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Vancouver Island marmots are one of the world's rarest animals
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Thanks to deforestation, road building, and other human activity, these sweet little guys have become so rare that in 1997, just 102 Vancouver Island marmots remained in the wild. But conservation efforts have brought them back from the brink, with around 300 captive-bred individuals released into the wild in 2010, and 26 wild litters born last year, producing 80 pups. Researchers state that climate change may further reduce or impact subalpine habitats along with associated forage plants.
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2508 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Turn sweat into drinkable water
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Swedish engineers have developed a system that turns sweat into potable water. The Sweat Machine spins clothes to extract liquid from the fibres, filters it and transforms it into water. Their developers say the water extracted from the machine is cleaner than ordinary tap water.
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2093 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Trippy mushrooms
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Users of magic mushrooms often report altered states of consciousness and a synesthesia-like melding of the senses. Now, scientists may have figured out why: Psilocybin changes the brain’s wiring, creating a hyperconnected brain that contains links between regions that don’t normally communicate with each other. Communication between brain networks in people given psilocybin (right) or a non-psychedelic compound (left). ...
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6005 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Tractor beam
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Scientists at University of St Andrews in Scotland and the Institute of Scientific Instruments (ISI) in the Czech Republic have designed a minute but completely functional tractor beam. Reminiscent of Star Trek, they use a beam of light to draw objects towards the light source on a microscopic level.
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5782 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
Top climate critic will now lead the EPA
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As part of Donald Trump's cabinet pick, Myron Ebell, who is a director at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and a prominent climate change skeptic, will lead the Environmental Protection Agency's administration. While Ebell has had no formal scientific education, and makes no claim to be a scientist, his view is that if public decisions are to be made according to scientific findings, than they should be discussed democratically by all people, not just scientists. Unfortunately, in the realms of science, public opinion doesn't matter much unless you're discussing the ethics of a scientific matter. Appointing Ebell doesn't mean the environment is under threat, as suggested by the disenfranchised, New York Times. The discussion on global w ...
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9214 |
bio_man |
7 years ago |
Tomorrow's energy
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Co-owned by Google, NRG Energy and BrightSource Energy, the giant Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California's Mojave desert will produce 392 MW of solar power at full capacity - enough electricity to provide 140,000 Californian homes with clean energy. The plant contains 300,000 large computer-controlled mirrors that help focus sunlight to the top of three 140m-high towers, where water is turned into steam to power turbines. To view how it appears in Google Maps, follow the link. ...
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3936 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
This tike's bite can make people allergic to metal
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After being bitten by the lone star tick, people in the US are experiencing severe allergic reactions to red meat - including hives, swelling, trouble breathing and vomiting. So pretty much every meat lover's worst nightmare.
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6008 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
This synthetic organism survives with less than 500 genes
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This week in Science, researchers led by genome sequencing pioneer Craig Venter report engineering a bacterium to have the smallest genome - and the fewest genes - of any freely living organism. Known as Syn 3.0, the new organism has a genome whittled down to the bare essentials needed to survive and reproduce, just 473 genes. However, the function of 149 of Syn 3.0's 473 genes remain unknown. As Syn 3.0's name suggests, it’s not the first synthetic life made by Venter. In 2010, Venter's team reported that they had synthesized the sole chromosome of Mycoplasma mycoides - a bacterium with a relatively small genome - and transplanted it into a separate mycoplasma called M. capricolum, from which they had previously extracted the DNA. After s ...
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10769 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
This is a full-color image of the surface of a comet
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Desolate, frozen and black as coal - welcome to the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This is one of the closest colour images ever of a comet, taken from just 29 kilometres away by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft. Rosetta will soon land on this rugged surface.
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3658 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
The war on trans-fat has begun
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Finally, the world is paying attention to the dangers of consuming trans-fatty acids in food.The World Health Organization (WHO) has called all nations to rid foods of artificial trans-fats in the next five years. Artificial trans-fat is made by converting healthy unsaturated oils (those that are fluid at room temperature) into ones that are chemically more stable through a process known as hydrogenation (illustrated below). The food industry began using this deceptive technique in the 1950s to increase the shelf-life of perishable grocery items such as pastries, and fried foods sold at restaurants. Numerous studies have linked these fats to an increase in cholesterol levels, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases. One of the reasons for ...
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7877 |
bio_man |
5 years ago |
The strangest medical story ever
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This 22-year-old man had a car accident last year and as a result his nose became infected and deformed. Doctors weren’t able to repair it, but decided to take cartilage from one of the young man’s ribs to grown a new nose. The nose, which is temporarily attached to his forehead, has been developing for 9 months and is ready to be transplanted.
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5046 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
The road to a cure for HIV
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A new vaccine has successfully killed the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that causes AIDS in monkeys. It's hoped that with further research, an HIV-form of the vaccine can soon be tested in humans.
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3100 |
savio |
10 years ago |
The quest to find Earth-like life on Mars
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NASA scientists have nominated eight potential new targets for a 2020 Mars mission. They're focusing on ancient river deltas and hot springs as sites that have the best chance of preserving signs of life on the red planet. New sites can still be considered, and mission engineers have yet to weigh in on the technical feasibility of landing the rover in the nominated sites.
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1195 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
The king of the jungle is disappearing
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Lions are now critically endangered in West Africa. Although they once ranged continuously from Senegal to Nigeria, new research has revealed only around 250 adult lions survive in the region, and only one of the four isolated populations contains more than 50 individuals.
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7082 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
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5277 |
duddy |
9 years ago |