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sciencehabit writes: There's no security in being a young ant. A new study reveals that, when their home floods, Formica selysi ants build a raft with their bodies to save the queen--and they put the youngest ants on the bottom. Flotation tests showed that this is actually a great strategy for survival: The bottom of the raft is not a dangerous place for them after all, the team reports today in PLOS ONE. Young ants that were part of a raft survived and later matured at the same rate as young that stayed on dry land. Further experiments showed that the young are more buoyant than adults, which makes them able to support the raft like pontoons on a boat.
eggboard writes: Jen A. Miller has an egg allergy of a variety that her doctor has told her could produce a severe reaction if she were vaccinated for the flu, as flu vaccines are grown from viral strains incubated in chicken eggs. But, she explains, two new approaches have been approved by the FDA and are in production that don't use eggs at all; they're on the market in small amounts already, but will be available in much larger quantities soon. It's not just about egg allergies: the new vaccine types (one relying in insect proteins and the other on animal proteins) provide a much faster turnaround time in response to flu pandemics — as little as two to three months from isolation of a strain to mass production instead of at least six months with eggs.
Zothecula writes: 3D Systems, in collaboration with Ekso Bionics, has created a 3D-printed robotic exoskeleton that has restored the ability to walk in a woman paralyzed from the waist down. The Ekso-Suit was trialled and demonstrated by Amanda Boxtel, who was told by her doctor that she'd never walk again after a skiing accident in 1992.
Iddo Genuth writes: Photographers rejoice — the ICANN (which regulates domain names) recently introduced a whole host of new domains (including.photography,.camera,.graphics and more). In a time where a good.com domain is harder to find than cheap real estate in Manhattan, these new domains represent an interesting option for photographers who want to use their own name for their website (JamesSmith.photography seems really cool — try finding this with a.com).
Prices are a bit higher than.com domains (check out the link below) but its still far less expensive than trying to buy a.com domain from an existing owner (if he is willing to sell at all).
HW_Hack writes: I am fortunate to work at a high school that has a thriving technology program. It is led by an enthusiastic and very knowledgeable teacher only a few years into his career. He was using Game Design classes to draw students into programming a couple of years before such ideas were written up in places like Slashdot. Yet in many schools and school districts such programs are not only rare, but struggle to compete with other departments such a Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, etc. for dollars and head count. Should Computer Science be added to the list of required subjects such as Math or Social Studies ? Such a question is being asked at We The People via a petition: http://wh.gov/lUL8u
skinfaxi writes: I have an iPad I got from work, and have used it at home to magnify Magic cards. My eyesight is going and it's nice to be able to see the art larger. My father-in-law is legally blind. He can see but has very thick eyeglasses. He might be willing to play Magic with us if he could see the cards. We'd like to get him a tablet or e-reader that he could use to magnify with, but he doesn't need an expensive iPad. Are there other (cheaper) tablets that have built-in cameras that could be used the same way?
spineas writes: In case you're not in a prime viewing position for tonight's fly-by of Asteroid 2000 EM26, never fear, for the event will be webcast live for all around the world to see. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Slooh Space Camera will be broadcasting the 3-football-field-long asteroid as it zips by us at nearly 27,000 miles per hour. Astronomer Bob Berman will be answering questions during the broadcast, submitted via Twitter with the hashtag #Asteroid.
sciencehabit writes: When Galileo Galilei shook up the scientific community with evidence of a heliocentric world, he had a little tube fitted with two pieces of glass to thank. But just how this gadget evolved in the nascent days of astronomy is poorly known. That uncertainty has inspired a group of researchers to compile the most extensive database of early refracting telescopes to date. Now, the scientists plan to use modern optics to recreate what Galileo — and the naysaying observers of his time — experienced when they first peered through these tubes at the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, and the phases of Venus.
