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Deep Galaxy Surveys and Gravitational Lensing

Submitted by
lee1
lee1 writes "Astronomers who survey galaxies in the distant universe are getting some
unexpected help, and interference, from gravity. Analysis of images
from the Hubble Ultra Deep Field survey, a collection of the furthest
images of the universe ever taken, revealed a mystery: many of the
faraway galaxies they observed appeared to be located near the line of
sight to galaxies in the foreground. Through a statistical analysis,
they determined that strong gravitational lensing is the most likely
explanation. This arises from the bending of light in a gravitational
field, first predicted by Newton and, more accurately, by Einstein’s
general theory of relativity. It turns out that as many as 20 percent
of the most distant galaxies currently detected appear brighter than
they actually are, due to the lensing effect. In fact, many galaxies in
the remote universe will only be visible to us because of the bending of
their light by the gravitational fields of other galaxies."
United States

Patriot Act Up For Renewal, Nobody Notices

Submitted by
Ponca City, We Love You
Ponca City, We Love You writes "When the Patriot Act was first signed in 2001, it was billed as a temporary measure required because of the extreme circumstances created by the terrorist threat. The fear from its opponents was that executive power, once given, is seldom relinquished. Now the Examiner reports that on January 5th, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) introduced a bill to add yet another year to the soon to be expiring Patriot Act extending it until February, 2012 with passage likely to happen with little debate or contention. If passed, this would be the second time the Obama administration has punted on campaign promises to roll back excessive surveillance measures allowed under the act passed in the wake of 9/11. Last years extension passed under the heading of the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act. "Given the very limited number of days Congress has in session before the current deadline, and the fact that the bill’s Republican sponsor is only seeking another year, I think it's safe to read this as signaling an agreement across the aisle to put the issue off yet again," writes Julian Sanchez."
Science

US revamps sci-tech standard-setting efforts->

Submitted by coondoggie
coondoggie writes "The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been given new marching orders: expand work with the private sector to develop standards for a range of key technologies such as cloud computing, emergency communications and tracking, green manufacturing and high performance green building construction. NIST could also see its core science and technology budget double by 2017. NIST has also cut the number of labs it runs to 6 from 10. NIST labs now include, engineering, physical measurement, information technology, material measurement, the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology and the NIST Center for Neutron Research."
Link to Original Source
Idle

Scientists find the anti-Viagra: a woman's tears->

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "The male test subjects didn't know what they were smelling, they were just given little vials of clear liquid and told to sniff. But when those vials contained a woman's tears (collected while she watched a sad movie), the men rated pictures of women's faces as less sexually attractive, and their saliva contained less testosterone. Is this proof that humans make and respond to pheromones? The researcher behind the study doesn't use that controversial word, but he says his findings do prove that tears contain meaningful chemical messages."
Link to Original Source
NASA

NASA may delay 'WFirst' search for Dark Energy->

Submitted by Algorithmnast
Algorithmnast writes "This blog entry points out that NASA's project WFirst (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope) is under threat of being delayed by cost overruns for the Webb Space Telescope (Hubble's successor). If they don't hurry, then the EU may in fact be first to field a Dark Energy surveillance telescope — leaving Wfirst being ... second.

While the EU project Euclid (scheduled for 2018) is not a sure thing, American scientists are worried that they'll be left out in the dark if they don't launch first.

There are more references here and here."
Link to Original Source

College Students Lack Scientific Literacy

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "Most college students in the United States do not grasp the scientific basis of the carbon cycle – an essential skill in understanding the causes and consequences of climate change, according to research published in the January issue of BioScience. The study, whose authors include several current and former researchers from Michigan State University, calls for a new way of teaching – and, ultimately, comprehending – fundamental scientific principles such as the conservation of matter."
Medicine

The Future of the Most Important Human Brain 252

Posted by Soulskill
from the do-neurosci-texts-read-as-cookbooks-to-zombies dept.
mattnyc99 writes "About a year ago, we watched live as neuroanatomist Jacopo Annese sliced the brain of Memento-style patient Henry Molaison (aka H.M.) into 2,401 pieces. Since even before then, writer Luke Dittrich — whose grandfather happened to be the surgeon to accidentally slice open the H.M. skull in the first place — has been tracking Annese and a new revolution in brain science. From the article in Esquire: 'If Korbinian Brodmann created the mind's Rand McNally, Jacopo Annese is creating its Google Maps. ... With his Brain Observatory, Annese is setting out to create not the world's largest but the world's most useful collection of brains. ... For the first time, we'll be able to meaningfully and easily compare large numbers of brains, perhaps finally understanding why one brain might be less empathetic or better at calculus or likelier to develop Alzheimer's than another. The Brain Observatory promises to revolutionize our understanding of how these three-pound hunks of tissue inside our skulls do what they do, which means, of course, that it promises to revolutionize our understanding of ourselves.'"
Earth

New Batfish Species Found Under Gulf Oil Spill 226

Posted by timothy
from the had-to-flush-'em-out-somehow dept.
eDarwin writes "Researchers have discovered two previously unknown species of bottom-dwelling fish in the Gulf of Mexico, living right in the area affected by the BP oil spill. Researchers identified new species of pancake batfishes, a flat fish rarely seen because of the dark depths they favor. They are named for the clumsy way they 'walk' along the sea bottom, like a bat crawling."
Medicine

FDA says Homeopathic Cure can Cause Loss of Smell

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes "The FDA has advised consumers to stop using Matrixx Initiatives' Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel marketed over-the-counter as a cold remedy because it is associated with the loss of sense of smell (anosmia) that may be long-lasting or permanent. The FDA says about 130 consumers have reported a loss of smell after using the homeopathic cure containing zinc, an ingredient scientists say may damage nerves in the nose needed for smell and health officials say they have asked Matrixx executives to turn over more than 800 consumer complaints concerning lost smell that the company has on file. "Loss of the sense of smell is potentially life threatening and may be permanent," said Dr. Charles Lee. "People without the sense of smell may not be able to detect life dangerous situations, such as gas leaks or something burning in the house." The FDA said the remedy was never formally approved because it is part of a small group of remedies known as homeopathic products that are not required to undergo federal review before launching. The global market for homeopathic drugs is about $200 million per year, according to the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists. Matrixx has settled hundreds of lawsuits connected with Zicam in recent years, but says it "will seek a meeting with the FDA to vigorously defend its scientific data, developed during more than 10 years of experience with the products, demonstrating their safety.""

Robot, n.: University administrator.