2012 review: The year in the physical sciences

Read more: "2013 Smart Guide: 10 ideas that will shape the year"

You may have thought that 2011 was the year of amazing physics, but 2012 soundly beats it. Whereas last year threw up intriguing questions, 2012 was a year of answers, some enabled by marvels of engineering. A boson resembling the Higgs popped up at the largest particle accelerator ever built, confirming hints first glimpsed at the end of 2011. Statistics were crucial to that discovery and proved vital even in the US presidential elections. But 2012 brought lessons as well as triumphs: what looked in 2011 like neutrinos breaking the cosmic speed limit was revealed to be an engineering flaw. Now, relive the roller coaster.

Beyond Higgs: Deviant decays hint at exotic physics
The world's most wanted particle has shown up at last, and surprises in its behaviour could help transcend the limits of the standard model of particle physics

Neutrino speed errors dash exotic physics dreams
Extra dimensions, time travel and tachyons all seemed a little more likely in the wake of claims that subatomic particles called neutrinos had moved faster than light – but the universe just returned to its slightly more mundane self

If you want to be president, hire geeks not pundits
As the US re-elected President Barack Obama, mathematics fans crowned their own king: statistician Nate Silver. Elections of the future could be won by the party with the best stats

Why physicists can't avoid a creation event
The big bang may not have been the beginning of everything – but new calculations suggest we still need a cosmic starter gun

Fiendish 'ABC proof' heralds new mathematical universe
Solving this 25-year-old puzzle meant tearing up and rebuilding the basic elements of number theory – and the result could prise open other enigmas

Death-defying time crystal could outlast the universe
Don't take the heat death of the universe lying down – a time crystal, symmetrical in time rather than space, would have the power to survive even the end of the universe

Truth of the matter: The Majorana particle mystery
Can a single entity be matter and antimatter at the same time? The idea was first aired 80 years ago, but now matter-antimatter hybrids seem to have been sighted trapped in the innards of a solid superconductor

Quantum measurements leave Schrödinger's cat alive
Physicists have probed a delicate quantum state without destroying it – the equivalent of taking a peek at the metaphorical cat without killing it

US judge rules that you can't copyright pi
The mathematical constant pi continues to infinity, but an extraordinary lawsuit that centred on this most beloved string of digits has come to an end – on Pi Day

Move over graphene, silicene is the new star material
After only a few years basking in the limelight, wonder material graphene now has a silicon-based competitor that could be more compatible with electronic devices

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Taiwan upgrades dozens of fighter jets

TAIPEI: Taiwan plans to complete the first stage of an ambitious plan to upgrade its fighter jet force by the end of 2013, in an effort to maintain a credible deterrent against China into the 2030s.

Some 60 of Taiwan's Indigenous Defence Fighters (IDFs) will be upgraded and ready for deployment within 12 months, according to a report submitted to parliament by the defence ministry.

The aircraft will be equipped with enhanced radar, avionics and electronic warfare capabilities, along with a locally-produced cluster bomb, according to the report.

The remainder of the country's 127-strong fleet of IDFs will be upgraded by 2017, the report said.

Taiwan deployed the IDFs in 1992 and the upgrade, which kicked off in 2009, will extend the service life of the aircraft for about another two decades according to the report, which was submitted to parliament last week and made available to AFP by a legislator on Monday.

The United States last year agreed to equip Taiwan's 146 ageing US-made F-16 A/B jets with new technologies in a US$5.85 billion deal that irked China.

China has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan should the island declare formal independence, prompting Taipei to develop more advanced weapons or seek to buy them from abroad.

- AFP/xq

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Secretary of State Clinton hospitalized with blood clot

From Elise Labott, CNN

updated 7:38 AM EST, Mon December 31, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The clot was discovered in a follow-up exam related to her concussion


• Clinton is expected to remain hospitalized for at least the next 48 hours


• She was scheduled to return to work this week after recovering from the concussion

(CNN) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was hospitalized Sunday after doctors discovered a blood clot during a follow-up exam related to a concussion she suffered this month, her spokesman said.

She is expected to remain at New York Presbyterian Hospital for the next 48 hours so doctors can monitor her condition and treat her with anti-coagulants, said Philippe Reines, deputy assistant secretary of state.

"Her doctors will continue to assess her condition, including other issues associated with her concussion," Reines said. "They will determine if any further action is required."

Reines did not specify where the clot was discovered.

Hillary Clinton through the years

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Clinton, 65, was suffering from a stomach virus earlier this month when she fainted due to dehydration, causing the concussion.

Clinton spent the holidays with her family last week after working from home.

She was scheduled to return to work at the State Department this week after being sidelined for the past three weeks. Her illness forced her to bow out of testifying December 20 before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Deputies Thomas Nides and Bill Burns appeared in her place.

The medical setback comes as Clinton is wrapping up her busy tenure as secretary of state, during which she has logged more than 400 travel days and nearly a million miles. She plans to step down from the post if and when Sen. John Kerry -- President Barack Obama's choice to replace her -- is confirmed by the Senate.

Read more: Hillary Clinton fast facts

CNN White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin contributed to this report.

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Conn. gunman Adam Lanza's remains claimed: report

HARTFORD, Conn. The body of the man who killed 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school has been claimed for burial.

Connecticut Medical Examiner Wayne H. Carver II tells the Hartford Courant Adam Lanza's remains were claimed several days ago by someone who wanted to remain anonymous.

Lanza's burial site also is being kept secret, the newspaper reports.

A spokeswoman at Carver's office told The Associated Press she could not release details about the status of Lanza's remains.

The 20-year-old Lanza killed 20 first-graders and six educators at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14. He also killed his mother in their Newtown home before going on the rampage and then committing suicide.

A private funeral was held earlier this month in New Hampshire for his mother, Nancy Lanza.

17 Photos

Newtown, Conn., memorial vigil

Police have not offered a motive for the killings.

Carver has asked geneticists from the University of Connecticut to study Lanza's DNA for any mutations or other abnormalities that could shed light on his motivation for the shootings, the Courant says.

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Deal or No Deal, 'Cliff' Debate Will Linger Into 2013

Dec 31, 2012 6:00am

AP Photo/ Evan Vucci

Analysis

The fiscal cliff is just the beginning.

Regardless of whether Democrats and Republicans reach some kind of last-minute bargain to avoid the worst effects of tax hikes and spending cuts, the disaster that has been the fiscal cliff negotiations has broad implications for the Washington agenda in 2013 and beyond.

The tone has been set for the new year, and possibly for the rest of President Obama’s time in office: Washington’s divisions are the only point that matters anymore. Call if dysfunction or call it just plain broken, just don’t call it capable of even small legislative moves that involve compromise.

Hopes of a grand bargain on fiscal policy, involving entitlement spending, tax rates, and the debt ceiling, disappeared weeks ago. All that’s left are fading possibilities involving the delaying portions of tax increases and restoring some planned cuts.

Those are moves that actually make the deficit outlook worse. More saliently, they should be the politically easy things to get done, yet Congress is paralyzed and the president appears powerless to do anything meaningful to prod action.

The other items Obama ticked through this weekend as part of his second-term agenda – immigration reform, energy and environmental policy, infrastructure investments, gun control – look like dreams in this environment.

The causes are manifold, and the blame doesn’t have to be equally distributed for the ramifications to be real. The fact is that Republicans – who will control at least one house of Congress for at least half of the president’s second term – do not now and may not ever see sufficient political benefit to offer the types of concessions Democrats are insisting on.

If an election couldn’t change that, there’s precious little left that can. Name the issue and it’s all too easy to see similar dynamics derailing meaningful reform.

Washington is now broken beyond the point where bold individual leadership can even fix it. The forces at play are bigger than the ability of the president, House Speaker John Boehner, or any other person or persons to turn them around without the certain promise of a revolt in the party ranks that would leave them out of effective power.

The cliff metaphor suggests a jump into a void, but at least one that has a bottom. Yet as the nation watches this slow-motion wreck, the depths of dysfunction have yet to be fully explored.

SHOWS: World News

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Today on New Scientist: 28 December 2012

Best videos of 2012: Rare view of Challenger tragedy

Watch a rare amateur video of the Challenger explosion, our most-viewed video of the year

Strong jet stream super-charged US Christmas storms

Record snowfall and dozens of tornadoes snarled holiday travel as a powerful winter storm plowed across much of the US, while rainstorms battered the UK

2012 review: The year in life science

The year's biggest stories in life science, including James Cameron's descent into the Mariana trench and efforts to break into Antarctica's buried lakes

Superstorm lessons for adapting to climate change

As the post-Sandy rebuild gets under way, coastal cities around the world will be watching

Best videos of 2012: First MRI movie of childbirth

Watch a unique view of a baby's birth, at number 2 in our countdown of the year's top science videos

Fleadom or death: Reviving the glorious flea circus

The parasite-based sideshows were almost done for by the domestic vacuum cleaner - but they are bouncing back, finds Graham Lawton

Approval for gene-modified salmon spawns controversy

Apparently months late, US regulators have declared genetically engineered fish safe to farm and eat, but final approval could be some way off

Best videos of 2012: New aircraft flies inside out

Watch a novel flying machine use a unique mechanism to propel itself, at number 3 in our countdown of the top videos of the year

2012 review: The year in technology

The year's biggest stories in technology, including Kinect devices that may spot signs of autism and controlling a robot by the power of thought

Superdoodles: The science of scribbling

Far from being a distraction, doodling has an important purpose - and you can harness it

2013 Smart Guide: Wave goodbye to the mouse

The Leap, a 3D motion control device set to launch next year, will let you control your computer with touch-free hand and finger movements

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Two hurt as protesters attack Iraq deputy PM

RAMADI, Iraq: Two people were wounded when security forces opened fire to disperse protesters who attacked Iraq's deputy premier on Sunday, forcing him to flee a rally he was addressing, an AFP reporter said.

The demonstrators, who have blocked a key highway connecting Iraq to Syria and Jordan for the past week over the alleged targeting of their Sunni Arab minority by the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, threw water bottles, stones and shoes at Saleh al-Mutlak before grabbing and hitting him.

Mutlak, who is himself Sunni and from Anbar province where the protests have been staged, managed to escape after federal police arrived and fired their weapons into the air.

An aide to Mutlak, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the deputy premier was all right and was returning to Baghdad.

Mutlak had arrived at the rally site earlier on Sunday and began addressing the crowds, which have numbered in the tens of thousands at their peak over the past week, from an elevated platform.

But as he began speaking, demonstrators shouted "Traitor!" in an apparent reference to his being in the national unity government they were protesting against, and began throwing bottles of water at him, an AFP journalist said.

They then began hurling stones and shoes, at the point where Mutlak's personal security detail formed a protective ring around him and escorted him from the platform, firing their weapons above the heads of protesters.

But demonstrators followed them and broke through the security cordon, grabbing Mutlak's clothes and hitting him in the mouth, drawing blood.

Federal policemen then intervened, firing into the air to disperse the crowd, and Mutlak was driven off in an unmarked civilian car. Two people were wounded by the gunfire.

The rallies began on December 23 after the arrest three days earlier of Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi's guards on terrorism charges, prompting the minister to call for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to resign or be removed.

Demonstrators, who have massed in Sunni-majority provinces such as Anbar, Nineveh and Salaheddin, have said anti-terror laws were being used by the Shiite-led government to target their community.

- AFP/xq

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'Fiscal Cliff' countdown: Two more days

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Last minute negotiations are underway in Congress to avoid a ''fiscal cliff''


• Without a deal, an end of the year deadline triggers takes hikes and cuts in spending


• President Barack Obama is calling for a House and Senate vote, if negotiations fail


• "We'll let you know as soon as we have some news to make," the Senate minority leader says

As the fiscal cliff looms, what's your New Year's message to Washington? Go to CNNiReport to share your video.

Washington (CNN) -- The Senate's top Democrat and Republican were working Sunday to forge a last minute compromise to stop the U.S. economy from going over a "fiscal cliff" that would trigger large tax increases and sweeping spending cuts in the new year.

At stake in the negotiations, according to a number of economists, is the fate of a still fragile U.S. economy that could be pushed back into a recession by the broad tax hikes and automatic $110 billion cuts to domestic and military spending spelled out by the "fiscal cliff" legislation.

Aides for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said no details on the negotiations were expected until at least early afternoon when the Senate convenes a session at 1 p.m. ET.

"We've been trading paper all day, and the talks continue into the evening," McConnell told reporters Saturday night. "We've been in discussions all day. We'll let you know as soon as we have some news to make."

Even so, it was unknown if Reid and McConnell could come up with a deal that would be acceptable to House Republicans, who refused just before Christmas to take up a compromise bill because it raised taxes and had no chance of passing the Senate.

President Barack Obama was widely expected during his scheduled appearance Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" to call for an immediate vote by Congress on a scaled back plan that would only extend middle class tax breaks and unemployment benefits, if the congressional negotiations fail.

The president's appearance on a political talk show is his first in three years, and clearly appears timed to put pressure on lawmakers to get a deal done or take a vote.

The principal dispute continues to be over taxes, specifically over Democrats' demand to extend tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush for families making less than $250,000 a year, while raising the rates on those making more than that.

The expectation is Republicans will try to raise that income threshold to $400,000 and push to keep estate taxes low; Democrats have said they might be open to one such scenario, but not both.

Obama and Democrats have leverage, based on the president's re-election last month and Democrats' gains in the House and Senate in the new Congress. In addition, polls consistently show majority support for Obama's position on taxes, and Democrats insist the House would pass the president's plan with Democrats joined by some Republicans if House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, allowed a vote on it.

"We're now at a point where, in just a couple of days, the law says that every American's tax rates are going up. Every American's paycheck will get a lot smaller, and that would be the wrong thing for our economy," the president said in his weekly address broadcast Saturday.

On Friday, following a meeting with congressional leaders and top administration officials, Obama said he was "modestly optimistic" the Senate leaders would reach an agreement. At the same time, he conceded, "Nobody's going to get 100% of what they want."

However, conservative activist Grover Norquist has vowed to back primary challenges against Republicans who violate his widely signed pledge not to raise taxes. Even if a deal is reached, Norquist has predicted yet more budget showdowns every time the government needs additional money to operate.

The House will reconvene Sunday, and the chamber's Republicans will get together sometime early Sunday night, according to a note sent Saturday to legislators and staffers.

Republicans have opposed any increase in tax rates, and Boehner suffered a political setback by offering a compromise -- a $1 million threshold for the higher rates to kick in -- that his GOP House colleagues refused to support.

The saga has fueled disdain for politicians by many Americans. Such contempt is deserved, said Rep. Steven LaTourette, an Ohio Republican, who is retiring from Congress.

"I think America should be embarrassed by its leadership in D.C.," he told CNN on Friday. "The fact that we have been unable to do things, and instead worried about our next elections. ... I think it's sinful."

CNN's Jessica Yellin, Tom Cohen, Dana Bash, Deirdre Walsh, Lisa Desjardins and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

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Storm dumps up to foot of snow in N.E.

BOSTON Weather watchers say up to a foot of snow fell in parts of southern New England as the latest winter storm moved through the Northeast.

The storm had ended in the region by Sunday morning and dry weather was expected for days, although strong winds may chill the bone.

Meteorologist Frank Nocera of the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., said six to 12 inches of snow fell from Saturday afternoon and overnight in Rhode Island, eastern Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts, including Foxborough where the New England Patriots play.

The exception was at Boston and the Cape Cod area where rain was mixed in with snow. There two to four inches fell.

Many residents lost power after wet snow piled up on power lines.

In New York, the Albany County Airport Authority said passengers were stranded when their plane skidded into a snow bank at the upstate New York airport and became stuck. No one was injured in yesterday's accident; the 66 passengers and four crew members aboard the GoJet Airlines flight, operating as United Express, were sent back to the airport by bus.

Flights at Philadelphia's airport, mostly arrivals, were delayed about an hour, spokeswoman Stacy Jackson said.

In New Hampton, N.H., about 20 vehicles piled up in a storm-related chain-reaction crash on Interstate 93, police said, and five people were injured.

Parts of southern Indiana saw 6 to 8 inches of snow from the storm, some in areas that had received more than a foot from a blizzard earlier in the week. That blizzard was part of a storm system that dumped more than a foot of snow in some places and has been blamed for at least 16 deaths. It also spawned more than a dozen tornadoes in Alabama, the National Weather Service said.

But Saturday's snow wasn't as heavy as that of the previous storm, the weather service said.

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NYC Subway Pusher Held For Murder, Hate Crime

A woman who allegedly told New York City police she pushed a man onto the subway tracks because she hated Hindus and Muslims has been charged with murder as a hate crime.

Erica Menendez, 31, allegedly told police that she "pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers I've been beating them up."

Menendez was taken into custody this morning after a two-day search, and when detectives were interviewing her she allegedly made the statements implicating herself in Thursday night's subway-platform death.

"The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway commuter's worst nightmare -- being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train," Queen District Attorney Richard A. Brown said. "The victim was allegedly shoved from behind and had no chance to defend himself. Beyond that, the hateful remarks allegedly made by the defendant and which precipitated the defendant's actions can never be tolerated by a civilized society."

Menendez was due to be arraigned this evening. She could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the second degree murder charge.

On Thursday night, a woman shoved a man from a subway platform at Queens Boulevard, and the man was crushed beneath an oncoming train. Police had searched the area for her after the incident.

New York City Subway Pusher Charged With Murder Watch Video

The victim was Sunando Sen, identified by several media outlets as a graphic designer and Indian immigrant who opened a print shop, Amsterdam Copy, on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Sen was struck by the No. 7 train after the unidentified woman allegedly pushed him from the northbound platform at 40th Street and Queens Boulevard at 8:04 p.m. on Thursday.

Witnesses told police they had seen the woman mubling to herself, pacing along the platform. She gave Sen little time to react, witnesses said.

"Witnesses said she was walking back and forth on the platform, talking to herself, before taking a seat alone on a wooden bench near the north end of the platform. When the train pulled into the station, the suspect rose from the bench and pushed the man, who was standing with his back to her, onto the tracks into the path of the train," NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne said earlier today. "The victim appeared not to notice her, according to witnesses."

READ: What to Do If You Fall on the Subway Tracks

Police released brief surveillance video of the woman fleeing the subway station, and described the suspect as a woman in her 20s, "heavy set, approximately 5'5" with brown or blond hair."

It was New York's second death of this kind in less than a month. On Dec. 3, 58-year-old Ki-Suck Han of Queens was shoved onto the tracks at New York's Times Square subway station. Two days later, police took 30-year-old Naeem Davis into custody.

On Friday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked whether the attack might be related to the increase of mentally ill people on the streets following closures of institutions over the past four decades.

"The courts or the law have changed and said, no, you can't do that unless they're a danger to society. Our laws protect you," Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show.

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