Last Wednesday, the Ad Astra Rocket Company tested what is currently the most powerful plasma rocket in the world. As the Webster, Texas, company announced, the VASIMR VX-200 engine ran at 201 kilowatts in a vacuum chamber, passing the 200-kilowatt mark for the first…
Read Full ArticleStudy prompts provinces to rethink flu plan
A “perplexing” Canadian study linking H1N1 to seasonal flu shots is throwing national influenza plans into disarray and testing public faith in the government agencies responsible for protecting the nation’s health. Distributed for peer review last week, the study confounded infectious-disease experts in suggesting…
Read Full ArticleIt’s Official: Water Found on the Moon!
Since man first touched the moon and brought pieces of it back to Earth, scientists have thought that the lunar surface was bone dry. But new observations from three different spacecraft have put this notion to rest with what has been called “unambiguous evidence”…
Read Full ArticleImmortality only 20 years away says scientist Ray Kurzweil
Scientist Ray Kurzweil claims humans could become immortal in as little as 20 years’ time through nanotechnology and an increased understanding of how the body works. The 61-year-old American, who has predicted new technologies arriving before, says our understanding of genes and computer technology…
Read Full ArticleRevolutionary discovery means world may not run out of crude
A team of scientists based at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden have made a “revolutionary” discovery about how hydrocarbon is formed, learning that animal and plant fossils are not necessary to form crude oil. The discovery, the scientists say, means that the…
Read Full ArticleAntibodies found that prevent HIV from causing severe AIDS
After nearly two decades of futile searching for a vaccine against the AIDS virus, researchers are reporting the tantalizing discovery of antibodies that can prevent the virus from multiplying in the body and producing severe disease. They do not have a vaccine yet, but…
Read Full ArticleLost world of fanged frogs and giant rats discovered in Papua New Guinea
A team of scientists from Britain, the United States and Papua New Guinea found more than 40 previously unidentified species when they climbed into the kilometre-deep crater of Mount Bosavi and explored a pristine jungle habitat teeming with life that has evolved in isolation…
Read Full ArticlePlacebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know Why.
Merck was in trouble. In 2002, the pharmaceutical giant was falling behind its rivals in sales. Even worse, patents on five blockbuster drugs were about to expire, which would allow cheaper generics to flood the market. The company hadn’t introduced a truly new product…
Read Full ArticleLasers Generate Underwater Sound
Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory are developing a new technology for use in underwater acoustics. The new technology uses flashes of laser light to remotely create underwater sound. The new acoustic source has the potential to expand and improve both Naval and commercial…
Read Full ArticleNewest Breathalyser Knows if You Have Lung Cancer
Not only have you had too many drinks, you’ve also got a tumor. Researchers at the Israeli Institute of Technology have developed a device that can analyze your breath for particles that indicate you have lung cancer. The breathalyser, which works using gold nanoparticles…
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