Experiment demonstrates 110 years of sustainable agriculture

PhysOrg.com: A plot of land on the campus of Auburn University shows that 110 years of sustainable farming practices can produce similar cotton crops to those using other methods.

New formula predicts how people will migrate in coming decades

PhysOrg.com: Nearly 200 million people now live outside their country of birth. But the patterns of migration that got them there have proven difficult to project. Now scientists at Rockefeller University, with assistance from the United Nations, have developed a predictive model of worldwide population shifts that they say will provide better estimates of migration across international boundaries. Because countries use population projections to estimate local needs for jobs, schools, housing and health care, a more precise formula to describe how people move could lead to better use of resources and improved economic conditions.

Medical Studies Vary in Validity of Findings - NYTimes.com

There are three basic principles that underlie the search for medical truth and the use of clinical trials to obtain it.

Nissan uses bumblebee power in new car technology

PhysOrg.com: Japan's Nissan Motor Co. has tapped into an unlikely source of inspiration for technology to prevent car crashes -- bumblebees.

Immigrant children from poor countries academically outperform those from developed countries

PhysOrg.com: Immigrants who seek a better life in Western countries may not be able to escape the influence of their home country when it comes to their children's academic performance, according to findings from the October issue of the American Sociological Review.

When particles are so small that they seep right through skin
PhysOrg.com: Scientists are finding that particles that are barely there – tiny objects known as nanoparticles that have found a home in electronics, food containers, sunscreens, and a variety of applications – can breech our most personal protective barrier: The skin.

During exercise, the human brain shifts into high gear on 'alternative energy'

PhysOrg.com: Alternative energy is all the rage in major media headlines, but for the human brain, this is old news. According to a study by researchers from Denmark and The Netherlands published in the October 2008 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the brain, just like muscles, works harder during strenuous exercise and is fueled by lactate, rather than glucose.

An Urban Farmer Is Rewarded for His Dream - NYTimes.com

With a $500,000 “genius grant” awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Will Allen of Growing Power, in Milwaukee, hopes to take his farm off the grid.

Ocean Dead Zones May Be Worse Than Thought | Wired Science from Wired.com

Oxygen-starved ocean dead zones may be more widespread than thought. Spanish researchers found that many species die off at oxygen levels well above what is now considered uninhabitable. The new

Mad Science: Nine of the oddest experiments ever - opinion - 24 September 2008 - New Scientist

Reto Schneider has collected some of the most bizarre experiments conducted in the name of science – here he selects nine of his favourites

Life in Zimbabwe - Wait for Useless Money - NYTimes.com

Zimbabwe is in the grip of one of the great hyperinflations in history, and its people have been plunged into a Darwinian struggle to get by.

In a Michigan town, Small Companies Unite to Foster Employees’ Health - NYTimes.com
Can’t afford sick workers? In one Michigan town, small companies are paying more to keep them well.

Raffles - Real Estate’s Latest Game of Chance - NYTimes.com

A number of homeowners have been using raffles and competitions in a last-ditch effort to raise money and unload a house.

Taking a Norse to water: New clues to Viking voyages

PhysOrg.com: The mouse could help lift the veil on how the Norwegian Vikings established a seafaring kingdom that ranged from the tip of Scotland and Iceland to Greenland and Newfoundland, scientists said on Tuesday.

Study reveals specific gene in adolescent men with delinquent peers

PhysOrg.com: Birds of a feather flock together, according to the old adage, and adolescent males who possess a certain type of variation in a specific gene are more likely to flock to delinquent peers, according to a landmark study led by Florida State University criminologist Kevin M. Beaver.

Groundbreaking discovery may lead to stronger antibiotics

PhysOrg.com: The last decade has seen a dramatic decline in the effectiveness of antibiotics, resulting in a mounting public health crisis across the world. A new breakthrough by University of Virginia researchers provides physicians and patients a potential new approach toward the creation of less resistant and more effective antibiotics.

The search for 'green' gold in the Amazon rain forest

PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- In a hunt for plants in the Amazon rain forest that have potential to be used for sustainable light-weight construction beams, electronic cases or other high-performance materials, Cornell fiber science professors Anil Netravali and Juan Hinestroza are forging new collaborations with researchers in Brazil.

Water table depth tied to droughts in Great Plains
PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- Will there be another “dust bowl” in the Great Plains similar to the one that swept the region in the 1930s? It depends on water storage underground. Groundwater depth has a significant effect on whether the Great Plains will have a drought or bountiful year.

MIT scientists move closer to 'artificial noses'

Toshiba unveils new battery prototype > News > PC Authority

Toshiba has unveiled a battery prototype that offers a 90 percent charge capacity in just 10 minutes.

How Randomness Rules Our World and Why We Cannot See It: Scientific American

Part two of a series of articles on the neuroscience of chance

Browse the Artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker's Library
Get Wired's take on technology business news and the Silicon Valley scene including IT, media, mobility, broadband, video, design, security, software, networking and internet startups on Wired.com

Thieves Are Stealing Solar Panels and Selling them - NYTimes.com

Solar power, with its promise of emissions-free renewable energy, boasts a growing number of fans. Some of them, it turns out, are thieves.

Dozen Athletes Are Donating Their Brains for Study on Concussions - NYTimes.com

A dozen athletes have agreed to donate their brains after their deaths for research into the effects of concussions.

Mediterranean Diet Declines, and Weights Rise - NYTimes.com

Associated with lower rates of heart disease and cancer, the Mediterranean diet is in retreat in its home region.

Gulf Coast Islands Rearranged After Hurricane Ike - NYTimes.com

Fragile barrier islands along the Gulf Coast are being all but obliterated by hurricanes.

Unraveling 'math dyslexia'

PhysOrg.com: Although school has been back for less than a month, it is likely that many children are already experiencing frustration and confusion in math class. Research at The University of Western Ontario in London, Canada could change the way we view math difficulties and how we assist children who face those problems.

What's the difference between a liberal and conservative?
PhysOrg.com: Political conservatives operate out of a fear of chaos and absence of order while political liberals operate out of a fear of emptiness, a new Northwestern University study soon to be published in the Journal of Research in Personality finds.

Researchers examine impact of beetle kill on Rocky Mountain weather, air quality

PhysOrg.com: Mountain pine beetles appear to be doing more than killing large swaths of forests in the Rocky Mountains. Scientists suspect they are also altering local weather patterns and air quality.

Researchers describe for first time how some bacteria kill males: They first invade the mother

PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- Many groups of bacteria are known as 'male killers' -- they target and kill just the males of a host species. Now, a Cornell scientist has helped describe for the first time just how certain male-killing bacteria manage to specifically kill off males of a parasitic wasp.

Recent scenes from North Korea - The Big Picture - Boston.com

The Big Picture - News Stories in Photographs from the Boston Globe

Chinese Say They're Building 'Impossible' Space Drive | Danger Room from Wired.com

Chinese researchers claim they've confirmed the theory behind an impossible space drive, and are proceeding to build a demonstration version. If they're right, this might transform the economics of satellites,

Audi Puts More 'Go' Into Stop-and-Go | Autopia from Wired.com

If police officers in Ingolstadt notice a decrease in luxury car drivers running red lights these days, we suspect it's because of a new project piloted by Audi that lets

Polar bears resort to cannibalism as Arctic ice shrinks - CNN.com
Summer is over in the northern hemisphere, but it's been another chilling season for researchers who study Arctic sea ice.

Simple device which uses electrical field could boost gas efficiency

PhysOrg.com: With the high cost of gasoline and diesel fuel impacting costs for automobiles, trucks, buses and the overall economy, a Temple University physics professor has developed a simple device which could dramatically improve fuel efficiency as much as 20 percent.

Einstein's green refrigerator making a comeback

PhysOrg.com: While almost everybody knows how Einstein revolutionized physics with his theories of relativity, many people may not know that the great scientist had a domestic side, too. Well, sort of - in 1930, Einstein and his former student Leo Szilard designed a refrigerator that required no electricity and had no moving parts. However, as refrigerator technology became more efficient, Einstein's design was nearly forgotten.

Bamboo Bike Maker Grows His Frames, Bonsai Style | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Bike maker Craig Calfee has found a way to grow bicycle frames in a field, with sunlight and water. He makes them out of bamboo. It's

Google Patent Could Kill Off Cellphone Contracts | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

Google's keyword auctions redefined web advertising. Now, a patent filing reveals, the search company wants to do the same thing for wireless services. Google's patent filing describes devices, systems and

V10 (vawt,savonius,vertical axis,windturbine,ametek)

Here we go again, building another vawt. With this one I am hoping to get the 100 watts.
Here is how I did it.

Big Brother's cafe watches you eat

PhysOrg.com: (AP) -- At the university cafeteria, women linger longer than men over their lunch decisions. Given a choice, they tend to opt for meat labeled 'animal friendly,' while men likely will go for a new product. Cameras are watching them. From inside a control room, monitors record the customers' movements, hesitations, facial expressions, posture, weight, even their eating habits.

Preventing forest fires with tree power: Sensor system runs on electricity generated by trees

PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- MIT researchers and colleagues are working to find out whether energy from trees can power a network of sensors to prevent spreading forest fires. What they learn also could raise the possibility of using trees as silent sentinels along the nation's borders to detect potential threats such as smuggled radioactive materials.

Controlling light with sound: new liquid camera lens as simple as water and vibration

PhysOrg.com: New miniature image-capturing technology powered by water, sound, and surface tension could lead to smarter and lighter cameras in everything from cell phones and automobiles to autonomous robots and miniature spy planes.

How Sweden Solved Its Bank Crisis - NYTimes.com

When they faced a financial crisis similar to the United States’ in the early 1990s, Sweden took equity in the banks to protect taxpayers.

Q and A - Could Using Wind Power for New York City Affect Weather Systems? - Question - NYTimes.com
Could a plan being explored to use wind to produce a third of the power for New York City affect weather systems?

Really? - Does Grape Juice Have the Same Health Benefits as Red Wine? - Question - NYTimes.com

Many teetotalers wonder whether they can reap the cardiovascular benefits from wine’s unfermented sibling.

Gene Therapy Restores Sight | Wired Science from Wired.com

With the help of gene therapy, two people who once were blind now can see. The individuals -- their identities remain confidential -- are participants in an early-stage clinical trial

Sept. 22, 1791: Faraday Enters a World He Will Change

Get the latest in science news, including space, physics, planet earth, discoveries, NASA, satellites, and space travel from Wired.com

BBC NEWS | Americas | Russian navy sails to Venezuela

A fleet of Russian warships sets sail for joint exercises in Venezuela, unprecedented since the Cold War.

Meet Dave, the Man Who Never Takes Out the Trash - TIME

The average American throws out 1,700 lbs. of garbage a year. David Chameides has tossed out zero lbs. (Actually, he produces garbage, but he just keeps it in the house.)

SPECTRALANDBASED.COM

YouTube - How the markets really work

This is probably right.

Nvidia Chip Speeds Up Imaging for Industrial Use - NYTimes.com

The graphics processing company helps organizations analyze a vast quantity of data and do it much faster than standard computers.

Biologist Pan Wenshi Helps a Region and a Species, the Langur - NYTimes.com

By helping a Chinese village out of poverty, Pan Wenshi protects the endangered langur.

Study: Massage helps recovery at cellular level

PhysOrg.com: Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps got a massage twice a day in Beijing. His teammate, Dara Torres, had two massage therapists on stand-by. And a bunch of sedated rabbits in Ohio recently had massage performed on their legs after bouts of intense exercise.

Army Anthropologist's Controversial Culture Clash | Danger Room from Wired.com

Seven years ago, Montgomery McFate was sitting in a bar in Washington, DC, trying to figure out what to do with her life. She was an unemployed, overeducated Army wife

The 2008 Smart List: 15 People the Next President Should Listen To
Get in-depth politics and legal news coverage including online privacy, Internet security, government regulations, censorship and free speech from Wired.com.

Fake popup study sadly confirms most users are idiots

Quebec firms help clean world's water

MONTREAL - Acquisitions in the United States gave two Quebec
firms a foothold in a water-treatment technology

San Francisco Slideshows - California Academy of Sciences: Press Preview - SF Weekly

NYC Trade Center dig exposes Ice Age landscape - Yahoo! News

Crews excavating the World Trade Center site this summer for the foundations of a new skyscraper have uncovered features carved into the bedrock by glaciers about 20,000 years ago, including a 40-foot-deep pothole.

Why guys go for outta-their-league ladies - Behavior- msnbc.com

A new study confirms what women say they’ve known all along: Men, no matter how unattractive, think they’ve got a chance with a runway model.

Will This E-Reader Replace Papers? - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

Drug Label, Maimed Patient and Crucial Test for Justices - NYTimes.com

At issue is whether plaintiffs have the right to sue when the products that hurt them had met federal standards.

Researchers disclose key advance in treating spinal cord injuries

PhysOrg.com: Researchers in Rochester, N.Y., and Colorado have shown that manipulating stem cells prior to transplantation may hold the key to overcoming a critical obstacle to using stem cell technology to repair spinal cord injuries.

Team finds genetic link between immune and nerve systems
PhysOrg.com: DURHAM, N.C. —Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered genetic links between the nervous system and the immune system in a well-studied worm, and the findings could illuminate new approaches to human therapies.

Bright ideas lighting up Grand Central Terminal

PhysOrg.com: New York's Grand Central Terminal may be a grand old National Historic Landmark, but thanks to some modern technology, it's becoming one the most energy efficient buildings in the city.

Research pushes back history of crop development 10,000 years

PhysOrg.com: Researchers led by Dr Robin Allaby of the University of Warwick's plant research arm Warwick HRI have found evidence that genetics supports the idea that the emergence of agriculture in prehistory took much longer than originally thought.

Flabber | Weblog: Michael Moore's Slacker Uprising

Elke dag een paar bijzondere, interessante, sexy of humoristische posts.

Important Twist in Supercapacitor Research

PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- Car batteries as we know them today may soon be relics. Storing energy in clunky containers with limited shelf lives has plagued car makers and military engineers who need lightweight, powerful and reliable means to crank engines into life, enliven radios and operate other electronic appliances.

Products Placed: How Companies Pay Artists to Include Brands in Lyrics | Listening Post from Wired.com

Songs that refer to products and brands have been with us for years, from Simon and Garfunkel singing Mama don't take my Kodachrome away to Janis Joplin's plea for a

Off on the Great Schlep - Los Angeles Times
If you need proof that this is the most important election in a generation, get this: Jewish grandkids are flying to Florida to visit their grandparents -- without being guilted into it without being guilted into it -- to talk their elders out of voting for John McCain.

World could head for a global pandemic caused by antibiotic resistance | ZME Science

Antibiotics are agents that act against microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi or protozoa. It's obvious that since the development of antibiotics, the world

The Real Girlfriend Experience - News - Broward-Palm Beach New Timespage 1 - Broward-Palm Beach New Times

Off the Shelf - Bacardi, the Puerto Rican Rum That Will Be Forever Cuban - NYTimes.com

Rum, revolution, romance and modern globalization come together in a pistol-packing salsa dance of modern history in “Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause” by Tom Gjelten.

Ping - Technology Doesn’t Dumb Us Down. It Frees Our Minds. - NYTimes.com

Over the course of human history, writing, printing, computing and Googling have only made it easier to think and communicate.

The College Issue - The Camera-Friendly, Perfectly Pixelated, Easily Downloadable Celebrity Academic - NYTimes.com

Five studies in the new world of online lecturing.

Chicago Unveils Multifaceted Plan to Curb Emissions of Heat-Trapping Gases - NYTimes.com
The blueprint would change the city’s building codes to promote energy efficiency, and it calls for installing huge solar panels at municipal properties and building alternative fueling stations.

A Professor and a Banker Bury Old Dogma on Markets - NYTimes.com

The Fed chairman and the Treasury secretary have cast aside long-held views about regulation and government involvement in private business.

Dim Lights, Big City - It’s Bottom’s Up Amid the Crash - NYTimes.com

As the market went up and down all week, so did the glasses at Harry’s, a restaurant three blocks from the New York Stock Exchange.

Busy and valuable: Bees are worth $220bln a year

PhysOrg.com: Bees and other pollinating insects are worth 153 billion euros (220 billion dollars) a year, thanks to their help in growing fruit, vegetables, oil crops, coffee, cocao and spices, a French study has found.

Water for farming | Running dry | The Economist

The world has a water shortage, not a food shortage

Technology Review: The Holes in Our Genomes

Scanning DNA for structural changes brings new insight into disease.

In Cairo, Living in Fear at a Cliff’s Sharp Edge - NYTimes.com
The true scope of what happened when a huge piece of a cliff broke off and crushed the lives below remains hidden beneath massive rocks.

globeandmail.com: HUMANITY AT RISK: ARE THE MALES GOING FIRST?

The most authoritative news in Canada featuring articles from The Globe and Mail, breaking news coverage, national news, international news, sports, weather, Report on Business.

'Friendly' bacteria protect against type 1 diabetes

PhysOrg.com: In a dramatic illustration of the potential for microbes to prevent disease, researchers at Yale University and the University of Chicago showed that mice exposed to common stomach bacteria were protected against the development of Type I diabetes.

Israel Unleashes First 'Skunk Bomb' | Danger Room from Wired.com

Possibly because of excitement over the Russia-Georgia conflict last month, little attention was given to a new development in chemical warfare – the first use by the Israeli police of

'Obey' Street Artist Churns Out 'Hope' for Obama | The Underwire from Wired.com

If you've been to any major U.S. city recently, you may have spotted a two-tone print of presidential candidate Barack Obama emblazoned with the word Hope on a bumper sticker,

Global Warming's Ecosystem Double Whammy

Plants and soils act like sponges for atmospheric carbon dioxide, but new research on the cover of this week's Nature finds that one abnormally warm year can suppress the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by some grassland ecosystems for up to two years. The findings followed a four-year study of 12-ton containerized grassland plots at Nevada's Desert Research Institute. Plots were extracted intact from the Oklahoma prairie and sealed inside four, living-room-sized environment chambers.

Posterity Post

Op-Ed Columnist - Need a Job? $17,000 an Hour. No Success Required. - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

I’m delighted to announce that Richard Fuld, the longtime chief of Lehman Brothers, is winner of my annual award for corporate rapacity and poor corporate governance.

There's gold in Japan's landfills - Times Online

Japan's high-tech rubbish dumps - the vast “urban mines” of landfill outside
every big city - have grown so huge that the country now ranks among the
biggest natural resource nations in the world.

P i c t u r e s: Ridiculous Tattoos Of Celebrities

ABC News: How Genes Pick Our Mates for Us

How Our Genes Pick Mates for Us

Abroad, Bailout Is Seen as a Detour From Capitalism - NYTimes.com

In rescuing A.I.G., Washington has not only turned away from decades of rhetoric about the virtues of the free market, it has also likely undercut future efforts to promote its market policies abroad.

Snip! Nearly One-Fifth of Homes Have No Landline - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

Look, Ma, No Hardware: Cisco’s Virtual Switch - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

Berkeley Approves City-Backed Loans for Solar Panels - NYTimes.com

The loans, offered to to property owners who install rooftop solar-power systems, would be paid off over 20 years as part of the owners’ property-tax bills.

Benchmark cyanobacterium sequenced could be cheap renewable energy source

PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers headed by biologists at Washington University in St. Louis has sequenced the genome of a unique bacterium that manages two disparate operations — photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation — in one little cell during two distinct cycles daily.

It's Faster, Cleaner and Cheaper, But Can REGINA Save Swedish Rail? | Autopia from Wired.com

Sure, Swedes end up handing half of what they earn over to the government, but look what they get in return: universal health care, sparkling cities and world-class meatballs. Sweden

PsyBlog: Why Loud Music in Bars Increases Alcohol Consumption

Crows make monkeys out of chimps in mental test - life - 17 September 2008 - New Scientist

New Caledonian crows seem to be able to use causal reasoning to solve problems, something not seen in any other non-human animal

Lost middle-class tribe's 'secret' eco-village in Wales spotted in aerial photograph taken by plane | Mail Online

For five happy years they enjoyed simple lives in their straw and mud huts. Then they were spotted by a plane and a mammoth planning row ensued.

Google and General Electric Team Up on Energy Initiatives - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

How Wall Street Lied to Its Computers - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

Skin Deep - Questions on the Safety of an Herbal Therapy - NYTimes.com
The health industry has questions about metals like lead, mercury or arsenic being found in ayurvedic supplements.

Rules Near for Animals’ Engineering - NYTimes.com

The Food and Drug Administration is expected on Thursday to announce proposals for regulating the meat and milk from genetically engineered animals.

You Just Can’t Kill It - NYTimes.com

Goth style endures, in high school and in high fashion, because alienation will always be chic.

Computers figuring out what words mean

PhysOrg.com: The Internet got smarter this week with the release of a semantic map that teaches computers the meanings behind words -- and gives the machines a vocabulary far larger than that of a typical US college graduate.

'Baby' fat cells may be key to treating obesity

PhysOrg.com: Immature, or 'baby,' fat cells lurk in the walls of the blood vessels that nourish fatty tissue, just waiting for excess calories to help them grow into the adult monsters responsible for packing on the extra pounds, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in mice.

From Sugar to Gasoline

PhysOrg.com: Following independent paths of investigation, two research teams are announcing this month that they have successfully converted sugar-potentially derived from agricultural waste and non-food plants-into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and a range of other valuable chemicals.

Volvo Thinks Locusts Can Make Us Safer Drivers | Autopia from Wired.com
Volvo is determined to build an injury-proof car by 2020, and the engineers working out the bugs developing so complex a vehicle hope to include a few as well. They're

Labour costs | You're fired | The Economist

What it costs to sack a worker

Ark - a short animated film by Grzegorz Jonkajtys and Marcin Kobylecki

City uses DNA to fight dog poop | Lifestyle | Reuters

PETAH TIKVA, Israel (Reuters) - An Israeli city is using DNA analysis of dog droppings to reward and punish pet owners. Under a six-month trial program launched this week.

Seventh-grader shines with solar cell research

In Box: The Poppy Trade

Posterity Post

Ron Rivera, Potter Devoted to Clean Water, Dies at 60 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

Mr. Rivera pioneered ceramic water filters that cut in half the incidence of diarrhea, a leading cause of death in the third world, especially among children.

Buying Tomatoes at the Birthplace of Silicon Valley - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

British Tour Operator Shuts Down; Thousands Stranded - NYTimes.com

XL Leisure collapses under the weight of fuel prices, the latest casualty in the travel industry.

Detailed Study on Spread of H.I.V. in U.S. - NYTimes.com

A study of people newly infected with H.I.V. has confirmed that the majority of new cases occur among gay and bisexual men and that blacks are most at risk.

China Investigates Tainted Baby Formula - NYTimes.com

The Health Ministry announced an inquiry into the safety of all formulas after a death and kidney problems.

All in the Hips: Fossilized Discovery Leads Paleontologist to Find Early Whales Used Back Legs for Swimming
PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- The crashing of the enormous fluked tail on the surface of the ocean is a “calling card” of modern whales. Living whales have no back legs, and their front legs take the form of flippers that allow them to steer. Their special tails provide the powerful thrust necessary to move their huge bulk.

Bike Accidents Decline As Ridership Rises | Autopia from Wired.com

More bicycles on the road means more chances for drivers yakking on cell phones or gorging on McFood to hit one, right? Wrong. According to a study by researchers at

Breaker, Breaker: Peterbilt Fuel Cell Means No Idling When Idle | Autopia from Wired.com

So you're a trucker stinging from high fuel prices. You don't want to back off the hammer and double-nickel in the granny lane to save gas, nor do you want

A Listening Party for Nature | Wired Science from Wired.com

Scientists use many techniques to study natural habitats, but they rarely listen to nature. To some biologists, sounds are more than an aural accompaniment to field trips: They convey information

New cannabis-like drugs could block pain without affecting brain, says study

PhysOrg.com: A new type of drug could alleviate pain in a similar way to cannabis without affecting the brain, according to a new study published in the journal Pain on Monday 15 September.

In Digital Age, Federal Files Blip Into Oblivion - NYTimes.com

Countless government records are being lost to posterity because workers do not regularly preserve documents.

Landfill Methane Growing as Alternative Energy Source - NYTimes.com
Methane, an ozone-damaging greenhouse gas produced by landfills, is being captured and increasingly used to generate electricity and heat.

Wind-Power Politics - NYTimes.com

For years, wind-farm projects had stalled in the face of local political opposition. Then an entrepreneur named Peter Mandelstam came up with a new and energizing approach.

Spit Parties for Folks Who Want to Break Their Own DNA Code - NYTimes.com

Want your DNA mapped? Saliva-collection parties gather all the evidence.

Seeking Mates for Furred and Clawed - NYTimes.com

New software has been developed that promises faster matches and — taking a page from human dating sites — details on animals’ personalities to ease what can be a testy process.

Liberated Punks Accelerate China's Musical Evolution | Listening Post from Wired.com

From Pigface and Ministry to PiL and Killing Joke, drummer Martin Atkins has pounded the skins for some very loud punks. But he didn't realize that China's underground sound would

Newspapers Deliver Millions of 'Terror' DVDs to Subscribers -- In 'Swing States'

Top Newspaper Publishing Stories - Editor & Publisher provides newspaper industry headlines covering emerging and important news.

ISRAEL: New law hugs trees, bugs contractors | Babylon & Beyond | Los Angeles Times
Updated frequently by Los Angeles Times Middle East correspondents in Baghdad, Jerusalem, Cairo and Beirut, Babylon & Beyond is a collection of news, insights, photos and videos from the most volatile region on the planet.

movie #32 | what the movie? | quiz | guess the title by the snapshot

Guess the title of a movie just by looking at a snapshot. Register to upload movie stills yourself and compete with others.

3M Launches First Pocket Projector

PhysOrg.com: 3M will launch their MPro110 mini projector later this month. With its composite video input, you can use it for presentations, playing games, or watching movies. You can even connect you iPod to the projector and watch movies on a table or wall.

Herpes drug inhibits HIV in patients infected with both viruses

PhysOrg.com: Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), McGill University and other institutions have discovered how a simple antiviral drug developed decades ago suppresses HIV in patients who are also infected with herpes. Their study was published in the Sept. 11 issue of the journal Cell Host and Microbe.

First 3-D processor runs at 1.4 Ghz on new architecture

PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- The next major advance in computer processors will likely be the move from today's two-dimensional chips to three-dimensional circuits, and the first three-dimensional synchronization circuitry is now running at 1.4 gigahertz at the University of Rochester.

This Land - On an Infested River, Battling Invaders Eye to Eye - Series - NYTimes.com
The Illinois River is full of Asian carp, a ravenous, rapidly multiplying invasive species, that shoots out of the water as if shot from a cannon when a ship passes through.

Algal Jet Fuel One Big Step Closer to Reality | Autopia from Wired.com

Commercial airlines won't stop using petroleum anytime soon, but a California startup says it has produced the world's first microbial-derived jet fuel, and independent tests show it behaves just like

Pentagon Researcher Unveils Warcraft Terror Plot | Danger Room from Wired.com

The American military and intelligence communities are increasingly worried that would-be bin Ladens might gather in a virtual world, to plan a real-life attack. But the spies haven't given many

Home-Brewed Biodiesel Goes Prime-Time

Get the latest in science news, including space, physics, planet earth, discoveries, NASA, satellites, and space travel from Wired.com

Terrorism Fear Could Create Psychosomatic Epidemic, Feds Warn | Threat Level from Wired.com

Americans' fear of a terrorism could create a mass outbreak of a psychosomatic illness -- even in the absence of any real attack -- -- creating a fake epidemic that

Top 10 Future Skyscrapers Under Construction - Skyscraper Construction - Popular Mechanics

From shortest to tallest, here are our 10 favorite skyscrapers under construction whose radical designs and eco-friendly architecture make up for a lack of height.

Did evolution come before life? - life - 15 September 2008 - New Scientist
A crude form of natural selection may have primed the primordial soup for life, as interacting molecules formed ever better chemical replicators

YouTube - The Front Fell Off

Hilarious video! An Australian Senator is interviewed regarding an oil spill that resulted in 20,000 tons of oil being dumped into the ocean.

Basics - Gut Instinct’s Surprising Role in Math - NYTimes.com

New studies suggest that two number systems, one that is innate for many animals and one that is uniquely human, may be profoundly related.

Weather History Recorded at Mohonk House Offers Insight Into Global Warming - NYTimes.com

Conditions and observations recorded for 112 years at a New York resort offer hints of the effects of global warming.

Flabber | Weblog: Nader for president, of the animal kingdom

Elke dag een paar bijzondere, interessante, sexy of humoristische posts.

Scientists harness power of worms to treat arthritis

PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- Glasgow scientists are aiming to harness a substance secreted by parasitic tropical worms to help them find a more effective treatment for inflammatory types of arthritis. A team of scientists at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde plan to take advantage of the anti-inflammatory properties of a large molecule secreted by parasitic filarial nematode worm, called ES-62.

Biotron
Western's newest engineering addition

New carbon nanomaterial shows promise of storing large quantities of renewable electrical energy

PhysOrg.com: Engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have achieved a breakthrough in the use of a one-atom thick structure called 'graphene' as a new carbon-based material for storing electrical charge in ultracapacitor devices, perhaps paving the way for the massive installation of renewable energies such as wind and solar power.

Flickr Photo Download: Banksy Cleans Up - Cave Painting

Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Show off your favorite photos and videos to the world, securely and privately show content to your friends and family, or blog the photos and videos you take with a cameraphone.

YouTube - How Khilafah was destroyed (Rajab Campaign, HT Australia)

Maybe they should get the whole Sunni - Shite thing worked out, then move on to the Caliphate

Why drunks forget the embarrassing things they do - Telegraph

The reason why people forget the embarrassing things they do when they are drunk has been discovered.

PS3 fab-to-lab, Part 1: Build Linux lab equipment from a Sony PLAYSTATION 3

How do you take the Cell Broadband Engine (Cell/B.E.) processor from an off-the-shelf Sony PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) and use it to construct a piece of Linux-based laboratory equipment (in essence, taking the Cell/B.E. from fab to hab to lab)? In this series, Lewin Edwards shows you how to go from game console to simple audio-bandwidth spectrum analyzer and function generator. First up, uncover the design intent of the project and then make a close inspection of the details of the user interface implementation as you start a journey to generate and analyze signals on the Cell/B.E. processor.

Melting ice caps could suck carbon from atmosphere - earth - 10 September 2008 - New Scientist Environment

As the Arctic ice melts, it could leave a new habitat for phytoplankton, which would soak up some of the world's carbon dioxide

Concrete-jet 'printers' to build houses, Moonbases in hours | The Register

Cameras for Capturing the Primordial Fire: A Look Inside the Large Hadron Collider - New York Times
Scientists are putting the final touches on a 17-mile long particle accelerator that will smash protons together in an attempt to create forces and particles that existed shortly after the Big Bang and rarely, if ever, today.

Prefab Sheds - Modernism in Miniature - NYTimes.com

Tiny, high-style prefabricated sheds have become popular recently as an alternative to trading up in a housing slump.

Clinical trial for new tuberculosis vaccine

PhysOrg.com: Since Monday of this week, the new vaccine 'VPM1002' has entered the clinical phase I trial in Neuss, Germany, where it is being tested for safety on voluntary subjects. VPM1002 is based on a vaccine that has been in use since 1921, and has been genetically engineered to prevent infection with tuberculosis bacteria much more effectively than its predecessor.

Superconductivity can induce magnetism

PhysOrg.com: When an electrical current passes through a wire it emanates heat – a principle that's found in toasters and incandescent light bulbs. Some materials, at low temperatures, violate this law and carry current without any heat loss. But this seemingly trivial property, superconductivity, is now at the forefront of our understanding of physics.

ChaCha (search engine) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Researchers find racial bias in virtual worlds - Internet - iTnews Australia

Real-world behaviours and racial biases could carry forward into virtual worlds such as Second Life, social psychologists say.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Fusion power seeks super steels
Scientists say an understanding of how the Twin Towers collapsed will help them develop the materials needed to build fusion reactors.

Superstitions evolved to help us survive - being-human - 10 September 2008 - New Scientist

Biologists show that it can pay to falsely link cause and effect if it helps us to spot danger signs in the environment

The death of OPEC - Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

Compost Heap Bacteria Could Provide 10% Of UK Transport Fuel Needs

Bacteria found in compost heaps able to convert waste plant fiber into ethanol could eventually provide up 10% of the UK's transport fuel needs, according to new research.