Comment If ISON was the Thanksgiving comet... (Score 5, Funny) 62
...then what we have now are clearly leftovers.
Submission + - One in five stars has an Earth-sized planet in its habitable zone (keckobservatory.org)
cunniff writes: Remarkable statistics from the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii — 22% (+/- 8%) of stars have an Earth-sized planet in its habitable zone. From the press release, UC Berkley graduate student Erik Petigura says, "What this means is, when you look up at the thousands of stars in the night sky, the nearest sun-like star with an Earth-size planet in its habitable zone is probably only 12 light years away and can be seen with the naked eye. That is amazing,"
This, of course, raises the Fermi paradox again — if alien life is common, why haven't we seen it yet? This study will be used to spark further investigation, including proposals for space telescopes which might be able to image nearby Earth-sized planets.
This, of course, raises the Fermi paradox again — if alien life is common, why haven't we seen it yet? This study will be used to spark further investigation, including proposals for space telescopes which might be able to image nearby Earth-sized planets.
Comment Oldest *hominid* tumor, maybe (Score 5, Informative) 46
Paleontologists have found 150-million-year-old dino tumors, see http://www.livescience.com/4013-dinosaur-tumor-studied-human-cancer-clues.html
The university is welcoming four renowned curators from Carnegie Museum into its classrooms to teach seminars and use the museum collection, which is considered one of the world's premiere displays of natural history artifacts, for demonstrations. Included in the collection is a 150-million-year-old fossilized dinosaur bone complete with a tumor.
I would not be surprised if there are even older amphibian tumor fossils out there somewhere.
Comment Yes (Score 5, Funny) 365
Now get off my lawn
Comment The real issue (Score 5, Insightful) 311
It's not the *cost* of the iPhone. It's the *black market resale value* that drives theft.
It's uncomfortable allowing a third party to be able to permanently brick your phone or other device, but if that were a commonly-used option, the resale value would quickly drop down close to zero.
As always - back up your data, and don't store important personal information on your easily-stolen device...
Comment Re:What about this? (Score 3, Insightful) 105
Well, it could be sedimentary rock layers. But volcanos can also cause layering - consult the oracle about "welded tuff" (example image from Idaho)
Comment Anthropogenic Global Warming (Score 3, Insightful) 370
It's here. Let's deal with it.
Comment Re:This is exciting (Score 1) 267
but, to some physics, perhaps a bit boring.
Err, make that, "but, to some *physicists", perhaps a bit boring."
Comment This is exciting (Score 4, Insightful) 267
Possibly the most exciting physics news of the year. Although the detection of the Higgs boson was big, it mostly confirmed what existing theory predicted. Interesting, important - but, to some physics, perhaps a bit boring.
If further measurements continue to verify this effect, there are some very interesting new physics to discover.
Comment Re:well, i dunno (Score 1) 308
How many sticks of dynamite would it take at 15 times per second, to eventually push the stated goal of 200MW into the power grid?
1 stick of dynamite == 2.1MJ, if you can believe Wikipedia
15 sticks per second == 32MJ/S = 32MW
200MW/32MW = 6.3 sticks of dynamite exploded 15 times per second.
This assumes 100% efficiency to electricity, of course.
Comment Re:Fresh water? (Score 3, Insightful) 292
Spend a little time thinking about it, and you will realize that distilled water urban legend is silly. In your mouth, it is mixed with saliva and mucous and whatever else is stuck to your teeth, gums, and tongue. The instant it hits your stomach, it is mixed with stomach acids and whatever you ate recently. I.e. it is no longer pure distilled water. From there, the molecules wander through your body like any other water molecule. Distilling water does not give its component molecules magic properties.
Comment Re:My guess - (Score 2) 231
I noticed that too. My guess: they've found a currently active or very recently active volcano
Comment Quick! (Score 2, Funny) 421
Call Yukon Cornelius!
Submission + - First "Goldilocks" exoplanet discovered? (keckobservatory.org)
cunniff writes: According to a press release sent out today, the Keck Observatory on top of Mauna Kea, in Hawaii, has discovered the first "Goldilocks" exoplanet — a rocky Earth-class planet within the liquid water zone of its parent star:
The new planet, known as Gliese 581g, is at a distance that places it squarely in the middle of the star’s “habitable zone” where liquid water could exist on the planet’s surface... Gliese 581g has a mass 3 to 4 times that of the Earth and an orbital period of just under 37 days. Its mass indicates that it is probably a rocky planet with a definite surface and that it has enough gravity to hold on to an atmosphere, according to Vogt.
The parent star, Gliese 581, is a red dwarf in the direction of the constellation Libra.
Comment My cars are electric (Score 1) 1141
You insensitive clod!
