An international group of astronauts, scientists and others have called for a rapid expansion of efforts to detect asteroids capable of causing widespread destruction on earth, warning that this is one of the biggest threats to humanity in the coming … Read the rest
Archive for the ‘Science’ Category
‘Racist’ scientist forced to sell Nobel Prize medal
The geneticist James Watson, who has been ostracized since public comments about black African IQ in 2007, is to auction off his 1962 prize for discovering the structure of DNA. It is expected to fetch in excess of $3 million.… Read the rest
First woman to head CERN
Italian physicist Fabiola Gianotti was chosen on Tuesday to head the CERN particle physics research centre that houses the giant LHC “Big Bang” machine, making her the first woman nominated to lead a top global scientific institution in the field.… Read the rest
‘This ebola is a very different bug’
Peter Jahrling of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease is on the front lines fighting this disease in Liberia. He is one of the top authorities in the world on Ebola.
Jahrling believes the current Ebola outbreak may … Read the rest
Mars expedition: Astronauts simulate life on planet for 8 months
For eight months, six astronauts will be essentially locked into a small dome in Hawaii as NASA attempts to study the consequences of living the quiet, lonely lifestyle that humans would experience on Mars.
Titled the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog … Read the rest
IBM, Ford not liable for ‘apartheid claims’ – US court
A Manhattan federal judge has dismissed a 12-year-old lawsuit accusing Ford Motor and IBM of encouraging human rights abuses in apartheid-era SA, reluctantly concluding the case does not belong in US courts.
US district judge Shira Scheindlin said last week … Read the rest
Spanish priest dies of Ebola
Spanish priest Miguel Pajares, 75, the first European infected by a strain of Ebola that has killed more than 1,000 people in West Africa, has died in hospital in Madrid, a spokeswoman for the city’s health authorities said on Tuesday.… Read the rest
Fracking associated with human hormone disruption
Many chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can disrupt not only the human body’s reproductive hormones but also the glucocorticoid and thyroid hormone receptors, which are necessary to maintain good health, a new study finds. The results were presented … Read the rest
Millions of ‘Spanish’ Jews to apply for citizenship
Jewish associations expect 3.5 million Sephardic Jews to apply for Spanish citizenship after Spain’s Justice Ministry approved a draft law which will allow them to return to the country their ancestors were kicked out of more than 500 years ago.… Read the rest
Scientists steer nanomotors inside living human cells
Scientists at Penn State University have successfully controlled tiny nanomotors inside living human cells. Consisting of tiny, rocket-shaped bits of metal, the nanomotors were propelled by ultrasonic waves and steered with magnets. Researcher Tom Mallouk wasn’t afraid to talk up … Read the rest
RoboEarth: Should we just surrender?
Scientists have created a network which various smart devices and artificial intelligences will use autonomously to share information and learn from each other – increasing their capabilities. Should we just surrender now? The BBC reports:
A world wide web for … Read the rest
Enter the molecular age
Materials shape human progress – think Stone Age or Bronze Age. The 21st century has been referred to as the molecular age, a time when scientists are beginning to manipulate materials at the atomic level to create new substances with … Read the rest
Study claims American ‘racism’ harmful to health
Accelerated aging and a greater likelihood of suffering from an age-related illness at a younger age are two consequences being linked to African-American men who have experienced high-levels of racism throughout their lives.
A study published in the American Journal … Read the rest
Geek oil or peak oil?
A new scientific discovery that takes algae and turns it into crude oil in minutes rather than millions of years could be the end of constant worries over “peak oil.”
Engineers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory … Read the rest