NHS Science Topics

Fact or Fiction: The Days (and Nights) Are Getting Longer

2010-06-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Fact or Fiction: The Days (and Nights) Are Getting Longer: "

The summer solstice that falls this year on June 21 marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, sunlight-wise. Almost imperceptibly, however, Earth's day–night cycle --one rotation on its axis--is growing longer year by year, and has been for most of the planet's history.

Forces from afar conspire to put the brakes on our spinning world--ocean tides generated by both the moon and sun's gravity add 1.7 milliseconds to the length of a day each century, although that figure changes on geologic timescales. The moon is slowly spiraling away from Earth as it drives day-stretching tides, a phenomenon recorded in rocks and fossils that provides clues to the satellite's origin and ultimate fate. "You're putting energy into the moon's orbit and taking it out of the Earth's spin," says James Williams , a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

[More]"

World's Oldest Leather Shoe Found—Stunningly Preserved

2010-06-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

World's Oldest Leather Shoe Found—Stunningly Preserved: "At 5,500 years old, the 'astonishingly modern' shoe was exceptionally preserved by sheep dung and dryness. "

Did Neandertals Think Like Us? (preview)

2010-06-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

Did Neandertals Think Like Us? (preview): "

For the past two decades archaeologist João Zilhão of the University of Bristol in England has been studying our closest cousins, the Neandertals, who occupied Eurasia for more than 200,000 years before mysteriously disappearing some 28,000 years ago. Experts in this field have long debated just how similar Neandertal cognition was to our own. Occupying center stage in this controversy are a handful of Neandertal sites that contain cultural remains indicative of symbol use--including jewelry--a defining element of modern human behavior. Zilhão and others argue that Neandertals invented these symbolic traditions on their own, before anatomically modern humans arrived in Europe around 40,000 years ago. Critics, however, believe the items originated with moderns.

But this past January, in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA , Zilhão and his colleagues reported on finds that could settle the dispute: pigment-stained seashells from two sites in Spain dated to nearly 50,000 years ago--10,000 years before anatomically modern humans made their way to Europe. Zilhão recently discussed the implications of his team’s new discoveries with Scientific American staff editor Kate Wong. An edited version of their conversation follows.

[More]"

Where Is My Bailout ?!

2010-06-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

NBC Today Show interview about BP’s latest effort to ‘Cut & Cap’ the damaged oil pipe in the Gulf

2010-06-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

NBC Today Show interview about BP’s latest effort to ‘Cut & Cap’ the damaged oil pipe in the Gulf: "

Disaster in the Gulf: Day 44 (June 2nd - NBC’s Today Show Interview with Dr. Kaku about BP’s latest effort to ‘Cut & Cap’ the damaged pipe in the Gulf and if the method will in fact work. BP plans to use a diamond edged tool (wire-cutters) to make a clean cut of the damaged pipe (one cut was made last night) and if the caps don’t work, the problem has essentially become magnified because now the holes are even larger than before and an estimated 20% increase of oil spillage is now a high possibility.

MSNBC (Keith Olbermann Interview) on BP’s top-kill procedure in the Gulf of Mexico

2010-06-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

MSNBC (Keith Olbermann Interview) on BP’s top-kill procedure in the Gulf of Mexico: "

Dr. Kaku sits down with Keith Olbermann (The Countdown - MSNBC) to speak about how BP’s top-kill procedure is faring at stopping the oil in the Gulf and what other options are available to avoid a worst case scenerio disaster. Interview took place on May 27th, 2010.

The creation of the first man-made synthetic cell (FOX News)

2010-06-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

The creation of the first man-made synthetic cell (FOX News): "

Dr. Kaku speaks with FOX News about the recent announcement in the enduring quest to create artificial life. Scientists claim that they’ve produced a living cell powered by manmade DNA.

The inventors call it the world’s first synthetic cell.

Nuclear magnetic resonance aids in drug design

2010-05-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Nuclear magnetic resonance aids in drug design: "(University of Notre Dame) A new study by a team of researchers led by Jeffrey Peng, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame, is using Nuclear Magnetic Imaging, to move drug design into groundbreaking consideration of the dynamic flexibility of drugs and their targets."

12 Events That Will Change Everything (preview)

2010-05-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

12 Events That Will Change Everything (preview): "

The best science transforms our conception of the universe and our place in it and helps us to understand and cope with changes beyond our control. Relativity, natural selection, germ theory, heliocentrism and other explanations of natural phenomena have remade our intellectual and cultural landscapes. The same holds true for inventions as diverse as the Internet, formal logic, agriculture and the wheel.

What dramatic new events are in store for humanity? Here we contemplate 12 possibilities and rate their likelihood of happening by 2050. Some will no doubt bring to mind long-standing dystopian visions: extinction-causing asteroid collisions, war-waging intelligent machines, Frankenstein’s monster. Yet the best thinking today suggests that many events will not unfold as expected. In fact, a scenario could be seen as sobering and disappointing to one person and curious and uplifting to another. One thing is certain: they all have the power to forever reshape how we think about ourselves and how we live our lives. [More]"

'Google Flu Trends' Found to be Nearly On Par With CDC Surveillance Data

2010-05-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

'Google Flu Trends' Found to be Nearly On Par With CDC Surveillance Data: "

Seasonal flu epidemics account for as many as half a million deaths worldwide each year. And the rapid spread of new strains can cause many more (the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic alone killed more than 16,000 people, according to the World Health Organization ). Quickly detecting a regional rise in flu-like symptoms such as coughs, sore throats or high fevers can help public health officials take steps to dampen the impact. However, it can take days--even weeks--for trends spotted in clinics to be reported more broadly. [More]"

All Species Evolved From Single Cell, Study Finds

2010-05-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

All Species Evolved From Single Cell, Study Finds: "Creationism is 'an absolutely horrible hypothesis,' says the author of a new study of the statistical probability of a universal common ancestor. "

NYU, Nanjing U. chemists create DNA assembly line

2010-05-13T05:09:00.000-07:00

NYU, Nanjing U. chemists create DNA assembly line: "(New York University) Chemists at New York University and China's Nanjing University have created a DNA assembly line that has the potential to create novel materials efficiently on the nanoscale."

Super Slo-Mo Frog Video Reveals Jumping Secrets

2010-05-13T04:58:00.001-07:00

Super Slo-Mo Frog Video Reveals Jumping Secrets: "Watch mesmerizing video that's helping unlock secrets of jumping frogs, some of which can leap more than ten times their lengths. Video."

Colossal Squid a Soft, Sluggish Drifter

2010-05-13T04:58:00.000-07:00

Colossal Squid a Soft, Sluggish Drifter: "Perseus would have nothing to fear from this kraken-like sea beast: The squid's energy needs suggest it's just a slow, aimless drifter."

Black holes -- gas blowers of the Universe

2010-05-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

Black holes -- gas blowers of the Universe: "(Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) Gravity monsters expel gas not only from their host galaxies but even from the space inside galaxy groups."

Mutant Mosquitoes Not Repelled by DEET

2010-05-11T06:15:00.001-07:00

Mutant Mosquitoes Not Repelled by DEET: "The popular bug-repelling chemical has lost its power against some disease-carrying mosquitoes, a new study says. But experts caution it's not time to panic just yet. "

Genomics goes beyond DNA sequence

2010-05-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

Genomics goes beyond DNA sequence: "

By Alla Katsnelson

What makes two individuals different? Biologists now know that the genome sequence holds only a small part of the answer, and that key elements of development and disease are controlled by the epigenome--a set of chemical modifications, not encoded in DNA, that orchestrate how and when genes are expressed. [More]"

Quantum mechanics reveals new details of deep earth

2010-05-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

Quantum mechanics reveals new details of deep earth: "(Ohio State University) Scientists have used quantum mechanics to reveal that the most common mineral on Earth is relatively uncommon deep within the planet. Using several of the largest supercomputers in the nation, a team of physicists led by Ohio State University has been able to simulate the behavior of silica in a high-temperature, high-pressure form that is particularly difficult to study firsthand in the lab."

Neanderthals, Humans Interbred—First Solid DNA Evidence

2010-05-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

Neanderthals, Humans Interbred—First Solid DNA Evidence: "Turns out most of us have a little Neanderthal in us, according to the first solid DNA evidence for Neanderthal-human interspecies sex."

Whatever Happened to the Ozone Hole?

2010-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Whatever Happened to the Ozone Hole?: "Twenty-five years later, the lingering 'hole' over Antarctica is close to closing—but that may not be entirely a good thing. "

Gulf Oil Spill Fight Turns to Chemicals

2010-05-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Gulf Oil Spill Fight Turns to Chemicals: "Responders are deploying huge amounts of oil dispersant to limit onshore damage from the Gulf of Mexico, but the chemicals don’t make oil disappear.

WIN! an opportunity to take part in filming for the second season of SCI-FI SCIENCE: Physics of the Impossible

2010-04-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

WIN! an opportunity to take part in filming for the second season of SCI-FI SCIENCE: Physics of the Impossible: "

Michio and the Science Channel are now embarking on a second season of his hit show SCI-FI SCIENCE: Physics of the Impossible. In this exciting new series, Michio has identified 12 more familiar science fiction movie and TV notions and technologies. He’ll explain how we can build them into science fact and once again he wants to know what YOU think of his designs. The next two episodes will be “Alien Contact” and “Preventing an Alien Invasion.” Read about the contest to find out how you can enter to win the opportunity to take part in filming!"

A warming world could trigger earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes

2010-04-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

A warming world could trigger earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes: "Volcanoes, with their vast outpourings of greenhouse gases and sun-screening ash clouds, can affect climate. But what about the other way around? [More]"

Environmental Risks of Volcanic Eruptions

2010-04-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

Environmental Risks of Volcanic Eruptions: "Michio Kaku speaks with Fox Business (April 21st) on the risks of neighboring volcanoes being triggered by Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull."

Einstein's theory fights off challengers

2010-04-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

Einstein's theory fights off challengers: "(Chandra X-ray Center) Two new and independent studies have put Einstein's General Theory of Relativity to the test like never before. These results, made using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, show Einstein's theory is still the best game in town."