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