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Latest Articles: Science/Tech
China May Win New Space Race, NASA Says
Post Date: 2007-10-03 11:51:53 by Brian S
1 Comments
(10-03) 08:23 PDT Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP) -- The Soviets beat the United States at getting a satellite, and a man, into space. Now, the Chinese may get to the moon before the U.S. can make a return visit. Fifty years after Sputnik became the world's first artificial satellite, a new race is under way with the finish line on the moon. NASA, the former lunar champion, already is predicting defeat. "I personally believe that China will be back on the moon before we are," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said in a low-key lecture in Washington two weeks ago, marking the space agency's 50th anniversary, still a year away. "I think when that happens, Americans ...
Our Rosy Future, According to Freeman Dyson
Post Date: 2007-10-02 06:59:31 by Ada
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Climate change is nothing to worry about, says the eminent physicist. Let's celebrate genetic engineering and our ability to design a new world of plants and creatures. Sep. 29, 2007 | In his new collection of essays, "A Many-Colored Glass," renowned physicist Freeman Dyson turns his thoughts to do-it-yourself biotech and breeding one's own pet lizard, the fallacies of global warming science, science fiction (with a tip of the hat to recently departed Madeleine L'Engle) and the importance of biology to the future of religion. To Dyson, a deeper understanding of the human brain means a better understanding of theology and perhaps more tolerance for those with ...
Britain looks to US for wolf breeding plan
Post Date: 2007-09-30 15:20:36 by robin
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Ten years ago wildlife experts released 31 wolves into the wild in America's Yellowstone National Park. From that small beginning, hundreds of grey wolves in packs now roam the vast park and beyond in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, and have changed the ecology of the region. This weekend experts in Britain will meet to discuss whether wolf reintroduction schemes could be used as a model to change this country's landscape. The conference comes as a scheme to create a vast, fenced Highland safari park with roaming wolves in Scotland has just got the go-ahead from planners. Support for going a step further and having wild wolves in Britain after centuries of extinction is also growing, ...
The Contrail Effect : Are vapor trails from aircraft influencing the climate, and if so, should we worry?
Post Date: 2007-09-30 07:24:44 by Kamala
3 Comments
The Contrail Effect by Peter Tyson Dimming the Sun homepage Are vapor trails from aircraft influencing the climate, and if so, should we worry? I've always wanted to hate contrails, the "condensation trails" streaming out from behind jets. They're man-made. They force lines on nature, which knows no lines. They arise out of pollution, and they generate visual pollution—aircraft graffiti that can erase blue from the sky and light from the sun. All good reasons to despise these artificial clouds. But I don't. I've always been drawn to them. When I see one above, I like to run my eye along its length until I find the plane, a tiny silver toy. I like to ...
Tutankhamun was not black: Egypt antiquities chief
Post Date: 2007-09-27 15:30:58 by Tauzero
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Tutankhamun was not black: Egypt antiquities chief CAIRO (AFP) - Egyptian antiquities supremo Zahi Hawass insisted Tuesday that Tutankhamun was not black despite calls by US black activists to recognise the boy king's dark skin colour. "Tutankhamun was not black, and the portrayal of ancient Egyptian civilisation as black has no element of truth to it," Hawass told reporters. "Egyptians are not Arabs and are not Africans despite the fact that Egypt is in Africa," he said, quoted by the official MENA news agency. Hawass said he was responding to several demonstrations in Philadelphia after a lecture he gave there on September 6 where he defended his theory. ...
An Electonic Concentration Camp: Big Brother in the Sky
Post Date: 2007-09-27 10:27:29 by ghostdogtxn
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EPA to Approve New Toxic Fumigant for Crops (
Post Date: 2007-09-27 08:50:31 by angle
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The Environmental Protection Agency is expected within days to approve a new toxic fumigant for use by fruit and vegetable farmers, despite opposition from California regulators, prominent scientists and environmental and farmworker groups. The agency intends to register methyl iodide as a substitute for the pesticide methyl bromide, which is being phased out by international treaty, according to government officials familiar with the decision. The new product is MIDAS, a methyl iodide compound manufactured by Tokyo-based Arysta LifeScience Corp. Its EPA approval is due by Friday, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ...
Rhino, Tickbird Stuck In Dead-End Symbiotic Relationship
Post Date: 2007-09-26 19:36:30 by intotheabyss
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POLOKWANE, SOUTH AFRICA—After three rainy seasons together, a black rhinoceros and a parasite-eating tickbird are beginning to suspect that their symbiotic relationship has fallen into a rut, the couple reported Sunday. "We're really symbiotic—almost too symbiotic," the rhino said. "It's just gotten so predictable lately that I'm starting to wonder, 'Is this all there is?'" The rhino and tickbird pass another morning on the African savannah not saying one word to each other. First meeting at a local watering hole in 2004, both creatures immediately saw themselves as natural for one other and, in the words of the rhino, felt something ...
Salmonella more virulent in space, study suggests
Post Date: 2007-09-25 16:52:32 by aristeides
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Salmonella more virulent in space, study suggests James Randerson The Guardian Tuesday September 25 2007 Food poisoning bacteria become super-virulent in space, according to a study of salmonella that spent 12 days orbiting the Earth on the space shuttle Atlantis. The research raises fears that diseases boosted by low gravity could pose unexpected medical problems on future long-haul space journeys or for astronauts on a proposed future moon base. It is the first study to examine the effect of space flight on the virulence of a pathogen. "Given the proposed increase in both duration and distance from Earth for future manned space flight missions - including lunar colonisation ...
Study: Farms Fuel Frog Deformities
Post Date: 2007-09-25 11:47:14 by Horse
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Frog-deforming infections caused by tiny parasites are increasing because of North American farms' nutrient-rich watershed, a new study shows. The excess nitrogen and phosphorus found in farm runoff causes more algae to grow, which increases snail populations that host microscopic parasites called trematodes, said Pieter Johnson, a water scientist at the University of Colorado in Boulder. "This is the first study to show that nutrient enrichment drives the abundance of these parasites, increasing levels of amphibian infection and subsequent malformations," said Johnson. Johnson noted that he and his colleagues' work, which is detailed in the Sept. 24 issue of the ...
Maestro Memoirs
Post Date: 2007-09-25 07:12:28 by Kamala
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Maestro Memoirs Caroline Baum had an interesting take on Greenspan's new book "The Age of Turbulence" in Memoir Shows Dangers of Irrational Book Advances. For someone who made headlines with his every utterance -- even if no one could agree on what he had said -- Alan Greenspan offers few newsmaking moments in his eagerly awaited memoir, "The Age of Turbulence". Sure, his criticisms of the Bush administration (for its "out-of-control spending"), Republicans in Congress (they "lost their way," "swapped principle for power" and "ended up with neither") and the Iraq War ("largely about oil") provided weekend ...
Semen 'Makes Women Happy'
Post Date: 2007-09-24 06:17:29 by Uncle Bill
28 Comments
With the Clinton's coming back into power, it's time to start talking about important things again. Thanks. Semen 'makes women happy' BBC News June 26, 2002 Women exposed to their partner's semen during sex may find themselves feeling happier than those who use a condom, say scientists. Scientists in the US believe the mood-altering hormones in semen absorbed through the vagina help to boost women's mood. Semen contains a range of hormones, including testosterone and oestrogen, both of which have been shown to improve mood. However, they warned that their findings should not be used to encourage people to practise unsafe sex. Gordon Gallup and colleagues ...
US cities' Wi-Fi dreams fading fast
Post Date: 2007-09-23 01:18:52 by robin
12 Comments
Ambitious plans for big Wi-Fi networks to provide free or low-cost wireless Internet access are being abandoned or scaled back by US cities as the economics of the deals turn out to be more challenging than expected. San Francisco and Chicago in recent weeks abruptly halted plans to set up municipal Wi-Fi networks while Internet giant Earthlink, a partner for a number of cities, has begun a reorganization that will limit new projects. Wi-Fi, one of the most popular standards for wireless Internet access, had been seen as a means of connecting more people at a relatively low cost, and city leaders across the United States had been rushing to use the technology for "digital ...
Too Many Tumors for VeriChip's Chips
Post Date: 2007-09-22 11:03:11 by Mister Clean
18 Comments
Too Many Tumors for VeriChip's Chips http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2007/09/11/too-many-tumors-for-verichips-chips.aspx Jack Uldrich September 11, 2007 Over the weekend, the AP published a damaging article linking VeriChip's (Nasdaq: CHIP) implantable chip technology in animals to cancerous tumors. According to the story, three separate studies between 1996 and 2006 found malignant tumors developing near implanted radio frequency identification (RFID) chips. In one German study, the authors even wrote that the tumors were "clearly due to the implanted microchips." Innocent until proven guilty ... mostly It's important to note that the findings are preliminary. ...
Run away the ray-gun is coming : We test US army's new secret weapon
Post Date: 2007-09-19 19:30:21 by robin
11 Comments
Run away the ray-gun is coming : We test US army's new secret weaponBy MICHAEL HANLON - More by this author » Last updated at 23:21pm on 18th September 2007 Comments (22) Modern face of warfare: The Silent Guardian "Where do I put my finger? There ... OK? Nothing's happening ... is it on?" "Yes, it's on. Move your finger a bit closer." "Er ... ow! OW!" Not good. I try again. "OWWW!" I pull my hand away sharpish. My finger is throbbing, but seems undamaged. I was told people can take it for a second, maximum. No way, not for a wimp like me. I try it again. It is a bit like touching a red-hot wire, but there is no heat, only ...
Mozilla creating a foundation to improve email
Post Date: 2007-09-18 19:56:53 by Zipporah
4 Comments
Mozilla creating a foundation to improve email Posted by Cory Doctorow, September 17, 2007 10:54 PM | # | Discuss (0) Al sez, "The Mozilla Foundation, which is the parent entity to the Mozilla Corporation, the maker of Firefox, is forming a new corporation to 'improve e-mail and internet communication', according to Mitchell Baker." The goals for the new company are: * Take care of Thunderbird users * Move Thunderbird forward to provide better, deeper email solutions * Create a better user experience for a range of Internet communications -- how does / should email work with IM, RSS, VoIP, SMS, site-specific email, etc? * Spark the types of community ...
Dear Baby Boomers of America
Post Date: 2007-09-18 14:45:04 by ghostdogtxn
8 Comments
Mystery illness strikes after meteorite hits Peruvian village [they're here...]
Post Date: 2007-09-18 10:47:29 by a vast rightwing conspirator
3 Comments
Mystery illness strikes after meteorite hits Peruvian village Mon Sep 17, 11:23 PM ET Villagers in southern Peru were struck by a mysterious illness after a meteorite made a fiery crash to Earth in their area, regional authorities said Monday. Around midday Saturday, villagers were startled by an explosion and a fireball that many were convinced was an airplane crashing near their remote village, located in the high Andes department of Puno in the Desaguadero region, near the border with Bolivia. Residents complained of headaches and vomiting brought on by a "strange odor," local health department official Jorge Lopez told Peruvian radio RPP. Seven policemen who went to ...
The sweet smell of testosterone, or not
Post Date: 2007-09-16 20:23:42 by robin
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Smell is in the nose of the beholder as much as beauty is in the eye, according to a study released Sunday showing for the first time that variations in a single gene can determine whether a scent is perceived as fair or foul. It has long been known that smell and taste -- which are essentially the same thing -- are highly subjective. The fragrance that one person finds sublime could make someone else queasy, and one man's wine of the gods can be another man's plonk. A third person might not smell anything at all. But the exact mechanism accounting for these differences has remained largely a mystery, though genes were known to play a role. The US study, published online in the ...
Big Brother is watching us all
Post Date: 2007-09-16 14:16:40 by robin
2 Comments
Big Brother is watching us all By Humphrey Hawksley BBC News, Washington The US and UK governments are developing increasingly sophisticated gadgets to keep individuals under their surveillance. When it comes to technology, the US is determined to stay ahead of the game. Humphrey Hawksley's data is captured by a camera in one second "Five nine, five ten," said the research student, pushing down a laptop button to seal the measurement. "That's your height." "Spot on," I said. "OK, we're freezing you now," interjected another student, studying his computer screen. "So we ...
Tell-All PCs and Phones Transforming Divorce
Post Date: 2007-09-16 01:30:54 by kiki
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The age-old business of breaking up has taken a decidedly Orwellian turn, with digital evidence like e-mail messages, traces of Web site visits and mobile telephone records now permeating many contentious divorce cases. Spurned lovers steal each other’s BlackBerrys. Suspicious spouses hack into each other’s e-mail accounts. They load surveillance software onto the family PC, sometimes discovering shocking infidelities. Divorce lawyers routinely set out to find every bit of private data about their clients’ adversaries, often hiring investigators with sophisticated digital forensic tools to snoop into household computers. “In just about every case now, to some extent, ...
Star Wars Speech (from August 2005)
Post Date: 2007-09-15 23:29:14 by kiki
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AWC Conference, August 2-5, 2005 (Association of World Citizens) Scholars have long commented on the U.S. government's need for an "endless frontier" - a substitute for the mythologized Wild West. A place Americans can explore, conquer, and dominate, and where riches and profits can be plundered. With the official closing of the continental western frontier in 1890 and the ongoing exploitation of Alaska's resources, space truly represents the "final frontier." The current Bush administration's plan to weaponize space and seize the new high-tech military "high ground" poses perhaps the greatest threat to humankind in the 21st century. The ...
Ancient whale fall from California's Aņo Nuevo Island one of youngest, most complete known
Post Date: 2007-09-15 01:21:26 by farmfriend
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Contact: Robert Sanders rsanders@berkeley.edu 510-643-6998 University of California - Berkeley Ancient whale fall from California's Año Nuevo Island one of youngest, most complete known 11 million to 15 million-year-old fossil whale puts limit on origin of oily, buoyant bones in whales Berkeley -- A fossilized whale skeleton excavated 20 years ago amid the stench and noise of a seabird and elephant seal rookery on California's Año Nuevo Island turns out to be the youngest example on the Pacific coast of a fossil whale fall and the first in California, according to University of California, Berkeley, paleontologists. Whale falls, first recognized in the 1980s, are ...
The End Of The World?
Post Date: 2007-09-14 23:41:34 by Horse
5 Comments
We are all looking at the end of the world as we know it. Our attention is focused on the holes in the ozone layer, planet warming, peak oil, the spread of DU weapons, the collapse of the house of credit cards, and the prospect of the planetary financial elite quickly establishing fascist control of the planet. Below this threshold of conscious awareness our biological survival systems are rapidly eroding. At this point some twenty percent of the planet’s soils erode each twenty-five year period. Each year at least two hundred thousand acres of irrigated crop-lands go out of production because of salinization or water-logging and experts say that sixty to eighty percent of all ...
The Corrs - Canto Allo Vita (A Duet With Josh Groban).
Post Date: 2007-09-13 22:09:14 by tom007
1 Comments
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