Mapping The Human Mind

Scientists reveal the first "wiring diagrams" of the cerebral cortex, shedding light on the infrastructure behind human intelligence.

Google Into Space -- Astronomical Events In Real Time

Astronomers have added an application to Google Earth that allows users to not only look at detailed pictures of the night sky at their convenience, but to observe unfolding cosmic events in real time. This application is an extra layer to the Google application and it will show both explosive gamma-ray bursts and shiny gravitational microlensing events.

Genes Evolve To Minimize Protein Production Errors

Protein molecules must fold to become biologically active, and mistakes can cause misfolding, which can be toxic. Yet the protein-producing factories in our cells are estimated to make mistakes in 20 percent of the molecules they produce. Adaptations to this surprising sloppiness may be crucial in understanding the evolution of genes across species, from bacteria to humans, say Drummond and Wilke.

Essentially, they write, natural selection has fostered the evolution of genes that minimize the effects of errors in translation, the production of proteins from genetic templates in cells. An example is the careful placement of codons, which are sections of DNA that code for amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Some codons translate more accurately, and previous research had suggested that high-fidelity codons are positioned at key locations in the genome, where a mistake might be harmful. These studies, however, had only considered fast-growing organisms like E. coli bacteria and fruit flies.

Someone intelligent once said ...

"The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese." — Steven Wright

Jay McKinnon Admits Forging Hawaii Birth Certificate

Jay McKinnon, a self-described Department of Homeland Security-trained document specialist, has implicated himself in the production of fake Hawaii birth certificate images similar to the one endorsed as genuine by the Barack Obama campaign, and appearing on the same Daily Kos blog entry where the supposedly authentic document appears.

Air-Powered Car Coming to U.S. (Popular Mechanics)

The CityCAT, already being developed in India (below left), will be available for U.S. production in 2009-2010 with three different four-door styles. But it's the radical dual-energy engine, with a possible 1000-mile range at 96 mph, that could move the Air Car beyond Auto X Prize dreams and into American garages.