Navigating the Seas of Titan, Saturn's Largest Moon
Humanity has landed a rover on Mars. Now, say scientists, it's time to land a boat on Titan. This outlandish scenario could become reality, according to scientists presenting their proposals at the European Planetary Science Congress on Sept. 27.
Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is one of the most Earth-like bodies in the Solar System. With a thick atmosphere, a diameter between that of Earth and the planet Mercury, and a network of seas, lakes and rivers, it is in many respects more like a planet than a moon like Earth's.
Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is one of the most Earth-like bodies in the Solar System. With a thick atmosphere, a diameter between that of Earth and the planet Mercury, and a network of seas, lakes and rivers, it is in many respects more like a planet than a moon like Earth's.
Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano calls Jesus' Wife Coptic papyrus a fake
VATICAN CITY (AP).- The Vatican newspaper has added to the doubts surrounding Harvard University's claim that a 4th century Coptic papyrus fragment showed that some early Christians believed that Jesus was married, declaring it a "fake."
The newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published an article Thursday by leading Coptic scholar Alberto Camplani and an accompanying editorial by the newspaper's editor, Giovanni Maria Vian, an expert in early Christianity. They both cited concerns expressed by other scholars about the fragment's authenticity and the fact that it was purchased on the market without a known archaeological provenance. |  |
Russia 'consecrates' North Pole to reassert ownership
The service was held by Bishop Iakov on the ice alongside the nuclear icebreaker Rossiya during a polar expedition titled "Arctic-2012", organised by the country's Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.
The metal capsule carried the blessings of the church's leader, bearing the inscription: "With the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the consecration of the North Pole marks 1150 years of Russian Statehood." The Kremlin is keen to claim the hydrocarbon riches off its northern coast despite territorial claims from other governments, and is gradually re-militarising the area. |  |
Ancient Stinging Nettles Reveal Bronze Age Trade Connections
A piece of nettle cloth retrieved from Denmark's richest known Bronze Age burial mound Lusehøj may actually derive from Austria, new findings suggest. The cloth thus tells a surprising story about long-distance Bronze Age trade connections around 800 BC.
2,800 years ago, one of Denmark's richest and most powerful men died. His body was burned. And the bereaved wrapped his bones in a cloth made from stinging nettle and put them in a stately bronze container, which also functioned as urn. Now new findings suggest that the man's voyage to his final resting place may have been longer than such voyages usually were during the Bronze Age: the nettle cloth, which was wrapped around the deceased's bones, was not made in Denmark, and the evidence points to present-day Austria as the place of origin. |  |
Bias Persists for Women of Science, a Study Finds
Science professors at American universities widely regard female undergraduates as less competent than male students with the same accomplishments and skills, a new study by researchers at Yale concluded.
As a result, the report found, the professors were less likely to offer the women mentoring or a job. And even if they were willing to offer a job, the salary was lower.
The bias was pervasive, the scientists said, and probably reflected subconscious cultural influences rather than overt or deliberate discrimination.
As a result, the report found, the professors were less likely to offer the women mentoring or a job. And even if they were willing to offer a job, the salary was lower.
The bias was pervasive, the scientists said, and probably reflected subconscious cultural influences rather than overt or deliberate discrimination.
Male DNA found in women's brains
Male DNA is commonly found in the brains of women, a study has found.
The cause of the phenomenon is most likely being pregnant with a boy, say scientists.
No one yet knows the medical implications of the discovery. But there is a suggestion that male DNA in the female brain might protect against Alzheimer's disease.
Other kinds of "microchimerism", the harbouring of genetic material and cells swapped between foetus and mother during pregnancy, have been linked to both beneficial and harmful effects.
The cause of the phenomenon is most likely being pregnant with a boy, say scientists.
No one yet knows the medical implications of the discovery. But there is a suggestion that male DNA in the female brain might protect against Alzheimer's disease.
Other kinds of "microchimerism", the harbouring of genetic material and cells swapped between foetus and mother during pregnancy, have been linked to both beneficial and harmful effects.
BPA Linked with Abnormal Egg Cells
Girls exposed to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) while in the womb may be at increased risk for reproductive problems later in life, a new study in monkeys suggests.
In the study, female monkeys exposed to BPA in the womb were at higher risk for abnormal egg development compared with those not exposed to BPA. In female monkeys, as in humans, egg formation begins before birth. However, it's not known whether BPA could have the same effect on egg development in people. |  |
Great ape habitat in Africa has dramatically declined
Great apes, such as gorillas, chimps and bonobos, are running out of places to live, say scientists.
They have recorded a dramatic decline in the amount of habitat suitable for great apes, according to the first such survey across the African continent. Eastern gorillas, the largest living primate, have lost more than half their habitat since the early 1990s. Cross River gorillas, chimps and bonobos have also suffered significant losses, according to the study. |  |
Warning over salt marshes decline
Salt marshes which form a natural defence against the impact of climate change could die out before the end of the century, scientists have warned.
A study into coastal vegetation predicts that warmer temperatures will encourage the plants to grow until around 2075, but a simultaneous rise in sea levels means they are likely to drown by the year 2100. Researchers said salt marshes are effective at removing carbon dioxide from the air and lock away as much carbon as about a third of the world's forests. |  |
High Arctic Warming Surpasses That During Viking Era
OSLO (Reuters) - Temperatures high in the Norwegian Arctic are above those in a natural warm period in Viking times, underscoring a thaw opening the region to everything from oil exploration to shipping, scientists said on Thursday.
Last week, sea ice on the Arctic Ocean set a record low since satellite observations began in the 1970s. In recent years, mussels have been found off the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard for the first time since the Viking era 1,000 years ago.
Last week, sea ice on the Arctic Ocean set a record low since satellite observations began in the 1970s. In recent years, mussels have been found off the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard for the first time since the Viking era 1,000 years ago.
French ship discovers 1million new species lurking deep in world’s oceans
A French research ship has discovered one million new species- many of them never seen before by man- as it crossed the Atlantic, Pacific, Southern and Indian oceans on a 70,000 mile journey.
Among the most eye-catching was the siphonophore, the world’s longest animal that can extend for up to 150ft, bristling with poisonous tentacles.
It lurks about 3,000ft below the surface of the sea trapping prawns and shrimps in its poisonous tentacles.
Among the most eye-catching was the siphonophore, the world’s longest animal that can extend for up to 150ft, bristling with poisonous tentacles.
It lurks about 3,000ft below the surface of the sea trapping prawns and shrimps in its poisonous tentacles.
Plastic debris reaches Southern Ocean, previously thought to be pristine
The first traces of plastic debris have been found in what was thought to be the pristine environment of the Southern Ocean, according to a study released in London by the French scientific research vessel Tara.
The finding comes following a two-and-a-half-year, 70,000-mile voyage by the schooner across the Atlantic, Pacific, Antarctic and Indian Oceans, to investigate marine ecosystems and biodiversity under climate change. "We had always assumed that this was a pristine environment, very little touched by human beings," said Chris Bowler, scientific co-ordinator of Tara Oceans. "The fact that we found these plastics is a sign that the reach of human beings is truly planetary in scale.". |  |
Tikal: Capital of Mayan Civilization
The ancient Mayan city of Tikal, in modern-day Guatemala, flourished between roughly 600 B.C. and A.D. 900. Starting out as a modest series of hamlets, it would become a great Mayan city-state with more than two dozen major pyramids.
Tikal is a recent Mayan name that means “at the waterhole.” It was named this long after its collapse. Today, Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites in Central America and is encompassed by Tikal National Park. |  |
Archaeologists discover lost Indian War battlefield
After three years of documentary and archaeological research, the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) has discovered the location of the Battle of Hungry Hill, also known as the Battle of Grave Creek Hills, in the remote mountains of southwest Oregon.
The team led by Professor Mark Tveskov (SOULA) that included Colonel (Ret.) Daniel Edgerton (U.S. Army Center of Military History), Robert Kentta (historian, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians), Chelsea Rose (SOULA), and other scholars discovered the Rogue River War battlefield. Their work included combing document archives in Washington D.C., Seattle, Wash., Berkeley, Calif., and elsewhere, as well as extensive field survey by Southern Oregon University students and community and Tribal volunteers.
The team led by Professor Mark Tveskov (SOULA) that included Colonel (Ret.) Daniel Edgerton (U.S. Army Center of Military History), Robert Kentta (historian, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians), Chelsea Rose (SOULA), and other scholars discovered the Rogue River War battlefield. Their work included combing document archives in Washington D.C., Seattle, Wash., Berkeley, Calif., and elsewhere, as well as extensive field survey by Southern Oregon University students and community and Tribal volunteers.
Artificial Intelligence Used to Home in on New Fossil Sites
FREIGHTER GAP, Wyo.—On blisteringly hot desert sands, researchers crawled on their hands and knees avoiding fist-size cacti littering the ground. Their goal: collecting bones and teeth of some of the earliest known primates to shed light on the adaptations at the root of the evolutionary lineage that led to humans. The fossils, though, are the size of a fingernail or smaller, and they are scattered over an area of about 10,000 square kilometers in the rocky desert of Wyoming's Great Divide Basin.
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Learning to Live On Mars: Fatigue Management Program for Controlling Jetlag
Since the beginning of August, NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity, has been roaming all over the distant planet learning as much as it can about the Martian terrain. The mission control team back on Earth has also learned what it may be like on Mars by trying to live and work on a Martian day, which is about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day. This 'day' length causes havoc with the internal 24-hour body clock but researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have developed and tested a fatigue management program which is successful at controlling this space-age jetlag.
New law lets astronauts keep (or sell) their space artifacts
America's early space pioneers and moon voyagers have now been confirmed as the legal owners of the equipment and spacecraft parts they saved as souvenirs from their missions.
President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed a bill into law granting NASA's Mercury, Gemini and Apollo crew members "full ownership rights" to the artifacts they received and retained more than 40 years ago. |  |
New clues about ancient water cycles shed light on US deserts
The deserts of Utah and Nevada have not always been dry. Between 14,000 and 20,000 years ago, when large ice caps covered Canada during the last glacial cooling, valleys throughout the desert southwest filled with water to become large lakes, scientists have long surmised. At their maximum size, the desert lakes covered about a quarter of both Nevada and Utah. Now a team led by a Texas A&M University researcher has found a new water cycle connection between the U.S. southwest and the tropics, and understanding the processes that have brought precipitation to the western U.S. will help scientists better understand how the water cycle might be perturbed in the future.
Mars rover Curiosity finds first evidence of water
Nasa's Mars rover, Curiosity, dispatched to learn if the most Earth-like planet in the solar system was suitable for microbial life, has found clear evidence its landing site was once awash in water, a key ingredient for life, scientists said.
Curiosity, a roving chemistry laboratory the size of a small car, touched down on 6 August inside a giant impact basin near the planet's equator. The primary target for the two-year mission is a three-mile-high mound of layered rock rising from the floor of Gale Crater. |  |
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