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The longest day of the year — the summer solstice — is almost here. On June 21 2013, at exactly 1:04 am EDT (5:04 UTC), the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth will reach its point of greatest inclination to the Sun. The term ‘summer solstice’ generally refers to the exact moment in time when this occurs, but also to the day. The day, and also the general period in time, are also referred to as … Read More
Looks like someone’s been having fun on Mars without telling anyone. Trails in slopes that seem suspiciously like sled tracks have been documented by research photographs. They weren’t made by little green men though. Blocks of dry ice are the suspects this time. These tracks are called linear gullies and you can see a much larger photograph on the Apod.gov site. The speculation is that the blocks of dry ice evaporate by the time they … Read More
Exposure to triclocarban — a chemical commonly found in antibacterial soaps — results in drastically shorter lives and/or death, for the female offspring of individuals that were exposed to the chemical while nursing, a new study done on rats has found. The chemical is a very commonly-used one — found in most antibacterial soaps, in many personal care products, and in many other antibacterial products. A very large proportion of the public is regularly exposed … Read More
On June 23 2013 the Moon will be closer to the Earth than at any other point in all of 2013. This Supermoon — as it’s known — will appear about 14% larger and 30% brighter than a typical Full Moon does. The Moon will be at its closest distance to the Earth at exactly 7:32 am EDT (4:32 am PDT) on June 23 2013 — as a result of that timing, both the night … Read More
Marine mammals possess truly remarkable underwater endurance — some of them, such as the sperm whale, can remain submerged during their dives for as long as an hour and a half. That’s an hour and a half of physical exertion on a single breath. What physiological adaptions allow such impressive abilities? The answers to that question are now becoming more clear thanks to new research from the University of Liverpool. The new research identified “a … Read More
An exoplanets in the process of formation? NASA’s Hubble Space Tlescope may have recently spotted just such a thing — an unexplained gap in an enormous protoplanetary disk of gas and dust rotating around the red dwarf star TW Hydrae. TW Hydrae is located about 176 light-years away in the constellation Hydra — the Sea Serpent. The only plausible explanation — yet put forward — for the gap in the protoplanetary disc that surrounds the … Read More
The hunting and locomotion dynamics of wild cheetahs have had some new light shed on them as a result of new research from the Royal Veterinary College. The new research is the first to provide detailed direct measurements and data on the hunting and locomotion dynamics of the wild cheetah while still in its natural habitat. The new work was done by utilizing a newly created GPS and motion sensing collar — designed by the … Read More
Editor’s Note: Reposted from Bikocity, here’s an interesting article about some cool bikes that have flipped the switch on urban transportation as well as how to sell bikes. Even though I am a lifelong biker, I don’t care about the latest in the “best” head gear, and even though I am naturally quite athletic, I don’t care about lycra sporting equipment and bikes that cost a fortune. It is not my aesthetic sense. I don’t … Read More
Someone shared this video with me awhile back. Thanks to it being a catchup Sunday, I just got around to watching it. It makes the case for vegetarianism using the heart in an excellent way. Check it out: If you’d like a more sophisticated, intellectual case for going veggie, watch this one below from meat-eating food journalist Mark Bittman. Just one note I’ll add (also added at that link above): research has found that 51% … Read More
Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been under development for years, and have already demonstrated the ability to store 400 Wh per kg of batteries. However, this time, there is an all-solid lithium-sulfur battery that could do even better. Will it last longer than previous lithium-sulfur batteries? Lithium-sulfur batteries have been stated to last “few tens of cycles” before malfunctioning, according to a scholar at Stanford University, Johanna Nelson. This was said to be due the loss of sulfur … Read More
