Science & TechnologyS


Cow Skull

The Big Question: Is 'Ida' really the missing link between humans and animals?

Steve Connor
The Independent
Thu, 21 May 2009 16:43 UTC
Ida
© Atlantic Productions LTD
Why are we asking this now?

The fossil, nicknamed "Ida", was discovered in 1983 but the scientific paper describing it has only just been published amid great secrecy to coincide with the commercial launch of a popular science book and a television documentary. The creature in question has been named Darwinius masillae in honour of Charles Darwin and it lived 47 million years ago.

It is the most complete fossils of any member of the primate group of animals, which include lorises, lemurs, monkeys, apes and of course Man. The skeleton is almost perfectly preserved, clearly showing anatomical details that mark the animal out as a member of the group of animals that were part of the transition from the prosimians, such as the lemurs, to anthropoids, such as apes and humans. It is for this reason that the people behind the discovery and its publicity have called the fossil "the link" between the very first primates and the lineage that eventually led to Homo sapiens.
Read More...
Chalkboard

Copyleft and Copyright

David M. Berry, Marcus McCallion
eyemagazine.com
Sun, 24 May 2009 07:21 UTC
Designers increasingly see the question of copyright and intellectual property as an important issue. More and more, they are concerned about being 'ripped off', and are told that establishing copyright is essential. But there is little understanding of what copyright is, how it works, whom it benefits or what alternatives there are. This Agenda hopes to raise awareness of the issues surrounding copyright and to empower the designer to make informed choices about how to use copyright and its alternative: copyleft.
Read More...
Bell

'Bearded lady' syndrome uncovered


NineMSN
Fri, 22 May 2009 05:11 UTC
Image
© UnknownJulia Pastrana
New research published on Thursday sheds light on the genetic underpinnings of a bizarre syndrome - first exhibited by a mid-1800s bearded lady - that has fascinated the public for centuries.

The case of bearded Mexican-born woman Julia Pastrana in the mid-1800s was the condition's first appearance in medical literature, noted Chinese researchers whose study was published in the May 21 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Researchers uncovered the specific genetic mutations that underlie congenital generalised hypertrichosis (CGH), a condition that spurs excessive hair growth over the entire human body.
Read More...
Penis Pump

Space station recycles water from urine

Seth Borenstein
NineMSN
Thu, 21 May 2009 18:52 UTC
Image
© UnknownAstronauts aboard the space station are drinking water that has been recycled from urine and sweat.
At the international space station it was one small sip for man and a giant gulp of recycled urine for mankind.

Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine, sweat and water that condenses from exhaled air. They said "cheers," clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground who were sipping their own version of recycled drinking water.

"The taste is great," American astronaut Michael Barratt said. Then as Russian Gennady Padalka tried to catch little bubbles of the clear water floating in front of him, Barratt called the taste "worth chasing."
Read More...
Rocket

NASA to assess living conditions on moon


NineMSN
Fri, 22 May 2009 10:29 UTC
Image
© UnknownThe Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will circle the moon's polar areas to make three-dimensional maps.
NASA says it is on target for a June mission to scour the moon's surface for landing sites and water that would allow humans to work and even live on earth's nearest neighbour.

The space agency hopes to launch a dual craft in June, part of which would survey the moon's surface from orbit while another unit ploughs into the lunar surface in search of water.

"We had the original target of providing information back for being able to safely return to the moon for exploration," said Mike Wargo, NASA's chief lunar scientist, on Thursday.

The mission will focus on the little-known lunar poles, hoping to confirm reports of hydrogen accumulation and possible water ice not found at the equatorial regions that where famously explored by humans in the last century.
Read More...
Battery

World's first battery fuelled by air


The Telegraph
Sun, 24 May 2009 01:25 UTC
The world's first battery fuelled by air - with 10 times the storage capacity of conventional cells - has been unveiled.

Scientists say the revolutionary 'STAIR' (St Andrews Air) battery could now pave the way for a new generation of electric cars, laptops and mobile phones.

The cells are charged in a traditional way but as power is used or 'discharged' an open mesh section of battery draws in oxygen from the surrounding air.
Read More...
Star

Man-made star to unlock cosmic secrets

Jonathan Fildes
BBC News
Thu, 21 May 2009 19:04 UTC
exploding star
© SPLNIF can recreate the conditions inside an exploding star
When the world's most powerful laser facility flicks the switch on its first full-scale experiments later this month, a tiny star will be born on Earth.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California aims to demonstrate the feasibility of nuclear fusion, the reaction at the heart of the Sun and a potentially abundant, clean energy source for the planet.

But whilst many eyes at the facility will be locked on the goal of satisfying humanity's energy demands, many scientists hope to answer other fundamental questions for mankind.

"In recreating the process of fusion it was always understood that we could pursue three areas of interest and value," explained Dr Erik Storm of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the home of NIF.
Read More...
Hourglass

Ancient Handle Uncovered Near Jerusalem

David Bedein
The Bulletin
Thu, 21 May 2009 18:55 UTC
Menachem
© Associated Press
An unusual artifact was discovered during an excavation by the Israel Antiquities Authority prior to the construction of a girls' school by the Jerusalem municipality.

The find dates to different phases of the Middle Canaanite period (2200-1900 B.C.) and the last years of the First Temple period (8th-7th centuries B.C.), and includes a handle engraved with the name "Menachem," written in ancient Hebrew script. It was recently exposed in an archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting near the Mount of Olives in preparation for the school.

The Israel Antiquities Authority's excavation director, Dr. Ron Beeri, said: "This important find joins similar names that were found in archaeological excavations in the Ancient East and in Israel in particular. The names Menachem and Yinachem are expressions of condolence - possibly related to the death of family members."
Read More...
Blackbox

'Wolf man' condition down to huge DNA malfunction

Ewen Callaway
New Scientist
Fri, 22 May 2009 03:49 UTC
Image
© Sinopix/Rex Features"King Kong" (aka Yu Zhenhuan) is a modern equivalent, with his own media presence
A 31-year-old Chinese man whose body is 96 per cent coated in hair has an extra chunk of DNA that could explain his condition - called congenital generalized hypertrichosis terminalis (CGHT).

A new study of the patient known as "KK" - one of the world's hairiest men - and three families with a history of CGHT suggests that the disease is caused by vast genomic changes on chromosome 17.

CGHT is exceedingly rare, with fewer than 100 cases documented in news reports and the scientific literature, says Xue Zhang, a geneticist at Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, who led the new study.

The disease is one of at least several forms of hypertrichosis - all characterised by overgrowth of hair. One of the earliest recorded cases involved a Mexican Indian woman, Julia Pastrana, who toured Europe in the 1850s and 60s, before dying due to complications from childbirth.
Read More...
Telescope

Fast-spinning pulsar seen stealing from neighbour


New Scientist
Fri, 22 May 2009 03:39 UTC
A neutron star with a cosmic case of indigestion could help to explain why some of these ultra-dense stellar embers spin much more quickly than others.
Read More...