New Rochelle - In the event that an asteroid or comet would impact Earth and send rock fragments containing embedded microorganisms into space, at least some of those organisms might survive and reseed on Earth or another planetary surface able to support life, according to a study published in the Spring 2008 (Volume 8, Number 1) issue of Astrobiology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The paper is available free online.
Science & Technology
Nine students from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a model spacecraft for deflecting objects falling from space.
The model has been created in response to the asteroid Apophis which scientists believe will collide with Earth in 2036, and was presented at a competition of NASA and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The model has been created in response to the asteroid Apophis which scientists believe will collide with Earth in 2036, and was presented at a competition of NASA and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
A new group comprised of six companies including Google publicly revealed plans to build an undersea fiber-optic cable that will link Japan to the west coast of the United States.
The ultimate aim of the cable is to be able to allow companies to send large amounts of data across the world at a lower price. Consortium companies will utilize a five fiber pair cable system, which can be upgraded to eight fiber pairs later down the road.
The ultimate aim of the cable is to be able to allow companies to send large amounts of data across the world at a lower price. Consortium companies will utilize a five fiber pair cable system, which can be upgraded to eight fiber pairs later down the road.
A group of archaeologists have discovered the ruins of an ancient ceremonial plaza in Peru, built 5,500 years ago, local media said Tuesday.
The ruins, measuring 180 by 120 meters, were found at Sechin Bajo in Casma, north of the country's capital Lima. The plaza, believed to have been built between 3,500 B.C. and 3,000 B.C., is one of the oldest discoveries in Latin America.
The ruins, measuring 180 by 120 meters, were found at Sechin Bajo in Casma, north of the country's capital Lima. The plaza, believed to have been built between 3,500 B.C. and 3,000 B.C., is one of the oldest discoveries in Latin America.
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| ©Unknown |
The only surviving copy of a manual of early chess puzzles, discovered in Italy over a year ago, could have been illustrated by Leonardo da Vinci, the Guardian said on Tuesday.
"De Ludo Schacorum," written by the Franciscan monk and mathematician Luca Pacioli in about 1500 is a collection of chess conundrums remarkable for the "originality of its teasers" and the "novelty and beauty of its illustrations," the paper said.
In the fabled volume, also known as the Schifanoia (the "Boredom Dodger"), the king, queen, bishop and knight are all represented by elegant and distinctive symbols, the paper said.
"De Ludo Schacorum," written by the Franciscan monk and mathematician Luca Pacioli in about 1500 is a collection of chess conundrums remarkable for the "originality of its teasers" and the "novelty and beauty of its illustrations," the paper said.
In the fabled volume, also known as the Schifanoia (the "Boredom Dodger"), the king, queen, bishop and knight are all represented by elegant and distinctive symbols, the paper said.
They're bad enough scurrying under your floors, but when rats are introduced to islands, they can wreak havoc on the native wildlife.
Non-native rats on islands are known to go after local seabirds, whose ground-level nests provide easy prey, devastating the avian populations. A new study detailed in the Feb. 25 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that damage wrought by island rats goes beyond the seabird colonies to coastal waters.
Non-native rats on islands are known to go after local seabirds, whose ground-level nests provide easy prey, devastating the avian populations. A new study detailed in the Feb. 25 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that damage wrought by island rats goes beyond the seabird colonies to coastal waters.
Scientists have found a way to look into the eyes of an unidentified corpse to tell the year that the victim was born.
Other than helping to identify the victims of a tsunami, terrorist attack or other disaster, the new method could also find other uses, such as tracking down the source of tumours in the body or even studying how organs are regenerated.
Other than helping to identify the victims of a tsunami, terrorist attack or other disaster, the new method could also find other uses, such as tracking down the source of tumours in the body or even studying how organs are regenerated.
Bright hazes that mysteriously appear and then disappear on Venus in a matter of days have revealed a new dynamic feature of the planet's cloudy atmosphere that is unlike anything on Earth.
The European Space Agency's Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) captured a series of images showing the development of a bright haze over the southern latitudes of the planet in July 2007. Over a period of days, the high-altitude veil continually brightened and dimmed, moving towards equatorial latitudes and then back towards the south pole.
The European Space Agency's Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) captured a series of images showing the development of a bright haze over the southern latitudes of the planet in July 2007. Over a period of days, the high-altitude veil continually brightened and dimmed, moving towards equatorial latitudes and then back towards the south pole.
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| ©ESA/ MPS/DLR/IDA |
| Venus's atmosphere, taken by the Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) during Venus Express orbit number 459 on 24 July 2007. The view shows the southern hemisphere of the planet. |
The world map might look differently had the Greek volcano Thera not erupted 3,500 years ago in what geologists believe was the single-most powerful explosive event ever witnessed.
Thera didn't just blow a massive hole into the island of Santorini - it set the entire ancient Mediterranean onto a different course, like a train that switched tracks to head off in a brand new direction.
Thera didn't just blow a massive hole into the island of Santorini - it set the entire ancient Mediterranean onto a different course, like a train that switched tracks to head off in a brand new direction.
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| ©Library of Congress |
| Historic records indicated that Thera's eruption was four or five times more powerful than the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, which made headlines all across the world. |
CAMBRIDGE - Not feeling quite yourself?
No wonder. In a sense, you aren't really you.
Scientists estimate that 90 percent of the cells contained in the human body belong to nonhuman organisms - mostly bacteria, but also a smattering of fungi and other eensy entities. Some 100 trillion microbes nestle in niches from our teeth to our toes.
But what's setting science on its heels these days is not the boggling numbers of bugs so much as the budding recognition that they are much more than casual hitchhikers capable of causing disease. They may be so essential to well-being that humans couldn't live without them.
No wonder. In a sense, you aren't really you.
Scientists estimate that 90 percent of the cells contained in the human body belong to nonhuman organisms - mostly bacteria, but also a smattering of fungi and other eensy entities. Some 100 trillion microbes nestle in niches from our teeth to our toes.
But what's setting science on its heels these days is not the boggling numbers of bugs so much as the budding recognition that they are much more than casual hitchhikers capable of causing disease. They may be so essential to well-being that humans couldn't live without them.
