Science News

Good news to the physicist community. I came across an excellent website on conceptual physics questions. Address of the website is (url removed by mod). The website has got worthful content and is very helpful to the student community.

Ann interesting article describing how young gorillas learned to spot and dismantle traps. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120719-young-gorillas-juvenile-traps-snares-rwanda-science-fossey/?source=hp_dl2_news_smart_gorillas20120720

A connection between solar flare activity and radioactive decay may be used to predict solar flares more than a day in advance. http://www.gizmag.com/radioactive-solar-flare-warning-system/23702/ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927650512000928

A contest backed by google to place a telescope on the moon is moving closer to fruition... http://www.gizmag.com/iloa-lunar-telescope/23639/?utm_source

Computer simulations of what happens to Earth like planets when they are subjected to great heat, similar to the super earths orbiting near their home stars is allowing scientists to gain insight into how these planets form and how Earth and Venus became so different. http://www.gizmag.com/super-earth-destroyed-simulation/23628/?utm_source

Surprised no one posted this yet... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19184370 What does this mean for current human evolutionary models? They mention "the research adds to a growing body of evidence that runs counter to the popular perception that there was a linear evolution from early primates to modern humans". Explain please.

Paddlefish's Doubled Genome May Question Theories On Limb Evolution ScienceDaily (Aug. 6, 2012) — The American paddlefish -- known for its bizarre, protruding snout and eggs harvested for caviar -- duplicated its entire genome about 42 million years ago, according to a new study published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution. This finding may add a new twist to the way scientists study how fins evolved into limbs since the paddlefish is often used as a proxy for a more representative ancestor shared by humans and fishes. A juvenile paddlefish, just under three inches long at two months old. Fully grown American paddlefish can reach five feet (1.5 m) in le…

Histology is the study of tissue, all tissue types and species. We take live tissue and fix it, so that is no longer degrading, so it stays in it's original form. Then we process the tissue, take all the water out and replace it with paraffin. The specimen is then cut on a machine called a microtome. It is cut very thin, 2-10 microns and placed on a glass slide. Typically it is then stained with hematoxylin and eosin or (H&E), although there are many other stains. The hematoxylin stains the tissue structures a purple color that are basic or alkaline such as the nuclei. The eosin will stain the structures different hues of pink that are acidic such as the cytopla…

Artificial jellyfish built from rat cells http://www.nature.com/news/artificial-jellyfish-built-from-rat-cells-1.11046 Fascinating.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120720103543.htm ScienceDaily (July 20, 2012) — New findings suggest the surface of Saturn's largest moon may have undergone a recent transformation. For many years, Titan's thick, methane- and nitrogen-rich atmosphere kept astronomers from seeing what lies beneath. Saturn's largest moon appeared through telescopes as a hazy orange orb, in contrast to other heavily cratered moons in the solar system. Images from the Cassini mission show river networks draining into lakes in Titan's north polar region. (Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120718131348.htm Neanderthals in Northern Spain Had Knowledge of Plants' Healing Qualities, Study Reveals ScienceDaily (July 17, 2012) — An international team of researchers, led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the University of York, has provided the first molecular evidence that Neanderthals not only ate a range of cooked plant foods, but also understood its nutritional and medicinal qualities. A researcher at work in El Sidrón Cave. (Credit: CSIC Comunicación)

-So if we are able to break down particles, could we essentially replicate particles out of nowhere using a device that esentialy clones these particles? Like a particle data bank? -Also what is the exact break down of a particle?

Although Big Bang neucleosynthesis theory is considered successful in explaining the observed abundance of helium in the universe, it has had problems explaining other elements and isotopes such as deuterium and Lithium. This new study seems to indicated that new Lithium is being created by stellar black holes which would additionally confound the observed lithium shortfall with theory. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/342395/title/Black_hole_theory_deepens_lithium_crisis

http://the-scientist.com/2012/07/20/rights-for-cetaceans/ Rights for Cetaceans An animal rights law group plans to renew law group plans to renew the fight for recognizing certain species as persons. The Nonhuman Rights Project, a nonprofit organization advocating for legal rights for animals, is planning on filing two lawsuits on behalf of captive animals in the United States by the end of next year, according to Wired Science. Although the group has not yet decided which species will be targeted, highly intelligent social animals such as bonobos, chimpanzees, elephants, and dolphins are strong contenders. The head of the organization, animal law sch…

Religion May Have Evolved Because Of Its Ability To Help People Exercise Self-Control ScienceDaily (Jan. 1, 2009) — Self-control is critical for success in life, and a new study by University of Miami professor of Psychology Michael McCullough finds that religious people have more self-control than do their less religious counterparts. Rural church. Religion may have evolved because of its ability to help people exercise self-control. (Credit: iStockphoto/Philip Dyer) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231005355.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120718143917.htm Enhanced Royal Jelly Produces Jumbo Queen Bee Larvae ScienceDaily (July 18, 2012) — Scientists have discovered a way to make worker bees produce an enhanced version of royal jelly (RJ) -- the super-nutritious substance that dictates whether larvae become workers or queens, and that is also renowned as a health supplement for people. Scientists have discovered a way to make worker bees produce an enhanced version of royal jelly (RJ) -- the super-nutritious substance that dictates whether larvae become workers or queens, and that is also renowned as a health supplement for people. (Credit: © koi8…

On 2012 July 1, a man wearing computer-assisted spectacles was assaulted by staff in a Parisian McDonald's, who tried to pull the glasses off his head then threw him out of the restaurant, according to a blog post written by the victim. The McDonald's staff seemed angered by the high-tech vision-ware worn by Dr Steve Mann who is an academic at the University of Toronto and an expert in wearable computing. Mann has worn the computer-assisted spectacles, known as the EyeTap Digital Eye Glass, pictured below, for 13 years. Okay, being a geek is no reason for the rough treatment, but maybe they didn't like having their picture taken. Any other thoughts, com…

Scientists 'will say they are 99.99% certain' the particle has been found http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2167188/God-particle-Scientists-Cern-expected-announce-Higgs-boson-particle-discovered-Wednesday.html

"Internet addiction has for the first time been linked with changes in the brain similar to those seen in people addicted to alcohol, cocaine and cannabis. In a groundbreaking study, researchers used MRI scanners to reveal abnormalities in the brains of adolescents who spent many hours on the internet, to the detriment of their social and personal lives. The finding could throw light on other behavioural problems and lead to the development of new approaches to treatment, researchers said." http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/addicted-scientists-show-how-internet-dependency-alters-the-human-brain-6288344.html Bizarre. Coupled with this foul nugget: "…

This topic has been on many people's minds for years now. The dream of flying a car off the highway to avoid traffic, then lightly touching down at your destination. As this thread seems to indicate, that is still a ways off, though the company that makes the Terrafugia Transition seems to hope it is sooner than we expect. http://slashdot.org/submission/2007837/traffic-jam-ahead-no-problem-take-to-the-skies-in-your-terrafugia For about $279,000 though and sooner than we may think. I still think the vehicle of the future would take off vertically and land anywhere, not just on dedicated runways. But the whole concept brings up 200 other questions on safety a…

It appears this may have been circulating for some time, but there is an image from the HiRISE camera from NASA that "suggests" the object in the image is alien in nature. To me it could be anything, but is one of the more interesting images I've seen that seem to fool your eyes into seeing (perhaps) something that is not there.

Yesterday was a sad day for science, as Lonesome George, the last known member of Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni - The Pinta Island giant tortoise dies, marking the extinction of the species. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-18574279

Every one knows about which will be the first experiments and expected results from LHC-CERN. And when the most important results?...Existence of Higgs bosón (?) It seems that the next 4 July will be some news...about Higgs boson...Do you know anything? Do you know any important result till now?

Someone is finally picking up on the idea that maybe we should know about near Earth asteroids a little earlier than a few days to a month before they get here. You go B612. Telescope aims to head off asteroids' impact on Earth

In September I am off to traverse a rainforest in Mozambique that was only discovered by scientists from Kew Gardens, London in 2005 and as far as they were concerned no one new anything about what was in the forest. When they went in 2008 they discovered some species of snake, bird, butterfly and a number of other species completely new to science. Thinking its fantastic that the world still has places to explore (in a responsible manner of course). Anyone out there have any places on the planet they would love to explore?