AP - Pushed by an ill-timed trough of low pressure, Hurricane Earl is heading uncomfortably close to an area relatively few hurricanes tend to go: the Northeast coastline.
UN: Climate funds shouldn't divert poverty aid
(AP)
AP - The U.N.'s climate chief says poor countries are right to expect that any funding they receive to combat global warming be kept separate from development aid or poverty relief.
Famed Tasmanian devil euthanized after tumor found
(AP)
AP - A Tasmanian devil named Cedric, once thought to be immune to a contagious facial cancer threatening the iconic creatures with extinction, has been euthanized after succumbing to the disease, researchers said Wednesday.
Hair Gives a Heads-Up On Heart Attack Risk
(LiveScience.com)
LiveScience.com - Stress may make you want to pull out your hair, but those tresses could be the key to measuring just how much stress you're under, according to a new study.
BP oil spill costs hit $8 billion as ends rig probe
(Reuters)
Reuters - BP Plc said the cost of dealing with its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had risen to $8 billion as the oil giant prepared to release the findings of an internal probe into the causes of the disaster.
NASA Aims to Plunge Car-Sized Probe Into the Sun
(SPACE.com)
SPACE.com - NASA is
developing an ambitious new mission to plunge a car-sized probe directly into
the sun's atmosphere, boldly going where no spacecraft has gone before.
Will Aging Chimps Get to Retire, or Face Medical Research?A move of some of 186 chimpanzees to a research center in Texas has spurred outrage among animal rights advocates, primate experts and politicians.
Finding Suggests New Aim for Alzheimer?s DrugsA discovery by Paul Greengard, an 84-year-old scientist and Nobel winner, has illuminated a new direction.
They Crawl, They Bite, They Baffle ScientistsAsk experts why bedbugs disappeared for 40 years, why they came back, why they don?t spread disease, and you hear one answer: ?Good question.?
Nobel Winners Sign Letter Backing Obama Space PlanThe letter expresses support for the president?s proposed strategy for NASA and criticizes cuts contained in a NASA authorization bill now before the House.
Advances Offer Path to Further Shrink Computer ChipsResearchers say they can overcome a barrier to the continued rapid miniaturization of computer memory.
Scientist at Work: Dr. Donald A. Redelmeier: Think the Answer?s Clear? Look AgainDr. Donald A. Redelmeier?s work has debunked preconceived notions and revealed some deep truths about the predictors of longevity, the organization of health care and the workings of the medical mind.
Hungry Elephants Are No Match for Fearless AntsTalk about your David and Goliath story: ant colonies have found a way to ward elephants away from their turf with painful, precise attacks.
Yellowstone Hot Spot Shreds Ancient Pacific OceanA new study has found that the mantle plume that feeds Yellowstone's famous geysers is even more powerful than anyone ever thought.
NPR: Keeping Trapped Chilean Miners Sane (Featuring Discovery News)In response to the article "Can NASA Help Trapped Chilean Miners?", Discovery News space producer Ian O'Neill was asked to appear as a guest on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" program.
Vietnam's Illegal Wildlife Trade ExposedOver 850 pounds of illegal wildlife from nearly 20 species was just seized from restaurants in Vietnam, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Human-Like Brain Found in WormFor the first time, a structure comparable to our cerebral cortex has been found in an invertebrate -- a humble marine ragworm.
Brainy worms: Scientists uncover counterpart of cerebral cortex in marine wormsUnexpectedly, scientists have now discovered a true counterpart of the cerebral cortex in an invertebrate, a marine worm. Their findings give an idea of what the most ancient higher brain centers looked like, and what our distant ancestors used them for.
Capsaicin can act as co-carcinogen, study finds; Chili pepper component linked to skin cancerNew research links capsaicin, a component of chili peppers, to skin cancer. While the molecular mechanisms of the cancer-promoting effects of capsaicin are not clear and remain controversial, the new research has shown a definite connection to formation of skin cancer through various laboratory studies.
Cranberry juice shows promise blocking Staph infectionsExpanding their scope of study on the mechanisms of bacterial infection, researchers have reported the surprise finding from a small clinical study that cranberry juice cocktail blocked a strain of Staphylococcus aureus from beginning the process of infection.
Cancer-causing gene crucial in stem cell development, study findsA research team has shown for the first time that a gene called Myc, which is traditionally thought of as a cancer-causing gene, may be far more important in the development and persistence of stem cells than was known before.
Computer technique could help partially sighted 'see' betterThousands of people who are partially sighted following stroke or brain injury could gain greater independence from a simple, cheap and accessible training course which could eventually be delivered from their mobile phones or hand-held games consoles, according to a new study.
Science's policy clout diminished, but oil risk looms large, study findsMore people are likely to believe scientific studies claiming that oil drilling is riskier, not safer, than was previously thought, according to a new study of attitudes in California. What's more the findings show that scientists' efforts to influence public opinion have a limited effect.
Miniature auto differential helps tiny aerial robots stay aloftEngineers have created a millionth-scale automobile differential to govern the flight of minuscule aerial robots that could someday be used to probe environmental hazards, forest fires, and other places too perilous for people. Their new approach is the first to passively balance the aerodynamic forces encountered by these miniature flying devices, letting their wings flap asymmetrically in response to gusts of wind, wing damage, and other real-world impediments.
25 Pictures of Rockets Being Launched
The title is a little deceptive in that there are certainly other weapons being fired in some of these images. Nonetheless, I found these images stunning, and
Historic NASA Photos [PICS From the Archive]
NASA has partnered with The Commons on Flickr and the Internet Archive to make a collection of 180 historic photos available for public viewing. The photos are arranged into three sections – Building NASA, Launch/Takeoff and NASA Center Namesakes. We’ve compiled some of the photos below but head on over to the NASA Flickr stream for the whole collection. The photos are also available, along with thousands more, on the NASA Images website.
New Research Challenges Marijuana Gateway Theory
The widespread belief that marijuana users will eventually and inevitably move on to harder drugs has yet more evidence against it with the release of a new study. Whether teenagers who smoked pot will use other illegal drugs as young adults has a lot more to do with factors such as employment status and stress, according to the new research.
Mass Extinction Threat: Earth on Verge of Huge Reset Button?
The most species-rich groups of animals don't necessarily rebound after a mass extinction event.
Hawking: God Not Needed for Universe to be Created
Physicist Stephen Hawking has written a new book called The Grand Design. In it Hawking says that the universe’s beginnings – or the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics and that God wasn’t needed to “light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."
Curious Whales Check Out Photographers with Stunning Results
Reaching sizes of up to 80 feet long and 150 tons, whales are some of the oceans' most varied and majestic creatures -- and they're also some of its most endangered: Of the 11 species of great whales, at least nine have been severely impacted by years of whaling, according to Sea World.
But while whales can be aggressive at times, they are more often gentle, curious creatures -- and likely to check out foreign objects in the water, including boats and photographers.
Right Whale This massive right whale came up to wildlife photographer Brian Skerry with "great curiosity, but no aggression," he told The Daily Mail, when he was working underwater off the Auckland Islands.
Fully-grown right whales are around 55 feet long and weigh nearly 70 tons, and are usually black with patches of rough skin known as callosities on their head.
Though endangered right whales live all over the world, scientists believe there are no more than 350 of them left in the North Atlantic, 100 in the North Pacific, and a few thousand in the Southern Hemisphere.
Photo via The Daily Mail
... Read the full story on TreeHugger
As the first findings start to arrive from the Hubble Space Telescope since its repair last year, researchers are shedding new light on one of our nearest and most exciting supernova neighbours as they resume tracking its explosive history.
Supernovae form when a massive star explodes at the end of its life. [More]
Physics of free kicks: The hidden advantage of long-distance soccer shots
When Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos struck a powerful free-kick from about 30 meters out in a 1997 international match against France, he could not have known that scientists would still be discussing his feat more than a dozen years later. Indeed, he could not even have known that the ball would improbably find the back of the net . But find the net it did, swinging well wide of a wall of French defenders, hooking viciously to the left, and glancing off the inside of the goalpost. The French goalkeeper could only turn and watch in apparent disbelief as the ball came to rest in his goal. [More]
Rabbit Rest: Can Lab-grown Human Skin Replace Animals in Toxicity Testing?
It likely comes as no surprise that many common household chemicals and medical products as well as industrial and agricultural chemicals, may irritate human skin temporarily or, worse, cause permanent, corrosive burns. In order to prevent undue harm regulators in the U.S. and beyond require safety testing of many substances to identify their potential hazards and to ensure that the appropriate warning label appears on a product. Traditionally, such skin tests have been done on live animals--although in recent decades efforts to develop humane approaches , along with ones that are more relevant to people have resulted in new models based on laboratory-grown human skin.
The most recent chapter of this ongoing effort was written on July 22 when the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)--an international group that, among other things, provides guidelines to its 32-member countries on methods to assess chemical safety--officially approved three commercially available in vitro models of human skin for use in chemical testing. Specifically, the new guideline ( OECD Test No. 439 ) stipulates that the models can serve as an alternative to animals in tests for skin irritation, one of several human health endpoints for which chemicals are tested. Similar 3-D models were approved for corrosion tests in 2004, leaving many hopeful that soon it may be possible to the assess the full spectrum of a chemical's effects on human skin--from irritation to corrosion--without using live animals.
We all know that elephants aren’t really scared of mice. But a new study shows that they’re really not crazy about something even smaller: ants. In fact, elephants dislike ants so much that they avoid acacia trees that harbor the tiny, six-legged nectar-suckers. [More]
Asteroid Diversity: Mixed Bag of Space Rocks Found Near EarthA new survey of asteroids near Earth shows these space rocks are a mixed bag, with some shiny and bright, others dark and dull.
Starburst Galaxy Unleashes Gassy 'Superwind'A striking galaxy buzzing with energetic star formation takes center stage in a new photograph that showcases an unusual "superwind" of out-flowing gas.
Hurricane Earl Photographed From Space by AstronautA space station astronaut has photographed Hurricane Earl as it heads towards the U.S. coast as a powerful Category 4 storm.
NASA Aims to Plunge Car-Sized Probe Into the SunNASA is developing a mission to plunge a car-sized probe directly into the sun's atmosphere, exploring a region no spacecraft has ever visited.
Labor Day Weekend for Astronauts: Space Toilet Cleaning and ExerciseThe astronauts aboard the International Space Station won't be throwing any burgers on the grill this Labor Day, but at least they'll get the holiday off.
Supernova Blast Wave Could Shape Galaxy EvolutionA new glimpse of a well-known supernova could provide new clues about how dying stars affect their surroundings.
Technique to trace persistent CFCsUltrafine measurements of atmospheric gases could help scientists track down the last sources of CFCs thought to be slowing the recovery of the ozone layer.
Openness urged on UK's emissionsThe government's chief environment scientist calls for more openness in admitting the UK's cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are an illusion.
'Lights out' help migratory birdsA growing number of New York sky-scrapers switch off their lights at night to help reduce the number of migratory birds hitting the buildings.
Miracle free-kick 'was no fluke'Physicists explain one of football's most spectacular free-kicks, showing that Roberto Carlos's 1997 "impossible goal" was not a fluke.
Ants protect trees from elephantsA species of acacia tree found in Eastern Africa seems to be protected from elephant damage - by the ants that live on it.
BP says oil spill cost up to $8bnBP says the cost of its Gulf of Mexico oil spill has risen to $8bn - a rise of more than $2bn in the last month alone.
Mars Science Lab launch delayed two yearsNASA's launch of the Mars Science Laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011, NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday in Washington.
Shuttle lands at California air baseNASA officials Sunday waved off the first opportunity for space shuttle Endeavour to return to Earth, citing poor weather conditions.
Indian lunar orbiter hit by heat riseScientists have switched off several on-board instruments to halt rising temperatures inside India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft.
Stem cells reverse blindness caused by chemical burns Dozens of people who were blinded or otherwise suffered severe eye damage when they were splashed with caustic chemicals had their sight restored with transplants of their own stem cells, Italian researchers reported Wednesday.
Group seeks endangered listing for Franklin's bumblebeeA conservation group filed a petition Wednesday to add a bumblebee from Southern Oregon and Northern California to the endangered species list.
Ask USA TODAY WeatherWhich direction do storms usually travel? Could global warming cause more thunderstorms? Why does humidity decrease as temperature increases? What's the difference between a wind storm and a winter storm? What will the weather be like in Pennsylvania on the 4th of July weekend? Is it safe during a thunderstorm to sleep in your bed if there is a window in your room? These and other weather questions are answered in our online weather Q and A column.
Nations fail to agree on curbing Japan whale hunt Japanese officials and environmentalists traded blame Wednesday as nations failed to reach a deal to curb whale hunts by Japan, Norway and Icelandcountries that kill hundreds of whales every year.
Not just oil: Methane gas may cause 'dead zones' in GulfOceanographers say methane 10,000 to 100,000 times higher than normal near the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are depleting oxygen in the water.
Jimmy Buffett's Gulf rescue mission: Saving marine life Singer is bringing specially designed boats to the Gulf of Mexico to rescue animals from the oil spill.
Solar Probe+ to Plunge Directly … to Sun's AtmosphereNASA's daring plan to visit the sun took a giant leap forward today with the selection of five key science investigations for the Solar Probe+ spacecraft.
Kepler Discovers Multiple Planets … ing a Single StarNASA's Kepler spacecraft has discovered two Saturn-sized planets transiting the same sun-like star. The same system might contain a third world--a hot "super-Earth" one and a half times the size of Earth--but this is not yet confirmed. Researchers announced the results today at a NASA press conference.
The Mutating Mars HoaxWarning: The Mars Hoax is back--and it's mutating! Read today's story from Science@NASA to find out what's really going to happen in the night sky on August 27th.
Countdown to VestaNASA's Dawn spacecraft is now less than a year away from giant asteroid Vesta. Today's story from Science@NASA offers a sneak preview of an "alien, unexplored world" that seems sure to amaze.
Japanese Spacecraft Approaches VenusA Japanese spacecraft named "Akatsuki" is approaching Venus on a mission that planetary scientists say could end up teaching us a great deal about our own planet Earth.
Planets Align for the Perseid Meteor ShowerMark your calendar: On Thursday, August 12th, an alignment of planets in the sunset sky will kick off the finest meteor shower of 2010, the Perseids.
Spirit May Never Phone Home AgainNASA is hoping for a 'miracle from Mars' as mission controllers wait to hear from Spirit. The rover is trying to survive its toughest winter yet, and may never phone home again.
Ultraluminous Gamma Ray Burst 080607 ? A "Monster in the Dark"Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are among the most energetic phenomena astronomers regularly observe. These events are triggered by massive explosions and a large amount of the energy if focused into narrow beams that sweep across the universe. These beams are so tightly concentrated that they can be seen across the visible universe and allow astronomers [...]
Shedding Light on Dark Gamma Ray Bursts
Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are among the most energetic phenomena astronomers regularly observe. These events are triggered by massive explosions and a large amount of the energy if focused into narrow beams that sweep across the universe. These beams are so tightly concentrated that they can be seen across the visible universe and allow astronomers to probe the universe's history. If such an event happened in our galaxy and we stood in the path of the beam, the effects would be pronounced and may lead to large extinctions. Yet one of the most energetic GRBs on record (GRB 080607) was shrouded in cloud of gas and dust dimming the blast by a factor of 20 – 200, depending on the wavelength. Despite this strong veil, the GRB was still bright enough to be detected by small optical telescopes for over an hour. So what can this hidden monster tell astronomers about ancient galaxies and GRBs in general?(...) Read the rest of Ultraluminous Gamma Ray Burst 080607 – A "Monster in the Dark" (459 words)
Near Earth Asteroids Vary Widely in Composition, OriginFrom the Spitzer website: New research from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals that asteroids somewhat near Earth, termed near-Earth objects, are a mixed bunch, with a surprisingly wide array of compositions. Like a piñata filled with everything from chocolates to fruity candies, these asteroids come in assorted colors and compositions. Some are dark and dull; [...]
The asteroid Eros, as seen by the NEAR mission. Credit: NASA
New research from NASA's Spitzer SpaceTelescope reveals that asteroids somewhat near Earth, termed near-Earth objects, are a mixed bunch, with a surprisingly wide array of compositions. Like a piñata filled with everything from chocolates to fruity candies, these asteroids come in assorted colors and compositions. Some are dark and dull; others are shiny and bright. The Spitzer observations of 100 known near-Earth asteroids demonstrate that the objects' diversity is greater than previously thought.
Supernova Spews Its Guts Across SpaceThe recently refurbished Hubble Space Telescope has taken a new look at Supernova 1987A and its famous "String of Pearls," a glowing ring 6 trillion miles in diameter encircling the supernova remnant. The sharper and clearer images are allowing astronomers to see the “innards” of the star being ejected into space following the explosion, and [...]
The recently refurbished Hubble SpaceTelescope has taken a new look at Supernova 1987A and its famous "String of Pearls," a glowing ring 6 trillion miles in diameter encircling the supernova remnant. The sharper and clearer images are allowing astronomers to see the “innards” of the star being ejected into space following the explosion, and comparing the new images with ones taken previously provides a unique glimpse of a young supernova remnant as it evolves. They found significant brightening of the object over time, and also evident is how the shock wave from the star’s explosion has expanded and rebounded. (...) Read the rest of Supernova Spews Its Guts Across Space (635 words)
Downloadable Shuttle Tribute PostersNASA has put out a collection of tribute posters to the Space Shuttle fleet that celebrates the contributions to human space flight of Columbia, Atlantis, Discovery, Challenger and Endeavour. Large versions of these posters now hang in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Click on each [...]
Atlantis tribute poster. Credit: NASA
NASA has put out a collection of tribute posters to the Space Shuttle fleet that celebrates the contributions to human space flight of Columbia, Atlantis, Discovery, Challenger and Endeavour. Large versions of these posters now hang in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Click on each image for a larger version that you can download.
Oh Canada! Hadfield Named First Canadian Commander of ISSCongratulations to one of our favorite astronauts, Chris Hadfield from Canada. Today NASA and the Canadian Space Agency announced Hadfield will be heading to the International Space Station in 2012, serving as Flight Engineer for Expedition 34, and then transitioning to Commander midway through his 6-month stay when Expedition 35 begins. Hadfield will be the [...]
Congratulations to one of our favorite astronauts, Chris Hadfield from Canada. Today NASA and the Canadian Space Agency announced Hadfield will be heading to the International Space Station in 2012, serving as Flight Engineer for Expedition 34, and then transitioning to Commander midway through his 6-month stay when Expedition 35 begins. Hadfield will be the first Canadian to serve as Commander for the ISS. His ebullient style and passion for space exploration — evident in the video above from today's announcement (Hadfield speaks in both French and English, so don't worry if you're not fluent in one or the other) should make for a lively and enlightening time on the ISS.
Hawking: God Not Needed for Universe to be CreatedPhysicist Stephen Hawking has written a new book called "The Grand Design." While the title might seem like Hawking could be delving more into the “mind of God” that he alluded to in his earlier book, “A Brief History of Time,” Hawking actually says that the universe’s beginnings – or the "Big Bang" was an [...]
Physicist Stephen Hawking has written a new book called "The Grand Design." While the title might seem like Hawking could be delving more into the “mind of God” that he alluded to in his earlier book, “A Brief History of Time,” Hawking actually says that the universe’s beginnings – or the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics and that God wasn’t needed to “light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." (...) Read the rest of Hawking: God Not Needed for Universe to be Created (310 words)
NASA & ATK Turn Sand to Glass With DM-2 Test The deserts of Promontory, Utah came alive with fire as NASA and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) tested the Development Motor-2 (DM-2). The five-segment, first-stage of the Ares rocket was activated at 9:27 a.m. MDT on Aug. 31. The still morning air surrendered its silence to the sound of unleashed technological thunder. The surrounding countryside was [...]
The deserts of Promontory, Utah came alive with fire as NASA and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) tested the Development Motor-2 (DM-2). The five-segment, first-stage of the Ares rocket was activated at 9:27 a.m. MDT on Aug. 31. The still morning air surrendered its silence to the sound of unleashed technological thunder. The surrounding countryside was bathed in the colors of flame as a huge plume of hot exhaust and smoke shot out the back of the solid motor. However, ATK was racking up another successful test – to a system with a future in doubt.(...) Read the rest of NASA & ATK Turn Sand to Glass With DM-2 Test (831 words)
The International Conference on Sustainable System and the Environment
March 23rd and 24th, 2011. American University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) [The] Committee is looking for original papers on topic addressing issues in sustainability research and education. The conference represents an excellent opportunity for participants to hear from researchers, academic experts, educators and practitioners about the latest developments in sustainable systems.
(More information and the Call for Papers can be found here.)
Geoff Parker
July 10th-17th, Beijing (China): Integrated River Basin Management Workshop at Peking University.
(Sponsored by Research Councils UK; Organized by PKU and The University of Sheffield)
An old friend sent me a link to this amazing panoramic shot of Dubai, that stiches together a 45 gigapixel view of the area.
Oddly enough, I had been toying around with some panoramic shots of my own recently. There’s something about the desert I think that calls for them — probably the combination of the length and visibility of a largely pristine horizon. I’m still sorting through those photos for another project, but maybe I’ll post a few of them on here later.
CBC has a very simple user-controlled visualization up of the oil slick dispersion in the Gulf of Mexico over the last week:
“Drag your mouse to the left of the photograph to see the area on [Sunday] April 25. Drag it right to see the spill as it existed on Thursday [April 29th]. (NASA)”
Their implementation is in a SWF, but it probably would be quite doable in a variety of other ways. I think the thing I like the best is how simple and effective it is, so I’m reluctant to suggest adding complexity. It might however be interesting to see what information could be added or adjusted using, for instance, the vertical mouse movement or scroll wheel.
A simpler change I would make to the interface is to have moving the cursor from the right side of the image to the left move the image forward in time, rather than the reverse. This feels more intuitive, like flipping through a book, which is the closest analogy I can come up with.
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