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Yahoo!(R) and Samsung(R) Expand Availability of Yahoo! Connected TV to Millions of Consumers Across Europe

*Further Extends Yahoo!’s Connected TV Leadership; Offers Consumers a Cinematic Internet(TM) experience and Increased Distribution for Publishers*

SEOUL, South Korea & SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov 02, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Yahoo! and Samsung today announced an extended partnership to deliver Yahoo! Connected TV in 26 new countries across Europe, bringing Yahoo! Connected TV on Samsung TVs to 39 countries worldwide. Together with Samsung’s own Internet@TV service, Samsung’s 2010 European Internet-connected TVs will also feature a new full-screen Yahoo! user interface. Today’s news builds on the partnership that Yahoo! and Samsung first announced in January 2009. (more…)

New Evidence Supports Snowball Earth as Trigger for Early Animal Evolution

Science

Geologist Noah Plavansky examines rocks deposited after a "Snowball Earth" glacial event. Image credit: Lyons Lab, UC-Riverside

*Spike in ancient marine phosphorus concentrations linked to emergence of complex life*

Biogeochemists have found new evidence linking “Snowball Earth” glacial events to the rise of early animals. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Study results appear in this week’s issue of the journal Nature.

The controversial Snowball Earth hypothesis posits that, on several occasions, the Earth was covered from pole to pole by a thick sheet of ice lasting for millions of years.

These glaciations, the most severe in Earth history, occurred from 750 to 580 million years ago. (more…)

Breakthrough: Scientists Harness the Power of Electricity in the Brain

Health, Science

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— A paralyzed patient may someday be able to “think” a foot into flexing or a leg into moving, using technology that harnesses the power of electricity in the brain, and scientists at University of Michigan School of Kinesiology are now one big step closer.

Researchers at the school and colleagues from the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego have developed technology that for the first time allows doctors and scientists to noninvasively isolate and measure electrical brain activity in moving people. (more…)

IBM Software Helps GM Speed Global Development of New Vehicles, Including 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Technology

IBM helps in design of software controls to manage Volt’s innovative powertrain; Provides software simulation tools to test Volt’s battery systems

ARMONK, N.Y., – 01 Nov 2010: IBM today announced its software and simulation tools helped General Motors (GM) engineers design and develop the software in the advanced control systems on the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, which was designed and engineered in just 29 months. (more…)

Facebook Study Finds Race Trumped by Ethnic, Social, Geographic Origins in Forging Friendships

Technology

Harvard graduate Kevin Lewis (left) and UCLA sociologist Andreas Wimmer are co-authors of a new Facebook study on how college students form friendships. Image credit: Luis Gomez

Race may not be as important as previously thought in determining who buddies up with whom, suggests a new UCLA–Harvard University study of American college students on the social networking site Facebook.

“Sociologists have long maintained that race is the strongest predictor of whether two Americans will socialize,” said Andreas Wimmer, the study’s lead author and a sociologist at UCLA. “But we’ve found that birds of a feather don’t always flock together. Whom you get to know in your everyday life, where you live, and your country of origin or social class can provide stronger grounds for forging friendships than a shared racial background.”

“We’ve been able to show that just because two people of the same racial background are hanging out together, it’s not necessarily because they share the same racial background,” said co-author Kevin Lewis, a Harvard graduate student in sociology. (more…)

Latino Voters Expected to Influence Nov. 2 Election

Culture, Politics

Ruben Martinez is director of MSU's Julian Samora Research Institute. Image credit: Michigan State University

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Latinos still tend to favor Democratic candidates, although Latinos who identify themselves as Republicans are more likely to vote in the Nov. 2 midterm elections, a Michigan State University scholar says.

According to the 2010 National Survey of Latinos, 44 percent of Latino Republicans said they had given the election a lot of thought, compared to 28 percent of Latino Democrats.

“While Latinos in general are much more likely to support the Democratic Party, when it comes down to it, Latino Republicans may be more likely to show up at the polls on Tuesday,” said Rubén Martinez, director of MSU’s Julian Samora Research Institute.

According to the national survey data, Latinos generally favor Democrats, with nearly 66 percent of Latino registered voters saying they plan to support the Democratic candidate in their congressional district. In contrast, only 22 percent said they plan to support the Republican candidate in their district. (more…)

comScore Reports Q3 2010 U.S. Retail E-Commerce Spending Up 9 Percent vs. Year Ago

Technology

*comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni to Present Update on Q3 2010 E-Commerce Trends in Upcoming Webinar*

RESTON, VA, November 1, 2010 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its Q3 2010 U.S. retail e-commerce sales estimates, which showed that online retail spending reached $32.1 billion for the quarter, up 9 percent versus year ago. This growth rate represented the fourth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth following a year of flat or negative growth rates. (more…)

MasterCard and Amazon.com Present the 2010 Holiday Toy List

Technology

*Holiday toy shopping just got easier – customers get FREE Two-Day Shipping when they use their MasterCard*

SEATTLE, Nov 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon.com, Inc. today unveiled the annual 2010 Holiday Toy List (www.amazon.com/holidaytoylist), where customers can find this season’s hottest toys, video games, sporting goods, electronics, music, movies and books for kids. New this year, customers can get FREE Two-Day Shipping, or a $10 credit towards a future purchase for Amazon Prime members, when they use a MasterCard to purchase $75 or more in eligible items from the Holiday Toy List. Visit www.amazon.com/htl-promo for details.

“At Amazon we are focused on making holiday shopping simple and cost effective for parents, friends and family members,” said Sarah Wood, director of the Toy & Games Store for Amazon.com. “We know saving money is very important to our customers, and now when they use their MasterCard to purchase select items from the Holiday Toy List they can get faster shipping at no additional cost.” (more…)