Science & TechnologyS


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Israel: Islamic-era skeletons 'disappeared' from Elad-sponsored dig

Dozens of skeletons from the early Islamic period were discovered during excavations near the Temple Mount, on a site slated for construction by a right-wing Jewish organization. Contrary to regulations, the skeletons were removed, and were not reported to the Ministry of Religious Services. The Israel Antiquities Authority termed the incident "a serious mishap."

Telescope

Iowa researcher works with European Space Agency to test moisture satellite

Europeans want to peek into our soil and see how dry we are.

And an Iowa State University professor is eager to help, and even check their results.

The European Space Agency is set to launch the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite this fall as researchers try to learn more about the amount of moisture in the ground in the United States and around the world.

ISU's Brian Hornbuckle is helping them. For the past year, Hornbuckle has led a team of investigators from ISU, the University of Iowa, and the USDA's National Soil Tilth Laboratory that measures moisture content in Central Iowa soil in using land-based technology. Now, he is working with the ESA.

Display

Democracy, Technically Speaking

Without [internet] neutrality, large retailers and corporate media would show rich and snappy response while entrepreneurs, nonprofits, local/public news sites would seem to just crawl. The outcome is not hard to guess at.

With wars, elections, natural disasters, economic and environmental perils rightfully filling the news it is easy to consign Internet issues to our mental back-pages, as exotic marginalia.

The Internet, however, has quietly become a dominant voice in our democratic discourse. Presidential campaigns hinge on effective net presence and fundraising. The free flow of information across the country, indeed around the globe, lets us discover, accurately judge, and respond to events affecting us.

Telescope

Famous Supernovae Still Echo Across the Milky Way



Cassiopeia A
©NASA/CXC/MIT/UMass Amherst/M.D.Stage et al.
This Chandra X-ray photograph shows Cassiopeia A (Cas A, for short), the youngest supernova remnant in the Milky Way.

While walking home on November 11, 1572, astronomer Tycho Brahe idly glanced at the sky. He was surprised to see a bright star in the constellation Cassiopeia that hadn't been there before. The new star, which we now know to be the result of a stellar explosion or supernova, grew brighter than Venus and was visible in daylight for about two weeks. It then slowly faded until vanishing in March 1574, 16 months after its discovery. The supernova, and the ensuing academic controversy regarding a supposedly unchangeable Universe displaying a spectacular change, prompted Tycho to forfeit his future as a Danish nobleman and become a serious astronomer. Decades later, Tycho's lifelong work became a cornerstone of the Scientific Revolution.

Bulb

Quadruped families evolution clue

Scientists have controversially claimed the discovery of gene variants which directly influence whether we walk upright or on all fours.

Two of four Turkish families with members who walk on their hands and feet share a variant of the VLDLR gene, say Bilkent University researchers.

Presenting their work at a European genetics conference, they said it could reveal clues about human evolution.

But other experts said the idea of an "all fours gene" was "far-fetched".

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©Passionate Productions
The families do not walk on two feet

Evil Rays

Kids set for 'Matrix' future

Children will learn by downloading information directly into their brains within 30 years, an education expert has predicted.

Chris Parry, the new chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, said "Matrix-style" technology would render traditional lessons obsolete.

Comment: The long-term health effects of wireless technology are still in doubt and the potential abuse of the predicted technology is unthinkable.


House

Ancient Greek architecture found in Iran



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©PressTV
Ruins of the historical site of Istakhr

Geological surveys in the south of Iran have revealed rectangular formations inspired by Greek architecture dating to the Sassanid era.

Archeologists say the structures located in Fars Province are part of the urban planning of the ancient Achaemenid city of Istakhr during the Sassanid period (226-651 CE).

Info

DNA explodes Greek myth about women

British researchers have unearthed evidence that proves Helen was much more than a chattel

Women in Ancient Greece were major power brokers in their own right, researchers have discovered, and often played key roles in running affairs of state. Until now it was thought they were treated little better than servants.

The discovery is part of an investigation by Manchester researchers into the founders of Mycenae, Europe's first great city-state and capital of King Agamemnon's domains.

'It was thought that in those days women were rated as little more than chattels in Ancient Greece,' said Professor Terry Brown, of the faculty of life sciences at Manchester University. 'Our work now suggests that notion is wrong.'

Star

Ancient Martian Ocean Would Have Been Salty 'Dead Sea'

As the Mars Phoenix Lander readies its robotic arm to touch Martian water for the first time, a separate group of scientists have some bad news for those hoping to find microbial extraterrestrials on the planet: the water that previously existed on the surface of the planet was probably too salty and too acidic to support the development of life.

Info

Did Walking On Two Feet Begin With A Shuffle?

Somewhere in the murky past, between four and seven million years ago, a hungry common ancestor of today's primates, including humans, did something novel. While temporarily standing on its rear feet to reach a piece of fruit, this protohominid spotted another juicy morsel in a nearby shrub and began shuffling toward it instead of dropping on all fours, crawling to the shrub and standing again.

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©iStockphoto
Researchers have developed a model that suggests shuffling emerged millions of years ago as a precursor to walking on two feet as a way of saving metabolic energy by a common ancestor of today's primates.