Posted: 21 May 2009 06:06 AM PDT

IC 4592: A Blue Horsehead This complex of beautiful, dusty reflection nebulae lies in the constellation Scorpius along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy. Its overall outline suggests a horsehead in profile, though it covers a much larger region than the better known Horsehead Nebula of Orion. The star near the eye of the horse and the center of the 5 degree wide field, is embedded in blue reflection nebula IC 4592 over 400 light-years away. At that distance, the view spans nearly 40 light-years. The horse's gaze seems fixed on Beta Scorpii, also named Graffias, the bright star at the lower left. Toward the top right, near the horse's ear, is another striking bluish reflection nebula, IC 4601. The characteristic blue hue of reflection nebulae is caused by the tendency of interstellar dust to more strongly scatter blue starlight.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Orgasm [SFW]

Posted: 21 May 2009 05:09 AM PDT

"Bonk" author Mary Roach delves into obscure scientific research, some of it centuries old, to make 10 surprising claims about sexual climax, ranging from the bizarre to the hilarious.

Birds Know Who We Are

Posted: 21 May 2009 04:50 AM PDT

Birds used to just fly around and amuse us, but in recent years, biologists are learning that our feathered friends are quite smart.

Are we in control of our decisions?

Posted: 20 May 2009 11:59 PM PDT

(15 votes - 1 comment - 171 views)
Behavioral economist Dan Ariely, the author of Predictably Irrational, uses classic visual illusions and his own counterintuitive (and sometimes shocking) research findings to show how we're not as rational as we think when we make decisions. (http://www.ted.com)

Can "Terminators" Actually be our Salvation?

Posted: 20 May 2009 11:10 PM PDT

Imagine a situation in which a nation is taken over by robots -- a sort of revolution or civil war. Would a third party nation have a just cause for interceding to prevent this? Autonomous technologies such as robot soldiers is neither "completely morally acceptable nor completely morally unacceptable" according to the just war theory...

The Hubble floats away from the Space Shuttle Atlantis

Posted: 20 May 2009 10:55 PM PDT

(30 votes - 9 comments - 333 views)

Papers and Commentary by Dawkins

Posted: 20 May 2009 08:12 PM PDT

http://www.simonyi.ox.ac.uk/dawkins/WorldOfDawkins-archive/Dawkins/Work/papers.shtml

Ricky Gervais - Hitler interprets Nietzsche

Posted: 20 May 2009 06:41 PM PDT

(36 votes - 5 comments - 601 views)

Nuclear Waste, or energy resource?

Posted: 20 May 2009 05:50 PM PDT

A panel of nuclear power experts met on Monday at MIT to discuss how to address nuclear waste recycling or disposal, which many analysts consider the biggest obstacle to building a new generation of nuclear power plants across America.

How Insects Have Sex (SFW)

Posted: 20 May 2009 05:30 PM PDT

Reproduction in the Bush Cricket world. These untrained porn stars need a little incentive by the scientists to show off their mating abilities.