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Latest Articles: Science-Technology
New laser technology could kill viruses and improve DVDs
Post Date: 2011-07-11 21:59:42 by A K A Stone
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A team led by a professor at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering has made a discovery in semiconductor nanowire laser technology that could potentially do everything from kill viruses to increase storage capacity of DVDs. Ultraviolet semiconductor diode lasers are widely used in data processing, information storage and biology. Their applications have been limited, however, by size, cost and power. The current generation of ultraviolet lasers is based on a material called gallium nitride, but Jianlin Liu, a professor of electrical engineering, and his colleagues have made a breakthrough in zinc oxide nanowire waveguide lasers, which can offer smaller ...
The Green Nazi Deep Ecology of Martin Heidegger
Post Date: 2011-07-10 08:20:39 by CZ82
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The Green Nazi Deep Ecology of Martin Heidegger By Mark Musser One of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, foundational to the academic left and deep ecology of the greens, was committed to Nazism. The green Nazi/deep ecology connection in the life and works of Martin Heidegger have been routinely given a pass over the years by many western scholars who love his existential philosophy. According to French professor Emmanuel Faye's latest book on Heidegger, the days of viewing his commitment to Nazism as something incidental to his life are now officially over. In his book Heidegger: The Introduction of Nazism into Philosophy in Light of the Unpublished Seminars ...
After Last Shuttle Lifts Off, Russia Owns Space
Post Date: 2011-07-08 20:48:16 by Brian S
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(Newser) – After the last US space shuttle flight blasts off tomorrow, Russia will officially have a monopoly on outer space. The 40-year-old Soyuz capsule will be the only vessel capable of reaching the International Space Station, and Russia can charge dearly for rides, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We are not in a very comfortable situation, and when I say uncomfortable, that is a euphemism,” says the director of the European Space Agency. “We made a collective mistake.” Already, Russia has increased its asking price 175% since George W. Bush announced the end of the shuttle program in 2004—and it’ll rise again later this summer, to $43.4 million ...
Asia pollution blamed for halt in warming (sulphur emissions from burning coal - save the planet)
Post Date: 2011-07-05 00:42:22 by Hondo68
18 Comments
Smoke billows from chimneys at an industrial district near Tokyo February 28, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon LONDON (Reuters) - Smoke belching from Asia's rapidly growing economies is largely responsible for a halt in global warming in the decade after 1998 because of sulphur's cooling effect, even though greenhouse gas emissions soared, a U.S. study said on Monday. The paper raised the prospect of more rapid, pent-up climate change when emerging economies eventually crack down on pollution.World temperatures did not rise from 1998 to 2008, while manmade emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuel grew by nearly a third, various data show. The researchers from ...
Russia Gains Edge In Space Race As US Shuttle Bows Out
Post Date: 2011-07-04 11:32:46 by Brian S
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MOSCOW — As the United States winds down its shuttle programme in a symbolic twist in a long-running space rivalry, Russia will gain complete control of access to the International Space Station. The Russian space agency plays down any triumphalism, but US astronauts will remain dependent on Russia for access to the ISS at least until 2015 and will have to pay for seats in its Soyuz space capsules. "We cannot say that we have won the space race, but simply that we have reached the end of a certain stage," the deputy head of the Russian space agency, Vitaly Davydov, said in an interview. On July 8, four US astronauts will board the Atlantis shuttle for its last flight, ...
Chemical in plastic containers makes male mice act like females
Post Date: 2011-06-28 19:59:00 by mininggold
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Chemical in plastic containers makes male mice act like females By Agence France-Presse Monday, June 27th, 2011 -- 6:51 pm WASHINGTON — Male mice who were exposed as babies to BPA, a chemical common in canned foods and plastic containers, act more like females and are seen as less desirable mates, a US study showed Monday. The findings could have implications for how BPA, or Bisphenol A, may affect human development and behavior, said the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "The BPA-exposed deer mice in our study look normal; there is nothing obviously wrong with them. Yet, they are clearly different," said lead author Cheryl ...
Why guzzling diet drinks could make you FATTER - they can trigger the appetite
Post Date: 2011-06-28 14:13:15 by Capitalist Eric
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Diet soft drinks can actually make people fatter, say scientists. Reaching for the Diet cola is a bad idea for those trying to cut calories - because it may make you want to eat more, according to two studies. Artificial sweeteners could be to blame, as they were shown to increase blood sugar levels over time, and researchers believe they could also actually trigger the appetite. In one study that followed nearly 500 people, those who drank any amount of the soft drinks each day had 70 per cent bigger waists after a decade than those who drank none. And those who drank two or more a day had roughly a five-fold increase - almost two inches around the girth, according to the findings ...
Inflatable Shark Among 300 New Species Discovered in Philippines
Post Date: 2011-06-28 00:13:52 by A K A Stone
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treasure trove of hundreds of new species may have been discovered in the Philippines, including a bizarre sea star that feeds exclusively on sunken driftwood and a deep-sea, shrimp-eating shark that swells up to scare off other predators. Scientists braved leeches and a host of venomous creatures from the mountains to the sea to uncover more than 300 species that are likely new to science. These findings include dozens of new insects and spiders, more than 50 colorful new sea slugs and a number of deep-sea armored corals "which protect themselves against predatory nibbles from fish by growing large, spiky plates," said researcher Terrence Gosliner, dean of science and research ...
Conservatives Scare More Easily Than Liberals, Say Scientists
Post Date: 2011-06-24 11:15:40 by lucysmom
28 Comments
Deep-seated political differences aren’t simply moral and intellectual: They’re also biological. In reflex tests of 46 political partisans, psychologists found that conservatives were more likely than liberals to be shocked by sudden threats. Accompanying the physiological differences were deep differences on hot-button political issues: military expansion, the Iraq war, gun control, capital punishment, the Patriot act, warrantless searches, foreign aid, abortion rights, gay marriage, premarital sex and pornography. "People are experiencing the world, experiencing threat, differently," said University of Nebraska political scientist John Hibbing. "We have very ...
Mission Impossible? American treasure hunter launches search for Bin Laden's body in depths of North Arabian Sea
Post Date: 2011-06-12 16:15:01 by Hondo68
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Treasure-hunter: Bill Warren is reportedly launching an underwater search to find Osama Bin Laden's body Some may have thought we would never discover the Titanic, but this is an even more ambitious search.Treasure-hunter Bill Warren, of California, is reportedly launching an underwater search to find the body of former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.U.S. forces say they buried the former Al Qaeda leader at sea last month from the USS Carl Vinson warship in the North Arabian Sea.But that is the only detail of the location that has been released.The veteran explorer launched the hunt as he does not believe President Obama gave enough proof of the terrorist's death.He told TMZ he is ...
New battery design could give electric vehicles a jolt
Post Date: 2011-06-07 22:19:49 by Skip Intro
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Significant advance in battery architecture could be breakthrough for electric vehicles and grid storage. A radically new approach to the design of batteries, developed by researchers at MIT, could provide a lightweight and inexpensive alternative to existing batteries for electric vehicles and the power grid. The technology could even make “refueling” such batteries as quick and easy as pumping gas into a conventional car. The new battery relies on an innovative architecture called a semi-solid flow cell, in which solid particles are suspended in a carrier liquid and pumped through the system. In this design, the battery’s active components — the positive and ...
‘Malintent Detection’ Technology Tested In The Northeast United States
Post Date: 2011-05-31 15:53:16 by Brian S
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun field testing new technology designed to identify people who intend to commit a terrorist act. Nature reported that the DHS has been conducting tests of Future Attribute Screening Technology (FAST) in the past few months at an undisclosed location in the northeast. The technology uses remote sensors to measure physiological properties, such as heart rate and eye movement, which can be used to infer a person's current mindset. According to a Privacy Impact Assessment (PDF) released by the DHS in 2008, the technology is intended to measure a person's malintent -- the intent to cause harm. "Behavioral scientists ...
17 Lost Egyptian Pyramids Discovered By Space Archaeologists
Post Date: 2011-05-26 13:29:04 by sneakypete
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A new golden age of Egyptology may have only just begun. But this time things are a little different. Instead of treks through the desert, khaki hats, and camel rides into the sunset, modern archeologists are using satellite imaging and modern technology to uncover the lost secrets of Egypt. Astoundingly, scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham believe they have discovered 17 "lost" pyramids using this methodology, according to MSNBC. 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements have also been uncovered with the use of infra-red technology, according to the BBC. Thus far, at least two of the suspected pyramids have been confirmed and excavated. From the BBC: We ...
Hyundai KIA fuel cell car
Post Date: 2011-05-24 19:32:36 by jwpegler
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The £400 test that tells you how long you'll live
Post Date: 2011-05-16 08:40:47 by Sebastian
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A blood test that can show how fast someone is ageing – and offers the tantalising possibility of estimating how long they have left to live – is to go on sale to the general public in Britain later this year. How the test works: Click here to upload graphic (120kb) The controversial test measures vital structures on the tips of a person's chromosomes, called telomeres, which scientists believe are one of the most important and accurate indicators of the speed at which a person is ageing. Scientists behind the €500 (£435) test said it will be possible to tell whether a person's "biological age", as measured by the length of their telomeres, ...
Tiny new micro-camera is as small as a grain of sand
Post Date: 2011-05-10 00:14:35 by A K A Stone
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>media.tecca.com/2011/04/13/mw-630-fraunhoffer-cam-630w.jpg"> Researchers at a German medical institute have created a camera lens so tiny that you can only barely see it with the naked eye. The electronic eye measures just 1.5 millimeters at its widest, and is designed to peer inside the human body in endoscopic procedures. Obviously, the smaller the device being inserted into your body, the better, so news of such a miniscule camera is certainly important from a medical standpoint. The new camera is impressive for another reason as well: it's disposable. The materials used in its construction make the mini lens cheap enough to be tossed after each operation, meaning no ...
Automakers promote hydrogen cars; Obama administration remains skeptical
Post Date: 2011-05-08 22:06:54 by jwpegler
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Major foreign and domestic automakers that have invested billions in developing a hydrogen fuel cell car say the possibilities are near at hand and that by as early as 2015, the vehicles could begin appearing in showrooms. “We feel like the technology is virtually ready to go,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president of product planning at Hyundai. 75 Comments Weigh InCorrections? More On This Story Automakers promote hydrogen cars President Obama calls for one-third cut to oil imports Budget deal: CBO analysis shows initial spending cuts less than expected COMPLETE COVERAGE: Federal budget showdown The Obama administration, however, is skeptical at best. In recent months, ...
Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows
Post Date: 2011-05-07 19:05:55 by jwpegler
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The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University who tested the chemical in both lab and mouse studies. They say this is the first set of experiments to show that the compound, Delta- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), inhibits EGF-induced growth and migration in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expressing non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. Lung cancers that over-express EGFR are usually highly aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy. THC that targets cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 is similar in function to endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids ...
Full 3-D Invisibility Cloak in Visible Light
Post Date: 2011-04-27 16:39:36 by jwpegler
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Watching things disappear "is an amazing experience," admits Joachim Fischer of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany. But making items vanish is not the reason he creates invisibility cloaks. Rather, the magic-like tricks are attractive demonstrations of the fantastic capabilities that new optical theories and nanotechnology construction methods now enable. This new area, called "transformation optics," as the item just above also showed, has turned modern optical design on its ear by showing how to manipulate light in ways long thought to be impossible. They promise to improve dramatically such light-based technologies as microscopes, lenses, chip ...
Socialists Rally for Climate Justice in Portland
Post Date: 2011-04-23 09:03:27 by CZ82
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Socialists Rally for Climate Justice in Portland Peter Wilson It's always fun to check in on those wacky folks over at socialistworker.org, the website of the International Socialist Organization. A recent story describes the Portland (Ore.) Rising rally for jobs and climate justice: Those in attendance were demonstrating to demand radical solutions to the linked problems of climate change and the economic crisis, and also celebrating the birth of a new organization, the Climate Justice Coalition of Portland, which hopes to link the struggle for workers' justice to climate justice. Sorry, but I'm not celebrating the creation of yet another non-profit demanding radical ...
6% Of Scientist Are Republicans [Full Thread]
Post Date: 2011-04-22 10:33:09 by lucysmom
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Take heart, 9% of scientists describe themselves as Conservative. Click for Full Text!
Leading warmist admits he was bamboozled by fear-mongers - on nuclear power
Post Date: 2011-04-19 15:45:52 by CZ82
12 Comments
Leading warmist admits he was bamboozled by fear-mongers - on nuclear power Thomas Lifson The original moonbat, George Monbiot, columnist for the left wing UK Guardian, now admits that he was bamboozled by fearmongers whipping up anti-nuclear fears. Over the last fortnight I've made a deeply troubling discovery. The anti-nuclear movement to which I once belonged has misled the world about the impacts of radiation on human health. The claims we have made are ungrounded in science, unsupportable when challenged, and wildly wrong. We have done other people, and ourselves, a terrible disservice. I began to see the extent of the problem after a debate last week with Helen Caldicott. Dr ...
Big Bang simulated in metamaterial shows time travel is impossible [Full Thread]
Post Date: 2011-04-14 07:32:38 by Sebastian
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Enlarge In the toy Big Bang model, light rays spread out as a function of time, similar to the expansion of spacetime in a diagram of the real Big Bang. (PhysOrg.com) -- By observing the way that light moves inside a metamaterial, researchers have reconstructed how spacetime has expanded since the Big Bang. The results provide a better understanding of why time moves in only one direction, and also suggest that time travel is impossible. Ads by Google Danica Patrick Honda Film - Watch now to discover the upside of failure through Danica Patrick. - www.honda.com In their study, electrical engineers Igor Smolyaninov and Yu-Ju Hung from the University of Maryland have built a ...
Marijuana causes global warming, uses 1% of U.S. electricity
Post Date: 2011-04-13 21:31:54 by Hondo68
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Enlarge Image People growing marijuana indoors use 1 percent of the U.S. electricity supply, and they create 17 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year (not counting the smoke exhaled) according to a report by Evan Mills, an energy analyst at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. After medical pot use was made legal in California in 1996, Mills says, per-person residential electricity use in Humboldt County jumped 50 percent compared to other parts of the state. In order to produce some 17,000 metric tons of marijuana this year, Mills estimates authorized growers will use $5 billion worth of energy. That works out to the output of seven big electric power plants. Much of the ...
Meet the new dinosaur scientists believe is the 'missing link' in prehistoric evolution
Post Date: 2011-04-13 08:16:50 by Sebastian
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Daemonosaurus chauliodus had two legs and unusually large eyes when it lived 205million years agoThe New Mexico find could help scientists fill in the gaps of an incomplete period of prehistoric evolutionWith its large eyes and slanted teeth, Daemonosaurus chauliodus may look like any other of its prehistoric contemporaries.But this new species of dinosaur - described as having large eyes, buck teeth and being the same size as a large dog - has caused quite a stir in archaeological circles.The fossil remains of the Daemonosaurus were discovered in New Mexico at a renowned dinosaur site - and it is thought the find could fill in the gaps of an incomplete period of prehistoric ...
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