Wallace: Wonders of nature have been solace of my life

Alfred Russel Wallace discovered natural selection independently of Charles Darwin. Through his letters, available online for the first time, he tells us of his research, expeditions and enduring fascination for nature's mysteries. You are famously joint author, with Darwin, of the first paper describing...

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More covered linkways, elderly friendly bridges for commuters

SINGAPORE: The government will spend close to S$700 million to make transport nodes more accessible, elderly friendly and conducive for commuters.The plans, mapped out in the new Land Transport Master Plan, were announced by Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew on Wednesday.One of the new initiatives -- Walk2Ride -- will make it easier for more commuters to walk to MRT stations.The Land Transport...

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Amazon's Kindle and Paperwhite available in Canada

The latest generation of Kindle and the Kindle Paperwhite are now available for sale in Canada, according to Amazon.The company has started selling its e-readers on Amazon.ca, its Canadian site, today. The Kindle costs 89 Canadian dollars ($88.98). The Paperwhite, which has a lighted touch screen, starts at 139 Canadian dollars ($138.95) for the 3G version. The Paperwhite with both Wi-Fi and 3G costs...

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Deformed Dolphin Accepted Into New Family

In 2011, behavioral ecologists Alexander Wilson and Jens Krause of the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Germany were surprised to discover that a group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)—animals not usually known for forging bonds with other species—had taken in an adult bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The researchers observed the group in...

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Clinton on Benghazi: Afghanistan Diverted Resources

House Republicans slammed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today for her lack of awareness of State Department cables warning of security threats in Benghazi, Libya, prior to the Sept. 11 attack that killed four Americans, including Amb. Chris Stevens.In the second congressional hearing of the day reviewing a report by the Accountability Review Board on the State Department's...

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MIT website hacked in tribute to Aaron Swartz

Hal Hodson, technology reporterA tribute to internet activist Aaron Swartz replaced the homepage for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology today, in an apparent act of protest over the university's role in the legal case that led up to Swartz's suicide on 11 Jan.For a short time, visitors to the MIT.edu home page found a message that read: "R.I.P. Aaron Swartz. Hacked by grand wizard of Lulzsec,...

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British PM to offer "in-or-out" referendum on EU

LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron will on Wednesday propose holding a referendum after 2015 giving British people the choice of staying in or leaving the European Union.Cameron will say in a long-awaited speech in London that he wants to renegotiate the terms of Britain's membership because "public disillusionment with the EU is at an all-time high", and then put the new terms to the...

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Elder Scrolls Online trailer, beta electrify the imagination

Will The Elder Scrolls Online recapture MMORPG gamers?(Credit:Screenshot by Christopher MacManus/CNET)Developer Zenimax Online Studios wowed the gaming community today with a six-minute explosive cinematic trailer showing some heart-racing action in the grandiose world of Tamriel, the primary location of the upcoming The Elder Scrolls Online. Be sure to play the CGI trailer in high-definition and...

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The Promise and Perils of Mining Asteroids

Encouraged by new space technologies, a growing fleet of commercial rockets and the vast potential to generate riches, a group of entrepreneurs announced Tuesday that they planned to mine the thousands of near-Earth asteroids in the coming decades.The new company, Deep Space Industries (DSI), is not the first in the field, nor is it the most well-financed. But with their ambition to become...

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Teen Planned to Attack Walmart After Killing Family

The New Mexico teenager who used an assault rifle to kill his mother, father and younger siblings told police he hoped to shoot up a Walmart after the family rampage and cause "mass destruction."Police said they are also considering charging the shooter's 12-year-old girlfriend.According to new information released by police today, Nehemiah Griego, the 15-year-old son of an...

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