The SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY News Thread

[ganbaru]

WHO confirms 15th case of deadly new virus in Saudi Arabia
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...92B15S20130312

[AnimeFan188]

Mini Black Holes Easier To Make Than Thought:

"Creating microscopic black holes using particle accelerators requires less energy
than previously thought, researchers say.

If physicists do succeed in creating black holes with such energies on Earth, the
achievement could prove the existence of extra dimensions in the universe,
physicists noted.

Any such black holes would pose no risk to Earth, however, scientists added."

See:

http://news.yahoo.com/mini-black-hol...172430218.html

[Ithekro]

But can you use them to power a starship....

[kyp275]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

But can you use them to power a starship....

or a time machine....

creating mini blackholes with particle accelerator.... S;G is real!!!

[Kyuu]

Their Big Eyes May Have Caused Neanderthals' Demise

http://www.popsci.com/science/articl...src=SOC&dom=fb

Oh yea? Explain anime characters.

[ganbaru]

CERN scientists say particle is no "super-Higgs"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...92C1BU20130313

Physicists who found a new elementary particle last year said on Wednesday it looked like a basic Higgs boson rather than any "super-Higgs" that some cosmologists had hoped might open up more exotic secrets of the universe.

Originally Posted by Kyuu

http://www.popsci.com/science/articl...src=SOC&dom=fb

Oh yea? Explain anime characters.

They aren't around as well ...

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

New study validates longevity pathway:

"A new study demonstrates what researchers consider conclusive evidence that
the red wine compound resveratrol directly activates a protein that promotes
health and longevity in animal models. What's more, the researchers have
uncovered the molecular mechanism for this interaction, and show that a class of
more potent drugs currently in clinical trials act in a similar fashion. Pharmaceutical
compounds similar to resveratrol may potentially treat and prevent diseases
related to aging in people, the authors contend."

See:

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Ne...thway_999.html

If you don't want to drink, another good source of trans-resveratrol, which is more bioavailable, is vinegar produced from red wines (red wine vinegar, balsamic). It's actually much more concentrated as well due to the second fermentation process. I try to have some (with olive oil) on salad daily.

Originally Posted by Kyuu

http://www.popsci.com/science/articl...src=SOC&dom=fb

Oh yea? Explain anime characters.

Interesting theory. I've heard lots of competing theories such as lower birth rate, inability of their shoulder joints to accurately throw spears (they favored close range hunting, apparently), or simply being trampled by the more populous homo sapiens as they migrated north. I wonder if it might be a little bit of each. Of course, there's also the idea that seems to be gaining traction that at least some of them were absorbed into modern humanity. That had been a theory for years, but it seems to be gathering more support from several new studies.

[LoweGear]

Science 2.0: Lazarus Project Recreates Extinct Australian Frog

Originally Posted by Science 2.0

The Lazarus Project team says they have been able to recover cell nuclei of the extinct gastric-brooding frog, Rheobatrachus silus, from tissues collected in the 1970s and kept for 40 years in a conventional deep freezer.

The genome of Rheobatrachus silus, extinct since 1983, has been revived and reactivated by a team of scientists using somatic cell nuclear transfer
to implant a "dead" cell nucleus into a fresh egg from another frog species.

Rheobatrachus silus is famous for swallowing its eggs, brooded its young in its stomach and giving birth through its mouth. The "de-extinction" project aims to bring the frog back to life.

In repeated experiments over five years, the researchers used somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which is banned by the Obama administration in the United States. They took fresh donor eggs from the distantly related Great Barred Frog, Mixophyes fasciolatus, inactivated the egg nuclei and replaced them with dead nuclei from the extinct frog.

Some of the eggs spontaneously began to divide and grow to early embryo stage – a tiny ball of many living cells.

Although none of the embryos survived beyond a few days, genetic tests confirmed that the dividing cells contain the genetic material from the extinct frog.

"We are watching Lazarus arise from the dead, step by exciting step," says the leader of the Lazarus Project team, Professor Mike Archer, of the University of New South Wales, in Sydney. "We've reactivated dead cells into living ones and revived the extinct frog's genome in the process. Now we have fresh cryo-preserved cells of the extinct frog to use in future cloning experiments.

"We're increasingly confident that the hurdles ahead are technological and not biological and that we will succeed. Importantly, we've demonstrated already the great promise this technology has as a conservation tool when hundreds of the world's amphibian species are in catastrophic decline."
The technical work was led by Dr Andrew French and Dr Jitong Guo, formerly of Monash University, in a University of Newcastle laboratory led by frog expert, Professor Michael Mahony, along with Mr Simon Clulow and Dr John Clulow. The frozen specimens were preserved and provided by Professor Mike Tyler, of the University of Adelaide, who extensively studied both species of gastric-brooding frog – R. silus and R. vitellinus - before they vanished in the wild in 1979 and 1985 respectively.

UNSW's Professor Archer spoke publicly for the first time today about the Lazarus Project and also about his ongoing interest in cloning the extinct Australian thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, at the TEDx DeExtinction event in Washington DC, hosted by Revive and Restore and the National Geographic Society.

Researchers from around the world are gathered there to discuss progress and plans to 'de-extinct' other extinct animals and plants. Possible candidate species include the woolly mammoth, dodo, Cuban red macaw and New Zealand's giant moa.

The results are yet to be published.

One step closer till the real Jurassic Park...

[SaintessHeart]

Moa didn't go extinct. Their dwarven variant is still in NZ...known as Kiwis.

And there are supposedly those which are the size of ostriches.

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Moa didn't go extinct. Their dwarven variant is still in NZ...known as Kiwis.

And there are supposedly those which are the size of ostriches.

I'm pretty sure kiwis are actually more closely related to emus, whereas moa are closer to ostriches. They're all ratites.

[Dhomochevsky]

Mammoths next please.
If there is anything like an evolutionary aquired taste in humans, they must be delicious.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Dhomochevsky

Mammoths next please.
If there is anything like an evolutionary aquired taste in humans, they must be delicious.

Why don't you fly down to Thailand and have a taste of their descendants?

And it might improve your "performance" the next Oktoberfest.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Dhomochevsky

Mammoths next please.
If there is anything like an evolutionary aquired taste in humans, they must be delicious.

My vote goes for the Dodo, I am tired of chicken and would pleasantly receive a new flavor

[Ithekro]

Buffalo meat is rather good as is ostrich. Both can be found at Fudruckers.

[Vexx]

Aye, buffalo is raised locally in my area (as are emu) for meat. buy local ;P

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Buffalo meat is rather good as is ostrich. Both can be found at Fudruckers.

the local Fudruckers also has Elk (or was it moose?) didn't taste any different then beef.

the dodo probably taste like chicken.

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Buffalo meat is rather good as is ostrich. Both can be found at Fudruckers.

I love buffalo meat. Really nice flavor, great for chili. I've only had ostrich in the form of jerky, would like to try an actual cut of meat from it. I'm actually a huge fan of trying out exotic meat, would love to try kangaroo some time too.

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

the local Fudruckers also has Elk (or was it moose?) didn't taste any different then beef.

Moose would be interesting. Venison is nice as a stew meat.

[kaito-kid]

Originally Posted by ogon_bat

My vote goes for the Dodo, I am tired of chicken and would pleasantly receive a new flavor

I also wonder what it tastes like..
Let's bring it back from the dead so that we can eat it!

[GDB]

Originally Posted by kaito-kid

I also wonder what it tastes like..
Let's bring it back from the dead so that we can eat it!

Inverse-zombies!

[kaito-kid]

Originally Posted by GDB

Inverse-zombies!

Someone should make movie about it!