Canine Morphology: Hunting For Genes And Tracking Mutations

Researchers studying the dog genome have a new understanding of why domestic dogs vary so much in size, shape, coat texture, color and patterning. (Credit: iStockphoto/Nataliya Kuznetsova)

From Science Daily:

Science Daily (Mar. 3, 2010) — Why do domestic dogs vary so much in size, shape, coat texture, color and patterning? Study of the dog genome has reached a point where the molecular mechanisms governing such variation across mammalian species are becoming understood.

In an essay published in the March 2, 2010 issue of PLoS Biology, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) researchers discuss advances in understanding the genomic mechanisms controlling canine morphology.

Read more ....

Dog-Sized Creature Was Almost A Dinosaur

The newly identified dinosaur relative, called Asilisaurus kongwe, was about the size of a large dog. Here a skeletal reconstruction of the animal is compared with a 5'6" human for scale. Credit: Sterling Nesbitt.

From Live Science:

A four-legged animal about the size of a large dog with a long tail is now the oldest known relative of dinosaurs, dating back some 240 million years. Paleontologists recently examined the bones from at least 14 individuals of this proto-dinosaur that were discovered in southern Tanzania.

The dino-like animal was small, weighing about that of a young child, and likely munched on plants.

Read more ....

Tracing King Tut's Family Tree In London

A colossal statue of Amenhotep III - King Tut's only grandfather - can
be found at the British Museum, Room 4.

From The Independent:

Tutankhamun has always captured popular imagination, and been a major draw for museums.

The British Museum's 1972 exhibition of artefacts from his tomb smashed all expectations in the box office, drawing over 1.6 million visitors over its nine month duration. The pharaoh nicknamed 'King Tut' has been the source of more speculation, satire and popular culture references than any other male king of Egypt. Last week pathologists announced the results from their studies into the genetic relationship of eleven mummies from the Egyptian New Kingdom (mid 16th to early 11th centuries BC), including those of the legendary pharaoh Tutankhamun.

Read more ....

Plans To Fight Cyberwar Are A 'Recipe For Disaster'

Michael Chertoff, former Secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security

From The Guardian:

Senior security experts have criticised the west's approach to online threats, suggesting that not enough is being done to stem the growing tide of cyberattacks.

Michael Chertoff, a former secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security, said on Wednesday that current cybersecurity policies were a "recipe for disaster" that could inadvertently encourage a virtual attack equivalent to "the next Pearl Harbour".

Read more ....

More News On Cyberwar

A New Age for US Cybersecurity -- Tech News World
Former Intelligence Chief: U.S. Would Lose Cyberwar -- Information Week
U.S. would lose a cyber war, former intell chief warns -- Government Computer News
Cyberwar Hype Intended to Destroy the Open Internet -- Threat Level
US cyber defense strategy details hit the Internet -- France 24
China's Hacker Army -- Foreign Policy
Is Iran's Cyberwar Sustainable? -- National Journal
The Real Meaning Of Cyberwarfare -- Forbes
Cyberwar hype was cooked up to sell Internet-breaking garbage to the military -- Boing Boing

A Measure For The Multiverse

Touching the multiverse (Image: Eoin Ryan)

From The New Scientist:

WHEN cosmologist George Ellis turned 70 last year, his friends held a party to celebrate. There were speeches and drinks and canapés aplenty to honour the theorist from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, who is regarded as one of the world's leading experts on general relativity. But there the similarity to most parties ends.

Read more ....

Japan's New Hovering Hummingbird Bot Has Four Wings, Weighs Under 3 Grams

Chiba University's Latest Hummingbird 'Bot Chiba University

From Popular Science:

Biomimicry isn't new, nor are robotic hummingbirds, but the latest 'bot to come out of Chiba University in Japan makes even the DARPA-inspired Nano Air Vehicle -- which is very cool, needless to say -- look like last year's robotics.

Read more ....

Dinosaur Extinction Link To Crater Confirmed

From The BBC:

An international panel of experts has strongly endorsed evidence that a space impact was behind the mass extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs.

They reached the consensus after conducting the most wide-ranging analysis yet of the evidence.

Writing in Science journal, they rule out alternative theories such as large-scale volcanism.

Read more ....

Shuttle Flights Would Continue Under New Proposal

From The Orlando Sentinel:

WASHINGTON — The space shuttle era could get a new lease on life under a bill filed today by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

The measure would delay the shuttle’s planned retirement in 2010 until NASA is confident that a replacement spacecraft is ready or that the shuttle and its massive payload bay is no longer needed to keep the International Space Station afloat through 2020.

The 37-page bill also authorizes an additional $1.3 billion in NASA spending next year above President Barack Obama’s request of $19 billion. The extra money would help prepare NASA for as many as two additional shuttle flights per year after 2010, as well as fund new spacecraft development.

Read more ....

Google vs. Apple: An Epic Battle

By David Goldman, staff writer

From CNN:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Let the smartphone smackdown begin.

In the blue corner, wearing black, weighing in at 4.8 ounces, the 31-month champion of the touch screen phones: Apple's iPhone!

In the red corner is the challenger, appearing on every carrier, a new entrant to the heavy-weight battle: Google's Android!

Read more ....

Millions Of YouTube Videos To Get Subtitles With 'Auto-Captioning'

From Times Online:

YouTube introduced a system today that will automatically create subtitles for all its English language videos.

The technology, called “auto-captioning”, uses complex algorithms to work out what is being said in a video and convert it into text. Once the feature is turned on, the words will appear on the bottom of the video screen just like subtitles in a film.

Read more ....

Volcano-Chaser Braves Some Of Earth's Most Dangerous SituationsTo Capture Amazing Photos Of Violent Eruptions

From The Daily Mail:

Most people would think themselves unlucky if they passed a volcano as it erupted, but this counts as a good day at the office for one photographer.

Martin Rietze is part of a select group of volcano-chasers who seek out the exploding phenomena, and braves huge electric storms and boiling lava to get the perfect shots.

The 45-year-old travels around the world's volcano hotspots, from Costa Rica to Italy, in his pursuit of Earth's greatest fiery spectacle.

Read more ....

'Missing Link' Fossil Was Not Human Ancestor As Claimed, Anthropologists Say

Radiographs of the type specimen of Darwinius masillae, new genus and species, from Messel in Germany. (Credit: Franzen JL, Gingerich PD, Habersetzer J, Hurum JH, von Koenigswald W, et al. Complete Primate Skeleton from the Middle Eocene of Messel in Germany: Morphology and Paleobiology. PLoS ONE, 2009; 4(5): e5723 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005723)

From Science Daily:

Science Daily (Mar. 3, 2010) — A fossil that was celebrated last year as a possible "missing link" between humans and early primates is actually a forebearer of modern-day lemurs and lorises, according to two papers by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin, Duke University and the University of Chicago.

Read more ....

Is Antarctica Falling Apart?

Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf, like many of the fringes of the Antarctic continent, floats. That makes it fragile compared to ice on the continent, and this is where icebergs break off in a process called calving. Credit: Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA

From Live Science:

Recent news of mammoth icebergs the size of small U.S. states breaking off Antarctica may sound dire. But those events mostly represent business as usual at the world's southernmost continent, scientists say.

A massive iceberg the size of the state of Rhode Island collided with Antarctica's Mertz Glacier in mid-February, and caused a huge new iceberg with an estimated mass of 860 billion metric tons to break off the glacial tongue. Scientists note that such dramatic examples have not been uncommon over the past decade.

Read more ....

Health Checkup: How to Live 100 Years

Six of the eight Hurlburt siblings live in New England, including Peggy (79), Helen (88), Millie (93), Peter (80), Agnes (96) and Muriel (89). Jason Grow for TIME

From Time Magazine:

A century of life was once a rare thing, but that is changing. Science is slowly unraveling the secrets of the centenarians
Don't write that down! Put your pencil away!" Agnes Buckley is trying in vain to head off an entertaining story her sisters are telling me about how she used to sneak out of the house as a teenager. (She favored boys with motorcycles.) When their father hid her shoes to keep her at home, Agnes simply bypassed the front door and leaped out the window.

"Everyone is going to think I was a troublemaker," she laments.

Read more ....

Ancient Queen's Burial Chamber Discovered At Saqqara

The Pyramid of Behenu at Saqqara. SCA

From The Independent:

A French archaeological team digging at Saqqara has discovered the burial chamber of 6th Dynasty Queen Behenu, wife of either Pepi I or Pepi II. The burial chamber was revealed while the team was cleaning the sand from Behenu's pyramid in the area of el-Shawaf in South Saqqara, west of the pyramid of King Pepi I.

The burial chamber uncovered by the French mission is badly damaged, apart from two inner walls which contain engraved Pyramid Texts. Those texts were widely used in royal tombs – carved on walls as well as sarcophagi - during the 5th and 6th Dynasties (circa 2465-2150BC).

Read more ....

UK's Copyright Change 'Could Block YouTube'

Lord Mandelson's plans to tackle illegal filesharing have received widespread criticism Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters

From The Guardian:

One of the most contentious parts of the controversial digital economy bill was voted down by the House of Lords last night – only to be replaced by a clause that campaigners say is even more draconian.

The Liberal Democrats forced through a surprise amendment to the bill's notorious clause 17 on Wednesday – in a move that dealt a defeat to the government but troubled critics, who suggest it will have the opposite effect that its creators intend.

Read more ....

Microsoft Exec Pitches Internet Usage Tax To Pay Or Cybersecurity Programs

From The Hill:

A top Microsoft executive on Tuesday suggested a broad Internet tax to help defray the costs associated with computer security breaches and vast Internet attacks, according to reports.

Speaking at a security conference in San Francisco, Microsoft Vice President for Trustworthy Computing Scott Charney pitched the Web usage fee as one way to subsidize efforts to combat emerging cyber threats -- a costly venture, he said, but one that had vast community benefits.

Read more ....

What Is The “Einstein” Cyber Shield?

Cybersecurity Chief Howard Schmidt said he wants the U.S. to become "stronger through stronger technology." Lawrence Jackson/White House

Details of “Einstein” Cyber Shield Disclosed by White House -- Wall Street Journal

The Obama administration lifted the veil Tuesday on a highly-secretive set of policies to defend the U.S. from cyber attacks.

It was an open secret that the National Security Agency was bolstering a Homeland Security program to detect and respond to cyber attacks on government systems, but a summary of that program declassified Tuesday provides more details of NSA’s role in a Homeland program known as Einstein.

Read more ....

More News On The “Einstein” Cyber Shield

The Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative -- National Security Council/The White House
US lifts lid on top secret plan for internet security -- BBC
U.S. Declassifies Part of Secret Cybersecurity Plan -- Threat Level
Monitoring federal networks, global supply chain part of cyber initiative -- Next Gov.
Few details in White House summary of cyber plan -- AP
White House Declassifies Description of National Cyber-Security Program -- Government Security
US intros Einstein plan to defend its cyberspace -- Tech Eye
Obama's cybersecurity chief opens CNCI 'Einstein 3' kimono -- Computer World
Details of American super-secret cyber warfare defences known as 'Einstein' -- Download Squad

Google China Hackers Stole Source Code - Researcher

A Chinese national flag sways in front of Google China's headquarters
in Beijing in this January 14, 2010 file photo.

From Yahoo News/Reuters:

The hackers behind the attacks on Google Inc and dozens of other companies operating in China stole valuable computer source code by breaking into the personal computers of employees with privileged access, a security firm said on Wednesday.

The hackers targeted a small number of employees who controlled source code management systems, which handle the myriad changes that developers make as they write software, said George Kurtz, chief technology officer at anti-virus software maker McAfee Inc .

Read more ....

'Dinosaurs' 10 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought

Asilisaurus kongwe from the Middle Triassic of Tanzania, with the sail?backed archosaur Hypselorhachis in the background Photo: Marlene Donnelly/Field Museum

From The Telegraph:

Dinosaurs reign over the earth may date back further than previously thought, a new discovery suggests.

Palaeontologists have found a four-legged ancestor of the prehistoric creatures that hails from 250 million years ago – 10 million years earlier than first thought.

The large dog sized creature, which ate meat and vegetation, is thought to be a similar relation to dinosaurs as chimps are to humans.

Read more ....

Want To Seduce A Man? Smile at Him 35 Times Every Hour: The Bizarre But True Secrets Of Attraction

'Smile at him broadly': The most effective female technique for drawing a man's attention, according to a flirting study (posed by models)

From The Daily Mail:

Relationships should be so simple. You meet someone, you fall in love. If all goes well, you live happily ever after. But finding Mr or Ms Right is rarely that straightforward.

As author ANDREW TREES reveals in his new book Decoding Love, science and statistics can offer the best help with our quest for romance.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1255000/Want-seduce-man-Smile-35-times-hour-The-bizarre-true-secrets-attraction.html#ixzz0hA4wFb17

Read more ....

Mass Loss from Alaskan Glaciers Overestimated? Previous Melt Contributed a Third Less to Sea-Level Rise Than Estimated

NAU geographer Erik Schiefer surveys a debris-covered glacier margin.
(Credit: Photo by Amanda Stan)

From Science Daily:

Science Daily (Mar. 3, 2010) — The melting of glaciers is well documented, but when looking at the rate at which they have been retreating, a team of international researchers steps back and says not so fast.

Previous studies have largely overestimated mass loss from Alaskan glaciers over the past 40-plus years, according to Erik Schiefer, a Northern Arizona University geographer who coauthored a paper in the February issue of Nature Geoscience that recalculates glacier melt in Alaska.

Read more ....

The Man Behind The Technology Of "CSI"

Biomedical engineering professor Zheng Ouyang (left), chemistry professor Graham Cooks and post-doc Guangming Huang with a mass spectrometer that is fitted with a DESI ion source. The system is used for high-throughput screening of foodstuffs for melamine, and related trace analysis experiments, using ionization of whole samples such as milk, biological tissue, or even a suitcase. Credit: Purdue News Service

From Live Science:

R. Graham Cooks, Purdue University's Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry, has made mass spectrometry appeal to mass audiences with technology featured on the hit series "CSI." Mass spectrometry turns molecules into ions so their mass can be analyzed, and traditionally requires chemical separations, manipulations of samples and containment in a vacuum chamber.

Read more ....

Internet Industry Told To Respect Human Rights Abroad

Photo: Internet rights: Dick Durbin and Nicole Wong, vice president and deputy general counsel of Google, at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law.

From Technology Review:

Senator Durbin promises legislation that would force companies to protect human rights.

Yesterday a leading member of Congress put pressure on Internet companies to support human rights and Internet freedom abroad. U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, the Democratic representative from Illinois and the Senate majority whip, said he plans to introduce legislation "that would require Internet companies to take reasonable steps to protect human rights or face civil or criminal liability." An aide later said the proposed legislation had not been written, but would likely be based on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Read more ....

To Mars In 39 Days

An artist's impression of VASIMR - a rocket that may cut down the
travel time to Mars to just 39 days. Credit: NASA

From Cosmos/AFP:

WASHINGTON: A journey from Earth to Mars could eventually take just 39 days - cutting current travel time nearly six times - according to a rocket scientist who has the ear of U.S. space agency NASA.

Franklin Chang-Diaz, a former astronaut and a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, says reaching the Red Planet could be dramatically quicker using his high-tech VASIMR rocket, now on track for liftoff after decades of development.

Read more ....

Tons Of Water Ice At The Moon’s North Pole Could Sustain A Lunar Base

From Discover Magazine:

Water, water, everywhere! Radar results from a lunar probe have revealed that the moon’s north pole could be holding millions of tons of water in the form of thick ice, raising the possibility that human life could be sustained on Earth’s silvery satellite, NASA scientists said.

Read more ....

Dirty Tricks Of The Egg And Sperm Race

In many mammals the entire sperm enters the egg, bringing proteins that may influence development (Image: Thierry Berrod/Mona Lisa Production/SPL)

From New Scientist:

EVEN the most romantic evolutionary biologist knows that sexual reproduction is rarely a harmonious affair. Among most higher animals it is often predicated on fierce fighting, showy one-upmanship, exploitation and deception. Charles Darwin himself drew the battle lines, when he set out his ideas on sexual selection to explain the evolution of traits that provide mating advantages - either through contests between members of the same sex or by increasing attractiveness to the opposite sex. Much of what Darwin said still guides our thinking. However, since the mid-19th century it has become clear that there is more to successful reproduction than mere copulation.

Read more ....

New Sensors Directly Track The Brain's Chemical Messengers For The First Time

Imaging the Brain Patrick Gillooly

From Popular Science:

Courtesy of those brainy folk at MIT and Caltech.

This is your brain. This is your brain's blood flow, courtesy of brain scan technologies. And this is dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays pivotal roles in learning, memory, addiction and movement. MIT and Caltech scientists have created new molecular sensors that allow them to track dopamine for the first time, and provide the most direct detection ever of brain activity.

Read more ....

New Era Of Planet Discovery On Horizon

The deepest image of the universe ever taken in near-infrared light, captured by Hubble Space Telescope Photo: NASA/AP

From The Telegraph:

Thousands of new planets will be identified in the next few years, some of which may harbour life, say scientists.

British astronomers are in the vanguard of the search, which could transform humanity's view of its place in the universe.

More than 400 ''exoplanets'' orbiting stars beyond the Sun have been catalogued so far since the first were discovered in 1991.

Read more ....

Spanish Police Arrest Ringleaders Who Infected 13m PCs With Credit-Card Stealing Virus

The virus was used to steal login credentials and record every key stroke on the 13m infected computers

From The Daily Mail:

Spanish police have arrested three men accused of masterminding one of the biggest computer crimes to date, which created a network of 13million virus-infected computers.

The virus, named the Mariposa botnet, stole credit card numbers and other personal details from infected machines.

Read more ....

Limp Wrists And tight Fists: What Your Handshake Says About You

From Scientific American:

There is a man—a very well-known man, a legend of sorts—whom I’ve been privileged enough to have seen on occasion through the years at various venues and events. (Never mind his reputation. To protect my career, he shall remain anonymous.) Our exchanges have been pleasant enough, I should say—inconsequential, really, and empty of any real substance. Now, as an admiring subordinate, I have enormous respect for this person. I suspect I probably also have a mild envy given his vast and ever-lasting contributions to our shared discipline. But our first interaction, which lasted mere seconds, left me with a rather negative, viscerally based impression of him.

Read more ....

Learning Keeps Brain Healthy: Mental Activity Could Stave Off Age-Related Cognitive And Memory Decline

New findings suggest that learning promotes brain health -- and, therefore, that mental stimulation could limit the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind. (Credit: iStockphoto)

From Science Daily:

Science Daily (Mar. 3, 2010) — UC Irvine neurobiologists are providing the first visual evidence that learning promotes brain health -- and, therefore, that mental stimulation could limit the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind.

Using a novel visualization technique they devised to study memory, a research team led by Lulu Chen and Christine Gall found that everyday forms of learning animate neuron receptors that help keep brain cells functioning at optimum levels.

Read more ....

Earth's Earthquake Hotspots

The Seward highway in Alaska after the 1964 earthquake / USGS

From Live Science:

The powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake that rocked Chile was strong enough to shift the planet's axis by 3 inches, and came soon after the catastrophic magnitude 7.0 quake that devastated Haiti and right after a magnitude 7.0 event hit off the coast of Japan.

Where might earthquakes hit next? Earth scientists might not be able to give us a date and time, but using history and plate tectonics as a guide they can come up with some rough estimates as to where.

Read more ....

Polar Bear And Its Cub Drift On Shrinking Ice 12 Miles From Land ... But Is It All It Seems?

Adrift: The polar bear cub snuggles against its mother as they drift 12 miles from land

From The Daily Mail:

A forlorn polar bear cub is comforted by its mother as they drift miles from shore on a rapidly shrinking ice floe.

The Arctic-dwelling animals have become an iconic cause for green campaigners, who claim dramatic images such as these prove that global warming is destroying the world.

But despite this image being released today, it was actually taken in August last year, when it is normal for coastal ice to naturally break up and melt.

Read more ....

Androids Will Challenge The iPad

Image: Tap and go: This prototype device runs on the Android operating system and features a customizable home screen. The interface was created by Boston-based company Tap 'n Tap.
Credit: Tap 'n Tap

From Technology Review:

Tablets powered by Google's mobile operating system are set to debut.

Apple's iPad is certain to grab headlines when it hits stores next month. But a number of touch-screen tablets powered by Google's Android operating system will also debut this year. Competing with Apple's latest consumer gadget won't be easy, but analysts say the software behind these devices could give them a few key advantages.

Read more ....

Secrets Of The Ancients

Pharaoh Tuthankamen's famous burial mask.
Credit: Wikimedia

From Cosmos:

King Tut is only one in a growing list of ancient humans forced to reveal their secrets through high-tech prodding. By rushing into such studies, we may be opening a historical Pandora's Box.

On 26 November 1922, the British Egyptology Howard Carter peered through a tiny hole into the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.

"I see wonderful things," he gasped as he glimpsed a profusion of gold and ebony, hidden for more than 30 centuries.

Read more ....

Why Chile’s Massive Earthquake Could Have Been Much Worse

From Discover Magazine:

Less than two months after the earthquake that shook Haiti, and only hours after a quake causing small tsunamis occurred near Japan, the largest of 2010’s seeming barrage of big seismic events hit Chile. The 8.8 earthquake is the fifth largest since 1900. “We call them great earthquakes. Everybody else calls them horrible,” said USGS geophysicist Ken Hudnut. “There’s only a few in this league” [AP].

According to seismologists, the confluence of earthquakes these last couple months are probably coincidental; they’re all separated by too great a distance to be directly related. However, some say the latest quake is related to the 1960 quake in Chile that remains the largest ever recorded, a 9.5 on the Richter scale.

Read more ....

Mars Rover Spirit Could Rise Again

NASA's Spirit rover

From New Scientist:

NASA's Spirit rover should be able to wriggle free of its sandy trap on Mars after all, says a scientist for the mission. But the plucky robotic explorer will need to survive the bitter Martian winter first.

In April 2009, Spirit's wheels broke through a thin surface crust and got mired in the loose sand below. After months of trying unsuccessfully to free the rover, NASA declared on 26 January that Spirit would henceforth be a stationary lander mission rather than a rover.

Read more ....

Massive Solar Storms of the Future Could Reap Katrina-Scale Devastation

Plasma of the Sun I'm looking at you, Earth Hinode JAXA/NASA

From Popular Science:

If storms as strong as the biggest recorded in the last few two centuries, our electronics-dependent world of today could be in trouble.

No electricity, no running water, and no phone service for millions of people. That scenario could easily become reality if a solar storm as intense as those found throughout the history of our planet were to strike Earth today. NPR reported on FEMA's recent simulation of such a storm, and the grim conditions it uncovered.

Read more ....

Facebook Users Keep It Real In Online Profiles

From New Science:

Young adults apparently present their true selves on the world's biggest social network.

“On the Internet,” one dog tells another in a classic New Yorker cartoon, “nobody knows you’re a dog.”

The Internet is notorious for its digital dens of deception. But on Facebook, what you see tends to be what you get — at least in one study of tailless, two-legged young adults.

Read more ....

Is The iPad Launch Really Delayed?

(Credit: Apple)

From The CNET:

When Apple introduced the iPad in January, it said the device would be made available in late March. However, one analyst is now saying the launch may be delayed.

Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams, wrote in a note to clients on Monday that production problems could limit Apple's launch of the iPad. The production issues could be bad enough to even delay the launch for a month, according to a report on AppleInsider.

Read more ....

Chilean Quake May Have Shortened Earth Days

This view of Earth comes from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard the Terra satellite. (Credit: NASA)

From Science Daily:

Science Daily (Mar. 2, 2010) — The Feb. 27 magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile may have shortened the length of each Earth day.

JPL research scientist Richard Gross computed how Earth's rotation should have changed as a result of the Feb. 27 quake. Using a complex model, he and fellow scientists came up with a preliminary calculation that the quake should have shortened the length of an Earth day by about 1.26 microseconds (a microsecond is one millionth of a second).

Read more ....

Titanic vs. Lusitania: Time Determined Who Survived

The RMS Titanic being towed

From Live Science:

The time people have during survival situations might affect whether they behave selfishly or socially. Examining two shipwrecks, the Titanic and the Lusitania, researchers recently found the longer passengers had to react to the disaster, the more likely they were to follow social mores. The less time, the more selfishly passengers behaved.

The result: It was every man for himself aboard the rapidly sinking Lusitania, and so the fittest were the most likely to survive that accident. During the lengthy Titanic shipwreck, women in their reproductive years were the most likely to make it, while men of the same age had a lower probability of surviving.

Read more ....

Most Detailed Pictures Of Earth Revealed By Nasa

The view of our home planet was taken from 700 km above the Earth's surface and is made up of thousands of images 'stitched' together Photo: BARCROFT

From The Telegraph:

The most detailed and amazing set of composite satellite images of the Earth ever produced, have been disclosed by Nasa scientists.

Perfectly capturing the fragility of the Earth in one remarkable shot, the composition shows the entire North American continent, Central America, the northern half of South America, Greenland and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Read more ....

What's Wrong With Venture Capital?

The exception: Google’s successful initial public offering over five years ago did not usher in a new era of good times for venture capitalists; it merely served to underscore how rare these happy events have become. Credit: Getty Images

From Technology Review:

The old mechanism for funding the commercialization of new technologies is in trouble.

In the summer of 1996, Silicon Valley venture capitalists put a few million dollars into a telecom-equipment startup called Juniper Networks. Three years later, after a few more rounds of funding and the release of its first product, Juniper enjoyed an initial public offering of shares, or IPO. At the end of its first day of trading, it was worth nearly $5 billion, and within nine months, it was worth almost 10 times that. The original venture investors, meanwhile, were able to walk away with profits of better than 10,000 percent.

Read more ....

Coldest Winter In UK For More Than 30 Years... But Met Office Defends Its Long Range Forecast

Mothers tow children on their sledges in Hampshire, in January. The Met Office has confirmed that 2009/10 winter was the coldest since 1978/79

From The Daily Mail:

Perhaps someone should ask workers at the Met Office to take a rain check on their optimism.

After predicting just a 20 per cent chance of a colder than average winter, they were left embarrassed again when official figures revealed it was the coldest for more than 30 years.

Temperatures in December, January and February struggled to stay above zero, with the UK's average a chilly 1.5c (35f), making it the deepest freeze since 1978-79.

Read more ....

The Mystery Of The Silent Aliens

From New Scientist:

Sixty years ago, space aliens were the preserve of lunatics and eccentrics, thanks to decades of sci-fi schlock, flying-saucer nonsense and Lowellian fantasies of Martian canals. Then, in 1950, came Enrico Fermi and his paradox - "Where the hell is everyone?" - and, 10 years later, the first attempts to put the search for ET on a scientific footing, courtesy of Frank Drake, who pointed a radio telescope at Tau Ceti and heard... silence.

Read more ....

Etched Ostrich Eggs Illustrate Human Sophistication

From The BBC:

Inscribed ostrich shell fragments found in South Africa are among the earliest examples of the use of symbolism by modern humans, scientists say.

The etched shells from Diepkloof Rock Shelter in Western Cape have been dated to about 60,000 years ago.

Details are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers, who have investigated the material since 1999, argue that the markings are almost certainly a form of messaging - of graphic communication.

Read more ....

'Ministrokes' May Cause More Damage Than Thought

From New Science:

Common test given to patients after the passing attacks appears to miss some cognitive impairments.

SAN ANTONIO — As many as four in 10 people referred to a clinic with signs of a “ministroke” may have subtle cognitive damage that standard tests miss, a new study shows.

The findings, reported by Canadian researchers February 24 at the International Stroke Conference in San Antonio, Texas, suggest that after suffering the ministrokes many patients lose some ability to process abstract thoughts, reason things out and make quick calculations — what doctors call “executive function.”

Read more ....

Titanic vs. Lusitania: How People Behave In A Disaster

An illustration of the Titanic as it sank in the Atlantic Ocean
Time & Life Pictures / Getty

From Time Magazine:

It's hard to remember your manners when you think you're about to die. The human species may have developed an elaborate social and behavioral code, but we drop it fast when we're scared enough — as any stampeding mob reveals.

That primal push-pull is at work during wars, natural disasters and any other time our hides are on the line. It was perhaps never more poignantly played out than during the two greatest maritime disasters in history: the sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania. A team of behavioral economists from Switzerland and Australia have published a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that takes an imaginative new look at who survived and who perished aboard the two ships, and what the demographics of death say about how well social norms hold up in a crisis.

Read more ....