Model of a protein as seen in Foldit
In an experiment called CASP9, scientists were struggling to map the structure of M-PMV, a protein involved in a virus that causes a form of simian Aids. In that experiment and others, the search had been going on for more than a decade. But the solution was not found by a laboratory but the players of an online puzzle game.
In the 1989 movie, Weekend at Bernie’s, In the 1989 film, Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman play two men who find their boss dead and decide to hang out with his body.
What would you do after discovering that your friend is dead, would you (A) call 911; (B) contact a family member; or (C) head off on a Weekend at Bernie’s-style tour of bars and strip clubs, with the fun and frivolity all charged to the deceased?
Continue reading… “Two men reenact Weekend at Bernie’s with buddy’s corpse”
Netflix will rename it’s DVD service – Qwikster.
Netflix Inc will be separating its movie streaming business from its DVD-by-mail service, which it is renaming Qwikster. Netflix is trying to recover from a customer backlash over its subscription fee increase.
Continue reading… “Netflix to seperate DVD-by-mail service from streaming”
To be or not to be. That is the question.
The Higgs boson is a hypothetical massive elementary particle predicted to exist by the Standard Model of particle physics. Its existence is postulated to resolve inconsistencies in theoretical physics, and experiments attempting to find the particle are being performed using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and the Tevatron at Fermilab…
‘Infinite Hero Bacon’ on the hoof.
Where does one secure the very best bacon? The supermarket? Shut up, rookie! You secure it from the heroic pig that survived for more than a month buried beneath the rubble of China’s horrific Sichuan earthquake.
His name is Zhu Jianqiang, or “Strong-Willed Pig,” but he might as well be known as “Infinite Hero Bacon” since it’s now obvious that his Chinese handlers plan on keeping his DNA alive forever…
Continue reading… “China creates “Infinite Hero Bacon” by cloning Invincible Earthquake Pig”
The Internet Archive’s Book Scanning project just added its three millionth text. Unlike Google Book Search, the Archive only scans public domain works, and, more significantly, places no restrictions on the scans’ usage. Another significant difference is the Archive’s privacy policy, which, unlike Google, promises not to release your personal information without a court order.
Continue reading… “Internet Archive adds its three millionth scanned book”
The world temperature should have risen more than it did but where was the heat going?
The mystery of Earth’s missing heat may have been solved: it could lurk deep in oceans, temporarily masking the climate-warming effects of greenhouse gas emissions, researchers reported on Sunday.
Continue reading… “Earth’s ‘missing’ heat may be hiding deep in oceans”
When ethanol is broken down by the body, it can cause DNA damage that may lead to dangerous changes to the cells.
Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of cancer because ethanol is itself a carcinogen on certain parts of the body, scientists have found.
Continue reading… “Drinking alcohol does increase your risk of cancer: study”
Improved focus helps children to learn skills and acquire language, and the brain is at its most adaptable early in life.
Scientists say they have found the first evidence that infants as young as 11 months can be taught to focus attention, making it easier for them to learn new skills.
Few people realize the Smurf’s cartoon series was based on
an actual race of tiny blue people living in Cleveland
“I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That’s deep enough. What do you want – an adorable pancreas?” – – Jean Kerr
Computers are getting more efficient every day.
Those of us fighting the battle with computer batteries will appreciate this. Batteries have come a long way since the 1990s. For instance, if a MacBook Air were as efficient today as a 1991 computer, the battery would last for 2.5 seconds. In other words, it would be dead by the time you got to the end of this sentence. The Atlantic has the story. And it’s bound to fan the flames of the PC v. Mac wars.
Flames also would refer to how quickly some PC batteries seem to burn out, compared to their Mac counterparts. I know, PCs are getting better. Don’t get me wrong. But Macs have lead the battery longevity pack for some time…
Continue reading… “Study: Energy efficiency of computers doubling every 18 months”
