Directed links for emerging technologies, transhumanism, transgenics, biotechnology, astronomy, UFOs, conspiracies, paranormal and other miscellania that may have eschatological implications....
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Envoys worldwide feel brunt of Israel's worsening image
Envoys worldwide feel brunt of Israel's worsening image - Haaretz Daily Newspaper: "In annual meeting 100 Israeli diplomats discuss influence of contentious domestic legislation on Israel's diplomatic standing; Foreign Ministry indicates an erosion in 'special relationship' with U.S."
The coming war with Iran
The coming war with Iran: "Iran’s tyrannical leaders, determined to make the Islamic regime a nuclear-armed state, are preparing for war. That’s exactly what the United States and Israel might have to deliver, and soon. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the Revolutionary Guards in May to speed up the regime’s nuclear-bomb program and arm its missiles with nuclear warheads. Now, sources reveal, Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered the guards to prepare for war."
WHO deeply concerned by mutated bird flu research
WHO deeply concerned by mutated birdflu research | Reuters: "(Reuters) - The World Health Organization issued a stern warning on Friday to scientists who have engineered a highly pathogenic form of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, saying their work carries significant risks and must be tightly controlled."
US Civilians Are Now Helping Decide Who To Kill With Military Drones
President Obama's enormous expansion of the U.S. drone program may be pushing too fast for military staffing to keep up.
David S. Cloud of The Los Angeles Times reports the military is now forced to rely on a string of civilian contractors placed at all levels along the "kill chain." These are the people who analyze incoming drone video and decide when to fire Hellfire missiles.
GMO Seed Use to Expand in Michigan
GMO Seed Use to Expand in Michigan: "While genetically modified foods are continually being banned in other countries, the US is slow to follow the very necessary trend. The USDA has chosen to step back and give Monsanto even more power over GMO seeds, and now some states are taking similar action. A bill which could be passed in Lansing, Michigan could make Michigan the 15th state to allow for the expansion of GMO seed use, causing Michigan farms to be plagued with disease-riddled, genetically modified crops."
Will Google, Amazon, And Facebook Black Out The Net?
Will Google, Amazon, And Facebook Black Out The Net? | Fox News: "In the growing battle for the future of the Web, some of the biggest sites online -- Google, Facebook, and other tech stalwarts -- are considering a coordinated blackout of their sites, some of the web’s most popular destinations. No Google searches. No Facebook updates. No Tweets. No Amazon.com shopping. Nothing."
Tech 2011: Biggest News Stories of the Year
Tech 2011: Biggest News Stories of the Year: "With market-swaying power that would seem to rival that of full-fledged nation states, Google and Apple have an ability to influence news cycles unlike any other tech companies."
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monsters And UFOs To Watch For In 2012
Monsters And UFOs To Watch For In 2012: "Monsters to look for in 2012: Will the yeti footprints and hair samples finally reveal the truth? If the claims made by the Russian expedition are not hype or hoax, then perhaps the world will finally get definitive proof of the long-rumored creature. Surely after so many decades of ambiguous sightings and searches, hard evidence of Bigfoot or the yeti is long overdue. As for the chupacabra, people in North America and elsewhere will continue to find mangy dogs and coyotes and assume the unfortunate beasties are chupacabras."
Gentlemen look away: Angler snares deadly fish that killed two men by biting off their testicles
An intrepid British angler today told how he snared a predator which kills men - by biting off their testicles.
Fearless Jeremy Wade, 53, spent weeks hunting for the fish in remote Papua New Guinea after locals reported a mysterious beast which was castrating young fishermen.
He finally unmasked the perpetrator as the Pacu fish - known locally as ‘The Ball Cutter’ - and managed to catch one in his small wooden fishing boat.
Brave: Jeremy Wade, pictured with the ferocious 'Ball Cutter' fish which has killed two men by biting off their testicles
Mr Wade wrestled the 40lb monster on to the floor of his boat and opened its snapping jaws with his naked hands - to discover a jaw-dropping array of human-style teeth.
The Ball Cutter boasts an impressive set of man-like molars, which tear off the testicles of unwitting hunters, leaving them to bleed to death.
Fierce: The pacu fish have human-like teeth and powerful jaw muscles
Pacu fish are usually found in the Amazon, where they need their teeth to crack into the tough cases of nuts and seeds.
The previously vegetarian fish were introduced to Papua New Guinea 15 years ago to increase stocks.
They quickly used their special technique to chomp meat due to a lack of suitable vegetation in the waters - making short work of human testicles.
Spare Parts for Humans: Tissue Engineers Aim for Lab-Grown Limbs, Lungs and More
Spare Parts for Humans: Tissue Engineers Aim for Lab-Grown Limbs, Lungs and More | PBS: "A new research breakthrough has enabled scientists to grow human tissue to repair or replace organs, and someday, maybe even limbs."
Bed, Breakfast And Bombing Runs: China Turns Soviet Aircraft Carrier Into Hotel
This is the Kiev, currently anchored in the Chinese port of Tianjin. Once she was the flagship of the mighty Soviet navy’s Pacific fleet. Now she’s available for business retreats, intimate getaways or simple relaxation.
That’s because the Chinese have bought the aircraft carrier and transformed her into a floating luxury hotel.
The Kiev will stay permanently docked. Much as a Soviet-era sailor might resent the indignity, Kiev won’t go back out to sea. She’ll entertain guests and clients at anchor, a bizarre museum to a different country’s naval power.
Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/12/china-aircraft-carrier-hotel/
Will Nasa's New Year lunar mission find signs of our moon's 'lost twin'?
On New Year's Eve the first of two Nasa moon probes, Grail-A, will go into orbit around the moon. Its twin, Grail-B, will follow on New Year's day.
The $496 million mission has taken three months to reach the moon - travelling two million miles.
The Nasa team said they will not celebrate New Year's are both in orbit. 'We're on our way there,' said David Lehman of the Nasa Jet Propulsion laboratory.
The washing-machine-sized Grail craft are to 'map' the interior of the moon by scanning its gravity field - measured by its effects on the flight paths of the the two craft. Research published this year suggested that Earth once had dual moons that collided and formed the moon people gaze at today.
Nasa's Grail spacecraft will fire their engines to move into orbit on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day - the twin probes will eventually orbit at just 35 miles up and will 'map' the moon's gravity by measuring its effects on their flight paths
The pair will fly in formation at an altitude of 34 miles (54.72 kilometers) above the surface, 124 miles apart. The effects of the moon's uneven gravity on the probes will allow Nasa to form a picture of what is under the surface.
It's a mission that Nasa described as a 'journey to the centre of the moon', and will map the moon's interior 100 to 1000 times more accurately than any previous moon mission.
Ekso Bionics Wearable Robot Helps Paraplegics Walk
Ekso Bionics Wearable Robot Helps Paraplegics Walk: "A defense department program to develop super-strong soldiers leads to a wearable robot capable of helping paraplegics walk. Sound like a comic book? Nope. It’s real."
What are the Odds? Extraterrestrial Civilizations of the Cosmos
"What does it mean for a civilization to be a million years old? We have had radio telescopes and spaceships for a few decades; our technical civilization is a few hundred years old ... an advanced civilization millions of years old is as much beyond us as we are beyond a bushbaby or a macaque."
Michio Kaku, professor of theoretical physics at City University of New York believes that Sagan's question is no longer just a matter of idle speculation. Kaku writes that that "one day, many of us could gaze at the encyclopadia that contains the coordinates of perhaps hundreds of Earth-like planets in our sector of the galaxy. Then we will ponder with wonder, as Sagan did, what an intelligent civilization a millions years ahead of ours will look like."
US commander visits Israel to finalize missile defense
US commander visits Israel to finalize missile drill: "Israel, US to hold largest ever missile defense exercise this spring; thousands of US soldiers will be deployed in Israel."
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40 Hard Questions That The American People Should Be Asking Right Now
40 Hard Questions That The American People Should Be Asking Right Now: "The following are 40 hard questions that the American people should be asking right now…."
How Your Privacy Will Be Invaded in 2012
How Your Privacy Will Be Invaded in 2012: "In 2011, we watched as tech villains found creative new ways to violate our privacy. They misappropriated our social networking profiles, stalked us through our phones, and plucked secrets from our wifi networks. To help you better prepare for 2012's inevitable privacy attacks, we enumerate below the most worrisome threats you should monitor in the coming year."
The History of MIT’s Blatant Suppression of Cold Fusion
The History of MIT’s Blatant Suppression of Cold Fusion: "Every citizen who is concerned about the future of clean energy generation and the future of our environment should read this report. Every MIT student, every MIT graduate, and every financial contributor to MIT should read it. Judge for yourself where the facts lead."
'Intelligent' slime able to navigate its way out of maze
'Intelligent' slime able to navigate its way out of maze - Telegraph: "A Japanese scientist is exploring the power of slime mould in an attempt to uncover the key to intelligence."
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Mind Games – Science’s Attempts at Thought Control
Mind Games – Science’s Attempts at Thought Control: "The concept of brainwashing was first used to describe certain obscure procedures carried out in early Communist China, but the idea of “cleansing the mind” can be traced back all the way to fourth century Confucian thinkers.
In Popular Western culture, the word immediately evokes George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 and experiments by Nazi scientists and the CIA, as well as Soviet intelligence services. Science’s interest in the possibility of controlling the mind dates back some 20 years before Orwell’s publication of his novel. The first published research on the subject was Chaffee and Light’s A Method for Remote Control of Electrical Stimulation of the Nervous System from 1934. The article recounted experiments carried out on animals using brain implants and electric waves to control brain and motor functions, including getting a monkey to sleep or inducing gastric secretions in a dog."
In Popular Western culture, the word immediately evokes George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 and experiments by Nazi scientists and the CIA, as well as Soviet intelligence services. Science’s interest in the possibility of controlling the mind dates back some 20 years before Orwell’s publication of his novel. The first published research on the subject was Chaffee and Light’s A Method for Remote Control of Electrical Stimulation of the Nervous System from 1934. The article recounted experiments carried out on animals using brain implants and electric waves to control brain and motor functions, including getting a monkey to sleep or inducing gastric secretions in a dog."
Under Obama, an emerging global apparatus for drone killing
The Obama administration’s counterterrorism accomplishments are most apparent in what it has been able to dismantle, including CIA prisons and entire tiers of al-Qaeda’s leadership. But what the administration has assembled, hidden from public view, may be equally consequential.
Will 2012 be a record disaster year?
Will 2012 be a record disaster year?: "From floods that crippled countries, to mega cyclones, huge blizzards, killer tornadoes to famine-inducing droughts, 2011 has been another record-breaker for bad weather.
While it is too early to predict what 2012 will be like, insurers and weather prediction agencies point to a clear trend: the world's weather is becoming more extreme and more costly."
While it is too early to predict what 2012 will be like, insurers and weather prediction agencies point to a clear trend: the world's weather is becoming more extreme and more costly."
The Year in Materials
Vibrant displays head to market, invisibility cloaks become more practical, and batteries store more energy.
Light warp: This is the largest sheet ever made of a metamaterial that can bend near infrared light backward. John Rogers
Tiny crystals called quantum dots emit intense, sharply defined colors. Now researchers have made LED displays that use quantum dots. Five years ago, QD Vision demonstrated its first, rudimentary one-color displays, using the nanoscale crystals. This year it demonstrated a full-color display capable of showing video. The company says it could be another five years before the technology appears in commercial displays. Samsung might get there first—it's also developing quantum-dot displays, and demonstrated a full-color one in February.
It's boom time for weird science
Cosmic Log - It's boom time for weird science: "Even with the supposed Mayan doomsday coming up, it's going to be hard for 2012 to match 2011 when it comes to weird science: What other year can boast a bird-killing "aflockalypse," a chupacabra prowling around the nation's capital, two Loch Ness-type monster sightings and two doomsday predictions."
Either Your Phone Plays Taliban Ringtones, or You Die
Either Your Phone Plays Taliban Ringtones, or You Die: "This might be the only measurement you need to judge the Afghanistan War. Vendors in Kabul are doing a brisk trade in Taliban ringtones. Because Afghans report that the Taliban kill travelers at clandestine checkpoints if they don’t hear one of their messages on someone’s phone."
Just like Wonkavision here's a TV you can reach inside
Just like Wonkavision here's a TV you can reach inside | Mail Online: "Television that you reach inside and interact with, like Willy Wonka’s Wonkavision in the classic 1970s movie, could be just around the corner."
The billion-dollar pest: U.S. beetle is developing resistance to one of the most widely used genetically modified crops, say scientists
One of America’s most widely planted crops - a genetically engineered corn plant that makes its own insecticide - may be losing its effectiveness because a major pest appears to be developing resistance more quickly than scientists expected.
The U.S. food supply is not in any immediate danger because the problem remains isolated. But scientists fear potentially risky farming practices could be blunting the hybrid's sophisticated weaponry.
If rootworms do become resistant to Bt corn, it ‘could become the most economically damaging example of insect resistance to a genetically modified crop in the U.S.,’ said Bruce Tabashnik, an entomologist at the University of Arizona. ‘It's a pest of great economic significance - a billion-dollar pest.’
Food for thought: Some rootworm beetles, right, have developed a resistance to genetically modified Bt corn, left, which has saved the U.S. farming industry billions in insecticides and lost yields
When it was introduced in 2003, so-called Bt corn seemed like the answer to farmers' dreams: It would allow growers to bring in bountiful harvests using fewer chemicals because the corn naturally produces a toxin that poisons western corn rootworms.
'Jurassic Park' scientist aims to hatch a dinosaur using DNA from birds
Some might say that only a bird brain could come up with such a plan, but scientist Jack Horner is hoping to use living birds to hatch a dinosaur.
Horner, the technical adviser on Jurassic Park and professor of palaeontology at Montana State University believes that a modern bird’s DNA contains a genetic memory that could be ‘switched on’ again, resurrecting long-dormant dinosaur traits.
What’s more, he’s looking for a helper to assist in the retro-engineering of a prehistoric beast.
Relatives: Dinosaurs share DNA with modern day birds such as the chicken
He told LiveScience: ‘I'm looking for a postdoctoral researcher. An adventurous postdoc who knows a lot about developmental biology and a little bit about birds.’
Lasers + Microscopic Mirrors = Holographic Movies
Lasers + Microscopic Mirrors = Holographic Movies : Discovery News: "Three-dimensional television displays have been around for a couple of years now, but what we're all really waiting for is a holographic display -- a la Princess Leia in Star Wars."
The hunt for Mokele-mbembe: Congo's Loch Ness Monster
BBC News - The hunt for Mokele-mbembe: Congo's Loch Ness Monster: "The search for Scotland's Loch Ness Monster is world famous. Far less well-known is the hunt for a similar creature, Mokele-mbembe, which is reputed to live in the remote north of Congo-Brazzaville. But how strong is the evidence?"
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Top Scientific Discoveries of 2011
From emotional honeybees to particles flying faster than Einstein's theory of relativity ought to allow, 2011 abounded in findings that posed new questions and expanded frontiers of possibility. Here are Wired Science's favorites:
Faster-Than-Light Neutrinos Detected -- or Not
In September, researchers from the OPERA collaboration in Italy provided fodder for a thousand articles when they announced the measurement of neutrinos flying faster than that killjoy Albert Einstein would permit. Most physicists dismissed the finding, suggesting some error in the measurement or analysis, but that didn't stop millions of people from hoping that they'd witnessed the start of a new scientific revolution.
Read More: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/12/top-discoveries-2011/?intcid=story_ribbon
Massive solar storm 'could knock out radio signals' over next three days, warn scientists
Skywatchers will be hoping for clear skies from today because particles from a recent solar storm will slam into Earth and produce amazing Northern Lights, or auroras.
On the downside, experts expect radio blackouts for a few days, caused by the radiation from the flare – or coronal mass ejection (CME) – causing magnetic storms.
The flare is part of a larger increase in activity in the Sun, which runs in 11-year cycles. It is expected to peak around 2013.
Stunning Northern Lights are expected in the next few days from radiation produced by a huge solar flare
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center wrote: ‘Category G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storms are expected 28 and 29 December due to multiple coronal mass ejection arrivals. R1 (Minor) radio blackouts are expected until 31 December.’
New Tech Promises 3D Television Without The Glasses
New Tech Promises 3D Television Without The Glasses: "Stream TV Networks, Inc. has developed a breakthrough technology that promises to convert regular 2-D content into stereoscopic 3D -- all without the need for special glasses."
Gateway of the “gods”? Intra-dimensional portal…? ANCIENT TEXTS PART OF EARLIEST KNOWN DOCUMENTS
Image: Detail of the Tower of Babel stele, with the engraving of King Nebuchadnezzar II. (Copyright The Schøyen Collection, MS 2063).
A team of scholars has discovered what might be the oldest representation of the Tower of Babel of Biblical fame, they report in a newly published book.
Carved on a black stone, which has already been dubbed the Tower of Babel stele, the inscription dates to 604-562 BCE.
Read More: http://news.discovery.com/history/tower-of-babel-111227.html
What does “Babel” mean…? : http://www.twopaths.com/story_TowerOfBabel.htm
Was Babel a Stargate? (start at 7min 20sec): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpUOmdoDgnE
China's Satellite Navigation System is Online
China's Satellite Navigation System is Online: "In a bid to end its dependence on foreign global positioning satellites, China's navigation system is now live."
Exploding Black Hole Observed -- More Energy in a Second than the Sun in a Billion Years
Gamma Ray Bursts are the brightest things to happen to the Universe since its beginning -- extraordinarily intense electromagnetic events releasing more energy per second than the sun does in a billion years, and basically an excuse for astronomers to use every awesome adjective they know. GRBs are an incredible demonstration of just how big a universe is: they're extremely rare, only a few per galaxy per million years, and we see about one a day. They're so interesting NASA launched a satellite just for them, the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission -- a mission so advanced that "Swift" isn't even an acronym. They just liked the word.
SETI to Scour the Moon for Alien Footprints?
SETI to Scour the Moon for Alien Footprints? "The most profound question asked by mankind is: are we alone? So the second most profound question must be: where should we look if we're not alone?
Now, two prominent scientists have published a paper suggesting that although we have an entire universe to seek out the proverbial alien needle in a haystack, perhaps looking in our own backyard would be a good place to start."
Now, two prominent scientists have published a paper suggesting that although we have an entire universe to seek out the proverbial alien needle in a haystack, perhaps looking in our own backyard would be a good place to start."
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
IBM Next 5 in 5: 2011
Rat-eating plant declared a new species
An unnerving plant, unusual for its partiality towards meat, has been declared a new species previously unknown to science.
The 'Queen of Hearts', which also munches on mice and frogs, seems to be straight out of botanical science fiction.
The plant, which was first found in Borneo in the late 1980s, is one of the largest carnivorous plants ever seen with some flowers stretching 2.5 metres.
The 'Queen of Hearts' pitcher catches rats and other small animals in its gaping opening. The carnivorous plant then breaks down its capture with hydrochloric acid and enzymes in a way akin to the human stomach
Cyborg Insects could be used to help find survivors during disaster rescue operations
Flying insects fitted with tiny cameras and microphones could be used to search for earthquake survivors during rescue operations, scientists have said.
The tiny devices will power themselves by harnessing power from wing movements.
By converting kinetic energy into electricity, the device could have a lasting power source.
Cyborg insect: This green june beetle is fitted with a tiny motion generator to produce electricity. This could be used to power a camera and a microphone
The device could also harness electricity from heat given off and solar panels.
The idea is that once fitted with a camera and a microphone the bugs could be released into collapsed buildings and left to explore.
They could also be used by the military or sent to places which are too dangerous for humans like the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Great space ball mystery SOLVED: Metal sphere that crashed to Earth in Namibian desert is a fuel tank from an unmanned rocket (not a 'doomsday device')
It was hailed as a doomsday device, an instrument from a weather balloon or proof that extra terrestrial life existed.
But the mysterious metal sphere fell to the ground in a remote area of northern Namibia has now been identified as a hydrazine tank from an unmanned rocket, commonly used in satellite launches.
When the 13lbs, 14 inch ball smashed to earth in mid- November it sparked a national security issue with the Namibian authorities asking NASA for help in identifying it.
The baffling metal sphere, pictured made a crater 12 inches deep where it fell
Adrian Chen of Gawker reported that it was most likely a fuel tank for storing hydrazine on unmanned rockets. He said this after a commentator wrote on his blog: 'For anyone wondering what it actually is, it's likely a 39-litre hydrazine bladder tank.
'They're used on unmanned rockets for satellite launches, which would explain why they're falling down in such a specific geographic footprint.'
When the ball fell it caused a crater 12 inches deep and 13ft wide, although it was found some 60ft away.
Locals claimed to have heard several explosions in the days before it was discovered by a farmer on his land.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2078428/Great-space-ball-mystery-SOLVED.html
The Yeti, a severed finger spirited from Nepal, and a famous film star. DNA tests will finally solve a truly bizarre mystery
Fearsome: An artist's impression of what the mythical Yeti would look like
Set high in a remote Himalayan mountain range stands the Pangboche Buddhist monastery.
During heavy snowstorms, it can be found only by travellers who listen for the monks’ ceremonial horns.
The walls are lined with traditional Nepalese paintings depicting the treacherous tracks to the monastery.
And among them are pictures of the legendary ape-like creature we refer to as the Yeti.
This might seem fanciful until you learn that, for many years, a shriveled hand (about the size of an adult human’s, with long, fat fingers and curling nails) was also on display in the monastery — and revered by the monks, who believed it protected them from bad luck.
I would know nothing about this story were it not for the fact that while walking around a collection of human and primate skeletons at the Royal College of Surgeons in London three years ago, I came across a withered finger which had only recently been found in the vaults of the College’s Hunterian Museum. It was labelled ‘a Yeti finger from Pangboche hand’.
The Day Earth Survived Its Greatest Space-Ray Attack --Ever
It came suddenly from the distant reaches of the Constellation Sagittarius, some 50,000 light years away. For a brief instant, a couple of tenths of a second, on December 27, 2004 an invisible burst of energy the equivalent of half a million years of sunlight shone on Earth. Many orbiting satellites electronics were zapped and the Earth's upper atmosphere was amazingly ionized from a massive hit of gamma ray energy.
Intel and Kraft's iSample vending kiosks study shoppers
BBC News - Intel and Kraft's iSample vending kiosks study shoppers: "A "smart" vending machine that analyses users' age and gender has been launched in the US by Intel and Kraft Foods.
The iSample is being used to offer customers trials of a new dessert.
It allows Kraft to tailor the product to the shopper, and exclude children from the adult-focused promotion."
The iSample is being used to offer customers trials of a new dessert.
It allows Kraft to tailor the product to the shopper, and exclude children from the adult-focused promotion."
Monday, December 26, 2011
Evolution of Angels: From Disembodied Minds to Winged Guardians
Evolution of Angels: From Disembodied Minds to Winged Guardians: "'Tis the season for winged humanoids to alight everywhere from store windows to Christmas tree tops to lingerie runways. But it wasn't always so.
Angels, at least the Christian variety, haven't always been flying people in diaphanous gowns. And their various forms—from disembodied minds to feathered guardians—reflect twists and turns of thousands of years of religious thought, according to an upcoming book."
Angels, at least the Christian variety, haven't always been flying people in diaphanous gowns. And their various forms—from disembodied minds to feathered guardians—reflect twists and turns of thousands of years of religious thought, according to an upcoming book."
The Future of Moral Machines
The Future of Moral Machines - NYTimes.com: "The prospect of machines capable of following moral principles, let alone understanding them, seems as remote today as the word “robot” is old. Some technologists enthusiastically extrapolate from the observation that computing power doubles every 18 months to predict an imminent “technological singularity” in which a threshold for machines of superhuman intelligence will be suddenly surpassed. Many Singularitarians assume a lot, not the least of which is that intelligence is fundamentally a computational process. The techno-optimists among them also believe that such machines will be essentially friendly to human beings. I am skeptical about the Singularity, and even if “artificial intelligence” is not an oxymoron, “friendly A.I.” will require considerable scientific progress on a number of fronts."
Engineering Ethics Blog: Enhancing the Humans of the Future
Engineering Ethics Blog: Enhancing the Humans of the Future: "The summer 2011 issue of The New Atlantis carries a series of articles addressing the question of enhancing humanity through technical means: cyborgs, indefinite extension of lifespan, uploading one’s mind to computers, and other dreams of a group that call themselves “transhumanists.” It is a question fraught with implications for engineering ethics, because engineers will be the people who will develop many of these technologies if they come to pass."
Insect-inspired Material That Could Solve Our Plastic Problem
Insect-inspired Material That Could Solve Our Plastic Problem : ""Shrilk," made from proteins found in crustacean and insect shells, is strong, stretchy, and fully biodegradable. It may be how you carry your groceries home in the future."
The Future Of The Internet's Here. And It's Creepy
Two new studies are offering a sneak peak into the future of the Internet: 24/7 digital surveillance of citizens is about to become affordable for repressive regimes worldwide. Do NOT text a friend about this.
In Gary Shteyngart's 2010 novel Super Sad True Love Story, ordinary Americans are glued to superpowered iPhone-like devices while authority figures monitor their every move. Two newly released research papers on the Internet's future, it seems, prove the author did a good job of predicting things. One Pew study has found that text messaging is growingmore quickly than anyone has imagined, while a new Brookings paper is predicting cheap and total monitoring of all electronic communications by authoritarian governments in the next few years.
First, the dystopian future. John Villasenor of UCLA conducted research for the Brookings Institution that paints a depressing picture of where Internet monitoring is headed. In the paper, Recording Everything: Digital Storage As An Enabler Of Authoritarian Governments, Villasenor has uncovered convincing evidence that repressive regimes worldwide will soon be able to cheaply monitor all voice and data communications in their country. According to Villasenor, “For the first time ever, it will become technologically and financially feasible for authoritarian governments to record nearly everything that is said or done within their borders--every phone conversation, electronic message, social media interaction, the movements of nearly every person and vehicle, and video from every street corner.”
Read More: http://www.fastcompany.com/1802688/pew-rising-cell-phone-worldwide-brookings-villasenor-surveillance
Toxic botulism in Animals Linked to Monsanto's RoundUp Herbicide
Toxic botulism in Animals Linked to Monsanto's RoundUp Herbicide: "Dr Mercola recently interviewed Dr Don Huber, whose letter to the USDA warning that Monsanto’s RoundUp, a broad-spectrum “herbicide” that has been linked with spontaneous abortion in animals, continues to be ignored by food and environmental safety authorities. In this important hour-long discussion, Huber, a plant pathologist for over 50 years, explains how RoundUp is destroying our healthy soils by killing needed microorganisms."
Scientists Prove DNA Can Be Reprogrammed by Words and Frequencies
Scientists Prove DNA Can Be Reprogrammed by Words and Frequencies: "THE HUMAN DNA IS A BIOLOGICAL INTERNET and superior in many aspects to the artificial one. Russian scientific research directly or indirectly explains phenomena such as clairvoyance, intuition, spontaneous and remote acts of healing, self healing, affirmation techniques, unusual light/auras around people (namely spiritual masters), mind’s influence on weather patterns and much more. In addition, there is evidence for a whole new type of medicine in which DNA can be influenced and reprogrammed by words and frequencies WITHOUT cutting out and replacing single genes."
World's Second And Third Largest Economies To Bypass Dollar, Engage In Direct Currency Trade
World's Second And Third Largest Economies To Bypass Dollar, Engage In Direct Currency Trade: "To all who still think that in the war of attrition between the USD and the EUR (because contrary to what some have "discovered" only recently, currency wars have been going on for a long, long time and will continue to do so, before morphing into trade and real wars), in which both currencies are doomed, and where the winner takes it all, if only for a few minutes, we bring to your attention the following most recent update out of the Pacific Rim (where incidentally the Shanghai Composite has resumed its relentless track lower with the obvious intention of closing 2011 at its 52 week low) in which we find i) that the dollar's hegemonic control over the world is ending, and ii) that the mercantilist relationship so long sustained between China and the US, may be shifting and reversing, and in its next metamorphosis will see Japan buying the bonds of... China (although probably not for long - see next post). "
Sunday, December 25, 2011
1,100-year-old Mayan ruins found in North Georgia
1,100-year-old Mayan ruins found in North Georgia: "Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of an ancient Mayan city in the mountains of North Georgia believed to be at least 1,100 years old. According to Richard Thornton at Examiner.com, the ruins are reportedly what remains of a city built by Mayans fleeing wars, volcanic eruptions, droughts and famine."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Unknown Visitors and Outsiders: There’s a Folk Devil in Every Crowd
The long sordid history of Forteana is rife with tales of chance encounters with unsettling weirdos and beasts whose very existence seems impossible, at very best. Due to the nature of these strange sorts of visits, it becomes difficult to discern how much of the mythos that surrounds such beings from the twilight world of the unexplained is based on pure fact, and how much could stem from the surreal archetypal realms of the human mind.
What are the Great Pyramids really made of?
What are the Great Pyramids really made of?: "What if the Egyptians were using an easier, more efficient method? Recent theories and scientific evidence suggest that people assembled cement blocks on site to construct the exterior of the pyramids. Here's why everything you thought you knew about how we built the Great Pyramids is probably wrong."
Was the Star of Bethlehem a Star, Comet … or Miracle?
Was the Star of Bethlehem a Star, Comet … or Miracle? "As a young boy, one of my highlights of the Christmas season was visiting New York's Hayden Planetarium where they would stage their traditional sky show in which astronomers pondered the age-old question of the possible origin of the Star of Bethlehem."
Saturday, December 24, 2011
How We Will Terraform Mars
How We Will Terraform Mars: "NASA's latest Mars rover, Curiosity, is currently its way to Mars, on a mission to explore whether life could exist there. If we're going to colonize Mars — and some scientists say we must — it's likely that we'll start by terraforming. Terraforming, or planetary engineering, is the process of altering the climate of a planet to be more hospitable to life and human exploration. Of all the bodies in the solar system, Mars is by far the best candidate. Here's how that would work."
Is this the end of blind mice? Prosthetic device sends images directly to the brain
Is this the end of blind mice? Prosthetic device sends images directly to the brain: "Blind mice could be a thing of the past thanks to a new prosthetic device that’s been tested on the animals.
A Weill Medical College of Cornell University team has developed a device that takes information from the outside world and decodes it into a pattern that the brain can ‘read’ as an image.
What’s more, they are hoping that it could be used to help blind humans in less than a decade."
A Weill Medical College of Cornell University team has developed a device that takes information from the outside world and decodes it into a pattern that the brain can ‘read’ as an image.
What’s more, they are hoping that it could be used to help blind humans in less than a decade."
Lost memory? No more - scientists on verge of finding out which cell each of your memories is stored in
Lost memory? No more - scientists on verge of finding out which cell each of your memories is stored in: "Neuroscientists think they are on the verge of finding out where your memories are stored in your brain - right down to which individual cells store each one."
Scientists Name Top Breakthrough of 2011
WASHINGTON – A study that found treating HIV patients with antiretroviral drugs makes them remarkably less infectious was named Thursday the most important scientific breakthrough of 2011.
The top 10 list compiled each year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), publisher of the leading journal Science, also lauded promising malaria trials, new observations of faraway planetary systems and studies showing modern humans' genetic links to Neanderthals and other early humans.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/12/23/scientists-name-top-breakthrough-2011/
Forget the Nose, 'Rudolph' Has Keen Eyes
Forget the Nose, 'Rudolph' Has Keen Eyes : Discovery News: "Ultraviolet vision may explain how Santa's reindeer see so well in snowy landscapes."
Could Starships Use Cold Fusion Propulsion?
Could Starships Use Cold Fusion Propulsion? : Discovery News: "Voyager 1 is now leaving solar system, making it the first manmade probe to enter interstellar space. That's quite an achievement, and it only took 30+ years. But if we're going to get serious about boldly going where no man has gone before, and send humans beyond the solar system, we're gonna need a cheap and plentiful energy source to help us get there."
"The Big Crunch" --Supercomputer Predicts Universe Had 10 Dimensions at Big Bang
A group of three researchers from the High-Energy Accelorator Research Organization (KEK), Shizuoka University and Osaka University has for the first time revealed the way our universe was born with 3 spatial dimensions from 10-dimensional superstring theory in which spacetime has 9 spatial directions and 1 temporal direction, obtained by numerical simulation on a supercomputer.
According to "Standard Model" cosmology, the universe originated in an explosion from an invisibly tiny point. This theory is strongly supported by observation of the cosmic microwave background and the relative abundance of elements. However, a situation in which the whole universe is a tiny point exceeds the reach of Einstein's general theory of relativity, and for that reason it has not been possible to confirm how the universe actually originated.
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to be Released in the US for the First Time
Activist Post: Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to be Released in the US for the First Time: "To those of you who have been eager to hear the latest news concerning the potential release of genetically modified mosquitoes – here it is.
It turns out that the genetically modified mosquitoes could be released into the U.S. environment as early as January of 2012."
It turns out that the genetically modified mosquitoes could be released into the U.S. environment as early as January of 2012."
'Absolutely no progress being made' at Fukushima nuke plant, undercover reporter says
'Absolutely no progress being made' at Fukushima nuke plant, undercover reporter says - The Mainichi Daily News: "Conditions at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant are far worse than its operator or the government has admitted, according to freelance journalist Tomohiko Suzuki, who spent more than a month working undercover at the power station."
Friday, December 23, 2011
Stephen Hawking's time machine
Stephen Hawking's time machine - Technology & science - Science - msnbc.com: "In an article in the Daily Mail this week, British cosmologist Stephen Hawking outlined not one, but three, theoretically realistic ideas for traveling through time, one of which he says is even practical."
All Natural....? Anything But!!!! -- Frito-Lay Lawsuit: Class Action Suit Brought Against Company For Using GMOs And Claiming 'All-Natural'
Frito-Lay Lawsuit: Class Action Suit Brought Against Company For Using GMOs And Claiming 'All-Natural': "In August, ConAgra was hit with a lawsuit filed by Milberg LLP, arguing that its line of Wesson oils can't be "all-natural" since the oil contains GMOs. The process of genetic modification is in fact unnatural, the suit claims, which should nullify the term "all-natural.""
Forbidden Gates: The Dawn of Techno-Dimensional Spiritual Warfare
Forbidden Gates: How Genetics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, & Human Enhancement Herald the Dawn of Techno-Dimensional Spiritual Warfare: "How Genetics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, & Human Enhancement Herald the Dawn of Techno-Dimensional Spiritual Warfare"
Will resurrecting an extinct species become possible in the future?
Will resurrecting an extinct species become possible in the future? "Could an extinct species come back from the dead? It may sound like something from the realms of science fiction but a team of scientists has decided to give it a go.
The group, from Russia’s Siberian Mammoth Museum and Japan’s Kinki University, want to clone a woolly mammoth using marrow cells discovered in August in a well-preserved thigh bone. If they succeed – and they hope to do just that within the next five years – it will raise the possibility that other bygone beasts might be brought back to life. So how probable is it that we could ever visit a real-life Jurassic Park? "
The group, from Russia’s Siberian Mammoth Museum and Japan’s Kinki University, want to clone a woolly mammoth using marrow cells discovered in August in a well-preserved thigh bone. If they succeed – and they hope to do just that within the next five years – it will raise the possibility that other bygone beasts might be brought back to life. So how probable is it that we could ever visit a real-life Jurassic Park? "
Hubble picture shows 'space rose' flowering - actually two galaxies colliding 300 million light years away
The 'rose' captured by Nasa's Hubble telescope is so perfect you immediately suspect digital trickery - but it captures the massive gravitational fields of two colliding galaxies, illuminated by bright, young stars.
The picture is a composite of data taken with three separate filters on Hubble's WFC3 camera hat allow a broad range of wavelengths covering the ultraviolet, blue, and red portions of the spectrum.
It shows a pair of interacting galaxies called Arp 273 that lie in the constellation Andromeda, roughly 300 million light-years away from Earth.
The large spiral galaxy, known as UGC 1810, has a disk that is distorted into a rose-like shape by the gravitational tidal pull of the companion galaxy below it, known as UGC 1813. A swath of blue jewel-like points across the top is the combined light from clusters of intensely bright and hot young blue stars. These massive stars glow fiercely in ultraviolet light.
The spiral patterns in the large galaxy are a tell-tale sign of interacting with another galaxy. The large, outer arm appears partially as a ring, a feature seen when interacting galaxies actually pass through one another.
Large Hadron Collider Discovers First New Particle
Large Hadron Collider Discovers First New Particle: "The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), famously engaged in the quest for the Higgs boson, has turned up a heavier variant of a sub-atomic particle first discovered a quarter-century ago, scientists reported Thursday.
The newcomer is called Chi-b(3P), which was uncovered in the debris from colliding protons, according to research published in the open-access online journal arXiv.
Like the elusive Higgs and the photon, it is a boson, meaning it is a particle that carries force.
But while the Higgs is not believed to be made of smaller particles, the Chi-b(3) comprises two relatively heavy particles, the beauty quark and its antiquark.
They are bonded by the so-called "strong" force which also causes the atomic nucleus to stick together."
The newcomer is called Chi-b(3P), which was uncovered in the debris from colliding protons, according to research published in the open-access online journal arXiv.
Like the elusive Higgs and the photon, it is a boson, meaning it is a particle that carries force.
But while the Higgs is not believed to be made of smaller particles, the Chi-b(3) comprises two relatively heavy particles, the beauty quark and its antiquark.
They are bonded by the so-called "strong" force which also causes the atomic nucleus to stick together."
Mysterious 'Space Ball' Crashes in Namibia
Mysterious 'Space Ball' Crashes in Namibia : Discovery News: "Around mid-November, authorities in Namibia were alerted to the discovery of a hollow sphere that had apparently crashed to Earth from space."
How to build a gamma-ray laser with antimatter hybrid
How to build a gamma-ray laser with antimatter hybrid - New Scientist: "HALF matter, half antimatter, positronium atoms teeter on the brink of annihilation. Now there's a way to make these unstable atoms survive much longer, a key step towards making a powerful gamma-ray laser.
All the elements in the periodic table consist of atoms with a nucleus of positively charged protons, orbited by the same number of negatively charged electrons. Positronium, symbol Ps, is different. It consists of an electron and a positron orbiting each other (see diagram). A positron is the electron's antimatter counterpart. Though positively charged like the proton, it has just 0.0005 times its mass. Positronium "atoms" survive less than a millionth of a second before the electron and positron annihilate in a burst of gamma rays."
All the elements in the periodic table consist of atoms with a nucleus of positively charged protons, orbited by the same number of negatively charged electrons. Positronium, symbol Ps, is different. It consists of an electron and a positron orbiting each other (see diagram). A positron is the electron's antimatter counterpart. Though positively charged like the proton, it has just 0.0005 times its mass. Positronium "atoms" survive less than a millionth of a second before the electron and positron annihilate in a burst of gamma rays."
NASA Nixes Doomsday Fears About the "Dark Rift" --Earth's Alignment With Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole on the Winter Solstice
One of the most bizarre theories about 2012 is the widespread notion that a cosmic alignment of the sun, Earth, and the center of our galaxy, which is obscured by the Dark Rift, on the winter solstice could for some unknown reason lead to planetary destruction.
The image above shows a laser beaming out of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile with the Milky Way and the "Dark Rift" overhead.
Japan predicts 40 years for nuke plant cleanup
Japan predicts 40 years for nuke plant cleanup - CBS News: "(AP) TOKYO - Japan's government said Wednesday that it could take 40 years to clean up and fully decommission a nuclear plant that went into meltdown after it was struck by a huge tsunami."
One Nation Under The Drone: The Rising Number Of UAVs In American Skies
One Nation Under The Drone: The Rising Number Of UAVs In American Skies: "News reports about Predator attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan are common if not always complete, but what’s gotten much less attention is the increase in unarmed drones that are buzzing around within the U.S. itself. Primarily, unarmed Predator B drones are only used by government agents to patrol the borders for illegal immigrants, but there are a (very large) handful of other agencies and companies that use smaller, unarmed drones for a slew of other purposes. And that number is only expected to grow."
Mind-Reading Machines Are Here
Mind-Reading Machines Are Here: "Mind-Reading Machines Being Tested for Driving, Computers, Music and More"
Thursday, December 22, 2011
New Invisibility Cloak. Not Only Invisible, But Also Inaudible. As If Nothing Was There
New Invisibility Cloak. Not Only Invisible, But Also Inaudible. As If Nothing Was There: "Progress of metamaterials in nanotechnologies has made the invisibility cloak, a subject of mythology and science fiction, become reality: Light waves can be guided around an object to be hidden, in such a way that this object appears to be non-existent. This concept applied to electromagnetic light waves may also be transferred to other types of waves, such as sound waves. "
Doomsday in 1 Year? Why the World Won't End on Dec. 21, 2012
A year from today the world will come to an end, according to some who cite the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar as evidence of a Dec. 21, 2012, apocalypse. But both astronomers and experts on Mesoamerican history say the Mayan apocalypse is likely to be another in a long line of failed doomsdays.
According to the Maya Long Count calendar, the winter solstice of 2012 — Dec. 21, 2012 —is the end of a b'ak'tun, a 144,000-day cycle that has repeated 12 times since the mythical Maya creation date. The b'ak'tun that will end in 2012 is the 13th, supposedly a full 5,200-year cycle of creation.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/12/22/doomsday-in-1-year-why-world-wont-end-on-dec-21-2012/
It's Not a UFO, Just a Killer Drone for an Aircraft Carrier
It's Not a UFO, Just a Killer Drone for an Aircraft Carrier: "Note to the Navy: When trucking a giant flying robot with a rounded fuselage across the country, people are going to think they’re looking at an artifact from Area 51."
Inception becomes reality: People can teach themselves new skills in dreams
The idea of the surreal Hollywood blockbuster Inception, where people travel through someone's dreams to 'plant' an idea in his head may not be so out-there after all.
Researchers at Yale have found that 'lucid dreamers' - dreamers who have 'waking dreams' that they control - are able to learn new skills in their dreams.
A team is now experimenting with the idea of 'training' people by telling them what to dream about.
People who can control their dreams can use the unusual ability to experience a sense of euphoria, as if they have accomplished something.
But new research hints that people can actually 'use' dreaming as a tool to learn.
Turin Shroud 'was created by flash of supernatural light': It couldn't be a medieval forgery, say scientists
The image on the Turin Shroud could not be the work of medieval forgers but was instead caused by a supernatural ‘flash of light’, according to scientists.
Italian researchers have found evidence that casts doubt on claims that the relic – said to be the burial cloth of Jesus – is a fake and they suggest that it could, after all, be authentic.
Sceptics have long argued that the shroud, a rectangular sheet measuring about 14ft by 3ft, is a forgery dating to medieval times.
Scientists in Italy believe the kind of technology needed to create the Shroud of Turin simply wasn't around at the time that it was created
Scientists from Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development spent years trying to replicate the shroud’s markings.
They have concluded only something akin to ultraviolet lasers – far beyond the capability of medieval forgers – could have created them.
This has led to fresh suggestions that the imprint was indeed created by a huge burst of energy accompanying the Resurrection of Christ.
‘The results show a short and intense burst of UV directional radiation can colour a linen cloth so as to reproduce many of the peculiar characteristics of the body image on the Shroud of Turin,’ the scientists said.
WHAT IS THE TURIN SHROUD?
The Vatican owns the Turin shroud, and hails the relic as an exploration of the ‘darkest mystery of faith’.
But the church has shied away from any definitive statement over whether the shroud - which is supposed to have formed Christ's burial robe - is real.
The Shroud is thought to have travelled widely before it was brought to France in the 14th century by a Crusader.
It was kept in a French convent for years - by nuns who patched it, and where it was damaged by fire.
The Shroud was given to the Turin Archbishop in 1578 by the Duke of Savoy and has been kept in the Cathedral ever since.
Carbon dating tests in 1988 dated it from between 1260 and 1390 - implying it was a fake.
Scientists have since claimed that contamination over the ages from patches, water damage and fire, was not taken sufficiently into account In 1999, two Israeli scientists said plant pollen found on the Shroud supported the view that it comes from the Holy Land.
There have been numerous calls for further testing but the Vatican has always refused.
The image of the bearded man on the shroud must therefore have been created by ‘some form of electromagnetic energy (such as a flash of light at short wavelength)’, their report concludes. But it stops short of offering a non-scientific explanation.
Hubble offers glimpse of the dawn of time - a galaxy of stars being born just after Big Bang
Scientists still have only seen glimpses of the 'cosmic dawn', when stars were forming in the calm, dark cosmos.
An international team lead by Masami Ouchi of the University of Tokyo has found the most vigorous star-forming galaxy yet seen from the period - a huge mass of gas forming stars at a rate of around a hundred suns per year.
It's one of the most distant galaxies ever seen by mankind - and it's also unique. Although nine galaxies have been detected from the period just after Big Bang, the 750-million-year-old GN-108036 was forming stars far faster than the others, when most of the universe was still cold and dark.
The team obtained calculated the galaxy's distance from Earth to confirm that it is one of the most distant galaxies ever discovered.
Analysis of Hubble images showed intense brightness that made it clear stars were forming rapidly.
The astronomers found a large mass of gas, equivalent to about a hundred Suns per year, was forming stars.
Earth Has Other Moons, Astronomers Say
Earth Has Other Moons, Astronomers Say: "Scientists studying satellites orbiting the planet have come to an astounding conclusion: Earth has multiple moons at any given time, the MIT Technology Review reported.
Mikael Granvik, along with colleagues at the University of Hawaii, first discovered a mysterious body orbiting the Earth in 2006. The object -- or RH120 as it was known -- turned out to be a tiny asteroid just a few meters across. Moreover, it was a natural satellite just like our moon."
Mikael Granvik, along with colleagues at the University of Hawaii, first discovered a mysterious body orbiting the Earth in 2006. The object -- or RH120 as it was known -- turned out to be a tiny asteroid just a few meters across. Moreover, it was a natural satellite just like our moon."
Hubble Telescope Spots Complex Organic Molecules on Surface of Pluto
The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted new evidence of complex organic molecules — the carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it — on the frigid surface of Pluto, a new study finds.
Hubble observations revealed that some substances on Pluto's surface are absorbing more ultraviolet light than expected. The compounds in question may well be organics, possibly complex hydrocarbons or nitrogen-containing molecules, researchers said.
Planets May Have Survived Star's Death
Planets May Have Survived Star's Death : Discovery News: "Two Earth-sized worlds are seen orbiting a burned-out star, defying theories about the ultimate fate of planets."
Medical Journal Article: 14,000 U.S. Deaths Tied to Fukushima Reactor Disaster Fallout - Wall Street Journal
Medical Journal Article: 14,000 U.S. Deaths Tied to Fukushima Reactor Disaster Fallout - MarketWatch: "Impact Seen As Roughly Comparable to Radiation-Related Deaths After Chernobyl; Infants Are Hardest Hit, With Continuing Research Showing Even Higher Possible Death Count."
Getting Worse: 40 Undeniable Pieces Of Evidence That Show That America Is In Decline
Getting Worse: 40 Undeniable Pieces Of Evidence That Show That America Is In Decline: "The following are 40 undeniable pieces of evidence that show that America is in decline...."
Will The Newly Created “Killer Bird Flu” Someday Be Used As A Bio-Terror Weapon To Reduce The Population?
Will The Newly Created “Killer Bird Flu” Someday Be Used As A Bio-Terror Weapon To Reduce The Population?: "Most people have no idea how close we are to a biological doomsday. All over the world, incredibly dangerous "superbugs" are being created by virologists and military researchers. This reckless tinkering with nature will eventually cost millions of lives because it is inevitable that some of these "superbugs" will eventually get released either on purpose or by accident. When the time comes, we will have absolutely no protection against them. But a lot of these scientists don't seem to care about the risks. In fact, a team led by Ron Fouchier at Rotterdam's Erasmus Medical Centre has created a "killer bird flu" that could kill hundreds of millions of people and they want to publish how they did it. They don't seem to realize that this scientifically created "killer bird flu" could be easily replicated by those that would like to use it as a bio-terror weapon."
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Brazilian baby 'born healthy with two heads... and both are suckling mother's breasts'
A Brazilian woman has given birth to a baby with two heads, it was reported today.
The boy was born by caesarean at a hospital in Anajas, in Brazil's northern Para state, weighing 9.9lbs.
Scans show that while the child has two perfectly-formed heads, he has one heart and all his vital organs function as normal.
The baby has two heads but all his organs are functioning healthily. The mother was said to have found about the abnormality only minutes before he was born.
According to doctors the newborn is in perfect health and both heads have started nursing normally.
The 25-year-old mother, who lives in a rural area of the state, had no ultra-sound scans during her pregnancy and only found out about the abnormality minutes before the baby was born at 1am on Monday morning.
Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2076954/Brazilian-baby-born-heads.html
Local Cops Ready for War With Homeland Security-Funded Military Weapons
Local Cops Ready for War With Homeland Security-Funded Military Weapons - The Daily Beast: "A decade of billions in spending in the name of homeland security has armed local police departments with military-style equipment and a new commando mentality. But has it gone too far?"
Planet X and the Star of Bethlehem
Planet X and the Star of Bethlehem: "Many passages in the Bible use astral imagery, but by far the most prominent appearance of a star is in Matthew 2, where a Star announces the birth of Christ. This Star was followed by a group of wise men called “Magi” who came from the east, men whom we now know to be Persian astrologers — philosophers and scientists renowned throughout the ancient world for their expertise in understanding the night sky. These men had inherited ancient astronomical traditions that had been handed down for millennia, traditions that may have dated from the earliest days of Sumer, possibly even from the days before the Flood. Thus, by mentioning their presence at the Nativity, Matthew was basically saying that no less than the world’s most esteemed authorities on the subject of heavenly signs and portents had recognized the Star of Bethlehem as the Sign that the Son of God had been born."
2012 Watch: The countdown begins
What is it about doomsday that draws a crowd?
Time after time, doomsayers have predicted the breakdown of society on a date certain, stirring up a buzz that builds to a crescendo and ends in a crash when doomsday doesn't come. 1844 brought the Great Disappointment, 1999 brought the Y2K alarm, 2011 brought the Rapture ruckus, and exactly a year from today, we're due for the Maya apocalypse.
If the past is any indicator, we'll be intently blogging, tweeting and indulging in black humor as the clock ticks down to Dec. 21, 2012. Then, on Dec. 22, we'll look around for the next doomsday.
Read More: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/21/9592763-2012-watch-the-countdown-begins
Mission possible: How gadgets used in science fiction films are becoming a reality
Wall climbing adhesive, self-destructing gadgets and cars that charge themselves are all things we're used to seeing in science fiction films.
However, they could soon become a thing of reality as researchers develop new technology to make lives more like a Hollywood epic.
Unveiling their work early next year at the Big Bang Fair, a celebration of all things science and engineering, inventors have come up with all of the above and a host of other gadgets.
The BMW i8 concept car which powers itself by using energy generated from its own wheels
Meet Prospero: Robo-Farmer on Six Legs
Meet Prospero: Robo-Farmer on Six Legs : Discovery News: "A new autonomous robot is inspired by the swarming skills of insects, birds and fish."
Creeping Death: Radioactive Spiderwebs Could be “Biological in Nature”
It sounds like something right out of a horror film: strange growths of possible biological origin are discovered around a nuclear waste site, but experts have no idea what they may be, let alone how anything could potentially grow so close to harmful radioactivity.
While it may sound like science fiction, this is the exact scenario that was outlined in a recent report filed by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, in response to the discovery of several submerged barrels containing radioactive substances at the Savannah River Site that were covered in a strange, cobweb-like “growth.”
According to the report, “The growth, which resembles a spider web, has yet to be characterized, but may be biological in nature.” An article recently featured in the Augusta Chronicle related that the odd material “was found among thousands of spent fuel assemblies submerged in deep pools within the site’s L Area.”
The Gargoyles of Chile
The deep, shadow shrouded jungles of South America are rife with carnivorous predators rarely seen by the human eye, but as intimidating as the creatures lurking in the dense rain forests of this mysterious continent may be, the arid plains of northern Chile are said to harbor a colony of chillingly bizarre beasts, which are quite unlike anything supposed to be living on the Earth.
Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/12/the-gargoyles-of-chile/
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Google 'to unveil' hi-tech Google Glasses that put a screen of information over the world
Gossip about the goings-on inside Google's secret 'Google X' lab - the 'blue sky ideas' department where the company's engineers come up out-there products - included the idea of 'wearable computing'.
Until this week, most had assumed that meant hi-tech watches running Google's Android phone operating system.
Now it seems the search giant may be working on a much more exciting technology - computer glasses with transparent screens that superimpose information on the real world.
