Sea Urchins Calcite Spine

The precise structure of sea urchins' strong spines has been unraveled - and the find may contribute to stronger concrete in the future.

The tough spines are known to be made of calcium carbonate, which has a number of naturally occurring forms, some more brittle than others.

X-ray studies now show they are built from "bricks" of the crystal Calcite, with a non-crystalline "mortar".

To Read the Whole Article, Visit: Sea urchin spine structure inspires idea for concrete

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Meteorite Message from Mars

A Martian meteorite, an incredibly rare object, has been given to science to help unravel the Red Planet's secrets.  

Researchers will look for minerals formed in the presence of water, and for any signs of organics - carbon-rich molecules. 

Energy, water, a source of carbon are the prerequisites for life as we know it. Finding evidence for any of these phenomena in Tissint tells scientists something about how habitable Mars might have been in the past.

"It's a messenger from Mars," said Prof Andrew Coates from the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory. "It allows you to look back at the history of Mars and its formation. It's a history lesson on what Mars' atmosphere was like years ago - could there ever have been the right conditions for life?"

To read the whole article: Rare Martian meteorite given to science

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Corals Inflate to Escape Sand

Coral might appear solid and inanimate, but surprising new footage of a mushroom coral inflating itself to escape a sandy burial has brought the organism to life.  

To move around, the corals "inflate and deflate" parts of their body. And, as the footage that Dr Bongaerts captured showed, they use a similar technique to free themselves from a covering of sand. 

"The corals inflate and deflate their entire body in a series of rhythmic pulses," said Dr Bongaerts, "which allows them to effectively shed the sediment in a matter of hours.

"It's so crazy to see; it looks like another type of creature entirely."

He says that the idea of using time-lapse came from watching natural history documentaries.

"People often don't have the concept that corals are animals," he said. "But this really brings them to life."

"It's surprising that they're capable of such controlled movements."

To Read the Whole Article:

Corals inflate to escape being buried alive in sand

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Charles Darwin's Lost Fossil Collection

Dr Falcon-Lang, who is based in the department of earth sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London, spotted some drawers in a cabinet marked "unregistered fossil plants".

"Inside the drawer were hundreds of beautiful glass slides made by polishing fossil plants into thin translucent sheets," Dr Falcon-Lang explained.

Read the whole article: 

Lost Charles Darwin fossils rediscovered in cabinet

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What will we say to Aliens?

What will we as the human race say to the aliens when we hear them physically? There is actually a group of scientists called Seti, aka Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Seti started as one man using one telescope dish in 1959. Today computers are used to sift through the cosmic radio traffic, flagging up to astronomers any potential calls from extraterrestrial life. For decades we've been sending signals - both deliberate and accidental - into space, and listening out for alien civilizations' broadcasts. But what is the plan if one day we were to hear something? 


Find out by reading the article here: Alien hunters: What if ET ever phones our home?

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20 Interesting Predictions for the Future

Will deserts become tropical forests?

Here is an interesting article of 20 interesting predictions to transpire by 2112. Inspired by ten 100-year predictions made by American civil engineer John Elfreth Watkins in 1900, in which many of the "strange, almost impossible" predictions made by Watkins came true here is what futurologists Ian Pearson (IP) and Patrick Tucker (PT) think of your ideas.

1. Oceans will be extensively farmed and not just for fish

2. We will have the ability to communicate through thought transmission 

3. Thanks to DNA and robotic engineering, we will have created incredibly intelligent humans who are immortal 

4. We will be able to control the weather

Read the likelihood that the futurologists predict on these and 16 other ideas by reading the whole article:

Twenty top predictions for life 100 years from now

   

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Stonehenge Rocks Confirmed

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Archaeologists hope the find will enable them to discover how the stones were transported to Stonehenge.

 

Experts say they have confirmed for the first time the precise origin of some of the rocks at Stonehenge. It has long been suspected that rhyolites from the northern Preseli Hills helped build the monument.

The museum's Dr Richard Bevins said the find would help experts work out how the stones were moved to Wiltshire.  

Read the whole story: Stonehenge rocks Pembrokeshire link confirmed

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