush and a GOP-controlled Congress. Republicans said allowing tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 to expire in 2010 would amount to the "largest tax increase in...

Squirrels accurately predict bumper harvests 19:00 21 December 2006 NewScientist.com news service Roxanne Khamsi Squirrels can somehow predict which years trees will produce massive amounts of seed, a new study reveals. The animals produce an extra litter of pups months ahead of these unusually large harvests, researchers report. The scientists analysed 16 years of data on American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) populations in Yukon, Canada. As part of the experiment, Andrew McAdam of Michigan State University and his colleagues lured the animals into traps with peanut butter and then tagged them. The team periodically recaptured the squirrels and assessed whether...

Price of food and drink will soar, experts predict By David Derbyshire, Consumer Affairs Editor (Filed: 24/08/2006) On top of soaring fuel bills, petrol prices and council tax, retail experts issued a warning yesterday that the cost of food and drink was about to go up sharply. Supermarkets are expected to pass on higher prices to customers after a combination of poor harvests and the rising cost of global commodities such as orange juice and coffee. Drink up: The cost of orange juice is expected to rise by up to 25 per cent over the next few months The cost...

Experts predict more Chinese bird flu cases James Sturcke Tuesday August 8, 2006 Guardian Unlimited (UK) China's admission today that bird flu killed a soldier in 2003 - two years earlier than previously acknowledged - is unlikely to surprise scientists studying the emergence of the virus in Asia. Many have questioned why China, where so many people live in close proximity to wildfowl, has recorded only 19 cases of the disease, 12 of which have proved fatal. Last October, as British attention turned to the spread of H5N1 cases to European countries, scientists travelled to Asia - at least in...

Plants predict where rumbling volcanoes will blow 09 June 2006 NewScientist.com news service WANT to know where a rumbling volcano is likely to split at the seams? Look for the tallest and greenest plants. Vigorous plant growth on the flanks of a volcano like that at Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, can indicate where magma is most likely to spurt out. Satellite images reveal that shrubs and trees grow taller and greener along stripes where the volcano eventually ruptures. Nicolas Houlié from the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues studied satellite images of Mount Etna in Sicily and Mount Nyiragongo...

Weather Experts Predict Busy Storm Season Tuesday March 21, 2006 12:46 AM NEW YORK (AP) - The 2006 hurricane season will be more active than normal but not as busy as 2005, and the Northeast will be hit by a major hurricane within five years, a private forecaster predicted Monday. Experts at AccuWeather, based in State College, Pa., predicted this year's hurricane season won't quite top last year's record number of named storms and 14 hurricanes. A normal season consists of 11 named storms, with five or six hurricanes, said Ken Reeves, senior meteorologist and director of the company's forecast...

Forensic scientists could use DNA retrieved from a crime scene to predict the surname of the suspect, according to a new British study. It is not perfect, but could be an important investigative tool when combined with other intelligence. The method exploits genetic likenesses between men who share the same surname, and may help prioritise inquiries. Details of the research from the University of Leicester, UK, appear in the latest edition of Current Biology. The technique is based on work comparing the Y chromosomes of men with the same surname. The Y chromosome is a package of genetic material found...

NEW YORK For the second day in a row, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today were the only newspaper sites to shift their electoral-college numbers in E&P's exclusive tracking of seven major newspaper Web sites with electoral-college maps. Sen. John Kerry lost votes on both sites. President Bush's vote count remained steady at USA Today and increased at the L.A. Times. Bush now has an average of 199 votes to Kerry's average 188 across the seven sites. At least 270 electoral votes are needed for election. The Los Angeles Times pushed Michigan's 17 electoral votes from Kerry to the...

Dogs can predict epileptic seizures 21:00 21 June 04 NewScientist.com news service Some dogs can predict when a child will have an epileptic seizure, a new study has revealed. These dogs not only protect their charges from injuries, such as falling, but also seem to help kids deal with the daily struggle of epilepsy. Nine of the 60 dogs in the study (15 per cent) were able to predict a seizure by licking, whimpering, or standing next to the child. These dogs were remarkably accurate - they predicted 80 per cent of seizures, with no false reports. However, those interested...

Consider: The way we define 'human' determines our view of self, others, relationships, institutions, life, and future. Choose wisely...there will be results.