Freeze 'condemned Neanderthals'


A sharp freeze could have dealt the killer blow that finished off our evolutionary cousins the Neanderthals, according to a new study.

The ancient humans are thought to have died out in most parts of Europe by about 35,000 years ago.

Freeze condemned Neanderthals

bbc.co.uk

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Phylogenetic Tree Visualisation - Tree of life - Picture


This picture is a visualisation of the entire tree of life. The tree of life (cellular organisms) has three main branches:
* The bacteria (unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms) which are in focus in this picture and represented by orange nodes.
* The archaea which are probably more closely related to the eukaryotes than they are to the bacteria even though they lack a cell nucleus and represent some of the most extreme forms of life on earth. They are represented by red nodes and near the top and in the background of the picutre
* The eukarya (all cellular organisms with a cell nucleus) represented by yellow nodes and are located on the left hand side and in the background of the picture. 

Phylogenetic Tree Visualisation

ii.uib.no

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Scientists to Vie for $25M Climate Prize


British tycoon Richard Branson dangled a $25 million prize before the world's top scientists Friday seeking to spur research into devising ways to suck greenhouse gases out of the air.

Richard Branson

wired.com

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Crystals may have aided Viking sailors


Vikings may have used special crystals called sunstones to ensure gloomy weather did not come between them and an outing to sack British villages or discover new lands to the west, scientists have discovered. Tests aboard a research vessel in the Arctic ocean found that certain crystals can be used to reveal the position of the sun, a trick that would have allowed early explorers to ascertain their position and navigate, even if the sky was obscured by cloud or fog.

guardian.co.uk bbc.co.uk

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Death key to sex in butterflies


Bacteria that kill off male butterflies can actually lead to increased promiscuity in female butterflies, scientists have found.

bbc.co.uk

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181 Things To Do On The Moon


If you woke up tomorrow morning and found yourself on the moon, what would you do? NASA has just released a list of 181 good ideas.

physorg.com

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Physicists Find Way To 'See' Extra Dimensions


A new study demonstrates that the shapes of extra dimensions can be "seen" by deciphering their influence on cosmic energy released by the violent birth of the universe 13 billion years ago.

sciencedaily.com

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A bike with a reverse-spinning wheel


Gyroscopic forces are not important for the stability of a bicycle. These photos catalogue an experiment which proves that the gyroscopic effect is small.

eng.cam.ac.uk

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Meeresgeruch künstlich hergestellt


Forscher haben ein Enzym gefunden, mit dem Bakterien den typischen Geruch des Meeres produzieren. Sie isolierten das zugehörige Gen und übertrugen es im Labor auf ein gewöhnliches Darmbakterium.

orf

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Auch die Teufel des Herrn Maxwell schaffen kein Perpetuum Mobile


Gelänge es, auf Mikroebene heiße und kalte Moleküle voneinander zu trennen, würde der zweite Hauptsatz der Thermodynamik ausgehebelt – und man könnte doch noch ein Perpetuum Mobile bauen. Den für diese Aufgabe in einem Gedankenexperiment auserkorenen Maxwellschen Dämon haben Forscher jetzt im Labor nachgebaut.

telepolis

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Erster privater Weltraumflughafen wird in Schweden eingerichtet


Richard Branson will ab 2012 aus Kiruna Touristen ins All schicken. Der Traum vom Weltraumflug als touristisches Erlebnis für jedermann ist alt. Abgesehen von einigen Multimillionären, die sich Plätze in bestehenden Raumfahrtprojekten erkaufen konnten, erwiesen sich jedoch bislang alle derartigen Planungen als unrealistisch. Doch der exzentrische englische Unternehmer Richard Branson, der sein Imperium mit der Plattenfirma Virgin Records begann und auch schon längere Zeit eine Fluglinie sein Eigen nennt, hat für sein nun fast ein Jahrzehnt geplantes Projekt Virgin Galactic inzwischen zumindest einen Standort festgelegt.

Erster privater Weltraumflughafen wird in Schweden eingerichtet

telepolis

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Stonehenge builders' houses found


A huge ancient settlement used by the people who built Stonehenge has been found, archaeologists have said.

Excavations at Durrington Walls, near the legendary Salisbury Plain monument, uncovered remains of ancient houses.

bbc.co.uk

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