Gresham College : Audio and Video
[Sigh. Long ages stuff]
Ancient Insect Hails From Sunken Island -- Coelho 2008 (1217): 2 -- ScienceNOW
The Lord Howe tree lobster appears to be harboring even more surprises. As part of an analysis of the evolutionary origin of stick insects, biologist Thomas Buckley of Landcare Research, New Zealand's main research institute for environmental science, and colleagues collected DNA from three tree lobster groups, including D. australis, and about 70 other stick insect species. The team found that D. australis was more than 20 million years old, 13 million years older than the rocks on Lord Howe Island. [Rock on, radiometric dating!]
Blame the Sun for a Cloudy Day? -- Berardelli 2008 (1217): 1 -- ScienceNOW
Now geographer Robert Baker of the University of New England, Armidale, in Australia, has linked solar magnetic activity to Earth's climate--at least regionally. Using sunspot counts and Australian meteorological data, as well as NASA satellite data for more recent years, he tracked sunspots and rainfall in Australia from 1876 to 2006. In this month's issue of Geographical Research, Baker reports that the amount of rainfall in most regions of the country tracked the 22-year magnetic cycle almost exactly. "It was unbelievable," Baker says. At the height of magnetic activity, rainfall across most of the country was plentiful. At the other end of the cycle, many of those same regions experienced severe droughts. The findings are particularly compelling, Baker says, because even though the lengths of the magnetic cycles are not precise and can vary by several years, the rainfall patterns followed them.
Galaxy Clusters Throttled by Dark Energy -- Bhattacharjee 2008 (1216): 1 -- ScienceNOW
"What we saw was an unmistakable effect of dark energy," says Vikhlinin, whose team is publishing the results in two papers in the 10 February 2009 issue of The Astrophysical Journal. The timing of dark energy's dampening effect on cluster growth coincides with findings by supernovae researchers showing that the universe's expansion had been decelerating before beginning to accelerate 5.5 billion years ago.
First cases of touch-emotion synaesthesia discovered - health - 18 December 2008 - New Scientist
For a 22-year-old woman known as AW, denim evokes feelings of depression, disgust and worthlessness. Corduroy causes confusion, and silk provides utter contentment. She is one of two people known to experience a newly discovered form of synaesthesia, where textures give rise to strong emotions.
Advanced Lithium-Ion Technology to Make Commercial Debut In 2009 : CleanTechnica
Imara Corp. has announced a new generation of lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries made specifically for high power devices such as lawnmowers, power tools, hybrid vehicles and even grid storage. The company uses unique materials science technology to provide high-power, high-energy and extended cycle-life batteries and battery packs.
Designers Create Solar Power Generating Sunglasses : CleanTechnica
The SIG, or ’self-energy converting sunglasses,’ contain integrated dye-solar cells and can be simply connected to the power jack in an iPod or PSP, allowing devices to be charged without the need to hook up to the mains supply.
Giant Austroraptor discovered in Argentina - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
The Austroraptor was found in rock formations dating to 70 million years' ago, making it one of the last dinosaurs to walk in Patagonia before they became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period 145 to 65 million years' ago.
Hawaiian drillers hit magma chamber - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Geologists normally have to study such rock when it has been exposed by millions of years of erosion and is cold and dead.
BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR: Reprogramming Cells -- Vogel 322 (5909): 1766 -- Science
By inserting genes that turn back a cell's developmental clock, researchers are gaining insights into disease and the biology of how a cell decides its fate.
Carbon cycling and snowball Earth : Abstract : Nature
The possibility that Earth witnessed episodes of global glaciation during the latest Precambrian challenges our understanding of the physical processes controlling the Earth's climate. Peltier et al. 1 suggest that a 'hard snowball Earth' state may have been prevented owing to the release of CO2 from the oxidation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the ocean as the temperature decreased. Here we show that the model of Peltier et al. is not self-consistent as it implies large fluctuations of the ocean alkalinity content without providing any processes to account for it. Our findings suggest that the hard snowball Earth hypothesis is still valid.
Saturn Moon Revealed as Watery World: Discovery News
Evidence is mounting that Saturn's moon Enceladus has water somewhere beneath its frozen surface, analysis of recent flybys by the Cassini spacecraft shows.
Earth's Magnetic Field Flawed : Discovery News
Scientists have learned that it's not just the size and the strength of the sun's eruptions that threaten power grids, disable satellites and scramble radio signals on Earth. In a startling reversal of generally accepted theory, researchers using a fleet of solar-watching satellites have learned that thick gobs of solar plasma have easy and regular access into Earth's magnetosphere, thanks to a trick of nature.
NASA Scientists Ask: Is Life Possibile on Saturn's Moon, Enceladus?
NASA's Cassini spacecraft discovered a surprising organic brew erupting in geyser-like fashion from Saturn's moon Enceladus during a close flyby on March 12, 2008. Scientists were stunned that this tiny moon is so active, "hot" and teeming with water vapor and organic chemicals.
Has Evolution Hidden Post-hypnotic Suggestions in Our Behaviour
Evolution has hidden post-hypnotic suggestions in your behavior. You may think you're the absolute master of your emotions, but that whole "consciousness" thing is just a thin scraping of self-awareness over a huge network of evolved drives and compulsions.
Polygamy, Paternal Care In Birds Linked To Dinosaur Ancestors
Scientists had long wondered about the origins of polygamy and paternal care patterns among modern-day Paleognathes -- an ancient avian lineage that branched off soon after birds evolved from dinosaurs and includes ostriches, emus and tinamous. No such reproductive behavior exists among the vast majority of other vertebrates. Males contribute to parental care in less than 5 percent of mammal and non-avian reptile species, and while more than 90 percent of bird species co-parent to some degree, it is only among the Paleognathes that both polygamy and paternal care rule.
Snowball prevention questioned : Abstract : Nature
The 'snowball Earth' hypothesis1 interprets geological evidence as indicating multi-million-year episodes of global glaciation near the beginning and end of the Proterozoic eon. On the basis of a coupled carbon cycle–climate model, Peltier et al. 2 propose that temperature-dependent remineralization of organic carbon in a Neoproterozoic ocean with 100–1,000times more dissolved organic carbon than today3 could create a negative climate feedback, thereby preventing a snowball Earth. Their results are sensitive to initial conditions and model parameters4; moreover, important geological observations and components of the carbon cycle are not considered—notably the absence of sources or sinks of carbon. Their model results2 fall short of explaining the geological evidence in the absence of global glaciation.
Clean Break » Blog Archive » GE suspends development of “high-efficiency incandescent”
The century-old bulb that anchored the GE brand and made GE a global leader in lighting is, after one last gasp in 2007, officially dead.
World’s Largest CIGS Thin-Film Solar Array Goes Live : CleanTechnica
Global Solar Energy announced Wednesday the full operation of the largest solar electric array worldwide using CIGS photovoltaic technology. CIGS, or copper indium gallium diselenide thin-film solar cells are not dependent on silicon and instead use highly-available raw materials that are easily integrated into a wide range of applications.
Tokyo Train Station Testing Power-Generating Floor : CleanTechnica
East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has announced that it is installing piezoelectric elements in the floors of its Tokyo station in an attempt to generate power from passengers passing through ticket gates.
Seafloor Discovery Casts Doubt on Views of How Life Evolved
"Our paper gives the precedent of a protozoan that is motile, produces macroscopic traces, and has a large hydrostatically supported body," said Mikhail Matz of the University of Texas at Austin. "With these possibilities demonstrated, pretty much anything within the Precambrian fossil record can in principle be attributed to large protozoans, from the earliest traces and fossils of the Stirling formation that are 1.8 billion years old to the weird Ediacaran biota with which the Precambrian culminated."
Complex dance of embryo cells filmed in new detail - tech - 04 December 2008 - New Scientist
Growing up from embryo to finished animal is a complex business, even for the simplest of creatures. New movies capture the complex dance of migrating cells involved in new, beautiful detail.
'Rhythms' in Martian rocks mark out past climate swings - space - 04 December 2008 - New Scientist
The tilt of Mars's axis affected the planet's climate, changing patterns of snowfall, atmospheric pressure and winds, for example. But the exact process that led to the deposition of the steps is still unknown.
Cleaner air to turn iconic buildings green - environment - 04 December 2008 - New Scientist
Cities will become more colourful as pollution patterns change and wind-swept rain washes away the black coal soot typical of the 20th century. What's more, legal requirements to use clean fuels are likely to mean lichens and mosses will grow more easily, turning buildings green in parts.
Quantum Trick Makes Metals Become Insulators
The physicists succeeded in simulating one of the most dramatic electronic phenomena with the aid of this quantum simulator: when the interactions between the electrons become too strong, a metal can suddenly become insulating. The resulting so-called Mott insulator is probably the most important example of a state of strong electronic interactions in condensed matter physics, as it is a starting point for the investigation of quantum magnetism. In addition, high-temperature superconductivity is found to arise in close proximity to this insulator.
Opening Up The Last Part Of Electromagnetic Spectrum
New European research on THz waves could enable applications that include detecting tumours beneath the skin, a new and powerful kind of microscope for biological research, and quality control in semiconductor and pharmaceutical factories, as well as smart security scanners.
A Little Wine Boosts Omega-3 In The Body: Novel Mechanism For A Healthier Heart Found
Moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells. This is the major finding of the European study IMMIDIET that will be published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Lasers Uncover Craters -- Berardelli 2008 (1201): 2 -- ScienceNOW
Researchers have uncovered a pond-sized crater in the woods of central Alberta, Canada, carved out by a meteor that slammed into Earth about 1100 years ago. The technique they used to pinpoint the pit--a laser take on radar--figures to help scientists find evidence of hundreds of similar impacts that have remained hidden until now.
Revisiting the Psychological Toll of Abortion: Scientific American
In 2006 the American Psychological Association (APA) assembled a task force of researchers with wide-ranging expertise to evaluate all peer-reviewed studies published in English since 1989 (when the last such review was conducted) that compared the mental health of women who had an abortion with that of other women. It is clear that after an abortion some women experience sadness and grief and, in some cases, clinically significant disorders such as depression or anxiety. But the task force concluded in August that “among women who have a single, legal, first-trimester abortion of an unplanned pregnancy for nontherapeutic reasons, the relative risks of mental health problems are no greater than the risks among women who deliver an unplanned pregnancy.” The evidence for the risk associated with multiple abortions is more equivocal.
Warning: A little water can hurt babies -- so don't dilute infant formula: Scientific American Blog
Parents beware: diluting infant formula can be deadly. Just ask a cash-strapped Tampa, Fla., woman who, in an attempt to save money and stretch out meals for her hungry five-month-old son, watered down his formula, unwittingly causing a potentially fatal condition known as water intoxication.
BBC NEWS : Technology : A step closer to self-powered kit
"self-powered" devices, such as phones that charge when you speak into them, are one step closer to reality.
BBC NEWS : Science & Environment : Ancient supernova mystery solved
In 1572, a "new star" appeared in the sky which stunned astronomers and exploded ancient theories of the universe. Now the supernova recorded by Tycho Brahe has been glimpsed again, by Max Planck Institute scientists.
BBC NEWS : England : Hampshire : New flying reptile species found
A new fossil species of flying reptile with a wingspan the size of a family car has been uncovered by scientists.
Red (Planet) Alert: Massive Subsurface Glaciers Discovered on Mars: Scientific American
SHARAD indicated that two long-visible mid-latitude features, one of which is roughly three times the size of Los Angeles, are almost completely composed of water ice.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
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