It’s a shark with one eye—what could be weirder? It’s not an ancient one-eyed species, however, but an animal suffering from a rare congenital condition known as cyclopia, which has been documented in a variety of species, including humans. Measuring in at 56 centimeters (22 inches) in length, the organism is actually a fetus, extracted from the womb of a pregnant dusky shark, caught by fisherman Enrique Lucero León near Cerralvo Island in the Gulf of California. Also inside the mother shark were nine normal siblings.

The fifth edition of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) scorecard was recently released, and shows that even through uncertain economic times, U.S. states are generating cost savings, promoting technological innovation and stimulating growth by implementing energy efficiency as their key strategy, according to EC&M.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel said: "Energy efficiency is America's abundant, untapped energy resource and the states continue to press forward to reap its economic and environmental benefits."

It's not family, or nation, or freedom, or peace, or even God that people all over the world desire, Jim Clifton says.

First and foremost it's a 30-plus-hours-a-week job with a paycheck, the chairman of Gallup Inc. says. Everything else flows from that.

Nations are now competing to overcome what he estimates is a global shortage of 1.8 billion jobs, and the stakes are high.

“The war for global jobs is like World War II: a war for all the marbles,” Clifton writes in his new book, “The Coming Jobs War,” (Gallup Press, 227 pages, $24.95). “The global war for jobs determines the leader of the free world. ... This is America's next war for everything.”

A former member of President Obama’s transition team; a professor of medical ethics and health policy, of history and sociology of science, and of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania; a national associate of the National Research Council; and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., Jonathan Moreno wears many hats. His most recent project, the new book The Body Politic, explores how bioethical issues — stem cells, genetics — have become a part of our political discourse.

Here, Moreno discusses how neuroscience and globalization are both affecting his chosen field; the problem with medical schools across the U.S. backing off on their commitment to bioethics; and why he’s trying to integrate bioethics with the history of ideas, technology, and public affairs.

Health prevention strategies to help Canadians achieve their optimal health potential could add a decade or more of healthy years to the average lifespan and save the economy billions of dollars as a result of reduced cardiovascular disease, says noted cardiologist Dr. Clyde Yancy.

Dr. Yancy, who will deliver the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Lecture at the opening ceremonies of the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Vancouver this Sunday, will tell delegates that people who follow seven simple steps to a healthy life can expect to live an additional 40 to 50 years after the age of 50.

A seminar offering advice on academic startups for potential CEOs at the University City Science Center — hosted by Bio Strategy Partners, a Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania incubator for emerging and early stage life sciences companies — addressed funding realities and the roles of the university and technology transfer office.

Karen Hanson, the executive director of Bio Strategy partners, discussed some of the findings from the panel discussion which included Kenneth Blank of Temple University, Jennifer Hartt of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Teri Willey of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and Dick Woodward of Vascular Magnetics.

The university is the stakeholder. Sometimes the relationship can be adversarial, but it’s important that everyone involved in the business recognizes their interests are aligned.

Spain is one of the most inspiring places in the world. It leaves an impression on all who visit this colourful country and immerse themselves in its expressiveness, generosity and authenticity. On every street corner, Spanish people are living a "life uncorked" – chatting, laughing and simply enjoying life. This passion for living extends to their creativity, making the arts a significant part of their culture. Here, we take a look at the vibrant spirit of Spanish art, fashion and architecture and discover its growing influence on the UK.

The live uncorked philosophy is alive at Campo Viejo, where Elena Adell, the winemaker, shares this creative passion, marrying traditional rioja winemaking with advanced technology to deliver expressive wines for modern wine lovers.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners on Thursday dedicated a new 47,000-square foot addition that is hopes will enable the creation of as many as 200 new high paying tech jobs over the next three years, while retaining another 100.

R. Chadwick Paul Jr., president and CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, said the additional space will allow the technology company incubator to expand from its current 29 companies to 40 companies.

“We have a number of tenants who are looking to occupy this space,” Paul said.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners hasn’t chosen the new tenants yet, because the budding companies have to show that they have a solid business plan and ideas that could succeed.

“You stay in the game, play it right and don’t give up.”

I find so much inspiration from people who are going through great personal or professional challenges and difficulties with grace, poise and perseverance.

They are today’s Jedi Masters to me. They put one foot in front of the other, stay in the day, stay in the game and don’t go too far out. The times are choppy and stormy, but not impossible to navigate. It just requires different skill sets and a  flexible mindset.

There are three areas that have been impacted by great external change that has forced us to go through great internal change. Slowly people are shifting, getting into motion and accepting reality.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. And if you can’t join ‘em, well, then start your own.

That seems to be the attitude of women who for years wanted to join exclusive investment groups that made millions funding startup companies, but found it hard to break into this male-dominated world.

Not so anymore. The number of all-female angel investment groups – groups of wealthy individuals who invest in start-up companies – has grown over the last decade.

The president’s recently-unveiled American Jobs Act promises tax cuts for businesses and families and to create new jobs to chip away at the country’s stubbornly high unemployment rate.

Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testified to the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee regarding the legislation, saying it “includes specific provisions targeted towards small businesses that provide direct support for firms to hire, invest, and expand.” Reading through the secretary’s prepared remarks, I found a lot of great ideas that will indeed help our country’s small businesses.

After Steve Jobs anointed Walter Isaacson as his authorized biographer in 2009, he took Mr. Isaacson to see the Mountain View, Calif., house in which he had lived as a boy. He pointed out its “clean design” and “awesome little features.” He praised the developer, Joseph Eichler, who built more than 11,000 homes in California subdivisions, for making an affordable product on a mass-market scale. And he showed Mr. Isaacson the stockade fence built 50 years earlier by his father, Paul Jobs.

We may not all be angel investors or venture capitalists, but I think everyone has a small voice inside their head that believes they can pick the next Facebook or Twitter and strike it rich.

So how are those of us without thousands of dollars at our disposal supposed to act on those inclinations? In this week's print edition of the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, I wrote about new federal legislation that could allow for crowdfunding of local startups. If you have $500 you want to invest in a cool startup you've read about, you'd be able to do that. Unlike current crowdfunding opportunities, where users can make donations through websites like Kickstarter, it would be an actual investment, with potential profits in return.

The Fall 2011 Pepperdine State of Small Business Report and California Small Business Supplement are now ready for download! Because of your participation in this survey, you are being notified prior to general release. You can download the complimentary report here: Summer 2011 Private Capital Market Report.

I would encourage you to stay in contact with the project by visiting us often at http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/privatecapital and joining our LinkedIn Group by clicking here: Add to Network.

Innovation and entrepreneurship are crucial for long-term economic development. Over the years, America's well-being has been furthered by science and technology. Fears set off by the Soviet Union's 1957 launch of its Sputnik satellite initiated a wave of U.S. investment in science, engineering, aerospace, and technology. Both public and private sector investment created jobs, built industries, fueled innovation, and propelled the U.S. to leadership in a number of different fields.

About a month ago I was meeting with a seasoned entrepreneur. After 10 minutes I felt like we were old buddies because we had both been through the trenches of startup tech land and had had similar experiences.

He was recounting one of his higher profile startups to me. He founded the company, raised a bunch of money, built the product and established a good reputation and market position. But five years into it he has brought on a senior management team, had stopped growing at the same meteoric rate and started to lose some enthusiasm.

With another round of state budget cuts looming, some members of the Wisconsin Legislature are developing a case of "sticker shock" over proposals to invest in the state's early stage economy.

That reaction might be defensible - if not for the fact that investing in young companies through a state-leveraged venture and angel capital fund would be one of the most cost-effective economic development tools available to state government.

Creation of a state-leveraged fund would rival the state's most effective and well-financed tax-credit programs, which have historically existed to help Wisconsin's largest employers create, but mainly retain, jobs.

Discuss

The first step in the technology-transfer process is to discuss your idea with UTRF. Once you (inventor) contact UTRF, one of us will come to your office or lab to learn about your idea, or you can come to our office. Either way, the key first step is to make sure that we understand your data, idea and goals.

Disclose

The second step in the process is to file an invention disclosure. Filing a disclosure notifies your department and college of your idea, lets the Office of Research Administration determine if your research sponsors have any claim on your idea, and eventually results in the formal UTRF management assignment of your idea.

A collection of best practice examples in Open Innovation and Co-Creation including Siemens, Danone, Beiersdorf, Henkel, Swarovski and Daimler.

Number of the day

$8.4 billion

That's how much venture capital was invested in startup companies, according to Dow Jones VentureSource. The total climbed 29 percent as funds raised by consumer Internet companies more than doubled from a year earlier. The online ventures - including search, entertainment and social media - raised $1.3 billion. About 42 percent of all venture spending went to the newest companies.