The Daily Galaxy: Great Discoveries Channel

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/20)

Beyond genomics, biologists and engineers decode the next frontier

A team of Princeton biologists and engineers has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and tissues function. The new method offers a long-sought tool for studying stem cells, cancer and other problems of fundamental importance to biology and medicine. The research allows scientists an unprecedented look at a special class of proteins called histones, which are at the core of every chromosome and control the way instructions in DNA are carried out.

Plants Have a Social Life, Too

After decades of seeing plants as passive recipients of fate, scientists have found them capable of behaviors once thought unique to animals. Some plants even appear to be social, favoring family while pushing strangers from the neighborhood. Research into plant sociality is still young, with many questions unanswered. But it may change how people conceive of the floral world, and provide new ways of raising productivity on Earth’s maxed-out farmland.

GM: Don't Worry, the Volt Will Arrive on Time

The Chevy Volt is an electric car plagued by nagging problems, with rumors as late as June that the vehicle might not even make it into production. But even as GM reports losses of $1.2 billion, the company wants us all to know that the Volt is on track for its November 2010 release dates--and most of the car's kinks have already been worked out. Among the Volt engineers' biggest challenges: cutting down on road noise in electric mode, lengthening battery life, and making sure the Volt's battery could still run in extremely hot and cold climates.

Bomb-Proof Wallpaper Could Save You in a Natural Disaster

A hurricane is barreling towards your house, but instead of hiding in the basement, you can stay safely and comfortably in your living room, all thanks to your X-Flex Blast Protection System wallpaper. It’s not a fantasy; the wallpaper, invented by Berry Plastics in a partnership with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, actually exists — and a single sheet is strong enough to stop a wrecking ball.

Gadget Deals of the Day

If Gizmodo's gift guides didn't give you enough ideas for the upcoming holiday season, check out today's Deals. You can get 10% off a Zune HD stocking stuffer or even bigger savings on a TV that everyone can enjoy.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/19)

The Google Phone Is Coming to Change the Game

Google is for sure building its own-branded smartphone that it will sell directly through the usual retail channels. It was to have hit the stores before the holidays, but setbacks have pushed the launch into early 2010. The hardware will, of course, be made by someone else (a "major phone manufacturer") and it will most definitely be Google branded unlike, say, the T-Mobile G1.

Music: Too Expensive to Be Free, Too Free to Be Expensive

The digital music doubters could be right with the contention that advertising revenue can’t cover the costs of licensing music. Meanwhile, illegitimate free music sources continue to proliferate, rendering paid music subscriptions irrelevant for most music fans.

Mapping Job Loss Live! In Gloomy Color!

What it hasn't been shown is the ripple affect of what happens when the guy in the cubicle or on the assembly line next to you disappears. What makes the full, interactive version of this map unique--besides the fact that it appears to be the work of an over-achieving grad student at American University--is that it provides a shifting time line to show exactly how contagious poverty can be.

Throwing Out Food and Paper Will Be Illegal

Quebec has taken a long hard look at itself, and decided it doesn’t like what it sees. Its policies simply aren’t working.  Overall waste generated has nearly doubled in the past 10 years, with waste going to landfill rising by over 10% in the same period. However, rather than just trying to fiddle with green taxes, the government has gone straight for the jugular and announced plans to make it illegal to dump rubbish and food waste.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/18)

Android’s Rapid Growth Has Some Developers Worried

A year after its release, Google’s open source Android operating system has become a sensation. After a slow start, it is now available on at least 12 phones, with more devices waiting in the wings. Good news for Android fans, right? Not really, say some developers. A slew of problems have made managing Android apps a “nightmare,” they say, including three versions of the OS (Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0), custom firmware on many phones, and hardware differences between different models.

For users, it means apps in the store could be buggy, might not work well depending on their handsets, and could deliver a frustrating experience.

Are Dystopian Movies More Popular When the Economy Sucks?

With the launch of disaster/apocalypse movie 2012 last weekend, a new question has popped up on the Net: Are dystopian movies more popular when the world is already gloomy from an economic depression? You'd think perhaps yes, wouldn't you?

Mark Cuban's Plan to Crush Google's Super Powers

Musing on his blog, the early (read: easy) Internet billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks has thrown out a crazy idea for Microsoft. Instead of spending billions promoting Bing, what if they paid the top 1000 sites a million bucks to de-list from Google?

Swarm of Cheap Open Source Robots Set to Take Over the World

How can we fear the robot revolution when it's our own DIY handywork and GPL? Each of these swarm robots costs less than €100 to build and has a mind powered by open source software

Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Early Tuesday Morning

One of the best annual meteor showers will peak in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, and for some skywatchers the show could be quite impressive. The best seats are in Asia, but North American observers should be treated to an above average performance of the Leonid meteor shower, weather permitting. The trick for all observers is to head outside in the wee hours of the morning – between 1 a.m. and dawn – regardless where you live.


After Microsoft, Bringing a High-Tech Eye to Professional Kitchens

Nathan Myhrvold, a former chief technology officer at Microsoft, and his company, Intellectual Ventures, pursues an eclectic array of speculative and potentially world-changing ideas — inventing a new battery, taming hurricanes, defeating disease. And here, along with the laser designed to shoot mosquitoes out of the air (a high-speed camera counts the rate of wing-flapping to ensure that innocent insects are not vaporized), is the best-equipped restaurant kitchen anywhere that never serves any customers.

The Daily Flash -Eco Space Tech (11/17)

Titanic Thirty Meter Telescope Will See Deep Space More Clearly

The 30 Meter Telescope, with a primary mirror the size of a blue whale, is part of a new generation of super powerful ground-based telescopes. Scheduled for completion in 2018, it will have nine times the collecting power of the Keck telescopes and 12 times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope. From its recently selected location atop the volcanic dome of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the pioneering telescope will provide an extremely detailed look at the universe.

Solar Power With Style

The design firm, Ammunition Group, teamed with a New Mexican clean-tech venture accelerator called Noribachi to create patented solar-hybrid devices that also happen to be beautiful. Regen's goal is twofold: Bring charm to a sector that has been devoid of it, and more important, satisfy a huge new appetite -- customers with an urge to do good.

Economic Value of Ecosystems and Biodiversity — New Report

A new report, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), attempts to bring to the world’s attention the truly great economic value of ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as the benefits of taking these into account when making policies.

Collapse Of Berlin Wall Recreated With 1,000 Giant Dominoes (VIDEO)

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/10)

Spitzer Observes A Chaotic Planetary System

Before our planets found their way to the stable orbits they circle in today, they wiggled and jostled about like unsettled children. Now, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found a young star with evidence for the same kind of orbital hyperactivity.

Antarctica glacier retreat creates new carbon dioxide store

Large blooms of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are flourishing in areas of open water left exposed by the recent and rapid melting of ice shelves and glaciers around the Antarctic Peninsula. This remarkable colonisation is having a beneficial impact on climate change. As the blooms die back phytoplankton sinks to the sea-bed where it can store carbon for thousands or millions of years

Augmented Reality Is Both a Fad and the Future -- Here's Why

You wouldn't immediately suspect that Yelp's iPhone app might be a gift bestowed upon us by a benevolent superhero from the future. Load it up and the program's in its Clark Kent garb -- a useful-enough guide to local restaurants, bars, and merchants. Then you notice a button labeled MONOCLE in the right-hand corner. Hit it and the screen displays a live feed from the phone's camera, showing exactly what's in front of you -- with one big difference. Aim the camera at a local storefront and Yelp superimposes a star rating on the image

Abandoned Mines New Energy Algae Source!

Algae is one of the hottest new biofuel materials, with over a dozen companies attempting to make the slimy stuff a viable feedstock. Most of them rely on the natural simplicity of the organism--sun and water turn CO2 from algae into fuel--and a few, including OriginOil, use LEDs to grow algae in the dark. Now a group of researchers from the Missouri University of Science and Technology wants to take OriginOil's technique a step further and grow algae in abandoned mines.

Thousands cheer 20 years since fall of Berlin Wall

"It was like a prison," said Mr. Sauff, 73, who lived on the Western side of the wall. "For us 'Wessis,' the few kilometers from our old home to our new home (in the East) was unthinkable."

Singularity University, Day Two: Ralph Merkle on Hyperdrive

How do physics change at nanoscale? Merkle ticks off a list. Length scales down linearly. Area scales down by a factor of a 2 — it gets exponentially smaller — and volume by a factor of 3. Frequency gets faster. Time changes (a nanosecond is a sensible interval for a molecular machine). And so on. Interesting points: Speed doesn’t change; a walking pace is reasonable for us and for a nanomachine. Gravity disappears Magnetism drops off. Stiff things become floppier and more subject to thermal noise.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/9)

4 Ways Live and Digital Music Are Teaming Up to Rock Your World

Music fans are increasingly watching live concerts without gassing up cars, driving to venues, or paying for expensive tickets and convenience fees. Music webcasting has shown promise for over a decade, but the stage is being set now for an online live-music renaissance. YouTube webcast its first-ever live full-length concert last Sunday: U2 at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. It brought in 10 million viewers worldwide in addition to the 100,000 who attended in person. A spokesman said that makes it the biggest event in the site’s history.


Singularity University, Day One: Infinite, In All Directions

technology is changing exponentially — in all fields, in all eras. It’s a compelling presentation that leaves the audience slack-jawed. Some are resistant, though. What happens when terrorists have the same capability to re-engineer viruses that makes it possible for medical science to disable them? Won’t politics and economics to derail technology? What about capital — does it grow exponentially as well?

Mon Dieu! Apple Store Coming the Louvre

There's a price for everything, even in the Louvre: Tomorrow, Apple will be opening up their very first Parisian Apple Store, and it'll sit in the concourse right below I.M. Pei's glass pyramid.
According to Bloomberg, this'll be Apple's 277th store, worldwide. It's set to be slightly smaller than the one on Oxford Circus in London. But it's not tiny: The bilevel store will employ 150 people. You can expect the place to be mobbed. The Louvre concourse is one of the most heavily trafficked places in Paris. It links all of the wings of the Louvre, and visitors to the museum have to pass by before entering the museum.

Roland Emmerich's 8 Rules For Ending The World

1. Director Roland Emmerich knows how to blow humanity to smithereens. He did it in Independence Day, Day After Tomorrow and now 2012. We talked to the apocalypse-master himself, who explained that there are 8 simple rules for ending the world.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/05)

Early Life Hedged Its Bets!

By forcing bacteria to evolve in ever-changing conditions, scientists have induced a behavior in which colonies formed by microbes with identical genes take radically different forms, as if one sibling in a set of identical quadruplets could sprout gills. Bet hedging “may have been among the earliest evolutionary solutions to life in variable environments,” even preceding the ability to turn genes on and off, wrote researchers in a study published Wednesday in Nature.

Google's Android, and How It Will Take Over the WorldI

In Google's words, it's "the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices." It's a Linux-based, open-source mobile OS, complete with a custom window manager, modified Linux 2.6 kernel, WebKit-based browser and built-in camera, calendar, messaging, dialer, calculator, media player and album apps. If that sounds a little sparse, that's because it is: Android on its own doesn't amount to a whole lot; in fact, a phone with plain vanilla Android wouldn't feel like a smartphone at all. 

The Mindflex Brainwave Game It Might Give You a Headache

Mind control games like Mindflex are poised to be a big seller this holiday season, but is it really worth spending $80 on? he object of the game is simple. You must manipulate the vertical movement of the ball using the power of your thoughts. The headband detects the intensity of your brainwaves—the harder your concentrate, the higher the fan in the unit will elevate the ball. Clearing your mind makes the ball descend. Horizontal movement is controlled by a knob on the base. 

Has BlackBerry Lost Its Edge?

Over the past decade, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry phone has become a cultural phenomenon. But can it stay one? With a confusing mix of new products, poor developer support, lack of innovation and an unwillingness to take risks, RIM is in danger of being outsmarted and overshadowed by aggressive new rivals, such as HTC and Motorola.

Favorite Sci-Fi Flicks, From Metropolis Through the ’50s

Some of the movies nominated by Wired.com readers are clearly classics, like Fritz Lang’s silent 1927 masterpiece, Metropolis (pictured above), or 1956’s Forbidden Planet. They obviously fit on any serious sci-fi fan’s list of the best movies of all time. Others were more obscure, and that’s what makes the lists so compelling. Any list of “favorite” sci-fi movies will be different, and far more personal, than a list of “best” sci-fi movies.

Spore Evolves Once More, Launches On Facebook

Electronic Arts has brought its very popular Spore franchise to Facebook, with the launch of a new game called Spore Islands. The game, while thematically similar to the well known PC game that was released last year, has gameplay that’s entirely different. Rather than roaming around a 3D world, Spore for Facebook is more of a stategy game: you tweak your creature and then watch how it fares against the other beasts inhabiting your island.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/04)

Darwin’s Wolf Mystery Solved

Genetic analysis of the now-extinct Falkland Islands Wolf has answered a biological riddle that caught the attention of a young Charles Darwin, and helped shape his understanding of evolution.

During his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, Darwin observed that the wolves — like his now-famous finches — varied widely in size between different islands, suggesting that the traits of species were not immutable, but changed over time in response to their environments.

How to Keep Planes From Colliding With Lasers

Beaming high-powered lasers into the sky allows scientists to study changing weather patterns, pollution in the Earth’s atmosphere and even gravity on the Moon. But if one of those helpful lasers happens to cross paths with an airplane, it can temporarily blind or distract the pilot and potentially cause a crash. Now, researchers have created a radio-tracking device that can perform the same task as a pair of eyes, without the potential for human error.

 
Spider’s Color-Changing Camouflage Is a Mystery

Crab spiders can scuttle, but apparently they can’t hide. Long touted as an example of cryptic coloring, the female Misumena vatiaspider switches her body color over the course of days depending on the flower where she lurks.

Rumor: Apple Wants to Route Your TV Shows Through iTunes

Apple rumors swirl practically every week, but there's rarely one that's as potentially game-changing as this one: According to insiders, the company's aiming to cut out the cable TV middle man, and serve up network TV to as many as 65 million users via iTunes.

The Next Space Race: Elevator Rides Into Orbit

Remember how the Ansari X-Prize resulted in the nascent commercial space trip business, with Virgin Galactic in the lead? Now there's a similar push to innovate space technology, but of a different sort: Space elevators, making the ride into orbit amazingly cheap and easy

2010 Olympics to Offset All CO2 Emissions

The former candidate cities for the 2016 Olympic games may have fought over green credentials, but Vancouver isn't doing too bad itself for next year's games. The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) plans to offset all emissions at the event--that's 118,000 tons of CO2 emissions from things like construction, staff travel, and even the torch run.

Starship Pavillion to Tour Asia

Here are the best images yet of "Fluid": the stunning whale-inspired floating pavilion being built for World Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea. Designed by Australian architects, Peddle Thorp, Fluid will sail onto other Asian cities after the show.

Cheap, Printed Solar-Powered LEDs Could Change 1.5 Billion Lives

Photovoltaic cells printed on sheets aren't news, nor are LEDs and ultrathin lithium batteries. What's news is a combination of the three which can help give light to 1.5 billion people who live in impoverished areas without access to electricity.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/04)

African desert rift confirmed as new ocean in the making

In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial. Now, scientists from several countries have confirmed that the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world's oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea.

Judge OKs Challenge to Human-Gene Patents

A federal judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit can move forward against the Patent and Trademark Office and the research company that was awarded exclusive rights to human genes known to detect early signs of breast and ovarian cancer.

RFD-TV: Go for it! How an Ex-Farmer Built a $25 Million Media Empire for Rural America

Patrick Gottsch's networks, based in Omaha, Nebraska, reach 40 million homes in more than 20 countries. RFD, the most successful cable network you've never heard of, boasts a weekly aggregate audience of 11 million and is available through every major cable carrier in the United States. Gottsch's success demonstrates that while global media seems to be consolidating, consumer tastes are more diverse than ever -- and cable TV, like the Web, offers rewards for those who can discover and exploit new niches in the marketplace.

USS New York Warship Is Made With Steel from the Twin Towers

The 684-foot, $1.2-billion warship USS New York is actually made of New York. At least, 7.5 tonnes of salvaged steel from the Twin Towers. Watch it come back home, under the eyes of the Lady of the Harbor.

Google’s Chrome Browser Is Now 30 Million Users Strong

Now, 30 million is certainly a big number, but it is still a tiny fraction of Internet Explorer or Firefox (which has 330 million users). NetApplications shows Chrome with only a 3.58 percent market share at the end of October, compared to 24 percent for Firefox and 65 percent for IE. But remember, Chrome only launched a year ago, so that is a fast ramp by any standard.

Google’s New Music Search Will Be Getting A Boost From Your Favorite Bands

Last week Google launched the Music Onebox — a special new search result that lets users stream songs in their entirety for free. The feature is being powered through partnerships with MySpace and Lala, who are providing the song streams, with contributions from a host of other partners like Pandora and imeem.

X Files Whooper: The Moon Skeleton

America’s Apollo 11 lunar module photographed a human skeleton on the moon when it landed there in 1969. That’s the blockbuster claim of Chinese astrophysicist Dr. Kang Mao-pang, who first stunned the world when he released pictures of bare human footprints on the moon at a news conference in Beijing last winter.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/20)

Beyond genomics, biologists and engineers decode the next frontier

A team of Princeton biologists and engineers has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and tissues function. The new method offers a long-sought tool for studying stem cells, cancer and other problems of fundamental importance to biology and medicine. The research allows scientists an unprecedented look at a special class of proteins called histones, which are at the core of every chromosome and control the way instructions in DNA are carried out.

Plants Have a Social Life, Too

After decades of seeing plants as passive recipients of fate, scientists have found them capable of behaviors once thought unique to animals. Some plants even appear to be social, favoring family while pushing strangers from the neighborhood. Research into plant sociality is still young, with many questions unanswered. But it may change how people conceive of the floral world, and provide new ways of raising productivity on Earth’s maxed-out farmland.

GM: Don't Worry, the Volt Will Arrive on Time

The Chevy Volt is an electric car plagued by nagging problems, with rumors as late as June that the vehicle might not even make it into production. But even as GM reports losses of $1.2 billion, the company wants us all to know that the Volt is on track for its November 2010 release dates--and most of the car's kinks have already been worked out. Among the Volt engineers' biggest challenges: cutting down on road noise in electric mode, lengthening battery life, and making sure the Volt's battery could still run in extremely hot and cold climates.

Bomb-Proof Wallpaper Could Save You in a Natural Disaster

A hurricane is barreling towards your house, but instead of hiding in the basement, you can stay safely and comfortably in your living room, all thanks to your X-Flex Blast Protection System wallpaper. It’s not a fantasy; the wallpaper, invented by Berry Plastics in a partnership with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, actually exists — and a single sheet is strong enough to stop a wrecking ball.

Gadget Deals of the Day

If Gizmodo's gift guides didn't give you enough ideas for the upcoming holiday season, check out today's Deals. You can get 10% off a Zune HD stocking stuffer or even bigger savings on a TV that everyone can enjoy.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/19)

The Google Phone Is Coming to Change the Game

Google is for sure building its own-branded smartphone that it will sell directly through the usual retail channels. It was to have hit the stores before the holidays, but setbacks have pushed the launch into early 2010. The hardware will, of course, be made by someone else (a "major phone manufacturer") and it will most definitely be Google branded unlike, say, the T-Mobile G1.

Music: Too Expensive to Be Free, Too Free to Be Expensive

The digital music doubters could be right with the contention that advertising revenue can’t cover the costs of licensing music. Meanwhile, illegitimate free music sources continue to proliferate, rendering paid music subscriptions irrelevant for most music fans.

Mapping Job Loss Live! In Gloomy Color!

What it hasn't been shown is the ripple affect of what happens when the guy in the cubicle or on the assembly line next to you disappears. What makes the full, interactive version of this map unique--besides the fact that it appears to be the work of an over-achieving grad student at American University--is that it provides a shifting time line to show exactly how contagious poverty can be.

Throwing Out Food and Paper Will Be Illegal

Quebec has taken a long hard look at itself, and decided it doesn’t like what it sees. Its policies simply aren’t working.  Overall waste generated has nearly doubled in the past 10 years, with waste going to landfill rising by over 10% in the same period. However, rather than just trying to fiddle with green taxes, the government has gone straight for the jugular and announced plans to make it illegal to dump rubbish and food waste.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/18)

Android’s Rapid Growth Has Some Developers Worried

A year after its release, Google’s open source Android operating system has become a sensation. After a slow start, it is now available on at least 12 phones, with more devices waiting in the wings. Good news for Android fans, right? Not really, say some developers. A slew of problems have made managing Android apps a “nightmare,” they say, including three versions of the OS (Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0), custom firmware on many phones, and hardware differences between different models.

For users, it means apps in the store could be buggy, might not work well depending on their handsets, and could deliver a frustrating experience.

Are Dystopian Movies More Popular When the Economy Sucks?

With the launch of disaster/apocalypse movie 2012 last weekend, a new question has popped up on the Net: Are dystopian movies more popular when the world is already gloomy from an economic depression? You'd think perhaps yes, wouldn't you?

Mark Cuban's Plan to Crush Google's Super Powers

Musing on his blog, the early (read: easy) Internet billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks has thrown out a crazy idea for Microsoft. Instead of spending billions promoting Bing, what if they paid the top 1000 sites a million bucks to de-list from Google?

Swarm of Cheap Open Source Robots Set to Take Over the World

How can we fear the robot revolution when it's our own DIY handywork and GPL? Each of these swarm robots costs less than €100 to build and has a mind powered by open source software

Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Early Tuesday Morning

One of the best annual meteor showers will peak in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, and for some skywatchers the show could be quite impressive. The best seats are in Asia, but North American observers should be treated to an above average performance of the Leonid meteor shower, weather permitting. The trick for all observers is to head outside in the wee hours of the morning – between 1 a.m. and dawn – regardless where you live.


After Microsoft, Bringing a High-Tech Eye to Professional Kitchens

Nathan Myhrvold, a former chief technology officer at Microsoft, and his company, Intellectual Ventures, pursues an eclectic array of speculative and potentially world-changing ideas — inventing a new battery, taming hurricanes, defeating disease. And here, along with the laser designed to shoot mosquitoes out of the air (a high-speed camera counts the rate of wing-flapping to ensure that innocent insects are not vaporized), is the best-equipped restaurant kitchen anywhere that never serves any customers.

The Daily Flash -Eco Space Tech (11/17)

Titanic Thirty Meter Telescope Will See Deep Space More Clearly

The 30 Meter Telescope, with a primary mirror the size of a blue whale, is part of a new generation of super powerful ground-based telescopes. Scheduled for completion in 2018, it will have nine times the collecting power of the Keck telescopes and 12 times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope. From its recently selected location atop the volcanic dome of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the pioneering telescope will provide an extremely detailed look at the universe.

Solar Power With Style

The design firm, Ammunition Group, teamed with a New Mexican clean-tech venture accelerator called Noribachi to create patented solar-hybrid devices that also happen to be beautiful. Regen's goal is twofold: Bring charm to a sector that has been devoid of it, and more important, satisfy a huge new appetite -- customers with an urge to do good.

Economic Value of Ecosystems and Biodiversity — New Report

A new report, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), attempts to bring to the world’s attention the truly great economic value of ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as the benefits of taking these into account when making policies.

Collapse Of Berlin Wall Recreated With 1,000 Giant Dominoes (VIDEO)

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/10)

Spitzer Observes A Chaotic Planetary System

Before our planets found their way to the stable orbits they circle in today, they wiggled and jostled about like unsettled children. Now, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found a young star with evidence for the same kind of orbital hyperactivity.

Antarctica glacier retreat creates new carbon dioxide store

Large blooms of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are flourishing in areas of open water left exposed by the recent and rapid melting of ice shelves and glaciers around the Antarctic Peninsula. This remarkable colonisation is having a beneficial impact on climate change. As the blooms die back phytoplankton sinks to the sea-bed where it can store carbon for thousands or millions of years

Augmented Reality Is Both a Fad and the Future -- Here's Why

You wouldn't immediately suspect that Yelp's iPhone app might be a gift bestowed upon us by a benevolent superhero from the future. Load it up and the program's in its Clark Kent garb -- a useful-enough guide to local restaurants, bars, and merchants. Then you notice a button labeled MONOCLE in the right-hand corner. Hit it and the screen displays a live feed from the phone's camera, showing exactly what's in front of you -- with one big difference. Aim the camera at a local storefront and Yelp superimposes a star rating on the image

Abandoned Mines New Energy Algae Source!

Algae is one of the hottest new biofuel materials, with over a dozen companies attempting to make the slimy stuff a viable feedstock. Most of them rely on the natural simplicity of the organism--sun and water turn CO2 from algae into fuel--and a few, including OriginOil, use LEDs to grow algae in the dark. Now a group of researchers from the Missouri University of Science and Technology wants to take OriginOil's technique a step further and grow algae in abandoned mines.

Thousands cheer 20 years since fall of Berlin Wall

"It was like a prison," said Mr. Sauff, 73, who lived on the Western side of the wall. "For us 'Wessis,' the few kilometers from our old home to our new home (in the East) was unthinkable."

Singularity University, Day Two: Ralph Merkle on Hyperdrive

How do physics change at nanoscale? Merkle ticks off a list. Length scales down linearly. Area scales down by a factor of a 2 — it gets exponentially smaller — and volume by a factor of 3. Frequency gets faster. Time changes (a nanosecond is a sensible interval for a molecular machine). And so on. Interesting points: Speed doesn’t change; a walking pace is reasonable for us and for a nanomachine. Gravity disappears Magnetism drops off. Stiff things become floppier and more subject to thermal noise.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/9)

4 Ways Live and Digital Music Are Teaming Up to Rock Your World

Music fans are increasingly watching live concerts without gassing up cars, driving to venues, or paying for expensive tickets and convenience fees. Music webcasting has shown promise for over a decade, but the stage is being set now for an online live-music renaissance. YouTube webcast its first-ever live full-length concert last Sunday: U2 at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. It brought in 10 million viewers worldwide in addition to the 100,000 who attended in person. A spokesman said that makes it the biggest event in the site’s history.


Singularity University, Day One: Infinite, In All Directions

technology is changing exponentially — in all fields, in all eras. It’s a compelling presentation that leaves the audience slack-jawed. Some are resistant, though. What happens when terrorists have the same capability to re-engineer viruses that makes it possible for medical science to disable them? Won’t politics and economics to derail technology? What about capital — does it grow exponentially as well?

Mon Dieu! Apple Store Coming the Louvre

There's a price for everything, even in the Louvre: Tomorrow, Apple will be opening up their very first Parisian Apple Store, and it'll sit in the concourse right below I.M. Pei's glass pyramid.
According to Bloomberg, this'll be Apple's 277th store, worldwide. It's set to be slightly smaller than the one on Oxford Circus in London. But it's not tiny: The bilevel store will employ 150 people. You can expect the place to be mobbed. The Louvre concourse is one of the most heavily trafficked places in Paris. It links all of the wings of the Louvre, and visitors to the museum have to pass by before entering the museum.

Roland Emmerich's 8 Rules For Ending The World

1. Director Roland Emmerich knows how to blow humanity to smithereens. He did it in Independence Day, Day After Tomorrow and now 2012. We talked to the apocalypse-master himself, who explained that there are 8 simple rules for ending the world.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/05)

Early Life Hedged Its Bets!

By forcing bacteria to evolve in ever-changing conditions, scientists have induced a behavior in which colonies formed by microbes with identical genes take radically different forms, as if one sibling in a set of identical quadruplets could sprout gills. Bet hedging “may have been among the earliest evolutionary solutions to life in variable environments,” even preceding the ability to turn genes on and off, wrote researchers in a study published Wednesday in Nature.

Google's Android, and How It Will Take Over the WorldI

In Google's words, it's "the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices." It's a Linux-based, open-source mobile OS, complete with a custom window manager, modified Linux 2.6 kernel, WebKit-based browser and built-in camera, calendar, messaging, dialer, calculator, media player and album apps. If that sounds a little sparse, that's because it is: Android on its own doesn't amount to a whole lot; in fact, a phone with plain vanilla Android wouldn't feel like a smartphone at all. 

The Mindflex Brainwave Game It Might Give You a Headache

Mind control games like Mindflex are poised to be a big seller this holiday season, but is it really worth spending $80 on? he object of the game is simple. You must manipulate the vertical movement of the ball using the power of your thoughts. The headband detects the intensity of your brainwaves—the harder your concentrate, the higher the fan in the unit will elevate the ball. Clearing your mind makes the ball descend. Horizontal movement is controlled by a knob on the base. 

Has BlackBerry Lost Its Edge?

Over the past decade, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry phone has become a cultural phenomenon. But can it stay one? With a confusing mix of new products, poor developer support, lack of innovation and an unwillingness to take risks, RIM is in danger of being outsmarted and overshadowed by aggressive new rivals, such as HTC and Motorola.

Favorite Sci-Fi Flicks, From Metropolis Through the ’50s

Some of the movies nominated by Wired.com readers are clearly classics, like Fritz Lang’s silent 1927 masterpiece, Metropolis (pictured above), or 1956’s Forbidden Planet. They obviously fit on any serious sci-fi fan’s list of the best movies of all time. Others were more obscure, and that’s what makes the lists so compelling. Any list of “favorite” sci-fi movies will be different, and far more personal, than a list of “best” sci-fi movies.

Spore Evolves Once More, Launches On Facebook

Electronic Arts has brought its very popular Spore franchise to Facebook, with the launch of a new game called Spore Islands. The game, while thematically similar to the well known PC game that was released last year, has gameplay that’s entirely different. Rather than roaming around a 3D world, Spore for Facebook is more of a stategy game: you tweak your creature and then watch how it fares against the other beasts inhabiting your island.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/04)

Darwin’s Wolf Mystery Solved

Genetic analysis of the now-extinct Falkland Islands Wolf has answered a biological riddle that caught the attention of a young Charles Darwin, and helped shape his understanding of evolution.

During his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, Darwin observed that the wolves — like his now-famous finches — varied widely in size between different islands, suggesting that the traits of species were not immutable, but changed over time in response to their environments.

How to Keep Planes From Colliding With Lasers

Beaming high-powered lasers into the sky allows scientists to study changing weather patterns, pollution in the Earth’s atmosphere and even gravity on the Moon. But if one of those helpful lasers happens to cross paths with an airplane, it can temporarily blind or distract the pilot and potentially cause a crash. Now, researchers have created a radio-tracking device that can perform the same task as a pair of eyes, without the potential for human error.

 
Spider’s Color-Changing Camouflage Is a Mystery

Crab spiders can scuttle, but apparently they can’t hide. Long touted as an example of cryptic coloring, the female Misumena vatiaspider switches her body color over the course of days depending on the flower where she lurks.

Rumor: Apple Wants to Route Your TV Shows Through iTunes

Apple rumors swirl practically every week, but there's rarely one that's as potentially game-changing as this one: According to insiders, the company's aiming to cut out the cable TV middle man, and serve up network TV to as many as 65 million users via iTunes.

The Next Space Race: Elevator Rides Into Orbit

Remember how the Ansari X-Prize resulted in the nascent commercial space trip business, with Virgin Galactic in the lead? Now there's a similar push to innovate space technology, but of a different sort: Space elevators, making the ride into orbit amazingly cheap and easy

2010 Olympics to Offset All CO2 Emissions

The former candidate cities for the 2016 Olympic games may have fought over green credentials, but Vancouver isn't doing too bad itself for next year's games. The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) plans to offset all emissions at the event--that's 118,000 tons of CO2 emissions from things like construction, staff travel, and even the torch run.

Starship Pavillion to Tour Asia

Here are the best images yet of "Fluid": the stunning whale-inspired floating pavilion being built for World Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea. Designed by Australian architects, Peddle Thorp, Fluid will sail onto other Asian cities after the show.

Cheap, Printed Solar-Powered LEDs Could Change 1.5 Billion Lives

Photovoltaic cells printed on sheets aren't news, nor are LEDs and ultrathin lithium batteries. What's news is a combination of the three which can help give light to 1.5 billion people who live in impoverished areas without access to electricity.

The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (11/04)

African desert rift confirmed as new ocean in the making

In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial. Now, scientists from several countries have confirmed that the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world's oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea.

Judge OKs Challenge to Human-Gene Patents

A federal judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit can move forward against the Patent and Trademark Office and the research company that was awarded exclusive rights to human genes known to detect early signs of breast and ovarian cancer.

RFD-TV: Go for it! How an Ex-Farmer Built a $25 Million Media Empire for Rural America

Patrick Gottsch's networks, based in Omaha, Nebraska, reach 40 million homes in more than 20 countries. RFD, the most successful cable network you've never heard of, boasts a weekly aggregate audience of 11 million and is available through every major cable carrier in the United States. Gottsch's success demonstrates that while global media seems to be consolidating, consumer tastes are more diverse than ever -- and cable TV, like the Web, offers rewards for those who can discover and exploit new niches in the marketplace.

USS New York Warship Is Made With Steel from the Twin Towers

The 684-foot, $1.2-billion warship USS New York is actually made of New York. At least, 7.5 tonnes of salvaged steel from the Twin Towers. Watch it come back home, under the eyes of the Lady of the Harbor.

Google’s Chrome Browser Is Now 30 Million Users Strong

Now, 30 million is certainly a big number, but it is still a tiny fraction of Internet Explorer or Firefox (which has 330 million users). NetApplications shows Chrome with only a 3.58 percent market share at the end of October, compared to 24 percent for Firefox and 65 percent for IE. But remember, Chrome only launched a year ago, so that is a fast ramp by any standard.

Google’s New Music Search Will Be Getting A Boost From Your Favorite Bands

Last week Google launched the Music Onebox — a special new search result that lets users stream songs in their entirety for free. The feature is being powered through partnerships with MySpace and Lala, who are providing the song streams, with contributions from a host of other partners like Pandora and imeem.

X Files Whooper: The Moon Skeleton

America’s Apollo 11 lunar module photographed a human skeleton on the moon when it landed there in 1969. That’s the blockbuster claim of Chinese astrophysicist Dr. Kang Mao-pang, who first stunned the world when he released pictures of bare human footprints on the moon at a news conference in Beijing last winter.