October 23rd, 2009 at 9:07 am
Soybean sprouts struggling in dry conditions. Biologists have now solved the structure of a critical molecule that helps plants survive during droughts.
A team of biologists in California led by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California (UC), San Diego has solved the structure of a critical molecule that helps plants survive during droughts. Understanding the inner workings of this molecule may help scientists design new ways to protect crops against prolonged dry periods, potentially improving crop yields worldwide, aiding biofuels production on marginal lands and mitigating drought’s human and economic costs.
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October 23rd, 2009 at 9:00 am
Brain signals can drive arm movement in a monkey with a paralyzed arm.
A monkey with a paralyzed arm can still grasp a ball, thanks to a novel system designed to translate brain signals into complex muscle movements in real time. The research, presented at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Chicago this week, could one day allow people with spinal cord injury to control their own limbs.
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October 23rd, 2009 at 8:12 am
SPACE – The final frontier? Ok well maybe Mars has been done a few times.
Editorial illustrator and data visualizer Bryan Christie created this fantastic graphic of Mars missions.
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October 23rd, 2009 at 7:55 am
The worldwide recession has hit a lot of people hard, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Far from it actually, as is the case with property. As the price of real estate has fallen, there are plenty of bargains to be had all around the world! The villa pictured is in Halcyon Hills, Greece.
No doubt there will be a few reading ready to point out the error in the title. Surely, it’s a mistake? Homes for less than 50K? No way! But yet, it’s true. Since the global financial debacle of last year, it’s shocking how many homes are available for sale for under US$50,000, especially in the US where the housing market was hit hardest…
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October 23rd, 2009 at 7:43 am
A rural town in New Zealand has been forced to cancel its annual rabbit-throwing competition after complaints from animal rights groups.
In the contest, which is held each year to coincide with the start of the pig hunt, children see how far they can throw a dead rabbit.
But the RSPCA said the rabbit-throw sent a message to children that dead animals were fun and could legitimately be used as a form of entertainment.
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:26 am
A Deliciously Creepy Chocolate Confection
To the cultured folks in the crowd these solid chocolate skulls are an example of both confectionary making and art. They are cast from REAL human skulls and come in a choice of chocolate including Fair Trade 80 per cent cocoa. There is also their bone chocolate – blended Belgian milk and white chocolates, resembling the colour of freshly cleaned human bones.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Bring non perishable food or toiletries to ALL DaVinci Institute events
Bare shelves at FISH of Broomfield are startling longtime volunteers. Donations to the food bank are falling short of what is needed, while the demand keeps rising. Help us support Broomfield’s FISH Food Bank by bringing non-perishables or toiletries to the Colorado Inventor Showcase on November 3, 2009.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
In a small study of 54 young adults, UF researchers found eating more plant-based foods, which are rich in substances called phytochemicals, seems to prevent oxidative stress in the body, a process associated with obesity and the onset of disease
The cheeseburger and French fries might look tempting, but eating a serving of broccoli or leafy greens first could help people battle metabolic processes that lead to obesity and heart disease, a new University of Florida study shows.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
UCI scientist Sheryl Tsai and colleagues have discovered what triggers a cancer-causing toxin to form on nuts and grains, which could lead to methods of limiting its production
A toxin produced by mold on nuts and grains can cause liver cancer if consumed in large quantities. UC Irvine researchers for the first time have discovered what triggers the toxin to form, which could lead to methods of limiting its production.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Tomato seeds exposed to carbon nanotubes (right) sprouted and grew faster than unexposed seeds (left).
With potential adverse health and environmental effects often in the news about nanotechnology, scientists in Arkansas are reporting that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) could have beneficial effects in agriculture. Their study, scheduled for the October issue of ACS Nano, found that tomato seeds exposed to CNTs germinated faster and grew into larger, heavier seedlings than other seeds. That growth-enhancing effect could be a boon for biomass production for plant-based biofuels and other agricultural products, they suggest.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 11:14 am
By now we’ve all seen our fair share of green energy cars and devices, but there remains a dearth of public works-centric green tech innovations. Helping to fill the void of cool green-tech-meets-public-works design ideas, Taiwanese designers Cheng-Tsung Feng, Yao-Chieh Lin and Bo-Jin Wang created this solar-powered traffic light that easily could have emerged from the labs at Cupertino. (Pics)
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October 22nd, 2009 at 10:46 am
RoboBee
Harvard researchers recently got a $10 million grant to create a colony of flying robotic bees, or RoboBees to among other things, spur innovation in ultra-low-power computing and electronic “smart” sensors; and refine coordination algorithms to manage multiple, independent machines.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 10:01 am
For people fed up with their mobile telephone or iPod batteries running out, Japan’s Toshiba Corp. announced Thursday the launch of a portable fuel-cell that can power up digital gadgets on the move.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 9:34 am
British doctors have moved a step closer to carrying out what they hope will be the world’s first successful human womb transplant, giving hope to thousands of women who are unable to have children for medical reasons.
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October 22nd, 2009 at 9:21 am
South Korea’s super skyscraper
A new super skyscraper has just been announced for South Korea and will tower over all other buildings in Asia when it is complete in 2014. From a global perspective, Lotte Super Tower 123, designed by Kohn Pederson Fox, falls just short of taking the title, and will be not the tallest but the second tallest skyscraper in the world. The structure will serve as the new corporate headquarters for the Lotte Group, whose subsidairy, Lotte Construction, will build it. Zoning has been approved and excavation is nearly complete. With aims towards LEED silver certification, the tower will have a strong environmental component and will offer Seoulians mixed-use areas such as shops, apartments, offices and a hotel. (Pics)
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October 22nd, 2009 at 7:55 am
The World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game released in October of 2008. It was favorably received by the gaming community, receiving many awards.
On the one-year anniversary of the product’s release, the developers decided to undertake an e-commerce experiment. They offered to sell the game (previously retailing at $20) to anyone for whatever price the customer was willing to pay: “…one cent, a million dollars, the usual twenty, or any creative number they let you type into the text field.”
In the week that followed, 57,000 additional people purchased the game; the graph above shows what prices they opted to pay. About 17,000 people paid $0.01, but another 16,000 paid $1.00-$1.99, and several hundred paid the full $20.00 original price. Total sales = over $100,000 for the week. And still rising, because they have announced that they are continuing the offer until October 25…
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October 22nd, 2009 at 7:38 am
Do YOU have what it takes?
“Do you have a medical condition that necessitates marijuana? Do you have a way with words? If so, Westword wants you to join the ranks as our freelance marijuana-dispensary reviewer.”
The local “burgeoning medical marijuana scene” in Denver, Colorado, is growing and the weekly publication Westword wants to be on the forefront, said Joe Tone, the paper’s Web editor. “We want someone who can get in and relay to our readers what it is like inside these dispensaries.”
It’s not exactly like a food critic job. The online-only reviewer won’t be showing up anonymously and sampling the wares…
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October 21st, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Politically Incorrect Balloon Boy Halloween Costume in Action.
I think we laughed for about 20 minutes when we came across this…
“Now you too can enjoy all the media attention you want with Plantraco’s Balloon Boy Hoax kit. A great flying saucer that is going to put a big smile on your face. Colorado flying saucers and hot air balloon hoaxes are famous these days, get on the bandwagon for trick-or-treat halloween fun and loads of laughs for everyone!
Just ring the doorbell and say “I’m supposed to be flying in there, but my dad said to stay in the box for the show!” – you are practically guaranteed to get double and triple halloween treats with this authentic and collectible Balloon Boy Flying Saucer Hoax trick costume!
Don’t forget the name tag!
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October 21st, 2009 at 2:57 pm
“Daddy, look at all the FILM (Females I’d Like to Milk)!” thinks baby Gordon.
As a perspective parent I have been bumping into a lot of new parent web sites. Many of them have some great do’s and don’ts that they recommend or condemn. The fine folks over at Parent Fail spotlight the don’t side of the spectrum quite well.
Their site is proudly promoted by the motto, “Proof that certain people just shouldn’t be allowed to procreate.”
And for us the proof is in the picture (or video). See more astounding photos after the jump…
October 21st, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Hey shooter, tired of going down range setting up new targets, or wondering where your last shot went?
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October 21st, 2009 at 11:36 am
Genetically modified (GM) crops have been around for a generation but there are now new possibilities thanks to developments in understanding of the makeup of plants.
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October 21st, 2009 at 11:23 am
A new giant orb spider has been discovered in South Africa.
A new giant spider – which has huge five-inch females and tiny males – has been discovered by scientists. The female of the new species of golden orb weaver spider has a body one and a half inches long with a leg span of five inches and weaves a web more than three feet wide.
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October 21st, 2009 at 10:54 am
As part of a project to understand how the brain learns, biologists have written memories into the cells of a fruitfly’s brain, making it think it had a terrible experience.
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October 21st, 2009 at 10:45 am
Gyrowheel
A new device called the Gyrowheel could soon revolutionize the way children learn to ride bicycles, and they will be able to learn on their own, without training wheels, and in as little as half an hour. (Videos)
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October 21st, 2009 at 10:21 am
Flexible dye-sensitized solar panels incorporated into this bag make it capable of recharging electronic gadgets.
The first commercial product to incorporate dye-sensitized thin-film solar cells will soon be on the market. Backpacks coated with the cheap, lightweight, and flexible solar cell, for on-the-go recharging of portable gadgets, were unveiled at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair last week.
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