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Because Of Injury Nadal Won't Play At London Games

Credit Miguel Medina / AFP/Getty Images

Spain's Rafael Nadal looks on during his Wimbledon loss to Czech Republic's Lukas Rosol in June.

By editor

Originally published on Thu July 19, 2012 1:31 pm

Rafael Nadal announced he will not compete in the upcoming London Olympic Games.

The New York Times reports that in making the announcement, the tennis star called it one the "saddest days of my career as one of my biggest ambitions, that of being Spain's flag-bearer in the opening ceremony of the Games in London, cannot be."

Had Nadal competed, he would have been in a position to defend the men's singles gold medal he won at the Beijing Games in 2008.

12:06 pm

Thu July 19, 2012

Muito Legal! Brazilian Music For Summer

Credit courtesy of the artist

Rapper and São Paulo native Criolo is just one of many exciting artists appearing this year at Brasil Summerfest in New York.

By editor

Originally published on Thu July 19, 2012 6:04 pm

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11:48 am

Thu July 19, 2012

When Art Meets Science, You'll Get The Picture

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Credit Manuel Guzman, Araw Akram / Intel

Fruit Fly on GMO food

npr-poster-yasko_final-my-mind02.jpeg

rescuebots208.jpg

thomas-ng-real-time-ambulance03.jpg

Credit Manuel Guzman / Intel

Student scientist Araw Akram discovered that fruit flies that eat nonorganic produce have lower reproduction rates than insects that eat organic food.

Credit Brett Yasko / Intel

Raghav Tripathi showed for the first time that two proteins in brains combine to cause neuronal death and progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Credit Thomas Ng / Intel

Angie Pamela Marin-Acuna, Melina Jimenez-Porras and Maylin Patricia Valverde-Torres created a new software system for transferring patient information from ambulances to hospitals to minimize human error and provide better care.

Credit Mike Perry / Intel

Teenagers' brains are still maturing. Erendira Citlalli Diaz de Leon developed a new software tool she used to measure the activity of brain areas separately, to track development of key regions.

Credit Santtu Mustonen / Intel

By devising a simple rudder that could be attached to the bottom of a car, Kyle Saleeby created a new way to keep a vehicle from sliding on wet pavement, reducing the risk of accidents.

Credit Steve Attardo / Intel

Building on science used by the ancient Egyptians, Maleen Wijeratna was able to use the motion of the stars to accurately predict rainfall. This could help both farmers and people at risk of floods.

Credit Merijn Hos / Intel

Walking is good. Braxton Harris made it better by building a hiking boot that can recharge a cellphone by generating electricity from the power of a foot's swing.

Credit Duane Bruton / Intel

Rescuing people in natural disasters can be dangerous itself. Jan Matas and Andrej Chudy built a robot that can search and beam back data via video to rescuers.

Credit Stefanie Weigler and David Heasty / Intel

Contaminated water is still a major cause of childhood death worldwide. Kellie French found that boiling water is the simplest way to remove dangerous E. coli bacteria.

Credit Mike Perry / Intel

Teenagers' brains are still maturing. Erendira Citlalli Diaz de Leon developed a new software tool she used to measure the activity of brain areas separately, to track development of key regions.

By Nancy Shute

Originally published on Thu July 19, 2012 12:15 pm

Scientists often struggle to explain their work to us nonscientists. Art to the rescue!

In a new collaboration, artists are taking the inventions of teenage scientists and turning them into posters. Science inspires art. And the art inspires questions.

Why are umbrellas shimmering under the stars?

Because a teenager in Sri Lanka figured out how to use the positions of the starts to accurately predict rainfall.

Why is paint slithering across the canvas in a sinuous brushstroke?

11:40 am

Thu July 19, 2012

First Watch: The Dø, 'The Wicked And The Blind'

Credit Courtesy of the artist

By Robin Hilton

My favorite new discovery of the year is actually an album that came out last fall by a band called The Dø (pronounced "dough"). After months of living beneath a massive pile of other CDs, it finally surfaced a couple of weeks ago and blew me away. It's called Both Ways Open Jaws and it's an epic listen: beautiful but gritty, unpredictable, unsettling and full of mystery.

11:36 am

Thu July 19, 2012

Italy's 'Armani Of Mozzarella' Accused Of Having Mafia Links

Credit Italian Police / AFP/Getty Images

Giuseppe Mandara (in white shirt, with cigar), and officers from the Anti-Mafia unit of the Italian police on Tuesday.

By Mark Memmott

This story's been out there for a day or two, but it's too tasty to ignore. So here's a slice:

"Italy's biggest buffalo mozzarella maker, Giuseppe Mandara, has been arrested on charges he had close ties to the mafia. Mandara, 56 — who once dubbed himself the 'Armani of Mozzarella' — was arrested with three associates near Naples, reports said." (Global Post)

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12:27 pm

Thu July 19, 2012