Curses! eBay has banned magic spells and potions.
A small paragraph in the new eBay 2012 Fall Seller Update (h/t Tecca) is proving to be a big bummer for purveyors of the occult -- and for other believers. As of Aug. 30, eBay wrote on its site, the following merchandise is prohibited: "spells; curses; hexing; conjuring; magic; prayers; blessing services; magic potions; healing sessions. "Ebay also banned "advice." |  |
First Evidence Found for Photosynthesis in Insects
The biology of aphids is bizarre: they can be born pregnant and males sometimes lack mouths, causing them to die not long after mating. In an addition to their list of anomalies, work published this week indicates that they may also capture sunlight and use the energy for metabolic purposes.
Aphids are unique among animals in their ability to synthesize pigments called carotenoids. Many creatures rely on these pigments for a variety of functions, such as maintaining a healthy immune system and making certain vitamins, but all other animals must obtain them through their diet. Entomologist Alain Robichon at the Sophia Agrobiotech Institute in Sophia Antipolis, France, and his colleagues suggest that, in aphids... |  |
Nova Scotia man discovers rare fossil while walking dog along beach
A Nova Scotia man out for a casual beach stroll has stumbled upon what’s being described as one of the most significant fossil discoveries in the province’s history.
Patrick Keating and his dog, Kitty, were walking along the Northumberland Shore in early July when they came across a rib cage, backbone and the partial sail belonging to an extinct, sail-back reptile — the first discovery of its kind in Nova Scotia. |  |
Apocalypse Not: Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Worry About End Times
When the sun rises on December 22, as it surely will, do not expect apologies or even a rethink. No matter how often apocalyptic predictions fail to come true, another one soon arrives. And the prophets of apocalypse always draw a following—from the 100,000 Millerites who took to the hills in 1843, awaiting the end of the world, to the thousands who believed in Harold Camping, the Christian radio broadcaster who forecast the final rapture in both 1994 and 2011.
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DNA data storage breaks records
A trio of researchers has encoded a draft of a whole book into DNA. The 5.27-megabit tome contains 53,246 words, 11 JPG image files and a JavaScript program, making it the largest piece of non-biological data ever stored in this way.
DNA has the potential to store huge amounts of information. In theory, two bits of data can be incorporated per nucleotide — the single base unit of a DNA string — so each gram of the double-stranded molecule could store 455 exabytes of data (1 exabyte is 1018 bytes). Such dense packing outstrips inorganic data-storage devices such as flash memory, hard disks or even storage based on quantum-computing methods. |  |
Nikola Tesla museum campaign earns $500,000 online in two days
The development of a museum dedicated to the life and works Nikola Tesla
has moved one step closer after an online campaign raised more than $500,000 in 48 hours.The fundraising effort, called "Let's build a goddamn Tesla museum", was devised by web comic The Oatmeal on behalf of the Tesla Science Center. |  |
The Saturday interview: Harvard biologist Edward Wilson
It's not every day, or even every few decades, that a scientist tears up the dominant interpretation of Darwin's theory of evolution, but two years ago that's what the eminent biologist Edward Wilson and two of his Harvard colleagues did. In a controversial paper that made the cover of the journal Nature, they dismissed the widely accepted, half-century-old theory of "kin selection" and proposed a different explanation of the advanced social behaviour of insects to take its place – a revamped version of something that had long ago been dismissed by most biologists. (We'll look at the details of both theories in a moment.).
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Palm Scanners To Pay For School Lunch Has Parents Up In Arms
Moss Bluff Elementary School in Louisiana is looking to streamline lunch payments by implementing a palm vein scanner program, but some parents aren't pleased.
A letter to parents this week informed them of the new scanner that will allow the school's nearly 1,000 students to move through the lunch line faster and with fewer payment mistakes -- an issue that had arisen in the past, KPLC-TV reports.
A letter to parents this week informed them of the new scanner that will allow the school's nearly 1,000 students to move through the lunch line faster and with fewer payment mistakes -- an issue that had arisen in the past, KPLC-TV reports.
Castles, Ancient Treasures Under Fire in Syria—Possibly Beyond Repair
As fighting intensified last week in Syria's Old City of Aleppo, shells bombarded the city's medieval citadel (picture). At least one barreled through a tower, splintering a centuries-old door and punching a hole through the stone entryway. After the shelling, a video posted online showed armored vehicles patrolling the citadel perimeter as infantry entered the gates.
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Solar-powered desalination brings relief to parched farms
Growing food in bone-dry deserts may get easier and more affordable thanks to an energy-efficient solar-powered desalination technology that’s showing promise in an Israeli pilot project.
At the heart of the technology is a “nanofiltration” membrane that allows plant managers to decide which minerals to filter out of the salty water pumped up from aquifers.
Normally, non-specific membranes in desalination plants filter out all the minerals in the groundwater via reverse osmosis. However, some of these minerals are beneficial to crops. Farmers thus have to add them back in to their irrigation water.
At the heart of the technology is a “nanofiltration” membrane that allows plant managers to decide which minerals to filter out of the salty water pumped up from aquifers.
Normally, non-specific membranes in desalination plants filter out all the minerals in the groundwater via reverse osmosis. However, some of these minerals are beneficial to crops. Farmers thus have to add them back in to their irrigation water.
What Blind Monkeys Might 'See'
When the area of the brain responsible for processing vision is destroyed, does some visual ability still remain? The answer is yes, surprising even to human patients who have experienced this condition, but researchers are looking to monkeys to determine what, and how much, exists.
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Madagascar Gets Biggest Lemur Park
Good news for lemurs: Officials in Madagascar have created the island's biggest protected wildlife park. Named Makira Natural Park, the area is larger than the state of than the state of Rhode Island, and it provides a habitat for the highest diversity of lemurs on the planet, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced.
The park stretches over 1,438 square miles (372,470 hectares) of rainforest in northeastern Madagascar and contains... |  |
Who's who? Two new species of owls identified in Philippines
Two new owl species have been identified in the Philippines, and researchers say the birds' songs led them to the discovery.
"More than 15 years ago, we realized that new subspecies of Ninox hawk-owls existed in the Philippines," zoologist Pam Rasmussen of Michigan State University said in a statement. "But it wasn't until last year that we obtained enough recordings that we could confirm that they were not just subspecies, but two new species of owls." |  |
Long-lost Egyptian Pyramids Found on Google Earth?
A self-described "satellite archaeology researcher" has garnered widespread media attention with claims that she has found two possible pyramid complexes in Egypt using Google Earth. But experts say her pyramids are nothing more than eroded hills infused with a heavy dose of wishful thinking.
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Rover reveals more of Martian peak
Newly received images from NASA's Curiosity rover are filling out the high-resolution view of its surroundings at Gale Crater on Mars — and providing an up-close look at the six-wheeled craft's nuclear power source. But there are even more impressive vistas yet to come.
Some of the new imagery was actually taken by Curiosity's Mastcam color camera more than a week ago, on Aug. 8-9, also known as Sol 3 of Curiosity's mission. It didn't take long for the rover to transmit 130 low-resolution thumbnails, each measuring 144 by 144 pixels. Those were assembled and released as a 360-degree panorama on Aug. 9. But the high-resolution versions...
Some of the new imagery was actually taken by Curiosity's Mastcam color camera more than a week ago, on Aug. 8-9, also known as Sol 3 of Curiosity's mission. It didn't take long for the rover to transmit 130 low-resolution thumbnails, each measuring 144 by 144 pixels. Those were assembled and released as a 360-degree panorama on Aug. 9. But the high-resolution versions...
Mars Rover Curiosity Has 'Dreams' on Red Planet
If androids dream of electric sheep, what do Mars rovers dream about? Their fiery descents through the Red Planet's atmosphere? Or maybe their Earthly home, so many million miles away?
The seemingly silly question is worthy of a few minutes' consideration, for researchers revealed Tuesday (Aug. 14) that NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on the Red Planet has a "dream mode." This state allows the 1-ton robot to save energy while performing vital functions, scientists said. |  |
Nasa's Curiosity rover prepares to zap Martian rocks
Nasa's Curiosity rover is getting ready to zap its first Martian rock.
A small stone lying just to the side of the vehicle at its landing site on the floor of Gale Crater has been selected as a test target for the ChemCam laser. The brief but powerful burst of light from this instrument will vaporise the surface of the rock, revealing details of its basic chemistry. |  |
Cambodia Ancient Buddha Statues Found By Bathing Children
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Authorities in Cambodia say children bathing in a newly dug pond accidentally unearthed six ancient Buddhist statues believed to be around 1,000 years old.
Provincial Culture Department official Prak Sakhon says the statues were found Wednesday in Khleng Por, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of capital Phnom Penh. |  |
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