December 5, 2005

Briefs: NTL's $1.4B bid for Virgin Mobile

NTL said Monday it would pay up to $1.4 billion to acquire British wireless carrier Virgin Mobile.

If the British cable television group's bid goes through, Virgin Chief Executive Richard Branson will be the company's single-biggest shareholder with 14 percent of total shares, having a 72-percent stake in Virgin Mobile.

The plan is to offer Internet access and television viewing as well as fixed and mobile-phone lines under a single package, which will be the first of its kind in Britain.

Briefs: NTL's $1.4B bid for Virgin Mobile

Why do male chicks play more than females? Study finds answers in distant ancestor

Twisting and binding matter waves with photons in a cavity

Generating graph states of atomic ensembles via photon-mediated entanglement

New findings point to an Earth-like environment on ancient Mars

Scientists show that there is indeed an 'entropy' of quantum entanglement

Taam Ja' Blue Hole in Mexico's Chetumal Bay found to be deepest in the world

Horizontal running could help lunar astronauts retain physical conditioning

Archaea can be 'picky eaters': Study shows a group of parasitic microbes can change host metabolism

EPA underestimates methane emissions from landfills and urban areas, researchers find

This Texas veterinarian helped crack the mystery of bird flu in cows

Researchers discover key functions of therapeutically promising jumbo viruses

Marine sharks and rays 'use' urea to delay reproduction, finds study

Researchers unlock potential of 2D magnetic devices for future computing

Researchers build new device that is a foundation for quantum computing

Satellite images of plants' fluorescence can predict crop yields

New work reveals the 'quantumness' of gravity

Mystery behind huge opening in Antarctic sea ice solved

Do earthquake hazard maps predict higher shaking than actually occurred? Research finds discrepancy