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A couple of geology professors were working in Alaska when they came to realize that its surface is much like that of Mars. After trekking to the formations of “fans” for evaluation, professors Craig Kochel and Jeffrey Trop came to the conclusion that avalanches were the cause of the similarity. A photo of the first avalanche on Mars was captured shortly after by request, confirming the theory. For full article, click here.
On a similar note, scientists are debating just what turned off the magnetic field on Mars. There is speculation over a powerful asteroid collision which “may have powered a dynamo by pulling on the fluid in Mars’s core.”
photo credit: NASA
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A woman anonymously recounted in an article recently about having relations with her brother for years and having only pleasant memories– an interesting perspective into the taboo and the responses are intriguing as well to get a feel of its reception.
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The artist from London known as “Slinkachu” has been leaving tags on snail shells. He made sure to use non-toxic paint when he added graffiti to the little mollusks, and sometimes lets passengers have a lift too. For more pictures, click here.
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A new reason to be paranoid- the British police are looking out for WASP knives which are possibly being bought by criminals on the internet and might soon be hitting the streets! The knives were originally created for hunting large creatures and works by “inject[ing] a ball of compressed gas into its victim that instantly freezes [its] internal organs.” Here is a demonstration of the knife on a watermelon.
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I recently read Canadian science fiction writer/blogger/journalistCory Doctorow’s new book Little Brother. Released in May, the book is about a teenage hacker named Marcus who is caught at the wrong place at the wrong time- in the midst of a terrorist attack on San Francisco, and is taken away by the Department of Homeland Security. After being released, he comes to realize that his city has become a police state and he decides to revolt. A wonderful look into the politics of security vs. civil rights, as well as activism like jamming, internet culture, security measures being imposed on the public- and even how to get around some of them. You can download the book for free here, as a Creative Commons download.
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Utah Web Services reports Ten Great Moments of Internet History.
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In Roswell, New Mexico, a bizarre rock was found by a deer hunter and deemed possibly extraterrestrial. The markings on the rock have scientists and anthropologists confounded, as its carvings are natural and resemble the figures found in crop circles.
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Dr. Rick Strassman discusses his new book Inner Paths to Outer Space: Journeys to Alien Worlds through Psychedelics and Other Spiritual Technologies here.
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The Flying Spaghetti Monster made an apparition hopefully to make up for the fact that the blog with his top 7 pictures went down last week.
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Japanese scientists have created the first synthetic DNA molecule! Reportedly, it “could lead to improvements in gene therapy, futuristic nano-sized computers, and other high-tech advances.”
