Did life crash to Earth from outer space

post from Top stories on 24 September 2012 10:19:33 PM. © Top stories

Microorganisms that crashed to Earth embedded in the fragments of distant planets might have been the sprouts of life on this one, according to new research presented at the European Planetary Sciences Congress (EPSC) on 25 September.

The researchers report that under certain conditions there is a high probability that life came to Earth ? or spread from Earth to other planets ? during the Solar System's infancy when Earth and its planetary neighbours orbiting other stars would have been close enough to each other to exchange lots of solid material.

Subject:

Astronomy/Cosmology

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http://machineslikeus.com/news/did-life-crash-earth-outer-space

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Get lost: is Apple Maps on a road to nowhere

post from Top stories on 24 September 2012 10:13:46 PM. © Top stories

Mapping and navigation is at the heart of how we use smartphones today. By extension, the Apple Maps app is at the heart of iOS 6.

Subject:

Computer Science

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http://machineslikeus.com/news/get-lost-apple-maps-road-nowhere

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Life in the extreme

post from Top stories on 24 September 2012 09:51:56 PM. © Top stories

Life in extreme environments?hot acids and heavy metals, for example?can apparently make very similar organisms deal with stress in very different ways, according to new research from North Carolina State University. One single-celled organism from a hot spring near Mount Vesuvius in Italy fights uranium toxicity directly?by eating the heavy metal and acquiring energy from it.

Subject:

Biology & Aging

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http://machineslikeus.com/news/life-extreme

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Exercise increases life expectancy

post from Top stories on 24 September 2012 09:40:16 PM. © Top stories

A regular exercise regimen will increase life expectancy in the elderly, new research has found.

The Monash University-led study examined the significance of weight and physical function and the interaction on mortality in 1,435 men and women aged 65 to 97 years, living in the community and representative of the Taiwanese population.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

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http://machineslikeus.com/news/exercise-increases-life-expectancy

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Using artificial intelligence to chart the
universe

post from Top stories on 24 September 2012 09:10:43 PM. © Top stories

Astronomers in Germany have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm to help them chart and explain the structure and dynamics of the universe around us with unprecedented accuracy. The team, led by Francisco Kitaura of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam, report their results in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Subject:

Artificial Intelligence

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http://machineslikeus.com/news/using-artificial-intelligence-chart-universe

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NCBI ROFL: The drinking-buddy scale as a measure
of para-social behavior.

post from Discoblog » NCBI ROFL on 24 September 2012 07:00:53 PM. © Discoblog » NCBI ROFL

“Para-social behavior is a form of quasi-interpersonal behavior that results when audience members develop bonds with media personalities that can resemble interpersonal social interaction, but is not usually applied to political communication. This study tested whether the “Drinking-Buddy” Scale, a simple question frequently used in political communication, could be interpreted as a single-item measure of para-social behavior with respect to political candidates in terms of image judgments related to interpersonal attraction and perceived similarity to self. The participants were college students who had voted in the 2008 election. They rated the candidates, Obama or McCain, as drinking buddies and then rated the candidates’ perceived similarity to themselves in attitude and background, and also the social and task attraction to the candidate. If the drinking-buddy rating serves as a proxy measure for para-social behavior, then it was expected that participants’ ratings for all four kinds of similarity to and attraction toward a candidate would be higher for the candidate they chose as a drinking buddy. The directional hypotheses were supported for interpersonal attraction, but not for perceived similarity. These results indicate that the drinking-buddy scale predicts ratings of interpersonal attraction, ...

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NcbiRofl/~3/V3V_RhTZ_Ss/

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The Writer Who Couldnt Read

post from American Biotechnologist on 24 September 2012 05:34:18 PM. © American Biotechnologist

The Writer Who Couldn’t Read from NPR on Vimeo. Bookmark It Hide Sites $$('div.d4660').each([...]

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http://www.americanbiotechnologist.com/blog/writer-read/

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Space Shuffle

I’m not sure I want to trust plans for NASA from the same guy who wonders why airplane windows don’t open.[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BadAstronomyBlog/~3/e2lyBAGamro/

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Zombie Apocalypse Survival Gear: Ham Radios

The zombies are coming! Quick: What should you scavenge together for the impending attack?

Baseball bat, check.

First aid kit, check.

Ham radio equipment? You better hope so.

Earlier this week, Dragon Con ? the annual sci-fi, fantasy and comic book convention ? hosted a panel covering communication in a post-apocalyptic world. According to Wired's coverage of the conference, several attendees may have been disappointed by the panel's primary topic of discussion: amateur radio.

While amateur radio may not be as exhilarating as fighting zombie hordes, it may be the most effective tool during an apocalypse. So why invest in amateur radio equipment for a potential zombie apocalypse (you can never be too prepared!)? Like most investments, amateur radio's success depends on diversification.

Image courtesy Monitos en la Pared via flickr.

The amateur radio community has millions of members worldwide and several hundred thousand licensed operators in the United States. This fact combined with the dedication of local radio clubs makes ham radios one of the best communication systems during a zombie attack.

Amateur radio operators can send out signals from their personal stations either in their homes, on the road, or even from the International Space Station. If these operators send their signals on the right frequency, local radio repeaters can detect the signal and re-broadcast them.

Repeaters receive signals on a certain frequency and then transmit those same signals on a different frequency. Additionally, these stations have more powerful antennas that allow for broadcasts across a greater range. Connecting multiple repeaters allows for even greater distance broadcasts.

Local radio clubs or individual operators maintain these repeaters, and they allow others to transmit on them. So why might this work better than traditional communication channels during a zombie apocalypse?

Downed telephone lines and cell towers without power can lead to spotty or nonexistent coverage during a disaster. A huge network of amateur radio repeaters can utilize pockets that still have power, and generators can keep them running as well.

Amateur radio's not just for zombie attacks, however. Ham operators have been instrumental in several real-life emergencies, including search and rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina.

There's even a group of amateur radio enthusiasts and horror film buffs who started their own "Zombie Squad" dedicated to emergency preparedness.

So if you're gearing up for a zombie battle, don't forget your radios. Finding safety among this huge amateur network may prove more useful than shotguns and baseball bats.

For more information on amateur radio, including how to get your own license, check out the American Association for Amateur Radio.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/physicscentral/PhysicsBuzz/~3/WhbazbcZ5ew/zombie-a
pocalypse-survival-gear-ham.html

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How to Run a 2-D Electrophoresis Gel From Start
to Finish

Filed under: Bio-Rad Tutorial Tagged: 2D Gel Electrophoresis, Bio-Rad Laboratories

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http://cbt20.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/2d-gel-electrophoresis-2/

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