Articles d'intérêt général

.
Articles d'intérêt général

Voici une autre page d'articles fascinants. Aujourd'hui, il s'agit de sciences, découvertes, d'animaux, de nous les humains, de mystères, de gènes et de plusieurs autres domaines d'intérêt.

Bonne lecture!

Scientists supersize quantum mechanics

Next, the researchers put the quantum circuit into a superposition of 'push' and 'don't push', and connected it to the paddle. Through a series of careful measurements, they were able to show that the paddle was both vibrating and not vibrating simultaneously

The Dark Side of the Moon: 40 years after moon landing the doubts persist

Webmaster's Commentary:

Man, they really MUST be desperate to distract the public from what is going on if they are dusting this crap off and waving it around again!

Meanwhile, interestingly enough, there was a show on National Geographic only yesterday showing an astronomer whose work involves using the LRRRs (Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector) left at the Apollo Landing Sites by the Apollo Astronauts.

In my case this is a personal experience as I have been involved in similar experiments when I worked at the Table Mountain Observatory many years ago. Anyone with a decent telescope and laser system (which is much cheaper and easier to build today) can use those artifacts of the manned missions.

In any event, this is a dead issue. When Apollo 15 lifted off from the moon, the astronauts noticed that the blast from the ascent engine left a noticable "halo" of disturbed soil around the landing site. Before returning to Earth the crew took more photographs documenting the halo effect at the landing site, which is obvious when comparing the "before" and "after" photos of the site.

Now, as independent corroboration, the Japanese SELENE mission has imaged the surface disturbance left behind by the Apollo 15 ascent engine, showing that it matches the photos taken during the Apollo 15 mission. Not quite as good as imaging the actual hardware left behind (SELENE does not have the resolution to do that) but a validation nonetheless.

Meet the world’s only immortal animal

If you’re thinking McLeod, you couldn’t be further from the truth. What you have to do is think small; not microscopic, just big enough to see with your naked eye. Turritopsis nutricula is a hydrozoan, and it’s considered by scientists to be the only animal that cheated death.

e=mc2: 103 years later, Einstein's proven right

According to the conventional model of particle physics, protons and neutrons comprise smaller particles known as quarks, which in turn are bound by gluons.

The odd thing is this: the mass of gluons is zero and the mass of quarks is only five percent. Where, therefore, is the missing 95 percent?

The answer, according to the study published in the US journal Science on Thursday, comes from the energy from the movements and interactions of quarks and gluons.

In other words, energy and mass are equivalent, as Einstein proposed in his Special Theory of Relativity in 1905.

Webmaster's Commentary:

Actually, one of the above sentences should more correctly read," According to the conventional model of particle physics, protons and neutrons are comprised of smaller particles known as quarks, which in turn are bound by gluons."

13 Unsolved scientific puzzles

Webmaster's Commentary:

I can answer number 1 already.

The Universe is missing mass only in the context of the theory of the Big Bang. In trying to work out the equations to make the observations fit the theory, contradictions keep arising. The "missing mass" is (as was epicycles in the days of the geocentric theory of the universe) is an invention of what "must be there somewhere" to make the observations fit with the theologically desired outcome.

Number 3 actually ties into this because the entire theory of the Big Bang rests on the ASSUMPTION that there is no other explanation than relative velocity to explain that spectra from more distant objects is shifted to the red (a conclusion Hubble himself did not make). If light red-shifts because of some other phenomenon (which is supported by the fact that the observed red shift in the sky is quantized) then the prime evidence for the Big Bang collapses.

Oh yes, as for number 2, the changes in the paths of Pioneer are easily explained if you abandon the ASSUMPTION that the Oort cloud is uniform and symmetrical.

As for number 6, I have a personal interest in this one since I was part of the Viking missions. And yes, we concluded we found like on Mars, but as this article reports, NASA over-ruled us. The greatest political pressure to deny life on Mars came from religious groups.

Can prehistoric mammoths now be cloned?

Russian scientists say they've managed to develop the most detailed picture ever of the insides of prehistoric animals. They made the discovery after studying a baby mammoth found immaculately preserved in the Yamalo-Nenets region in the Urals last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_PwOmyOhlA

http://www.russiatoday.ru/features/news/23323

Working classes are less intelligent, says evolution expert

WORKING-CLASS students have lower IQs than those from wealthier backgrounds and should not be expected to win places at top universities, an academic has claimed.

Bruce Charlton, an evolutionary psychiatrist at Newcastle University, has written a paper asserting the reason why fewer students from poor families are admitted to Oxford or Cambridge is not because of social prejudice, but lack of ability.

I grew up on a farm in New Hampshire, and last time I had my IQ checked I tested in the top 2%.

Why the Promise of Biofuels is a Lie

For years, the US has been inundated with claims that it should follow Brazil’s lead on biofuels. These arguments have largely been made by a small, but influential group of neoconservatives who claim that the US should quit using oil altogether. They claim that using more ethanol – produced from sugar cane, or corn, or some other substance – will impoverish OPEC and America will once again be returned to prosperity.

Weird, Rare Clouds and the Physics Behind Them

Have you ever seen clouds like these?

Orangutan attempts to hunt fish with spear

That line between animal and human gets a bit blurrier.

http://richarddawkins.net/article,2513,n,n

Swimming orang-utans' spearfishing exploits amaze the wildlife experts

Orang-utans have confounded naturalists by learning to swim across rivers and to fish with sticks.

Naturalists were shocked to see the apes swim across a river to gain access to some of their favourite fruits at a conservation refuge on Kaja island in Borneo. Orang-utans were previously thought to be non-swimmers. The wildlife experts were equally surprised to see an orang-utan pick up a tree branch and stun a fish before eating it. Other apes introduced to the island were seen trying to spear fish with sticks after watching fishermen using rods. The naturalists also noted that the apes quickly worked out that it was even easier to steal fish from unattended lines used by the humans on the island. The unexpected behaviour has been captured in photographs published in the book Thinkers of the Jungle — the Orang-utan Report, by Gerd Schuster, Willie Smits and Jay Ullal, of the Borneo Orang-utan Survival Association. The pictures are thought to be the first to show an orang-utan using a tool for hunting. The apes live in Borneo and Sumatra and are regarded by some as second only to humans in intelligence. They are threatened with extinction as their habitats diminish.

Spielberg to Direct Lockerbie Bombing Movie

The movie is an adaptation of the book Flight 103, written by former Israeli officer and MOSSAD agent Juval Aviv.

So of course the "correct" villains will be blamed just in time for the war.

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/2876

Scientists find giant marine life and potential new species in Antarctic sea survey

Scientists who conducted the most comprehensive survey to date of New Zealand's Antarctic waters were surprised by the size of some specimens found, including jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles and 2-foot-wide starfish.

http://www.startribune.com/world/16891691.html

Recording Industry Decries AM-FM Broadcasting as 'A Form of Piracy'

The recording industry and U.S. radio companies have squared off for decades about whether AM and FM radio broadcasters should pay royalties to singers, musicians and their labels.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/recording-indus.html

Possible New Element Could Rewrite Textbooks

They claim to have discovered a naturally occurring element with an atomic number (number of protons) of 122 -- 30 notches on the periodic table ahead of uranium, long considered the heaviest naturally occurring element.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352980,00.html

Metronome Synchronization

Physics is FUN!!!!!!!

http://i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=29472

Laser creates brightest light on Earth

The laser is brighter than sunlight on the surface of the sun, but it only lasts for an instant, a 10th of a trillionth of a second (0.0000000000001 second). This is the key to the laser's power - it delivers modest energy in a microscopic unit of time.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/04/08/scilaser108.xml

Insects using plants as telephones

A team of Dutch ecologists has found that subterranean and aboveground herbivorous insects use plants to communicate. 'Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals via the leaves of the plant. This way, aboveground insects are alerted that the plant is already occupied.' This means that by using 'green telephone lines,' the two kinds of insects can avoid to compete for the same plant, allowing for faster growth for both species.

http://rinf.com/alt-news/sicence-technology/insects-using-plants-as-telephones/3196/

Harvard economist: Prohibition creates violence, legalize all drugs

"Violence is the norm in illicit gambling markets but not in legal ones. Violence is routine when prostitution is banned but not when it's permitted," he wrote. "Violence results from policies that create black markets, not from the characteristics of the good or activity in question.

"The only way to reduce violence, therefore, is to legalize drugs."

Billionaire plans mile high building

http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/03/billionaire-plans-mile-high-building.html

Astronauts Spot Mysterious Ice Circles in World’s Deepest Lake

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station noticed two mysterious dark circles in the ice of Russia’s Lake Baikal in April. Though the cause is more likely aqueous than alien, some aspects of the odd blemishes defy explanation.

5 Psychological Experiments That Prove Humanity is Doomed

http://www.cracked.com/article_16239_5-psychological-experiments-that-prove-humanity-doomed.html

Speeding up brain networks 'may boost intelligence'

A new study has finally solved the decade-old mystery about where exactly intelligence lies in human brains after scientists found that it's everywhere.

Scientists discover new forest with undiscovered species on Google Earth

Conservationists have found a host of new species after discovering uncharted new territory on the internet map Google Earth.

Webmaster's Commentary:

I think I am going to set up a new website and all it will be is that volunteers from around the world will log in and receive a set of grid coordinates for a 1 mile by 1 mile area on Earth, and they will search through it and click off some checkboxes as to what is there plus an open text note field.

Google Earth has already found ancient lost cities and other such wonders. Maybe it is time to organize an online search!

Scientist Teleport Matter More Than Three Feet

Scientists have come a bit closer to achieving the "Star Trek" feat of teleportation.

'Ruthlessness gene' discovered

Dictatorial behaviour may be partly genetic, study suggests.

You know, like THIS STUFF!

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080404/full/news.2008.738.html

Yahoo: Burn your DRMed tracks to CD now

"This suggestion could put customers at legal risk, as they may not have documentation of purchase," McSherry wrote. "Furthermore, there is no certainty that all relevant copyright owners would agree that making such backup copies without permission is lawful."

This has really gone too far. The RIAA has forced companies to set up all these DRM systems, and now that the added cost and headache of using DRM-crippled music stores is starting to force them out of business, customers are facing the possibility of being software-locked out of music they legally own. and their only alternative to preserve the music they legally bought is to do the very sort of data-copying DRM was designed to prevent in the first place!

There is another problem. As illustrated by this article, the burden of proof has been shifted onto the consumer to prove they legally own the copy of music ("your papers please. Do you really own zat tune?") rather than for the copyright holders to prove the music is stolen. This poses a problem for people who did in fact legally purchase music CDs in years past and transferred them to their computers when it was perfectly legal to do so and before DRM was in place. These audiophiles probably cannot prove they legally own the music. Who keeps a receipt for a personal music purchase? As we hear more and more than TSA (unable to find any terrorists) will now start scanning iPods and iPhones and laptops for "stolen" music, we run the risk of having legal but undocumented music files erased from our hard drives!

These are the freedoms the terrorists hate us for?

Transparency: The Death Penalty Around the World

Last week, Michael Rosales, who murdered 67-year-old Mary Felder in 1997, became the thirteenth person executed this year—in Texas. Whether or not you believe in the death penalty, it’s important to know that the United States is one of 59 countries that still executes its citizens on a regular basis (we currently have more than 3,000 inmates on death row). Our latest Transparency is a look at where, around the world, the death penalty is still used and where it has been abolished.

Downloads lead to huge fine

Student is handed a whopping $675,000 penalty after admitting to illegal music downloads

Carbon Rich Comet Dust From 13,000 Years Ago Found At 6 US Sites

Abundant tiny particles of diamond dust exist in sediments dating to 12,900 years ago at six North American sites, adding strong evidence for Earth’s impact with a rare swarm of carbon-and-water-rich comets or carbonaceous chondrites, reports a nine-member scientific team.