Jupiter is the first to get its new close-up, and the new ultra-HD 4K images have revealed some interesting new features, including a rare wave just above the planet’s equator, and a stringy feature in its Great Red Spot. “Every time we look at Jupiter, we get tantalizing hints that something really exciting is going on,” said NASA planetary scientist Amy Simon in a press release. “This time is no exception....
According to a public release from the agency signed by NIH director Francis H. Collins, the move was made because no researchers had sought permits for the 50 chimps under the old plan, and other “numerous changes over the last few years.” “I have reassessed the need to maintain chimpanzees for biomedical research and decided that effective immediately, NIH will no longer maintain a colony of 50 chimpanzees for future research,” Collins wrote....
Is this why 300,000 Americans are diagnosed annually with this potentially debilitating disease? It’s an old conspiracy theory currently enjoying a resurgence with lots of sensational headlinesand tweets. Congress has even ordered that the Pentagon must reveal whether it weaponized ticks. And it’s not true. Ticks can indeed carry infectious agents that could be used as biological weapons. Military research has long focused on ticks. Sites around Long Island Sound, near the military’s Plum Island research lab, were some of the first places where the American Lyme disease epidemic was identified....
After a pair of rear-mounted cameras project what’s behind the car onto a half mirror, the video is processed in such a way that objects appear in actual size, giving the driver the same sense of depth he or she would have if the rear of the car were really transparent–something standard camera/monitor setups don’t provide. Ultimately the researchers want to kill the blind spot by making the entire car appear transparent to the driver....
WHAT’S NEXT Like most Darpa-funded research, the work has commercial as well as military potential. Tremblay says he’s a little more than a year away from an optic small enough for a cellphone: his smallest is 14 millimeters in diameter, and he wants to get to 10. Not surprisingly, Samsung and Motorola have come calling. Inventor: Eric Tremblay, graduate student University of California at San Diego
This Champion features a front zipper pocket for items that need to be in reach, like pencils or keys, and an internal organizer for papers and binders. There’s even a laptop sleeve for writing papers on the go. A side water bottle pocket means you don’t have to dig for hydration—we like to carry the YETI Rambler water bottle, which is 10 percent off and comes in 22 different colorways....
We’ve picked out some of our small space favorites. Grow bags are an excellent choice for patio gardens, because they’re light weight and drain well—the fabric allows soil to aerate, which promotes healthier roots, and the handles are a huge plus for tight spaces where you might need to move things around. Five gallons is the perfect size for an individual pepper or tomato plant, and you can even add in a trellis to help them climb and vine....
The landing marks the end of Expedition 46, during which Kelly and Korienko spent a year on the International Space Station. Volkov was only on the space station for six months.
A team of physiologists examined businessmen from London’s financial district and found men with longer ring fingers compared to their index fingers tended to be more successful. Surprising? Maybe not. The same ring-to-index finger success also applies to sports including soccer and basketball. Finger length is determined while in the womb. A greater exposure to the male hormone androgen results in a longer ring finger. In previous studies, this extra exposure was linked to increased confidence and risk taking as well as heightened observation and reaction times....
Being actually knowledgeable about the issues doesn’t matter at all. PopSci: My overarching question is: What really matters to voters in a debate? Is it the issues or the minutiae–the way their hair looks, what they’re wearing. Edwards and Oppenheimer: When it comes to who a person will vote for, there are a number of factors affecting the popular perception of the candidates’ likability, competency, and empathy, which voters derive initially from a first impression (which, like any first impression, is largely based on appearance), and then get modified over time throughout the campaigns....
But if you feel that you’re much more effective playing at a course or practice range, you can simulate the experience with the Phigolf World Tour simulator, which is now on sale for 19 percent off. Powered by GPS mapping of L1 Technologies, it’s capable of offering a realistic simulation of over 38,000 golf courses. This Kickstarter hit, which garnered nearly $200,000 in pledges, is the latest addition to the world-popular Phigolf home golf simulator collection....
“Republicans keep circling back to China, saying if China won’t commit to major reductions, the U.S. shouldn’t either,” National Geographic environment reporter Sarah Gibbens wrote in a tweet during the meeting. It’s true that China has a significant part to play in the global quest to keep warming below the crucial threshold of two degrees Celsius. But the connection between what the U.S. is doing (or not doing) and what China is doing (or not doing) is more complex than a simple either-or....
This month, on an airstrip just north of San Francisco, a handful of inventive pilots hope to help turn that sooty reputation around, as they compete in the nation’s first eco-aviation challenge, called the Green Prize. Up to 16 teams will fly their experimental personal air vehicles (PAVs), each tuned for optimal fuel efficiency, along a course that sweeps above Northern California and includes climbs and descents. The team that burns the least fuel over the two-hour race—30 mpg is the record for a two-seat PAV—wins up to $50,000....
In 2014, Kazansky was part of a team that won a Guinness World Record for creating the most durable storage medium. That creation, a glass disc with a lifetime of 13.8 billion years and a capacity of 360 terabytes, was designed to ensure our data could be passed down to generations after us. “That was the first demonstration,” Kazansky, a professor in the Optoelectronics Research Centre at the University of Southampton, says....
The Samson Q9U’s design Straight out of the box, the Samson Q9U’s black die-cast metal housing gave me a strong impression of durability and a premium feel in the hand. The 2.1-pound $199 Samson Q9U microphone feels sturdier than its 1.2-pound direct competitor the $250 Shure MV7 broadcast mic (see our full review here); it comes across much closer to the installation-quality build of the ubiquitous $400 Shure SM7B (reviewed here)....
Individuals and businesses have always revered the usefulness of the Office suite thanks to its rich functionality, but the only caveat is subscribers have to renew every year to enjoy all of its features. But thanks to this exclusive deal, you can score a license to either Microsoft Office Professional or Microsoft Office Home and Business for life for just $49.99 (reg. $349). Microsoft Office Professional is ideal for professionals managing data and documents on the regular....
Saltnets Snow and Ice Melting Mat Save yourself the trouble of shoveling your doorstep every day with this mat designed to melt snow and ice on contact, sans electricity. With its patented design, it releases a proprietary mix of melting agents, preventing your walkway or driveway from accumulating snow. It’s free of toxic chemicals as well, making it safe for pets. Usually $49, it’s on sale for $34.99 for a limited time....
The innovation here is in the source and the method. We know that embryonic stem cells offer potential treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. And we know that we can turn adult human cells–that is, non-embryonic cells gathered from adult humans–into pluripotent cells (those that can become a different type of cell) by reprogramming them, usually with genetically engineered viruses that tamper with the cells’ genetic codes. But embryonic stem cell treatments are fraught with ethical issues and non-embryonic methods are complicated–and complexity introduces a greater chance of something going wrong (in this case that means mutations and genetic defects)....
Certain parts of a woman’s menstrual cycle do seem to go hand in hand with the desire for chocolate ice cream and potato chips. I hear about this every day from my OBGYN patients. Researchers have studied food cravings for years; one of the most cited studies dates back to 1953. Scientists – and lots of others – want to know who has food cravings and why, what they crave, when they crave it and how to minimize the cravings....
The bacterium involved in the study was Mariprofundus ferrooxydans, a species that makes its home around hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. Like other iron-oxidizing bacteria, M. ferrooxydans relies on a form of soluble iron, called ferrous iron, or FeII, as a source of the electrons it needs to breathe. When plenty of oxygen is present, ferrous iron readily gives up its extra electron to the oxygen, to become the more stable FeIII, or ferric iron–the kind of iron oxide we know of as rust....
