A DNA blood test for Down’s syndrome could save nearly all pregnant women from invasive tests like amniocentesis, say experts. Invasive testing takes place in 3% to 5% of pregnant women in the UK – some 30,000 women – and increases the risk of miscarriage. The new DNA blood test could bring this down to [...]

Kepler-10b is ‘planetary missing link’ NASA has announced it’s nailed the first “bone-fide” [sic] rocky exoplanet, which at 1.4 times the diameter of Earth is the smallest such body spotted to date outside our solar system. As its name suggests, Kepler-10b was identified orbiting star Kepler-10 – at a distance of 560 light years from [...]

Google has launched an online science fair, allowing any student with an Internet connection and a Google account to take part in the competitive event. “You may have participated in local or regional science fairs where you had to be in the same physical space to compete with kids in your area. Now any student [...]

Strong interest in the newly announced Verizon iPhone appears to have caused intermittent outages on the Verizon website Tuesday, resembling AT&T’s iPhone 4 preorder woes from last year. Scattered reports of downtime on the Verizon Wireless website seem to indicate that pent up demand for the Verizon iPhone has overwhelmed the carrier’s servers at times [...]

What a difference a year makes. Last year’s CES was remarkable mostly for its complete lack of remarkableness. I have trouble remembering a single product I saw and everyone seemed depressed. The mood at CES 2011 was akin to the vibe in a locker room on game day or backstage at a big performance: Excited, [...]

3 Hours of Vigorous Activity a Week Associated With a 61% Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer-Specific Death, Researchers Say Men diagnosed with prostate cancer may be able to reduce their risk of death not just from prostate cancer but from any cause by exercising vigorously for at least three hours per week, new research indicates. [...]

The family of 18-year-old Antinette “Toni” Keller knew in their hearts that the charred body authorities discovered in a park last year near Northern Illinois University was hers, even before DNA testing confirmed it. “This definitely makes the reality more tangible and vivid,” said Mary Tarling, Keller’s cousin and a spokeswoman representing Keller’s family. Prosecutors [...]

Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ: HURN), a leading provider of business consulting services, today announced that Patricia K. Cooper has joined the Company’s Wellspring+Stockamp, Huron Healthcare practice as a managing director focused on helping clients improve patient flow. “Many hospitals are struggling with how to cope with the increased patient flow in an environment that is [...]

Social network also is the most searched-for term of the year, says Hitwise It looks like 2010 was indeed the year that Facebook’s success exploded. For the first time ever, U.S. Web surfers visited the social networking site more than any other site in 2010, beating out Internet behemoth Google, according to a report from [...]

Intel is formally introducing one of its most important chips in a long time today. The code-named Sandy Bridge chip combines graphics and a microprocessor on the same silicon chip. The company is making the announcement in advance of the Consumer Electronics Show, the biggest tech event of the year which starts on Tuesday in [...]