26664456
submission
EagleHasLanded writes:
The Berkeley Pit, an abandoned open pit copper mine in Butte, Montana—part of the largest Superfund site in the U.S.—is filled with 40 billion gallons of acidic, metal-contaminated water. For years the water was believed to be too toxic to support life, until Andrea and Donald Stierle, a pair of organic chemists at the Univ. of Montana discovered that the Pit is a rich source of unusual extremophiles, “many of which have shown great promise as producers of potential anti-cancer agents and anti-inflammatories.” In the course of their ongoing investigation, the two self-described “bioprospectors” have also discovered an uncommon yeast, which might play a significant role in cleaning up the site. In the meantime, the Pit has become a tourist attraction in Butte, which charges $2 for the opportunity to take in the view from the Viewing Stand.
10685670
submission
EagleHasLanded writes:
Who speaks for humankind if ET calls on us? Paul Davies, chairman of the SETI Post-Detection Taskgroup , is a likely ambassador. But Allen Tough founded the Invitation to ETI Web site, which encourages ET to make contact via email (and also strongly discourages humans from impersonating ET). But an individual in the UK got over some of the hurdles designed to weed out hoaxers, before finally throwing in the towel.
10448962
submission
EagleHasLanded writes:
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is 50 years old next month, and still no sign of intelligent alien life. Paul Davies of the Beyond Center (also Chairman of the SETI Post-Detection Taskgroup ) says it’s time to re-think and expand the search for ET.
8812548
submission
EagleHasLanded writes:
Did scientists “predict” the Jan. 12 Haiti earthquake? Not exactly. How close are researchers to being able to predict big earthquakes? Not very. Will we ever be able to predict earthquakes? Not likely. Southern California Earthquake Center seismologist Susan Hough interviewed about the science of earthquake prediction. Includes link to the U.S. Geological Survey's 'Did You Feel It?' page — a must-visit for seismologists in the wake of a quake.
7954782
submission
EagleHasLanded writes:
Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman doesn't talk to journalists. Actually, he doesn't talk to anyone anymore. So we'll have to settle for insights via his biographer, Masha Gessen, who, strangely enough, has never talked to him either. But she has spoken with just about everyone who has ever had any significant interaction with Perelman, and the result is the book 'Perfect Rigor,' which more than adequately explains why Perelman has gone into self-imposed exile, and why he hasn't collected the million dollars owed him for solving the Poincare Conjecture.
7877172
submission
EagleHasLanded writes:
In the recent book “Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel,” author Steve Hodel advises that in 1990 his father registered a star in his own name (using International Star Registry) in Zodiacal constellation Aquila. Why is this compelling? Because in the book, Steve claims that his dad was the Zodiac killer, and that his father would have gotten a kick out of creating a "heavenly memorial to his crimes," not to mention that he would have enjoyed leaving behind this clue that he was responsible for the Zodiac murders. But the book's claims are so far-reaching (not only was George Hill the Zodiac, but also the Lipstick Killer and the Jigsaw Murderer) that it seems almost inconceivable that it's all true.
