Is preventing homosexuality through drugs ethical?
While the biological basis for homosexuality remains a mystery, a team of neurobiologists reports they may have closed in on an answer — by a nose. The team led by University of Illinois at Chicago...
View ArticleReduced ice cover causes rise in Arctic sea temperature
Record-breaking amounts of ice-free water have deprived the Arctic of more of its natural “sunscreen” than ever in recent summers. The effect is so pronounced that sea surface temperatures rose to 5 C...
View ArticleCoral reefs in danger from ocean acidification
Just a couple of quickies today: Stanford, CA — Carbon emissions from human activities are not just heating up the globe, they are changing the ocean’s chemistry. This could soon be fatal to coral...
View ArticlePaper money helps to transmit disease.
GENEVA (AFP) – Forget retail therapy for some relief from that winter cold — a study by Swiss scientists revealed on Wednesday that the flu virus can nestle and survive on banknotes for more than two...
View ArticleSolar Phenomena seen at the ESO
Cerro Paranal, home of ESO’s Very Large Telescope, is certainly one of the best astronomical sites on the planet. Stunning images, obtained by ESO staff at Paranal, of the green and blue flashes, as...
View ArticleResearchers create new forms of BSE-related disease
From a Cell press release: Researchers have shown that they can create entirely new strains of infectious proteins known as prions in the laboratory by simply mixing infectious prions from one species...
View ArticleSuperoxygenated Superbeings!
This discovery is a couple of years old, but I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how humanity can improve itself (or as some folks call it “transhumanism”). Scientists from the University of...
View ArticleCatching a Tiger by its Turds.
I know I post too many faeces related stories. I can’t help it. We British are culturally hardwired to find poo hilarious, and thus interesting: The whiskers, eyes, organs, and even genitals of tigers,...
View ArticleNew Pictures from NASA’s WISE telescope – The Cosmic Rosebud.
A breathtaking new picture just released by NASA, from their Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Launched in 14 December 2009, WISE finished its testing phase on January 14 2010. In the two months...
View ArticleFructose shown to encourage increased food consumption.
This press release from Oregon Health and Science University caught my eye. Like most people, I’m in a perpetual battle with my waistline, so new clues as to how to win the war are always welcome!...
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