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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

1 in 8 Chance of Catastrophic Solar Megastorm by 2020

The Earth has a roughly 12 percent chance of experiencing an enormous megaflare erupting from the sun in the next decade. This event could potentially cause trillions of dollars’ worth of damage and take up to a decade to recover from.

Such an extreme event is considered to be relatively rare. The last gigantic solar storm, known as the Carrington Event, occurred more than 150 years ago and was the most powerful such event in recorded history.

That a rival to this event might have a greater than 10 percent chance of happening in the next 10 years was surprising to space physicist Pete Riley, senior scientist at Predictive Science in San Diego, California, who published the estimate in Space Weather on Feb. 23.

“Even if it’s off by a factor of two, that’s a much larger number than I thought,” he said.

Read More: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/02/massive-solar-flare/

The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World

Ayaan Hirsi Ali:The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World - The Daily Beast: "We hear so often about Muslims as victims of abuse in the West and combatants in the Arab Spring’s fight against tyranny. But, in fact, a wholly different kind of war is underway—an unrecognized battle costing thousands of lives. Christians are being killed in the Islamic world because of their religion. It is a rising genocide that ought to provoke global alarm."

For ALEX -- Russian Mogul’s Plan: Plant Our Brains in Robots, Keep Them Alive Forever

The Pentagon’s new Avatar project, unveiled by Danger Room a few weeks back, sounds freaky enough: Soldiers practically inhabiting the bodies of robots, who’d act as “surrogates” for their human overlords in battle.

But according to Dmitry Itskov, a 31-year-old Russian media mogul, the U.S. military’s Avatar initiative doesn’t go nearly far enough. He’s got a massive, sci-fi-esque venture of his own that he hopes will put the Pentagon’s project to shame. Itskov’s plan: Construct robots that’ll (within 10 years, he hopes) actually store a human’s mind and keep that consciousness working. Forever.

“This project is leading down the road to immortality,” Itskov, who founded New Media Stars, a Russian company that runs several online news outlets, tells Danger Room. “A person with a perfect Avatar will be able to remain part of society. People don’t want to die.”

Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/02/dmitry-itskov/

Armageddon 2040: Nasa identifies new asteroid threat which 'could hit Earth' in 30 years' time - and UN teams are working out how to divert it

  • Asteroid has 1 in 625 chance of hitting Earth
  • UN team debating options including nuclear weapons and 'steering' it away with a probe
  • Scientists will measure rock further in 2013

It is 460ft wide and soaring through space - on a possible collision course with Earth.

Nasa has identified a new asteroid threat to our planet and calculated that it could potentially impact on February 5th 2040.

The 2011 AG5 has already attracted the concern of the UN Action Team on near-Earth objects, which has begun discussing ways to divert it.

The asteroid 2011 AG5 will pass near to Earth in 2040, with a one in 625 chance of hitting our planet, according to scientists

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2107654/Nasa-identifies-new-asteroid-threat-hit-Earth-2040--UN-begun-discussing-divert-it.html

Arctic doomsday vault grows a few seeds bigger

Arctic doomsday vault grows a few seeds bigger: "STOCKHOLM – Chick peas, fava beans and other seeds from a facility in Syria are among the 25,000 new samples being deposited this week in an Arctic seed vault built to protect food crops from wars and natural disasters, officials said Tuesday."

IBM's stunning breakthrough: Quantum computing finally 'within reach'

IBM's stunning breakthrough: Quantum computing finally 'within reach' | Fox News: "Future computers that implement quantum technology could solve problems in seconds, minutes, or days -- problems that would take current supercomputers billions of years, says Mark Ketchen a manager in the Physics of Information Group at IBM Research."

It's real! Navy test-fires first working prototype railgun

It's real! Navy test-fires first working prototype railgun | Fox News: "The Navy’s futuristic railgun is one step closer to becoming a reality."

Two-Headed Trout Raises Eyebrows in Idaho

Two-Headed Trout Raises Eyebrows in Idaho : Discovery News: "If you want to furrow a few eyebrows, tell your friends about the two-headed baby trout born of wild fish caught in a polluted Idaho stream (above). If you want to get them really riled up, explain that a major mining company linked this disturbing mutation to selenium pollution from one of its own mines -- and still had the audacity to assert that those selenium levels are safe."

TwoHeadedBabyTrout

Gen. McCaffrey privately briefs NBC execs on war with Iran

Gen. McCaffrey privately briefs NBC execs on war with Iran - Salon.com: " “We should not view the Iranian rhetoric as empty threats. They are likely to further escalate. There is great opportunity for miscalculation on their part. . . . They will not under any circumstances actually be deterred from going nuclear. They will achieve initial nuclear capability within 36 months.”

The Forgetting Pill Erases Painful Memories Forever

In the very near future, the act of remembering will become a choice.

Photo: Dwight Eschliman

Read More: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/02/ff_forgettingpill/

Flatworms could hold key to immortality

Flatworms could hold key to immortality - Telegraph: "Flatworms could hold the key to immortality, scientists claim."

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Group to probe UFO reported over Acton/Littleton line

Group to probe UFO reported over Acton/Littleton line - Littleton, MA - Littleton Independent: "Acton, Mass. —
Volunteer UFO investigators would like to learn more about a strange object they said a passing motorist reported and photographed at the Acton/Littleton line last July."

Acton UFO

Mysterious 'Dog-Headed Pig Monster' Terrorizes Africa

Mysterious 'Dog-Headed Pig Monster' Terrorizes Africa - Yahoo! News: "Residents in northern Namibia, on the southwest coast of Africa, have reported being terrorized by a bizarre dog-pig hybrid creature. The animal is said to be mostly white and unlike anything the villagers have ever seen, with a doglike head and the broad, round, nearly hairless back and shoulders of a giant pig. The beast was spotted chasing and attacking dogs, goats and other domestic animals in this arid region not far from the Kalahari desert."

Inventing life: patent law and synthetic biology

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Synthetic biology may help us create artificial life, but how should we patent it? Wellcome Images

With promises of improved medical treatments, greener energy and even artificial life, the field of synthetic biology has captured the public imagination and attracted significant government and commercial investment.

This excitement reached a crescendo on 21 May 2010, when scientists at the J Craig Venter Institute in the United States announced that they had made a “self-replicating synthetic bacterial cell”. This was the first living cell to have an entirely human-made genome, which means that all of the cell’s characteristics were controlled by a DNA sequence designed by scientists.

Read More: http://theconversation.edu.au/inventing-life-patent-law-and-synthetic-biology-5178

Science Fiction or Fact: Could a 'Robopocalypse' Wipe Out Humans?

Science Fiction or Fact: Could a 'Robopocalypse' Wipe Out Humans? - Yahoo! News: "If a bunch of sci-fi flicks have it right, a war pitting humanity against machines will someday destroy civilization. Two popular movie series based on such a "robopocalypse," the "Terminator" and "Matrix" franchises, are among those that suggest granting greater autonomy to artificially intelligent machines will end up dooming our species. (Only temporarily, of course, thanks to John Connor and Neo.)"

Dramatic advances in technology mean autopilot cars could be here in a decade, says Ford chief

It brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘self-drive’.

Within a decade, motorists could be telling their vehicles to ‘switch to autopilot’, the boss of Ford predicted last night.

Bill Ford Jnr said dramatic advances in technology – many of which were already in development – will be needed to cope with the global rise in cars from one billion now to four billion by 2050.

Nearing reality: Will Smith's hands-free Audi in science fiction film I, Robot, could be here within ten years

Nearing reality: Will Smith's hands-free Audi in science fiction film I, Robot, could be here within ten years

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2107436/Ford-chief-Dramatic-advances-technology-mean-autopilot-cars-decade.html

Earth calling… but not very far: The tiny yellow dot in our galaxy that shows the (comparatively small) distance radio broadcasts have travelled in a century of reaching out to aliens

Since the invention of radio more than a century ago, man has been broadcasting into space in the hope that any listening aliens could learn of our presence.

Yet, despite waves travelling a distance of 200 light years in all directions, they still have 118,800 light years to go until the entire Milky Way has heard the word.

In the photograph below, the small yellow dot - with the even tinier Planet Earth buried somewhere in its centre - reveals the limited extent of broadcasts since Marconi invented the radio in 1895.

Milky Way

A long way to go: The yellow dot shows the 200 light year radius of how far radio waves have reached into the Milky Way

And, when you consider there are billions of galaxies like ours in the universe, the quest for extra-terrestrial life is not likely to end any time soon.

Science blogger Adam Grossman, who created the diagram of ‘Humanity Bubble’ using a Nick Risinger’s famous image, quipped on his site: ‘This makes me feel small, sad and alone. Hold me.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2107061/Earth-calling-Tiny-yellow-dot-shows-distance-radio-broadcasts-aliens-travelled.html

Big asteroid could pose threat to Earth in 2040

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Scientists are keeping a close eye on a big asteroid that may pose an impact threat to Earth in a few decades.

The space rock, which is called 2011 AG5, is about 460 feet (140 meters) wide. It may come close enough to Earth in 2040 that some researchers are calling for a discussion about how to deflect it.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/27/big-asteroid-could-pose-threat-to-earth-in-2040/

Project Icarus: Mechanisms of the Interstellar Machine

Project Icarus: Mechanisms of the Interstellar Machine : Discovery News: "Project Icarus is an ambitious five-year study into launching an unmanned spacecraft to an interstellar destination. Initiated by the British Interplanetary Society, and managed by Icarus Interstellar Inc., a non-profit group of scientists dedicated to interstellar spaceflight, Project Icarus is working to develop a spacecraft that can travel to a nearby star."

The "Dark Galaxies" Orbiting the Milky Way

The outer edges of the Milky Way's appear to be orbited by innumerable invisible galaxies, one of which appears to be crashing into our own. In 2005 astronomers discovered the first evidence of mysterious dark galaxies with no starlight - VirgoHI 21 - a mysterious cloud of hydrogen in the Virgo Cluster 50 million light-years from the Earth found to be colliding with our galaxy. Virgohi 21 revealed its existence from radio waves from neutral hydrogen coming from a rotating cloud containing enough hydrogen gas to spawn 100 million stars like the sun and fill a small galaxy.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/02/the-dark-galaxies-orbiting-the-milky-way.html

Monkey controls robot hand through brain implants

RTR2YCJF.jpg(Image: China Daily China Daily Information Corp - CDIC/Reuters)

Jianhui manipulates objects with his hands and gets a drink as a reward. Unknown to him, not far away a robot hand mirrors his fingers' moves as it receives instructions from the chips implanted in his brain.

Read More: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/02/monkey-controls-robot-hand-thr.html

The Wolff Exorcisms

The woman came into the church off the streets of Nassau in the Bahamas. The parishioners knew of her, but they had never seen her in this church, a charismatic Church of God.

Lillian Wolff, of Kansas City, Missouri, and her husband ministered this church in the mid-1960s. Their daughter Terry Byrd, also of Kansas City, grew up in that church. “It was wonderful to live down there,” she said. “There are different cultures. Voodoo and things like that. It was very strange. The people are wonderful.”

But darkness grew over the Wolff family the day the woman appeared. Lillian remembers the woman well, although she hasn’t seen her for more than forty years.

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/02/the-wolff-exorcisms/

UFOs: A True Unknown

What constitutes a good, solid and credible UFO incident? That’s a very good question, and one I get asked now and again. Well, my answer would be that such a case would, ideally, have the support of a number of witnesses, some form of evidence that can be analyzed, and on the record individuals whose words we can refer to and study. And, for me, this is typified by a highly notable affair that falls into this particular category, and which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in just a few months from now…

On both July 19 and 20, 1952, there were repeated sightings of unknown aerial objects in the Washington, D.C., airspace, something that, on July 24, led USAF Major General John A. Samford to state in a Secret memorandum for the attention of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations: “We are interested in these reports in that we must always on the alert for any threat or indication of a threat to the United States. We cannot ignore these reports but the mild hysteria subsequent to publicity given this subject causes an influx of reports which since the 19th of July has almost saturated our ‘Emergency’ procedures.”

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/02/ufos-a-true-unknown/

Is Japan Doomed? - The Atlantic

Is Japan Doomed? - Matthew O'Brien - Business - The Atlantic: "What's old, slow, and deep in debt? If you said "Europe," you're absolutely right. If you said "Japan," you're even more absolutely right. "

What really destroyed the Maya civilization?

What really destroyed the Maya civilization?: "One of the biggest debates in archaeology is what destroyed the extensive, highly-advanced Maya civilization 1,000 years ago. It's known that the empire went through a long collapse from roughly 800 to 1,000, leaving behind a network of pyramids and monumental architecture in the Yucatán jungles. But why? We have only educated guesses, and one of the most widely-believed theories is that some kind of climate catastrophe drove the Maya to abandon their cities in droves."

Monday, February 27, 2012

3 doomsaying experts who foresee economic devastation ahead

3 doomsaying experts who foresee economic devastation ahead – USATODAY.com: "NEW YORK – Behind the mainstream Wall Street happy talk about more stable financial markets and an improving economy are grim warnings of tough times ahead from a small cadre of doomsayers who warn that the worst of the financial crisis is still to come."

Prosthetics Breakthrough Might Fuse Nerves With Fake Limbs

Prosthetic limbs, like this one, might one day be as lifelike as the real thing. Photo: Sgt. Ray Lewis/Bouhammer.com

A replacement limb that moves, feels and responds just like flesh and blood. It’s the holy grail of prosthetics research. The Pentagon’s invested millions to make it happen. But it’s been elusive — until, quite possibly, now.

Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/02/nerve-prosthetics/

Internet firms can access your texts, emails and pictures by spying through smartphone apps

Internet firms can access your texts, emails and pictures by spying through smartphone apps | Mail Online: "Companies are using free smartphone apps as ‘fronts’ to allow them to spy on users’ text messages, intercept calls and even track their location, it was claimed yesterday.

By accepting little-read terms and conditions when downloading apps, consumers give developers the right to harvest vast swathes of private information."

Get your own space! Amazing image of five squabbling galaxies packed tightly together in one corner of the universe

With all that space out there, you would think these galaxies would find a corner of their own.

But in the first known example of a compact galaxy group, this stunning image shows five galaxies - four bright yellow spots and one that is wispy blue - packed tightly together in one corner of the universe.

And it's a proximity the galaxies are not happy with, becoming embroiled in high-speed collisions that rip stars and gas from each others' atmospheres.

Galaxies packed together

Out of this world: This stunning picture shows five galaxies packed together. Four of the five - which bear a yellow hue - are part of an interacting group that often crash violently into each other. The blue galaxy is more than 200 million light-years from the others

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2106890/Get-space-Amazing-shot-galaxies-packed-corner-universe.html

Debt ceiling: Doomsday may come sooner than expected

Debt ceiling: Doomsday may come sooner than expected - POLITICO.com: "The federal government could hit the debt ceiling sooner than expected — and possibly around the November election — according to a report out Friday."

High-Altitude Surveillance Drones: Coming to a Sky Near You

High-Altitude Surveillance Drones: Coming to a Sky Near You | Guest Blog, Scientific American Blog Network: "Last week President Obama signed a sweeping aviation bill that, among other things, will open the skies to “unmanned aircraft systems,” more commonly known as drones. Much of the discussion regarding the coming era of domestic drones has been focused on the many important questions regarding their use at low altitudes. To what extent will it be legal, for example, for drones to hover 300 feet above residential neighborhoods snapping pictures into backyards and windows? What level of human-in-the-loop control is needed to ensure safety in a crowded airspace? And how can we stop terrorists from piloting drones at treetop level towards a target?"

What If Humans Had Eagle Vision? -- With some genetic modifications, they will....

What If Humans Had Eagle Vision? | LiveScience: "If you swapped your eyes for an eagle's, you could see an ant crawling on the ground from the roof of a 10-story building. You could make out the expressions on basketball players' faces from the worst seats in the arena. Objects directly in your line of sight would appear magnified, and everything would be brilliantly colored, rendered in an inconceivable array of shades."

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Your Life is an Algorithm, Your Brain is an Operating System

Your Life is an Algorithm, Your Brain is an Operating System | Endless Innovation | Big Think: "Ever wondered how you were supposed to keep up with the never-ending stream of content and data in your life? Not to worry, the elves of the Internet are busy at work, creating everything from magical little algorithms that automatically execute basic tasks to sophisticated utility apps that run in the background, taking care of all the minutiae in your daily life. Forget about hiring a personal assistant, you can “hire” off-the-shelf algorithms and digital apps that do all the heavy lifting for you. If that doesn't work, just ask Siri. Your life is an algorithm, your brain is an operating system, now go get some sleep."

SPACE ELEVATOR, GOING UP

Space-elev-nasa-622

According to The Daily Yomiuri, Tokyo construction company, Obayashi Corporation, hopes to erect a space elevator by 2050. As a doff of the cap to our British readers, the space lift would ferry passengers and cargo along a carbon nanotube ribbon from a terrestrial terminal to a spaceport nearly a quarter of the way to the moon.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/tech/space-elevator-120225.html

Facebook spies on phone users' text messages, report says

Facebook spies on phone users' text messages, report says | Fox News: "LONDON – Internet giant Facebook is accessing smartphone users' personal text messages, an investigation revealed Sunday.

Facebook admitted reading text messages belonging to smartphone users who downloaded the social-networking app and said that it was accessing the data as part of a trial to launch its own messaging service, The (London) Sunday Times reported.

Other well-known companies accessing smartphone users' personal data -- such as text messages -- include photo-sharing site Flickr, dating site Badoo and Yahoo Messenger, the paper said.

It claimed that some apps even allow companies to intercept phone calls -- while others, such as YouTube, are capable of remotely accessing and operating users' smartphone cameras to take photographs or videos at any time."

No explanation for mysterious ‘lake music’ reported by many Yellowstone visitors

Some Yellowstone National Park visitors have reported hearing odd sounds in the skies above Yellowstone Lake on clear days in the early mornings. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate - click to enlarge)

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Yellowstone Lake and the rugged backcountry that surrounds it is a place where millions go seeking solitude and silence. Yet it in a well-documented but rarely discussed phenomenon, some visitors to the Lake area have experienced remarkable celestial sounds of unknown and unexplained origin.

Read More: http://www.yellowstonegate.com/2012/02/no-explanation-for-mysterious-lake-music-reported-by-many-yellowstone-visitors/

Wearable Electronics Are Making a Statement

Wearable Electronics Are Making a Statement - Novelties - NYTimes.com: "Wearable electronics are starting to dress up gowns, handbags and even tuxedos, and not just in one-of-a-kind costumes worn by the likes of Fergie, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga or other divas."

Mystery virus kills thousands of lambs

Mystery virus kills thousands of lambs - Telegraph: "Thousands of lambs have been killed by a new virus that is threatening the survival of many British farms."

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Wyoming House advances doomsday bill

Wyoming House advances doomsday bill: "CHEYENNE — State representatives on Friday advanced legislation to launch a study into what Wyoming should do in the event of a complete economic or political collapse in the United States."

More strange sounds from above? Trumpets of the Apocalypse…??

Is this God’s second coming? Are the aliens aligning for their global attack? Is it Mother Nature preparing to kick us off this planet? Take from it what you will. Follow your instincts, and always, ALWAYS ask questions. It’s the only way we can get the answers. Even if it means I have to suffer through a paranoid nightmare or two to get to the bottom of it all.

Read More: http://1075zoofm.com/strange-sounds-in-missoula-my-ear-witness-account/

Biological UFOs In Space Filmed By NASA Scientist Offers Evidence

Could some of the strange objects filmed in space be biological UFOs?

Dr. Rhawn Joseph has analyzed several controversial images and says there is no doubt that there are extraterrestrial life-forms in space.

He also dismisses NASA's space junk explanation and says that "there is no evidence to support the belief these objects are space junk, or artifacts of the camera.

NASA has never bothered to take samples or to investigate; yet without evidence NASA claim these objects are space junk."

Research has proven that extreme organisms can live in very harsh environments. Such extremophiles can survive almost everywhere, including in outer space, says Dr. Rhawn Joseph who has complied the following footage that shows what he believes to be living alien organisms which were filmed by NASA.

Read More: http://www.messagetoeagle.com/biologicalufos.php

'Iran ready to wipe Israel off the map'

'Iran ready to wipe Israel off the map' - Israel News, Ynetnews: ""Iran's warriors are ready and willing to wipe Israel off the map," he declared."

Three Strange Theories You Might Believe After Attending Arizona's International UFO Congress

Three Strange Theories You Might Believe After Attending Arizona's International UFO Congress - Phoenix Arts - Jackalope Ranch: "​If you can, you should sneak away from your comparatively corporate gig sometime this week for the 2012 meeting of the International UFO Congress. The group, based here in Phoenix has held this annual conference since 1991 and has seen attendance climb every year."

FINAL EVENTS: UFOs, Demons and the Government: Strange Sounds and Final Events

FINAL EVENTS: UFOs, Demons and the Government: Strange Sounds and Final Events: "On last night's Coast to Coast AM, Linda Howe discussed the many and varied weird sounds that have been recorded in various parts of the world over the course of the last year or so. But, what I found particularly interesting was the following from the show-summary:

"Linda raised an interesting hypothesis-- what if some of the strange sounds heard around the world...were part of an American government test of what some have called 'voice of God' weapons? Around the time of 9-11, there were rumors that the Defense Dept. wanted to try sending directed sound waves into the minds of Middle East terrorists, she noted."

This is intriguing, since it ties in closely with the data contained in my Final Events book about officialdom having secretly addressed the idea of using advanced technologies to stage a religious event to deceive and manipulate the public."

Metatronic chip replaces electricity with light, swaps resistors with nanorods

Metatronic chip replaces electricity with light, swaps resistors with nanorods | ExtremeTech: "Optical engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have created the first computer circuit where logic is performed with light instead of electricity. Dubbed “metatronics,” this light-based logic could enable smaller, faster, and more energy efficient computer chips."

Could Chemical Weapons Get The U.S. Involved in Syria?

A U.S. Army chemical weapons crew takes samples from an M55 rocket. Photo: U.S. Army

You’ve heard this before. Worries about the proliferation of dangerous weapons and the erratic behavior of a dictator prompt the U.S. to consider putting boots on the ground. Iraq? Try one country over.

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad has tried for the past year to raze his opposition to the ground, Gadhafi style, a bloody process that’s accelerated in the past few weeks. But the U.S. isn’t interested in intervening to stop the slaughter. It’s worried about something Assad might have and Saddam Hussein ultimately didn’t: chemical weapons.

Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/02/syria-chemical-weapons/

Mind where you're going: The skateboard controlled by brainwaves that moves wherever you think it should

Mind where you're going: The skateboard controlled by brainwaves that moves wherever you think it should | Mail Online: "Thinking of getting somewhere in a hurry? A new gadget from mobile app studio Chaotic Moon Labs proves that the future of travel is only limited by the imagination.

A skateboard, aptly named the Board Of Imagination, takes commands directly from the rider's brainwaves and transfers them to and 800-watt motor that propels the board forward.

Think of a destination, and how fast you would like to get there, and the Board Of Imagination will take off - hitting a top speed of around 30mph. If you think that's too fast, it will slow down."

Who Defends Your Phone: Robots Or Humans?

Who Defends Your Phone: Robots Or Humans? : Discovery News: "At the start of this month, Google sent a message to Android malware authors: No more Mr. Nice Guy. In a blog post, engineering vice president Hiroshi Lockheimer wrote that Google had been scanning Android Market apps "for a while now" with an automated routine called Bouncer."

Friday, February 24, 2012

How will the world end?

How will the world end? | COSMOS magazine: "Despite the conspiracy theory and the movie, the end of the Mayan calendar system in 2012 does not spell apocalypse for humanity. But there are risks to our continued existence on Earth. Here's what to look out for."

Former Italian Soldier Saw 13 Feet Tall Alien - New witness Came Forward

Former Italian Soldier Saw 13 Feet Tall Alien - New witness Came Forward : "The diatribe between ufologists and sceptics has taken a new turn in Italy following a sighting recently occurred at Moregliano, in the Italian North-East, not far from the Slovenian border."

Earth may have a 'pulse' every 60million years that's been causing mysterious mass extinctions

Earth may have a 'pulse' every 60million years that's been causing mysterious mass extinctions | Mail Online: "A mysterious cycle of booms and busts in marine biodiversity over the past 500million years could be tied to a ‘pulse of the Earth’ – a periodic uplifting of continents that results in the seas being too shallow for species to survive in, according to a new study."

Surf the net, email, make calls - with your glasses! How the Google goggles work

If you’re the sort of person who spends ages looking for your mobile phone, Google may have the answer.

And the solution will be right in front of your eyes – literally.

The technology giant is close to launching a pair of futuristic glasses that would deliver all the services of a smartphone straight to the wearer’s eye.

Google glasses would deliver the smartphone experience straight to your eyes

Google glasses would deliver the smartphone experience straight to your eyes

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2105628/Google-glasses-Surf-net-email-make-calls--Google-goggles-work.html

Amateur cameraman captures stunning glowing cloud in the skies over Russia

Amateur cameraman captures stunning glowing cloud in the skies over Russia | Mail Online: "Not so long ago, an enormous fiery cloud in the skies above Russia could only mean one thing: The beginning of something very very bad indeed.

Duck and cover: Footage of the towering glowing cloud over an unidentified city in Russia has hit YouTube. It is a brilliantly back-lit version of lenticular cloud, often known as a UFO cloud... for obvious reasons

At the height of the Cold War, a vision like this would set off screams of terror and mass panic, rather than the soft gasps of wonder and awe-struck conversation that can be heard in the YouTube clip of this spectacular phenomenon."

Appalling new HoboHunt app urges you to virtually 'kill' poor people

Appalling new HoboHunt app urges you to virtually 'kill' poor people: "A new Android app that allows gamers to “hunt” homeless people has created a storm of controversy."

hobohunt.jpg

The Skies Open Up For Drones

The Skies Open Up For Drones : Discovery News: "Should you be scared? Only a little. Unmanned aerial vehicles do have a dark side."

Flesh Eating Bacteria Makes Super Molecular Glue

Flesh Eating Bacteria Makes Super Molecular Glue : Discovery News: "The same bacteria that eats flesh can make a super glue used to bind molecules."

Dinosaur Robots Made from 3D Printed Bones

Dinosaur Robots Made from 3D Printed Bones : Discovery News: "Scientists use the smaller versions of behemoth skeletons to analyze how the animals might have lived."

Ignoring 500 Billion Galaxies: Mathematics vs Common Sense in the Debate About the Probability of Extraterrestrial Life

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Carl Sagan said that "extraordinary claims, require extraordinary evidence." In a stunning display of mathematical logic vs common sense, David Spiegel of Princeton University and Edwin Turner from the University of Tokyo published a paper last summer that turns the Drake equation upside down using Bayesian reasoning to show that just because we evolved on Earth, doesn’t mean that the same occurrence would necessarily happen elsewhere; "using evidence of our own existence doesn’t show anything" they argue, "other than that we are here."

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/02/ignoring-500-billion-galaxies-mathematics-vs-common-sense-in-the-debate-about-the-probability-of-ext.html

DIA director: China preparing for space warfare

DIA director: China preparing for space warfare | Washington Free Beacon: "Army Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, disclosed new details of China’s space weapons programs last week, including information regarding China’s anti-satellite missiles and cyber warfare capabilities."

Three simple steps to delete your Google browsing history... before it's too late

Three simple steps to delete your Google browsing history... before it's too late | Mail Online: "There is just a week to go until Google controversially changes its privacy policy to allow it to gather, store and use personal information about its users.

But there is one way to stymie the web giant's attempts to build a permanent profile of you that could include personal information including age, gender and locality.

The new policy, which has been criticised by privacy campaigners who have filed a complaint to U.S. regulators, comes into affect on March 1."

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Iran Court Convicts Christian Pastor Convert To Death

Iran Court Convicts Christian Pastor Convert To Death: "A trial court in Iran has issued its final verdict, ordering a Christian pastor to be put to death for leaving Islam and converting to Christianity, according to sources close to the pastor and his legal team. Supporters fear Youcef Nadarkhani, a 34-year-old father of two who was arrested over two years ago on charges of apostasy, may now be executed at any time without prior warning, as death sentences in Iran may be carried out immediately or dragged out for years. It is unclear whether Nadarkhani can appeal the execution order."

Technocalyps -- A Documentary by Frank Theys -- TRANSHUMANISM FULL

Five Top Reasons Transhumanism Can Eliminate Suffering

Five Top Reasons Transhumanism Can Eliminate Suffering: "Reality is big. So our optimism must be confined to sentient beings in our forward light-cone. But I tentatively predict that the last experience below “hedonic zero” will be a precisely dateable event several hundred years hence. Here are five grounds for cautious optimism"

Widow: Iranian Scientist 'Sought Israel's Demise'

Widow: Iranian Scientist 'Sought Israel's Demise' - Middle East - News - Israel National News: "Semi-official Iranian news agency interviews widow of Mostafa Roshan – leaving no doubt as to nuclear program's goal."

Creating buildings that repair themselves

CultureLab: Creating buildings that repair themselves: "A researcher specialising in architecture and synthetic biology, Rachel Armstrong imagines a future with building materials that function as part of living systems. New Scientist caught up with her to talk about her new TED book, Living Architecture."

'Chinese Pompeii': 300m-year-old forest preserved by volcanic ash found in Wuda

'Chinese Pompeii': 300m-year-old forest preserved by volcanic ash found in Wuda | Mail Online: "A 300-million-year-old forest has been found preserved by volcanic ash, just as the Roman town of Pompeii was. The remarkable discovery was made near a coal mine at the city of Wuda in China, by a University of Pennsylvania scientist and Chinese researchers."

Space bacteria found in British river could be new power source for the world

Space bacteria found in British river could be new power source for the world | Mail Online: "Bacteria usually found orbiting high above the Earth have been found in a British river - and could be a new power source for the world.

The mysterious organisms, found in the the mouth of the River Wear, in Sunderland, can generate electricity using a special battery called a microbial fuel cell.

The Bacillus stratosphericus - usually found 20 miles above the Earth - is believed to have been brought to the surface by atmospheric cycling, which causes evaporated water rise into the stratosphere and then fall again."

Google to offer ‘Terminator’ style smartphone glasses later this year

Google Glasses

Facebook on your face?

A pair of futuristic Google spectacles that stream your smartphone from your pocket directly to your eyes will go on sale by year’s end, according to reports from the New York Times.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/22/google-to-offer-terminator-style-smartphone-glasses-later-this-year/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2097879/Google-glasses-sale-end-2012-cost-250.html

France asks EU to suspend GM crop authorisation

AFP: France asks EU to suspend GM crop authorisation: "PARIS — France's ecology ministry said Monday it had asked European regulators to suspend authorisation for the use of genetically modified MON 810 maize crops from US company Monsanto based on new studies. The request is "based on the latest scientific studies" which show that the use of the GM crops "pose significant risks for the environment," the ministry said in a statement."

Mayan Kukulkan Pyramid Emits Light Beam in iPhone Photo

Earthfiles.com Environment | Mayan Kukulkan Pyramid Emits Light Beam in iPhone Photo: "“I took three pictures of the pyramid trying to get lightning. In number one, nothing happened. In number two, nothing happened. In the third picture is the beam and lightning.”- Hector Siliezar, on vacation tour near Kukulkan Pyramid, Chichen Itza, Yucatan"

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

If Iran already has the bomb, what then?

PRY: If Iran already has the bomb, what then? - Washington Times: "If the same small nuclear weapon postulated in the White House planning guide is launched to high-altitude over the United States, perhaps fired from a freighter operating off the U.S. coast, the resulting electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could collapse the national electric grid and other critical infrastructures that sustain our modern society. The Congressional EMP Commission warned in 2008 that, given our current state of unpreparedness, an EMP attack by rogue states or terrorists could kill millions of Americans from starvation, disease and societal collapse."

Earliest Manuscript of the New Testament Discovered? - Daniel B. Wallace

Dr. Wallace: Earliest Manuscript of the New Testament Discovered? - Daniel B. Wallace: "It was dated by one of the world’s leading paleographers. He said he was ‘certain’ that it was from the first century. If this is true, it would be the oldest fragment of the New Testament known to exist."

The Fallen Angel Follies: Ancient Cave-Paintings The Human Race Enslaved - Alien Art Evidence

The Fallen Angel Follies: Ancient Cave-Paintings The Human Race Enslaved -Alien Art Evidence… « Witness Watch: "Why did ancient-man need to live in caves? Their observations of the world outside were immortalized in the stone walls of their refuge from the many genetic-monstrosities manifested by the fallen angels:"

Minority Report-Style Advertising Rolled Out In London

» Minority Report-Style Advertising Rolled Out In London Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!: "High-definition face-scanning cameras have been installed at a bus stop in Oxford Street, London as part of a new invasive advertising campaign that uses Minority Report-style technology to deliver gender-specific targeted ad content."

Niburu...? -- There really could be a giant planet hidden far beyond Pluto

There really could be a giant planet hidden far beyond Pluto: "Pluto is about forty times the distance from the Sun as Earth. But the Solar System is over 50000 times that length across, meaning it could be hiding some huge secrets. That's now looking like a small but real possibility."

Cosmologists Try to Explain a Universe Springing From Nothing - NYTimes.com

Cosmologists Try to Explain a Universe Springing From Nothing - NYTimes.com: "Why is there something, rather than nothing at all?"

Terror bomb detonated in space 'could cripple Britain's electronic networks and jeopardise national security'

Rogue states and terror groups could launch nuclear attacks in space to cripple Britain’s electronic networks and jeopardise national security, a report warns today.

Weapons detonated up to 500 miles above the Earth would generate a massive electromagnetic pulse, knocking out satellites, radar and the National Grid with ‘devastating’ results.

Key military installations, transport systems, power and water supplies would be hit, wreaking havoc, claims the Commons Defence Select Committee.

How attack would destory national security.jpg

How attack would destory national security.jpg

Similarly, severe weather in space caused by explosions on the Sun’s surface could create electrical currents which would destroy crucial power networks.

Both scenarios would pose a ‘significant risk’ to national security, warns the alarming report.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2104482/Terror-bomb-detonated-space-cripple-UK.html

'Anonymous' hackers threatens US power grid, official warn

'Anonymous' hackers threatens US power grid, official warn | Fox News: "The director of the National Security Agency warned that the hacking group Anonymous could have the ability within the next year or two to bring about a limited power outage in the US through a cyber attack."

Hubble Reveals Weird New Exoplanet: Waterworld

Hubble Reveals Weird New Exoplanet: Waterworld : Discovery News: "The space telescope has taken a closer look at this alien world, revealing a brand new type of alien planet."

RARE EARTH ELEMENT DISCOVERED IN ANCIENT STARS

Supernova-remnent

In three stars far, far away, one of the rarest elements known to man has been spotted, improving our understanding about how heavy elements are created, bolstering evidence that a rare type of supernova may have been responsible for their creation.

Tellurium -- a brittle and toxic semiconducting metal -- has for the first time been discovered in the atmospheres of three stars that are nearly 12 billion years old. The stars, all a few thousand light-years from Earth, live inside the Milky Way.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/space/rare-earth-element-discovered-inside-ancient-stars-120221.html

Water! 140 Trillion Times Earth's Oceans--Surrounds a Voracious Black Hole at the Edge of the Universe

6a00d8341bf7f753ef01539019862b970b-500wi
In the summer of 2011, two teams of astronomers discovered the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever detected in the universe. The water, equivalent to 140 trillion times all the water in the world's ocean, surrounds a huge, feeding black hole, called a quasar, more than 12 billion light-years away.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/02/water-140-trillion-times-earths-oceans-surround-a-voracious-black-hole-at-the-edge-of-the-universe-t.html

The Terror of the Wendigo

On the evening of July 30, 2008, a 22-year-old Canadian man named Tim McLean was killed and mutilated under truly horrific circumstances while on-board a Greyhound Canada bus as it neared Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. According to the shocked passengers, McLean was sleeping when suddenly, and without any warning whatsoever, the man next to him pulled out a large hunting-knife and began to wildly and viciously stab McLean in the chest and neck – no less than forty times, police were later able to graphically determine.

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/02/the-terror-of-the-wendigo/

The Hobbit who helped us find our origins

The Hobbit who helped us find our origins - Telegraph: "Chris Stringer on how a series of extraordinary finds has transformed our view of human history – and of the cousins with whom we long shared the planet ."

The Smallest Known Black Hole Has 20 Million Mile Per Hour Winds

The Smallest Known Black Hole Has 20 Million Mile Per Hour Winds - Forbes: "Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory clocked wind from the smallest known black hole moving at 20 million miles per hour."

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

More Than Human? The Ethics of Biologically Enhancing Soldiers

Our ability to "upgrade" the bodies of soldiers through drugs, implants, and exoskeletons may be upending the ethical norms of war as we've understood them.

supersoldier_615.jpg

If we can engineer a soldier who can resist torture, would it still be wrong to torture this person with the usual methods? Starvation and sleep deprivation won't affect a super-soldier who doesn't need to sleep or eat. Beatings and electric shocks won't break someone who can't feel pain or fear like we do. This isn't a comic-book story, but plausible scenarios based on actual military projects today.

In the next generation, our warfighters may be able to eat grass,communicate telepathically,resist stress, climb walls like a lizard, and much more. Impossible? We only need to look at nature for proofs of concept. For instance, dolphins don't sleep (or they'd drown); Alaskan sled-dogs can run for days without rest or food; bats navigate with echolocation; and goats will eat pretty much anything. Find out how they work, and maybe we can replicate that in humans.

Read More: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/02/more-than-human-the-ethics-of-biologically-enhancing-soldiers/253217/

UFOs In The Nasa Archives 2012 Alien UFO Film

Werewolves Terrorize Wisconsin

Werewolves Terrorize Wisconsin | Before It's News: "Land of cheeeseheads, Green Bay Packers...and werewolves?"

Researchers resurrect new species of life from ancient Andean tomb

Researchers resurrect new species of life from ancient Andean tomb: "Close to 1,500 years ago, indians living in what is now Quito, Ecuador buried their most revered dead in 16-meter-deep tombs. An ancient alcoholic beverage was commonly included in these burial vaults. Now, by examining the clay vessels used to ferment and store this brew, a team of South American researchers has managed to not only recover the microbes the indians used to ferment the ancient beverage, they've actually revived them...and they're unlike any species they've ever seen."

RIP, Raygun: Pentagon's Laser Plane Laid to Rest

RIP, Raygun: Pentagon's Laser Plane Laid to Rest | Danger Room | Wired.com: "Yes, it sounds completely crazy: A 747 jumbo-jet, embedded with a powerful laser, that can shoot missiles right out of the sky. But for sixteen long years, the U.S. military tried to turn that idea — called the Airborne Laser Test Bed — into a reality. Now, after myriad ups and downs, the Airborne Laser (ABL) has finally been put out of its misery. Last week, the Missile Defense Agency announced that the ABL completed its final test flight.



The jet will now be dispatched to a locale from which planes don’t typically return: The Air Force’s Maintenance and Regeneration Group, also known as “The Boneyard.”"

Extraordinary pictures of solar 'tornado' as large as the Earth moving at 300,000mph

These amazing pictures, captured by a NASA satellite, show a gigantic tornado moving across the sun.

The tornado is larger than it might look - in fact, it is probably bigger than the Earth, and could extend hundreds of thousands of miles out into space.

And while its progress over the sun's surface seems almost stately, it is moving at 300,000 miles per hour.

Twister: This tornado, which is as large as the Earth, is moving at 300,000mph across the Sun

Twister: This tornado, which is as large as the Earth, is moving at 300,000mph across the Sun

The extraordinary phenomenon - which cannot yet be fully explained by scientists - was filmed by Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory over a 30-hour period earlier this month.

That satellite, known as the SDO, is in the middle of a five-year mission to monitor how solar activity affects the Earth, particularly changes in the sun's magnetic field.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2103543/Extraordinary-pictures-solar-tornado-large-Earth-moving-300-000mph.html

A bill of rights for dolphins: They're so smart we must treat them as 'non human persons' say scientists

Dolphins are so intelligent that they should be thought of as ‘non-human persons’ and given their own bill of rights, it is claimed.

A coalition of scientists, philosophers and animal welfare groups have come up with a declaration of dolphin rights which they hope will one day be enshrined in law.

This would stop them being kept in zoos and waterparks, and being attacked by fishermen.

Flippin' heck: A coalition of scientists are calling for a bill of rights to protect dolphins like bottlenose Fungie who loves to entertain sightseers in boats in Dingle, Ireland

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2104034/A-rights-dolphins-Theyre-smart-treat-non-human-persons-say-scientists.html

For ALEX -- Russians resurrect 30,000-year-old frozen flower

Russians resurrect 30,000-year-old frozen flower: "MOSCOW – It was an Ice Age squirrel's treasure chamber, a burrow containing fruit and seeds that had been stuck in the Siberian permafrost for over 30,000 years. From the fruit tissues, a team of Russian scientists managed to resurrect an entire plant in a pioneering experiment that paves the way for the revival of other species."

Titan's Great Dune Seas Rival Science Fiction Worlds

Titan's Great Dune Seas Rival Science Fiction Worlds : Discovery News: "The desert planets Arrakis in Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune, and the planet Tatooine in the Star Wars trilogy are legendary arid worlds covered in sand dune "seas." And a mere one billion miles away orbiting Saturn the planet-sized moon Titan has all the trimmings of the real deal."

Titan-dunes

Planning for a Devastating Sea Level Rise

Planning for a Devastating Sea Level Rise : Discovery News: "By the end of the century, sea levels are predicted to rise by a meter along the North American west coast -- 'do-nothing' isn't an option."

US military nurtures a new weapon – the Slimeball

US military nurtures a new weapon – the Slimeball | Education | The Guardian: "Could 'the Slimeball' stop pirates and hostile ships in their tracks?"

Why Genetic Discrimination Is Illegal

Adam Cohen: Why Genetic Discrimination Is Illegal | TIME Ideas | TIME.com: "In 2010, Pamela Fink, an employee of a Connecticut energy company, made a new kind of discrimination claim: she charged that she had been fired because she carries genes that predispose her to cancer. Fink quickly became the public face for the cutting edge of civil rights: genetic discrimination."

The Top 6 Exploration Stories of 2012

The Top 6 Exploration Stories of 2012 | Wired Science | Wired.com: "NASA’s Kepler Mission – a quest to identify extrasolar planets in their respective stars’ habitable zone – is changing the way we think about the universe in near real time. Over the last few months, the team has announced another major discovery roughly as often as the recycling is picked up. In September, Kepler-16b became the first planet known to orbit a binary star (a “circumbinary planet” for you Scrabble fans out there). In October and November, additional planets were announced, but they were too hot or too large to earn the “Earth-like” designation."

Monday, February 20, 2012

Should police and coastguards use laser dazzlers?

Should police and coastguards use laser dazzlers? - tech - 13 February 2012 - New Scientist: "Devices that temporarily blind people can now be used by US police, but are they worth the risks?"

Is the future bright? <i>(Image: Olivier Laban-Mattei/AFP/Getty Images)</i>

Experts fear diseases 'impossible to treat'

Experts fear diseases 'impossible to treat' - Health News - Health & Families - The Independent: "Britain is facing a "massive" rise in antibiotic-resistant blood poisoning caused by the bacterium E.coli – bringing closer the spectre of diseases that are impossible to treat."

Scientists make DNA robot to kill cancer cells

PressTV - Scientists make DNA robot to kill cancer cells: "Scientists have created a programmable nanorobot made fully of DNA which can transport molecule and specific instructions to definite body cells."

A closer look at extending life

A closer look at extending life | Nanotechnology world | guardian.co.uk: "Nanotechnology is revolutionising many aspects of our lives, not least healthcare. But could the technology actually prolong life – and is it safe?"

Conceptual computer artwork depicting nanotechnology

Freaky Physics Proves Parallel Universes Exist

Freaky Physics Proves Parallel Universes Exist | Fox News: "Look past the details of a wonky discovery by a group of California scientists -- that a quantum state is now observable with the human eye -- and consider its implications: Time travel may be feasible. Doc Brown would be proud.

The strange discovery by quantum physicists at the University of California Santa Barbara means that an object you can see in front of you may exist simultaneously in a parallel universe -- a multi-state condition that has scientists theorizing that traveling through time may be much more than just the plaything of science fiction writers."

Government spy programme will monitor every phone call, text and email

Government spy programme will monitor every phone call, text and email | Mail Online: "Details about text messages, phone calls, emails and every website visited by members of the public will be kept on record in a bid to combat terrorism."

Artic Vortex Due to Pole Shift

Monsters of the deep: Tiny sea creatures that never see sunlight look like they're from another planet

Monsters of the deep: Tiny sea creatures that never see sunlight look like they're from another planet | Mail Online: "They look like monsters from another planet. But far from inhabiting some alien world light-years from ours, these frightening looking creatures exist at the bottom of Earth's deepest oceans.

Astonishing new pictures of Polychaetes, or scale worms, show how they have evolved to survive the intense pressures more than 1,000 meters below the water's surface, where the sun's rays never penetrate.

And it is hoped discoveries from this region could help shed light on the possibility of life existing on other planets."

deep ocean worm

Graphene breakthrough could change face of electronics

Graphene breakthrough could change face of electronics | Mail Online: "A breakthrough in controlling graphene could see the highly conductive and super-strong ‘wonder material’ replace silicon and change the face of electronics, leading to faster, thinner gadgets."

Earth, solar wind and fire: Northern lights and molten lava come together in landscape that could be out of this world

Earth, solar wind and fire: Northern lights and molten lava come together in landscape that could be out of this world | Mail Online: "With their vivid colours and alien landscapes, these pictures look like they could be of another world.

Otherworldly: A volcanic erupts on the Fimmvvrpuhals mountain pass in Iceland as Aurora Borealis lights up the sky in lurid greens and yellows behind

They capture two of nature’s most spectacular sights - the northern lights and an erupting volcano in Iceland - in a single shot.

Photographer James Appleton from Cambridge braved the mighty flames of the Fimmvvrpuhals volcano and the frozen bite of the harsh Icelandic winter – and was rewarded with these incredibly rare shots."

Two of nature's spectacles converge: Gas shoots into the air and molten lava starts to pour across the landscape as the northern lights flash across the sky

Future Quantum Computers Begin to Take Shape

Future Quantum Computers Begin to Take Shape : Discovery News: "An insanely impossible problem is becoming just merely difficult."

Physicists Create a Working Transistor From a Single Atom

Physicists Create a Working Transistor From a Single Atom - NYTimes.com: "Australian and American physicists have built a working transistor from a single phosphorus atom embedded in a silicon crystal."

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Test tube hamburgers to be served this year

The world's first test tube hamburger will be served up this October after scientists perfected the art of growing beef in the lab

Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9091628/Test-tube-hamburgers-to-be-served-this-year.html

US officials believe Iran sanctions will fail, making military action likely

US officials believe Iran sanctions will fail, making military action likely | World news | The Guardian: "Officials in key parts of the Obama administration are increasingly convinced that sanctions will not deter Tehran from pursuing its nuclear programme, and believe that the US will be left with no option but to launch an attack on Iran or watch Israel do so."

The 'Wow!' Signal: One Man's Search for SETI's Most Tantalizing Trace of Alien Life

The 'Wow!' Signal: One Man's Search for SETI's Most Tantalizing Trace of Alien Life - Ross Andersen - Technology - The Atlantic: "For decades, Robert Gray has been trying to duplicate the most surprising and still-unexplained observation in the history of the search for extraterrestrial life."

When water flowed on Mars: Colour-coded shots show valleys carved out by ancient floods

The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft has created an incredibly detailed 3D view of the eroded Tiu Vallis region on the planet's surface.

The mosaic is colour-coded for elevation and highlights the spectacular geography of the area, thought to have been created by highly energetic floods of water roaring across the surface.

The mosaic image captured by the Mars Express orbiter is colour-coded for elevation, showing the valleys and cliffs thought to have been carved out by ancient floods on the surface

The mosaic image captured by the Mars Express orbiter is colour-coded for elevation, showing the valleys and cliffs thought to have been carved out by ancient floods on the surface

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2102453/When-water-flowed-Mars-Colour-coded-shots-valleys-carved-ancient-red-planet.html

UFO sighting beliefs counter today's science while new metal box theory floated

UFO sighting beliefs counter today's science while new metal box theory floated | HULIQ: "BRAYS POINT, Ore. – Marine scientists have looked under the hood of mysterious metal boxes -- that started appearing along West Coast beaches two weeks ago – and now have a scientific theory."

REPTILIAN ALIEN ABDUCTION w/ EXPERT JOE MONTALDO

Cars Without Drivers: Get Ready to See Automated Automobiles on the Open Road

Cars Without Drivers: Get Ready to See Automated Automobiles on the Open Road - International Business Times: "It's time for the next big automotive revolution.
A century ago, the horse-drawn carriage became obsolete. Within the last decade, GPS technology rendered paper maps useless. And if the electric movement gets going in earnest, gasoline may one day be a thing of the past. Next on the chopping block: the need for human drivers"

Ghostly image causes a stir

Ghostly image causes a stir - News - Galway Independent: "A photo that appears to capture a ghostly image of a nun on The Long Walk has been causing a stir in the city this week."

Saturday, February 18, 2012

The top 10 emerging technologies for 2012

The top 10 emerging technologies for 2012: "Below, the Global Agenda Council on Emerging Technologies presents the technological trends expected to have major social, economic and environmental impacts worldwide in 2012. They are listed in order of greatest potential to provide solutions to global challenges:"

Could 'artificial leaf' technology power the cars of the future? Scientists aim to create 'oil' using photosynthesis

Could 'artificial leaf' technology power the cars of the future? Scientists aim to create 'oil' using photosynthesis | Mail Online: "An oil substitute made with ‘artificial leaf’ technology could power ships and planes, according to a leading British expert.

Scientists have applied a new twist to the process of photosynthesis - the method plants use to harness the energy of sunlight.

Instead of producing organic material from carbon dioxide, as plants do, they plan to manufacture a hydrocarbon 'fuel' which could be used instead of oil, using photosynthesising bacteria."

Telescope described as 'biggest leap since Galileo' will unravel how planets form - and could solve the mystery of where Earth's oceans came from

The world's most expensive ground-based telescope, the $1.3billion ALMA array high in the Chilean Andes, has a new mission - to study how planets like our Earth form. 

Together with another huge radio telescope, the Very Large Array (VLA), a collection of 27 antennae in New Mexico, ALMA is delivering the first insights into how planets form from the discs of gas and dust around young stars.

Scientists at ALMA describe the telescope as the biggest leap in the technology since Galileo.

The ALMA and VLA telescopes will capture the early stages of how planets form from the disc of dust and gas around young stars, watching as the dust forms into pebbles then finally into young worlds

The ALMA and VLA telescopes will capture the early stages of how planets form from the disc of dust and gas around young stars, watching as the dust forms into pebbles then finally into young worlds

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2102564/New-telescopes-described-biggest-leap-Galileo-unravel-mysteries-planets-form.html

Vast solar tornado spied on the sun

Vast solar tornado spied on the sun | Fox News: "A tremendous tornado whirling across the surface of the sun was captured by a NASA satellite recently -- an amazing wonder of the solar system that may be as big as the Earth itself."

Phantom Black Holes of the Milky Way --Could They Pose a Danger to Our Solar System?

Supermassive_black_hole
The effect of a primordial black hole hitting the Sun ought to be easily observable, say physicists at New York University and Princeton University, noting what we think might be the obvious. But they go on to suggest that such an event wouldn’t be as catastrophic as it sounds.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/02/weekend-feature-phantom-black-holes-of-milky-way-could-they-pose-a-danger-to-our-solar-system-.html

DNA machine can sequence human genomes in hours

Oxford Nanopore has come up with a DNA sequencing machine the size of a USB memory stick that can decode the building blocks of life within hours rather than days

The DNA sequencing machine made by Nanopore

The MinION, a tiny DNA sequencing machine made by a firm spun out of Oxford University. Photograph: Nigel Chapman

A UK firm spun out from Oxford University has come up with a DNA sequencing machine the size of a USB memory stick, a move that is set to revolutionise the industry.

Privately owned Oxford Nanopore, which was spun out of Oxford University in 2005, on Friday presented at a conference in Florida two new generation machines that can do the same job as current mainframe-sized devices, and can decode the building blocks of life within hours rather than days.

Read More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/feb/17/dna-machine-human-sequencing

Hundreds of dead birds on I-95 in Laurel

Hundreds of dead birds on I-95 in Laurel | WJLA.com: "Hundreds of birds just dropped from the sky and landed onto I-95 Wednesday, bringing afternoon rush hour traffic to a crawl."

Eisenhower had three secret meetings with aliens, former pentagon consultant claims

Eisenhower had three secret meetings with aliens, former pentagon consultant claims | Mail Online: "Former American President Dwight D. Eisenhower had three secret meetings with aliens, a former US government consultant has claimed.

The 34th President of the United States met the extra terrestrials at a remote air base in New Mexico in 1954, according to lecturer and author Timothy Good."

Friday, February 17, 2012

The artist who hears colour: World's only recognised cyborg uses head-mounted camera to convert hue to sound

The artist who hears colour: World's only recognised cyborg uses head-mounted camera to convert hue to sound | Mail Online: "A colour-blind artist has become the world's first government-recognised cyborg with a head-mounted device that translates colour to sound."

Editor of science journal says he is ready to publish details of lethal man-made flu 'in complete form'

Editor of science journal says he is ready to publish details of lethal man-made flu 'in complete form' | Mail Online: "The editor of a leading science journal has said that it is his duty to publish details of controversial research into a mutant H5N1 bird flu virus.

Far deadlier than normal flu, the H5N1 strain kills roughly half of humans that contract it, but so far the virus has been mainly restricted to poultry. Scientists have researched mutations which make it more contagious."

Project Avatar: U.S. military researches ways for soldiers to control robot 'surrogates' using just their minds

The U.S. military is researching ways for its troops can use their minds to remotely control androids who will take human soldiers' place on the battlefield.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), the Pentagon's hi-tech research arm, has earmarked $7million for research into the project, nicknamed Avatar.

The ultimate goal of the project sounds, bizarrely, much like the fantastical plot of the the film of the same name.

Science following fiction: In Avatar, pictured, human soldiers use mind control to inhabit genetically engineered proxies

Science following fiction: In Avatar, pictured, human soldiers use mind control to inhabit genetically engineered proxies

In the James Cameron movie, set far in the future, human soldiers use mind control to inhabit the bodies of human alien hybrids as they carry out a war against the inhabitants of a distant world.

According to the Darpa's 2013 budget: 'The Avatar program will develop interfaces and algorithms to enable a soldier to effectively partner with a semi-autonomous bi-pedal machine and allow it to act as the soldier’s surrogate.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2102559/Project-Avatar-U-S-military-researches-ways-soldiers-control-robot-surrogates-using-just-minds.html

'Genius' computer with an IQ of 150 is 'more intelligent' than 96 per cent of humans

A computer has become the first to be classed as a 'genius' after scoring 150 in an IQ test.

The average score for people is 100. A score of 150 ranks the artificial intelligence programme among the top four per cent of humans.

The programme uses a mixture of mathematical logic and 'human-like' thinking, enabling it to outperform previous software on IQ tests.

Artificial intelligence? The high-IQ software uses a mix of computer logic and 'human like' thinking to achieve higher scores than previous software

Artificial intelligence? The high-IQ software uses a mix of computer logic and 'human like' thinking to achieve higher scores than previous software

Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2102577/A-genius-born-New-programme-intelligent-96-cent-humans-IQ-150.html

Alien Life Clues in Antarctic Ice?

Alien Life Clues in Antarctic Ice? : Discovery News: "Digging up the Antarctic ice in Lake Vostok could be a good test run for looking for life beyond."

DNA Robots Deliver Deadly Punch to Bad Cells

DNA Robots Deliver Deadly Punch to Bad Cells : Discovery News: "In the fight against cancer, these nano-robots could be the equivalent of sending in SEAL Team Six."

Cold Fusion Gets Cold Shoulder (and $200,000 Challenge)

Cold Fusion Gets Cold Shoulder (and $200,000 Challenge) : Discovery News: "Just over a year ago, two Italian researchers claimed to have found one of the Holy Grails of physics: They said they fused atomic nuclei at room temperature -- essentially what is known as cold fusion.



If what researchers Andrea Rossi and Sergio Focardi of the University of Bologna claim is true, they have found a cheap, clean, and limitless energy source -- possibly even something that could revolutionize space travel."