A new book of essays explores the emerging fourth paradigm of science, which is partly a response to the flood of data generated by the last paradigm shift: computational science. The new generation of researchers are creating new computing tools to manage, visualize and analyze the data flood and in the process fundamentally transforming the practice of science.

The University of Washington has announced two new research projects that will utilize cloud computing platforms to further research on ocean climate simulations and analyzing astronomical images. Both of these projects will utilize cloud computing to examine and interact with "the massive datasets that are becoming more and more common in science."

DigitalGlobe, provider of imagery for Google Earth, said a new high-resolution satellite will boost the accuracy of its satellite images and flesh out its archive. Together with the company's existing Quickbird satellite, it will offer half-meter resolution and will be able to collect over 600,000 square kilometers of imagery each day, up from the current collection of that amount each week.

A new company founded by a longtime technologist is setting out to create a vast public database intended to be read by computers rather than people, paving the way for a more automated Internet in which machines will routinely share information.

Google has struck a partnership with scientists building a huge sky-scanning telescope, with hopes of helping the public access digital footage of asteroids, supernovas and distant galaxies.

Intelligence Amplification researchers are creating systems that approximate Artificial Intelligence by using actual human beings as part of computer programs. Humans are asked to perform quick actions (such as identifying a photo or song clip) that are trivial for humans but very difficult for computers. The resulting human input is then combined with computer algorithms to create smarter search engines or databases.

From the billions of documents that form the World Wide Web and the links that weave them together, computer scientists and a growing collection of start-up companies are finding new ways to mine human intelligence.

Search giant Google has been accused of being the "biggest threat to genetic privacy" for its alleged plan to create a searchable database of genetic information.

The U.S. has put thousands of untranslated documents, captured from the former Iraqi government, online in an experiment to see if volunteer researchers can find evidence of weapons of mass destruction or ties to al-Qaeda that the official intelligence agencies could not.

Feature article on the growing power and promise of collaborative software projects for business and science.