Major breakthrough on how viruses infect plants

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CSIRO plant scientists have shed light on a problem that has puzzled researchers since the first virus was discovered in 1892 — how exactly do they cause disease?

In a major breakthrough that helps us better understand how viruses cause diseases in plants — and potentially in animals and humans — Dr Ming-Bo Wang and Neil Smith of CSIRO Plant Industry have revealed a genetic mechanism that enables viral organisms to infect hosts and cause diseases…

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Silicon Valley Billionaire funding creation of Artificial Libertarian Islands

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Seasteading Institute city design (Anthony Ling)

The Seasteading Institute has plans to build floating cities out in the ocean. Now Paypal founder Peter Theil has recently  given  1.25 million dollars to the group in an effort to create Libertarian countries out of these floating cities…

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Restaurant forces customers to sign no cellphone contract before dining

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I promise not to use my cell phone while eating…

A shout of OHHH MY GODDDD ARE YOU SERIOUS? SHE DID? The LED flash of someone Instagramming their entree, followed by look of smug gratification. Some jerk waving his phone around trying to get a cell signal Foursquare. Not anymore!

Buzzing DC eatery Rogue24 wants hype to be the only thing in the air, making patrons ink a contract that prohibits the use of phones and cameras during meals. What! Creeping fascism!

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Flaxseed might protect against death from radiation

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Another benefit from flax?

Flaxseed may protect against the damaging effects of radiation, whether from a terrorist’s dirty bomb or a routine cancer treatment, a new study in mice suggests.

Mice that ate flaxseed either before or up to six weeks after receiving a large radiation dose to the chest were more likely to survive and had fewer lung problems than mice not given flaxseed. Four months after receiving radiation, up to 88 percent of mice that ate flaxseed were still alive, compared with just 40 percent of mice who did not eat flaxseed.

Researchers have been particularly interested in finding a cheap, safe supplement to give to people who have been exposed to radiation in the event of a terrorist attack…

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Getting GMO labeling on the ballot in California

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Do you know when you eat a GMO?

The fact that 165 million acres of GMO crops are currently being cultivated is made even worse by the idea that it’s difficult and sometimes impossible to avoid these foods in your grocery store. As a nation we have vastly more GMO cultivated land than any other country and we’re one of the few industrialized nations that doesn’t label GMOs as such. But this could all change, starting with California. Proponents of GMO labeling are fighting hard to get the measure on the California ballot in 2012 so the masses can let their opinion be known…

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Fossilized pregnant dinosaur may present first evidence of live birth

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A soon to be famous fossil.

This fossilized Polycotylus latippinus, a carnivorous marine reptile that lived 78 million years ago, contains a smaller, less developed skeleton inside of her. Scientists are therefore speculating that this creature did not lay eggs like other dinosaurs, but gave birth to live young…

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Scientists grow functional anal sphincter in petri dish

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A replacement sphincter grown inside a laboratory.

The loss of sphincter control is a common and humiliating problem for aging adults. Researchers led by Shreya Rhagavan of the University of Michigan Medical School may have developed a solution: a replacement sphincter grown inside a laboratory…

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Information could escape from Black Holes after all, study suggests

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Do black holes NOT swallow everything?

New research by scientists at the University of York gives a fresh perspective on the physics of black holes. Black holes are objects in space that are so massive and compact they were described by Einstein as “bending” space. Conventional thinking asserts that black holes swallow everything that gets too close and that nothing can escape, but the study by Prof. Samuel Braunstein and Dr. Manas Patra suggests that information could escape from black holes after all…

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Sculpt 123D iPad app makes sculpting cool again

I can’t decide whether or not Michelangelo would roll over in his grave or jump for joy if he saw this app. Then again, Michelangelo would probably faint from seeing a light bulb, so who knows how he’d react to tablet applications. In any case, the Sculpt 123D iPad app from Autodesk looks like a really cool way get your hands dirty with an art form that the majority of us have no experience with: sculpting.

You start with a basic shape, like a car or a person, and then get to use different tools to “sculpt” that shape into what you’d like it to be. The app also has stamps that you can adjust and add to sculptures…

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China launches its first ever aircraft carrier

There’s no denying that China is a growing super power. It dominates manufacturing after drawing western countries with cheap labor prices and readily available materials, until recently it had a stranglehold on supplies of rare earth minerals, and while Western markets are struggling with debt it has enough money to invest heavily in businesses around the world.

The latest step forward for the country is the launching of a 300-meter-long, 60,000 ton aircraft carrier…

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You can finally share photos natively using Twitter

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Is sharing caring?

Wow. Five years after it launched, Twitter has finally added native photo-sharing to its service. Starting now, all Twitter.com users have a camera icon that lets you add a photo to your tweet.

Images that are 3MB or less in size can be uploaded and embedded into a tweet…

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.