LVMH Acquires Stake in Hermes

LVMH, owner of TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith, has acquired 17.1% of French fashion house Hermès for approximately $2 billion. Founded in 1837, Hermès is perhaps best known for scarves, ties and handbags, though the company also produces a range of fashion watches, as well as fine watches in its Pièces d’exception line — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Contraceptive gel could offer alternative to pill

A new contraceptive gel that is applied directly to the skin could offer women an alternative to the pill, a study suggests.

The clear gel is put on once a day and delivers a dose of hormones to prevent pregnancy. Women using the gel have reported none of the typical side effects associated with the pill, such as weight gain and acne.

It is suitable for breastfeeding women, who are often warned not to take the combined pill because its hormone levels interfere with milk supply.

The gel can be applied to the abdomen, thighs, arms or shoulders and is quickly absorbed, with no residue. Experts hope to bring it to market if clinical trial results continue to be positive — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Cray notches another XE6 super sale

Cray is getting traction with its XE6 supercomputers, launched this past May summer and first shipped at the end of July. The University of Stuttgart – which has a bunch of scalar and vector systems from IBM and NEC, as well as some hybrid machines and a baby Cray XT5m – is moving into Cray systems in a big way — via redwolf.newsvine.com

More species slide to extinction

One fifth of animal and plant species are under the threat of extinction, a global conservation study has warned.

Scientists who compiled the Red List of Threatened Species say the proportion of species facing wipeout is rising.

But they say intensive conservation work has already pulled some species back from the brink of oblivion — via redwolf.newsvine.com

CSIRO: Australian Solar Technology To Have ‘Global Impact’

The Australian government-owned science organisation CSIRO has described the future of solar technology in the country as having a global impact after announcing the installation of 450 solar mirrors, or heliostats.

CSIRO will begin the rollout for Australia’s largest solar-thermal tower system at the CSIRO National Solar Energy Centre in Newcastle, New South Wales, according to an Oct. 26 press release by the organisation — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Consume Tracks Mobile Phones, Broadband And Much More

Keeping track of how much mobile phone credit or wireless broadband downloads you have left can be fiddly. Consume lets you monitor those — and a bunch more — directly from your iPhone.

Consume is the latest app highlighted in our sibling site Gizmodo’s excellent iAppalooza series on iOS apps. It can track more than 107 Australian services, including mobile phones, broadband usage, frequent flyer programs and even Dropbox. For each service, log in with your user details and you’ll get an up-to-date, accurate usage tracker.

Consume is a free app for iOS devices only — via lifehacker

Father found baby in northwest Calgary dumpster

Suddenly needing a crib, diapers and baby clothes, a new Calgary father was in a rush Wednesday morning to get the essentials for his little boy.

He vows the infant will be well cared for and promises to fight for custody.

In his first interview since the ordeal, the man whose baby was found in a northwest garbage bin Tuesday — by himself without knowing he was looking at his son — said he will do whatever he can for the infant that he and the baby’s mom didn’t know was coming — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Indian neutrino lab to boast world’s biggest magnet

A major neutrino observatory set to be built in India cleared a major hurdle this week, when the Ministry of Environment and Forests formally approved the project.

The $250 million underground laboratory, called the Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO), will be built in the Bodi West Hills Reserved Forest in the state of Tamil Nadu — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Craft, Wildlife

Secret locking squid stash box / SquidBox

When you have goodies which need to be hidden and locked away, what better than a squid to protect your stash?

There is no lock to pick nor code to break. Instead, this box uses a strong magnet (included) to release an internal latch, opening the box for only those who know the secret. Instructions on how to use the key are included with the box — via Etsy