Early Cancer Detection Method - Developed by a High School Student

This is amazing.

Debt Clock

Click here to check out the live Debt Clock.  Be sure to check out the tabs at the bottom for information on other items.

A Nuclear Family Series - Oak Ridge

At the Y12 National Security Complex website there are four links to the award winning series on the history of the Oak Ridge complex.  The title of the series is "A Nuclear Family."

Each segment is about 27 minutes in length and is worth the time if you are somewhat of a history buff.

Gasoline-Direct-Injection Compression Ignition

Delphi had developed a  modified gasoline engine that uses a new fuel injection technology that is claimed to improve fuel economy of gas-powered cars by 50%.  Apparently it depends on some significant computing power. 

Extent of Human Radio Broadcasts

This view our our impact on the universe is an eye opener.  Be sure to look within the enlarged view.  We are a small speck on a small speck of dust.

Liberty: Space Transportation System for Tomorrow's Astronauts

Liberty Launch Vehicle Capability

Is this the beginning of a commercial competition for aerospace development?  SpaceX will have to step up to the plate.

Energy Statistics

Click here to see electricity consumption (per capita) by country.  Some surprising results.

What Is Our Energy Future?

Thought provoking article on our energy future from Forbes.

A New Look At Prolonged Radiation Exposure

A new radiation dose study from MIT scientists Engelward and Yanch found when mice were expoed to radiation doses about 400 times greater than background levels for five weeks with no detected DNA damage.

Kodak Had a Nuclear Reactor

It turns out that Eastman Kodak had a small nuclear reactor containing 3.5 lbs of highly enriched uranium in the basement at Kodak Park.  Find out more here.

Robots That Fly and Cooperate

An intriguing technology demonstrated at 2012 TED involving small flying robots.  The applications of this technology could be quite varied.  No doubt the Pentagon has already investigated and you see some use in the lying drones in combat missions.  If this keeps up, the fighter pilot may soon become obsolete.

CT State Police Detects Radioactivity in Vehicles on the Road

Connecticut State Troopers apparently have the capability to detect a human who has been injected with cardiac stress test radioisotopes as they are driving down the street in their car.  This indicates that they have some fairly sensitive detectors in the patrol cars.

This would seem to be useful if authorities were monitoring people working on a 'dirty bomb' type device.  This type of weapon might emit gamma-rays of sufficient energy and intensity that detection would not be all that difficult.

If the device was a fission type of device containing enriched uranium or plutonium, then this device would be difficult to detect due to low energy gamma-rays.

Note that injections of medical radioisotopes typically contain a significant amount of radioactivity.  Not immediately life-threatening, but enough for doctors to warn a patient to stay away from young children.

I had a stress test about 10 years ago and my pocket dosimeter registered about 100 mrem in the first 24 hours.  It took about three weeks for the decay and biological half-life to get me back to background levels.  That 100 mrem is about 500 times lower than the amount of acute gamma-ray exposure need to alter blood chemistry, just for perspective.

Nuclear Test With Troops

Here is a silent color film of an above ground nuclear weapons test at the Nevada Test Site in 1959 with U.S. Army troops as guinea pigs.  They appear to be fairly relaxed.  All that is missing is the picnic baskets.

Want To Get Out of Facebook?

Here is a way to remove your account or public profile on most popular websites.

Michael Tilson Thomas: Music and Emotion Through Time

Orangutans at Miami Zoo Use iPads to Communicate

Well that settles it.  Time to buy an iPad.

3D Bio-Printers

Nuclear Free Japan

It has been almost exactly 40 years since the nation of Japan started up it's first nuclear power plant.  Just a few days ago, the last operating plant shut down for a long overdue outage.  The question is whether or when the Japanese government will allow a re-start.

Google and Facebook Gone in 5 Years???

Now here is someone at Forbes thinking out of the box.  Something called "liability of obsolescence" may be a play here.

Amish Farm Kids Have Fewer Allergies

Click here for this story.  It appears that raw milk may be the difference.  Did you know that selling raw milk in the USA will get you arrested by the Feds?  They may not vaccinate as much either.  More studies are planned.

Wind Power Without The Blades

Here is a new design concept for wind power, which I assume has none of the hazards for birds and bats.  The only negative is that you still needs large tracks of land to replace conventional power plants.

Space Weather Expert Has Ominous Forecast

As if we don't need something else to worry about.  Solar storms are the real deal.  Our electronic driven way of life is vulnerable to being neutralized if a powerful solar storm erupts in the direction of our planet.  The electrical distribution grid could be knocked out.  If many of the big transformers are damaged, then repairs could take weeks or years depending on the severity.

If telecommunications are neutralized, then things will get a little crazy.  Food, water and fuel will become critical if our normal distribution chains are disrupted.

The expert in this story puts the chances of a 'big one' at 12% over the next 10 years.  That is a pretty high probability in my humble estimation.  Just as you need a plan in your household for when a fire breaks out, you also need a plan to what happens when the gird is down for more than a few hours.

What A Space Shuttle Launch REALLY Sounds Like

Nancy Atkinson at Universe Today posts a video with an incredible audio sound track of a launch.  Put on some good headphones or plug into a good room audio system and enjoy.