Science and Tech post

[dracodraconis]

The Phoenix Lander's days are numbered, according to a recent Nature article. The plucky spacecraft has been assigned a few more low-energy tasks but NASA scientists doubt that it has enough in it to accomplish them.

A controversial study says that more than 700 observable galactic clusters are moving at 2 million kilometers per hour in the same direction, what has been dubbed "dark flow". The authors suggest that this means the universe may be far larger, and far more complex, than what we originally thought, and that the flow of matter is being influenced by massive structures outside the observable universe.

MIT researchers have created tiny polymer "backpacks" that can be attached to cells, allowing them to ferry cargoes. Each "backpack" is a polymer patch that is attached to the surface of the cell, yet is small enough not to adversely affect the cell's normal function.

Obama hasn't yet been sworn in, but several Facebook groups have already emerged calling for his impeachment over things like his stance on banning assault rifles, providing universal health care, and redistribution of wealth from haves to have-nots. Bear in mind, however, that outgoing President Bush currently enjoys more than 95 groups calling for his impeachment.

Comments

[ancalagon-tb.livejournal.com]

I thought that a similar phenomenon, the "great attractor", had been shown to be a simple "optical illusion" (to use a very crude term, I don't remember the details). And yet when I wikipedia that term, there is no mention of this this.

strange...

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

You'll notice that it's a controversial theory. It's not widely accepted, but has been proposed as way to explain the apparently synchronized motion of a substantial number of galaxies. Much more work is needed before it will(or will not) be accepted.