Van Andel research institute study provides new details of fundamental cellular process

Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
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Contact: Joe Gavan
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Van Andel Research Institute

Study of plant hormone could have far-reaching implications for cell biology and disease research

Grand Rapids, Mich. A recent Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) study published in the journal Science investigating the molecular structure and function of an essential plant hormone could profoundly change our understanding of a key cell process, and might ultimately lead to the development of new drugs for a variety of diseases.

The study builds on earlier work by the same team of investigators at VARI that was published in the journal Nature in 2009. That study shed light on how plants respond when they are under stress from extreme temperatures, drought and other harsh environmental conditions and was later named by Science as one of the top scientific breakthroughs of 2009.

The current research conducted on the plant hormone Abscisic acid (ABA) determined that during signal transduction the basic process of intercellular and intracellular communication certain enzymes mimic the structure of the opposing enzyme. This insight may enable scientists to more accurately develop mechanisms to activate or inhibit intercellular and intracellular communication, which could lead to the development of plants that more readily survive drought or other conditions of stress.

In mammalian cells the ability to impact communication has numerous and far-reaching implications. For example, applications that inhibit or activate cell communication in out-of-control metastasizing cancer cells have enormous potential to affect tumor growth.

"This type of finding once again demonstrates the importance of identifying, mapping and understanding fundamental cellular and molecular processes because of the profound implications for human health," said H. Eric Xu, Ph.D., Director of the VARI Center for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery and co-author of the current Science study.

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The lead authors of the current Science study are Fen-Fen Soon, Ley-Moy Ng, and Edward Zhou. The project was carried out in conjunction and collaboration with scientists from the National University of Singapore, Purdue University, The Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Florida, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Synchrotron Research Center of Northwestern University, and University of California at Riverside.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Joe Gavan
Joe.Gavan@vai.org
616-234-5390
Van Andel Research Institute

Study of plant hormone could have far-reaching implications for cell biology and disease research

Grand Rapids, Mich. A recent Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) study published in the journal Science investigating the molecular structure and function of an essential plant hormone could profoundly change our understanding of a key cell process, and might ultimately lead to the development of new drugs for a variety of diseases.

The study builds on earlier work by the same team of investigators at VARI that was published in the journal Nature in 2009. That study shed light on how plants respond when they are under stress from extreme temperatures, drought and other harsh environmental conditions and was later named by Science as one of the top scientific breakthroughs of 2009.

The current research conducted on the plant hormone Abscisic acid (ABA) determined that during signal transduction the basic process of intercellular and intracellular communication certain enzymes mimic the structure of the opposing enzyme. This insight may enable scientists to more accurately develop mechanisms to activate or inhibit intercellular and intracellular communication, which could lead to the development of plants that more readily survive drought or other conditions of stress.

In mammalian cells the ability to impact communication has numerous and far-reaching implications. For example, applications that inhibit or activate cell communication in out-of-control metastasizing cancer cells have enormous potential to affect tumor growth.

"This type of finding once again demonstrates the importance of identifying, mapping and understanding fundamental cellular and molecular processes because of the profound implications for human health," said H. Eric Xu, Ph.D., Director of the VARI Center for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery and co-author of the current Science study.

###

The lead authors of the current Science study are Fen-Fen Soon, Ley-Moy Ng, and Edward Zhou. The project was carried out in conjunction and collaboration with scientists from the National University of Singapore, Purdue University, The Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Florida, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Synchrotron Research Center of Northwestern University, and University of California at Riverside.

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/vari-var012312.php

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China's New Space Exploration Vision Shoots for the Moon (SPACE.com)

There is no doubt that China is on the move in space ? including the country's own human spaceflight missions to Earth orbit ? and at a time when NASA's own budget and big space decisions remain in the to-be-determined column.

Last November, China accomplished its first unpiloted space rendezvous and docking test between the country's Tiangong 1 space lab module and a Shenzhou 8 spaceship. Follow-up flights to the space lab by crewed spacecraft are on the books, all in preparation for China to develop a larger space station in the near future ? a major space project that could serve as a testing ground for human treks to the moon.

The country also recently unveiled its blueprint for future space exploration in a white paper entitled "China's Space Activities in 2011," which was released in late December by China's Information Office of the State Council. In addition to taking a detailed look at China's space achievements to date, the report offers a glimpse into where the spacefaring nation appears to be headed.

China is the third country, after Russia and the United States, to achieve human spaceflight. The country has launched three crewed spaceflights, each more ambitious than the last, since 2003. In the new white paper, major future goals include plans for a robust space transportation system, Earth satellites, human spaceflights and deep-space exploration. [Photos From China's 1st Space Docking Mission]

SPACE.com asked several China space program watchers to chime in on what they see in the report ... and what they read as between-the-lines intimation in the document:

China's space economy

"I found this report the least clunky and bureaucratic of the Chinese space white papers that have been issued," said Joan Johnson-Freese, professor of national security studies at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. "It provides relatively straightforward information that doesn?t require translation by a Sinologist, and an impressive list of accomplishments and goals."

The national security specialist said that in reading the document, she was struck by several points.

Firstly, "economic development" remains the umbrella rationale for space development in China, she said. The spectrum covered by that umbrella ranges from the very fungible increasing of Chinese ?innovative capabilities? to the very practical "industry development."

"The report includes an impressive list of accomplishments, impressive as much for the political will for success demonstrated as the technical achievements," Johnson-Freese said. Furthermore, the document notes that "guaranteed funding" through "multiple funding streams" is a goal, she added.

"The Chinese do an excellent job in learning from others and I think they do not want to see themselves in NASA's position of having lots of good ideas, but more rhetorical political support than actual funding to follow through on those ideas," Johnson-Freese said.

Humans on the moon

Under tasks, China's No. 1 priority is getting their heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket operational, Johnson-Freese noted. "Until that is done, all the other big plans will be on hold."

Task No. 3, China says, is to "conduct studies on the preliminary plan for a human lunar landing."

"This acknowledges the eventual intent to put a human on the moon ? something most Americans have long assumed already officially approved and in the works," Johnson-Freese said.

Also in the document, the Chinese provide an extensive list of international cooperation partners, with positive mention made of working with NASA, "though they are acutely aware of Congressional roadblocks in place to stifle any U.S.-Sino Cooperation," Johnson-Freese added.

"Overall, this is a report they can, and I'm sure they do, rightly take pride in. It also tacitly points out the need for NASA to move forward with the Space Launch System. China is not doing anything the U.S, couldn't or hasn't done, but space development appears more important to China now than it is to the U.S.," Johnson-Freese concluded. "The Chinese emphasis on space for innovation and economic development ought to resonate as much in the U.S. as it does in China."

China's space method

According to space analyst Marcia Smith, the president of the Space and Technology Policy Group, LLC in Arlington, Va., and founder and editor of the highly informative SpacePolicyOnline.com, there were few surprises in the latest white paper.

"I don't see that the Chinese are announcing anything that we haven't heard about already? part of their steady, methodical approach to space exploration and utilization," Smith said.

Smith said that, as for sending people to the moon, all the report says is: 'China will conduct studies on the preliminary plan for a human lunar landing. "No news there," she added.

Smith has written an extensive review of the white paper at SpacePolicyOnline.com. In that appraisal, she said that "China issued such white papers in 2000 and 2006, and the 2011 version offers little that is new."

According to Steve Eisenhart, senior vice president of the Space Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colo., is a recent visitor to China, where he met with officials from the China Space Agency and Chinese space industry leaders.

"What is said in the plan is consistent with what we have heard and seen in all of our interaction with the Chinese," Eisenhart told SPACE.com. "They have a plan, and seem intent on executing it. From a purely Space Foundation perspective, we are happy to see the inclusion of engagement with nongovernmental organizations."

Technological autonomy

Dean Cheng, a research fellow on Chinese political and security affairs at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy think tank in Washington, D.C., also offered his thoughts to SPACE.com on the white paper.

Cheng said he found it interesting to read the space document in conjunction with the speech that China's President Hu Jintao recently gave to representatives of the All-Army Military Equipment Development Commission.

In that talk, Hu complimented them on their achievements in the last Five Year Plan, telling them that this would be the starting point for the new 12th Five Year Plan. As the Chinese space program is under the effective control of the People's Liberation Army, Hu's speech is arguably in line with the space white paper, Cheng said.

"Note, too, that the second hallmark, after 'scientific development,' which is a Hu Jintao catchphrase, is independent development. This would seem to reinforce the importance of Chinese technological autonomy and 'autonomous innovation' or 'indigenous innovation,' another Hu hallmark and ideological legacy," Cheng explained, something that is again reiterated in "innovative development."

"I think those who foresee a whole lot of international programmatic development with the People's Republic of China will be disappointed. China may cooperate with others, but not in technology development," Cheng said.

Competition in satellite applications

In the document, the repeated references to high resolution Earth-observation satellites raises the question, Cheng said, of whether China is interested in developing sub-meter resolution spy satellites ? and if so, whether it will also makes them commercial systems, competing against U.S. commercial imaging satellites and others.

Cheng noted that there are extended references in the white paper to satellite applications.

"Past Chinese economic analyses have noted that the money lies in satellite applications, and there's no reason to think the Chinese will miss out on that, if at all possible," Cheng said.

Direct TV, Beidou handsets for China's version of the GPS, etc., are all mentioned, Cheng added, "and this is consistent with past Chinese discussions of needing to expand their commercial presence in this area."

In the human spaceflight arena, Cheng said, "we now have a formal, official statement of interest in a manned lunar mission. This is huge, since the white paper reflects governmental buy-in from the entire system."

On the whole, Cheng said that he doesn?t think the document offers too many surprises.

"It is a reminder, though, that the Chinese link their space development efforts ? among other things ? to their five-year plans, hence the issuance of these white papers every five years,? Cheng said.

For a look at the expansive white paper "China's Space Activities in 2011" visit this link.

?Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is a winner of last year's National Space Club Press Award and a past editor-in-chief of the National Space Society's Ad Astra and Space World magazines. He has written for SPACE.com since 1999.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120123/sc_space/chinasnewspaceexplorationvisionshootsforthemoon

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Digital lockers a growing piracy concern (Reuters)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) ? Digital storage services like Megaupload, which was accused of criminal copyright violations on Thursday, play a small but growing role in a broader piracy problem that continues to evolve and dog the entertainment industry.

Some 3 million Americans every month used Megaupload, which is among the largest digital lockers, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said. Other entertainment executives said that number surged when other sites popular with digital pirates, such as LimeWire, were taken down.

"When we look at piracy behavior and uncompensated theft of music, a significant portion of consumer behavior migrates toward these locker sites" after shutdowns, said Victoria Bassetti, a music industry consultant and former anti-piracy chief at record label EMI.

"Anecdotally, when we have pre-release leaks, the first week there is a massive amount of consumer trade that goes directly to Megaupload's door."

Peer-to-peer systems like BitTorrent, which have little central coordination and are harder to stop, still have about three times as much usage among consumers as digital lockers, said NPD market researcher Russ Crupnick.

Only about 3 percent of the U.S. Internet audience relied on digital storage for legitimate purposes or piracy in the third quarter, he said.

Megaupload and its ilk may be a bigger factor in video piracy because movies take much longer to download via peer-to-peer networks, Crupnick said. Digital lockers allow anyone to upload, store and distribute links to most forms of electronic content.

The U.S. Justice Department released an indictment Thursday accusing Megaupload's founders and other officers of criminal conspiracy, arguing that they encouraged copyright violations and in some cases copied protected content themselves. Four people involved with the site were arrested in New Zealand.

The indictment cited internal emails referring to piracy and Megaupload's policy of rewarding users whose content was downloaded most often, which prosecutors said encouraged the distribution of prime Hollywood fare.

An attorney for the company said Friday that the site merely allowed users to upload material and that it would fight the charges.

RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy said that lockers were "generally the fastest growing form of Internet piracy."

Like other shutdowns, the interruption of Megaupload will send some pirates to rivals but should encourage others to buy or rent content legally, Lamy said.

"The realistic objective is not to eliminate piracy but to make it as inconvenient as possible," he said. "Some of the users you peel off."

The takedown enraged some Internet activists, who launched denial-of-service attacks that temporarily rendered websites of the Justice Department, FBI and big entertainment companies unreachable.

Some of them argued that the arrests showed that there was no need for laws like those that were withdrawn from consideration in Congress this week that would have made it much easier to block access to sites accused of fostering piracy.

But entertainment executives said that they would try again to pass such bills because they are aimed more at attacking demand rather than supply. In addition, many file-sharing sites do not have Megaupload's ties to the United States or allied countries.

"It is not hard necessarily to do something in New Zealand, but it is hard to get people in Russia and China," Bassetti said.

(Reporting by Joseph Menn; Editing by Gary Hill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120121/film_nm/us_digital_piracy

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Report: OPEC wants to stay out of Iran-West spat

CAIRO (AP) ? OPEC's acting president said the producer group should stay out of political battles, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported Sunday, an apparent bid by the bloc to steer clear of a potential showdown between Tehran and the U.S. over threats to close the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul-Karim Elaibi said that while Iran's "enemies" have imposed various sanctions on the Islamic Republic, the 12-nation Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' main focus should be protecting its members' interest and not being dragged into a political struggle over oil.

Elaibi, who is also OPEC's current president, last week said he was going to Tehran to warn against closing the strait, through which about a sixth of the world's crude flows daily. IRNA did not say whether the tension over the waterway was raised during the oil minister's meetings with officials.

Instead, the language reflected the warmer relations between Iran and Iraq since a U.S.-led coalition had ousted former strongman Saddam Hussein in 2003. The Shiite government in Baghdad is seen as increasingly close to Tehran, and Iran is investing heavily in Iraq.

Iran has warned repeatedly it would choke off the strait if sanctions affect its oil sales. The U.S. has enacted, but not yet put into force, sanctions targeting Iran's central bank and, by extension, the country's ability to be paid for its oil. The European Union, a major buyer of Iranian oil, is considering sanctions on Iranian crude.

The tension over the strait and the potential impact it would have not only on global oil supplies, but also the price of crude and the economies of the countries that buy Iranian oil, have weighed heavily on consumers and traders.

Gulf nations have offered assurances that they would step in and provide any additional crude needed by the global market. Iran interpreted the offer as an attempt to undercut it and issued a quick warning to the Gulf Arab producers to not try to offset its exports with their own.

Elaibi's remarks appear to be an attempt to pull the producer bloc out of the political fray, but they also reflect the uneasy balance Iraq faces.

Iraq exports most of its crude through the strait, and any attempt to shut the waterway could be a severe blow to its economy. At the same time, it appears reluctant to come across as being too harsh on its neighbor, in part because of the investments Iran provides and its ideological weight as the region's strongest Shiite government.

His visit to Tehran came just days before Iraq inaugurates a new oil export outlet in the Gulf with a capacity of up to 900,000 barrels a day. It would be the first of five floating facilities that would eventually handle about 5 million barrels a day.

The new outlet will help Iraq, limited now by infrastructure bottlenecks, to export more oil.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-22-ML-Iran-Oil/id-5651316598b046c3ac818a761e65b93c

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Follow These Best Practices When Dual-Booting OS X and Windows 7 on a Hackintosh [Video]

Windows and Mac OS X don't always get along so well when they're required to co-exist on the same drive, but that doesn't mean they can't. Hackintosh master tonymacx86 outlines the best practices for setting up a dual-boot environment on your hackintosh in this charming video. You'll get all the information in the video above, but here's an outline of the steps you should take for reference:

1. Create two partitions on your drive, both using a GUID partition table.
2. Format at the OS X partition as Mac OS X Journaled and the Windows partition as MS DOS FAT.
3. Install Windows 7 first, but remember that there is a hidden partition (meaning your Windows partition will be partition #3 rather than #2).
4. Now install Mac OS X (use our guide if you don't know how) on partition #1 and you should be able to dual-boot problem-free.

Pretty easy! For a more in-depth look at the process, while also throwing Linux into the mix, check out our triple-booting guide.

tonymacx86 Public Service Announcement: Dual Booting | tonymacx86 Blog

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/346qUJCAXoc/follow-these-best-practices-when-dual+booting-os-x-and-windows-7-on-a-hackintosh

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Daily Apps: VicMan Visage Lab, Super Grouper, Charadium II, DoReMi 1-2-3, Last Night??

VicMan Visage Lab: A professional beauty laboratory for your facial photos. Remove pimples and wrinkles, outline the eyes and whiten the teeth in seconds, with all operations made automatically! Free

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/7Kyk93T8B6k/story01.htm

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US Internet piracy case brings New Zealand arrests

Megaupload.com employees Bram van der Kolk, also known as Bramos, left, Finn Batato,second from left, Mathias Ortmann and founder, former CEO and current chief innovation officer of Megaupload.com Kim Dotcom (also known as Kim Schmitz and Kim Tim Jim Vestor), right, appear in North Shore District Court in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. The four appeared in court in relation to arrests made to Megaupload.com, which is linked to a U.S. investigation into international copyright infringement and money laundering. (AP Photo/Greg Bowker, New Zealand Herald) NEW ZEALAND OUT, AUSTRALIA OUT

Megaupload.com employees Bram van der Kolk, also known as Bramos, left, Finn Batato,second from left, Mathias Ortmann and founder, former CEO and current chief innovation officer of Megaupload.com Kim Dotcom (also known as Kim Schmitz and Kim Tim Jim Vestor), right, appear in North Shore District Court in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. The four appeared in court in relation to arrests made to Megaupload.com, which is linked to a U.S. investigation into international copyright infringement and money laundering. (AP Photo/Greg Bowker, New Zealand Herald) NEW ZEALAND OUT, AUSTRALIA OUT

This undated image obtained by The Associated Press shows the homepage of the website Megaupload.com. Federal prosecutors in Virginia have shut down one of the world's largest file-sharing sites, Megaupload.com, and charged its founder and others with violating piracy laws. (AP Photo)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ? With 150 million registered users, about 50 million hits daily and endorsements from music superstars, Megaupload.com was among the world's biggest file-sharing sites. Big enough, according to a U.S. indictment, that it earned founder Kim Dotcom $42 million last year alone.

The movie industry howled that the site was making money off pirated material. Though the company is based in Hong Kong and Dotcom was living in New Zealand, some of the alleged pirated content was hosted on leased servers in Virginia, and that was enough for U.S. prosecutors to act.

The site was shut down Thursday, and Dotcom and three Megaupload employees were arrested in New Zealand on U.S. accusations that they facilitated millions of illegal downloads of films, music and other content, costing copyright holders at least $500 million in lost revenue.

New Zealand Police also seized guns, artwork, more than $8 million in cash and luxury cars valued at nearly $5 million after serving 10 search warrants at several businesses and homes around the city of Auckland.

News of the shutdown seemed to bring retaliation from hackers who claimed credit for attacking the Justice Department's website. Federal officials confirmed it was down for hours Thursday evening and that the disruption was being "treated as a malicious act."

A loose affiliation of hackers known as "Anonymous" claimed credit for the attack. Also hacked was the site for the Motion Picture Association of America.

On Friday, New Zealand's Fairfax Media reported that the four defendants stood together in an Auckland courtroom in the first step of extradition proceedings that could last a year or more.

Dotcom's lawyer raised objections to a media request to take photographs and video, but then Dotcom spoke out from the dock, saying he didn't mind photos or video "because we have nothing to hide." The judge granted the media access, and ruled that the four would remain in custody until a second hearing Monday.

Dotcom, Megaupload's former CEO and current chief innovation officer, is a resident of Hong Kong and New Zealand and a dual citizen of Finland and Germany who had his name legally changed. The 37-year-old was previously known as Kim Schmitz and Kim Tim Jim Vestor.

Two other German citizens and one Dutch citizen also were arrested and three other defendants ? another German, a Slovakian and an Estonian ? remain at large.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which defends free speech and digital rights online, said in a statement that the arrests set "a terrifying precedent. If the United States can seize a Dutch citizen in New Zealand over a copyright claim, what is next?"

The indictment was unsealed one day after websites including Wikipedia and Craigslist shut down in protest of two congressional proposals intended to make it easier for authorities to go after sites with pirated material, especially those with overseas headquarters and servers.

Before Megaupload was taken down, the company posted a statement saying allegations that it facilitated massive breaches of copyright laws were "grotesquely overblown."

"The fact is that the vast majority of Mega's Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue. We have some good ideas. Please get in touch," the statement said.

Several sister sites were also shut down, including one dedicated to sharing pornography files.

The $8 million in cash seized had been invested in various New Zealand financial institutions, and has been placed in a trust pending the outcome of the cases.

Police spokesman Grant Ogilvie said the seized cars include a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe worth more than $400,000. Two short-barreled shotguns and a number of valuable artworks were also confiscated, he added.

According to the indictment, Megaupload was estimated at one point to be the 13th most frequently visited website on the Internet. Current estimates by companies that monitor Web traffic place it in the top 100.

Megaupload is considered a "cyberlocker," in which users can upload and transfer files that are too large to send by email. Such sites can have perfectly legitimate uses. But the Motion Picture Association of America, which has campaigned for a crackdown on piracy, estimated that the vast majority of content being shared on Megaupload was in violation of copyright laws.

The website allowed users to download some content for free, but made money by charging subscriptions to people who wanted access to faster download speeds or extra content. The website also sold advertising.

Megaupload was unique not only because of its massive size and the volume of downloaded content, but also because it had high-profile support from celebrities, musicians and other content producers who are most often the victims of copyright infringement and piracy. Before the website was taken down, it contained endorsements from Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys and Kanye West, among others.

The company listed Swizz Beatz, a musician who married Keys in 2010, as its CEO. He was not named in the indictment and declined to comment through a representative.

The five-count indictment, which alleges copyright infringement as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering and racketeering, described a site designed specifically to reward users who uploaded pirated content for sharing, and turned a blind eye to requests from copyright holders to remove copyright-protected files.

For instance, users received cash bonuses if they uploaded content popular enough to generate massive numbers of downloads, according to the indictment. Such content was almost always copyright protected, the indictment said.

The Justice Department said it was illegal for anyone to download pirated content, but their investigation focused on the leaders of the company, not end users who may have downloaded a few movies for personal viewing.

A lawyer who represented the company in a lawsuit last year declined to comment Thursday. Efforts to reach an attorney representing Dotcom were unsuccessful.

Although Megaupload is based in Hong Kong, the size of its operation in the southern Chinese city was unclear. The administrative contact listed in its domain registration, Bonnie Lam, did not respond immediately for a request for comment sent to a fax number and email address listed.

The indictment was returned in the Eastern District of Virginia, which claimed jurisdiction in part because some of the alleged pirated materials were hosted on leased servers in Ashburn, Virginia. Prosecutors there have pursued multiple piracy investigations.

The Justice Department also was investigating the "significant increase in activity" that disrupted its website. It said in a statement that it was working to "investigate the origins of this activity, which is being treated as a malicious act until we can fully identify the root cause."

The site appeared to be working again late Thursday. A spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America said in an emailed statement that the group's site also had been hacked, but it too appeared to be working later in the evening.

"The motion picture and television industry has always been a strong supporter of free speech," the spokesman said. "We strongly condemn any attempts to silence any groups or individuals."

____

Matthew Barakat reported from McLean, Virginia.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-20-Internet-Piracy-Indictment/id-8bffdc71b52a40fab1ac9723869de3d8

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