UCSB physicists move one step closer to quantum computing
Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have made an important advance in electrically controlling quantum states of electrons, a step that could help in the development of quantum computing. The work is published online today on the Science Express Web site.
Climate Not Culprit of Megafauna Extinction
About 15,000 years ago, some of the largest mammals in North America disappeared off the face of the Earth.
Vt. nuke critics renew campaign against relicense
(AP)
AP - Hoping to sway lawmakers, two of the state's most famous residents and one of its former governors joined groups opposed to the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in announcing a push for Town Meeting Day votes on whether the plant should keep operating past...
W.Va.'s Capito troubled by EPA response on permits
(AP)
AP - Rep. Shelley Moore Capito says she's troubled by what she heard in a meeting with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson.
Thanksgiving Food Sources Can Be Tracked Online
From Western Illinois University: Once upon a time, in order to trace the path of a meal from your table to the source, you may only have had to take a short jaunt to a nearby field. But in these ...
Britain hit by floods after record rainfall
(Reuters)
Reuters - Lifeboats and military helicopters rescued hundreds of people overnight in northern England and a policeman was killed as torrential rain flooded homes, washed away bridges and closed...
Flax and yellow flowers can produce bioethanol
Surplus biomass from the production of flax shives, and generated from Brassica carinata, a yellow-flowered plant related to those which engulf fields in spring, can be used to produce bioethanol. This has been suggested by two studies carried out by Spanish and Dutch researchers and published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
Using superconducting probes to get a picture of what it's like inside CNTs
(PhysOrg.com) -- "Carbon nanotubes are exciting for fundamental physics, and for potential technological applications," Nadya Mason tells PhysOrg.com. "However, we are generally limited in the way that we can study them. Many of these limitations have to do with controlling tunneling, or the way electrons move on and off the nanotube." In order to overcome this limitation, Mason, a scientist at...
Most beautiful and most wonderful | Darwin photographic competition
Winning entries of a photographic competition celebrating the birth of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution
New Pogoplug 'Personal Cloud' Does Social Networking
- Sci-Tech Today
- 09/11/20 16:46
On Friday, Cloud Engines released its newest version of the Pogoplug, a small "multimedia sharing device" that connects hard drives to the Internet and allows a user to access the files remotely. The company described Pogoplug as "your own personal cloud that broadcasts safely from your home."
You connect Pogoplug to your router by Ethernet, attach hard drives or USB flash drives, and then...
Giant Cannibal Galaxy's Last Meal
(SPACE.com)
SPACE.com - New images show the "last meal" of a giant cannibal galaxy
as it gobbles down a smaller spiral galaxy, which has been twisted and warped
from being devoured.
Astronauts Await Word of Baby Girl on Earth
- Sci-Tech Today
- 09/11/20 16:42
Atlantis' astronauts anxiously awaited word on the birth of one crewman's daughter Friday, as they moved more supplies into the International Space Station and geared up for another spacewalk.
Astronaut Randolph Bresnik was about to become a father for the second time. His wife, Rebecca, was due to give birth Friday back home in Houston. They already have a son who is 3 1/2.
Bresnik, 42, a...
Cosmonaut says Russia falling behind in space race
(AP)
AP - Russia lacks a viable program for developing a new spacecraft and risks losing its place as a leader in space travel, a veteran Russian cosmonaut said in an interview published Friday.
University of Georgia Bulldog Mascot Dies at Age 4
From the University of Georgia: Uga VII, the legendary Georgia mascot who roamed the sidelines at Bulldog football games, died unexpectedly Thursday morning in Savannah. He died of heart-related causes according to owner Frank W. “Sonny” Seiler. He was four ...
Galileo's Fingers and Tooth Recovered by Collector
The macabre remains of the famous, once-damned astronomer were spotted at an auction.
Robotic Spy Planes Go Green
(LiveScience.com)
LiveScience.com - Robot spy planes are harnessing alternative energy to make them more covert and longer lasting than ever.
Pennsylvania residents sue over gas drilling
(Reuters)
Reuters - Residents of a small rural Pennsylvania town sued Cabot Oil & Gas Corp on Friday, claiming the company's natural-gas drilling has contaminated their water wells with toxic chemicals, caused sickness and reduced their property values.
Visions of Darwin
Museum launches contest for photos inspired by Darwin
Cassini's Big Sky: The View from the Center of Our Solar System
(PhysOrg.com) -- When NASA's Cassini spacecraft began orbiting Saturn five years ago, a dozen highly-tuned science instruments set to work surveying, sniffing, analyzing and scrutinizing the Saturnian system.
Scientists identify DNA that regulates antibody production
(PhysOrg.com) -- When foreign invaders trip the immune system`s alarm, antibodies need to be specially sculpted to attack them head on. New research now shows that gene segments called enhancers control the reshuffling of antibody genes that makes such a precise and coordinated attack possible.
Trust Linux!
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers has implemented support for 'trusted computing' in a commercially available version of the open source operating system Linux, breaking new ground in the global drive toward more secure computing environments.
Vaccine being developed to help smokers quit
(PhysOrg.com) -- Glaxo-SmithKline has joined forces with Nabi Pharmaceuticals to produce a vaccine to help smokers give up their addiction permanently.
Will a Computer's Conscious Mind Emerge?
If the human brain is data being passed from neuron to neuron at its basic level and we can simulate that in a computer, shouldn’t a conscious mind start to emerge?