Science & TechnologyS


Telescope

Scientists discover signs of ancient life on Mars

Dave Mosher
Space.com
Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:20 UTC
For the first time, satellite imagery reveals thick Martian salt deposits scattered across the planet's southern surface, which one planetary scientist claims could be sites of ancient life.

The mats of sodium chloride - the same taste-enhancing mineral found on your kitchen table - serve as more evidence of Mars' watery past, and researchers think the briney pools that made them could have been hospitable to life.
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Info

New Strategy To Prevent Genetically Altered Rice From Uncontrolled Spreading


sciencedaily.com
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:54 UTC
A method of creating selective terminable transgenic rice was reported by the scientists of Zhejiang University. Unintended spreading of transgenic rice by pollen and seed dispersal is a major concern for planting transgenic rice, especially transgenic rice expressing pharmaceutical or industrial proteins.

transgenic rice
©Chaoyang Lin et al. PLoS
Field trial for selective termination of the transgenic rice. The transgenic plants and the conventional control rice plants were sprayed with Bentazon. The picture was taken 7 days after the spray. The surviving plants were rice plants not carrying the transgene.
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Info

'Nanominerals' Influence Earth Systems From Ocean To Atmosphere To Biosphere


sciencedaily.com
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:50 UTC
The ubiquity of tiny particles of minerals--mineral nanoparticles--in oceans and rivers, atmosphere and soils, and in living cells are providing scientists with new ways of understanding Earth's workings. Our planet's physical, chemical, and biological processes are influenced or driven by the properties of these minerals.

mineral nanoparticles
©Saumyaditya Bose, Virginia Tech
A bacteria cell living in a no-oxygen environment "breathes" using mineral nanoparticles.
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Bug

Lyme Disease Can Be Prevented With New Shot, Study Suggests


sciencedaily.com
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:56 UTC
Lyme disease is the blight of countryside users but it may be prevented with a single injection, according to research published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.

Deer tick
©NOAA
Deer ticks often carry Lyme disease.
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Robot

Robot Fetches Objects With Just A Point And A Click


sciencedaily.com
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:50 UTC
Robots are fluent in their native language of 1 and 0 absolutes but struggle to grasp the nuances and imprecise nature of human language. While scientists are making slow, incremental progress in their quest to create a robot that responds to speech, gestures and body language, a more straightforward method of communication may help robots find their way into homes sooner.

robot
©Georgia Institute of Technology
Charlie Kemp, director of the Healthcare Robotics Center at Georgia Tech and Emory University, accepts a towel from El-E, a robot designed to aid users with mobility impairment with everyday tasks.
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Better Earth

New Portrait Of Earth Shows Land Cover As Never Before


sciencedaily.com
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:46 UTC
A new global portrait taken from space details Earth's land cover with a resolution never before obtained. ESA, in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, presented the preliminary version of the map to scientists recently at the 2nd GlobCover User Consultation workshop held in Rome, Italy.

global portrait
©ESA
A new global portrait taken from space details Earth's land cover with a resolution never before obtained.
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Telescope

Mars, Earth And Moon From 'Unique Planetary Nursery'


sciencedaily.com
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:38 UTC
A study of meteorites suggests that Mars, the Earth and the Moon share a common composition from 'growing up' in a unique planetary nursery in the inner solar system. The finding could lead to a rethink of how the inner solar system formed.

Earth, the Moon and Mars
©NASA
A study of meteorites suggests that the Earth, the Moon and Mars share a common composition from 'growing up' in a unique planetary nursery in the inner solar system.
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Cow Skull

Oldest Cretaceous Period Dinosaur Discovered Represents New Genus Of Prehistoric Aquatic Predator


sciencedaily.com
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:29 UTC
One of the oldest and most complete plesiosaur fossils recovered in North America, and the oldest yet discovered from the Cretaceous Period, represents a new genus of the prehistoric aquatic predator according to University of Calgary palaeontologists who have formally described the creature after its remains were uncovered in a Syncrude Canada Ltd. mine near Fort McMurray in 1994.

plesiosaur fossils
©Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta
One of the oldest and most complete plesiosaur fossils recovered in North America, and the oldest yet discovered from the Cretaceous Period, represents a new genus of the prehistoric aquatic predator according to University of Calgary palaeontologists.
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Telescope

Mars Salt Deposit Discovery Points To A New Place To Hunt For Life's Ancient Traces


sciencedaily.com
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:24 UTC
Scientists using a Mars-orbiting camera designed and operated at Arizona State University's Mars Space Flight Facility have discovered the first evidence for deposits of chloride minerals - salts - in numerous places on Mars. These deposits, say the scientists, show where water was once abundant and may also provide evidence for the existence of former Martian life.

Image
©NASA, J. Bell (Cornell U.) and M. Wolff (SSI)
Scientists have discovered the first evidence for deposits of chloride minerals - salts - in numerous places on Mars. These deposits show where water was once abundant and may also provide evidence for the existence of former Martian life.
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Bulb

Michio Kaku: Mr Parallel Universe

Nigel Farndale
Telegraph
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:59 UTC
Our universe is doomed, says Professor Michio Kaku. Fortunately, he's working on several escape routes: time travel, wormholes, and another universe entirely. The physicist on a mission to 'read the mind of God' shares his (very) deep thoughts with Nigel Farndale.

Michio Kaku
©Rick Giles
Michio Kaku: 'We are hardwired to seek beauty. I seek it in equations'
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