Clipmarks | JohnWaterman's 'news' clips

"Huge" announcement due about potential for life on Mars - White House has been briefed

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:56:57 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

It would appear that the US President has been briefed by Phoenix scientists about the discovery of something more "provocative" than the discovery of water existing on the Martian surface. This news comes just as the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) confirmed experimental evidence for the existence of water in the Mars regolith on Thursday. Whilst NASA scientists are not claiming that life once existed on the Red Planet's surface, new data appears to indicate the "potential for life" more conclusively than the TEGA water results. Apparently these new results are being kept under wraps until further, more detailed analysis can be carried out, but we are assured that this announcement will be huge…

So why is there all this secrecy?

the next big discovery will need to be mulled over for a while before it is announced to the world

Scientists are keen to point out however, that this secretive news will in no way indicate the existence of life (past or present) on Mars

Tags: astronomy, life on mars

Hairstyles in African Culture

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:18:42 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: nubianhairsupplies.homestead.com

Hairstyles in Africa and among African Americans are ever-changing, yet deeply rooted in a shared past.

Hairdressing in Africa is always the work of trusted friends or relatives. In addition to the amiable social aspects of the event, the hair, in the hands of an enemy, could become an ingredient in the production of a dangerous charm or "medicine" that would injury the owner.

Click to enlarge photos and for description:

Natives of Ugogo, east central Africa

Gogo

Source Title: Illustrated London news.

Publisher: London : Illustrated London News and Sketch Ltd., 1842

Serpa Pinto, Alexandre Alberto Da Rocha De, 1846-1900, artist

Source Title: History of Mankind, by Friedrich Ratzel, translated from the second German edition by A. J. Butler, with an introduction by E. B. Tylor, Publisher: New York: Macmillan, 1896-1898.

Heathen Tv

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:47:05 GMT

clipped by: Antara
clipper's remarks:

Clip Source: heathen.tv

Tags: heathens, infidels, rabblerousers, interesting

World Press Photo Award 2008

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:08:21 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Tim Hetherington won the world press photo of the year prize with this picture of an unidentified US soldier resting in a bunker in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The evacuation of dead mountain gorillas at Virunga National Park, Eastern Congo won first prize in the contemporary issues singles category

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Hunting the Narwal in Nunavut, Canada won second prize in the nature stories category

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Operation rock avalanche, Afghanistan, won first prize in the general news stories category

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

A basketball match from Chris Detrick's portfolio that won him the third prize in the sports action stories category

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

PKK fighters in southern Kurdistan/northern Iraq won first prize for people in the news

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

first prize for sports features

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

first prize for single portraits

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

won the sports action singles prize

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

arts and entertainment stories first prize

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

first prize in the nature singles category

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

third prize in the category of spot news singles

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

winner of the portraits stories prize

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

How does evolution impact my life?

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:06:32 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: evolution.berkeley.edu

Relevance of evolution: Agriculture
Explore just a few of the many cases in which evolutionary theory helps us secure and improve the world's crops. Genetic diversity, disease resistance and pest control are highlighted

Relevance of evolution: Conservation
Explore just a few of the many cases in which evolutionary theory helps us form conservation strategies

Relevance of evolution: Medicine
Explore just a few of the many cases in which evolutionary theory helps us understand and treat disease. Bacterial infections, HIV, and Huntington's disease are highlighted

From the origin of life to the future of biotech: The work of Andy Ellington

Evolutionary biology: Technology for the 21st century

Evo in the news: Evolution at the scene of the crime

Evo in the news: Evolutionary evidence takes the stand

Evo in the news: Genealogy enthusiasts mine DNA for clues to evolutionary history

Interview: Massimo Pigliucci on evolution's importance to society

Sad News: Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:20:56 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: www.paulkidby.com

I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early

onset Alzheimer's,

We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I

expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet

PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should
be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as
will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think

Tags: alzheimer's, terry pratchett

Bloggers Need to Take Over Science Journalism

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:11:24 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

Aaargh. When will the media learn? National Geographic is running this ridiculous headline right now: New Fossil Ape May Shatter Human Evolution Theory, in which the reporter claims a discovery of some teeth could "demolish a working theory of human evolution." It's not true. Where is this nonsense coming from?

The exciting news is that the "combined evidence suggests that Chororapithecus may be a basal member of the gorilla clade, and that the latter exhibited some amount of adaptive and phyletic diversity at around 10-11 Myr ago." It concludes with a suggestion that we need to do more research in sediments appropriate to Miocene apes. There aren't an exploding paradigms or revolutions suggested

associated news article in Nature. It's titled "Oldest gorilla ages our joint ancestor." It says that this discovery pushes back the time of divergence of the gorilla lineage from our own. This is just ordinary science

read the blogs

Afarensis

John Hawks

John Wilkins

these discussions are

accurate

Tags: science, journalism, national geographic, blogs, bloggers

Escape Pod - SciFi Stories read to you

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:49:01 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator
clipper's remarks: Try it you might like it!

Clip Source: escapepod.org

Flash (25)
Hugo Awards (9)
Interviews (2)
Podcasts (167)
Rambling (1)
Rated G (37)
Rated PG (69)
Rated R (53)
Rated X (4)
Reviews (21)
SF/F News (10)
Shoutouts (8)
Site News (25)

Our main feed:

Clip Source: escapepod.org

EP114: Cloud Dragon Skies

Clip Source: escapepod.org

By N.K. Jemisin.
Read by Máia Whitaker (of Knitwitch’s Scifi/Fantasy Zone).
First appeared in Strange Horizons, August 2005.
Closing music: “The Fall,” by Red Hunter.

Tags: escape pod, scifi, stories, audio

Does anyone care?

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 01:43:09 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

The Lebanese army has continued its bombardment of the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp with artillery and tank fire, a senior military official has said.

One Lebanese soldier was killed in Saturday's clashes at the Palestinian refugee camp and another died of wounds he received on Friday, the official said.

Fatah Islam fighters responded to Lebanese shelling with at least three Katyusha rockets on a coastal town about five kilometres from the camp, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Saturday's deaths raised to 96 the number of soldiers killed since fighting between the army and Fatah Islam fighters began on May 20 in the Nahr el-Bared camp on the outskirts of the northern port city of Tripoli.

Fatah Islam fighters launched 19 Katyusha rockets on Friday that hit villages next to the camp, injuring two people.

Tags: war, lebanon, middle east, islam, news, fatah, shia, sunni

Bears eat keeper who took their bile

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 21:26:46 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A kilo of bear bile can fetch up to $1,000 in the Chinese market

A Chinese man has reportedly been killed and eaten by six bears in Shulan, Jilin province.

Han Shigen earned a living by extracting bile from the gall bladders of his captive live bears, according to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

He was attacked on Monday morning while cleaning the animals' cage, Xinhua said, quoting the Beijing News.

Xinhua said the animals were so enraged that two hours passed before it was deemed safe enough to remove his body.

Many parts of the bear, including the brain and spinal cord, have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The most coveted part is the bile within the gall bladder, which can often be more expensive that the equivalent weight of narcotics.

Bear bile can fetch an estimated $1,000 per kilo in Asian markets.

The bile is extracted in an excruciatingly painful process which involves slicing into the animal's flesh and "milking" the substance with a tube.

The bile is then used for everything from hair shampoo to wine, as well as medicinal treatments for various intestinal and cardiac-related complaints.

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Tags: news, animals, bears, zoo