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Marriage Equality Bill Introduced in Minnesota

Neophile — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:28:44 EDT

The Marriage and Family Protection Act was introduced by Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, and Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, on Friday. The bill would make marriage a gender-neutral proposition in Minnesota, allowing same-sex couples to marry.

Channel: Gay & Lesbian Tags: minnesota marriage equality legislation

Rocketman flies over Alps with jet-pack strapped to his back

TheVisionary — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:16:06 EDT

Yves Rossy likes to jump out of a small plane with a pair of jet-powered wings on his back and loop the loop above the Swiss Alps. The self-built contraption took the former fighter pilot five years to build and perfect - and yesterday he gave it its maiden flight.

Channel: News Tags: cool iron man rocketman alps flying

Memorial Day travel hit by high fuel costs: AAA

STONERS — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:11:04 EDT

Record-high fuel prices and a slowing economy will shrink travel in the United States over the coming Memorial Day holiday for the first time since 2002, auto and travel group AAA said Thursday.

Channel: Money Tags: Memorial Day High Fuel Costs Slowing Economy

What Works in Deconverting Christians?

Neophile — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:00:40 EDT

Why do Christians deconvert? How can we support or encourage them to do so? This has been the subject of some debate in the Atheist community. To answer these questions I've sat down and considered one of the largest archives of deconversion stories on the internet.

Channel: Religion Tags: christian deconversion christianity skepticism logic bible hypocrisy plurality science atheism jesus

911 Operator: ' I Don't Give A S**t What Happens To You'

TimALoftis — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:46:22 EDT

As we first revealed, when Sheila Jones needed help, help never came. That despite repeated calls to Metro Nashville's 911 over a three-hour stretch about an ex-boyfriend who'd assaulted her and was threatening to come back. (via rawstory)

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: nashville 911 operator

Why quantum mechanics might be wrong

capn_caveman — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:13:31 EDT

The question of whether quantum mechanics is correct could soon be settled by observing the sky - and there are already tantalizing hints that the theory could be wrong.

Channel: Science Tags: science quantum mechanics physics cosmology CMB cosmic microwave background

Are there nuclear reactors at Earth's core?

capn_caveman — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:03:46 EDT

Fission reactors may have been burning for billions of years.

Channel: Science Tags: science geophysics fission Earth nuclear reactor

NASA Satellite Finds Interior of Mars Is Colder

capn_caveman — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:56:28 EDT

New observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate that the crust and upper mantle of Mars are stiffer and colder than previously thought. The findings suggest any liquid water that might exist below the planet's surface, and any possible organisms living in that water, would be located deeper than scientists had suspected.

Channel: Science Tags: science Mars solar system MRO

Astronomers baffled by weird, fast-spinning pulsar

capn_caveman — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:50:23 EDT

Astronomers are baffled after finding an exotic type of star called a pulsar apparently locked in an elongated orbit around a star much like the sun -- an arrangement defying what had been known about such objects.

Channel: Science Tags: science astronomy pulsars astrophysics

How to Secure Your Laptop Against U.S. Customs

Neophile — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:44:33 EDT

Last month a US court ruled that border agents can search your laptop, or any other electronic device, when you're entering the country. They can take your computer and download its entire contents, or keep it for several days. Customs and Border Patrol has not published any rules regarding this practice.

Channel: Gadgets & Tech Tags: united states customs laptop data encryption security privacy border

New time-lapse analysis could spell trouble for chemistry theory

capn_caveman — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:09:44 EDT

Chemists can now watch the structures of molecules as they change shape, much like shooting multiple frames of a galloping horse. The new view reveals that when certain molecules switch between different conformations, they do so less often than expected - a finding that could require chemists to revise their theories.

Channel: Science Tags: science chemistry molecules

Food Portion Size, 20 Years Ago vs. Today

Hustler101 — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:08:19 EDT

A visual representation of what sizes used to be (20 years ago) compared to what they are today.

Channel: Food Tags: visual food data

Animal Prosthetics: A Leg Up on a Bad Break

capn_caveman — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:53:58 EDT

Amputee animals have a hard life. In the last few years, more and more disabled creatures of different species are being helped by modern technology, and by the researchers and volunteers who go the extra mile.

Channel: Pets Tags: pets prosthetics animals science technology

Astronomers measure temperature of the early universe

capn_caveman — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:46:28 EDT

We cannot go back in time and stick a thermometer in the early universe, but astronomers have done the next best thing, using an indirect technique to find out what the universe's temperature was 11 billion years ago.

Channel: Science Tags: science universe astronomy cosmology

MIT solves gravity-defying bird beak mystery

capn_caveman — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:41:16 EDT

As Charles Darwin showed nearly 150 years ago, bird beaks are exquisitely adapted to the birds' feeding strategy. A team of MIT mathematicians and engineers has now explained exactly how some shorebirds use their long, thin beaks to defy gravity and transport food into their mouths.

Channel: Science Tags: science nature birds shorebirds