|
|
|
|
Computerized Face Recognition Software Can Rapidly See Through DisguisesA rapid but superior method for computerized face recognition could revolutionize security systems especially if it can see through disguises. New software solves the variation problems caused by different light levels and shadows, viewing direction, pose, and facial expressions. It can even see through certain types of disguises such as facial hair and glasses.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm Mummified Dinosaur Skin Yields Up New SecretsScientists have identified preserved organic molecules in the skin of a dinosaur that died around 66-million years ago.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm Financial Crisis Increases Suicides And Homicides, Study FindsMarket crashes could lead to rises in homicides and suicides, unless governments invest in labor market protections, according to a new study.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm Quadriplegics Can Operate Powered Wheelchair With Tongue Drive SystemAn assistive technology that enables individuals to maneuver a powered wheelchair or control a mouse cursor using simple tongue movements can be operated by individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries, according to the results of a recently completed clinical trial.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm Scientists Reprogram Clearly Defined Adult Cells Into Pluripotent Stem Cells -- Directly And Without VirusesResearchers have succeeded for the first time in reprogramming clearly defined adult cells into pluripotent stem cells -- directly and without viruses.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm Dogs, Humans, Put Heads Together To Find Cure For Brain CancerPinpointing the genes involved in human brain cancer can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and sometimes the needle you find may not be the right one.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm New MRI Technique Could Mean Fewer Breast Biopsies In High-risk WomenBiomedical engineers have developed a method that, applied in MRI scans of the breast, could spare some women with increased breast cancer risk the pain and stress of having to endure a biopsy of a questionable lump or lesion.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 3:00 pm Single Gene Mutation Responsible For 'Catastrophic Epilepsy'Catastrophic epilepsy -- characterized by severe muscle spasms, persistent seizures, mental retardation and sometimes autism -- results from a mutation in a single gene, researchers report.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 3:00 pm US-Mexico Border Wall Could Threaten Wildlife SpeciesA 700-mile security wall under construction along the United States' border with Mexico could significantly alter the movement and "connectivity" of wildlife, biologists say, and the animals' potential isolation is a threat to populations of some species.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 3:00 pm Fathers Spend More Time With Children Who Resemble Them, Study SuggestsDarwin's theory of evolution predicts that men will take more care of children that look like them. Scientists have now verified this prediction.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 3:00 pm BLOG: Skies Darken Over IraqA satellite image shows a massive dust storm covering the nation of Iraq.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Jul 2009 | 11:40 am Obama, summit partners, eye intense global talks (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 11:34 am G-8 leaders look for signals of economic recovery (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 11:27 am Striking salamander species foundA new species of lungless salamander is discovered, the most distinct amphibian found in the US for nearly 50 years.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2009 | 11:01 am GM as a tool in struggle against povertyWe need more, and perhaps different, strategies to give farmers on low-quality soils a better chance at improving their lot Salty soils affect the growth of plants worldwide, particularly in irrigated land where one-third of the world's food is produced. It is estimated that one-fifth of irrigated land is salt-affected. And it is a problem that is only going to get worse as pressure to use more water increases and the quality of water decreases. Helping plants to withstand this salty onslaught would have a significant impact on world food production. Salt in the soil also affects dryland agriculture, particularly in semi-arid regions of the world, such as in the Middle East, Kazakhstan and Australia. 70% of Australia's wheat crop is affected by salt that is found as much a metre beneath the surface – this is important, as Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat. Any approaches which can be taken to reduce the impact of salinity on world food production would be valuable. The world food situation is now critical. More than one billion people now go hungry each day. World grain stores are now lower than they have been for fifty years, since before the Green Revolution. Reflecting this, prices have increased greatly. Pressures from increasing population, increasing standards of living and biofuels, all in the context of global climate change, are making demands that are increasingly difficult to meet. The inequitable distribution of food is, of course, very important, as are problems of distribution of better seed varieties and basic farming technologies to farmers. These are perennial issues which intergovernmental organisations (such as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) and charities (eg the Rockefeller Foundation) have battled valiantly to address for decades. And support for this must continue. But despite such wonderful work and many local victories, the problems globally are getting worse, not better. We need more and, perhaps, different strategies – including new technologies. In my group's research over the past ten years, we have been studying the mechanisms plants use to tolerate salinity, and how to manipulate these processes so that plants can keep growing while the salt keeps rising. We have generated plants that are much more tolerant to salt, work which was published yesterday. One mechanism of salinity tolerance involves keeping the toxic sodium ion (Na+) out of the leaves. One way to do this is to reduce the amount of Na+ moving from the roots to the shoots in the stream of water that flows up through the plant's water conducting pipes. We made a targeted genetic tweak so that Na+ is removed from the water flowing up the stem before it reaches the shoot – once out, it is stuck. The effect of this manipulation is to reduce the amount of toxic Na+ building up the shoot and so increase the plant's tolerance to salinity. The control of the gene we manipulated is crucial. To be effective, it must be tuned up so that it works harder and produces more protein than it usually would specifically around the plant's water conducting tubes in the mature root. In doing this, we have enhanced a process used naturally by plants to minimise the movement of Na+ to the shoot. We have used genetic modification (GM) to amplify the process, helping plants to do what they already do – but to do it much better! We are now in the process of transferring the technology to crops such as rice, wheat and barley. And results in rice already look very promising. The motivation for my research is as an independent academic seeking knowledge and its application for public good. It is driven by the same imperatives that led me to be an active member of the UK Green party for nearly a decade. As such, I consider my funding sources to be irrelevant to my academic integrity. Nevertheless, I can declare that none of our research on salinity has been paid for by industry. All funding has been from UK, EU or Australian governmental sources or from charities such as the Leverhulme Foundation. Furthermore, the outputs described in the paper are fully and freely available for public benefit. I hope very much that the principles of our work can be applied to develop salt-tolerant crops in developing countries and give farmers on low-quality soils a better chance at improving their lot. And giving people a chance to better their situation is something we need to facilitate, not impede. The west may not need more food, but remember Make Poverty History – a child dies unnecessarily as a result of extreme poverty every three seconds. GM crops are not the answer to this shameful global situation, but I argue strongly that they provide another tool, another option to try to address the problem. And I do not think those of us sitting in comfortable wealth have a right to deny people the opportunity to improve their production of food. The technology is just that, a technology. Like nuclear technologies (radiotherapy or nuclear weapons) or mobile phones (communication or bomb triggers), how we use it is the main issue. I hope that the plants we have generated provide a subtle use of GM technology that will allow some positive benefits for the developing world. Prof Mark Tester started working on mechanisms of salinity tolerance at the University of Cambridge, and has continued this over the past five years at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics and the University of Adelaide in Australia. His research also includes increasing the efficiency of nitrogen in crops and the concentration of iron and zinc in rice grain – to address the world's biggest health problem, micronutrient deficiency. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 8 Jul 2009 | 10:40 am Monkeys recognise 'bad grammar'Tamarin monkeys spot if the order of syllables in a word is "wrong", say scientists, providing clues about language evolution.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2009 | 9:53 am British scientists claim to create human sperm (AP)AP - British scientists claim they have created human sperm from stem cells. But other experts have questioned their data.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 9:50 am The Nation's weather (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 9:25 am Mumbai facing water cuts as lakes run dry (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 7:28 am Neil Armstrong: The right stuffWhat train of events led to Neil Armstrong – a civilian – being the first man to walk on the moon? When John F Kennedy threw down the gauntlet to Nasa in 1961, the technological challenge and dangers involved in landing a man on the moon were heart-stopping. Fortunately, there was no shortage of men brave enough to take up that challenge. Nasa decided that experience flying jets was more important than scientific training for potential astronauts, given the tight deadline. Applications weren't restricted to the military but, because the agency stipulated that candidates should have spent a high number of hours flying fighter jets, the navy and air force became the main source of recruits. The only successful candidate who wasn't in the military was Neil Armstrong, who was selected in 1962. Armstrong had built up the requisite flying experience because he was a test pilot. His Apollo 11 crewmates, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins, were selected the following year, both fresh from the military. At the time they were chosen, fewer than 10 men had been into space and none had spent more than a few days tumbling around in Earth orbit. Each of the future Apollo 11 astronauts was first assigned to a two-man Gemini crew. "Not only were they training for Gemini, they were actively involved in the design for the various parts of what was needed for the Apollo system. These astronauts were actively involved and consulting on the design of the spacecraft they were going to fly," says Anu Ojha, director of education at the National Space Centre in Leicester. They had to rehearse, in Earth orbit, every aspect of the procedures needed to get to the moon. By 1963, Nasa had not flown more than one astronaut at a time, it had certainly not maintained humans in space for a stretch of eight days, US astronauts had not left their craft during a mission and they had no experience docking two spacecraft moving at 5 miles per second round the Earth. All of these procedures were necessary for Apollo. Apollo syndrome"They had to learn a lot of stuff operationally for [the missions] and get up to speed with the latest thinking in lunar geology," says Ojha. "Every astronaut account at that time will talk about how they were hardly seeing their families, they were working 16-hour days. The Apollo syndrome had marriages falling apart or only just holding together." And the potential dangers of the programme were not restricted to space. There was a major setback in January 1967 with the death of three astronauts on the ground. The primary crew for what would later be called Apollo 1 was going through a flight test on the launchpad when a spark from faulty wiring started a fire. In the high-pressure, pure oxygen atmosphere the fire burned fiercely and the three crew members – Virgil Grissom, Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee – died of asphyxiation. It knocked the space programme, and America at large, sideways. "These people were rock stars – they were representing humanity's drive forward," says Ojha. "The Americans thought it was a national disaster for their pride, especially given the context of a war in Vietnam that was going badly wrong." In the resulting investigation, engineers found serious flaws in the design of parts of the Apollo command module. If Apollo 1 hadn't happened, and a command module had burned up on the dark side of the moon, out of contact with ground control, these problems with Apollo's design might have remained a mystery. The programme would almost certainly have been grounded. For the trainee astronauts, risks had already been part of their day job. The US test flight programme from which many of them had been picked lost a pilot every two weeks during its worst period, and the astronaut recruits carried this mindset with them into their space training. Step by stepEach Apollo mission built incrementally on the previous one, so when the crew for Apollo 11 was confirmed, it was by no means clear that it would be the first to successfully make it to the moon's surface. Apollo 9 was tasked with taking all the components of the mission, including the command module and lunar lander, into low-Earth orbit on a Saturn V rocket. Apollo 10 took the whole kit to the moon but didn't land. If any of the earlier missions had failed, Armstrong's team would have had to join the queue to fix the mistakes and a subsequent mission would have been the first to land on the moon. Just in case, Nasa had scheduled Apollo 12 and 13 after Armstrong's mission, either of which could have landed before Kennedy's deadline expired in 1970. Many people have speculated about why Nasa chose Armstrong as the man who would probably be the first to step onto the moon's surface. Some say it was because Armstrong was a civilian: the decision was meant as a slight against the military. Ojha thinks that version of events is apocryphal, instead attributing the decision to Armstrong's phenomenal ability to remain calm and in control even during the most dangerous of situations. "He'd only had one space flight before [Gemini 8] which was a hard docking in space and the spacecraft began tumbling out of control. That was a mission where Armstrong's quick thinking saved it from, at the time, the most serious emergency in the space programme." That ice cool calm was most evident just after he had guided Apollo 11's lunar module to a hair-raising landing on the moon. The transcripts clearly show how the ground crew in Houston, Buzz Aldrin and even Michael Collins in the orbiting command module were incapable of containing their joy. Amid the buzz, Armstrong quietly checked the instruments, acknowledged that all was well with the spacecraft, and embarked on the task of carefully describing the shape of the lunar rocks to the geologists back on Earth. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 8 Jul 2009 | 7:15 am Genetic perilWhy private gene testing companies must be controlledSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2009 | 5:02 am Nearly 500 dogs seized from Texas kennel (AP)AP - Nearly 500 dogs, some with skin conditions and open sores, have been seized from a Texas kennel where the Humane Society says several dead animals also were found.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 4:47 am Final Rules Broaden Pool for Stem Cell Research (HealthDay)HealthDay - MONDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. government issued final guidelines Monday describing which embryonic stem cell lines will be eligible for government funding, effectively expanding the universe of stem cells that can be used for research.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 3:48 am Genes Linked to Cholesterol in Cells Are Identified (HealthDay)HealthDay - TUESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Twenty genes that play major roles in controlling cholesterol within cells have been identified by German researchers, who said that some of the genes may play a role in heart disease risk and offer new targets for drug treatment.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 3:48 am Could Michael Jackson Have Been Cloned? (LiveScience.com)LiveScience.com - Michael Jackson reportedly was very interested in being cloned.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 1:25 am Could Michael Jackson Have Been Cloned?Michael Jackson reportedly was very interested in being cloned. But it's not so easy.Source: Livescience.com | 8 Jul 2009 | 1:18 am NASA data shows 'dramatically thinned' Arctic ice (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2009 | 1:01 am Panda twins among park baby boomTwin red pandas are part of a record breaking number of baby animals born at a south of Scotland wildlife centre.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2009 | 12:39 am Scientists claim sperm 'first'Scientists in Newcastle claim to have created human sperm in the laboratory in what they say is a world first.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Jul 2009 | 11:07 pm Scientists grow human sperm from embryonic stem cellsScientists claim to have created human sperm for the first time, in a breakthrough they say could lead to new treatment for male infertility. The sperm was grown in a laboratory in Newcastle from embryonic stem cells. Led by Professor Karim Nayernia, researchers developed a method of growing early-stage sperm from human embryonic stem cells by using retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative. They found that about 20% of the cells produced early-stage sperm cells or spermatagonia and, after further culture, they could see a number of cells continue to split and divide. The breakthrough came when some cells continued to grow, elongating and growing a tail which caused them to move, and forming recognisable sperm cells. Nayernia, of Newcastle University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute (Nesci), described the cells as "fully mature, functional" sperm, which he called In Vitro Derived (IVD) sperm. He said: "This is an important development as it will allow researchers to study in detail how sperm forms and lead to a better understanding of infertility in men – why it happens and what is causing it. "This understanding could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child which is genetically their own. "It will also allow scientists to study how cells involved in reproduction are affected by toxins, for example why young boys with leukaemia who undergo chemotherapy can become infertile for life – and possibly lead us to a solution." The scientist, who created mice sperm six years ago using similar techniques, said that he used four criteria to determine whether the cells he produced were sperm. They were: the presence of proteins specific to sperm, one of which is located in the tail and very important for activating egg division; chromosome analysis, which showed that the sperm produced contained 23 chromosomes or half of the chromosome set – this is specific to sperm cells; the shape of the sperm, which has a tail and a head; and finally the movement of the sperm – "we could clearly see the movement of the sperm using the tail". But his findings, published in the academic journal Stem Cells and Development, were met by a barrage of criticism by other scientists, who said further research was needed to determine the authenticity of his claims. Dr Allan Pacey, from the University of Sheffield, said: "As a sperm biologist of 20 years' experience, I am unconvinced from the data presented in this paper that the cells … produced by Professor Nayernia's group can be accurately called 'spermatozoa'." After watching a video clip of the cells, he said that while they possessed "some of the distinctive genetic features and molecular markers seen in sperm", there were other characteristics of human sperm that were not described in the paper, while the footage "did not have sufficient resolution" for him to properly assess how the sperm was moving, another indicative factor of sperm behaviour. Professor Azim Surani, a specialist in physiology and reproduction at the University of Cambridge, said the cells should be tested to find out how they develop inside an animal egg and added: "These sperm-like cells made in a dish from embryonic stem cells are a long way from being authentic sperm cells." Professor Robin Lovell Badge, from the Medical Research Council Institute of Medical Research, also questioned the findings, saying that "they need much better evidence that such in-vitro derived sperm are normal" but added that any progress by the team "will be very important for research" and "ultimately, although definitely not yet, fertility treatments". Nayernia responded by saying that his research paper was clearly labelled a "proof of principle" which concludes that it is in its early stages and further research is needed. He said: "We are not claiming this research is complete but we are saying that we have found human sperm." Nayernia added that his findings would not lead to human beings being produced "in a dish", but were rather "a way of investigating why some people are infertile and the reasons behind it. "If we have a better understanding of what's going on it could lead to new ways of treating infertility." guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 7 Jul 2009 | 11:05 pm Monkeys Display Verbal SkillsCotton-top tamarin monkeys can tell the difference between prefixes and suffixes.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Jul 2009 | 11:00 pm Armadillo-like crocodile roamed Brazil: researchersRIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Fossils found in Brazil are from a crocodile resembling a large armadillo that was a predator in the area around modern-day Sao Paulo state 90 million years ago, researchers said on Tuesday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Jul 2009 | 7:56 pm Purpose of Bat's Weird Nose ExplainedOne bat's long nose may help it focus its sonarSource: Livescience.com | 7 Jul 2009 | 7:43 pm New monkey discovered in Brazilian AmazonRIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Researchers have discovered a new sub-species of monkey in a remote part of the Amazon rain forest, a U.S.-based wildlife conservation group said on Tuesday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Jul 2009 | 6:50 pm Astronomers Uncover Audio of 1969 Soviet Attempt to Beat U.S. to the Moon
The United States wasn’t the only country hoping to land on the moon in July 1969 — the Soviets were trying to beat us to the punch by landing the unmanned spacecraft Luna 15 while Apollo 11 was still in orbit around the moon. Now, thanks to the discovery of previously unheard recordings from 1969, you can listen to the unfolding drama. Astronomers from the University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics unearthed these forgotten audio files while researching materials for the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. The recordings come from the control room of the Jodrell Bank Observatory, where astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell and colleagues were listening to transmissions from the moon on the Lovell radio telescope. The newly released recordings chronicle events from July 19 through July 21, 1969, with Lovell narrating as events unfold. The first two minutes of the recording reveal that the Luna 15 had dramatically changed its orbit. After the U.S. astronauts landed on the lunar surface on July 20, Luna 15 altered its course to get closer to the Apollo 11 landing site. But the real excitement begins on July 21, when Lovell reports on “a rumor from a well-informed source in Moscow that this Luna is going to land this evening” — and return to the Soviet Union with lunar rock samples. The Soviets never got close to that ambitious goal. At 15:50 on July 21st, the astronomers listened as the Luna 15 crashed into the moon’s surface. In the final moments before the spacecraft hits the Moon, voices from the control room say, “It’s landing” and “It’s going down much too fast!” As the tape ends, one observer sums it up: “I say, this has really been drama of the highest order.” See Also:
Audio: Courtesy of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics. Copyright: © Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester Image: Courtesy of the NASA History Office and the NASA JSC Media Services Center at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 Jul 2009 | 6:41 pm Humans Ate Fish 40,000 Years AgoA new study finds that at least one of our ancestors was regularly enjoying fish 40,000 years ago.Source: Livescience.com | 7 Jul 2009 | 5:50 pm New Long-Tailed Monkey Discovered in AmazonA new monkey subspecies with quite a long tail has been discovered in a remote region of the Amazon in Brazil.Source: Livescience.com | 7 Jul 2009 | 5:35 pm Europe targets manned spaceshipEuropean industry is asked to study the requirements and cost of a spacecraft that could one day carry astronauts.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Jul 2009 | 5:17 pm Thunderstorm Alert System Could Thwart Plane CrashesNew system to give real-time weather to transoceanic flights, could help avoid turbulence.Source: Livescience.com | 7 Jul 2009 | 5:08 pm Huge Iraq Dust Storm Seen From SpaceGiant dust storm that raged through Iraq and other Middle East countries in recent days has been imaged by satellite.Source: Livescience.com | 7 Jul 2009 | 4:41 pm NASA Tests Internet in SpaceThe communications network would allow data to travel between Earth and spacecraft.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Jul 2009 | 4:00 pm Gene Tests Confirm Identity, Possible Eye Color of Copernicus
His bones were found four years ago under a Roman Catholic cathedral in Frombork, Poland. Forensic reconstruction of the skull suggested a resemblance to Copernicus. The bones’ DNA matched the DNA of hairs found in a book that had belonged to him. Those results were informally announced last November by Polish researchers, and are formally described in a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers also used mitochondrial DNA — which is passed intact from mother to child, making it a favorite tool for archaeological genetics — to confirm the match. The profile found in the bones and hair have only been found in four other European individuals, making a coincidental match extremely unlikely. Copernicus also possessed a variation in a gene called HERC2 that’s usually seen in people with blue eyes. Most paintings depict Copernicus, the first astronomer to realize that Earth orbited the sun, an intellectual father of the scientific revolution, as having dark eyes. But he likely peered at the heavens through baby blues. Citation: “Genetic identification of putative remains of the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.” By Wiesław Bogdanowica, Marie Allen, Wojciech Branickic, Maria Lembring, Marta Gajewska, and Tomasz Kupiec. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106 No. 27, July 6, 2009. Images: 1. PNAS 2. University of Arizona See Also:
Brandon Keim’s Twitter stream and reportorial outtakes; Wired Science on Twitter.
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 Jul 2009 | 3:23 pm News from Afar: Ground zeroAfter a brief stopover in a ghost town, geologist David Ferguson is at last at the scene of the volcanic eruption in a remote region of Ethiopia Saturday: We spent the night in the Milano Hotel in the northern city of Mekele, where you're offered two room choices: you can either have a working toilet or a working shower. Despite spending the afternoon in a hot and crowded helicopter everyone attempted to secure the former. Still determined to reach the volcano as quickly as possible we left at 6am for the air base, a small compound next to the regional domestic airport, from where we hoped to continue our helicopter journey. After a short wait we set off, the old soviet helicopter vibrating violently as it lurched into the air. We flew east towards the main escarpment where the Ethiopian highlands drop more than 2km to the arid and remote Afar depression. Afar is the site of intense seismic and volcanic activity and as we flew across the vast desert we saw volcanic cones and large faults cutting the ground, all caused by the Earth's crust being broken up and magma forcing it way upwards through cracks and fissures. Our first stop is Afar's regional capital Semera, a new city that is slowly being built in the vast empty desert. Although it has yet to host any significant population or the means to accommodate them, it already boasts a post office, a university and an archaeological museum. These trappings of urban life were perhaps built in the hope that they would draw in residents, thereby giving life to the new city. From the air it made a bizarre interruption to the vast expanse of brown dust and black lava flows. Semera is being built across several active fault lines and looking down from the helicopter it was obvious how perilous a location it is. We landed at the soon-to-be Semera Domestic Airport, a dusty strip of gravel marked out with small piles of white stones, where we were met by a local geologist named Osman and two police guards, who will accompany us to the volcano. Afar is home to numerous nomadic tribes and has suffered decades of civil conflict. The locals have a healthy fear and distrust of the national government and although we did not expect to be met with hostility, we can't risk travelling without armed protection. Once aboard the helicopter, however, the pilot shooed our guards back outside, insisting that they remove the magazines from their machine guns before re-boarding. An accidental gunshot while we're airborne would not be welcome. Semera is about 60km from the new eruption and before long we were flying over a brand new black expanse of lava, spreading out from a long fissure and in stark contrast to the muted brown dust over which it had flowed. The fissure was around 5km long and was formed as a vertical wall of magma forced its way upwards, splitting apart the ground and spilling out lava flows onto the desert floor. It was an incredible sight and as we circled the lava we saw a line of steaming volcanic cones, built from pieces of molten rock that had been blasted out from the fissure, fragmenting into small lumps and cooling to form a steep-sided rampart. Some of these vents were still emitting wispy clouds of volcanic gas from the magma below. As the pilot searched for a suitable place to land, we grabbed our equipment and got ready to jump out and inspect the newest part of the Earth's surface. David Ferguson is a geology PhD student at Oxford University. We'll be publishing updates on his progress in the coming days guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 7 Jul 2009 | 3:11 pm Glorious and Ghostly New Photo of Swan Nebula Star Birth
Also known as the Omega Nebula or the Lobster Nebula, this star-forming region is around 5,500 light years from Earth and is one of the biggest in the Milky Way, stretching 15 light years across. It became active just a few million years ago, making it one of the galaxy’s newest nurseries. The image above is a three-color composite captured by the European Southern Observatory’s 3.58-meter New Technology Telescope at La Silla, Chile. See Also:
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 Jul 2009 | 2:52 pm How Global Catastrophe Could Make Us SmarterA supervolcano would challenge civilization. But it could make us smarter.Source: Livescience.com | 7 Jul 2009 | 2:47 pm Memories of the Apollo 11 Moon LandingSPACE.com readers are discussing where they were, what they were doing, and how the July 20, 1969 Apollo landing affected them.Source: Livescience.com | 7 Jul 2009 | 2:24 pm Smallest Full Moon of 2009 TodayThe moon is full today, and it is an interesting one. In fact, it won't truly be full.Source: Livescience.com | 7 Jul 2009 | 1:54 pm 'Time to ditch climate policies'World leaders need to abandon current global climate change policies, says an international group of academics.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Jul 2009 | 1:46 pm Where Tomorrow's Stars Will Be BornNew map reveals thousands of previously undiscovered knots of cold cosmic dust, each a potential star waiting to be born.Source: Livescience.com | 7 Jul 2009 | 1:43 pm BLOG: Spiders Use Debris to Fool PredatorsAlthough the debris makes their webs more visible, spiders use it as a decoy to deceive predators.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Jul 2009 | 1:39 pm Echolocation Allows Blind Humans to 'See'Some blind people have developed their own personal sonar using echolocation.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Jul 2009 | 1:15 pm Rice Concrete Cuts Greenhouse EmissionsUsing rice husks as a cement substitute could lead to a boom in green construction.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Jul 2009 | 11:30 am U.S.-Mexico Border Fence May Snag WildlifeThe fence threatens already limited populations of pygmy owls and bighorn sheep.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Jul 2009 | 11:15 am Deer's underwater antics could be an evolution clueTwo mouse-deer species in Asia have been discovered swimming underwater, providing further clues to the origin of whales.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Jul 2009 | 11:00 am
|
