The distant world whose discovery prompted leading astronomers to demote Pluto from the rank of “planet” has now been given its own official name. Having caused so much consternation in the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the object has been called Eris, after the Greek goddess of discord. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5344892.stm All hail Discordia!
There are loads of ways of visualising the universe – through radiation, dark matter, gravitational fields, distribution of visible light etc. And then there are the times as which the universe is visualised – at the beginning, as it grows, now and projected into the future. String theory makes for even more different ways of Read more about How Big is the Universe and what does it look like?[…]
Yup they had three full sensors looking at it when it went boom – the event started in Februari. BBC The Register (which has a nice link to an animation)
Currently stem cell useage requires the embryo be destroyed, which is why it is termed unethical in the puritan United States. Professor Robert Lanza, medical director of Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) in Massachusetts, US, and lead author on the paper, said: “We have shown for the first time you can create human embryonic stem cells Read more about Ethical Stem Cells[…]
We can no longer ignore it – dark matter exists and has been proven using the Chandra and Hubble telescopes. This is the press release Here’s a discussion on it
As a result of scientific study, the IAU has now decided that instead of 9 planets, our solar system contains at least 12. So time to change your solar system map and re-remember the new planets. The new definition of a planet is: A planet is a celestial body that (a) has sufficient mass for Read more about Planets sorted out[…]
We’re going to have more planets in our solar system. It depends on the findings of the IAU (International Astronomers Union) who are for the first time going to define what a planet actually is. The word should be out soon.
Ketamine, a recreational drug and anaesthetic, has been shown to relieve heavy depression sufferers within a period of hours, where other drugs take weeks or months to show effect. They will have to isolate the part of the drug that relieves the depression, as ketamine in its current form is too strong to sell commercially.
Dimensions are weird things. There are a whole load more of them than the 3 (length, height and depth) most people are used to, such as dimension number 4 (time) and 0 (the dot infinity). This page shows in an easy manner how we can understand 10 dimensions. It does however end with the contention Read more about Dimensions[…]
These have been given approval by the US FDA. Apparently they give a 38% faster healing period using them for 20 minutes each day. It’s non invasive and uses ultrasonics to stimulate bone into healing.
The U.S. Dept. of Energy has publicised a list of discoveries it has made that it considers most important. It’s quite a large list and has links to more information on the discovery.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University engineers have invented a radar system that is virtually undetectable, because its signal resembles random noise. The radar could have applications in law enforcement, the military, and disaster rescue. http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/noiserad.htm
Canadian scientists have developed a low-intensity ultrasound based device that can regrow bones and teeth.
Geoengineering involves changing our environment to suit human needs better. This article looks at ways geoengineers have thought about reducing global warming by not reducing greenhouse gasses, but by proactively doing something about it. Some pretty far out ideas, such as floating white plastic islands in oceans, space mirrors and lacing the atmosphere with sulphur Read more about Geoengineering[…]
Our faces express our emotions – apparently there are around 20 key facial movements expressed around 24 facial feature points, which betray our emotions. By scanning these points intelligently, and detecting things such as facial form, computers can read the emotions of those using them. Ideas posited in the article: websites advertising products directed at Read more about Computers reading emotions[…]
2 gravity wave detectors have been switched on, trying to prove and discover waves posited by Einstein as part of his theory of general relativity. The Americans have a huge isolated lab called LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) run by a few people from the LSU and California Institute of Technology in the middle of Read more about Measuring gravitational waves[…]
Using an arsenal of rockets, artillery and aircraft, China will try to blast the clouds out of the sky, a meteorologist told a Beijing magazine, through a technique which falls under the umbrella of “cloud seeding.” “We can turn a cloudy day into a dry and sunny one by shooting the clouds less intensively than Read more about Beijing to shoot down rain[…]
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6344 The aim is to create a sealed reactor that can be delivered to a site, left to generate power for up to 30 years, and retrieved when its fuel is spent. The developers claim that no one would be able to remove the fissile material from the reactor because its core would be inside Read more about SSTAR – small, sealed, transportable, autonomous reactor[…]
The Erasmus University has studied the costs of leading an unhealthy life, and discovered (duh) that allthough smokers cost more to care for, they lead lives which are on average 10 years shorter than non-smokers, so they cost society less.
Only for a few minutes, but they can talk and move about a bit. No telling what the long term effects are, but they have to be better than staying asleep hooked to life support. The drug activates dormant parts of the brain around the damaged tissue, causing a sleepy waking period.
The USAF is playing around with alternative fuels to fly their planes with, as the amount they use anually accounts for half of the total US governmental useage of fuel. By mixing coal with normal fuel they have something that will decrease their reliance on normal petrol.
This New Scientist report is very sad if it’s true – apparently the banana’s we eat can’t reproduce themselves, and the trees that make them are being attacked by a lethal funghus. So pretty soon, no more banana’s from India!
The reason is an intestinal enzyme called CYP3A, which partially destroys drugs as they are absorbed. Grapefruit juice, like no other fruit juice, interferes with CYP3A, so the body ends up absorbing more of the drug. So if you want to get really REALLY fucked, drink this!
Turns out that air ionisers purify by putting out smog. So much so that they would cause a stage 2 alert in a major city.
It seems that the dust covering the moon is oxygen rich, and all you need to do to release it, is to heat it to high temperatures.