eldavojohn writes "A new paper up for prepublication from the controversial solid-state physicist Godfrey Louis claims that the cells Louis collected from a Keralan red rain incident divide and produce daughter cells at 121 degrees Celsius. While unusual, this is not unheard of as the paper recalls cells cultivated from hydrothermal vents are known to reproduce at 121 C as well. Of course, caution is exercised when dealing with the possible explanation surrounding the theory of panspermia but the MIT Technology Review says researchers 'examined the way these fluoresce when bombarded with light and say it is remarkably similar to various unexplained emission spectra seen in various parts of the galaxy. One such place is the Red Rectangle, a cloud of dust and gas around a young star in the Monocerous constellation.'"

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Hugh Pickens writes "The Guardian reports that in his new book, The Grand Design, Professor Stephen Hawking argues that the Big Bang, rather than occurring following the intervention of a divine being, was inevitable due to the law of gravity. 'Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist,' Hawking writes. 'It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.' Hawking had previously appeared to accept the role of God in the creation of the universe. Writing in his bestseller A Brief History Of Time in 1988, Hawking wrote: 'If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we should know the mind of God.'"

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beschra writes "BBC writes of 'terra-forming' Ascension Island, one of the islands Charles Darwin visited. He and a friend encouraged the Royal Navy to import boatloads of trees and plants in an attempt to capture the little bit of water that fell on the island. They were quite successful. The island even has a cloud forest now. From the article: '[British ecologist] Wilkinson thinks that the principles that emerge from that experiment could be used to transform future colonies on Mars. In other words, rather than trying to improve an environment by force, the best approach might be to work with life to help it "find its own way."'"

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A study by Dr. Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick and co-author Matthias Hastall suggests that your grandma's self-esteem gets a boost when she hears about the stupid things young people do. "Living in a youth centered culture, they may appreciate a boost in self-esteem. That's why they prefer the negative stories about younger people, who are seen as having a higher status in our society," said Dr. Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick. From the article: "All the adults in the study were shown what they were led to believe was a test version of a new online news magazine. They were also given a limited time to look over either a negative and positive version of 10 pre-selected articles. Each story was also paired with a photograph depicting someone of either the younger or the older age group. The researchers found that older people were more likely to choose to read negative articles about those younger than themselves. They also tended to show less interest in articles about older people, whether negative or positive."

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eldavojohn writes "A new analysis of millennia old mummy bones (abstract; full article is paywalled) shows high concentrations of tetracycline, which indicates empirical knowledge and use of antibiotics — most likely consumed in beer. The researchers traced the source of the antibiotics to the soil bacteria streptomyces present in the grain used to ferment the beer. Astonishingly enough, 'Even the tibia and skull belonging to a 4-year-old were full of tetracycline, suggesting that they were giving high doses to the child to try and cure him of illness.' The extent of saturation in the bones leads the scientists to assert that the population regularly consumed tetracycline antibiotics knowing that it would cure certain sicknesses."

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FleaPlus writes "NASA is spending a total of $475,000, split between Masten Space Systems and John Carmack's Armadillo Aerospace, for a series of seven test flights of the companies' reusable suborbital rockets over the next several months, going to altitudes as high as 25 miles. NASA's goal is to foster a more cost-effective and flexible way to conduct microgravity and upper-atmosphere research. Jeff Bezos's suborbital spaceflight company Blue Origin has also been making steady progress this year on their $3.7M contract to test pusher-escape system and composite pressure vessel technologies, which NASA is interested in for orbital spaceflight."

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It's doubtful that any other distillery will come up with a whisky that tastes like Gilpin Family Whisky because of its secret ingredient: urine. Researcher and designer James Gilpin uses the sugar rich urine of elderly diabetics to make his high-end single malt whisky. From the article: "The source material is acquired from elderly volunteers, including Gilpin's own grandmother, Patricia. The urine is purified in the same way as mains water is purified, with the sugar molecules removed and added to the mash stock to accelerate the whisky's fermentation process. Traditionally, that sugar would be made from the starches in the mash."

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An anonymous reader writes "The space age has filled Earth's orbit with all manner of space junk, from spent rocket stages to frozen bags of astronaut urine, and the problem keeps getting worse. NASA's orbital debris experts estimate that there are currently about 19,000 pieces of space junk that are larger than 10 centimeters, and about 500,000 slightly smaller objects. Researchers and space companies are plotting ways to clean up the mess, and a new photo gallery from Discover Magazine highlights some of the proposals. They range from the cool & doable, like equipping every satellite with a high-tech kite tail for deployment once the satellite is defunct, to the cool & unlikely, like lasers in space."

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Nzimmer911 writes "Heavy drinkers outlive non-drinkers according to a 20 years study following 1,824 people. From the article: 'But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that - for reasons that aren't entirely clear - abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one's risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.'"

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Jamie noticed an interesting map of critical thinking and science done in a sort of subway style. You can track Newton and Einstein and Tesla and so on. It's actually pretty interesting to navigate.

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An anonymous reader writes "Much fanfare has been made about manned missions to moons and planets, but little has been done about travel to the asteroids — until now. NASA is working on plans for a trip to the asteroids by 2025. This type of mission has great potential for positive economic return based on the fact that no effort has to be spent on getting in and out of a distant planet's gravity well. Yes, we should go to the planets, but we should master mining the asteroid belt for resources first because it is easiest. What do you think?"

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esocid writes "An Albemarle County Circuit Court judge has set aside a subpoena issued by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to the University of Virginia seeking documents related to the work of climate scientist and former university professor Michael Mann. Judge Paul M. Peatross Jr. ruled that Cuccinelli can investigate whether fraud has occurred in university grants, as the attorney general had contended, but ruled that Cuccinelli's subpoena failed to state a 'reason to believe' that Mann had committed fraud. He also set aside the subpoena without prejudice, meaning Cuccinelli can rewrite it to better explain why he wants to investigate, but seemed skeptical about the underlying claim of fraud. The ruling is a major blow for Cuccinelli, a global warming skeptic who had maintained he was investigating whether Mann committed fraud in seeking government money for research that showed the earth has experienced a rapid, recent warming. Mann, now at Penn State University, worked at U-Va. until 2005. 'The Court has read with care those pages and understands the controversy regarding Dr. Mann's work on the issue of global warming. However, it is not clear what he did was misleading, false or fraudulent in obtaining funds from the Commonwealth of Virginia,' Peatross wrote. The ruling also limited Cuccinelli to asking about only one of the five grants issued, which was the only one using state funds."

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sciencehabit writes "Responding to a court order issued a week ago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Friday ordered intramural researchers studying human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to shut down their experiments. NIH's action — probably unprecedented in its history — is a response to a preliminary injunction on 23 August from US District Judge Royce Lamberth. The judge ruled that the Obama policy allowing NIH funding to be used to study hESC lines violates a law prohibiting the use of federal funds to destroy embryos."

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Some wealthy areas of South Africa are having a hard time fighting off hordes of baboons trying to get their drink on. One of South Africa's oldest vineyards, Groot Constantia, is waging a battle against baboons drunk on fermented grapes with limited success. "They are not just eating our grapes, they are raiding our kitchens and ripping the thatch off the roofs. They are becoming increasingly bold and destructive," said Jean Naude, general manager at the vineyard.

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telomerewhythere writes "Stanford mechanical engineer Mark Cutkosky is using the biology of a gecko's sticky foot to create a robot that climbs. In the same way the small reptile can scale a wall of slick glass, the Stickybot can climb smooth surfaces with feet modeled on the intricate design of gecko toes. The team's new project involves scaling up the material for humans. A technology called Z-Man, which would allow humans to climb with gecko adhesive, is in the works."

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A U.S. judge's surprise decision last week to block government funding of human embryonic stem cell research has left scientists across the country confused, upset, and angry.

Authors: Jocelyn Kaiser, Gretchen Vogel

A new independent review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the increased public scrutiny IPCC is facing and the growing importance of its work mean that it must do better than it's been doing.

Author: Eli Kintisch

At a workshop last month, astronomers unveiled plans to build two major telescopes at Dome A on the East Antarctic icecap during the Chinese government's next 5-year plan, to start in 2011.

Author: Richard Stone

ScienceNOW reported this week on the first feast, the world's smallest refrigerator, the backfiring of "hunting for conservation," and a pea-sized frog, among other stories.

Last week, a consortium led by Pennsylvania State University won a federal competition for $129 million over 5 years to spur efforts to develop technologies for making buildings more energy efficient.

Author: Jeffrey Mervis

Frank Gannon probably could have finished out his career comfortably as director of the national funding agency Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). But the biologist will resign his position at the end of the year and head off to Australia to become director of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research.

Author: John Travis

ScienceInsider reported this week that the editor of the journal Cognition says he believes that fabrication is the most plausible explanation for data in a 2002 paper by Harvard University's Marc Hauser involving cotton-top tamarins, among other stories.

After a new study failed to find nanodiamonds, impact experts are flatly rejecting outsiders' claims that an impact 12,900 years ago devastated the megafauna.

Author: Richard A. Kerr

When he arrived at the dangerous Thai-Burmese border in 1984, François Nosten barely knew what research was. Today, he's one of the world's top malaria scientists.

Author: Martin Enserink

Researchers thought they knew the sun very well. Now, they are squabbling over the abundance of different elements in it.

Author: Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

A move of some of 186 chimpanzees to a research center in Texas has spurred outrage among animal rights advocates, primate experts and politicians.

A discovery by Paul Greengard, an 84-year-old scientist and Nobel winner, has illuminated a new direction.

Ask experts why bedbugs disappeared for 40 years, why they came back, why they don’t spread disease, and you hear one answer: “Good question.”

The letter expresses support for the president’s proposed strategy for NASA and criticizes cuts contained in a NASA authorization bill now before the House.

Buyers in secondhand stores are concerned about bedbugs coming along with the clothing or furniture.

Researchers say they can overcome a barrier to the continued rapid miniaturization of computer memory.

Dr. Donald A. Redelmeier’s work has debunked preconceived notions and revealed some deep truths about the predictors of longevity, the organization of health care and the workings of the medical mind.

NASA is revisiting the question of what rocket to build next and whether solid motors will be part of it.

A team of prominent evolutionary biologists at Harvard is trying to demolish the theory that helping your relatives can spread your genes faster than having children of your own.

The dinosaur lived more than 65 million years ago and had two sicklelike claws on each foot.

The scientists involved in crafting the panel’s climate reports need to be more open to alternative views and more transparent, an independent review said.

Marc Hauser is on leave after being found “solely responsible” for eight counts of scientific misconduct.

Dr. Bigeleisen’s approach was ultimately unsuccessful, but he went on to open a new field of chemistry that studied ways to speed up or slow down chemical reactions.

Doctors say frequent headaches and migraines are among the most common childhood health complaints, yet the problem gets surprisingly little attention from the medical community.

For those who are not just infected on the inside but also infested on the outside our state-of-the-art treatment includes a direct carryover from the Middle Ages.

Prostate cancer is a dark and mysterious country, and the authors Ralph H. Blum and Dr. Mark Scholz are good, levelheaded guides through these thickets.

The Taliban singled out the texts for destruction because anatomical depictions of the human body were considered blasphemous.

A new study suggests several reasons for the nation’s rising Caesarean section rate.

Monkeypox is 20 times as common in parts of the Congo as it was 30 years ago, when smallpox vaccination was discontinued.

Commercial fishing is, by almost any measure, the most dangerous profession in the United States.

Motor vehicle accidents cost the nation almost $100 billion dollars a year, about $500 for each licensed driver, according to government data.

Men die about six years younger, according to a new report from the New York City health department.

The number doubled over a recent 10-year-period, a new study reports, even though participation in team sports decreased slightly.

Understanding more about the unique, protein-based oyster adhesive could help scientists develop better synthetic glues for medical use.

When plants are damaged, they emit a fragrance. But in the case of at least one type of wild tobacco plant found in the Great Basin desert of Southwest Utah, it’s an actual distress call.

Ultrafine measurements of atmospheric gases could help scientists track down the last sources of CFCs thought to be slowing the recovery of the ozone hole.

The government's chief environment scientist calls for more openness in admitting the UK's cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are an illusion.

A growing number of New York sky-scrapers switch off their lights at night to help reduce the number of migratory birds hitting the buildings.

Physicists explain one of football's most spectacular free-kicks, showing that Roberto Carlos's 1997 "impossible goal" was not a fluke.

A species of acacia tree found in Eastern Africa seems to be protected from elephant damage - by the ants that live on it.

Researchers map the nervous system of worms to try and understand how the human cerebral cortex evolved.

There is no place for God in theories on the creation of the Universe, Professor Stephen Hawking concludes in a new book.

An ancient reef may provide scientists with clues about what will happen to coral when sea temperatures rise.

Some 57,000 people have been forced from their homes because of dramatic floods in south-western Sudan over the past month, officials say.

A metal detecting enthusiast finds what is believed to be the only intact Roman lantern made out of bronze ever discovered in Britain.

Scientists have found evidence for an ancient sea passage linking currently isolated areas of Antarctica.

Hurricane Earl weakens as it nears the US East Coast, though officials warn it remains "large and powerful".

Europe's Herschel space telescope spies an aging star that has surrounded itself in hot water vapour.

A potentially revolutionary circuit component, once a laboratory curiosity, is to be mass-produced for the first time.

A further test ignition takes place on the giant booster intended to power Nasa's next big rocket.

The remains of a huge 12,000 year old feast have been found in a cave in Northern Israel.

The theory that the great beasts living in North America 13,000 years ago were killed off by a space impact can now be discounted, a new study claims.

Fossils of a new type of dinosaur, which looks like a beefy version of the predatory Velociraptor, have been unearthed in Romania.

A Tasmanian Devil who experts hoped was immune to a facial cancer that threatens the marsupial species is euthanised after developing tumours.

The dinosaurs were wiped out by at least two space impacts rather than a single strike, say scientists.

An earthquake is recorded in the North Sea about 155 miles east of Aberdeen.

The UN's climate science body needs stricter checks to prevent damage to its credibility, an independent review concludes.

The vast majority of biofuels sold on UK forecourts are imported and do not conform to environmental standards, figures show.

The draft sequences of the wheat genome released by UK scientists may prove to be a vital contribution to the efforts of securing global food supply.

Plants are able to summon insects to their aid to avoid being eaten by caterpillars, scientists discover.

Imagine no cars or fewer, anyway.

Dozens of people who were blinded or otherwise suffered severe eye damage when they were splashed with caustic chemicals had their sight restored with transplants of their own stem cells, Italian researchers reported Wednesday.

A conservation group filed a petition Wednesday to add a bumblebee from Southern Oregon and Northern California to the endangered species list.

Which direction do storms usually travel? Could global warming cause more thunderstorms? Why does humidity decrease as temperature increases? What's the difference between a wind storm and a winter storm? What will the weather be like in Pennsylvania on the 4th of July weekend? Is it safe during a thunderstorm to sleep in your bed if there is a window in your room? These and other weather questions are answered in our online weather Q and A column.

Japanese officials and environmentalists traded blame Wednesday as nations failed to reach a deal to curb whale hunts by Japan, Norway and Icelandcountries that kill hundreds of whales every year.

Oceanographers say methane 10,000 to 100,000 times higher than normal near the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are depleting oxygen in the water.

Singer is bringing specially designed boats to the Gulf of Mexico to rescue animals from the oil spill.

Sometimes scientific research can be a lousy job.

An Austrian archaeological team has used radar imaging to determine the extent of the ruins of the one time 3,500-year-old capital of Egypt's foreign occupiers, said the antiquities department Sunday.

When the weed killer Roundup was introduced in the 1970s, it proved it could kill nearly any plant while still being safer than many other herbicides, and it allowed farmers to give up harsher chemicals and reduce tilling that can contribute to erosion.

Mercury astronaut John Glenn wants NASA's space shuttles to keep flying until their replacement is ready.

Millions of miles from Earth, two astronauts hover weightlessly next to a giant space rock, selecting pebbles for scientific research. The spaceship where they'll sleep floats just overhead. Beyond it, barely visible in the sky, is a glittering speck. It's Earth.

At least one scholar has an intriguing answer: "The discovery of material evidence of a distinct hominin (human) lineage in Central Asia as recently as 30,000 years ago does not come as a surprise to those who have looked at the historical and anecdotal evidence of 'wild people' inhabiting the region," wrote folklore scholar Michael Heaney of the United Kingdom's Bodleian Library Oxford, in a letter to The Times of London.

When it comes to studying earthquakes, Oregon State University geology professor Bob Lillie has a simple theory: The more that is known, the better people can prepare and protect themselves.

Two U.S. astronauts and a Russian crewmate blasted off successfully Wednesday on a mission to the International Space Station that will see the last ever shuttle visit to the orbiting lab.

The National Aquarium was joined today by honored guests, esteemed partners, elected officials and supporters from the community to officially unveil the National Aquarium Conservation Center and kick...

(PRWeb September 02, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4459284.htm

Diana Weinhardt supervises the Minnesota Zoo’s Northern Trail and its two popular tiger exhibits. Now, Diana has a new tiger in her life – her son Robbie Weinhardt, a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers....

(PRWeb September 02, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4460254.htm

UCSF researchers today unveiled a prototype model of the first implantable artificial kidney, in a development that one day could eliminate the need for dialysis.

(PRWeb September 02, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4460874.htm

Industrial Controls has released its first sourcebook with 1,200 full color pages featuring a diverse portfolio of controls. The catalog is fully equipped with technical tips, sizing and selection...

(PRWeb September 02, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4451254.htm

Conversion Pipeline, Washington DC’s premier small business Internet marketing firm, announces its Search Engine Optimization (SEO) guarantee; removing the risk from SEO for small businesses.

(PRWeb September 02, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4455244.htm

The Kiley Group, Inc. gives guidance to investors related to their Authorized shares, Issued and Outstanding shares, and Stock Splits

(PRWeb September 02, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4459464.htm

5 Proven Success Tips to help any student make the most out of their education.

(PRWeb September 02, 2010)

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This figure makes the Spanish multinational, part of Grupo OPDE, the leader in the manufacture of solar photovoltaic trackers in Italy, where at the end of the current year it will have installed more...

(PRWeb September 01, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4441084.htm

TempTech and SaveU.S.Jobs.org invite America to participate in a referral program to raise money for education, empower and prepare the American workforce for the global economy.

(PRWeb September 01, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010TempTechRecruiting/09toSaveU-S-Jobs/prweb4446144.htm

A new service lets businesses and individuals claim ownership of locations to enable with virtual services so that their visitors can interact with them.

(PRWeb September 01, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4446264.htm