Science and Space - New Discoveries, Research, Studies And Breakthroughs

Remember Wake-Up Juice from Back to the Future III? (View a clip on YouTube here .) It was a concoction of flaming sauces that jolted Professor Brown’s body to immediate alertness after a night of whiskey sloshing. Today, dozens of energy drinks and pills flood the market claiming to keep your body jazzed up with hours of unlimited energy, but most of them have annoying side effects (rapid heartbeat, shakes), or lead to addiction (hello, coffee!). But what if there was something that kept you awake without the consequences of traditional stimulants?

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When it comes to our health, sometimes it can be out of our control. No matter how healthy we are or how safe we try to be, accidents happen and our lives... can suddenly take a turn for the worst. Lucky for us there are people who dedicate their lives to help us get back on our feet. People like Dr. Joseph Varon, for example, or as some like to call him, Dr. Freeze, from St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. He is known for his innovative life saving hypothermic treatment on brain dead patients. read more »

(c) bbc.co.ukNo holiday is quite the paradox as Easter. Where else can you find the mix of religion and rabbits? Of conviction and confection? Of pastels and pennance? For most of us growing up in America, Easter meant one thing...Easter candy! Today we're looking at the top 5 Easter innovations and not surprisingly, candy dominates the list. We'll be exploring the history and ingenuity behind the quintessential Easter products and learning a little about the holiday itself. So call off that dentist appointment and strap yourself in for a hop, hop, hoppin' good time. read more »

Is your next great idea all dressed up with nowhere to go? Business plan in hand but no money in your pocket to get it off the ground? Now imagine the opposite problem...tons of money in hand but no one to turn your idea into reality. Ahhhh...the problems of a venture capitalist. Business 2.0 magazine is helping to bridge the gap between startups and investors by presenting 20 real-life ideas that venture capitalists are just itching to fund...to the tune of $100 million. read more »

If salamanders can regenerate their limbs, deer their antlers and mice their hearts, then why can't people regenerate a lost limb too? Or can we? Scientists are looking into it. Cases, such as the one about Lee Spievack from Cincinnati, who restore a finger tip using the extract of pig bladder, has scientists wondering about the possibilities of regeneration. read more »

The world’s most daring scientists and researchers will be chomping at the bit to obtain grants from the newly-formed European Research Council (ERC). The ERC was established to encourage exploration beyond the current boundaries of knowledge, and is part of the European Union’s Seventh Research Framework Program (FP7). FP7’s goal is to help Europe become the “most dynamic competitive knowledge-based economy in the world.” And they’re putting their money where their mouth is. read more »

If you haven't heard about the Virgin Earth Challenge
yet, announced two weeks ago (2/9/07), by Sir Richard Branson, now's your chance to get in on the action, find a way to save the world and win millions in the process.

The challenge: to come up with a way of removing one billion metric tons of lethal carbon dioxide from the earth's atmosphere every year for 10 years without further harming the earth. The winner (individual or group) will make history, earn $25 million and have the pure satisfaction of making the world greener place to live. read more »

For some people, gardening comes naturally. They have what's known as a "green thumb". For others...not so much and inadvertently kill plant after plant until they quit trying to ever garden again.

What if there was a way to build a relationship between a plant and its owner and help turn the owner's "death thumb" into a green one? read more »

While humans may not actually reconstruct the universe as it is, earlier this week the New York Times and International Herald Tribune announced the intentions of a global group of physicists to re-create the environment of the early universe so they can better understand the Big Bang. After a hundred years of theory, discussion, and lab tests, the time has come to test results at a higher level. The machine the physicists plan to build is a super-sized linear collider that is ten times the size of the largest one that currently exists. So, where will it be built, and what do we hope this new $6.7 billion machine will tell us? read more »

Scientists at King’s College London recently announced work on a new contraceptive pill for men. A male form of the birth control pill isn’t a new idea, but researches have yet to find a concoction that is safe and reliable on a long-term basis. However, by taking a different approach, King’s College thinks it’s on to something.
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