Today on New Scientist: 30 January 2013

Timbuktu's precious scientific texts must be saved

Islamist militants in Mali have burned documents that attest to science in Africa before European colonisation - what remains must be protected

Think that massage feels good? Try adding drugs

Nerve bundles that respond to stroking have been identified and chemically activated in mice

How Obama will deliver his climate promise

The US is set to meet - and maybe exceed - Obama's pledge to cut US emissions by 17 per cent, which could give a boost to international climate talks

Minimum booze price will rein in alcohol abuse

Evidence suggests the UK government's proposal to set a minimum price for alcohol could save thousands of lives, and billions of pounds of public money

First real time-travel movies are loopers

Hollywood has played with time travel for decades, but now physicists have the first movies of what travelling to the past actually looks like

Surfer rides highest wave ever caught

Garret McNamara of Hawaii claims to have ridden the highest wave ever caught by a surfer, a 30-metre monster off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal

Infrared laptop trackpad ignores accidental touches

Longpad is a touchpad that extends the full width of your laptop and uses infrared sensors to ignore any unwanted touches

Close call coming: Averting the asteroid threat

With an errant space rock heading this way, just how good are our asteroid defences - and how do we avert the cataclysm?

The right to fight: women at war

The US military has accepted women into combat. What can science tell us about how women deal with being in the line of fire? And are they any different to men?

Earth and others lose status as Goldilocks worlds

Several planets are taking a hit thanks to a redefinition of the habitable zone - the area around a star in which liquid water can theoretically exist

The 10,000-year bender: Why humans love a tipple

Our taste for alcohol results from an evolutionary tussle between humans and yeast - one in which the microbes have often had the upper hand

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More people volunteering their services to help others: survey

SINGAPORE: More people are giving their time and making the effort to help others, with one in three serving as volunteers in 2012.

A survey by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) found that about 32 per cent of its respondents were volunteers, which is the highest rate since it started the survey in 2000.

The same survey conducted in 2010 had 23 per cent.

The survey, conducted between July and September 2012, found that the increase was largely driven by the interest in informal volunteering.

This refers to activities like reading to the child of a needy neighbour, instead of being part of a formal organisation.

The survey also found that individual donations remained steady at about $1.1 billion in 2012, compared with $1.07 billion in 2010.

Those who earned below $1,000 a month donated a bigger share of their income - at 1.8 per cent.

That's higher than the 0.5 per cent for those earning between $5,000 and below $6,000.

More than 1,500 people took part in the survey, which did not include compulsory community work by students.

- CNA/de

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Suspect sought in Ariz. office shooting

By CNN Staff

updated 10:31 PM EST, Wed January 30, 2013

One victim was killed, and two others suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a shooting in Phoenix, police said.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• One of three shooting victims dies of injuries, Phoenix police say


• Other two victims have non-life-threatening injuries, police say


• Police identify suspect as Arthur Douglas Harmon, 70, last seen in a white Kia

Phoenix, Arizona (CNN) -- Phoenix police were searching Wednesday for a 70-year-old man suspected in the shooting of three people, one of whom died, in an office building.

Arthur Douglas Harmon had gone to the building to discuss "some type of litigation," Phoenix Police Public Information Officer Tommy Thompson told CNN affiliate KTVK.

After the meeting, at about 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. ET), Harmon shot Steven Singer, 48; a 43-year-old man who was in critical condition, and a 32-year-old woman, Thompson said.

The law firm of Osborn Maledon identified one of its attorneys, Mark Hummels, as one of the victims. He was involved in a client mediation when he was shot, the Phoenix firm said.

"We believe the two men were his targets," Thompson said. The woman, whose injury was not life-threatening, "just happened to be in the way when the shooting occurred."

Harmon then fled in a 2013 Kia Optima, Arizona license plate AVS-2052, he said. Harmon shot at a witness who was following him, Thompson said. "Anybody who contacts him needs to be aware that he is armed and dangerous," he said.

Two other people who were not shot were also taken to a hospital, one for "some other type of injury not related to gunfire," and the other "may have been related to stress," Thompson said.

Former astronaut Mark Kelly referred to the shooting during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on gun violence. "There's 50 or so police cars on the scene," he said.

Kelly and his wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, this month launched Americans for Responsible Solutions, which seeks to raise money to counter the influence of the gun lobby.

Two years ago, Giffords was shot in the head by a gunman in a parking lot in Tucson.

CNN's Deanna Hackney in Atlanta and Casey Wian in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Part of complete coverage on

updated 2:46 PM EST, Wed January 30, 2013

The federal background check system for gun buyers didn't stop a mentally ill man from buying a gun, which he used to kill his mother.

updated 9:15 PM EST, Wed January 30, 2013

Rather than focusing on gun restrictions, the NRA is promoting a focus on fixing the nation's mental health system.

updated 1:28 PM EST, Wed January 30, 2013

Wayne LaPierre is not a large man. Yet, in Washington, he can make even brave politicians toss in the towel at the first sign of a scuffle.

updated 12:17 PM EST, Tue January 29, 2013

More than 6,000 people are killed each year by handguns. That's like having a massacre on the scale of Newtown 239 times during one year.

updated 3:18 PM EST, Sat January 26, 2013

On one side were pegboard panels mounted with various assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons -- including a Bushmaster similar to the one used in last month's Newtown school massacre.

updated 2:48 PM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

The National Rifle Association chief issued a blistering retort to President Barack Obama's inaugural address, accusing him of name calling and limiting American freedoms.

updated 2:50 PM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

President Barack Obama proposed a package of measures intended to reduce gun violence in the wake of the Newtown school massacre last month. But would they work?

updated 3:41 PM EST, Sat January 26, 2013

Proponents of gun control hold a March in Washington, while small number opponents gather to express their views.

updated 7:11 AM EST, Wed January 16, 2013

A month after the deadly school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, the National Rifle Association is taking heat for releasing a mobile video game that lets players learn how to shoot at targets.

updated 7:49 AM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

Gens. Michael Hayden (Ret.) and Stanley McChrystal (Ret.) weigh in on America's gun debate.

updated 3:00 PM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

The "universal background checks" now being pushed by some gun control supporters is code for closing loopholes on such checks at gun shows and other private sales.

updated 3:01 PM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

Two couples rooted in the American mainstream. Two spouses who were nearly killed by mentally ill gunmen.

updated 3:02 PM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

Mass shootings in 2012 reignited the debate over legislation to combat gun violence. Here's a look at laws already on the books in the United States dealing with firearms.

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N.Y. Times: China hacked our computers for past four months

BEIJING The New York Times says Chinese hackers repeatedly penetrated its computer networks over the past four months, stealing reporters' passwords and hunting for files on an investigation into the wealth amassed by the family of one of China's leaders.

In a report released late Wednesday, the Times said security experts hired to plug the breach tracked the attacks to China, in some cases computers identified with the Chinese military.

The newspaper reports that, "After surreptitiously tracking the intruders to study their movements and help erect better defenses to block them, The Times and computer security experts have expelled the attackers and kept them from breaking back in."

The attacks coincided with a Times investigation into how the family and relatives of Premier Wen Jiabao built a fortune worth more than $2 billion. The report says no Times customer data was compromised but that the passwords for all employees were stolen.

The newspaper adds, "The hackers tried to cloak the source of the attacks on The Times by first penetrating computers at United States universities and routing the attacks through them, said computer security experts at Mandiant, the company hired by The Times. This matches the subterfuge used in many other attacks that Mandiant has tracked to China."

Security experts say China carries out a widespread cyber-spying operation to steal secrets and intimidate critics.

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No Device Eliminates Concussion Risk, Experts Say

As the long-term consequences of concussions become clearer, a cottage industry has popped up to sell athletes and worried parents products designed to mitigate risks of concussions that even helmets cannot prevent.

Despite the bold claims of some companies, however, many experts say the Holy Grail in contact sports -- a device that prevents concussions -- simply does not exist. Indeed, experts say, there is no proof that any current device significantly reduces the risk of concussions beyond the protections already provided by helmets.

"Nightline" found several products for sale online that aim to reduce the risk of concussions or even alert parents and coaches when a kid has supposedly taken a concussion-level hit. The claims the manufacturers make are often breathtakingly reassuring.

Concern about the risk of concussion is mounting at every level of the gridiron from the NFL to colleges and even high schools. Concussions are the most common injury among high school football players.

Jennifer Branin, whose son Tyler Branin is one of the stars of the Woodbridge Warriors high school football team in Irvine, Calif., said "it was scary" the first time he had a concussion.

"He had lost his balance on the field," she said. "He got up and tried to continue, but couldn't keep his balance."

Junior Seau Had Brain Disease, Researchers Say Watch Video

She said the effects of the concussion lingered, causing Tyler to miss a week of school and football practice. Even months later, he complained of difficulty concentrating in class.

Parents such as Jennifer Branin, who is president of the team's booster club, and her husband, Andy Branin, a former college football player himself, were looking for a way to support their son's desire to play football while also keeping him safe.

"He wants to play and, as a mom, you may want to put bubble-wrap around them and protect them forever, but that's not going to happen," she said.

So Jennifer Branin decided to do something. She raised money to buy the team helmet inserts by Unequal Technologies for added protection.

Unequal Technologies, one of the highest profile players in this new market, described its product explicitly on the box as "Concussion Reduction Technology," or "CRT." It is a strip of composite material including bullet-proof Kevlar that is designed to stick inside the helmet as a liner to the existing helmet pads.

Unequal Technologies uses its material in products ranging from padded sleeves to shin guards. The company counts NFL players and X-Games athletes among its fans.

On board as paid spokesmen are Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and James Harrison, a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harrison is one of the hardest-hitting guys in the NFL and said he uses Unequal Technology's liners in his helmet.

"I don't know what it's made of but it works," Harrison says in one of Unequal's promotional videos. "I really don't feel like I'm taking a risk."

Vick wasn't wearing the CRT product when he suffered a season-ending concussion in November, but he has since promised that he will be wearing it when he returns to the field next season.

Rob Vito, founder and CEO of the Kennett Square, Pa.-based company, said he worked with scientists to create a military-grade composite material that can help protect athletes from all kinds of injuries from head to toe.

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The 10,000-year bender: Why humans love a tipple

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Talent Development Alliance formed to tap into workforce training in China market

SINGAPORE: Singapore has formed a Talent Development Alliance (TDA) to help the country's companies gain a stronger foothold in the China market through education and training.

Driven by IE Singapore, the alliance is the first of its kind in the industry in Singapore with seven institutions from the public and private sectors - Civil Service College, ITE Education Services, NTUC LearningHub, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Wednesday.

IE Singapore said as China's economy continues to move from one that's driven by investments to one that's based on consumption, demand in the education and training sectors will grow exponentially.

China's workforce will need skills upgrading and higher education to support this development.

Singapore companies, with their forte in the services sector, as well as in education and training, can leverage these developments to contribute to China's growth.

- CNA/ck

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Man shoots bus driver, abducts child

By Lateef Mungin, CNN

updated 2:40 AM EST, Wed January 30, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Man tells CNN affiliate WSFA that bus driver was shot four times


• Man takes child hostage in underground bunker


• Incident happened in Midland City, Alabama

(CNN) -- A man boarded a school bus Tuesday, police said, shot the driver, took a 6-year-old boy hostage and is holding the boy in an underground bunker.

The incident, that started in the afternoon, continued late Tuesday evening with authorities still desperately trying to free the young child.

Late in the evening, the man had the child in some sort of underground bunker or storm shelter, and SWAT team members were communicating with him through a PVC pipe, CNN affiliate WSFA reported.

"We will continue to work diligently through the night in an effort to bring closure to this incident as quickly as possible," the Dale County Sheriff's Department said at 11 p.m. CT.

The incident started at about 3:40 p.m. CT near a church in Midland City, Alabama, in the southeastern corner of the state.

Michael Senn, a local pastor, told WSFA that he spoke to several students who had been on the bus.

He said a girl described the shooter getting aboard.

"He told most of them to get off the bus," Senn related. "And then he grabbed a little boy and shot the bus driver four times."

Local authorities did not give an update on the condition of the bus driver but said one person died after the shooting on the bus. WSFA and multiple other local media agencies reported that the bus driver died.

Mike Creel, the suspect 's neighbor, said he also talked to some of the children who escaped the bus. It was a terrifying scene, Creel told the affiliate.

The suspect had initially demanded two children, Creel told WSFA.

"The one child he got a hold of actually fainted," said Creel. "That was the reason he was able to grab him. And now he is hidden in his homemade bomb shelter."

Creel said the suspect had been living in the area for about two years and began building the "bomb shelter" right when he moved in.

Authorities have not released the name of the suspect.

Part of complete coverage on

updated 10:34 AM EST, Tue January 29, 2013

The dead can't speak. But their cell phones continue ringing-- a common marker of tragedy in the 21st century.

updated 4:12 AM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

Two years ago, Egyptians toppled a longtime dictator. But frustration over the new leadership and court verdicts have regularly ignited clashes.

updated 5:15 AM EST, Tue January 29, 2013

China has successfully tested its first domestically-developed jumbo air freighter.

updated 11:32 AM EST, Tue January 29, 2013

In the dead of night, in the bohemian Los Angeles district of Fairfax, a guerrilla street artist is about to start work.

updated 9:58 AM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

A schoolgirl writes for CNN explaining how her world was ripped apart by war in Syria and how she now lives scarred by hate and fear.

updated 3:12 PM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

Becky Anderson checks in on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who has become a global symbol for girls' education.

updated 10:38 AM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

Will the BlackBerry 10 rekindle buyers' love affair with RIM or will it be a disappointment? CNN's Maggie Lake reports.

updated 12:47 PM EST, Tue January 29, 2013

Politicians, generals and clerics have all played their part in shaping the new Iraq, with varying results.

updated 5:51 PM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

CNN's Ralitsa Vassileva shows us the animals that proved humans could survive in space.

updated 7:01 AM EST, Tue January 29, 2013

Ah, the 21st century. Too bad no one's figured out an antidote. Wait a minute, some places have.

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S. Korea: We put our first satellite into orbit

SEOUL, South Korea South Korea says it has successfully launched a satellite into orbit from its own soil for the first time.

Wednesday's high-stakes launch comes just weeks after archrival North Korea successfully launched its own satellite to the surprise of the world.

South Korean liftoffs in 2009 and 2010 failed. Two more recent launch attempts were aborted at the last minute because of technical problems.

Wednesday's attempt came amid increased tension on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's threat to explode its third nuclear device. Pyongyang is angry over tough new international sanctions over the Dec. 12 long-range rocket launch that delivered its satellite.

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Clinton Talks 2016, Stands by Benghazi Testimony

In her final television interview as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton told ABC's Cynthia McFadden that she is "flattered and honored" at the intense interest in whether she might run for president in 2016.

But Clinton maintained that right now she's "not focused" on a presidential campaign; instead she said she wants to return to a "normal" life when she steps down from office on Friday.

Watch Cynthia McFadden's full interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on "Nightline" tonight at 12:35 a.m. ET

Clinton's first order of business, she said, will be sleep.

"I hope I get to sleep in," she told McFadden with a laugh. "It will be the first time in many years. I have no office to go to, no schedule to keep, no work to do. That will probably last a few days then I will be up and going with my new projects," she said.

"I have been working or attending school full-time since I was 13. This is going to be new for me. I don't know how I'm going to react to it, to be honest."

PHOTOS: Hillary Clinton Through the Years: From Wellesley to the White House, and Beyond

Clinton has had no trouble articulating her reaction to what has arguably been the darkest chapter of her tenure as Secretary of State: the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed.

Hillary's Next Chapter: On Family and Future Watch Video

Secretary Clinton had a heated exchange with Republican Senator Ron Johnson during her five hours of testimony before Congress about the attack last week. Johnson accused the administration of misleading the American people about the cause of the attack, when UN Ambassador Susan Rice, on Sunday political talk shows, blamed it on protesters.

Clinton snapped back at Johnson, "Four Americans are dead. What difference does it make?" For that, she has been sharply criticized by some conservatives.

Clinton said she "absolutely" stands by her response to Johnson, maintaining that the administration has been transparent with the information it knew, when it was available. Clinton said partisan politics have no place in a response to a terrorist attack against Americans.

"I believe that we should in public life, whether you're in the administration or the Congress, de-politicize crisis and work together to figure out what happened, what we can do to prevent it and then put into place both the institutional changes and the budgetary changes that are necessary, " she said.

"When someone tries to put into a partisan lens, when they focus not on the fact that we have such a terrible event happening with four dead Americans but instead what did somebody say on a Sunday morning talk show? That to me is not in keeping with the seriousness of the issue and the obligation we all have as public servants"

FULL TRANSCRIPT: Sec. of State Hillary Clinton's "Nightline" Interview

Asked about her health, Clinton said her recent illness, concussion and blood clot were all a surprise.

"When I got sick and fainted and hit my head I was so surprised, and I thought I would just get up and go to work. And thankfully I had very good medical care and doctors who said, 'No we'd better do an MRI, we'd better do this, we'd better do that,'" she said, calling herself "lucky."

"I know now how split second beset by a virus and dehydrated, what it can do to you."

Though she confirmed she is wearing special glasses to help with double vision, a lingering issue following her illness, Clinton said that she expects to be fully recovered and operating at "full speed" soon.

The Secretary told McFadden that if she does decide to run, she would have "no problem" making her health records public.

"Of course, that goes with the territory," she said.

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