Clipmarks | pokkets's 'science' clips

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

Icebergs sweep clean Antarctic sea bed

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:18:23 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Shrinking sea ice is significantly increasing the rate at which icebergs scour the Antarctic seabed, taking away large swathes of marine organisms in the process, say British researchers.

The study published in the latest issue of Science, says about 80% of Antarctic marine life is found on the seabed, and iceberg scours crush animals and plants living up to 500 metres below the surface.

Lead by Dan Smale of the British Antarctic Survey, the researchers say that, the current increased rate of iceberg scouring could change the distribution of key species and affect the type and number of creatures living in Antarctic waters.

Ice collapse exposes Antarctic beauty

The number of ice scours is expected to increase in the short-term as global warming continues to reduce the size and duration of winter sea ice, researchers say.

This was the first attempt to test the relationship between iceberg scours and the formation of winter sea ice.

Training reassessed after plutonium spill

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:16:36 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Terrible stuff to waste.

Clip Source: www.mail.com

Use of radioactive materials has been suspended and worker training is being reassessed following a plutonium spill at the Boulder, Colo., laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the agency's deputy director told a congressional subcommittee

"Based on the information available at this time, this incident was preventable," James M. Turner told the House Science and Technology's subcommittee on technology and innovation.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission ordered the Boulder laboratory

to stop using radioactive materials until it can show its procedures are safe, and that order remains in effect.

Subcommittee chairman David Wu, D-Ore., expressed his unhappiness at the June 9 incident, commenting that "along with scientific and technical excellence must be an equal dedication to safe laboratory practices."

The spill occurred when a test tube containing plutonium powder cracked and some of the powder spilled, according to testimony prepared for the hearing.

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

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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.

Clip Source: folding.stanford.edu

Folding@home Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Index

Clip Source: fahwiki.net

How does FAH work?

"To install or not to install..."

Convincing (a large institution) to run the FAH client

FAH & Cancer research

FAH, the GDP, and Tax Deductible Contributions.

Results of all this

The Future of Folding@Home

How an invisibility cloak works

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:10:57 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Inside this Article

Science Videos

More Science Videos »

Optical-camouflage technology developed at the University of Tokyo

The garment is made of a special material that we'll examine more closely in a moment

Next, an observer (Person B) stands before Person A at a specific location. At that location, instead of seeing Person A wearing a hooded raincoat, Person B sees right through the cloak, making Person A appear to be invisible.

The photograph on the right below shows you what Person B would see. If Person B were viewing from a slightly different location, he would simply see Person A wearing a silver garment (left photograph below

Still, despite its limitations, this is a cool piece of technology. Not only that, but it's also a technology that's been around for a while.

World's nine largest science projects

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:40:08 GMT

clipped by: hitchhiker08
clipper's remarks: Interesting and simply put...

Clip Source: www.discoverychannel.ca

The world's nine largest science projects

1. Large Hadron collider at CERN

world's largest science project

was unveiled to unearth the so-called "God particle"

2. Next-stop, cold fusion?: The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)

built in southern France and promises to deliver the world's first sustained fusion reactions;

3. The finished International Space Station, circa 2011

the International Space Station will be the largest multinational engineering project of all time.

4. A 3,000-foot-tall "Solar tower" in the Australian outback

Dubbed the "Solar Mission Project", this scientific feat takes solar energy to new heights.

5. The largest-scale climate-change simulator on Earth

using the idle computer time of thousands of volunteers to crunch climate-change data.

6. James Webb Space Telescope

will launch into an ultra-high orbit 1.5 million km from Earth (compare that to the 500 km Hubble

7. The Svalbard "Doomsday" Seed Vault

8. Space elevator

ANTARES

Honorable mention

Tags: science, space exploration, nuclear physics, fission, fusion, solar power, astronomy, telescope

Technology unlocks the silent mind

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:47:08 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: They can detect the answer to a yes/no question, from the scans of healthy volunteers.
This technique could the terms used to determine the nature of unconscious states, and will help define more accurately the chances of recovery. In many cases it may be a chance for someone who was apparently vegetative state to resume active communication with the outside world.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Thursday, 19 June 2008 Dani Cooper
ABC

The voices of people silenced by a completely paralysed body may be heard again through research being showcased in Melbourne today.

Dr Martin Monti, of the Medical Research Council's Cognition and Brain Science Unit in Cambridge, UK, says he has developed a way to communicate with anyone who cannot produce movement but is consciously aware.

He says the research, presented at the Organisation for Human Brain Mapping conference, has implications for the medical diagnosis of people as being in a vegetative state and for determining whether to discontinue feeding.

The research builds on a 2006 study by Dr Adrian Owen, also of the Cambridge centre, who reported in the journal Science that brain scans of a woman who had been in a vegetative state for five months showed her imagining playing tennis and responding to commands.

"The medical system needs to understand how to use it and at some point we have to look at the ethical and legal ramifications.

I See Doomed People

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:18:04 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

The director of The Happening, M. Night Shyamalan, talks about his scientific and environmental inspirations

In M. Night Shyamalan's film Signs, the protagonist suffers a crisis of faith so deep that it takes an alien invasion of Earth for him to work it out. In Shyamalan's latest movie, The Happening, which opens today, the protagonist suffers a crisis of reason. Unfortunately, this time not even the looming extinction of humanity resolves it for him.

Given that it's mass entertainment, the film raises a lot of interesting questions about science, and it's clear from it that Shyamalan's interest in science goes much deeper than a superficial mining of ideas for plotlines. His protagonist, high school biology teacher Elliot Moore (played by Mark Wahlberg), lectures about the limits of science's ability to explain the world and applies his critical faculties to staying alive when the "happening" happens.

(Spoiler alert from here on!)

Tags: the happening, reason

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:39:41 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: I linked to this site, after I found out how to make a bristle-bot, using a toothbrush, and the motor that gives you a ring in a cell phone. - Before I throw my cell phones out in future, I'll have to remove the motor.
They're making the world a Better Place.
One evil mad scientist at a time.

Clip Source: www.evilmadscientist.com

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

Making the World a Better Place, One Evil Mad Scientist at a Time

Clip Source: www.evilmadscientist.com

Ask The Physicist

The straight dope on terminal velocity and raindrops.

Clip Source: www.evilmadscientist.com

Jello Prank

Sure, you've heard of Erdős numbers and Bacon numbers, but have you heard of Erdős–Bacon numbers? (Mine is six!)

Angry sandwich

These guys say that they have big balls. I'm inclined to agree.

Flylogic features some pretty impressive take-aparts. [Via NYC Resistor]

Shop at Steve Spangler Science for all your science toy needs. :)

Clip Source: www.evilmadscientist.com

Epic take-apart: ... [+5]

Bristlebot: A tin... [+3]

Clip Source: www.evilmadscientist.com

The history of the Molotov Cocktail is more interesting than you might have expected.

Clip Source: www.evilmadscientist.com

More photos in Evil Mad Scientist Projects

Clip Source: www.evilmadscientist.com

Epic take-apart: HP Color LaserJet 2600n

Scientists to Launch Missle Attack on the Moon -Will Jupiter's Europa Follow?

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:11:28 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: This is obviously a good plan that will probably bring many insights at a relatively low price. And yet.... I cannot escape the feeling that it is not very elegant; this primitive human trait of blowing things up, even if it is done in the name of science.

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Researchers are preparing to launch a missile attack on the moon in the name of science. If you're anything like us, this news has you fist-pumping and thinking "It's about time!"

As the name suggests, these missiles aren't designed to blow the moon up (sorry to disappoint any Michael Bays out there) but to embed themselves into the lunar surface.

From under the lunar soil a battery of seismic sensors and mineral analyzers can uncover a wealth of information about the moon's makeup.

The moon is only the first planned stop for Qinetiq's kinetic probes. The same approach can be applied to other rocky planets like Enceladus and Titan, though the most interesting destination has to be Europa. Long suspected of hiding a liquid ocean in a heated core, a prime life-capable site, seismic data from inside the icy shell would be extremely revealing.

The recent tests exceeded all expectations.

Tags: space exploration, moon

Top 10 Scientists Killed or Injured by Their Experiments

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:53:24 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: More details at source

Clip Source: listverse.com

Man owes a great debt to the scientists on this list; all of them died or were injured in their pursuit of knowledge. The advances they have all made to science are extraordinary and many of them paved the way for some of man’s greatest discoveries and inventions.

Karl Scheele

Died from tasting his discoveries

Scheele was a brilliant pharmaceutical chemist who discovered many chemical elements - the most notable of which were oxygen

Jean-Francois De Rozier

First victim of an air crash

Sir David Brewster

Nearly blinded

Elizabeth Ascheim

Killed by X-Rays

Alexander Bogdanov

Killed himself with blood

Robert Bunsen

Blinded himself in one eye

Sir Humphrey Davy

A catalog of disasters

Michael Faraday

Suffered chronic poisoning

Marie Curie

Died of radiation exposure

In 1898, Curie and her husband, Pierre, discovered radium.

Galileo Galilei

Blinded himself

Bonus

Louis Slotin

Killed himself with an accidental fission reaction

Tags: science