Water sparks new power sourceA new way to generate electricity from water which could be used to power small electronic devices in the future has been developed by Canadian scientists.
The researchers have harnessed what happens to water when it is pumped through tiny channels.
"What we have achieved so far is to show that electrical power can be directly generated from flowing liquids in microchannels," said Professor Larry Kostiuk from University of Alberta.
The team says its ... (more)
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SENATE BILL 1873 BANS DRUG & VACCINE DAMAGE CLAIMSIn between news broadcasts of hurricane disasters and relief efforts we have all heard the hysteria surrounding the avian flu. Is this slated to be the next disaster that distracts us from a hundred other pressing concerns in our world? Probably. There is just too much money to be made selling drugs and flu shots as we give governments more power to herd us into doctors’ offices to force us to use some medication we don’t want. It’s Big Pharma’s dream come true.
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Roche suspends Tamiflu delivery in Canada, to protect supplies elsewhereOTTAWA (CP) - Swiss drug giant Hoffman-La Roche moved to temporarily suspend pharmacy sales of its drug Tamiflu in Canada on Tuesday to conserve stocks as flu season nears.
It also issued a companywide directive that supplies of the drug destined for the public market worldwide should be prioritized for use as treatment for seasonal flu.
The move was a response to soaring sales that threaten to drain the entire winter's allowance of the drug before the flu season ac... (more)
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Was Galileo Wrong?: Using lasers to ping the Moon, NASA-supported researchers are testing a fundamental assumption of modern physics.Article here
May 6, 2004: Four hundred years ago--or so the story goes--Galileo Galilei started dropping things off the Leaning Tower of Pisa: Cannon balls, musket balls, gold, silver and wood. He might have expected the heavier objects to fall faster. Not so. They all hit the ground at the same time, and so he made a big discovery: gravity accelerates all objects at the same rate, regardless of th... (more)
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US robot builds copies of itselfUS researchers have devised a simple robot that can make copies of itself from spare parts.
Writing in Nature, the robot's creators say their experiment shows the ability to reproduce is not unique to biology.
Their long-term plan is to design robots made from hundreds or thousands of identical basic modules.
These could repair themselves if parts fail, reconfigure themselves to better perform the task they have been set, or even to make extra helpers... (more)
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NASA discovers interstellar 'chocolate'To solve the mystery of life's origin, scientists can no longer focus solely on Earth. They must take the entire universe into account. Reason: the discovery of nitrogen-carrying aromatic hydrocarbons throughout the universe.
Prior to their recent discovery in space, scientists had thought these biologically important molecules were unique to Earth. One type is the main ingredient in chocolate. Others carry genetic information in DNA.
The existence of these molecule... (more)
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Pot not a major cancer risk: reportNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although both marijuana and tobacco smoke are packed with cancer-causing chemicals, other qualities of marijuana seem to keep it from promoting lung cancer, according to a new report.
The difference rests in the often opposing actions of the nicotine in tobacco and the active ingredient, THC, in marijuana, says Dr. Robert Melamede of the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.
He reviewed the scientific evidence supporting this conten... (more)
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How toxic is your bathroom?: Be warned: your daily beauty regime could be taking years off your life. Pat Thomas reports on the chemical timebomb in your cosmetics cabinetEarlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did something amazing. It issued an unprecedented warning to the cosmetics industry that it was time to inform consumers that most personal care products have not been safety tested.
Where the US goes, the UK inevitably follows. If the FDA starts the ball rolling by flexing its muscles, it is possible that in the not too distant future 99 per cent of personal care products could be required to carry a caution on the labe... (more)
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Lethal bird flu found in CroatiaThe strain of the bird flu virus lethal to humans has been found in Croatia, the European Union has announced.
The virus, also known as avian flu, was discovered in wild swans found dead at a pond in eastern Croatia last week.
After tests in the UK, it was confirmed to be the H5N1 strain that has killed at least 60 people in Asia since 2003.
Officials are bracing for an outbreak of the lethal strain in the EU, after it was recently discovered in EU ne... (more)
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Caller ID for Your E-MailWhen the telephone rings, most people check the caller ID window before answering. If they see the name or phone number of a family member, friend, or business associate, the conversation begins without fear or inconvenience.
The telephone equipment cannot be tricked. Even when the caller ID window displays "out of area" or "name blocked" messages, telephone users do not have to worry about risking their identity or placing personal information at risk if they decline to answer.... (more)
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One-Fifth of Human Genes Have Been Patented, Study RevealsA new study shows that 20 percent of human genes have been patented in the United States, primarily by private firms and universities.
The study, which is reported this week in the journal Science, is the first time that a detailed map has been created to match patents to specific physical locations on the human genome.
Researchers can patent genes because they are potentially valuable research tools, useful in diagnostic tests or to discover and produce new drugs.<... (more)
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Brain implants could control blood pressureZapping the brain with an electrical current could one day control high blood pressure in people, a new study suggests.
UK researchers have shown for the first time that stimulating a certain part of the brain with implanted electrodes can influence arterial blood pressure in a predictable way in patients.
Short bursts of electrical stimulation were applied in an area in the midbrain called the periaqueductal grey matter (PAG) in 15 awake patients. The patients had ... (more)
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Accidental Invention Points to End of Light BulbsThe main light source of the future will almost surely not be a bulb. It might be a table, a wall, or even a fork.
An accidental discovery announced this week has taken LED lighting to a new level, suggesting it could soon offer a cheaper, longer-lasting alternative to the traditional light bulb. The miniature breakthrough adds to a growing trend that is likely to eventually make Thomas Edison's bright invention obsolete.
LEDs are already used in traffic lights, fla... (more)
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Russia to Launch Iran’s First Ever SatelliteRussia will put Iran’s first ever satellite into space next week, with the device described as being for telecommunications and research on natural disasters, AFP reported Saturday.
Quoted by the Kayhan newspaper, Iran’s embassy in Moscow said the “Sina” satellite would be launched from the Plesetsk launch site on Thursday along with three other devices from Russia, China and Britain.
Iranian officials have repeatedly said they were on the ve... (more)
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Government Weather Control Won't Stop Hurricane Wilma: 40-year-old proven technology lies dormant as lives and livelihoods are wreckedBuried under the constantly updated reports of Hurricane Wilma, its increasing or decreasing strength and where it will make landfall, is the reality that the government already has developed technology enabling control and reduction of hurricanes.
However, unsurprisingly they have no shown no willingness to use it to save lives or businesses as we come to the conclusion of what many are calling the most unprecedented hurricane season in history.
Former Naval physic... (more)
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Russian MP Calls Bird Flu “American Provocation”A deputy of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic faction of the Russian State Duma, Aleksei Mitrofanov, has said in a parliamentary speech that bird flu was invented by Americans who wanted to dominate the world’s poultry markets.
“There is no such thing as bird flu, just as there is no AIDS, tulip or mad cow disease,” Mitrofanov was quoted as saying by the Rosbalt news agency.
“It is a provocation by Americans. They want to eliminate all ... (more)
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Is There Oxygen on the Moon?: It sounds far-fetched but the Hubble telescope has identified a mineral in the lunar dirt that could be transformed into fresh air Never mind the moon’s utter lack of atmosphere, there’s plenty of air to breathe up there—provided you know where to look. With NASA once again planning human moon exploration, that’s become an increasingly important matter. This week, the Hubble Space Telescope may have provided some critical answers.
It is the moon’s small mass and low gravity that prevents it from keeping hold of even a tenuously thin atmosphere. But oxygen needn’t exist onl... (more)
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Silver kills viruses, study finds In a groundbreaking study, the Journal of Nanotechnology has published a study that found silver nanoparticles kills HIV-1 and is likely to kill virtually any other virus. The study, which was conducted by the University of Texas and Mexico University, is the first medical study to ever explore the benefits of silver nanoparticles, according to Physorg.
During the study, researchers used three different methods of limiting the size of the silver nanoparticles by using capping age... (more)
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Why music makes you exercise 20% harderLISTENING to a fist-pumping rock song may appear no more than a welcome distraction from aching muscles on a jog round the park or a trip to the gym. But it could also significantly enhance performance.
Three studies on the effects of music on athletic ability, which have been accepted for publication in journals next year, show that James Brown, Steppenwolf or even Vivaldi can make you quicker, stronger and more focused during sport.
Research by Costas Karageorghis... (more)
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EU Bans Bird Imports From Russia as Deadly Avian Flu Virus ConfirmedThe European Union has announced it is banning the import of pet birds and feathers from Russia’s Siberia, Reuters reported.
The move follows confirmation from Moscow on Wednesday of an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.
A European Commission spokeswoman also told a regular briefing that a first test of a separate Greek sample had found no bird flu but that further tests were needed. Romania and Turkey are also fighting the virus which has killed more... (more)
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Russian Minister Confirms Bird Flu Registered South of MoscowThe bird flu virus has been detected in poultry in the region of Tula, south of Moscow, apparently carried by wild ducks, Russia’s agricultural ministry was quoted by AFP Wednesday.
“Some 3,000 fowl have been slaughtered in the village of Yandovka,” about 300 kilometers from Moscow, “after the discovery of bird flu in seven private farms,” said Nikolai Vlasov, deputy head of the ministry’s veterinary control department.
“We... (more)
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Fresh Bird Flu Outbreak in ChinaChina has announced a fresh outbreak of bird flu, saying 2,600 birds have died from the disease in Inner Mongolia.
The deaths, at a farm near the region's capital of Hohhot, were due to the H5N1 strain, which is potentially lethal to humans, the Xinhua news agency said.
China has previously suffered outbreaks of bird flu in Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Tibet, all this year. Thousands of affected fowl have been slaughtered.
Bird flu has killed at least 60... (more)
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Russia Develops Sealth Aircraft Using Plasma Screen TechnologyThe Russian aircraft industry has developed and will soon start producing stealth aircraft which will radically differ from existing U.S. models. The Russian version uses plasma screens to cushion and disperse radar waves, the Novye Izvestia daily reports.
The newspaper quoted Anatoly Koroteyev, the head of the Keddysh Research Center as saying that the plasma screen technology can be used on any vehicle — from automobiles to combat aircraft. However, it is most effective a... (more)
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Bird Flu Virus Revealed in 2 More Russian VillagesBird flu has been confirmed in two more Siberian villages, while 19 others are being kept under observation after reports of suspected cases, news agencies reported Tuesday.
The two infected villages are located in the western Siberian province of Kurgan, while those under observation are in the Novosibirsk and Altai provinces, Russia’s agriculture ministry said Monday.
The statement gave no indication of whether the infection involved the H5N1 strain that has... (more)
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