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Here's Where Your Backyard Was 300 Million Years Ago

We may use terms like "grounded" and terra firma to mean stability and consistency but geology...

Convergent Evolution Cheat Sheet Now 120 Million Years Old

One tenet of natural selection is a random walk of genes but nature may be more predictable than...

Synchrotron Could Shed Light On Exotic Dark Photons

There are many hypothetical particles proposed to explain dark matter and one idea to explore how...

The Pain Scale Is Broken But This May Fix It

Chronic pain is reported by over 20 percent of the global population but there is no scientific...

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Dwarf Planet Haumea May Contain Crystalline Ice

Dwarf Planet Haumea May Contain Crystalline Ice

May 12 2011 | comment(s)

A few years ago, when 2% of astronomers decided Pluto should no longer a planet, the confusion was so great and the definition so arbitrary and so we now have five 'dwarf' planets in our solar system - Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.  
Extrasolar Planets - The Orbital Mechanics Mystery Of 'Flipping' Hot Jupiters

Extrasolar Planets - The Orbital Mechanics Mystery Of 'Flipping' Hot Jupiters

May 11 2011 | comment(s)

With the discovery of so many new extrasolar planets, astronomers have observed that in some of these systems the star is spinning one way but the planet, a 'hot Jupiter', a huge Jupiter-like planet in very close proximity to the central star, orbits the star in the opposite direction. 
The Weird Accident Behind The Invention Of Silly Putty

The Weird Accident Behind The Invention Of Silly Putty

May 09 2011 | comment(s)

Industry does quite a lot of basic research today but government funds the majority.  Prior to and during World War II those ratios were inverted and the private sector funded most basic research in hopes that the next big thing would be invented by them.
Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists: Asthma Pill More User-friendly Than Inhalers And No Less Effective

Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists: Asthma Pill More User-friendly Than Inhalers And No Less Effective

May 07 2011 | comment(s)

Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs)are easier to use and just as effective as conventional treatment with inhalers, according to a new study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA). 

Asthma is an increasing problem affecting around 300 million people worldwide and can significantly impact on a person's quality of life. It is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation of the airways causing wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.   

Project Mercury - Inside The Cocoon

Project Mercury - Inside The Cocoon

May 05 2011 | comment(s)

50 years ago today Alan Shepard became the first American into space, launching at just after 9AM from the Space Coast of Florida and finishing just over 15 minutes and 117 miles up later. 

The most famous book (and movie) about the early days of NASA is "The Right Stuff" and it is surprisingly faithful in its telling.   Alan Shepard did pee in his suit and then say, after three hours of being immobilized in a tiny capsule, "Why don't you just fix your little problem and light this candle?"   but he was also a guy who said, "You know, being a test pilot isn't always the healthiest business in the world" so he understood the risks.   96% chance of survival was acceptable risk.
Equisetum - Scouring Rush Is The Oldest Extant Genus Of Land Plant?

Equisetum - Scouring Rush Is The Oldest Extant Genus Of Land Plant?

May 05 2011 | comment(s)

Over 100 million years ago, late Mesozoic forests were chock full of a diverse group of plants of the class Equisetopsida, though only one genus, Equisetum, commonly called scouring rush or horsetail, still exists today.  

It is unclear about the evolutionary beginnings of the genus Equisetum - molecular dating places the divergence of the 15 extant species of the genus around 65 million years ago but the fossil record had it earlier than that, around 136 million years ago.