(PhysOrg.com) — A flaw was found in November in a key Internet protocol that encrypts most sensitive online transactions and communications, including credit card and banking transactions. A patch has now been developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), but it may take some time to be fully implemented.

Americans are turning to their cell phones to donate money via text message for Haitian relief efforts, pledging more than $7 million so far, including more than $5 million to the American Red Cross.

Science editor Alan Boyle’s Weblog: After Haiti’s earthquake, satellites help rescuers pinpoint where the need is greatest — and reconnect the ruined nation with the outside world.

The game play is visceral, the characters are wickedly fun, and the environments are very engaging. Msnbc.com’s Todd Kenreck gives “Darksiders” and 8 out of 10.В (msnbc.com)

Science editor Alan Boyle’s Weblog: Haiti’s earthquake was the most devastating seismic shock to hit the country in two centuries due to several factors, ranging from sheer magnitude to sheer poverty.

(PhysOrg.com) — Current earthquake prediction methods may need to be revised in the wake of the recent Haiti and Asian earthquakes and tsunami.

Autoimmune type atrophic gastritis is a severe gastric atrophy associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. The reason for the disappearance of acid secreting cells from gastric mucosa is not fully understood, but the role of Helicobacter pylori in initiating the mucosal damage is suspected in animal studies. A study found signs of previous H. pylori infection in patients with autoimmune type atrophic gastritis.

Whether looking for the nearest coffee shop on a GPS-enabled smartphone, nearby friends via a social-networking site, or all trucks within the city delivering a certain product, more and more people and businesses are using location-aware search services. Creating such services has often been the domain of expensive proprietary solutions and geospatial experts. Recently, however, the popular open source search library, Apache Lucene, and the powerful Lucene-powered search server, Apache Solr, have added spatial capabilities. Lucene and Solr committer Grant Ingersoll walks you through the basics of spatial search and shows you how to leverage its capabilities to power your next location-aware application.

In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, Twitter again is playing a key role in providing communications and news, as are other social networking sites, cementing their role as information providers during a time of crisis

Women around the world spend billions of dollars each year on exotic smelling perfumes and lotions in the hopes of attracting a mate. However, according to a new study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, going “au natural” may be the best way to capture a potential mate’s attention.

New research unravels the brain mechanisms that underlie the ability of a standard drug treatment for Parkinson’s to elicit compulsive behaviors in some patients with the disease. The study, published by Cell Press in the January 14th issue of the journal Neuron, provides fascinating new insight into the brain mechanisms that underlie a predisposition to behavioral addictions, such as pathological gambling and shopping.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently went on record speaking the same sentiments blathered by the big money data farmers that came before him; none of the cool kids care about privacy. Neither should you.