Science News

NASA is considering towing a 500 ton asteroid into lunar orbit so it can be studied with out the cost of deep space missions. http://www.gizmag.com/asteroid-capture/25625

Here's the link to the official PR. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-crowdfunding-platform-scitechstarter-focuses-on-science-and-technology-innovators-179941301.html

I had to laugh when I read this. I just wanted to share it with you all. Fox News Viewers Know Less [about the news] Than People Who Don't Watch Any News: A Study

This one saw some site, i didn't know that what happening after that happens, anybody to tell that

If epigenetics deals with heritable traits from parent to child that are not a part of the standard DNA sequence, then can it not be said that evolution is actually not the accumulation of random chances that many are lead to believe? It certainly cannot be said that inherited changes are entirely due to the DNA of the parents. Random mutation will always occur, but they are most likely not the drivers of evolution if epigenetics are at work. If the environment in any way can cause an inherited trait to be passed on to a child, then the theory that evolution is driven by solely random mutation cannot be true any more. It would make very much sense when one considers how f…

The New York Times reports (published 9 December, 2012) "In Girl’s Last Hope, Altered Immune Cells Beat Leukemia" . Last Spring, the article reports, doctors at Children's Hospital of Philidelphia treating Emma Whitehead, (aged 6 at the time) for an advanced case of lymphoblastic lukemia which had not responded to any other treatment resorted to injecting a disabled form of the Human Immuno Virus in a never-before-attempted therapy. In Emma's case, the treatment appears to have been effective and she remains in complete remission at this point. "To perform the treatment, doctors remove millions of the patient’s T-cells — a type of white blood cell — and insert…

These organic semiconductor polymer strips could eventually replace fluorescent lighting. They have a much better quality of light, and are comparable in efficiency to current LEDs. They contain multi-walled carbon nanotubes and operate best on 80 kHz frequency current. http://www.gizmag.com/fipel-alternative-fluorescent-lights/25287/ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566119912004831

Sir Patrick presented the monthly astronomy program on the BBC for over fifty years. He was a much loved figure in the UK bringing the breakthroughs of the field and the simple delights of stargazing to a lay audience. I had an opportunity to meet him about eight years ago and thank him for having kindled my interest in science as a ten year old. He will be sorely missed. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20657939

Reports are out that the Mars Rover Curiosity team has "BIG news" to share from Mars. There is talk about really interesting data coming from the SAM chemistry device. What do you think it will be? How likely is it in your opinion that we just found the first ever evidence for life on another planet? http://www.npr.org/2012/11/20/165513016/big-news-from-mars-rover-scientists-mum-for-now

For dark matter to be in fact the gravitational influence that explains the motions of spiral galaxies via gravitational influences therefore exonerating General Relativity and Newtonian gravity it would need to have a specific observable behavior. This dark matter hypothesis now seems to be in serious question based upon this link. Opponents of conventional gravity models have made such predictions since the advent of the dark matter hypothesis, my own model being one of them. http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112486232/hubble-findings-cast-doubt-on-dark-matter-theories/

Some interesting news out of CERN on the quark-gluon soup of matter just after the big bang: http://news.discovery.com/space/lhc-collision-new-form-matter-cern-121128.html

Always thought geckos used suction to attach to walls. Turns out they don't, and they have created a material to replicate their feet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVd6bOhDUKI

http://www.iol.co.za...89#.UIVBNaNvLc8 http://www.youtube.c...h?v=9jHRDFqk_Ys Air Fuel Synthesis in Stockton-on-Tees has produced five litres of petrol since August in this small refinery.

Similar to the artificial jellyfish model made this summer, the "walking" biological robot uses rat cardiac cells. The cells are placed onto hydrogel (gelatin-like polymer) which is then layered with cardiomyocetes from a 3-D printer. Read more here; http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/121115/srep00857/full/srep00857.html

http://phys.org/news/2012-03-efficiency.html Apparently this device actually puts out more energy than it consumes, converting some of the ambient room temperature heat to light in the process.

Synthetic Magnetism Used to Control Light: Opens Door to Nanoscale Applications That Use Light Instead of Electricity http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121031151609.htm ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2012) — Stanford researchers in physics and engineering have demonstrated a device that produces a synthetic magnetism to exert virtual force on photons similar to the effect of magnets on electrons. The advance could yield a new class of nanoscale applications that use light instead of electricity. Promise of harnessing light. An advance could yield a new class of nanoscale applications that use light instead of electricity. (Credit: © mrage / Fotolia)

The closest Earth sized planet has been found orbiting Alpha Centauri, while too close to it's parent star to be earth like in climate it is close to the right size. http://www.space.com/18097-alpha-centauri-stars-planet-explained-infographic.html

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/04/09/mystery-of-the-disappearing-bees-solved/ A reason for everyone to only buy organic food perhaps? The use of these pesticides must stop.

Felix Baumgartner is today attempting to break the world records for Highest Freefall Jump and to be the first person to break the sound barrier without a vehicle. If anybody asks where the real men have gone, tell them that one of them is in a balloon more than 30 kilometres up. Those with "The Right Stuff" are still with us. Good Luck Felix. Gods speed.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120718192607.htm Child's Behavior Linked to Father-Infant Interactions, Study Shows ScienceDaily (July 18, 2012) — Children whose fathers are more positively engaged with them at the age of three months have fewer behavioural problems at the age of twelve months, according to new research funded by the Wellcome Trust. The study suggests that interventions aimed at improving parent-child interaction in the early postnatal period may be beneficial to the child's behaviour later in life. Children whose fathers are more positively engaged with them at the age of three months have fewer behavioural problems at the age …

New site that contains an interactive tree of life. So far it's just for mammals but other groups are coming soon. http://www.onezoom.org/mammals.htm

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2012 was awarded jointly to Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland "for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2012/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19879890

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2012 was awarded jointly to Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilka "for studies of G-protein-coupled receptors" http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2012/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19894971

Looks like they may have found a way to show that Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle may be wrong. The Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Mechanics is intuitive to a certain extent and is only one of a few primary foundation principles of Quantum Theory. Maybe its wording and formulations may need to be changed in the future. Other principles of QM are the Either Or, but not both at once, wave particle duality Principle of EM radiation, the Indeterminacy of particle state before observation, relating to Shroedingers Cat and quantum Entanglement. The Lack of Causality Principle: that events can happen by pure chance, their probability determined by statistics. W…

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012 was awarded jointly to Sir John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent" http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2012/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19869673