You walk into the kitchen to grab a--wait, why did you come in here again? [More]
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Feed SubscriptionCT Imaging Allows Analysis of Hidden Human Fossil
Kristian Carlson (right) discusses the first rib of Australopithecus sediba with colleague Brian Kuhn. Image: Kate Wong JOHANNESBURG At a tea party earlier today for a research team at the University of the Witwatersrand that has grown accustomed to making stunning discoveries of human fossils, a curious excitement erupted when Kristian Carlson unveiled a seemingly modest find: a rib bone from Australopithecus sediba . In fact, it wasn’t even an actual fossil just a resin replica
Read More »U.S. Seeks to Protect Forests to Save Wild Reindeer
(Reuters) - The U.S. government proposed protecting old-growth forests in Idaho and Washington state on Tuesday to save the nation's dwindling population of mountain caribou, popularly known as wild reindeer. [More]
Read More »Patients Get More Unnecessary Scans from Doctors Who Own Equipment
iStockphoto/kali9 More and more physicians are investing in their own imaging equipment. But when a doctor stands to make money on each MRI he or she orders, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that they might be inclined to order too many scans. [More]
Read More »Shape Shifting Robot Shows Some Spine [Video]
The notion that robots must be rigid metallic automatons made mobile by wheels, tracks or even legs has constrained the imagination of their designers. The weight of all those rods, gears and motors quickly adds up, and complex mechanical and electrical control systems are needed for robots to handle delicate objects or navigate across different types of terrain. [More]
Read More »Battery Fires Reveal Risks of Storing Large Amounts of Energy
People still need electricity when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining, which is why renewable energy developers are increasingly investing in energy storage systems. They need to sop up excess juice and release it when needed.
Read More »Breaking the Deep-Space Barrier [Interactive]
A reusable, electrically propelled spacecraft would open up vast realms of deep space to human exploration. The interactive below provides a walkthrough of the proposal laid out by Damon Landau and Nathan J. Strange
Read More »How an Energy-Efficient Spacecraft Could Revolutionize Space Travel [Video]
Energy efficiency is not just for appliances and vehicles on Earth--spacecraft that conserve fuel can provide a boost to humanity, too. In a recent article for
Read More »Did Steve Jobs Favor or Oppose Internet Freedom?
In 1977, 22-year-old Steve Jobs introduced the world to one of the first self-contained personal computers, the Apple II.
Read More »The Hidden Potential of Autistic Kids
When I was in fifth grade, my brother Alex started correcting my homework. This would not have been weird, except that he was in kindergarten--and autistic
Read More »Can Male Circumcision Stem the AIDS Epidemic in Africa?
For the Xhosa in South Africa, a boy's coming of age is often marked by an elaborate and lengthy set of rituals. One of the ordeals is circumcision , which is traditionally performed by a healer and occasionally leads to an ineffective cut, infection or even death. The young men who emerge from the ceremony healthy, however, achieve not only new social status but are also much less likely to become infected with HIV
Read More »Printers Can Be Hacked to Catch on Fire
Two researchers at Columbia University in New York say they've found a flaw in ordinary office printers that lets hackers hijack the devices to spy on users, spread malware and even force them to overheat to the point of catching fire. [More]
Read More »Generics Genesis: Patent Expires for Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Lipitor
By Heidi Ledford of Nature of magazine With sales of more than $100 billion since it was introduced in 1997, the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) is an unparalleled pharmaceutical superstar.
Read More »Dr. Dove’s Unicorns
Popular Science, 1936. Bull with single horn is modern unicorn
Read More »Climate Change Boosts Lethal Hendra Virus
It started with Vic Rail's horses, in September 1994. First one, then another, they died horrible deaths, 13 horses in all over the span of just two weeks, frothing from their noses and mouths, thrashing in agonizing pain
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