Yale Research Reveals Ancient Moth’s True Colors
A research team led by Yale University scientists has for the first time determined the original colors of an ancient moth, based on nearly 50 million-year-old fossils from Germany. (more…)
Author Archives: Guest Post
Voyager 2 Completes Switch to Backup Thruster Set
PASADENA, Calif. — NASA’s Voyager 2 has successfully switched to the backup set of thrusters that controls the roll of the spacecraft. Deep Space Network personnel sent commands to the spacecraft to make the change on Nov. 4 and received confirmation today that the switch has been made.
The change allows engineers to reduce the amount of power that the 34-year-old spacecraft needs to operate by turning off the heater that keeps the fuel to the primary thrusters warm. Although the rate of energy generated by Voyager 2’s nuclear power source continues to decline, by reducing its power requirements, engineers expect the spacecraft can continue to operate for another decade. (more…)
IBM Announces Supercomputer to Propel Sciences Forward
*Blue Gene/Q tackles major challenges of the day, delivers up to 100 petaflops at peak performance*
ARMONK, NY – 15 Nov 2011: IBM today announced its next generation supercomputing project, Blue Gene/Q, will provide an ultra-scale technical computing platform to solve the most challenging problems facing engineers and scientists at faster, more energy efficient, and more reliable rates than ever before. Blue Gene/Q is expected to predict the path of hurricanes, analyze the ocean floor to discover oil, simulate nuclear weapons performance and decode gene sequences.
When it is fully deployed in 2012 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the system, named “Sequoia”, is expected to achieve 20 petaflops at peak performance, marking it as one of the fastest supercomputers in the world. The capabilities this system represents will help ensure United States leadership in high performance computing (HPC) and the science it makes possible. Moreover, Blue Gene/Q is expected to become the world’s most power-efficient computer, churning out 2 gigaflops per watt. (more…)
Evidence Emerges of Ancient Lake in California’s Eel River
*Ecological changes from lakebed may have led to two different populations of once-related steelhead trout*
A catastrophic landslide 22,500 years ago dammed the upper reaches of northern California’s Eel River, forming a 30-mile-long lake which has since disappeared. It left a living legacy found today in the genes of the region’s steelhead trout.
Using remote-sensing technology known as airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and hand-held global-positioning-systems (GPS) units, scientists recently found evidence for a late Pleistocene, landslide-dammed lake along the river. (more…)
Rising Air Pollution Worsens Drought, Flooding UMD-Led Study Shows
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Increases in air pollution and other particulate matter in the atmosphere can strongly affect cloud development in ways that reduce precipitation in dry regions or seasons, while increasing rain, snowfall and the intensity of severe storms in wet regions or seasons, says a new study by a University of Maryland-led team of researchers. (more…)
comScore Releases Overview of European Internet Usage in September 2011
30 Percent of European Internet Users Seek Career Information Online
Russia Overtakes Germany as Market with Largest Online Audience
LONDON, UK, 14 November 2011 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an overview of 
internet usage in Europe, showing 373.4 million unique visitors went online in September 2011 for an average of 26.4 hours per person. This release highlights internet usage in 49 European markets aggregated into the European region and provides individual reporting on 18 markets. Amongst its findings, the study showed strong growth in September 2011 for the Career Services and Development category with a 14 percent increase in unique visitors from the previous month. (more…)
Tune in — Only on Yahoo!: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 World Premiere Official Live Stream on Yahoo! Movies
See Your Favorite “Twilight Saga” Stars LIVE from the Red Carpet Premiere During the Official Live Stream TODAY Monday, November 14th
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)-– Yahoo! Movies, (https://movies.yahoo.com) in conjunction with Summit Entertainment, presents the Official Live Stream of the red carpet premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1″ today Monday, November 14 at 5:00 p.m. PT on Yahoo! Movies: https://movies.yahoo.com/twilight (more…)
More fiber, but not necessarily less fat, good for teen diets
EAST LANSING, Mich. — A diet high in fiber – but not necessarily one low in saturated fat or cholesterol – is tied to a lower risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes in teenagers, according to new findings from Michigan State University.
A study led by Joseph Carlson of MSU’s Division of Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition suggests to reduce metabolic syndrome – a collection of risk factors including high blood pressure and a large waistline – it is more important to emphasize diets including fiber-rich, nutrient-dense, plant-based foods than focus on restricting foods high in cholesterol or saturated fat. (more…)