February 2011 Archives

When a large flare occurred near the edge of the Sun last week, it blew out a gorgeous, waving mass of erupting plasma that swirled and twisted over a 90-minute period.

This event was captured in extreme ultraviolet light by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft.

British scientists are to lead a mission searching for signs of life on planets orbiting nearby stars.

Astronomers will use a new 1.2-metre space telescope to look for biomarkers in the atmospheres of exoplanets.

Molecules of chemicals such as ozone, carbon dioxide and methane may indicate the presence of life.

Scientists have created the illusion of having three arms - and made it so realistic volunteers came out in a sweat when their "extra" limb was threatened with a knife.

The research may provide answers that benefit the development of prosthetic or robot limbs.

Brain scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden set up an experiment in which participants sitting at a table had a rubber artificial arm placed next to their right arm.

Big cats find a big tree is the perfect playground.

Bored at work? Counting down the hours to the weekend?

Then Weird Science can help (as long as the boss doesn't spot ya!).

Weird Science Friday Links give you a nudge towards stuff you'll hopefully find more diverting than the stack of papers in front of you!

Utopia in Decay: The Monuments of Yugoslavia.

World beard and moustache championships.

Today Jeopardy, Tomorrow the World.

Trashlog.

The Mystery of the Missing Moon Trees.

Loggerhead turtles possess a sophisticated internal compass that allows them to sense both latitude and longitude as they navigate long distances across open water, research has shown.

Birds, fish and many other creatures are believed to pick up on changes in the Earth's magnetic field to determine their north and south location along lines of latitude.

But evidence of longitudinal east and west positioning from magnetic cues has never been seen in an animal before.

Scale from Brad Goodspeed on Vimeo.

The volcanic moon of Io is roughly the size of Earth's moon and zips around Jupiter in 1.8 days.

The conspicuous black spot on Jupiter is Io's shadow which sails across the face of Jupiter at 38,000 mph (17 kilometers per second).

Ever wondered why your bosses can't do their jobs?

Well it's not really their fault as there's a scientific reason behind incompetent management - the Peter Principle.