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| ©The Mars Society |
| Crewmembers of an earlier mission at the Mars Society Desert Research Station in Utah set out for an exploratory trip on their all-terrain vehicles, wearing simulated space suits. |
Science & Technology
Two MIT students are currently living, working and communicating with the outside world as if they were on a mission to Mars. Whenever they go outside their small, round habitat where eight people are spending a two-week "mission," they don spacesuits and pass through an airlock. When they send e-mail, it takes 20 minutes before the recipient can see it--the time it takes for radio waves to travel to and from the red planet.
A mega-collision between two large embryonic planets could have created Venus as we know it, according to a new paper by a Cardiff University scientist.
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| ©JPL, NASA |
| NASA radar image of Venus. |
MIT biologists have provoked soil-dwelling bacteria into producing a new type of antibiotic by pitting them against another strain of bacteria in a battle for survival.
The antibiotic holds promise for treatment of Helicobacter pylori, which causes stomach ulcers in humans. Also, figuring out the still murky explanation for how the new antibiotic was produced could help scientists develop strategies for finding other new antibiotics.
The antibiotic holds promise for treatment of Helicobacter pylori, which causes stomach ulcers in humans. Also, figuring out the still murky explanation for how the new antibiotic was produced could help scientists develop strategies for finding other new antibiotics.
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| ©CDC |
| Slide culture of Rhodococcus rhodochrous. Rhodococcus does not normally produce antibiotics. |
U.S. farmers plant corn much earlier today than ever before and it seems to be paying off, at least in the north. Earlier plantings could account for up to half of the yield gains seen in some parts of the northern Corn Belt since the late 1970s, a new study has found.
Some of the oldest tales and wisest mythology allude to the snake as a mischievous seducer, dangerous foe or powerful iconoclast; however, the legend surrounding this proverbial predator may not be based solely on fantasy. As scientists from the University of Virginia recently discovered, the common fear of snakes is most likely intrinsic.
Evolutionarily speaking, early humans who were capable of surviving the dangers of an uncivilized society adapted accordingly. And the same can be said of the common fear of certain animals, such as spiders and snakes: The ancestors of modern humans were either abnormally lucky or extraordinarily capable of detecting and deterring the threat of, for example, a poisonous snake.
Evolutionarily speaking, early humans who were capable of surviving the dangers of an uncivilized society adapted accordingly. And the same can be said of the common fear of certain animals, such as spiders and snakes: The ancestors of modern humans were either abnormally lucky or extraordinarily capable of detecting and deterring the threat of, for example, a poisonous snake.
Archaeologists may have at last cracked the mystery of how and why Mayans produced "Maya blue", a pigment famed for its sky-blue colour and remarkable durability.
The Mayans produced the fabled pigment as part of their ritual sacrifices - including that of humans - at their ancient centre of power, the city of Chichén Itzá, suggests a new study of artefacts.
The Mayans produced the fabled pigment as part of their ritual sacrifices - including that of humans - at their ancient centre of power, the city of Chichén Itzá, suggests a new study of artefacts.
The EU today imposed a record €899m (£680m) fine on Microsoft for charging "unreasonable" prices to rivals for access to its dominant software.
The fine, the largest imposed on a single company, brings the total levied on the world's leading software group close to €1.7bn in the past four years.
Neelie Kroes, EU competition commissioner, who said she had no pleasure in imposing the fine, told journalists she could have charged Microsoft €1.5bn in the latest penalty.
The fine, the largest imposed on a single company, brings the total levied on the world's leading software group close to €1.7bn in the past four years.
Neelie Kroes, EU competition commissioner, who said she had no pleasure in imposing the fine, told journalists she could have charged Microsoft €1.5bn in the latest penalty.
LONDON - Killer robots could become the weapon of choice for militants, a British expert said on Wednesday.
Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield said he believed falling costs would soon make robots a realistic option for extremist groups.
Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield said he believed falling costs would soon make robots a realistic option for extremist groups.
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| ©Associated Press |
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| ©Unknown |
| The mission aims to tag the asteroid 99942 Apophis |
A US team has won a $50,000 (£25,000) competition to design a spacecraft to rendezvous with and track the path of an asteroid which may threaten Earth.
The winning entry, led by SpaceWorks Engineering, will shadow asteroid Apophis for 300 days.
The Oxford laboratory that declared the Turin Shroud to be a medieval fake 20 years ago is investigating claims that its findings were wrong.
Comment: As the current trend in climate cooling continues, earlier plantings will soon become impossible.