NASA’s Cassini Space Probe Will Take Photo Of The Earth As Seen From Saturn On July 19

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"This simulated view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the expected positions of Saturn and Earth on July 19, 2013, around the time Cassini will take Earth's picture. Cassini will be about 898 million miles (1.44 billion kilometers) away from Earth at the time. That distance is nearly 10 times the distance from the sun to Earth" Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

What does the Earth look like from deep space? From Saturn? On July 19th NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will be taking the first-ever natural-color image of the Earth as seen from the Saturn system. This will also be the first time that Cassini’s highest-resolution camera was used to photograph the Earth and the Moon. According to NASA researchers, in the image the Earth will very-likely look like a small, pale blue dot — visible just in … Read More

Summer Solstice 2013 — Midsummer Begins June 21 2013

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Image Credit: Midsummer Bonfire via Wikimedia Commons

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

Mars Has Sled-like Tracks In Slopes

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Image Credit: HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA

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

Triclocarban — Chemical In Antibacterial Soaps Shortens Lifespan Of Female Offspring From Mothers Exposed While Nursing, Animal Study Finds

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Image Credit: Antibacterial Soap via Flickr CC

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

Supermoon 2013 Date And Time — Supermoon On June 23 2013

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Image Credit: Supermoon In Africa via Flickr CC

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

New Light Shed On The Physiology Of Diving Mammals — Research Exposes Secrets Of Whales, Dolphins, Otters, Seals, Etc

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Image Credit: Seal via Flickr CC

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

Exoplanet Observed While In The Process Of Formation? Hubble Telescope Spots Mysterious Gap Near TW Hydrae

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"Comparison of TW Hydrae Disk and Solar System. This illustration shows that the TW Hydrae protoplanetary disk is much wider than the size of our solar system. In fact, the gap in the TW Hydrae disk produced by a suspected planet resides 7.5 billion miles from the star. At this distance, the putative planet would orbit far beyond our Kuiper Belt, a reservoir of icy, leftover material from the formation of our solar system." Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)

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

Cheetah Hunting Dynamics Revealed By New Study — First Direct Measurements Of Wild Cheetah Locomotion

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Image Credit: K Golabek

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

Papillionaire Bicycles Are Cool, Cute, Relaxed, & Maybe Even Revolutionary

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Papillionaire

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

Case For Vegetarianism Made By Young Boy (Video)… And Food Journalist (Video)

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Case For Vegetarianism Made By Young Boy (Video)… And Food Journalist (Video)

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