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Scientists Use Light To Create Particles
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20 physicists from four research institutions disclosed that they had created two tiny specks of matter -- an electron and its antimatter counterpart, a positron -- by colliding two ultrapowerful beams of radiation. The possibility of doing something like this was suggested in 1934 by two American physicists, Dr. Gregory Breit and Dr. John A. Wheeler. But more than six decades passed before any laboratory could pump enough power into colliding beams of radiation to conjure up matter from nothingness. The Stanford accelerator finally provided enough energy to do it.
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Genetically modified Plants Escape Into American Wild
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 Genetically modified canola plants have been found growing wild in the U.S., in some cases far from fields of cultivated genetically modified canola.
Results reported today at a meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Pittsburgh, Penn., suggest that the plants are reproducing on their own, making this the first report of an established population of GM organisms in the wild in the U.S., according to the team.
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1-in-1,000 Chance of Asteroid Impact in 2182
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 The not-so-romantically named (101955) 1999 RQ36 -- discovered in 1999 -- measures approximately 510 meters in diameter and is classified as an Apollo asteroid. Apollo asteroids pose a threat to our planet as they routinely cross Earth's orbit.
With a one-in-a-thousand chance of 1999 RQ36 hitting Earth -- with half of this probability indicating a 2182 impact -- the threat might not sound too acute.
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Poachers kill last female rhino in South African park
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South African wildlife experts are calling for urgent action against poachers after the last female rhinoceros in a popular game reserve near Johannesburg bled to death after having its horn hacked off. Wildlife officials say poaching for the prized horns has now reached an all-time high. "Last year, 129 rhinos were killed for their horns in South Africa. This year, we have already had 136 deaths," said Japie Mostert, chief game ranger at the 1,500-hectare Krugersdorp game reserve.
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In Politics, Sometimes The Facts Don't Matter
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 From NPR - New research suggests that misinformed people rarely change their minds when presented with the facts -- and often become even more attached to their beliefs. The finding raises questions about a key principle of a strong democracy: that a well-informed electorate is best.
Listen to the Broadcast
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Poof! After Wireless, the Computer Mouse Turns Invisible
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In a magic trick that only geeks can pull off, researchers at MIT have found a method to let users click and scroll exactly the same way they would with a computer mouse, without the device actually being there.
Cup your palm, move it around on a table and a cursor on the screen hovers. Tap on the table like you would click a real mouse, and the computer responds. It’s one step beyond cordless. It’s an invisible mouse.
The project, called “Mouseless,” uses an infrared laser beam and camera to track the movements of the palm and fingers and translate them into computer commands.
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Hair Keeps Chemical Record of Where You've Been
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 In one cold case, the team was brought in to help identify the body of a 20-something woman who was found dead of stab wounds in 1971, but whose case remained unsolved. After analyzing the isotopes in her hair, the scientists were able to conclude that the woman had lived (and therefore drunk tap water and other beverages) in Northern California for at least 18 months before she died. That clue helped detectives focus their search.With the help of missing persons records, DNA and other types of evidence, they were finally able to identify her as Mary Alice Willey -- providing, at least, some finality for family members and opening the possibility that her killer might be found.
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Humans Will Be Extinct Within 100 Years
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Is the clock of doom ticking for mankind? Yes, says an eminent 95 year old scientist from Australia. Professor Frank Fenner -- the same scientist who brought the myxomatosis virus to rabbits to control their numbers in the 1950's -- is acutely aware of the impact of overpopulation and shortage of resources.
In an interview with The Australian, the well-respected microbiologist expressed his pessimism for our future. "We're going to become extinct," he said. "Whatever we do now is too late."
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Scientists Teleport Info 10 Miles
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 We may never be able to teleport ourselves "Star Trek"-style, but scientists managed to transmit information a record distance using entangled photons. Teleported telephone call would be impenetrable. Unlike radio waves, which send out a signal that enemies can pick out, eavesdropping on a teleported telephone call would be impossible. The two particles are entangled with themselves and no other particle so the quantum mechanical equations simply do not allow it, said Schumacher.
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Headless Gladiator Graveyard Unearthed
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 One of the most significant items of evidence is a large carnivore bite mark -- probably inflicted by a lion, tiger or bear -- an injury which must have been sustained in an arena context, said Kurt Hunter-Mann, who is leading the investigation.
Many of the skeletons also had one arm that was stronger than the other, consistent with the frequent handling of a weapon.
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