Scientist in IQ controversy dies
BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Arthur R. Jensen, whose suggestion a gap in IQ scores between black and white students might be rooted in genetic differences ignited controversy, has died.
The death of Jensen at age 89 was confirmed by the University of California, Berkeley, where he was an emeritus professor in the Graduate School of Education.
Jensen died Oct. 22 at his home in Kelseyville, Calif., The New York Times reported.
Jensen was deeply involved in differential psychology and the age-old nature-nurture debate.
In 1969, in an article published in The Harvard Educational Review, Jensen argued that general intelligence is largely genetically determined, with cultural forces -- nurture -- having only a small effect, a suggestion that ignited international controversy.
Branded by some as a racist, Jensen was heckled at speaking engagements throughout his career and even received death threats.
Some psychologists say they believe Jensen's work has been misunderstood.
"If you look at the Harvard Educational Review paper, he discusses race very little in that paper, but he did say that it's a possibility that there are genetic differences among racial groups," Douglas Detterman, a psychologist at Case Western Reserve University who edits the journal Intelligence, told the Times.
"And that was not a very popular idea when that paper came out."
FTC shuts down robocall credit card scams
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Five companies behind a credit card "rate" scheme and other credit card robocalls were shut down, the Federal Trade Commission announced.
The companies behind the "Rachel from Cardholder Services" scam defrauded customers out of more than $30 million by promising to lower credit card interest rates in exchange for an up-front fee, the FTC said.
Consumers responding to the "Rachel" calls were transferred to telemarketers promising to lower credit card interest rates in exchange for an upfront-fee somewhere between several hundred dollars and $3,000, The Christian Science Monitor reported Friday.
After collecting the fees, the companies made no attempt to actually lower consumers' interest rates, the FTC said.
The companies had defrauded more than 30,000 customers out of more than $30 million for non-existent services, it said.
"At the FTC, Rachel from Cardholder Services is public enemy number one," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a release.
The FTC says it receives 200,000 complaints a month about robocalls and has shut down companies responsible for 2.6 billion telemarketing calls since 2009.
Mars rover takes a sniff of the atmosphere
PASADENA, Calif., Nov. 2 (UPI) -- NASA says it Curiosity rover on Mars has taken significant steps toward understanding how the Red Planet may have lost much of its original atmosphere.
The present atmosphere of Mars is 100 times thinner than Earth's, and learning what happened to it will help scientists assess whether the planet ever was habitable, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., reported Friday.
Instruments aboard the rover have taken in and analyzed samples of the atmosphere collected near the "Rocknest" site in Gale Crater where the rover is currently doing research.
Findings from the Sample Analysis at Mars instruments suggest loss of a fraction of the atmosphere has been a significant factor in the evolution of the planet and that the top layers of the atmosphere may have been lost to interplanetary space.
Scientists theorize that in Mars' distant past its environment may have been quite different, with persistent water and a thicker atmosphere.
Microsoft said testing its own smartphone
NEW YORK, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Microsoft, rumored to be considering introducing its own smartphone, is testing a device with suppliers in Asia, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The proposed device in is line with Microsoft's move toward becoming a hardware and software company in same vein as Apple, analysts said.
Microsoft has been open about its plans to produce more hardware in the future like its recently released Surface tablet computer.
Microsoft announced a partnership with smartphone company Nokia in February 2011 but has struggled to get many consumers interested in its Windows Phone operating system on phones made by partners including Samsung, LG and HTC, The Washington Post said.
The Wall Street Journal said unnamed "people familiar with the situation" in Taipei, Taiwan, told it the phone being tested in Asia has a screen size of 4- to 5 inches, which would position the phone between Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S III.
