Science & Technology News
Intelligent vehicles: It's good for cars to talk too
Posted Fri, 27 May 2011 11:41:00 GMT by John DeanWith car manufacturers continually improving fuel efficiency, attention is turning not just to the technology but also to the way we drive. As part of that growing awareness, US manufacturer Ford has been experimenting with vehicles which save fuel by helping motorists to avoid congestion and the waste of fuel which can be caused by idling engines.
Intelligent vehicles: It's good for cars to talk too
Violent games = violent people
Posted Thu, 26 May 2011 16:24:00 GMT by Gracie ValenaAn experiment by researchers from the University of Missouri proves that playing violent video games increases aggression. It takes only common sense and knowing a child who plays violent video games to know that such games increase aggression. So it isn't suprising that according to a recent study ''scientists have known for years that playing violent video games causes players to become more aggressive.''
Violent games = violent people
Country's largest quake means more risk not less of future shocks say scientists
Posted Thu, 26 May 2011 15:09:00 GMT by Colin RickettsThe devastating off-shore earthquake and acompanying tsunami doesn't signal a perdio of seismic peace for the people of Japan according to new research which, instead, warns of an increased risk of a major shock hitting Tokyo.
Country's largest quake means more risk not less of future shocks say scientists
Rock-breathing bacteria to power microbial batteries?
Posted Mon, 23 May 2011 19:00:00 GMT by Martin LeggettAn off-the-wall alternative energy source - bacterial batteries - is drawing closer thanks to new research published today, on the electricity-generating potential of 'rock-breathing' microbes. A paper out in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes in detail the mechanism by which these bizarre bacteria can pass electrical currents when attached to iron particles.
Rock-breathing bacteria to power microbial batteries?
'Greenhouse' Effect Endangers Ocean Life
Posted Thu, 19 May 2011 15:09:01 GMT by Kieran BallScientists discover that the 'greenhouse' effect isn't constrained to the atmosphere. A team of geologists from Newcastle University in the UK have discovered evidence that 'greenhouse oceans' occurred in prehistoric times, resulting in areas of ocean with little or no life due to low levels of oxygen in the water.
'Greenhouse' Effect Endangers Ocean Life
Melting model for Greenland's accelerating ribbons of ice shows 'locked-in' sea level rise
Posted Mon, 16 May 2011 19:02:00 GMT by Martin LeggettA new study has projected future sea-level rises, just from Greenland's melting ice-sheets, at 3.5 inches over this century. The paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science attempts to produce more complex computer models of recent dramatic ice-shelf losses that have kick-started accelerating Greenland glaciers - something the IPCC admits is poorly understood.
Melting model for Greenland's accelerating ribbons of ice shows 'locked-in' sea level rise
African farmers to benefit from genes resistant to cattle 'sleeping sickness'
Posted Mon, 16 May 2011 19:00:00 GMT by Martin LeggettAn important research project that could ultimately see the defeat of the trypanosome parasite - the scourge of Africa's cattle herds - comes out today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. With millions of African farmers reliant on healthy cattle for food, as milk-producers and for the plowing of fields, the discovery of the specific genes responsible for resistance to the cattle-form of 'sleeping sickness' is being seen as a major breakthrough.
African farmers to benefit from genes resistant to cattle 'sleeping sickness'
Calls for Independent Monitoring of Deep Sea Oil Exploitation
Posted Fri, 13 May 2011 22:33:00 GMT by Mike CampbellDr Henry Ruhl of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton and Professor Monty Priede of the University of Aberdeen, argued for independent monitoring of the deep-sea hydrocarbon industry as a means to gain a better understanding of its potential ecological activity and as a means of providing early warning of problems.
Calls for Independent Monitoring of Deep Sea Oil Exploitation
Hot Jupiters - Flipped or Otherwise
Posted Thu, 12 May 2011 17:12:00 GMT by Mike CampbellA ''hot Jupiter'' is a planet larger than the Jupiter of our own solar system which occupies an orbit close into its own star - hence ''hot Jupiter''. The conundrum was why should these giants be travelling in the wrong direction?
Hot Jupiters - Flipped or Otherwise
Semiconductor uses solar power to take H2 from water
Posted Wed, 11 May 2011 17:22:00 GMT by Gracie ValenaIn what is being touted as artificial photosynthesis, researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne have devised a technique for coating a cuprous oxide semiconductor so that it can use energy from the sun to take hydrogen from water.
Semiconductor uses solar power to take H2 from water
World's Largest Fleet of Electric Taxis Celebrates One Year of Operation
Posted Mon, 09 May 2011 12:55:01 GMT by Julian JacksonChinese city of Shenzhen has success with zero-emission public transport. China is making great strides to reduce its position as the world's number one greenhouse gas emitter. It has the largest fleet of electric taxis in the world, operating in the southern city of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. Fifty of these five-seat taxis have been taking passengers since April 29th 2010 and have clocked up over 1,730,000 all-electric miles.
World's Largest Fleet of Electric Taxis Celebrates One Year of Operation
Scientists' research sounds warning for our oceans
Posted Wed, 04 May 2011 14:52:00 GMT by John DeanScientists in America have unveiled information that suggests oceans can take vast amounts of time to recover from disasters such as mass extinctions. Researchers from the University of Chicago, West Virginia University and The Ohio State University examined fossil records dating from a mass extinction that devastated ocean life 360 million years ago, known as the Hangenberg event.
Scientists' research sounds warning for our oceans
Ancient hominid goes from from nut-cracker to grass-grazer
Posted Tue, 03 May 2011 14:06:01 GMT by Martin LeggettA remote ancestor of humans, which had long been thought to have jaws and teeth specially adapted for nuts, has now been found to be more of a grass-mower than a nut-chomper. That's the conclusion of carbon isotope analysis of teeth enamel of Paranthropus boisei, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Ancient hominid goes from from nut-cracker to grass-grazer
Solar Powered Plane Prepares for First International Flight
Posted Sun, 01 May 2011 13:54:00 GMT by Kieran BallSolar Impulse, an aircraft powered only by solar power, prepares for its inaugural international flight. Previously, the single seated prototype, which has the wingspan of a Boeing 777, made history when it became the first solar powered plane of its type to fly 24 hours on solar power alone. Some 11,600 solar cells, situated on the wings, charge lithium batteries, which, in turn, power the engines.
Solar Powered Plane Prepares for First International Flight
Survey of deep-diving beaked whales helps assess sonar risk
Posted Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:00:00 GMT by Martin LeggettAcoustic surveying is bringing the amazing deep-sea hunts of beaked whales to light, in research published today in PloS One, the open-access science journal. Not only does the study provide a better understanding of an enigmatic group of marine mammals - the information could help avoid the tragedy of sonar-associated whale strandings.
Survey of deep-diving beaked whales helps assess sonar risk
Mapping Subtle Changes in Gravity
Posted Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:30:01 GMT by Mike CampbellAny schoolchild should know that gravity is the force that keeps us on the ground and that the force of gravity is 9.8 ms-2. However, the force of gravity is not exactly the same at all points on the planet. This is because the density of the earth is not uniform; the earth is not a perfect sphere and therefore the height of the surface above the core varies from ocean deeps to high mountains. The gravitational pull of the earth is inversely proportional to the height one is above it - if you are far enough from the surface you experience weightlessness, after all.
Mapping Subtle Changes in Gravity
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We use the tiger (this is a prime Siberian example) to show up our failure to conserve wild species, but while we monopolise all the food that animals require, we could remember that it is not only their conservation we urgently need to cover. It is also our own indulgences.
How can you describe the threats existing to species, both large and small? Using the highly-threatened primates, we can perhaps see how they have contrived to exist until the current time. Then we can better understand just how we can prevent factors simply wiping them from the face of the earth, often through ignorance, lack of care, prejudice and of course the universal profit motive. Conservation begins in our minds, but demands much more than that.
What does that blue butterfly do when you are not watching. We still have to discover exactly how the Eurasian large blue exploits Myrmica ants, but many of its relatives are either cuckoos (eg. (Phengaris alcon), or outright predators like the AustralasianLiphyra brassolis larvae ,eating the whole brood of the green ants they live with. How did such diverse habits evolve? Well, start reading here.
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The future is certainly renewable, but are we too late to prevent future centuries problems of global warming- and the rest! Here are some current US solutions to waste and warming for you to enjoy---there are some ads in this piece but weve allowed them for one blog only.
Need to save money after the spending boom to end them all? Here are 2 sets of opinions on how to pull out the plugs at night at least.
When dolphins are 'rescued' in various countries, the car given seems to be ill-considered. We are simply looking at the success rate which is reported to be low, in most places. They could even end up in commercial aquarium shows, but they certainly rarely make it back to the sea.
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Science & Technology Articles
Butterflies just love ants ---.
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Scientists' research sounds warning for our oceans
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