http://general-sciences.web2announcer.com/ Web 2.0 announcer top stories for General Sciences en Fri, 16 May 2008 06:07:27 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2589130 unknown@Digg.com Doctors say a 9-year-old girl who went to hospital in central Greece suffering from stomach pains was carrying her embryonic twin. Fri, 16 May 2008 06:07:27 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2589130General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2588444 unknown@Digg.com Super-fast pilot whales have been observed sprinting after prey, likely to include giant squid. The rapid pursuit has brought comparisons with the fleet-footed land predator, the cheetah. The cetaceans even use the same, highly specialised hunting strategy that cheetahs use, scientists report in the Journal of Animal Ecology. Thu, 15 May 2008 20:40:07 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2588444General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2588190 unknown@Digg.com Seriously. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:45:31 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2588190General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2588192 unknown@Digg.com Extraordinary computer imagery and amazing real-life stories come together to reveal the incredible power and performance of our bodies as they've never been seen before. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:33:10 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2588192General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2588152 unknown@Digg.com Researchers at Marquette University say they have developed a first-of-its kind computer program that can measure bite characteristics. They say their work could lead to a database of bite characteristics that could narrow down suspects and lend more scientific weight to bite-mark testimony. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:15:52 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2588152General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2588074 unknown@Digg.com "Memory is the scaffolding upon which all mental life is constructed."-GF Memory enables us to learn, make sense of the present, and contemplate the future via exploiting information from our past. The ?scaffolding? is fragile and often flawed. Not a surprising claim since we are all prone to forgetting birthdays, names, and the such...... Thu, 15 May 2008 16:19:23 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2588074General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2587932 unknown@Digg.com A variety of middle-class people are making a conscious but careful choice to use marijuana to enhance their leisure activities. Thu, 15 May 2008 14:09:22 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2587932General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2587847 unknown@Digg.com Genuinely great photos from Library of Congress Archive: San Francisco 1906 earthquake; also 1919 Texas cyclone. Shots cover huge panoramas of destruction (need to scroll across pics to get full POV). Pics give real sense of power, impact, destruction. Thu, 15 May 2008 13:26:01 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2587847General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2587754 unknown@Digg.com Young adults drink to boost their chances of hooking up Thu, 15 May 2008 12:22:36 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2587754General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2586749 unknown@Digg.com During the five-week expedition they will use explorer robots to map individual volcanoes on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge tectonic plate boundary ? which effectively runs down the centre of the Atlantic Ocean - almost two miles (3km) below the surface of the sea. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:02:51 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2586749General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2586454 unknown@Digg.com How do we perceive a rainbow? And does everyone perceive a rainbow in the same way? These seemingly simple questions can reveal some interesting features of the human brain. For instance, is the ?striped? appearance of the rainbow?the seven distinct bands of color that we see?a construct of our higher mental processes, or do the mechanics of human Wed, 14 May 2008 20:41:23 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2586454General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2586197 unknown@Digg.com By taking advantage of the natural movement of liquid through paper, researchers at Harvard's Whitesides Research Group may have found a way to make microfluidics technology much cheaper. The result could be disposable diagnostic tests simple and abundant enough for use in the developing world. Wed, 14 May 2008 17:32:47 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2586197General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2585924 unknown@Digg.com Follow the instructions at the bottom of the page..... Wed, 14 May 2008 14:30:40 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2585924General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2585820 unknown@Digg.com The 2008 graduate's invention could replace one of the most common pieces of technology in the world--the silicon transistor for high-power and high-temperature electronics. Wed, 14 May 2008 13:55:15 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2585820General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2585822 unknown@Digg.com Prepare to experience the planet as never before. Wed, 14 May 2008 13:39:44 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2585822General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2585317 unknown@Digg.com In the final decade of the twentieth century, the federal government threatened physicians with the loss of their license for recommending marijuana to patients, made criminals of patients who followed their doctor's advice, and actively blocked scientific research into the therapeutic value of cannabis, thus setting the stage for a morality tale. Wed, 14 May 2008 07:33:44 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2585317General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2584083 unknown@Digg.com "The antivaccination movement purports to try to save children. Instead, if it is successful it may be condemning millions of them to terrible ailments, and a significant fraction of them to death.It is that simple." Tue, 13 May 2008 18:30:18 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2584083General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2584006 unknown@Digg.com In the letter, he states: "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this." Tue, 13 May 2008 17:57:50 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2584006General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2583898 unknown@Digg.com According to a recent study by the RAND Corporation, nearly twenty per cent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are suffering from P.T.S.D. or major depression. Almost half won?t seek treatment. If virtual-reality exposure therapy proves to be clinically validated, it may encourage those in need to seek help. Tue, 13 May 2008 16:31:35 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2583898General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2583732 unknown@Digg.com An ancient burial site linked to two little-known civilizations has been discovered in southeast Bogotá, Colombia. The site includes one set of remains that seems to have been buried alive -- "Her mouth is open as if in terror, and her hands seem contracted as if she had tried grabbing hold of something." Tue, 13 May 2008 15:01:21 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2583732General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2583733 unknown@Digg.com Version of mad cow disease is decimating captive cheetah populations Tue, 13 May 2008 15:00:59 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2583733General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2583509 unknown@Digg.com A robotic system designed to care for millions of biological samples in sub-zero temps & shed light on debilitating diseases has been chosen as a finalist for a top engineering award. Frigid will guard 10 million blood and fluid samples at -80C for 25 years, whilst allowing scientists access 24/7. The i-Limb [Pictured] another of 4 finalist. Tue, 13 May 2008 13:19:10 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2583509General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2583511 unknown@Digg.com Variety of nice shots. Especially good (pic # 2): speck of a guy collecting sulfur on "smoky" fumes-filled face of Java volcano. Mix of pics: long shots; mineral close-ups; & aerial of mineral-extraction operation. Tue, 13 May 2008 13:13:20 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2583511General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2582998 unknown@Digg.com Imagine my delight at discovering an absolutely epic experiment to turn your household vacuum cleaner into a bazooka. Word. Yay kids, this is where science helps you to shoot your friends in the gonads. Tue, 13 May 2008 08:21:21 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2582998General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2582063 unknown@Digg.com The Bush administration on Friday urged a federal appeals court to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease, but a skeptical judge questioned whether the government has that authority. Mon, 12 May 2008 22:54:54 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2582063General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2581650 unknown@Digg.com Earlier this year, neurosurgeon Andres Lozano published a startling finding. He was testing deep-brain stimulation, in which electrical current is delivered directly to the brain, as a treatment for obesity. Mon, 12 May 2008 17:51:32 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2581650General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2581587 unknown@Digg.com Since they first walked the planet, humans have either buried or burned their dead. Now a new option is generating interest -- dissolving bodies in lye and flushing the brownish, syrupy residue down the drain. Mon, 12 May 2008 16:35:38 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2581587General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2581479 unknown@Digg.com Scientists have created what is believed to be the first genetically modified (GM) human embryo.A team from Cornell University in New York produced the GM embryo to study how early cells and diseases develop. It was destroyed after five days. Mon, 12 May 2008 15:28:39 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2581479General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2581481 unknown@Digg.com It's not just humans who succumb to peer pressure - rats do too. Brown rats have a tendency to disregard personal experiences and copy the behavior of their peers. Mon, 12 May 2008 15:10:08 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2581481General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2581439 unknown@Digg.com .... are stored in a particularly robust way by the brain. This renders effective treatment very difficult. Mon, 12 May 2008 14:43:17 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2581439General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2581398 unknown@Digg.com We've all heard of Pavlov's dogs, the famous canines trained by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov to associate food with the sound of a bell. Now, scientists have found that bacteria may be capable of similar behavior--an ability never seen in such simple organisms. Mon, 12 May 2008 14:19:17 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2581398General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2581346 unknown@Digg.com Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated a window into how abnormalities in microRNAs, a family of molecules that regulate expression of numerous genes, may contribute to the behavioral and neuronal deficits associated with schizophrenia and possibly other brain disorders. Mon, 12 May 2008 13:51:03 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2581346General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2580960 unknown@Digg.com Professor Stephen Hawking, who has devoted his career to finding the origins of the universe, is to begin a new search ? for Africa?s answer to Einstein.Despite suffering from motor neurone disease which has left him almost completely paralysed, Hawking, 66, has made the journey to South Africa to launch the project today. Mon, 12 May 2008 06:59:51 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2580960General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2580289 unknown@Digg.com Cyborg Animals, psychotropics and Flying Lasers Sun, 11 May 2008 18:12:18 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2580289General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2580290 unknown@Digg.com A new outpatient laser procedure could eliminate the need for radiation treatment for cancer of the larynx if the tumors are detected early. Sun, 11 May 2008 18:11:34 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2580290General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2580153 unknown@Digg.com Orchids that mimic female wasps may not only waste the time of the male wasps they lure into spreading their pollen -- they also seduce them into wasting valuable sperm, Australian researchers reported on Wednesday. Sun, 11 May 2008 15:33:03 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2580153General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2580120 unknown@Digg.com Check out this screen shot from the world's first Web site, http://info.cern.ch/, which went live 15 years ago. Note the multicolored diagram in the background. That's an early schematic of ATLAS, one of two enormous particle detectors recently installed at the Large Hadron Collider, set to fire up later this year at CERN. Sun, 11 May 2008 15:20:05 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2580120General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2580127 unknown@Digg.com It seems like a peculiar case of genomic overkill: a single-celled bacterium has been found that keeps tens of thousands of copies of its genome. Sun, 11 May 2008 15:10:18 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2580127General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2580129 unknown@Digg.com Could ancient life be living today? Locked miles beneath the Antarctic surface, these lakes have not touched our atmosphere for millions of years. What will we find there? Sun, 11 May 2008 15:07:56 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2580129General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2579367 unknown@Digg.com It?s been 40 years since Mr. McGuire pulled Benjamin Braddock withdrawal apart from his degree and said: ?I just want to say one word to you. ? Just one word are you listening? Plastics ?. There is a great future in plastics. ? The future is still in plastics, but today Mr. McGuire probably whisper, ?bioplastics?. Sat, 10 May 2008 21:10:10 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2579367General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2579347 unknown@Digg.com Gamers have devoted countless years of collective brainpower to rescuing princesses or protecting the planet against alien invasions. This week researchers at the University of Washington will try to harness those finely honed skills to make medical discoveries, perhaps even finding a cure for HIV. Sat, 10 May 2008 20:40:44 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2579347General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2579007 unknown@Digg.com Like a team of laboratory gearheads, Arizona State University (A.S.U.) researchers have found a way to soup up microscopic "nanomachines" that may someday be used to deliver lifesaving medications or test the quality of drinking water in remote regions of the world. Sat, 10 May 2008 14:22:02 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2579007General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2578463 unknown@Digg.com An electric light bulb in California has burned continuously for 107 years. It's housed in a garage bay within a firehouse ? and has since outlived its manufacturer. Sat, 10 May 2008 01:25:27 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2578463General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2578305 unknown@Digg.com Quite possibly the most comprehensive website covering research on marijuana that's ever existed. Fri, 09 May 2008 22:34:23 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2578305General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2577884 unknown@Digg.com People keep devising theories. Some, not content to come up with explanations for unexplained phenomena, instead go to great lengths to come up with bizarre takes on explained phenomena. Fri, 09 May 2008 17:02:06 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2577884General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2577715 unknown@Digg.com As carbon dioxide levels rise, most researchers have assumed that increasingly acidic oceans will compromise the calcification processes of ocean organisms.But new results show that one delicate species, a brittlestar, actually bumps up the speed of shell production, or calcification, under such conditions. Fri, 09 May 2008 15:19:32 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2577715General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2577647 unknown@Digg.com The discovery has come from research conducted across cultures and species that focused on one trait that earlier work found was attractive: symmetry. Fri, 09 May 2008 14:07:25 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2577647General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2577613 unknown@Digg.com A fossil of a new species of dinosaur-era bird found in China is one of the oldest ever discovered, experts say in a new study. The new bird, called Eoconfuciusornis zhengi, or "the dawn of the Confucius bird," is predated only by the 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx, which lived during the Jurassic period. Fri, 09 May 2008 13:41:09 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2577613General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2577547 unknown@Digg.com The platypus sports fur like a mammal, paddles its duck feet like a bird and lays eggs in the manner of a reptile. Fri, 09 May 2008 12:32:29 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2577547General Sciences http://web2announcer.com/go/2577175 unknown@Digg.com At least one of Britain's birds appears to be coping well as climate change alters the availability of a key food. Researchers found that great tits are laying eggs earlier in the spring than they used to, keeping step with the earlier emergence of caterpillars. The same birds in Holland have not managed to adjust. Fri, 09 May 2008 06:30:01 GMT http://web2announcer.com/go/2577175General Sciences