Weird Crystal Can Absorb All The Oxygen In A Room — And Then Release It Later

Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark say they've invented a crystal that pulls oxygen out of the air and even water. Apparently, just a spoonful of the stuff can suck up all the oxygen in a room. The crystal is a salt made from cobalt*, and it appears to be capable of holding oxygen at a concentration that is 160 times higher than the air we breathe. The paper notes that "an excess" of the substance would bind up to 99 percent of the oxygen in a room. But what's more remarkable is that the crystal can later release the oxygen when exposed to heat or low-oxygen conditions. In a press release, study author Christine McKenzie likens it to the hemoglobin in our blood, which uses iron to bind and release oxygen in the human body.

If the substance lives up to its promises, it could have a lot of really cool applications—for example, feeding high concentrations of oxygen into hydrogen fuel cells, and lightening the load for lung patients who have to lug around heavy oxygen supplies. Also, scuba divers could potentially leave their tanks at home, says McKenzie. "A few grains contain enough oxygen for one breath, and as the material can absorb oxygen from the water around the diver and supply the diver with it, the diver will not need to bring more than these few grains."

Hong Kong Protesters Are Furious About A 30-Year-Old Broken Promise

Seemingly out of nowhere, images of tens of thousands of protesters in the streets of Hong Kong confronting tear gas with umbrellas are dominating the media. "Occupy Central" is what those in Hong Kong are calling the movement to maintain democratic rule on the island. It has been able to assemble hundreds of thousands to demonstrate since July, when Beijing publicized that it would no longer tolerate independent rule in Hong Kong. It said that Hong Kong's constitutional autonomy was not "an inherent power." Instead of allowing free and fair elections as it has for the past 20 years, Beijing wants to select candidates who can run for political office in Hong Kong.


In a closed-door meeting with Hong Kong leaders in August the guy named Zhang Xiaoming, Beijin's liasion to Hong Kong, told Hong Kong leaders supportive of Occupy Central, "The fact that you are allowed to stay alive, already shows the countr'y inclusiveness." So what is happening now says more about changesin Beijing under President Xi Jinping that in does about any revolution on the island. To the contrary, protesters on the ground aren't fighting for change, but rather a return to the commitment that was made to them in 1997 -- that they would be able to govern themselves.

Superintelligence Could Come Into Existence

Biological brains are unlikely to be the final stage of intelligence. Machines already have superhuman strength, speed and stamina – and one day they will have superhuman intelligence. The only reasons this may not occur is if we develop some other dangerous technology first that destroys us, or otherwise fall victim to some existential risk .But assuming that scientific and technological progress continues, human-level machine intelligence is very likely to be developed. And shortly thereafter, superintelligence. 

Predicting how long it will take to develop such intelligent machines is difficult. Contrary to what some reviewers of my book seem to believe, I don't have any strong opinion about that matter. (It is as though the only two possible views somebody might hold about the future of artificial intelligence are "machines are stupid and will never live up to the hype!" and "machines are much further advanced than you imagined and true AI is just around the corner!").

New Chemical Signals From The Middle Of Our Galaxy Are A Good Sign For Alien Life

Aliens, once again. The recent discovery of molecular compounds integral to life on Earth in dusty clouds located deep in interstellar space is an encouraging sign that aliens could exist out in the universe. All amino acids make up the proteins in the human cells; Muscles, other tissues, and contain a type pf organic compound called iso-propyl cyanide, which consists of other elements. Meaning, without amino acids, there would be no life on Earth as we know it. Since amino acids were first discovered in meteorites in the early '70s, it's been clear that life on Earth got a little help from space. Just how much, however, remains unclear.

Now, scientists have taken one step further and discovered where i-propyl cyanide likely originates in our very own galaxy — the Milky Way. Located 27,000 light years from Earth toward the center of our galaxy is one of the largest molecular clouds in the Milky Way. 

New Particle Discovered After 80 Years Of Searching

A team of physicists at Princeton University and the University of Texas at Austin announced on October 2 that they have observed a new particle that has eluded detection for nearly 80 years! It only took scientists 48 years to detect the Higgs boson. No one really knew how they would go about searching for this particle until 2001, which is why it's taken the better half of a century to detect it. Meet the Majorana fermion. This new particle was first predicted by Italian physicist Ettore Majorana in 1937, and is unique because it is the only particle in existence that can adopt both matter and antimatter characteristics simultaneously without annihilating itself in the process.

This is kind of exciting and can only be practically beneficial. Because it allows scientists to manipulate exotic particles for potenetial applications, such as quantum computing. In order to observe these particles, the team had to use a very large microscope -- a two-story tall microscope to be exact that is located at Princeont's Jadwin Hall. Pretty cool, huh?

More Than 7 Billion People Populate Earth And Each One Has A Unique Face — Here's Why

Over 7 billion people populate Earth and each one has a unique face, which is pretty atsonishig when you think about it. Why do human faces have such great diversity? A new study suggest it isn't just because we are more attuned to human faces -- it's also because humans actually have more diverse and unique faces than another animals species. When you meet someone new, what do you do you notice about them? Their clothes, height, and hair color are some of the traits that set us apart, but it's the person's face that you remember and recognize in the future.

We can thank our brains and our advances social structure for this diversity. A crucial evoltuionary trait in our brain has played a part in generating more diverse, complex, and unique faces in human beings. That's in comparsion to most other animals that do not rely on sight to recognize one another -- instead they use sound or smell; King penguins spot one another in a crowd with a unique vocal call while dogs use their incredibly sensitive noses to sniff.

Here's The Most Terrifying Thing About Ebola

As the Ebola epidemic in West Africa has spiraled out of control, affecting thousands of Liberians, Sierra Leonians, and Guineans, and threatening thousands more, the world’s reaction has been glacially, lethally slow. Only in the past few weeks have heads of state begun to take serious notice. To date, the virus has killed more than 2,600 people. This is a comparatively small number when measured against much more established diseases such as malaria,HIV/AIDS, influenza, and so on, but several factors about this outbreak have some of the world’s top health professionals gravely concerned: 

• Its kill rate: In this particular outbreak, a running tabulation suggests that 54 percent of the infected die, though adjusted numbers suggest that the rate is much higher.
• Its exponential growth: At this point, the number of people infected is doubling approximately every three weeks, leading some epidemiologists to project between 77,000 and 277,000 cases by the end of 2014.
• The gruesomeness with which it kills: by hijacking cells and migrating throughout the body to affect all organs, causing victims to bleed profusely.
• The ease with which it is transmitted: through contact with bodily fluids, including sweat, tears, saliva, blood, urine, semen, etc., including objects that have come in contact with bodily fluids (such as bed sheets, clothing, and needles) and corpses.
• The threat of mutation: Prominent figures have expressed serious concerns that this disease will go airborne, and there are many other mechanisms through which mutation might make it much more transmissible.
  
  

In truth; This virus does scare me, because we don't have a cure for it and its spreading fast, and apprantely the 'World' haven't taken precautions such as; Closing air ports, before things turn nasty. I mean, if this outbreaks in America it would probably spread throughout the entire Country in no time.

Researchers Are Saving Sea Cows, Rhinos, And Other Animals With Drones

In a case study published last year in PLOS One, Hodgson(Person conducting experiment) and her colleagues used a small aerial drone to survey dugongs, manatee-like marine mammals, in Shark Bay, Australia — the first Australian UAV survey trial. The drone captured 627 images containing dugongs, and the researchers were also able to identify a range of other marine animals, including whales, dolphins, and turtles. Since then she's conducted two additional, currently unpublished trials with the drones — another one searching for dugongs, and one with humpback whales. These studies paired human observers with the drones to test the accuracy of drones compared to people. The results are still pending, but so far Hodgson believes drones have high potential when it comes to marine research. There are several reasons for this.

Well its revolutionary I guess, but not necessary legal. The Federal Aviation Administration has strict rules when it comes to the commercial use of drones — an umbrella that includes scientific research. Before proceeding with any work involving drones, researchers must obtain a certificate of authorization, which is only available to public entities like government agencies or public (but not private) universities. That puts a strict limit on who can do drone-based research, including cutting most conservation organizations out of the game. 

Fox's Most Anticipated Fall Show 'Gotham' Is Good, But A Bit Overrated

In the first few minutes of "Gotham," you see Batman's familiar heart wrenching origin story played out. Thomas and Martha Wayne get gunned in an alleway by a man in a ski mask. A string of pearls break and fall dramatically to the concrete. The couple's son Bruce is spared, left screaming in the alleway left screaming in two pools of blood (how dramatic right?). It's a scene played throughout so many Batman adaptations that you can imagine it with your eyes closed. This one feels no more special than the rest. It's entirely predictable -- a series just going through motions. Thankfully the rest of Batman prequal "Gotham" isn't as preditable; however, it is campy enough to be jarring at moments. 

Watching the show personally and being a huge fan of Batman when growing up I can say its "progress" but Batman is so over done, the show seems really boring. Every few minutes it feels like the show drops references to another future iconic Batman character solely to keep fans interested. Not saying that "Gotham" will end up like "Birds of Prey" another bad imitation of a popular show. In some ways, "Gotham" feels similar to the set up of ABC's successful "Once Upon a Time" which showcases the origin stories of fairytale characters and villains. The Batman prequel definitely has promise. Netflix must think so anyway. 

Canada Just Solved One Of The Greatest Maritime Mysteries In Its History

Canada annouced on Sunday the discovery of one of two British explorer ships that went missing in 1846 after becoming trapped in Arctic ice. In a statement, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harpyer called the event a "truly historic moment for Cnada," noting that one of Canada's "greatest mysterious" had been solve. The HMS Erebus and HMS Terror left England in 1845, led by British captain Sir John Franklin. The ships were headed for the Northwest Passage, but they hit trouble in the Canadian Arctic. Icebound for more than a year, the crew eventually ran out of supplies. Franklin and more than twenty of his men died. THe hundred or so who did survive abandoned the ships in 1848 and headed for dry land, but none of the crew made it back home alive.

I read this before a while back. According to a Canadian researcher the reamins of the expedition memebers found on 'Beechey' Island indicated they had died of colder, hunger, and lead poisoning from canned food. The researches cannot tell of the newly dsiscovered vessel is the HMS Erebus or HMS Terror, however, I believe they are confident that finding the first ship would provide a new momentum necessary to locate its sister. Hopefully, more mysterious in the deep will rise to the surface. Only time can tell.

Greenhouse Gas Levels Have Never Been Worse

Surging levels of carbon dioxide sent greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to a new record in 2013, while oceans, which absorb the emissions, have become more acidic than ever, the UN said on Tuesday. :We know without any doubt that our climate is changing and our weathes in becoming more extreme due to human activities such as the burning of fossils fuels," said Michel Jarraud, the head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that released a report on the issue on Tuesday. Concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide all broke flesh records in 2013, said a report. Global concentratios of COW, the main culrpit in globam warming, soared to 396 parts per million last year, or 142 percent of pre-industrial levels -- defined as before as before 1750.

I don't know whether I believe in 'Global Warming' or not. Living in Georgia for the past ten years the weather has never been drastically higher or lower, but has stayed moderate throughout my stay. Though lately, it has been raining non-stop, which led to me this article. Only time can tell, for now we should only conserve our Greenhouse gases and try not to go over the 'limit'. 

Jack the Ripper -- Solved!

One of the world's greatest murder mysterious may have been solved at least. A world-renowned DNA expert claims to have finally worked out who the true identity of Jack the Ripper and says the serial killer was a 23-year old Polish immigrant named Aaron Kosminiski. Dr, Jari Louhelainen made the claim after taking DNA samples from a bloody shawl of the one of the notorious London killer's victims, Catherine Eddowes. Louhelainen compared the DNA from Kosminski to relatives and said the man who emigrated from Poland, who ended up in an insane asylum, was the notorious killer. He later died in an asylum in 1899, the 'Mirror' reports.

Jack the Ripper -- as the killer was dubbed -- murdered up to five people, mostly female prostitues who worked in slum areas in east London 126 years ago. Eddowes was 46 when she was killed and mutilated in the early hours of September 30, 1888, A day later, a letter was sent and signed from "Jack the Ripper," claiming responsibility for the murder. The signature led to the killer being given the famous name. And now finally ... the theories are put to rest.

Super-harvest-moon

The Harvest Moon is the name for the full moon that is closest to the autumnal equinox, or the official start of fall, on Sept. 22. Traditionally, every full moon has special nickname that says something about the season or time of year in which it appears. For example, the Snow Moon happens in February during winter and the Flower Moon is in May during spring. Before electricity, moonlight was crucial for farmers who had to work after sundown, especially in early autumn when many crops are ready to be harvested. For that reason, the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox was called the "Harvest Moon." The Harvest Moon can come either two weeks before or two weeks the autumnal equinox. This year it's a bit early.

Well when I was younger I was told the Harvest Moon is 'special' for another reason. Typically, the moon rises about fifty minutes later each day throughout the year. But when the full moon occurs near the fall equinox, the gaps between moonrises are shorter. The moon rises only about 30 minuts later ech night, appearing at sunset. This has to do with the moon's path, which makes a narrow edngle with the horizon at the beginning of autumn. Not only does the moon rise earlier than usual in the evening, but this happens for several nights in a row — before and after the full moon — resulting in three consecutive days of the moon appearing at nearly the same time. Cool. huh?

Neuroscientist Warns That Technology Is Eating Our Brains

For several years 'Lady Greenfield' has been warning of what she sees as the dangers of computers and the internet, as they move out of the office and into people's living rooms, pockets and personal lives. She has written newspaper articles and given elctures about the dangers of the digitial world. She frets, worrying that smartphones and social networks are sucking users into an unsatifying digital facsimile of reality, frying their memories, atrohpinh their social skills and generally rotting their brains. In particular, she emphasis the brain's ability to adapt to stimulu. It is this adaptability that is the source of her claim, often associated with Ms. Greenfield's pronouncements that using the internet cna alter the physical structure of your brain. That sounds scary, but should it? Virtually any experience--reading the morning paper, divorcing your wife--will alter the physical structure of your brain, because such physical alterations, in the form of creating or pruning connections between neurons, are how the brain learns. The brain you go to sleep with every night is the not the same as the brain you woke up with that morning.

Let's try to break this hypothesis down. Oh wait, it's already proven. But who are the test subjects you ask? We are. Growing up and seeing technology trascend into the pockets of every american to whereas children at eight are now playing with iPads instead of sports, or reading through a screen instead of a book. This is only the beginning and I agree with everything Ms. Greenfield has to say about the Future of the World and Technology. 

Humans Have Created A New Top Predator

Humans are not newcomers when it comes to messing around with nature. While we haven't created a monster yet, what we do messed with the natural world. One recent example is the creation of the coywolf — a hybrid of the coyote and the wolf that is also known as the Eastern coyote. These animals have a completely new genetic make up: Their genes are about 1/4 wolf DNA and 2/3 coyote DNA, the rest is from domesticated dogs. They were created when previously separate wolf and coyote populations merge in the land North of the Great Lakes.

Weird. The wolfs that were restored in Yellowstone Park decimated almost all of the coyote population within a few months. Coy-wolves have been a fact according to the scientists in the West, and sadly no wolves are possible in that region. When you saw a wolf, you really only saw a coy-wolf. Let's hope that humans don't create anything else, sorta like a Wolf-bear. Now that's something else.

Two Ancient Maya Cities Found In Mexico

Archaelogists are starting to unlock even more Mayian secrets with the exciting discovery of two ancient cities in a Mexican forest. The cities, which were found in the state of 'Campeche', a Yucatan peninsula, remained undiscovered for centuries as they were cloaked in dense vegetation, appearing as nothing more than mounds of grass and trees to the untrained eye. Archaelogists working in Central America know all too well what usually lies beneath, but this particular site had been largely inaccessible for many years and thus remained untouched. Amongst the finding was an impressive facade with an entrace set in the stone jaws of a monster. Maya facades are temple doorways that were usualy elaborately decorated, often with huge, ornate masks.

Coicindentally a second city, which was a new find, has been named Tamchen, which means "deep well" in Yucatect Mayan. This is due to the fact that it features an impressive number of underground chambers that were installed to collect rainwater. The team is not completely certain when these cities were built, but there is some evidence to suggest that Tamchen could date as far back as 300 B.C. Cool right? Hopefully the next city will actually provide some important information on the origin of how all these cultures are connected but never met once... Yeah I'll keep dreaming, 

Gasoline-Loving Spiders Are Forcing Suzuki To Recall 

Spiders drawn to gasoline vapors are weaving webs that block a hose to vent those vapors have caused Suzuki Motor of America to recall about 19,000 Kizashi mid-size sedans from model years 2010 to 2013. Air flow blocked in the cars' evaporative system can cause negative pressure in the fuel tank, which can lead to cracks which could cause leaks that increase risk of a fire, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Luckily, no crashes or injuries have been reported in relation to this issue, Suzuki told the NHTSA. The only remedy for this situation is a filter applied on the ventilation line to keep the spiders out for a brevity until they finalize a solution for the rest of their models. Suzuki stopped selling cars to the U.S. Market last year, after nearly three decades, so they are taking this matter very seriously to not ruin the Suzuki image in the States.

This situation is a bit funny in my opinion. The part about "spides" who love to weave webs to block out gasoline vapors is pretty hysterical. Thankfully not my or my parents have a Suzuki model from 2010 or 2013 but since accdients haven't happend I'm a bit curious on how information was revealed that spiders actually did this. Whether or not the information is factual, still questions pertain in "why" and "how?" Is it any  type of gasoline and what type of spiders emit these actions in the vincinity of such cars? Anyway, hopefully this incident gets taken care of quickly before things get out of hand. 

  'Justice Will Be Done' 

President Obama has vowed that "barbaric terrorists" in Iraq & Syria will face the might of the U.S. military after they murdered innocent American journalist James Foley. The brutal video released last week shocked millions, but it seems he is another casulity in the strong battle in the midst.  His message was: "Our message to anyone who harms our people is simple: America does not forget, our reach is long, we are patient, justice will be done," Obama said in a speech before the American Legion's annual convention in North Carolina. "We have proved time and time again we will do what's necessary to ... go after those who harm Americans. And we'll continue to take direct action where needed." Obama nevertheless stated his previous promise that the US would not deploy any ground troops in its fight against the Islamic State forces in the region.

Words cannot be expressed after receiving the news from the "James Foley murder". It was true horror, but it may only be the beginning. Tension is not only rising in the MIiddle East but also in the entire World. I feel as, if we don't act accordingly as the "big brother" United States is supposed to be more casualties will manifest and then it may be too late. No more empty threats and Obama needs to act, fast. 

                                                              Humans becoming Cyborgs 

According to John Desmond Bernal in "The World, the Flesh, and the Devil." The British scientist predicted that the human race would not be sustained by our biological bodies for long. Yes, he believed we would all be cyborgs, about 80 years ago from today to be exact. What is a Cyborg you may be thinking? Its basically a hypothetical person whose physical attributes breach the capabilities of the current human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body. For all science-fiction based fear that bionics inspire, technology is considered to be designed to benefit humanity. Brain implants to help those with Parkinson's disease or pacemakers to prevent heart attacks. Even prothestics hands to restore lost motion. These devices are the best of what Bernal might have hoped for when he talked about humans overocming their "limits".

This article had a sour taste, especially when we were given examples of how mechanical prosthetics could benefit man-kind. Humanity in which it evolves should not be tampered with the ideology of mechanical invention, why you ask? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Yes, we have obstacles in which we cannot progress forward completely as disease plague our World, love is turning into hate, and intelligence is seemingly distributed forever with negative effects. Despite the outcome of our progress it has done nothing but keep the constant cycle of our race intact. War is still dominant, the fact we still harbor a sense of hate towards other races or beliefs, and now we can bare witness to repugnant actions through a few clicks of our "technology". Knowing the thought of such mechanics will only lean towards something undesirable and constant battling of trying to prevent the eternity. We all will die, to stop such inevitable fate we have to first accept ourselves to benefit the future for man-kind. Because as I see it, we only live in the moment, and could care less of what the future harbors with our msitakes.