The moons of Jupiter (well, the 4 major ones) are in their own right, a Solar System within a Solar System. There is volcanically explosive Io; Europa with its cracks and ridges hinting at its huge internal ocean; Ganymede the largest moon in our celestial neighborhood and Callisto one the most heavily cratered bodies we have anywhere. The 4 moons are also called the Galilean moons as they were discovered by Galileo and have since been revealed to be more fascinating than most planets are. The images below represent what I think are likely the best representative images of these places that can fill a 2560×1600 screen. At this size, the details are quite impressive… do take a look even if you can’t make use of the images as wallpaper images.
According to a significant study published in the prestigious British journal Nature recently, the H5N1 bird flu virus is at least two large mutations and two small mutations away from being the next human pandemic virus. This virus attaches deep in the lungs of birds but cannot adhere to the upper respiratory tract of humans. Since we can't transmit the virus to each other, it poses little immediate threat to us.
Well, you might be interested to know that:
The H5N1 bird flu virus has mutated to infect people more easily, although it still has not transformed into a pandemic strain, researchers said Thursday.
The changes are worrying, said Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
"We have identified a specific change that could make bird flu grow in the upper respiratory tract of humans," said Kawaoka, who led the study. "The viruses that are circulating in Africa and Europe are the ones closest to becoming a human virus."
Now, about that escape rocket ship you mentioned ...
Professor Stephen Hawking has given many lectures to the general public. Many of these past lectures have been released in his 1993 book, 'Black Holes and Baby Universes, and other essays'. Here are some of the more recent public lectures.
Scientists Ask Congress To Fund $50 Billion Science Thing
Topic: Science
9:45 am EDT, Sep 29, 2007
Top physicists from several major American universities appeared before a Congressional committee Monday to request $50 billion for a science thing that would further US advancement science-wise and broaden human knowing.
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Despite apparent inconsistencies, the scientists, in Rep. Gordon's words, appeared "very smart-sounding" and confident that their big spinner would solve some kind of problem they described.
In the middle of Steven Pinker's talk at Town Hall last night, the lecture morphed into some surprisingly blue comedy. We'll warn you now: what follows is adult language content.
With Fear and Wonder in Its Wake, Sputnik Lifted Us Into the Future
Topic: Science
7:39 pm EDT, Sep 27, 2007
Fifty years ago, before most people living today were born, the beep-beep-beep of Sputnik was heard round the world. It was the sound of wonder and foreboding. Nothing would ever be quite the same again — in geopolitics, in science and technology, in everyday life and the capacity of the human species.
... Neil Armstrong struck a note sure to resonate with many of his contemporaries. “We were really very privileged,” he said, “to live in that thin slice of history where we changed how man looks at himself and what he might become and where he might go.”
Synthetic Biology's Implications for Science, Society, and Mass Media
Topic: Science
7:39 pm EDT, Sep 27, 2007
Famed geneticist J. Craig Venter, who mapped the human genome and now heads a global effort to create "designer microbes" to address some of the world's most vexing global environmental and health problems, will keynote a symposium on the subject.
Venter's talk will be followed by a panel discussion on the far-reaching implications of synthetic biology, in which the tools of genetics are used to modify living organisms or even create new ones. Potential applications include new energy sources, improved pharmaceuticals and innovative ways to fight global warming by sequestering carbon.
