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POPSHow to Talk to a Global Warming Skeptic (FAQ) More common questions and myths answered at the source, thoroughly cross-referenced and conveniently categorized and sub-categorized by type of argument: Stages of Denial Scientific Topics Types of Argument Levels of Sophistication A nice reference that's updated with fresh comments. Many "skeptics" often are unaware (by choice or by circumstance) that their common questions have already been addressed by scientists long ago.
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POPSThinking ahead: Bacteria anticipate coming changes in their environment To test this idea, the researchers exposed a population of E. coli to different temperatures and oxygen changes, and measured the gene responses in each case. The results were striking: An increase in temperature had nearly the same effect on the bacterium's genes as a decrease in oxygen level. Indeed, upon transition to a higher temperature, many of the genes essential for aerobic respiration were practically turned off. To prove that this is not just genetic coincidence, the researchers then grew the bacteria in a biologically flipped environment where oxygen levels rose following an increase in temperature. Remarkably, within a few hundred generations the bugs partially adapted to this new regime, and no longer turned off the genes for aerobic respiration when the temperature rose.
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POPSThe Role of Light on Human Health Rea envisions "real-time light prescriptions" to help people receive or avoid light at the appropriate times. Simple measures to control when and how much circadian light we receive could help nightshift workers stay alert on the job and sleep more effectively during the day, help cure jet lag, decrease depression, and generally help everyone get a proper night's sleep. The ability to modify circadian rhythm could potentially mitigate the negative health effects that some researchers believe are brought on by disruptions to the light-dark cycle. Recent studies have found a link between health and changes in the natural circadian rhythm. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a series of articles, for example, that showed night shift workers had a higher incidence of breast cancer; and, last year, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer cited night work as a potential breast cancer risk factor.
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POPSThe Terrifying Future of Computing Q&A: Author Nicholas Carr -- Carr: The scariest thing about Stanley Kubrick's vision wasn't that computers started to act like people but that people had started to act like computers. We're beginning to process information as if we're nodes; it's all about the speed of locating and reading data. We're transferring our intelligence into the machine, and the machine is transferring its way of thinking into us.
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POPSConverting genetic activity into music may be a way to monitor health. Together, the notes would form a harmonic chord in normal, healthy states and become increasingly out of tune as key physiological signs go awry, signaling disease. Alterovitz employed mathematical modeling to determine relationships between physiological signals. Much like the various systems in an automobile, many physiological signs work in synchrony to keep a body healthy.
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POPS2016 Major Predictions Almost forgot: Prediction: 100 petaflop computer by the end of 2016, which will allow a huge further acceleration of all information dependent technologies (virtually all technologies as of today)
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POPSBio Lego -MIT & Harvard Scientists Create Living Building Blocks The self-assembly is based on "the thermodynamic tendency of multiphase liquid–liquid systems to minimize their contact surfaces", the most awesomely complicated way of saying "oil and water don't mix" possible. By preparing polyethylene microgel components and adding them to an oil/water mixture, the specially shaped bits align themselves along the spherical liquid interfaces. Applying a few seconds of UV light fixes the microgel in position and you have a ready made, biocompatible (and degradable) matrix ready for the addition of cells. Replicating the different tissue organizations of different organs becomes nothing more than a recipe book, choosing your initial microcomponents, mixture and baking time.
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POPSRoboBugs: That Dragonfly is a U.S. Government Spy More: Defense Department documents describe nearly 100 different models in use today, some as tiny as birds, and some the size of small planes. All told, the nation's fleet of flying robots logged more than 160,000 flight hours last year -- a more than fourfold increase since 2003. A recent report by the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College warned that if traffic rules are not clarified soon, the glut of unmanned vehicles "could render military airspace chaotic and potentially dangerous." The Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems project aims to create literal shutterbugs -- camera-toting insects whose nerves have grown into their internal silicon chip so that wranglers can control their activities. DARPA researchers are also raising cyborg beetles with power for various instruments to be generated by their muscles.
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POPSFourteen Wild Ideas 14 interesting speculations about the present and the future. Worth looking into some the actual papers.
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POPSMyths and misconseptions about Global Warming. Go to the page and click the link, they take you to studies and articles. Here are the rest: • Warming will cause an ice age in Europe • Ice cores show CO2 increases lag behind temperature rises, disproving the link to global warming • Ice cores show CO2 rising as temperatures fell • Many leading scientists question climate change • It's all a conspiracy • Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming • Higher CO2 levels will boost plant growth and food production • Polar bear numbers are increasing <b>http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn11462<b>
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POPS Forget about forgetfulness- "Pensieve" ,new high-tech , help you remember...:-) "Pensieve, a new application from IBM. The software interacts with one's cell phone and computer by linking information collected throughout the course of the day -- photos, notes, maps, documents -- and automatically cross-associating it, recreating the noteworthy events of a day for later playback. Of course, it does require the user to remember to take notes in the first place."
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POPSPlants: Smarter than we thought? Some plants, it would seem, are able to communicate with each other. Does theis make them intelligent life? Depends on what you mean by intelligent. Clearly they are 'smarter' than we thought.
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POPSWarning on voting machines reveals oversight failure As a result, charged Susan Greenhalgh, a spokeswoman for watchdog group Voter Action, the systems on which Americans will decide the race between Barack Obama and John McCain in November are "scandalously flawed"' and "the integrity of this election is in question."
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