BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Single molecule's stunning image

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Single molecule's stunning image: "The detailed chemical structure of a single molecule has been imaged for the first time, say researchers.

The physical shape of single carbon nanotubes has been outlined before, using similar techniques - but the new method even shows up chemical bonds.

Understanding structure on this scale could help in the design of many things on the molecular scale, particularly electronics or even drugs."

BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Tayside and Central | Early music discovered on carving

BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Tayside and Central | Early music discovered on carving: "Markings on a 16th Century carving from Stirling Castle could be the oldest surviving piece of written Scottish instrumental music, historians believe.

A sequence of 0s, Is and IIs have been found on one of the Stirling Heads - wooden medallions which would have decorated the castle's royal palace.

It is believed the music could have been played on instruments such as harps, viols, fiddles and lutes.

An experienced harpist has been trying to play the tune."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Upwards lightning caught on film

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Upwards lightning caught on film: "Scientists have photographed 'upwards lightning', a rarely-seen phenomenon where electricity from storms flows into the upper atmosphere.

During last year's Tropical Storm Cristobal, lightning reached more than 60km (40 miles) up.

Also known as 'gigantic jets', these events are just as powerful as cloud-to-ground lightning bolts.

The US team of researchers also took radio measurements of the electrical charge.

The phenomenon was photographed from a field site near Duke University in Durham, North Carolina."

Motorcycle gang snatch £2m in diamonds in 39 second raid - Times Online

Motorcycle gang snatch £2m in diamonds in 39 second raid - Times Online: "A motorcycle gang grabbed £2 million of jewels from an exclusive London store in just 39 seconds in a raid captured in dramatic detail on CCTV.

Six robbers on three motorcycles roared up the pavement to Mozafarian jewellers opposite Harrods in Knightsbridge.

One of the robbers smashed open the glass door with a sledgehammer before the gang, all wearing crash helmets, stormed in and smashed open display cabinets.

The haul of gems included a £500,000 diamond necklace. However, the robbers were unable to break their way into one display case containing further £3 million of gems."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | A step closer to 'synthetic life'

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | A step closer to 'synthetic life': "In what has been described as a step towards the creation of a synthetic cell, scientists have created a new 'engineered' strain of bacteria.

A team successfully transferred the genome of one type of bacteria into a yeast cell, modified it, and then transplanted into another bacterium.

This paves the way to the creation of a synthetic organism - inserting a human-made genome into a bacterial cell."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Methane seeps from Arctic sea bed

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Methane seeps from Arctic sea bed: "Scientists say they have evidence that the powerful greenhouse gas methane is escaping from the Arctic sea bed.

Researchers say this could be evidence of a predicted positive feedback effect of climate change.

As temperatures rise, the sea bed grows warmer and frozen water crystals in the sediment break down, allowing methane trapped inside them to escape.

The research team found that more than 250 plumes of methane bubbles are rising from the sea bed off Norway."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Science ponders 'zombie attack'

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Science ponders 'zombie attack': "If zombies actually existed, an attack by them would lead to the collapse of civilisation unless dealt with quickly and aggressively.

That is the conclusion of a mathematical exercise carried out by researchers in Canada.

They say only frequent counter-attacks with increasing force would eradicate the fictional creatures.

The scientific paper is published in a book - Infectious Diseases Modelling Research Progress."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Herbs 'can be natural pesticides'

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Herbs 'can be natural pesticides': "Common herbs and spices show promise as an environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional pesticides, scientists have told a major US conference.

They have spent a decade researching the insecticidal properties of rosemary, thyme, clove and mint.

They could become a key weapon against insect pests in organic agriculture, the researchers say, as the industry attempts to satisfy demand.

The 'plant essential oils' have a broad range of action against bugs.

Some kill them outright while others repel them."

BBC NEWS | Health | Moderate drinking 'boosts bones'

BBC NEWS | Health | Moderate drinking 'boosts bones': "Women who drink moderate amounts of beer may be strengthening their bones, according to Spanish researchers.

Their study of almost 1,700 women, published in the journal Nutrition, found bone density was better in regular drinkers than non-drinkers.

But the team added that plant hormones in the beer rather than the alcohol may be responsible for the effects."

Psycho Girl Forgets Boyfriend is in Europe Video

Psycho Girl Forgets Boyfriend is in Europe Video

BBC - Earth News - Blue tits embrace 'aromatherapy'

BBC - Earth News - Blue tits embrace 'aromatherapy': "Blue tits use medicinal plants to disinfect their nests, scientists have discovered.

The birds line their nests with aromatic plants such as mint or lavender, which kill bacteria.

That creates a more sterile environment for chicks, which in turn grow faster and have a better chance of survival.

However, individual blue tits are quite picky about which plants they use, and it is not clear how they pass their knowledge on to other birds."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Facial expressions 'not global'

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Facial expressions 'not global': "A new study suggests that people from different cultures read facial expressions differently.

East Asian participants in the study focused mostly on the eyes, but those from the West scanned the whole face.

In the research carried out by a team from Glasgow University, East Asian observers found it more difficult to distinguish some facial expressions.

The work published in Current Biology journal challenges the idea facial expressions are universally understood.

In the study, East Asians were more likely than Westerners to read the expression for "fear" as "surprise", and "disgust" as "anger".

The researchers say the confusion arises because people from different cultural groups observe different parts of the face when interpreting expression."

BBC NEWS | Europe | Cleaner Seine hosts salmon again

BBC NEWS | Europe | Cleaner Seine hosts salmon again: "Wild salmon are returning to the French capital for the first time in almost a century, scientists say.

Historically, Salmo salar - or Atlantic salmon - used to migrate up the Seine river for part of the year to spawn.

But increased pollution of the water and the building of dams after World War I saw their number dwindle.

By 1995, the salmon were gone, and only four species of fish braved the Seine's dirty waters, which washed up hundreds of tonnes of dead fish a year."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | 'Alien scene' of tadpoles' feast

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | 'Alien scene' of tadpoles' feast: "'Alien-like' scenes of tadpoles feasting on eggs emerging from their mother have been caught on camera.

The footage marks the success of a captive breeding programme for the critically endangered mountain chicken frog, one of the world's largest frogs."

EEWWW

Political Spectrum Quiz Results

Political Spectrum Quiz Results

My Political Views
I am a left moderate social libertarian
Left: 3.36, Libertarian: 2.46

Political Spectrum Quiz

BBC NEWS | Health | Optimistic women 'live longer'

BBC NEWS | Health | Optimistic women 'live longer': "Women who are optimistic have a lower risk of heart disease and death, an American study shows.

The latest study by US investigators mirrors the findings of earlier work by a Dutch team showing optimism reduces heart risk in men.

The research on nearly 100,000 women, published in the journal Circulation, found pessimists had higher blood pressure and cholesterol.

Even taking these risk factors into account, attitude alone altered risks.

Optimistic women had a 9% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 14% lower risk of dying from any cause after more than eight years of follow-up."

BBC - Earth News - Giant 'meat-eating' plant found

BBC - Earth News - Giant 'meat-eating' plant found: "A new species of giant carnivorous plant has been discovered in the highlands of the central Philippines.

The pitcher plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is so big that it can catch rats as well as insects in its leafy trap."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Traces of planet collision found

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Traces of planet collision found: "A Nasa space telescope has found evidence of a high-speed collision between two burgeoning planets orbiting a young star.

Astronomers say the cosmic smash-up is similar to the one that formed our Moon some four billion years ago, when a Mars-sized object crashed into Earth.

In this case, two rocky bodies are thought to have slammed into one another in the last few thousand years."

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Revisiting Abbey Road 40 years on

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Revisiting Abbey Road 40 years on: "Forty years ago on Saturday, one of the pop world's most infamous and imitated album covers was shot in a little side street in north London."

BBC NEWS | Health | Beetroot juice 'boosts stamina'

BBC NEWS | Health | Beetroot juice 'boosts stamina': "Drinking beetroot juice boosts stamina and could help people exercise for up to 16% longer, a UK study suggests.

A University of Exeter team found nitrate contained in the vegetable leads to a reduction in oxygen uptake - making exercise less tiring.

The small Journal of Applied Physiology study suggests the effect is greater than that which can be achieved by regular training.

Beetroot juice has previously been shown to reduce blood pressure.

The researchers believe their findings could help people with cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic diseases - and endurance athletes."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Clever rooks repeat ancient fable

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Clever rooks repeat ancient fable: "One of Aesop's fables may have been based on fact, scientists report.

In the tale, written more than 2,000 years ago, a crow uses stones to raise the water level in a pitcher so it can reach the liquid to quench its thirst.

Now a study published in Current Biology reveals that rooks, a relative of crows, do just the same when presented with a similar situation.

The team says the study shows rooks are innovative tool-users, even though they do not use tools in the wild.

Another paper, published in the journal Plos One, shows that New Caledonian crows - which like rooks, are a member of the corvid group, along with ravens, jackdaws, magpies and jays - can use three tools in succession to reach a treat."

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Debunking a YouTube hit

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Debunking a YouTube hit: "A big YouTube hit makes startling predictions about the Islamification of Europe over the next few decades and has been viewed more than 10 million times. But can you believe what it says?"

6 Reasons Bacon is Better Than True Love - The Oatmeal

6 Reasons Bacon is Better Than True Love - The Oatmeal