Science and Exploration

[Corkey]

I had no where I could find to put this, so if you have any scientific or exploration discoveries or interesting articles, feel free to drop them here.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110101/sc_livescience/fossilizedbirdbrainsmayyieldsecretoffirstflights

[Corkey]

I posted this elsewhere but I think it belongs here.


http://news.discovery.com/earth/pale-blue-dot.html

[sharkchomp]

Great thread Corkey!

Being a weather buff, I like this site.

www.tornadovideos.net

~~~shark~~~~~~~~

[Bit]

Cool thread idea, Corkey! I loved the pale blue dot.

[katsarecool]

Great idea for a thread! I totally dig science!

[Corkey]

This from Nat. Geo.


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/12/101229-bees-collapse-viruses-animals-science/

[Corkey]

This out of Nat. Geo. as well.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/photogalleries/101006-papua-new-guinea-species-tube-nosed-bat-science-animal-pictures

[Ryobi]

OH WOW!!!! My head is now spinning with all the coolness I just read about. (most of it cool) I think I would like to see one of those pink eyed, pink footed things.

Thanks Corkey, great thread.

[Corkey]

OH WOW!!!! My head is now spinning with all the coolness I just read about. (most of it cool) I think I would like to see one of those pink eyed, pink footed things.

Thanks Corkey, great thread.

Frogfish...I know!

[Bit]

That feather-tailed possum was heart-meltingly cute!

[Ryobi]

http://news.discovery.com/tech/movies-special-effects-physics-101230.html

[Ryobi]

http://news.discovery.com/tech/scientists-create-artificial-skin.html

[Corkey]

As I sit here freezing my tush off, we really are in a global melt down.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/antarctica-gallery/

[Corkey]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jSWJ6ZDpU6TckyuUSj9mftwfsE9g?docId=401bdc4db 9f949008c5fd5035f16a45e


The little robot that could, perhaps can't any longer.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110102/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_chile_earthquake

Shake n' bake for Chile.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110102/wl_asia_afp/chinarussiaspacemars_20110102053738

Space race 2.0

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_med_cancer_blood_test

Good news on the cancer front.

[Corkey]

http://www.onearth.org/gallery/photos-designs-for-a-vertical-farm

Some of these designs are really architecturally exciting.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110103/ts_yblog_thelookout/explorers-discover-spectacular-caves-in-vietnam

Way cool!

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110105/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_turtles__journey

[Corkey]

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/tcmar/notre_dame_scientists_publish.html

This is a real problem for our Great Lakes region.

[Passionaria]

Yosemite Nature Notes - Episode 9 - Frazil Ice


9V9p4mFEYXc

[Corkey]

Break through in solar powered flight.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/5034/Overview?source=email_channel#tab-Videos

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110110/ap_on_sc/us_sci_space_blob

Just released from Hubble

[Liam]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110110/ap_on_sc/us_sci_space_blob

Just released from Hubble

I think it is awesome that this was discovered by a woman!

[shadows papa]

The newest generation of the "bionic" ankle. It has an internal drive motor that almost perfectly mimics the actions of dorsiflexion/plantar flexion and inversion/eversion of a natural ankle over uneven terrain and up and down stairs....fascinating
http://www.andersonprosthetics.com/images/to_use/bionic_ankle_lg.jpg

[Corkey]

I think it is awesome that this was discovered by a woman!


Yep and this is the second look at the star nursery, first time it was blue, now its green, I know it has something to do with the light source of the quasar that it resides next to, but still fascinating stuff.

[Corkey]

The newest generation of the "bionic" ankle. It has an internal drive motor that almost perfectly mimics the actions of dorsiflexion/plantar flexion and inversion/eversion of a natural ankle over uneven terrain and up and down stairs....fascinating
http://www.andersonprosthetics.com/images/to_use/bionic_ankle_lg.jpg

I hope some of our wounded troops get these that need them at a reduced cost.:hangloose:

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110113/sc_livescience/34000yearoldorganismsfoundburiedalive

Fascinating.

[Corkey]

Ok science geeks, must watch NGO tonight, solar flight!!!!!

[Corkey]

I'm thinking of the return energy from the props, put a generator on the spin and add it back to the batteries...yes? Solar and kinetic. Where's AJ when I need her?

[dreadgeek]

I'm thinking of the return energy from the props, put a generator on the spin and add it back to the batteries...yes? Solar and kinetic. Where's AJ when I need her?

The idea of a solar airplane is really beautiful! I'll have to watch the show. As far as your idea, unfortunately, it's a perpetual motion machine. Because there's friction, you will *always* lose some amount of energy whenever you do work--as it is defined in physics. For our purposes here, work means "keeping an airplane flying". No matter how efficient we make the propellers or how efficient we make the solar panels, the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics absolutely prevent the kind of thing you're describing.

I had to think about it for a while and toss the idea around with my wife but here's why it won't work.

Let's say it takes 50 units of energy to move a plane with enough forward motion to stay flying and the solar panels generate 100 units of energy. The excess can go into the batteries. If I understand what you're describing, all 100 units from the solar panels go to the propellers but the motion of the propellers generates energy. That would mean that you would get more energy out of a system than you put in. The problem is friction.

Even if we had *perfect* solar cells that got 100% efficiency out of solar capture and could build the propeller mechanism in such a manner that it was and efficient as is possible, there would still be friction of the propellers hitting the air. That means that it takes a small bit of energy to overcome that friction. That energy is lost.

Your idea is beautiful and elegant but the universe simply doesn't allow it.

Cheers
Aj

[dreadgeek]

I'm thinking of the return energy from the props, put a generator on the spin and add it back to the batteries...yes? Solar and kinetic. Where's AJ when I need her?

By the way thank you for asking me to come to this thread.

Cheers
Aj

[Corkey]

The idea of a solar airplane is really beautiful! I'll have to watch the show. As far as your idea, unfortunately, it's a perpetual motion machine. Because there's friction, you will *always* lose some amount of energy whenever you do work--as it is defined in physics. For our purposes here, work means "keeping an airplane flying". No matter how efficient we make the propellers or how efficient we make the solar panels, the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics absolutely prevent the kind of thing you're describing.

I had to think about it for a while and toss the idea around with my wife but here's why it won't work.

Let's say it takes 50 units of energy to move a plane with enough forward motion to stay flying and the solar panels generate 100 units of energy. The excess can go into the batteries. If I understand what you're describing, all 100 units from the solar panels go to the propellers but the motion of the propellers generates energy. That would mean that you would get more energy out of a system than you put in. The problem is friction.

Even if we had *perfect* solar cells that got 100% efficiency out of solar capture and could build the propeller mechanism in such a manner that it was and efficient as is possible, there would still be friction of the propellers hitting the air. That means that it takes a small bit of energy to overcome that friction. That energy is lost.

Your idea is beautiful and elegant but the universe simply doesn't allow it.

Cheers
Aj

Thanks AJ, I was also thinking that the kinetic energy only had to last until the solar cells could re power the batteries, so even if say 5% kinetic energy were lost to friction, 95% of the energy would still remain to energize the batteries/hour of darkness. Now I'm not math minded, but it seems that 5% x 9 or 10/hours of darkness would still mean that there would be at least enough left to power the batteries, and then if solar and kinetic were used in unison, would not the loss of friction be less and therefore power more of the batteries than solar alone? Sorry to be a pest but I'm so removed from physics by age it's a bit daunting.

[dreadgeek]

Thanks AJ, I was also thinking that the kinetic energy only had to last until the solar cells could re power the batteries, so even if say 5% kinetic energy were lost to friction, 95% of the energy would still remain to energize the batteries/hour of darkness. Now I'm not math minded, but it seems that 5% x 9 or 10/hours of darkness would still mean that there would be at least enough left to power the batteries, and then if solar and kinetic were used in unison, would not the loss of friction be less and therefore power more of the batteries than solar alone? Sorry to be a pest but I'm so removed from physics by age it's a bit daunting.

You're not being a pest at all, brother. Here's the thing (I'm going to try to spare you as much math as I can here) if the solar cells are used to power the propellers and then anything *not* used for that purpose is stored in the batteries that's perfectly legal according to the laws of thermodynamics. If, on the other hand, all of the energy from the solar cells goes to the props and then the turning of the propeller generates its own energy, you're actually getting more energy in. Remember that thrust is work and in *any* system, no matter how efficient you can imagine it being, where work is done some energy is lost.

However, your idea gave me a brainstorm. Imagine a zeppelin where the upper two-thirds was covered in solar panels. Since a lighter than air gas would provide lift, the electric engines would only be needed to provide thrust and internal power. You *still* couldn't get more energy out than you put in, but you would have a relatively cheap means of air travel. It would be slower than jets but I kind of like that idea, actually.

Cheers
Aj

[Corkey]

You're not being a pest at all, brother. Here's the thing (I'm going to try to spare you as much math as I can here) if the solar cells are used to power the propellers and then anything *not* used for that purpose is stored in the batteries that's perfectly legal according to the laws of thermodynamics. If, on the other hand, all of the energy from the solar cells goes to the props and then the turning of the propeller generates its own energy, you're actually getting more energy in. Remember that thrust is work and in *any* system, no matter how efficient you can imagine it being, where work is done some energy is lost.

However, your idea gave me a brainstorm. Imagine a zeppelin where the upper two-thirds was covered in solar panels. Since a lighter than air gas would provide lift, the electric engines would only be needed to provide thrust and internal power. You *still* couldn't get more energy out than you put in, but you would have a relatively cheap means of air travel. It would be slower than jets but I kind of like that idea, actually.

Cheers
Aj

My brain was on overdrive last night thinking about this. If kinetic energy was used to power all of the in flight systems and a small heating system, then it may solve some of the problems. The pilot had to endure night temps of 14*F, what if some of the kinetic energy were to power a small fan heating system? The vents could be open spaces in the wings that permit a flow of air to the pilot, warmed by the power of the spin of the props. It could work to cool the pilot as well by using the ambient air outside as well. And since high altitudes are relatively easier to fly through it wouldn't put too much of a strain on the flight systems, ???

[dark_crystal]

ooooh i been wantin to talk to some geeks about this:

The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era (http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/vinge/misc/singularity.html)

(guy spoke at ALA Midwinter so he's on the librarian hive-mind right now)

I argue in this paper that we are on the edge
of change comparable to the rise of human life on Earth. The precise
cause of this change is the imminent creation by technology of
entities with greater than human intelligence. There are several means
by which science may achieve this breakthrough (and this is another
reason for having confidence that the event will occur):

The development of computers that are "awake" and superhumanly intelligent. (To date, most controversy in thearea of AI relates to whether we can create human equivalence in a machine. But if the answer is "yes, we can", then there is little doubt that beings more intelligent can be constructed thereafter.
Large computer networks (and their associated users) may "wake up" as a superhumanly intelligent entity.
Computer/human interfaces may become so intimate that users may reasonably be considered superhumanly intelligent.
Biological science may find ways to improve upon the naturalhuman intellect.


if it's "Computer/human interfaces become so intimate that users may reasonably be considered superhumanly intelligent" then i am SO DOWN WITH POST-HUMANISM

i have wanted to become a cyborg for years

[Corkey]

I'm not sure I'd want to survive in a post-human world, and technically isn't that an oxymoron?

I think computers will eventually replace the labor industry and then humans will have to find something other than war to occupy themselves. While it may be helpful to have a smart house for example, I like doing certain chores myself, not all 'cause I'm differently abled, but having a computer do most of the things I enjoy takes the fun outta life. But hey I won't make it 30 more years, and I'm fine with that.

[dark_crystal]

I'm not sure I'd want to survive in a post-human world, and technically isn't that an oxymoron?

well, there was totally a pre-human world

idk i have this complicated theory about

the Adam/Eve/Apple/Knowledge story

being code for

Primates/habitat-loss-leading-to-increased-meat-eating-leading-to-brain-development-explosion/knowledge

so now i am enjoying the idea of all of the apocalypse stories being code for the leap to post-human sentience

that's maybe a little woo-woo for this thread but it has its roots in science at least :lol:

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110114/us_yblog_thelookout/was-this-blackbeards-sword

[Corkey]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70E29E20110116

Excellent news for the Buffalo!

[sharkchomp]

That is great news Corkey. It's also a reflection of hard work by scientists biologists that worked hard to get that healthy herd of bison. I saw a documentary on the bison and that disease and the struggles between the cattlemen and park rangers/scientists and biologists. A lot of bison were killed to satisfy cattlemen and the park officials worked so hard to keep the herd within the confines of the park. It's nice to see an American icon get a W (win).

~~~shark~~~~~~~

[Corkey]

All differently abled people MUST see this!!!


http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/paralyzed-man-walks-again-23868851

[Corkey]

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/5337/Overview?source=email_channel#tab-Videos/09548_00

This Thursday night.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110117/wl_asia_afp/japansciencemammoth_20110117104445


I have some serious concerns about this, from the gestation to a live birth, it's going to be very difficult.

[sharkchomp]

Wow the wholly mammoth article was really interesting. I would love to see a real live wholly mammoth, but I can just imagine the controversy it will cause!!!!

~~~shark~~~~~~~~

[Passionaria]

Interview with Maria Alice Campos Friere about the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers Council at the 2007 Bioneers Conference.

On respecting water........
9xU2THiAODc

:rose:

[dreadgeek]

Saw this at Huffington Post and thought I would get a jump on it.


Earth could be getting a second sun, at least temporarily.

Dr. Brad Carter, Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensland, outlined the scenario to news.com.au. Betelgeuse, one of the night sky's brightest stars, is losing mass, indicating it is collapsing. It could run out of fuel and go super-nova at any time.

When that happens, for at least a few weeks, we'd see a second sun, Carter says. There may also be no night during that timeframe.

The Star Wars-esque scenario could happen by 2012, Carter says... or it could take longer. The explosion could also cause a neutron star or result in the formation of a black hole 1300 light years from Earth, reports news.com.au.

But doomsday sayers should be careful about speculation on this one. If the star does go super-nova, Earth will be showered with harmless particles, according to Carter. "They will flood through the Earth and bizarrely enough, even though the supernova we see visually will light up the night sky, 99 per cent of the energy in the supernova is released in these particles that will come through our bodies and through the Earth with absolutely no harm whatsoever," he told news.com.au.

In fact, a neutrino shower could be beneficial to Earth. According to Carter this "star stuff" makes up the universe. "It literally makes things like gold, silver - all the heavy elements - even things like uranium....a star like Betelgeuse is instantly forming for us all sorts of heavy elements and atoms that our own Earth and our own bodies have from long past supernovi," said Carter.

So firstly, if anyone tries to tell you that this has something to do with the Mayan prophecies--it doesn't. IF this star has exploded, it did so 1300 years ago (that's what it means to say that something is 1300 light years away, when you look at some star, you are not seeing it as it is this moment. You are seeing it as it was.). Secondly, even IF it forms a black hole (and that would be the coolest thing EVER if it did) it will have no effect on us. We are altogether too far away for a stellar-mass black hole to capture us (to give you an example for contrast there is a supermassive black hole (several BILLION stellar masses!) at the center of our galaxy. While our solar system orbits that black hole, we are not being drawn into it. So a black hole created from a mere star (even one as massive as Betelgeuse) is no threat to us if it is 1300 l.y. away.

Lastly, don't worry about neutrinos passing through you. Every second of every day, billions of neutrinos pass through the Earth. These particles are so tiny that in order to detect them special detectors have to be built--at the base of abandoned mines, in pools of water.

Cheers
Aj

[MsDemeanor]

The hysterical freak out from this one is going to be fun!! Kinda makes one want to invest in duct tape and canned goods stocks.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110122/sc_afp/scienceclimatewarminggreenlandicesheet

[Corkey]

Tonight on NGO Feathered Dinomorphsis!

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20110127/ap_tr_ge/eu_travel_brief_germany_rescued_statues

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110127/ap_on_sc/us_sci_out_of_africa

Interesting hypothesis.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/gorilla-s-upright-walk-in-the-park-23997727

[lionpaw]

Check out the Discovery channel's archeology news....

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110130/sc_nm/us_quake_chile

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110130/wl_time/08599204515500


In case anyone was interested in the Egyptian artifacts at the Antiquities Museum in Egypt.

[lionpaw]

I have been keeping current on the Egyptian artifacts too. It's a shame as to what happened to some of the artifacts.

[Corkey]

I have been keeping current on the Egyptian artifacts too. It's a shame as to what happened to some of the artifacts.

Dr. Hawass said they can be repaired fairly easily. It is a shame about the mummy heads tho.

[lionpaw]

Dr. Hawass said they can be repaired fairly easily. It is a shame about the mummy heads tho.


Yes, I know.....At least they protected the majority of it....

[Corkey]

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1990226/la_nina_blamed_for_the_blizzard_of_2011/index.html?source=r_science


Just when you thought it was climate change..guess again.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_israel_ancient_church

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110204/sc_livescience/prehistoriccemeteryrevealsmanandfoxwerepals

I have a bit of issue with the conclusions and to the end of the article it is addressed.
To assume the former without taking into account the latter would seem a bit skewed. I would hope more would be discovered as to the spirituality before any conclusions are announced.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110207/hl_afp/britainhealthfluvaccine_20110207093136

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110207/hl_afp/francehealthbabyreproduction

[Corkey]

http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/94276

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/science-15749654/first-3d-images-of-the-sun-24105295#video=24105295

1st 3D images of our sun.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110209/sc_afp/italyarchaeologyhistory

[Corkey]

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110210/APN/1102101271

One more piece of the hominid puzzle.

[lionpaw]

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110210/APN/1102101271

One more piece of the hominid puzzle.


This was a good article...A. sediba intrigues me....

[Corkey]

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110214/APN/1102141167

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110215/ap_on_sc/us_sci_valentine_comet

Hopefully they will be able to fix the problem with Stardust, I really want to see Temple1.

[Corkey]

http://www.anh-usa.org/now-usda-has-deregulated-genetically-engineered-bio-fuel-corn/

Say goodbye to organic corn.

[Ebon]

I thought this was brilliant. I don't know if it's in here already. Beware there are subtitles. This man made a machine that converts plastic into oil. Using tap water and plastic.

qGGabrorRS8

[Corkey]

I thought this was brilliant. I don't know if it's in here already. Beware there are subtitles. This man made a machine that converts plastic into oil. Using tap water and plastic.

qGGabrorRS8

Brilliant!

[lionpaw]

I thought this was brilliant. I don't know if it's in here already. Beware there are subtitles. This man made a machine that converts plastic into oil. Using tap water and plastic.

qGGabrorRS8



That was an awesome video!

[Linus]

If you ever need perspective, check this out: http://primaxstudio.com/stuff/scale_of_universe/

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110220/ap_on_sc/us_sci_cosmic_census

[MsDemeanor]

Is it possible to post something that gives us an idea of what's in the article links? My slow old computer sometimes has issues with links, and it's frustrating to wait and wait and wait for a link to come up just to find out that it's an article I'm not interested in.

Thanks!

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_oil_spill_lingers

Gulf oil spill continues to kill.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110221/wl_afp/philippinesvolcano

Volcano eruption in Philippines.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110221/ap_on_sc/us_med_healthbeat_brain_pacemakers

Brain pacemakers?

[rlin]

http://www.365gay.com/tag/terrifying-science/

this lady has a rather interesting column once a week... and more on her page... check it out if you havent...

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110223/sc_afp/nzealandquakeenvironmentglacier

Ice calving New Zealand.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_arctic_child

Bones of an ancient child found in artic circle.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110226/sc_space/monstersolarstormeruptsonthesun

Massive solar flare, earth not effected.

[lionpaw]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_arctic_child

Bones of an ancient child found in artic circle.

I read the article on it....Fascinating!

[Corkey]

Predator X on NGO now 9pm et.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/nasascientistfindsevidenceofalienlife


Evidence of alien life. NASA.

[Corkey]

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/24870/scientists+amazing+california+discovery+includes+f ishing+tackle+12000+years+old/


12 thousand year old fishing gear found in California.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110307/sc_space/lastchancetospotshuttlediscoveryinthenightskyever

Last chance to see Discovery fly.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110307/ts_alt_afp/usspacebiologyastrobiologynasa_20110307213642

And the debate of "Alien life" continues.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110308/sc_livescience/whalesharkfeedingfrenziesmystifyscientists


Whale sharks off Yucatan.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110310/sc_space/willmarch19supermoontriggernaturaldisasters

Science and the "Super Moon"

[Liam]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110310/sc_space/willmarch19supermoontriggernaturaldisasters

Science and the "Super Moon"

I do hope the volcanos in Yellowstone don't go off. :glasses:

[Corkey]

I do hope the volcanos in Yellowstone don't go off. :glasses:

If they do, it's been a pleasure knowing you...:wine:

[AtLast]

Kewl thread, thanks... subscribing. I will do my best to contribute.



http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/70846/title/Missing_bits_of_DNA_may_define_humans

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_tsunami_atlantis


Atlantis found? NGO special this Sunday.

[Ebon]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_tsunami_atlantis


Atlantis found? NGO special this Sunday.

That's pretty damn cool.

[Corkey]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/12/japan-earthquake-axis-shift-climate-change_n_834985.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Earthquake in Japan shifts axis.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110312/ap_on_re_us/us_fish_die_off

Sardine die off in SoCal.

[Ebon]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/12/japan-earthquake-axis-shift-climate-change_n_834985.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Earthquake in Japan shifts axis.

I think that the whirlpool was interesting. Did they ever say how that happened?

[Corkey]

I think that the whirlpool was interesting. Did they ever say how that happened?

Not in that article. From my understanding of the phenomenon it has to do with currents and underwater obstructions.

[Liam]

Mega quakes—more powerful than thousands of nuclear bombs, this is the subject of another great National Geographic show. Keep your eyes open for it.

[Liam]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_tsunami_atlantis


Atlantis found? NGO special this Sunday.

This was fascinating, and something I will keep tabs on. I hope they can figure out an inexpensive way to excavate below all of that ground water. Thanks for sharing this, Corkey!

[Corkey]

This was fascinating, and something I will keep tabs on. I hope they can figure out an inexpensive way to excavate below all of that ground water. Thanks for sharing this, Corkey!

You are very welcome, I've taped it so Ami and I can watch it together.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110314/ts_yblog_thelookout/japans-earthquake-shifted-balance-of-the-planet

Science of the quake in Japan.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110315/sc_space/bizarredarkenergytheorygetsboostfromnewmeasurement s

Dark energy.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Hidden-cameras-capture-animals-wild/ss/events/sc/031011cameratrap#photoViewer=/ydownload/20110310/photos_net_web_sc/1299798903

Fun stuff. Camera captures rare species.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110318/ap_on_re_us/us_west_coast_radiation_monitors


Radiation reaches California, no cause for concern.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110318/ts_yblog_thelookout/listen-to-japans-massive-quake


What Japans earthquake sounds like.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110322/ap_on_en_ot/us_monster_shark_jaws

So glad this Jaws isn't around today

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20110324/sc_yblog_upshot/incredible-photos-show-inside-of-worlds-most-dangerous-volcano

Congo's volcano. NGO special.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110324/ap_on_re_us/us_comet_hunter_s_farewell

NASA to shut down Stardust space craft.

[Ebon]

http://www.kansas.com/2011/03/25/1777561/discovery-of-artifacts-in-texas.html

Artifacts may rewrite human history.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_shipwreck_antique_chain

Atocha treasure.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110326/ap_on_re_us/us_west_coast_radiation_monitors

Gaps in US monitoring systems.

[Dominique]

Persuant to the link posted by Corkey. I have a few tid bits I'd like to add. Tomorrow it will be 33 years since the Three mile Island melt down. Yes, it was a melt down. I was just beginning my first round of college geek studies when this happened. Later in life, round two of geek studies enlightened me to much more about that whole thing. As AtLast posted in another thread, the reports coming out of Japan vary and are conflicting. EXACTLY what happened here.

Our Goverment reported that the TMI melt down released 10 billion curries. WOW. No amount of radiation is safe.

By 8 a.m., the day of the meltdown, the monitors were at maximum capacity. Therefore, there was no direct way to assess how much damage was actually being done.

Many times, and many years later, Independent/unbiased scientists reexamined the melt down and felt 150 billion curries escaped. Quite a disparity in those numbers.

We've had over thirty years to make monitors that actually monitor, or did we stop doing that (feeling safe?)

Want to talk about cancer?

I have a hard time listening to these reports, as I am a skeptic to the accurate reporting and full disclosure. It will be years before we actually know. Just my opinion.

[Corkey]

Persuant to the link posted by Corkey. I have a few tid bits I'd like to add. Tomorrow it will be 33 years since the Three mile Island melt down. Yes, it was a melt down. I was just beginning my first round of college geek studies when this happened. Later in life, round two of geek studies enlightened me to much more about that whole thing. As AtLast posted in another thread, the reports coming out of Japan vary and are conflicting. EXACTLY what happened here.

Our Goverment reported that the TMI melt down released 10 billion curries. WOW. No amount of radiation is safe.

By 8 a.m., the day of the meltdown, the monitors were at maximum capacity. Therefore, there was no direct way to assess how much damage was actually being done.

Many times, and many years later, Independent/unbiased scientists reexamined the melt down and felt 150 billion curries escaped. Quite a disparity in those numbers.

We've had over thirty years to make monitors that actually monitor, or did we stop doing that (feeling safe?)

Want to talk about cancer?

I have a hard time listening to these reports, as I am a skeptic to the accurate reporting and full disclosure. It will be years before we actually know. Just my opinion.

I'll believe independent scientific information before I believe a utility company or a government agency. The increase in cancer related deaths and contamination continues to be an issue in this state. Too bad we have a governor who is blind to the suffering of his constituents and is suing the feds on healthcare reform. Yep I remember TMI and the horror continues.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_mars_rovers

Rover phone home.....

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110329/sc_space/nasaspacecraftsnaps1stphotoofmercuryfromorbit

First ever photo of Mercury in orbit.

[Corkey]

http://www.weather.com/outlook/videos/mammoth-find-in-a-california-field-20193

Columbian Mammoth and baby in California.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110331/ap_on_re_us/us_lake_michigan_shipwreck

Oldest shipwreck in Lake Michigan?

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/hl_nm/us_alzheimers_genes


Alzheimers study.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_he_me/us_med_heart_valves


Study supports fixing heart valves without surgery.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/ts_nm/us_ozone


Arctic ozone report.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110406/sc_livescience/45billionyearoldantarcticmeteoriteyieldsnewmineral

New mineral found in meteorite.

[Corkey]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8433527/First-homosexual-caveman-found.html

First homosexual cave man found.

[Corkey]

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/antibiotic-superbugs-crkp-mrsa-risk


Wash da hands people...

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110408/lf_nm_life/us_britain_warplane

WW11 plane found in good condition, at bottom of the sea.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_shark_fossil_found

Shark fossil found in mine.

[southernboi63]

sharkchomp,

These videos were fantastic I see that someone else loves the weather as much as I do.....

[southernboi63]

Corkey,

This is a great find hopefully the british will try to raise her up just to see what if any type of amminutation is still on board

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110411/sc_livescience/yellowstonesupervolcanobiggerthanthought

Yellowstone super volcano.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_dinosaur_link

All you paleontologists are gonna love this!

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110415/ap_on_sc/us_sci_sky_mapping_spacecraft

NASA releases sky map.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_mediterranean_fish

Fish disappearing in Med.

[lionpaw]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8433527/First-homosexual-caveman-found.html

First homosexual cave man found.


Before our civilization a third gender was mostly accepted....I'm glad to see it's being proven....

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/largestfossilspiderfoundinvolcanicash

Spider fossil found.

[Corkey]

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/04may_epic/

Space time warp confirmed.
Thanks Arwen for the find.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/raw-video-mount-etna-erupts-25208784

Mt Etna's at it again.

[lionpaw]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110406/sc_livescience/45billionyearoldantarcticmeteoriteyieldsnewmineral

New mineral found in meteorite.


I finally read some of the links....Interesting concept about the "clay theory" and "panspermia"---the meteorites that impacted Earth from Mars...

[lionpaw]

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/antibiotic-superbugs-crkp-mrsa-risk


Wash da hands people...

Wow....I knew about the MRSA, but the CRKP is no joke either....Time to research that one....Thanks....

[atomiczombie]

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/04may_epic/

Space time warp confirmed.
Thanks Arwen for the find.

That is awesome. Einstein was such a genius. I read a really good biography about him last year. I lurv science. :)

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110518/sc_space/lonelyrogueworldssurprisinglyoutnumberplanetswiths uns


Rogue worlds?

[Queerasfck]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_j0qeBAJCW9U/S50Avv1dyYI/AAAAAAAABWY/_0RWr4-6MzM/s320/uranus2.jpg

[Corkey]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_j0qeBAJCW9U/S50Avv1dyYI/AAAAAAAABWY/_0RWr4-6MzM/s320/uranus2.jpg

Hahaha you ass....:|

[violaine]

[QUOTE=atomiczombie;341420]That is awesome. Einstein was such a genius. I read a really good biography about him last year. I lurv science. :)


miss maric was a smart cookie, and was involved in some collaborative efforts with her husband, einstein. they met while studying in zurich.

[violaine]

http://theatavism.blogspot.com/search/label/sci-blogs



http://sciblogs.co.nz/the-atavism/2010/09/19/sunday-spinelessness-throwing-pesky-males-off-the-scent/

[Corkey]

http://theatavism.blogspot.com/search/label/sci-blogs

This should come with a warning.....bugs. LOL

[violaine]

bugs are great. wish cyclopea were still around. there's a lot more to the blog than bugs.

[Corkey]

bugs are great. wish cyclopea were still around. there's a lot more to the blog than bugs.


I know, but only after viewing the link.
Some folks have asked for titles to the links, just providing them what they've asked for.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20110518/tc_mashable/video_spaceshiptwos_first_feather_glide

Virgin Atlantic tests feather.

[lionpaw]

http://theatavism.blogspot.com/search/label/sci-blogs



http://sciblogs.co.nz/the-atavism/2010/09/19/sunday-spinelessness-throwing-pesky-males-off-the-scent/


Hi Violane!....Thanks for the genetics blog!

[violaine]

http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2009/08/the_star_nosed_moles_amazing_appendages.php


ever since the "show me a picture" thread and leftwritefemme's photo of a mole, i've been reading more on these fascinating creatures. the blog i posted above is full of information - epilepsy, dreams, spy crows, and on and on. hope you enjoy it as much as i have/am.

oh! and here's spock on "fascinating":

cFods1KSWsQ

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110520/ap_on_bi_ge/us_food_and_farm_stink_bugs

Stink bug invasion.

[Ebon]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110520/ap_on_bi_ge/us_food_and_farm_stink_bugs

Stink bug invasion.

They need some Praying Mantises.

[Corkey]

They need some Praying Mantises.

Need a whole s*it load of 'em

[violaine]

i would not mind pesticide free produce and a little discolouration/hole-making in my fruit, actually. but the problem is invasion of these insects- like the japanese beetle! there are natural agents to use like soaps, eucalyptus, and other essential oils for garden pests/ stink bugs on a smaller scale. stink bugs are not poisonous to you or your pet, by the way.


i saw japanese beetles galore gardening in the midwest. here are some interesting bug facts, like how long cockroach can go without food. i love a preying mantis, especially when they see you and turn their head to look right at you.

http://www.pestworld.org/commercial-pest-control

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_tornadoes_nuclear_plant

Tornado alley and Nuclear plants. Oh lovely.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110526/ap_on_sc/eu_sci_cosmic_explosion

Furthest- ever cosmic explosion?

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110527/ap_on_re_us/us_blackbeard_s_ship


Avast ye matie, Blackbeard's anchor found.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110527/sc_afp/australiaastrophysicsscience

Aussie student finds missing mass.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110530/sc_nm/us_climate_greenland

Why the Vikings left Greenland.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20110531/wl_yblog_upshot/hidden-no-more-pyramid-findings-rock-the-web

More pyramids beneath the sands of Egypt. If you click on the inner link it will take you to the image of what was found by a new robot used to go where humans could not.

[Corkey]

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/photos/new-species-discovered-in-madagascar-slideshow/this-new-species-of-treefrog-boophis-lilianae-was-identified-in-2008-photo-axel-strauss-wwf-mad-photo.html

New species found in Madagascar.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110609/us_time/httpnewsfeedtimecom20110608scientistswelcometwonew elementstotheperiodictablexidrssfullnationyahoo

New elements added to periodic table.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/switzerlandbelgiumtechnologyaerospaceenergyenviron ment

Second flight of solar plane.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110612/hl_afp/healthgenesmigraines_20110612173029

Genes and migraines.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110614/ts_afp/usspacesun

Solar sun spots

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_space_black hole (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_space_blackhole)


Quirky blackhole

[Hollylane]

Maybe this is the same black hole (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13783877)(<---Linky), but I'm not sure. Anyways, it is AWESOME!



http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/53457000/jpg/_53457962_levan1hr(2).jpg

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110619/sc_space/solarstormssparkedbygiantmagneticropestudyfinds


Solar storm rope

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110620/sc_livescience/romangladiatorsgravestonedescribesfatalfoul

Roman gravestone decoded.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110621/sc_nm/us_oceans

Triple threat for the Oceans

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110624/sc_space/asteroidtopassextremelyclosebyearthonmonday

Close encounter

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/science-15749654/new-solar-plane-can-fly-day-or-night-25771310.html

Video of solar plane at Paris air show.

[Softhearted]

Earliest quasar is brightest object ever found

"A team of European astronomers, glimpsing back in time to when the universe was just a youngster, says it has detected the most distant and earliest quasar yet.

Light from this brilliant, starlike object took nearly 13 billion years to reach Earth, meaning the quasar existed when the universe was only 770 million years old — a kid by cosmic standards. The discovery ranks as the brightest object ever found.

To scientists' surprise, the black hole powering this quasar was 2 billion times more massive than the sun. How it grew so bulky so early in the universe's history is a mystery. Black holes are known to feed on stars, gas and other matter, but their growth was always thought to be slow.

The discovery was reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Since quasars are so luminous, they guide astronomers studying the conditions of the cosmos following the Big Bang, the explosion believed to have created the universe 13.7 billion years ago. Researchers are constantly trying to outdo one another in their quest to see the universe as an infant. The deeper they peer into space, the further back in time they are looking.

The previous record holder was a quasar that dated to when the universe was 870 million years old.

The new quasar — with the tongue-twisting name ULAS J1120+0641 — was identified in images from a sky survey taken by the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope perched near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The discovery was confirmed by other telescopes.

"It's like sifting for gold. You're looking for something shiny," said lead researcher Daniel Mortlock, an astrophysicist at Imperial College in London.

In an editorial accompanying the research, Chris Willott of the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre called the quasar a "monster" that could upend current theories about the growth of black holes."

source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/06/29/science-earliest-quasar.html

Nature's article link: http://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso1122/eso1122.pdf

[Softhearted]

"Crows share intelligence about enemies

Birds of a feather not only flock together, in the case of the American crow it seems they are also into group learning.

A five-year study of crows living near Seattle in Washington State show the birds can remember a "dangerous human" and are able to share their knowledge of the learned danger with their offspring and other crows.

It is a trait, says co-author Professor John Marzluff of the University of Washington, that can help species successfully adapt to, and co-evolve with, humans.

"The behaviour of individual people towards animals is often changing," says Marzluff.

"Because human actions often threaten animals, learning socially about individual people's habits would be advantageous."

Marzluff says the study, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, was inspired by earlier research with crows on the university campus.

"I felt like they recognized us," he says.

To test his theory, two researchers, each wearing an identical "dangerous" mask, trapped, banded and released 7 to 15 birds at five different sites near Seattle.

To determine the impact of the capture on the crow population, over the next five years, observations were made about the birds' behaviour by people walking a designated route that included a trapping site.

These observers either wore a so-called neutral mask or one of the "dangerous" masks worn during the initial trapping event.

Consistent scolding
Within the first two weeks after trapping, an average of 26 per cent of crows encountered scolded the person wearing the dangerous mask.

Scolding, says Mazluff, is a harsh alarm kaw directed repeatedly at the threatening person accompanied by agitated wing and tail flicking. It is often accompanied by mobbing, where more than one crow jointly scolds.

After 1.25 years, 30.4 per cent of crows encountered by people wearing the dangerous mask scolded consistently, while that figure more than doubled to around 66 per cent almost three years after the initial trapping.

Marzluff says the area over which the awareness of the threat had spread also grew significantly during the study. Significantly, during the same timeframe, there was no change in the rate of scolding towards the person wearing the neutral mask.

He says their work shows the knowledge of the threat is passed on between peers and from parent to child.

"Crows recruit and tolerate others of their own and different species in mobs that form around dangerous people," he says.

"This social tolerance could allow naïve crows to learn about dangerous situations, locations and individual humans."

Marzuff says he had thought the memory of the threat would lose its potency, but instead was "increasing in strength now five years later".

"They hadn't seen me for a year with the mask on and when I walked out of the office they immediately scolded me," he says.

"I believe the fact that scolding 'works' in our system is somewhat self perpetuating as well because we move on down the trail as we are scolded.

"This might reinforce the behaviour as the scolding birds see a payoff (our departure) in response to their efforts."

Precise identification
Marzuff says the crows are very precise in their identification of the dangerous human.

He says the initial "dangerous" mask was a caveman's face with a mask of former U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney the neutral or control face.

However the team made six other masks — combinations of male, female, Caucasian and Asian — which were used at various sites as a dangerous face or a neutral face.

These looked a lot more realistic and similar to each other, yet the crows were "very, very good" at identifying which person was dangerous.

Professor Ken Cheng, of the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University, says he is not surprised by the finding as birds are known to be smart animals. He says the crow belongs to the corvid family, which is commonly referred to as the "avian Einstein".

"If you can learn which of the animals are dangerous without having to face the danger you are going to benefit," says Cheng, who was not part of this study.

"It makes good survival sense to learn socially as it can be rather dangerous to test the danger yourself."

Cheng says although similar work on Australian native birds had not been done, the study cites a paper on social learning by Australian miner birds by University of Newcastle researcher Dr. Andrea Griffin.

Cheng says the paper is especially interesting because it is based in the urban ecology, which is a new niche for many animals.

"It is on the messy side because it is a field study, but that is inevitable and it more than makes up for it in the reasonable and careful inferences it draws about the data," he says.

source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/06/30/science-crows-enemies.html

from: Cornell, H.N., Marzluff, J.M., Pecoraro, S. (2011). Social learning spreads knowledge about dangerous humans among American crows. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological sciences, Published online before print June 29, 2011, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2011.0957

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/warming-ocean-could-melt-ice-faster-thought-175316541.html

More on global warming.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/lost-world-atlantis-landscape-discovered-170805677.html

Lost Atlantis?

[lionpaw]

http://news.yahoo.com/lost-world-atlantis-landscape-discovered-170805677.html

Lost Atlantis?

That's real interesting....Now I want to research more info on Atlantis....Lol...:)

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/comets-death-sun-photographed-first-time-174602662.html

First ever photo of comet melting into Sun.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/huge-underwater-volcanoes-discovered-near-antarctica-021204714.html


Antarctic volcanos

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/lost-statue-roman-emperor-caligula-unveiled-151145421.html

Caligula statue found.

[lionpaw]

http://news.yahoo.com/lost-world-atlantis-landscape-discovered-170805677.html

Lost Atlantis?

Hey dude!...Thanks!.....I've been bitten by the Atlantis bug again!...Lol!...:)

[Softhearted]

The dwindling of the world's lions, wolves, sharks and other large animals isn't just sad, it's having far-reaching effects on ecosystems.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/top-predators-ecosystems-110714.html

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-spacecraft-orbiting-massive-asteroid-213732892.html

Nasa spacecraft orbiting asteroid.

[Softhearted]

Bacteria helped early animals to breathe:

Microbial mats might have functioned as oxygen oases for primitive multicellular life.

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110515/full/news.2011.290.html


Gingras, M. et al. (2011). Possible evolution of mobile animals in association with microbial mats. Nature Geoscience, 4: 372-375.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/first-asteroid-companion-earth-discovered-last-170703330.html

Earths Trojan

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/modern-humans-crowded-europes-neanderthals-194133635.html

Humans and Neanderthals.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/secret-dolphin-community-revealed-caught-on-tape-26086075.html

Dolphin community.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/rare-fossil-sea-reptile-found-alaska-beach-013803033.html

Rare fossil find in Alaska

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-stunned-surface-asteroid-vesta-204550456.html

Photos from asteroid stun scientists.

[Softhearted]

"How vampire bats find blood

How vampire bats know precisely where to bite to strike a blood-spurting vein close to the skin has always been a mystery — until now.

A team of American and Venezuelan scientists studying wild vampire bats in South America has discovered a heat-sensing molecule called TRPV1 covering nerve endings on the bats' noses.

The finding, published in this week's journal Nature, shows how small changes to a particular species' genes can lead to important evolutionary adaptations."

source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/08/03/science-vampire-bats-molecule-heat-seeking.html

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110803/full/news.2011.454.html

Gracheva, E.O et al. (2011). Ganglion-specific splicing of TRPV1 underlies infrared sensation in vampire bats. Nature, 476: 88-91.

[dreadgeek]

"How vampire bats find blood

How vampire bats know precisely where to bite to strike a blood-spurting vein close to the skin has always been a mystery — until now.

A team of American and Venezuelan scientists studying wild vampire bats in South America has discovered a heat-sensing molecule called TRPV1 covering nerve endings on the bats' noses.

The finding, published in this week's journal Nature, shows how small changes to a particular species' genes can lead to important evolutionary adaptations."

source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/08/03/science-vampire-bats-molecule-heat-seeking.html

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110803/full/news.2011.454.html

Gracheva, E.O et al. (2011). Ganglion-specific splicing of TRPV1 underlies infrared sensation in vampire bats. Nature, 476: 88-91.

Sweet and Sour Jesus, I love your signature!

"The mole is a quantity of substance. The new prefix 'guaca' is defined such that one guacamole equals Avocado's Number." (from an unknown source)

[Ebon]

I was just reading about the Fibonacci Sequence in terms of my spiritual beliefs and creation then I see this article. This kid is amazing for even thinking of this.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/13-year-old-makes-solar-breakthrough-with-fibonacci-sequence.php

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/archaeologists-comb-newly-found-civil-war-pow-camp-164121276.html

Newly found Civil War POW camp.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/surprise-alien-planet-made-diamond-discovered-181402842.html

Diamond in the rough.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-underground-river-beneath-amazon-172323813.html

River beneath a river.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/sex-neanderthals-gave-humans-immunity-boost-180402452.html

Sex with Neanderthals and immunity.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/space-junk-littering-orbit-might-cleaning-173155267.html

Space junk in Earths orbit.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/mars-samples-unlike-seen-062036007.html


Mars samples

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/unique-roman-gladiator-school-unveiled-austria-142027740.html

Roman gladiator school in Austria

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/tampawfts-22220379/supernova-is-20-million-years-old-and-getting-brighter-26535657.html

Super Nova visable for the next few weeks.

[Liam]

Tips for seeing the supernova! EarthSky—A Clear Voice for Science (http://earthsky.org/space/how-to-see-a-nearby-supernova-this-weekend)

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/nasa-cassini-orbiter-snaps-unbelievable-picture-saturn-144133480.html


Spectacular photos of Saturn

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/closest-human-ancestor-may-rewrite-steps-evolution-141606435.html

Earliest remains may rewrite human evolution.

[Ebon]

http://news.yahoo.com/closest-human-ancestor-may-rewrite-steps-evolution-141606435.html

Earliest remains may rewrite human evolution.

You know I hate being right because I can't help but to be dick about it.

[Corkey]

You know I hate being right because I can't help but to be dick about it.

Right about what Bro?

[Semantics]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/nasa-cassini-orbiter-snaps-unbelievable-picture-saturn-144133480.html


Spectacular photos of Saturn

Sometimes reality is just as stunning as science fiction.

Isn't that the truth?

All of those countless, tiny pieces of dust and debris making up something that looks so uniform and perfect.

[Ebon]

Right about what Bro?

Let's just say I was right about not betting my life on Darwin's little theory of evolution. Don't get me wrong I'm not a creationist or anything I just always thought of it as more of a suggestion but some people just take that sort of stuff as absolute fact. That's all I'm saying.

[Corkey]

Let's just say I was right about not betting my life on Darwin's little theory of evolution. Don't get me wrong I'm not a creationist or anything I just always thought of it as more of a suggestion but some people just take that sort of stuff as absolute fact. That's all I'm saying.

I don't think this proves one way or the other. We still haven't found the link between our branches of ape and human, doesn't mean it isn't there, just means we haven't found it yet. Anthropologists are just beginning to understand the implications of this find, if it belongs on the human branch or not. There's much more to be learned.

[SoNotHer]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/nasa-cassini-orbiter-snaps-unbelievable-picture-saturn-144133480.html


Spectacular photos of Saturn

The Cassini shot of Saturn is ethereal and radiantly beautiful. It's one of the most beautiful things I've seen.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/super-earth-1-50-newfound-alien-planets-could-160802014.html

New found earth like planets.

[SoNotHer]

I had read about the fascinating if decidedly dully named HD 85512 earlier. I'm wondering if a committee or collective of some kind should be charged the task of giving new astronomical findings more imaginative names. The Greeks had that right! :-)

[dreadgeek]

You know I hate being right because I can't help but to be dick about it.

Except you aren't right, Ebon. If you had bothered to read the actual story (or even better the actual papers the story is based on) you would have noticed the following:

A startling mix of human and primitive traits found in the brains, hips, feet and hands of an extinct species identified last year make a strong case for it being the immediate ancestor to the human lineage, scientists have announced.

You would have also noticed this in the next immediate paragraph:

These new findings could rewrite long-standing theories about the precise steps human evolution took, they added, including the notion that early human female hips changed shape to accommodate larger-brained offspring. There is also new evidence suggesting that this species had the hands of a toolmaker.

Note that this is not, in the least bit, saying that Darwin was wrong (Darwin actually did not specify the steps that humans took after we split from chimps because he didn't have access to the evidence). Rather, it is saying that the time frame in which certain modifications that led to us having the bodies and brains we do may have started earlier than we had believed.

This find means that, just to take two modifications, that changes in the size of brain toward the currently colossal brain in our heads and the hips necessary for a woman to give birth to a baby with one of these large heads, may have started earlier than we had previously thought. Prior to this, the thinking was that the change in female hips as well as the brain size that was pushing those hips to change shape occurred much later but now it looks as if it started up to a million years earlier. What's more, it also seems to suggest that tool use may have appeared *before* Homo habilis and that by the time that precursor to us had appeared we were well down the road to tool use.

This is *not* even in the same ballpark as:


"Let's just say I was right about not betting my life on Darwin's little theory of evolution. Don't get me wrong I'm not a creationist or anything I just always thought of it as more of a suggestion but some people just take that sort of stuff as absolute fact. That's all I'm saying.

So if you are going to, as you say, 'be a dick about it' when you're right it would help if you're *actually* right. In this case, you thought you were right when you weren't and had you bothered to read the article, you would've realized that. Given that you haven't read Darwin (don't even try to play it off that you have because no one who has read Origin of Species or The Descent of Man would say that Darwin was making 'a suggestion') and it's damn clear that you haven't read any of the modern, very accessible popular science books on the subject because, once again, you would recognize that the theory of evolution is about as established as *anything* in science.

Don't be so quick to crow about how right you are because when it's shown that you're wrong, as I've just done, you don't look like a dick you look like an ass.

Cheers
Aj

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-shocked-behavior-rare-gray-whale-215107611.html

Pacific Grey Whale journey.

[Ebon]

The Cassini shot of Saturn is ethereal and radiantly beautiful. It's one of the most beautiful things I've seen.

Yes it is. I kept looking like no that can't be real. It looks like one of those ethereal paintings that artists make. Very cool.

[Ebon]

Except you aren't right, Ebon. If you had bothered to read the actual story (or even better the actual papers the story is based on) you would have noticed the following:

A startling mix of human and primitive traits found in the brains, hips, feet and hands of an extinct species identified last year make a strong case for it being the immediate ancestor to the human lineage, scientists have announced.

You would have also noticed this in the next immediate paragraph:

These new findings could rewrite long-standing theories about the precise steps human evolution took, they added, including the notion that early human female hips changed shape to accommodate larger-brained offspring. There is also new evidence suggesting that this species had the hands of a toolmaker.

Note that this is not, in the least bit, saying that Darwin was wrong (Darwin actually did not specify the steps that humans took after we split from chimps because he didn't have access to the evidence). Rather, it is saying that the time frame in which certain modifications that led to us having the bodies and brains we do may have started earlier than we had believed.

This find means that, just to take two modifications, that changes in the size of brain toward the currently colossal brain in our heads and the hips necessary for a woman to give birth to a baby with one of these large heads, may have started earlier than we had previously thought. Prior to this, the thinking was that the change in female hips as well as the brain size that was pushing those hips to change shape occurred much later but now it looks as if it started up to a million years earlier. What's more, it also seems to suggest that tool use may have appeared *before* Homo habilis and that by the time that precursor to us had appeared we were well down the road to tool use.

This is *not* even in the same ballpark as:



So if you are going to, as you say, 'be a dick about it' when you're right it would help if you're *actually* right. In this case, you thought you were right when you weren't and had you bothered to read the article, you would've realized that. Given that you haven't read Darwin (don't even try to play it off that you have because no one who has read Origin of Species or The Descent of Man would say that Darwin was making 'a suggestion') and it's damn clear that you haven't read any of the modern, very accessible popular science books on the subject because, once again, you would recognize that the theory of evolution is about as established as *anything* in science.

Don't be so quick to crow about how right you are because when it's shown that you're wrong, as I've just done, you don't look like a dick you look like an ass.

Cheers
Aj

As smart as you are your eyes are so shut. That is unfortunate.

[Starbuck]

ROFLMAO! I was scanning the titles and I swear I thought this one said "Sex and Exploration"! Methinks I have sex on the brain.

[dreadgeek]

As smart as you are your eyes are so shut. That is unfortunate.

Normally, I don't copy and paste whole articles. However, since you seem to labor under the illusion I have NO idea what I'm talking about when I write about science (an assumption you've made twice now, this time in the field where I *can* read primary source material) I am going to provide you with the text of an ENTIRE article from Discovery magazine on the same topic as the Yahoo article. You claim that the article, based upon once phrase you misinterpreted, shows that 'Darwin's little theory' is in trouble. You are wrong. Here is a longer article on the same subject in its entirety.

She swung in the trees like a chimp but had long dexterous fingers for tool-making and hybrid feet for walking upright, a major study on the ancient hominid Australopithecus sediba suggested.

Until now, the first tool-maker was widely believed to be Homo habilis, based on a set of 21 fossilized hand bones found in Tanzania that date back 1.75 million years.

But a close examination of two partial fossilized skeletons of Au. sediba discovered in South Africa in 2008 suggests these creatures who roamed the Earth 1.9 million years ago were crafting tools even earlier, and could be the first direct ancestor of the Homo species.

"This is an immensely ground-breaking study. It tells a story never told before. It definitely calls for science books to be re-written," project leader Lee Berger said.

Berger, an American who is a professor at South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand, and his nine-year-old son discovered the fossil site of Malapa, north of Johannesburg, in 2008.

The area is located within the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site, and has since yielded more than 220 bones from at least five individuals; some babies, juveniles and adults.

A close analysis of the pelvis, brain, feet and hands of Au. sediba are described in five papers published in the journal Science.

Based on the most complete hand specimen ever found, Au. sediba had an extra-long thumb and powerful fingers, which it could have used to make tools despite still having a small ape-like brain.
The rare discovery of hand bones belonged to an adult female who may have been about 20 or 30 when she died. Her remains were found near a young boy, whose fossilized bones were also included in the study.

"The sediba hand reveals a surprising mix of features that we wouldn't have predicted could exist in the same hand," said co-author Tracy Kivell from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.


"It has this long thumb, but surprisingly this thumb is even longer than we see in modern humans," she said.

"The wrist was better able to deal with larger loads that it might experience during tool use for example," and it had long narrow fingers "capable of powerful grasping," she added.

"So this mix of morphology suggests to us that sediba likely still used its hands for climbing in trees... but it was likely also capable of making the precision grips that we believe are necessary for making stone tools."

Au. sediba had a small but advanced brain. Its pelvis reflected an upright posture, and it possessed a unique foot and ankle that "combines features of both apes and humans in one anatomical package," said Berger.

The female's foot and ankle bones, some of the most complete specimens ever found, surprised paleoanthropologists because of their odd mix of a human-like foot arch and Achilles tendon, but a heel and shin like that of an ape.

"If the bones had not been found stuck together, the team may have described them as belonging to different species," said co-author Bernard Zipfel from the University of the Witwatersrand.

The analysis by a team of 80 international scientists offers new clues into how the transition from ape to human may have occurred, but also raises plenty of questions about the evolution of our species.

Scientists aren't sure if the Homo genus, which includes contemporary humans, evolved directly from the Au. sediba, or if Au. sediba was a so-called "dead-end" species and the Homo genus evolved separately.

One of the main problems facing paleoanthropologists is that little is known about the skeletal characteristics of the Homo habilis, so even though sediba is well-defined there is an absence of evidence for comparison.

"The fossil record for early Homo is a mess," said co-author Steven Churchill of Duke University in North Carolina. "Many fossils are either questionably attributed to various species or their dating is very poor."

But a long list of all the advanced traits that sediba shared with other Homo species like habilis and rudolfensis "suggests it's a good ancestor of the first species that everyone recognizes in the Homo genus: H. erectus."

So that you won't think I've just made this up off the top of my head:

http://news.discovery.com/human/human-ancestor-tool-maker-110909.html

Now, you will, no doubt, zoom in on the statement above in green. However, at no point will you find *anything* in the article saying that evolution through natural selection is at all challenged or questioned. In fact, this article assumes that variation and natural selection works. It takes it as read in the same way that it takes as read that if Homo sediba fell, it would hit the ground because of gravity.

There is not a single phrase in that article that supports your conclusion, Ebon. Not a single one. Your arguing by assertion that it does doesn't change anything about that matter. Darwinian theory does NOT hinge upon whether a particular event happened at a particular time in a particular way. It doesn't. So even if we had NO idea how we moved from being very like chimps to being us, the theory of evolution through natural selection would still be useful *and* robust. Because the theory isn't about the specifics of how humans came to be.

Darwinian theory states that in a given population, living in a given environment, there will be variation. If that variation provides ANY advantage then, statistically, individuals within that population will leave around more descendants either because they are more fecund, better able to resist disease, able to attract more or better mates, better able to avoid being eaten or to catch prey. Given sufficient time and these variations will accumulate until a population splits in two becoming two distinct species.

NONE of that is questioned above, Ebon and unless you can find me an article in a *reputable* journal on this subject where your conclusion is supported, I'm not going to pretend that your desire to be right trumps reality. You aren't right, Ebon. Evolutionary theory--which IS Darwin's theory--is not in the least bit challenged by the find written about in the Yahoo article. The fact that you think it does, means either you didn't read the article, didn't understand what you read, or just SO want to be right that you conjured up the meaning that led you to the conclusion



You know I hate being right because I can't help but to be dick about it.



And this:



"Let's just say I was right about not betting my life on Darwin's little theory of evolution. Don't get me wrong I'm not a creationist or anything I just always thought of it as more of a suggestion but some people just take that sort of stuff as absolute fact. That's all I'm saying.



You're saying that Darwin's 'little theory' is wrong. I'm saying you don't know what Darwin's 'little theory' says just that *whatever* it says you think it is wrong. You will find no one in biology or anthropology who would agree with you that the Yahoo article or the lengthier article above threatens Darwinian evolution in the least bit. Yet, you assert that it does. Now, I think I've established my bona fides on this subject enough to be taken seriously about it. I had written out a longer post, composed primarily of my own explanation, but then thought I'd quote the Discovery article because, as I said at the head of this post, you clearly think I don't know what I'm talking about. I find that ironic because, in fact, I could give a fuller explanation for how Darwinian theory *could* be disproved than you can, even though you are certain that it is wrong. I can assert that definitively because if you knew what Darwinian theory does and does not say, you would know what it does and does not predict. It doesn't predict WHEN hominid females started to have wider pelvises to accommodate the enlarging heads of hominid babies. It doesn't predict WHEN we developed tool use. It doesn't predict whether we started growing larger brains *before* the changes in our hands and skeleton or after. The article above is about those kinds of things. Things that only make sense if Darwinian theory works as the backdrop.

You can assert that you know better about this subject than I do all you wish but until you can demonstrate that--and right now your assertions that my eyes are closed aren't a demonstration of anything other than your ability to make an ad hominem attack--why should I or anyone else believe that the article says what you so desperately want to believe it does? Because the interpretation you are giving to the article isn't supported in the words.

Cheers
Aj

[Corkey]

One reason I started this thread was to divorce religion from science. The truth of science is logic, and religion is not logical. No religious belief has the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
So while I can appreciate peoples fastness in their chosen religion, their beliefs are not science, nor logic.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/planet-star-wars-tatooine-discovered-orbiting-2-suns-181404397.html

Planet has 2 suns.

[Gráinne]

http://news.yahoo.com/planet-star-wars-tatooine-discovered-orbiting-2-suns-181404397.html

Planet has 2 suns.

I saw that :). It's like Star Wars.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/whoknew-19124225/albino-animals-26637702.html


Moby Dick

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/officials-beaver-teeth-7-million-years-old-224513566.html

Beaver teeth.

[Corkey]

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/online-gamers-crack-aids-enzyme-puzzle-161920724.html


Gamers crack AIDS puzzle

[Corkey]

investmentwatchblog.com/was-einstein-wrong-cern-scientists-break-the-speed-of-light

Hey pop could you put this in a link? The earth like thing at the top of the the post page.

[Nat]

Hey pop could you put this in a link? The earth like thing at the top of the the post page.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2016290580_speed23.html

The linky icon stopped working on my iPhone.

One of the pillars of physics and Albert Einstein's theory of relativity — that nothing can go faster than the speed of light — was rocked Thursday.

European researchers said they clocked an oddball type of subatomic particle called a neutrino going faster than the 186,282 miles per second long been considered the cosmic speed limit.

European researchers said they clocked an oddball type of subatomic particle called a neutrino going faster than the 186,282 miles per second long been considered the cosmic speed limit.

[JAGG]

Ok I have been trying to find some answers, and researching every science website , physics journals and blog I can find but to no avail. So I thought I'd try here why not. I don't expect you to be able to answer my questions but maybe you can point me in the right direction. I have been hunting for 3 days now. Ever since I read the story about the new discovery in physics, that may upset the apple cart so to speak. If you haven't heard, scientist have made a discovery that could change the foundation of physics. Physics as we know it, is pretty much based on the fact that nothing is faster than the speed of light 186,282 miles per second. It has been discovered that neutrinos from a particle accelerator can travel up to 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light. If the findings hold true, the fundamental laws of physics would have to be revised. Since are all based on energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. Which has been perfect up until now.
Okay so here is my question or questions.
My first question is, can neutrinos sustain that speed infinitely, as speed of light does?
Also , how fast do neutrinos normally travel without the help of a particle accelerator?

[Softhearted]

Hello Jagg!

These links might interest you and hopefully give you some answers :)

http://physicsforme.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/some-comments-on-the-faster-than-light-neutrinos/

http://profmattstrassler.com/2011/09/22/what-have-we-here/

[dreadgeek]

Ok I have been trying to find some answers, and researching every science website , physics journals and blog I can find but to no avail. So I thought I'd try here why not. I don't expect you to be able to answer my questions but maybe you can point me in the right direction. I have been hunting for 3 days now. Ever since I read the story about the new discovery in physics, that may upset the apple cart so to speak. If you haven't heard, scientist have made a discovery that could change the foundation of physics. Physics as we know it, is pretty much based on the fact that nothing is faster than the speed of light 186,282 miles per second. It has been discovered that neutrinos from a particle accelerator can travel up to 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light. If the findings hold true, the fundamental laws of physics would have to be revised. Since are all based on energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. Which has been perfect up until now.
Okay so here is my question or questions.
My first question is, can neutrinos sustain that speed infinitely, as speed of light does?
Also , how fast do neutrinos normally travel without the help of a particle accelerator?

Jagg:

I'll try to do my very best on this one. The answer to both questions require a little bit of background on what a neutrino is and why whether or not they can exceed the speed of light is an interesting question.

So neutrinos are very small, *very* weakly interacting subatomic particles. They are the result of atomic decay (called beta decay) and are electrically neutral. They are weakly interacting because the two forces that will act on neutrinos are either very weak or very short-range. The first is weak nuclear force which is responsible for atomic decay. It is very short-range falling off to nothing pretty much outside of the range of the nucleus of an atom. The other is gravity which is long range but very weak (gravity seems strong because gravity is caused by mass and the Earth has a LOT of mass but gravity is the weakest of the four foces). How rarely do neutrinos interact with other matter? A neutrino from the sun could pass through the the Earth without *ever* interacting with another particle. This would be true even if the Earth were solid lead and lead is very dense (which is why it's used for shielding)!

The other really interesting thing is that neutrinos have very little mass while not being completely massless. The mass of a neutrino is so small that it is measured in terms of its energy. It is 50 meV (megaelectron volts). To give you an idea of just how small a number this is equivalent to this portion of a gallon of gasoline 0.0000000000000000000607991. (Recall that Einstein demonstrated that you can convert energy to mass) The reason why it is interesting is that if the neutrino were precisely massless it would always travel the speed of light (because anything with zero mass will travel the speed of light). Since the neutrino appears to have a very small, but non-zero mass, this means it can accelerate toward but can never exceed the speed of light.

This is a consequence of the equation e=mc^2 because c^2 is the speed of light (c) squared (^2). Since the speed of light in vacuum is 186,282 miles per second that number squared is huge! To accelerate *anything* with mass to within a sizable portion of c would take infinite energy. Since infinite energy isn't to be had in a finite universe nothing with mass can accelerate beyond the speed of light.

Which takes us to the recent experiment and what it might mean. So, IF it turns out that these neutrinos were accelerated beyond the speed of light then that means that Einstein's special theory of relativity will have to be revised. That said, it's simply too early to tell. Measuring the speed of neutrinos is actually a statistical matter so they look at the number of detections within a certain period of time after the accelerator fires. It may be a measurement error. If so then these experimentalists do botch things sometimes. If, on the other hand, these results are confirmed then the principal researchers are all going to Stockholm to pick up a Nobel.

To answer your two specific questions:

The answer to whether or not the neutrinos can keep up their motion indefinitely, the answer would be yes for a given value of indefinite. Until it interacts with another particle a neutrino at any velocity will continue at that velocity.

As far as the speed of a neutrino under natural conditions they have been detected within the margin of error of the speed of light (so within .999999 percent of c) from sources like a supernova.

Cheers
Aj

[SoNotHer]

In the aftermath of the 2009 Australian bush fires, rare bird and plant species have returned.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20931-huge-australian-bushfires-ignited-rare-plant-growth.html

[JAGG]

Jagg:

I'll try to do my very best on this one. The answer to both questions require a little bit of background on what a neutrino is and why whether or not they can exceed the speed of light is an interesting question.

So neutrinos are very small, *very* weakly interacting subatomic particles. They are the result of atomic decay (called beta decay) and are electrically neutral. They are weakly interacting because the two forces that will act on neutrinos are either very weak or very short-range. The first is weak nuclear force which is responsible for atomic decay. It is very short-range falling off to nothing pretty much outside of the range of the nucleus of an atom. The other is gravity which is long range but very weak (gravity seems strong because gravity is caused by mass and the Earth has a LOT of mass but gravity is the weakest of the four foces). How rarely do neutrinos interact with other matter? A neutrino from the sun could pass through the the Earth without *ever* interacting with another particle. This would be true even if the Earth were solid lead and lead is very dense (which is why it's used for shielding)!

The other really interesting thing is that neutrinos have very little mass while not being completely massless. The mass of a neutrino is so small that it is measured in terms of its energy. It is 50 meV (megaelectron volts). To give you an idea of just how small a number this is equivalent to this portion of a gallon of gasoline 0.0000000000000000000607991. (Recall that Einstein demonstrated that you can convert energy to mass) The reason why it is interesting is that if the neutrino were precisely massless it would always travel the speed of light (because anything with zero mass will travel the speed of light). Since the neutrino appears to have a very small, but non-zero mass, this means it can accelerate toward but can never exceed the speed of light.

This is a consequence of the equation e=mc^2 because c^2 is the speed of light (c) squared (^2). Since the speed of light in vacuum is 186,282 miles per second that number squared is huge! To accelerate *anything* with mass to within a sizable portion of c would take infinite energy. Since infinite energy isn't to be had in a finite universe nothing with mass can accelerate beyond the speed of light.

Which takes us to the recent experiment and what it might mean. So, IF it turns out that these neutrinos were accelerated beyond the speed of light then that means that Einstein's special theory of relativity will have to be revised. That said, it's simply too early to tell. Measuring the speed of neutrinos is actually a statistical matter so they look at the number of detections within a certain period of time after the accelerator fires. It may be a measurement error. If so then these experimentalists do botch things sometimes. If, on the other hand, these results are confirmed then the principal researchers are all going to Stockholm to pick up a Nobel.

To answer your two specific questions:

The answer to whether or not the neutrinos can keep up their motion indefinitely, the answer would be yes for a given value of indefinite. Until it interacts with another particle a neutrino at any velocity will continue at that velocity.

As far as the speed of a neutrino under natural conditions they have been detected within the margin of error of the speed of light (so within .999999 percent of c) from sources like a supernova.

Cheers
Aj

I know what neutrinos are but thanks for the input and taking time to respond. I found the answers on some of the links and websites many of you pvt messaged me with. Thank you!

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/odyssey-marine-pops-silver-laden-shipwreck-145559446.html

Sunken treasure

[dreadgeek]

I know what neutrinos are but thanks for the input and taking time to respond. I found the answers on some of the links and websites many of you pvt messaged me with. Thank you!

No offense was meant, Jagg. I responded to you but wanted to give others who might also be wondering much the same thing but didn't necessarily know what neutrinos are some bit of background so they would have some context about what all the hubbub was about. Again, I meant no insult.

Cheers
Aj

[JAGG]

No offense was meant, Jagg. I responded to you but wanted to give others who might also be wondering much the same thing but didn't necessarily know what neutrinos are some bit of background so they would have some context about what all the hubbub was about. Again, I meant no insult.

Cheers
Aj

None taken friend!!!! I was not insulted in the least. I'm grateful you took the time to respond to my questions. Thank you again.

[BugsAndKisses]

I think this fact will fit in here.. did you know that body odor is created when bacteria on your body eat sweat then release gas. My first post on this website and I choose farting bacteria, job well done! This is the only interesting thing I have ever heard on ESPN

[Corkey]

*snort* welcome, farting bacteria n all.

[JAGG]

I think this fact will fit in here.. did you know that body odor is created when bacteria on your body eat sweat then release gas. My first post on this website and I choose farting bacteria, job well done! This is the only interesting thing I have ever heard on ESPN

I love it fart facts!!!!!!

[Corkey]

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/30387/teen+sailor+laura+dekker+begins+treacherous+indian +ocean+crossing/

Another 16 yo attempts circumnavigation.

[SoNotHer]

http://news.yahoo.com/odyssey-marine-pops-silver-laden-shipwreck-145559446.html

Sunken treasure

"Based on Friday's closing price of $30.10 per ounce, the trove would be worth more than $210 million today. Odyssey Marine said it would be 'the largest known precious metal cargo ever recovered from the sea.'"

Wow....

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/japanese-company-markets-tsunami-escape-pod-26790237.html


Tsunami pods.

[Kelt]

I want one :cheesy:

[BugsAndKisses]

Astronomers searching for the building blocks of life in a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way have concluded that it tastes vaguely of raspberries.

The unanticipated discovery follows years of work by astronomers who trained their 30m radio telescope on the enormous ball of dust and gas in the hope of spotting complex molecules that are vital for life.

Finding amino acids in interstellar space is a Holy Grail for astrobiologists, as this would raise the possibility of life emerging on other planets after being seeded with the molecules.

In the latest survey, astronomers sifted through thousands of signals from Sagittarius B2, a vast dust cloud at the centre of our galaxy. While they failed to find evidence for amino acids, they did find a substance called ethyl formate, the chemical responsible for the flavour of raspberries.

"It does happen to give raspberries their flavour, but there are many other molecules that are needed to make space raspberries," Arnaud Belloche, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, told the Guardian.

Curiously, ethyl formate has another distinguishing characteristic: it also smells of rum.

The astronomers used the IRAM telescope in Spain to analyse electromagnetic radiation emitted by a hot and dense region of Sagittarius B2 that surrounds a newborn star.

Radiation from the star is absorbed by molecules floating around in the gas cloud, which is then re-emitted at different energies depending on the type of molecule.

While scouring their data, the team also found evidence for the lethal chemical propyl cyanide in the same cloud. The two molecules are the largest yet discovered in deep space.

Dr Belloche and his colleague Robin Garrod at Cornell University in New York have collected nearly 4,000 distinct signals from the cloud but have only analysed around half of these.

"So far we have identified around 50 molecules in our survey, and two of those had not been seen before," said Belloche.

The results are being presented today at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science at the University of Hertfordshire.

Last year, the team came tantalisingly close to finding amino acids in space with the discovery of a molecule that can be used to make them, called amino acetonitrile.

The latest discoveries have boosted the researchers' morale because the molecules are as large as the simplest amino acid, glycine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and are widely seen as being critical for complex life to exist anywhere in the universe.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we find an amino acid out there in the coming years," said Belloche.

Previously, astronomers have detected a variety of large molecules, including alcohols, acids and chemicals called aldehydes.

"The difficulty in searching for complex molecules is that the best astronomical sources contain so many different molecules that their 'fingerprints' overlap and are difficult to disentangle," Belloche said.

The molecules are thought to form when chemicals that already exist on some dust grains, such as ethanol, link together to make more complex chains.

"There is no apparent limit to the size of molecules that can be formed by this process, so there's good reason to expect even more complex organic molecules to be there," said Garrod.

source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/apr/21/space-raspberries-amino-acids-astrobiology

Isn't that kinda romantic in a Trekkie sort of way <3

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/hairy-crazy-ants-invade-texas-miss-150823360.html


Crazy ants, we will never, live in the south, ever!

[SoNotHer]

I had the misfortune of being bitten by the well named "fire ant" when I lived in Texas and made the mistake of resting my hand on a log as I was videotaping a scene. I won't soon forget that feeling.

Disturbing story, Corkey.


http://news.yahoo.com/hairy-crazy-ants-invade-texas-miss-150823360.html


Crazy ants, we will never, live in the south, ever!

[Corkey]

I had the misfortune of being bitten by the well named "fire ant" when I lived in Texas and made the mistake of resting my hand on a log as I was videotaping a scene. I won't soon forget that feeling.

Disturbing story, Corkey.

My wife was bit in Texas as well, she is allergic to them, like I said never will go south.

[Corkey]

http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-worried-arctic-record-ozone-loss-184040262.html


Arctic ozone levels.