Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University will collaborate through a new computer-science research center, the company and university jointly announced Monday during the Symposium on Computational Thinking on Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh campus. The Microsoft Carnegie Mellon Center for Computational Thinking will support computer scientists' efforts to solve "real world" problems in areas such as privacy, e-commerce, and embedded medical devices. The center will also develop and make available courses and lesson plans for students in kindergarten through graduate school. Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon researchers will meet at the center for annual "mindswaps" to encourag e further collaboration. The research center is the eighth that Microsoft has created worldwide.--Sierra Millman

Study Shows iPods Help Doctors Hear the Beat Physicians who listen at least 400 times to common heart murmurs via their iPods or other MP3 devices are much more likely to identify the murmurs in patients, according to a study presented Sunday at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting. The study's lead investigator, Dr. Michael Barrett, last year demonstrated the benefit of repeat listening with medical students at Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital. The university now offers a four-year curriculum on the topic and posts heart lessons online to teach students how to differentiate between a normal heartbeat and a murmur. Dr. Barrett stops short of suggesting that physicians walk the hospital halls wearing ear buds. The best time to listen to the heartbeats, he says, is on the way to work.--Sierra Millman