flowers show signs of evolution.
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have zeroed in on the genes responsible for changing flower color, an area of research that began with Gregor Mendel’s studies of the garden pea in the 1850’s.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Study Of Flower Color Shows Evolution In Action
July 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
World’s First Self-Watering Plant Discovered
Desert Rhubarb
Scientists have discovered the world’s first ’self-watering’ plant in Israel’s Negev desert – one of the driest regions on earth. The Desert Rhubarb can hold 16 times more water than its rivals and has developed a unique ability to effectively water itself in its barren habitat.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:48 am
Global Super-Colony Of Ants Rivals Human Population
Scientists have discovered a mega-colony of this invasive insect species that stretches across the globe
Argentine ants from three huge colonies in Europe, America and Japan are actually part of one global super-colony, scientists have revealed.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:31 am
Humans Can Develop Echolocation Used By Dolphins And Bats
In a new research, scientists have shown that human beings can develop echolocation, the system of acoustic signals used by dolphins and bats to explore their surroundings. The research was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Alcala de Henares (UAH) in Spain.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:33 am
‘Gimme A Hug’ Shark Documentary
‘Gimme a Hug’ Trailer
Sharks are one of the most important top-predators in our oceans and there is still a lot we don’t understand, or even know, about this fascinating animal.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:15 am
Entrepreneurship’s evolution
The emergence of empires of one, business colonies and seed capitalists
The importance of stimulating entrepreneurship has not been lost on Asian nations. Communist Youth League of China will set up a fund to help young people establish their own businesses, as part of efforts to ease employment pressures, particularly among graduates, China.com reported in February.
July 1st, 2009 at 7:10 am
Doctors Warn Against Throwing ‘Swine Flu Parties’
Here swiney swiney!
Throwing “swine flu parties” in an attempt to get immunity against the virus while it is a fairly mild form is not a good idea, doctors say. Reports have emerged of people intentionally mixing with friends who have flu.
Their reasoning is that it is best to be infected before the winter when the virus could become more deadly.
But public health expert Dr Richard Jarvis said such behaviour could undermine the fight against swine flu.
He also stressed while it was a mild flu, people would still be putting their health and the health of their children at risk…
June 30th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Electrifying Photography
Robert Buelteman uses high voltage photography
Forget the notion of a reverent nature photographer tiptoeing through the woods, camera slung over one shoulder, patiently looking for perfect light. Robert Buelteman works indoors in total darkness, forsaking cameras, lenses, and computers for jumper cables, fiber optics, and 80,000 volts of electricity. This bizarre union of Dr. Frankenstein and Georgia O’Keeffe spawns photos that seem to portray the life force of his subjects as the very process destroys them.
June 30th, 2009 at 11:43 am
NASA Satellite Map Shows 99% Of Earth’s Land Surface
The map uses 1.3 million images and covers Earth’s land surface between 83 degrees North and 83 degrees South latitudes
An astonishing new map has revealed the elevation of nearly every place on Earth.
The Global Digital Elevation Model was created using nearly 1.3million images collected by a Japanese camera on board Nasa’s Terra spacecraft. It is made up of a giant grid of 23,000 tiles, with each height point spaced 98ft apart. (Pics)
June 30th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Access To Clean Water Should Be A Human Right
A boy drinking water from a borehole in Zimbabwe
In this months PLoS Medicine Editorial, the editors argue that — despite recent international objections — access to clean water should be recognised as a human right.
June 30th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Having Sex Daily Makes Healthier Sperm
A doctor prepares eggs and sperm for an attempt at artificial insemination
Having sex every day improves the quality of men’s sperm and is recommended for couples trying to conceive, according to new research.
June 30th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Zoo’s Fascinating Art Installation Shows Scenes Of Ecological Nightmares
Vienna’s Schonbrunn Zoo
Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna is host to a fascinating series of temporary art installations by Christoph Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf. In one animal enclosure, the German duo have half-submerged a car in a watering hole used by the resident rhinos. In another enclosure, penguins frolic in the shadow of an oil pump, and in yet another, alligators must share their modest bayou with a bathtub and a monster truck tire. (Pics)
June 30th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Amazing Glass Milk Bottle Art
Glorified Glasses
Residents of Stourbridge, West Midlands, and surrounding villages were having a pleasant surprise when they took in their milk bottles; they would find pictures of animals, often cows or mice, carefully carved onto the glass in astonishing detail.
An artist, known as ‘bottle Banksy’, would take the used milk bottles from doorsteps and then return them after having etched elaborate pictures…
June 30th, 2009 at 7:43 am
London University to Offer a Degree in Twitter. Essays Just 140 Charactars Long!
Tweet frickin’ tweet!
–>
Everyone in Iran uses it, BBC radio presenters bang on about it incessantly and mega celebs use it to throw crumbs to their adoring fans. Yep there seems no stopping the rise of Twitter.
Well soon you’ll be able to get a degree based around the microblogging sensation (BA Hons Twit IIi?) as City University – a fairly decent academic establishment according to my old UCCA handbook, is going to offer students course in Twitter Studies.
Well, except that the course is called an Information, Communication and Society MSc and it focuses on teaching graduates to learn how to use digital materials such as social networking sites as effective comms tools…
Continue Reading »
June 30th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Chinese Airline Plans to Stand Passengers in Aisle
Sardines may be more comfortable…
A private airline in China is submitting plans for journeys where passengers can opt to stand to save money. Spring Airlines first initiated the standing ticket idea earlier this year.
It is now considering officially submitting it to the aviation regulator before the year is out. The airline has been trying to cope with surging passenger numbers and new flight routes, but only has 13 planes.
Spring Airlines’ Zhang Wuan said: “The process of plane making is really long. We already ordered 14 new jets. But some of them will only be delivered next year…
June 29th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
First Electronic Quantum Processor Created
The two-qubit processor is the first solid-state quantum processor that resembles a conventional computer chip and is able to run simple algorithms
A team led by Yale University researchers has created the first rudimentary solid-state quantum processor, taking another step toward the ultimate dream of building a quantum computer.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Site For Alcohol’s Action In The Brain Discovered
New research sheds light on how alcohol alters the way brain cells work.
Alcohol’s inebriating effects are familiar to everyone. But the molecular details of alcohol’s impact on brain activity remain a mystery. A new study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies brings us closer to understanding how alcohol alters the way brain cells work.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Synthetic Biology: Gene Therapy Gets Under The Skin
apply skin cream in order to stimulate the gene into action
Vaseline, a known molecule from apples and a gene network encapsulated in algal gelatin are the components of a possible gene therapy which literally gets under the skin.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Nematode Courting Caught On Camera
Nematode
Caltech researchers studying the nervous control of nematode mating behavior have produced video footage of a male worm preparing to mate with a hermaphrodite.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Dolphins Get A Lift From Delta Wing Technology
Two Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins swimming off the coast of Oahu.
We can only marvel at the way that dolphins, whales and porpoises scythe through water. Their finlike flippers seem perfectly adapted for maximum aquatic agility. However, no one had ever analysed how the animals’ flippers interact with water; the hydrodynamic lift that they generate, the drag that they experience or their hydrodynamic efficiency. Laurens Howle and Paul Weber from Duke University teamed up with Mark Murray from the United States Naval Academy and Frank Fish from West Chester University, to find out more about the hydrodynamics of whale and dolphin
June 29th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Colorado Biologists Discover Litter Of Lynx Kittens
First litter of Lynx kittens found since 2006
Spring brought a surprise delivery from the stork: A litter of 10 lynx kittens-the first newborns documented in Colorado since 2006, gladdening the hearts of biologists leading the charge to restore the mountain feline, as well as drawing waves of squeals from computer monitors everywhere. (Pics)
June 29th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Toyota Develops Wheelchair That Uses Real-time Brain Wave Control
Wheelchair with real-time control using brain waves
Japan’s BSI-TOYOTA Collaboration Center has successfully developed a system that controls a wheelchair using brain waves in as little as 125 milliseconds.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Stunning Examples of Macro Photography
Rose
Macro photography is also known as close-up photography. Compared to other types of photography, macro photography is quite difficult, because of the nifty equipment, lightning and other techniques involved. However, in the end it comes down to what kind of pictures you want to take and what level of precision you are striving for. (Pics)
June 29th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Amazing Photo Of An F-22 Raptor Supersonic Flyby
An Air Force F-22 Raptor executes a supersonic flyby over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis
The quick lens of U.S. Navy sonar technician Ronald Dejarnett was able to capture this Air Force F-22 going supersonic over the Gulf of Alaska as the pilot did his best Top Gun flyby impression.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Smartphones To Text Obese Kids Thin
Doctors are using mobile technology to detect lethargy in overweight teenagers, and prompt them to exercise
Technology gets the blame for a lot of health problems: cars make you lazy, video games make you violent and MP3 players make you deaf. Now researchers at the University of Southern California are hoping to prove that mobile phones, at least, can have a positive effect. They plan to connect 50 obese teenagers to a battery of sensors and use mobiles to text the kids thin.