CPA Australia Presents: An Audience with Neil Armstrong (b. 1930 – d. 2012), hosted by Alex Malley: From 2012, a series of rare interviews with Neil Armstrong, conducted by CPA Australia’s CEO, Alex Malley. (As of Oct 7, 2013, this link seems inactive. It may become live again. This alternative link also may come live again. – Mike)

• Preview (1m 0s)
• Part 1: Space Race (15m 12s)
• Part 2: Blast Off (13m 20s)
• Part 3: Giant Leap (13m 40s)
• Part 4: Presidential Pride (13m 39s)
• [Click here to go to site]

Top 10 mistakes made when buying an HDTV, By Gary Merson, HD Guru.com: Choosing the best HDTV is harder than you may think. Using reader feedback, along with having  written, tested and researched the subject since 1998, we’ve compiled a list of the most common buying mistakes when choosing an HDTV. By being aware of the pitfalls, you can end up with a better experience, a better TV and without the grief others have experienced. [Read more]

 Jupiter’s “Grand Tack” Reshaped the Solar System,

August 19, 2011 / Written by: Elizabeth Zubritsky, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Jupiter, long settled in its position as the fifth planet from our sun, was a rolling stone in its youth. Over the eons, the giant planet roamed toward the center of the solar system and back out again, at one point moving in about as close as Mars is now. The planet’s travels profoundly influenced the solar system, changing the nature of the asteroid belt and making Mars smaller than it should have been. These details are based on a new model of the early solar system developed by NAI scientists at the Goddard Center for Astrobiology and their colleagues. Their paper appears in a recent issue of Nature.

How come you didn’t see the whole of the Moon? Famously reclusive Neil Armstrong breaks silence to answer the burning question (The Independent (UK), Saturday, 11 December 2010):  Every schoolchild knows that the “small step for man” and the “giant leap for mankind” are words uttered by Neil Armstrong during the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing. But now the famously reclusive astronaut has made a rare foray into the public arena to give an answer to a puzzling question: having gone all that way at such vast expense, why were the steps and leaps so few? The subject arose when science blogger Robert Krulwich mused on his National Public Radio page about why Armstrong and crewmate Buzz Aldrin had covered an area barely larger than a football pitch. “The trip was a ‘leap’ to be sure, a fantastic accomplishment,” he wrote. “But the first Moon explorers explored an astonishingly small area.” There it might have rested. But much to Krulwich’s surprise, he got an answer – and from the commander himself. 

Astronomers Discover, Image New Planet In Planetary System Very Similar To Our Own (Photonics Online, December 10, 2010): An international team of astronomers has discovered and imaged a fourth giant planet … (known as HR 8799e) [orbiting] a bright star called HR 8799, which lies some 129 light years from Earth and is faintly visible to the naked eye… [The]  discovery … further strengthens the remarkable resemblances between a distant planetary system and our own. The research is published Dec. 8 in the advance online version of the journal Nature. (Nature article here.)

 

 

New mathematics research proves there’s plenty of time for evolution (PhysOrg.comDecember 14, 2010) — A new mathematical model developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has offered even moreevidence of the correctness of evolutionary theory.  Herbert Wilf, Penn’s Thomas A. Scott Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, and Warren Ewens, emeritus professor of biology, say their model directly challenges the long-standing contention among some doubters that evolution couldn’t have happened because the small changes in species outlined by the theory simply would have taken too much time to be completed. Their works shows that, under a very reasonable model of mutations and natural selection, the time required to evolve a very complex organism is vastly smaller than might be presumed. As a result, the idea that evolution would require “too much time” to be true is proved false. Wilf and Ewens’ model is described in the paper “There’s Plenty of Time for Evolution,” which will appear in an upcoming issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Knot in Mystery Ribbon at Solar System’s Edge Unravels (Live Science, 9/30/2010): “The unraveling of a knot in a mysterious energy ribbon shows that the edge of our solar system is a much more dynamic place than previously thought, according to new research. NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer spacecraft has revealed quickly changing conditions near the heliosphere, a protective bubble that shields our solar system from powerful, damaging cosmic rays.“ 

Panama Canal fossils reveal ancient collision of worlds (BBC News Science & Environment, 9/30/2010): “It was the biggest event in our planet’s history since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Three million years ago, the Americas collided. The creation of the Panama Isthmus – the narrow land bridge that joins the two continents – wreaked havoc on land, sea and air. It triggered extinctions, diverted ocean currents and transformed climate. Now a multi-billion dollar project to widen the Panama Canal is set to reveal new secrets about the event that changed the world.”

 Water map shows billions at risk of ‘water insecurity’ (BBC News Science & Environment, 9/29/2010):“About 80% of the world’s population lives in areas where the fresh water supply is not secure, according to a new global analysis.” 

Dolphin species attempt ‘common language’ (BBC Earth News, 9/30/2010): “When two dolphin species come together, they attempt to find a common language, preliminary research suggests.”

The Fanatic Cook Blogspot:  Lots of information about food, nutrition and diet. Possibly about diet than you might want to know. Knowledge is certainly power, but it may do nothing for your appetite! (On the other hand, it might be good for you. ;)

 

See-Through, Light-Transmitting … Concrete?! (Dornob.com, 9.29/2010): “Concrete has a sometimes-bad reputation as a harsh, rigid, cold-to-the-touch and straight-edged material. Litracon is doing a great deal to change that image …. Filled with optical fibers that run from one end of a poured piece of concrete to the other, these prefabricated blocks and panels effectively transmit light from one side to the other. Colors and light remain remarkably consistent from end to end, but with a natural variation from the pouring process that actually softens the effects considerably.”

 

Crews fish out lost nets to save trapped wildlife  [USA Today, Updated 5/18/2010]: “Beneath the frigid waters of Washington state‘s Puget Sound, thousands of abandoned nets once used by fishermen to trap salmon by their gills keep working.They now indiscriminately catch marine life. With no one to pull up the plastic nets, captured animals can’t escape and become bait for other creatures to enter the nets.”

 

Earth Fossil Find May Lead to Martian Discoveries [Discovery.com, Thu Apr 29, 2010]:” A common mineral widely believed to be a poor vessel for fossils actually contains a treasure trove of ancient life, a discovery that may lead scientists searching for life on Mars to the planet’s sweet spot.”

 

Scientists figure out what makes fish oil so good for you [Los Angeles Times, September 02, 2010]  “You’ve probably heard of omega-3 fatty acids, the nutrients that make fish oil so healthy. You may even have heard of particular ones, such as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) or EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). But unless you’re one of the scientists who worked on a study being published in Friday’s edition of the journal Cell, you surely have no idea why omega-3 fatty acids are so good at tamping down inflammation and enhancing sensitivity to insulin.”