Astronomy - Video from Space

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space | Fly Over | Nasa, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Environmental Science : Green Living

Engineering: 3D Printing

I really want one of these! If you can design it in a CAD program you can print it. 3D printer use a type of fast curing plastic, but imagine what you can build if you could if you used a metal alloy.

Environmental Science: Malaria

New breakthrough could finally control the Malaria parasite. You can listen to the NPR story here.

Environmental Sciecne: The Solar Economy

Solar panel maker Solyndra files for bankruptcy.

While this may seem like bad news for the Solar Power industry, it's really a coming of age. Solar power is starting to respond to real world economics. For years, solar panel were seen as to expensive to have, but that is not true any more. Market forces and new technologies have brought the prices down.

You can read about what really brought Solyndra down here: What went wrong at Solyndra?

Physics and Physical Science: LHC and the Higgs Boson

Years after being predicted, scientist are still looking for the Higgs boson. Sometimes call the "God Particle", the Higgs Boson is thought to be the elementary particle that gives the property of mass to most of the other know particles in the universe. So far scientist have been unsuccessful in finding the Higgs boson and they are running out of places to look.

Read more here: BBC News: Higgs boson range narrows at European collider

Looks like we may need something bigger than the LHC - Large Hadron Collider

Source Space.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Environmental Science - Toxicology and Plastic

It has been long know that plastics made with a chemical call BPA (Bisphenol A) can have that chemical leach out of the plastic over time. This particular chemical can be recognized by the human body as something similar to the hormone Estrogen. Now a recent study show that even plastics made without BPA run a risk of leaching out chemicals that are similar to the human hormone Estrogen as well.

You may read and listen to the NPR story here: Study: Most Plastics Leach Hormone-Like Chemicals

Environmental Science: Iowa Flooding and Wetland

Iowa's Rising Flood Risk: Blame Corn and Soybeans?
01/26/11 filed by Kate Wells
With Iowa experiencing heavier rainstorms and rising rivers each year, scientists say it's only a matter of time before the state is hit by yet another major flood. Communities are still recovering from previous disasters, like the ones that befell Cedar Rapids in 2008 and central Iowa in 2010. Environmentalists are trying to lower that risk by conserving land to slow run-off. But as market demand for corn and soybeans increases, there's little hope that conservation will win the battle for Iowa's acres. Iowa Public Radio's Kate Wells reports.

You can download and listen to the whole story here: 3 mins 45 sec Audio Clip

Environmental Science: A tale of two Seeds

Genetic Modified Sugar Beets vs Organics Swiss Chard

farmers in Oregon are struggling with growing organic crops near geneticly engineered sugar beets. The sugar beet are modified with the same gene that resist Roundup herbicide. The organic Swiss Chard is grown to produce seeds that sells to growers that want organically pure produce. The problem cross pollenation.

The chard and the beets are actually the same species. They're all Beta vulgaris, the way black Labradors and golden retrievers are all dogs. So anyone growing these plants for seed has a special concern: windblown pollen.

You can read more of the story here: A Tale of Two Seed Farmers: Organic vs Engineered

You also listen to the audio story as well by following the above link to NPR: All Things Consider.

Computer Science: Cyber Warfare

Putting the pieces together just so you can lose sleep tonight.

Imagine if an Enemy of the United States had the ability to alter, stop, or read the flow of information between two sites: Say between a soldier in the field and his base. This would make a great basis for a technothiller or the stuff of nightmares for the Pentagon.

Guess What!

Report sounds alarm on China's rerouting of U.S. Internet traffic


Or add on this piece...

What if you could track U.S. troops by the GPS in their smartphone or by using Facebook?

Apps that answer Miltary's needs

Hey! Why don't we just put our soldiers in Bozo the Clown outfits. I'm sure that would make them easier to find.

Environment Science: Coal Mining Accident

This is the cost for our electricity.

7 dead, 19 missing in W.Va. coal mine blast

Physics: Touchpad Tracking and Capacitance

How does a touchpad work? If touchpads come from just a few manufacturer, why does their performance varies widely in products such as phones and PDA. Here is a great article answering those question.

Finger Fail: Why Most Touchscreen Miss the Point

Geology/Environment Sci: Earthquake in Haiti

On Tuesday Haiti was struck by 7.0 magnitude earthquake. People are still being rescued from the rumble as aid workers from all over the world pour in to help the victims.

Satellite Image of Port-Au-Prince,Haiti

The image shows the aftermath of a 7.0-magnitude quake, Haiti's worst in two centuries, which struck at 1653 local time (2153 GMT) on Tuesday, just 15km (10 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince.

Environmental Science: Texting and Driving

We spent yesterday talking about risk and probability in Science. More people die on US highways each year, than the total number US soldiers killed in the middle east in the past 8 years.

What's the risk when driving and texting at the same time.

Environmental Science: High Court Case Tests Power Plants' Water Rules

The U.S. Supreme Court hears an important environmental case Tuesday, testing whether utilities must use the best technology available to minimize harm to the nation's waterways. At issue is the physical impact on fish and the financial impact on companies.

Listen to the NPR Story

Environmental Science: Mountaintop Mining

"The Environmental Protection agency approved Tuesday new rules that make it easier for mining companies to dump waste near rivers and streams. Environmentalists argue that dumping the rubble fouls the waters, kills fish and causes flooding in nearby communities." Listen to this story involving the Bush Administration, Mining and the Clear Water Act. Here is the NPR story.

Environmental Science: Pigs with Spinach genes

Ok... Candlelight, a little wine and a lot of Barry White.....AND YOU STILL WOULD GET THIS! Japanese Scientist in a quest to make a leaner pig, have succeed in introducing a spinach gene into a pig!

Read about it here.

Scientists cross pigs with spinach

Spinach gene makes pigs healthier to eat

Astronomy: Extrasolar Planet Imaged!

The first picture of a planet outside of our solar system has been released. Check out the articles.

First Directly Imaged Brown Dwarf Companion To An Exoplanet Host Star

EXOPLANETS IN SIGHT

Groups take first photos of extrasolar planets

Hubble Takes First Visible Light Image of Extrasolar Planet

Geology: Hellboy and the Golden Army

I've been looking for this place forever! This is a geologic formation in Ireland. Stone formation similar to the ones found at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. This place was mention in Hellboy: The Golden Army. You can see more pictures and explore the site at The Giant's Causeway