The Weird Story Of The Swedish Man Who Tried To Build A Nuclear Reactor In His Kitchen

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4 August 2011
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A young man in Angelholm, in the South of Sweden, has been arrested after apparently trying to create a nuclear reactor in his kitchen.

The young man’s story appears in Helsingsborgs Dagblad, a Swedish language local paper in the area.

The 31-year-old tells the paper that he was able to buy radioactive waste from foreign companies and picked apart the components in a smoke detector (apparently older smoke detector contain nuclear material). He believes he spent between $5,000 and $6,000 on the project in total.

It was only later when the young man contacted Sweden’s nuclear power agency that he realized his project was illegal. Police came to his apartment and confiscated the material. The young man was arrested but later released — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Mathematical Beadwork / Kazunori Horibe

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3 August 2011
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George @ MAKE showcases these really cool examples of mathematical beadwork structures by Kazunori Horibe.

Looking closely at one example, you can see how the surface curvature depends on the structure. Generally, six-sided cycles correspond to an infinite tessellation of hexagons, which makes a flat plane or can be rolled into a cylinder. But in the places where positive curvature (a spherical region) is desired, some pentagons are used instead of hexagons. And in places where negative curvature (a saddle-shaped region) is desired, some heptagons are used instead of hexagons. With this knowledge, the bead designer can control the surface outcome.

— via CRAFT

African crested rat uses poison trick to foil predators

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3 August 2011
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A species of rat has evolved an ingenious method to foil any predators that try to eat it, scientists report.

They found that the African crested rat chews the roots and bark of a highly toxic tree, and then smears the lethal mixture on its specially adapted fur.

Any animals that attack receive a mouthful of potentially deadly poison.

It is the first time that this behaviour has been reported in a mammal, the researchers write in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Giant fungus discovered in China

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1 August 2011
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The most massive fruiting body of any fungus yet documented has been discovered growing on the underside of a tree in China.

The fruiting body, which is equivalent to the mushrooms produced by other fungi species, is up to 10m long, 80cm wide and weighs half a tonne.

That shatters the record held previously by a fungus growing in Kew Gardens in the UK.

The new giant fungus is thought to be at least 20 years old — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Sun-free photovoltaics

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1 August 2011
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A new photovoltaic energy-conversion system developed at MIT can be powered solely by heat, generating electricity with no sunlight at all. While the principle involved is not new, a novel way of engineering the surface of a material to convert heat into precisely tuned wavelengths of light — selected to match the wavelengths that photovoltaic cells can best convert to electricity — makes the new system much more efficient than previous versions — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Media authority to investigate complaint about Jones comment

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28 July 2011
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The Australian Communications and Media Authority is investigating a complaint about alleged inaccuracies in statements on climate change by broadcaster Alan Jones.

GetUp! had made a complaint, which it believed was not being pursued by the broadcasting regulator, but Fairfax Media has learned ACMA is investigating the GetUp! complaint, and some others, concerning Mr Jones.

If the complaint is upheld, Mr Jones may be asked to acknowledge the statement was wrong and promise not to repeat it — via redwolf.newsvine.com

European study sees no mobile phone-cancer link

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28 July 2011
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A European study involving nearly 1000 participants has found no link between mobile phone use and brain tumours in children and adolescents, a group that may be particularly sensitive to phone emissions.

The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was prompted by concerns that the brains of younger users may be more vulnerable to adverse health effects — such as cancer — from mobile phones — via redwolf.newsvine.com

3,000 Roman 3rd Century coins found in Montgomery field

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27 July 2011
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More than 3,000 Roman coins have been discovered in a field, it has emerged.

The hoard of copper alloy coins, dating from the 3rd Century, was unearthed in Montgomery, Powys, several weeks ago.

About 900 were found by a member of a Welshpool metal detecting club, with the rest of the discovery made with help from archaeologists — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Genetic testing finds new mini frog

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26 July 2011
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Researchers have discovered a new miniature frog species in Western Australia’s remote Pilbara region.

The Pilbara toadlet is thought to have gone unnoticed for a million years and has adapted to the harsh desert conditions.

The finding was made by researchers from the University of Western Australia, the West Australian Museum and the Australian National University — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Vitamin linked to diabetes

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26 July 2011
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Vitamin D deficiency is putting Australians at risk of developing diabetes, a landmark study has shown.

The largest study of its kind found that people with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with lower levels. It could lead to at-risk patients using vitamin D supplements along with diet and exercise to stop the development of the potentially deadly condition — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Can a Playground Be Too Safe?

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24 July 2011
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When seesaws and tall slides and other perils were disappearing from New York’s playgrounds, Henry Stern drew a line in the sandbox. As the city’s parks commissioner in the 1990s, he issued an edict concerning the 10-foot-high jungle gym near his childhood home in northern Manhattan.

I grew up on the monkey bars in Fort Tryon Park, and I never forgot how good it felt to get to the top of them, Mr Stern said. I didn’t want to see that playground bowdlerized. I said that as long as I was parks commissioner, those monkey bars were going to stay.

His philosophy seemed reactionary at the time, but today it’s shared by some researchers who question the value of safety-first playgrounds. Even if children do suffer fewer physical injuries — and the evidence for that is debatable — the critics say that these playgrounds may stunt emotional development, leaving children with anxieties and fears that are ultimately worse than a broken bone — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Tattoo Tracks Sodium and Glucose via an iPhone

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23 July 2011
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Using a nanosensor tattoo and a modified iPhone, cyclists could closely monitor sodium levels to prevent dehydration, and anemic patients could track their blood oxygen levels.

Heather Clark, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Northeastern University, is leading a team working to make this possible. The team begins by injecting a solution containing carefully chosen nanoparticles into the skin. This leaves no visible mark, but the nanoparticles will fluoresce when exposed to a target molecule, such as sodium or glucose. A modified iPhone then tracks changes in the level of fluorescence, which indicates the amount of sodium or glucose present. Clark presented this work at the BioMethods Boston conference at Harvard Medical School last week — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Glandular fever link to multiple sclerosis

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23 July 2011
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New Australian research has found a link between glandular fever and multiple sclerosis (MS).

MS affects 20,000 people in Australia and is a condition where the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord.

Many of those diagnosed are young, healthy women.

Now a new study from the Australian National University (ANU) has found those who have glandular fever antibodies have a much greater risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

The research, published in the journal Neurology, could lead to new treatments for the condition — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Monckton threatens to sue ABC, calls chairman a shrimp

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22 July 2011
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Climate change denier Lord Christopher Monckton has threatened to sue the ABC and described its chairman Maurice Newman as a shrimp-like wet little individual.

Lord Monckton, who is towards the end of a near month-long tour of Australia, told a Melbourne audience he had met with Newman at a breakfast and requested he intervene in the broadcast of the Radio National documentary Background Briefing.

Experienced ABC journalist Wendy Carlisle interviewed Lord Monckton and several of his supporters for the documentary, which first aired on Sunday. The documentary also highlighted links between Lord Monckton and mining magnate and supporter Gina Rinehart, chairman of Hancock Prospecting — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Turnbull takes shot at climate change deniers

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22 July 2011
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Former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull has urged his party to stop listening to climate change deniers, calling on members to defend the science of climate change and pledge to reduce Australia’s emissions.

Mr Turnbull lost the leadership to current Opposition Leader Tony Abbott over the issue of climate change.

Delivering the Virginia Chadwick memorial lecture in Sydney last night, he said a war was being waged on scientists by those opposed to taking action to cut emissions, many because it does not suit their own financial interests — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Treadmill shows medieval armour influenced battles

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21 July 2011
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Medieval suits of armour were so exhausting to wear that they could have affected the outcomes of famous battles, a study suggests.

Scientists monitored volunteers fitted with 15th Century replica armour as they walked and ran on treadmills.

They found that the subjects used high levels of energy, bore immense weight on their legs and suffered from restricted breathing — via redwolf.newsvine.com

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