Scientists have discovered the mechanism which allows daughter cells to be created without any age-related damage from the parent cell. Turns out "conveyor belt" proteins once thought to act as a one-way method of getting items from the parent to the daughters is actually a two-way connection which allows those daughter cells to "back flush" damaged proteins into the parent.

Scientists in Belgium have developed a technique which allows them to communicate with otherwise vegetative patients. Anything that allows people to communicate is fine by me!

Scientists have unearthed another T. Rex ancestor in the American southwest. This one seems to be a real transition species between the smaller, earlier varieties with "shallower" snouts, and the later giant-eaters we're all familiar with. Oh, and as a dad who's daughter regularly picks paleontology books out for bedtime stories, I can only say, Bistahieversor sealeyi?!? Guys, it's easy to write those names, but have you ever actually tried to read them out loud? More than once?

Seconded: "The fact that climate engineering is possible and affordable is why I do not expect south Florida, most of Bangladesh, and other large low lying places won't be submerged by melting ice from Greenland and Antarctica." And I also agree we need to be spending an appreciable amount of money on this as well. Others will likely disagree. I'm very interested to find out their reasoning.

Scientists have for the first time confirmed the color of a dinosaur. Everyone knew China held spectacular fossils out in the Gobi. I'm not sure anyone counted on just how spectacular they'd actually end up being.

A set of scientists has announced the amount of entropy in the universe may be as much as thirty times higher than previously thought. The detail of the article makes it seem, to me at least, that they don't really know what such a conclusion might actually, you know, mean. Bah. Dick Cheney's behind it all. I just know it.

Scientists have created a theory which predicts oceans of liquid diamond, complete with solid diamond "bergs" floating in them, may exist on Uranus and Neptune. The evidence comes from two separate lines: the properties discovered when a proper small-scale technique for liquefying diamond were created, and the weirdness found at the magnetic poles of the two planets.

Another company has announced it's "getting serious" about space-based power generation. I seem to recall the Japanese are mulling this over as well. Even ten years ago, all you heard about was talk of concepts. This definitely seems to be a step forward, although I'm not sure just how big of a one it is.

Scientists believe they've found the earliest-known intact skeleton of an English royal. Princess Eadgyth was married to one of Europe's most powerful monarchs in the early 10th century. The body was found in a 17th century monument as part of a research project into Magdeburg Cathedral, located about 90 miles west of Berlin.

It seems one of the more lurid predictions of climate change gloom, well, isn't going to work out after all. So, what you're saying is, reporters took an off-the-cuff remark, exaggerated it for effect, and used it to scare us all? Really? No way...

Scientists have announced that a simple morphine treatment shows promise in treating PTSD. By all accounts I've ever read, morphine is great for treating lots of stress-related problems.

Scientists are reporting on evidence that green tea offers important protection against lung cancer. Of course, not smoking at all is the best strategy, but every little bit helps.

Scientists have discovered that the devastating cancer that's killing off the Tasmanian devil likely came from a different species, and is spread by bites. It's hoped the discoveries will assist in the creation of a vaccine to stop the disease, which otherwise may threaten the iconic animals with extinction in the wild in as little as 25 years.

As with most things that seem stove-bolt simple in real life, measuring friction in a repeatable, neutral way turns out to be damned complicated. Considering my wife trips on level floors and my mom trips over, well, as far as we can tell... air, this is a subject of more than casual interest to me.

Movement of the Earth's magnetic pole has accelerated again. 40 miles a year, for something as big as, you know, the f'ing pole, seems pretty spectacular. I always love it when a natural phenomena has mysterious origins and unknown implications. Watching the MSM try to pin it on whoever they're unhappy with that week is always great sport. Global warming, anyone?

With the press focused on the search for the Higgs boson and the LHC ending the world, the search for the neutralino may end up being the science story of 2010. Confirming or disproving the concept of super-symmetry will definitely be high on the list of "crap we don't understand but physicists rightly think is real important." Unless the world ends.

"This isn't just bizarre voyeurism. Duck penises are a wonderful example of the strange things that happens when sexual conflict shapes the evolution of animal bodies."

With bizarre high-speed film of something that just shouldn't move that fast.

Scientists have discovered what appears to be conclusive evidence for a venomous dinosaur. Just because the critter was turkey-sized doesn't mean it wasn't dangerous to bigger critters. A dozen venomous, clawed turkeys would be enough to ruin anyone's day, donchaknow?

Scientists have recorded the deepest-known underwater volcano eruption. I think it's amazing that the pressure is so high even when flashed to steam the explosions only last a second or two before being collapsed back into water.

It seems Yellowstone's plumbing is a helluva lot larger than previously thought. Not only is the caldera some obscene number of miles across, it's hundreds of miles deep, and has layers scientists publicly admit they don't understand. You can have your damned grizzlies, my next vacation will be in the Bahamas.

An Australian scientist has discovered a species of octopus that uses coconut shells to build itself a shelter. This is said to be the first observed evidence of tool use in an invertebrate. Just as long as those tree-climbing octopus never make an appearance, I'll be fine.

Scientists are figuring out how to make a regular LCD TV respond to gestures you make. That'd certainly relieve the regular rabbit hunt that happens every evening around here when it comes time to track down the remote. Still, it's one thing to think you're being watched, and quite another to know it.

A group of scientists have announced the creation of artificial blood cells just as agile as the real thing. If the substance delivers on its promises, it could lead the way to a whole host of new drug delivery methods and trauma treatments.

Scientists have a new theory which predicts the possibility of an engine powered by the fields found in a quantum vacuum. Includes this bon mot: Of course, nobody is getting a free lunch here. "Although the proposed engine will consume energy for manipulation of the particles, the propulsion will occur without any loss of mass," says [Alex Feigel at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center, a government lab in Yavne Israel]. He even suggests, with masterful understatement, that this might have practical implications. Ya think???

Turns out those Himalayan glaciers that are disappearing at an ever-more-rapid pace well, aren't. I know, I know, the guy practically drips reactionary denial. That said, I'm still going to refuse to beggar my country and others, while allowing other polluters to belch ever more nasty stuff into the air simply because they're "developing", over a catastrophe so fragile an Indian scientist can refute one of its more colorful assertions with ease.

Scientists have developed a new low-toxicity treatment for sickle cell anemia which appears to flat out cure the disease in 9 out of 10 adults. A similar, much more toxic, treatment has been available for children for some time, but the protocol was so nasty it either killed the adults outright or some time later gave them a nasty disease which would do the deed. The headline mentions stem cells, but it doesn't seem to make up a big part of the cure.

It would seem everyone perceives men to be smarter than women. Perception is, of course, quite different from actuality. Unless it's my house, then perception and actuality are dictated by the boss. Which, if you read this site long enough, you will rapidly realize is not me. :)

Scientists are claiming to have created the world's first artificial meat. The first product is described as an extra-tasty sounding "soggy pork," but it's hoped that the product will improve as soon as they figure out how to "exercise" it. Which sounds pretty damned creepy, if you ask me. Then again, if they really can make it as tasty as the real thing, and get the price point close, it wouldn't bother me at all to at least give it a try.

Scientists are claiming to have solved the mystery of the hammerhead shark's weird head. Turns out it provides significant advantages in binocular vision, as well as a widened field of view.

Israeli scientists have discovered that electro-shock therapy makes for an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction. It seems very low-level electric shocks stimulate the growth of blood vessels in the treated area, which effectively treats the most common cause of ED.

Researchers in Norway have announced the opening of the world's first osmotic power plant. The plant works by using special membranes and the salt gradients between sea and fresh water. The current plant is meant for the validation of various ideas, models, and materials. A production plant will, presumably, follow if the tests are a success.

Latest attempt at a new theory of gravity: cut space away from time. They're talking about "way-way-way-early universe" time and temperature here. The math is (obviously) beyond me, but other scientists seem to think the idea has merit. As a bonus, the theory could help do away with the whole concept of dark matter.

Scientists have reported the discovery of new and UNN-YOO-ZHYOO-ALL fossil crocodile species. Bonus: "I has a scientist nom" picture.

Bah, I don't think these 10 facts are weird, I think they're cool. Science is fun!

A pharmaceutical's effort at creating a nicotine vaccine has entered (what I understand to be) its final set of trials. Everything I've ever read says smoking is by far one of the worst things people do to themselves, so anything that helps them quit seems fine by me.

A National Institutes of Health study from November 2007 found that in youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the brain matures in a normal pattern. However, it is delayed three years in some regions, on average, compared with youth without the disorder. The researchers used a new image analysis technique that allowed them to pinpoint the thinning and thickening of sites in the cortex of the brains of hundreds of children and teens with and without the disorder. The findings bolster the idea that ADHD results from a delay in the maturation of the cortex.

This has got to be caused by the crap we eat today.

Conventional wisdom has long held ancient peoples ate healthier than we did and died too soon for it to matter anyway, so they never had to worry about things like heart disease and arteriosclerosis. Conventional wisdom is, as usual wrong.

Scientists have created a strain of bacteria which fluoresces in the presence of explosives. The idea is to turn mine hunting from a slow, deadly-dangerous chore into a glorified gardening project. Of course, the military can and will use this just as quickly as an NGO, so perhaps this spells the end of mines as an effective weapon? Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.

Scientists are beginning to find evidence that cocaine and pepper spray may be a deadly mix. Seems like every time I turn around they've figured out another way cocaine can kill you.

By using special satellite tracking devices attached to the fish via darts, scientists have discovered great white sharks congregate in large numbers quite near the central and north California coasts during certain times of the year. Considering some of their primary prey items are seals and sea lions, which northern California has in abundance, I'm surprised it's taken them this long to make the discovery. Then again, it speaks well for just how small the danger is of humans being attacked by one of these sea-going predators.

It would seem that a mundane gravitational boost has all eyes watching for a predicted error. By very closely examining the velocity of NASA's comet-bound Rosetta probe, scientists hope to test if an explanation of tiny but very significant velocity deviations of other probes is true.

Mark gets a long-lost no-prize for bringing us news of the discovery of one of the first recorded "lost armies" in history. There's nothing that gives an anthropologist like me, trained in the acid sands and clays of the south, quite the geeky buzz as seeing perfectly preserved skeletons just sitting there, out in the open. The fact that they're more than 2000 years old...

Ok, sorry, had to have a lie down there. Anyway...

An MIT graduate student has used game theory to prove that the Nash equilibrium of complex games belong to problems of PPAD complexity, which is a subset of FNP problems which is a subset of NP problems. Somehow this all leads to the obvious conclusion that, if you can generalize a solution to poker, you can discover the Nash equilibrium of the national economy. The only person in the world I know that any of this would make sense to is now nodding his head sagely, and coming up a with a reply that'll just make my head explode a second time.

Ain't science grand?

Scientists have detected antimatter in terrestrial lightning. Apparently the guys who run the Fermi Gamma-ray telescope had enough free time to point the thing Earth, and PoInK!, got a signature for antimatter in a thunderstorm. Just when you thought weather couldn't get any weirder...

By using an innovative technique involving two low-powered lasers, scientists appear to have cracked the fundamental problem of using crystals as an information storage medium. Various groups have been promising "huge-abyte storage the size of a sugar cube" for as long as I can remember, but this time they might mean it.

A new study reveals infants cry with their parents' "accent". By analyzing exactly how an infant cries, scientists found strong correlations between things like pitch and modulation and the language of their parents.

This time the Large Hadron Collider was damaged by (spins the Wheel o' Doom) a baguette dropped by a bird. No, really!

Ok, according to a certain set of scientists, clouds, and the weather that creates them, can be reduced to modest, definable quantities, if you use the right formulas. College friend Bobby will probably nod his head sagely and gasp at how simple it is. I only ask he brings along a broom and a dustpan to sweep up the bits of my head after it 'asploded. I'll take both their words for it.

Like the Fark headline says, it would appear it is possible to frak someone's brains out. At 59, no less. If freaking out the teenager by doing the nasty upstairs with the wife isn't a benefit of middle age, I'm not going.

Scientists are now speculating that the mysterious haze recently discovered at the center of our galaxy may be caused by dark matter. Per usual, this is not without controversy, but the predictions made should help figure out just what, exactly, is going on out there.

By genetically engineering a rat's brain, scientists have created what is perhaps the smartest rat on the planet. At the end of the predictable and rather long aside into Flowers for Algernon comes the news that this particular alteration seems to last well into old age.

Scientists believe they've found that the key to avian navigation lies in their eyes, not their noses. Not much else to say about that.

Turns out bats are kinkier than we previously thought. Giggity!

To close up a rainy night, we have this nice summary of where marine reptile research is nowadays. The first dinosaur book I ever had talked as much about these beasts as it did about their land-based cousins. It seems kind of interesting that such an amazing variety of reptiles existed so long ago, while today the world is dominated by what was then a rare and insignificant sort of reptile primarily designed to live in buried warrens.

A scientist has announced he has found conclusive proof modern humans and Neandertals had sex with each other. Just exactly what his evidence is remains to be seen. The guy says he's managed to sequence the whole Neandertal genome. We'll see...

It seems something as simple as a clean smell promotes moral behavior. I guess that explains why cats are such horrid little creaters, especially whenever they get close to a litter box.

Engineers at IBM are attempting to simulate a for-real brain in silicon. Since it's not Microsoft, The Blue Screen of Death will likely be held at bay. This being IBM, the next version will have a different label stamped on the case and cost 3x as much.

Looks like Chixalub may have a competitor. Giant volcanoes, now it would seem multiple impacts, geeze... God must really have had it in for those critters.

It would appear we have seen the woman of the future, and she's shorter. And heavier. But not by all that much.

Scientists have developed yet another use for stem cells: creating new bone. It's hoped the technique will benefit accident victims, cancer patients, and anyone else who needs bone growth to heal an injury.

By using frikkin lasers, scientists are now able to modify a fruit fly's behavior. Just what it means, I'm not sure. They seem to think it'll give insights into human memory. Now where'd I put that laser pen?

Scientists have discovered new fossils which seems to fill an important gap in pterosaurs evolution. Not surprisingly, the fossils pose nearly as many questions as they answer. But hey, if it didn't work that way science wouldn't be any fun!

Making the rounds: some scientists are speculating the LHC keeps failing because the future doesn't want it to work. Unlike most other kooky theories, this one makes testable predictions. See you in December. If I haven't already, that is.

Scientists have discovered a population of bacteria in Antarctica that appear to have been isolated, and evolving, for the past 1.5 million years. They seem to have been trapped by moving glaciers in a briny lake, and evolved to "eat" sulfur and iron.

Another year, another scientist teasing out the solution to another "mystery" of the Shroud of Turin. What seems to be ignored by all the people who so desperately want this thing to be real is the scientists would have no problem if it was real either. I mean, how cool would that be? Unfortunately that just isn't the case. I imagine it will take the development of some sort of non-destructive dating process before everyone else really accepts this thing came from the thirteenth century.

A private company has now completed full-power testing of an ion engine that may be used to keep the ISS in the proper orbit. Ion engines are orders of magnitude more efficient than are chemical rockets, and may eventually be powerful enough to make huge differences in interplanetary travel times.

Scientists have found evidence that micro-algae recovered to pre-impact density perhaps as soon as a century after the great K-T impact that killed of the dinosaurs. That's some tough slime right there, I tell ya...

Scientists have uncovered what appears to be a smaller version of Stonehenge just a few miles from the original. It's thought this henge was contemporary with its more famous companion, and was eventually dismantled as part of an expansion of the larger site.

Scientists have managed to remotely control a beetle in flight. They did it pretty much how you'd expect... Frankenbug-like electrodes in the brain. They can make the bug take off, land, climb, dive, and even turn.

Scientists have announced a new hominid fossil with extensive post-cranial remains that's even older than Lucy. Like it, the extensive study reveals surprising things about what genetic evidence suggests really is our last common ancestor with chimpanzees. Theories have been moving toward "doesn't look like a chimp OR a human" for probably ten years now, by my reckoning at any rate. It's nice to see the fossil record confirming these predictions.

Update: Much more information is here...

Mark gets a circular no-prize for bringing us news that yet another grand artifact from Nero's Golden Palace has been found. This time, it's the famous rotating dining room, which used water to slowly turn a whole room to impress guests and ensure their comfort. I guess it speaks well to just how huge this bloody place was that, even after doing their level best to destroy it, Romans still left amazing bits of the Golden Palace intact.

Ok, all of you folks who think Archeology and Physical Anthropology can't hold a candle to history are pleased to be sitting down and shutting up now. I'm not saying any of you are like that. Almost everyone I know is downright fascinated with the fields I made my academic career in, especially when it involves the discovery of a pit of 50 decapitated Vikings. That said, there's definitely a sneaky minority of history majors out there who would do with the occasional reminder. I'm just saying...

Scientists have discovered a new species of fish that lives in the deep ocean and has what might be a reproductive organ positioned on the top of its head. The deep ocean is a very weird, very cool place.

A scientist is working on a device which will make ships slimy. The thinking goes this will radically reduce the bacteria populations which form the basis for barnacle and plant infestations that regularly cause ships to be taken into dry dock to be cleaned. It doesn't sound particularly practical to me, but if it eventually makes transport cheaper, it'll be a good thing!

I guess it's just proof positive if you hunt around with a metal detector long enough, you will find something cool. I think the best I ever did with one was a beat up quarter. Then again, I never stuck to it anywhere close to 18 years.

Mark gets a toothy no-prize for bringing us news of the discovery of a T-rex fossil with unmistakable evidence of being munched on by another tyrannosaur. Exactly why this one got chomped on is unclear, but it does seem that the wound was fatal.

By using a bacteria and a cheap compound that's a byproduct of of feedstock production, scientists have created a way to safely recover uranium from abandoned mines and nuclear waste dumps. Put that in your, "there's only a limited amount of vital element X in the Earth's crust oh noes apocalypse!!!" pipe and smoke it.

Looks like the east river's going to be a lot more colorful, and informative, than in previous years. I mean, aside from letting you know which collection of goombas happens to be running the... "waste management" duties that week.

A new bio tech company is claiming their factory can turn plastic waste into $10/bbl fuel. Something tells me there's more to it than that, but regardless it's still nice to see one of these high-tech alternative fuel ideas made real. Me? I'm waiting on those guys who're teaching algae how to poop diesel. But this will do for now.

Making the rounds: scientists have determined it actually is possible for adults to grow new brain cells. It all started, strangely enough, with the study of bird songs.

Scientists have announced the discovery that Earth seems to have become free-oxygen rich much earlier than previously thought. The findings are, of course, controversial, and even the authors of the study admit they're not quite sure what to make of the data. Chemistry is hard enough when it's happening in the lab, it's no wonder trying to piece together what happened some 2.5 billion years ago is quite a bit more difficult.

After re-examining the fossils, scientists have determined Maori legends of a giant killer bird are likely to be true. I've seen film of golden eagles power-gliding away from hills after snatching baby goats. A bird from the same species but twice as big would almost certainly have been able to do the same to a human child.

Scientists have developed a new device which levitates mice in the lab. The system uses a superconducting magnet which creates a magnetic field so powerful it causes the water molecules inside the mouse to lift, creating a zero-G effect on the animal. The scientists want to use it to study the effect of bone loss in zero-G environments. I think it's at least as interesting to find out these mice, which are exposed to truly massive magnetic fields, so far show no tendency toward cancer. All those scientists studying whether cell phones and the like cause cancer should likely take note.

Scientists are trying to develop a bacteria that can turn dangerous radioactive metals into inert substances. The trick is that the existing bacteria doesn't particularly like oxygen, and trying to breed one without that restriction could lead to one that eats our cars. Like my spider needs another excuse to rust...

It looks like mammalian brains may have another advantage besides size and structure. Armchair biologist that I am, I'm convinced the reason why dinosaurs won out after the Permian extinction was because of a metabolic efficiency our kind just didn't, and doesn't, have. After all, to this day one can easily predict the rough lifespan of a mammal just by its body mass, but when birds are judged by the same metric they live twice as long as they "should."

Did we end up on top because our brains are more efficient? It'd make for an interesting hypothesis to test!

Scientists rooted around in the crater of an extinct volcano and discovered something like 40 species nobody's ever seen before. These the critters described in the title, as well as monitor lizards and several different kinds of fish.

Update: I shall call it, "pip squawk."

Ok, I get that sperm whales can be a nuisance to fishermen. But after watching this video, I'm flummoxed as to exactly what can be done about it.

Scientists have developed a new technique for "patching" damaged hearts. Healthy heart cells are taken from a patient, allowed to grown on an organic "scaffold", and then implanted in the abdomen, where they grow and develop blood vessels. When the result is implanted in the heart, it integrates and synchronizes its beating, effectively healing the damage.

At least, that's the way it works in mice. It's hoped the technique will also work in humans, providing hope for millions of heart attack victims.

Presenting Nepenthes attenboroughii, a pitcher plant so big it eats rats for dinner. Do not miss the time-lapse film of these things growing and then blooming. I especially liked the monster sound effects.

Turns out that, if you want to help people get out of a room quickly, you should block their way. As with most counter-intuitive science discoveries, it's the details that make the difference.

Being scientists, a group of men resurrected some 45 million year-old yeast just to see if it could be done. Being men, they then used the result to make beer. No, really!

It would seem there's a reason Ellen growls at those cute checkout girls when we go grocery shopping. Me? I'm clueless. The only way I know the cute chick thinks I'm cute is when Ellen's hackles go up. Otherwise I'm the same ol' clueless computer nerd I always have been.

By using a different base for its cement, a British company has created a concrete that "eats" carbon dioxide. I think. The article looks a bit spin-tastic to me, but whaddoIknow?

Gee. If only there was a phrase to describe what happens when entrepreneurs are given incentives to meet a growing demand. Oh, wait...

Scientists in China are claiming to have discovered a strong link between rain an flower evolution. Seems creating a solution to the problem of grazing dinosaurs (which is, as I understand it at any rate, the most widely accepted explanation for flower evolution in the first place) also created a vulnerability to rain, which flowering plants have been working to solve ever since. Their solutions are as many and varied as anything else you'd expect from nature.

Making the rounds: scientists have created a "touchable" hologram that uses ultrasound to reproduce the "feel" of an item. Oh, don't worry, people are already talking about what it might all imply for the obvious application.

By using innovative new techniques and devices, scientists have created a new technique to induce "out-of-body" experiences. The idea is that this sort of thing can be used in therapy to help physically disabled people more easily and successfully incorporate prosthetics into their daily lives. I think. Once they started talking about mirrors and vibrators I sorta lost my concentration.

Oh shaddup, you. That wasn't what I was talking about.

I think.

By using sophisticated new x-ray techniques, scientists have been able to create 3-D models of long extinct spiders. Turns out, they were just as creepy 300 million years ago as they are today.

By using various new breeding techniques, scientists have created a bacteria which generates 8 times as much electricity as its "wild" ancestors. Yep, you hear right, bacteria which creates electricity. And all this time I thought bacteria that pooped diesel oil was a neat trick. These new guys just saved a step!

Scientists claim to have discovered a structural difference in the brain which appears only in those qualified as "psychopathic." Will this be a valuable new diagnostic tool, or yet another example of a new, more expensive sort of phrenonlogy? Only time will tell.

WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Use of antidepressant drugs in the United States doubled between 1996 and 2005, probably because of a mix of factors, researchers reported on Monday.

About 6 percent of people were prescribed an antidepressant in 1996 -- 13 million people. This rose to more than 10 percent or 27 million people by 2005, the researchers found.

Sad really. Many of them are misdiagnosed too.

Japan's fascination with robotics seems to have made another step in bringing us a genuine C3PO. It sorts looks like a person trying to run across ice, at least to me.

New Scientist is featuring these highlights from The Welcome Collection in London called Exquisite Bodies, which lays claim to "exploring the often bizarre Victorian approach to medical teaching and public titillation." Ellen will likely click through it three or four times.

Science is proving that, once again, when you analyze human behavior, even "bad" behavior, it's often done for a good reason even when that reason isn't always clear. Case in point: people are jerks in traffic because being a jerk works, and, surprisingly, it works for everyone. At least until the tail-gaters get involved. Ellen. :)

A new company is claiming to have created an algae-based technique for biofuel with yields which could make it competitive with common dino-juice. Two years ago this stuff was all in labs, and the scientists were saying, "five to ten years." Now they're saying things like "three to five years," and are scouting sites to build farms. Now, that's my kind of progress!

Scientists have discovered the compound used to make M&M shells blue can also be used to help reduce the damage of spinal injuries. Bonus: you turn blue when you're treated with it. Hey, IMO looking like a smurf is a small price to pay to stay away from a wheelchair!

Scientists have developed a new technique which may rapidly decrease the time it takes to engineer bacteria that create desirable substances. The key is a system which allows a massive number of bacteria to be created with slight, but significant, genetic differences in each one. This "shotgun" approach seems to be a bit like the lottery... if you play enough numbers, what you want is bound to show up eventually.

Mark gets a no-prize shaped like an amphora for bringing us news of the discovery of even more ancient Roman ship wrecks. Apparently looters are getting better gear, and are now able to pick apart even comparatively deep wrecks like the ones featured in the article. It always will be a race between science and profit.

It would seem people actually emit visible light. As in, "glow in the dark," albeit very, very faintly. Who knew?

Chinese scientists have announced the ability to create viable and fertile mouse pups from adult mouse skin cells. Cloning whole critters is all well and good, but I'm looking forward to the day they can clone spare parts.

It would seem fathers really aren't dispensable. Certain females in my life, who once harped quite often on how women could do without men but not vice-versa, will be ever so disappointed.

It would seem the next endangered auto technology is the spark plug. Great. Yet another part that will eventually become impossible to find for the cars I drive. Ah, well...

Engineers have created an apartment block made of wood which can withstand a 7.5-strength earthquake. Kind of a shame, in a way, since I think the only way to get rid of those bums in downtown San Francisco would be to drop buildings on them.

A recent genetic study has concluded Neandertals likely went extinct because there just weren't that many of them. Perhaps as few as 3500, even. Such a precise, and precisely small, number would seem to make them far less likely to be fossilized. That said, perhaps the neandertal practice of burying their dead made them much more likely to be fossilized?

A MOTHER has made public the plight of her son who became a teenage alcoholic and is now dying because he is not allowed a liver transplant.

Now you feel you need help?

Sorry dude. Karma sucks.

surprised.

Remember those scientists who were working on a way to get algae to poop fuel? They seem to be progressing nicely. 100k gallons of fuel in a year is quite a lot of gas, but it's less than a drop of what the whole country uses in a day. Still, ya gotta start somewhere, and this also seems to demonstrate the technique is not just a whole lotta hype.

Scientists in Germany have created a new technique to grow artificial human skin at a much lower price than other existing techniques. It seems the process is much faster as well. It's a little creepy to me, but I'm sure my squeamishness would disappear quickly enough were I to need a skin graft of some sort.

No, really, pee power:

Urine-powered cars, homes and personal electronic devices could be available in six months with new technology developed by scientists from Ohio University.

Using a nickel-based electrode, the scientists can create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that could be burned or used in fuel cells. "One cow can provide enough energy to supply hot water for 19 houses," said Gerardine Botte, a professor at Ohio University developing the technology. "Soldiers in the field could carry their own fuel."

"No, officer, I was drinking beer because I ran out of gas!"

A British museum has discovered one of the mummies in its collection claims to be a she but is in fact a he. Seems quite strange to me, since I can't recall ever hearing about trans-gendered folks in antiquity. By the time this mummy was made, Greek culture was ascendant and they quite famously had no problems with sexuality of any sort.

Via Violins and Starships.

Scientists have discovered a "repulsive" side of light which should enable more sophisticated micro-manufacturing techniques. It all works because out-of-phase light beams repel each other. Not only does the discovery have implications for building very small things, it also could be used to create light-based circuits as well. Anything that'll make a laptop run cooler is fine by me!

Scientists have discovered evidence that some dinosaurs who lived in Earth's polar regions burrowed in the ground to survive. I'd think with such a ready-made opportunity for fossilization, there'd be more of these to find. Then again, what do I know?

Scientists have developed a new technique which, in mice at least, allows mammals to convert fat in to CO2 and exhale the result. Wasn't there a fad diet that claimed to be able to do this?

Medicine has come a loooong way since this

The 3-foot-long (0.9-meter-long) Cretaceous creature had a boxlike skull and beaklike jaw that resemble those of modern parrots, which have beaks that can crack open nuts, a new study found.

That's one big parrot!

But it was still an uphill battle to get the public to openly buy the product, largely because Americans remained embarrassed by bodily functions. In fact, the Scott brothers were so ashamed of the nature of their work that they didn't take proper credit for their innovation until 1902.

Do you fold or crumple?

I guess this fits in this week since Scott is in San Francisco for his yearly work convention!

Scientists have discovered a remarkable similarity between the genetic faults behind both schizophrenia and manic depression in a breakthrough that is expected to open the way to new treatments for two of the most common mental illnesses, affecting millions of people.

Previously doctors had assumed that the two conditions were quite separate. But new research shows for the first time that both have a common genetic basis that leads people to develop one or other of the two illnesses.

A blind man is able to see for the first time in years via what is effectively a tooth implanted in his eye. It would seem the quality of sight is quite high; unfortunately the article doesn't seem to detail just how high it might be.

No, really:

So it seems that mammalian genomes have been purging themselves from mobile DNA elements just around the KT boundary, give or take a couple of million years. (Or rather: not taking in new elements).

Predictably, nobody's really sure why this is, or what it means.

Mark gets a no-prize that'll complain with impressive theological arguments any time it feels disrespected for bringing us an update on just what, exactly, the Vatican has found buried underneath its altar. To anyone else, the carbon dating results of the human remains found simply do not exclude that they could be of Paul. The rest, as I guess is intended, must be taken on faith.

Making the rounds: an artist has created a "carnivorous clock" which eats bugs to get its power. In the South, we call these "bug zappers."

Scientists have discovered fossil evidence of the earliest-known ancestor to the modern elephant. It apparently weight not much more than 25 pounds, and lived just five million years after the dinosaurs went extinct.

And now, seagulls attacking full-grown whales. Like they need something else to worry about.

... drunk monkeys. And not the "Hey Hey We're the" kind either.

Go for the wobbly primates. Stay for the lunatic who dressed up their cat.

Remember all those deformed frogs scientists were finding? You know, the ones who were a solid harbinger of climate change, the "smoking gun" that was going to force all us luddites to finally agree to strangling the economy to save them? Yeah, not so much.

Scientists have been claiming the imminent destruction of every princess's favorite amphibian for at least the past thirty years. Like most eschatological predictions, this was has the infuriating habit of not happening!

Sic semper balatro.

Meet Brooke Greenberg, the child who does not appear capable of aging:

"My system always has been to turn years into months," [Brooke's mother] said. "So, if someone asked today, I might say, she's 16 months old."

Scientists think figuring out just what's wrong with Brooke may provide insights into aging.

Scientists have found that great white sharks are very particular about the sorts of places they choose to hunt. Seems pretty basic to me, but I guess if you grow up thinking a shark is just a big, nasty, dangerous goldfish, it would be a bit of a revelation.

Scientsts have discovered a 6000 year-old complex of tombs near Stonehenge. I'm not sure which is more remarkable... the complex itself, or the fact that it took the famously heritage-minded Brits until now to find it.

The on-again, off-again saga of modern trepanation, the practice of drilling holes in the head to relieve diseases, now appears to be "on" again. This time, research seems to be indicating a leading cause of dementia may be restricted blood circulation through the skull and brain, which strategically placed holes may help alleviate.

Using special lights and cameras, scientsts have for the first time direct evidence of exactly what color was used on the Parthenon, and where. I'm holding out for the 3D virtual reality that'll let me walk around and view these things as they appeared in their heyday.

A new theory holds that it's Earth's oceans that are responsible for the planet's magnetic field, not the core. It's hard to tell from the article, but the theory appears to account for recorded variations in the planet's magnetic field over time. Things like pole reversals, and strength fluctuations, which core-centered theories haven't been able to account for. It'd be interesting to find out what sort of predictions the theory makes.

An anthropologist has written a popular science book which claims what really made us human was cooking.

Like most "absolutely everything can be explained by X" theories, this one likely won't last all that long either. Still, it does seem to introduce important, and original, ideas in the study of human evolution. That said, I could swear I've read elsewhere that cooking was considered an important part of our evolution.

Scientists have created a new compound which holds promise both as an anti-cancer drug and an antibiotic. The new iron-based substance disrupts the function of a cell's DNA, and was able to kill "virtually all" bacteria in a culture 2 minutes. How it manages not to affect the DNA of "good" cells is unclear, but presumably this is not a problem.

It would appear wild rats are every bit as interesting as their lab-based brethren. They have to be. They have to fight Baltimore junkies and homeless people for the same living space.

Scientists have used stem cells to repair corneas of three different patients in Australia. The results are far from "bionic", but it beats the s- out of being blind I'm sure. And hey, you gotta start somewhere, eh?

Archeologists have unearthed the first intact "witch bottle" from the 17th century. Filled with nails, wire, sulfur, and urine, the devices were meant to protect the owner from witch's spells. This one even sloshes.

Scientists have developed a new robotic submersible that's strong enough to plumb the depths of the Challenger Abyss. The real innovation would appear to be the craft does not need any sort of tether, substantially increasing its mobility and, thereby, its ability to do research.

While a bit long on the "entertaining anecdote" and short on the "hard science", this brief essay on "The 'Bitch' Evolved: Why Girls are So Cruel to Each Other" was still of interest, and even provided some predictions! Since I'm raising one of these monsters-to-be, I have a particular interest in the subject. Quite well taken was the point that parents may not respond as actively to instances of social violence as they do to physical violence.

This sounds darned promising:

Researchers at Harvard and Advanced Cell Technology are reporting that they have been able to turn ordinary skin cells into stem cells by dousing them with the proteins made by four specific genes.

Of course, then the scientist has to go and ruin it by getting all enthusiastic:

"After a few more flight tests -- in order to assure everything is working properly -- it should be ready for commercial use," [Dr. Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell] said by e-mail.

I'll believe it when I see it, but it sure does sound hopeful!

Scientists have developed a sonic "ultra-lense" which does all sorts of neat things to sound. The two mentioned in the article are making a ship invisible to sonar and improving the resolution of ultrasound devices without upping the energy they use. Personally, the latter sounds more do-able in the short term than the former, but wtf do I know?

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Female Ejaculation but were Afraid to Ask. It's a science article, and so completely SFW.

And won't you have an entertaining topic for the dinner table tonight, eh?

Scientists have announced the creation of a new medical compound that could help people with nasty bone fractures be up and around in a matter of weeks. Called "bone putty", the substance is a mold-able lattice that encourages new bone growth to span severe bone injuries. If the substance works as advertised, it sounds like it'll make the current "rods-screws-and-bolts" look positively medieval.

Ruh-Roh:

Doctors have issued a warning about excessive cola consumption after noticing an increase in the number of patients suffering from muscle problems, according to the June issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

So says the admirably scare-mongering headline. A close reading reveals that an undisclosed number of people who drank two to nine liters of soda a day suffered a variety of ailments one would presumably expect from a population consuming orders of magnitude more sugar and caffeine per day than the general population.

Using such an observation to preach a back-handed sermon on our bourgeois lifestyle makes for admirable watermelon-rolling, but not particularly informative journalism.

Those not satisfied with Space Shuttle pictures may find this collection of newly-discovered animal oddities of interest. No, Ellen, you can't have any.

It would seem at least one of the causes of Neandertal extinction was that they were tasty, and good with BBQ sauce. All jokes aside, it's my understanding from the various Discovery documentaries I've seen that there is strong evidence for cannibalism in ancient H. sapiens of all sorts. In other words, our ancestors were pretty much like any other animal, willing to eat absolutely anything that wasn't poisonous or trying to eat them first.

Those kooky scientists at Hong Kong University are at it again, this time coming up with a cloak that makes one object look like another. In their example, it involves making an elephant look like a mouse, and visa-versa. Personally, I've had it with all these neat descriptions. To paraphrase, Products, or GTFO!

Blue whales are returning to northern grazing areas they'd been hunted out of decades ago. The reasons behind the move are unclear. Surprisingly, this lack of data meant blaming climate change came in second to "that's where the food is." The first crack in the watermelon's armor? We'll see...

Today's "clever bit of nature iddinit?" comes from the Hawaiian Islands. "Happy face" spiders are all well and good, but can they dance?

Mathematicians have discovered a new pattern in prime numbers. Turns out there's another way that they're not random. What does it mean? I dunno, math never was one of my strengths. It does sounds pretty neat though, in a "ahhhuuah??" way

Scientific American is featuring this in-depth look at how growing organs is progressing. Don't have time to go through it here at work (shocking, I know), but it's definitely on the list for tonight.

So, do you think relativity's a bunch of hooey now? Took me two run-throughs just to figure out what the guy was trying to accomplish. Oh, and leaving a car idling for two days? Yeah, he knows physics a lot better than auto mechanics.

Hard to believe it's been 5 years since the Flores "Hobbits" were discovered. Fortunately, the science keeps rolling on. The article passes over it only briefly, but it would seem the hobbits not only had small brains, they also had big feet.

In the ongoing tennis match between volcanism and impact theories about the extinction of the dinosaurs, it would appear today's serve comes from the Deccan Traps. The article's not particularly good at summarizing just what the scientist means by all this, Wikipedia's entry is, naturally, more informative.

Seems to me the most likely explanation would be the dinosaurs barely struggling through this awful millenia-long volcanic disaster, only to have the sky fall on them in the end.

Scientists have sequenced the proteins of another dinosaur. This time, it's a hadrosaur species from a fossil much older than that which produced the T. Rex sequences last year. It sounds like they're a very long way indeed from getting an entire genome, but who would ever have thought they'd be able to sequence any organic matter from 65 million-year plus rocks?

While we missed the originating article, this rejoinder to criticisms about why the human penis evolved into its present shape was still pretty interesting. The original article is linked in the reply, so it's easy to get caught up. Heheheheh... I said, "up."

Scientists are using a rather interesting test to determine if expensive vintage whiskey really is, well, expensive vintage whiskey. The hook? Turns out all the open-air nuclear testing back in the 50s and 60s flung enough radioactive crap into the air to detectably alter whiskey distilled after that time. So now it would appear to be very easy to tell if, for example, a whiskey advertised as distilled in 1856 was actually made in 1956. There may or may not be a difference in flavor, but it definitely makes a difference in the price.

Which also answers a question I've had for years. Beer and wine will age to a certain point, but after that they spoil or go to vinegar. It would appear whiskey, at least, does not have this problem.

It would seem ants have a particularly stinky sort of "dead man's switch" which allows them to move their dead compatriots out of the nest before the corpses can cause harm. No, I'm not completely sure what good finding this out does for us, but hell I thought it was interesting. Science is funny that way, donchaknow?

A US paleontologist is claiming to have found a population of dinosaurs which survived the K-T extinction event. What puzzles me a bit is the location. I would think the Arizona-New Mexico area would've been way too close to the impact for anything to survive. Then again, I'm not completely sure that bit of continental shelf was actually all that close to the impact 65 million years ago.

The finding is, of course, controversial.

It's beginning to look like living systems like plants, birds, and insects use quantum effects for a variety of biological functions. Strong proof is still to be discovered, but the evidence is mounting. Most heartening is that, unlike the previously cited sexual study, this one is making concrete, testable predictions that will lead to further evidence, either for or against.

And wouldn't it be spooky to ultimately define life as "systems which manipulate quantum states through carbon-based chemical processes"? I wonder what it would mean for consciousness?

So, it seems women are supposed to be hard to bring to orgasm. To me, the whole thing sniffs of postmodern feminist doctrine disguising itself as science, but the basic premise seems interesting enough. I just wish they'd make more (any?) testable predictions with their hypothesis.

Experimental products using the mechanism geckos use to climb walls are literally starting to crawl out of the lab. They're still a long way from production, but it's nice to finally see some tangible results from the discovery of the surprisingly sophisticated method geckos use to sneak up on bugs.

Sometimes "frozen mammoth find" means an undifferentiated lump of mud and fur. This is not one of those times. I wonder how long it'll be before they dig up one of the people who hunted these things?

I'm surprised it's taken this long for scientists to create a fluorescent puppy. It's hoped this proof-of-concept will lead the way toward better fertility treatments and other new disease treatments. No, I don't immediately see how either, but they seem to. Beats finding them in soup, I guess.

Leave it to the Japanese to make a big deal about methane powered golf carts. I guess any press release containing the words "cow" and "dung" will attract attention but really, alternative-fuel carts have been around for decades. Maybe the factory that produces the methane is the real innovation here, but (of course) that's not what everyone's focusing on.

The goggles, they do nothing:

"Another interesting finding was that overall participants who drank alcohol actually rated all the women in the photos as less attractive, compared to the participants who hadn't drunk alcohol. This seemingly flies in the face of the commonly held notion of 'beer goggles'."

I can't remember a time I was so lit an ugly chick suddenly became pretty. Then again, it's been a very long time since I was single, and I wasn't particularly good at it even back then.

Scientists have developed new devices and techniques which allow human lungs to survive for up to 12 hours outside the body. The developments are allowing lungs that would previously have been unsuitable for transplant to be used, very successfully. The article includes an "Airplane-joke-waiting-to-happen" picture of the device.

Jeff gets a no-prize with its face painted red* for bringing us news that Cleopatra's tomb may have been found. So far it's only an interesting radar return. It remains to be seen if there will be any digging to confirm the team's suspicion.

Article includes a quote from everyone's favorite Egyptologist, Zahi Hawass. Heyy-ya-HUP!!!

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* Oh go look it up.

Scientists have created a theory which uses quantum mathematical techniques to more accurately predict human behavior. If a strong link between human consciousness and quantum mechanics can ever be established... well, I'm not sure what it'll mean, but it'll be profound. It'll be quantum!

Ok, well, that's nice: a small-to-medium sized asteroid hit won't cause massive tsunamis. It will send several hundred thousand tons of water into the air. I agree with the scientists... bad idea all around to be anywhere near one of these things.

More studies seem to indicate a stem cell treatment for diabetes works. The studies are still small, and the treatment doesn't seem to work for everyone, but any progress toward a more permanent fix for this very debilitating disease would be welcome.

Scientists may have finally cleared the final, toughest hurdle of organ transplant: immune system rejection:

Professor Jonathan Sprent and Dr Kylie Webster from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research focused on a different type of T cells – known as regulatory T cells (Treg) – in this study. Tregs are capable of quieting the immune system, stopping the killer T cells from seeking out and attacking foreign objects. Usually, these cells live in basic equilibrium, allowing the killer T cells to destroy what needs to be destroyed, but stopping them once the infection is over. The idea was to boost the number of Tregs in the system, quieting the killer T cells for a period of time sufficient for the body to accept the new tissue. After that point, the immune system would return to normal activity.

Sorta sounds like burning a new BIOS for your immune system, eh? Here's to hoping it works as well in humans as it does in mice!

It seems that quantum mechanics is ruling out warp drives. Again. I think. Actually, assuming they can keep it turned on without exploding and it doesn't suck the Earth into a black hole, the Large Hadron Collider is set to significantly revamp the standard model in the next five years or so. This definitely isn't the last word.

Ron gets a no-prize he can smoke for bringing us news that, by using a genetically engineered virus, scientists have turned a specific sort of tobacco plant into a natural drug factory. Wouldja lookit that... a cause various leftist Luddites and suspicious tobacco farmers can get all up in arms about together!

Scientists have created a yeast-powered fuel cell which can use human blood as its fuel. They are apparently quite a ways from creating a usable product, but its hoped that if the research pans out the devices will be used to power a number of micro-devices inside the human body, like pacemakers or pumps.

Honda has developed a system which allows an individual to control one of its ASIMO robots with thought alone. Notwithstanding all the "big brother" and "I, for one, welcome our new robotic overlords" issues everyone will likely bring up, I wonder if this development could be used to help people with catastrophic mobility disabilities in any way? In my own opinion, having a disability which completely immobilizes the body but leaves the brain fully functional is one of the worst of human fates. It would seem that Honda's creation could one day promise at least a small, and potentially a very large, amount of relief to such people by providing them with a helmet and a robot helper.

Nothing like a monstrous chamber of hyper-pure water to start your day. I wonder how they keep it that pure and still let people in? Those must be some interesting dive suits!

Cold fusion appears to be poised for yet another comeback. This time around, it seems scientists are taking the data more seriously. This is, what, the third or fourth time another cold fusion discovery has been made? Sooner or later I'll bet they find something...

Jeff gets an enigmatic no-prize for bringing us news of a new study who's author claims the Dead Sea Scrolls were not, in fact, written by the Essenes:

Elior, who teaches Jewish mysticism at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, claims that the Essenes were a fabrication by the 1st century A.D. Jewish-Roman historian, Josephus Flavius, and that his faulty reporting was passed on as fact through the centuries. As Elior explains, the Essenes make no mention of themselves in the 900 scrolls found by a Bedouin shepherd in 1947 in the caves of Qumran, near the Dead Sea. "Sixty years of research have been wasted trying to find the Essenes in the scrolls," Elior tells TIME. "But they didn't exist. This is legend on a legend."

I'm not sure a more contentious area of scholarship exists than historic biblical criticism. This has the smell of a politically-motivated attack, or a bomb-thrower looking for some publicity. However, in this particular contest I'm merely sitting on the top row of the bleachers, waiting for the rest of the People's Front of Judea to show up. WTF do I know?

Do you have any change? I could really use a bag of those otters' noses...

A zoo chimp's bad behavior seems to provide proof our closest cousins can also plot long-term strategies. The chimp troupe at the Little Rock zoo had (perhaps still has) a member who would flip out whenever anyone wearing a shirt like the one the staff wore showed up. Which, of course, one day I did. Let's just say I'm quite happy the only thing in the world even worse at throwing a ball than I am is a chimp.

Scientists are now experimenting with hookworms as a treatment for MS. The reactions of the medical professionals in my family, who've spent their entire careers fighting such things, should be instructive.

A team of scientists has modified a "dark horse" theory of gravity, enabling it to account for at least some gauge transformations. The only reason I could follow the article at all was I just recently read Warped Passages (highly recommended!). Even then it made my head crack, instead of explode like this sort of thing normally does. I guess it would suffice to say this is important, and, if the predictions this new theory is presumably making pan out, could represent the revolution required to integrate gravity with quantum mechanics.

Research leader Professor Giuseppe Cirino said: “We found that hydrogen sulphide is involved in human penile erection. That was proved in this study.” He added that the discovery would help treat erectile dysfunction in future.

What?

They're not transportation, they're self-propelled breweries:

Horses were domesticated much earlier than previously thought, according to a team of researchers.
...
Writing in Science, a team from the UK's Exeter University suggested that the community in Kazakhstan rode their horses 1,000 years earlier.

They also ate them and drank their milk, possibly as an alcoholic brew.

I've heard enough rumors about fermented horse milk to continue to hope all I ever know about the stuff is rumors.

Scientists have discovered the earliest known intact brain fossil ever found. The technique could lead to a re-examination of huge numbers of fossils, with the potential for greatly increasing our understanding of the evolution of the brain.

And in the, "don't you have anything better to do?" category, we have a new entry giving a scientific explanation for why belly buttons collect fuzz. I've heard of "contemplating your navel" before, but that's ridiculous.

It would seem the future is now, at least where designer babies are concerned.

To ensure my child is not afflicted by some horrible, life-ending genetic problem? Sure! To make sure it's a certain type, with a specific eye color? Bah. When they come up with a check for, "learns 'get daddy a beer'" faster, maybe I'll call.

At least one scientist thinks it may soon be possible to glean facial details from DNA. While not exactly a full reconstruction from a strand of self-important protein, it still seems enough to, say, narrow down a list of suspects, sometimes significantly. Who knows, perhaps ten years from now we'll be able to reconstruct what someone looks like just from a fingernail clipping. The implications for historical reconstruction are pretty exciting.

Scientists have discovered a common high blood pressure treatment may be useful in treating disorders caused by traumatic memories. It doesn't appear to be a pill that makes you forget, but rather a pill that allows you to remember.

Instead of coming up with "mo' bettah" antibiotics to fight superbugs, one group of scientists has discovered a compound which seems to act like kryptonite. As long as the little bastards end up dead before I do, it's all good to me!

Scientists appear to have discovered that parasitic wasps gained the ability to "zombify" caterpillars by harnessing a viral disease some 100 million years ago. I guess if life is given enough cracks at it, just about anything's possible... even internal genetic engineering!

When engineering meets addiction, the e-cigarette is born. If it makes clubs less polluted, I'll call it a good thing.

Ah, the joys of non-destructive archeology. One of these days we'll have to travel to Chicago and see all of these things. I was last there I think in 1998. Too long.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure 3000 years ago places Ms. Sealed Sarcophagus in the new kingdom.

Due to a lack of competent trumpet players, the end of the world has been postponed seven months:

The Large Hadron Collider could be switched back on in September - a year after it shut down due to a malfunction and several months later than expected.

We apologize for any inconvenience this delay may cause.

Well, who wouldn't want to know if someone can swim faster in syrup than they can in water? If it's safe to pour down the sewer, why's everyone wearing breathing masks?

A new scientific theory is postulating warm-bloodedness was a response to the conditions of plant eaters, not predators. The theory is still quite new and therefore strong on predictions but short on evidence. However, it does seem to neatly explain why both mammals and (presumably) dinosaurs selected what would otherwise be considered a quite wasteful metabolic strategy.

Scientists seem to have discovered that creating human-animal hybrid embryos is much more difficult than previously thought. Has there ever been a time when something's turned out to be easier than previously thought? The entire US government would seem to be a gigantic counterfactual to the very idea.

Scientists have found evidence of human ancestors traipsing around South East Asia far earlier than previously thought. In fact, the tool evidence, which has been dated to 1.8 million years ago, pre-dates all other evidence of hominids in that region. It's so old it can't possibly be evidence of Homo sapiens, since we didn't show up most of the rest of history (200,000 years ago). What sort of hominid did create the tools is, of course, a matter for speculation.

Scientists have found evidence that nervous systems were developed at least twice in the history of life. Good ideas get copied in nature no less often than they do in business, it would seem.

UK scientists have discovered a way to make LED lights comparable in price to compact fluorescents (CFs). Considering LED lights last 10 times longer and are generally considered to provide a superior light source, it's a good thing! Bonus: this one comes just after the UK instituted all sorts of legislation to encourage CF usage. Remember, folks, the market cannot be trusted to provide superior solutions in shorter time frames. Only government can provide!

Yes, children, it is indeed possible for men to break their wangs. This is something that will always and forever sit on the very top of my "must never ever ever try to do" list.

Mark gets an old, scaly no-prize for bringing us news of a 111 year old reptile successfully reproducing. The "gee, ya think?" quote:

Henry's keepers have put his newfound vigour down to a recent operation to remove a tumour from his bottom.

The mind boggles.

Ron gets a horrible yet strangely useful no-prize for bringing us news that "jumbo" squid teeth may be useful for more than just flaying your garden variety helpless starlet. I've always thought humbolts were nifty critters. As long as I can admire them from the comfort of my couch, that is. Having them eye my boat like it's the gravy variety, maybe not so much.

Using genetic studies of a human parasite and new linguistic studies, scientists have determined it was the Taiwanese who colonized the South Pacific. It's nice when two completely different lines of research come together.

Geneticists have determined that the evolution of the anus was more complex than previously believed. No, really!

Slashdot linked up two stories about advances in super-micro electronics: news of a motor which could be used to power tiny robots which would swim through the human body, and a tiny boat that uses only surface tension and small electrodes to move around. Of all the codgery "I remember when there wasn't any..." things I was going to tell Olivia about, "robots that swim in your veins" just wasn't on the list.

A biomedical company in California is developing a "digestible" sensor device for medical diagnosis. You swallow the pill (colored, one would hope, red) and a patch on your arm picks up the telemetry while the unit cruises your digestive tract. If it turns out to be something other than vaporware, I mean.

Scientists appear to be getting closer to a true invisibility cloak every day. And on that day, should it ever come, high school women's locker rooms will never be the same.

Australian engineers have developed a retrofit kit for refrigerators that will allow them to network and coordinate power use to minimize peak draws. The article doesn't make it clear if they're using power lines as the interconnects. If they are, it's all good. If not, setting up the internet connections will be a pretty significant hurdle.

Oh, and quote FTW: "A lot of people don’t realise [sic] that fridges cycle on and off regularly, which means you’ve got a bit of discretion about when they use power."

Scientists have discovered a microbial enzyme which can generate hydrogen from water much more efficiently than other similar biological processes. No, unfortunately it's not the breakthrough that will allow us to put Hajji on the bread line, but it is a step in the right direction.

Depending on who you ask, scientists either have or have come mighty close to creating primitive forms of life in a laboratory. If nothing else, their work provides new insight into abiogenesis, the theories which describe and predict how life formed on this planet.*

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* And no, abiogenesis is not Darwinism or evolution. It's quite different. Which is a useful thing to know when you need to poke a rhetorical stick in a creatonists' eye. Not that I would ever do something so rude. My story, sticking to it.

By using a special implant which emits a specific sort of cell-signaling molecule, scientists may be able to use a patient's own immune system to battle diseases and even cancer. The immune system of any multicellular creature represents the culmination of literally millions of years of research in battling various sorts of nasties. It's subtle and flexible beyond belief. Harnessing it successfully could unlock a staggering toolbox of treatments and cures.

After years of talking about it, it seems manufacturers are getting serious about producing insect-analog electronic sensors for the field. Personally, I just like the image of a swarm of not-quite-insects descending on every house hajji tries to turn into a bomb factory. Got a biblical feel to it, no?

Scientists have discovered a fish which uses mirrors that are a part of its eyes to see. The brownsnout spookfish has been known for quite some time, but apparently it took catching a live specimen before this unique quirk of biology was discovered.

Oh, and they look really weird too.

What's being termed "the world's largest dinosaur graveyard" has produced evidence that ceratopsids like triceratops did indeed roam beyond what is now western North America. They've already dug out something like 7600 fossils from this Chinese fossil bed. Who knows what they'll find next?

Mark gets a coral-colored no-prize for bringing us news of new discoveries about the Galapagos iguanas:

A spectacular pink type of Galapagos iguana promises to rewrite the family's evolutionary history in the islands.

Rosada was missed by Charles Darwin during his 1835 visit, but appears to indicate the earliest known divergence of land animals in the archipelago.

Even better... the date of the split is well before the date the island these critters live on appeared.

It would seem that dentists will be able to grow replacement teeth for patients in the next 1-5 years. See, Ellen! I told you holding out for a ridiculously long time between dentist visits would pay off!

Mark gets an eagle-shaped no-prize for bringing us news of the discovery of a major Roman-era battlefield in Germany. The kicker? According to the article, it's too late and too far north to agree with existing histories.

As with most apocalyptic predictions, the chicken-little forecast of arctic ice disappearing completely in 2008 ended up flat wrong. The stuff actually increased during the year, for reasons scientists only puzzled out after the fact.

Now, tell me again, and slowly because I guess I'm just that retarded, why I should support inhibiting the economic growth of my country on the predictions of, presumably, these exact same scientists?

Those who think global warming is a) mostly man-made and b) a dire and immediate threat to civilization would do well to remember an axiom about science: "we love science because it can find The Ultimate Answer to any particular question. We hate science because it will change The Ultimate Answer whenever conflicting data is found."

That sound you hear is the True Believers moving the goalposts. Again.

Via No Pasaran.

Using home-brew kits and the internet, people are starting to perform genetic experiments in their garages. Now if that's not a stellar idea, I don't know what is.

Turns out there's a reason your family drives you nuts. Who knew?

Headline: Black women are shrinking. Actual article summary: poor and "middle income" black women are losing height, while higher income black women are catching up and will most likely pass their white counterparts some time in the next few decades.

Article conclusion: people are helpless, prostrate before the monstrous consumer culture we have accidentally created.

GTFOML* explanation: poor people now have the opportunity to eat themselves to death with cheap, tasty food. For some weird reason, probably cultural, poor black women are more susceptible to eating themselves to death than others. Certain scientists and their liberal handlers are trying to pin this on the rest of us. Especially the white rest of us.

My solution: there is no "solution" per-se. If a certain subset of people wish to eat themselves to death, that's their business. Of course, poor women are typically poor because they got knocked up before they got a driver's license. This makes the "if they want to, let 'em die" policy heartless instead of libertarian. Which is why I get to be a gadfly, instead of actually make policy.

More likely solution: Let the policy makers do what they want, as long as it doesn't cost any more of my tax dollars.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?

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* Get the F- Off My Lawn

Need to turn a $2 bottle of trash into something that would please the most difficult sommelier would enjoy? Zap it with a little electricity. Will this make Ripple a valid choice for the table? Only time will tell.

Police in Finland have made what may be the first-ever arrest based on DNA evidence collected from a mosquito. The number of ways these little bastards suck knows no bounds!

Octopus enjoy watching TV, as long as it's in hi def, and don't seem to express distinct personalities in a specific set of experiments. I've read elsewhere that many animals may ignore TV because it doesn't "look right" to them. Seems we've got another set of critters to add to the list.

Scientists are exploring using the "WiiMote", Nintendo's innovative controller for the Wii console, to control combat robots. The idea is the remote is much more intuitive than the current laptop-based system, which sometimes requires a hazardous amount of attention to operate.

Bah. Just introduce break-away wrist straps, and start the soldiers to playing bowling. They'll be flinging wiiMotes through hajji's head in no time.

Scientists in the UK are setting up to play Christmas pop tunes at sharks to see if they respond to them. It would seem that fish in general recognize melody, so this would seem a sort of "spaghetti against the wall" experiment just to see what sharks will think of the music.

No speakers around the goldfish tank, Ellen. No! Bad!

A woman being treated at the Cleveland Clinic has an almost entirely new face following the most extensive facial transplant ever performed, the medical center said Tuesday. The surgery was the first face transplant in the U.S. and the fourth in the world.

Few details about the patient have been released in advance of a news conference scheduled for today. About 80% of the patient's face was replaced with skin and muscles harvested from a cadaver.

Read entire article here.

Drill for thermal energy, find an undiscovered magma chamber instead. They say the magma only rushed up the bore hole a few dozen feet before solidifying, but I bet the pucker factor was pretty high until they were certain of it. And why wait 3 years before telling anyone? Mighty suspicious, I say...

Wanna survive climbing Everest? Be on your guard on the way down. Ellen wants to go to take pictures of all the mummified corpses.

Scientists have discovered evidence that Homo sapiens may have evolved some 80,000 years earlier than previously thought. They must be employing some new radiocarbon dating techniques. Back when I was an undergrad, 80k was the margin of error in most of the ones in use at that time.

Sometimes big science leads to big accidents. They're not expecting to re-open the LHC until some time next summer. Considering the expense of these one-of-a-kind systems, I can understand the delays involved ensuring it doesn't go "kerplooey" again.

Scientists and engineers appear to have created a superior artificial limb which may hit the market as early as 2011. They used the behavior of ants to model algorithms which (apparently) closely mimic how nerve impulses travel across the human body. The result is a limb which can be controlled with the same neuron paths as the original. In other words, according to these guys anyway, if an amputee can still feel a phantom limb, this new system will use those impulses to control an artificial one.

It appears building a space elevator will likely be even more complex than one would at first think. The complicating factors? Coriolis, solar wind, and gravitation system effects combining to destabilize the whole system.

Still, what we're talking about here are engineering problems, not ones of material strength or basic physical laws. Engineering problems always (eventually) respond to blood, sweat, and treasure, and something tells me these will be no different.

Well, eventually.

While still in rough draft form, the Neandertal genome sequence project is already making important discoveries. Right now, it seems to mostly involve what's not there... i.e., no "smoking gun" clearly pointing to interbreeding. The project is expected to take several more years before a complete sequencing is finished.

Scientists have developed a new "bone scaffold" polymer which helps hold fractured bones together without the undesired heat of other, previous substances. If the patient has a really spectacular fracture they'll still need the requisite rods, screws, and pins to hold things together, but this new substance could obviate the requirement for bone grafts that are often required to heal such severe fractures.

Mark gets a no-prize shaped like a you-know-what for bringing us a study that appears to link intelligence with a higher quality of sperm in human males. The association isn't a very strong one, but it does seem to be statistically significant.

Scientists have announced the discovery of the largest Pterasaur ever found. It's estimated the creature had a wingspan of not quite 17 feet, and stood about 3 feet tall. The fossil also represents the first chaoyangopteridae species found outside of China.

All I can say is, if scientists really do figure out how to power a cell phone with the speech of the user, they better include a power-out on the one Ellen gets. That way I'll be able to use it to power the whole house.

Ever the busybodies, scientists in Switzerland have cooked up a rig which seems to be able to convince your brain it's living in someone else's body. I think that whole bit about being convinced you're a chair would've been easier with a bottle of vodka or two.

As hokey as it seems, even I can see it has futuristic implications for people with profound mobility disorders. Living sci-fi indeed!

Scientists from the University of Akron have patented a process that would use supersonic aircraft to disrupt hurricane formation. Hugo Chavez raging about how El Norte was steering hurricanes south to get him would, presumable, follow.

Another day, another video of some wacky new type of large squid. Sometimes, well, most of the time, working on a oil rig doesn't sound like much fun. But on days like those...

Chemists have developed a fabric coating which provides the ultimate in water protection. The result? The most waterproof clothing-suitable fabric ever created. If it's cheap enough, and really as durable as they say, the idea of a "suit bag" for your classic car may one day soon be a reality.

Of course, it could also be used for other, less important applications like self-cleaning clothes, permanently dry swim wear, and who knows how many medical items, but hey, let's stay focused on what's important... protecting quirky old Italian cars tossed out of their garage by other quirky old Italian cars!

Scientists have discovered that a modern single celled organism as big as a grape leaves trails identical to those found in 600 million year old fossil beds. The implication being these critters, or something very like them, have been around longer than just about anything else we know of, and that the Cambrian explosion may not in fact simply be a gap in the fossil record.

In other news, there are single celled organisms out there as a big as a grape!

Scientists have announced they've found and identified the grave and remains of famed scientist Nicolaus Copernicus. The grave was discovered in a 14th-century Polish cathedral under floor tiles near one of the side altars. The findings were authenticated using DNA samples taken from the remains and from a hair sample found in a book used by Copernicus.

Ain't science grand?

Scientists using a clever sort of bone analysis have determined that early modern humans were throwing weapons during the early paleolithic, and neandertals were not. It's always better to be the spear thrower than the spear catcher.

The pygmy tarsier, long thought to have gone extinct in the 1920s, well, isn't. My anthropology adviser back in college said tarsiers in general were amazing jumpers, so fast they were almost impossible to follow. I'm not completely sure they can be kept in captivity.

The remains of the oldest identified family found so far show clear signs of a violent death. It was a damned hard life back then.

A team of scientists seem to have proven it will be impossible to experimentally verify the possibility that at one point, far in the distant past, all the forces that make our universe tick were once one. I'm just about done with Warped Passages, by Lisa Randall, which discusses this exact situation. It seems that there is definitely a problem verifying any theory which relies on Planck-scale forces. However, if the universe contains more dimensions than the four we perceive, and they act in the way that modelers (string theory and otherwise) think they do, then it's quite possible we'll be able to concoct experiments to test unification that won't require obscene amounts of energy to work.

Hey, man, don't look at me. My head explodes every time I read a chapter of that thing. I sorta like it. :)

Mexican (natch) scientists have developed a method of making diamonds out of tequila. As expected, the diamonds produced aren't something that will go in a ring, but they do seem to represent a new, cheaper method of generating industrial diamond. Considering the number of uses already figured out for the stuff, this should be welcomed.

Mike J. gets a white, creamy no-prize covered in chocolate syrup for bringing us news that at least some scientists think the next ice age may be soon and it may be quite long indeed. Boy, all those people who bought Nevada scrubland betting it'll one day be beachfront are gonna be pissed!

Two scientists have come up with a novel theory of brain development that makes autism and schizophrenia two sides of the same coin. Even if proven wrong, the predictions the theory makes should provide much more insight into how the brain develops, and how it breaks down.

Scientists have created genetically engineered "assassin" T-cells which seem to be better able to tackle HIV. Engineering "supercells" to fight "superbugs" would seem to me to introduce a real risk of cancer, but my knowledge about such things wouldn't fill a sheet of paper. In other words, waddoIknow?

Scientists have uncovered even more evidence that all plants which have ever lived have one common ancestor:

The bacterium was probably intended as prey but instead it became incorporated into its attacker’s body – turning it into the ancestor of every tree, flowering plant and seaweed on Earth. The encounter meant life on the planet could evolve from bacterial slime into the more complex forms we see today. “That single event transformed the evolution of life on Earth,” said Paul Falkowski, professor of biogeochemistry and bio-physics at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “The descendants of that tiny organism transformed our atmosphere, filling it with the oxygen needed for animals and, eventually, humans to evolve.”

On such small things a world can turn.

One group of scientists are now reporting the discovery of very strong evidence that sunspot activity affects rainfall on Earth. To what extent, the article does not say. Note the omission of (to me, at any rate) the rather obvious issue that global rainfall very strongly affects global climate and therefore sunspots do in fact affect climate change. Reminds me a lot of those medieval chroniclers in Europe neglecting to mention a supernova everyone else saw because it contradicted the core teachings of the church to which they belonged.

The more things change...

Making the rounds: at least some of the stuff you learned about exercising when you were a kid is wrong. Specifically, "static stretching", the standing stretches done as a part of exercise warm-up, actually weaken the muscle instead of strengthening it.

That chick who killed her partner in their garage with a phillips screw driver used the wrong bleach:

There are two types of bleach found in household cleaning products. Chlorine-based bleaches are known to make bloodstains invisible, but applying chemicals such as luminol or phenolphthalein will still reveal the presence of haemoglobin - crucial for identifying blood - even after up to 10 washes. In contrast, oxygen bleach, which contains an oxidising agent such as hydrogen peroxide, erases all trace of haemoglobin. Its effect seems to have been untested until now.

It seems to me cleanup isn't the biggest problem... it's that 150+ lbs of dead body that needs to be got rid of that seems the main stumbling block.

Well, that and, you know, killing is wrong and stuff.

The first fossil from the mysterious Ediacarn period has been described. This is the final period before the Cambrian explosion, who's fauna is far better known because of formations like the Burgess shale. It's been known for some time something was wandering around the ocean floor during the Ediacaran, because tracks have been found. This is the first time (as far as I know) we've found a complete fossil of one of the critters that might have been doing the walking.

Well, if this study of the bacteria found on human hands is accurate, I've got interesting news and f'd up news:

Interesting: women have a more diverse set of bugs living on their hands

F'd up: It appears washing one's hands doesn't do much to change said diversity.

Let's shake on it!

Another day, another "giant swath of humanity's going to DIE Unless We Do Something About Climate Change NOW!!!" report. Unspoken is the glaring assumption that, when presented with a commodity with a decreasing supply and a rising price, human beings do not change their behavior. That assumption forms one of the deepest foundations of progressives and liberals of all stripes, which is why they never question it and why they always end up bitten on the ass by it.

Which is, in essence, another way of stating the old axiom: "Republicans disagree with Democrats because the former think the latter are wrong. Democrats disagree with Republicans because the former think the latter are stupid."

Which is why, even when they win, they lose.

It would seem that, like certain 20th century politicians, chimpanzees keep an "enemies list" in their head. Yeah, it's a kind of "sky is blue, water is wet" sort of observation, but it does rule out that chimpanzees don't keep track of who is nice to them and who is mean.

It seems the Earth turned green later than previously thought. Exactly how they figured this out is just a little beyond me. Never go from reading about quantum physics to reading about the Archaean period in less than 5 minutes. Your brain will thank you.

Scientists have developed a device that allows a surgeon to operate on a beating heart. It works by using scanners and computers to move the operating platform exactly in time with the beating heart, providing the surgeon with a stable working area.

Jeff gets a light but strong no-prize for bringing us the latest development in nano-tech production. It's still not a production-grade material, but they seem to have high hopes of getting there within a year.

It looks like Hubble is experiencing even more problems. When a race car manages to break something new every time it's used, that's usually a sign it's time to get a new race car. Unfortunately I'm not sure the sentimental politics surrounding everyone's nearly 20 year old space telescope will allow the obvious conclusion to be drawn.

Oh well, it could be worse. We could've spent all that money and taken all that risk and then it could've failed.

The tomb of the person who's life inspired the movie Gladiator has been found. It seems it had the good fortune to be buried under river floods, and seems to be fairly complete.

An environmental sciences company has announced they've developed a system that economically turns CO2 into hydrocarbons. Announcing you can do something and actually doing it are, of course, two different things. It'd be nice to find out this wasn't some sort of vaporware, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

A team of scientists at Stanford have discovered that, at least in some organisms, aging is driven by genetics, not by "rust". If it's a gene getting turned on that causes us to grow old, it's possible to figure out a way to turn it off.

Engineers at the University of Tokyo have created a system that renders objects in a car that would cause blind spots invisible. Back in my old sim days, this was called cheating. Of course, since it's the real world, "cheating for safety" actually works. Not too sure about the giant hat you have to wear to get it to work. Then again, this is only a prototype.

Scientists have long known that organic chemistry is made possible on Earth by the quirk that the molecules required are all "handed", in this case, left, on this planet. Yet nobody knew why, or why that particular direction. Until now.

Don't look at me. I barely got out of high school Chemistry with a C-. I just thought the whole concept was neat.

It's official... the great rift valley will one day soon become a brand-new ocean. The region that gave birth to humanity will eventually be submerged and lost to time. Seems appropriate, somehow.

An Israeli scientist is claiming people can see with their skin. Unfortunately, exactly how this is supposed to work is not explained in the article.

Scientists have determined the AIDS virus is probably 100 years old. I can remember when Time reported the entire epidemic could be traced to a single male flight attendant in, as I recall, 1979. Sorta puts the kibosh to that one, eh?

A British scientist claims to have invented a drive system that has no moving parts and only needs electricity to work. It started out sounding like snake oil, but eventually at least seemed possible. Requiring superconducting materials to make the concept work on a scale big enough to power a car would, to me, seem like a deal breaker. It's not like you can buy the stuff out of a JC Whitney catalog, ya know?

... lousy location:

Archaeologists are racing against the little time left to salvage a fortune in coins and items from a 500-year-old Portuguese shipwreck found recently off Namibia's rough southern coast.

You know, the place where they shoot people over diamonds? Indiana Jones, indeed.

Scientists are finding that many of the perceptual problems caused by zero-g have a physiological basis:

Humans orientate in 3D by using otoliths, small crystals of calcium carbonate and protein that shift on hairs in the inner ear. Forces acting on these grains as a person moves mean they can sense acceleration and gravitational pull.

Who knew?

Due to a Shortage of Adequate Magnets, the End of the World has Been Postponed One Year. Big science can be hard.

Scientists have created a strain of bacteria which excretes an important ingredient in many plastics. While not quite to the point of pooping out a soda bottle, it definitely seems to represent yet another step away from oil reliance. A good thing!

Chinese scientists have developed a new technique which promises to create "ultracapacitors" with double the energy density of existing designs. The secret? Nanotech trees on nanotech meadows.

No, really!

It would seem there's a reason people tend to believe in things like astrology and "the power of threes." To me, it looks like the old, "probability of something happening vs. the consequences of it happening" axiom in play. If being superstitious makes you less likely to get killed, then superstition will be selected for.

In other words, a smug assertion that rustling grass is caused by the wind will not impress the natives when a lion jumps out and eats you.

As with all previous apocalyptic predictions, the world keeps stubbornly refusing to end. Black hole: NOT YOURS.

Mark gets an ancient upside-down no-prize for bringing us an update on those gigantic fossilized forests found in the coal mines in the border area between the states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. As noted in the article, fossilized forests aren't particularly remarkable. Fossilized forests the size of a large city are.

Researchers seem to have discovered evidence that at least some changes in the human species have been caused by so-called "junk" DNA. I've read rumblings that junk DNA, well, might not be, a few times before, but this is the first article that seems (to me anyway) to provide direct evidence for it..

Mark gets a trunk-shaped no-prize for bringing us news of the discovery of a rare mammoth fossil in France. The species, Mammuthus trogontherii, also known as the steppe mammoth, is thought to represent a transitional type between an even earlier creature called a southern mammoth and the more familiar wooly sort.

"The deadly disease sylvatic plague was discovered in May in a huge prairie dog town in the Conata Basin. The black-tailed prairie dog is the main prey of ferrets, and the disease quickly killed up to a third of the area's 290 ferrets along with prairie dogs."

Check It Out!

"According to genetic research published on Wednesday, when Julius Caesar made his first exploratory visit to our shores in 55BC he triggered a chain of events which may have lowered our resistance to the virus which leads to Aids."

"The theory is that as the Roman Empire spread so did an unknown illness that killed those carrying a gene that would one day give their descendants resistance to the virus."

"As a result, today's inhabitants of nations once conquered by the Romans tend to lack the gene and so are more susceptible to HIV."

Interesting...

I've always been a bit chary about even accepting the existence of borderline personality disorder. It always seemed to me to be a band-aid to cover up people who were just monstrous pains in the ass. I'm sure you'll all be as shocked as I was to find out I was wrong. Scientific and repeatable study FTW!

It seems the "ancient, pristine, and untouched" landscape of the Amazon is anything but. It's becoming increasingly clear that native Americans altered the western hemisphere nearly as much, if not equally so, as their Eurasian counterparts altered the eastern one. White explorers failed to see it because native populations were scythed away by disease long before Europeans penetrated the interior of the far more populous central and southern parts of this half of the world.

Put that in your "man as scourge of the pristine parts of the planet" pipe and smoke it!

Ever wonder why there were so few critters running around at the bottom of the ocean, even though there's plenty to eat down there?

Ok, you're not playing this game correctly. Now nod and say, "Why yes, Scott, I have wondered that several times."

Well, you may not have wondered about the question, but I'll wager you'll wonder at the answer:

Danovaro's team collected dozens of samples of sediment from sites around the world. Everywhere they looked the top centimetre of sediment contained large quantities of viruses. The average gram of sediment contained 1 billion viruses, which is the equivalent of 8 trillion viruses per square metre of ocean floor.

I wonder if perhaps the development of the nucleus, which distinguishes prokaryotes from eukaryotes, was driven by the need to escape from what presumably is this most ancient of arms races?

A recent study has made the claim that neandertal stone toolkits actually weren't any less efficient than those created by their contemporary Homo sapien competitors. The "dumb neandertal" conventional wisdom takes another hit.

Mark gets a no-prize with a characteristic lisp for bringing us news of more developments surrounding that Roman bath complex discussed in a previous article. This time, they've found a giant head of Marcus Aurelius. The find has caused them to rethink what was going on inside that bath house when it collapsed. Now, instead of theorizing that the statues were there in preparation for their destruction for quicklime, it's thought they were part of the decoration of the place, and were lost outright when it collapsed.

Ron gets a no-prize that would normally stay attached for bringing us one of the more extreme examples of sexual dimorphism and mating behavior, aka the Blanket Squid:

If a male does chance across a female, it uses all its resources in an attempt to mate, "as he's unlikely to encounter another one," said Tregenza. A male blanket octopus fills a modified tentacle with sperm, tears it off, presents it to its prospective mates, and then drifts off to certain death.

OUCH!!!

Ron gets a no-prize that'll be impossible to mistake for any other for bringing us news that full genome sequencing just got a lot cheaper. If this keeps up, people will be able to get sequenced just for the f- of it some day. Although I think Ron will most likely be the first one in line.

An Australian PhD candidate has created a method of making solar cells requiring common materials and a pizza oven. The article doesn't mention the efficiency of the panels she produces, which is unfortunate because that's what's really holding solar tech back. If it's at or beyond what the more expensive processes can provide, well, there's another shovel of dirt on dirty power's grave.

Men who want to live longer apparently need to get more wives. I have my hands full with just the one.

Today's "It's is easy if you can turn the entire mass of Jupiter into energy" faster-than-light travel strategy is brought to you by the Telegraph online.

Just how long this might take may depend on your view of man's handling of energy over time. If water wheels or even fire counts as man's first successful effort at controlling outside energy, it took thousands or even tens of thousands of years for us to make much progress increasing that amount. However, if you start the clock at steam, it only took about a century to go from controlling the equivalent of a few dozen horses to controlling the equivalent of several million*. If we take that sort of progression and project it forward, maybe converting 2000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms of matter into energy isn't completely out of the reach of the near future.

Via Instapundit.

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* Or whatever the hell the aggregate shaft horsepower is from a nuclear reactor's power plant.

Mark gets an ancient and strangely beautiful no-prize for bringing us news of the discovery of a giant statue head in the remains of a Roman bath house. It would seem later residents were breaking up these statues to burn them for cement when an earthquake buried everything. A loss for one age is a gain for another, I suppose.

A group of scientists have revealed a theory which says cooking is what allowed our ancestors to develop efficient brains. The thinking (as it were) goes that after long use, the evolution strategy of getting bigger and bigger brains had run up against physical limitations related to birth. In other words, human heads just couldn't get any bigger and still have women able to walk around. However, by processing our food externally using tools and fire, we greatly reduced the amount of energy required for digestion, freeing it up to be used to power faster metabolic processes in our already quite large brains. In a funny sort of way, it really did amount to "we are what we eat."

Or, perhaps, what we ate allowed us to become what we are.

One of the more entertaining aspects of science is when something shows up that has no right to be there:

Scientists are baffled after carbon dating showed the skull, a woman's which was found near [New Zealand's] capital, Wellington, dates back from 1742 – decades before Cook's Pacific expedition arrived in 1769.

I'd like to know the precise dating technique used. Back when I was studying such things, radio carbon dates usually had margins of error much larger than 20 years.

Ah, for a ticket to London:

A new London exhibition gives visitors a chance to see for themselves the traces left by disease and diet on 26 skeletons recovered from beneath London.

I bet the slide show is interesting. Unfortunately I can't get the @#$#$@ player to work. Ah well.

Further trials appear to be needed, but it would seem someone has finally come up with an effective treatment for Alzheimer's. It's not known at this time if the drug can reverse damage, but it does seem to halt the progression of the disease. A good thing!

By mapping distinctive geologic features known as "mud pots", scientists have discovered the San Andreas fault extends much further south than previously thought. Fortunately the new extension does not seem to be seismically active. Because we all know California doesn't need a better excuse to fall into the sea, eh?

... and it is strangely mushroom-shaped. It would seem to me that, if this fungus really is using the energy given off by ionizing radiation, it might even end up a candidate for biological shielding? What a strange thought!

A Japanese/Chinese science team has announced the discovery of a nearly-complete juvenile Tarbosaurus. Related to the better-known T. Rex, the fossil itself lacks only the next bones and the end of the tail. It's thought the creature died around the age of 5, making it a valuable addition to the study of dinosaur development.

Mark gets a no-prize in an unexpected place for bringing us news of evidence that a hominid once thought to be exclusive to Asia, well, wasn't. The field is in the late stages of an oversplitting period, so what I learned of as "Homo erectus found in Asia" is currently considered a "separate hominid species found solely in Asia not related to anything else." Will this fossil of an "Asian-only" hominid found in Germany herald the return of the "clumpers?" We'll just have to wait and watch.

I knew it was only a matter of time before someone thought to put a giant squid dissection on-line. Haven't you been expecting one?

So now it would seem we can even chalk up kidney stones to global warming. I always thought the bedrock of science was a firm understanding of cause and effect. It seems I was wrong.

By using only off-the-shelf hardware, Raytheon intends to field and test a working laser defense system by November. This is not like the other laser projects you've heard about lately... this system is solid-state. No nasty chemicals to handle or run out of at an embarrassing time. It's being pitched as a point-defense system against small targets like mortar shells and (presumably) rockets.

If it works as advertised, I would imagine the Israeli government will want to buy them by the dozen. Were it me, I'd then paint a big ROCKET TARGETS: NOT YOURS every 100 yards or so on the Pali side of that wall they're building. Hasta la vista, baby.

By examining their fossils with a scanning electron microscope, it just might be possible to determine the color of feathered dinosaurs. And, it stands to reason, just about anything else with feathers on it. Apparently the technique might even work with marine fossils. Do we even have any fossilized marine critter skin?

Fans of the lobster in all its varied forms should find this collection of rare and unique lobsters worth a look. They still creep me out, but I know I'm in a minority in that respect.

While it's still very unclear just when exactly language evolved in humans, it would seem our ears, at least, were preparing for it for a very long time. The finding is interesting, but definitely seems to have a chicken-or-egg problem in my opinion. Do our ears have a unique sensitivity to maximize our ability to understand language, or are human speech sounds concentrated in that range because that's where our ears are maximally sensitive?

It would appear what is thought of as the oldest bronze statue of Rome's founding she-wolf may be nowhere near as ancient as previously believed. The evidence does seem a bit weak, at least from what's related in the article. You know, in my expert opinion and all that.

Problem: Invasive seaweed species are choking off environmentally important (and tourist-drawing) coral reefs.

Solution: Hoover 'em up.

No, really!

Scientists are reporting the discovery of a fossil tetrapod older than anything found to-date. While the animal probably is not a direct ancestor of every living four-legged creature today, the fossil does provide insight into just how, and perhaps why, a certain group of creatures transitioned from sea to land.

Put that in your "no transitional fossils ever found" pipe and smoke it.

Problem: how do you quantify the amount of methane given off by your typical cow?

Solution: Plastics.

Every time I think the global warming crowd has hopped over the wall of rationality and into the green, well-padded fields of hysteria, they go and jump a little higher.

A group of Brazilian scientists claim to have developed a technique which creates human sperm cells from tooth cells. Their idea is to help infertile men by allowing stem cells created from other, more common cell types to be turned into sperm cells. The research is apparently far from well documented, so it's unclear whether the technique has any real clinical applications.

Smile!

New evidence has been uncovered that seems to date the habitual wearing of shoes back to at least 40,000 years ago. Just what that evidence is, the article doesn't really say. Just about the only thing it can be is some sort of skeletal change in the foot which is characteristic of wearing a shoe.

The metric standards police are taking another crack at re-defining the kilogram. Sometimes I wonder if our inability to unify gravity and quantum physics may be somehow linked to our inability to precisely define a unit of measurement for what gravity most directly affects.

Rrm... ah... sort of thing, eh?

Scientists have discovered a species of chameleon who's life cycle is more like an insect's than a vertebrate's:

Over four years, [Kris Karsten at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, US] and his colleagues marked 400 chameleons and followed seven with radio tags to study their growth patterns, lifespans and behaviour. They discovered that juveniles hatch in synchrony in early November, grow into adults within just seven weeks, mate, and all die without exception by April, just before the harsh dry season settles in.

Just when you thought nature couldn't get any weirder...

Scientists who have developed an innovative cancer treatment have now moved to human clinical trials. By using a specific sort of white blood cell, called a granulocyte, taken from healthy young mice and transferring them to mice with cancer, researchers were apparently able to affect a 100% cure rate. Whether or not the technique will work with humans is another matter, but previous lab-based tests seem to be promising. A cure in our time? Probably not, but it definitely sounds like a new weapon is about to be brought to bear on the problem.

Scientists have discovered a drug which is already on the market for a completely unrelated treatment may be useful in reversing certain forms of autism. Scientists realized that since rapamycin, a medication doctors prescribe to patients who have had transplants to prevent their bodies from rejecting the new organs, works on the same gene affected by tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a rare genetic disorder that causes brain tumors, seizures, learning disabilities, skin lesions and kidney tumors, it might be a useful treatment for that disease. Sure enough, in mice at least, affected subjects exhibited a complete turnaround in less than three days.

A human trial is already underway in England, although no word on the results of that are in the article.

By using a technique called "time reversal", scientists have created devices that can transmit data under water many times faster than existing technologies allow. However, at 20kb per second, I don't think it's going to worry our current broad band providers very much.

Whodathunkit? Free-ranging "organic" pigs end up with lots more nasties inside them than farm-raised pigs given antibiotics. If a more obvious conclusion could've been drawn, I don't know what it might be. Then again, this is the environmentalist movement we're talking about here. It's much more important to stick it to the kulaks and prols every way we can than to let things like facts and reason cloud our judgment, donchaknow?

It would seem the race for biologically-generated oil has another contestant. This is, what, the third company we've linked that's doing this? Suddenly this is changing from a pipe dream to a "matter of time" sort of thing. If it puts Hajji and his Merry Band of Detonating Dervishes that much closer to a bread line, I'm all for it!

British engineers are considering deploying "micro generators" in tube stations. The result? Power big enough to light 6500 light bulbs. Something tells me, however, that the tech is a lot more expensive than they're letting on. What good does powering 6500 light bulbs do if it required 30 years to pay off the investment?

Scientists have developed a "tongue display" to help people with balance problems stay up and those bound to wheel chairs avoid pressure sores. The idea is to use small electrical pulses on the tongue to substitute for lost sensations in the affected areas. The device would appear to be very small, easy to learn, and (one would hope) affordable. What will they think of next?

Remember that new superconducting material we linked up awhile ago? It's still providing surprises:

[Frank Hunte, a postdoctoral associate at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory's Applied Superconductivity Center] and his colleagues thought the world-record [45-tesla Hybrid] magnet would be more than sufficient to test the field tolerance limits of the new material. They thought wrong: The iron oxyarsenide kept superconducting all the way up to 45 tesla, far past the point at which other superconductors become normal conductors.

Magnetic resistance is one of the three elusive requirements for making large-scale use of superconductors practical. Will this new material provide the other two as well?

A company has announced the development of a heart stent coated with a substance found in tooth enamel. The hope is the new device will offer superior protection and fewer side effects when compared to metal-only stents. If it keeps the ticker tickin', I guess it's allright with me.

Zahi Hawass & co. are at it again, this time announcing the discovery of an ancient city in the Sinai peninsula. Thought to be about 3500 years old, it represents the most ancient citadel found in that area to-date.

That new excavation project of Stonehenge we've occasionally linked articles on has produced what appears to be a definitive summary of their findings. According to the report, it would seem the place was a ceremonial burial ground for perhaps a single family for something like 30 generations. Then, about 3500 years ago, it was abandoned and eventually forgotten. To provide a different time fix for just how ancient this place is, consider that when this place was abandoned after five centuries of use, the pyramids were just being built. Even more tantalizing are remains that seem to indicate the site was in use more than 10,000 years ago.

Ron gets a no-prize that's burnt on one side for bringing us news of the development of a bacteria-based computer which can solve the classic "pancake problem". As with most bio-based computer designs I've read about lately, they've got it solving extremely simple problems right now. It would seem that, while this technique has a lot of promise, practical applications are still in the "after I retire" time frame.

If one scientist's theories prove correct, the largest biomass in the world may not be in the oceans, but under them. Perhaps 111 million years old to boot. Stephen Gould once said evidence seems to indicate that as soon as life could exist on Earth, it did. It now seems increasingly likely that, barring something that destroys the planet outright, it always will.

Heck something like that may even be able to tolerate the Sun's future expansion into a red giant.

Mark gets an ancient no-prize with a special oak leaf cluster (for providing a great title to this post) for bringing us news of the discovery of the most ancient bust of Julius Ceasar found to-date. I've always thought it's remarkable that we have a very good idea what a particular set of elites looked like between about 500 BC and 300 AD, and have no idea what anyone else really looked like on either side of that window for thousands of years. I do not doubt I would recognize any of the Julio-Claudians were they to walk down a street.

Looks like some doctors are getting a little frisky with the ol' fMRIs. Any time someone says "brain structure" and "political party" in the same sentence, I get damned suspicious.

I'll see your fancy flying robots and raise you a fancy floating robot. Hopefully they'll have some telemetry devices on their shiny robotic sailing vessel, otherwise if it fails to cross the Atlantic all by itself they may never know for sure what happened.

Annie gets a weirdly intriguing no-prize for bringing us the results of a recent genetic survey of everyone's favorite egg-laying mammal, the platypus. As the article notes, it would seem they're just as weird on the inside as they are on the outside.

Scientists seem to have found a link between early childhood abuse and adult suicide. The finding may not be as "duh" as you think. The link is physiological, which means it can be tested for and potentially treated.

Ron gets a really weird looking no-prize for bringing us the story of Beauty, a bald eagle with most of the top of its beak gone, presumably due to a gunshot. Her caretakers are going to try to build an artificial upper beak so she can eat and drink more normally.

Ron gets a no-prize the size of a small car for bringing us the latest on that colossal squid dissection. It would appear the thing got caught because it was hungry. The downfall of many of us, I would guess.

A team lead by a University of Arkansas* professor have found strong evidence that "Liem’s Paradox" applies to hominids just as much as fish. Oh don't worry, I didn't know what it was either. Go read, you'll get it.

Egypt studies, hominid research... boy, the anth department at my alma mater is sure a helluva lot more interesting than it was when I was an undergrad. I guess getting a billion dollar endowment from three or four of the richest people in the country will do that for ya!

----
* Go Hogs Thankyouverymuch!

DNA from a recently uncovered corpsicle shows a direct link between the victim and 17 living descendants. Which wouldn't be all that remarkable, except the "victim" was a native American who lived several hundred years ago. Ain't DNA testing grand?

Early reports indicate the colossal squid dissected in New Zealand was a smallish specimen. According to the dissection blog (no, really!) the specimen was female.

Ron gets a no-prize on the end of a hook for bringing us news of an upcoming colossal squid dissection. You remember the one they caught a few years ago? Yeah, it's that one. And it's going to be covered by the Discovery channel, so it'll be coming soon to a TV screen near, well, us anyway. Woot!

UK researchers would appear to have found a link between what a woman eats for breakfast and what sex her unborn child will become. It would seem breakfast cereal consumption increases the chance a woman will have a boy. I'm not sure if this explains anything, but it's an interesting thought.

A new genetic study seems to indicate humanity experienced a profound population split about 100,000 years ago. The findings have implications not only for population studies but also for cultural development, as the timing of the "reunification" seems to match the era when human culture exploded in diversity.

Scientists at the University of Texas have created a microbe which produces a type of cellulose which is much cheaper to turn into biofuel than the type produced by plants. Of all the new processes announced this year, this one definitely seems the most promising. It would seem to change the problem of biofuel creation from one of expensive enzymes and complex processing to one of simple brewing. Could this be the first step in "microbrew" fuel stations? Well, we can always hope!

Scientists have announced the invention of a microelectronic "super lens" capable of beating the diffraction limit by a factor of ten. Unlike far more exotic examples, this device is simple to produce, and has potential uses as varied as microprocessor creation and wireless power transmission.

Scientists have discovered that providing certain kinds of bacteria the right combination of nutrients defeats one of their important antibiotic resistances. Bacteria which can go dormant for long periods of time often avoid antibiotics entirely. Using the discovered technique, scientists were able to destroy 99% of these bugs by first giving them just enough food to "wake up" (but not reproduce), and then immediately nuking them with antibiotics. It's not clear if this technique will be useful outside a lab, but it does provide a new line of research.

The headline says it all: Terracotta army has egg on its face. It would appear the paints used on the famous Chinese terracotta army were egg-based, which made them far more durable than ancient water-based colors.

When you see things like this, don't gasp in wonder. Gasp at the waste. Yes, it's amazing, but in a very real sense these emperors and kings were spending bread money to put men on the moon. Except the Apollo program never came close to a majority share of this country's budget. The ancient world was so poor follies such as mountains of stone pointing nowhere, and clay pot armies buried for no reason, almost certainly were.

Little wonder no ancient society ever survived them.

The oldest living tree yet found has been discovered on a windswept plain in Sweden. At 9500 years old, it most likely represents one of the first trees to ever take root in that area, since before then the place was covered with glaciers.

It would seem the Flores 'hobbit' walked more like a clown than a regular person. The more they examine these things, the stranger they seem to get.

Scientists have developed a new class of superconducting materials which could help explain how other, similar, materials really work. The new types appear to superconduct around 55K, which is far below the record holding 134K that so-called "cuprate" materials can achieve. However, it's hoped these new materials will provide insight on what makes the older ones tick, which until now has been quite a mystery.

Scientists have announced the discovery of some interesting genetic patterns between ourselves and our closest living cousins, the chimps and bonobos. While the discovery that some bonobo and chimp genes are more closely related to us than they are to each other is all well and good, if I read this book correctly, it doesn't necessarily mean interbreeding. I can't recall the details just from memory, but there are definitely simple inheritance patterns which could lead to such a thing without needing a bunch of semi-sentient primates boinking each other every chance they get. Sort of thing.

Using reconstructions based on recent fossil finds, scientists claim to have created a model of what a Neanderthal human would've sounded like when they spoke. If the model is correct (no guarantees there), it appears they could in fact form words but their sound range was limited, making their language less nuanced than that of modern humans.

Pat gets an ancient and mysterious no-prize for bringing us news that the recently-begun excavation around Stonehenge is already producing results. You'd think as many times as this thing has been investigated over the centuries, it'd be picked clean by now. Never underestimate the persistence of human trash!

Scientists claim to have found definitive evidence of when sexual reproduction developed on Earth. Target date: 565 million years ago. No word on when the first cigarette was smoked, nor first snores heard.

By using a special sort of x-ray machine, scientists have developed the ability to image insects trapped in opaque amber. Even better, they're able to create models of their finds using 3D "printers."

A new study shows that life in ancient Egypt was nowhere near as fun as it seemed, at least for the common people. My old undergrad adviser Jerry Rose was co-author of the study. Go Hogs!

Scientists have announced a new technique which allows the creation of flexible silicon chips. It's hoped these new items will be useful in a whole raft of applications which previously could not use electronics due to form factor issues.

Scientists have used therapeutic cloning techniques to cure mice of Parkinson's disease. While interesting as a proof of concept, it's unclear if the research could be applied to people, economically or otherwise.

It would seem those who predicted that the Three Gorges Dam would be courting disaster may have been right. I think. I can only get the first page of the article, but that bit does seem interesting.

A group of scientists are claiming to have discovered a means of storing hydrogen using buckminsterfullerene, better known as "bucky balls." The soccer-ball-like molecules appear to be able to strong enough to hold a hydrogen at a density approaching that of the depths of Jupiter. At least, that's what the press release says. If it actually pans out (and that's a big damned if), we may some day be able to power hybrids using something that will vaguely resemble plastic sand.

I'm pretty sure it would Be Bad to hit a bag full of that stuff with a hammer. But wtf do I know?

Pat gets an amazingly well-preserved no-prize for bringing us this look at only the forth "mummified" dinosaur ever found. I think the earliest mummy dinosaur ever discovered is on display at the American Natural History Museum in New York, and it was pretty darned amazing. This one seems to be even better preserved.

Scientists have invented a tiny cooling fan with no moving parts. Calling something that doesn't move a "fan" seems a bit of a contradiction, but if it can give me a laptop that doesn't require a big ol' external fan to be comfortable to use, as my current one does, I'm all for it.

Scientists have discovered that the common sand dollar larvae clone themselves when confronted with threatening predators. There is a price: cloned larvae do not grow to be as big as non-clones. I wonder what happens if both survive?

Anthropologists have found another island very recently inhabited by very small humans. This time it would seem folks are in agreement that it's some form of dwarfism. I think.

Mark gets an ancient and beautiful no-prize for bringing us news that August's house on Palatine hill has been re-opened to the public. Yet another thing to put on my sightseeing list.

Researchers in Japan have come up with experiments which seem to confirm the "shock wave" theory of traffic jams. Which may explain why my commute takes 20 minutes longer than it should for no damned apparent reason, but unfortunately it doesn't help much with those homicidal urges I get in the middle of them.

Life's funny that way, I guess.

Scientists are reporting a connection between the life cycle of bacteria and, of all things, snow flake creation. It's even hypothesized this process could strongly influence rain and snowfall patterns. Busy little bugs!

Scientists have announced the discovery of the largest marine reptile ever found. The specimen is a whopping 20% bigger than the next largest discovery, and appears to be some sort of pliosaur.

Mike J. gets a no prize he can stare at whilst being burned at the stake for bringing us even more evidence that climate change is something that can be conclusively proven in both directions. Think about this one the next time some Democrat watermelon greenie proposes economy-strangling regulations in the name of the environment.

It would appear it's much harder to trigger an earthquake via rainfall than was previously thought. Turns out such events are heavily influenced by the type of geography on which the rain falls.

Why the media haven't been trumpeting "RAINFALL HAS POTENTIAL TO DEVASTATE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA" headlines all this time I'll never know.

At least one man claims to have finally solved the mystery of the Ark of the Covenant. The evidence seems rather tenuous to me, but wtf do I know? Time to put the upcoming History Channel special on the ol' Tivo to-do list!

Six pages of well-written, "Moses-puzzled-but-bringing-down-the-tablets-anyway" science writing, and what do slashdotters lock onto? A single sentence that mentions Jedi Knights. Ah well, if it gets you to read the article, I suppose it was worth it.

Scientists seem to be advancing in their use of stem cells for therapeutic treatments. Stroke treatment = good! Tumors = bad!

It would seem animals really aren't a kind of autistic savant. Just what they are is, obviously, still a point of contention. The ones around my house seem to mostly be stomachs with variously shaped clothing on. The cats even come with a convenient "reverse" button, which they press often and with abandon, much to the detriment of our carpet.

Scientists have discovered a new fossil which provides more evidence that Madagascar and South America were once connected in the distant past. The real puzzler for me is that, since this thing is supposed to be related to the modern horned lizard, why the BBC reporter never once mentioned the creature is actually a reptile, not an amphibian.

It appears that weak flames behave differently in space than they do on Earth. "Paging Ric Romero," you say? Well, it turns out the reasons are more subtle, and less well understood, than you'd think.

Ron gets a damned cold no-prize for bringing us the latest discoveries regarding the migration of humans from Asia to America. Turns out, at least according to this research, the people in question may have had to wait up to 5,000 years before they were able to complete the passage.

Scientists have discovered new evidence that bats first developed flight, then the echolocation system common to all extant species. The fossil evidence dates back 53 million years, and seems to show all bat species alive at that time were already proficient fliers. Perhaps they developed flight during the age of the dinosaurs?

Scientists have announced the ability to create three-dimensional structures using DNA as the constructor. The article touts it as a 'Holy Grail' for nanotech. I'll have to take their word for it. Now, bring on the stuff!

Problem: "it’s hard to measure things about an animal that moves around at night, lives 30 metres up a tree, and can glide 100 metres away from you in an arbitrary direction in 10 seconds."

Solution: Wii remotes.

Is there anything it can't do?

A new study seems to indicate children learn language through a process very similar to computer data mining. It's hoped the findings will point toward more effective techniques for teaching languages to children and adults. Considering the horrific time I had learning German in college, anything that provides a different technique would be welcome, to me at least.

Scientists have combined the genetic information of three people to create a single embryo. The idea is to help women with mitocondrial DNA diseases by using that specific sort of genetic material from another, unaffected, woman. There's a huge creep-out factor in this for me, but if it leads to healthy kids, and it's not being done using my tax dollars, well, I wouldn't agree to legislation that stopped it.

I think.

Desperate to drum up some sort of interest in what is clearly a government conspiracy to rain spy satellite bits down on us, the New York Times is reduced to interviewing guys who like to watch said satellites zip across the sky.

My dad's place is dark enough at night to see these things as they go by. I'll admit it's pretty interesting, at least looking up from a pool raft whilst holding a beer. They're fast enough I can't imagine tracking them with a telescope, but who knows?

Pat gets a no-prize John Belushi once used as a prop on Weekend Update (oh go look it up) for bringing us news of one of the more unique hobbies in the sky watching field.

Some scientists are proposing that the origin of life may not lie in soupy puddles, or squishy clay, but instead may reside inside the most unlikely of things, ice. The basis of the theory is a process called "eutectic freezing," which causes certain sorts of chemical reactions, in particular certain sorts that give rise to organic molecules, to actually increase as temperature decreases.

Mike J gets a no-prize of the purest green for bringing us news of new developments related to fuel cells. This time, it's not about making the cells themselves more powerful or efficient, but rather it's about a fundamentally different (and, according to the inventors) cheaper way of creating what powers the fuel cell... namely, hydrogen.

If it moves us closer to strangling radical Islam's primary source of funding, I'm all for it!

Scientists studying mass graves of the time have made some interesting discoveries about Black Death victims of the middle ages. One of the best-kept secrets of historic archeology is the almost complete neglect of human remains. An enormous amount of information can be gleaned from skeletal analysis: demographics, diet and disease, migration patterns, even a surprising amount of life history. Yet time and again you'll find no mention whatever of such examinations. As an undergraduate, I and a few of my fellow anthropology majors took some classical studies courses. Time and again we were surprised that some of the best-known archeology sites were known to have substantial human remains which had never been studied. It would seem that, twenty years later, nothing much has changed. The thesis potential alone is staggering, let alone what contributions could be made to general knowledge.

I guess it just takes getting someone to open up the bone boxes.

Via Instapundit.

Scientists have found evidence that the Earth's center may be "softer" than current theories predict. Sometimes it's hard for me to keep in mind that the bits of the planet I'm most familiar with represent something akin to wet paper wrapped around an orange.

Ron gets a gigantic hamster-wheel no-prize for bringing us news of the discovery of a 2,000 lb. ancient rodent. Well, those saber-toothed cats had to eat something, donchaknow?

A group of geneticist are making the claim that one whole branch of the "tree of life" should be pruned. Since I'm (obviously) not a geneticist, I'll have to defer to the peer reviewers and the *shudder* reporters on this one. Ancient biology fascinates me, but the details tend to make my head 'asplode.

Scientists are reporting two cups of coffee a day can double a woman's risk of miscarriage. No booze, no cigs, no coffee... no wonder pregnant women are so cranky.

It's pretty hard to worry about global warming melting the Antarctic ice sheet when Antarctica is busily trying to melt it via more direct means. A "sub-glacial" volcano is just another reason why screwing around with glaciers is bad.

While I'd seen a few previous examples of "concrete-cast ant colonies," it took this video to show me one in-situ. It's amazing how far the tiniest of critters can get if they work hard enough, long enough.

Ron gets a no-prize that'll clone itself for spare parts for bringing us news that scientists have created apparently viable embryos from adult skin cells. It's unclear if the embryos would've been able to be brought to term, since nobody wanted to try. Regardless, it would definitely seem we are getting much closer to being able to create perfect replacement parts.

Genetic research seems to have settled once-and-for-all where syphilis originated.

That syphilis originated in the Americas and was transported to Europe by early Spanish explorers was conventional wisdom at least as far back as the mid-80s, when I learned about it in college. Of course, as with any social science, there's nothing so conventional that some powerful anthropologist can't challenge, so there was always this grinding background of "did not / did too / did not / did too" in the various journals of the time.

Now that an independent line of research has confirmed the prediction, you'd think all these old coots would sit down and shut up about it. No way Jose! The only reliable way to get an entrenched academic to change their opinion is to let the Grim Reaper escort them off the stage. Otherwise there's nothing quite as pleasing to them as arguing with the tide (and, of course, ruining the occasional grad student's career in the process).

Via Instapundit.

Scientists are reporting garlic is an effective tool to combat arsenic poisoning. A solution in search of a problem, you think? Tell that to the millions of Bangladeshi and Indian residents whose water supplies are full of the stuff. Tasty!

Ron gets a no-prize could put Rent completely out of business for bringing us news of new developments in AIDS research. If it leads to new treatments it's great, but I bet the grad students who had to test every single thing one at a time probably weren't having much fun.

Scientists are reporting on an extremely rare dinosaur fossil that has allowed them to examine the nature and construction of dinosaur skin. Turns out it's a lot like a shark skin, for some of the same reasons.

Scientists are for the first time reporting evidence that the central nervous system can re-route functionality around spinal injuries. The findings are already pointing the way toward new therapies for paralysis victims. Too late for Reeves, but I wonder if the publicity and funding he brought had anything to do with advancing this discovery?

Scientists are working on technologies which promise to use everyone's favorite "poisonous gas that is not actually a poison" to create fuel. Scrubbing CO2 from the atmosphere and then jiggering with it until it becomes gasoline sure as heck sounds like a neat idea, but the "ten to fifteen years" to a deployable technology tends to translate to "after I retire" in science-speak. In other words, in my experience the phrase is a red-flag indicating they know they have a great idea, but have clue zero as to how it can be made to work cheaply. Of course, with demand rising as various third-world countries beaver their way forward to the first world, cheap may end up being a relative thing.

Scientists have traced a rare genetic defect that greatly increases the risk of colon cancer to perhaps a single married couple who immigrated to the US some time around 1630. Two populations, one in Utah and one in New York, have been discovered to possess this defect, but it's possible others have yet to be discovered. While the defect seems quite rare, it increases the risk of cancer from 1 in 25 to a whopping 2 out of 3. If a test can be developed, it would at least eliminate that indication (or provide an early warning sign for extra vigilance.)

It's like Roto-rooter, for your heart. A surgical instrument that works inside your arteries, leading to bypass operations without the tremendous trauma. We're living in science fiction, I tell ya.

Scientists are reporting on the discovery of no fewer than six genetically exclusive populations of giraffe. To me it would seem they're seeing the very start of a speciation event, but what do I know?

Scientists have discovered yet another way we differ radically from our closest living relatives. This time up, menopause. Seems both chimp and human females lose their reproductive abilities at around age 40, but the chimp drop off is caused by, well, chimps dropping off. Those which manage to survive are actually more successful at raising the kids than the younger ones, and are preferred by male chimps perhaps because of this. The long post-reproductive survival period seems to be one of the most biologically distinguishing things about us.

Scientists are reporting the development of a "desktop" synchrotron. I'm pretty sure this is a Good Thing, but my head 'asploded about half way through the article. "Ugh. Scientist say is good. That good enough for Thag."

Slashdot linked up news of the development of a camera system which appears to help folks with minor dementia remember things. The camera is worn by the person in question, and it takes a special stabilized photograph of the person's surroundings every 30 seconds. The pictures can then be uploaded to a playback device, which the person can use to review what they did that day. Studies are showing this seems to significantly improve recall in test patients.

Personally, I think it'd be pretty useful in bars too. At least then you'd know the exact sequence that lead to your losing an arm in a "coyote" encounter.

Scientists have discovered that "scrambled" polymers are effective at killing drug-resistant bacteria. The discovery was unintentional... while trying to design effective polymers to exploit bacterial weaknesses, scientists found the "control" of random polymers did much better than anything they were designing. Ain't experimental protocols grand?

Scientists have uncovered a rare ancient wooden throne at Herculanium. It's exact purpose is unclear, but it represents the first time such a significant piece of ceremonial furniture has been found.

Big surprise the MSM forgot to mention the recent stem cell breakthrough was not without its problems:

Now the Kyoto team, led by biologist Shinya Yamanaka, reports that it can reprogram adult skin cells in both mice and humans into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells without c-Myc. Further, in a mouse model, when the cells are incorporated into an embryo, the adult animal faces a dramatically lower risk of developing cancer. But there's a catch: "We found that the omission of [c-Myc] resulted in fewer numbers of iPS cell colonies," Yamanaka told ScientificAmerican.com via e-mail. "The process also takes longer. However, most of resulting iPS cells are very good."

And, as they say, "that's not all, folks!" Still, it would seem progress of a sort, although it definitely looks like we're quite a long way from being able to grow organs in a jar.

Ron gets a no-prize that deserves to be punished for bringing us news of the development of an artificial liver which functions for weeks instead of days. This allows drug companies to test new compounds for toxicity in a more reliable, repeatable, and less expensive ways. Which leads to mo' betta' drugs, at least in theory.

The Washington Post today carried news of the discovery of that most rare of fossils, a mummified dinosaur. As noted in the article, this is quite different from your garden variety virgin sacrifice in the Andes mountains. It's a completely mineralized creature, perhaps even down to the internal organs.

Scientists have figured out how to create "zombie cockroaches" by injecting them with a specific wasp venom. The wasp uses the venom to create a kind of "self-propelled food item" for their larva back at the nest. Scientists think the discovery could be useful in developing a number of medicines.

A new genetic study seems to indicate that all Native American populations are descended from one group of people in Asia who either all left about 12,000 years ago, or left in stages starting at that time. The "multi-pulse" alternative matches up with theories based on linguistics.

It would appear the last two "missing" Romanovs have been found. By amateur sleuths, no less. Unfortunately the ending isn't a happy one... as widely expected, the Bolsheviks killed all of the Czar's family. They just didn't bury them all in the same place.

Scientists have discovered a new method by which life may have gotten its start on Earth. Scientists have found that liquid crystal phases of tiny DNA strands create conditions favorable for spontaneous organization, which perpetuates and expands that favorable environment, causing, as it were, the music to go round and round again.

I learned long ago that evolution is not about how life got started, but rather how it progressed after it began. "Abiogenesis" was the word I learned which described the field of life creation. It would seem a new step in this world has been made.

By re-tasking a new neutrino detector being built at the South Pole, scientists hope to take snapshots of the Earth's core. It would seem to work on the same principle as an x-ray on a human body, but it uses neutrinos colliding with the Earth's core instead.

Scientists are reporting the discovery of the largest sea scorpion ever found. Nearly 10 feet long! These critters appear to have been a very successful apex predator, and relatives are suspected to have lead the way onto land.

Scientists have announced significant progress toward creating a blood transfusion substitute. None of them seem to be anywhere near a marketable product, but it's interesting to hear they're moving forward. Can SmartBlood^tm be far behind?

Scientists seem to have found conclusive proof that chocolate was discovered as a by-product of brewing a particular sort of ancient beer. So no more making fun of me sitting with a Snickers bar and a Heineken, eh?

Scientists in the US and Finland have developed microscopic microwaves and refrigerators, respectively. Both devices should make things like "chemlabs on a chip" more effective and more affordable. Reading the article, I was reminded of an Arthur Clarke quote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Australian scientists claim to have successfully decoded several kinds of humpbacked whale sounds. Unsurprisingly, the most common appear to be pick-up lines trotted out by single males and scolding sounds from mothers to children. The more things change...

Ron gets a no-prize covered in harbor mud for bringing us this story about an "aquatic Pompeii." Due to unique circumstances, an ancient port near modern Pisa contains the remains of dozens of extremely well-preserved ancient ships. Most include their original cargoes, some even their original crews. The story of how they came to be there is nearly as interesting as how they're being pulled out.

Scientists are testing whether or not the chemical which makes peppers hot could be used as a kind of anesthesia. Capsaicin not only blows your head off in a chili pepper, it also numbs nerves. It's hoped this could lead to new treatments for post-operative pain.

Scientists have discovered the first evidence that Velociraptor-like dinosaurs really did hunt in packs. It also appears they really did carry that vicious-looking claw upright to protect its sharpness. Bonus: actual Velociraptors were turkey-sized. Having seen an actual turkey up close this weekend, I can definitely say I would not want to be around a pack of 5 or 6 hungry ones. Turkeys may not be the biggest birds in the world, but they're absolutely not what I'd call small.

Scientists have discovered new insights into the spiny anteater's mating behavior. I bet the graduate assistants on that project were wondering what they'd done in a previous life to deserve that assignment.

Ron gets a no-prize that goes well with "chowdah" for bringing us news of a most unusual adhesive:

[S]cientists have developed a coating that mimics the tenacious adhesion of a mussel. The coating could improve biosensors, medical devices, marine and medical anti-fouling coatings, purify water contaminated with heavy metals, and advance manufacturing methods for flexible displays.

The secret ingredient? Dopamine, of all things. Turns out it's not just for brain chemistry!

Scientists have pushed back the date for the evolution of modern humans to 164,000 years ago. By using various new techniques, they also have located the five most likely spots to search for evidence of the earliest of humans. Turns out Africa wasn't a particularly nice place to live around that time, and so only a very few places were even capable of supporting humans.

Mark gets a thunderous no-prize with a name that'll make Beavis and Butthead giggle constantly for bringing us news of the discovery of yet another giant Patagonian dinosaur. This one's very well preserved, and was so damned large it seems to have created a major fossil deposit just by blocking up the river currents where it died.

While not as Warner Brothers-worth as a mouse, the discovery that African elephants haul ass at the sound of a bee swarm is still amusing. And useful, since everyone's favorite pachyderm is responsible for huge crop losses in a region of the world that can afford such things the least.

Something tells me simply buzzing loudly at that charging female won't do you much good, so FYI.

Turns out that, at least in one case, stem cell therapy has given a man two different DNA signatures. Hopefully neither of them have done anything bad lately, eh?

Scientists have created a prototype battery charger that uses bacteria and mulch to create electricity. While the current model is very large and doesn't generate all that much juice, the people behind the project expect to make substantial improvements as they bring the system to production. A green cellphone charger. Whodathunkit?

The most robust duck-billed dinosaur ever has been announced. Called Gryposaurus monumentensis, it's thought to be the largest creature in the 75 million year old ecosystem it once inhabited.

That's one helluva nutcracker!

Scientists are reporting evidence that Alzheimer's disease may actually be a kind of diabetes. Insulin uptake is critical in memory formation, so a disease that makes neurons resistant to insulin would cause critical problems. It's hoped the research could lead the way toward more viable treatments using existing diabetes drugs.

It would appear woolly mammoth hair contains the purest fossil DNA of all. While definitely just a first step, it would seem these geneticists have finally found the path that legitimately could lead to the resurrection of at least one dead species.

Welcome to the 21st century. Please buckle your seats and keep hands and feet inside the ride at all times.

Japanese scientists have announced the creation of a frog with transparent skin. It's hoped the creatures will be useful for basic disease research as well as dissection-less anatomy studies.

But are they crunchy?!?

A group of scientists are claiming to have discovered the quarry site which supplied the materials for King Herod's second temple. There's no absolutely direct evidence, but it seems to be a monster site dating from around 20 BC. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, etc.

It would appear the idea of bazillions of parallel universes as an explanation for quantum weirdness is gaining some traction. The article is light to the point of nonexistence on details, so I have no idea how to judge this proposal. I do know that mathematics != physics, so perhaps the discovery is pointing the way toward testable hypotheses?

Scientists have developed a new "tripedal" robot. By swinging its body and a single of its three legs between the other two, the robot is able to move quickly and efficiently into difficult places. While not exactly suitable as a cargo carrier, its designers claim it to be ideal as a way of placing remote sensors in dangerous places.

New evidence seems to support the idea that the "Flores Hobbits" actually are a different species of humanity. This time, they're looking at wrist bones, which simply aren't affected by the various maladies which other scientists claim account for the deformities witnessed in the fossil skulls found so far.

Remember, a few years ago, when they found that iron coffin in downtown DC? It would seem they've identified the occupant. I guess we can all only hope to be interesting enough that, after a century or so, someone will be interested enough to figure out who the hell we are.

Or, rather, were.

Actual headline: Salmon spawn trout. While genetically re-engineering common salmon to spawn rare trout sounds like a good use of resources, it also sounds a bit creepy. But hey, if it keeps Japan in tuna, I guess it's all good.

By using specific genetic markers, one scientist has managed to reconstruct a rough map of ancient Phoenicia. It's (just) possible the research may be useful to heal the country that now sits on the Phoenician's homeland. Then again, it may do the opposite. When the scorpion is swept away in the flood, far too often it makes its sad reply in Arabic.

Russian scientists are claiming to have discovered a mineral which absorbs radiation from liquid nuclear waste. It's from a Russian news site (although the article is in English), so we all know how immediately reliable that's going to be. In other words, cool if it's true, but I'm not holding my breath.

Scientists have determined at least one robe thought to be worn by St. Francis probably wasn't. However, a surprisingly large number of other things claimed to have been worn by him probably were. At least now pilgrims will know which shrine to visit.

A new study seems to indicate Tasmanian Tigers died out because they were outcompeted by Dingos. It seems the tiger's skull construction restricted it to smaller prey items, which allowed the Dingo all the room it needed to drive them out of their niche.

Scientists have announced a technique which can grow heart valves from adult stem cells. This removes the problem of rejection and could replace the more common mechanical systems which now help people with defective heart valves.

Also from the Post today, an in-depth look at recent discoveries regarding the world's largest living fish, the whale shark. I would've thought all they'd need to do some anatomy work would be a net and a boat, but apparently it took the two adult males who recently died in Atlanta to provide scientists with the material they needed to get a good look at what makes this gentle giant tick.

Scientists have discovered that bacterial parasites can deposit their genome into the genome of their host species. The presence of this sort of, well, I'm not even sure it's an attack, but at any rate this sort of thing is quite likely to be much more widespread than what's been discovered so far. All those samples geneticists have been tossing away as contaminated may in fact represent a part of the animal's genetic makeup.

Just when you thought biology couldn't get any weirder...

Slashdot linked up this heartening announcement regarding Alzheimer's research:

Genetically engineered cells implanted in mice have cleared away toxic plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The animals were sickened with a human gene that caused them to develop, at an accelerated rate, the disease that robs millions of elderly people of their memories. After receiving the doctored cells, the brain-muddling plaques melted away. If this works in humans, old age could be a much happier time of life.

If it works in humans (and that's a big "if"), it would seem we've finally stumbled onto a treatment, if not a cure.

By using pollen preserved in ancient amber and some clever genetic tests, scientists have determined that orchids evolved much earlier than previously thought.

Ron gets an ancient and mysterious no-prize for bringing us this new development in paleoanthropological research. Scientists studying a cave in Mount Carmel, Israel, have found evidence of sophisticated human behaviors which has been dated to approximately 200,000 years ago.

This is an extremely early date for such behaviors, so the findings would appear to be more ammunition for those who argue modern human behavior emerged with modern human anatomy. Until quite recently, it was thought that while modern anatomy evolved about 200,000 years ago, findings seemed to indicate modern behavior only arose about 35,000 years ago, with no good explanation for the gap. It's beginning to appear that, in this case at least, absence of evidence really wasn't evidence of absence.

New fossil finds seem to indicate the hominid-chimpanzee split took place much earlier than previously thought. Two things to note: the pittance of remains that are at the center of examination. At one point our ancestors were so thin on the ground a few teeth and a broken jaw is all that's left of them.

The other is much more important: fossil evidence that seems to decisively prove there are problems with using genetics to date events in the evolution of humans at least, perhaps others as well. The 6 mya date of the chimp/human split has always been controversial with anthropologists, since conventional wisdom at the time (the early to mid 80s, as I recall) said such a major evolutionary event would've happened much earlier. However, the geneticists had science and repeatability on their side... every time the tests were run, they came out with the same number, and so the conclusion was gradually accepted.

Fossil evidence that directly refutes this cornerstone of genetic paleoanthropology is earth-shaking indeed. However, in spite of what supporters say, it will be many years indeed before this finding becomes widely accepted. A few bits of mineralized bone have indeed overturned long-held beliefs before, but they don't do it often and they never do it quickly. It may yet turn out some mistake has been made which will allow the genetics-based date to stand.

Interesting times!

Using new models, scientists have determined that predatory dinosaurs were pretty fast critters. The fastest, Compsognathus, was estimated to top 40 mph. Even good ol' T. Rex could scoot around at a respectable 18 mph.

Counter-model that proves they all poked around at 5 mph in 3... 2... 1...

Ron gets a hungry-hungry no-prize for bringing us this new study of how many snake species respond to famine conditions. Turns out that, like many animals, they start digesting bits of themselves, up to and including heart muscle.

As a bonus, the article also includes a video link to a quick discussion of Ellen's favorite monster tortoise, the Aldabra, covering the four which currently live at the National Zoo.

Scientists have determined long-term memory is not some sort of permanent storage, but seems instead to be a fragile construct that must be constantly maintained. The implications are that an extremely effective "memory eraser" could be created.

People aren't mice, so this might not work at all in humans. But if it does, I think it'll definitely rank right up there with nuclear power and bioengineering as a technology to be extremely careful with.

Making the rounds: it appears that it may be possible for life to evolve from inorganic space dust. I'd like to know what sort of predictions their work is generating, because the base idea is pretty damned neat. Wouldn't want it all to be based on a house of cards, know-wha'I-mean?

German scientists are claiming they've transmitted information faster than the speed of light. Yup, you guessed it, quantum tunneling strikes again. I had a feeling that, since (I think) quantum mechanics doesn't specifically forbid transmitting information this way, someone some day would figure out how, general relativity bedamned. If this holds up, and there's definitely no guarantee of that, it could change everything.

You see, one possible reason why it's so quiet out there is we're not listening to the right channels. This could lead to us turning on the radio.

Scientists have announced the creation of a DNA vaccine that seems to help those who suffer from MS. The treatment is still in the very early stages, but if it proves successful it could allow the creation of DNA vaccines to treat a variety of autoimmune related disorders.

California squirrels appear to have Mr. Rattlesnake's number:

California ground squirrels have learned to intimidate rattlesnakes by heating their tails and shaking them aggressively.

We knew Cali squirrels were weird looking (they got stripes, who knew?), but we had no idea they were such bad-asses. Venom immunity to boot!

Two different teams of scientists have announced the discovery of exactly how a certain class of antidepressants work. Unfortunately they disagree on whether or not this really means anything for humans. However, the finding does point the way toward new experiments, perhaps eventually leading to more effective treatments.

Those out there worrying that we're creating a legion of "superbug" diseases that will eventually render all our antibiotics worthless should find this comforting:

In the 1930s, a war was on. A new treatment for bacterial infections - antibiotics - was seeking to assert its supremacy over another fledgling therapy - a bacteria-devouring virus called a bacteriophage.

Developed by Stalinist Soviet Russia, no less. While not as broad-spectrum as antibiotics, these bacteria-eating viruses can be re-tooled for each new variant. Or so they say, at any rate. Ain't science grand?

Scientists have determined the skeletal system plays a much larger role in controlling body chemistry than was previously believed. Specifically, it has been found that the hormone that controls bone production also has a role in controlling obesity and glucose tolerance, which is a major factor in diabetes. It's hoped the findings will produce more effective treatments to combat those diseases.

Making the rounds: Scientists have discovered evidence that Homo habilis and Homo erectus lived side-by side for perhaps as long as half a million years. If the evidence holds, it will neatly eliminate H. habilis as the earliest of our ancestors, and trigger a hunt for the "true" common ancestor, which may have lived 2-3 million years ago.

However, none of this is set in stone (as it were), and there's a chance the interpretation may be overturned. What's not widely understood is our ancient ancestors were quite rare on the savannah, and their fossils even more so. Most of these interpretations are based on extremely fragmentary and sparse evidence, sometimes (as seems to be the case here) just a few individuals represented by just teeth or jaws.

It's therefore doubtful if this find will settle any debates. However, it does seem to point the way to new avenues of research, which is always a good thing.

New Scientist is featuring a report on an intriguing fossil ape find. The creature, Hispanopithecus laietanus, seems to have been uniquely adapted for both swinging around in trees and walking on all fours. It's unclear if the ape was a dead end, or is related to one or more existing ape species.

Researchers have identified the root cause of Rosacea, an inflammatory skin condition that affects millions of people. It's hoped this new result will allow the development of new, more effective treatments.

Scientists are proposing ways to levitate things using quantum interactions. Three different ways, no less. Unfortunately, one of the methods requires a lot of exotic (expensive) materials, and the other two haven't been tested at all. Still, it's a start!

It would seem that, in mice at least, it's not a structural difference that make males and females behave differently. It's merely a "wrapper" on the base class:

The enormous difference between male and female sexual behaviour may be explained, in animals at least, by a tiny organ in the nose rather than by any gender difference in brain circuitry.
...
"In the big picture, it suggests that the female brain has a perfectly functional male behaviour circuit" which is repressed by signals from the vomeronasal organ, Professor Dulac says.

Seen from the perspective of developmental biology, "the finding is very satisfactory", she says.

"It means you only have to build one brain in a species and that the one brain is built, more or less, the same in the male and female."

Never heard of such a thing in humans, so I don't know if this has any implication at all for us.

Scientists have announced the discovery of a human skull with an anatomical feature thought only to be found on Neanderthals. It's my understanding that several genetic studies have shown no trace of Neanderthal genes in modern human populations, or visa-versa. This doesn't mean our ancestors didn't interbreed, but it does seem to indicate such experiments went nowhere.

By using an exotic mix of nanocomposites, scientists have created a new sort of artificial bone. The article doesn't mention any therapeutic applications for the stuff. Instead, it appears it will be useful in exploring why natural bone tissue varies in its composition depending on where in the body it is used.

Scientists are reporting the development of a new treatment for people with severe brain injuries. By using electrodes planted in specific places deep within the brain, scientists have been able to substantially improve the conditions of life for "minimally conscious" patients. So far the treatment is still very much in the trial stage, but if further tests prove successful it could offer hope for an improved life for those injured in this way.

Scientists are reporting the discovery of a specific section of the brain which appears to be responsible for sums and integration. It seems we're hard-wired to be able to make a guess at how many M&Ms are in the jar.

Sociologists are finally coming to realize that giant, sprawling virtual worlds are ideal models to examine social interaction. Because, well, that's exactly what they are. The fact that it's taken years for them to stumble onto the idea speaks volumes about how long information takes to percolate up to the highest ivory towers.

Scientists have determined that recall of emotional events is genetically influenced. Interesting, but can it help me find my keys?

Forget test-tube babies (shows my age... how long ago was that term even current?) Now we may end up with wombs on a chip. No, really! By protecting and managing the earliest stages of fertilization, scientists hope to increase the success rate of IVF.

Scientists are reporting new evidence that certain types of volcanoes have lava that "fizzes" to the surface. By using new infrared detection techniques, scientists were able to determine the lava formed in the Stromboli (no, really!) volcano in Italy formed much deeper than previously thought, leading to speculation that cracks in the volcano's floor was allowing lava to bubble up. Sounds more like a lava lamp to me, but who knows?

At least some scientists are claiming walking upright was a response to pressures that put a premium on energy conservation. According to this group of anthropologists, walking upright is a whopping 75% more efficient than the quadrupedal locomotion chimpanzees use. This would of course be rather useful in the rapidly changing environment of Pliocene Africa, where treks for food may have meant the difference between survival and starvation.

Yet another new technology promises to replace expensive LCDs with simpler and cheaper materials. This time it's plastic-coated bits of rust suspended in solution. The plastics repulse through electrostatics, and the rust allows magnetic fields to control them. The particles then arrange themselves into some bizzarre sort of squishy crystal, which can then be "tuned" to reflect different colors. The (potential) result? A cheap, colorful display that actually works better in direct sunlight than current technologies.

Looks interesting, but I won't be holding my breath waiting for a screen based on this stuff to appear.

Introducing Runbot, the learning robot that walks. Unlike much larger projects like Honda's Asimo, Runbot's goal is to create a decentralized system that offloads most of the effort of walking to local control loops, leaving the "brain" of the system needed only to learn new methods of walking on different terrain. Don't miss the amusing "not-quite-a-chicken-but-close" video of Runbot slowly learning to walk up an incline.

Ron gets a no-prize that'll be here Saturday Saturday Saturday!!! for bringing us this summary of a fossil review recently published about the Galve region of Northeast Spain. The specimens include horned sharks and the dinosaurs who loved to eat them, as well as crocodile-like critters the size of a bus.

As the son of a mom with severe arthritis, the discovery of new potential pain treatments is always of interest. That it's all based on some bizarre sea snail venom just makes it even more interesting.

British Museum scholars have announced the deciphering of a cuneiform table which mentions someone previously only known from the Bible. Independent textual confirmation of Biblical characters is, understandably, quite rare*, so the find is being treated with quite a bit of fanfare.

----
* It was a tiny little country constantly getting run over by its neighbors. It got cleaned out completely at least twice. Were it not for the spectacularly unlikely sequence of events that lead to an itinerant peasant's movement taking over the world, it's possible we'd be as familiar with Jews as we are with Sikhs, and for the same reasons.

A remarkably well-preserved infant mammoth has been discovered in Siberia. Apparently the only thing missing is the tail. Even the trunk and eyes are intact. It's just possible this will be the specimen that provides the DNA required to re-create the species. Certainly it's a lot better looking than the previous "remarkably intact" mammoth, which to me looked like a huge ball of mud with hair sticking out.

A drug already approved for use as an aid to stop smoking seems to also stop the craving for alcohol. Better living through chemistry!

New Scientist is carrying news of the development of a new kind of display technology. By using new thermally activated materials, scientists have created a system that controls its image via heat, instead of light or electric switches. It's claimed the material is much cheaper to manufacture than the stuff LCD screens are made of, and it's flexible to boot. No word on when we might see actual displays made with this technology, but if it pans out previous experience would suggest somewhere in the 5 year range.

Just in time to replace the set we're getting ready to buy, I suppose.

Seafloor evidence seems to indicate icebergs more than half a mile in total height once roamed the North Atlantic. These completely dwarf the ones we see nowadays; even the iceberg that sank Titanic was thought to "only" be about 100 feet tall.

Making the rounds: a recent theoretical development seems to imply it will be possible to explore what the universe was like before the big bang. I seem to recall Stephen Hawking postulating something similar years ago, no idea if this is even vaguely related.

The Post is reporting scientists have discovered biological switches which allow stress to promote obesity. In mice, of course, which means the research may not result in any success in humans. If it does, it could lead to safer, more effective treatments for obesity.

It appears the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's earliest and most powerful female pharaoh, has been found. Actually, found more than 100 years ago, but only now positively identified. We think. Well, that's what the Discovery Channel press release seems to say. Now to wait for the documentary.

Scientists claim to have discovered the impact crater caused by the Tunguska incident. If you need to look that one up, you haven't been hanging out with us all that long. I WANT TO BELIEVE.

Making the rounds: paleontologists have discovered a gigantic bird-like dinosaur in Mongolia. Thought to have lived just before the extinction of the dinosaurs, Gigantoraptor erlianensis (at least this specimen of it) was 26 feet long and about 12 feet tall at the shoulder. In spite of its bird-like construction, its one-and-a-half ton weight most likely precluded flying.

A new project to track walruses on the move is still returning data. While only one of the original eight tags is functioning, that final one is returning valuable data on where, and how fast, walruses can move around. The findings will hopefully be able to prove if the current Inuit hunting quotas are sustainable.

While every parent knows having a kid completely changes your attitude toward them, it's interesting to know there's a good chance this is hard-wired. In humans, at any rate, I wouldn't be surprised at all to find some sort of post-birth hormonal function that makes people also forget what it's like to have children. This would certainly explain certain behaviors in people I would normally consider more rational.

But hey, that's just me.

Scientists have developed a "self healing" material which can repair itself many times. While still a lab concept, if it sees production the material could have many uses, especially in aerospace.

While a single skeleton and a broken pot may not sound like much of a discovery, when it's in downtown London, and the items are from the Dark Ages, it most definitely is. The body is most likely from around 410 AD, and the pot not quite a century later. This places both items squarely in the middle of London's "lost centuries," potentially guiding the way to other finds.

A newly announced theory has the Pyramids in Egypt being constructed not from cut stone, but cast. The people behind the discovery claim that if the technique can be teased out, it could create a revolution in the construction industry.

Via Siflay.

A new report claims that bipedalism was the primary means of locomotion in very early apes, and that knuckle walking was a later development. While the idea that our ancestors were bipedal long before they struck out onto the savanna has been around for some time, the idea that we've always been bipedal is quite novel. As noted in the article, more research is needed to confirm this theory.

Ron gets a no-prize with a grudge against Indians for bringing us news of a new theory that attempts to explain why most of the large mammals of the western hemisphere died out 13,000 years ago. Scientists claim to have discovered evidence of a very large extraterrestrial object impacting the earth at about this time, which they claim caused a massive ice cap covering most of North America to melt. The massive cold water runoff this created shifted major ocean currents, triggering the well-documented Younger Dryas cooling event, whose thousand-year effect offed the big mammals. Ta-da!

The theory is, of course, controversial, with the primary objection being the lack of a big hole somewhere to crawl around in.

Scientists have developed a technique involving electrical fields to treat brain cancer that doubled the survival rate in clinical trials. By using "intermediate frequencies," scientists are able to turn off brain tumor cells, causing them to die instead of reproduce. Since healthy brain cells are famous for their near inability to divide, and use different electrical properties to boot, they're not affected by the treatment. The result? No observable side effects.

Considering the legendary suffering of those going through chemo, radiation, and surgical therapies, it's very much a Good Thing.

Scientists have discovered the genes for fin formation in fish are far more similar to land animal genes for limb formation than previously thought. Previous studies of this sort relied on zebrafish as test subjects, but by using the more primitive paddlefish scientists found many of the zebrafish's differences were the result of further evolution, not a fundamental difference.

Scientists have found that tailoring diets to the biology of their bodies resulted in better weight loss success. Specifically, people who naturally produced high levels of insulin fared better on a low-glycaemic load diet (which, if I'm reading it correctly, is effectively the Atkins diet), while those who didn't had better results from a more conventional low-fat diet. The causes of this are currently unknown, but the findings would seem to point the way toward more effective weight loss strategies.

A new study claims the reason why Neanderthals hung on so long in Spain was related to the weather. A new climate model seems to indicate the Iberian peninsula turned into a very arid place about 40,000 years ago, and stayed that way for at least 1000 years. The thinking goes this caused modern humans to stop their encroachment into this area, allowing the indigenous Neanderthals to survive longer than their relatives did in other places.

Ron gets a submarine no-prize for bringing us news about recent biological surveys of the Southern Ocean, the body of water that surrounds Antarctica. Contrary to earlier assumptions, the area is extremely rich and diverse, with dozens of species never before seen and found nowhere else.

Looks like our very earliest ancestors weren't really all that bright. Not particularly surprising, since basically all the evidence points to large brains coming very late to the hominid evolutionary game. Mmm... Brainss...

For perspective, the dinosaurs crapped out about 65 mya, and the earliest homina-homina-hominid found so far lived around 4.2 mya.

Via Siflay.

Ron gets a no-prize Flava Flave would envy for bringing us news of the discovery of a Roman-era dental decoration. Gold wire holding in the owners own teeth, no less.

New research has revealed that men who applied a gel containing a small dose of testosterone to their skin received substantial protection from the disease. The case study is very small, so more trials will be needed to confirm the effect. However, if proven, the study's authors claim the treatment should work equally well for women.

Ron gets a no-prize he definitely won't get past customs for bringing us news of mushroom-based home insulation. No, really!

Ron gets a no-prize with a horn in its ear for bringing us news of a report about what noises, exactly, the dinosaurs may have made and heard. The conclusion that they probably made big boomy noises, similar to very large mammals, seems pretty damned obvious to me, but hell as long as it keeps them busy...

Austrian scientists are claiming regular cars fitted with special telemetric devices are at least as, and sometimes more, efficient than hybrid vehicles. By actively predicting traffic patterns and co-ordinating breaking and acceleration events, these scientists achieved as much as a 33% improvement in mileage for otherwise normal cars.

If it helps stop congestion and makes the highways safer, I'm all for it. But you go first.

An Israeli archeology team has announced the discovery of king Herod's tomb. Just exactly what makes them think it is the Roman-era's most notorious Jewish leader is unclear, but certainly the described size is some indication. The site was looted in ancient times, most likely during the rebellion or the subsequent sack of Jerusalem in 70 CE. The modern excavation effort seems to have been going on for some 35 years, a typical length of time for such a large site.

Ron gets a no-prize that'll run in slow motion for bringing us news of the development of a brand new bionic hand. The project was created by DARPA as part of their "Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009" program. The new hand uses healthy nerves to both control the hand as well as allow feedback like a sense of touch for the user. The prototype has been demonstrated as allowing amputees the ability to perform fine motor skill activities such as picking up a drinking cup without crushing it, and moving checkers around a board. The hope is when the device reaches production it will provide relief for the hundreds of amputees generated by the Iraq war (as well as, one would presume, others).

Scientists have discovered it's not the lack of oxygen that kills, it's the sudden resumption of oxygen that does it. By controlling oxygen re-introduction (called "reperfusion"), doctors in one limited study changed the survival rate of cardiac arrest victims from 15 percent to 80 percent. It's quite a fascinating article.

The Large Hadron Collider has suffered another setback. This time, one of the eight superconducting magnets failed "with a bang" in testing earlier this year. The fix, consisting of the installation of reinforcing structures to help contain pressures they are subject to, could set the project back weeks if not months.

So if you were worried about the LHC creating black holes that suck down the whole world, well, you're gonna have to wait awhile.

Due to a lack of skilled trumpeters, the End of the World has been postponed six weeks. We apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Slashdot linked up news of the discovery of a fossilized forest some four square miles in area. It now forms the roof of an active coal mine in Illinois. Scientists have determined it to be a rain forest that was flooded and buried in an earthquake some 300 million years ago. Because of its age, it's likely this represents one of the earliest rain forests ever to have evolved.

The latest surgical innovation? Performing operations via your mouth. The thought of having defective bits of me pulled out through my mouth gives me the skeevees something fierce, but if it makes the job less painful and reduces the risk of infection, I guess it's a good thing.

But if it happens to you, make sure you brush your teeth before you leave the hospital, ok?

A rare camel fossil has been discovered under a Wal Mart parking lot in Mesa Arizona. It was found at the bottom of a hole dug for a citrus tree. All parties involved have already agreed to donate the find to the local university.

The Archimedes Palimpsest has revealed yet another hidden work in its pages. This time, it appears to be an ancient commentary on Aristotle's Categories, "one of the foundations of Western studies of logic."

It's very exciting, in an admittedly nerdy and bookish sort of way, to think these new techniques could unearth writings considered lost forever by generations of scholars.

Scientists have made new discoveries about how "white matter" found in the brains of schizophrenia sufferers relate to the disease:

[The report] provides evidence that alterations in myelin [the lipid layers that sheath and insulate nerve fibers and are the main constituent of white matter] can cause defects in neurons and the central nervous system in general that are related to neuropsychiatric disease," says the study's senior author Gabriel Corfas, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital Boston.

The hope is the discovery will point the way toward earlier detection and newer, more effective treatments.

Scientists are speculating the very early Earth may have been tinted purple, not green. It only got green when the photosynthesizing critters poisoned the purple retinal-using ones with all their poo oxygen. Right now it's nothing more than an hypothesis, but an interesting one nonetheless.