Mobile phone radiation 'interrupts sleep'

MOBILE phone radiation causes headaches and interrupts vital sleeping patterns, according to research funded by some of the world’s biggest phone manufacturers.

Researchers from the US and Sweden discovered during the study that participants exposed to mobile phone radiation experienced headaches, change of moods, confusion and trouble sleeping.

In their findings, published in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Progress in Electromagnetics Research Symposium (PIERS), the researchers said 38 of the 71 participants showed symptoms of mobile phone radiation.

“The study indicates that during laboratory exposure to 884 MHz wireless signals, components of sleep, believed to be important for recovery from daily wear and tear, are adversely affected,” the researchers said in the PIERS article.

“Moreover, participants that otherwise have no self-reported symptoms related to mobile phone use appear to have more headaches during the actual radiofrequency exposure as compared to sham exposure.”

The researchers from Wayne State University in the US and Sweden’s Karolinska Institute found mobile phone radiation extended the period of time it took for participants to fall asleep – and even then they were still affected.

“Under the (radiofrequency) exposure condition, participants exhibited a longer latency to deep sleep,” the researchers said.

The Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF), made up of industry giants like Nokia and Motorola, funded the study.

A MMF spokesperson was quoted by UK newspaper The Independent as saying the “results were inconclusive” and “the researchers did not claim that exposure caused sleep disturbance”.

Study leader Bengt Arnetz told the newspaper that mobile phone radiation decreased participants’ ability to wind down and fall asleep.

“We did find an effect from mobile phones from exposure scenarios that were realistic,” Professor Arnetz said.

Ultra-fast broadband connection launched

A POWERFUL new broadband tool up to 250 times faster than a standard broadband connection was used yesterday to link researchers across the Pacific.

The internet connection, which sends one gigabit per second, is being hailed as a cutting-edge model for allowing world experts to collaborate from different countries in real time.

Yesterday, the OptIPortal linked researchers at the University of Melbourne with researchers at the University of California in San Diego via giant screens.

Using the technology, a scan of the brain can be shown to the cellular level and maintain full clarity. It combines high-definition video and audio with the sharing of ultra-resolution visualisations from a broad range of disciplines.
The resolution of the OptIPortal is 50 times higher than the highest resolution HD television commercially available.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and Victorian Premier John Brumby watched the demonstration.

During the link-up Senator Conroy said he hoped the technology would eventually reach Australian households.

"We are, as you know, pushing ahead to try and develop genuine high-speed broadband here in Australia, which we would ultimately hope to deliver this sort of technology into everybody's home and that's why it's so exciting to see this project up and running," he said.

Ms Gillard was later challenged on whether the Government's broadband policy would allow for that level of technology to be available to homes.

She said the Government would concentrate on delivering its election promise of providing fast broadband to 98 per cent of homes under a $5 billion scheme.

Smarter games, dumber children

CHILDREN should be banned from playing computer games until the age of seven because the technology is "rewiring'' their brains, it has been claimed.

Bombardment of the senses with fast-pace action games is said to be causing a shortening of attention span, harming the ability to learn.

The concerns emerged as technology industry experts gathered this week at a special summit discussing the development of children at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Educational psychologist Jane Healy said research indicated that computer games fuelled the development of basic "flight or fight'' instincts rather than considered reasoning.

"If you watch kids on a computer, most of them are just hitting keys or moving the mouse as fast as they can. It reminds me of rats running in a maze.''

She believes parents would be wise to keep children away from computer games until at least the age of seven to allow their brains to develop normally.

Researchers from the Joan Ganz Cooney Centre, which investigates the relationship between children, the media and technology, said the average age that US youngsters started to use electronic gadgets had fallen from just over eight to just over 6 1/2 since 2005.

The researchers looked at more than 300 products including computer games, toys, virtual worlds for children and supposedly educational software to be run on home computers. Of these, only two educational video games employed proven learning techniques.

The researchers found that too many products involve children sitting isolated in front of a computer screen. Others make unsubstantiated claims about their educational benefits.

There has been an explosion in the creation of virtual worlds for children in the past year.

Huge numbers of children are members of internet sites, including those dedicated to Barbie or the Bratz dolls.

The summit heard calls for an industry code of ethics designed to do away with commercial exploitation of children who visit such sites.

By contrast, Alice Cahn, of the Cartoon Network, told the summit that technology was delivering huge benefits.

"We should not be worried about technology changing the face of play, but rather that all kids have access to the best kinds of technology'', she said.

The Daily Mail