Lawrence Krauss (physicist and author of the Physics of Star Trek) wrote in New Scientist that Newt Gingrich’s proposal to put a permanent base on the moon will have to cost about $1 trillion because the International Space station cost $150 billion and the Space Shuttle program cost over $200 billion. Apparently once the government …
Argus Media – California’s Monterey formation, which the EIA estimates holds 15.4 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil, cannot even attract new investment from the oil major in its home state, Chevron. Other than Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum (Oxy), no major or large independent is earmarking drilling capital for the Monterey. The reticence to invest …
A new system for delivering a drug to organ transplant patients, which could avoid the risk of harmful side effects, is being developed by scientists at Strathclyde. The drug, cyclosporine (CsA), is widely used in transplant operations and helps prevent the patient’s body rejecting the organ but it can cause adverse drug reactions, of which …
The number of children under five years of age dying each year declined from more than 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010, according to World Health Organization estimates on worldwide child mortality. The vast majority of those deaths can be avoided. Saving the lives of the children will not cause a surge …
1. Wall Street Journal – U.S. defense leaders are increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran, over U.S. objections, and have stepped up contingency planning to safeguard U.S. facilities in the region in case of a conflict. President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other top officials have delivered …
Eurekalert – For years, researchers seeking new therapies for traumatic brain injury have been tantalized by the results of animal experiments with stem cells. In numerous studies, stem cell implantation has substantially improved brain function in experimental animals with brain trauma. But just how these improvements occur has remained a mystery. Now, an important part …
Nasaspaceflight talks about Spacex starting up their reusable Faclon 9 rocket development program this year and the advances in the Merlin 1D engine that could fly this year. Upcoming upgrades to the engine (Merlin 1D) will provide a vast improvement in performance, reliability and manufacturability – all of which could provide a timely boost to …
MIT Techology Review – A newly identified hormone acts like a workout, and transforms bad fat into good. Researchers have discovered a natural hormone that acts like exercise on muscle tissue—burning calories, improving insulin processing, and perhaps boosting strength. The scientists hope it could eventually be used as a treatment for obesity, diabetes, and, potentially, …
FARS News – Israeli sources confirmed that the terrorist attack which killed a senior Iranian scientist in Tehran on Wednesday was a joint operation carried out by the agents of the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, and the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO). The magnetic bomb which was planted by an unknown motorcyclist under the …
Centauri Dreams provides an update on the Innovative Interstellar Explorer (IIE) IIE is a 200 AU mission that is still really difficult. Hence, many of us believe that (1) the next step past Voyager needs to be taken and that scientific case can be made, (2) speed is important, and (3) one has to be …
Morningstar – In general, [Prominent emerging market fund managers] managers say that concerns about a “hard landing”–meaning that the Chinese economy will head south quickly and suffer a serious slowdown or even a recession–are overblown. Many, though, do expect China’s economy to continue slowing, partly due to government actions, and they do worry about the …