Ancient climate change 'link' to CO2

A "global pattern" of change in the Earth's climate began 2.7 million years ago, say scientists.Researchers found that, at this point, temperature patterns in the tropics slipped into step with patterns of Ice Ages in the Northern Hemisphere.They report in the journal Science that atmospheric CO2 could be the "missing link" to explain this...

Birds with the brightest feathers may pay a cost for their showmanship

Males with the brightest plumage are thought to be more sexually attractive to female birds.But a study of American goldfinches is the first to show that high levels of brightly coloured chemicals in feathers leads to a breakdown in flight muscles, which affects flight performance.Details are published in the journal Naturwissenschaften. The discovery does not necessarily mean that...

Microsoft slims down Xbox console

The new console - to be launched this week - will have the same price as the old system, but comes with Wi-Fi and a 250 GB HD.It follows a similar move by Sony, which released its own slimmer edition in August 2009.The announcement was made ahead of the E3 games convention in Los Angeles, at which the firm showcased its range of forthcoming...

Wikipedia unlocks divisive pages for editing

The online encyclopaedia Wikipedia says it has taken an "important step" towards making it easier to edit some of its most controversial articles.Up to 2,000 articles, including a page about former US President George W Bush, will have their strict editing restrictions relaxed.Users will now be able to submit changes to the selected ...

Technology milestone heralds a more secure internet

Moves to make the web's address system more secure will take a major step forward next month.In the planning for a decade, the Domain Name System Security Extentions, DNSSEC, will help protect users from cyber attacks such as phishing and spam.The security layer will be added to the web's address system in July.It should close the loophole...

Nintendo unveils 3D game gadget

Nintendo has unveiled its new 3D handheld gaming system at a briefing in Los Angeles at the E3 games show.Called 3DS, the system can display 3D images that can be seen without using special glasses.Nintendo said the novel handheld is designed to replace the existing DS and is scheduled to be on shop shelves in late 2010.The gaming giant...