5:10 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-12-05-cellphones-cancer_x.htm
Rock-breathing bacteria could generate electricity and clean up oil spills:
http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2009/dec/homepagenews/rockbreathingbacteria
Scientists identified an antifreeze molecule in an Alaskan beetle that enables it to survive -100 degree temperatures. All previously discovered biological antifreezes contain protein, but this new molecule has little or no protein and may exist within new places of cells:
http://www.iab.uaf.edu/news/index.php?newsrel=81&start=0&nitems=71
French drug maker is recalling 800,000 doses of pediatric swine flu vaccine because testing found that its potency has diminished. The swine flu vaccine was fine when it shipped, but it apparently lost potency during a month of storage:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-12-15-swine-flu-vaccine_N.htm?csp=34
France is going to spend about $1.5 billion to develop a next-generation nuclear power reactor, which would be even safer and use less uranium than current designs:
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN_France_puts_into_future_nuclear_1512091.html
The Real ID act requires that all US air travelers show a Real ID-compliant diver's license to get on an airplane...but more than 30 states have not agreed to Real ID and their driver's licenses may not comply with Real ID. Unless Congress extends the deadline, many Americans will not be able to board domestic flights starting on January 1!
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/real-id-arrives-1-january-will-you-be-allowed-board-domestic-flight
Global warming is expected to result in a 16 inch rise in ocean levels over the next 40 years, causing flooding and posing a direct threat to the ports and shipping hubs in California:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ports-warming10-2009dec10,0,3094074.story
Florida is one of the places in the US that will be most affected by the projected sea level rise. Current sea level rise predictions would result in Florida losing almost 10% of its land area and the homes of 1.5 million people will be underwater! In addition to the $130 billion in residential homes, they could also lose half of their beaches, two nuclear reactors, 3 prisons, 37 nursing homes, and more!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120498442&ps=cprs
It had been assumed that cell phones were a major contributor to the stress of modern life, but a study found that the opposite is actually the case--stress actually *declined* when people were using their cell phones:
http://www.telecomtv.com/comspace_newsDetail.aspx?n=45836&id=e9381817-0593-417a-8639-c4c53e2a2a10#
GM worker discussed how he worked for GM for 29 years without ever having to worry about his job because their truck group was doing so well, but truck sales plummeted when gas jumped to $4 per gallon in 2008. In a 6-month period they went from healthy truck sales to GM needing government loans to stay open. He ended up joining the Chevy Volt team and has reduced pay and benefits:
http://www.freep.com/article/20091215/SPECIAL04/912150359/1318/GM-engineer-In-a-6-month-period-everything-went-upside-down
Texas man apparently broke into a house (kicking the door down) and was caught by police when he stopped to take a bath in the house:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6768568.html
New Jersey UPS driver found a bag of $5200 in cash in the middle of the street, found a deposit slip in the bag, then drove to a branch of that bank to drop off the money for the people who lost it:
http://www.wpix.com/news/local/wpix-ups-returns-money,0,4278493.story