Science Update
Sharing Science | Satisfying Curiosity | Debunking BS
HEALTH REPORT: A new micro-needle patch could bring vaccines to millions, we really do walk in circles when we're lost, and a robot that outperforms humans at tumor surgery. Also: does melatonin cure jet lag, and will reading in dim light really ruin your eyes?
SOUNDS & SIGNALS: Prairie dogs sound the alarm, turning bed bugs against themselves, bird songs vary by climate, and improving forensic voice comparison.
How to calculate the distance of stars, new uses for old rocks in the fight against global warming, and why video games might actually be good for your vision.
Programming big computer servers to shut on and off in fractions of a second could save huge amounts of power.
How sleep affects your long-term memory, nap-time for computers saves energy and how we smell fear in people - literally.
Learning from electric eels, the roots of ticklishness, the health benefits of web surfing and maternal vaccines that protect babies.
COMPUTERS & BIOLOGY: Both bacteria and beetles promise to speed up computing, a computer game that could lead to a cure for deadly diseases, and more.
A new, comprehensive repository of scientific information for all life on earth comes to the web.
How air pollution could cause heart disease. Global warming may make Antartica vulnerable to predators. "Virtual" children help real children thrive.
"Virtual" children may help prepare kids with high-functioning autism to interact with their peers.
Space Research Update: the 11-year solar storm cycle returns, the MESSENGER spacecraft reports back from Mercury, and the search for intelligent life in the universe continues with the help of your computer. Also: Unique animal and plant adaptations.
This week's web links:
Space Weather Network: www.swpc.noaa.gov/SWN;
Latest MESSENGER photographs of Mercury: messenger.jhuapl.edu;
Sign up for SETI@Home: setiathome.berkeley.edu
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence continues with upgraded software you can use at home.
To sign up visit: https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/