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Beer could help prevent Prostrate Cancer

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:08:15 GMT

Beer-drinking men may be reducing their chances of developing prostate cancer with every pint, tests by scientists have revealed.

Experiments have shown that xanthohumol, a compund derived from the hops in beer, blocks a chemical reaction that can lead to the development of cancer.

Study leader Dr Clarissa Gerhausa, from the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg, said: "We hope that one day we can demonstrate that xanthohumol prevents prostate cancer development, first in animal models and then in humans, but we are just at the beginning."

Xanthohumol is a powerful antioxidant, known to have anti-cancer properties. It is also found in fruits and spices.

It was previously suggested that the compound could reduce the chances of females getting breast cancer.

Scientists now believe a similar reaction could affect men.

Further research involving rats showed that xanthohumol reduced the effects of hormone signalling in prostate tissue.

Tags: beer, cancer, health, mens-issues

2010 Porsche 911 turbo

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:27:03 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.popsci.com

Here, Porsche took the already robust horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine and, to use a dated Emeril quote, kicked it up notches unknown to man. The new Turbo engine puts out more power than its predecessor—500 horsepower, up from 480 in the last iteration, and 516 lb-ft of torque (up from 460 lb-ft) when equipped with overboost, which is available in the optional $3470 Sport Chrono Pack. This is due in part to the displacement rising from 3.6 liters to 3.8 liters, but also an increased compression ratio from 9.0 to 9.8:1 that allows the engine to create more power across the rev band, more effective intercoolers to cool off hot air passed through the turbos, a more refined exhaust system and reworked turbo system.

Clip Source: www.popsci.com

Tags: cars, porsche 911 turbo

Has Dark Matter Finally Been Detected On Earth?

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:28:10 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.popsci.com

Dark Matter Lens This map shows the distribution of dark matter that created the gravitational lens observed by the Hubble telescope during the COSMOS survey. coutesy of Richard Massey and NASA

Today's rumors started to spread after the blog Resonaances reported an embargoed physics paper due for publication in next week's issue of the journal Nature. Physics papers rarely appear in that journal, except to announce a new discovery. And with a paper coming out of the CDMS experiment, the natural inference is that the article will announce the discovery of dark matter.

The CDMS Facility: Searching for dark matter in Minnesota's deepest iron mine

the paper remains under wraps until next week. However, any physics paper in Nature is certain to cover some very important science. So, check back next week to find out of if we've finally found evidence of dark matter, or if the CDMS researchers have something totally unexpected up their sleeves.

Tags: physics, dark matter

To Increase Passenger Jet Fuel Efficiency, Airlines Look to Nature's Flying Formations

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:22:32 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.popsci.com

Flying in Formation Takes Aircraft Farther

Aeronautics experts at Stanford found in previous research that a formation of 25 birds flying in formation -- an echelon, V-shape, etc. -- can improve their range efficincy by a whopping 71 percent over solo flight. This is due to an aerodynamic phenomenon known as upwash that causes the air flowing over a bird's wings to curl upwards as it passes the wingtips. Birds flying in its wake experience reduced drag, expending less energy to fly a given distance.

When the same principle is applied to aircraft, the results are not too different. The Stanford team modeled three planes departing from the West Coast and rendezvousing over Utah in a V formation. If the planes rotate positions so each one spends time in the favorable spots, the team found that the planes could shave 15 percent from both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, while trimming a quarter from nitrogen oxide output.

Tags: aeropspace, energy industry, environment

Chinese Woman Surgically Switches Fingerprints To Evade Japanese Immigration Officers

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:12:56 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.popsci.com

When attempting to evade biometric sensors, most go with the Tyler Durden or the John Doe from Se7en route, and simply cut or burn off their fingerprints. Unfortunately, that's a little obvious. So, for criminals looking to slip through fingerprinting in Japanese airports, fingerprint transplant surgery is all the rage.

That's what Lin Ring did when attempting to sneak back in Japan. Lin, a 27-year-old Chinese national, paid around $14,600 to have the fingerprints on her left hand switched with the fingerprints on her right hand. Customs agents discovered the fraud when they saw scars from the surgery on Lin's fingers.

While the BBC says this is Japan's first case of biometric fraud, the Mainichi Daily News claims that Lin is the eighth person arrested this year in Japan for altering their fingerprints in some fashion. According to Japanese police, Chinese doctors run a booming business in fingerprint surgery to help citizens slip past customs.

Tiniest Transistor Ever Runs Electric Current through a Single Atom

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:34:55 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.popsci.com

A tiny working transistor provides a glimpse of the future in quantum computing

Tiniest Transistor A) Colored scanning electron microscope image of the measured device. B) The red and the yellow spheres show the spin-down and -up states of a donor electron which induce the lines of high conductivity clearly visible in the figure. American Chemical Society

Ever-faster computers face a slowdown because of upcoming physical limits on the size of transistors, the small switches that control electronic processes. Now researchers have demonstrated the world's tiniest transistor, which passes electric current through a single phosphorus atom -- an achievement that goes beyond classical computing and hints at the future of quantum computing.

Tags: computers, quantum computing

Power from Poo

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:06:55 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: news.sky.com

They say where there's muck, there's brass - and now one company has proved the truth of the adage in very literal way.

Thames Water has generated renewable power from the solid waste of its customers

Thames Water has announced it generated enough energy from sewage to make a yearly saving on its electricity bill of £15m.

The company, which serves London and the wider region, generated renewable power from the solid waste produced by its 13.6 million customers.

Under one method of processing the sludge, energy was generated by drying sewage into blocks which were then burnt to generate power.

Alternatively, the waste was broken down through anaerobic digestion - whereby microorganisms process biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen - to create methane, which can be used as a fuel.

Tags: alternative energy, energy industry, environment

Overview Spaceship Two from Virgin Galactic

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:12:44 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.virgingalactic.com

Virgin Galactic's Vehicles.

SpaceShipTwo uses all the same basic technology, carbon composite construction and design as SpaceShipOne. However it is around twice as large as that vehicle and will carry six passengers and two pilots. It is 60ft long with a 90" diameter cabin which is similar in size to a Falcon 900 executive jet albeit with no floor dissecting the cabin allowing maximum room for the astronauts to float in zero gravity. Each passenger gets the same seating position with two large windows: WINDOW SIZE one side window and one overhead, so that, if you don't want to float free in space, and you'd rather just remain in your seat, you still get a great chance to see the view. No more squabbling over who has the best seat!

The spaceship is powered by a hybrid rocket motor.

316,000ft / 110km Virgin Galactic's maximum altitude. SpaceShipTwo feathers after rocket burn.

Origins of 13 Common Superstitions

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:39:19 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.womansday.com

Even if you don’t consider yourself a superstitious person, you probably say “God bless you” when someone sneezes or find yourself knocking wood. And, though superstitions aren’t logical, the idea of luck and magic can be comforting—especially when so many things are beyond our control. In honor of this unlucky day, we set out to discover the source for 13 common superstitions.

1. The Number 13

2. Black Cats

3. Breaking a Mirror

4. Walking Under a Ladder

5. Throwing Salt over Your Shoulder

6. Opening an Umbrella Inside

7. Saying “God Bless You” After a Sneeze

8. Carrying a Rabbit’s Foot

9. Knocking on Wood

10. Crossing Your Fingers

11. Horseshoes

12. Four-Leaf Clovers

13. Bird Droppings on Your Head

In 2010, the Civilian Space Industry Finally Takes Off

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:22:56 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.popsci.com

Who needs the space shuttle? Take a tour inside the private space industry and its innovative, efficient plans to get astronauts into space when NASA retires its old ride

October 15, 2009: Virgin Galactic’s bullet-nosed rocket, SpaceShipTwo, sits in the hangar of Scaled Composites in Mojave, California, awaiting a paint job before its public debut in December.

Jeff Greason, XCOR’s president, sits in a mock-up of the company’s suborbital rocket ship, the Lynx, seen here as a computer rendering. Compared with SpaceShipTwo, “it will be more of a ‘Right Stuff’ experience,” he says. “You’ll feel more like an astronaut.”

Burning liquid oxygen and kerosene, the main engine of XCOR’s Lynx shoots flames during a test last March in the Mojave Desert.

SpaceShipTwo in Space Rendering: Courtesy Virgin Galactic

The Lynx: Courtesy Mike Massee/XCOR

SpaceShipTwo and Eve:

Friendly Polar Bears

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:07:21 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: acidcow.com

If you want to be friends with polar bears, you just need a couple of cans of condensed milk.
They love it.

Tags: animals, bizarre, photos, vintage

Internet down in Iran ahead of planned protests

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:12:19 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Internet access in Tehran was almost completely unavailable on Saturday, two days ahead of planned demonstrations in the Iranian capital by opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Sources close to Iran's technical services told AFP the cut was the result of "a decision by the authorities" rather than a technical breakdown. Telecommunications ministry officials were unavailable for comment.

The internet, SMS text messaged and at times even mobile phone connections have frequently been cut or scrambled since Mr Ahmadinejad's contested re-election in June.

But Saturday's disruption was the first such occurrence a full two days before planned protests.

Iranian opposition groups are preparing to hold fresh demonstrations on Monday, several websites have reported. The elite Revolutionary Guards and other authorities have warned they will take tough action on any attempt by regime opponents to hijack an annual event to mount further protests against Mr Ahmadinejad.

Tags: censorship, democracy, internet, iran, oppresion, protest

Oceans: an underwater film featuring footage of whales, dolphins, penguins and sharks

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:50:33 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife
clipper's remarks: More images from upcoming movie Oceans

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

...and a sand-level view of tiny turtles hatching and scurrying to the ocean

An underwater film which took four years and £45 million to produce will be launched early next year. It took two years of planning before 15 cameramen could even begin filming Oceans, which will be out on general release on 27 January 2010

Tags: animals, oceans, photos, sea-life

Flying Pigs

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:50:29 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

This little piggy is more than happy to show the world two clean pairs of heels. At six weeks old, Scarlett the rare-breed porker has already mastered the art of trampolining.

High hopes: The Howells discovered that their piglet had hidden circus skills after putting her on a trampoline

Tags: animlas, bizarre

Oceans - making of a film

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:30:45 GMT

clipped by: countryboylife

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

These are the stunning images shot for an underwater film created using revolutionary technology.

Just going for a little flight: A long-beaked dolphin is caught on camera by a mini helicopter as it leaps from the water in an unspecified location in one of the images from the film

Behind the scenes: A mini helicopter hovers above a whale during the four years of filming

The film, Oceans for Pathi, is set to be launched next year.

Sand-eye view: This eerie image of horseshoe crabs scuttling on a beach was part of the 500 hours of unedited footage

My, what big fins you have: A diver appears dwarfed by a sunfish in footage from the film. It took four years to create

Cuddles: A walrus with its baby in another image from the film

Cannonball!: Sea birds dive bomb the water in search of fish

Head first: An Adelie penguin diving from an iceberg in the film

Hold that pose: Two Weddell seals turn their inquisitive eyes on the camera in footage from the film

Tags: animals, movies, sea-life