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Space

Submission + - Herschel space telescope opens for the first time (wordpress.com)

Submitted by
davecl
davecl writes: "The Herschel space telescope, the largest ever launched into space, has opened its instrument cover allowing its three instruments to observe for the first time. BBC news has a story here while there is more coverage on the SPIRE instrument team website here and on the mission blog here. I'm part of the SPIRE instrument team and the excitement as we move towards our first observations is building fast. The PACS and SPIRE instruments will see first light in the next few days."
Earth

Submission + - Supervolcano beneath Mt. St. Helens? (newscientist.com)

Submitted by nhytefall
nhytefall writes: We've all heard of the super-volcano that is Yellowstone Park. In short, it is an extremely large zone of conductive material, capable of producing a truly cataclysmic eruption. Apparently, now the Mt. St. Helens to Mt. Ranier corridor is also one of these zones. Be wary, Seattle... Be wary.
Earth

Submission + - First floating wind turbine buoyed off Norway (cnet.com)

Submitted by
MonkeyClicker
MonkeyClicker writes: "Development of offshore wind farms has been restricted to places where turbines can be attached to the sea bed.

But earlier this week, Siemens and energy company StatoilHydro installed what they call the first large-scale floating turbine. The installation is off the coast of Norway, and testing is expected to last for two years.

The Hywind turbine will still have a ballast that is tied to the sea floor with cables. Wires will transfer the electricity produced to the mainland grid starting in July."
Math

Submission + - Wolfram | Alpha = "Math War"? (chronicle.com) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: WolframAlpha not only solves complex math problems, but also can spell out the steps leading to those solutions. For professors, it reopens a debate that started back with the first handheld calculators.
Space

Submission + - Inflatable tower could climb to the edge of space (newscientist.com) 1

Submitted by
MonkeyClicker
MonkeyClicker writes: "A GIANT inflatable tower could carry people to the edge of space without the need for a rocket, and could be completed much sooner than a cable-based space elevator, its proponents claim.

Inflatable pneumatic modules already used in some spacecraft could be assembled into a 15-kilometre-high tower, say Brendan Quine, Raj Seth and George Zhu at York University in Toronto, Canada, writing in Acta Astronautica (DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2009.02.018). If built from a suitable mountain top it could reach an altitude of around 20 kilometres, where it could be used for atmospheric research, tourism, telecoms or launching spacecraft."
Idle

Submission + - Company Produces THC Tomatoes (thecrit.com) 2

Submitted by Corpuscavernosa
Corpuscavernosa writes: Scientists at Montsaint Genie Tech Inc. announced today that they have successfully transferred the gene segment that produces the psychotropic chemical THC in cannabis plants to many other common garden plants, including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, and more.

But is it legal? "Actually, yes," says Vale. "Our research qualifies as GMO 'intellectual property', as does the process itself. Since tomatoes and other plants are not illegal, a person would be well within the law to grow them and use them as they please."

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