Longevity 'Blue Zones'

See the video HERE.

Big Blobs Change View of Evolution

On a submersible dive off the Bahamas, Mikhail V. Matz of the University of Texas at Austin and several colleagues were seeking big-eyed, glowing animals adapted to darkness.

Yet as they cruised above the seafloor, the team was distracted by hundreds of bizarre, sediment-coated balls the size of grapes. Each sat at the end of a sinuous track in the seafloor ooze. Indeed, the balls appeared to have made the tracks; some even seemed to have rolled upslope.

The team collected specimens and identified the creatures as giant protozoans, Gromia sphaerica, each one a single large cell with an organic shell, or "test." When cleaned of sediment, the test feels like grape skin, but squishier, Matz says.

More HERE.

UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt - Times Online

JONATHON PORRITT, one of Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn
that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a
sustainable society.

Environmentalists Hail Earth Hour as a Big Success - ABC News

Wind-powered car breaks record

After 10 years, British engineer Richard Jenkins breaks the world land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle.

Leaving computers on overnight = $2.8 billion a year

Sydney power blackout causes chaos

A severe power blackout brought chaos to downtown Sydney on Monday afternoon, causing peak-hour traffic jams as street signals failed and leaving workers stranded in lifts as they tried to make their way home.

Cost Works Against Alternative Energy in Time of Recession - NYTimes.com

As Congress debates new emissions restrictions, an underlying question is how much more Americans will be willing to pay to harness the wind and the sun.

Billion Tree Campaign Passes 3 Billion Mark | OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Long-necked dinos didn't reach for the skies

A fondly-held belief about long-necked sauropods, the giant four-footed dinosaurs beloved of monster movies and children, is most probably untrue, a dino expert said on Wednesday.

CT scan reveals hidden face under Nefertiti bust

Researchers in Germany have used a modern medical procedure to uncover a secret within one of ancient Egypt's most treasured artworks - the bust of Nefertiti has two faces.

9 patients made nearly 2,700 ER visits in Texas

Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report. The patients went to hospital emergency rooms 2,678 times from 2003 through 2008, said the report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration

Analysis: Obama no-nukes pledge not so farfetched

President Barack Obama's startling call Friday for a "world without nuclear weapons" brings to mind Ronald Reagan's idealistic, unfulfilled dream of eliminating the threat of nuclear annihilation.

Astronomers catch a shooting star for 1st time

For the first time scientists matched a meteorite found on Earth with a specific asteroid that became a fireball plunging through the sky. It gives them a glimpse into the past when planets formed and an idea how to avoid a future asteroid Armageddon.

Oil Companies Reluctant to Follow Obama’s Green Lead - NYTimes.com

The Obama administration wants to spend $150 billion to diversify energy sources by encouraging more renewable sources, but oil giants are hanging back.

Military sonar blamed for mass dolphin strandings - Times Online

Mass strandings of dolphins and whales could be caused because the animals are rendered temporarily deaf by military sonar, experiments have shown.

Kids Curb Marital Satisfaction

Parents all know that children make it harder to do some of the most enjoyable adult things. Bluntly put, kids can get between you.

Friendly 'Death Star' Laser to Recreate Sun's Power

Lasers have usually represented weapons of mass destruction in movies such as Star Wars, but a newly completed facility has begun harnessing lasers to create a fusion reaction rivaling the power of a miniature sun.

Astronaut Class of 2009 Has No Spaceship

Nearly five decades after announcing the seven original Mercury astronauts, NASA is again set to reveal a new class of spaceflyers. But the 2009 astronaut class will be the first in nearly 30 years that will enter training without the prospect of flying on the space shuttle.

Edge of Space Found

Hold on to your hats, or in this case, your helmets: Scientists have finally pinpointed
the so-called edge of space — the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

Study Finds Source of Self-Control, Maybe | LiveScience

Is religion the opium of the masses or does it help us stay in line?

Losing It: Why Self-Control Is Not Natural

After dinner last night, I lost my usual self-control and ate half a box of cookies.

I Am Ironman! | h+ Magazine

Cyberdyne Corporation of Japan, in conjunction with Daiwa House, has begun mass production of a cybernetic bodysuit that augments body movement and increases user strength by up to tenfold.

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita predicts Iran's future | Video on TED.com

TED Talks Bruce Bueno de Mesquita uses mathematical analysis to predict (very often correctly) such messy human events as war, political power shifts, Intifada ... After a crisp explanation of how he does it, he offers three predictions on the future of Iran.

The Associated Press: New orangutan population found in Indonesia

Researchers Develop World's First Flying Microrobot For Microscale Applications

The microrobot discovery provides researchers with more control over the microscale environment, allowing them to move and place tiny objects with far greater precision. The microscale deals with tiny objects, at levels that are too small to be manipulated by humans.

Cure For Honey Bee Colony Collapse?

For the first time, scientists have isolated a parasite from professional apiaries suffering from honey bee colony depopulation syndrome. They then went on to treat the infection with complete success.

All Octopuses Are Venomous

Contrary to what was known, all octopuses are venomous, a new study finds.

Blind to be cured with stem cells - Times Online

BRITISH scientists have developed the world’s first stem cell therapy to cure
the most common cause of blindness.

BBC E-mail: Chimpanzees exchange meat for sex

** Chimpanzees exchange meat for sex **
Chimpanzees enter into long-term deals, exchanging meat for sex, say researchers who studied behaviour in Ivory Coast.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/7988169.stm

Word origin: Boobalicious

The four-eyed spookfish may have seemed strange enough. Now researchers say it doesn't really have four eyes. Instead, it is the known first vertebrate to use mirrors, rather than lenses, to focus light in its eyes.

“In nearly 500 million years of vertebrate evolution, and many thousands of vertebrate species living and dead, this is the only one known to have solved the fundamental optical problem faced by all eyes — how to make an image — using a mirror," said Julian Partridge from the University of Bristol.

While the spookfish looks like it has four eyes, in fact it only has two, each of which is split into two connected parts. One half points upwards, giving the spookfish a view of the ocean — and potential food — above. The other half, which looks like a bump on the side of the fish's head, points down. These diverticular eyes, as they are called, are unique among all vertebrates in that they use a mirror to make the image, Partridge and colleagues found.

More HERE.

Cold fusion debate heats up again

Researchers at a meeting in the US claim renewed evidence for the long-discredited idea of fusion at room temperature.

Astronauts fail to budge stuck cargo carrier

The key to energy independence: Go fly a kite!

Stranded whales returned to sea off SW Australia

Eleven long-finned pilot whales were returned to sea Tuesday after surviving a mass stranding on a remote southwest Australian beach, but they appeared disoriented and were trying to return to shore, an official said.

Gang of Juvenile Dinosaurs Discovered

Three juvenile Triceratops, a species thought to be solitary, died together in a flood and now have been found in a 66 million-year-old bone bed in Montana, lending more evidence to the idea that teen dinosaurs were gregarious gangsters.

Tennis Player Sarah Gronert Born With Male And Female Genitalia

Female tennis player born with male and female genitalia is competing in the WTA. Some say her competing against women should be disqualified since she has an unfair advantage. Sarah Gronert had an operation to remove the genitalia.

Shining Solar Beacon Lights the Way for the Weary Traveler

Avid skiers may soon find a shining new example of sustainable shelter on their next trip to the Swiss Alps. The Monte Rosa Hut, developed by the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) and winner of Holcim Awards Bronze 2008 Europe, is an alpine shelter that uses state of the art technology