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/