Gamma-Ray Bursts Could Halt Photosynthesis | Wired Science | Wired.com

"Cosmic explosions thousands of light-years away could shut down photosynthesis in the ocean at depths of up to 260 feet, a new study suggests. The calculations add to a growing body of research linking these great blasts, called gamma-ray bursts, with biological damage and even mass extinctions on Earth.

Gamma-ray bursts are tremendous explosions detonated during a massive star’s death throes. When stars eight times the mass of the sun or larger reach the end of their lives, they die in spectacular supernova explosions that can temporarily outshine entire galaxies."

Now You See It, Now You Don't -- an Invisibility Cloak Made of Glass

From Tolkien's ring of power in The Lord of the Rings to Star Trek's Romulans, who could make their warships disappear from view, from Harry Potter's magical cloak to the garment that makes players vanish in the video game classic Dungeons and Dragons, the power to turn someone or something invisible has fascinated mankind. But who ever thought that a scientist at Michigan Technological University would be serious about building a working invisibility cloak?"

How music training primes nervous system and boosts learning

"Those ubiquitous wires connecting listeners to you-name-the-sounds from invisible MP3 players -- whether of Bach, Miles Davis or, more likely today, Lady Gaga -- only hint at music's effect on the soul throughout the ages."

Pre-Inca Remains Found in Peru : Discovery News

"July 21, 2010 -- A man works on uncovering the remains of a child at the Bosque de Pomac archaeological complex in Lambayeque, Peru. Peruvian archaeologists believe the remains date back to a pre-Inca civilization that is more than 1,200 years old."

Revised theory of gravity doesn't predict a Big Bang

"The Big Bang theory has formed the basis of our understanding of the universe's origins since it was first proposed in 1927 by Georges Lemaitre. And for good reason: the theory is supported by scientists' latest observations and experiments, and is based on Einstein's widely accepted theory of general relativity. But scientists are always on the lookout for any evidence that might suggest an alternative to the Big Bang. The latest in this area of research comes from astrophysicists Maximo Banados and Pedro Ferreira, who have resurrected a theory of gravity from the early 20th century and discovered that a modified version of the theory may hold some surprises."

Fly's brain -- a high-speed computer: Neurobiologists use state-of-the-art methods to decode the basics of motion detection

"What would be the point of holding a soccer world championship if we couldn't distinguish the ball from its background? Simply unthinkable! But then again, wouldn't it be fantastic if your favourite team's striker could see the movements of the ball in slow motion! Unfortunately, this advantage only belongs to flies."

Oldest written document ever found in Jerusalem discovered

"A tiny clay fragment -- dating from the 14th century B.C.E. -- that was found in excavations outside Jerusalem's Old City walls contains the oldest written document ever found in Jerusalem, say researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The find, believed to be part of a tablet from a royal archives, further testifies to the importance of Jerusalem as a major city in the Late Bronze Age, long before its conquest by King David, they say."

Me and the Sunshine Girls in SF

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Fibers that can hear and sing: Fibers created that detect and produce sound

"For centuries, 'man-made fibers' meant the raw stuff of clothes and ropes; in the information age, it's come to mean the filaments of glass that carry data in communications networks. But to Yoel Fink, an Associate professor of Materials Science and principal investigator at MIT's Research Lab of Electronics, the threads used in textiles and even optical fibers are much too passive. For the past decade, his lab has been working to develop fibers with ever more sophisticated properties, to enable fabrics that can interact with their environment."

Bridge to the quantum world: Darwinian concept of natural selection figures into theory about core of physical reality

"Science fiction has nothing over quantum physics when it comes to presenting us with a labyrinthine world that can twist your mind into knots when you try to make sense of it"