German academic finds exceptional Hitler letter 'by coincidence'
A German academic who found a letter proving that Adolf Hitler personally intervened to protect a Jewish man who had been his commanding officer during World War One, told Haaretz on Saturday that she found the letter "by coincidence," while carrying out research on Jewish jurists.
The letter, composed in August 1940 by Heinrich Himmler, head of the Nazis' feared paramilitary SS, said that Ernst Hess, a judge, should be spared persecution or deportation "as per the Fuehrer's wishes." It was published for the first time by the Berlin-based Jewish Voice from Germany newspaper. |  |
Earth's water piggybacked on asteroids, not comets
Whether comets or asteroids were the source of Earth's water has long been the subject of debate. Now an analysis of the composition of meteorites suggests the water did not originate in the outer solar system, a finding that favours asteroids as the vehicle for its arrival.
Both asteroids and comets are found in a region of the solar system known as the asteroid belt, which occupies a wide swathe of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. However, comets with their icy tails would have been born in the chillier region of space between Saturn and Jupiter and then migrated into the asteroid belt. |  |
The UFO Files: Alien sightings in Britain
UFO sighting have been reported in dozens of locations across Britain, with silver suited “faceless humanoids” in West Wales and suspicious-looking “men in black” in Lincolnshire, according to Ministry of Defence documents.
The documents, published by the National Archives for the first time today, detail a bizarre list of weird and wonderful alien sightings.
The documents, published by the National Archives for the first time today, detail a bizarre list of weird and wonderful alien sightings.
Parents less likely to catch colds and flu
CHILDREN bring many things to their parents' lives: happiness, sleepless nights... and viruses. But although parents do catch infections from their kids, it seems parents are also more resistant to colds and flu.
Sheldon Cohen and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, reviewed three studies in which researchers put either a flu virus or a rhinovirus, which causes colds, into people's noses, then tracked who fell ill. Cohen's team found that parents were only 48 per cent as likely to develop an infection as people with no kids. |  |
Lemurs 'facing extinction'
The report shows that out of the 103 species of Lemurs on Madagascar over 91 per cent of them are on the Threatened Species – Red list.
Even more alarming is the fact that 23 of the 103 species are classed as "critically endangered". 52 species have been put down as "endangered" while the remaining 19 are marked as "vulnerable". To be marked as "critically endangered" the Lemurs population must have fallen by 80 per cent over the last 10 years or the population numbers of that particular species must have dropped below 50 mature adults. |  |
Nasa's seven minutes of terror as Mars probe hurtles to planet at 13,000mph
A giant space probe will plunge into the atmosphere of Mars at a speed of more than 13,000mph in a few weeks' time. For the next seven minutes, its onboard computer will issue electronic instructions to direct the craft through manoeuvres of unprecedented complexity to guide it to the ground. Atmospheric friction and later a giant parachute will cut its speed to a few hundred miles per hour. Then rocket engines will fire and the probe will slow down until it hovers about 20 metres above the surface of the Red Planet.
The spaceship's hold will open and a one-tonne robot rover, Curiosity, will be lowered – on three nylon cables – on to the surface of the Gale Crater, near the Martian equator, the craft's target landing site. |  |
Why Curiosity Needs to Dig Deep for Organic Molecules on Mars
When NASA’s next Mars rover, Curiosity, enters the martian atmosphere in the wee hours of Aug. 6 (EDT), it will run a gauntlet of mechanical operations and physical hurdles during the aptly named “7 minutes of terror.” But once the rover starts roving and the landing engineering team has retired to the south of France in celebration, the science team will begin its own period of anxiety: weeks, months, and possibly years of searching for organic molecule paydirt.
The astrobiological consensus regarding the search for organics and potential life on Mars is that the subsurface holds the greatest potential, both for any active biology and ancient biomolecules that could still be recognizable. After all, the modern martian surface is a pretty miserable place to be a microbe: a cool -58 degree average temperature and not a drop of water to be found. |  |
Chicken vaccines combine to create deadly virus
Australian scientists have found that two different vaccines used to control an infectious disease in chickens can recombine to create new lethal virus strains.
The research, to be published today in the journal Science, has prompted authorities to review vaccine use in animals. But the scientists, from the University of Melbourne, say the findings are not only important for vaccines in chickens, but also for any vaccine which might be able to multiply - including those used in humans. |  |
NSA whistleblower: They’re assembling information on every U.S. citizen
NSA whistleblower William Binney was interviewed by internet journalist Geoff Shively at the HOPE Number 9 hackers conference in New York on Friday.
Binney, who resigned from the NSA in 2001 over its domestic surveillance program, had just delivered a keynote speech in which he revealed what Shively called “evidence which we have not seen until this point".
Binney, who resigned from the NSA in 2001 over its domestic surveillance program, had just delivered a keynote speech in which he revealed what Shively called “evidence which we have not seen until this point".
Inexperienced Video Gamers Show Macbeth Effect
Current research from the University of Luxembourg, found that when participants were asked to select gift products after they had played a violent video game, inexperienced players selected more hygienic products, such as shower gel, toothpaste and deodorant, compared to those who played violent video games more often. Inexperienced players also felt higher moral distress from playing violent games.
July 14 2012
A massive solar eruption may trigger an exceptional display of northern lights this weekend, giving skywatchers around the world a treat.
The sun unleashed an X-class solar flare — the most powerful type — at 12:52 p.m. ET on Thursday. The storm also triggered a huge eruption of solar plasma known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME, which is now streaking directly toward Earth at roughly 3 million mph (5 million kilometers per hour).
The CME is expected to hit our planet between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET Saturday, according to forecasts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.
The sun unleashed an X-class solar flare — the most powerful type — at 12:52 p.m. ET on Thursday. The storm also triggered a huge eruption of solar plasma known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME, which is now streaking directly toward Earth at roughly 3 million mph (5 million kilometers per hour).
The CME is expected to hit our planet between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET Saturday, according to forecasts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.
Marijuana Reveals Memory Mechanism
Glial cells, not neurons, are responsible for marijuana-induced forgetfulness
Until recently, most scientists believed that neurons were the all-important brain cells controlling mental functions and that the surrounding glial cells were little more than neuron supporters and “glue.” Now research published in March in Cell reveals that astrocytes, a type of glia, have a principal role in working memory. And the scientists made the discovery by getting mice stoned. |  |
With typical flair, Sir Richard Branson today announced that he and his children will be the first passengers when the Virgin Galactic space tourism programme begins.
Virgin boss Sir Richard and son Sam and daughter Holly are expected to be flying 60 miles up into space on the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) aircraft by the end of next year.
Today, Sir Richard joined around 120 other tourists who have signed up for the two-hour flights, at 200,000 US dollars (£128,000) a trip.
Virgin boss Sir Richard and son Sam and daughter Holly are expected to be flying 60 miles up into space on the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) aircraft by the end of next year.
Today, Sir Richard joined around 120 other tourists who have signed up for the two-hour flights, at 200,000 US dollars (£128,000) a trip.
Ancient human fossil recovery to be aired live
Johannesburg: Archaeologists will stream live footage online as they recover significant parts of an early human skeleton that’s nearly two million years old, the first time the public can participate in the discovery process from their homes, a South African scientist said.
Paleontologist Lee Berger said it was valuable to bring the research to the public.
“It’s important for people to understand where they come from,” Berger said. “This belongs to the people, this is the story of humanity.
Paleontologist Lee Berger said it was valuable to bring the research to the public.
“It’s important for people to understand where they come from,” Berger said. “This belongs to the people, this is the story of humanity.
Pacific NW Seabirds Stuffed Full of Plastic
There is a growing amount of plastic floating around in the world's oceans, posing threats to animal life, human health and environmental balance.
But how much plastic is out there? It's a hard question to answer because there is no one standardized way to document all the bits of floss, fishing line and food containers drifting in the waves.
Looking into the bellies of birds might be one solution to quantifying the problem, suggests a new study in the Pacific Northwest. In the waters there, plastic pollution is becoming as common as in the highly polluted North Sea.
But how much plastic is out there? It's a hard question to answer because there is no one standardized way to document all the bits of floss, fishing line and food containers drifting in the waves.
Looking into the bellies of birds might be one solution to quantifying the problem, suggests a new study in the Pacific Northwest. In the waters there, plastic pollution is becoming as common as in the highly polluted North Sea.
Illegal-Ivory Bust Shows Growing U.S. Appetite for Elephant Tusks
The next time you browse cute little ivory objects in a jewelry shop, remember that they could be made from the tusks of elephants illegally killed by poachers and smuggled into the United States. Their death could have far-reaching consequences, perhaps even affecting the climate.
At a July 12 press conference in New York City, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance announced the seizure of more than $2 million worth of illicit ivory items, one of the largest such seizures in state history. The ivory was mostly used to make small jewelry, animal statues and carved tusks, which were being sold at two shops in Manhattan.
At a July 12 press conference in New York City, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance announced the seizure of more than $2 million worth of illicit ivory items, one of the largest such seizures in state history. The ivory was mostly used to make small jewelry, animal statues and carved tusks, which were being sold at two shops in Manhattan.
As government agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia push for increased surveillance powers, one pioneering American is pushing back.
New York-based entrepreneur Nicholas Merrill is making progress on a project he revealed in April: an encryption-based telecommunications provider designed to be “untappable.” After crowd-funding almost $70,000 in donations, Merrill says that he has held talks with a host of interested venture capitalists and a few “really big companies” apparently interested in partnering up or helping with financial support. Now the “surveillance-proof” software is in development, and he is on track to begin operating a limited service by the end of the year. |  |