TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
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| Famed Tasmanian devil euthanized after tumor found By KRISTEN GELINEAU 2010-09-01T07:44:54ZSYDNEY (AP) -- A Tasmanian devil named Cedric, once thought to be immune to a contagious facial cancer threatening the iconic creatures with extinction, has been euthanized after succumbing to the disease, researchers said Wednesday.... hosted.ap.org |
Simon Swordy obituary Our friend Simon Swordy, who has died from lymphoma aged 56, was a world-renowned astrophysicist and a brilliant wit, inventor, artist, enthusiast and semi-professional flamenco guitarist. From childhood, Simon – known as "Stig" – showed an amazing ability to bring his ideas to life, from Meccano to building radios. In the 1970s he amazed his student household by creating a prototype video game years before they appeared commercially.The son of teachers, he was born in Birmingham, where he attended St Philip's grammar school in Edgbaston. He later went to Barstable school in Basildon, Essex. After spells as a forklift driver at the Yardley of London cosmetics factory in Basildon, and as conductor of the 151 bus from Canvey Island to Wood Green, Simon arrived at Bristol University – where his parents had met – in 1972. There he combined his many talents and embarked on a lifelong involvement with cutting-edge astrophysics. During this time he also met Jo, whom he married in 1984.Simon gained a first-class physics degree and a PhD in cosmic rays under professor Peter Fowler before being poached by the US. A brief interview during a stopover at Heathrow airport was enough to convince Chicago University's Peter Meyer of his potential.In Chicago, Simon ran the development of a major experiment on a Nasa space shuttle. Known as the Chicago Egg, the experiment provided the first direct observations of high-energy cosmic rays. His mentor at Chicago University, Dietrich Muller, attributed the Egg's success to Simon's inexhaustible supply of new ideas and unconventional solutions, as well as his dry humour and the sense of camaraderie he created.The university gave him the job of enthusing non-scientists with his passion. A favourite lecture stunt of his was to put on a crash helmet and release a bowling ball pendulum from directly in front of his face, not flinching as the laws of gravity repeatedly saved him from injury. He was the James Franck professor of physics, astronomy and astrophysics at the university and in 2007 he became director of its Enrico Fermi Institute.Simon was also a familiar figure on Chicago's music scene, playing frequently with flamenco artists. He had learned flamenco guitar with Juan Martín, and described his first encounter with the great Paco de Lucía as life-changing.Simon was a terrific friend, completely without ego – in spite of his ridiculous range of talents – and very funny. He is survived by Jo and their children, John, Chris and Julia; his brothers, Stephen, Andrew and Peter; his sister, Marie; and his mother, Zena.NasaFlamencoguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Mystery Bird: Eurasian collared dove, Streptopelia decaocto | GrrlScientist What is this Old World species doing in southern California? My friends at BirdNote Radio answer this questionEurasian collared dove, Streptopelia decaocto, sometimes hyphenated as Eurasian collared-dove or known simply as the collared dove, photographed in San Dimas, Los Angeles county, southern California, USA. Image: Steve Duncan, 19 April 2009. [how about looking at this bird with binoculars?]Question: If you can identify this mystery bird, then I have a question for you: what is it doing in southern California?Response: This is a Eurasian collared dove, Streptopelia decaocto, hanging around in southern California. What is this Old World species doing there, so far from home? Embedded below is a 2 minute podcast of the popular radio programme BirdNote Radio, by some of my Seattle birding pals. In this episode, they talk about the Eurasian collared dove and answer this question:If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and appreciate audience, feel free to email them to me for consideration.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Malaysia to use lab mosquitoes to fight dengue By 2010-10-11T10:00:39ZPUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysia could be the first country in Asia to use genetically modified mosquitoes to battle a rise in dengue fever, government authorities said Monday.... hosted.ap.org |
An Odyssey Through the Brain A glossy art book, “Portraits of the Mind,” hopes to draw the general reader into neuroscience with the beauty of its images. feeds.nytimes.com |