Science & TechnologyS


Star

Giant comet awes UH scientists

Helen Altonn
Star Bulletin
Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:13 UTC


©University of Hawaii
A comparison of Comet Holmes, the sun and Saturn (inset) is shown in this image from the University of Hawaii.

Once a faint, obscure comet, 17P/Holmes has eclipsed the sun as the largest object in the solar system and it's still growing, Hawaii astronomers say.

The spectacular comet has dazzled astronomers since it exploded Oct. 24 from a tiny nucleus of ice and rock about 2.2 miles in diameter.
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Bulb

Nonlocality of a Single Particle Demonstrated Without Objections

Lisa Zyga
PhysOrg
Sun, 11 Nov 2007 15:36 UTC
Usually when physicists talk about nonlocality in quantum mechanics, they're referring to the fact that two particles can have immediate effects on each other, even when separated by large distances. Einstein famously called the phenomena "spooky interaction at a distance" because information about a particle seems to be traveling faster than the speed of light, violating the laws of causality.

Although the idea is counterintuitive, nonlocality is now widely accepted by physicists, albeit almost exclusively for two-particle systems. So far, no experiment has sufficiently demonstrated the nonlocality of a single particle, although explanations have been proposed since 1991 (starting with Tan, Walls, and Collett).
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Telescope

Astronomers Find Rare Twin of Sun

John Borland
Wired News
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:27 UTC
Astronomers have found a star that is more like our own Sun than any yet observed, laying to rest any argument that our star is unique in the universe.
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Telescope

Asteroid 'is actually spacecraft'


BBC News
Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:35 UTC
A supposed asteroid, which it was feared was going to have a near-miss with Earth next week, has been identified as a spacecraft.

©ESA
The unmanned Rosetta craft has already flown past Earth once
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Bulb

Temple built 4,000 years ago unearthed in Peru

Marco Aquino
Reuters
Sun, 11 Nov 2007 01:36 UTC
A 4,000-year-old temple filled with murals has been unearthed on the northern coast of Peru, making it one of the oldest finds in the Americas, a leading archaeologist said on Saturday.

©REUTERS/Ignacio Alva/Handout
Archaeologists work at the clay temple Ventarron in the northern city of Lambayeque, November 10, 2007.
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Display

MySpace Overcome By Severe Phishing 'Epidemic'

Steve Fink
WCBSTV.com
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:46 UTC
Social networking giant MySpace stumbled to its knees at the hands of a cyber superbug recently, falling ill to a severe phishing epidemic that is plaguing a vast and vulnerable segment of its membership.

The viral scam, which targets the site's younger users, promises victims a free $500 Macy's gift card. It sounds like a steal. And actually, it is. It's the stealing of a member's identity.
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Cult

Roots of Fundamentalism traced to 16th-century Bible translations


Harvard University
Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:30 UTC
The English Reformation - heyday of religious change - spurred a fundamentalist approach to Bible reading, according to new research by a Harvard professor.

"Evangelical reading habits after 1525 were disciplinary, punishing and even demeaning," says James Simpson, Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English in Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

In 1525, Protestant reformer William Tyndale translated the Bible into early modern English. Scholars have widely hailed that moment as a liberating step for the literate public, who could suddenly read the Bible on their own terms - without the constraints of priestly interpretation.

Simpson disagrees.
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Star

Is Comet 17P Holmes losing its tail?


SpaceWeather.com
Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:40 UTC
"Is Comet 17P/Holmes losing its tail?" asks Italian astronomer Paolo Berardi. "Last night I recorded an image showing a big disconnection event that was not present on Nov 8th."

©Paolo Berardi
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Star

Leonid meteor shower could pack a punch

Curtis Roelle
carrollcountytimes.com
Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:34 UTC
November's annual Leonid meteor shower is associated with debris left behind during passages of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Although this year's shower is expected to be unremarkable, there is a chance that short-lived outbursts could occur.

The 2007 shower may be unremarkable but it is notable for several reasons. First, it is expected to peak on a weekend night, making it easier for observers who like staying up late. The nominal predicted peak should occur on the night of Nov. 17 to Nov. 18.

Second, the moon gets out of the way before things get going. According to Sky & Telescope magazine, the best viewing "starts around midnight, when Leo rises." In Westminster, the moon cooperates, setting at 12:53 Sunday morning. The magazine says you will "likely see the most meteors 2-3 hours before sunrise."
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Magic Wand

Watch it, Tom! Experts find fearless Jerries

Tan Ee Lyn
Reuters
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:00 UTC
Fear may be linked to the sense of smell, and can be switched off simply by shutting down certain receptors in the brain, Japanese scientists have found.

In an experiment with mice, the researchers identified and removed certain receptors on the olfactory bulb of their brains -- and the result was a batch of fearless rodents.

©Reuters

Comment: This experiment recreates similar characteristics to those seen in fearless rats infected with the brain parasite Toxoplasma Gondii. It's estimated that that up to 40 percent of the world's population could be infected with the parasite.

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