This cube may look like hell's version of Jenga, but it's actually an elaborate, 125-piece puzzle. The solution? A single-shot 45-caliber muzzle-loading pistol called the Intimidator. No, seriously. See for yourself. More »
Google's been cleared of any wrongdoing in the UK over the accidental collection of Wi-Fi network details by their Street View cars, with the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) stating "On the basis of the samples we saw, we are satisfied so far that it is unlikely that Google will have captured significant amounts of personal data." The lawsuit against Google in the US is still undecided. [BBC] More »
Can or does this sound possible to incorporate a hydraulic circuit into a windmill system? By taking the pmg out of the axle of the windmill and replacing it with a 15" pulley connected to a 3" pulley a 5 to 1 racial. With the 3" pulley driving a hydraulic pump, in turn driving a compatible hydrauli
Since YouTube's launch, the longest video you could upload was 10 minutes. No longer! Boing Boing reports that in the near future, that limit will rise to 15 minutes. More »
Beware death from above! So blared science headlines yesterday. Citing a study in the Journal Icarus that said a huge asteroid perhaps could have a 1 in 1,000 shot of striking earth late in the next century, stories broke such as,
“Will a Giant Asteroid Kill Us All in 2182?”
“Asteroid Could Destroy Human Life on Earth by 2200”
“Huge asteroid on possible collision course with Earth (172 years from now)”
“Mark your calendars: Potentially hazardous asteroid might collide with Earth in 2182”
They’re correct in that there’s a giant asteroid out there called 1999 RQ36, and there’s a small chance it might hit us in a just less than couple hundred years. There’s just one problem: It isn’t news, though you wouldn’t have gotten that from the articles. The study everyone is referring to came out last year—it was in Icarus last October.
Confused why there was a press release yesterday that blew up into this wave of coverage, I emailed study coauthor Maria Eugenia Sansaturio of the Universidad de Valladolid in Spain to see if there was anything new to report about the asteroid. Her reply:
The answer to your question is that there is nothing new. I’m still trying to understand how this has made it to the international media. I was contacted by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology because they wanted to prepare a report on it and inform the Spanish Media, even though the article had been published in 2009…. and here I am overwhelmed with mails and phone calls from all over the world!
So the risk from 1999 RQ36 isn’t exactly new (and the press release in English caught Sansaturio by surprise, to say the least). Apparently, she says, the study just now got on the SFST radar, and that organization’s release set science publications humming about killer asteroids.
But, whether this asteroid’s path is old news or not, we shouldn’t dawdle in thinking about how we might avoid it or asteroids like it. In this case, we’ve only got 172 years—and we already wasted one year getting the news out.
172 years into the future is a long time, and humans aren’t exactly well-known for preparing for future events over those kinds of time scales. But time is one thing we’ll need if we are to protect future generations from a potentially catastrophic impact event [Discovery News].
Of course, the last time there was a giant hubbub over an asteroid that might kill us all (we’re looking at you, Apophis), subsequently improved data all but ruled out a disaster. So don’t panic; grab a telescope.
Related Content:
DISCOVER: What To Do Before the Asteroid Strikes
80beats: Asteroid Photo Session: Rosetta Spacecraft Snaps Pics of Battered Lutetia
80beats: Danger, President Obama! Visiting an Asteroid Is Exciting, But Difficult
Image: ESA, NASA, JAXA, RAS, JHUAPL, UMD, OSIRIS (asteroids visited by spacecraft, created by Emily Lakdawalla)
When it opens this fall, the New Meadowlands Stadium will be the NFL's most state of the art facility. That means queuing up replays on demand on your smartphone (or just checking how long the concession lines are). More »
Hi friends,
Can anyone help me with an explanation about valves?
What is the difference between pressure regulator, reducing valve and pressure regulating valve?
Thanks
This Friday night, Morbid Anatomy presents at Observatory a night of arcane media and Victorian projection! Join collector and film-maker Ronni Thomas as he displays his collection of Diableries slides--masterfully designed 3d stereo 'tissues' created in france in the 19th Century depicting the daily life of Satan and his cohorts; see above--coupled with an illustrated lecture about the history of these fantastic artifacts and their kin. Come early and stay late to enjoy the phonograph stylings of DJ Davin Kuntze. Guests are also invited to bring their own arcane media and viewers!
Full details follow; Hope very very much to see you there!
Diableries, Medical Oddities and Ghosts in Amazing Victorian 3D!
An illustrated lecture and artifact display by filmmaker and collector Ronni Thomas
Date: Friday, July 30th
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid AnatomyTonight, join Observatory for a night of unique 3D stereo-views from the 1800s featuring HAUNTING double exposure ghost images, DISTURBING medical anomalies and the ever ELUSIVE french Diableries (or devil tissues)!
3D is very much in the news these days, and while hollywood has finally come close to perfecting this technology for the silver screen, people are largely unaware that the Victorians were also aficionados of 3D technologies, and that this interest often took a turn towards the macabre. Tonight, filmmaker and collector Ronni Thomas will lecture on the history of macabre 3D spectacles of the Victorian age, especially the infamous Diableries series–masterfully designed 3D stereo ’tissues’ created in france in the 19th century, backlit and featuring ornate scenes depicting the daily life of Satan in Hell (see image to left for example). Tongue in cheek and often controversial, these macabre spectacles give us a very interesting look at the 19th century’s lighthearted obsession with death and the macabre, serving as a wonderful demonstration of the Victorian fascination with themes such as the afterlife, heaven, hell and death.
In addition to the lecture, Thomas will display original Diablaries and other artifacts from his own collection. Guests are encouraged to bring their own pieces and, better yet, a stereo-viewer.
You can find out more about this presentation here. You can find out more about the Diablaries by clicking here. You can get directions to Observatory--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library (more on that here)--by clicking here. You can find out more about Observatory here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.
Image: Found on the wonderful pre-cinema resource Early Visual Media; Caption: An Image from the Diableries series--masterfully designed 3d stereo 'tissues' created in france in the 19th Century.
My idea this time has to do with putting an ultrasonic flow meter in a remote area of a pipeline or flare. The flow meter has a MODBUS RTU option and can be powered with a PV and battery supply. I thought I had a working weapon with these guys but the MODBUS output of the flow meter contains analog
The $69 Apple Magic Trackpad is nothing new. The Wacom Bamboo Touch has offered the same multi-touch functionality for almost a year. Its true relevance is in what it heralds: The end of Mac OS X as we know it. More »
Looking for experience or suggestions regarding alternatives to expensive Electrochemical Realkalization methods.
It has been suggested that use of a lime wash with Type S hydrated lime may increase, if not restore low pH conditions at re bar depths in concrete. Theory is: Introduction of this
Every now and then, I get an email from someone who’s keen to get into science writing and wants to know how I started. Whenever I reply, and I always try to, I’m always left with the nagging feeling that my experience is but one of a multitude of routes that people have taken. Science writing (whether you want to call it journalism, blogging, communication and so on) is a diverse field, as are the people working in it. It would be far more illuminating for a newbie to see a variety of stories rather than just one.
This was the origin of this thread of origins. I will be asking science writers around the world to do what they do best – tell a story – about the thing they know best – themselves. This will be a perpetual thread that I hope will act as a lasting resource for the writers of tomorrow to take inspiration from.
Some kind individuals have already submitted their stories and I hope that many more will chip in. You can already see that they’re a varied bunch. Some stumbled into it by accident. Some came from traditional journalistic backgrounds. Others were bitten by a radioactive Carl Sagan. The more the stories accumulate, the better this diversity reveals itself.
Who should contribute to this thread?
Anyone who regularly writes about science, and preferably has been doing it for a couple of years now. I originally wanted to focus on science journalists but because all these definitions are bleeding into one, I’m opening it to all manner of science writers. From blogger to book writer, beginner to veteran, Asimov to Zimmer, tell us your story.
What should I say?
You’ll see from the existing entries (which are virtually unedited) that there’s a lot of variety in content, tone and length. This is as it should be – science writers are a diverse bunch and it would be a shame to edit them into uniformity. But essentially, there are two basic questions:
What do I do?
Just stick a comment in with your story, who you are and what you do. If there are multiple links, it’ll be diverted to my spam folder, but just email or tweet me and tell me to rescue it. Alternatively, feel free to email your story and I’ll put it up on your behalf.
How do I tell people about this?
Obviously, the URL is above, but you can also link to this page from tinyurl.com/sciwriters and bit.ly/sciwriters
What about regular comments?
I’m not going to restrict people from posting regular comments initially, but I’d ask that readers keep them to a minimum. The thread’s value relies on the stories taking centre-stage.
Other than that, go for it.
Who has contributed?
I’ll keep a running list here, with links to their stories:
what are the systematical parameters given to vendor for purchasing pump in the market
The setting: Salvage of SNPs for Breast Cancer risk prediction published in JAMA yesterday.
The study: Women, 10306 with breast cancer mean age of Dx 58, 10393 sans breast cancer.
Outcomes:
1. Highest OR is 1.3 to predict Estrogen Receptor (ER) Positive vs ER negative with rs2981582 and 1.24 for rs3803662
2. The rest of the results were so suspect that the authors didn't include them in the abstract
"Certain Established risk factors for breast cancer have similar or even greater effects on breast cancer incidence that the differences seen here" -The Authors about this study's predictive model.
Bottom line: What good is a predictive SNP analysis of ER+ vs ER- if you can do that with pathology most of the time?
"Indeed or estimate of.....in the top fifth for polygenic risk score is similar to that for women in developed countries with one first degree relative with breast cancer" -The Authors about the less than useful polygenic risk model they created when compared to family history
Heck even the authors admit, this stuff is great......For studying pathogenesis, but NOT FOR CLINICAL USE TO GUIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS!!!
The Sherpa Says: Again, "You would be in the high risk of pretty much getting it".........Not a good way to do medicine or guide consumers guys.....
I never get tired of the stunning pictures being sent to Earth from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. This one is particularly cool:
It’s a little weird, isn’t it? What you’re seeing is sunset over some mountains on the Moon, with only the peaks popping up into the sunlight. It might help to pull back a bit:
[Click to embiggen.]
That’s a little better. You can see the long shadows of the two mountains on the hills farther back, giving the image a bit of context and relief.
But you’re still missing the coolest part. Ready? Here’s the entire shot:
Whoa! Getting the picture now? Those three mountains are actually the central peaks of the crater Bhabha, a 64 kilometer (40 mile) wide impact scar on the far side of the Moon. With really big impacts, the shock waves bounce around inside the crater bowl, making the rock flow like a fluid. The rock flows outward, then sloshes back inward, splashing up to form peaks. Usually there’s only one, but Bhaba has three.
This shot is from the west, facing east. It was taken just minutes before the Sun set over the peaks, throwing them into two weeks of darkness — remember, the far side of the Moon gets light just like the near side; when we see a thin crescent Moon that means the Sun is shining down on the other side, just like day on one side of the Earth means night on the other.
This picture is a vivid reminder that the Moon is a world in its own right. Eventually, I hope, people will once again get to see views like this by simply looking out the window. Until that time, LRO will provide us with these amazing pictures.
Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
I want to know about the weather condition,temperature and humidity for sa 2.5/sspc 10 standard.
what is the negative resistance and there is a devices used it to save power ??
Please refer to API-653, Section 4.
Following an inspector's initiative to scan about a corrosion area on the tank shell, a point of minimum wall thickness is located at t2.
And then, L is calculated by,
L = 3.7 x SQRT (D x t2).
The question is,
How shoul
Sir i have well calibrated diaphragm pressure switch whose setpoint is 12 kg. In addition to diaphragm pressure switch for high pressure tripping there is a bursting disc whose setpoint is 17 kg. The problem is that before the pressure gauge give the tripping command to the pump the busting disc bru
[This is my third post of Sex Week]
Here’s a song for the male water strider, from the days when Rod Stewart could do no wrong:
In my first two posts for Sex Week, I wrote about the delights of courtship: the alluring, informative fragrance of yeast and the seductive buzz of electric fish. These signals stir the opposite sex into action–to creep towards a fellow fungus, or to head-butt a prospective mate. But in many species, the actual consummation that all that courtship leads up to does not turn out to be a blissful union. Instead, some males will use all kinds of force and subterfuge to prolong their mating and raise the odds that their sperm fertilize their mate’s eggs. And the females? In some species, they very often just want to get away.
The reason for this unhappy union is pretty simple. In a lot of species, males compete with each other to fertilize the eggs of females. A single male makes so much sperm that he could, in theory, fertilize every female of his species. What limits his reproductive success is the access he has to females and their eggs. Females, on the other hand, are limited by how many eggs they can produce and rear. So it can pay for them to be choosy about which males they mate with. That doesn’t necessarily mean they pick one male, however; females in many species mate with several males, and there’s evidence that they can choose which male’s sperm to fertilize their eggs.
I’ve written on the Loom before about the various forms that this sexual conflict can take, from love darts to bickering bird parents to bizarre duck genitals, but one of the most extreme cases of this unromantic behavior can be seen in your local stream. Water striders skate over the surface of water, using their legs to sense waves from their prey. When it comes time for mating, a male water strider will feel for the waves of females. He will skate–or sometimes even leap–to land atop a mate. Very often, the female will struggle to get away, but he will wrap his legs around her midsection. The two insects fight; she may try various judo-like maneuvers to get him off, while he holds on as best he can. A female may raise her metabolic rate by 200% as she battles the male. If the male manages to insert his phallus into the female’s reproductive tract, he inflates it to keep it in place. He will hold onto her as long as possible–in some cases, as long as twelve hours–to raise the odds that his sperm find her eggs, and reduce the time the female has to mate with other water striders.
This kind of behavior has evolved because it can, under some circumstances, bring male water striders more offspring. Water striders, like many animals, have different personalities. Some male water striders are aggressive, and some are hyperaggressive. They are so eager that they’ll jump on males as well as females.. A team of scientists at Binghamton University mixed together water striders with different personalities to see how they would fare in the mating game. They found that in a mixed group of males, the hyperaggressive water striders had greater success than their milder rivals.
If hyperaggressive males can pass on their genes so well, why aren’t all male water striders over the top? One reason may be that selection can have different effects on animals at different levels. At the level of individuals, hyperaggressiveness may give an edge. But water striders don’t live in isolation. They live in groups, gathering in isolated riffles or side-ponds in streams. If you look at groups of water striders, hyperaggression turns out to be a disaster for males. Hyperaggressive males wear females out with their wrestling. The females try to hide off the water, so that they can’t feed, and as a result they produce fewer eggs.
The scientists even found that females will sometimes just abandon their group and seek out another place to live, where the males aren’t so overbearing. The groups where milder males live are flooded with females, so that each male has more females to approach. As a result, groups of mellow males can have more offspring than groups that contain hyperaggressive water striders.
The battle of the sexes rages on, but the opposite effects of individual selection and group selection keep it in check.
