a travelogue
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08/24/08
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Brain will be battlefield of future, warns report
Very creepy stuff: The human brain could become a battlefield in future wars, a new report predicts, including ‘pharmacological land mines’ and drones directed by mind controlcontinue reading »
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10/17/07
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Languages Racing to Extinction
This really depresses me. Especially when America is so xenophobic at the moment. I am however somewhat fascinated by the idea of a language that’s spoken by only one person, which is incredibly counter intuitive — do they talk to …continue reading »
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10/15/07
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How Does It Feel to Die?
Here’s a special treat for all of you out there that suffer from anxiety attacks, from the New Scientist: Is it distressing to experience consciousness slipping away or something people can accept with equanimity? Are there any surprises in store …continue reading »
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09/23/07
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Museum Gottwaldianum
Another Bibliodyssey post. That guy/girl has some amazing stuff, I need to figure out where they find it all. Anyway, this one has a bit of a natural history bent to it. “Christoph Gottwald(t) (1636-1700) was a German physician in …continue reading »
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09/20/07
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Head-mounted Device is the Cat’s Whiskers
Get your spidy sense in realtime. A pretty remarkable project of the Japan that gives you 360 degree sensory awareness: A series of infrared sensors positioned around the device act as invisible whisker or antenna sensors. When these detect an …continue reading »
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09/20/07
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The Strange Story of Napoleon’s Wallpaper
Napoleon, as we all know, died on the remote island of St Helena. A sample of his hair analyzed in the 1960s revealed a high concentration of arsenic, which, over the years has convinced some that he was poisoned, quite …continue reading »
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09/18/07
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Out-Of-Body Experience Recreated
Scientists are now able to trigger an out-of-body experience (without subjecting volunteers to near-death): Two teams used virtual reality goggles to con the brain into thinking the body was located elsewhere. The visual illusion plus the feel of their real …continue reading »
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08/14/07
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Ancient Forest Found in Hungary
From the BBC: “An ancient forest of cypress trees, estimated to be eight million years old, has been discovered in Hungary. “Archaeologists found the 16 preserved trunks in an open cast coal mine in the north-eastern city of Bukkabrany. “The …continue reading »
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08/03/07
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MIT Finds Cure for Fear
This does not seem like a good thing to me, I’ve yet to hear a ethicist weight in on this, but I can think of a few arguments against this discovery ever being used. Yes, it would be nice to …continue reading »
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08/03/07
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10 of the Best Natural Phenomena
Very cool list with a number of things I was not familiar with including something called gravity waves, which are described thusly: “In a gravity wave, the upward moving region is the most favorable region for cloud development and the …continue reading »
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08/03/07
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Veil Nebula Pierced by Hubble’s Gaze
Stunning images from the Hubble telescope of the Veil Nebula. From Space.com: “Only 5,000 to 10,000 years ago, a star familiar to human observers detonated and burned with a brightness comparable to that of a crescent moon-an event visible even …continue reading »
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07/27/07
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Greenskeeping
This makes logical sense (plants need carbon dioxide, which you exhale), but I’ve never tried it myself (from Dorie Greenspan): “I know, it looks a little weird, kind of like a terrarium for lettuce, but it’s really a little bit …continue reading »
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07/27/07
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Giant Penguins Once Roamed Peru Desert
From National Geographic News: “Penguins about the size of humans roamed South America some 35 million years ago, and they didn’t need ice to survive.” “That’s the result of a new study by North Carolina State University paleontologist Julia Clarke …continue reading »
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06/18/07
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High Resolution Imaging Of Mars
High quality images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have been posted to the web on the site HiRISE for public viewing. The images take a bit to load, but are worth the wait. “Onboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the HiRISE …continue reading »
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06/18/07
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Forgetting May Be Part of the Process of Remembering
Whether drawing a mental blank on a new A.T.M. password, a favorite recipe or an old boyfriend, people have ample opportunity every day to curse their own forgetfulness. But forgetting is also a blessing, and researchers reported on Sunday that …continue reading »