Our Moon Is Shrinking
A new study on photos taken by a NASA probe showed that a clutch of previously unseen faults on the lunar surface and the moon is shrinking.
Thomas Watters of the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. said: As the interior cools, it contracts, and the crust of the moon has to adjust to the reduced volume. That causes this breaking of the crust into these small faults.
He has estimated that the moon’s width has shrunk by about 182 meters.
Source: The Moon Has Shrunk, and May Still Be Contracting
100-year-old Scotch Freed From Antarctic Ice
A crate of Scotch whisky from the Antarctic hut of renowned explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was found to contain 11 bottles of Mackinlay’s Scotch whisky, wrapped in paper and straw. The 100 year old scotch will not be for drinking but master blenders will examine samples of it to see if they can replicate the brew.
Genetically Modified Canola Spreading Into American Wild
A genetically modified (GM) canola crop has been found thriving in the wild in the United States. Researchers found that transgenic canola is growing freely in parts of North Dakota.
A University of Arkansas team surveyed said, “We drove along them, we made 604 stops in a total distance of over 3,000 miles (5,000km). We found canola in 46% of the locations; and 80% of them contained at least one transgene. We found herbicide resistant canola in roadsides, waste places, ball parks, grocery stores, gas stations and cemeteries.”
Source: GM plants ‘established in the wild’
Venus, Mars, Saturn Triangle Formation In The Sky
Last weekend the sky greeted star gazers as three planets, Venus, Mars and Saturn, formed a triangle in the sky. The three planets formed a triangle with Saturn in the western horizon. On August 13, the moon will join these three planets and make an interesting combination.
Solar Tsunami To Hit Earth
Earth is bracing for a cosmic tsunami as tons of plasma from a massive sun eruption is heading directly toward Earth. The eruptions, dubbed coronal mass ejections, started early Sunday and was captured by cameras aboard NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The effect of this eruption will reach earth on August 4, 2010.
Source: Solar Storm Headed for Earth Tonight; May Spawn Auroras
Scientists Closed In On God Particle
Scientist from Fermilab announced at the International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP) in Paris that they are closing in on the Higgs boson particle AKA God Particle. The Higgs boson particle occurs during the Big Bang. The latest findings narrowed the search due to the research result shows that they can now exclude a Higgs particle with a mass between 158 and 175 GeV/c2. There is less and less room for the Higgs boson to hide now.
Source: Scientists Inch Towards Finding “God Particle”
Loris Primate No Longer Extinct
One of the most rarest primates has been found in a central Sri Lankan forest. Horton Plains slender loris was has not been seen for 60 years and was feared to be extinct.
A Horton Plains slender loris with wide bulging eyes and short limbs was caught on camera by researchers from the Zoological Society of London, the University of Colombo and the Open University of Sri Lanka.
French Scientists Unlock Secret Of Mona Lisa’s Face
French scientists at the Paris-based Laboratoire du Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musees de France, have unlocked another Mona Lisa mystery by determining how Leonardo Da Vinci painted her near faultless skin tones.
Using X-ray techniques, scientist found that da Vinci painted up to 30 layers less than 40 micrometers thickness of paint on his works to meet his standards of subtlety. This technique is known as sfumato and it is used to glaze, or to build up shadows in the face.
Human Sperm Gene Originated 600 Million Years Ago
Researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has found the Boule gene which is responsible for producing sperm in all animals has not change since 600 million years ago. This finding suggests that all animal sperm production likely comes from a common prototype.
From the research: It tends to change due to strong selective pressures for sperm-specific genes to evolve. There is extra pressure to be a super male to improve reproductive success. This is the one sex-specific element that didn’t change across species. This must be so important that it can’t change.
Chicken Came First Before The Egg
This is the age old question, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Researchers from Sheffield and Warwick universities says it is the chicken that came first. It all comes down to one protein – ovocledidin-17 – which helps in the formation of the egg’s hard shell.
This essential ingredient in the formation of the egg can only be produced inside a chicken.
