All Entries in the "Science & Technology" Category

Earth’s 2 Moons? It’s Not Lunacy, But New Theory

In a spectacle that might have beguiled poets, lovers and songwriters if only they had been around to see it, Earth once had two moons, astronomers now think. But the smaller one smashed into the other in what is being called the “big splat.”

The result: Our planet was left with a single bulked-up and ever-so-slightly lopsided moon.

The astronomers came up with the scenario to explain why the moon’s far side is so much more hilly than the one that is always facing Earth.

The theory, outlined Wednesday in the journal Nature, comes complete with computer model runs showing how it might have happened and an illustration that looks like the bigger moon getting a pie in the face.

Outside experts said the idea makes sense, but they aren’t completely sold yet.

Full Story Here: Earth’s 2 Moons? It’s Not Lunacy, But New Theory.

Underwater Discovery Sparks Rumors Of Crashed UFO In Baltic Sea Between Finland And Sweden

For now, it’s an unidentified submerged object. But a strange circular formation deep below the Baltic Sea has sparked great excitement among UFO believers who think it might be a crashed flying saucer.

While searching for shipwrecks in the waters between Finland and Sweden on June 19, a Swedish team of nautical salvagers say they uncovered a “very strange anomaly” — a round object about 60 feet across resting about 300 feet below sea level.

“You see a lot of weird stuff in this job, but during my 18 years as a professional I have never seen anything like this. The shape is completely round,” Peter Lindberg, leader of The Ocean Explorer team, told the local press, according to MSNBC.

The circular object — described by Gizmodo as resembling Star Wars’ Millenium Falcon — is also trailed on one side by what appears to be a lengthy patch of displaced seabed.

That has lead some UFO believer to surmise the strange circle is a wrecked UFO, which crashed onto the seafloor and left behind a path of destruction measuring some 900 feet, according to News.com.

Full Story Here: Underwater Discovery Sparks Rumors Of Crashed UFO In Baltic Sea Between Finland And Sweden.

AT&T To Throttle Data Speeds For ‘Unlimited’ Hogs

AT&T Inc. said Friday that it’s going to start limiting speeds for the 5 percent of its customers with “unlimited” data smartphone plans who clog the airwaves the most.

The measure will take effect Oct. 1, AT&T said, and is intended to alleviate congestion on the network.

T-Mobile USA already throttles users who go over certain limits for data consumption.

AT&T stopped signing up new customers for “unlimited” plans last year. Instead, it now lets heavy users pay extra when they go over a certain data allotment.

Full Story Here: AT&T To Throttle Data Speeds For ‘Unlimited’ Hogs.

‪3D Printer‬‏

3D printing is a form of additive manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material. 3D printers are generally faster, more affordable and easier to use than other additive manufacturing technologies. 3D printers offer product developers the ability to print parts and assemblies made of several materials with different mechanical and physical properties in a single build process. Advanced 3D printing technologies yield models that can serve as product prototypes.

Landmark transplant uses stemcell-coated artificial windpipe

An international team of surgeons have successfully carried out the world’s first transplant of a synthetic windpipe, the Swedish hospital where the groundbreaking operation took place said Thursday.

On June 9, a 36-year-old man suffering from late stage tracheal cancer, received a new trachea, or windpipe, made from a synthetic scaffold and covered with his own stem cells, the Karolinska University Hospital in the Stockholm suburb of Huddinge said in a statement.

The so-called regenerative medical procedure could, according to the hospital, revolutionise the field of trachea transplants, making them far more accessible.

Full Story Here: Landmark transplant uses stemcell-coated artificial windpipe | The Raw Story.

Resveratrol prevents the wasting disorders of mechanical unloading by acting as a physical exercise mimetic in the rat

Long-term spaceflight induces hypokinesia and hypodynamia, which, along microgravity per se, result in a number of significant physiological alterations, such as muscle atrophy, force reduction, insulin resistance, substrate use shift from fats to carbohydrates, and bone loss. Each of these adaptations could turn to serious health deterioration during the long-term spaceflight needed for planetary exploration. We hypothesized that resveratrol (RES), a natural polyphenol, could be used as a nutritional countermeasure to prevent muscle metabolic and bone adaptations to 15 d of rat hindlimb unloading. RES treatment maintained a net protein balance, soleus muscle mass, and soleus muscle maximal force contraction. RES also fully maintained soleus mitochondrial capacity to oxidize palmitoyl-carnitine and reversed the decrease of the glutathione vs. glutathione disulfide ratio, a biomarker of oxidative stress. At the molecular level, the protein content of Sirt-1 and COXIV in soleus muscle was also preserved. RES further protected whole-body insulin sensitivity and lipid trafficking and oxidation, and this was likely associated with the maintained expression of FAT/CD36, CPT-1, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) in muscle. Finally, chronic RES supplementation maintained the bone mineral density and strength of the femur. For the first time, we report a simple countermeasure that prevents the deleterious adaptations of the major physiological functions affected by mechanical unloading. RES could thus be envisaged as a nutritional countermeasure for spaceflight but remains to be tested in humans.—Momken, I., Stevens, L., Bergouignan, A., Desplanches, D., Rudwill, F., Chery, I., Zahariev, A., Zahn, S., Stein, T. P., Sebedio, J. L., Pujos-Guillot, E., Falempin, M., Simon, C., Coxam, V., Andrianjafiniony, T., Gauquelin-Koch, G., Picquet, F., Blanc, S. Resveratrol prevents the wasting disorders of mechanical unloading by acting as a physical exercise mimetic in the rat.

Full Text (PDF)

Full Story Here: Resveratrol prevents the wasting disorders of mechanical unloading by acting as a physical exercise mimetic in the rat.

Huge rare earth deposits found in Pacific: Japan experts

Vast deposits of rare earth minerals, crucial in making high-tech electronics products, have been found on the floor of the Pacific Ocean and can be readily extracted, Japanese scientists said on Monday.

“The deposits have a heavy concentration of rare earths. Just one square kilometer (0.4 square mile) of deposits will be able to provide one-fifth of the current global annual consumption,” said Yasuhiro Kato, an associate professor of earth science at the University of Tokyo.

The discovery was made by a team led by Kato and including researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

They found the minerals in sea mud extracted from depths of 3,500 to 6,000 meters (11,500-20,000 ft) below the ocean surface at 78 locations. One-third of the sites yielded rich contents of rare earths and the metal yttrium, Kato said in a telephone interview.

Full Story Here: Huge rare earth deposits found in Pacific: Japan experts – Yahoo! News.

OPS: Are they radioactive yet?  Now the destruction of the Pacific Ocean Floor can begin full speed ahead.

Pythagoras Solar windows and energy breakthrough

A lot of sunlight hits tall office buildings, only to go to waste.

Their relatively small roofs don’t offer much space for solar panels. A solar array crammed onto the top of a typical office tower could produce, at best, a tiny fraction of the electricity the building and its tenants need.

But what if the building’s windows could serve as solar panels?

Pythagoras Solar in San Mateo has developed a window laced with solar cells, a window that generates and saves electricity at the same time.

Full Story Here: Pythagoras Solar windows and energy breakthrough.

Asteroid to Pass Extremely Close By Earth on Monday

UPDATE for 5:35 p.m. ET: NASA has recalculated the time of closest approach for this event to be about 3 1/2 hours later than initially reported. The change is reflected below.

Here’s something to dwell on as you head to work next week: A small asteroid the size of a tour bus will make an extremely close pass by the Earth on Monday, but it poses no threat to the planet

The asteroid will make its closest approach at 1:14 p.m. EDT (1714 GMT) on June 27 and will pass just over 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface, NASA officials say. At that particular moment, the asteroid — which scientists have named 2011 MD — will be sailing high off the coast of Antarctica, almost 2,000 miles (3,218 km) south-southwest of South Africa.

Full Story Here: Asteroid to Pass Extremely Close By Earth on Monday | Near-Earth Asteroids & Potentially Dangerous Asteroids | Asteroid Photos & Comets | Space.com.

Human retina protein can function as a magnetic sensor

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have discovered that a protein expressed in the human retina has the capability of sensing magnetic fields when placed into fruit flies.

“It poses the question, ‘maybe we should rethink about this sixth sense,’” Steven Reppert, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, told LiveScience. “It is thought to be very important for how animals migrate. Perhaps this protein is also fulfilling an important function for sensing magnetic fields in humans.”

The research, published in Nature Communications this week, found that fruit flies could sense and respond to an electric-coil-generated magnetic field when their native retina protein was replaced with a human retina protein called “human cryptochrome 2 protein (hCRY2).”

Full Story Here: Human retina protein can function as a magnetic sensor | The Raw Story.

Star Shooting Intense Water Jets Into Space Spotted

A star shooting water is almost an oxymoron.

But a young sun-like star seems to have been spotted 750 light-years from Earth doing just that, as researchers have apparently discovered, according to PopSci. Their findings indicate that the proto-star is shoot water from its poles at about 124,000 miles per hour.

Essentially, it’s creating water bullets that it shoots deep into interstellar space, according to National Geographic. This star is no more than 100,000 years old, and is located in the northern constellation Perseus.

The star was found by ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory, which was able to see through a dense layer of gas that surrounded it. According to PopSci, the telescope picked up the light signature of both hydrogen and oxygen which are coming together as liquid water before vaporizing near the massive jets of gas that spew from the the star’s poles.

Full Story Here: Star Shooting Intense Water Jets Into Space Spotted By Herschel Telescope.

Dual Black Holes Inhabit Nearby Galaxy Markarian 739, Both Active

Two enormous black holes may exist at the heart of a nearby galaxy, according to a new study set to be published in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

While many large systems contain supermassive black holes at their centers, it’s apparently considered rare that two could exist so close to each other. Even the Milky Way has a supermassive black hole at its center, according to NASA.

From NASA:

A study using NASA’s Swift satellite and the Chandra X-ray Observatory has found a second supersized black hole at the heart of an unusual nearby galaxy already known to be sporting one.

The galaxy, which is known as Markarian 739 or NGC 3758, lies 425 million light-years away toward the constellation Leo. Only about 11,000 light-years separate the two cores, each of which contains a black hole gorging on infalling gas.

Full Story Here: Dual Black Holes Inhabit Nearby Galaxy Markarian 739, Both Active (VIDEO).

Scientists ‘trap’ anti-matter for record 16 minutes

Scientists said Sunday they had trapped and stored antihydrogen atoms for a record 16 minutes, a stunning technical feat that promises deeper insights into the mysteries of antimatter.

Particles and anti-particles annihilate each other in a small flash of energy when they collide.

At the moment of the big bang, nearly 14 billion years ago, matter and antimatter are thought to have existed in equal quantities. If that balance had persisted, the observable Universe we inhabit would never have come into being.

For unknown reasons — and fortunately for us — N

Full Story Here: Scientists ‘trap’ anti-matter for record 16 minutes | The Raw Story.

Infrared Videotaper Kevin McCracken Captures UFO Squadrons Over Oakland, California (VIDEO)

Whatever Kevin McCracken actually videotapes in the night skies above Oakland, Calif., by the true definition of the term, he’s certainly capturing UFOs streaking overhead in formations.

Whether these unidentified objects in the sky are space aliens — or, perhaps, a flock of birds — remains to be proven.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO)

Nevertheless, what this man has captured with his lens is extraordinary.

Using a Sony Handy Cam connected to an infrared scope, McCracken has successfully videotaped objects in triangular formations several times in the past year.

Full Story Here: Infrared Videotaper Kevin McCracken Captures UFO Squadrons Over Oakland, California (VIDEO).

Martin Jetpack Test Flight Video: Jetpack Travel Becoming Closer to Reality?

Martin Jetpack makes the first true flight test by soaring 5000 feet into the air then parachuting back to Earth reported Stuff.co.nz.

According to Martin Aircraft Company’s Glenn Martin, “no other jetpack has flown higher than 150 feet” and “no one has ever fired a parachute from a jetpack.”

The jetpack was fitted with a test dummy for the flight and luckily so as it had a bit of a rough landing. Even with the heavy landing, Martin says a pilot would have walked away from it.

Full Story Here: Martin Jetpack Test Flight Video: Jetpack Travel Becoming Closer to Reality? – AOL Travel News.

Lockheed Martin Hit By Cyber Attack, Department Of Homeland Security Confirms

Hackers launched a “significant and tenacious” cyber attack on Lockheed Martin, a major defense contractor holding highly sensitive information, but its secrets remained safe, the company said Saturday.

Lockheed Martin, the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon confirmed that the contractor’s information systems had come under attack. Lt. Col. April Cunningham, speaking for the Defense Department, said the impact on the Pentagon “is minimal and we don’t expect any adverse effect.”

Still, the concerted attempt to breach the contractor’s systems underscored the risk to the nation’s critical defense data. Chris Ortman, Homeland Security spokesman, said his agency and the Pentagon were working with the company to determine the breadth of the attack and “provide recommendations to mitigate further risk.”

Full Story Here: Lockheed Martin Hit By Cyber Attack, Department Of Homeland Security Confirms.

More Water On The Moon Than Previously Thought: New Findings Challenge Moon’s Creation Theories

When scientists discovered water on the moon in 2009 it seemed like a big step, but it may have been just the beginning of a deeper look into the origins of the rock that orbits earth.

It turns out there may be 100 times more water in lunar magma than was previously thought. According to the journal Science, these new calculations may shed light on just how the moon came to be.

NASA first discovered water on the moon by crashing a rocket into the crater Cabeus and taking up-close measurements. According to Bloomberg, that find suggested there may be 1 billion gallons of water on the moon, which may have come from meteors or comets.

Full Story Here: More Water On The Moon Than Previously Thought: New Findings Challenge Moon’s Creation Theories.

Blackbeard’s Anchor Found Off The Coast Of North Carolina

Archaeologists recovered the first anchor from what’s believed to be the wreck of the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship off the North Carolina coast Friday, a move that might change plans about how to save the rest of the almost 300-year-old artifacts from the central part of the ship.

Divers had planned to recover the second-largest artifact on what’s believed to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge but discovered it was too well-attached to other items in the ballast pile, said project director Mark Wilde-Ramsing. Instead they pulled up another anchor that is the third-largest artifact and likely was the typical anchor for the ship.

Apparently, pirates had everyday anchors and special anchors just most people have everyday dishes and good china.

Full Story Here: Blackbeard’s Anchor Found Off The Coast Of North Carolina.

Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images

Seventeen lost pyramids are among the buildings identified in a new satellite survey of Egypt.

More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements were also revealed by looking at infra-red images which show up underground buildings.

Initial excavations have already confirmed some of the findings including of two suspected pyramids.

“To excavate a pyramid is the dream of every archaeologist,” says Dr Sarah Parcak.

She has pioneered the work in space archaeology from a Nasa-sponsored laboratory in Birmingham, Alabama and says she was amazed at how much she and her team have found.

Full Story Here: BBC News – Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images.

Large Hadron Collider breaks another particle acceleration record

The world’s biggest particle collider set a new record early Monday, a feat that should accelerate the quest to pinpoint the elusive particle known as the Higgs Boson, a senior physicist said.

“Last night, a symbolic frontier was crossed,” said Michel Spiro, president of the board of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), explaining that the rate of sub-atomic smashups in its vast machine had multiplied 10-fold in the space of a month.

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is housed in a 27-kilometre (16.9-mile) ring-shaped tunnel 100 metres (325 feet) below ground, straddling the French-Swiss border.

Full Story Here: Large Hadron Collider breaks another particle acceleration record | The Raw Story.

New Internet tech transmits data at 26 terabytes per second

In a dramatic breakthrough, scientists have learned how to use optical fiber to transmit data over a single laser at speeds that dwarf even today’s fastest Internet connections.

Using techniques called “fast Fourier transform” and “orthogonal frequency division multiplexing,” scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany were able to stitch 300 individual data streams into colors beamed by a single laser, which were then picked apart at the other end.

The result of their experiment was a blazing fast transfer rate of 26 terabytes per second.

Full Story Here: New Internet tech transmits data at 26 terabytes per second | The Raw Story.

Planets Without Orbits? Astronomers Make ‘Exciting’ Discovery

Are these planets without orbits? Astronomers have found 10 potential planets as massive as Jupiter wandering through a slice of the Milky Way galaxy, following either very wide orbits or no orbit at all. And scientists think they are more common than the stars.

These mysterious bodies, apparently gaseous balls like the largest planets in our solar system, may help scientists understand how planets form.

“They’re finding evidence for a lot of pretty big planets,” said Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, who wasn’t involved in the research.

If they orbit stars, their sheer number suggests every star in the galaxy has one or two of them, “which is astounding” because that’s five or 10 times the number of stars scientists had thought harbored such gas-giant planets, he said.

Full Story Here: Planets Without Orbits? Astronomers Make ‘Exciting’ Discovery.

Scientists find ‘master switch’ to controlling human fat

Scientists have found that a gene linked to diabetes and cholesterol is a “master switch” that controls other genes found in fat in the body, and say it should help in the search for treatments for obesity-related diseases.

In a study published in the journal Nature Genetics, the British researchers said that since fat plays an important role in peoples’ susceptibility to metabolic diseases like obesity, heart disease and diabetes, the regulating gene could be target for drugs to treat such illnesses.

“This is the first major study that shows how small changes in one master regulator gene can cause a cascade of other metabolic effects in other genes,” said Tim Spector of King’s College London, who led the study.

Full Story Here: Scientists find ‘master switch’ to controlling human fat | The Raw Story.

Violent Arctic storm a climate-change ‘harbinger,’ study finds

The Inuvialuit living in the Mackenzie Delta of the Northwest Territories watched incredulously in September of 1999, as a particularly violent storm swept the Arctic Ocean 20 kilometres inland, killing all vegetation in its path and leaving lakes infused with salt water.

Local elders said nothing like it had ever happened in the known history of their people – and it turns out they were right.

Scientists from Carleton University in Ottawa and Queen’s University in Kingston, who attribute the surge to global warming, have looked at tree trunks and lake beds to determine that no comparable event has occurred in at least 1,000 years. 

Full Story Here: Violent Arctic storm a climate-change ‘harbinger,’ study finds – The Globe and Mail.

Are humans reshaping Earth?

If alien geologists were to visit our planet 10 million years from now, would they discern a distinct human fingerprint in Earth’s accumulating layers of rock and sediment?

Will homo sapiens, in other words, define a geological period in the way dinosaurs — and their vanishing act — helped mark the Jurassic and the Cretaceous?

A growing number of scientists, some gathered at a one-day symposium this week at the British Geological Society in London, say “yes”.

One among them, chemistry Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen, has even suggested a new name: the Anthropocene.

Full Story Here: Are humans reshaping Earth? | The Raw Story.

Comet Hits Sun: NASA Captures Stunning Event (VIDEO)

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a comet hits the Sun, this might be your answer.

This stunning video shows the Sun’s “reaction” as a comet barrels towards its surface. What happens next is spectacular.

Though NASA states that you can’t actually see the comet hit the Sun (the impact is blocked out by the red occulting disk that allows the other structures in the Sun’s corona to be seen) the ensuing explosion gives a pretty good idea of what’s going on.

The Sun’s position is indicated by the white circle in the video.

However, scientists don’t directly associate these coronal ejections with comet impacts. From NASA Goddard’s Flickr page:

Full Story Here: Comet Hits Sun: NASA Captures Stunning Event (VIDEO).

Astronomers start search for alien signals from 86 planets

A massive radio telescope in rural West Virginia has begun listening for signs of alien life on 86 possible Earth-like planets, US astronomers said Friday.

The giant dish began this week pointing toward each of the 86 planets — culled from a list of 1,235 possible planets identified by NASA’s Kepler space telescope — and will gather 24 hours of data on each one.

“It’s not absolutely certain that all of these stars have habitable planetary systems, but they’re very good places to look for ET,” said University of California, Berkeley, graduate student Andrew Siemion.

The mission is part of the SETI project, which stands for Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, launched in the mid 1980s.

Full Story Here: Astronomers start search for alien signals from 86 planets | The Raw Story.

Mystery of hot planets’ ‘backwards’ orbit unravelled

Scientists on Wednesday said they could explain why heat-seared giant planets in other solar systems can mysteriously orbit their star the “wrong” way.

These space oddities belong to a class of planets known as hot Jupiters — gassy giants that are the size of our own Jupiter but encircle their sun at sometimes scorchingly close distances.

What has bedevilled astronomers is the discovery that in some star systems, the host star spins one way while a hot Jupiter can orbit in the opposite direction.

This throws down a challenge to the yardstick of celestial mechanics, which is our solar system.

Full Story Here: Mystery of hot planets’ ‘backwards’ orbit unravelled | The Raw Story.

With 56% of American Internet connections now capped, advocates ask FCC for probe

The practice of capping Internet bandwidth and selling it as a metered commodity has fully taken hold, to the point where 56 percent of U.S. internet connections are now on plans that restrict how much information users can access before triggering additional fees.

For an Internet landscape that’s been accustomed to unlimited access to information the world over, this represents a sea-change for many broadband subscribers. And to at least two prominent Washington, D.C. advocacy groups, it’s cause for immense concern.

That’s why the directors of Public Knowledge and New America’s Open Technology Initiative — two Washington tech policy groups — have written to the Federal Communications Commission to request they investigate the potential for these practices encouraging anti-competitive activities.

Full Story Here: With 56% of American Internet connections now capped, advocates ask FCC for probe | The Raw Story.

Venus’ climate II: How scientists know Venus’ surface temperature isn’t from internal heating

One of the hypotheses proposed by climate disruption deniers for Venus’ hot surface temperature is that Venus has an unusually hot core. The logic goes like this – if the core is hot enough, then the surface temperature would be from heat bleeding through the crust instead of from the greenhouse effect of a 97% carbon dioxide (CO2) atmosphere. This hypothesis can be quickly disproved by running three simple calculations.

Scientists estimate that Venus’ solid crust is about 50 km thick, and data from robotic probes indicates that it’s of similar composition to the Earth’s crust. The Earth’s crust is largely silicates, and so I’ve simplified the following calculations by assuming that the entire surface of Venus is composed of silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2, aka quartz), which makes up about 60% of the Earth’s crust. The physical property that we care about at the moment is thermal conductivity, or how easily a material conducts heat through it. Silica’s thermal conductivity is 1.38 W·m-1·K-1 (source).

Full Story Here: Venus’ climate II: How scientists know Venus’ surface temperature isn’t from internal heating | Scholars and Rogues.

Solar power without solar cells: A hidden magnetic effect of light could make it possible

A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by University of Michigan researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells.

The researchers found a way to make an “optical battery,” said Stephen Rand, a professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics.

In the process, they overturned a century-old tenet of physics.

“You could stare at the equations of motion all day and you will not see this possibility. We’ve all been taught that this doesn’t happen,” said Rand, an author of a paper on the work published in the Journal of Applied Physics. “It’s a very odd interaction. That’s why it’s been overlooked for more than 100 years.”

Light has electric and magnetic components. Until now, scientists thought the effects of the magnetic field were so weak that they could be ignored. What Rand and his colleagues found is that at the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than previously expected. Under these circumstances, the magnetic effects develop strength equivalent to a strong electric effect.

Full Story Here: Solar power without solar cells: A hidden magnetic effect of light could make it possible.

Top Climate Scientist On The Monster Tornadoes: ‘It Is Irresponsible Not To Mention Climate Change’

Throughout human history, the climate system has been a source of life and death, the sun and rain capable of feeding our crops and bringing us comfort, or unleashing terrible devastation in wind, fire, drought, storm, and flood. Each tragedy that occurs — such as the terrible outbreak of tornadoes and flooding storms this week in the South — reminds us of that awesome power, which is beyond our control and at the limits of our comprehension. We have also learned that humanity is meddling with that power, primarily through the burning of coal and oil that increases the amount of heat trapped in the atmosphere and oceans. Scientists have been warning our leaders for decades that this interference with the climate system is dangerous, and have worked tirelessly to explain how these threats are now coming to pass.

However, the Republican Party is now dominated by ideologues who deny the threat of polluting our climate, even when faced with direct evidence of what the climate system can do to the people they are sworn to protect.

Conservatives attack any discussion of climate policy within the context of the killer tornadoes as “grotesque,” saying that to do so is blaming the victims.

Full Story Here: ThinkProgress » Top Climate Scientist On The Monster Tornadoes: ‘It Is Irresponsible Not To Mention Climate Change’.

NIH Stem Cell Injunction Vacated by D.C. Circuit

The federal government can continue funding research using human embryonic stem cells, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled today, reversing a lower court injunction against the National Institutes of Health.

Two scientists who work with adult stem cells sued NIH to stop embryonic stem cell research, charging that revised 2009 guidelines violated the 1996 Dickey-Wicker Amendment that bars federal funding for research in which a human embryo is destroyed.

In August, Judge Royce Lamberth granted their motion for a preliminary injunction, concluding they were likely to succeed at trial.

Full Story Here: NIH Stem Cell Injunction Vacated by D.C. Circuit – The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.

Measuring Radiation

From Becquerels to Sieverts, From Birth to Death

By RUSSELL D. HOFFMAN

What are Curies, Becquerels, Rems, Rads, Grays, Sieverts, Roentgens, Q, RBE etc.?

Here are some answers (quotes are taken from my book, The Code Killers (URL for free download: www.acehoffman.org ).

Let’s start with a Curie: “An amount of radioactivity defined as 3.7 *10^18 decays per second… about equal to the radioactivity of one gram of pure radium. Replaced by the Becquerel (Bq).”

Becquerel: “Exactly one radioactive decay per second. Abbreviated Bq.”

So those are just different measurements for the same thing: Radioactive decays per unit of time, regardless of strength or type of radioactive emission.

A Curie is a lot of radiation. A single Becquerel… not so much.

One Bq is equal to 27 picocuries, which makes sense because a picocurie (a millionth of a millionth of a Curie) is 0.037 disintegrations per second, and mathematically 0.037 times 27 equals (approximately) one. Radioactive disintegrations, of course, don’t actually happen in fractional amounts. They either happen or they don’t. WHEN they are likely to happen can be guessed at by the isotope’s half-life, but it’s only a guess.

Full Story Here: Russell D. Hoffman: Measuring Radiation.

Al Franken To Steve Jobs On iPhone Tracking: I Want Answers

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) wants answers. After reports Wednesday that Apple’s iPhones and iPads secretly store information of the user’s location, Franken wrote Apple CEO Steve Jobs a strongly worded letter.

“The existence of this information — stored in an unencrypted format — raises serious privacy concerns,” Franken wrote.

According to O’Reilly Radar, who broke the story, the Apple products log “latitude-longitude coordinates along with a timestamp.” The fact that the data is unencrypted and unprotected, they report, means it could be easily accessed if it lands in the wrong hands. The devices store about a year’s worth of data, the researchers found. Their full report can be found here.

Full Story Here: Al Franken To Steve Jobs On iPhone Tracking: I Want Answers | TPM Idea Lab.

As with blood, several types of human gut

The human digestive tract, host to an ecosystem teaming with trillions of living bacteria, comes in three variations as distinct as blood groups, according to a study released Wednesday.

These so-called “enterotypes” are found in populations worldwide and exist independent of race, country of origin, diet, age or state of health, the study reported.

The findings have major implications for detecting and predicting the risk of diseases ranging from intestinal cancers to diabetes to Crohn’s disease, a painful inflammation of the bowels, the researchers said.

Full Story Here: As with blood, several types of human gut | The Raw Story.

iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go

Privacy fears raised as researchers reveal file on iPhone that stores location coordinates and timestamps of owner’s movements

Security researchers have discovered that Apple‘s iPhone keeps track of where you go – and saves every detail of it to a secret file on the device which is then copied to the owner’s computer when the two are synchronised.

The file contains the latitude and longitude of the phone’s recorded coordinates along with a timestamp, meaning that anyone who stole the phone or the computer could discover details about the owner’s movements using a simple program.

For some phones, there could be almost a year’s worth of data stored, as the recording of data seems to have started with Apple’s iOS 4 update to the phone’s operating system, released in June 2010.

Full Story Here: iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go | Technology | guardian.co.uk.

The World’s Most High-Tech Toilet?

It’s a porcelain throne fit for a queen.

Numi, Kohler’s “smart toilet” set to debut at the end of the month, brings a new level of luxury to the lavatory. The opulent appliance features hands-free motion sensors that open and close the lid, embedded deodorizers, a heated seat and foot warming system and even built-in speakers with pre-programmed radio stations. And the whole thing is controlled by a detachable remote.

Numi will be enjoyed by “those consumers who want the best — they want the latest in design and technology [and] want a fashion statement in their home,” David Kohler, the company’s president and chief operating officer, told USA Today, adding that “the luxury [toilet] market is coming back” in America and remains “very strong in other parts of the world.” According to Kohler, it took five years to develop the product.

Full Story Here: Numi, Kohler’s Luxury ‘Smart Toilet,’ Promises ‘New Standard Of Excellence’ In The Bathroom.

Is There Really a Genius in All of Us?

Books and articles that emphasize the “non-cognitive” determinants of genius and elite performance are all the rage these days. (I put “non-cognitive” in quotes, because the line between “cognitive” and “non-cognitive” traits is much more blurred than popular journalists make out. I’ll write more on that in later posts.)

A recent book on the topic (which has just been released in paperback) is David Shenk’s book “The Genius in All of Us: New Insights Into Genetics, Talent, and IQ.” To be fair, the book hits the mark in so many ways. Shenk does a great job reviewing some of the cutting-edge research on epigenetics, and he does a service emphasizing the importance of nature/nurture interactions. Like Jonah Lehrer (see his latest Wall Street Journal article “Measurements that Mislead”) and other journalists writing on this topic, Shenk discusses the important role of deliberate practice, grit and character. I also love the idea that because we don’t know at any point in time the full range of a person’s potential, we should help everyone maximize their potential. This is all great stuff, and it’s backed by solid data. There is no doubt: a person’s environment matters quite a lot, and skills and dispositions other than those those that standardized tests measure contribute to greatness.

Full Story Here: Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D.: Is There Really a Genius in All of Us?.

Hunt Is On For Remains Of Possible Mona Lisa Model

- Italian researchers said Tuesday they will dig up bones in a Florence convent to try to identify the remains of a Renaissance woman long believed to be the model for the “Mona Lisa.”

If successful, the research might help ascertain the identity of the woman depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece – a mystery that has puzzled scholars and art lovers for centuries and generated countless theories.

The project launched Tuesday aims to locate the remains of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a rich silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo.

Tradition has long linked Gherardini to the painting, which is known in Italian as “La Gioconda” and in French as “La Joconde.” Giorgio Vasari, a 16th-century artist and biographer of Leonardo, wrote that da Vinci painted a portrait of del Giocondo’s wife.

Full Story Here: Hunt Is On For Remains Of Possible Mona Lisa Model.

Fermi lab may have found new force of nature

Data from a major US atom smasher lab may have revealed a new elementary particle, or potentially a new force of nature, one of the physicists involved in the discovery told AFP on Wednesday.

The physics world was abuzz with excitement over the findings, which could offer clues to the persistent riddle of mass and how objects obtain it — one of the most sought-after answers in all of physics.

But experts cautioned that more analysis was needed over the next several months to uncover the true nature of the discovery, which comes as part of an ongoing experiment with proton and antiproton collisions to understand the workings of the universe.

Full Story Here: Fermi lab may have found new force of nature | The Raw Story.

Millions of emails exposed in major security breach

A major security breach exposed countless customer emails for a growing list of companies, including TiVo, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Capital One, Marriott Rewards, Walgreens and more.

Epsilon, the world’s largest permission-based email marketing services company, released a statement reporting an unauthorized entry in its clients’ customer database on Friday. Email addresses and customer names were obtained. The list of client databases began with the grocery chain Krogers, but as the investigation continues, more companies are added.

Epsilon sends over 40 billion emails annually and counts over 2,500 clients, including 7 of the Fortune 10 to build and host their customer databases, reports Security Week:

Full Story Here: Technolog – Millions of emails exposed in major security breach.

Chromodoris Fentoni, Shell-Less Snail, Discovered Off Gulf Of Mexico

A new marine species has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Thursday the discovery of Chromodoris fentoni, a type of shell-less snail known as a nudibranch (pronounced “nu-da-brank”).

Biologists discovered the unusual creature after a fisherman donated specimens from the Gulf off Tarpon Springs to the commission and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg in 2009. Samples were then sent to the California State Polytechnic University, which verified the species had never been documented.

Full Story Here: Chromodoris Fentoni, Shell-Less Snail, Discovered Off Gulf Of Mexico.

How many oceans are there?

While there is only one global ocean, the seas are geographically divided into the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern (Antarctic) Oceans.

These five oceans are not separate bodies of water; they form one continuous oceanic mass. The boundaries between these five oceans arose over time for a variety of historical, cultural, geographical, and scientific reasons.

Full Story Here: How many oceans are there?.

Telecom-Funded North Carolina House Votes To Gut Cheap And Fast Public Broadband

The mantra of the modern conservative movement in the United States is that the government isn’t capable of doing anything as well as the private sector. This idea is constantly perpetuated among conservative intelligentsia and as a rallying cry by conservative politicians.

Yet conservative ideology can’t explain the success of Wilson, North Carolina’s, Greenlight fiber optic broadband service. In 2008, Wilson decided that all of its residents deserve access to affordable broadband service and shouldn’t have to put up with a private monopoly. So it established its own broadband service called Greenlight, which offered speeds more than twice as fast as private competitors for a similar price. Soon, Greenlight’s success spread, as several other municipalities in the state started their own public broadband services, giving residents a public option that was cheaper and more effective than the private monopolies.

But the state’s primarily broadband monopoly, Time Warner, decided that consumers shouldn’t have this option. It organized with the other telecoms, and the sector donated over $600,000 to politicians in the state over the last election cycle. And on Monday, every single Republican in the state house along with 15 Democrats voted for a bill that severely restricts the ability of municipalities to operate their own broadband networks, including a provision that disallows them from offering services at below cost — essentially eliminating their ability to provide affordable rates to residents:

Full Story Here: ThinkProgress » Telecom-Funded North Carolina House Votes To Gut Cheap And Fast Public Broadband.

U.S. Develops Cellphone ‘Panic Button’ For Pro-Democracy Activists

Some day soon, when pro-democracy campaigners have their cellphones confiscated by police, they’ll be able to hit the “panic button” — a special app that will both wipe out the phone’s address book and emit emergency alerts to other activists.

The panic button is one of the new technologies the U.S. State Department is promoting to equip pro-democracy activists in countries ranging from the Middle East to China with the tools to fight back against repressive governments.

“We’ve been trying to keep below the radar on this, because a lot of the people we are working with are operating in very sensitive environments,” said Michael Posner, assistant U.S. secretary of state for human rights and labor.

Full Story Here: U.S. Develops Cellphone ‘Panic Button’ For Pro-Democracy Activists.

New Taser can strike suspect 100 feet away

Weapon shoots cartridge that delivers shock

Columbus police have deployed a new shotgun-style stun gun that can hit targets up to 100 feet away.

The Taser X12 shoots wireless cartridges that travel about 1,000 feet per second, officials said. The projectiles are similar in size and shape to traditional shotgun shells

“It’s incredibly accurate,” said Sgt. Matt Weekley.

The projectile is barbed and flies prongs first. Once it strikes its target, the prongs attach to the body through clothing.

Full Story Here: New Taser can strike suspect 100 feet away | The Columbus Dispatch.

8 Surprising Facts About Parenting, Genes and What Really Makes Us Who We Are

In 1990, Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr. and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota published a striking finding: About 70 percent of the variance in IQ found in their particular sample of identical twins was found to be associated with genetic variation. Furthermore, identical twins reared apart were eerily similar to identical twins reared together on various measures of personality, occupational and leisure-time interests, and social attitudes.

Bouchard’s study, along with many others, has painted a consistent picture: Genes matter. The studies say nothing about how they matter, or which genes matter, but they show quite convincingly that they indeed do matter. Genes vary within any group of people (even among the inhabitants of middle-class in Western society), and this variation contributes to variations in these people’s behaviors.

Let’s be clear: Twin studies have received much criticism. Even though the proliferation of advanced statistical techniques (such as structural equation modeling) and the implementation of additional controls have allayed some of the concerns, they haven’t allayed all of the them.

Full Story Here: Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D.: 8 Surprising Facts About Parenting, Genes and What Really Makes Us Who We Are.

Stone Axes Over a Million Years Old Found

A deeper history for the humble handaxe

Anyone in love with their iPad may want to weigh it against the humble hand-axe. Modern technology comes and goes, but this simple, heavy stone, flaked to produce a sharp edge on all sides, remained in fashion for more than a million years.

If only some crafty caveman had been awarded the patent, the world’s first fortune could surely have been made licensing the tool. Especially since a paleontology team reports in the current Science journal that stone tools exported themselves out of Africa to India perhaps 1.5 million years ago more than twice as long ago as previously suspected.

“Here, we present age estimates obtained from excavations at Attirampakkam, an open-air Paleolithic (prehistoric) site situated near a meandering tributary stream of the river Kortallaiyar, northwest of Chennai, in southeast India,” begins the report led by Shanti Pappu of India’s Sharma Centre for Heritage Education. A British archaeologist with the very Scottish-sounding name of Robert Bruce Foote found prehistoric hand axes, the first discovered in India, at the site in 1863.

Full Story Here: A deeper history for the humble handaxe – USATODAY.com.

Stardust, NASA’s Comet-Hunting Spaceship, Shuts Down

With the click of a mouse, Sandy Freund Kasper sent a command to NASA’s comet-hunting Stardust space probe to burn all its fuel, starting a sequence that would shut the spacecraft down after a 12-year run.

“Like saying goodbye to a friend,” said Allan Cheuvront, the Stardust program manager for Lockheed Martin, who has worked on the probe since 1996, when it was still in the design stage.

“It’s been an amazing spacecraft,” he said Thursday. “It’s done everything we asked, it’s done it perfectly.”

Full Story Here: Stardust, NASA’s Comet-Hunting Spaceship, Shuts Down.

Scientists To Drill Deeper Than Ever Before, Hope To Sample Mantle

They’re planning on going where no one has ever gone before.

Scientists say it’s now possible to drill through Earth’s crust and potentially sample Earth’s mantle, according to a commentary in the March 24 issue of Nature. The piece came out on the 50th anniversary of the first attempt to drill into the mantle.

“That has been a long-term ambition of earth scientists,” geologist Damon Teagle, one of the commentary’s writers, told National Geographic News.

Until now, a lack of technology and knowledge about the inner workings of the planet have made sampling the mantle impossible, according to National Geographic. But now the technology exists, including a Japanese drill ship equipped with the six miles of piping that it would take to drill through the planet’s crust.

Full Story Here: Scientists To Drill Deeper Than Ever Before, Hope To Sample Mantle.

Saber-Toothed Vegetarian, Discovered In Brazil

Surprised scientists have discovered the remains of a saber-toothed vegetarian. The leaf-crunching animal – about the size of a large dog – lived 260 million years ago in what is now Brazil, researchers report in Friday’s edition of the journal Science. Its upper canine teeth were nearly 5 inches long.

Such large teeth are more often the mark of a meat-eating animal, used to capture and kill prey.

The enormous canines were likely used by the plant-eating animals to fight each other or protect against predators, said research leader Juan Carlos Cisneros of the University of Piaui in northeastern Brazil.

For example, they might have fought for territory, resources or females, like the modern musk deer, which also have a pair of large, tusklike teeth, he said via email.

Full Story Here: Saber-Toothed Vegetarian, Tiarajudens Eccentricus, Discovered In Brazil (PHOTO).

2 Billion Alien Earths Could Exist In Our Galaxy

Our galaxy might be a bit more crowded than we’ve ever thought.

A new study by the scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA suggests that one out of every 37 to one out of every 70 sun-like stars may have an Earth-like planet in it’s orbit, according to Space.com. These planets are at such a position that liquid water could exist on the planet’s surface, according to the researchers.

That means there could be billions of Earth-like planets just in the Milky Way Galaxy.

In February, the Kepler telescope identified 1,200 possible alien worlds, 68 of which were about the size of Earth. The new data, again collected by the Kepler telescope, suggests that 1.4 percent to 2.7 percent of all stars in the galaxy could be expected to have Earth-like planets in the appropriate zones, according to UPI.

But there may be even more life out there, in other galaxies.

Full Story Here: 2 Billion Alien Earths Could Exist In Our Galaxy.

First Sperm Grown Outside The Body Raises Fertility Hope

After nearly a century of trying, researchers have successfully grown sperm outside the body.

Researchers from Yokohama City University in Japan were able to create working sperm from the testicular tissue of mice. The findings were reported in the online journal, Nature, this week.

If the technique proves transferable to humans, the discovery could help scientists identify solutions to male infertility, and provide options to young cancer patients whose treatment causes future infertility, experts say.

Full Story Here: First Sperm Grown Outside The Body Raises Fertility Hope.

“Super moon” to brighten the skies on Saturday

When the full moon rises on Saturday night, it will be bigger and brighter than at any time for almost 20 years — and that is setting off alarm bells for those who make it their business to warn of impending doom.

The moon’s orbit around the earth is not a perfect circle, and it reaches its point of closest approach, or perigee, once every month. This month, however, is special, because the moon will reach that point — a mere 221,565 miles away — with 50 minutes of when it is also at its moment of maximum fullness.

These two events are occurring more closely together than at any time since 1993, and the combination will cause the full moon to appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than on average.

Full Story Here: “Super moon” to brighten the skies on Saturday | The Raw Story.

New Dinosaur, ‘Angolan Giant,’ Discovered

Scientists say they have discovered the first fossil of a dinosaur in Angola, and that it’s a new creature, heralding a research renaissance in a country slowly emerging from decades of war.

A paper published Wednesday in the Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences describes a long-necked, plant-eating sauropod, among the largest creatures ever to have walked the earth. The international team that found and identified the fossilized forelimb bone say it is from a previously unknown dinosaur, citing unique skeletal characteristics.

The fossil was found along with fish and shark teeth in what would have been a sea bed 90 million years ago, leading its discoverers to believe the dinosaur might have been washed into the sea and torn apart by ancient sharks.

Full Story Here: Angolatitan Adamastor: New Dinosaur, ‘Angolan Giant,’ Discovered.

In Fuel-Cooling Pools, a Danger for the Longer Term

Even as workers race to prevent the radioactive cores of the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan from melting down, concerns are growing that nearby pools holding spent fuel rods could pose an even greater danger.

The pools, which sit on the top level of the reactor buildings and keep spent fuel submerged in water, have lost their cooling systems and the Japanese have been unable to take emergency steps because of the multiplying crises.

By late Tuesday, the water meant to cool spent fuel rods in the No. 4 reactor was boiling, Japan’s nuclear watchdog said. If the water evaporates and the rods run dry, they could overheat and catch fire, potentially spreading radioactive materials in dangerous clouds.

Shigekatsu Oomukai, a spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, said the substantial capacity of the pool meant that the water in it was unlikely to evaporate soon. But he said workers were having difficulty reaching the pool to cool it, because of the high temperature of the water.

Full Story Here: In Fuel-Cooling Pools, a Danger for the Longer Term – NYTimes.com.

Worse Than a Meltdown

Mike Whitney: :

News of a third explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant sent stocks plunging on the Nikkei exchange which dropped 1,015 points on the session. After 2 days of battering, the stock index is off more than 1,600 points in its worst performance since Lehman Brothers failed in September 2008.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has ordered the evacuation of all people living within a 18 mile radius of the power station and warned homeowners to remain indoors to avoid contact with “elevated levels of radiation”.

“Substantial amounts of radiation are leaking in the area,” Kan said in an emergency broadcast on television at 0200 GMT.

Already, the disaster at Fukushima is the second biggest nuclear catastrophe on record, just behind Chernobyl. But reactor volatility suggests that the problem could persist for some time to come, perhaps months.

According to CBS News:

Full Story Here: Mike Whitney: Worse Than a Meltdown.

Arctic faces record ozone loss this spring

Earth’s protective layer down by half, scientists say

Make sure you slap on lots of sunscreen this spring, because there’s a growing hole in the protective layer which keeps harmful rays of ultraviolet light from reaching the surface of the earth.

The ozone layer, which wraps around the planet like a blanket, about 20 kilometres above the surface, filters out these ultraviolet rays.

But there’s only about half the ozone there should be above the Arctic, say European scientists.

Full Story Here: NunatsiaqOnline 2011-03-15: NEWS: Arctic faces record ozone loss this spring.

Reactors At Heart Of Japanese Nuclear Crisis Raised Concerns As Early As 1972, Memos Show

In the early 1970s, just as a number of reactors were about to be licensed, Stephen Hanauer, a senior member of the Atomic Energy Commission staff, suggested banning “pressure suppression” methods to contain radiation in the event of a meltdown — methods built into General Electric’s Mark I and Mark II containment designs as well as Westinghouse’s ice condenser design. The advice was considered and disregarded.

“Steve’s idea to ban pressure suppression containment schemes is an attractive one in some ways,” Joseph Hendrie, then a deputy director with the AEC, wrote in a Sept. 25, 1972, memo. Hendrie acknowledged that alternative, “dry” containments — featuring the towers or domes commonly associated with nuclear plants — had the “notable advantage of brute simplicity in dealing with a primary blowdown, and are thereby free of the perils of bypass leakage.”

But regulators ultimately decided that the technology developed by General Electric and Westinghouse was “firmly embedded in the conventional wisdom.” Banning it, Hendrie wrote, “would generally create more turmoil than I can stand.” His memo was obtained by the Union of Concerned Scientists through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Full Story Here: Reactors At Heart Of Japanese Nuclear Crisis Raised Concerns As Early As 1972, Memos Show.

Fukushima: Mark 1 Nuclear Reactor Design Caused GE Scientist To Quit In Protest

Thirty-five years ago, Dale G. Bridenbaugh and two of his colleagues at General Electric resigned from their jobs after becoming increasingly convinced that the nuclear reactor design they were reviewing — the Mark 1 — was so flawed it could lead to a devastating accident.

Questions persisted for decades about the ability of the Mark 1 to handle the immense pressures that would result if the reactor lost cooling power, and today that design is being put to the ultimate test in Japan. Five of the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which has been wracked since Friday’s earthquake with explosions and radiation leaks, are Mark 1s.

“The problems we identified in 1975 were that, in doing the design of the containment, they did not take into account the dynamic loads that could be experienced with a loss of coolant,” Bridenbaugh told ABC News in an interview. “The impact loads the containment would receive by this very rapid release of energy could tear the containment apart and create an uncontrolled release.”

Full Story Here: Fukushima: Mark 1 Nuclear Reactor Design Caused GE Scientist To Quit In Protest – ABC News.

US overdue for huge Pacific quake: experts

The western United States is overdue for a huge earthquake and tsunami much like the one that devastated Japan last week, and is nowhere near ready to cope with the disaster, experts say.

A volatile, horseshoe-shaped area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire has recently erupted with quakes in Chile, Japan, Mexico and New Zealand, and seismologists say it is just a matter of time before the next big one hits.

Twin fault lines place the US west at risk: the San Andreas fault that scars the length of California and the lesser-known but more potent Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Pacific Coast.

Full Story Here: US overdue for huge Pacific quake: experts | The Raw Story.

iPad 2 Alternatives: 7 Tablets To Try Instead Of Apple’s Latest

Critics are gushing about the iPad 2. It’s being called “even better than the original” and “the best tablet on the market.” But not all consumers want to commit to Apple’s new tablet.

Apple’s “closed” ecosystem is often cited as one of the platform’s biggest drawbacks. Furthermore, the iPad 2 doesn’t run Adobe Flash player, while many of its competitors do; it also lacks a 4G offering, which some big-name alternatives now tout.

For those of you who won’t be picking up an iPad 2 after March 11, we’ve got a list of non-Apple tablets that may strike your fancy.

Look through our slideshow of the iPad alternatives–from the small to the beefy, the feature-rich to the bare-bones–and vote for your favorites. Seen any great slates that didn’t make our list? Leave your suggestions in the comments (below), or email us at technology[at]huffingtonpost.com. You can also check out our iPad 2 review roundup to see what critics have to say about Apple’s new tablet.

Full Story Here: iPad 2 Alternatives: 7 Tablets To Try Instead Of Apple’s Latest (PHOTOS).

Endangered Monkeys Invent New Fishing Method

Monkeys are apparently quite good at fishing… for termites. New observations have found that blonde capuchin monkeys have invented a “fishing pole” method to capture termites from tree nests.

The new method was reported in the recent Royal Society Biology Letters. Scientists observed that a monkey first taps the side of a termite nest, then breaks off a small tree branch. The monkey then rotates the branch, sticks it into the nest, and retrieves termites for consumption.

According to Discovery News, these actions are innovative for two reasons. First, by tapping the side of the nest, termites are on high alert. Scientists predict that when the stick enters the nest, they swarm to it, prepared to attack. (Although, apparently they aren’t prepared enough, since they are then eaten!) This method is also smart because rotating the stick helps to create a hole in the nest — the rotation movement acts similarly to a drill. According to the journal report, “Remarkable manual skills linked to a varied diet seem important in promoting tool use in different contexts.”

Full Story Here: Endangered Monkeys Invent New Fishing Method.

Japan Earthquake Shifted Coastline 8 Feet, Earth’s Axis 4 inches

The massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake that shook Japan and triggered a powerful tsunami on Friday has had a profound effect on both the surrounding terrain and the planet as a whole.

Dr. Daniel McNamara, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told The Huffington Post that the disaster left a gigantic rupture in the sea floor, 217-miles long and 50 miles wide. It also shifted Japan’s coast by eight feet in some parts, though McNamara was quick to explain much of the coast likely didn’t move as far.

McNamara found the way in which the quake actually sunk the elevation of the country’s terrain to be more troublesome than coastal shifting. “You see cities still underwater; the reason is subsidence,” he said. “The land actually dropped, so when the tsunami came in, it’s just staying.”

The enormous tremor also shifted the Earth’s axis. According to CNN, the earthquake moved the planet’s axis approximately 4 inches.

Full Story Here: Japan Earthquake Shifted Coastline Maximum Of 8 Feet, Scientists Say.

New claim on location of Atlantis

American researchers claim to have found convincing evidence that locates the site of the lost kingdom of Atlantis off the coast of Cyprus.

The team spent six days scanning the Mediterranean sea bed between Cyprus and Syria using sonar technology.

They believe they found evidence of massive, manmade structures beneath the ocean floor, including two straight, 2-km (1.25 mile) long walls on a hill.

They say their discoveries match accounts of the city written by Plato.

‘Greatest coincidence’

Team leader Robert Sarmast said the walls appear to be sited on a flat-topped hill where the temples of Atlantis once stood.

Full Story Here: BBC NEWS | Europe | New claim on location of Atlantis.

OPS: We find this interesting but…. Plato was clear that Atlantis was “beyond the pillars of Hercules”. This location is well east of Gibraltar.

Lost in evolution: a hairy penis, a tiny brain

Some defining human traits — a penis bereft of the stiff sensory hairs common to many male mammals, a bulging brain — come less from new genes than genetic material lost through evolution, according to a study published Thursday.

The findings suggest a new way of thinking about what sets Homo sapiens sapiens, or modern man, apart from our close evolutionary cousins, especially the chimpanzee, whose DNA overlaps with ours by 97 percent, the authors said.

Most research on this question has looked for what is genetically novel in humans, and focused on the genes themselves rather than the regulatory mechanisms that drive them.

“But we asked, ‘are there functional, highly-conserved genetic elements in the chimpanzee genome that are completely missing in humans?’,” said Gill Bejerano, an assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and co-leader of the study.

Full Story Here: Lost in evolution: a hairy penis, a tiny brain | The Raw Story.

Pew poll: Clear majority of Americans support legal abortion

A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that a comfortable majority of Americans support keeping abortion legal — posing a challenge for Republicans pushing aggressive measures aimed at curtailing abortion rights.

Fifty-four percent of the public supports legal abortion in all or most cases, while 42 percent believe it should be illegal in all or most cases, the poll found. The figures reflect a rise in support for abortion rights over the last two years.

In 2009, the same Pew survey found the general public much more evenly divided, supporting abortion rights by a margin of 46 to 44 percent. Last summer, the gap was 50 to 44 percent in favor of legal abortion.

Polling by Gallup found in 2009 and 2010 that a plurality, if not a majority, of Americans considered themselves “pro-life” as opposed to “pro-choice.” Gallup last year labeled pro-life “the new normal” on abortion.

Full Story Here: Pew poll: Clear majority of Americans support legal abortion | The Raw Story.

Scientists warn of ‘dangerous over-reliance’ on GPS

Developed nations have become “dangerously over-reliant” on satellite navigation systems such as GPS, which could break down or be attacked with devastating results, British engineers said Tuesday.

The Royal Academy of Engineering said the application of the technology was now so broad — from car sat-navs to the time stamp on financial transactions — that without adequate backup, any disruption could have a major impact.

It cited a recent European Commission study showing that six to seven percent of economic growth in western countries — about 800 billion euros ($1,100 billion) in the EU — is already dependent on such navigation.

Full Story Here: Scientists warn of ‘dangerous over-reliance’ on GPS | The Raw Story.

Tiny spy planes could mimic birds, insects

You’ll never look at hummingbirds the same again. The Pentagon is pouring millions of dollars into the development of tiny drones inspired by biology, each equipped with video and audio equipment that can record sights and sounds.

They could be used to spy, but also to locate people inside earthquake-crumpled buildings and detect hazardous chemical leaks.

The smaller, the better.

Besides the hummingbird, engineers in the growing unmanned aircraft industry are working on drones that look like insects and the helicopter-like maple leaf seed.

Researchers are even exploring ways to implant surveillance and other equipment into an insect as it is undergoing metamorphosis. They want to be able to control the creature.

Full Story Here: The Associated Press: Tiny spy planes could mimic birds, insects.

New Zombie-Creating Fungi Discovered

This is surreal.

Four new species of the zombifying fungi, members of the Ophiocordyceps (or just Cordyceps) genus have apparently been discovered. These fungi are the sworn enemy of tropical ants and other insects, infecting them and causing their unusual behavior, according to Mongabay.

From LiveScience:

Once it infects an ant, the fungus uses as-yet-unidentified chemicals to control the ant’s behavior, [study researcher David] Hughes told LiveScience. It directs the ant to leave its colony (a very un-ant-like thing to do) and bite down on the underside of a leaf — the ant’s soon-to-be resting place. Once it is killed by the fungus, the ant remains anchored in place, thanks to its death grip on the leaf.

Ultimately, the fungus produces a long stalk that protrudes from the ant’s head, shooting spores out in the hopes of infecting other ants. Two of the four newly discovered species also sprouted smaller stalks elsewhere, including from the victim’s feet and lower leg joints – the equivalent of knees.

The video below, from Planet Earth, gives an incredible time-laps

Full Story Here: New Zombie-Creating Fungi Discovered (VIDEO).

CERN collider restarts search for cosmic mysteries

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is gearing up to resume full-speed particle collisions next month aimed at resolving key mysteries of the universe, scientists and engineers at the research center said on Monday.

They reported that the giant subterranean machine was in fine shape after a 10-week shutdown and that particle beams circulating in it again since the weekend would be boosted to top speed by the end of the day.

“Everything is going very well indeed. Progress has been extremely rapid since we switched the LHC on again late on Saturday,” Mike Lamont, head of operations at the LHC control room just outside Geneva, told Reuters.

Full Story Here: CERN collider restarts search for cosmic mysteries | The Raw Story.

NASA: Discovery’s Final Launch Will Happen Thursday

NASA will try next week to launch space shuttle Discovery on its final voyage following a four-month delay for fuel tank repairs.

Liftoff is set for late Thursday afternoon. Senior managers voted unanimously Friday on the new launch date after discussing the fixes made since the shuttle’s grounding in early November.

Cracks in the external fuel tank were discovered after a launch attempt was foiled by leaking hydrogen gas. It’s taken this long to understand and repair the cracking, which could have harmed the shuttle during liftoff.

Full Story Here: NASA: Discovery’s Final Launch Will Happen Thursday.

Baldness Cure A Step Closer: Scientists Regrow Hair In Mice

Gone could be the days of toupees, combovers and hair plugs. For mice, at least.

Researchers at UCLA who set out to study a stress-blocking chemical compound have instead struck gold: a potential cure for baldness.

The scientists discovered bald mice who were treated with the compound for five days grew back full heads of hair in just three months, according to the study published Wednesday in PLoS One.

The likely giddy research team repeated the experiment several more times to confirm. Sure enough, the mice’s hair grew back each time, and the compound also showed promise in preventing hair loss.

Full Story Here: Baldness Cure A Step Closer: Scientists Regrow Hair In Mice.

Earth dodges geomagnetic storm: scientist

A wave of charged plasma particles from a huge solar eruption has glanced off the Earth’s northern pole, lighting up auroras and disrupting some radio communications, a NASA scientist said.

But the Earth appears to have escaped a widespread geomagnetic storm, with the effects confined to the northern latitudes, possibly reaching down into Norway and Canada.

“There can be sporadic outages based on particular small-scale events,” said Dean Persnell, project scientist at NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory at Goddard Space Flight Center.

He told AFP the official forecast is “for generally quiet conditions today, perhaps some minor storming tomorrow, but nothing extraordinary.”

Full Story Here: Earth dodges geomagnetic storm: scientist | The Raw Story.

Earth Directed X2.2-Class Solar Flare and bright CME

=WARNING=Earth Directed X2.2-Class Solar Flare and bright CME: FIRST X-FLARE OF THE NEW SOLAR CYCLE: Earth-orbiting satellites detected an X2-class solar flare at 0156 UT on Feb. 15th. This is the most powerful solar flare in nearly five years, and the first X-flare of Solar Cycle 24. The source was behemoth sunspot 1158.

Giant Hidden Planet, May Exist In Our Solar System

We may have lost Pluto, but it looks like we might be getting Tyche.

Scientists may soon be able to prove the existence of the gas giant, which could be four times the size of Jupiter, according to astrophysicists John Matese and Daniel Whitmire from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The two first proposed Tyche’s existence in order to explain a change in path of comets entering the solar system, according to The Independent.

From the The Independent:

Tyche will almost certainly be made up mostly of hydrogen and helium and will probably have an atmosphere much like Jupiter’s, with colourful spots and bands and clouds, Professor Whitmire said. “You’d also expect it to have moons. All the outer planets have them,” he added.

For a graphical representation of Tyche, click here.

So how could we have missed such a massive planet in our own solar system?

Full Story Here: Tyche, Giant Hidden Planet, May Exist In Our Solar System.

Report: Egypt Shut Down Net With Big Switch, Not Phone Calls

The Egyptian government shut down most of its country’s internet not by phoning ISPs one at a time, but by simply throwing a switch in a crucial data center in Cairo.

That according to a February presentation to the Department of Homeland Security’s Infosec Technology Transition Council, obtained by Wired.com.

The presentation — made by Bill Woodcock, research director of the Packet Clearing House — argues that the Egyptian Communications Ministry acted quite responsibly in the procedure it used to cut ties from the net, after the shutdown was ordered by Egypt’s much-feared intelligence service.

“Most of the outage was effected through a breaker flipped in the Ramses exchange, and the rest was phone calls and arm-twisting,” the presentation says. ‘Ramses exchange’ refers to a central building in Cairo where Egyptian ISPs meet to trade traffic and connect outside of the country, a facility known as an Internet Exchange Point.

Full Story Here: Report: Egypt Shut Down Net With Big Switch, Not Phone Calls | Threat Level | Wired.com.

US Internet censorship fight falling short: report

State Department efforts to combat Internet censorship in China and other countries have fallen short and funding for the drive should be shifted to another US agency, a Senate committee report says.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee report sharply criticizes the State Department for being slow in spending money allocated by Congress for Internet Censorship Circumvention Technology (ICCT).

The report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, recommends that the funding be given instead to the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees the Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and other US radio and TV networks.

The report is to be released on Tuesday, the same day Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to deliver remarks on Internet freedom at George Washington University here.

Full Story Here: US Internet censorship fight falling short: report | The Raw Story.

Voynich Manuscript Dated: Makes ‘DaVinci Code’ Look Lackluster

The Voynich Manuscript, a book seemingly written in an “alien” language, has stumped scientists and historians for decades.

But at least now they have a date.

The book, which was found by a book dealer in an old chest outside of Rome in 1912, was carbon-dated by a team of scientists from the University of Arizona, according to an UA press release.

Carbon-14 dating suggests the book was created between 1404 and 1438, reports Fox News.

The team, led by Greg Hodgins of the University’s department of physics, dated the book back to the early 15th century. The manuscript is written on animal skin (which allowed it to be dated), and now outdates the Gutenberg Bible by 25 years.

Full Story Here: Voynich Manuscript Dated: Makes ‘DaVinci Code’ Look Lackluster.

Cell Phone Towers To Be Replaced By Tiny Antennas

As cell phones have spread, so have large cell towers – those unsightly stalks of steel topped by transmitters and other electronics that sprouted across the country over the last decade.

Now the wireless industry is planning a future without them, or at least without many more of them. Instead, it’s looking at much smaller antennas, some tiny enough to hold in a hand. These could be placed on lampposts, utility poles and buildings – virtually anywhere with electrical and network connections.

If the technology overcomes some hurdles, it could upend the wireless industry and offer seamless service, with fewer dead spots and faster data speeds.

Full Story Here: Cell Phone Towers To Be Replaced By Tiny Antennas.

‘Night Dragon’ attacks from China strike energy companies

McAfee said the intrusions targeted intellectual property and have been going on for as long as four years

Chinese hackers working regular business hours shifts stole sensitive intellectual property from energy companies for as long as four years using relatively unsophisticated intrusion methods in an operation dubbed “Night Dragon,” according to a new report from security vendor McAfee.

The oil, gas and petrochemical companies targeted were hit with technical attacks on their public-facing Web sites, said Greg Day , director of security strategy. The hackers also used persuasive social-engineering techniques to get key executives in Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Greece, and the U.S. to divulge information.

The attacks have been linked to China due to the use of Chinese hacking tools commonly seen on underground hacking forums. Further, the attacks appeared to originate from computers on IP (Internet protocol) addresses in Beijing, between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time there, suggesting that the culprits were regular company employees rather than freelance or unprofessional hackers, McAfee said in its report.

Full Story Here: ‘Night Dragon’ attacks from China strike energy companies – security, mcafee, malware, intrusion, Exploits / vulnerabilities, data breach – Security – Techworld.

Group plans to beam free Internet across the globe from space

The charity group A Human Right said it was planning to purchase a satellite that would provide free basic Internet access to developing countries around the world.

The group, which was founded by 25-year-old Kosta Grammatis, is currently raising money to buy the TerreStar-1, the largest commercial communications satellite ever built. TerreStar, the company that owns the satellite, filed for chapter-11 bankruptcy protection in October 2010, opening the possibility that the satellite may be up for sale.

The group hopes to raise $150,000 to finalize a business plan, investigate the legal and business aspects of submitting a bid for the satellite, and hire engineers to turn the plan into a reality. After this initial phase, the group plans to development an open source low cost modem that could be used to connect to the satellite and finalize plans with partner governments.

Full Story Here: Group plans to beam free Internet across the globe from space | Raw Story.

Apophis Asteroid Could Hit Earth In 2036, Scientists Say (VIDEO)

Apophis Asteroid is back in the news after a Russian report concluded it could hit Earth in 2036. They even have a date for the potential impact.

“It’s likely collision with Earth may occur on April 13, 2036,” Professor Leonid Sokolov of St. Petersburg State University concluded, according to UPI, which also reports an unrelated 4-foot-wide asteroid passed by Earth this week.

Sokolov says while the chances for impact are slim, it’s important to plan for all possible scenarios, per Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. He added the asteroid is most likely to disintegrate into smaller parts that could collide with Earth in following years.

The Apophis Asteroid made headlines in 2009 when scientists predicted a greater than 2 percent chance of impact.

NASA scientists are cautious about the prospect.

Full Story Here: Apophis Asteroid Could Hit Earth In 2036, Scientists Say (VIDEO).

How a zap to the brain could bring out the genius in you

A blast of electricity to the brain could provide a flash of inspiration when under pressure.

Scientists have shown that zapping the grey matter with a gentle electrical current helps us discard our preconceptions and think outside the box.

Donning such a ‘thinking cap’ could help us solve infuriating problems from balancing budgets at work to cracking the final crossword clue.

Researcher Allan Snyder said the controversial technique could help distract us from the humdrum and unlock our inner potential, ‘seeing the world anew

Full Story Here: How a zap to the brain could bring out the genius in you | Mail Online.

Uncontacted Amazon Tribe Filmed, Governments Take Notice (VIDEO)

Worldwide attention has turned to the Peru-Brazil border where uncontacted Indians live, and the South American countries are finally feeling the pressure to protect them.

Survival International’s campaign with newly released photos of the tribe, followed by a breathtakingly haunting film by the BBC, has raised awareness of one of the last uncontacted tribes in the world.

The BBC film, narrated by actor Gillian Anderson was made in collaboration with the Brazilian government for the new BBC 1 ‘Human Planet’ series. Shooting from a kilometer away with a powerful zoom lens in order to minimize disturbance, the BBC crew captures gardens, homes, and people covered in red body paint. An undisturbed civilization. Unfortunately, it may not remain this way.

Full Story Here: Uncontacted Amazon Tribe Filmed, Governments Take Notice (VIDEO).

Nasdaq Hackers Reportedly Penetrated Computer Network Multiple Times

The computer network that runs the Nasdaq Stock Market has been penetrated by hackers multiple times during the past year, according to a newspaper report.

The Wall Street Journal reported on its website late Friday that federal investigators are trying to identify the perpetrators and their motive.

People familiar with the investigation say the exchange’s trading platform, the system which executes trades, was not compromised, according to the report.

Full Story Here: Nasdaq Hackers Reportedly Penetrated Computer Network Multiple Times.

OPS: Just another reason to keep your money out of the Wall Street Casino.

Nasa scientists discover planetary system

Astronomers identify six planets orbiting a sun – the most similar system to our own yet discovered – 2,000 light-years away

Astronomers have discovered a planetary system made up of six planets orbiting a Sun-like star that is more than 2,000 light years from Earth. It is the largest number of planets found so far around a single star.

More than 100 planets have been seen outside our solar system, but most are Jupiter-like gas giants, and almost all are in single-planet systems.

Jack Lissauer, a scientist at Nasa‘s Ames research centre in California and a lead author on a paper published tomorrow in the journal Nature, said that the Kepler-11 finding was “the biggest thing in exoplanets since the discovery of 51 Pegasi B, the first exoplanet, back in 1995″.

Full Story Here: Nasa scientists discover planetary system | Science | The Guardian.

Parkinson’s Disease: Scientists Find Five New Genes

Scientists have identified five new genes linked to Parkinson’s disease in a large genetic analysis of the illness, according to a new study. After reviewing nearly 8 million possible genetic mutations, researchers pinpointed five genes connected to Parkinson’s disease. Previously, six other genes were identified, and experts say there is now increasing proof the degenerative disease is sparked by peoples’ genes.

The discovery doesn’t mean there are any new treatments just yet, but experts are optimistic they are getting closer.

“The major common genetic variants for Parkinson’s have been found,” said Nick Wood, a professor at the Institute of Neurology at University College London, one of the researchers who led the study. “We haven’t put together all the pieces of the puzzle yet, but we’re not that far off,” he said. He predicted a diagnostic test might be ready within a few years.

Until recently, scientists hadn’t been sure what caused Parkinson’s disease, but assumed environmental factors such as exposure to chemicals or past head injuries were largely to blame.

Full Story Here: Parkinson’s Disease: Scientists Find Five New Genes.

Internet Runs Out Of Addresses As Devices Grow

The spread of Internet use in Asia and the proliferation of Internet-connected phones worldwide are causing the Internet to run out of numerical addresses, which act as “phone numbers” to ensure that surfers reach websites and e-mails find their destination.

The top-level authority that governs such addresses will distribute the last batches on Thursday, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because a formal announcement wasn’t planned until Thursday.

That doesn’t mean consumers will suddenly find websites unreachable, though. And if everything goes according to plan, Internet users won’t even notice.

“It will just be ‘business as usual’ if everyone gets their job done,” said John Curran, CEO of the American Registry for Internet Numbers, or ARIN, one of five regional groups that dole out such addresses. ARIN covers the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, the top-level administrator of the system, has called a press conference in Miami on Thursday. One person said its last five “blocks” of Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses will be distributed then. These blocks, each with 16.8 million addresses, will be distributed to the regional registries. That means the regional groups will have IP addresses to distribute further to Internet service providers, websites and others before running out. Curran expects to deplete his allotment in six to nine months.

Full Story Here: Internet Runs Out Of Addresses As Devices Grow.

Microsoft warning over browser security flaw

Microsoft has issued a “critical” warning over a newly-discovered flaw in Windows.

In a security advisory, the company warned of a loophole that could be used by malicious hackers to steal private information or hijack computers.

The bug potentially affects every user of the Internet Explorer web browser – around 900 million people worldwide.

Microsoft has issued a software patch to defend against attacks, and said it was working to develop a long-term fix.

The security advisory, which was published on Friday, details how the vulnerability can be used to manipulate users and take over their machines.

Full Story Here: BBC News – Microsoft warning over browser security flaw.

Graph Visualizes Egypt’s Internet Blackout

On Thursday night, around 5:20 p.m. ET, reports began surfacing of massive Internet disruptions in Egypt. It is now believed that the Egyptian government ordered Internet service providers (ISPs) to sever international connections, at least temporarily. This action by the government reportedly occurred shortly before some of the largest protests against President Hosni Mubarak were scheduled to take place.

Internet intelligence authority Renesys confirmed the blackout soon after the outages occurred. Writes Renesys,

Critical European-Asian fiber-optic routes through Egypt appear to be unaffected for now. But every Egyptian provider, every business, bank, Internet cafe, website, school, embassy, and government office that relied on the big four Egyptian ISPs for their Internet connectivity is now cut off from the rest of the world. Link Egypt, Vodafone/Raya, Telecom Egypt, Etisalat Misr, and all their customers and partners are, for the moment, off the air. [...] Virtually all of Egypt’s Internet addresses are now unreachable, worldwide.

The Telegraph calls this action “unprecedented in the history of the Internet.” The Telegraph went on to write that news and social media websites like Facebook and Twitter have typically been targeted by the likes of China, Iran, Thailand and Tunisia during times of civil strife. “The ongoing attempt by the Egyptian government to shut down all online communication is, however, a new phenomenon,” The Telegraph concludes. “It not only prevents ordinary Egyptian internet users from accessing any websites, it cripples Tor, an anti-censorship tool that technical experts and activists were using to circumvent the Facebook and Twitter blocks.”

Full Story Here: Graph Visualizes Egypt’s Internet Blackout (PICTURE).

Egypt Protest Internet Shut Off: How did the Egyptian government turn off the Internet?

As protesters take to the streets in Egypt, the government has reportedly shut down the Internet. How does that work? Does Egypt’s Internet have an on/off switch?

No. While we don’t know exactly how the Egyptian government choked off Internet access, there’s no centralized red button that the government—or anyone—can push to turn it off. Evidence suggests a government official called Egypt’s four biggest Internet service providers—Link Egypt, Vodafone/Raya, Telecom Egypt, and Etisalat Misr—and told them to halt connections. (Vodafone has said it cooperated because the regime has the legal authority to order such a halt.) An engineer at each ISP would then access the ISP’s routers, which contain lists of all the IP addresses accessible through that provider, and delete most or all of those IP addresses, thus cutting off anyone who wants to access them from within or outside the country. That doesn’t mean each ISP had to physically power down their computers; they simply had to change some lines of code.

Egypt didn’t shut down the entire Internet. About 93 percent of Egyptian networks have been disabled, according to Renesys, a company that monitors global Internet activity. One major ISP, Noor Group, is still up and running. Perhaps not coincidentally, Noor happens to host Egypt’s stock exchange. Web connections used by the government and military are also likely still operating on their own private ISPs. Some Egyptian users might also be able to use old-fashioned dial-up connections.

Full Story Here: Egypt Protest Internet Shut Off: How did the Egyptian government turn off the Internet? – By Christopher Beam – Slate Magazine.

Weather, natural disaster: California’s ‘big one’ might be a megastorm, scientists say

Scientists say such a storm, occurring every 100 to 200 years, would inundate the Central Valley, trigger widespread landslides and cause flood damage to 1 in 4 homes.

California’s “big one” may not be an earthquake at all, but a devastating megastorm that would inundate the Central Valley, trigger widespread landslides and cause flood damage to 1 in 4 homes in the state.

The prospect of such a storm was raised this month by scientists predicting the consequences of an “atmospheric river” of moisture from the tropical Pacific hitting California with up to 10 feet of rain and hurricane-force winds over several weeks.

A team of more than 100 scientists, engineers and emergency planners used flood mapping, climate change projections and geologic flood history to simulate a hypothetical storm so intense that it occurs only every 100 to 200 years. They presented their findings in Sacramento during a conference sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the California Emergency Management Agency.

Full Story Here: Weather, natural disaster: California’s ‘big one’ might be a megastorm, scientists say – latimes.com.

European ‘Road Train’ Cars Drive Themselves While You Sleep

Imagine you’re driving down the highway, when you pass a column of cars cruising in tandem. You notice with awe that the steering wheel in each car moves autonomously while the drivers eat, read and get ready for work–some drivers even appear to be sleeping! If this sounds too good to be true, you’re in for another shock: you’ve just received a sneak peek at 2021.

Testing of this so-called “road train” system is already underway in Europe, where the European Commission-backed Safe Road Trains for the Environment (SARTRE) program has partnered with companies like Volvo Car Corporation to develop technology that will make driving safer, easier and more efficient.

A “road train” describes a line of cars, each outfitted with advanced steering and sensory technology, that follow behind a leader vehicle, which guides the cars as they travel along a preprogrammed route. Each car in the “train” communicates with the leader via Wi-Fi, thus requiring little to no input from their individual drivers, who are free to take their eyes off the road and engage in other activities behind the wheel.

Full Story Here: European ‘Road Train’ Cars Drive Themselves While You Sleep (PICTURES).

Climate Change Correlates With Fall Of Rome, Tree Ring Study Suggests

Did climate change facilitate the fall of the Roman Empire?

A recent report published in the journal Science suggests that tree growth rings reveal that the rise and fall of civilizations coincide with climate change.

A group of researchers studied 9,000 wooden artifacts from the past 2,500 years. They studied the trees’ growth rings in relation to weather. According to BBC News, the team found that the trees formed broad rings during good growing seasons with plentiful water and nutrients. The trees formed tighter ring formations during droughts and other bad weather conditions.

Based on these climate findings, the researchers made a timeline of the past 2,500 years, linked to prosperity levels in various societies. Paleoclimatologist and co-author Ulf Buntgen states, “Looking back on 2,500 years, there are examples where climate change impacted human history.” They found that the Romans prospered during the wet and warm summers, and the Western Roman Empire suffered during dry or varying weather conditions.

Full Story Here: Climate Change Correlates With Fall Of Rome, Tree Ring Study Suggests.

FAA warns of ongoing GPS issues in southeastern US due to Defense Department ‘tests’

Don’t panic, but anyone planning on using GPS in the southeastern US for the next month or so will likely want to make sure they have a fallback option. That’s according to a flight advisory just issued by the FAA, which warns pilots that their GPS signal “may be unreliable or unavailable” due to “GPS tests” that the Department of Defense will be conducting between January 20th and February 22nd. Details are fairly light beyond that, but the FAA does note that when the “tests” occur they will be active for 45 minutes, and be followed by 15 minutes of off time — additional notices to pilots will apparently be issued at least 24 hours prior to any test. Of course, while this particular advisory is directed at pilots, it will presumably will also affect all other GPS devices, as the FAA doesn’t mention any GPS issues specific to aviation. The real question, however, is just what those mysterious “GPS tests” are — if they’re, in fact, GPS tests at all…

Full Story Here: FAA warns of ongoing GPS issues in southeastern US due to Defense Department ‘tests’ — Engadget.

Two Suns? Twin Stars Could Be Visible From Earth By 2012

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.

Full Story Here: Two Suns? Twin Stars Could Be Visible From Earth By 2012.

University researchers create networked flying robots that build complex structures

Imagine a future where massive, flying robots assemble complex structures like skyscrapers or houses, with all the machines working as one, coordinated through a wireless network and custom algorithm.

Granted, a similar process already takes place today on a much smaller scale, albeit guided by human pilots.

But with the potential for human error eliminated, construction times could be drastically reduced. Ultimately, a hyper-streamlined system could result in thousands of construction jobs being eliminated and a surge in urban sprawl.

Full Story Here: University researchers create networked flying robots that build complex structures | Raw Story.

Caligula’s tomb found after police arrest man trying to smuggle statue

Police arrest tomb raider loading part of 2.5 metre statue into lorry near Lake Nemi, south of Rome, where Caligula had a villa

The lost tomb of Caligula has been found, according to Italian police, after the arrest of a man trying to smuggle abroad a statue of the notorious Roman emperor recovered from the site.

After reportedly sleeping with his sisters, killing for pleasure and seeking to appoint his horse a consul during his rule from AD37 to 41, Caligula was described by contemporaries as insane.

With many of Caligula’s monuments destroyed after he was killed by his Praetorian guard at 28, archaeologists are eager to excavate for his remains.

Full Story Here: Caligula’s tomb found after police arrest man trying to smuggle statue | World news | The Guardian.