positive Science news
Mars May Be Emerging From An Ice AgeNASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey missions have provided evidence of a recent ice age on Mars. In contrast to Earth's ice ages, a martian ice age waxes when the poles warm up and water vapor is transported toward lower latitudes. Martian ice ages wane when the poles cool and lock water into polar icecaps. |
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Rocket-Balloon Combo - First Private Spaceship?If all goes according to plan, the world's first independent manned space rocket will lift off from Kindersley Field, Saskatchewan, before the end of next year. |
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Researchers Develop Nanoscale Fibers That Are Thinner Than The Wavelengths Of Light They CarryResearchers have developed a process to create wires only 50 nanometers (billionths of a meter) thick. Made from silica, the same mineral found in quartz, the wires carry light in an unusual way. Because the wires are thinner than the wavelengths of light they transport, the material serves as a guide around which light waves flow. In addition, because the researchers can fabricate the wires with a uniform diameter and smooth surfaces down to the atomic level, the light waves remain coherent as they travel. |
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Genome map shows how bacterium gobbles radiationA bacterium that can remove uranium contamination from groundwater may also be able to generate electricity, U.S. researchers said Thursday. |
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Planet-formation Model Indicates Earthlike Planets Might Be CommonAstrobiologists disagree about whether advanced life is common or rare in our universe. But new research suggests that one thing is pretty certain - if an Earthlike world with significant water is needed for advanced life to evolve, there could be many candidates. |
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Japanese venture refits cars to run on hydrogenEnergy venture Hydrogen Energy Laboratory Project Co has developed a relatively inexpensive way to modify automobiles so they can run on hydrogen. |
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Dusty disc may mean other EarthsAstronomers say they have evidence for Earth-like planets orbiting a nearby star, making it more like our own Solar System than any yet discovered. |
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Flushing may go down the drainFlushing may go down the drain, at least in the men's room. A US company has created a waterless urinal, which it says conserves water, reduces odour, and prevents the spread of bacteria. |
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2003 Hurricane Season: Research Led To More Accurate Track ForecastsFindings from this year's active Atlantic hurricane season confirm that track forecasts have markedly improved, following computer-modeling advances at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that include the use of enhanced wind data from parachute-borne instrument packages devised at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The interagency U.S. Weather Research Program (USWRP) is providing support for the model improvements. |
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NASA Successfully Tests Ion EngineNASA's Project Prometheus recently reached an important milestone with the first successful test of an engine that could lead to revolutionary propulsion capabilities for space exploration missions throughout the solar system and beyond. |
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Space Robot Will Help Prevent LandslidesOne of the largest robots ever constructed will also be one of the most agile, thanks to technology derived from ESA space missions. Known as Roboclimber, this new climbing machine is designed to prevent landslides without endangering human lives. |
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Most Distant X-Ray Jet Discovered Provides Clues To Big Bang
The most distant jet ever observed was discovered in a quasar imaged by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. At 12 billion light years from Earth, this is the most distant jet ever detected. This discovery is especially significant because it provides astronomers with a way to measure the intensity of the cosmic background radiation about one billion years after the Big Bang. The Marshall Center manages the Chandra program.
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Going to Mars for ChristmasEurope's mission to the Red Planet, Mars Express, is on schedule to arrive at the planet on Christmas Day, 2003. The lander, Beagle 2, is due to descend through the Martian atmosphere and touch down also on 25 December. |
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System Halts Computer Viruses, Worms, Before End-user StageA computer scientist at Washington University in St. Louis has developed technology to stop malicious software – malware – such as viruses and worms long before it even has a chance to reach computers in the home and office. |
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Ancient discoveries
- Exciting stone tool find in Kenya
- NASA satellite helps find 17 Egypt pyramids
- Vietnam’s own ‘great wall’ uncovered
- New Type of Ancient Human Found - Descendants Live Today?
- New discoveries concerning pre-Columbian settlements in the Amazon
- Ultraviolet light reveals how Greek statues really looked
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Technology news
- Light-powered bionic eye invented to help restore sight
- Share your status – and your lungs. Facebook tool promotes organ donation
- Bar Codes Apps Allow Consumers To Make Socially Conscious Choices
- Saving Right Whales? There’s an app for that.
- New technologies detect seizures, and could possibly even eliminate them
- Floating wind turbines to produce low cost renewable energy
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Breakthroughs in Technology
- American Scientists Make Great Leap in Battery Technology
- New system could eventually ‘eliminate’ batteries
- New plasma “brush” may mean painless cavity filling
- Artificial Intestines near reality
- Real-life Jedi: Pushing the limits of mind control
- Groundbreaking solar plant in Spain generates 24 hours of power
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