[Jawlist] Weekly Science Report 9-11-09

Sat Sep 12 14:56:28 PDT 2009

Good Evening Everyone,

Below is this wek's edition.  Enjoy!

Steve Detwiler

Weekly Science Report
September 11, 2009

“Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man presents his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.”
Albert Einstein

News Articles

Paleontology, Evolution and Prehistoric Studies

Fossil find in Georgia challenges theories on early humans
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/08/fossils-georgia-dmanisi-early-humans

Ancient figurines were toys not mother goddess statutes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1212320/Ancient-figurines-toys-mother-goddess-statues-say-experts-9-000-year-old-artefacts-discovered.html

Archaeologists discover oldest-known fiber materials used by early humans
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/hu-ado090809.php

Cave painters’ giveaway handprints at Pech-Merle
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/article6829451.ece

Giant stone-age axes found in African lake basin
http://www.physorg.com/news171790409.html

Velociraptor's 'killing' claws were for climbing
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327254.100-velociraptors-killing-claws-were-for-climbing.html

Bank Team Supports Archaelogical Dig of 7,000-Year-Old Silk Road Find
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:22309407~menuPK:34457~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html

Extinct Eagle May Have Hunted Humans
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/09/11/extinct-eagle.html

Creation: being made to feel Darwin's anguish
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17774-creation-being-made-to-feel-darwins-anguish.html

Ancient and General History

Kennedy denies affair with Kopechne in new memoir
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_kennedy_memoir

David Duke Charged in Prague with Holocaust Denial
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=1072

The Sad Story Behind Labor Day
http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92981?fp=1

Jews who fled Nazis as kids recreate train trip
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32689095/ns/world_news-europe/

Fairy tales have ancient origin
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6142964/Fairy-tales-have-ancient-origin.html

Nazi deserter hails long-awaited triumph 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8244186.stm

N. Korea marks 61st anniversary amid nuke standoff
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090909/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_anniversary

Harvard Crimson says Holocaust denial ad published by accident
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/09/massachusetts.harvard.holocaust/index.html

British PM apologizes for treatment of gay code-breaker
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/09/11/alan.turing.petition.apology/index.html

Archaeology

Giant statues give up hat mystery
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8236349.stm

Lost city could be Gujarat's womb: Archaeologists
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4973865.cms

Search hopes to find 510-year-old Nfld. Church
http://www.canada.com/technology/story.html?id=1964688

Search resumes on Victory wreck 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/guernsey/8240648.stm

Cache of coins from Jewish revolt found in Israel
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090909/wl_mideast_afp/israelarchaeologycoins

Rare medieval Hebrew prayer book to go on display
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090909/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_rare_manuscript

Human Archeological Remains Found in Sacsayhuamán
http://www.livinginperu.com/news/10052

Scientists to explore sacred Maya pools
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/09/09/Scientists-to-explore-sacred-Maya-pools/UPI-72131252517078/

Indian artifacts discovered in bayou
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7004888

Colossal Apollo Statue Unearthed in Turkey
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/09/08/apollo-statue.html

350-year-old temple chariot to be preserved by State Archaeology Department 
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=144329

Greatest Zapoteca Ballgame Court in Atzompa Restored
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=33163

Bible-Era Mystery Vessel Found -- Code Stumps Experts
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090909-code-biblical-cup.html

Japanese help uncover ancient Peru remains
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090910/wl_asia_afp/perujapanarchaeology

Superscanner helps scientists see into the unknown
http://communications.nottingham.ac.uk/News/Article/Superscanner-helps-scientists-see-into-the-unknown.html

Cyprus - Excavations at Prastion – Mesorotsos
http://www.isria.com/pages/9_September_2009_240.php

Peru: Pre Inca citadel found in Zaña river's upper basin
http://www.livinginperu.com/news/10075

NOAA Locates U.S. Navy Ship Sunk in World War II Battle
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090909_battleofatlantic.html

Archaeologists find early menorah depiction
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090911/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_ancient_menorah

ARCHAEOLOGISTS find remains of 2,000-year-old roundhouse
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1391588?UserKey=

New program gives wounded warriors work preserving America's past
http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/58753447.html

UM students dig for artifacts at ghost town of Coloma
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090909/DC5/909090375

A Mystery in the Desert
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/910/1

Recent bomb damage another setback for Iraq Museum
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0911/p06s01-wome.html

Egyptology

Egyptian temples followed heavenly plans
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327243.000-egyptian-temples-followed-heavenly-plans.html

Walk like an Ancient Egyptian through NYC
http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/egyptian_nyc/

General Science

Reboot for UK's 'oldest' computer 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8234428.stm

Plasmobot: the slime mould robot
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327245.100-plasmobot-the-slime-mould-robot.html

Universal translator for web browsers
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327245.000-universal-translator-for-web-browsers.html

RoboBath: NASA Studies The Cleanest Robot in the World
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4329680.html

4 Forgotten Facts About Combat UAVs
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4330155.html

Airborne laser ready for flight tests
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327256.000-airborne-laser-ready-for-flight-tests.html

Nanotubes Could Enable Self-Repairing Electronic Circuits 
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-09/nanotubes-could-enable-self-repairing-electric-circuits

Physics, Earth and Space Sciences

TRYING TO GREEN THE GROWING GOBI DESERT
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/03/2045682.aspx

'Airplane view' of Mars yields stunning images
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/09/03/mars.images/index.html

Mass. center to build ocean monitoring stations
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090906/ap_on_re_us/us_ocean_monitoring

Ion Thrusters Come of Age for Interplanetary Spacecraft
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/09/08/ion-thrusters-come-of-age-for-interplanetary-spacecraft/

Planets have to be about the size of Earth to be conducive for life
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/science/Planets-have-to-be-about-the-size-of-Earth-to-be-conducive-for-life/articleshow/4985504.cms

A Theory of Dark Matter
http://www.physorg.com/news171640779.html

Rain of meteorites makes the moon hum
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17752-rain-of-meteorites-makes-the-moon-hum.html

Hubble improvements 'spectacular' after astronaut fix
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2009-09-09-hubble_N.htm

Up, up and away! Scientists levitate mice
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32760311/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Japan’s space hopes ride on spacecraft’s debut
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32765080/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Simulated black holes may prove theory
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32781964/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Scientists discover surprise in Earth's upper atmosphere
http://www.physorg.com/news171791091.html

Catastrophic Darkness: How Life Survives an Asteroid Impact
http://www.physorg.com/news171819166.html

More oxygen -- colder climate
http://www.physorg.com/news171722761.html

Solar sails set for voyages in the ocean of space
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2009/sep/10/solar-sail-space-exploration

G-corridors to cut space travel cost
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/science/G-corridors-to-cut-space-travel-cost/articleshow/5001210.cms

LUNAR LANDER RISING AGAIN
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/11/2064885.aspx

NASA finds a moon crater to slam into
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32803464/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Space Shuttle Discovery Glides Home
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/09/11/shuttle-landing.html

Electronic Nose to Return from Space Station (w/ Video)
http://www.physorg.com/news171898646.html

New Extrasolar System Allows Planetary ‘X-Ray’
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/new-extrasolar-system-allows-planetary-x-ray/

Deep-Sea Robot Roves the Unexplored Ocean Depths
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/benthicrover/

Japan's First Space Cargo Ship Ready to Fly
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090904-japan-htv-ready.html

Swanky Space Hotel Concept Revealed
http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/090826-tw-space-hotel-concept.html

NASA Goes Green With New Sustainability Base
http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/090805-tw-nasa-green-building.html

Space Sights and Smells Surprise Rookie Astronauts
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090905/sc_space/spacesightsandsmellssurpriserookieastronauts

Miyuki Hatoyama: First Lady in Outer Space?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090907/wl_time/08599192051500

Report says return to moon isn’t ‘viable’
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32738086/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Scientists Make Discoveries as They Map the Continental Shelf
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 10, 2009 6:22 PM 

A joint American-Canadian cruise exploring the frigid Arctic Ocean has mapped broad swaths of the extended continental shelf for the first time, scientists reported Thursday. 

While the researchers divulged few details, saying it will take time to analyze the data, they said they had discovered a massive seamount and what could be an extinct underwater volcano during the 41-day mission. 

Debbie Hutchinson, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey still aboard the Canadian Coast Guard's Louis S. St-Laurent, said the group used advanced technology to map unexplored territory with precision. 

"From the seismic data, we're seeing features that we hadn't imagined existed," Hutchinson said in a telephone news conference with U.S. and Canadian reporters. "It's a very promising data set and one that will keep us busy for many months to come." 

Researchers on the St-Laurent suspect they've detected an underwater volcano, while scientists aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy have mapped in three dimensions a seamount rising to just under 3,600 feet from the seafloor. It is 16 miles long and five miles wide and lies roughly 700 miles north of Alaska. 

The joint mission, in which the two ships took turns breaking the sea ice and collecting data, is part of an effort by both countries to determine how much of the extended continental shelf belongs to them. Under an international treaty process, both countries must lay claim to this territory -- which is likely to boast considerable oil and gas reserves -- by 2013. 

"It makes more sense to do it together, in a friendly manner," said Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Lisa Raitt. "We are all excited about the potential that is out there. We are really in an area that no one has explored before. 

The exploration, which began in early August, is the second U.S.-Canadian joint cruise in the Arctic. 

The Canadians are collecting seismic data while the Americans are taking bathymetric data, which maps the contours of the seafloor. 

David A. Balton, the deputy assistant secretary of state for oceans and fisheries, said the United States has now made five mapping expeditions to the extended continental shelf and "while all of them have been successful, this one has gone just far beyond our expectations." 

The U.S. and Canadian governments are likely to have competing claims in the Arctic, and the value of the resources that lie both on and beneath the shelf could be increasingly important as warmer temperatures make the area more accessible. Balton said the data were not being collected to resolve any potential boundary conflicts, but rather to determine "how far the outer continental shelf extends from shore." 

The researchers did encounter some technical problems as they ventured to the far north. At one point the St-Laurent's seismic equipment failed, so the Canadians decided to break ice for the U.S. ship instead of collecting their own data. On Wednesday, marine mammal experts aboard the St-Laurent spotted a polar bear swimming alongside the ship, so they suspended operations in order to protect the animal. 

Maggie Hayes, who chairs the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Task Force, said that while the data being collected now may help determine what sort of resources will be extracted in the Arctic in the future, that would not be for several years. 

"Certainly there's an economic element in this," Hayes said. "There are resources that we'll have to make decisions about managing and conserving, when the time comes." 

Environment, Climate Change and Alternative Energy Sources

Ozone: Climate change boosts ultraviolet risk for high latitudes
http://www.physorg.com/news171462048.html

World's climate could cool first, warm later 
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17742-worlds-climate-could-cool-first-warm-later.html

Ex-Formula One Designer Creating New Fuel-Efficient City Car
http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2009-09/ex-formula-one-designer-reveals-details-new-fuel-efficient-city-car

Feeding the future: Saving agricultural biodiversity
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/09/04/food.biodiversity/index.html

A Turning Point For Green-Energy Stimulus Projects?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112536897

Bacteria can help convert waste to power
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/science/Bacteria-can-help-convert-waste-to-power/articleshow/4981789.cms

Researcher uses bacteria to make radioactive metals inert
http://www.physorg.com/news171643831.html

Electrical circuit runs entirely off power in trees
http://www.physorg.com/news171643486.html

World's first floating wind turbine opens in Norway
http://www.physorg.com/news171634899.html

Climate change: no Eden, no apocalypse
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327241.000-climate-change-no-eden-no-apocalypse.html

China Plans World's Largest Solar Power Plant 
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-09/biggest-solar-power-plant-set-china

Farmers face Amazon challenges 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8212841.stm

The drive for the future
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8236921.stm

Lithium: An Energy Source in the Desert
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/09/eveningnews/main5298870.shtml?tag=cbsnewsLeadStoriesAreaMain;cbsnewsLeadStoriesPrimary

The Easiest Way to Fight Global Warming?
http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/9-the-easiest-way-to-fight-global-warming

Home power plants project unveiled in Germany
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090909/ts_afp/germanyclimatewarmingtechnologycompanylichtblickvw_20090909151116

Google plans new mirror for cheaper solar power
http://www.reuters.com/article/GlobalClimateandAlternativeEnergy09/idUSTRE58867I20090909

'Contraception cheapest way to combat climate change'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/6161742/Contraception-cheapest-way-to-combat-climate-change.html

Roasted Wood: An Alternative To Coal Energy?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112643993

Let's Talk Trash
http://www.newsweek.com/id/215120

Wind could meet China's electricity needs by 2030: study
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090910/wl_asia_afp/scienceenvironmentwarmingenergywindchinaus_20090910181636

Less Is More for Designers of "Right-Sized" Nuclear Reactors
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=small-nuclear-power-plant-station-mini-reactor

Geothermal project triggers quake, stirs safety row
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/science/Geothermal-project-triggers-quake-stirs-safety-row/articleshow/5001197.cms

GM rolls past 1 million miles in fuel cell demo
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32789592/ns/technology_and_science-green_innovation/

Sea Levels Rose Two Feet This Summer in U.S. East
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090910-sea-levels-rise.html

Gardens of 2050: January cherry blossom and winter buttercup blooms
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/10/early-spring

Biological, Genetics and Medical Sciences

Giant rat found in 'lost volcano' 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8210000/8210394.stm

Alzheimer's genes link uncovered 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8237686.stm

Forget the Goggles: Chlorophyll Eye Drops Give Night Vision
http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/04-forget-goggles-chlorophyll-eye-drops-give-night-vision/

The Second Coming of Gene Therapy
http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/02-second-coming-of-gene-therapy/

Stem cell therapy for blindness under lens
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/science/Stem-cell-therapy-for-blindness-under-lens/articleshow/4979575.cms

Voice recreated after vocal cords lost
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/science/Voice-recreated-after-vocal-cords-lost/articleshow/4979569.cms

Google Algorithm Predicts When Species Will Go 404, Not Found
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/googlefoodwebs/

As Your Children Grow, So Does Kilobike
http://www.popsci.com/gear-amp-gadgets/article/2009-09/your-children-grow-so-does-kilobike

A Squirt of Stem Cell Gel Heals Brain Injuries
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-09/squirt-stem-cell-gel-heals-brain-injuries

Fallout from nuclear tests leads to health crisis
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090906/ap_on_re_us/us_health_bomb

The ultimate hack: reverse engineering the human brain
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=the-ultimate-hack-reverse-engineeri-2009-09-08

DNA fingerprinting 25 years old 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8247641.stm

Killer genes cause potato famine 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8246944.stm

Vaccines could halve sickle-cell deaths in Africa
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090909/sc_nm/us_vaccines_africa

New look at Alzheimer's could revolutionise treatment
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327253.700-new-look-at-alzheimers-could-revolutionise-treatment.html

Robot to be controlled by human brain cells
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17761-robot-to-be-controlled-by-human-brain-cells.html

New software helps blind venture out on their own
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/science/New-software-helps-blind-venture-out-on-their-own/articleshow/4998337.cms

Earlier Model of Human Brain's Energy Usage Underestimated Its Efficiency
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=brain-energy-efficiency

Smart implants may alleviate neurological conditions
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327255.800-smart-implants-may-alleviate-neurological-conditions.html

The Future of Human Enhancement
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1921027,00.html

UCSB Scientists Create Cancer-Stopping Nanoparticle-and-Laser Treatment 
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-09/uscb-scientists-create-cancer-stopping-nanoparticle-and-laser-treatment

Other

The Chupacabra Caught?
http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92971?fp=1

The future of libraries, with or without books
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/04/future.library.technology/index.html

UFO 'filmed for 40 minutes' by scientist
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=iol1252335637891U114

Mother Shipton's Cave for sale at £1.8m
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6150414/Mother-Shiptons-Cave-for-sale-at-1.8m.html

North Devon explorers in hunt for Sumatran 'yeti'
http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/northdevongazette/news/story.aspx?brand=NDGOnline&category=news&tBrand=devon24&tCategory=newsndga&itemid=DEED08%20Sep%202009%2006%3A53%3A10%3A277

Backyard Bigfoot: gorilla-like creature photographed in Kentucky garden
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6162993/Backyard-Bigfoot-gorilla-like-creature-photographed-in-Kentucky-garden.html

Can you see time? 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8248589.stm

Why People Believe in Conspiracies
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-people-believe-in-conspiracies

How to Measure What We Don't Know
http://www.physorg.com/news171800572.html

Additional Informational

Singularity University
http://singularityu.org/

SUMMARY REPORT of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/384767main_SUMMARY%20REPORT%20-%20FINAL.pdf

SEA MONSTERS REAL & IMAGINED (Slide Show)
http://dsc.discovery.com/earth/slideshows/sea-monsters.html

Blueprint for a Better World
http://www.newscientist.com/special/blueprint-for-a-better-world

World's top ten most mysterious and horrible spots
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/6750305.html

DISCOVERIES IN THE WESTERN DESERT of EGYPT
http://www.carlo-bergmann.de/Discoveries/discovery.htm

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