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Comment Yet another military money sink (Score 1, Flamebait) 111

Yet another way to shell out money on military projects. Sure, they may have some other uses later, but at the moment it's still purely military. And yes, I know military technology has the ability to drive technological progress

Every time I read stories like this I get an uncomfortable feeling. Currently the US is spending an estimated 2 billion dollars a week on weapons and warfare. Money that serves no durable purpose. Oil prices even went up and terrorism is at an all time high (or it just gets more media attention).

At the same time there are numerous projects and initiatives that don't see even half of that money, either social or scientific. Take ITER http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER for example, the goal is to make fusion reactions a reality, their working budget for 30 years is a mere 9.3 billion dollars and this is a multinational project! If you think about it there are a lot more examples where a 2 billion weekly investment would tremendously benefit society.

But no, let's spend our money on yet another over funded electronic warfare gadget "for our troops". As a scientist, I find that waste of money repulsive. Feel free to mod me down as deep as you can.
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Journal Journal: Five Genetic Themes Key To Keeping Stem Cells Flexible

The Public Library of Science reports on a new study in which scientists identified five genes that are key to keeping stem cells in a flexible, undifferentiated state: "For more than 25 years, stem cells have been defined based on what they can become: more of themselves, as well as multiple different specialized cell types. But as genetic techniques have become increasingly powerful, many scientists have sought a more molecular definition of stem cells, based on the genes they express." "Now

Feed Nanotechnology Now Used In Nearly 500 Everyday Products (sciencedaily.com)

The number of consumer products using nanotechnology has more than doubled, from 212 to 475, in the 14 months since the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies launched the world's first online inventory of manufacturer-identified nanotech goods in March 2006. Clothing and cosmetics top the inventory at 77 and 75 products, respectively. There is a long list of nanotechnology products that also includes bedding, jewelry, sporting goods, nutritional and personal care items available.

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