Alpha Centauri or bust.
Darpa, the government agency that helped invent the Internet, now wants to do the same for travel to the stars.
Continue reading… “Darpa seeks plan to send humans to the stars”
Alligator fat could be a new source of biodiesel
Alligator fat meets nearly all of the official standards for high-quality biodiesel.
Alligators, in addition to being a novelty food, could also provide a feedstock for biodiesel. The alligator meat industry disposes of about 15 million pounds of alligator fat in landfills every year. Scientists discover the that oil can be extracted from the fat and used to make a high-quality biodiesel.
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Scientists reverse evolution to create chickens that grow alligator-like snouts
Altering the DNA of chicken embryos can give them qualities they lost millions of years ago.
Chickens and other birds are thought to have descended from dinosaurs through a series of genetic changes. Scientists have rewound 65 million years of evolutionary history by tweaking chicken DNA to create embryos that grow alligator-like snouts rather than beaks.
Candle flames contain millions of tiny diamonds
As if a candlelit dinner wasn’t romantic enough.
Scientists have shown that each flickering candle flame contains ‘millions of tiny diamonds that are created and disappear in the blink of an eye’.
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USPTO’s major milestones from one to eight million patents
USPTO issues 8,000,000th patent on August 17, 2011.
The first patent granted by the USPTO was in 1836 and 175 years later, the government body now has a database that is eight million strong.
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Prescription drug shortages lead to price gouging, patient safety
Pharmaceutical price gouging isn’t illegal, it is sleazy — and potentially dangerous.
You can be arrested for scalping tickets to a rock concert. But reselling lifesaving medications at a hefty markup is a thriving business.
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Major breakthrough on how viruses infect plants
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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Caffeine in sunscreen could provide greater protection against skin cancer
Caffeine in sunscreen could add greater protection against skin cancer.
Putting caffeine in sunscreen could provide greater protection against skin cancer, suggest scientists. They believe the chemical found in coffee absorbs ultraviolet radiation when applied to the skin and prevents tumors after exposure to sunlight.
World’s fastest running two-legged robot
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlOwk6_xpWo&hd=1[/youtube]
MABEL is a robot in a University of Michigan lab can run like a human. That is a feat that represents the height of agility and efficiency for a two-legged machine. MABEL is believed to be the world’s fastest bipedal robot with knees with a peak pace of 6.8 miles per hour.
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Top 10 best small towns in America 2011
Louisville, Colorado, home of the DaVinci Institute, has been
ranked No. 1 as the best small city in America.
In the minds of most people the phrase “small town” conjures up images of happier times.When the economy wasn’t in the current state it is now. When unemployment wasn’t above 9%. When people didn’t stress out about home values. When school budgets weren’t under siege. Those were the days, right?
Five little-known inventions from deceased robot maker George C. Devol
How many of his inventions can you name?
George Devol (above right) died last week at his home in Connecticut. He invented the Unimate, the first programmable Industrial Robot. But his creative genius did not stop there. Check out these five little-known inventions developed during his long career…
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Watching an hour of tv can shorten your life 22 minutes
Watching 60 minutes of is like smoking two cigarettes.
After the age of 25, watching an hour of TV can shorten the viewer’s life by just under 22 minutes, according to researchers in Australia.
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