Does China's 'cat-eyed' boy have natural night vision?

According to a news reel from China, a young boy there possesses the ability to see in the dark. Like a Siamese cat's, his sky-blue eyes flash neon green when illuminated by a flashlight, and his night vision is good enough to enable him to fill out questionnaires while sitting in a pitch black room — or so say the reporters who visited Nong Yousui in his hometown of Dahua three years ago.

The footage of Nong and his strange-looking eyes originally surfaced in 2009; it got little attention at the time, but is now making a splash all over the Web. If the boy really does have a genetic mutation that confers night vision, then he would be an interesting subject for analysis by vision scientists, evolutionary biologists, and genetic engineers alike — but does he?

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/31/does-chinas-cat-eyed-boy-have-natural-night-vision/

Danger of Biological Warfare Made Worse by Genetically Modified Foods

Danger of Biological Warfare Made Worse by Genetically Modified Foods: "“…the emerging gene synthesis industry is making genetic material more widely available. This obviously has benefits for research but could also potentially be used to assemble the components of a deadly organism."

War for Total Control: Planning the Ultimate ‘Big Brother’ Surveillance Society

War for Total Control: Planning the Ultimate ‘Big Brother’ Surveillance Society: "It’s an old cliché to say that technology in itself is neither good nor bad, but that all depends on how you use it. In the case of Information and Communications Technologies, and their out-of-control problem child the Internet that has so revolutionised the world, today we seem to be at a key crossroads where all seems to hang on which path Mankind finally treads."

Race Against The Machines

Race Against The Machines: "Are we on the verge of totally new social and economic paradigm brought about by the increasing power of computation in our machines?"

Incredible image appears to show massive black hole in the sky

Incredible image appears to show massive black hole in the sky: "In a sky filled with bright stars, this image appears to show a massive black hole in its centre."

Are you awake in there? Pilots could soon be monitored with 'mind-reading' helmets to ensure they are in full control

Pilots’ brains will soon be remotely monitored to see if they are in control using brain scanners built into their helmets.
Military commanders will be able to see if a pilot is not responding to a warning light and take over the plane if they are about to crash.
The advanced sensors - in the pilot’s helmet - could also give an indication if they have gone unconscious and allow base control to step in.

The development has been possible thanks to a breakthrough in electroencephalographic (EEG) brain monitoring technology.

Until now the process involved test subjects wearing a heavy cap with lots of wires attached to it in order to be scanned.

Users also had to stay still as movement of parts of the face could interfere with the signal.

The new developments were lead by Scott Makeig, director of the University of California, San Diego's Swartz Centre for Computational Neuroscience.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2093930/Pilots-soon-monitored-remote-mind-reading-helmets.html

Sorry, Avengers: US gov't says mutants aren't human

The forthcoming Avengers movie, directed by Joss Whedon and expected May 4 from Walt Disney Pictures, depicts the Marvel superhero group teaming up to save the Earth from utter destruction.

Saving the world is ordinary fare for superheroes, especially teams like the Avengers and the X-Men. But one of the biggest battles ever fought in the Marvel universe took place in the real world, a historic fight that lasted 10 years and crossed America.

US Government declares X-Men and other superheroes are not human.

The clash ended quietly in 2003, with a monumental, six-figure legal ruling by the U.S. government: The X-Men and many other superheroes simply aren’t human.

Or more precisely, they’re not dolls, which, according to the U.S. Customs Bureau, represent “only human beings.” They’re toys, which represent “animals or non-human creatures.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/30/x-men-arent-human-us-govt-says-but-hulk-is/

Apocalypse Not Now: Debunking Mayan Doomsday Predictions

Apocalypse Not Now: Debunking Mayan Doomsday Predictions: "Doomsday reports have reached a fever pitch this year -- and it's all thanks to the Mayans.

On Dec. 21, 2012, many doomsday believers fear the apocalypse will arrive -- anything from a rogue planet smashing into us to our world spinning end over end. That surge probably comes from the ancient Mayan calendar, and if you try to flip through one from December 2012 to 2013 you'll see exactly why."

Incredible, sci-fi railgun takes step toward reality

A theoretical dream for decades, the futuristic railgun -- which uses magnets to shoot bullets for hundreds of miles at speeds of up to Mach 7 -- just took another step toward reality.

Military supply company Raytheon announced Monday that it had been awarded a $10 million naval contract to develop a way to supply enough juice to power the whopping gun -- which could someday reshape naval warfare.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/30/incredible-sci-fi-railgun-takes-another-step-toward-reality/

Ship of the Future to Battle Pirates

Ship of the Future to Battle Pirates: "A French military vessel equipped with a variety of non-lethal defense technology could provide security in waters where pirates abound."

What's Taking E.T. So Long to Find Us?

What's Taking E.T. So Long to Find Us? : Discovery News: "Mathematically speaking, ET would have found us by now -- if he exists -- so we’re being consciously avoided for some reason, a new study concludes.



“We’re either alone, or they’re out there and leave us alone,” mathematician Thomas Hair, with Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, told Discovery News."

Are We Ready for a 'Morality Pill'? - NYTimes

Are We Ready for a 'Morality Pill'? - NYTimes.com: "Last October, in Foshan, China, a 2-year-old girl was run over by a van. The driver did not stop. Over the next seven minutes, more than a dozen people walked or bicycled past the injured child. A second truck ran over her. Eventually, a woman pulled her to the side, and her mother arrived. The child died in a hospital. The entire scene was captured on video and caused an uproar when it was shown by a television station and posted online. A similar event occurred in London in 2004, as have others, far from the lens of a video camera."

Self-guided bullet prototype can hit target a mile away

Self-guided bullet prototype can hit target a mile away: "Sandia researchers Red Jones and Brian Kast and their colleagues have invented a dart-like, self-guided bullet for small-caliber, smooth-bore firearms that could hit laser-designated targets at distances of more than a mile"

Close Encounters of the Giant Kind

For decades, within the annals of Ufology, countless types of apparent alien entity have been reported by startled witnesses to UFOs and their other-worldly crews. The list of extraterrestrial life forms is truly bizarre and includes beings that resemble (a) huge, flying jellyfish; (b) oversized bananas; (c) the Michelin Man; and (d) long-nosed, scrawny humanoids with glowing red eyes. But, such beings are most assuredly not typical of those reported in the vast majority of close encounters of the ufological kind. Indeed, they are firmly in the minority. Dominating the UFO scene are without doubt the human-looking Space-Brothers, the insect-like Grays, and the sinister Reptilians. But, there are a surprising number of reports on file describing giant-sized aliens, too…

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/01/close-encounters-of-the-giant-kind/

Portable DNA Sequencer Demonstrated at World Economic Forum

Portable DNA Sequencer Demonstrated at World Economic Forum: "It was the talk of Davos, grabbing the imagination of a forum otherwise shrouded in gloom: a miracle machine that cracks the code of life within hours and could revolutionise healthcare."

The Capitol architect wanted to reanimate George Washington's dead body

The Capitol architect wanted to reanimate George Washington's dead body: "George Washington may have been America's first president, but was he nearly America's first zombie-in-chief? If William Thornton, physician and designer of the US Capitol, had had his way, Washington's body would have been subjected a scientific experiment designed to bring the deceased former president back to life."

Seth Shostak: They're Not Meat

Seth Shostak: They're Not Meat: "They're gray, big-eyed, and smoother than a buffed Maserati. They're aliens à la Hollywood. Lacking noses, ears, hair, and a sense of humor, these short-statured creatures are omnipresent in sci-fi films and TV."

Steve Quayle "Return of the Nephilim"

Resist Biometrics - Your Liberty Depends on It

Resist Biometrics - Your Liberty Depends on It: "The vision of the goyim as cattle is coming true. Biometrics is the human equivalent of a dairy cow's ear tag."

United Nations Preparing to Manage Global Mental Health

Activist Post: United Nations Preparing to Manage Global Mental Health: "In a world where national sovereignty is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, announcements that the United Nations will be taking the lead on any variety of topics is no longer shocking. Indeed, there is a real push across the world to view the United Nations as the ultimate authority on virtually every issue, from human rights to nutritional content in food."

Iraq Is Angered by U.S. Drones Patrolling Its Skies

Iraq Is Angered by U.S. Drones Patrolling Its Skies - NYTimes.com: "BAGHDAD — A month after the last American troops left Iraq, the State Department is operating a small fleet of surveillance drones here to help protect the United States Embassy and consulates, as well as American personnel. Some senior Iraqi officials expressed outrage at the program, saying the unarmed aircraft are an affront to Iraqi sovereignty."

Military Masks Could ‘Give Injured Soldiers Their Faces Back’

This is how the military might treat burned faces in 2017: A mask, worn for several months, that’s layered with sensors, actuators and a regenerative elixir — including stem cells — to regrow missing facial tissue.

An estimated 85 percent of recent wartime injuries caused damage to the extremities or face. Already, the Pentagon’s made swift progress in using regenerative medicine to more effectively heal those wounds. They’re building fresh muscle tissue out of pig cells, repairing damaged flesh with spray-on skin and even fusing broken bones with an injectable compound.

Biomask could be the next of those breakthroughs, if it pans out. It’s the result of a collaboration between engineers at UT Arlington, regenerative medicine specialists at Northwestern University, and experts from the Brooke Army Medical Center and the Army Institute of Surgical Research.

Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/01/military-biomask/

British Navy unveils new missile capable of destroying enemy weapons at THREE times the speed of sound

The Royal Navy has revealed details of a new air defence system capable of destroying enemy missiles travelling at supersonic speeds.

Sea Ceptor missiles fired from Navy warships will reach speeds of up to Mach 3 and can protect an area of around 500 sq miles over land or sea.

The £483 million contract to develop the cutting-edge missile defence system has been awarded to MBDA (UK).

The Ministry of Defence said the five-year project would sustain around 500 jobs in MBDA and its supply chain in facilities across the UK including at Stevenage in Hertfordshire, Filton in South Gloucestershire and Lostock in Bolton.

Sea Ceptor will initially be used on the Navy's Type 23 frigates, but in the future it could be adapted for use by the Army and RAF.

Defence Equipment Minister Peter Luff said: 'The development of this missile system is a huge boost to the UK's world-leading missile industry and once again proves our commitment to providing battle-winning technology to our armed forces.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2093601/Navy-unveils-new-missile-capable-destroying-enemy-weapons-travelling-supersonic-speeds.html

Is new form of pesticide to blame for catastrophic decline in honey bees?

A new generation of pesticides may be to blame for the catastrophic decline in Britain’s honey bees.

The contain chemicals, routinely used on farms and in garden centres make bees more vulnerable to disease, a study has shown.

There have been concerns for some years about neonicotinoids, a family of chemicals based on nicotine, but a study by an expert based in the US finally confirms a link.

Threat: Experts believe the sharp decline in Britain's bee population could be down to an increase in the use of nicotine-based pesticides

Conservationists have called for these pesticides, which became popular in the 1990s, to be banned as the insects are key to human’s survival – pollinating 70 per cent of the crops which produce most of the world’s food.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2093510/Is-new-form-pesticide-blame-catastrophic-decline-honey-bees.html

For a Moon Colony, Technology Is the Easy Part

For a Moon Colony, Technology Is the Easy Part - NYTimes.com: "Could the United States establish a moon colony and develop a new propulsion system for going to Mars? All within eight years of a Newt Gingrich presidency, as Mr. Gingrich promised this week?The answers seem to be technologically yes, economically iffy and politically very difficult."

Lair of the Beasts: Hairy Giants

Lair of the Beasts: Hairy Giants - Mania.com: "Countless books have been written about those strange and elusive hairy man-beasts that are said to stealthily co-exist with us: the Bigfoot of North America, the Yeti of the Himalayas, the Yowie of Australia, and the Yeren of China. And a significant number of words have been written about the massive, presumed-extinct, ancient ape known as Gigantopithecus. And, more than a few of those words suggest that the many and varied unknown man-beasts that are said to roam amongst us are examples of surviving, relic populations of that very same Gigantopithecus."

Superbugs spied off the Antarctic coast - New Scientist

Superbugs spied off the Antarctic coast - New Scientist: "BACTERIA that can resist nearly all antibiotics have been found in Antarctic seawater."

Peacemaker: Lauderdale police put trouble spots under surveillance

Peacemaker: Lauderdale police put trouble spots under surveillance - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: "FORT LAUDERDALE— Tania Ouaknine is convinced the police are watching her. She's not paranoid — it says as much on the red sign painted along the side on the hulking armored truck that's been parked in front of her eight-room Parisian Motel for several days. "Warning: You are under video surveillance," reads the bold message on the side of the truck."

The Singularity and Transhumanism –- Max Moore

Recently Adam Ford conducted a fascinating video interview with transhumanist pioneer Max More (the latest in a long and wonderful series of video interviews by Adam). We are pleased to present you with both the video interview itself, and an edited textual transcript. Enjoy!

I’ve been in Transhumanism for about as long as Modern Transhumanism existed.  There had been various precursors and it’s hard to say exactly where things start. But back in 1990 I wrote an essay called “Transhumanism: Toward a Futurist Philosophy.”

People have used the word Transhuman before, but in the modern sense, nobody really created a philosophy of Transhumanism. So I was really the first person to do that and developed what we call “The Principles of Extropy,” which is a particular Transhumanist Philosophy.

And I’ve had a very long interest in Life Extension. I started practicing life extension and being intellectually interested in the ideas since well before I stopped growing. In my early twenties I started the first Cryonics Organization in England and I’m currently the President and CEO of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, which is the world’s leading cryopreservation organization.

Read More: http://hplusmagazine.com/2012/01/12/the-singularity-and-transhumanism/

UFO Sedona January 2012: Hopi Blue Star Prophecy?

The Nephilim and the Pyramid of the Apocalypse

Twitter Switches on the Censors : Discovery News

Twitter Switches on the Censors : Discovery News: "The social networking site Twitter finds itself between a rock and a hard place in foreign countries where speech isn't always free. On the one hand, Twitter's leadership doesn't want the whole site banned in those countries. On the other, what's a dictatorial government going to do with a social networking site that helps stir up civil dissent? The answer: Ban it. But that's not good for business."

European Parliament Official In Charge Of ACTA Quits, And Denounces The 'Masquerade' Behind ACTA

European Parliament Official In Charge Of ACTA Quits, And Denounces The 'Masquerade' Behind ACTA | Techdirt: "I want to denounce in the strongest possible manner the entire process that led to the signature of this agreement: no inclusion of civil society organisations, a lack of transparency from the start of the negotiations, repeated postponing of the signature of the text without an explanation being ever given, exclusion of the EU Parliament's demands that were expressed on several occasions in our assembly.

Over A Dozen Teens At Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School Afflicted With Mystery Illness That Gives Them Twitches, Spasms And Stuttering

Over A Dozen Teens At Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School Afflicted With Mystery Illness That Gives Them Twitches, Spasms And Stuttering: "More than a dozen teens at a high school in upstate New York are suffering from a mystery illness that is leaving them susceptible to twitches and spasms."

British scientists recreate the molecules that gave birth to life itself

Organic chemists at the University of York have recreated a pair of simple sugars - threose and erythrose - in a process which could have occurred before the advent of life

Scientists are one step closer to understanding the origin of life after making a breakthrough into how sugar molecules found in DNA are created.

Organic chemists at the University of York have recreated a pair of simple sugars - threose and erythrose - in a process which could have occurred before the advent of life.

The team, led by Dr Paul Clarke, along with colleagues at the University of Nottingham, have made the first step towards showing how the basic building blocks of life developed.

Every biological molecule has an ability to exist in a left-handed form or right-handed form.

All sugars in biology are made up of the right-handed form of molecules and yet all the amino acids that make up the peptides and proteins are made up of the left-handed form.

The researchers found using simple left-handed amino acids to catalyse the formation of sugars resulted in the production of the predominantly right-handed form of sugars.

Their research, published in Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, could explain how carbohydrates originated and why the right-handed form dominates in nature.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2092494/Life-sweet-New-clue-chemical-origins-sugar-molecules-DNA-recreated-scientists.html

Europe is developing an asteroid shield… but it won’t be in time for the 19-mile wide monster hurtling past Earth next week

Scientists are trying to find a way to protect Earth from the giant rocks which travel around the Milky Way.

Run out of Berlin with funds from the EU, the NEOShield project, which will look for a way to protect earth from the space rocks, is expected to take three years to complete.

Some of the ideas being tossed around at the moment include repelling asteroids with projectiles or explosives or using gravity to change its course.

Can't touch this: Scientists are trying to build an asteroid shield to protect Earth from the giant space rocks. In three years they hope to have a plan to test devised

The project though is a little late as a chunk of rock 400 times the City of London is set to hurtle closer than a rock of its size has in a very long time.

The asteroid labelled ‘(433) Eros’ measures 19 by 8 by 8 miles and is set to pass by next week.

Despite its massive size, the cosmic rock shouldn’t be too cause too much of a threat as it is on a circular path far outside the moon's orbit.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2092626/Asteroid-shield-wont-time-19-mile-wide-monster-hurtling-past-Earth-week.html

NASA WELCOMES OUR SURGICAL ROBOT OVERLORDS

Near-Earth orbit is packed with satellites, essential to communication and navigation back on Earth. But many of those satellites are aging, so what happens when they break down, or need refueling?

Simply ditching the satellites would be wasteful -- it costs many millions of dollars to build and launch a satellite -- and then there's the fact that it's getting pretty crowded up there.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/space/nasa-welcomes-our-surgical-robot-overlords-120127.html

Cold Plasma Layer Detected High Above Earth

Cold Plasma Layer Detected High Above Earth : Discovery News: "Designed to observe electric fields, a spacecraft has inadvertently picked up signs of Earth's cold plasma layer."

Was the Moon Once Powered by a Dynamo Core? MIT Research Says "Yes"

MIT's research on an ancient lunar rock suggests that the moon once harbored a long-lived dynamo — a molten, convecting core of liquid metal that generated a strong magnetic field 3.7 billion years ago. The findings, published today in Science, point to a dynamo that lasted much longer than scientists previously thought, and suggest that an alternative energy source may have powered the dynamo.

Read More:http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/01/-was-the-moon-once-powered-by-a-long-lived-dynamic-core-mit-research-says-yes.html

US to expand network of secret bases

US to expand network of secret bases | The Australian: "THE Pentagon plans to expand its global network of drones and special-operations bases in a fundamental military realignment designed to project US power even as it cuts back conventional forces."

Anti-matter atoms to address anti-gravity question

BBC News - Anti-matter atoms to address anti-gravity question: "The question of whether normal matter's shadowy counterpart anti-matter exerts a kind of "anti-gravity" is set to be answered, according to a new report."

Humans Lose, Robots Win in New Defense Budget

Humans Lose, Robots Win in New Defense Budget | Danger Room | Wired.com: "The big loser in the Pentagon’s new budget? Ordinary human beings.



About 80,000 Army soldiers and 20,000 Marines are getting downsized. Half of the Army’s conventional combat presence in Europe is packing up and ending its post-Cold War staycation. Replacing them, according to the $613 billion budget previewed by the Pentagon on Thursday: unconventional special-operations forces; new bombers; new spy tools; new missiles for subs; and a veritable Cylon army of drones."

The Monet machine? 'Art-ificial' painter improvises all its works - and often surprises its creator

The Monet machine? 'Art-ificial' painter improvises all its works - and often surprises its creator: "Simon Colton's 'Painting Fool' is computer painting software with a difference - it improvises its work itself, like a human artist."

SpaceShots: The Best New Photos Of Our Universe

SpaceShots: The Best New Photos Of Our Universe: "The week's best images of our solar system, the galaxy and everything out there, putting you in touch with the most distant parts of the heavens."

11 New Alien Solar Systems Crammed with Exoplanets

11 New Alien Solar Systems Crammed with Exoplanets : Discovery News: "The number of known multi-planetary star systems has just tripled. What's more, the Kepler space telescope science team has just announced that they have doubled the number of confirmed exoplanetary sightings made by the observatory."

Game over man, game over: Frankenmalware has been unleashed

Game over man, game over: Frankenmalware has been unleashed: "So it finally happened. Unplug your computer from the internet now and save yourself from what’s about to explode upon the unwitting, Farmville-playing masses. Experts have found what they are calling “Frankenmalware”; that is, a worm that has been infected by a virus."

Nanotechnology: Will it kill us all?

Nanotechnology: Will it kill us all? | ExtremeTech: "You can’t look at internet news lately without seeing the latest and greatest in nanotechnology developments. Everything these days is being manufactured smaller, faster, more durable, and under more and more human control with the help of science. Nanotechnology is a giant rising star in business, already cresting $225 billion dollars in product sales as of 2009 with exponential growth continuing. It’s the cure-all, the golden egg, or the philosopher’s stone, if you will, of the modern world of science. As such, every other industry wants a piece of this new revenue pie and is developing nanotech faster than we can think about it."

'Human enhancement' comes a step closer

BBC News - 'Human enhancement' comes a step closer: "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be much cleverer than you are?"

Surgeons Implant Synthetic Trachea in Baltimore Man

Surgeons Implant Synthetic Trachea in Baltimore Man - NYTimes.com: "Surgeons in Sweden have replaced the cancerous windpipe of a Maryland man with one made in a laboratory and seeded with the man’s cells."

The Eyeborg Documentary: Bridging Reality and Sci-Fi

The Eyeborg Documentary: Bridging Reality and Sci-Fi « boydfuturist: "As I continue to talk with people about transhumanism, I’m often asked whether the sort of hyper-advanced technology I’m so excited about is really possible. After all, we’ve been expecting flying cars since the 1990′s, and those still aren’t here. We don’t have robots cleaning up our homes, ala The Jetsons (Roombas don’t quite make the cut.) We’re not even close to intergalactic travel ala Star Trek, and we don’t have the luxury of mind vacations ala Total Recall. In short, technology often seems to fall short of people’s (probably unrealistic) expectations, and so those same people are understandably skeptical about claims of advanced cybernetic limbs, mind-uploading (or substrate independent minds, as Randal Koene is now calling it), and artificial intelligence."

Birth of the Bionic Eye

Birth of the Bionic Eye - IEEE Spectrum: "In 2012, electrodes will bring eyesight to the blind"

Military Becomes a Major Funder of Synthetic Biology, and Scientists Are Mostly Fine With That

The U.S. Department of Defense has emerged as one of the major funders of synthetic biology; last fall, for instance, DARPA accepted proposals for a highly coveted set of grants in a new program, Living Foundries, that aims to “enable the rapid development of previously unattainable technologies and products, leveraging biology to solve challenges associated with production of new materials, novel capabilities, fuel and medicines.

Read More: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/01/16/military-becomes-a-chief-funder-of-synthetic-biology-and-scientists-are-mostly-fine-with-that/

Augmenting Humans

Augmenting Humans: "This week has brought several interesting articles about human enhancement. Although much of this technology is still in the research phase, some tech is beginning to make it to the market."

Radical theory explains the origin, evolution, and nature of life, challenges conventional wisdom

Radical theory explains the origin, evolution, and nature of life, challenges conventional wisdom: "Earth is alive, asserts a revolutionary scientific theory of life emerging from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The trans-disciplinary theory demonstrates that purportedly inanimate, non-living objects -- for example, planets, water, proteins, and DNA -- are animate, that is, alive. With its broad explanatory power, applicable to all areas of science and medicine, this novel paradigm aims to catalyze a veritable renaissance."

From Chemtrails to Pseudo-Life: The Dark Agenda of Synthetic Biology

Shipwreck Hunters Make an Unusual Find

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com: "Swedish treasure hunters struck upon a mysterious find at the bottom of the Baltic Sea."

Demolition workers photograph 'ghost of former guesthouse worker'

Demolition workers photograph 'ghost of former guesthouse worker' - Telegraph: "Demolition workers were given a fright after photographing a ghostly figure peering through the window of a derelict Victorian guesthouse in Kendal, Cumbria."

Why Cyborgs and Mutants are More Likely to Kill Us than Robots

Why Cyborgs and Mutants are More Likely to Kill Us than Robots: "We're all bracing for a robot uprising. Any moment now, a computer could become self-aware and decide to wipe us out. Like Skynet. But really, you should be more scared of posthumans — like mutants or cyborgs. People whose direct ancestors are humans, but they've developed into... something else.

Because when it comes right down to us, our posthuman descendants are going to want us dead way more than our creations. Here are six excellent reasons why."

DNA Hackers: Synthetic biology weaponized virus, zero-day exploit to infect your brain?

DNA Hackers: Synthetic biology weaponized virus, zero-day exploit to infect your brain? - Computerworld Blogs: "From the let's get futuristically freaky department, future hacking crimes could take a decidedly sinister twist; not hacking to breach systems but brains, bodies and behaviors. This DNA hacking goes way beyond potentially using police bees to bust biohackers, or even storing unhackable data in box of bio-encrypted bacteria. It's not science fiction to hack insulin pumps or to use jamming signals to stop hackers from lethal pacemaker attacks, but now bioengineers and security futurists are warning that the day is coming when criminals and bioterrorists hunt for vulnerabilities that will give a new meaning to zero-day exploits. In the future, a weaponized virus will aim to infect you, your brain and body biology, and not just your computer or mobile device."

Study Of Freakish Mystery Illness Finds No Cause

Study Of Freakish Mystery Illness Finds No Cause : NPR: "ATLANTA (AP) — Imagine having the feeling that tiny bugs are crawling on your body, that you have oozing sores and mysterious fibers sprouting from your skin. Sound like a horror movie? Well, at one point several years ago, government doctors were getting up to 20 calls a day from people saying they had such symptoms."

Ray Kurzweil on DNA, 3D printed buildings and innovation in schools

Ray Kurzweil on DNA, 3D printed buildings and innovation in schools: "The students at the Singularity University, which was founded by inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil, are working on solving the biggest of the world's problems from water sanitation to lack of housing."

UFO Sighting Wales 2012 Flying Saucer Lights

Google privacy policy: 'Search giant will know more about you than your partner'

Google privacy policy: 'Search giant will know more about you than your partner': "Google has been savaged by critics after revealing plans to link user data across its email, video, social-networking and other services.

In a move denounced by some as a massive invasion of privacy, the changes will piece together information from Gmail to YouTube to the Google Plus social network."

The username's Bond, James Bond: New cufflinks have a wi-fi hotspot built in

James Bond has used watches with laser cutters built in, and a cigarette rocket launched - but so far, his cufflinks have been for fashion only.

But a new set of cufflinks from U.S. luxury retailer Brookstone could have come straight from Q branch - they have a built-in wi-fi hotspot and covert data storage.

You simply unplug the cufflink, slip it into a laptop, then anyone in range will be able to access the internet via the connection plugged into the laptop.

A new set of cufflinks from U.S. luxury retailer Brookstone could have come straight from Q division - they have a built-in wi-fi hotspot and covert data storage

Secret agents on missions abroad might find the gadget particularly useful, as it would allow several smartphone users to access one internet connection without shelling out for hotel wi-fi or data fees.

The gadget turns your wrist into a mobile hotspot you can use to surf the web with your smart phone, iPad or any other electronic device.
They also double as a USB storage device with 2GB of space, just enough for a secret agent to plug into a computer and steal some documents.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2091689/The-usernames-Bond-James-Bond-New-cufflinks-wi-fi-hotspot-built-in.html

O2 privacy probe: Mobile phone numbers transmitted to EVERY website visited on smartphones

O2 privacy probe: Mobile phone numbers transmitted to EVERY website visited on smartphones | Mail Online: "Millions of mobile phone users may have been exposed to internet scams after their numbers were inadvertently sent to every website they visited."

Breakthrough in bid to create 'invisibility cloak' as 3D object is made to vanish for first time

The research, at the University of Texas, is the first ever to 'hide' a 3D object - but it's not quite a Harry Potter-style cloak yet

Researchers in the U.S. have, for the first time, cloaked a three-dimensional object standing in free space - bringing the idea of an 'invisibility cloak' a step closer.

The researchers used a hi-tech technique to 'hide' an 18-centimetre cylinder - and made it totally invisible.

But before we brace ourselves for Harry Potter-style invisibility to become a part of everyday life, it's not quite there yet.

So far, the researchers can use a hi-tech coating to make an object disappear - but can only hide it from microwave scanners.

It's still visible to the naked eye.

The researchers say that the technique could be used to hide objects from visible light - but that it would only work on objects on the millimetre scale, ie ones close to invisible anyway.

Previous studies have either been theoretical in nature or limited to the cloaking of two-dimensional objects, this study shows how ordinary objects can be cloaked in their natural environment in all directions and from all of an observer's positions.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2091792/And-dont-Researchers-turn-3D-object-invisible-time.html

Between Google And GPS, Privacy Takes A Step Backward

Between Google And GPS, Privacy Takes A Step Backward: "Score one for privacy rights -- at least that's how it seemed."

X-RAY LASER FIRES MOST POWERFUL BEAM EVER

Lasers fire beams of light that can cut through steel or etch microchip patterns, depending on the power and wavelength. Now one team of scientists at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, Calif., led by Nina Rohringer, has created an X-ray laser that fires more energy, with a more precise wavelength, than any previous model. The results are being published in the journal Nature.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/tech/xray-laser-most-powerful-ever-120125.html

New drone has no pilot anywhere, so who’s accountable?

New drone has no pilot anywhere, so who’s accountable? | StratRisks: "The Navy’s new drone being tested near Chesapeake Bay stretches the boundaries of technology: It’s designed to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, one of aviation’s most difficult maneuvers.



What’s even more remarkable is that it will do that not only without a pilot in the cockpit, but without a pilot at all.

The X-47B marks a paradigm shift in warfare, one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences. With the drone’s ability to be flown autonomously by onboard computers, it could usher in an era when death and destruction can be dealt by machines operating semi-independently."

What are we bringing to life…?

In The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen retells a tale from ancient India: Four royal brothers decided each to master a special ability. Time went by, and the brothers met to reveal what they had learned.
“I have mastered a science,” said the first, “by which I can take but a bone of some creature and create the flesh that goes with it.”
“I,” said the second, “know how to grow that creature’s skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones.”
The third said, “I am able to create its limbs if I have the flesh, the skin, and the hair.”
“And I,” concluded the fourth, “know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete.”
Thereupon the brothers went into the jungle to find a bone so they could demonstrate their specialties. As fate would have it, the bone they found was a lion’s. One added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life.
Shaking its mane, the ferocious beast arose and jumped on his creators. He killed them all and vanished contentedly into the jungle.

Next Frontier in Piracy: Downloading Physical Objects to Your 3D Printer

Exciting times, friends. While we’ve been cleaning up the proverbial ticker tape left behind by jubilant celebration over the recently-stalled antipiracy bills, the Pirate Bay – arguably the premier resource for pirating digital content – has already moved on to the next big thing.

The site has announced a new category called “Physibles” that houses digital files that can be downloaded and used in conjunction with 3D printers to print out actual, physical objects

Read more: http://techland.time.com/2012/01/24/next-frontier-in-piracy-downloading-physical-objects-to-your-3d-printer/

Iran preparing now for Armageddon

Iran preparing now for Armageddon: "Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has held several secret meetings with his economic and military advisers in recent days to prepare for the possibility of war with the United States."

Red lights newest "precrime" technique

U.S. Videos - Yahoo! News: "The police department in the city of East Orange, New Jersey is installing red spotlights to remotely shine on those police believe are about to commit a crime. (Jan. 20)"

Rice lab mimics Jupiter's Trojan asteroids inside a single atom

NASA Evidence: Alien Spaceships Patrol The Planets

NASA Evidence: Alien Spaceships Patrol The Planets | Before It's News: "US and Russian Martian space probes have mysteriously vanished over the past four decades. One probe was allegedly destroyed by a gigantic cylindrical UFO miles long. Probes and manned vehicles have been stalked, tracked—sometimes harassed—by alien ships. Some investigators now advance the theory that the solar system isn't ours, it's owned and patrolled by a master intelligence that views humanity as lowly, but interesting (maybe amusing), animals. Are the planets theirs? Do the ETs own and defend them? Some investigators believe the answer is yes..."

Extraterrestrials and Archons: All that glitters is not Grey

The Canadian National Newspaper: Extraterrestrials and Archons: All that glitters is not Grey: "Anyone not familiar with UFO history and its 'beginnings' pictures a typical alien as a short grey emaciated creature with a large bulbous head, large black oval-shaped eyes, very thin and long extremities and probably not wearing any clothing.



In their minds, that's a typical 'alien' and rightly so, as most modern Hollywood movies and television series pictures exactly that type of alien, even television commercials show the 'typical grey' humanoid or alien. And not familiar with UFO history and the different types of aliens reported through the years the casual UFO student accepts this, no questions ask. And points out that 'little grays' were recovered at the alleged Roswell UFO site, that Betty and Barney Hill were abducted by grays (as the Hollywood version of the event shows) and that even Travis Walton, was abducted by even weirder grey little creatures like those displayed by the movie "Fire in the sky"."

Nasa probe finds the mile-high dunes of Saturn's moon Titan are eerily similar to Earth's

Nasa probe finds the mile-high dunes of Saturn's moon Titan are eerily similar to Earth's: "Nasa's Cassini probe has found that the dunes on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan vary in shape just like dunes on Earth - and even look similar to deserts on our planet.

The similarities end there, of course - not only are the dunes on Titan 300 feet high and up to a mile wide, they're made of frozen hydrocarbons - chemicals found in crude oil - rather than sand. "

'Celestial firework display' of the Helix Nebula captured in stunning new image

An incredible image of the Helix Nebula has been taken by a European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescope in Chile.

The ESO likened the image to a ‘celestial firework display’, though the nebula is sometimes referred to as ‘They Eye of God’ by astronomers.

The Helix Nebula is one of the closest and most remarkable examples of a planetary nebula.

Cosmic beauty: An unusual view of the Helix Nebula taken by the ESO's VISTA telescope in Chile

It lies in the constellation of Aquarius -The Water Bearer - about 700 light years from Earth.

This picture, taken in infrared light by the ESO’s 4.1-metre VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory, reveals strands of cold nebular gas that are invisible in images taken in visible light, as well as bringing to light a rich background of stars and galaxies.

Planetary nebulae actually have nothing to do with planets – they are so-named because when they were first discovered in the 18th century they resembled planets when seen through early telescopes.

They are composed of dust, ionised material and molecular gas that come from a dying star shedding its outer layers.

This one is evolving to become a white dwarf star and appears as the tiny blue dot seen at the centre of the image.

Heavens above: The VISTA telescope also captured this amazing picture of the star formation region Messier 8, often called the Lagoon Nebula, last year

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2091054/Helix-Nebula-captured-stunning-new-image-ESOs-VISTA-telescope.html

Google boggling our brains? Study says humans use internet as their main 'memory'

Google boggling our brains? Study says humans use internet as their main 'memory': "The Internet is becoming our main source of memory instead of our own brains, a study has concluded.

In the age of Google, our minds are adapting so that we are experts at knowing where to find information even though we don’t recall what it is.

The researchers found that when we want to know something we use the Internet as an ‘external memory’ just as computers use an external hard drive."

Psychics Say Apollo 16 Astronauts Found Alien Ship

Psychics Say Apollo 16 Astronauts Found Alien Ship : Discovery News: "The roots of remote viewing can be traced to several U.S. Government sponsored parapsychology studies from the 1970s to 1990s. When funding was canceled in 1995, an executive summary concluded that the remote viewing test results were at best "vague and ambiguous.""

Mothy Misconceptions: Clearing The Air About the Mothman Mythos

Around the first of every year (or the end of the one preceding it), Mothman usually turns up on many of the various Fortean “Top Ten” lists, ranking hither and yon as people’s favorite monstrosity of one category or another. For me, Mothman is most likely representative of various cryptozoological phenomenon, though many proponents of the legends also state belief that the dark-winged-one could have been any number of other things: an alien being, perhaps, or even some interdimensional presence.

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/01/mothy-misconceptions-clearing-the-air-about-the-mothman-mythos/

This is a wireless router for your brain, and it shoots lasers

This is a wireless router for your brain, and it shoots lasers | DVICE: "Optogenetics is a method of using light to control cells in the brain. It can be used to alter behavior, model diseases, and maybe even one day, deliver drugs right where you need them. And now, it's wireless! With lasers!



With genetic engineering, we can design cells that respond to light (from lasers or LEDs) by activating or deactivating themselves or otherwise changing their functionality. The appeal of using light to alter cells is that we can turn light on and off at the speed of, you know, light, which allows us to keep up with the speeds at which things happen inside our cells. For example, neurons in the brain send signals to other neurons using electric spikes that occur in just a few milliseconds, but with lasers, it's possible to very precisely control (or disrupt) these messages, and this is what optogenetics is all about."

Odd accounts and strange tales orbit around Shasta

Odd accounts and strange tales orbit around Shasta - latimes.com: "Mt. Shasta, the Cascade peak that mesmerized John Muir, has long attracted mystics, metaphysicians and spiritualists. Now a researcher is seeking 'stories and information' for a book on Bigfoot and UFO sightings."

Google tracks consumers’ online activities across products, and users can’t opt out

Google tracks consumers’ online activities across products, and users can’t opt out - The Washington Post: "Google will soon know far more about who you are and what you do on the Web.

The Web giant announced Tuesday that it plans to follow the activities of users across nearly all of its ubiquitous sites, including YouTube, Gmail and its leading search engine."

The midnight phoenix rises: Biggest solar storms for six years create spectacular northern lights

The Northern Lights have lit up the skies above Scotland, Canada and Norway after the biggest solar storm in more than six years bombarded Earth with radiation.

The Canadian Space Agency posted a geomagnetic storm warning on Tuesday after residents were also treated to a spectacular show in the night sky.

Ken Kennedy, director of the Aurora section of the British Astronomical Association, said that the lights, also known as the aurora borealis, may be visible for a few more days.

Auroras seen from Norway: A spectacular 'coronal mass ejection' following a solar flare has caused magnetic storms- but rarely are they do form such amazing shapes as this bird-like creation

The northern lights are caused by particles from the sun interacting with our atmosphere - and create spectacular displays of green light

Geomagnetic storms cause awesome sights, but they can also bring trouble.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, problems can include current surges in power lines, and interference in the broadcast of radio, TV and telephone signals.

Radiation from Sunday's flare arrived at Earth an hour later and will probably continue through until Wednesday, NOAA experts say. Levels are considered strong but other storms have been more severe.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2091117/The-midnight-phoenix-rises-Biggest-solar-storms-seven-years-create-spectacular-northern-lights.html

UFO sightings as fighter jets fly low over north Kent

UFO sightings as fighter jets fly low over north Kent: "People have reported seeing UFOs in the sky after hearing fighter jets flying above north Kent at the weekend.

People across Gravesend and Dartford reported hearing the low-flying fighter jets on Saturday evening.

Some took to a UFO sighting website to report bright lights being chased by fighter jets."

Neanderthals were using paint 250,000 years ago - 'thousands of years earlier than previously thought'

Neanderthals were using paint 250,000 years ago - 'thousands of years earlier than previously thought': "Neanderthals were using red paint up to 250,000 years ago - far earlier than previously thought.

Traces of the paint, made from ochre, were dug up in the Netherlands and dated to a quarter of a million years ago.

Scientists are keeping an open mind as to what the sub-species of humans did with it back then although it is often considered a sign of symbolic behaviour such as artwork and body painting."

Some things ARE sacred: Scientists find beliefs that we won't 'sell out' are kept in a different part of the brain

• Magnetic resonance scans of brains as people are offered money to renounce beliefs
• 'Mundane' beliefs such as 'I am a tea drinker' dealt with by one area
• More 'sacred' beliefs are dealt with in the part of the brain that deals with 'right' and 'wrong'
• Politicians who use 'rewards' to persuade people could have it wrong

Selling your soul? Scientists found that 'core' beliefs such as national identity and religion are dealt with in a different part of the brain from beliefs we might change, such as our choice in soft drinks

A brain-imaging study found that some beliefs are sacred - and that that we deal with those beliefs with an entirely separate part of the brain.

While people are prepared to 'sell out' some beliefs, there remains a core set of values that we won't abandon, even for hard cash.

When dealing with 'strong' beliefs such as national identity and religion, a brain scan reveals activity in an area of the brain used to tell right from wrong.

More mundane beliefs that a person might be prepared to 'sell out' are dealt with elsewhere.

The finding hints that politicians who hope to offer rewards to the public to 'persuade' them of new ideas could be on the wrong track.

In neurological terms at least, some beliefs have no price.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2090592/Some-things-ARE-sacred-Scientists-different-area-brain.html

MOTOR MADE OF DNA RUNS ON TRACKS

DNA has been made into tiny robots and self-replicating machines. Now it’s been made into a tiny motor.

A team at Kyoto University and the University of Oxford has used DNA as the building blocks for a motor that runs along tiny tracks. The tracks all have switches and the network is programmable -- just like a computer.

The DNA is manipulated with a technique called “DNA origami.” Just like its paper counterpart, this method uses DNA to fold structures into two and three dimensions. The folding of the molecules is done via sequencing in such a way that the DNA naturally self-assembles into the desired shape. The tiny tracks were laid down on top of tiles, also made of DNA.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/tech/dna-motor-120123.html

Mysterious 'Winged' Structure from Ancient Rome Found

Mysterious 'Winged' Structure from Ancient Rome Found : Discovery News: "A recently discovered mysterious "winged" structure in England, which in the Roman period may have been used as a temple, presents a puzzle for archaeologists, who say the building has no known parallels."

EcoAlert: NEO Shield --Early Warning of the Potential Threat to Earth from a Comet or Monster Asteroid

NEOShield is a new international project that will assess the threat posed by Near Earth Objects (NEO) and look at the best possible solutions for dealing with a big asteroid or comet on a collision path with our planet. On average, an object about the size of car will enter the Earth’s atmosphere once a year, producing a spectacular fireball in the sky. Data from Nasa's Wise telescope suggests there are likely to be about 19,500 NEOs in the 100-1,000m size range, and the vast majority of these have yet to be identified and tracked.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/01/ecoalert-neo-shield-early-warning-of-the-potential-threat-to-earth-from-a-monster-comet-or-asteroid.html

Death Valley's 800-Year-Old Volcano --Is It Primed for a Sequel?

Death Valley's half-mile-wide Ubehebe Crater turns out to have been created 800 years ago -- far more recently than generally thought. Credit: Brent Goehring/Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryIn California's Death Valley, death is looking just a bit closer. Geologists have determined that the half-mile-wide Ubehebe Crater, formed by a prehistoric volcanic explosion, was created far more recently than previously thought—and that conditions for a sequel may exist today.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/01/is-death-valleys-800-year-old-volcano-primed-for-a-sequel.html

Davos elites to seek reforms of 'outdated' capitalism

Davos elites to seek reforms of 'outdated' capitalism: "Economic and political elites meeting this week at the Swiss resort of Davos will be asked to urgently find ways to reform a capitalist system that has been described as "outdated and crumbling.""

Fukushima Cover Up Unravels: "The Government Can No Longer Pull the Wool Over the Public’s Eyes"

Fukushima Cover Up Unravels: "The Government Can No Longer Pull the Wool Over the Public’s Eyes": "the Japanese government and Tepco have covered up the extent of the radiation released by Fukushima and its health effects on the Japanese and others."

Britain, US and France send warships through Strait of Hormuz

Britain, US and France send warships through Strait of Hormuz - Telegraph: "Britain, America and France delivered a pointed signal to Iran, sending six warships led by a 100,000 ton aircraft carrier through the highly sensitive waters of the Strait of Hormuz."

Planes expected to reroute following massive solar eruption

A powerful M9-class solar storm that unleashed a coronal mass ejection toward Earth in the early hours of Jan. 23, 2012 (GMT).CREDIT: NASA/SDO/SOHO

An immense blast of plasma spewed late Sunday night from the sun led to the strongest radiation storm bombarding our planet since 2005, and a rare warning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency -- and even a plan to redirect certain high-flying airplanes.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center -- the nation’s official source of warnings about space weather and its impact on Earth -- issued a watch for a geomagnetic storm expected to hit our planet Tuesday morning after a satellite witnessed an ultraviolet flash from the massive solar eruption, according to Spaceweather.com.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/23/planes-rerouted-fearing-strongest-radiation-storm-in-7-years/

Twenty top predictions for life 100 years from now

BBC News - Twenty top predictions for life 100 years from now: "Last week we asked readers for their predictions of life in 100 years time. Inspired by ten 100-year predictions made by American civil engineer John Elfreth Watkins in 1900, many of you wrote in with your vision of the world in 2112."