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The Disappearing Male - Doc Zone | CBC-TV

A CBC documentary which postulates that the increase in male reproductive problems are chemicals found in everything from shampoo to sunglasses. I haven't seen it yet so I can't comment as to whether this is more sensation or scientific reporting.
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suggested by [livejournal.com profile] ancalagon_tb
Neutrons not so neutral after all, study says - Among atomic particles, the neutron seems the most aptly named: Unlike the positively charged proton or the negatively charged electron, neutrons have a charge of zero. But new experiments conducted in three particle accelerators suggest the neutron is more like an onion when it comes to electromagnetism: with a negatively charged exterior and interior and a positively charged middle sandwiched between them.

Physics Org
Scientists model a cornucopia of Earth-sized planets - Sara Seager, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; Marc Kuchner, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; Catherine Hier-Majumder, Carnegie Institution of Washington, (deceased); and Burkhard Militzer, Carnegie, have created models for 14 different types of solid planets that might exist in our galaxy. The 14 types have various compositions, and the team calculated how large each planet would be for a given mass. Some are pure water ice, carbon, iron, silicate, carbon monoxide, and silicon carbide; others are mixtures of these various compounds.
'Historic' deal reached on cutting ozone threats - Nearly 200 countries have agreed to accelerate the elimination of chemicals that threaten the ozone and exacerbate global warming, the United Nations Environmental Program announced Saturday. Under the deal reached at the UN-sponsored conference, developed countries will phase out the production of HCFCs by 2020 and developing states have until 2030 -- 10 years earlier than previously promised.
Printing with enzymes instead of ink - Scientists in North Carolina are reporting development and testing of a method for printing finely-detailed microscopic images with an enzyme, rather than ink. The new technology, termed biocatalytic microcontact printing, involves coating a nano-“stamp” with an enzyme — a protein that speeds up chemical reactions. The enzyme then digests away a layer on the surface, leaving behind an imprint almost like an old-fashioned rubber stamp. Because no diffusion of ink is involved in the process, the resolution of microcontact printed images is about one hundredfold greater than possible with conventional technology.
Researchers say lack of sleep doubles risk of death... but so can too much sleep - Researchers from the University of Warwick, and University College London, have found that lack of sleep can more than double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. However they have also found that point comes when too much sleep can also more than double the risk of death.

ABC News: Technology & Science
Farmers Take Another Look at Wind Energy - Squeezed by high energy prices and more overhead costs, some small farms are exploring ways to increase their energy efficiency and lower costs. By erecting wind turbines, making biodiesel fuel and adopting more efficient tilling practices, farmers have cut costs and reduced their environmental impact.

National Geographic News
Russia's Arctic Claim Backed By Rocks, Officials Say - Rock samples retrieved last month from beneath the Arctic Ocean indicate that the North Pole is part of Mother Russia, the Russian government announced yesterday. Under international law, Russia could lay claim to the potentially oil-rich seabed under the Arctic ice if it can prove that the ridge is part of the country's continental shelf.
Jurassic Park" Raptors Had Feathers, Fossil Suggests - Bumps on the forearm bone of a velociraptor fossil suggest the predators were adorned with fluffy feathers, a new study says.

Science Blog
If you want more babies, find a man with a deep voice - Men who have lower-pitched voices have more children than do men with high-pitched voices, researchers have found. And their study suggests that for reproductive-minded women, mate selection favours men with low-pitched voices.

Slashdot
Mysterious Peruvian Meteor Disease Solved - Technician writes "The meteor that crashed in Peru caused a mystery illnesses. The cause of the illness has been found. The meteor was not toxic. The ground water it contacted contains arsenic. The resulting steam cloud is what caused the mystery illness. "
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Source: Nature
The US Environmental Protection Agency was issued a strongly worded slap by the US Supreme Court when they were told that, yes, air pollution caused by vehicles are also their problem. Specifically, ...Under the clear terms of the Clean Air Act, EPA can avoid taking further action only if it determines that greenhouse gases do not contribute to climate change or if it provides some reasonable explanation as to why it cannot or will not exercise its discretion to determine whether they do." in the words of Justice John Stevens. The EPA had been contending that carbon dioxide emissions were not pollutants and so not under their jurisdiction as defined in the Clean Air Act. This means that the EPA must actually study the effects of carbon dioxide emission on the atmosphere rather than simply claim that it is not their problem.

Source: PhysOrg
Russia is beginning a 500 day study of the effects of long-term isolation of a research crew in preparation for any potential future Mars missions. Next, spring, the 6-member crew will near Moscow and remain there for 500 days. Communications with the outside world will feature a 20 minute delay, and they will be forced to contend with simulated emergencies. The mission will simulate the launch, a 250-day transit, an excursion to the surface, and the 250-day return leg.

Source: Space.com
Astronomers have discovered that debris discs, believed to be the precursors of planetary systems, are just as common around binary star systems, even "tight binaries", as around single stars such as in our own solar system. This greatly expands the range of star systems to examine for the possibility of life-bearing worlds because binary systems outnumber single-star systems. In fact, two-thirds of all star systems in the observable portion of our galaxy are multi-star systems, many of them binary systems.

Source: Nature
Scientists have discovered a way to strip the antigens out of blood to convert it to the universally acceptable type-O coveted by medical professionals. Type-O blood is used in all emergency situations where there is insufficient time to determine the patient's blood type. As a result, type-O blood is constantly in short supply. It is also interesting to note that Native Americans are almost exclusively Type-O, as well as more than half of African Americans, and that the donor population is shrinking due to fears about transmitting blood-borne illnesses.

Source: New Scientist
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) have been suggested as a way to combat HIV, if only they could get the molecules into the HIV cells. Stanford researchers have demonstrated that siRNA molecules can be embedded in carbon nanotubes which are able to enter the HIV cells and, hopefully, deposit the molecule. Early results are good, pointing the way to a potential future treatment method.

January 2010

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