Old TV tubes converted into radiation-shielding material, Japan

Tubes from old television sets can be recycled into radiation-proof materials suitable for use at temporary storage sites for contaminated soil and waste, two Japanese companies have found.

Shimizu Corp., a general contractor in Tokyo, and R Japan Corp., a manufacturer of eco-friendly products in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, developed concrete and waterproof materials, respectively, using television tubes ground into a form that can help shield against radiation.

The method takes advantage of the fact that cathode-ray tube (CRT) glass in television sets contains lead, which can shield against radiation. It is expected to be utilized at temporary storage sites for radioactive soil and waste.

While a 50-centimeter-thick chunk of concrete can lower the doses of penetrating radiation to a hundredth of the original amount, Shimizu Corp. found that the doses can be even lowered to one two-hundredth by replacing most of the crushed stone used in the concrete with ground television tubes. The strength of the two types of concrete was almost the same. Read More

'Death Star' captured on video as it 'refuels' at the surface of the sun

An orbiting Nasa space telescope captured a dark, planet-sized object flying close to the sun on Monday - and extending what looks like a refueling tube into the star's surface.

The black, Death Star-like, orb is briefly engulfed in light from the sun, then flies off into space.

A video edited from the Solar Dynamics Observatory's photos inspired a wave of speculation on YouTube.

The imagery was captured by Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory and edited together by a YouTube user, Sunsflare, who challenged experts to explain the strange 'visitor.'

Naturally, the space agency has a rather more ordinary explanation for the strange, black orb.

It's not a visitor from another solar system - or a planet being born out of the surface of the sun, as others had speculated.

Instead, it's a solar 'prominence' or 'filament' - a feature extending out from the sun which forms over the course of a day, and can extend hundreds of thousands of miles into space. Read More

How Engineering the Human Body Could Combat Climate Change

From drugs to help you avoid eating meat to genetically engineered cat-like eyes to reduce the need for lighting, a wild interview about changes humans could make to themselves to battle climate change.

The threat of global climate change has prompted us to redesign many of our technologies to be more energy-efficient. From lightweight hybrid cars to long-lasting LED's, engineers have made well-known products smaller and less wasteful. But tinkering with our tools will only get us so far, because however smart our technologies become, the human body has its own ecological footprint, and there are more of them than ever before. So, some scholars are asking, what if we could engineer human beings to be more energy efficient? A new paper to be published in Ethics, Policy & Environment proposes a series of biomedical modifications that could help humans, themselves, consume less.

Some of the proposed modifications are simple and noninvasive. For instance, many people wish to give up meat for ecological reasons, but lack the willpower to do so on their own. The paper suggests that such individuals could take a pill that would trigger mild nausea upon the ingestion of meat, which would then lead to a lasting aversion to meat-eating. Other techniques are bound to be more controversial. For instance, the paper suggests that parents could make use of genetic engineering or hormone therapy in order to birth smaller, less resource-intensive children. Read More

New theory: C02 makes you fat (Will they ever give up?)

Danish researchers have announced a rather wild hypothesis: Perhaps we are getting fatter and fatter because of the increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

No, this is not 1 April – and this is not an April Fool’s hoax.

Mad as it may sound, Danish researchers have announced a theory that may not only explain why people all over the world are getting fatter and fatter, but also warn of the serious consequences for life on Earth of continued pollution of the atmosphere by CO2 emissions.

In itself, the theory is quite simple: CO2 contributes to making us fat.
“There’s something in the air”

The theory arose several years ago, when Lars-Georg Hersoug studied the development of obesity among people who had been followed over a number of years in the so-called MONICA studies (Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardio-vascular Disease) in Denmark. These studies have mapped the lifestyles of thousands of Danes. Read More

MYSTERY 'FIREBALL' CROSSES MELBOURNE SKIES

Mystery surrounds an unidentified flaming object that crossed the skies of Melbourne last night.

Many Victoria residents were left perplexed after spotting the 'low-flying fireball' at around 8.40pm, and turned to Twitter in the hope of identifying it.

Observers described it as a big ball of fire followed by a white trail.

Astronomer Perry Vlahos told the Herald Sun the International Space Station was passing overhead at about the time the fireball was sighted.

But he said it was most likely a meteor, and residents should not be alarmed.

It comes after a fiery meteor lit up skies above Victoria and Tasmania last Sunday.

The red ball was spotted moving horizontally across the sky at about 10.45pm, and those who saw it say it was visible for about 20 seconds. Source

North Koreans 'Dancing in the Streets' at Rumor of Lee's Death (South Korea's president)

North Koreans were dancing in the street at false reports of the death of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak spread like wildfire, the North's official Rodong Sinmun daily reported on Sunday.

"Rumors of the death of Lee Myung-bak have spread through word of mouth and almost seems to be true. The news must have been thrilling for many people, so fast did it spread through Pyongyang and the whole country," the paper said. "People in the streets, at bus stops and subway stations clapped and danced upon hearing the rumor of Lee's death. We have been inundated with phone calls asking whether this is true."

A South Korean government official said there will be no official response. "It's absurd to expect us to react to every silly rumor the North Korean government makes up to slander us," he said. Source

Harold Camping: 'I was wrong, it was sinful': An Apology for Doomsday forecast (but says he spread Gods Word to Billions)....and made Billions

There's no such thing as bad publicity - or so Harold Camping would have you believe.

The radio preacher was ridiculed last year after he claimed the world would end on May 21, and then again on October 21.

Now, months after he admitted he was wrong and that the whole affair had been rather 'embarrassing', he has apologised again - but with the claim that his erroneous rapture predictions have worked wonders for Christianity's profile.

'In this time of confusion and turmoil, God’s Word remains the only truth in which we can trust,' begins the statement released through Family Radio, the network founded by Mr Camping.

He then goes on to praise the May 21 campaign's 'astounding' impact on the world, insisting that 'millions, if not billions of people heard for the first time the Bible’s warning that Jesus Christ will return'.

There is no mention of October 21, the date Mr Camping chose for the second of last year's predictions after he claimed he had miscalculated by five months. Read More