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  </channel><item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18782151">
    <title>BBC News - Graphene holes 'heal themselves'</title>
    <dc:date>2012-07-12T02:37:51+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18782151</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The team was initially interested in the effects of adding metal contacts to strips of graphene, the only way to exploit its phenomenal electronic properties.

The process routinely creates holes in the atom-thick sheets, so the researchers were trying to understand how those holes form, firing electron beams through graphene sheets and then studying the results with an electron microscope.

But to their surprise, they found that when carbon atoms were also near the samples, the atoms snapped into place, repairing the two-dimensional sheet.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>materials Carbon_nanotube</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:093fbfdb6bba/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://phys.org/news/2012-07-physics-team-actual-space-time-crystal.html">
    <title>Physics team proposes a way to create an actual space-time crystal</title>
    <dc:date>2012-07-09T16:43:11+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://phys.org/news/2012-07-physics-team-actual-space-time-crystal.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Wilczek thought that it should be possible to construct a space-time crystal because crystals naturally align themselves at low temperatures and because superconductors also operate at very low temperatures; it seemed reasonable to assume that the atoms in such a crystal could conceivably move or rotate and then return to their natural state naturally, continually, as crystals are wont to do as they seek a lowest energy state. He envisioned a rotation with a ring of ions that flowed separately rather than as a stream, likening it to a mouse running around inside of a snake laying as a circle. The bulge would flow, rather than the snake itself spinning and would just keep on going, potentially forever. The problem was, he couldn’t figure out how such a crystal structure could be created in the real world.

Taking Wilczek’s original idea, but not his method for creating a real world example, Li et al, suggest that to create a space-time crystal all that’s needed is a better ion trap. They believe that if ions could be forced using such a trap, into a ring at very low temperatures, as a superconductor, all that would be needed would be a little nudge from a tiny bit of a magnetic field to cause the ions to begin rotating as a single ring. Because there would be no resistance, and because of their natural mutual repulsion, the ring should then continue rotating indefinitely with no additional injection of energy, resulting in the space-time crystal that Wilczek imagined.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Space-Time ouraborous</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:f8c6f580ccc9/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18423285">
    <title>BBC News - 'Hitchhiking' anti-cancer viruses ride blood cells</title>
    <dc:date>2012-06-14T02:28:38+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18423285</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Reoviruses are normally harmless, but they can cause stomach upsets and colds in childhood. However, it seems they have the ability to infect and kill some cancerous cells while leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed.The virus was detected in the tumour, but not the liver, meaning it was selectively targeting the cancer. In the blood, the virus was detected in blood cells, not the liquid blood plasma all the cells float in, meaning it was "hitchhiking", the researchers said.]]></description>
<dc:subject>virus</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:a335084b121e/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:virus"/>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4818/few-brown-dwarfs-close-to-home">
    <title>Few Brown Dwarfs Close to Home</title>
    <dc:date>2012-06-12T03:15:41+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4818/few-brown-dwarfs-close-to-home</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Improvements in WISE’s infrared vision over past missions have allowed it to pick up the faint glow of many of these hidden objects. In August 2011, the mission announced the discovery of the coolest brown dwarfs spotted yet, a new class of stars called Y dwarfs. One of the Y dwarfs is less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), or about room temperature, making it the coldest star-like body known. Since then, the WISE science team has surveyed the entire landscape around our Sun and discovered 200 brown dwarfs, including 13 Y dwarfs.

Artist´s conception of our Milky Way galaxy, with the location of our star, the Sun, noted. Image Credit: NASA
Determining the distances to these objects is a key factor in knowing their population density in our solar neighborhood. After carefully measuring the distance to several of the coldest brown dwarfs via a method called parallax, the scientists were able to estimate the distances to all the newfound brown dwarfs. They concluded that about 33 brown dwarfs reside within 26 light-years of Sun. There are 211 stars within this same volume of space, so that means there are about six stars for every brown dwarf. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Space_Exploration</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:2111d0207759/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ciudad-blanca-20120607,0,239209.story">
    <title>Airborne imaging of Honduras's Mosquito Coast might show lost city of Ciudad Blanca, scientists say. - latimes.com</title>
    <dc:date>2012-06-10T06:29:37+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ciudad-blanca-20120607,0,239209.story</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Ciudad Blanca plays a central role in many Central American stories and mythology. It has been cited as the birthplace of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Some previous "sightings" have included reports of golden idols and elaborately carved white stones, which have given the city its name. No reputable source has verified these claims, however.The new results, announced this week by Honduras president Porfirio Lobo, clearly show a large central plaza with a major pyramid at one end, smaller pyramids nearby and the remains of other structures around the plaza. Now archaeologists will have to make the trek through the dense forest to visit the site in person and verify the findings.]]></description>
<dc:subject>ARCHITECTURE Anthropology</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:b56dc236264a/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18359291">
    <title>BBC News - X-ray lasers from tabletop device</title>
    <dc:date>2012-06-08T01:27:53+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18359291</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The energy for the X-ray beam was supplied by short infrared laser pulses. They are fired at noble gases, where they rip electrons out of the atoms.

These electrons are then accelerated by the infrared light and return to their atoms, where they convert their kinetic energy into X-ray radiation.

The coherent beam generated in the latest study covers a broad energy spectrum - simultaneously streaming ultraviolet light, X-rays, and all wavelengths in between.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>Physics</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:75cb26dc9ae1/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://phys.org/news/2012-06-stanford-physicists.html">
    <title>Stanford physicists make new form of matter</title>
    <dc:date>2012-06-07T00:20:00+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://phys.org/news/2012-06-stanford-physicists.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Last week's announcement by a Stanford team in Physical Review Letters that it has created the world's first dipolar quantum fermionic gas from the metal dysprosium – "an entirely new form of quantum matter," as Stanford applied physics Professor and lead author Benjamin Lev put it – represents a major step toward understanding the behavior of these systems of particles. And this understanding makes for a leap toward the supernatural-seeming applications that condensed-matter physics conjures.When the thermal energy of some substances drops below a certain critical point, it is often no longer possible to consider its component particles separately. Instead, the material becomes "strongly correlated" and its quantum effects become difficult to understand and study. Until now, research efforts had focused on cooling bosons – fundamentally different from fermions, and much easier to work with – and weakly magnetic fermions. The Stanford team extended these techniques to gases made of the most magnetic atom: a fermionic isotope of dysprosium with magnetic energies 440 times larger than previously cooled gases.The initial step – trapping particles in the "optical molasses" created by the high-powered lasers – works by exciting a particle and then allowing it to return to its initial state. The particle loses energy in this process, cooling dramatically. Typically, the substances that researchers cool in this way only have two or three energy levels, making for a simple "optical loop." Dysprosium, on the other hand has more than 140.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Quantum_Physics</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:f7a18a63298f/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-05/finnish-scientists-say-theyve-discovered-vaccine-cures-allergies">
    <title>Finnish Scientists Announce a Possible Universal Allergy Vaccine | Popular Science</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-31T19:53:45+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-05/finnish-scientists-say-theyve-discovered-vaccine-cures-allergies</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Scientists at the University of Eastern Finland say they hope to have an allergy vaccine on the market in five to seven years.

For everything, from pollen to cat hair.

The antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE) works as the sneezy gatekeeper for allergies: it causes your white blood cells to release histamine, which in turn causes all of your favorite allergic responses, from a watery eyes to hay fever. Now, a team of scientists led by Professor Juhu Rouvinen have found a means of genetically modifying allergens so they won't bind with IgE, while still allowing them to interact with immunoglobulin G. IgG is the friendly cousin of IgE; it keeps allergies out by stopping the IgE-allergen complex from forming. That could block histamine from coming out of white blood cells, and thus block that runny nose. After that, it's simple, at least in theory: Just load a modified version in a shot and let the immune system take care of the rest. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Genetic_Engineering</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:01ac6b556d95/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57439734-83/fbi-quietly-forms-secretive-net-surveillance-unit/">
    <title>FBI quietly forms secretive Net-surveillance unit | Security &amp; Privacy - CNET News</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-25T01:02:56+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57439734-83/fbi-quietly-forms-secretive-net-surveillance-unit/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[DCAC's mandate is broad, covering everything from trying to intercept and decode Skype conversations to building custom wiretap hardware or analyzing the gigabytes of data that a wireless provider or social network might turn over in response to a court order. It's also designed to serve as a kind of surveillance help desk for state, local, and other federal police.

The center represents the technological component of the bureau's "Going Dark" Internet wiretapping push, which was allocated $54 million by a Senate committee last month. The legal component is no less important: as CNET reported on May 4, the FBI wants Internet companies not to oppose a proposed law that would require social-networks and providers of VoIP, instant messaging, and Web e-mail to build in backdoors for government surveillance. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Cyberwar</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:3f7a73542e25/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18158131">
    <title>BBC News - Rewritable DNA memory shown off</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-23T00:04:38+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18158131</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The bits comprise short sections of DNA that can, under the influence of two different proteins, be made to point in one of two directions within the chromosomes of the bacterium E. coli.

The data are then "read out" as the sections were designed to glow green or red when under illumination, depending on their orientation.
Integrase molecule The trick was to balance the effects of two competing proteins - integrase and excisionase

The two proteins, integrase and excisionase, were taken from a bacteriophage - a virus that infects bacteria. They are involved in the DNA modification process by which the DNA from a virus is incorporated into that of its host.]]></description>
<dc:subject>information Genetic_Engineering</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:5676b5ef6337/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18160673">
    <title>BBC News - DNA to shed light on yeti claims</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-23T00:00:27+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18160673</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[A 1951 expedition to Mount Everest famously returned with photographs of giant footprints in the snow, fuelling speculation about giant Himalayan creatures, unknown to science.

Since then, many eye-witness reports of such creatures have emerged from remote regions of the world.

These humanoid beasties are variously known as the "yeti" or "migoi" in the Himalayas, "bigfoot" or "sasquatch" in North America, "almasty" in the Caucasus mountains and "orang pendek" in Sumatra, but there are many others.

Tests up to now have usually concluded that alleged yeti remains were in fact human. But, said Prof Sykes, "there has been no systematic review of this material."

The project will focus on an archive of remains held at the Lausanne museum that was assembled by Bernard Heuvelmans, a Swiss biologist who investigated reported yeti sightings from 1950 up to his death in 2001. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>cryptozoology</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:80ccb671a92b/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:cryptozoology"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://phys.org/news/2012-05-cloak-invisibility-plasmonics-invisible-photodetector.html">
    <title>Cloak of invisibility: Engineers use plasmonics to create an invisible photodetector</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-21T22:19:54+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://phys.org/news/2012-05-cloak-invisibility-plasmonics-invisible-photodetector.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[It may not be intuitive, but a coating of reflective metal can actually make something less visible, engineers at Stanford and UPenn have shown. They have created an invisible, light-detecting device that can "see without being seen."

At the heart of the device are silicon nanowires covered by a thin cap of gold. By adjusting the ratio of metal to silicon – a technique the engineers refer to as tuning the geometries – they capitalize on favorable nanoscale physics in which the reflected light from the two materials cancel each other to make the device invisible.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Invisibility_Cloak</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:298976b76fa1/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Invisibility_Cloak"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18061174">
    <title>BBC News - Light-powered bionic eye invented to help restore sight</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-14T15:43:27+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18061174</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The Stanford researchers say their method could be a step forward by "eliminating the need for complex electronics and wiring".

A retinal implant, which works in a similar way to a solar panel, is fitted in the back of the eye.

A pair of glasses fitted with a video camera records what is happening before a patient's eyes and fires beams of near infrared light on to the retinal chip.

The creates an electrical signal which is passed on to nerves.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Cybernetics</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:e77618fa3e41/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Cybernetics"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.news-gazette.com/news/environment/2012-05-11/iroquois-county-resident-diagnosed-rodent-spread-disease.html">
    <title>Iroquois County resident diagnosed with rodent-spread disease | News-Gazette.com</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-13T06:21:35+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.news-gazette.com/news/environment/2012-05-11/iroquois-county-resident-diagnosed-rodent-spread-disease.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The Illinois Department of Public Health reported on Friday evening that an Iroquois County resident has been diagnosed with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

The syndrome is a disease spread by rodents, according to the report.

The Iroquois County resident first showed symptoms in late April after cleaning out a structure where rodents were seen and was hospitalized in May with fever and shortness of breath.]]></description>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:86949195310d/</dc:identifier>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17537845">
    <title>BBC News - Nepal's mystery language on the verge of extinction</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-13T06:02:47+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17537845</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Gyani Maiya Sen, a 75-year-old woman from western Nepal, can perhaps be forgiven for feeling that the weight of the world rests on her shoulders.

She is the only person still alive in Nepal who fluently speaks the Kusunda language. The unknown origins and mysterious sentence structures of Kusunda have long baffled linguists.

Professor Pokharel describes Kusunda as a "language isolate", not related to any common language of the world.

"There are about 20 language families in the world," he said, "among them are the Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan and Austro-Asiatic group of languages.

"Kusunda stands out because it is not phonologically, morphologically, syntactically and lexically related to any other languages of the world.
The Kusunda - a short and sturdy people - refer to themselves by the word "myak" in their language. They kill monitor lizards ("pui") and wild fowls ("tap").]]></description>
<dc:subject>Language</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:70e26a4e330e/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Language"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18018343">
    <title>BBC News - Mayan art and calendar at Xultun stun archaeologists</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-10T22:06:14+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18018343</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The ruins at Xultun were first discovered in 1912 and mapping efforts in the 1920s and 1970s laid out much of the site's structure.
Diagram of Xultun find Three of the four walls of the structure are remarkably well preserved

Archaeologists have catalogued the site's features, including a 35m-tall pyramid, but thousands of structures on the 30 sq km site remain unexplored.

In 2005, William Saturno, then at the University of New Hampshire, discovered the oldest-known Mayan murals at a site just a few kilometres away called San Bartolo.

in 2010, one of Dr Saturno's students was following the tracks of more recent looters at Xultun when he discovered the vegetation-covered structure that has now been excavated.]]></description>
<dc:subject>mayan</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:64259500d0f3/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:mayan"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/331538/20120422/dolphin-deaths-peru-seizmic-oil-exploration-viral.htm">
    <title>Mass Dolphin Death Mystery In Peru, Authorities Blame It On Viral Infection</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-04T21:10:24+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/331538/20120422/dolphin-deaths-peru-seizmic-oil-exploration-viral.htm</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Investigations are on into the deaths of hundreds of dolphins that washed up on the northern coast of Peru. Around 877 carcasses of dolphins and porpoises were found on Peruvian beaches in two and half months. Peruvian officials and environmentalists are trying to unravel the mystery behind the phenomenon.

No concrete reasons have been figured out yet but the authorities believe that it could possibly be a viral infection that may have killed the dolphins in huge numbers. While environmental groups in the country blame the seismic oil exploration work carried out by BPZ Energy Company for the dolphin deaths.

"The most probable hypothesis is the possibility of an infection with a virus," he said. "There are scientific articles about the incidence of morbillivirus, a type of distemper, in cetaceans in Peru, and that can be ruled out or proven next week," told Deputy Environment Minister Gabriel Quijandria to Associated press.

BPZ, a Houston-based company had carried out the oil exploration work between February 8 and April 8, off Northern Peru. Peruvian environmentalists have said that the sound waves generated from the oil exploration work could be the cause of the deaths.]]></description>
<dc:subject>mass_death</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:ae2fab3f3297/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:mass_death"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://news.discovery.com/human/humans-ant-colonies-120502.html">
    <title>Human Societies Starting to Resemble Ant Colonies : Discovery News</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-04T15:54:35+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://news.discovery.com/human/humans-ant-colonies-120502.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Both human and ant societies share features that allow for nearly unlimited growth potential.
Members of human and ant societies are not required to distinguish each other as individuals for a group to remain unified.
Only environmental conditions could likely limit the growth of these societies. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Anonymous</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:a16eb03515d5/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Anonymous"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17925309">
    <title>BBC News - Nature-inspired materials could help camouflage</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-03T14:01:39+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17925309</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The University of Bristol team decided to combine biomimicry - technology that imitates nature - and robotics.

"We study and mimic the characteristics of biological organisms to create soft robots and soft devices," says Dr Rossiter.

To mimic these natural mechanisms, the team used "smart" electro-active polymeric materials, connected to an electric circuit.

When a voltage was applied, the materials contracted; they returned to their original shape when they were short-circuited.

"These artificial muscles can replicate the [natural] muscular action… and can have strong visual effects," said Dr Rossiter.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

    It is important to look at nature - after all, it has had 3.8 billion years to come up with ideas”

Janine Benyus Biomimicry Institute

"These materials, and this approach, is ideal for making smart colour-changing skins or soft devices in which fluid is pumped from one place to another.]]></description>
<dc:subject>color materials</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:3a2618761680/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:color"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:materials"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://phys.org/news/2012-05-cairo-calendar-egyptians-binary-algol.html">
    <title>Cairo Calendar shows Egyptians discovered binary Algol first</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-02T21:46:26+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://phys.org/news/2012-05-cairo-calendar-egyptians-binary-algol.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Algol, aka the Demon Star, is actually a binary star in the Perseus constellation, and has been the subject of speculation for hundreds of years. Now a group of Finnish researchers propose that the peculiar behavior of Algol was first noted by the Egyptians some 3200 years ago. They suggest, as they describe in their paper uploaded to the preprint server arXiv, that a document known as the Cairo Calendar, shows that not only did the Egyptians know about Algol, but that their observations can be used to further explain the erratic behavior of the binary seen today.

What makes Algol so interesting is the fact that it brightens and dims every 2.867 days, a phenomenon first described in semi-modern western astronomy by John Goodricke, who wrote about what he saw with the naked eye back in 1783. And while neither he nor the ancient Egyptians could have known that the dimming was caused by one of the binary stars passing in front of the other, it’s clear now that there is something else at play as well, because the dimming takes on other characteristics periodically as well and it might even be changing over time; and the team from Helsinki believe some of the explanation for it can be found in an ancient document known as the Cairo Calendar.
There’s one hitch though, the data from the Cairo Calendar describes the binary period as 2.85 days; ever so slightly less than the 2.867 days now observed. The team doesn’t believe this difference is due to error, they think it’s because the period has changed over time, and that they say, gives credence to the theory that the Algol binary is actually a three star system as new research has been suggesting. Thus it seems, the Egyptian data from so long ago is now able to support research being carried out all these thousands of years later.]]></description>
<dc:subject>stars</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:e02a49b56457/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:stars"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17892521">
    <title>BBC News - Being bilingual 'boosts brain power'</title>
    <dc:date>2012-05-01T08:44:10+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17892521</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Under quiet, laboratory conditions, both groups - the bilingual and the English-only-speaking students - responded similarly.

But against a backdrop of noisy chatter, the bilingual group were far superior at processing sounds.

They were better able to tune in to the important information - the speaker's voice - and block out other distracting noises - the background chatter.

"It seems that the benefits of bilingualism are particularly powerful and broad, and include attention, inhibition and encoding of sound."

Musicians appear to gain a similar benefit when rehearsing, say the researchers. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Brain Neuroscience</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:02a3489c5108/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Brain"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Neuroscience"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17809503">
    <title>BBC News - Ancient viruses thrive in our DNA</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-24T07:22:35+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17809503</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[A study shows how extensively viruses from as far back as the dinosaur era still thrive in our genetic material.

It sheds light on the origins of a big proportion of our genetic material, much of which is still not understood.

One of the viruses was found to have invaded the genome of a common ancestor around 100 million years ago with its remnants discovered in almost every mammal in the study.

Another infected an early primate with the result that it was found in apes, humans and other primates as well.

The work established that many of these viruses lost the ability to transfer from one cell to another.

Instead they evolved to stay within their host cell where they have profilerated very effectively - spending their entire life cycle within the cell.

This raises the extraordinary scenario of our DNA serving as an environment in which viruses can evolve - a micro-ecology within the double-helix of our genetic material.

There is evidence that they can provide positive services. For example the protein syncytin - derived from a virus - helps develop the placenta. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>cells virus Cryptohistory</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:263dbb07468d/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:cells"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:virus"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Cryptohistory"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://mindhacks.com/2012/04/21/how-ghostwatch-haunted-psychiatry/">
    <title>How Ghostwatch haunted psychiatry « Mind Hacks</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-23T08:42:28+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://mindhacks.com/2012/04/21/how-ghostwatch-haunted-psychiatry/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[But despite some subtle nods to its fictional nature, the fact it was broadcast on Halloween and the ridiculous conclusion (the poltergeist eventually escapes from the house, takes control of the BBC and possesses presenter Michael Parkinson), many people believed the ‘documentary’ was real and that the programme was capturing these astounding events as they happened. You can watch it on YouTube and see how it was introduced.At the moment, the current DSM-IV-TR diagnosis for PTSD says that “the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others” and that the person’s response involved “intense fear, helplessness, or horror”.At the time Ghostwatch was broadcast the criteria required that “the person has experienced an event that is outside the range usual human experience and that would be markedly distressing to almost anyone” which could similarly be interpreted to allow TV programmes to cause the disorder.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Cryptohistory</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:6b51f8e38cec/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Cryptohistory"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17799053">
    <title>BBC News - Vietnam seeks foreign help to beat mystery skin disease</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-22T05:50:24+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17799053</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[More than 170 people in the country's central province of Quang Ngai have reported symptoms.

The disease begins with a rash on the hands and feet: it can progress to liver problems and multiple organ failure.

"Since we don't know what caused the disease, we will have to rely on our rituals and prayers."]]></description>
<dc:subject>disease</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:8db94d7256ae/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:disease"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://phys.org/news/2012-04-physicists-abolish-fourth-dimension-space.html">
    <title>Physicists continue work to abolish time as fourth dimension of space</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-14T22:51:01+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://phys.org/news/2012-04-physicists-abolish-fourth-dimension-space.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[“Time dilatation exists not in the sense that time as a fourth dimension of space dilates and as a result the clock rate is slower,” he explained. “Time dilatation simply means that, in a faster inertial system, the velocity of change slows down and this is valid for all observers. GPS confirms that clocks in orbit stations have different rates from the clocks on the surface of the planet, and this difference is valid for observers that are on the orbit station and on the surface of the planet. So interpreted, 'time dilatation' does not require 'length contraction,' which as we show in our paper leads to a contradiction by the light clocks differently positioned in a moving inertial system.”

He added that the alternative definition of time also agrees with the notion of time held by the mathematician and philosopher Kurt Gödel.

“The definition of time as a numerical order of change in space is replacing the 106-year-old concept of time as a physical dimension in which change runs,” Sorli said. “We consider time being only a mathematical quantity of change that we measure with clocks. This is in accord with a Gödel view of time. By 1949, Gödel had produced a remarkable proof: 'In any universe described by the theory of relativity, time cannot exist.' Our research confirms Gödel's vision: time is not a physical dimension of space through which one could travel into the past or future.”]]></description>
<dc:subject>Time_Travel</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:8ec7c42305d5/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Time_Travel"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17675163">
    <title>BBC News - Stardust recycling mystery solved</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-12T00:26:08+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17675163</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Because grains of dust scatter the light differently depending on the colour of the light that hits them, the team was able to analyse their data for different colours and determine an average grain size: not much more than half a millionth of a metre.

That is far larger than anticipated, and as Mr Norris explained, large enough to solve the mystery of how the dust gets expelled: "The dust grains are like lots of little sails catching the wind, or in this case, starlight."

"The mechanism by which mass is transported away from these stars is one of the biggest questions in stellar astronomy, and underpins our whole understanding of how heavy elements are spread throughout the galaxy. Our study is just one small piece in this puzzle."]]></description>
<dc:subject>Space</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:f14e546adb03/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Space"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywell">
    <title>Polywell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-10T23:51:48+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywell</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[A polywell device is a type of fusion reactor that traps electrons in a magnetic confinement inside its hollow center. The negatively charged electrons then attract positively charged ions creating a plasma which reaches sufficient density to produce inertial electrostatic confinement fusion. The polywell consists of positively charged electromagnet coils that are arranged in a polyhedron called a MaGrid. Electrons are introduced from outside and are accelerated into the MaGrid due to the electric field. Within the MaGrid, magnetic fields confine most of the electrons. Those that escape are retained by the electric field. This configuration traps the electrons in the middle of the device. The electrons act as a virtual cathode (negative electric potential).

Ions are injected into the device. The virtual cathode attracts and electrostatically confines them so densely that they fuse, releasing energy. The energy required to confine the electrons is far smaller than that required to directly confine ions, as is done in other fusion projects such as ITER.

Bussard developed it as an improvement of the Elmore-Tuck-Watson fusor, which was in turn based on the Farnsworth-Hirsch fusor.

Robert Bussard theorized that a polywell device could potentially generate net energy production and thus become a source for electric power. His company developed the initial devices for the U.S. Navy.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Nuclear_Power</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:7f9242f05bc0/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Nuclear_Power"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/04/middle-america-is-experiencing-a-massive-increase-in-30-earthquakes/255568/">
    <title>Middle America Is Experiencing a Massive Increase in 3.0+ Earthquakes - Alexis Madrigal - Technology - The Atlantic</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-08T06:05:11+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/04/middle-america-is-experiencing-a-massive-increase-in-30-earthquakes/255568/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[A new United States Geological Survey study has found that middle America between Alabama and Montana is experiencing an "unprecedented" and "almost certainly manmade" increase in earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or greater. In 2011, there were 134 events of that size. That's six times more than were normally seen during the 20th century.

While the changes in the area's seismicity began in 2001, the trend has really accelerated since 2009, the geologists note. That happens to coincide with increased oil and gas production using new extraction techniques in some parts of the area.

The new work is being presented at the Seismology Society of America's conference later this month. An abstract for the presentation is available online.

In some regions, the increase in earthquakes is even greater than six fold. For example, in Oklahoma over the past half-century, there were an average of 1.2 quakes of greater than 3.0 magnitude per year. Since 2009, there have been more than 25 per year.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Earthquakes</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:937a3b1bbfa7/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Earthquakes"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17614392">
    <title>BBC News - Print-your-own-robots developed in US</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-05T07:23:49+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17614392</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[However, they intend to have developed a computer program which would allow users to specify certain characteristics - such as the ability to navigate an environment or manipulate certain types of object. This would then create computer manufacturing files which would act as a recipe for a number of machines to build a robot from scratch with minimal human interaction.

In recent years printers capable of making 3D plastic models have dropped in price making them available to hobbyists. The research team hope their work will take the development to another level.

"We think of printing as a broad class of techniques which are inherently accessible and relatively cheap," Prof Rob Wood from Harvard University told the BBC.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Robotics</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:4588db683d2d/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Robotics"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.news-gazette.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/television/2012-04-04/cause-still-not-found-interference-will-signal-dir">
    <title>Cause still not found for interference to WILL signal on DirecTV | News-Gazette.com</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-04T13:59:33+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.news-gazette.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/television/2012-04-04/cause-still-not-found-interference-will-signal-dir</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[But what's causing the interference has yet to be determined, despite the involvement of the Federal Communications Commission.

Station manager Bob Culkeen said the problem seems to be a digital signal in Springfield that begins after 5:25 p.m. and ends about 6:25 a.m. each day.

The problem "could come from another legal signal that has drifted, an unlicensed source or a broadcast pirate," he said in a posting on the station's website.]]></description>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:ab93c3adb50b/</dc:identifier>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/smart-robotic-sand-0402.html">
    <title>Self-sculpting sand - MIT News Office</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-03T05:08:48+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/smart-robotic-sand-0402.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Imagine that you have a big box of sand in which you bury a tiny model of a footstool. A few seconds later, you reach into the box and pull out a full-size footstool: The sand has assembled itself into a large-scale replica of the model.

That may sound like a scene from a Harry Potter novel, but it’s the vision animating a research project at the Distributed Robotics Laboratory (DRL) at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. At the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in May — the world’s premier robotics conference — DRL researchers will present a paper describing algorithms that could enable such “smart sand.” They also describe experiments in which they tested the algorithms on somewhat larger particles — cubes about 10 millimeters to an edge, with rudimentary microprocessors inside and very unusual magnets on four of their sides.

Unlike many other approaches to reconfigurable robots, smart sand uses a subtractive method, akin to stone carving, rather than an additive method, akin to snapping LEGO blocks together. A heap of smart sand would be analogous to the rough block of stone that a sculptor begins with. The individual grains would pass messages back and forth and selectively attach to each other to form a three-dimensional object; the grains not necessary to build that object would simply fall away. When the object had served its purpose, it would be returned to the heap. Its constituent grains would detach from each other, becoming free to participate in the formation of a new shape.]]></description>
<dc:subject>materials</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:e19024fa3426/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:materials"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17580666">
    <title>BBC News - Smart fabric for new soldier uniform</title>
    <dc:date>2012-04-02T13:42:26+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17580666</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[British soldiers' uniforms could soon use electrically conducting yarn woven directly into the clothing, replacing cumbersome batteries and cabling.

The "e-textiles" could provide uniforms with a single, central power source.

This would allow soldiers to recharge one battery instead of many and cut the number of cables required in their kit.

"We have built-in conductive yarns that then take power and data to where it needs to be," Asha Thompson, director of Intelligent Textiles, told BBC News.

"One of the problems with conventional cables is that breakages can be catastrophic. What we do here is build in redundancy, so that if the fabric gets cut, damaged or torn, we still have a way of re-routing the data."]]></description>
<dc:subject>Military materials</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:a21eb2b1b48a/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Military"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:materials"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/29/lynnae-williams-the-cia-spy-who-tweets.html">
    <title>Lynnae Williams: The CIA Spy Who Tweets - The Daily Beast</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-31T22:10:48+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/29/lynnae-williams-the-cia-spy-who-tweets.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Another U.S. intelligence officer, who was not authorized to speak to the press, told The Daily Beast that the agency is aware of the Twitter feed and that Williams is a hot topic on classified social networking, such as the classified intelligence community version of Facebook known as A-Space. Williams has disclosed her official medical records on her blog and other personal documents related to her time in the intelligence community.Williams’s main grievance with the agency revolves around her termination. Williams says that as a trainee in the agency’s national clandestine service, she was sent to Dominion Hospital, a public mental-health facility in northern Virginia. Williams referred to the hospital in the interview and her Twitter feed as the CIA’s “psychological prison.” She said the place had white walls and inedible food, and that doctors there urged her to take Risperdal, a drug commonly prescribed to schizophrenics and Lithium, a drug prescribed to manic depressives. In July 2009, Williams says she was transferred to the CIA’s national clandestine service training program, where she took the “field tradecraft course.” Williams says her life changed permanently on Oct. 27, 2009, when a colleague reported her to CIA security for what she says was "bizarre and inappropriate behavior," such as looking on classified computers for information about herself and telling colleagues that she was being followed. She had a meeting with a CIA psychiatrist that day, who ordered her to take a medical exam, with urine samples, and inquired about her self-acknowledged attention deficit disorder. “She asked me about my family’s mental-health history,” Williams says of the CIA psychiatrist. “My aunt has schizophrenia—I did not tell her that.” Later that evening, Williams had an auto accident and says she was cited by Washington, D.C., police for leaving the scene. After that, Williams says, the CIA ordered her to Dominion Hospital.]]></description>
<dc:subject>intelligence</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:0e6306e45f36/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:intelligence"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17557581">
    <title>BBC News - Dead stars 'to guide spacecraft'</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-30T20:13:56+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17557581</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[German scientists are developing a technique that allows for very precise positioning anywhere in space by picking up X-ray signals from pulsars.

These dense, burnt-out stars rotate rapidly, sweeping their emission across the cosmos at rates that are so stable they rival atomic clock performance.

This timing property is perfect for interstellar navigation, says the team.

If a spacecraft carried the means to detect the pulses, it could compare their arrival times with those predicted at a reference location. This would enable the craft to determine its position to an accuracy of just five kilometres anywhere in the galaxy.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Space_Exploration</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:a4a25fd870ab/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Space_Exploration"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.moneytrendsresearch.com/scientists-cure-cancer-but-no-one-takes-notice/">
    <title>Scientists Cure Cancer, But No One Takes Notice | MTR</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-29T22:44:58+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.moneytrendsresearch.com/scientists-cure-cancer-but-no-one-takes-notice/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Canadian scientists tested dichloroacetate (DCA) on human cells; it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells and left the healthy cells alone. It was tested on rats inflicted with severe tumors; their cells shrank when they were fed with water supplemented with DCA. The drug is widely available and the technique is easy to use, but why are the major drug companies not involved, or the media not interested in this find?

In human cells there is a natural cancer fighting organelle, the mitochondria, but it needs to be triggered in order to be effective. Scientists used to think that the mitochondria of cancerous cells were damaged and thus ineffective. They used to focus on glycolysis, which is less effective in fighting cancer and wasteful. The drug manufacturers focused on the glycolysis method to fight cancer. DCA treatment on the other hand doesn’t rely on glycolysis but instead on reactivating the mitochondria; which allows the cell to die and prevents the cancer from spreading.

This reactivation is a process called apoptosis. You see, mitochondria contain an all-too-important self-destruct button that cannot be pressed in cancer cells. Without it, tumors grow larger as cells refuse to be extinguished. Fully functioning mitochondria, thanks to DCA, can once again be allowed to die.

With glycolysis turned off, the body produces less lactic acid, so the bad tissue around cancer cells doesn’t break down and seed new tumors.]]></description>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:d6d048becda4/</dc:identifier>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17530606">
    <title>BBC News - Far-flung galaxy's carbon signal</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-28T07:55:26+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17530606</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The supermassive black hole at the galaxy's core is about two billion times the mass of our sun, and shines as it shreds the matter falling into it.

The team might have expected to see a strong signal for heavier elements (or "metals" as astronomers refer to them) in this energetic emission, but the IRAM detects carbon across the galaxy.

"We found this accreting black hole and you see these metal lines, and that is not too surprising. This is quite a small region of space and you only need a couple of stars to go into the black hole to pollute its signal. But it's the same across the galaxy," Dr Venemans explained.

This indicates J1120+0641 is rapidly producing stars, cycling heavier and heavier elements as they go though the generations.

From their observations, Dr Venemans and colleagues calculate that J1120+0641 was forming those stars at a rate 100 times that seen in our Milky Way Galaxy today.

This is not quite as fast as some big galaxies later in cosmic time, but it is still an impressive performance.

"The presence of so much carbon confirms that massive star formation must have occurred in the short period between the Big Bang and the time we are now observing the galaxy," the Heidelberg researcher said.

The team credits the success of its study to a recent upgrade to the IRAM facility, which sits 2,550-m up on the Plateau de Bure. The processing of the signals received by the observatory's six dishes is now much improved.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Space</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:167fb87579db/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Space"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17481911">
    <title>BBC News - Giant asteroid Vesta 'resembles planet'</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-25T02:13:21+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17481911</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Another aspect concerns the way its surface has been modified, or "processed", by the many collisions. This is evident in dark material that can be seen in images of its terrain.

The dark material seems to be related to impacts and their aftermath. Scientists think carbon-rich asteroids could have hit Vesta at speeds low enough to produce some of the smaller deposits without blasting away the surface.

Higher-speed asteroids could also have collided with Vesta's surface and melted the volcanic basaltic crust, darkening existing surface material.

Scientists are confident there has been volcanism on the asteroid during its history. This is because there are hundreds of pieces of Vesta sitting in museums around the world.

They form a particular class of meteorite called the HEDs; more of these objects have fallen to Earth than all the meteorites from the Moon and Mars put together. Studies of HED meteorites have revealed telling chemical signatures of volcanic activity.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Space_Exploration</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:6e1265adad17/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Space_Exploration"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-mystery-solved-minor-quake-hit-wisconsin-boom-town-20120323,0,1926076.story">
    <title>Mystery solved? Minor quake hit Wisconsin boom town - chicagotribune.com</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-25T02:11:35+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-mystery-solved-minor-quake-hit-wisconsin-boom-town-20120323,0,1926076.story</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The U.S. Geological Survey said the 1.5-magnitude earthquake struck Tuesday just after midnight in Clintonville, a town of about 4,600 people about 40 miles west of Green Bay.

Geophysicist Paul Caruso told The Associated Press that loud booming noises have been known to accompany earthquakes. It's possible the mysterious sounds that town officials have been investigating are linked to the quake, he said.

Earthquakes can generate seismic energy that moves through rock at thousands of miles per hour, producing a sonic boom when the waves come to the surface, Caruso said. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Earthquakes</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:732cfc730182/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Earthquakes"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2012-03-23/officials-look-deaths-animals-jamaica.html">
    <title>Officials look into deaths of animals in Jamaica | News-Gazette.com</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-25T02:10:39+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2012-03-23/officials-look-deaths-animals-jamaica.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[According to Toole, four dogs were found dead between Feb. 19 and 22.

When J.R. Mosay of the Vermilion County Animal Control Department investigated the area on Feb. 22, he also found a dead cat and a dead skunk.

One week later Mosay found a fifth dead dog on Jamaica's north side.

Then, on March 14, three starlings were found dead on the northwest side of Jamaica. Two of them were sent to the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois, which determined that neither had West Nile Virus or an infectious disease.

The birds were then forwarded to Michigan State University, where tests indicated they died from exposure to carbofuran, a pesticide sometimes used by farmers.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>Cryptohistory</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:9ac9958b352d/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Cryptohistory"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-magnetic-cloak-physicists-device-invisible.html">
    <title>Magnetic cloak: Physicists create device invisible to magnetic fields</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-23T03:21:16+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-magnetic-cloak-physicists-device-invisible.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The cylinder is built using high temperature superconductor material, easily refrigerated with liquid nitrogen and covered in a layer of iron, nickel and chrome. This simple and accessible formula has been used to create a true invisibility cloak.

The cylinder is invisible to magnetic fields and represents a step towards the invisibility of light - an electromagnetic wave. Never before had a device been created with such simplicity or exactness in theoretical calculations, or even with such important results in the laboratory.

Researchers at UAB, led by Àlvar Sánchez, lecturer of the Department of Physics, came up with the mathematical formula to design the device. Using an extraordinarily simple equation scientists described a cylinder which in theory is absolutely undetectable to magnetic
fields from the outside, and maintains everything in its interior completely isolated from these fields as well.]]></description>
<dc:subject>materials</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:5c46a62a7a0b/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:materials"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.sentientdevelopments.com/2012/03/how-to-build-dyson-sphere-in-five.html">
    <title>Sentient Developments: How to build a Dyson sphere in five (relatively) easy steps</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-23T03:20:27+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.sentientdevelopments.com/2012/03/how-to-build-dyson-sphere-in-five.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Oxford University physicist Stuart Armstrong has devised a rather ingenious and startling simple plan for doing so—one which he claims is almost within humanity's collective skill-set. Armstrong's plan sees five primary stages of construction, which when used in a cyclical manner, would result in increasingly efficient, and even exponentially growing, construction rates such that the entire project could be completed within a few decades.

Broken down into five basic steps, the construction cycle looks like this:

    Get energy
    Mine Mercury
    Get materials into orbit
    Make solar collectors
    Extract energy

The idea is to build the entire swarm in iterative steps and not all at once. We would only need to build a small section of the Dyson sphere to provide the energy requirements for the rest of the project. Thus, construction efficiency will increase over time as the project progresses. "We could do it now," says Armstrong. It's just a question of materials and automation.

And yes, you read that right: we're going to have to mine materials from Mercury. Actually, we'll likely have to take the whole planet apart. The Dyson sphere will require a horrendous amount of material—so much so, in fact, that, should we want to completely envelope the sun, we are going to have to disassemble not just Mercury, but Venus, some of the outer planets, and any nearby asteroids as well.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Futurism</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:83d96e3a41f9/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Futurism"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17406375">
    <title>BBC News - Biomining: How microbes help to mine copper</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-22T01:43:43+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17406375</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[All the flasks, tubes, containers and huge tanks are full of microbes: Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Thiobacillus ferrooxidans bacteria, harnessed by the firm to break down minerals in order to improve copper recovery rates and reduce operating costs.

"We know that conventional mining methods are not used for low-grade materials that simply get dumped - so the only way to get copper from them is by using new knowledge and capacities - in this case, biotech," says Ricardo Badilla, chief executive of Biosigma.

Using bacteria can result in extracting as much as 90% of the total metal at a pit mine, instead of merely 60%, he adds.]]></description>
<dc:subject>biotechnology</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:5d613654057a/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:biotechnology"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17444008">
    <title>BBC News - Robotic jellyfish fuelled by hydrogen invented</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-22T01:33:28+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17444008</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[o replicate this, the vehicle uses shape memory alloys - materials that "remember" their original shape.

These are wrapped in carbon nanotubes - tiny "straws" of pure carbon that are renowned for their electrical properties - and coated with a platinum black powder.

The robot is powered by heat-producing chemical reactions between the oxygen and hydrogen in water and the platinum on its surface.

The heat from the reactions is transferred to the artificial muscles of the robot, and reshapes them.

This means Robojelly can regenerate fuel from its surroundings rather than running off an external power source or batteries.

The team, from Virginia Tech in the US, hope this could mean it need never run out of energy.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Nanomaterials Carbon_nanotube</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:1c36a3bb25c6/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Nanomaterials"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Carbon_nanotube"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.acceler8or.com/2012/03/2780/">
    <title>“Welstone” Leads To Programmable Matter | ACCELER8OR</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-19T09:53:08+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.acceler8or.com/2012/03/2780/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Until now, this concept has been little more than science fiction. But that is beginning to change. In a recent press release, The DoE’s SLAC laboratory discusses how they have managed to create what appears to be a precursor to Welstone. This “Molecular Carbon” has enabled researchers to perform a variety of experiments in which the properties of graphene are duplicated by using electrons to create “virtual graphene” which can be manipulated in ways that cannot be done with real graphene.

“To make the structure, which Manoharan calls molecular graphene, the scientists use a scanning tunneling microscope to place individual carbon monoxide molecules on a perfectly smooth copper surface. The carbon monoxide repels the free-flowing electrons on the copper surface and forces them into a honeycomb pattern, where they behave like graphene electrons.

To tune the electrons’ properties, the researchers repositioned the carbon monoxide molecules on the surface; this changed the symmetry of the electron flow. In some configurations, electrons acted as if they had been exposed to a magnetic or electric field. In others, researchers were able to finely tune the density of electrons on the surface by introducing defects or impurities. By writing complex patterns that mimicked changes in carbon-carbon bond lengths and strengths in graphene, the researchers were able to restore the electrons’ mass in small, selected areas.”

By using the ability to create “virtual carbon atoms” composed only of electrons, the researchers can much more freely play with the properties of graphene, and study how it reacts under conditions ranging from high bond stress to levels of magnetic fields even beyond those currently achievable by even the strongest of our current magnets — all this despite the fact that those magnetic fields don’t actually exist. (For further information I recommend Next Big Future’s follow up with links to the researcher’s publications.)]]></description>
<dc:subject>Nanomaterials Nanotechnology</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:9eed1425c08a/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Nanomaterials"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Nanotechnology"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17404059">
    <title>BBC Nature - Hibernating bears' wounds heal without scars</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-19T09:46:33+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17404059</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA["These wounds were considered to have been incurred some time before the bears denned, and were often infected or inflamed... in early winter.

"Yet typically, when we revisited bears in their dens a few months later, most wounds had completely resolved whether or not we [cleaned them], sutured the areas or administered antibiotics."

To test the bear's healing abilities experimentally, the team carefully tracked the healing of small cuts on the skin of 14 of their radio-collared bears in northern Minnesota.

Between November (when the bears first settled down in their dens) and March (about a month before they emerged) the wounds healed with "minimal evidence of scarring".

Added to this, there were no signs of infection, the layers of damaged skin regrew and many of the bears even grew hair from newly formed follicles at the site of their injuries. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>biotechnology</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:e71bc88eb08a/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:biotechnology"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/03/mysterious-hog-farm-explosions-stump-scientists.ars">
    <title>Mysterious hog farm explosions stump scientists</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-17T06:01:49+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/03/mysterious-hog-farm-explosions-stump-scientists.ars</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[A strange new growth has emerged from the manure pits of midwestern hog farms. The results are literally explosive.

Since 2009, six farms have blown up after methane trapped in an unidentified, pit-topping foam caught a spark. In the afflicted region, the foam is found in roughly 1 in 4 hog farms.

There’s nothing farmers can do except be very careful. Researchers aren’t even sure what the foam is.

“This has all started in the last four or five years here. We don’t have any idea where it came from or how it got started,” said agricultural engineer Charles Clanton of the University of Minnesota. “Whatever has happened is new.”]]></description>
<dc:subject>biotechnology Bizarre</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:fc451c73671c/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:biotechnology"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Bizarre"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/122231-solar-panels-made-with-ion-cannon-are-cheap-enough-to-challenge-fossil-fuels">
    <title>Solar panel made with ion cannon is cheap enough to challenge fossil fuels | ExtremeTech</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-15T03:24:57+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/122231-solar-panels-made-with-ion-cannon-are-cheap-enough-to-challenge-fossil-fuels</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[As it stands, almost every solar panel is made by slicing a 200-micrometer-thick (0.2mm) wafer from a block of crystalline silicon. You then add some electrodes, cover it in protective glass, and leave it in a sunny area to generate electricity through the photovoltaic effect (when photons hit the silicon, it excites the electrons and generates a charge). There are two problems with this approach: Much in the same way that sawdust is produced when you slice wood, almost half of the silicon block is wasted when it’s cut into 200-micrometer slices; and second, the panels would still function just as well if they were thinner than 200 micrometers, but silicon is brittle and prone to cracking if it’s too thin.

Twin Creeks flexible solar panelThis is where Twin Creeks’ ion cannon, dubbed Hyperion, comes into play. If you look at the picture above, 3-millimeter-thick silicon wafers are placed around the outside edge of the big, spoked wheel. A particle accelerator bombards these wafers with hydrogen ions, and with exacting control of the voltage of the accelerator, the hydrogen ions accumulate precisely 20 micrometers from the surface of each wafer. A robotic arm then transports the wafers to a furnace where the ions expand into hydrogen gas, which cause the 20-micrometer-thick layer to shear off. A metal backing is applied to make it less fragile (and highly flexible, as you see on the right), and the remaining silicon wafer is taken back to the particle accelerator for another dose of ions. At a tenth of the thickness and with considerably less wastage, it’s easy to see how Twin Creeks can halve the cost of solar cells.

According to Technology Review, ion beams have been considered before, but particle accelerators were simply too expensive to be commercially viable. This is the flip side of Twin Creeks’ innovation: It had to make its own particle accelerator which is “10 times more powerful” (100mA at 1 MeV) than anything on the market today.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Solar_Power</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:8a11bcd9c9a8/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Solar_Power"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/department-of-defenses-fracture-putty-could-heal-bones-in-days/253202/">
    <title>Department of Defense's Fracture Putty Could Heal Bones in Days - medGadget - Health - The Atlantic</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-13T03:24:36+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/department-of-defenses-fracture-putty-could-heal-bones-in-days/253202/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Researchers at the University of Georgia Regenerative Bioscience Center in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense are developing a new "fracture putty" with the aim of  significantly shortening the healing time of bone fractures in humans. According to the researchers, complex fractures can often lead to amputations for U.S. service men and women. The lengthy healing time often associated with these injuries can also prove to be a major burden for the patients and providers.

The research team is using adult stem cells to produce proteins involved in bone healing and generation. They incorporate these proteins into a gel which they have dubbed "fracture putty." To date the team has demonstrated some positive early results by using the putty to repair fractures in lab rats. After two weeks the rats were observed running around and standing on their hind legs with no evidence of injury. The putty is currently being used in large animal trials, but it may be some time before human testing commences.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Medicine</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:82c98e704514/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Medicine"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17299249">
    <title>BBC News - Can we protect technology from natural disasters?</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-13T02:45:51+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17299249</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[One of those pinch points lies off the coast of Japan - where several links between Asia and the west coast of America run across the sea bed.

"If the earthquake that caused the tsunami was a further 200km down south, it would have been horrific for global telecommunications," says Jonathan Wright, vice-president service provider at Interoute.

"Just south of Tokyo, a lot of cables come in. A rupture in the sea floor would have been enough to sever all of them.

"Practically every pan-Pacific sea cable would have been knocked out - which would have meant sending traffic from Japan via India and into Europe and America that way."]]></description>
<dc:subject>disaster</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:69bab959970b/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:disaster"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2012/03/automating-terrorism-the-decline-of-the-suicide-bomber.html">
    <title>Automating Terrorism (the decline of the suicide bomber) - Global Guerrillas</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-13T01:39:07+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2012/03/automating-terrorism-the-decline-of-the-suicide-bomber.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[This is going on right now. Robotic control systems are now inexpensive, accurate, and autonomous as we have seen with drones.  This means that the costs of a robotic control system are already well within the budget of a small group.  Further, their functionality makes them perfect for terrorist activities (the targeting of populations and symbols). 

Example?  Here's a video that turns a car into a remote control drone that can be used to deliver big bombs to checkpoints.  It even features an interview with the guerrilla entrepreneur that put it together.  It has the feel of an anti silicon valley (don't confuse it with silicone valley, which is in southern CA, near LA) Scoble interview, with an entrepreneur that just landed $5 m in funding.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Drones</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:ff14c8434d8a/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Drones"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17312368">
    <title>BBC News - Goce gravity data traces Moho boundary</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-13T01:37:48+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17312368</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The famous "discontinuity" lies some 10-70km below the surface and marks a sharp change in rock properties.

It was first identified by the Croatian geophysicist Andrija Mohorovicic in 1909.

He determined the boundary's existence from the distinct behaviour of seismic waves produced by shallow earthquakes.

Goce can be used to sense the Moho's depth because it is able to detect subtle variations in the Earth's gravitational field.]]></description>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:fdb860e8db4b/</dc:identifier>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.informationdissemination.net/2012/03/eureka-wave-glider.html">
    <title>Information Dissemination: Eureka! Wave Glider</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-13T01:37:01+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.informationdissemination.net/2012/03/eureka-wave-glider.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[    MONTEREY, Calif. (Jan. 23, 2012) -- Naval Postgraduate School Research Prof. of physics Joseph Rice describes to Commander, U.S. Southern Command Gen. Douglas Fraser, the auto-propulsion dynamics used in a long endurance wave-glider craft, which uses wave action as its thrust through water. It is tethered to a platform of solar cells and is capable of transmitting bathymetry and other oceanographic data via satellite. The two craft were recently acquired from Liquid Robotics of Sunnyvale, Calif., and will serve as test beds for NPS student research thesis. (U.S. Navy photo by Javier Chagoya/Released).

When I saw the image, I was like "Eureka!" I know exactly what that is. It reminded me of this article by CDR Rawley from last year. A friend of mine once told me about his visit with the folks who make these craft. He was incredibly impressed by those smart folks and their many creative ideas.

I sometimes laugh at the various fun concepts a "Department of Dirty Tricks" today like the one Admiral Halsey ran in the 1940s could come up with on a platform like this. A maneuvering SATCOM/GPS capable computer with a renewable power source. It doesn't take a deviant mind to recognize the potential for deviant activities...]]></description>
<dc:subject>DARPA</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:797242325d5f/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:DARPA"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16632764">
    <title>BBC News - Is the Six-Million-Dollar Man possible?</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-12T06:02:54+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16632764</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The other option for Prof Sharkey is devices which can be controlled by thought, but which are not part of the human body.

He said: "If I want a really really strong arm, rather than having it attached to my body, it would be much better if it was just alongside me and just moved when I moved and did whatever I wanted. I think you might see that.

"So I can imagine a building site for the future, for instance, where there are builders wearing these exoskeleton suits and being accompanied by tools that do whatever they want without having to press buttons and things." ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Cyberculture</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:e2686395bd57/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Cyberculture"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.gizmag.com/hydrogen-fuel-production-using-nanotrees/21769/">
    <title>Solar energy-harvesting “nanotrees” could produce hydrogen fuel on a mass scale</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-10T07:47:01+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.gizmag.com/hydrogen-fuel-production-using-nanotrees/21769/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[While hydrogen is considered a "clean" fuel because the only waste product it generates is water, the conventional way to produce it relies on electricity, which is usually produced through the burning of fossil fuels. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), have now developed a "3D branched nanowire array" that they claim could cheaply and cleanly deliver hydrogen fuel on a mass scale.

The nanowires, which are made from abundant natural materials such as silicon and zinc oxide, mimic the structure of a forest of trees, with individual vertical "trees" sprouting hundreds of nano-sized "branches." Like forests, this structure maximizes the amount of solar energy that can be captured, with the vertical structures trapping and absorbing the light, while the flat surfaces reflect it.

Using this nanotree structure, the researchers were able to maximize the amount of solar energy captured for use in producing hydrogen in a process called photoelectrochemical water-splitting. This process usually uses planar solar cells to produce hydrogen in a process similar to the electrolysis of water, but the UCSD team says their nanowire arrays produce more hydrogen fuel efficiently.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Nanomaterials Nanotechnology</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:db5d74056e9b/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Nanomaterials"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Nanotechnology"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/2012/03/06/on-the-edge-of-reality/">
    <title>Slab City : On the edge of reality</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-10T00:07:36+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/2012/03/06/on-the-edge-of-reality/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Much of what is here is re-used and recycled. Trailers and equipment are bought, sold, traded, occasionally stolen, or scavenged. Trailers that are too far gone are broken up and used for building material and firewood. There is also quite a bit of Slabs art that some have made over the years, the centerpiece being a place in the far corner of the Slabs called East Jesus, closest to what locals refer to as a military training ground, where during the day you can hear the bombs being dropped near the Chocolate Mountains, and at night you can hear the gunfire and helicopters and see the flares as training takes place.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Urban_Planning city Civil_Unrest</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:083195d552cd/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Urban_Planning"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:city"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Civil_Unrest"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17221490">
    <title>BBC News - 'Twisted' waves could boost capacity of wi-fi and TV</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-04T23:45:30+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17221490</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The technique exploits what is called the "orbital angular momentum" of the waves - imparting them with a "twist".

Varying this twist permits many data streams to fit in the frequency spread currently used for just one.

The approach, described in the New Journal of Physics, could be applied to radio, wi-fi, and television.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Electronics</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:71906d487428/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Electronics"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17231695">
    <title>BBC News - Hackers had 'full functional control' of Nasa computers</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-04T23:30:33+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17231695</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[In the document, he outlined how investigators believed the attack had involved "Chinese-based internet protocol [IP] addresses".

He said that the attackers had "full system access" and would have been able to "modify, copy, or delete sensitive files" or "upload hacking tools to steal user credentials and compromise other Nasa systems".

Mr Martin outlined how the agency suffered "5,408 computer security incidents" between 2010 and 2011.

He also noted that "between April 2009 and April 2011, Nasa reported the loss or theft of 48 Agency mobile computing devices".

In one incident an unencrypted notebook computer was lost containing details of the algorithms - the mathematical models - used to control the International Space Station.

Nasa told the BBC that "at no point in time have operations of the International Space Station been in jeopardy due to a data breach".]]></description>
<dc:subject>cybersecurity</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:abaa5f8c3d0a/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:cybersecurity"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57389119-83/antisec-dumps-monsanto-data-on-the-web/?google_editors_picks=true">
    <title>AntiSec dumps Monsanto data on the Web | Security - CNET News</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-04T23:21:42+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57389119-83/antisec-dumps-monsanto-data-on-the-web/?google_editors_picks=true</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[AntiSec says the reason for the attacks is to protest the company's lawsuits against organic dairy farmers for stating on labels that their products don't contain growth hormones.

"You have put over 9000 small-time farmers out of business by using your enormous legal team to bury them with your malicious patent lawsuits," AntiSec wrote in its statement today. "You have continually introduced harmful, even deadly products into our food supply without warning, without care, all for your own profit."

Besides going after Monsanto, AntiSec has also recently claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. law enforcement agencies, Vanguard Defense Industries, and private prison companies. In these assaults, the hackers deface the companies' Web sites as well as release documents, e-mails, and other files.]]></description>
<dc:subject>cybersecurity Genetic_Engineering</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:0d8343f3412d/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:cybersecurity"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Genetic_Engineering"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.opednews.com/articles/Dow-and-Monsanto-Join-Forc-by-Richard-Schiffman-120218-65.html">
    <title>OpEdNews - Article: Dow and Monsanto Join Forces to Poison America's Heartland</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-04T22:58:12+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.opednews.com/articles/Dow-and-Monsanto-Join-Forc-by-Richard-Schiffman-120218-65.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The problem for corn farmers is that "superweeds" have been developing resistance to America's best-selling herbicide Roundup, which is being sprayed on millions of acres in the Midwest and elsewhere. Dow Agrosciences has developed a strain of corn that it says will solve the problem. The new genetically modified variety can tolerate 2, 4-D, which will kill off the Roundup resistant weeds, but leave the corn standing. Farmers who opt into this system will be required to double-dose their fields with a deadly cocktail of Roundup plus 2, 4-D, both of which are manufactured by Monsanto.

But this plan has alarmed environmentalists and also many farmers, who are reluctant to reintroduce a chemical whose toxicity has been well established. The use of 2, 4-D is banned in several European countries and provinces of Canada. The substance is a suspected carcinogen which has been shown to double the incidence of birth defects in the children of pesticide applicators in a study conducted by University of Minnesota pathologist Vincent Garry.

Researchers say that the effect of 2,4-D on human health is still not fully understood. But it may be a risk factor for conditions like non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which was often found in Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange. The EPA has stated that the chemical has "endocrine disruption potential" and interferes with the human hormonal system. It has also been shown to be toxic to honeybees, birds and fish according to research conducted by the US Forest Service and others. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Genetic_Engineering</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:5a07422f7aba/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Genetic_Engineering"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27620/">
    <title>How to Build a Speech-Jamming Gun - Technology Review</title>
    <dc:date>2012-03-01T21:10:33+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27620/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Today, Kazutaka Kurihara at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tskuba and Koji Tsukada at Ochanomizu University, both in Japan, present a radical solution: a speech-jamming device that forces recalcitrant speakers into submission. 

The idea is simple. Psychologists have known for some years that it is almost impossible to speak when your words are replayed to you with a delay of a fraction of a second. 

Kurihara and Tsukada have simply built a handheld device consisting of a microphone and a  speaker that does just that: it records a person's voice and replays it to them with a delay of about 0.2 seconds. The microphone and speaker are directional so the device can be aimed at a speaker from a distance, like a gun. 

In tests, Kurihara and Tsukada say their speech jamming gun works well: "The system can disturb remote people's speech without any physical discomfort."  ]]></description>
<dc:subject>control</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:21e80e516872/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:control"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/17192758">
    <title>CBBC Newsround - Venus' day gets even longer as its spin slows</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-29T02:38:39+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/17192758</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[In the 1990s, they worked out one Venusian day - the time for the planet to spin round once - lasted 243.018 Earth days.

But now, the European Space Agency's Venus Express orbiter shows Venus' spin is getting even slower and a day on Venus is now six and a half minutes longer.

Scientists aren't sure why.

One cause could be Venus' thick atmosphere and high winds pushing against the planet's spin.

The news is important for future missions to the planet. Scientists use this data to plan missions to the planet and choose the best spot to land a rover.

The new speed means some features on Venus will be 20 kilometres away from they were expected to be.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Space</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:eeca5a3f1408/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Space"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-02-galaxy-swarm-nomad-planets.html">
    <title>Researchers say galaxy may swarm with 'nomad planets'</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-24T14:46:00+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-02-galaxy-swarm-nomad-planets.html</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[In fact, there may be 100,000 times more "nomad planets" in the Milky Way than stars, according to a new study by researchers at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), a joint institute of Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

If observations confirm the estimate, this new class of celestial objects will affect current theories of planet formation and could change our understanding of the origin and abundance of life.

"If any of these nomad planets are big enough to have a thick atmosphere, they could have trapped enough heat for bacterial life to exist," said Louis Strigari, leader of the team that reported the result in a paper submitted to the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Although nomad planets don't bask in the warmth of a star, they may generate heat through internal radioactive decay and tectonic activity.

Searches over the past two decades have identified more than 500 planets outside our solar system, almost all of which orbit stars. Last year, researchers detected about a dozen nomad planets, using a technique called gravitational microlensing, which looks for stars whose light is momentarily refocused by the gravity of passing planets.

The research produced evidence that roughly two nomads exist for every typical, so-called main-sequence star in our galaxy. The new study estimates that nomads may be up to 50,000 times more common than that.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Space</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:089a3355b0d8/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Space"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120221212614.htm">
    <title>Stratospheric superbugs offer new source of power</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-22T20:42:18+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120221212614.htm</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Isolating 75 different species of bacteria from the Wear Estuary, Country Durham, UK, the team tested the power-generation of each one using a microbial fuel cell (MFC).

By selecting the best species of bacteria, a kind of microbial "pick and mix," they were able to create an artificial biofilm, doubling the electrical output of the MFC from 105 Watts per cubic metre to 200 Watts per cubic metre.

While still relatively low, this would be enough power to run an electric light and could provide a much needed power source in parts of the world without electricity.]]></description>
<dc:subject>biotechnology</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:6261dbdeb2db/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:biotechnology"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://grinding.be/2012/02/21/google-rumored-to-bring-huds-to-market-this-year/">
    <title>grinding.be » Blog Archive » Google rumored to bring HUDs to market this year</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-22T14:36:35+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://grinding.be/2012/02/21/google-rumored-to-bring-huds-to-market-this-year/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[According to several Google employees familiar with the project who asked not to be named, the glasses will go on sale to the public by the end of the year. These people said they are expected “to cost around the price of current smartphones,” or $250 to $600.

The people familiar with the Google glasses said they would be Android-based, and will include a small screen that will sit a few inches from someone’s eye. They will also have a 3G or 4G data connection and a number of sensors including motion and GPS.

Seth Weintraub, a blogger for 9 to 5 Google, who first wrote about the glasses project in December, and then discovered more information about them this month, also said the glasses would be Android-based and cited a source that described their look as that of a pair of Oakley Thumps.

They will also have a unique navigation system. “The navigation system currently used is a head tilting to scroll and click,” Mr. Weintraub wrote this month. “We are told it is very quick to learn and once the user is adept at navigation, it becomes second nature and almost indistinguishable to outside users.”]]></description>
<dc:subject>Browser_Based</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:da9ee3bd6b43/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Browser_Based"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783">
    <title>BBC News - The myth of the eight-hour sleep</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-22T14:23:26+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[In the early 1990s, psychiatrist Thomas Wehr conducted an experiment in which a group of people were plunged into darkness for 14 hours every day for a month.

It took some time for their sleep to regulate but by the fourth week the subjects settled into a very distinct sleeping pattern. They slept first for four hours, then woke for one or two hours before falling into a second four-hour sleep.

Though sleep scientists were impressed by the study, among the general public the idea that we must sleep for eight consecutive hours persists.

kirch believes this painting from 1595 is evidence of significant activity at night
A woman tending to her husband in the middle of the night by Jan Saenredam, 1595 A 1595 engraving by Jan Saenredam shows normal activity at night

Much like the experience of Wehr's subjects, these references describe a first sleep which began about two hours after dusk, followed by waking period of one or two hours and then a second sleep. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Beds pattern</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:48f13bbb2c56/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Beds"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:pattern"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://io9.com/5886505/researchers-resurrect-new-species-of-life-from-ancient-andean-tomb">
    <title>Researchers resurrect new species of life from ancient Andean tomb</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-21T00:10:32+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://io9.com/5886505/researchers-resurrect-new-species-of-life-from-ancient-andean-tomb</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Carvajal and his team resurrected a number of different yeast strains, but not a one was saccharomyces cerivisiae — the yeast used in contemporary fermentation techniques. In fact, two of the strains were a new species entirely, and beonged to the genus Candida, many species of which are known to cause skin and vaginal infections. Carvajal's team named the new species C. theae, meaning "tea."

The decision to name the species "tea" would wind up being strangely appropriate. In 2010, on the other side of the globe from the researchers in South America, two cases of bottled tea were discovered to be clouded with contamination. When Taiwanese yeast taxonomist Ching-Fu Lee compared the genes of the yeast contaminating the tea with that of Carvajal's recently discovered C. theae, he found that the two strains matched. Lee, of course, contacted Carvajal immediately and the two collaborated to publish the paper that appears in the latest issue of International Journal of Food Microbiology.

So how could a long-lost yeast strain show up simultaneously on opposite ends of the world? "I don't think this is a beverage-related yeast, I think it is a human-related yeast," explains Carvajal. "We know now that there were contacts between Polynesians and South American peoples. [Polynesians] departed from Taiwan 6,000 years ago."

"We are using yeasts to track human migration and contacts. That is part of what we call 'microbiological archaeology.'"]]></description>
<dc:subject>Biology Fungus</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:d4652dd74b90/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Biology"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Fungus"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/401227.stm">
    <title>BBC News | Sci/Tech | Gold rush in space?</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-20T05:59:34+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/401227.stm</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[That means Eros is a goldmine in space, as well as a platinum mine, a zinc mine and many more minerals besides.

If Eros is typical of stony meteorites, then it contains about 3% metal. With the known abundance's of metals in meteorites, even a very cautious estimate suggests 20,000 million tonnes of aluminium along with similar amounts of gold, platinum and other rarer metals.


Controllers briefly lost contact with the Near craft

In the 2,900 cubic kms of Eros, there is more aluminium, gold, silver, zinc and other base and precious metals than have ever been excavated in history or indeed, could ever be excavated from the upper layers of the Earth's crust. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>Space_Exploration</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:25404a41eac0/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Space_Exploration"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.trueactivist.com/hungary-destroys-all-monsanto-gmo-corn-fields/">
    <title>Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Corn Fields | True Activist</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-19T02:40:36+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.trueactivist.com/hungary-destroys-all-monsanto-gmo-corn-fields/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Hungary has taken a bold stand against biotech giant Monsanto and genetic modification by destroying 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds, according to Hungary deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar. Unlike many European Union countries, Hungary is a nation where genetically modified (GM) seeds are banned. In a similar stance against GM ingredients, Peru has also passed a 10 year ban on GM foods.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Genetic_Engineering</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:e7a3630f829d/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Genetic_Engineering"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/10/japan-disaster-invisible-idUSL4E8D71P220120210">
    <title>Japan priest fights invisible demon: radiation | Reuters</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-18T12:22:37+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/10/japan-disaster-invisible-idUSL4E8D71P220120210</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[be said he and the other monks are storing the soil on a hill behind the temple as neither the government nor the nuclear plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) are helping with the clean-up.

"No-one else would take the soil. If there's nobody to take care of it, the decontamination can't get going because there's nowhere to get rid of it," Abe said.

Volunteers have gathered some 400 kg (800 pounds) of radioactive waste.

But it is likely to take years to remove all of the "invisible snow", as Abe describes the radiation -- if that is even possible.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Nuclear_Power</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:1695fd99551f/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Nuclear_Power"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://blog.makezine.com/2012/02/16/flying-bots-spot-paradrop-targets-with-hacked-ar-code/">
    <title>MAKE | Flying Bots Spot Paradrop Targets With Hacked AR Code</title>
    <dc:date>2012-02-18T10:16:11+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://blog.makezine.com/2012/02/16/flying-bots-spot-paradrop-targets-with-hacked-ar-code/</link>
    <dc:creator>sarkos</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The clever designers at Chicago’s Tanagram adapted code developed to recognize those little black-and-white augmented-reality markers (“fiduciary markers”) for target acquisition on a DARPA-funded robot that can autonomously deliver humanitarian aid and other supplies to 20′ square markers unrolled on the ground.

    What’s great about fiducial marker tracking technology is that it is pre-built to handle the marker being viewed at ANY angle (including nearly flat) in the crappiest of lighting conditions. A marker does not have to be smack in front of the camera to be recognized. Another added bonus is that it is easy to embed a two-dimensional barcode within the marker.

Their system can recognize 64 distinct markers, which opens up the possibility, for instance, of delivering particular types of supplies to particular places in a refugee camp.]]></description>
<dc:subject>DARPA Drones QR_codes</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/b:c1412768a06a/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:DARPA"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:Drones"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:sarkos/t:QR_codes"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
</rdf:RDF>