Monday 31 August 2009

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

3 New Species Found Living in Total Darkness

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 09:01 AM PDT

Two tiny worms much smaller than a rice grain and a strange crustacean that has no eyes and poisonous fangs are among several new species of marine life discovered living in total darkness in in a mile-long underwater cave in...

Sandfish Tucks Legs And Swims Like A Snake Under Desert Sand

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 08:51 AM PDT

A new study details how sandfish -- small lizards with smooth scales -- move rapidly underground through desert sand. In this first thorough examination of subsurface sandfish locomotion, researchers found that the animals place their limbs against their sides and create a wave motion like snakes to propel themselves through granular media.

Scientists Make Temperature-Regulating Coffee Mug

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 07:10 AM PDT

A well-insulated mug may keep your coffee somewhat warm, but now scientists have designed a high-tech mug that can keep drinks hot or cold at the perfect temperature for up to half an hour. Want...it...NOW

How Science Can Create Millions of New Jobs

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 06:50 AM PDT

America needs good jobs, soon. We need 6.7 million just to replace losses from the current recession, then an additional 10 million to keep up with population growth and to spark demand over the next decade.

Newt Cuts Itself to Use Ribs as "Concealed Weapons"

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 06:16 AM PDT

Like the X-men's Wolverine extending his claws, the Spanish ribbed newt slashes through itself with its sharp rib bones to create defensive spines, according to a new study. Scientists were already aware that the amphibian species responds to threats by thrusting out its rib bones, which then get coated with toxic skin secretions.

Open Cluster M25

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 06:06 AM PDT

Open Cluster M25 Many stars like our Sun were formed in open clusters. The above pictured open cluster, M25, contains thousands of stars and is about two thousand light years distant. The stars in this cluster all formed together about 90 million years ago. The bright young stars in M25 appear blue. Open clusters, also called galactic clusters, contain fewer and younger stars than globular clusters. Also unlike globular clusters, open clusters are generally confined to the plane of our Galaxy. M25 is visible with binoculars towards the constellation of the Archer ( Sagittarius).

Arc of Discovery

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 02:27 AM PDT

Viewed from the Banana River Viewing Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery arcs through a cloud-brushed sky lighted by the trail of fire after launch on the STS-128 mission. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A was on time at 11:59 p.m. EDT on 28 August 2009. Photographer: Ben Cooper, NASA

Stevenage: The Final Frontier In Space Technology

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 02:23 AM PDT

You might think Nasa is the only pioneer of space technology, but this £200m satellite is being built not in Houston but at a sleepy industrial estate in Hertfordshire.

Air Pollution in Road Tunnels 1,000 Times Stronger

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 12:00 AM PDT

A toxic cocktail of ultrafine particles is lurking inside road tunnels in concentration levels so high they have the potential to harm drivers and passengers, a new study has found.

TEDTalks : Cary Fowler: One seed at a time, protecting the future of food - Cary Fowler (2009)

Posted: 30 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT

The varieties of wheat, corn and rice we grow today may not thrive in a future threatened by climate change. Cary Fowler takes us inside a vast global seed bank, buried within a frozen mountain in Norway, that stores a diverse group of food-crop for whatever tomorrow may bring.
Posted by johnald

Sunday 30 August 2009

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

What does bipolar disorder do?

Posted: 30 Aug 2009 08:10 AM PDT


(10 votes - 0 comments - 87 views)

D. rad Bacteria: Candidate Astronauts

Posted: 30 Aug 2009 06:06 AM PDT

D. rad Bacteria: Candidate Astronauts These bacteria could survive on another planet. In an Earth lab, Deinococcus radiodurans (D. rad) survive extreme levels of radiation, extreme temperatures, dehydration, and exposure to genotoxic chemicals. Amazingly, they even have the ability to repair their own DNA, usually with 48 hours. Known as an extremophile, bacteria such as D. rad are of interest to NASA partly because they might be adaptable to help human astronauts survive on other worlds. A recent map of D. rad's DNA might allow biologists to augment their survival skills with the ability to produce medicine, clean water, and oxygen. Already they have been genetically engineered to help clean up spills of toxic mercury. Likely one of the oldest surviving life forms, D. rad was discovered by accident in the 1950s when scientists investigating food preservation techniques could not easily kill it. Pictured above, Deinococcus radiodurans grow quietly in a dish.

Vote for Your Favorite - 50 Best Websites 2008 - TIME

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:53 PM PDT

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1809858_1811192_1811193,00.html

25 Best Blogs 2009

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:52 PM PDT

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1879276,00.html

WIKISKY.ORG

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:52 PM PDT

http://wikisky.org/

Armor Games

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 07:59 PM PDT

http://armorgames.com/

Fun Games, it's Nonoba! - nonoba.com

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 07:59 PM PDT

http://www.nonoba.com/

Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project - 50 Best Websites 2008 - TIME

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 07:21 PM PDT

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1809858_1809954_1811319,00.html

Radio Contact Lost With Chandrayaan-1

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 07:20 PM PDT

India's lunar orbiter Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft lost contact with ISRO's ground station early on August 29. "We are not able to establish contact with the spacecraft. We are not getting the data, we are not able to send commands," an ISRO official told the Press Trust of India. "In simple terms, the spacecraft has become dumb. It can't speak."

400 Years of the Telescope - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 12:20 PM PDT


(13 votes - 2 comments - 185 views)
Panoramic visuals, cutting-edge technologies and introspective contemplations position 400 Years of the Telescope as the must-see cinematic feature for the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.

Beautifully photographed in 4K resolution digital cinematography, the film is a visually stunning chronicle of the history of the telescope from the time of Galileo, its profound impact upon the science of astronomy, and how both have shaped the way we view ourselves in the midst of an infinite universe.

The Interstellar Studios production team traveled the globe to interview leading astronomers and cosmologists from the world's renowned universities and observatories. The producers sought the most acute minds at great astronomical centers including the European Southern Observatory, Institute for Astronomy, SETI Institute, Space Telescope Science Institute, Anglo-Australian Observatory, and Harvard University. They journeyed across five continents to visually write the story of the past and the future of telescopes, astronomy, and our ever-changing perception of the cosmos.

Compelling interviews throughout the film leave no stone unturned. A carefully chosen array of today's leading astronomers explain concepts ranging from Galileo's act of revealing the telescopic cosmos to humanity and challenging religious teachings of the day, to the latest discoveries in space, including startling new ideas about life on other planets and dark energy – a mysterious vacuum energy that is accelerating the expansion of the universe.

On the horizon, viewers learn of emergent telescopes the size of stadiums. With unprecedented resolution and light gathering, these enormous new instruments will look back to the initial moments of the Big Bang and – like Galileo's first telescopic observations – will reshape our model of the universe.

http://www.400years.org/
Posted by johnald

Saturday 29 August 2009

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

NGC 7771 Galaxy Group

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 06:06 AM PDT

NGC 7771 Galaxy Group Slide your cursor over the image to identify three members of this intriguing gathering of galaxies. Known as the NGC 7771 Group, they lie almost 200 million light-years away toward the high flying constellation Pegasus. The largest galaxy, barred spiral NGC 7771, is itself about 75,000 light-years across, but will someday find itself part of a larger galaxy still. As the galaxies of the group make repeated close passages, they will finally merge into one very large galaxy. Played out over hundreds of millions of years, the process is understood to be a normal part of the evolution of galaxies, including our own Milky Way.
Editor's Note: The labeled version of the image was generated by Astrometry.net.

Jupiter's Moons to Vanish from View

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 12:50 AM PDT

An unusual celestial vanishing act will take place the night of Sept. 2 when all four of Jupiter's largest moons will be hidden from our view.

10 Most Incredible Images of Magnetic Storms

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 09:20 PM PDT

The Sun is the centre of our universe and most solar activity has an effect on the Earth. Geomagnetic storms are very visible effects of this solar activity that can cause power outages and disrupt satellites. No doubt, solar activity requires more research so that we can better prepare for it.

Get High Now

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:43 PM PDT

http://gethighnow.com/

WorldWideTelescope - 50 Best Websites 2009 - TIME

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:39 PM PDT

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1918031_1918016_1918007,00.html

Visuwords™ online graphical dictionary and thesaurus

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:26 PM PDT

http://www.visuwords.com/

Academic Earth - Video lectures from the world's top scholars

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:09 PM PDT

http://www.academicearth.org/

Internet Archive Wayback Machine

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:07 PM PDT

http://web.archive.org/collections/web/advanced.html

NASA Building the Most Sustainable Federal Building in US

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 07:00 PM PDT

NASA has planted its flag on planet Earth (for a change) with the groundbreaking of their "Sustainability Base" this week. The new endeavor is located on their Ames campus in Moffett Field, CA just outside of Silicon Valley and has specs that are pushing green building to new limits.

HubbleSite - Gallery

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 06:46 PM PDT

http://hubblesite.org/gallery/
Posted by johnald

Friday 28 August 2009

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

Physicist Proposes Solution to 'Arrow-of-Time' Paradox

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 12:20 PM PDT

"Entropy can decrease, according to a new proposal - but the process would destroy any evidence of its existence, and erase any memory an observer might have of it."

10 things we didn't know last week

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 10:06 AM PDT

Snippets from the week's news, sliced, diced and processed for your convenience. 1. iPhones are not yet sold in China. More details 2. Margaret Thatcher suffered one parliamentary defeat as prime minister - on Sunday trading laws. More details 3. English holidaymakers drink an average of eight alcoholic drinks a day. More details 4. The UK population grew more in 2008 than at any time since 1962. More details 5. And Germany's population is shrinking. More details 6. West Ham's stadium is really called the Boleyn Ground, not Upton Park. More details (Guardian) 7. The smell of cut grass makes people happy. More details (Telegraph) 8. A pint glass lasts an average of only three months. More details (Times) 9. An Englishman sailed to the "New World" only two years after the first European is thought to have landed in Newfoundland. More details 10. Men in China cannot marry until aged 22. More details (Times) Seen 10 things? Send us a picture to use next week. Thanks to Vic Barton-Walderstadt for this week's picture of 10 deckchairs in Welwyn Garden City.

I, For One, Welcome Our Glowing, Iridescent Pileus-Overlord!

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:30 AM PDT

Kevin Chai snapped this photo from his window seat while flying from Jakarta, Indonesia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Crazy-Powerful IBM Microscope Takes First 3D Image of Molecules

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:30 AM PDT

Molecules were presented on computer screens, or at the very least with dowels and balls. Thanks to this incredible discovery, however, I'm jealous of how tomorrow's engineers will view and control nature's building blocks.

Skin Care: Target Women

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:18 AM PDT


(12 votes - 1 comment - 309 views)
Is beauty more than skin deep? Hell no! Welcome to the golden age of skin science.

Current TV scoffs at ads bombarding women with pseudo-science and dubious claims.

APOD: 2009 August 28 - NGC 7822 in Cepheus

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 07:50 AM PDT

Pillars of gas, dust, and young, hot stars fill the center of NGC 7822. At the edge of a giant molecular cloud toward the northern constellation Cepheus, the glowing star forming region lies about 3,000 light-years away. Within the nebula, bright edges and tantalizing shapes are highlighted in this colorful skyscape.

Robot Designed to Help Earth Plants Grow on Mars

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 07:30 AM PDT

It's good to know that in the event that our planet collapses under the weight of overpopulation, a water crisis, nuclear holocaust or whatever, there are designers out there already preparing for life on Mars. If we do colonize Mars, the first thing we're going to need is ample breathable oxygen. Enter Le Petit Prince, the greenhouse robot.

pale resplendence

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 06:40 AM PDT

Love this photo... the color... the desert floor... the mountain... you feel the earth moving underneath you through space

NGC 7822 in Cepheus

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 06:06 AM PDT

NGC 7822 in Cepheus Pillars of gas, dust, and young, hot stars fill the center of NGC 7822. At the edge of a giant molecular cloud toward the northern constellation Cepheus, the glowing star forming region lies about 3,000 light-years away. Within the nebula, bright edges and tantalizing shapes are highlighted in this colorful skyscape. The image includes data from both broadband and narrowband filters, mapping emission from atomic oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue, green, and red hues. The atomic emission is powered by the energetic radiation from the hot stars, whose powerful winds and radiation also sculpt and erode the denser pillar shapes. Stars could still be forming inside the pillars by gravitational collapse, but as the pillars are eroded away, any forming stars will ultimately be cutoff from their reservoir of star stuff. This field spans around 30 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 7822.

Saturn's Titan: Is It a Living Lab on the Origins of Life?

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 05:21 AM PDT

Saturn's orange moon Titan has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth, according to new data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The hydrocarbons rain from the sky, collecting in vast deposits that form lakes and dunes.
Posted by johnald

Wednesday 26 August 2009

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

File:Gashlycrumb Tinies.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted: 26 Aug 2009 06:23 AM PDT

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gashlycrumb_Tinies.jpg

3 New Farm Bots Programmed to Pick, Plant and Drive

Posted: 26 Aug 2009 06:20 AM PDT

Intelligent, manned machines aren't just for warplanes and border guards—they are found on the farm too. Increasingly, agro-bots are taking laborious tasks out of the farmer's helper's hands, and saving time and money in the process. Here are three robotic farm servants who may right now be working in a field near you.

Classic Orion Nebulae

Posted: 26 Aug 2009 06:06 AM PDT

Classic Orion Nebulae The Great Nebula in Orion, also known as M42, is one of the most famous nebulae in the sky. The star forming region's glowing gas clouds and hot young stars are near the center of this colorful deep sky image that includes the smaller nebula M43 and dusty, bluish reflection nebulae NGC 1977 and friends on the left. Located at the edge of an otherwise invisible giant molecular cloud complex, these eye-catching nebulae represent only a small fraction of this galactic neighborhood's wealth of interstellar material. Captured with very modest equipment, the gorgeous skyscape was awarded Best in Show at the 2009 Starfest International Salon of Astrophotography. Judges commented that the detail and shading were exquisite in this version of a classic astronomical image. The field spans nearly 3 degrees or about 75 light-years at the Orion Nebula's estimated distance of 1,500 light-years.

APOD: 2009 August 26 - Classic Orion Nebulae

Posted: 26 Aug 2009 05:50 AM PDT

The Great Nebula in Orion, is one of the most famous nebulae in the sky. The star forming region's glowing gas clouds & hot young stars are near the center of this colorful deep sky image that includes the smaller nebula M43 and dusty, bluish reflection nebulae NGC 1977 & friends on the left. Located at the edge of an otherwise invisible giant...

60 Stunning Satellite Photos of Earth

Posted: 26 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT

Looking at nature from different perspectives can create stunning compositions for your photographs. This couldn't be more true than when we look at our planet from outer space and appreciate the reality of its beauty from such an incredible and rarely seen perspective.

The Science of Peace

Posted: 26 Aug 2009 01:09 AM PDT


(10 votes - 2 comments - 103 views)
Hosted by LeVar Burton, The Science of Peace features pioneering physicists, biologists, and philosophers who are established in the emerging new field of peace science.
The film effectively illustrates how each person, when bringing peace into his or her own life, becomes an instrument for global peace. (yt)


WHERES MY *^&&#&%*^($%$*^&$ BODY CHANNEL???!!!?!?!?

Hope for blind after scientists turn skin into eye cells

Posted: 26 Aug 2009 12:00 AM PDT

Eye cells that are sensitive to light have been produced from skin in a breakthrough that could eventually lead to treatments for blindness. Scientists genetically "reprogrammed" human skin cells to possess the same properties as those that make up the retina.

YouTube - Documentary - How Do You Know God Exists? Part 1

Posted: 25 Aug 2009 06:35 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJbDCfmbYFs

Facebook | Nottingham FREE Discount Card

Posted: 25 Aug 2009 05:32 PM PDT

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=34559130958

YouTube - pingu gets drunk

Posted: 25 Aug 2009 05:13 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDwp47LwrAE
Posted by johnald

Monday 24 August 2009

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

YouTube - The Great Debate

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 07:35 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95VTh4FA_gE&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcomedy%2Evideosift%2Ecom%2Fvideo%2FThe%2DGreat%2DDebate%2DBetween%2DTheist%2Dand%2DAtheist&feature=player_embedded#t=232

The Great Debate Between Theist and Atheist

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 07:22 PM PDT


(16 votes - 1 comment - 305 views)
The fine-tuning argument is NOT fine-tuned to assist believers of particular religions to argue for the truth of their religion's claims.-YT

Gigantic Lightning Jets Shoot from Clouds to Space

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 07:10 PM PDT

Lightning observed shooting up from storm, confirmed to carry electric charge from cloud.

YouTube - Amateur Made Atheism Commercial

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 06:26 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOitIzUGJqk&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Freligion%2Evideosift%2Ecom%2Fvideo%2FAtheism%2DCommercial&feature=player_embedded#t=57

'Ireland's new blasphemy law labeled return to Middle Ages' by Peter O'Neil - Calgary Herald - RichardDawkins.net

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 06:20 PM PDT

http://richarddawkins.net/article,4211,n,n

YouTube - Sam Harris on Real Time with Bill Maher

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 06:07 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVES4a9Zq4M&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fricharddawkins%2Enet%2Farticle%2C4209%2Cn%2Cn&feature=player_embedded#t=170

Make a Perfect Baby = Choose Child's Sex + Skin Color + More

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 03:40 PM PDT

Jeffrey Steinberg, a US doctor, is offering British couples the chance to choose the sex of their child at his New York clinic. Not just the sex, but they are offering for screening of eye, hair, skin color and sex.

YouTube - 8-bit trip

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 03:24 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qsWFFuYZYI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Freader%2Fview%2F&feature=player_embedded#t=55

US healthcare reform -NewScientist

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 09:21 AM PDT


(54 votes - 8 comments - 738 views)
How does US healthcare look from a scientific perspective?

A stunning shot of a vaporous F-22A Raptor with a P-G Cloud!

Posted: 23 Aug 2009 09:00 AM PDT

Photo taken by Mike Lynaugh on 19 August 2009 at the 2009 Atlantic City Airshow "Thunder Over the Boardwalk", New Jersey, USA. Here's what I (think I) know: The USAF F-22A Raptor stealth fighter jet is transonic, flying slightly below Mach 1; and there's a Prandtl-Glauert (P-G) Cloud present -- see item #1 of my first comment, especially photo 1-A.
Posted by johnald

Sunday 23 August 2009

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

Johnald's Fantastical Daily Link Splurge

From Universe to Multiverse. Are You Ready? [Video]

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 09:50 PM PDT

Michio Kaku speaks about multiverse and parallel universes.

Flores 'Hobbits' Walked Out of Africa

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 07:50 PM PDT

The identity of the tiny human-like creature discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2004 has become clearer -- and more astonishing -- thanks to a new analysis by Australian and Indonesian scientists that indicates the small-brained, long-armed biped was the first human-like creature to walk out of Africa.

YouTube - The DNA Instruction Manual - Code For Life (2)

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 06:55 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBfuVuelkoY&annotation_id=annotation_561255&feature=iv

Rats being used in Mozambique to find Landmines

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 06:41 PM PDT


(10 votes - 1 comment - 242 views)
Trained rats scour the ground for landmines.

NASA & AFOSR Test Environmentally-Friendly Rocket Propellant

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 06:10 PM PDT

"NASA and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, or AFOSR, have successfully launched a small rocket using an environmentally-friendly, safe propellant comprised of aluminum powder and water ice, called ALICE."

GODSIZED - Nottingham Rock City tonight! on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Videos

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 03:41 PM PDT

saw these at damagestock fest, were awesome

Buzz Aldrin tells a tall tale

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 03:06 PM PDT


(13 votes - 1 comment - 293 views)
Did the Astronauts of Apollo 11 see something they could not explain?

Japan Relaxes Human Stem-Cell Rules

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 03:00 PM PDT

A long-sought loosening of Japan's guidelines on human embryonic stem-cell research came into effect on 21 August. But some say the new rules are too little, too late for a struggling field that was once a source of national pride.

Kidney dialysis machine 'small enough to be worn as a belt'

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Scientists have developed a kidney dialysis machine small enough to be worn as a belt which can allow patients to receive the treatment as they walk around. The battery-powered machine weighs around 10lb. Researchers hope that the device will give patients the freedom to have their treatment whenever and wherever they choose.

Is the Human Brain a "Belief Engine"? A Galaxy Classic

Posted: 22 Aug 2009 11:21 AM PDT

Lewis Wolpert believes that mankind's "incorrigible and wholly irrational" religiosity is as human, and as explicable, as the flint axe and the computer. It is a tool for the soul. Religion and belief in a supernatural being is a natural...
Posted by johnald
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)