Archive for March, 2013
Efficient Solar ‘Antenna’ to Tune in to the Sun
March 8th, 2013Via: Solar Power Today: If it’s up to Brian Willis, we will soon quite literally be tuning in to the sun. The University of Connecticut professor has patented a technique to manufacture nanosized antenna arrays that have the capability to efficiently convert sunlight into usable electric power. In theory, these very small antenna arrays can […]
F-35 Blind Spot Will Get It ‘Gunned Every Time’
March 8th, 2013Via: Wired: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the military’s expensive main warplane of the future, has a huge blind spot directly behind it. Pilots say that could get them shot down in close-quarters combat, where the flier with the better visibility has the killing advantage. “Aft visibility could turn out to be a significant problem […]
‘The Coming Surveillance Dystopia’
March 8th, 2013I wasn’t going to post this. You know all of this, or, at least you should, if you’ve been hanging out here for any length of time. But, Holder, “Dressed like Elvis and surrounded by the Real Housewives of Orange County,” won me over. Must share. Via: The Verge: Assuming that some degree of privacy […]
Japan: 26 Generations of Clones from Single Mouse
March 8th, 2013Via: AFP: Japanese scientists have produced 26 generations of clones from a single mouse, the lead researcher said Friday, possibly paving the way for the mass replication of valuable livestock. The team have so far produced 598 mice that are genetic copies of one original creature in an experiment that has so far been going […]
House Orders Pentagon to Disclose Domestic Drone Use
March 8th, 2013Via: Cnet: The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to require the Defense Department to disclose whether military drones are being operated domestically to conduct surveillance on American citizens. A requirement buried in a lengthy appropriations bill calls on newly confirmed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to disclose to Congress what “policies and procedures” are in […]
Moon Mining Race Under Way
March 8th, 2013Via: BBC: Space exploration has long been about reaching far off destinations but now there is a race to exploit new frontiers by mining their minerals. Google has offered a $20m grand prize to the first privately-funded company to land a robot on the moon and explore the surface by moving at least 500 metres […]
Scientists Enhance Intelligence of Mice with Human Brain Cells
March 8th, 2013😯 Via: io9: It’s not quite Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but it may not be too far off, either. By grafting human glial cells into the brains of mice, neuroscientists were able to “sharply enhance” their cognitive capacities. These improvements included augmentations to memory, learning, and adaptive conditioning. It’s a breakthrough that […]
Some Farmers Fed Up with Paying Premium Prices for GM Seeds that Result in Increased Pest Resistance and Crop Failures
March 8th, 2013It would be nice to know a bit more detail about what “some U.S. farmers” means. Via: Farmers Weekly: Some US farmers are considering returning to conventional seed after increased pest resistance and crop failures meant GM crops saw smaller yields globally than their non-GM counterparts. Farmers in the USA pay about an extra $100 […]
Operation Condor
March 8th, 2013Via: Democracy Now: A historic trial underway in Argentina is set to reveal new details about how Latin American countries coordinated with each other in the 1970s and ’80s to eliminate political dissidents. The campaign known as “Operation Condor” involved military dictatorships in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. They worked together to […]
Maine Town Declares Food Sovereignty
March 8th, 2013Via: Food Renegade: Sedgwick, Maine has done what no other town in the United States has done. The town unanimously passed an ordinance giving its citizens the right “to produce, process, sell, purchase, and consume local foods of their choosing.” This includes raw milk, locally slaughtered meats, and just about anything else you can imagine. […]
