Clipmarks | pokkets's 'science' clips

'Old-boy's club holding back innovation

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 08:42:24 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: We all now have access to a vast amount of research and data on the net. a Few people would have absolutely no hope, but the networks being created on the web, are places where anyone can comment, or include findings, so the pieces can start coming together more quickly. It isn't what we know that is important. it's what we do with the knowledge

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

Science needs to break free of its power-brokers and embrace a participatory web-based culture to boost innovation, says one expert.

John Wilbanks, of Science Commons - a project of Creative Commons - says the plethora of machine-generated data, that characterises today's scientific activity, needs the power of open networks to make sense of it properly.

"The value of any individual piece of knowledge is about the value of any individual piece of lego," Wilbanks said in a keynote address to the Open Access and Research Conference held in Brisbane last week.

"It's not that much until you put it together with other legos."

He says the ability to connect knowledge brings scientific revolutions. For example Watson and Crick's breakthrough on the structure of DNA involved them reading all the scientific papers on nucleotide bonding and encoding it in the form of a physical model, says Wilbanks.

"For example, we have 45,000 papers about one protein or one gene," says Wilbanks.

The Paranormal

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:24:14 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: some organisations such as the United States National Science Foundation have stated that mainstream science does not support paranormal beliefs.
Perhaps that's one of the reasons Scientists are surprised so often

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Paranormal is an umbrella term used to describe unusual phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious scientific explanation.^[1] In parapsychology, it is used to describe the potentially psychic phenomena of telepathy, extra-sensory perception, psychokinesis, ghosts, and hauntings. The term is also applied to UFOs, some creatures that fall under the scope of cryptozoology, purported phenomena surrounding the Bermuda Triangle, and other non-psychical subjects.^[2] Stories relating to paranormal phenomena are widespread in popular culture and folklore

Paranormal · Forteana
Cryptozoology · Supernatural
Ghosts · Psychics
Remote viewing · Clairvoyance
Extra-sensory perception
Near-death experience
Precognition · Psychokinesis
Psychometry · Telepathy
Apparitional experience
Parapsychology
Haunted locations
UFOs · UFO sightings
Paranormal UFO explanations
Paranormal fiction
Ghost hunting · Folklore

Skepticism

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
Debunking · Hoaxes

1 Paranormal research

Homeland Security Detects Terrorist Threats by Reading Your Mind

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:18:34 GMT

clipped by: sunstreak509

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Most preventive screening looks for explosives or metals that pose a threat. But a new system called MALINTENT turns the old school approach on its head. This Orwellian-sounding machine detects the person — not the device — set to wreak havoc and terror.

MALINTENT, the brainchild of the cutting-edge Human Factors division in Homeland Security's directorate for Science and Technology, searches your body for non-verbal cues that predict whether you mean harm to your fellow passengers.

Tags: united states, homeland security, terrorism

Nurture affects physiology

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:49:02 GMT

clipped by: tumblon
clipper's remarks: A study at the University of Minnesota is finding that nurture in early childhood really does matter to the physical structure of the brain.

Clip Source: www.startribune.com

"What [Zelazo] is starting to show is that exposure to certain kinds of education and certain kinds of nurturing environments actually produce physically measurable changes in the brain," said Michael Feuer, executive director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Academies of Science.

Tags: brain, children, education

It's Time for Science and Reason

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:42:59 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

The Roots of Today's Science Fiction Go Back Centuries

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:41:03 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: Much more of the website,

Clip Source: io9.com

Science Fiction came of age in the 19th Century under the talents of writers like Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells. But before these authors stands a long history of proto-science fiction tales, replete with voyages to the moon, socially and technologically advanced civilizations, and visions of the future. We've delved into our scifi roots and found some of the surprisingly forward-looking works from poets, mathematicians, politicians, and philosophers that predate the year 1800.

Lucian of Samosata – A True History (2nd Centure CE):

his rousing tale of a trip to the moon, aliens armies, man-made men, and extraplanetary colonization is frequently recognized as the first known space opera.

Ibn al-Nafis – Theologus Autodidactus (c. 1270):

Thomas More – Utopia (1515):

Francis Bacon – The New Atlantis (1626):

Johannes Kepler – Somnium (The Dream) (1634):

Jonathan Swift – Gulliver’s Travels (1726):

Voltaire – Micromegas (1752):

Tags: science fiction, sci-fi, history, literature

Complex decision? Don't sleep on it

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:09:34 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Since its publication two years ago by a Dutch research team in the journal Science, the earlier finding had been used to encourage decision-makers to make "snap" decisions (for example, in the best-selling book Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell) or to leave complex choices to the powers of unconscious thought ("Sleep on it", Dijksterhuis et al., Science, 2006).

But in the new study, to be published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, scientists ran four experiments in which participants were presented with complex decisions and asked to choose the best option immediately ("blink"), after a period of conscious deliberation ("think"), or after a period of distraction ("sleep on it"), which is claimed to encourage "unconscious thought processes".

In all experiments, there was some evidence that conscious deliberation can lead to better choices and little evidence for superiority of choices made "unconsciously".

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Neither snap judgements nor sleeping on a problem are any better than conscious thinking for making complex decisions, according to new research.

The finding debunks a controversial 2006 research result asserting that unconscious thought is superior for complex decisions, such as buying a house or car.

If anything, the new study suggests that conscious thought leads to better choices.

"Claims that we can make superior 'snap' decisions by trusting intuition or through the 'power' of unconscious thought have received a great deal of attention in the media," says University of New South Wales psychologist, Dr Ben Newell, lead author of the new study.

"At best, these sorts of headlines are misleading," says Dr Newell. "At worst, they're outright dangerous. In stark contrast to claims made by the Dutch research team and in the media, we found very little evidence of the superiority of unconscious thought for complex decisions.

Tags: behavior, decision making, rationality, intuition

Cheaper fuel cell on the way

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:15:44 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: At the moment around $3500 to $4000 worth of platinum is required for a hydrogen fuel cell big enough for the average passenger car.
Platinum is around double the price of Gold. Platinum in a similar way as it is used in rocket fuel cells, is the catalyst that makes the oxygen and hydrogen burn efficiently enough to power an engine.
The new cathodes are expected to be 10% of the cost, for the same current and also immune from being affected by carbon monoxide, so are more stable than platinum nanoparticles,
Now would be a good time to sell Platinum futures.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

A much cheaper fuel cell could be on its way thanks a new cathode built by Australian researchers.

The new cathode made of conducting polymer would replace a costly platinum cathode

A team at the Australian Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at Monash University in Melbourne report their findings in today's issue of the journal Science.

Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity and water and are thus a key area of research for powering greener cars.

The traditional fuel cell has a cathode which contains expensive platinum nanoparticles, says materials engineer Professor Maria Forsythe, who contributed to the development

She says the amount of platinum required for a passenger car is worth around $3500 to $4000, and this makes up the major cost of a fuel cell.

the nanoparticles can lose their effectiveness either by clumping together or by becoming "poisoned" by carbon monoxide

Conducting polymers are special plastics that conduct electricity.

The future of science...is art

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:30:20 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: "But before any of this can happen, our two existing cultures must modify their habits. First of all, the humanities must sincerely engage with the sciences. Henry James defined the writer as someone on whom nothing is lost; artists must heed his call, and not ignore science's inspiring descriptions of reality.

At the same time, the sciences must recognize that their truths are not the only truths. No single area of knowledge has a monopoly on knowledge. As Karl Popper, an eminent defender of science wrote, "It is imperative that we give up the idea of ultimate sources of knowledge, and admit that all knowledge is human; that it is mixed with our errors, our prejudices, our dreams, and our hopes; that all we can do is to grope for truth even though it is beyond our reach." The struggle for scientific truth is long and hard and never ending. If we want to get an answer to our deepest questions—the questions of who we are and what everything is—we will need to draw from both science

Clip Source: www.bryanchristiedesign.com

Clip Source: www.seedmagazine.com

the early 1920s, Niels Bohr was struggling to reimagine the structure of matter. Previous generations of physicists had thought the inner space of an atom looked like a miniature solar system with the atomic nucleus as the sun and the whirring electrons as planets in orbit. This was the classical model.

But Bohr had spent time analyzing the radiation emitted by electrons, and he realized that science needed a new metaphor. The behavior of electrons seemed to defy every conventional explanation. As Bohr said, "When it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry." Ordinary words couldn't capture the data.

Clip Source: www.seedmagazine.com

the epic questions that modern science must answer cannot be solved by science alone.

What does this novel or experiment or poem teach us about ourselves? How does it help us understand who we are, or what the universe is made of?

we will discover that poems and paintings can help advance our experiments and theories. Art can make science better.

Five Ways Reality Went Sci-Fi So Far This Century

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:18:34 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: io9.com

We love a good science fiction story, but sometimes reality is just as strange. While we may have seen 2001 come and go without an actual space odyssey, the last eight years have been full of events that - had they not actually happened - could easily pass for science fiction. Here are five real life events that still seem like they've come straight from the set-up of a big budget summer blockbuster.

Estonian Cyberwar: It may not have been the biggest cyber attack ever, but it's probably the strangest. Last year, Russian hackers got so ticked off when the tiny nation of Estonia digs up the remains of Soviet war heroes that they shut down Estonian newspapers, banks, and practically the entire government by using denial of service attacks on a huge scale.

CERN: You need only look at pictures from inside the Large Hadron Collider to realize the incredible, science fictional scale of the apparatus.

Space Tourism:

SARS, bird flu, and the other near-pandemics:

9/11:

Tags: reality, sci-fi

Mars Pictures From European Spacecraft Are Incredible (PHOTOS)

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:06:02 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Wow!

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

The European spacecraft in orbit around Mars has sent back these incredible, high-resolution images of the planet's surface. The photos remind us that Mars' past was filled with fast-flowing streams, rivers and oceans.

Tags: space, science, mars, technology, pictures, wow

Outer-space sex

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:51:11 GMT

clipped by: dakotayii
clipper's remarks: For all these reasons, Logan said spontaneous sex in space could be "a little underwhelming."

"It's a pretty messy environment, when you think about it," he said. "And for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. However ... I can well imagine how compelling, inspiring, and quite frankly stimulating choreographed sex in zero-G might be in the hands of a skilled and talented cinematographer with appropriate lighting and music."

When the crowd tittered, Logan added, "I'm not kidding: Sex in zero-G is going to have to be more or less choreographed. Otherwise it's just going to be a wild flail."

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Alan Boyle

Science editor

• Profile

• E-mail

LAS VEGAS - Having sex in the weightlessness of outer space is the stuff of urban legends and romantic fantasy — but experts say that there would be definite downsides as well.

"The fantasy might be vastly superior to the reality,"

"Sex in space is not just a good idea, it's survival," said Vanna Bonta,

However, off-Earth romantics will have to cope with some practical challenges:

Sex in space would likely be "hotter and wetter" than on Earth, Bonta said, because in zero-G there is no natural convection to carry away body heat. Also, scientists have found that people tend to perspire more in microgravity. The moisture associated with sexual congress could pool as floating droplets.

it was challenging even to kiss

You actually have to struggle to connect and stay connected

males might notice a "slight decrease" in penis size due to the lower blood pressure

Save the acrobatics for post-play vs. foreplay,"

Tags: science

Nano-zinc yields clearer fingerprints

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:16:13 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

A powder made up of zinc oxide nanoparticles can give crime fighters a clearer image of fingerprints, even on wet surfaces, say Australian researchers.

Dr Andrew McDonagh and colleagues, of the Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), report their findings in the Journal of Material Science.

McDonagh says traditional powder reveals fingerprints by sticking to the oily residues left on the surface - but this doesn't always work

on wet surfaces such as sinks or bath tubs, especially when part of the print has been washed away

Working with the Australian Federal Police, McDonagh and team tested a new fingerprint powder based on zinc oxide nanoparticles on surfaces such as glass, polyethylene and aluminium.

When illuminated with ultraviolet light the nanoparticles fluoresce without the addition of any fluorescent dyes.

Compared to conventional powders the researchers found the zinc oxide nanoparticle powder gave a much clearer picture of the fingerprints

Study blows whistle on ref's fitness.

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:39:24 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: The referee must keep up with the fastest player, for the whole match. The players take turns to score points, and spread the load between the team. The referee not only has to keep up, but never take their eye off the ball. Not only that, if a team loses, they can get the blame.
If you can't play become a referee? More like the other way around.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Dani Cooper

Referees give the sports people they preside over a run for their money quite literally, an Australian sports science expert says.

But when age catches up with them, some will "cheat" to help them keep control over the game, Dr Anthony Leicht, of the Institute of Sport and Exercise Science at James Cook University

Leicht says his study of elite basketball referees, published in a recent Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, shows they are working just as hard as the players.

"In basketball it is a small enclosed court and the general feeling was that referees stand around a lot," Leicht says.

For the study, Leicht monitored heart rates of seven elite-level basketball referees during a pre-Olympics tournament in the lead-up to the 2004 Athens Games.

He found the referees worked at an average heart rate of 150 beats per minute (plus or minus 18bpm) for each quarter of the match.

The referees on average ran between five and seven kilometres per game.

How to fold Proteins

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:51:44 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Proteins are complex molecules, and understanding the way they can fold using distributed computing, in the unused cpu load of home computers, can spread the load and research in more detail , both the way proteins fold, and the effects of incorrect folding. A prime example of such an instance in in the proteins known as prions, which with a wrong fold can be one of the contributing factors in Alzheimer's disease. The foldingathome network is the biggest computer in the world, with calculations done by the petaflop

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: folding.stanford.edu

Our goal: to understand protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases

What is protein folding and how is folding linked to disease?
Proteins are biology's workhorses -- its "nanomachines." Before proteins can carry out these important functions, they assemble themselves, or "fold." The process of protein folding, while critical and fundamental to virtually all of biology, in many ways remains a mystery.