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Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Governor's Palace In TurkeyArchaeologists have unearthed parts of a Neo-Assyrian governor's palace dating back to the 9th to 7th century BCE in an excavation program amongst the ruins on Ziyaret Tepe. The discoveries were extraordinary. The site in the south-east of Turkey (Diyarbakir province) is at risk from the construction of the Ilisu Dam.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 9:00 pm Non-AIDS Deaths In People With HIV Linked To Inflammation And Coagulation, Study SuggestsIn an analysis of deaths occurring during a large international trial of treatments for HIV-positive patients, researchers have found a strong association between markers of inflammation and coagulation and increased risk of death from non-AIDS diseases, including cardiovascular problems.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 9:00 pm Beta-blocker Use Linked To Risks Of Death And Heart Attack After Surgery, Study SuggestsSome patients who received beta-blockers before and around the time of undergoing non-cardiac surgery appear to have higher rates of heart attack and death within 30 days of their surgery, according to a new report.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 9:00 pm Cleaning Up Iraqi Nuclear Facilities, Radioactive WasteSandia scientists are helping train Iraqi scientists and technicians to clean up radioactively contaminated sites and safely dispose of the radioactive wastes as part of the Iraqi Nuclear Facility Dismantlement and Disposal Program.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 9:00 pm Pesticide Concentrations DecreasingThe use of pesticides in the United States has been widespread for decades, and a new study shows the effects they have had as a contaminant in the nation's groundwater. The researchers took samples from over 300 wells and examined different contaminants that have been used over the years, with encouraging results as to the levels of concentration that the samples have measured.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 9:00 pm The Nose Knows: Two Fixation Points Needed For Face RecognitionMany of us are bad at remembering names but we are very quick to point out that at least we never forget a face. Never mind recognizing a familiar face -- how is it that we recognize faces at all?Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 9:00 pm Blowing Bubbles On A NanoscaleScientists are puzzled by the nanobubbles that can develop on surfaces under water. It should be impossible for them to exist but nevertheless they remain intact for hours. They are something of a mystery, yet it is possible to manipulate the development of these bubbles, according to experts. The bubbles can then, for example, be used to reduce flow resistance in liquids.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm Man's Best Friend Recruited In Hunt For Disease GenesFor centuries man has had a uniquely close relationship with dogs -- as a working animal, for security and, perhaps most importantly, for companionship. Now, dogs are taking on a new role -- they are helping in the hunt for genetic mutations that lead to diseases in humans.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm Low-carb Diets Alter Glucose Formation By The LiverA new study shows that a low-carbohydrate diet changes hepatic energy metabolism. When carbohydrates are restricted, the liver relies more on substances like lactate and amino acids to form glucose, instead of glycerol.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm Respiratory Rhythms Can Help Predict InsomniaThe breathing and heart rates and cortisol levels of women with metastatic breast cancer can be used to predict if they'll suffer from chronic insomnia and sleep disruptions, a common complaint from patients who want to maintain their quality of life, according to a new study.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm Huge Mountain Range Should Not Be ThereScientists will search for an Antarctic mountain range hidden beneath 2.5 miles of ice.Source: Livescience.com | 21 Oct 2008 | 2:02 pm Russia, Iran, Qatar discuss OPEC-style gas cartel (AP)AP - Iran, Russia and Qatar discussed the formation of an OPEC-style cartel among some of the largest natural gas producing nations on Tuesday, a prospect that has unnerved energy-importing nations in Europe and the United States.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 1:43 pm New TB blood test seen more accurateLONDON (Reuters) - A new blood test will allow doctors more accurately to pinpoint patients likely to develop the symptoms of tuberculosis, researchers said on Monday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 1:32 pm Scientists to Make Personal Genomes PublicThe "Personal Genome Project" will be a resource for scientists studying genetic diseases.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 21 Oct 2008 | 1:18 pm Tropical Cyclones Wash Away CarbonNew research finds that tropical cyclones may sequester carbon.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 21 Oct 2008 | 1:10 pm Trick or Treat? Corn Syrup's New DisguiseIf only half-truths could add up to the whole truth.Source: Livescience.com | 21 Oct 2008 | 12:31 pm Geologists discover `dinosaur dance floor' (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 11:48 am Pandemics: Google takes on real virusesSearch giant to fund research aimed at detecting and preventing virulent new diseasesSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 21 Oct 2008 | 11:46 am Pirates Still Terrorize High Seas (LiveScience.com)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 11:46 am Green recoveryWhy a low-carbon vision is key for economic upturnSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Oct 2008 | 11:44 am Pirates Still Terrorize High SeasSophisticated pirates who hijack trade ships cause billions of dollars in losses every year.Source: Livescience.com | 21 Oct 2008 | 11:39 am Judges hear cases on hatchery vs wild salmon (AP)AP - A panel of federal appellate judges is being asked to decide whether the government should count hatchery-raised salmon and steelhead when considering the fish populations for protection under the Endangered Species Act.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 11:13 am Middle-Age Suicide Rate RisingResearchers don't know why.Source: Livescience.com | 21 Oct 2008 | 10:52 am The Nation's Weather (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 10:51 am Planets Thought Dead Might Be Habitable (SPACE.com)SPACE.com - Astronomers have long talked about a "habitable zone" around a star as being a confined and predictable region where temperatures were not to cold, not to hot, so that a planet could retain liquid water and therefore support life as we know it.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 10:15 am Science minister urges investmentScience is vital to the economy, the UK science minister says as he signs a stem cell funding agreement with California.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Oct 2008 | 10:08 am Russia set to invest heavily in space industryMOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will spend billions of dollars over the next three years to consolidate its leading role in the space industry, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 10:05 am Planets Thought Dead Might Be HabitableSome planets that seem too cold could be made habitable by a squishing effect from their stars.Source: Livescience.com | 21 Oct 2008 | 10:04 am India Moon probe ready for launchIndia counts down to the launch of Chandrayaan 1, the country's first mission to the Moon.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Oct 2008 | 9:14 am India joins Asia space race in first moon missionNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will launch its first unmanned moon mission on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of rivals China and Japan, as it tries to show off its scientific know-how and claim a bigger chunk of the global space business.Source: Reuters: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 7:45 am Japanese climbers say find footprints of abominable snowmanKATHMANDU (Reuters) - Japanese climbers returning from a mountain in western Nepal said on Tuesday they had found footprints they think belonged to the abominable snowman or Yeti.Source: Reuters: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 7:20 am Google.Org Spends $14 Million to Battle Pandemics
“Business as usual won't prevent the next AIDS or SARS,” said Larry Brilliant, executive director of Google.org in a statement. “The teams we're funding today are on the frontiers of digital and genetic early detection technology and their work will help solve centuries-old problems and hopefully save millions of lives." Google.org’s latest grants are in two major areas: identifying hot spots and detecting diseases earlier. Here’s where the money will go:
Photo: Electron Micrograph of Avian Flu H5N1 Virus (Cynthia Goldsmith/CDC) Source: Wired: Wired Science | 21 Oct 2008 | 7:15 am Patrick Barkham samples the 'world's most relaxing room'After lying down in 'the world's most relaxing room', the Guardian's Patrick Barkham finds his heart-rate down, but the music's getting on his nervesSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 21 Oct 2008 | 6:54 am Maths and science 'end decline'A £350m project is beginning to attract more students to maths and science university courses.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Oct 2008 | 4:56 am Genome fanatics to post own DNA sequences on Web (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Oct 2008 | 2:21 am Five Most Dangerous U.S. Earthquake Hotspots Beyond California
Some of these faults are capable of producing quakes bigger than the 1906 San Francisco quake, but because the time between major jolts is longer than in California, many people who live near these faults don't even know they are there. Here's a closer look at five of the country's most hazardous seismic hot spots outside of California. Map: USGS
A computer simulation of the 1700 Cascadia earthquake tsunami after 10 hours / USGS. THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: The biggest earthquakes in the country are not in California. A much greater hazard, at least in terms of sheer magnitude, exists to the north of the San Andreas Fault where the ocean crust is being forced beneath the North American continent. Known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone, this 680-mile long stretch of colliding land mass 50 miles offshore of Oregon, Washington state and southern British Columbia is capable of generating magnitude 9 earthquakes 30 times more powerful than the worst the San Andreas can dish out. "There are lots of other earthquakes that may happen first, but they won't be as big," said marine geologist Chris Goldfinger of Oregon State University in Corvallis. An earthquake of this size would completely devastate the region, which includes Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. There could be thousands of deaths and unprecedented damage for a quake in this country. Major travel routes will be impassable. The shaking could last a full four minutes, which would damage or bring down structures that could have survived a shorter duration. On top of the danger from shaking, within minutes, a tsunami would likely inundate the low-lying coastal areas. Cascadia is the same type of fault that caused the 2004 Sumatra quake and tsunami. Fortunately, these mega quakes only come around once every few hundred years. Unfortunately, the fault may be due for another big one any day now. The last monster quake that ruptured the entire length of the Cascadia fault occurred in 1700 and was around a magnitude 9. It created a tsunami that crossed the entire Pacific Ocean and caused damage along parts of the Japanese coast. Scientists had calculated an average time between these major quakes of around 530 years. But Goldfinger's recent research on marine landslides caused by earthquakes over the last 12,000 years has revealed many magnitude 8 earthquakes on the southern portion of the fault in the intervening years, bringing the average down to 270 years. "It's been 308 since the last one so the probability is much higher," Goldfinger said. In fact, is new research on landslides puts the probability of a magnitude 8 or greater quake as high as 75 percent in the next 50 years. Making matters worse, the region isn't prepared. "Portland has lots of unreinforced masonry buildings" that are likely to collapse in a major quake, Goldfinger said. "The retrofitting has barely begun." "It's going to be a mess."
Most of the major earthquakes in the world occur at tectonic plate boundaries where land masses are colliding or pushing past one another. But in the middle of the country lurks a geological enigma near New Madrid, Missouri, that has produced some of the largest quakes on record for the United States but has yet to be fully explained by scientists. "It's a big mystery," said geologist Eugene Schweig of the U.S. Geological Survey, who has studied the area for 23 years. "New Madrid is about as far from a plate boundary as you can get." In 1811 and 1812, a swarm of at least three massive earthquakes struck near New Madrid, the largest of which exceeded a magnitude 8 and caused violent, damaging shaking in an area 10 times larger than did the 1906 earthquake. The quake was felt over an area of two million square miles — nearly two-thirds of the country. During the quakes, the ground rose and fell, trees were bent, deep cracks opened up in the ground, large landslides swept down hills, huge waves washed boats out of the Mississippi River and river banks, islands and sand bars gave way. Damage was widespread, but only a few people died thanks to the sparse population in what was then the Louisiana Territory but today is near the junction of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Were another magnitude 8 earthquake to strike the region today, the toll would be much, much higher. By analyzing deposits of sand that squirted out of the ground during past major quakes, Schweig and others estimate an average time between earthquakes of 500 years. But earthquakes are impossible to predict, and because scientists aren't even sure why major quakes occur away from plate boundaries, it is even more difficult to estimate a probability for New Madrid. The USGS's best estimate is that there is a seven to 10 percent chance of a major earthquake between magnitude 7.5 and 8 in the next 50 years. While the probability of a major quake on any given day in the New Madrid region is far less than that of the Bay Area in California, the potential for disaster if a quake does strike is greater due to the size of the area that could be violently shaken. Another factor is the lack of awareness and preparedness in the area. It is nearly impossible to live in the San Francisco or Los Angeles areas without knowing there is an earthquake hazard. Small quakes remind residents of that every few months or weeks. But 1812 was a long time ago, so earthquakes aren't anywhere near the top of most people's concerns in New Madrid. And most buildings in the area haven't been retrofitted. "We have buildings that have been sitting around for 200 years," Schweig said. "It's just bricks sitting on top of bricks. There are schools and police stations built like that." Image: 1904 photo of trees bent during the 1811/1812 New Madrid earthquakes / USGS SALT LAKE CITY: The forces that have built Utah's incredibly scenic landscape are also the source of a very serious and potentially deadly seismic hazard. Running along the base of the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, the 240-mile Wasatch Fault lies underneath Salt Lake City and the state's urban corridor, home to 1.6 million people. Though the Wasatch Fault has not delivered a major quake since the Mormon settlers arrived in 1847, geologists have found evidence that it is capable of unleashing jolts as big as magnitude 7.5. It is one of the world's longest "normal" faults, where the land on one side of the fault drops down relative to the other side during an earthquake. During prehistoric times, the fault slipped as much as 10 feet during a single quake. "That's basically the process that formed the Wasatch Range," said geologist Chris DuRoss of the Utah Geological Survey. Over the last 17 million years, the fault has experienced almost seven miles of slip, raising the mountains above the adjacent valley floor. The fault has distinct segments that act independently, each with its own history of earthquakes. On average, every 300 to 350 years, one of the central segments, which underlie the most populated areas including Salt Lake City and Provo, has had a major earthquake. The last big one was 300 years ago. "We're basically due for an earthquake," said DuRoss, who has studied evidence of ancient quakes in trenches dug across the different segments of the fault. "We're really getting right into that zone when we'd expect to see one." The prognosis gets even more grim with a closer look at the segment that underlies Salt Lake City and the segment just to the north. Both average a big quake every 1,300 years. The Salt Lake City segment last ruptured just about 1,300 years ago, and the last big quake to the north was around 2,100 years ago. The danger from a major earthquake is heightened in the Salt Lake Valley because it sits atop an ancient lake bed made of softer sediments that tend to amplify seismic waves. This is bad news for an area that has around 185,000 vulnerable buildings made of unreinforced masonry that isn't built to survive an earthquake. Most of these are homes, but some are schools and other public buildings. Video: Utah Geological Survey
The Seward highway in Alaska after the 1964 earthquake / USGS ALASKA: The second-largest earthquake ever recorded struck Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1964. The magnitude 9.2 quake killed 128 people, most by the resulting tsunami. In some places, the ground was uplifted almost 38 feet, and in others it dropped more than seven feet. The tsunami reached heights of around 220 feet locally, and killed 11 people 1,650 miles away in Crescent City, California. The "mega-thrust" quake was the product of the collision of two tectonic plates, the oceanic plate being forced beneath the continental plate. Those plates are still moving and accumulating stress that will eventually be released in another big quake. The geologic record shows gaps of 350 to 900 years between monster quakes, which would seem to put the Alaskan coast in the clear. But there could be several smaller magnitude 8 quakes filling those gaps that aren't quite big enough to show up in the geologic record, said geologist Peter Haeussler of the U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage. "There's enough question that we just really don't know." And Alaska has plenty of other sources of earthquakes to contend with. The oceanic plate bends and sinks as it is pushed beneath the continent, which can cause quakes potentially up to magnitude 7. And there are plenty of active faults on dry land as well. "The big Kahuna for Alaska is the Denali Fault," Haeussler said, which had a 30-mile-long rupture in a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in 2004. Alaska's biggest vulnerability is its transportation infrastructure. Virtually everything and everyone that goes anywhere in the state passes through Anchorage. The airport sits on ground that could suffer liquefaction — where sediments behave like a liquid when shaken in an earthquake — that could seriously damage runways and isolate the rest of the state.
Hawaii is well known for its volcanic hazard, but the islands are also susceptible to major earthquakes such as a magnitude 7.9 quake in 1868 that killed 77 people. Evidence of prehistoric quakes is hard to come by in Hawaii, making it especially difficult to guess when the next big one will strike. The Hawaiian Island chain was formed by a massive plume of extra-hot magma rising through the molten mantle between Earth's crust and core. The plume forced its way through the ocean crust, creating a volcano. As the Pacific plate slowly moved over the stationary plume, new volcanic islands were formed as older ones went dormant — the Big Island is where the magma is currently breaking through. "All our earthquakes are ultimately associated with the processes that form the volcanoes," said earthquake seismologist Cecily Wolfe at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Loading the ocean crust with massive volcanoes — the from ocean floor to peak, the Big Island is the tallest feature on — causes it to flex, which can produce earthquakes. Even more dangerous are the quakes caused by the expansion of the volcano as new magma pushes out from below. These jolts can be very large and cause destructive tsunamis as well. More than half of the people killed by the 1868 died in the ensuing tsunami. With only the historical earthquake record to go by, scientists have little data to help them estimate the probability of another big quake in the future. The most recent giant quake was a magnitude 7.2 in 1975, 107 years after the previous one. Does this mean Hawaii can relax for another 70 years or so? It's impossible to say. And since 1868, there have been seven quakes of magnitude 6.2 or greater, most recently a 6.7 in 2006 that caused $250 million in damage. Hawaii is fortunate that most of its biggest earthquakes occur on the relatively sparsely populated Big Island. And the most active part of the Big Island is the south flank, which would send a tsunami out to sea instead of toward the other islands. But big ones that do sometimes strike the west flank of the island could send a tsunami to the much more populated shores of Maui and Oahu. "I'm sure that many people are completely unaware of the local tsunami hazard on the other islands," Wolfe said. In the past, some of the earthquakes caused by the flexing of the crust under the weight of the islands have struck near Maui, including a magnitude 6.8 in 1938. And Hawaii has plenty of older buildings that won't survive major shaking, particularly many homes that are not bolted down to a solid foundation. "Those buildings can literally walk off their blocks during an earthquake," Wolfe said. See Also:
Image: Damage to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory after a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in 1983 / USGS Source: Wired: Wired Science | 21 Oct 2008 | 1:03 am California Is Due for a Katrina-Style Disaster
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When the next big earthquake hits the San Francisco Bay Area, it will be a catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina proportions. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people will die, and hundreds of thousands will become homeless. Economic losses will be on the order of $200 billion, the vast majority of it uninsured. Outside help will be desperately needed, but difficult to coordinate and execute. And just as before Hurricane Katrina, scientists have been sounding the alarm, warning that the disaster is inevitable. It's not a matter of if, but when the "Big One" will strike. "The reality is that we could have a large earthquake at any time," said geologist David Schwartz of the U.S. Geological Survey. The Bay Area is lined with faults capable of delivering a knock-out blow. But one in particular is poised to rupture sooner than later. Geologists have determined that the average time between major earthquakes on the Hayward fault is 140 years. The last big one was October 21, 140 years ago. The 1868 Hayward fault earthquake measured around a magnitude 7 and offset the ground laterally more than six feet in places. It killed 30 people in the sparsely populated area and leveled or severely damaged nearly every structure in a wide swath along its 43-mile length. It was known as the Great San Francisco Earthquake until the 1906 earthquake took that title away. But if the 1868 quake were to strike again today, it would do exponentially more damage. The Hayward fault lies along the hills on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay in one of the most densely populated areas of the state. It runs beneath homes, schools, senior centers, hospitals, businesses and through the campus of UC Berkeley, bisecting the football stadium. "A Hayward fault earthquake will change the Bay Area," said USGS geologist Tom Brocher. "It's likely to be one of the nation's biggest natural disasters." During the last 140 years, the population of the Bay Area has mushroomed to around seven million people. As many as five million of them would be impacted by a major Hayward fault quake. The Association of Bay Area Governments estimates that 220,000 people will be displaced from their homes, as many as 70,000 of those will seek public shelter. But unlike in the areas affected by Katrina where more than half of the $125 billion in losses was insured, only around 8 percent of homes and businesses in the Bay Area are insured against earthquake damage, according to new research by Risk Management Solutions in Hayward. "Our models suggest less than $10 billion will flow into the Bay Area from insurance," said seismologist Mary Lou Zoback of RMS. "And the insurance money comes fairly quickly compared to money from federal and state programs." The region's transportation infrastructure will take a major hit. More than a thousand roads could be closed. The Oakland and San Francisco International Airports, as well as the Port of Oakland, all lie on top of man-made fill, which is prone to liquefaction — where sediment acts like a liquid when shaken causing structures to founder. Damage to the water delivery system may be the most worrisome because the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct, which supplies water for 2.4 million people, crosses the Hayward fault and could be ruptured in a major earthquake. As in the 1906 earthquake, damaged gas lines could start fires, which will be difficult to fight without a working water supply. And what water there is will need to be pumped to the firefighters using electricity that will likely be out in the immediate aftermath of the quake. "All of these things cascade together," Zoback said. The $210 billion dollar damage that RMS estimates will result from a magnitude 7 Hayward fault quake doesn't even take into account fire damage. "I think our models way underestimate that impact." The Bay Area is prone to earthquakes because it straddles the boundary between two massive tectonic plates. The Pacific plate is moving north relative to the North American plate at the rate of about 2 inches a year, but friction between the two plates keeps them from sliding smoothly past each other. Over time, stress builds up, eventually overcoming the friction and releasing in an earthquake. Much of the stress release happens on the San Andreas fault, the main seam between the plates, but some of it is relieved by the Hayward fault and other smaller parallel faults. During the 1906 earthquake, 300 miles of the San Andreas ruptured and the two sides of the fault snapped past each other, moving as much as 20 feet in some places. The energy released during that massive quake was the equivalent of 15 million tons of TNT. Since then, with the accumulated stress of the plate motion relieved, the Bay Area has enjoyed a century of relative quiet, seismically speaking. But all the while the plates have continued their inexorable march, slowly building up stress like a tightening spring. And there are signs that the region may be emerging from this "stress shadow." The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake could be one of those signs. The magnitude 6.9 quake, the area's largest since 1906, struck the San Andreas in the Santa Cruz mountains. That quake cast its own, smaller stress shadow, but models of the stress build up in the Bay Area due to plate motion suggest enough has accumulated to generate another major quake. "The region is at a much higher stress level because the effects of the 1906 earthquake have worn off," Schwartz said. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates there is a 63 percent chance that a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake will hit one of the Bay Area faults in the next 30 years. The Hayward fault, combined with its northern neighbor the Rogers Creek fault, accounts for 31 percent of that chance, more than any other fault including the San Andreas. A major Hayward fault quake would severely cripple the Bay Area. The epicenter of the Loma Prieta earthquake was more than 60 miles south of San Francisco and yet it killed 63 people, most of them on a highway that collapsed in Oakland, injured nearly 4,000, did $6 billion in damage and knocked out a section of the Oakland Bay Bridge. If the quake had struck at 5:04 p.m. on a normal weekday during rush hour, rather than on that unusual Tuesday afternoon when many had gone home early to watch the Bay Area's two baseball teams slug it out in the third game of the World Series that had just started at San Francisco's Candlestick Park, the death toll would have been significantly higher. Move the epicenter of that quake, or a larger one, to the Hayward fault in the heart of the Bay Area, and it will make Loma Prieta look like a bad hair day. So how do people in the Bay Area cope with this hazard? Though awareness of the potential for earthquakes is relatively high in the area, the USGS estimates only 10 percent of residents have a disaster plan and less than half have set aside supplies such as water, food and first aid. A quick survey of the Wired.com office found that the staff is behind even that modest curve -- just a third have done anything at all to prepare, and less than 10 percent have something resembling a comprehensive plan. This may be because for some, it takes a certain amount of denial to live in earthquake country. And many residents who lived through the 1989 quake, think they have already survived a major Bay Area earthquake. They are wrong. "They have the same expectations for the next one," Brocher said. "But a Hayward fault earthquake will be much closer to many of them, and it will be much more damaging." Image: USGS/Google Earth Source: Wired: Wired Science | 21 Oct 2008 | 1:03 am Bacterium 'to blame for Crohn's'Researchers believe the lack of a specific bacterium in the gut may be a cause of Crohn's disease.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Oct 2008 | 12:25 am Western diet 'raises heart risk'Swapping fried and salty foods for fruit and veg could cut a third of the heart attack risk around the world, work suggests.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Oct 2008 | 12:16 am Latest space tourist gets his money's worth (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 20 Oct 2008 | 11:21 pm China Needs to Rein in Out-of-Control Organ Market
Ninety percent of the organs used in Chinese transplants come from executed prisoners, according to a new commentary in The Lancet, a British medical journal. The shocking statistic is one indicator that China's organ transplant regime needs help, despite recent moves to clamp down on unethical behavior. Major questions exist about the rights of (imprisoned) donors, widespread medical tourism, and quality assurance. "[A] legal framework is urgently needed to regulate professional behaviour, to establish clinical protocols, and to restore equilibrium between the extreme demand for organs and their limited supply," write the authors, who include include Jiefu Huang, Vice-Minister of Health in Beijing. The call for regulations of transplants comes as part of a large set of articles in The Lancet on reforming the Chinese health care system. China's economy has grown at a torrid pace, but its social infrastructure hasn't kept up. Check out the series for a sobering look at how to keep 1.3 billion people healthy. Working from public reports, Amnesty International estimated that at least 470 people were executed in the country, but the real numbers "were believed to be much higher." The organ data adds factual evidence to Amnesty's belief, as an estimated 11,000 organ transplants, mostly kidneys and livers, were performed in 2006 alone. "The long-term goal for social development is to abolish the death penalty but, until then, regulations need to protect prisoners' rights and desires and separate transplant programmes from the prison system," the authors conclude. Image: Hong Kong Prison. flickr/sobergeorge WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal's Twitter , Google Reader feed, and webpage; Wired Science on Facebook. Source: Wired: Wired Science | 20 Oct 2008 | 11:13 pm India's unmanned moon mission may launch race for lunar landgrabOfficials at Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) remain tight-lipped about possibility of a lunar land grabSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 20 Oct 2008 | 11:09 pm University looks for the antidote to stressRelaxation room at the University of Hertfordshire is designed to put the brakes on the pace of modern lifeSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 20 Oct 2008 | 11:09 pm Emine Saner: Pet theories - can animals increase our wellbeing?American researchers have discovered that owning a pet can significantly reduce your risk of a common cancer. And that's not all, says Emine SanerSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 20 Oct 2008 | 11:07 pm Contamination fears after four university cancer deathsInquiry launched amid fears that radioactive contamination may have contributed to the deaths of staffSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 20 Oct 2008 | 11:04 pm SLIDE SHOW: A Dinosaur Dance FloorAround 190 million years ago, a wilderness area along the Arizona-Utah border was a dino oasis.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Oct 2008 | 10:00 pm Scientists Determine Which Species to SaveEarth may be in the midst of the sixth great mass extinction.Source: Livescience.com | 20 Oct 2008 | 9:38 pm Mathematician Predicts Rays to Win World SeriesMathematician uses model and player stats to predict winner of World Series.Source: Livescience.com | 20 Oct 2008 | 9:20 pm Hayward waitsSitting on the most dangerous urban fault in the USSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 20 Oct 2008 | 8:35 pm Space Tourist Gets His Money's WorthA computer game wizard pays $30 million and has the flight of his life.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Oct 2008 | 8:24 pm France: turmoil must not hurt climate change bill (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 20 Oct 2008 | 8:03 pm Holding onThe Mars Phoenix Lander battles the onset of winterSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 20 Oct 2008 | 7:31 pm Anesthesia during childbirth seen very safeNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The odds of a woman dying from the anesthesia she may be given during childbirth have fallen to about one in a million, according to a study described at the American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.Source: Reuters: Science News | 20 Oct 2008 | 7:29 pm For Sale: WWII-Era Bombproof TunnelsA labyrinth of bombproof tunnels hidden 100 feet beneath London is up for auction.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Oct 2008 | 7:24 pm In Troubled Times, Pop!Tech's Stars Talk Tech, Scarcity
Profiles:
Most tech conferences like whiz!-bang! gadgets, but this week's Pop!Tech conference highlights the deeper trends in silicon's disruptive march through contemporary society. From its off-beat location in Camden, Maine to its eclectic roster of speakers, Pop!Tech attempts to separate itself from the gleeful Silicon Valley greed and glitz. Once considered a home for the American strain of technoutopianism (not unlike a certain tech magazine), this year's program — themed "Scarcity and Abundance" — showcases the evolution of the event into a highly international and humanitarian affair. Like an East Coast TED conference, the conference is a must-attend for intellectual heavyweights who think and write about the impacts technology has on people and their behavior. Previous speakers include game designer Will Wright, gerontologist Aubrey de Grey, geek/musician Jonathan Coulton, and arch-scientist Craig Venter. Over the week, Wired.com will be profiling a series of the conference's up-and-coming stars who just might use the bright lights of the Pop!Tech stage to launch themselves into memedom. Image: flickr/KK+ Source: Wired: Wired Science | 20 Oct 2008 | 7:23 pm Rock Shows Earth Got Off to Hot StartWith a 2,700-million-year-old rock, scientists gain insight into Earth's beginnings.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Oct 2008 | 4:24 pm Huge Field of Dinosaur Tracks FoundMore than a thousand dinosaur tracks have been discovered.Source: Livescience.com | 20 Oct 2008 | 3:56 pm Saudi supercomputer lures researchersJEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - A new science and technology university in Saudi Arabia will house one of the world's largest supercomputers and it is helping lure top researchers to the conservative desert state.Source: Reuters: Science News | 20 Oct 2008 | 3:32 pm Rock records dino 'dance floor'Scientists identify an amazing collection of dinosaur footprints at a site on the Arizona-Utah border in the US.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 20 Oct 2008 | 3:23 pm India Begins Countdown For Moon MissionIndia's lunar-orbiting spacecraft is scheduled to blast off on Wednesday.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Oct 2008 | 3:22 pm Team Claims to Find Abomidable Snowman PrintsA Japanese team claims to find the oversized footprints of the legendary yeti.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Oct 2008 | 2:15 pm River 'cull'How poisoning a river can kill off a salmon parasiteSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 20 Oct 2008 | 2:11 pm Britain Releases UFO FilesBritish UFO files debunk many UFO sightings, leave others unexplained.Source: Livescience.com | 20 Oct 2008 | 1:41 pm Britain Releases UFO Files, Dispelling RumorsNewly public files on UFO sightings in Britain help debunk some reports.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Oct 2008 | 1:36 pm Worm Grunting Mystery SolvedScientists prove moles are the reason why the technique of worm grunting works.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Oct 2008 | 1:19 pm
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