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Mars

New Evidence Presented For Ancient Fossils In Mars Rocks 91

Posted by Soulskill from the hope-the-protectors-leave-them-alone dept.
azoblue passes along a story in the Washington Post, which begins: "NASA's Mars Meteorite Research Team reopened a 14-year-old controversy on extraterrestrial life last week, reaffirming and offering support for its widely challenged assertion that a 4-billion-year-old meteorite that landed thousands of years ago on Antarctica shows evidence of microscopic life on Mars. In addition to presenting research that they said disproved some of their critics, the scientists reported that additional Martian meteorites appear to house distinct and identifiable microbial fossils that point even more strongly to the existence of life. 'We feel more confident than ever that Mars probably once was, and maybe still is, home to life,' team leader David McKay said at a NASA-sponsored conference on astrobiology."
NASA

Shuttle Reentry Over the Continental US 139

Posted by kdawson from the boom-boom dept.
TheOtherChimeraTwin notes that the shuttle Discovery will land at Kennedy Space Center on Monday morning at 8:48 EDT. The craft will make a rare "descending node" overflight of the continental US en route to landing in Florida. Here are maps of the shuttle's path if is lands on orbit 222 as planned, or on the next orbit. Spaceweather.com says: "...it takes the shuttle about 35 minutes to traverse the path shown... Observers in the northwestern USA will see the shuttle shortly after 5 am PDT blazing like a meteoric fireball through the dawn sky. As Discovery makes its way east, it will enter daylight and fade into the bright blue background. If you can't see the shuttle, however, you might be able to hear it. The shuttle produces a sonic double-boom that reaches the ground about a minute and a half after passing overhead."
Earth

An Animal That Lives Without Oxygen 166

Posted by timothy from the besides-me dept.
Julie188 writes "Scientists have found the first multicellular animals that apparently live entirely without oxygen. The creatures reside deep in one of the harshest environments on earth: the Mediterranean Ocean's L'Atalante basin, which contains salt brine so dense that it doesn't mix with the oxygen-containing waters above."

Comment Re:This just in :o (Score 1) 148

by Robin47 (#31675494) Attached to: Multi-Touch Tech Firm Seeks iPad Sales Injunction

Elan Micro Electronics just issued a press release We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” said Mr I. H. Yeh, ELAN MICRO ELECTRONICS CEO. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

Think you hold of a couple more days? My iPad should be here by then.
Image

Man Sues Neighbor Claiming Wi-Fi Made Him Sick 574

Posted by samzenpus from the bad-waves dept.
OrangeMonkey11 writes "A Santa Fe man who claims to suffer from 'electromagnetic sensitivities' has sued his neighbor after she refused to stop using wireless devices. 59-year-old Arthur Firstenberg claims his sensitivity can be set off by cellphones, routers and other electronic devices. From the article: 'Firstenberg, 59, wanted Raphaela Monribot to limit her use of the devices. "I asked her to work with me," he said. "Basically, she refused." So he sued Monribot in state district court, seeking $530,000 in damages and an injunction to force her to turn off the electronics. "Being the target of this lawsuit has affected me very adversely," Monribot said Friday in response to e-mailed questions. "I feel as if my life and liberty are under attack for no valid reason, and it has forced me to have to defend my very basic human rights."'"

Comment Re:Have they shown that hands-free devices help? (Score 1) 349

by Robin47 (#31655344) Attached to: Will Your Car Tell You To Put Down the Phone?

Anyone who thinks that anything Mythbusters does is at all scientific is an idiot. Their basic model is that if they can't get it to work in three tries, then they blow it up to keep their ratings.

It's not like Mythbuster is the only evidence. There's been proper studies - by scientists, with white coats and all that.

The first thing I thought of when you said that was mentos and 2 liter bottles of soft drink.

Comment Re:WTF? Just ask the patient. (Score 1) 981

by Robin47 (#31635932) Attached to: Could Colorblindness Cure Be Morally Wrong?

Your point about 3rd-world people losing their heritage is very meaningful to me, as it's something I've thought about quite a bit. I feel like there must be a way to improve certain obvious aspects of society for third-worlders without drastically changing the way they live. It's just that in our current *rush for the next big thing* mentality we don't stop to give such consideration.

I think the point was that they should be the ones to make the choices of maybe they want electrification or better roads or whatever and give them the choices of how they want to change themselves as far as their culture, what to keep and what to leave. We do them a disservice if we tell them "no, you can't have this technology because you will loose your specialness" whatever that might mean to us. It's their choice.

Now that I think of it, What if the cure for my deafness were imposed on me? That thought gives me pause.

Comment Re:WTF? Just ask the patient. (Score 3, Informative) 981

by Robin47 (#31635220) Attached to: Could Colorblindness Cure Be Morally Wrong?
I think we might be missing the point. I read it as "Maybe we shouldn't have the cure available because it would be morally wrong." That strikes me as a lot more ominous.

I'm deaf and they are researching a similar cure for my condition. I can't wait to hear again. But what if they decided it would be wrong to change me from the way my genetic makeup made me? Or maybe the people in a third world country shouldn't be helped to advance because they would loose their heritage? In each case, the people should have the right to decide their fate. Just my opinion but interesting question.

Comment Re:Doesn't matter what country you are in... (Score 1) 667

by Robin47 (#31629796) Attached to: Wikileaks Receiving Gestapo Treatment?

The point is that DDT harms people more than helps in non-malaria countries.

Without gov't to stop DDT spraying 3rd parties can get harmed. There is no way to prevent DDT from wiping out populations of animals without gov't regulation, just like i can't fish up mercury free Tuna. Private industry hasn't solved that problem.

Not proven. http://www.junkscience.com/ddtfaq.html You're welcome to whatever you want to accept though, no problem.

Comment Re:Doesn't matter what country you are in... (Score 1) 667

by Robin47 (#31601654) Attached to: Wikileaks Receiving Gestapo Treatment?
A government regulator, Ruckelshaus, refused to accept the results of the hearings and ruled it to be banned, if that's what you are referring to. The UN recently admitted it was a mistake to have banned the use and brought it back. Meanwhile 40,000,000 die, mostly children in the third world.

It's hard to tell if you agree or not. My sarcasm meter seems to be broke so I will take it at face value.

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