In today’s science and technology Bulldog roundup:

  • HP is buying Samsung’s printer business
  • The Cousteau Foundation and 3D print technology tackle reef woes
  • Facebook apologizes for “napalm girl” photo removal
  • Yelp prevails in a libel suit over its ratings system
  • Crop giants Potash, Agrium to merge

The details:

  • HP buying Samsung Electronics’ printer business for $1.05B

HP is buying Samsung Electronics Co.’s printer business in a transaction worth $1.05 billion.

HP Inc. said Monday that it is the largest print acquisition in the company’s history and will help it go from traditional copiers to multifunction printers. HP also said the deal will strengthen its position in laser printing, which it established with Canon.

Samsung’s printer business includes more than 6,500 printing patents.

  • Cousteau Foundation and 3D printing combine to aid Caribbean coral 

Vast coral reefs surrounding this island are considered by many experts to be the healthiest and best-protected in the Caribbean, and that makes Bonaire an ideal spot to test whether 3D printing technology can help preserve these vital marine habitats around the world.

A partnership that includes the foundation of ocean explorer Fabien Cousteau will be using the rapidly developing layered printing technology to design structures that are virtually identical to the ornate natural coral formations that have long made the southern Caribbean island a top diving destination. They hope their artificial creations will foster natural growth of the reef faster than other methods.

“Essentially we will be able to print rock in quotations,” Cousteau said.

The artificial coral will be made of sandstone and limestone and will be deployed just offshore from the Harbour Village Beach Club, a Bonaire resort that is active in conservation efforts and is a partner with Cousteau’s Ocean Learning Center in the project.

Reef-building coral is a tiny polyp-like animal that builds a calcium-carbonate shell around itself and survives in a symbiotic relationship with certain types of algae. Its reefs serve as vital spawning and feeding grounds for numerous marine creatures. It comes in some 1,500 known species, ranging from soft, undulating fans to those with hard skeletons that form reef bases.

The partners will monitor the progress of the artificial structures with underwater cameras already in place, capturing images of the vibrant reefs that are a feature of the Bonaire National Marine Park.

  • Facebook apologizes for removing ‘napalm girl’ photo

Facebook’s chief operating officer has apologized to Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg for deleting a photograph from its pages and conceded that “we don’t always get it right.”

Sheryl Sandberg said in a letter to Solberg that she’d raised important issues about Facebook’s decision to remove postings of an iconic 1972 image of a naked, screaming girl running from a napalm attack in Vietnam. On Friday, following protests in Norway the tech giant reversed its decision and allowed the photo “Terror of War” to be seen on its pages.

In a letter, Sandberg conceded that historical importance “sometimes … outweighs the importance of keeping nudity off Facebook,” after Solberg had reposted the 1972 image and other iconic photos with black boxes covering parts of the images.

  • Court: Yelp not liable for negative rating ‘stars’ on site

Online review site Yelp’s star rating system does not make it responsible for negative reviews of businesses because it is based on user input, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday, dismissing a libel lawsuit filed against Yelp by a Washington state locksmith company owner.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the star rating system that Yelp features is not content created by the company that helps guide people to everything from restaurants to plumbers. Under federal law, the decision said, Yelp is not liable for content its users post.

The ruling focused on the libel lawsuit filed by Douglas Kimzey, a locksmith business owner in Redmond, Washington. The court said Kimzey’s business received a negative review on Yelp in 2011. The review by a person identified in court documents only as “Sarah K” gave Kimzey’s company one star out of five, saying it was slow to respond to a car lockout and then overcharged.

Kimzey said he plans to appeal the decision to a larger panel of the appeals court. He claimed the negative review was actually about another business, and said Yelp attached it to his company in an attempt to extort him to pay to advertise with Yelp.

The appeals court called Kimzey’s allegations “threadbare” and said there was no evidence presented that Yelp fabricated content under a third party’s identity.

  • Potash, Agrium to combine, creating huge crop company

Potash Corp. and Agrium said Monday that they are combining to create the world’s largest crop nutrient company.

The Canadian companies both sell fertilizers and nutrients to farmers that help them grow their crops.

The new company will have 20,000 employees, a market value of $36 billion and annual revenue of $20.6 billion, the companies said.

Potash shareholders will own about 52 percent of the new company and Agrium shareholders will own about 48 percent.