Air Pollutants From Abroad A Growing Concern, Says New Report

The MODIS sensor aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite observed a heavy pall of pollution (gray pixels) over much of eastern China in this image from 2003. Plumes of harmful air pollutants can be transported across oceans and continents -- from Asia to the United States and from the United States to Europe -- and have a negative impact on air quality far from their original sources. (Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC)

From Science Daily:

ScienceDaily (Sep. 30, 2009) — Plumes of harmful air pollutants can be transported across oceans and continents -- from Asia to the United States and from the United States to Europe -- and have a negative impact on air quality far from their original sources, says a new report by the National Research Council. Although degraded air quality is nearly always dominated by local emissions, the influence of non-domestic pollution sources may grow as emissions from developing countries increase and become relatively more important as a result of tightening environmental protection standards in industrialized countries.

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Clock Turned Back On Aging Muscles, Researchers Claim

Young, healthy muscle (left column) appears pink and red. In contrast, the old muscle is marked by scarring and inflammation, as evidenced by the yellow and blue areas. This difference between old and young tissue occurs both in the muscle's normal state and after two weeks of immobilization in a cast. Exercise after cast removal did not significantly improve old muscle regeneration; scarring and inflammation persisted, or worsened in many cases. Credit: Morgan E. Carlson and Irina M. Conboy, UC Berkeley

From Live Science:

Scientists have found and manipulated body chemistry linked to the aging of muscles and were able to turn back the clock on old human muscle, restoring its ability to repair and rebuild itself, they said today.

The study involved a small number of participants, however. And the news is not all rosy.

Importantly, the research also found evidence that aging muscles need to be kept in shape, because long periods of atrophy are more challenging to overcome. Older muscles do not respond as well to sudden bouts of exercise, the scientists discovered, and rather than building muscle a person can generate scar tissue upon, say, lifting weights after long periods of inactivity.

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Environmentalists Battle Over Toilet Paper

Photo: (iStockphoto)

From CBS News:

Washington Post: Groups Say Soft Toilet Paper May be Hard on the Earth, But Consumers May Not Buy the Alternative.

There is a battle for America's behinds.

It is a fight over toilet paper: the kind that is blanket-fluffy and getting fluffier so fast that manufacturers are running out of synonyms for "soft" (Quilted Northern Ultra Plush is the first big brand to go three-ply and three-adjective).

It's a menace, environmental groups say -- and a dark-comedy example of American excess.

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Everything We Know About Apple’s Touchscreen Tablet

From Gadget Lab:

It’s looking more and more likely that Apple will release a 10-inch tablet computer in early 2010.

Even if you’re sick of Apple tablet rumors, we promise you’ll like this one. The latest update comes from a tipster with a solid track record, which reinforces previous reports that Apple will deliver a tablet in early 2010. The tipster also shares details on the rumored product’s specifications.

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SETI At 50: 10 Key Moments In The Search For Extraterrestrial Life

In 2015, Voyager 1 will become the first man-made object to leave the solar system
Photo: NASA

From The Telegraph:

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, is 50 years old this month. We look at 10 memorable events in the search for life on other planets.

SETI was founded in response to a September 1959 Nature journal article, “Searching for Interstellar Communication”, which suggested that a systematic search for alien life was worthwhile.

Since then, it has spent 50 years listening to the stars with radio telescopes, and at times trying to send messages of its own to other planets.

Here are 10 of the most significant events in mankind’s search for other life.

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The Speech Safire Wrote For Nixon If Apollo 11 Astronauts Were Stranded On The Moon.

From Boing Boing:

Columnist and conservative speechwriter William Safire died yesterday at age 79. Here is the speech he drafted for President Nixon to read in the event that Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong found themselves stranded to die on the moon. I am happy to note that Messrs. Aldrin and Armstrong are all still alive (as is Michael Collins, who orbited the moon while his colleagues walked on her surface). William Safire's Finest Speech. (Gawker, via Scott Beale)

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Huge 507-Carat Diamond Found In South African Mine

Petra Diamonds chief executive Johan Dippenaar holds a white diamond weighing 507.55 carats.

From New York Daily News:

JOHANNESBURG - Petra Diamonds Ltd. says a diamond the size of a chicken egg has been found at South Africa's Cullinan mine.

The diamond may be among the world's top 20 high-quality gems.

It was discovered Thursday at the mine northeast of Pretoria, South Africa.

Johan Dippenaar, the company's chief executive said in a statement Tuesday that the 507.55-carat gem was of "exceptional color and clarity."

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Number Of Earth's Species Known To Scientists Rises To 1.9 Million

A twisted nudibranch, (Chromodoris Elizabethina), on the reef face off Heron Island, discovered by researchers last year. Photograph: Gary Cranitch/Queensland Museum

From The Guardian:

The world's most comprehensive catalogue of plants and animals has been boosted by 114,000 new species in the past three years.

The number of species on the planet that have been documented by scientists has risen to 1.9 million, according to the world's most comprehensive catalogue of plants and animals.

The new figure has been boosted by 114,000 new species discovered since the catalogue was last compiled by Australian researchers three years ago – a 6.3% increase.

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Moon Could Become The World's 'Service Station' Thanks To Abundance Of Oxygen And Hydrogen

With hydrogen and oxygen both abundant on the moon's surface, man may be able to have all the water and rocket fuel needed for space exploration

From The Daily Mail:

The discovery of water on the moon could pave the way for us to build a rocket refueling station up there.

For man to be able to make sustainable, affordable voyages in the solar system, we need a way to re-fuel off the planet.

Now, with the discovery of hydrogen and oxygen molecules - the components of water - on our neighbouring body, we may now have a staging post to explore the other planets.

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Can Wind Power Be Stored?

WIND IN A BOTTLE: From flywheels to batteries, companies are developing ways to store energy from renewable sources. FLICKR/THE RUSSIANS ARE HERE

From Scientific American:

Wind farms typically generate most of their energy at night, so how do you bottle that power to meet demand that is highest during the day?

Wind farms typically generate most of their energy at night, when most electricity demand is lowest. So a lot of that "green" energy is wasted.

So the big question is: How do you bottle that power for air conditioners and other appliances that are busiest during the day?

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High-heels Linked To Heel And Ankle Pain

New research suggests that the types of shoes women wear, specifically high-heels, pumps and sandals, may cause future hind-foot (heel and ankle) pain. (Credit: iStockphoto)

From Science Daily:

ScienceDaily (Sep. 29, 2009) — Women should think twice before buying their next pair of high-heels or pumps, according to researchers at the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife in a new study of older adults and foot problems.

The researchers found that the types of shoes women wear, specifically high-heels, pumps and sandals, may cause future hind-foot (heel and ankle) pain. Nearly 64 percent of women who reported hind-foot pain regularly wore these types of shoes at some point in their life.

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Parents Lie to Children Surprisingly Often

Photo from The Daily Mail

From Live Science:

Parents might say "honesty is the best policy," but when it comes to interacting with their own kids, mom and dad stretch the truth with the best of them, finds a new study.

From claiming the existence of magical creatures to odd consequences of kids' actions, parents often come up with creative tales to shape a child's behaviors and emotions.

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Transonic Hulls, Inspired by Racing Yachts, Could Add Stealth To Navy SEALs' Boats

Transonic Hull: Graham Murdoch

From Popular Science:

A knife-like boat design provides a covert, fuel-efficient ride.

An undercover team of Navy SEALs isn’t worth much if their transport boat’s wake betrays their approach. Nor does it help if they come ashore with back pain and possible organ damage from the boat’s constant bouncing. A sleek new hull design could help troops slip through waves undetected and unscathed, while also setting a new standard for efficient nautical design.

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Instant Expert: Weapons Technology

The Northrop B2 American stealth bomber (Image: Alisdair Macdonald/Rex Features)

From New Scientist:

Violence and conflict have been a feature of human life throughout history. Starting with simple weapons, people have developed ever more advanced methods to kill one another. Technology has dominated warfare since the early 1900s, and an astounding 190 million people may have been killed during the 25 biggest conflicts of the 20th century.

Today guided weapons, like "smart" bombs dropped by stealth bombers, coupled with space-based sensors and precision satellite navigation, provide decisive advantages in conventional warfare. In this high-spending game, less capable opponents are soon reduced to guerrilla tactics, and human cost of war remains high.

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My Comment: This article was written a few years ago, but it is still appropriate for today.

NASA's Messenger Is Approaching Mercury

Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington.

From Discovery Channel:

Sept. 28, 2009 -- Tomorrow, NASA's MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft will make its third and final flyby of the Solar System's innermost planet, Mercury. After coming within 142 miles to the small planet's rocky surface, the robotic probe will be flung back into interplanetary space before arriving in Mercury orbit in 2011 for a year-long mission to study the planet in unprecedented detail.

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Secret Service Investigating Facebook Poll On Obama

From CNN:

(CNN) -- The social networking site Facebook on Monday pulled a third-party application that allows users to create polls after a site member built a poll asking if President Obama should be killed.

The U.S. Secret Service, the agency assigned to protect the president, has launched an investigation, agency spokesman James Mackin said.

"As is usually the case, our vigilant users reported it to us first," Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt told CNN. "The USSS [Secret Service] sent us an e-mail late this morning PDT asking us to take it down. At that point, it had already been removed, and we let them know."

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Champagne Bubbles' Flavour Fizz

From The BBC:

It is champagne's bubbles which give the drink flavour and fizz, and glasses that promote bubbles will improve the drinking experience, scientists say.

Research shows there are up to 30 times more flavour-enhancing chemicals in the bubbles than in the rest of the drink.

Wine experts say the finding changes completely our understanding of the role of bubbles in sparkling drinks.

The study is reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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The Tiny Kingbird That Took A Piggyback On A Predatory Hawk And Lived To Tell The Tale

Time you were going: The red-tailed hawk shrieks in pain as the brave kingbird sinks its talons in

From The Daily Mail:

How far would you go to get rid of an unwelcome visitor?

This is the moment a tiny kingbird decided it was time to see off a potential predator circling his home.

In a bold move, the aggressive little bird launched itself at the fearsome red-tailed hawk and sank its talons into the larger bird's back.

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A Life Of Its Own: Where Will Synthetic Biology Lead Us?

Image: If the science truly succeeds, it will make it possible to supplant the world created by Darwinian evolution with one created by us.

From The New Yorker:

The first time Jay Keasling remembers hearing the word “artemisinin,” about a decade ago, he had no idea what it meant. “Not a clue,” Keasling, a professor of biochemical engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, recalled. Although artemisinin has become the world’s most important malaria medicine, Keasling wasn’t an expert on infectious diseases. But he happened to be in the process of creating a new discipline, synthetic biology, which—by combining elements of engineering, chemistry, computer science, and molecular biology—seeks to assemble the biological tools necessary to redesign the living world.

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I Switched From Firefox To Internet Explorer─And Lived To Tell!

From Newsweek:

I am a loyal Firefox user. I love the tabs, the extensions, the customization. It’s fast and free and, because it’s an open-source project organized by a nonprofit in Silicon Valley, it gives me a warm, fuzzy, volunteering-at-the-soup-kitchen kind of feeling. I love watching its market share grow, from 15 percent in 2007 to 23 percent today. Each uptick in the chart is like a poke in the red, gleaming, robotic eye of our technological overlord, Microsoft, and its crusty workhorse, Internet Explorer.

But recently I was issued a challenge by this blog: forsake Firefox for a week and entrust my digital life to Internet Explorer 8. I expected a cataclysm of Katrina-like proportions. Frozen screens. Garbled Web pages. Cascading popup boxes. Molasses-like speed. With great trepidation I accepted, and tremblingly clicked online.

But you know what? It was ... fine.

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