The Fount of Useless Information
Your place for useless information that just might possibly be interesting.
Intraplate quakes signal tectonic breakup
April temblors part of massive ongoing energy release near Indonesia
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/345387/title/Intraplate_quakes_signal_tectonic_breakup
I often get the impression that non-science types think that scientists know everything about everything and hold back the juicy bits to spite the …
‘Melt in the body’ electronics devised
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19737125
If they could control the dissolve time electronically then I think they would have a great winner. It seems to me that it should be possible to do something like that, have some …
Man’s recurring tumors may change cancer care
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57521385/mans-recurring-tumors-may-change-cancer-care/
This is a great idea and likely one that will (should it be proven) turn out to be a huge boon to cancer treatment, possibly in as little as a half decade. …
Bumblebees navigate new turf without a map
The insects can quickly calculate the best route between flowers
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/345298/title/Bumblebees_navigate_new_turf_without_a_map
Having spent a lot of time researching optimization, evolving programs and machine learning, this is quite interesting to me. I am almost …
Acupuncture works, one way or another
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/11/health/health-acupuncture/index.html?hpt=hp_bn12
I have had bad feet for quite a few months this year (plantar fasciitis) and was persuaded to go to an acupuncturist after my wife had successful results treating her shoulders (after nearly …
Second Gunman in Death of the Dinosaurs
A cunning study of geology, shells and ancient magnetism offers clues to a long-ago extinction
http://science.time.com/2012/09/11/second-gunman-in-death-of-the-dinosaurs/?hpt=hp_t3
It seems that the great dinosaur killer asteroid wasn’t such a great dinosaur killer after all. More …
Mars clays may have volcanic source
Deposits didn’t need flowing water to form, new research suggests
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/344133/title/Mars_clays_may_have_volcanic_source
Quite interesting how a paradigm can be overtaken (of course, this is speculation at this point; I am just talking in general here). …
Tigers Are Becoming Nocturnal In Order To Avoid Humans
Tigers living near human occupied areas have gradually been becoming more nocturnal, according to new research just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
http://planetsave.com/2012/09/05/tigers-becoming-nocturnal-to-avoid-humans/
It is interesting …
Bottom trawling flattens seafloor
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-bottom-trawling-20120905,0,6628384.story?track=rss
So, in addition to sterilizing the body of the ocean with drift nets, we are sterilizing the bottom as well. I wonder how much longer before all fishing crashes? Of course, my interest in …
Polymer Solar Cell Research Breakthrough at California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA
http://info.biotech-calendar.com/bid/89038/Polymer-Solar-Cell-Research-Breakthrough-at-California-NanoSystems-Institute-UCLA
I have read about transparent solar cells before, but their efficiencies were so low that it was hard to envision them being economical at any price (even in new …