Rusty rocks reveal ancient origin of photosynthesis

SUN-WORSHIP began even earlier than we thought. The world's oldest sedimentary rocks suggest an early form of photosynthesis may have evolved almost 3.8 billion years ago, not long after life appeared on Earth. A hallmark of photosynthesis in plants is that the process...

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Basketball: Lakers cap emotional week with win over Trail Blazers

LOS ANGELES: Kobe Bryant scored 29 of his 40 points in the second half as the Los Angeles Lakers capped an emotional week with a much-needed 111-107 NBA victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.Bryant added seven rebounds and two steals for the Lakers, who have won seven of their last 10 games and stand 3-1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the...

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Water tank body still mystery

STORY HIGHLIGHTSCause of death deferred, pending further examinationTests show hotel water is free of harmful bacteria, health department saysCanadian university says woman not registered in classes this yearWater "had a very funny, sweety, disgusting taste," one guest saysLos Angeles (CNN) -- Two days after the grisly discovery, the case of the Los Angeles hotel water tank corpse is a mystery with...

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Pentagon grounds F-35 fleet after engine crack found

Updated 9:03 PM ET WASHINGTON The Pentagon on Friday grounded its fleet of F-35 fighter jets after discovering a cracked engine blade in one plane. The problem was discovered during what the Pentagon called a routine inspection at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., of an F-35A, the Air Force version of the sleek new plane. The Navy and the Marine Corps are buying other versions of the F-35, which...

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Cyberattacks Bring Attention to Security Reform

Recent accusations of a large-scale cyber crime effort by the Chinese government left many wondering what immediate steps the president and Congress are taking to prevent these attacks from happening again.On Wednesday, the White House released the administration's Strategy on Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets as a follow-up to the president's executive order. The strategy...

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Synthetic llama antibodies soothe arthritis pain

ARTHRITIS may have met its match, in the form of the llama immune system. Antibodies similar to ones originally discovered in camels and llamas have helped to heal moderate to severe arthritis in a small trial. The antibodies have inspired the design of...

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Locals fill most jobs at new plant on Jurong Island

SINGAPORE: Tuas Power's Tembusu multi-utilities complex on Jurong Island has generated 150 jobs ahead of its official opening next week.One hundred positions have been filled and the plant's looking for Singaporeans to fill 50 more vacancies. Nine in 10 positions are currently held by locals.The jobs are technical in nature, with Tuas Power looking out for graduates from polytechnics and...

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Prosecution is dealt blow as judge weighs bail for Pistorius

STORY HIGHLIGHTSProsecutors say they worry Oscar Pistorius will flee, if freed on bailPistorius has pledged to stay in South Africa and fight the chargesHe is accused of the premeditated murder of his model girlfriendPretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- A South African judge will likely decide Friday whether to release track star Oscar Pistorius following a bail hearing jolted by the revelation that the...

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Georgia executes man lawyers claimed was mentally ill

JACKSON, Ga. A 38-year-old inmate convicted of killing two college students in 1995 was executed in Georgia on Thursday, apologizing to the families of both victims before being injected at a state prison. Andrew Allen Cook was pronounced dead at 11:22 p.m., about 14 minutes after he was injected with the sedative pentobarbital. He was the first inmate to be executed since the state changed its...

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Arias Challenged On Pedophilia Claim

Accused murderer Jodi Arias was challenged today by phone records, text message records, and her own diary entries that appeared to contradict her claim that she caught her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, looking at pictures of naked boys.Arias had said during her testimony that one afternoon in January 2008, she walked in on Alexander masturbating to pictures of naked boys....

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Tobacco giant wants to help you quit smoking

British American Tobacco aims to turn electronic cigarettes into medicines in the UK. It's a welcome move, but leaves a bitter taste in the mouth BACK in the 1950s, when the dangers of smoking were becoming clear and the tobacco industry was panicked, cigarette-makers came up with a wheeze: safer smokes. Filter-tipped, low-tar and...

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Australia's Fairfax up on asset sales; revenues plunge

SYDNEY: Ailing Australian media company Fairfax on Thursday unveiled a quadrupling of first-half profit to A$386.3 million (US$395.5 million) after offloading assets to guard against plunging revenues.Fairfax, publisher of The Age and Sydney Morning Herald broadsheets and owner of radio and digital assets, said net profit for the half-year to December 31 was almost four times that of the...

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Pistorius case investigator accused of attempted murder

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: A decision in the bail hearing could come as soon as ThursdayCharges against investigator stem from 2009 incident, spokesman saysBotha and other officers fired at a minibus they were pursuing, he saysThe officers were allegedly drunk at the time, spokesman says(CNN) -- The sensational case of Oscar Pistorius took a new turn Thursday when police said the lead investigator is facing...

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Sequestration could mean across-the-board pain

(CBS News) WASHINGTON - The entire economy is headed for trouble in just eight days -- when massive across-the-board cuts in the federal budget are scheduled to kick in automatically. The cuts were designed to be so deep and harmful, that they would force the president and Congress to find a better way. But they haven't. Just for example, there would be $46 billion cut from the Defense Department...

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Arias Leaves Stand After Describing Killing, Her Lies

Jodi Arias stepped down from the witness stand today after mounting an emotional effort to save herself from death row, insisting to the Arizona jury that an explosive fight with ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander led to his death, and that her lies about killing him masked deep regret and plans to commit suicide.Arias, 32, will now face what is expected to be a withering cross-examination...

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Today on New Scientist: 19 February 2013

Doctors would tax sugary drinks to combat obesity Hiking the price of fizzy drinks would cut consumption and so help fight obesity, urges the British Academy of Medical Royal CollegesSpace station's dark matter hunter coy about findings Researchers on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, which sits above the International Space Station, have collected their first results - but won't reveal them...

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India's workers strike to protest "anti-labour" policies

NEW DELHI: Millions of India's workers walked off their jobs on Wednesday in a two-day nationwide strike called by trade unions to protest at the "anti-labour" policies of the embattled government.Financial services and transport were hit by the strike called by 11 major workers' groups to protest at a series of pro-market economic reforms announced by the government last year, as well...

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Pistorius back in court; bail ruling expected

Photos: 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius 'Blade Runner' Oscar...

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