Slashdot: ScienceNews for nerds, stuff that mattersNew Pictures of White Knight Two and SpaceshipTwo- July 6, 2008 soldeed writes "Over at the Virgin Galactic press site, there are new pictures of both White Knight Two and SpaceShip 2 during construction for media use. After seeing them, I can't help but wonder; Gee, what's in the box"Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/327757104/article.pl Arecibo Observatory Facing Massive Budget Cuts- July 5, 2008 SirLurksAlot writes "Many supporters of the SETIhome project have recently received a message informing them of impending budget cuts for the Arecibo Observatory and asks them to show their support for the project by writing to Congress. The letter also informs supporters that there are currently two bills (Senate bill 2862 sponsored by Senator Hillary Clinton, and a similar House bill, H.R. 3737), which are intended to secure funding for the project. According to The Planetary Society, the...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/327470135/article.pl Cassini's Primary Mission Ends, Two-Year Extension Begins- July 5, 2008 wooferhound points out recent news that the Cassini probe has completed its original four-year mission and is beginning a two-year extended mission, which was authorized earlier this year. Cassini's first mission brought us a treasure trove of information about Saturn and its various moons. The new mission will target two of those moons in particular for further study: Titan and Enceladus. Quoting: "The spacecraft is extremely healthy and carries 12 instruments powered by three radioisotope...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/327122633/article.pl Working Towards an Eco-Friendly Fireworks Display- July 5, 2008 phobos13013 writes "Here's an article just in time for 4th of July fireworks shows! The ACS's Chemical and Engineering News provides a fairly technical discussion about the hazardous chemicals in modern fireworks displays. Perchlorate is currently the oxidizer of choice in fireworks, but it is also known to be a thyroid blocker. Since perchlorates are water-soluble anions, they dissolve into groundwater quickly. A study performed last summer over a lake in Ada, Oklahoma showed that less than a..http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/327071164/article.pl Prominent Mathematicians Rebuke Recent Riemann Hypothesis Proof- July 4, 2008 Bryan writes "Xian-Jin Li's purported proof of the Riemann Hypothesis (reported on recently) has been rebuked by Fields Medalist Terence Tao. Fortunately, Dr. Li's proof fails alongside a respectable graveyard of previous attempts." Relatedly, jim.shilliday writes "The proof cites and appears to be based in part on the work of the leading French theorist Alain Connes. A few hours ago, Connes posted a comment on his blog stating that the purported proof is so badly flawed that he stopped reading.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/326832274/article.pl First Results From Messenger's Mercury Flyby- July 4, 2008 Several readers noted the special section in Science, published today, with results from Messenger's flyby of Mercury last January. One conclusion is that volcanism has shaped the planet, contrary to earlier theories that Mercury had been "dead on arrival." The LA Time's coverage highlights the finding that Mercury has shrunk by a mile in diameter over its lifetime, due to shrinkage at its core.Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/326802803/article.pl Huge Lenses To Observe Dark Energy- July 4, 2008 Iddo Genuth writes "UK astronomers, as a part of the Dark Energy Survey collaboration, have reached a milestone in the construction of one of the largest ever cameras to detect dark energy by completing the shipment of the glass required for the five special lenses. Each step in the process of completing this sophisticated camera brings scientists closer to detecting the invisible matter that cosmologists estimate makes up around 75% of our universe."Read more of this story at Slashdot.http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/326370571/article.pl Einstein's Theory Passes Strict New Test- July 4, 2008 FiReaNGeL writes with an excerpt from a story at e! Science News: "Taking advantage of a unique cosmic configuration, astronomers have measured an effect predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity in the extremely strong gravity of a pair of superdense neutron stars. Essentially, the famed physicist's 93-year-old theory passed yet another test. Scientists at McGill University used the National Science Foundation's Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) to do a four-year...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/326248491/article.pl What Is the Best Way To Disinfect Your Laptop- July 3, 2008 akutz writes "I've had the flu since Tuesday afternoon. My wife picked me up from work with a temperature of 103.6 and it finally broke at 98.7 around 3am this morning. Yay. The problem is that I used my laptop during my periods of feverish deliriousness, contaminating my shiny 15" MacBook Pro with the icky influenza virus. I am asking my fellow Slashdotters if they have ever sought out a good way of disinfecting their lucky laptops after an illness. Do you use soap A light acid bath Just get...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/326225574/article.pl Wood Density May Explain Stradivarius Secret- July 3, 2008 Whorhay writes "A Dutch doctor and a violin maker from Arkansas have compared five classical and eight modern violins in a computed tomography (CT) scanner. Apparently the 300-year-old violins are made of wood with a more consistent density than the modern violins. They aren't saying for sure that this is what gives the Stradivarius violins their unique sound, but it's the first scientific explanation I've heard for it that seems to have merit." Unfortunately science has yet to explain how how..http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/325845253/article.pl |