What's on today

Titan, Saturn's largest moon and the second-biggest natural satellite in the solar system, is an unquestionably interesting place. It's a world with a thick atmosphere and with lakes, fog and rainfall--only with liquid hydrocarbons rather than liquid water. [More]



Saturn - Titan - Solar System - Extraterrestrial life - Water

In an effort to stem the tide of oil washing ashore in Louisiana, small "berms" of sand now plug gaps in barrier islands along the coast. Such structures are intended to provide a barrier to oil penetrating into marshes and other wetlands, where it can persist for decades. Already, more than 250 kilometers of coastline have been touched by the output of the ongoing oil spill, which has now spewed as much as 170 million liters of petroleum into the Gulf of Mexico. [More]



Gulf of Mexico - Oil spill - Louisiana - Barrier island - Wetland

It’s refreshing. It’s invigorating. And it leaves you feeling truly alive. No, I’m not talking about a cold shower or a fruit smoothie with a mochachino chaser. I’m talking about nature. Because according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology , getting outside--or even just thinking about it--can increase your vitality. [Richard Ryan et al, http://bit.ly/c01WHQ ] [More]



Journal of Environmental Psychology - Environment - Social Sciences - Psychology - Journals

(University of Edinburgh) Fresh understanding of the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles could lead to improved vaccines and diagnostic tests, a study suggests.

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA has successfully completed a comprehensive pre-shipment review of the Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite, or FASTSAT, a small, microsatellite class spacecraft bus that will carry six experiment payloads to low-Earth orbit.

(Public Library of Science) A bacteria that lives in hot springs in Japan may help solve one of the mysteries of the early evolution of complex organisms, according to a study publishing next week in PLoS Biology.

(Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs) Scientists and others from 25 countries convened in April to focus on advancing new tools to humanely manage populations of pet and un-owned cats and dogs. The $75 million Michelson Prize & Grants in Reproductive Biology, launched in October 2008 by Found Animals Foundation, is inspiring researchers worldwide to focus on the goal of finding new non-surgical approaches to reproduction control.

(Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) The growing use of insulin delivery devices such as pens and pumps may help individuals with diabetes optimize blood glucose control and minimize their risk for chronic health problems associated with diabetes, as described in a special supplement to Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc. The issue is available free online.

(ESO) A new robotic telescope has had first light at ESO's La Silla Observatory, in Chile. TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) is devoted to the study of planetary systems through two approaches: the detection and characterization of planets located outside the solar system (exoplanets) and the study of comets orbiting around the sun. The 60-cm telescope is operated from a control room in Liège, Belgium, 12,000 km away.

(University of Adelaide) Physics experts at the University of Adelaide believe the new ball created for the 2010 World Cup, called the Jabulani, will play "harder and faster," bending more unpredictably than its predecessor.

(Cornell University) Moore's law marches on: In the quest for faster and cheaper computers, scientists have imaged pore structures in insulation material at sub-nanometer scale for the first time. Understanding these structures could substantially enhance computer performance and power usage of integrated circuits, say Semiconductor Research Corp. (SRC) and Cornell University scientists.

(Burness Communications) The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, today announced more than $1 million in grants to six projects that will conduct health impact assessments at the state and local levels.

Veterans of war have been known to suffer from high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and traumatic brain injury in addition to any physical wounds. And a new study of thousands of U.S. Army soldiers returning from combat duty in Iraq found up to 31 percent reported symptoms of PTSD or depression as long as a year after returning from the battlefield. [More]



Mental health - Posttraumatic stress disorder - Health - Iraq - Iraq War

Doctors and other health professionals working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) might have been illegally performing research on detainees after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a new report issued by the advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights. [More]



Central Intelligence Agency - Human rights - United States - Torture - Human Rights and Liberties

Counterfeiters and money minters constantly try to outsmart each other. But money could become much harder to forge--thanks to butterfly wings.

Butterflies that flit through tropical forests often have brightly colored wings that irridesce in the sun. But it’s not pigments that create those eye-catching shades. It’s microscopic structures on the insects’ wings that reflect the light.

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Insect - Butterfly - Butterflies - Recreation - Shopping

(Stanford University) On Thursday, June 10, from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT, Stanford Professor Jon Krosnick will discuss Americans' views on global warming at a public briefing in Washington, DC.

(Arizona State University) The evolution of computer systems has freed us from keyboards and now is focusing on multi-touch systems, those finger flicking, intuitive and easy to learn computer manipulations that speed the use of any electronic device from cell phones to iPads. But little is known about the long-term stresses on our bodies through the use of these systems.

(Elhuyar Fundazioa) Improving the nutrition of dairy cattle is a key instrument for reducing the environmental problems caused by the accumulation of nitrogen on dairy farms.

(New Jersey Institute of Technology) Rima Taher, an expert in the design of low-rise buildings for extreme winds and hurricane, hopes her phone won't ring much this hurricane season. It's already been busy with requests for information about best building design and construction practices to reduce wind pressures on building surfaces.

(Boston College) Boston College researchers report developing a "nanocoax" technology that can support a highly efficient thin film solar cells. The nanocoax structures prove to be thick enough to absorb a sufficient amount of light, yet thin enough to extract current with increased efficiency.