An out-of-body experience (OBE) occurs when a person who is awake sees themselves from a location outside their physical body.

OBEs have been reported in conditions where brain function is compromised, such as stroke, epilepsy and drug abuse. They have also been reported in association with traumatic experiences such as car accidents.

Around one in ten people claim to have had an OBE at some time in their lives.

Now Dr. Henrik Ehrsson, a University College London neuroscientist, has devised the first experimental method to induce an out-of-body experience in healthy participants.

Certain types of bacteria have sunlight-sensing molecules similar to those found in plants, according to a new study. Surprisingly, at least one species—responsible for causing the flu-like disorder Brucellosis—needs light to maximize its virulence. The work suggests an entirely new model for bacterial virulence based on light sensitivity.

“The central message is that many bacteria have signaling proteins that contain the same light-absorbing domain as those found in the higher plants,” Briggs explains. “One of these is a vicious pathogen called Brucella. A species of Brucella is a serious pathogen of cattle that causes abortion of calves, and another species is a nasty pathogen of humans.”

Sony today announced the development of a bio battery that generates electricity from carbohydrates (sugar) utilizing enzymes as its catalyst, through the application of power generation principles found in living organisms.

Test cells of this bio battery have achieved power output of 50 mW, currently the world's highest level2 for passive-type3 bio batteries. The output of these test cells is sufficient to power music play back on a memory-type Walkman.

Astronomers have found an enormous hole in the Universe, nearly a billion light-years across, empty of both normal matter such as stars, galaxies and gas, as well as the mysterious, unseen “dark matter.” While earlier studies have shown holes, or voids, in the large-scale structure of the Universe, this new discovery dwarfs them all.

“Not only has no one ever found a void this big, but we never even expected to find one this size,” said Lawrence Rudnick of the University of Minnesota astronomy professor.

The earth sciences rely on highly accurate timing to unravel past causes and effects, and understand the forces driving many events from ice ages to mass extinctions. Other scientific disciplines, such as evolutionary biology and climate science, in turn depend on accurate timing of geological processes to provide a baseline for their investigations.

While significant progress has been made over recent decades, great uncertainties remain that are inhibiting investigations of major past events and formative processes in the earth sciences. In the case of the dinosaur extinction, knowledge of how long the process took would help resolve whether this was caused by a sudden asteroid strike or more gradually following a period of intense volcanic activity for example.

Twenty-two years of dedicated research has finally resulted in success, reports a British team headed by Steven V. Ley at the University of Cambridge. They have created the first synthesis of azadirachtin, a natural compound that stops predatory insects from feeding.

Plants have a variety of defense mechanisms to deter insect attack. One such compound is azadirachtin, which was first isolated from the neem tree (also known as the Indian lilac) in 1968. The name of this natural product is derived from the botanical name of the plant, Azadiracta indica. Azadirachtin is a highly active substance that inhibits the development of the larvae of a broad spectrum of destructive insects but is harmless to mammals and beneficial insects, such as bees and ladybugs.

I did this experiment yesterday. It took the whole day but the results were clear by noon.

At about 7 am I took 4 tablespoons of flaxseed oil (Spectrum Organic). I measured my mental function with a letter-counting test. Here is what happened.

Few people have used the theory behind the Shangri-La Diet more successfully than Tim Beneke, an Oakland journalist. I put before and after photos of him — before and after he lost about 100 pounds — on the front page of the proposal for The Shangri-La Diet. He writes:

A recent issue of Nature celebrated Linnaeus’ 300^th birthday with a series of editorials, essays and features on the continuing work of taxonomists. One of the more provocative articles discusses the definition of species, including the status of the beloved polar bear, Ursus maritimus.