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After Students Are Killed, Protests In Sudan's Capital

Credit AFP/Getty Images

Sudanese students demonstrate in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Sunday. They were protesting after four students, originally from the Darfur region, were killed last week.

By editor

In the third straight day of demonstrations, hundreds of Sudanese students in the capital Khartoum rallied to protest the deaths of four university students last week.

While the recent deaths sparked the protests, some students are also calling for the ouster of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

"Revolution, revolution until victory!" has become the battle cry of the students.

4:43 pm

Mon December 10, 2012

Forget The Register: Stores Use Mobile To Make Sales On The Spot

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Credit Courtesy of Nordstrom

A Nordstrom salesperson shows a customer an online selection of shoes on an in-store iPad. Like some other retailers, Nordstrom is using mobile devices to make on-the-spot sales and check companywide product inventory instantly.

Credit Courtesy of Nordstrom

More stores are processing instant payments using mobile devices, enabling customers to bypass the checkout counter.

By editor

Originally published on Mon December 10, 2012 8:44 pm

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The women's shoe department at Nordstrom's flagship store in Seattle is bustling. Shoppers are trying on everything from stilettos to rain boots — and when they're ready to buy, they can pay up right where they are.

The sales associate simply whips out a modified iPod Touch and scans the shoe box's bar code. The handheld device contains a credit card reader, too, so the customer can just hand over the plastic and sign with a fingertip. There's no trek to the cash register and no line to wait in.

4:37 pm

Mon December 10, 2012

What Porcupines Can Teach Engineers

Credit National Park Service

The barbs on porcupine quills make it easier from them to penetrate the skin.

By editor

Originally published on Wed December 12, 2012 8:04 am

Pulling out a porcupine quill is painful and slow, as many a dog discovers to its dismay after tangling with the big rodent. But those tenacious quills are inspiring efforts to develop better medical devices, including less painful needles.

It turns out that no one had really picked apart why it's so hard to remove a porcupine quill. Barbs, sure. But the barbs not only stick like mad. They also make it much easier for the quill to pierce skin and flesh.

3:42 pm

Mon December 10, 2012

The Feds Can Tell Ernest Hemingway's Cats What To Do; Here's Why

By Mark Memmott

Originally published on Tue December 11, 2012 11:06 am

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Warren Richey talks with NPR's Robert Siegel

3:04 pm

Mon December 10, 2012

How A Superbug Traveled The World

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Credit Courtesy of David Goudling/Nature Genetics.

Clostridium difficile bacteria produce a toxin that damages the intestine and causes severe diarrhea.

Credit Courtesy of Trevor Lawley and Nature Genetics.

Over the past decade, two highly virulent strains of Clostridium difficile have traveled from North America to Europe, Asia and Australia.

By editor

Originally published on Wed December 12, 2012 8:06 am

Just as the name implies, Clostridium difficile is a difficult pathogen to beat. It causes a nasty infection in your gut, and it's often resistant to many antibiotics.

But C. difficile got even more troublesome about 10 years ago when a particularly virulent form of the bug cropped up in hospitals across the U.S and was no longer vulnerable to one of the most common classes of antibiotics.

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4:51 pm

Mon December 10, 2012