Half Of The World Lives On 1% Of The Land

Land covers 196.9 million square miles of the planet, which is broken up into 196 countries that are home to 7.125 billion people. With so much land available on Earth you would think people are spread out evenly throughout the world - but a stunning new map reveals that isn't the case. An entrepreneur used data from Nasa to understand where most of the world’s population resides and found half of us are crammed into just one percent of the world.

Daily Mail: Where the world lives: Map shows half the planet's population lives on just 1% of its land

* The map was created using gridded population data compiled by Nasa
* Yellow means there are over 8,000 people, which is 900 people for every square mile
* World is evenly split between yellow and black, but map shows yellow is only in one percent of the Earth’s surface
* Map reveals half of the world's population lives in urban areas

Land covers 196.9 million square miles of the planet, which is broken up into 196 countries that are home to 7.125 billion people.

With so much land available on Earth you would think people are spread out evenly throughout the world - but a stunning new map reveals that isn't the case.

An entrepreneur used data from Nasa to understand where most of the world’s population resides and found half of us are crammed into just one percent of the world.

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CSN Editor: Looking at Asia .... yup .... that is where the people are.

U.S., Russia, And China Are In A Race To Have 'Super Soldiers' And Artificial Intelligence

Next Big Future: USA, Russia and China among early entrants in race for Super Soldiers and Artificial Intelligence.

Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work warned that America would soon lose its military competitive advantage if it does not pursue technologies such as employing artificial intelligence.

Altering human beings from the inside to more effectively fight in combat is claimed to presents ethical dilemmas for American scientists and military planners.

Work says those ethical concerns typically don't apply to authoritarian governments like Russia's or China's, but their lack of hesitation in developing EHOs may force America's hand.

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CSM Editor: I always find it fascinating that what was once labelled science fiction is now being seriously developed today. This is one of those cases.

How Much Does It Cost To Be 'Buried' In Space?

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Priceonomics: The Business of Space Funerals

In November 2015 near the beaches of Hawaii, the latest incarnation of a military rocket dating back to the early 1960s called the Super Strypi launched its inaugural voyage. At first operations appeared normal. The rocket lifted off, departed the white sands, began spinning, which stabilizes the craft, and seemed destined for a planned orbit about 260 miles above the planet.

But about a minute after takeoff something went wrong –– the Defense Department doesn't share specifics –– and the Super Strypi came crashing back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific. Failed rocket launches aren't noteworthy by themselves. But this vessel had a curious payload: human remains, packed into metal cubes.

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Editor: Bottom line .... it's not cheap.

How Can You Tell The Difference Between A Nuclear Bomb Test And An earthquake

Ko Yun-hwa (L), Administrator of Korea Meteorological Administration, points at where seismic waves observed in South Korea came from, during a media briefing at Korea Meteorological Administration in Seoul, South Korea, January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Defense One: How to Tell The Difference Between a Nuclear Bomb Test and an Earthquake

The preliminary data suggests that the event in North Korea was not, in fact, the end of the world

Shortly after North Korea claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb — a weapon potentially hundreds of times more powerful than the fission bombs the country had already set off — seismologists at the United States Geological Survey, or USGS, went to work trying to understand the event. Their early findings suggest that a nuclear bomb test did occur but that it wasn’t a hydrogen bomb. So how do you tell the difference?

First, you try to rule out the possibility that North Korea was just trying to claim credit for an earthquake. Geologists and seismologists look at several factors to determine whether a seismic event is natural or manmade. One is the location: is it on a known fault line, a place where there’s a lot of mining activity, etc.? Another factor is the seismological waveform itself, the waving lines that appear on the seismograph. An explosion forms wiggles that are different from the ones generated by an earthquake, according to USGS seismologist Paul Earle.

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CSN Editor: Yup .... the science that is used in telling the difference between an earthquake and a nuclear test is very detailed and exact.

Are Advanced Alien Civilizations Living In Globular Star Clusters?

Space.com: Advanced Alien Civilizations Could Live in Globular Star Clusters

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Densely packed groups of stars may make excellent cradles for complex space-traveling life to evolve. Despite studies that claim these environments, known as globular clusters, may be too harsh for life, a new study argues for a more optimistic view based on the evolving understanding of where planets lie outside the solar system.

"A globular cluster might be the first place in which intelligent life is identified in our galaxy," lead study author Rosanne Di Stefano, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said in a statement. Di Stefano presented the new research today (Jan. 6) here at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.Globular clusters are massive groupings of millions of stars in a region only 100 light-years across. The clusters date back to the early life of the Milky Way — nearly 10 billion years ago. (For comparison, the universe is approximately 13.7 billion years old.) Although these clusters' age raises some questions, it also provides ample time for civilizations that emerged to evolve and become complex.

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More News On The Investigation Of Alien Life Living In Globular Star Clusters

Dense Star Fields Might Be Home To Extraterrestrial Life -- National Geographic
Star Clusters Could Be Best Place to Look for Intelligent Alien Life: Study -- AP
In search for alien life, focus on globular star clusters -- CBS
Star clumps harbour 'sweet spot' in search for alien life -- BBC
Old stars may have some new tricks – possibly even life -- CSM
Do Extraterrestrials Exist? Alien Life Could Thrive In Globular Star Clusters -- tech Times
Alien Life May Be Hiding in These Brilliant Star Clusters -- Gizmodo

George Putic Shows Us What's Hot at CES Las Vegas (Video)

The World is Experiencing A 'Volcano Season' Right Now

Express: Yellowstone about to blow? Scientists warning over SUPER-VOLCANO that could kill MILLIONS

SCIENTISTS have warned the world is in "volcano season" and there is up to a 10% chance of an eruption soon killing millions of people and devastating the planet.

Instances of volcanic eruptions are their highest for 300 years and scientists fear a major one that could kill millions and devastate the planet is a real possibility.

Experts at the European Science Foundation said volcanoes – especially super-volcanoes like the one at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, which has a caldera measuring 34 by 45 miles (55 by 72 km) - pose more threat to Earth and the survival of humans than asteroids, earthquakes, nuclear war and global warming.

There are few real contingency plans in place to deal with the ticking time bomb, which they conclude is likely to go off within the next 80 years.

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CSN Editor: Yellowstone has exploded before .... so it will probably happen again in the future. The question is .... when?

Is Vinyl Making A Comeback?

Tech Times: The Turntable Is Alive And Well: Sony Unveils Direct-Drive PS-HX500 To Battle Panasonic’s Technics SL-1200

The turntable is something many audiophiles still enjoy using, and that is not going to change anytime soon, not with Sony pushing its PS-HX500 turntable to those who are interested.

There aren't many differences to the PS-HX500 when compared to other high-end turntables. If you want it to do the regular turntable stuff, this Sony offering will do just fine, but so will other competing products.

What the Japanese giant is betting on is the device's analog-to-digital conversion. Other competing products similar to the PS-HX500 do not come with this feature, so that's a huge defining thing Sony will surely want to transform into a selling point.

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CSN Editor: YES!!!! Being one who grew up with vinyl .... and who still has a large vinyl collection .... this puts a smile on my face because this type of music is great to listen to.

More News On Sony's New Turntable For Music Lovers

It's all about the audiophile as Sony shows off light-bulb speaker, high-tech turntable -- CNet
CES: Sony debuts high-tech turntable, super-thin TVs, 4K video camera -- FOX News
Sony Unveils LP Turntables for High-Resolution Audio Era -- WSJ
This new Sony turntable is turnt -- The Verge
Sony's New PS-HX500 Turntable Will Make You Want To Start A Record Collection -- Tech Times

The Coolest Technology At CES 2016

ABC News: CES 2016: The Coolest Technology We've Seen So Far

The annual CES technology show is a time when we're given a glimpse into what the future could look like, new technology stars can be born and of course, zany ideas are celebrated.

"With 2.4 million square feet of space and so many categories from robotics to 3D printing to drones and driverless cars, there is a lot going on," Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the Consumer Technology Association told ABC News.

The 49th annual show, officially kicks off in Las Vegas on Wednesday, but ABC News has already checked out some new technology ahead of the event.

What will we be talking about when this week comes to a close? Here are some of the biggest standouts we've seen so far. Check back throughout the

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Visible Light Has Been Detected From Black Holes For The First Time

A Nasa illustration of a supermassive black hole. Before the V404 Cygni observations, similar outbursts had only been seen as intense flashes of x-rays and gamma-rays, using high-spec telescopes. Photograph: Nasa/Reuters

The Guardian: Visible light from black holes detected for first time

Scientists observing V404 Cygni discovered that even amateur telescopes are capable of capturing violent outburst from black holes closest to Earth.

Astronomers have discovered that black holes can be observed through a simple optical telescope when material from surrounding space falls into them and releases violent bursts of light.

The apparent contradiction emerges when a black hole’s gravity pulls in matter from nearby stars, producing light that can be viewed from a modest 20cm telescope.

Japanese researchers detected light waves from V404 Cygni - an active black hole in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan - when it awoke from a 26-year-long slumber in June 2015.

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CSN Editor: More proof that black holes do exist.

The World's First 'Autonomous Aerial Vehicle' For Transporting People Is Unveiled At The CES Show In Las Vegas

Daily Mail: The MEGADRONE big enough to carry a passenger: Chinese firm says self-flying craft could be used as a smart taxi

* The all-electric vehicle has four arms with eight propellers at the end allowing it to travel up to 60mph
* Ehang says the 184 is autonomous, so all the passenger has to do is enter their final destination into an app
* FAA regulators have not approved the drone for human use in the US, but Ehang is hopeful they will do soon
* Cost is yet to be revealed and the company claims a commercial version of the craft will be available this year

A Chinese drone maker has revealed a giant quadcopter big enough to fit a passenger.

EHang claims to be building the world's first 'Autonomous Aerial Vehicle' for transporting people.

Unveiled at CES in Las Vegas and called the 184, the all-electric vehicle has four arms with a total of eight propellers at the end.

'You know how it feels to sit in a Ferrari? This is 10 times better,' George Yan, co-founder of Ehang said in an interview with DailyMail.com.

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CSN Editor: They have their work cut out for them .... but my gut is telling me that this product is going to do well .... especially if they can bring down the price.

What Are The Biggest Health Risks For Humans In Space

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Gizmodo: The Biggest Health Risks to Humans in Space

With the The Martian rocketing to the top of box offices worldwide this week, the challenge of surviving on Mars is on everyone’s mind. But while the science in The Martian is pretty solid, there is one obstacle Mark Watney rarely had to cope with: his own body.

During his two years alone on the Red Planet, Mark Watney never fell sick. He never had to splint his own bones or pass a kidney stone, never suffered a bout of insomnia or depression, never got cancer. But real astronauts traveling to Mars could face all of these unpleasantries and more. That’s why NASA has tasked a small army of biomedical researchers with studying how the human body and mind are impacted by long stints in space. Gizmodo spoke with the experts to learn about the biggest health risks facing our astronauts, and what we can do to mitigate them.

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CSN Editor: This article was posted in the fall of 2015 .... but it is still relevant for today.

The Quest To Build An Artificial Brain Gets A Big Financial Boost

Denver Post/Washington Post: Microsoft co-founder launches $500M quest to build an artificial brain

Building a machine that reasons well enough to pass a high school science test will be more complex than engineering the first Windows OS.

SEATTLE — Paul Allen has been waiting for the emergence of intelligent machines for a very long time.

As a young boy, Allen spent much of his time in the library reading science fiction novels in which robots manage our homes, perform surgery and fly around saving lives like superheroes. In his imagination, these beings would live among us, serving as our advisers, companions and friends.

Now 62 and worth an estimated $17.7 billion, the Microsoft co-founder is using his wealth to back two separate philanthropic research efforts at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence that he hopes will hasten that future.

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CSN Editor: I am slightly late on this news item. AI has always been a fascination of Microsoft founder Bill Gates .... and now we know that his partner (Paul Allen) shares the same interest.

Why Do Poor Costa Ricans Outlive Poor Americans?

Bloomberg: A Longevity Puzzle: Why Do Poor Costa Ricans Outlive Poor Americans?

In the U.S., income and health go hand-in-hand. That's not the case everywhere.

Does being poor mean being less healthy? In the United States, the answer is generally yes: Income and health are intertwined, and the richer you are, the healthier you’re likely to be.

Still, the link between poverty and poor health isn't ironclad. Take Costa Rica, where the poorest 25 percent of people live longer than their counterparts in the U.S., according to an analysis published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Costa Rica punches above its weight on many measures of health and social welfare. It’s a middle-income democracy with a population of 4.8 million—about the size of Alabama—and a per-capita gross domestic product about one-fifth that of the U.S. In other words, it's much less wealthy than the U.S. As you would expect, the rich in America enjoy lower mortality rates than do the rich in Costa Rica. But when you look at the other end of the socio-economic scale, the reverse is true.

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CSN Editor: Forget about Costa Rica. I live in Canada, and some of the healthiest people that I know are also the poorest. It is all a question of lifestyle, good eating habits, sleep, and staying away from stress.

What Happens After Intelligent Life is Found?

Tom Chmielewski, The Atlantic: After Intelligent Life Is Discovered

Here’s what happens if astronomers make contact with a civilization on another planet.

The false alarm happened in 1997.

The Green Bank Radio Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, was picking up some unusual signals—and Seth Shostak, then the head of the Center for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Research in Mountain View, Caifornia, was convinced that they had come from intelligent life somewhere in the universe.

“It looked like it might be the real deal,” Shostak recalled. Within a few hours, he had a call from The New York Times.

But within a day, it became clear that the source of excitement was actually a European satellite. To make matters worse, a second telescope in Georgia, which would have told the scientists about the true nature of the signal, wasn’t working.

Yet Shostak says that false alarm proved to be a valuable dry run for the astronomers, giving them a small taste of what would happen if the signal turned out to be real. In 1989, the International Academy of Astronautics adopted its SETI Post-Detection Protocols, a set of guidelines for how to proceed once intelligent life is discovered among the stars. SETI researchers hope that one day soon, they’ll have a chance to use them.

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CSN Editor: If first contact is made .... it is a guarantee that the whole world will be paying attention.

How Coffee Loves Us Back

Harvard Gazette: How coffee loves us back

Health benefits a recurring theme in Harvard research

Coffee, said the Napoleon-era French diplomat Talleyrand, should be hot as hell, black as the devil, pure as an angel, sweet as love.

Bach wrote a cantata in its honor, writers rely on it, and, according to legend, a pope blessed it. Lady Astor once reportedly remarked that if she were Winston Churchill’s wife, she’d poison his coffee, to which Churchill acerbically replied: “If I were married to you, I’d drink it.”

Coffee is everywhere, through history and across the world. And increasingly, science is demonstrating that its popularity is a good thing.

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CSN Editor: A cup every morning is my routine .... 7 days a week, 365 days a pear.

Spinning Bowling Ball Trick Shot!

From YouTube: I have had several people ask me to make a video of some of my trick shots, and by far this one is at the top of the list! Attempted in Springfield, Mo on 3/30/14 by Michael Long. Please like and share if you think it deserves the credit.. Thanks for watching! If you want, subscribe and check out my other videos!! This video is represented by Break.com

CSN Editor: OK .... I am impressed.

What Causes The Social Order In Bee Colonies To Collapse

A hive of Apis dorsata (giant honey bees) I photographed whilst in Mt Abu, India. Wikipedia

AFP: Sexual rebellion and murder among the bees

Scientists revealed Wednesday the trigger that can plunge a colony of obedient and sterile worker bees dutifully serving their queen into a chaotic swarm of sexual rebellion and regicide.

It's in the beeswax, according to a study published in the British journal Royal Society Open Science.

Biologists have long puzzled at what, exactly, tips the ordered world of many social insects -- rigidly divided by caste, function and hierarchy -- into murderous mayhem of sometimes Shakespearean dimensions.

In this case, the actor subject to observation and experimentation was Bombus terrestris, more commonly known as the bumblebee.

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CSN Editor: I have been fascinated with bees since I was a kid. But this AFP report is an excellent post that summarizes how a bee colony functions.

The Work To Reclaim Looted Antiquities From Iraq Is Starting

Neanderthal remains were found, along with a plinth of sediment, in Shanidar Cave in Iraq. GRAEME BARKER

Discovery: ISIS Gone, Archaeologists Return to Key Iraq Sites

As the terrorist group ISIS is pushed out of northern Iraq, archaeologists are resuming work in the region, making new discoveries and figuring out how to conserve archaeological sites and reclaim looted antiquities.

Several discoveries, including new Neanderthal skeletal remains, have been made at Shanidar Cave, a site in Iraqi Kurdistan that was inhabited by Neanderthals more than 40,000 years ago.

Additionally, though ISIS did destroy and loot a great number of sites, there are several ways for archaeologists, scientific institutions, governments and law enforcement agencies in North America and Europe to help save the region's heritage, said Dlshad Marf Zamua, a Kurdish archaeologist and doctoral student at Leiden University in the Netherlands. [Photos: Restoring Life to Iraq's Ruined Artifacts]

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CSN Editor: Unfortunately .... a lot of history has already been destroyed.

A Super-Fast 50mph Drone For The General Consumer

A series of sensors help keep the Parrot stable while in flight. On the bottom of the drone, a camera and ultrasound help maintain its balance. Pictured is exhibitor Fabien Laxague

Daily Mail: The superfast 50mph flying wing 'stealth drone' you can launch by THROWING it into the air

* Parrot Disco can fly for 45 minutes on a single charge
* Can reach speeds of 50mph and fly automatically
* Pilots can take control from their phone, or even via a VR headset

Parrot has unveiled what could be the fastest drone on the market for home users - capable of reaching 50mph.

Called the Disco, a prototype was unveiled at CES in Las Vegas, and it expected to go on sale before the end of the year - although no price was announced.

It will fly for 45 minutes on a single charge, and can fly itself via an app, with smart software allowing pilots to take control from their phone, or even via a VR headset.

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CSN Editor: When I read stories like this one .... I shudder on what terrorists can do with this type of tech in their hands.