May 10, 2005

Attacks on computer systems serving American military, NASA and research laboratories illustrate ease with which Internet-connected computers--even those of sophisticated corporate and government networks--can be penetrated, and also difficulty in tracing those responsible; investigators in United States and Europe who have spent year pursuing case claim break-ins exploited security holes in those systems that have now been plugged, but it is not clear how much data was taken or destroyed; case remains under investigation; attention is focused on 16-year-old in Uppsala, Sweden, who was charged in Mar with breaking into university computers in his hometown; FBI and Swedish police are working together on case and looking for accomplices in Britain and other countries; computer experts say primary intruder organized system for automating theft of computer log-ins and passwords, using corrupted version of standard software program SSH; photo (M)

Marine task force sweeps through wide area of westen Iraq near Syrian border, killing 100 insurgents and raiding desert outposts and city safe houses they use to import cars, money, weapons and foreigners to fight United States and Iraqi forces; senior American commanders blame porous border with Syria for allowing never-ending stream of armed jihadists to enter Iraq and replenish insurgency as quickly as fighters are killed or captured; say new offensive, largest since Marines invaded Falluja six months ago, was spurred by new intelligence gleaned from Iraqis living in area as well as interrogations of newly captured aides to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, most wanted terrorist in Iraq; Iraq's new defense minister Sadoon al-Dulaimi says he will continue military policies set by departing administration of Ayad Allawi, who aggressively pursued operations against insurgents; photo; map (M)

Swedish researchers show that homosexual and heterosexual men respond differently to two odors that may be involved in sexual arousal, and that gay men respond in same way as women; new research may open way to studying pheromones in humans; they are known to govern sexual activity in animals, but experts differ about their role, if any, in making humans sexually attractive to one another; research supporting existence of human pheromones is reported in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; two chemicals in study were testosterone derivative produced in men's sweat and estrogen-like compound in women's urine, both of which have long been suspected of being pheromones; new finding, if confirmed, would break ground in two important directions, those of human pheromones and human sexuality (M)

Ford Foundation is undertaking $50 million, five-year initiative to support public radio and television broadcasting and other media organizations in effort to spur creation and distribution of public affairs programming, particularly programs dealing with international affairs; Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio will receive $10 million and $7 million each, respectively; some other recipients noted (M)

Duke Energy to buy Cinergy in all-stock deal valued at $9 billion; deal adds momentum to power industry's consolidation; will help Duke offset its reliance on gas-powered electrical plants with Cinergy's cheaper-to-run coal-fired assets; Duke chairman and chief executive Paul M Anderson will be chairman of merged company and Cinergy chairman and chief executive James E Rogers president and chief executive; table of corporate data; photos (M)