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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Can a robot REALLY 'bond' with autistic children? Caspar - and 20 other, weirder 'cyber-friends' - invade the Science Museum

Robots from around Europe are flocking to London this week - but, thankfully, we won't need to call Doctor Who to fend off this particular onslaught.

More than 20 cutting-edge robots from around Europe will be on display at the Science Museum's Robotville exhibition this week - including a robot designed to help autistic children, and a robot that can (sometimes) catch a ball.

Naturally, many of the robots look like slightly spooky human beings - but other fields of robotics will be represented instead, including 'swarm' robotics, where tiny robots work together, a relatively new idea being pioneered in industry and on the battlefield.

The Dexmart robotic hand is sophisticated enough to perform basic domestic chores such as making a cup of coffee

The Dexmart robotic hand is sophisticated enough to perform basic domestic chores such as making a cup of coffee

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2068095/Robotville-Caspar--20-weirder-cyber-friends--invade-Science-Museum.html

'Secret' app installed on millions of Android phones reads your messages

'Secret' app installed on millions of Android phones reads your messages: "Over the past few months, Google's Android phones have been subjected to increased attacks by malicious software. But it seems millions already come with spy software 'pre-installed'. Carrier IQ - a software package often used by US phone networks to monitor how phones are used - seems to not only read private text messages and Google searches, but transmit that data to Carrier IQ."

Mystery Robot Space Plane Still Flying, 7 Months Later

Robot space plane

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. –  The secretive X-37B robotic space plane is about to set its own space-endurance record on a hush-hush project operated by the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office.

The craft, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle-2, was boosted into Earth orbit atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 5. Tomorrow (Nov. 30), the X-37B spacecraft will mark its 270th day of flight — a lifetime in space that was heralded in the past as the vehicle's upper limit for spaceflight by project officials.

The U.S. Air Force launched the robotic X-37B space plane in early 2010 on a space mission that remains a secret -- even after the craft touched ground 225 days later at Vandenberg Air Force Base. In early 2011, the ship took off again on its latest mission.

"It's still up there," U.S. Air Force Maj. Tracy Bunko of the Air Force Press Desk at the Pentagon, told SPACE.com, noting that project officials planned for a 9- month-plus mission, "so we're close to that now."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/30/mystery-robot-space-plane-still-flying-7-months-later/

Microscopic Worms May Hold Key To Life On Mars

Microscopic Worms May Hold Key To Life On Mars: "British scientists believe microscopic worms which are biologically very similar to humans may be the key to helping humans colonize other planets like Mars by giving clues on coping with long-term space living."

Fukushima Radiation Risks ``Severely Underestimated`

PanOrient News | Fukushima Radiation Risks ``Severely Underestimated: "Tokyo- (PanOrient News) Greenpeace today renewed its demand for the Japanese government to keep its nuclear reactors offline as simulation maps of potential accidents at Japan’s nuclear plants - used in the development of nuclear emergency response efforts - "are completely inadequate, and have not been updated since the Fukushima disaster.""

Tens Of Millions Of American Families Are Living On The Edge Of Desperation – And The Economy Is About To Get A Whole Lot Worse

Tens Of Millions Of American Families Are Living On The Edge Of Desperation – And The Economy Is About To Get A Whole Lot Worse: "Have you ever been so poor that you had to live in your car? Have you ever been so low on funds that the only place you could afford to live was a rat-infested motel? Have you ever spent a night living in a tent city or sleeping in the streets? If not, you should consider yourself to be very fortunate."

Researchers: Alien Skulls Prove Earth Was Invaded

Before It's News: "Giant skulls, incredibly tiny skulls, skulls that have horns, and prehistoric skulls pierced by bullet holes—are they real, fake, or easily explained away?"

Nephilim? -- Nevada’s Mysterious Cave of The Red-Haired Giants

Nevada’s Mysterious Cave of The Red-Haired Giants: "Who were these red-haired giants that history books have ignored? Their burial sites and remains have been discovered on nearly every continent.

In the United States they have been unearthed in Virginia and New York state, Michigan, Illinois and Tennessee, Arizona and Nevada.

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And it’s in the state of Nevada that the story of the native Paiute’s wars against the giant red-haired men transformed from a local myth to a scientific reality during 1924 when the Lovelock Caves were excavated."

The Peruvian Giant Legends

Phantoms and Monsters: Paranormal Phenomena, Bigfoot, Mothman, UFOs and Other Unexplained Anomalies: "For centuries there have been legends of giants in the jungles and highlands of Peru. Along with tales by the local tribes, the Incas and subsequent explorers described a variety of giant-sized beings in the region. "

LHC antimatter anomaly hints at new physics

LHC antimatter anomaly hints at new physics - New Scientist: "The Large Hadron Collider has turned up differences in how particles of matter and antimatter decay that the reigning standard model of physics may not be able to explain"

Neutrinos and multiverses: a new cosmology beckons

Neutrinos and multiverses: a new cosmology beckons - New Scientist: "You wait decades for discoveries that could revolutionise physics, then three come along at once"

Saturn's Enceladus Revisited --NASA Expert: "Is it the Site of a Second Genesis?"

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Saturn's small, icy moon Enceladus, “the mother lode of all discoveries was discovered at the South Pole,” said Carolyn Porco in a talk at Harvard University. Porco is director of flight operations and imaging team leader for the Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn. Her work involves taking detailed pictures in space, shots that offer insights into the nature of the universe, and signs of life elsewhere in the solar system.. She described Cassini’s findings of elevated temperatures in the moon’s polar region, as well as an enormous plume of icy particles shooting tens of thousands of kilometers into space.

Analysis of the icy trail, which includes water vapor and trace amounts of organic materials such as methane, carbon dioxide, and propane, suggests it is fueled by geysers erupting from a pocket of salt water within the moon.
The findings, noted Porco, point to the possibility of “an environment where life itself might be stirring.”

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/11/saturns-enceladus-revisited-nasa-expert-asks-the-site-of-a-second-genesis.html

Hard Times Generation: Families living in cars

Hard Times Generation: Families living in cars - CBS News: "More than 16 million children are now living in poverty and, for many of them, a proper home is elusive. Some cash-strapped families stay with relatives; others move into motels or homeless shelters. But, as Scott Pelley reports, sometimes those options run out, leaving an even more desperate choice: living in their cars. 60 Minutes returns to Florida, home to one third of America's homeless families, to find out what life is like for the epidemic's youngest survivors."

Robotic prison wardens to patrol South Korean prison

BBC News - Robotic prison wardens to patrol South Korean prison: "Robot wardens are about to join the ranks of South Korea's prison service."

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

As the new Mars Rover begins its journey to the Red Planet, here are the other predictions that didn't QUITE work out

As the new Mars Rover begins its journey to the Red Planet, here are the other predictions that didn't QUITE work out | Mail Online: "NASA launched the Curiosity, the most sophisticated Martian vehicle ever built, into space this weekend to work out if there could be life on Mars.

As it begins its eight-month journey to the Red Planet, there are a huge number of books, magazines and comics from just a few decades ago that made predictions about Mankind making exactly this journey.

But most of them got just a few of the details wrong... "

Idea of civilians using drone aircraft may soon fly with FAA

Idea of civilians using drone aircraft may soon fly with FAA - latimes.com: "The Federal Aviation Administration plans to propose new rules for the use of small drones in January, a first step toward clearing the way for police departments, farmers and others to employ the technology."

Drone

Are UFOs Flying Over the Mountain Ranges of Argentina?

Are UFOs Flying Over the Mountain Ranges of Argentina? | UFO Digest provides video proof of ufos, alien abduction and the paranormal.: "The UFO phenomenon has not ended over the mountain ranges of Cordoba and the world's attention is drawn once more to the phenomenon after a couple of tourists from Buenos Aires and a businessman claimed having taken photographs of possible sightings. The first of these cases took place weeks ago in the locality of Capilla del Monte; the second involved a real estate agent from the town of Mendiolaza, who also claims having recorded the movement of a flying object in the sky."

'UFOs' Disrupting Search for 'God Particle'

'UFOs' Disrupting Search for 'God Particle' | Unidentified Falling Objects Stifling Progress at the Large Hadron Collider | High Energy Physics' | Space.com: "Physicists working at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a particle accelerator at CERN Laboratory in Switzerland, are trying to slam particles together hard enough to break them into never-before-seen pieces, which could solve some of the biggest puzzles in nature.

But UFOs — unidentified falling objects, that is — keep getting in their way."

'Twilight' Seizures Reported During 'Breaking Dawn' Vampire Birthing Scene

'Twilight' Seizures Reported During 'Breaking Dawn' Vampire Birthing Scene, Christian News: "Reports have been streaming in from moviegoers around the country about a graphic birthing scene in the latest installment of the "Twilight" movie franchise, causing some viewers to experience seizures."

Huge UFOs Caught On Telescope

Iranian protesters enter UK compound in Tehran

Iranian protesters enter UK compound in Tehran | Reuters: "Iranian protesters stormed the British Embassy compound in Tehran on Tuesday, smashing windows and burning the British flag during a rally to protest against sanctions imposed by Britain, live Iranian television showed."

Ancient Aliens and the Creation of Man

Fukushima: Manipulative Extraterrestrials linked to Archons

The Canadian National Newspaper: Fukushima: Manipulative Extraterrestrials linked to Archons: "What, if any, association might the 'archons' have to the perpetuation of the ongoing Fukushima Crisis, human rights abuses, social injustices, and war?"

Poo-Powered Glowing Bacteria Light Up the House

Poo-Powered Glowing Bacteria Light Up the House : Discovery News: "The bioluminescence of fireflies and "Red Tide" are arguably two of nature's most beautiful phenomena, leaving us spellbound in a open field or on the shore with our mouths agape. But have you ever considered lighting your home with this kind of light?"

SELF-DRIVING VEHICLES SWARMING TO FUTURE ROADS

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Schools of fish, flocks of birds -- even bicyclists in the Tour de France -- all use the principles of swarm behavior and drafting to conserve energy while moving in the same direction.

Australian industrial designer, Charles Rattray, believes these concepts are the future of transportation. That's why he's designed Autonomo, a biomimicry inspired autonomous vehicle he hopes will revolutionize the auto industry by the year 2030.

Influenced heavily by swarm robotics and artificial intelligence, Rattray's omni-wheeled, self-driving Autonomos would travel in tight platoons while shifting their configurations to maintain an uninterrupted traffic flow. Microwave sensors would allow cars to travel a mere 7.8 inches apart, thus aerodynamically reducing vehicle drag and energy consumption, making tailgating actually a good thing.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/autos/self-driving-vehicles-111128.html

"Vampire Star" --Is It Poised to Erupt into One of the Most Violent Events in the Universe?

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ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured the first time-lapse movie of a rare shell ejected by a “vampire star." The gas-sucking star is part of a double star system known as V445 in the constellation of Puppis ("the Stern") that is devouring part of a companion star looks to be a ticking time bomb.

It appears that this double star system (image below, lower left) is a prime candidate to be one of the long-sought progenitors of the exploding stars known as Type Ia supernovae, critical for studies of dark energy. In November 2000, this system underwent a nova outburst, becoming 250 times brighter than before and ejecting a large quantity of matter into space.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/11/vampire-star-is-it-poised-to-erupt-into-one-of-the-most-violent-events-in-the-universe.html

Cryptic Communication from the Cosmos: Proof of Extraterrestrials in Radio Signals?

For many, a recent “We the People” petition, aimed at getting U.S. President Barack Obama and his Administration to acknowledge extraterrestrial presences here on Earth, fell just short of the long-sought “disclosure” so many in UFO circles advocate today. The idea here is, of course, that not only has Earth been visited by neighbors from distant star systems, but that government organizations have been hiding the information from the public for years… and that it’s high-time for them to stop.

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/11/cryptic-communication-from-the-cosmos-proof-of-extraterrestrials-in-radio-signals/

22 Reasons Why We Could See An Economic Collapse In Europe In 2012

22 Reasons Why We Could See An Economic Collapse In Europe In 2012: "Will 2012 be the year that we see an economic collapse in Europe? Before you dismiss the title of this article as "alarmist", read the facts listed in the rest of this article first. Over the past several months, there has been an astonishing loss of confidence in the European financial system. Right now, virtually nobody wants to loan money to financially troubled nations in the EU and virtually nobody wants to lend money to major European banks. Remember, one of the primary reasons for the financial crisis of 2008 was a major credit crunch that happened here in the United States. This burgeoning credit crunch in Europe is just one element of a "perfect storm" that is rapidly coming together as we get ready to go into 2012. "

It’s a Drone’s World. We Just Live in It

It’s a Drone’s World. We Just Live in It | Danger Room | Wired.com: "Drones have had a profound effect on the way America fights its wars, allowing it to fight in new theaters while minimizing the risk to troops. The U.S. has used drones for decades, with early versions flown during World War II and the Vietnam War. But over the past decade, the Defense Department's development and production of drones has rapidly increased. The U.S. military has gone from having just a few drones at the outset of the Iraq War to now over 7,000."

Israel's Heron TP

Monday, November 28, 2011

'Iran prepping al-Qaida for large-scale attacks'

'Iran prepping al-Qaida for large-scale attacks': "Warning raises concern nuclear device could pass to terrorists targeting U.S."

The Noose Around Relativity is Tightening

The Noose Around Relativity is Tightening | Dr. Kaku's Universe | Big Think: "A couple of months ago, physicists at CERN, Switzerland, claimed they had found a fatal flaw in Einstein's theory of relativity. Their findings immediately lit up the Internet with activity, created widespread worldwide debate and shook the foundations of physics. These physicists were essentially putting a noose around the neck of relativity. After some criticism, they refined their experiments this week, made more precise measurements, and still confirmed their original findings. "

Army Wants Grenade ‘Bots to Fly, Spy, Then Kill

The military’s already got grenades that do plenty more than detonate: They can spray rubber pellets, obliterate underwater opponents and even, uh, be catapulted from the air in a tiny robocopter.  But the next generation of grenade? Oh, no biggie, it’ll just navigate through the sky on-command, spy on our enemies… and then blow them all up.

At least, if the Army’s latest bright idea moves forward. In their new round of small business solicitations, top brass are asking for proposals that’d yield what amounts to a very deadly grenade-drone love child. Or, as the Army’s calling it, “A Hovering Tube-Launched Micromunition.”

Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/11/army-grenades/

Privacy invasion: Shops secretly track your every move by snooping on your mobile

Privacy invasion: Shops secretly track your every move by snooping on your mobile | Mail Online: "'Big Brother' technology which monitors mobile phones remotely - without warning you that this is happening - is already in use in many major British retail chains, MailOnline can reveal.

The technology has quietly been in use in the UK for four years in several 'major' High Street malls and department stores, with little or no publicity.

It raises serious questions about privacy - and this weekend the launch of the technology in the U.S. for the post-Thanksgiving sales was been greeted with a storm of controversy"

The mummy of all exhibitions: Another 40,000 priceless exhibits added to Ashmolean Museum's Egyptian treasure trove

The mummy of all exhibitions: Another 40,000 priceless exhibits added to Ashmolean Museum's Egyptian treasure trove | Mail Online: "A spectacular new series of galleries showcasing world-renowned Egyptian collections of 40,000 artefacts has opened at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

The vast £5million Egyptian galleries feature objects collected over 300 years from over 100 archaelogical sites, some of which have been in storage since the Second World War.

A variety of sculptures, including limestone statues of the fertility god Min dating back to 3300 BC are on display, along with Egyptian coffins and mummies."

Secret history of Stonehenge revealed

Secret history of Stonehenge revealed - History - Life & Style - The Independent: "Extraordinary new discoveries are shedding new light on why Britain’s most famous ancient site, Stonehenge, was built – and when."

Flexible circuits made from 'wonder material' graphene printed from ordinary ink-jet machine

‘Wonder material’ graphene is so tough a sheet as thin as cling film can support an elephant and there’s nothing that can match its conductivity – now scientists have found a way of printing it.

The researchers, from Cambridge University, made flexible electronics from graphene using a humble home printer, bringing devices such as wearable computers a step closer.

The scientists created a graphene-based ink and used a modified Epson printer to produce the thin-film circuits.

Amazing properties: Graphene is the world¿s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material

Amazing properties: Graphene is the world¿s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material

Printed electronics aren’t a new technology but at the moment they use metal nanoparticle inks, which oxidise after a couple of years and lack the efficiency of silicon-based circuits.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2067118/Flexible-circuits-wonder-material-graphene-printed-ordinary-ink-jet-machine.html

Rotation of the Milky Way --May Hold Clue to Matter & Antimatter Mystery

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"The spin of our galaxy has a twisting effect on our local space that is a million times stronger than that caused by the spin of the Earth."  --Dr Mark Hadley, of the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick physicist has produced a galaxy sized solution which explains one of the outstanding puzzles of particle physics, while leaving the door open to the related conundrum of why different amounts of matter and antimatter seem to have survived the birth of our Universe.

Physicists would like a neat universe where the laws of physics are so universal that every particle and its antiparticle behave in the same way. However in recent years experimental observations of particles known as Kaons and B Mesons have revealed significant differences in how their matter and anti matter versions decay.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/11/rotation-of-the-milky-way-may-hold-clue-to-matter-anitmatter-mystery-todays-most-popular.html

Aliens want our gold – UFO conference

Aliens want our gold – UFO conference | City Press: "Earth has become the battleground for extraterrestrials to advance their own political agenda for the future of the planet, the country’s first UFO science and consciousness conference heard in Johannesburg yesterday."

Spontaneous Human Combustion and Witchcraft

This letter appears in an English journal in 1800 relating to events on 10 April 1744. It is an interesting document because it combines two paranormal facts typically kept apart: witchcraft and spontaneous human combustion.

Read More: http://www.strangehistory.net/2011/11/27/spontaneous-human-combustion-and-witchcraft/

Sunday, November 27, 2011

10 outlandish things the 'scientific' controllers have in mind for you in the near future

10 outlandish things the 'scientific' controllers have in mind for you in the near future: "#1) Organ harvesting from genetically modified, patented pigs

Need a replacement heart or lung? No worries, mate! Monsanto will grow you a new one using a genetically modified, trans-species pig (patent pending) that was raised on GMO animal feed and subjected to organ harvesting while it was still alive in order to keep the organs "fresh."

Your government-approved, Medicare-funded transplant will be handled by one of the top U.S. hospitals, which are, even today, deeply engaged in black market organ trafficking and illegal transplantations."

Gingrich warns EMP greatest strategic threat to U.S.

Gingrich warns EMP greatest strategic threat to U.S.: "WASHINGTON – In the Republican presidential debate Tuesday on CNN, presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich announced a threat to U.S. national security that no other candidate has discussed and that commentators described as "out of the box" until they researched it for themselves.



The potential threat Gingrich referred to was an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, attack that "would literally destroy the country's capacity to function." Gingrich pointed out that no one is talking about the potential for such an attack to cripple America's critical infrastructure."

Climategate scientists DID collude with government officials to hide research that didn't fit their apocalyptic global warming

  • 5,000 leaked emails reveal scientists deleted evidence that cast doubt on claims climate change was man-made
  • Experts were under orders from US and UK officials to come up with a 'strong message'
  • Critics claim: 'The stink of intellectual corruption is overpowering'
  • Scientist asks, 'What if they find that climate change is a natural fluctuation? They'll kill us all'

More than 5,000 documents have been leaked online purporting to be the correspondence of climate scientists at the University of East Anglia who were previously accused of ‘massaging’ evidence of man-made climate change.

Following on from the original 'climategate' emails of 2009, the new package appears to show systematic suppression of evidence, and even publication of reports that scientists knew to to be based on flawed approaches.

And not only do the emails paint a picture of scientists manipulating data, government employees at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are also implicated.

One message appeared to show a member of Defra staff telling colleagues working on climate science to give the government a ‘strong message’.

The emails paint a clear picture of scientists selectively using data, and colluding with politicians to misuse scientific information.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2066240/Second-leak-climate-emails-Political-giants-weigh-bias-scientists-bowing-financial-pressure-sponsors.html

Added to our drinking water: A chemical 'more toxic than lead'?

Added to our drinking water: A chemical 'more toxic than lead'? | kens5.com San Antonio: "Through the lips and past the gums, and into the stomach in seconds.

It’s a drink of water, plus a little hydrofluorosilicic acid: a chemical so corrosive and toxic, it carries a warning label. Since 2002, the city has been injecting it into the water supply, in an effort to stem tooth decay."

Restaurants plan DNA-certified premium seafood

News from The Associated Press: "CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Restaurants around the world will soon use new DNA technology to assure patrons they are being served the genuine fish fillet or caviar they ordered, rather than inferior substitutes, an expert in genetic identification says."

What's Next for Mars Exploration?

What's Next for Mars Exploration? | Mars Science Laboratory & Curiosity Rover | Mars Exploration, Mars Sample Return & Red Planet | Space.com: "NASA launched its newest, largest and most sophisticated rover yet to Mars today (Nov. 26), marking an important step toward the agency's ambitious goal of one day landing humans on the surface of the Red Planet."

First UFO conference under way in Joburg

The Citizen Online | First UFO conference under way in Joburg - Local News: "Academics and amateurs gathered at the first UFO Science and Consciousness conference in South Africa, at the Linder Auditorium –Wits education centre yesterday."

'Anthrax isn't scary at all compared to this': Man-made flu virus with potential to wipe out many millions if it ever escaped is created in research lab

  • Scientist responsible is bracing himself for a media storm
  • Just five tweaks to H5N1 makes it more contagious
  • Contagious version of bird flu could cause pandemic
  • Scientists divided over whether findings can be released

A group of scientists is pushing to publish research about how they created a man-made flu virus that could potentially wipe out civilisation.

The deadly virus is a genetically tweaked version of the H5N1 bird flu strain, but is far more infectious and could pass easily between millions of people at a time.

The research has caused a storm of controversy and divided scientists, with some saying it should never have been carried out.

Deadly: The new strain could wipe out millions of people at a time

Deadly: The new strain of bird flu could wipe out millions of people at a time

The current strain of H5N1 has only killed 500 people and is not contagious enough to cause a global pandemic.

But their are fears the modified virus is so dangerous it could be used for bio-warfare, if it falls into the wrong hands.

Virologist Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands lead a team of scientists who discovered that a mere five mutations to the avian virus was sufficient to make it spread far more easily.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2066624/Anthrax-isnt-scary-compared-Man-flu-virus-potential-wipe-millions-created-warns-frightened-scientist.html

Crashed UFOs: The Bolivian Affair

Regardless of whether or not UFOs really have crashed to Earth, there can be no doubt that mentioning the words “crashed” and “UFO” in the same sentence inevitably brings the controversial Roswell, New Mexico affair of July 1947 to mind. But, there are numerous other cases on file that could, perhaps, be termed the “little brothers” of Roswell. And even though, as people may know from my Body Snatchers in the Desert book, I’m not a particularly big fan of crashed UFO cases, there are some that even I still find very intriguing, including the following…

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/11/crashed-ufos-the-bolivian-affair/

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Prepare for riots in euro collapse, Foreign Office warns

British embassies in the eurozone have been told to draw up plans to help British expats through the collapse of the single currency, amid new fears for Italy and Spain.

British expats braced for collapse of Euro

The Treasury confirmed earlier this month that contingency planning for a collapse is now under way

Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8917077/Prepare-for-riots-in-euro-collapse-Foreign-Office-warns.html

Can Killer Drones Be Turned on America? 50 Countries Are Trying to Get Their Hands on Military Drone Technology -- What Will They Do With It?

Can Killer Drones Be Turned on America? : "China, Iran and even non-state actors are buying or developing drone systems."

'Brinicle' ice finger of death filmed in Antarctic

BBC Nature - 'Brinicle' ice finger of death filmed in Antarctic: "A bizarre underwater "icicle of death" has been filmed by a BBC crew."

Carbon nanotube forest camouflages 3-D objects

Carbon nanotube forest camouflages 3-D objects: "Carbon nanotubes, tiny cylinders composed of one-atom-thick carbon lattices, have gained fame as one of the strongest materials known to science. Now a group of researchers from the University of Michigan is taking advantage of another one of carbon nanotubes' unique properties, the low refractive index of low-density aligned nanotubes, to demonstrate a new application: making 3-D objects appear as nothing more than a flat, black sheet."

Civilizations beyond Earth: Extraterrestrial Life and Society

Civilizations beyond Earth: Extraterrestrial Life and Society: "Most scientists think that we are not alone in the universe. Somewhere out there, there must be other intelligent forms of life. Our radio telescopes regularly scan the galaxy in search of a signal from a distant world. We may think they're out there, but we really don't know what another civilization would be like."

Enjoy a close encounter with a loved one at the space hotel - and who knows where you might wake up

Like a scene from Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, it looks like there's a UFO landing in this forest.

But far from being an opportunity to meet E.T. or the martians, it's actually a place to sleep.

That's because the bizarre retro-looking 50s-style flying saucer situated near the town of Harads, Sweden, is actually a HOTEL.

Alien home: It looks like a 50s-style flying saucer but in fact is a hotel in a Swedish forest

Alien home: It looks like a 50s-style flying saucer but in fact is a hotel in a Swedish forest

Space bedroom: Inside the Treehotel which is in a forest near the town of Harads

The amazing room with a view is part of the Treehotel, winner of the country's major tourism prize.

Guests can stay in what might be every sci-fi fan's fantasy for up to 4,550 Swedish kronor (around £420) per night for two people including breakfast.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2066256/Enjoy-close-encounter-loved-space-hotel--knows-wake-up.html

Thanksgiving UFO: Orange lights reported over 5 states - National ufo | Examiner.com

Thanksgiving UFO: Orange lights reported over 5 states - National ufo | Examiner.com: "Witnesses in five states reported watching orange lights in the sky on Thanksgiving Day that appeared to move in a controlled manner, according to testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database."

Robo-snake: The bendable robot arm that could save human lives

Meet the robot that’s bendy enough to reach the parts others can’t reach.

Snake-arm, a twist on the robot concept by OC Robotics in Bristol, could prove to be of huge use to the defense and civil aviation industries – and has already carried out safety checks in radioactive areas of nuclear power plants.

The arm, which is self-supporting, is controlled by steel wires that run through movable links, while various tools can be fitted to the end such as cameras, lights, cutting equipment or swabs.

Reaching the parts others can't: Snake-arm can be adapted to inspect all sorts of tight spaces

Reaching the parts others can't: Snake-arm can be adapted to inspect all sorts of tight spaces

OC Robotics’ Managing Director Rob Buckingham, who first began work on the unusual device back in 2001, told CNN: ‘Just like the human arm, the big muscles that drive them are actually mounted on the back and tendons link the muscles to the joints,’ Buckingham told CNN.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2066439/Robo-snake-The-bendable-robot-arm-save-human-lives.html

'A very compelling case for life': Newly discovered planet is just like Earth and could contain liquid water

  • Gliese 581g in 'Goldilocks zone' meaning conditions just right for life
  • Planet orbits red dwarf star in Libra constellation 123trillion miles away

Scientists have discovered a planet which could have the most Earth-like environment ever found - raising a 'very compelling case' for life there.

Gliese 581g, located around 123trillion miles away, orbits a star at a distance that places it squarely in the habitable - or Goldilocks - zone, Nasa said.

The research, the product of more than a decade of observations at the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii, suggests the planet could contain liquid water on its surface.

Just like us: Newly discovered Gliese 581g, located 123trillion miles away, is the most Earth-like planet ever discovered. But scientists still believe Saturn's Titan is still the most likely to support alien life

Just like us: Newly discovered Gliese 581g, located 123trillion miles away, is the most Earth-like planet ever discovered. But scientists still believe Saturn's Titan is still the most likely to support alien life

It means it tops the league of planets and moons rated as being most like Earth.

With our planet rated at 1.0 on the Earth Compatibility Index, Gliese 581g, found in the Libra constellation, scored 0.89, ahead of Mars on 0.7.

But U.S. experts believe Saturn's moon, Titan, is still the most likely so far to support life based on surface conditions and whether vital chemical reactions are possible.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2066185/Gliese-581g-Newly-discovered-planet-just-like-Earth-contain-liquid-water.html

Researchers rebuild the brain's circuitry

Researchers rebuild the brain's circuitry: "Neuron transplants have repaired brain circuitry and substantially normalized function in mice with a brain disorder, an advance indicating that key areas of the mammalian brain are more reparable than was widely believed."

Friday, November 25, 2011

Is this an alien skull? Mystery of giant-headed mummy found in Peru

  • Skull has soft spot, found in infants, yet also two large molars, found in older humans
  • Three anthropologists agree: 'It is not a human being'

A mummified elongated skull found in Peru could finally prove the existence of aliens.

The strangely shaped head - almost as big as its 50cm (20in) body - has baffled anthropologists.

It was one of two sets of remains found in the city of Andahuaylillas in the southern province of Quispicanchi.

Spanish and Russian scientists who have examined the remains claim they are actually those of an alien.

Spanish and Russian scientists who have examined the remains claim they are actually those of an alien

The skeletal sets were discovered by Renato Davila Riquelme, who works for the Privado Ritos Andinos museum in Cusco in south-eastern Peru.

He said that that the eye cavities are far larger than normally seen in humans.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2063486/Alien-skull-Peru-Mystery-giant-headed-mummy-city-Andahuaylillas.html

Daleks are coming! New BBC gadget brings evil enemies of Dr Who right into your living room

'Exterminate, exterminate': Daleks could be invading your living room soon

'Exterminate, exterminate': Daleks could be invading your living room soon

There's no point hiding behind the sofa now...

A new BBC creation threatens to bring Daleks into your living room that can mirror the actions of their on-screen comrades.

The dastardly Dr Who gadget works by transmitting an internet signal from the TV to a toy Dalek near it - enabling it to move.

While only a 1ft tall prototype has been developed up to now, the idea could pave the way for other characters to be transferred from screen into the home.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2066023/Daleks-coming-New-BBC-gadget-brings-evil-enemies-Dr-Who-right-living-room.html

Scientists discover secret of limb regeneration: It's a genetic trick using acid from vitamin A

Scientists discover secret of limb regeneration: It's a genetic trick using acid from vitamin A | Mail Online: "Scientists have finally discovered how some animals can regenerate amputated limbs or damaged organs after three decades of research.

It was previously known that some species used a special acid to re-grow parts of their body, but no-one was sure exactly how it worked.

Now a team of researchers from the University of Konstanz in southern Germany claim they have solved the riddle after studying a master in the art of limb regeneration - the zebrafish."

Oh no! Another Mayan prediction of an apocalypse in 2012 is found

  • Carving at Comalcalco ruin 'backs up' first prophecy that world will end on December 21 next year

They've done their best in the past to downplay theories that the ancient Mayas predicted some sort of apocalypse would occur in 2012.

But archaelogists at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History have admitted that a second reference to the date exists on a carved fragment.

Most experts had cited only one surviving reference to the date in Mayan glyphs, a stone tablet from the Tortuguero site in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.

End of the world, for sure? Archaelogists at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History admit another Mayan reference to a 2012 apocalypse exits, this time at the Comalcalco ruin (pictured). It is carved on the face of a brick

End of the world? Archaelogists at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History admit another Mayan reference to a 2012 apocalypse exits, this time at the Comalcalco ruin (pictured). It lies on the face of a carved or moulded brick

The second is an apparent reference at the nearby Comalcalco ruin on the carved or moulded face of a brick. Comalcalco is unusual among Mayan temples in that it was built with bricks.

Arturo Mendez, a spokesman for the institute, said the fragment of inscription had been discovered years ago and has been subject to thorough study. It is not on display and is being kept in storage at the institute.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2066110/There-second-Mayan-reference-apocalypse-2012-Mexico-archaeologists-admit.html

Inside Look: The Construction Of NASA's Next Mars Rover

Inside Look: The Construction Of NASA's Next Mars Rover | Fox News: "It could be a scene from a James Bond film — a glimpse into the archvillain's lair.

Anonymous white-clad workers, their faces obscured by surgical masks, cross a cavernous, high-ceilinged room. They pause to adjust or inspect large pieces of mysterious equipment, some of which is spangled with bright gold foil. It's obvious that they're building something complicated and important."

What's killing America? U.S. ranks 28th in life expectancy (lower than Chile and Greece) while it pays the MOST for health care

Coming up short: In the U.S. an 'underdeveloped' primary care system is plagued by shortages of doctors and high rates of avoidable hospital admissions

Coming up short: In the U.S. an 'underdeveloped' primary care system is plagued by shortages of doctors and high rates of avoidable hospital admissions

A new survey on health care is revealing that you may not be getting what you pay for if you check into a U.S. hospital.

The U.S. healthcare system is more effective at delivering high costs than quality care than other developed nations, according to the study, conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD.

It found first-rate treatment for cancer but insufficient primary care for other ailments.

The study said Americans pay more than $7,900 per person for healthcare each year - far more than any other OECD country - but still die earlier than their peers in the industrialized world.

The cost of healthcare in the United States is 62 percent higher than that in Switzerland, which has a similar per capita income and also relies substantially on private health insurance.

Meanwhile, Americans receive comparatively little actual care, despite sky-high prices driven by expensive tests and procedures.

They also spend more tax money on healthcare than most other countries, the study showed.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2065548/U-S-ranks-28th-life-expectancy-pay-MOST-health-care.html

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Translucent UFO Videotaped over Sendai, Japan

On the last day of September, 2011, an unusual unknown object was seen over Sendai, Japan. It is quite different from the norm. One man was able to catch the object for almost 2 minutes on his video camera.

The object appears to have three distinct parts, two lower white lights and one curved section to the top. It also is translucent. There are clouds in the shot, giving the object some perspective and dimension.

 

Read More: http://ufos.about.com/b/2011/11/23/translucent-ufo-videotaped-over-sendai-japan.htm

LHC antimatter anomaly hints at new physics

LHC antimatter anomaly hints at new physics - New Scientist: "The Large Hadron Collider has turned up differences in how particles of matter and antimatter decay that the reigning standard model of physics may not be able to explain"

Time to get your Mars mojo working

An Atlas 5 rocket stands within its protective Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida during preparations for Saturday's scheduled launch of the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

NASA's $2.5 billion, car-sized rover is ready for an epic Mars mission. Are you? Here's how to get connected with Curiosity.

The one-ton Curiosity rover is the central payload for the Mars Science Laboratory mission, which is due for launch at 10:02 a.m. ET Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41 in Florida, atop an Atlas 5 rocket. At today's pre-launch news conference, Colleen Hartman, NASA's assistant associate administrator for science, said the laboratory was "locked and loaded" for liftoff.

Read More: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8980400-time-to-get-your-mars-mojo-working

Search for alien life expands further out of the galaxy as new criteria proposed

The phrase 'E.T phone home' became synonymous with alien life in popular culture.

And now it has emerged an alien 'home' could be further away from the Earth-like planet criteria than was previously thought.

Astronomers want to expand the habitability zone of a planet to include a larger set of criteria.

Life beyond our galaxy: If the search criteria changed it could lead to astronomers getting closer to discovering alien life

Life beyond our galaxy: If the search criteria changed it could lead to astronomers getting closer to discovering alien life

In the 1970s the concept of a habitable zone was coined by astronomer Michael Hart.

He claimed the Earth was the only possible home for life in the galaxy as this habitable zone, or the Goldilocks zone, is the area where a planet is just hot enough for liquid water to exist on the surface.

But astronomers report that there are already more than 700 exoplanets discovered with only a few in the habitable zone.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2064698/Search-alien-life-expands-galaxy.html

25 Bitter And Painful Facts About The Coming Baby Boomer Retirement Crisis That Will Blow Your Mind

25 Bitter And Painful Facts About The Coming Baby Boomer Retirement Crisis That Will Blow Your Mind: "For decades we were warned that when the Baby Boomers started to retire that this country would be facing a retirement crisis of unprecedented magnitude. Well, that day has arrived ladies and gentlemen. Back on January 1st, the Baby Boomers began to retire and more than 10,000 of them will be retiring every single day for years to come. Most of them have not saved up nearly enough money for retirement. At the same time, private sector pension plans are failing all over the place, hundreds of state and local government pension plans from coast to coast are woefully underfunded, and the Social Security system is on the road to complete and total disaster. A massive wave of humanity is hitting retirement age at a moment in history when the U.S. economy is coming apart at the seams."

How Old Is China's “Area 51”?

Earthfiles.com Environment | How Old Is China's “Area 51”?: "“The ‘Chinese desert disc’ - some people are comparing it to
the Wilton Windmill 2010 crop picture, which shows a series of concentric rings, each coded in-to-out radially in 8-bit ASCII.”

Most liveable alien worlds ranked

BBC News - Most liveable alien worlds ranked: "Scientists have outlined which moons and planets are most likely to harbour extra-terrestrial life."

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

U.S. Intelligence Will Train Super-Sleuths With Videogames

American intelligence agents have made their share of bad calls: the fall of the Berlin Wall, Iraq’s nuclear cache and chronic missteps in Afghanistan are only a few. So in the hopes of honing analysts’ predictive abilities, the spy guys are introducing a new training tactic: videogames.

Last week, the intel community’s blue-sky research group, the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Iarpa), handed over $10.5 million to Raytheon BBN Technologies to start work on the Sirius program. The initiative aims to create a series of so-called “serious games” that’d help analysts improve their objectivity and reasoned judgment when confronted with complex or culturally foreign scenarios.

Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/11/iarpa-video-games/

New Drone Sensor Could Instantly Spot Any Shooter

New Drone Sensor Could Instantly Spot Any Shooter | Danger Room | Wired.com: "Opening fire on American troops could mean an instant death sentence for insurgents, if an ambitious new Air Force plan works out. The flying branch has asked industry to develop a new heat and motion sensor capable of detecting enemy gunfire from 25,000 feet over the battlefield — and then swiftly directing a bomb or missile onto the shooter."

Engineers seek funds for world’s largest Tesla coil

Engineers in the U.S are hoping to build the world's largest Tesla coil capable of shooting 250ft arcs of electricity.

Although the project has a serious scientific purpose, it would also be a massive spectacle expected to draw in huge crowds.

Called The Lightning Foundry, the huge structure would stand ten stories high.

Ambitious: Engineers in the U.S are hoping to build the world's largest Tesla coil. This would be of interest to scientist Peter Terren who created these huge electric sculptures using a Tesla coil in Australia

Ambitious: Engineers in the U.S are hoping to build the world's largest Tesla coil. This would be of interest to scientist Peter Terren who created these huge electric sculptures using a Tesla coil in Australia

The man behind the project, high voltage engineer Greg Leyh, wants to see how lightning gets so efficient at transmitting electricity.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2065138/Engineers-seek-funds-world-s-largest-Tesla-coil.html

SWARMS OF KILOBOTS ARE COMING

Kilobots

Picture a swarm of thousands of tiny robots deployed like insects, cleaning up a toxic waste site, burrowing through a wall to find survivors in a collapsed building or fanning out over miles to collect environmental data from a rainforest or a seascape.

These visions are a bit closer to reality. The K-Team Corporation, a Swiss company that manufactures robots, has licensed tiny robots called Kilobots from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, as well as the software controls the robot swarms. K-Team will manufacture the robots and provide them to people in higher education and research.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/tech/swarms-kilobots-111122.html

Otherworldly Sprites May Signal Alien Life

Otherworldly Sprites May Signal Alien Life : Discovery News: "Enigmatic and exotic, sprites are large electrical discharges that flash high in the upper atmosphere -- usually above powerful lightning storms. Often bright red in color with streaming tendrils of blue and purple stretching down beneath, they hadn't even been photographed in color until 1995!



Sprites are one of the most elusive phenomena occurring in Earth's atmosphere -- and researchers at Tel Aviv University now suggest they may also be found on other worlds as well."

Is the Human Species Entering an Evolutionary Inflection Point?

SpriteWill the future of space exploration evolve into a hybrid of human and robotic expeditions, one which may change the face of humanity in space?
The species that you and all other living human beings on this planet belong to is Homo sapiens. During a time of dramatic climate change 200,000 years ago, Homo sapiens (modern humans) evolved in Africa. Is the human species entering another evolutionary inflection point?

Paul Davies, a British-born theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist and Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science and Co-Director of the Cosmology Initiative at Arizona State University, says in his new book The Eerie Silence that any aliens exploring the universe will be AI-empowered machines. Not only are machines better able to endure extended exposure to the conditions of space, but they have the potential to develop intelligence far beyond the capacity of the human brain.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/11/is-the-human-species-entering-an-evolutionary-inflection-point.html

The Singularity is Here: Human Knowledge and the Coming Intelligence Explosion

Every person spends a little time each day thinking about the future. What meeting do I have to attend later today or perhaps what will I feed the kids for dinner are among the more common thought projections of this sort; in the greater scheme of things, where will I be five years from now and how much money will I be able to save before retirement are the sorts of ideas that might involve a bit more planning.

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/11/the-singularity-is-here-human-knowledge-and-the-coming-intelligence-explosion/

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Google X's Space Elevator

Google X's Space Elevator: Why It Will Not Happen Soon - TIME: "Some ideas just refuse to go away: trickle-down economics, the bolo tie, couscous. Add to this the space elevator. If you're not familiar with the space elevator, perhaps you've heard it referred to by one of its other names: the beanstalk, the orbital tether, the nonsynchronous orbital skyhook. No? Well never mind, because unlike the bolo tie, it doesn't exist. And unlike the tie too, it probably never will — not in this lifetime at least. But don't tell Google that."

Perfectly preserved T-Rex tooth discovered buried in farmer's field could fetch £20,000 | Mail Online

Perfectly preserved T-Rex tooth discovered buried in farmer's field could fetch £20,000 | Mail Online: "An 67 million year old T-Rex tooth unearthed sticking out of a farmer's field could fetch up to £19,000 at auction.

It is officially one of the oldest teeth ever discovered after a rancher stumbled across the ancient dentistry poking out of the soil after he ploughed his field in rural Garfield County, Montana, USA.

It is in such good condition, its tiny serrated edges, which helped the dinosaur grind down their preys bones, are still visible on the surface. "

Computerised contact lens will keep you up to date with news and texts

  • Prototype could create hands-free information
  • Was placed into a rabbit’s eye without causing any health problems
  • Inventor also looking to incorporate sensors to pick up important medical data
  • Meanwhile, Britons to try out bionic eye which could end blindness

All-seeing eye: Scientists have developed a prototype contact lens that could one day provide the wearer with the news, texts and social networking

All-seeing eye: Scientists have developed a prototype contact lens that could one day provide the wearer with the news, texts and social networking

Imagine catching up with your texts, social networking and perhaps the news  without having to log on to a computer or even glance at  a smartphone.

Messages and images would simply appear in front of your eyes, generated by a computerised contact lens.

Of course, you may not always want to be bothered by such messages if you are doing anything so quaint as – for instance – reading a book or going out walking and enjoying the scenery.

But until now the concept of info-vision – the ability to stream information across a person’s field of vision – had belonged to the realms of science fiction, featuring in films such as the Terminator series or TV shows such as Torchwood.

However, scientists have developed a prototype lens that could one day provide the wearer with all kinds of hands-free information.

It could also be used to display directions and TV programmes.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2064543/Computerised-contact-lens-date-news-texts.html

Terminator-Style Contact Lens Closer to Reality

Terminator-Style Contact Lens Closer to Reality : Discovery News: "Cyborgs of the future beware: Humans are working on computerized contact lenses with display technology."



Countdown! NASA's Dream-Machine Search for Mars' Life Imminent

An incredible voyage across the red planet will begin this when NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover --now nestled atop its Atlas 5 rocket--lands in a crater 96 miles wide and three miles deep that contains a geological record of the planet’s epic history  and starts its quest to determine if Mars is, or ever was, capable of supporting microbial life.
The car-size Curiosity rover, the centerpiece of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory  (MSL) mission, is slated to blast off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Saturday (Nov. 26) after a one-day delay due to a rocket battery issue.
Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/11/countdown-nasa-curiosity-search-for-mars-life-imminent-.html

Why Is It So Hard to Go to Mars?

Why Is It So Hard to Go to Mars? | Russia & Phobos-Grunt Mission, Mars Exploration | NASA & Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover | Space.com: "As NASA prepares to launch its huge new Curiosity rover toward Mars on Saturday (Nov. 26), the current travails of a robotic Russian probe stranded around Earth offer an uncomfortable truth: Getting to the Red Planet is tough"

Textiles Point to Writers of Dead Sea Scrolls

Textiles Point to Writers of Dead Sea Scrolls | Jewish Religious Sect, Essenes & Qumran, Israel | The Torah & Religious Texts | LiveScience: "Scholars are divided about who authored the Dead Sea Scrolls and how the texts got to Qumran, and so the new finding could help clear up this long-standing mystery."

Meet the Raelians: Inside the World's Strangest and Nicest UFO Sex Clone Religion

Meet the Raelians: Inside the World's Strangest — and Nicest — UFO Sex Clone Religion: "The International Raelian Movement might be the world's most science-fictional religion — at the very least, they're up there with Scientology. Their founder claims he met the aliens who created the human race, and their main ritual involves sending your DNA to an alien planet. The group announced they cloned a human baby in 2002."

Computerised contact lens will keep you up to date with news and texts

  • Prototype could create hands-free information
  • Was placed into a rabbit’s eye without causing any health problems
  • Inventor also looking to incorporate sensors to pick up important medical data
  • Meanwhile, Britons to try out bionic eye which could end blindness

All-seeing eye: Scientists have developed a prototype contact lens that could one day provide the wearer with the news, texts and social networking

All-seeing eye: Scientists have developed a prototype contact lens that could one day provide the wearer with the news, texts and social networking

Imagine catching up with your texts, social networking and perhaps the news  without having to log on to a computer or even glance at  a smartphone.

Messages and images would simply appear in front of your eyes, generated by a computerised contact lens.

Of course, you may not always want to be bothered by such messages if you are doing anything so quaint as – for instance – reading a book or going out walking and enjoying the scenery.

But until now the concept of info-vision – the ability to stream information across a person’s field of vision – had belonged to the realms of science fiction, featuring in films such as the Terminator series or TV shows such as Torchwood.

However, scientists have developed a prototype lens that could one day provide the wearer with all kinds of hands-free information.

It could also be used to display directions and TV programmes.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2064543/Computerised-contact-lens-date-news-texts.html

Monday, November 21, 2011

Darpa: Do Away With Antibiotics, Then Destroy All Pathogens

Darpa: Do Away With Antibiotics, Then Destroy All Pathogens | Danger Room | Wired.com: "Last year, federal officials warned that Americans were on the verge of “a post-antibiotic era.” And that’s exactly what the Pentagon’s far-out research agency is after."

How did 75 whales end up in the desert? Rows of prehistoric bones unearthed in one of the most significant discoveries of its kind

Some believe they became disoriented and beached themselves, while others claim they were moved by a landslide and became trapped in a lagoon.

But scientists remain baffled as to how exactly scores of whales ended up in a desert more than half a mile from the sea.

The skeletons of 75 whales, believed to be more than two millions years old, were unearthed next to one another, just yards apart, in one of the world's best-preserved graveyards of prehistoric whales.

'Extraordinary': Prehistoric bones belonging to 75 whales have been found in the Atacama desert near Copiapo, Chile. Scientists remain baffled as to how they got there

'Extraordinary': Prehistoric bones belonging to 75 whales have been found in the Atacama desert near Copiapo, Chile. Scientists remain baffled as to how they got there

Chilean scientists and researchers from the Smithsonian Institution are studying how the whales, many of them the size of buses, were found in exactly the same corner of the Atacama Desert in Chile.

The bones were unearthed near Caldera in June 2010 during a highway-widening project. So far, the fossils have been found in a roadside strip the length of two football fields.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063973/Whales-desert-Prehistoric-bones-unearthed-Chiles-Atacama-desert.html

Scientists create world's lightest material 1,000 times thinner than a human hair

Scientists claim to have created  the world’s lightest solid material, a metal which can sit atop a dandelion without even crushing its seeds.

The substance is made of tiny hollow metallic tubes – the walls of which are 1,000 times thinner than those of a human hair – arranged into a criss-crossing diagonal pattern with small open spaces between them.

The researchers say the material, which consists of 99.99 per cent air, is 100 times lighter than Styrofoam and has ‘extraordinarily high energy absorption’ properties.

Lightweight: The revolutionary new material is made out of hollow tubes with a wall thickness 1000 times thinner than a human hair

Lightweight: The revolutionary new material is made out of hollow tubes with a wall thickness 1000 times thinner than a human hair

Its potential future uses include thermal insulation, battery electrodes, and products to dampen sounds or vibration, or absorb shock.

The research, published in the latest edition of the journal Science, was carried out at the University of California, and the Irvine and HRL laboratories.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2063370/Scientists-create-worlds-lightest-material-1-000-times-thinner-human-hair.html

Exoplanet Count Sails Past 700 Alien Worlds

Exoplanet Count Sails Past 700 Alien Worlds : Discovery News: "Astronomers estimate that our galaxy is teeming with around 50 billion exoplanets, but the number of alien worlds confirmed to exist has just passed the 700 mark."

Hilter’s Saucers and Secret Files

When it comes to the UFO topic, there can surely be few more emotive issues than that relative to so-called “Nazi Flying Saucers.” So, the story goes, in the latter stages of the Second World War, Hitler’s hordes began working on radical, circular-shaped aircraft designs, but failed to capitalize on them to any meaningful degree as a result of the Allies fortunately gaining the upper hand, and ultimately, achieving victory.

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/11/hilters-saucers-and-secret-files/

Epic Failure: The Supercommittee Was A Super Joke

Epic Failure: The Supercommittee Was A Super Joke - BlackListedNews.com: "Does anyone need any additional evidence that our political system is completely broken? The bipartisan congressional supercommittee that was given two months to come up with at least $1.2 trillion in deficit cuts over the next decade has failed to reach an agreement. It is an epic failure and a national embarrassment. "

Photographer captures stunning images of UFOs above Hatfield

Photographer captures stunning images of UFOs above Hatfield - News - Welwyn Hatfield Times: "AFTER our story about the Welwyn Garden City man who couldn’t stop seeing UFOs, a Hatfield resident has sent us a series of snaps which show unexplained lights in the sky."

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Real-life Minority Report: Analytics assist police in detecting crime

Real-life Minority Report: Analytics assist police in detecting crime - ComputerworldUK.com: "Police at the Los Angeles Police Department are trialling predictive analytics"

Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Search for God

The American Spectator : Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Search for God: "There's got to be life out there, the atheistic view goes, none of it God-caused, of course."

Follow Your Heart: Darpa’s Quest to Find You by Your Heartbeat

Follow Your Heart: Darpa’s Quest to Find You by Your Heartbeat | Danger Room | Wired.com: "The U.S. military can see you breathing on the other side of that wall. It can even see your heartbeat racing while you crouch behind the door. But if you think running farther away or hiding in a crowd will make you invisible to the Defense Department’s sensors, you might be in for a surprise. The Pentagon’s geeks are looking to tweak their life-form finder so they can spot your tell-tale heart no matter what you do."

Is this an alien skull? Mystery of giant-headed mummy found in Peru

  • Skull has soft spot, found in infants, yet also two large molars, found in older humans
  • Three anthropologists agree: 'It is not a human being'

A mummified elongated skull found in Peru could finally prove the existence of aliens.

The strangely shaped head - almost as big as its 50cm (20in) body - has baffled anthropologists.

It was one of two sets of remains found in the city of Andahuaylillas in the southern province of Quispicanchi.

Spanish and Russian scientists who have examined the remains claim they are actually those of an alien.

Spanish and Russian scientists who have examined the remains claim they are actually those of an alien

The skeletal sets were discovered by Renato Davila Riquelme, who works for the Privado Ritos Andinos museum in Cusco in south-eastern Peru.

He said that that the eye cavities are far larger than normally seen in humans.

There is a soft spot in the skull - called an open fontanelle - which is a characteristic of children in their first year of life, yet the skull also has two large molars, only found in much older humans.

The unidentified creature has a strangely shaped skull nearly as large as its 20-inch-tall body

The unidentified creature has a strangely shaped skull nearly as large as its 20-inch-tall body

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull featured a conical alien skull similar to the one found in Peru

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull featured a conical alien skull similar to the one found in Peru

Davila Riquelme said three anthropologists, from Spain and Russia, arrived at the museum last week to investigate the findings and agreed it was ‘not a human being’ and would conduct further studies.

He added: ‘Although the assessment was superficial, it is obvious that its features do not correspond to any ethnic group in the world.’

The remains of an eyeball in the right socket will help determine its genetic DNA - and clear up the controversy if it is human or not.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2063486/Is-alien-skull-Mystery-triangular-shaped-head-Peru.html

Artificial Trees: Capturing Energy from Sun and Wind

Artificial Trees: Capturing Energy from Sun and Wind : Discovery News: "Alternative energy is all the rage as we try to reduce dependency on foreign oil and lower our monthy bills without reading by candlelight. At the head of the pack are three different technology: wind turbines, solar panels that capture energy from sunlight and solar collectors that convert the heat from the sun into electricity. A London company combined all three into a power plant you'd want to have in your yard: an artificial tree."

Indian girl weeping stones daily

Indian girl weeping stones daily » Dateline Zero: "A girl weeping stones has doctors baffled and unable to explain the phenomenon."

EU bans claim that water can prevent dehydration

EU bans claim that water can prevent dehydration - Telegraph: "Brussels bureaucrats were ridiculed yesterday after banning drink manufacturers from claiming that water can prevent dehydration."

Saturday, November 19, 2011

ALIEN LIFE MAY LIVE IN VARIOUS HABITABLE ZONES

Habitable-zones

Of the approximately 1,500 exoplanets found so far, only a few are in the so-called habitable zone around their parent star. It's also called the "Goldilocks zone," a coveted sweet-spot where the amount of radiation coming from a star is "just right" for liquid water to exist on the surface of a rocky planet.

For example, Earth is within the present habitable zone around our sun, which is a comparatively narrow swath 18 million miles across.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/space/planetary-habitable-zones-defined-by-alien-biochemistry-111118.html

The Intersection of Mormonism and Transhumanism

The Intersection of Mormonism and Transhumanism: "The Mormon vision of the future culminates in a plurality of gods, eternally progressing and creating worlds without end. Some of their ideas are well worth considering by transhumanists."

Somewhere over the rainbow... the heavenly Milky Way in all it's glory is pictured above a remote Argentinian mountain

It looks like a rainbow in heaven. This is the stunning picture of the Milky Way arching over a remote mountain in Azul, Argentina.

This amazing shot showing all the beauty of the cosmos was captured on camera last month by Argentinian photographer Luis Argerich, from Buenos Aires, as he toured the region hiking in the hills.

Luis, 42, said the sight was like seeing heaven on earth. He said: 'I thought I had to take a photo of the Milky Way. It's a very beautiful sight.

Starry beauty: The Milky Way looks arching over a mountain was taken in the remote mountains near Azul, Argentina

Starry beauty: The Milky Way looks arching over a mountain was taken in the remote mountains near Azul, Argentina

'I've never seen scenes like that in places with little or no light pollution, there's a huge difference in the sky quality between a city, a rural area and a place without light pollution.

'The Magellan Clouds and the Milky Way are clearly visible to the naked eye in remote locations of the south hemisphere but they get totally washed out from city lights.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2063236/Somewhere-rainbow--heavenly-Milky-Way-glory-pictured-remote-Argentinian-mountain.html

U.S. Army tests hypersonic weapon that travels five times the speed of sound... and can hit ANY target on earth in 30mins

  • U.S. may no longer rely on stationing missiles abroad
  • Prompt Global Strike project to hit anywhere in 60mins
  • Follows 15-ton bunker busting bomb by USAF

A hypersonic flying missile that can strike a target anywhere in the world in just 30 minutes has been unveiled by the U.S. military.

The Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW), which travels five times the speed of sound, was successfully tested yesterday.

It was launched by rocket from Hawaii at 11.30am, glided south westwards through the upper atmosphere over the Pacific at 'hypersonic speed' before hitting its target on the Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands - some 2,500 miles away.

weapon

It comes hot on the heels of the U.S. Air Force announcement that it has taken delivery of eight, 15-ton bunker buster bombs, called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, that can blow apart 200ft of concrete.

And if it is rolled out by the U.S. military, it will mean America will no longer have to rely on stationing missiles in foreign countries.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063117/Pentagon-tests-hypersonic-weapon-travels-5-times-speed-sound.html

Fighting Crime With Digital DNA

binary graphic color

DNA evidence is widely accepted in courtrooms. And now, so is our "Digital DNA" -- those trace zeroes and ones we leave behind on computer systems, in our smartphones, beneath the hoods of our cars and more.

"Digital evidence is the new DNA," Ira Victor, a forensic analyst with Data Clone Labs and a member of The High Tech Crime Investigator's Association (HTCIA), told FoxNews.com.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/18/fighting-crime-with-digital-dna/