Jaw-Dropping Time Lapse of Earth

I thought this video was mesmerizing and absolutely breath-taking.  Bruce Berry, takes videos and stills from Astronauts living in the International Space Station and "color grades, denoises, deflickers, slows down, and stabilizes the footage to create one of the most impressive time-lapse films you'll ever see,"  Check it out, it's pretty cool.

Opening a Soda on the Ocean Floor

So before Chris Hadfield showed us what wringing a wet towel in space was like, he was at the bottom of the ocean showing others what happens when you shake a soda can under sub-sea pressure.  

I'm assuming he didn't try this test on the International Space Station.

The Scientific 7-Minute Workout

Here you go.  A Scientific 7-minute Workout - so you have no excuse.  I think we all can find 7 minutes out of 1,440 in a day, right?

"The exercises should be performed in rapid succession, allowing 30 seconds for each, while, throughout, the intensity hovers at about an 8 on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10... Those seven minutes should be, in a word, unpleasant. The upside is, after seven minutes, you’re done. "

Courtesy of The New York Times, an article in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal does just that. In 12 exercises deploying only body weight, a chair and a wall, it fulfills the latest mandates for high-intensity effort, which essentially combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes of steady discomfort — all of it based on science. 

“There’s very good evidence” that high-intensity interval training provides “many of the fitness benefits of prolonged endurance training but in much less time,” says Chris Jordan, the director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla., and co-author of the new article.

What Would Happen If The World Lost Oxygen For 5 Seconds?

Remember what would happen if the sun were to disappear?  It wasn't a pretty outcome, was it?  Well, what would happen if the world lost oxygen for 5 seconds?  Yes, I said 5 seconds.  

At first, I'm thinking, "ah, we'll be alright." lol. But once I found out that everything in this world exists because the perfect amount of oxygen, I had a different outlook on this beautiful chemical element we so desperately need.  And the fact everyone's inner ear would explode.

From the same folks who brought you How Much Food Can You Buy For $5 Around The World?,  12 Game of Thrones House Sigils for the Internet, and What Does 2000 Calories Look Like?

Wringing a Wet Towel in Space

I spotted this video last Saturday and had to share it.  Astronaut Chris Hadfield wrung a towel of water aboard the International Space Station and what do you think happened?  

What you'll witness is pretty darn bizarre - but really cool.  I'm sure the 10th graders who posed the question were equally impressed.  Check it out.

Though, I'm kinda confused. I didn't know Canada had a space program. Things that make you go hmmm...

My Christian Thoughts - Issue #5 - The Bible Never Changes, Science Does

Honesty, thank God, Lord Jesus, this man was never elected.  OMG, what an idiot.  I'm sorry, but people like Joe infuriate me, especially those who claim to be God-fearing, God-loving Christians.

It's a Sunday and it's My Christian Thoughts!

So apparently, Joe the plumber can't stop reminiscing about those glory days when he and his football buddies would play "Smear the Queer" - because that was normal.  I'm going to say he was probably one of those that also beat up on the smaller boys.  But today isn't about smearing us gay men, it's about this video.

In it, Joe talks about when he became a Christian and his youth pastor showed him the light.  That unlike our Science books that keep being revised, because we humans are still trying to figure things out, The Holy Bible never changes.  Oh, I love how pastors like to use analogies when trying to explain things - it makes them so much smarter.

I'm going to refer you to an earlier  post, "Isn't This The Truth? How Many More Versions?", where I explained the reasoning behind "versions" and "translations" of the Bible.  So yes, The Holy Bible has been revised several times, and it's because "Humans are still trying to figure things out".

Has it ever occurred to Mr. Wurzelbacher that Science books change because answers are found, discoveries are being made, and Polio is 99% gone from the world?  That the car he drives to work, the pill he swallows for a headache, and the chair he is sitting on, are all owed to science.

I can go on and on, but I'm going to close with this.  Joe, if you're going to say something, do a little research on it before you speak your mind.  And for those who feel I'm wrong for saying the things I say, I'm sorry, but the truth may hurt a little.  These are My Christian Thoughts after all.

The Sun As You've Never Seen It Before!

This video is pretty darn amazing.  I love science, the planets, and Star Trek!!!  LOL.  Seriously though, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory put this together and it's absolutely stunning.

About the video - "This extraordinary video looks back on the 3rd year of operation of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Since its launch in 2010, SDO's data and imagery have exceeded everyone's hopes and expectations, providing stunningly detailed views of the sun. The observatory has continued to return breathtaking pictures and movies of eruptive events on the sun. These images are more than just pretty. By highlighting different wavelengths of light, scientists can track how material on the sun moves. Such movement, in turn, holds clues as to what causes these giant explosions."

Your Worth More Dead Than Alive!

So let's say you are in decent shape... You have a healthy head of hair, perfect 20/20 vision, a good heart, and you don't drink too much, so you have a good liver.  You're gonna love this pretty cool infographic.  It pretty much let's you know how much your whole body is worth to science and the health industry.

They will give you $1,525 for your pair of eyeballs
$500 for each of your shoulders
$157,000 for your liver
$119,000 for your heart, and
$10 for every square inch of your good-looking skin.

What are the rest of your body parts worth?

Source: medicaltranscription.net

WTF Has Obama Done? - Issue No. 019 - Scientific & Medical Research

Don't listen to what the REDs (Republicans) are telling you.  Scientific and medical research are two of the most important, if not the most important topics when it comes to our future health and well-being.  Without them, we wouldn't have the medications we have today, without them we wouldn't have the technology that has helped billions around the world.  Without them we wouldn't have space exploration, mapping, and all the wonders we come across each and every day.  We live longer lives because of Scientific and Medical research, don't let the REDs tell you otherwise.  Yeah I'm calling them REDs from now on.

Did you know that the majority of the people who vote against government intervention and against the policies President Obama sets forth, are the same people who use the system?  I'm not lying.  And did you know that the majority of the red-states are actually the people with the most welfare recipients?  So yeah, don't go saying "we don't want government" when the majority of you are the ones using it.

Sorry for getting off the subject at hand, but the REDs are driving me nuts.  Over the last three years President Obama has issued three broad policies, two funding and three targeted actions in regard to scientific and medical research.  I will post one achievement from each category today.

WTF-55

Removed restrictions and provided support for embryonic stem-cell research and new biomedical research.

Pledging that his administration will “make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology,” President Obama on Monday lifted the Bush administration’s strict limits on human embryonic stem cell research. [Read More-1, Read More-2]

"I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations," Obama wrote in response to a questionnaire from a consortium of scientific groups. 

"As president, I will lift the current administration"s ban on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines created after Aug. 9, 2001, through executive order, and I will ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight," he said. [Read More]

The Obama administration has begun approving new lines of human embryonic stem cells that are eligible for federally funded experiments, opening the way for millions of taxpayer dollars to be used to conduct research that was put off-limits by President George W. Bush. [Read More]

WTF-56

Provided new federal funding for science and research labs.

President Barack Obama pledged Monday to spend more money on scientific research and improve science education.

In a speech to the National Academy of Sciences, Mr. Obama said federal funding in the physical sciences as a portion of GDP has fallen by nearly half in the past 25 years. Students in Singapore, Japan, England, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and South Korea are outperforming their American peers, he added.

"Other countries are now beginning to pull ahead in the pursuit of this generation's great discoveries," Mr. Obama said. [Read More]

Nuclear energy and energy research are among the big winners in the proposed $28.4 billion Energy Department fiscal 2011 budget the White House unveiled in February, 2010.

In keeping with his theme that the United States is at risk of falling behind the rest of the world in clean energy, Obama said those programs will produce the "jobs of the future" in the United States.

"We also continue to lay a new foundation for lasting growth, which is essential, as well," Obama said today at the White House. "Just as it would be a terrible mistake to borrow against our children's future to pay our way today, it would be equally wrong to neglect their future by failing to invest in areas that will determine our economic success in this new century." [Read More]

Obama's Budget Gives a Boost to Science - While other federal departments face budget cuts, science agencies get more money [Read More]
 

WTF-57

Appointed an assistant to the president for science and technology policy.

"Will appoint an Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Policy who will report directly to the president, and be deeply involved in establishing research priorities that reflect the nation's needs based on the best available advice from experts around the country." Obama promised during his campaign in 2008.

And continuing with his list of promises kept, President Barack Obama appointed John P. Holdren to three different positions involving science. Holdren is assistant to the president for science and technology; the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President; and co-chair of the President"s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST).  [Read More]

I promise to come back to this topic in another issue, until then, please feel free to read my previous issues by clicking here.

Make sure to read the next issue
Issue No. 020 -Space Exploration & Space Station

WTF Has Obama Done is an ongoing series posted daily or weekly on BLADE 7184 until Election Day, 2012!

WTF Has Obama Done? - Issue No. 008 - Scientific and Medical Research

Okay, okay, I didn't post an issue of "WTF Has Obama Done?" yesterday, but it was the Superbowl and Madonna at half-time, can you really blame me? LOL.  There's going to be days I'll probably miss "here and there," because of personal events in my life, but I will continue posting them until election day, I promise.

In the last 7 issues I brought up the top 7 most important issues concerning Americans today - Civil Rights, Health Care, Immigration, our Military, Taxes, the Economy, and Foreign Policy.  I listed all of our President's achievements in regard to his broad policies and targeted actions for each topic.  I included an excerpt from each reference and listed the sources for each.

In today's issue I will cover 3 of the President's broad policies concerning Scientific and Medical Research.

WTF-20

Removed restrictions and provided support for embryonic stem-cell research and new biomedical research.

Pledging that his administration will “make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology,” President Obama on Monday lifted the Bush administration’s strict limits on human embryonic stem cell research. [Reference-1]

"I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations. As president, I will lift the current administration’s ban on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001 through executive order ... .." [Reference-2]

"In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values," Obama said at the White House.   In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering. I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research -- and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly." [Reference-3]

Launching a dramatic expansion of government support for one of the most promising but most contentious fields of biomedical research, the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday authorized the first 13 lines of cells under the administration's policy...[Reference-4]

WTF-21

Extended the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to establish an advisory council on science, technology, and innovation, it is hereby ordered as follows:

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is hereby established. The PCAST shall be composed of not more than 21 members, one of whom shall be the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (the ‘‘Science Advisor’’), and 20 of whom shall include distinguished individuals and representatives from sectors outside of the Federal Government appointed by the President. These nonfederal members shall have diverse perspectives and expertise in science, technology, and innovation. The Science Advisor shall serve as a Co-Chair of the PCAST. The President shall also designate at least one, but not more than two, of the nonfederal members to serve as a Co-Chair of the PCAST with the Science Advisor. [Reference-1, Reference-2]

President Barack Obama said, "This council represents leaders from many scientific disciplines who will bring a diversity of experience and views. I will charge PCAST with advising me about national strategies to nurture and sustain a culture of scientific innovation."

PCAST will be co-chaired by John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Eric Lander, Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and one of the principal leaders of the Human Genome Project; and Harold Varmus, President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, former head of the National Institutes of Health and a Nobel laureate. [Reference-3]

WTF-22

Supported Landsat Data Continuity Mission to enhance earth mapping.

Landsat is a satellite program, jointly run by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, that has been used for climate research, natural resources management, land development, public safety, homeland security and disaster recovery. It has operated for more than 25 years, with two satellites — Landsat-5, launched in 1984, and Landsat-7, launched in 1999 — still in orbit. But they are operating beyond their planned life and are subject to failure.

To ensure that the program survives, NASA and USGS are developing the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, or LDCM, which is planning to launch a spacecraft in December 2012, according to the Congressional Research Service.  [Reference]

As promised, I will come back to this topic in another issue.  Please make sure to read Issue No. 009 as I continue with WTF-23
Posted daily or weekly on BLADE 7184 until Election Day!

The Science Behind Santa

So how does Santa see all those children on Christmas eve?  Science suggests that only 33 percent of the world population believes in Christmas, and when one calculates the different time zones, along with an average 1 out of 3 kids per household not on the naughty list... oh wait... but then you have to calculate the weight of the presents, calculate the amount of time it takes to stop at each house and go down the chimney...

We learn that Santa needs to visit 1,800 houses per second in order to deliver all of his toys, meaning he travels at 24,000 times the speed of sound. (Not that plausible, but who knows what kind of magic Santa is capable of?) One reality that is harder to explain away is the fact that by traveling so fast, the reindeer will absorb so much energy in flight that "they will burst into flame almost instantaneously." Oh, poor Rudolph! But who knows, maybe they wear some kind of flame-retardant suits that Mrs. Claus makes for them. - Jezebel

Cable TV Channels and Their Shows

What a Hot Mess: Cat Parts

Seriously?  I know it happens, and it's just heartbreaking, but what are these students supposed to do with their damn cat parts!  This is just wrong! What a hot mess!

God Help Us If Texas Governor, Ricky Perry is Elected...

Scientists are a fabric of our society.  We have what we have in our hands (cell phones), because of Scientists.  Almost everything we own in our lives is because Science was involved. 

After a reporter gives him a huge breakdown on Global Warming and his position regarding it, our Texas Governor, Rick Perry, and I use "our" lightly, claims that scientists invented global warming to make money.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Governor.  And keep in mind, our state has been in extreme drought for over 6 months!  As I was driving in The Woodlands last week, trees everywhere were dying, trees planted by highways dead, and beautiful landscapes gone!  Yeah, we live in a make-belief land.

Hasn't America learned their lesson by electing another dumbass from Texas?  Seriously, how much more stupid can this country get?  God help us all!

The Science Behind Hot Dog Eating Contests

Honestly, I've never understood the concept behind Food Eating Contests.  Quite frankly, I think it's rather dumb to shove food down your throat in such a rapid manner.  It's looks disgusting, and it's downright nasty.  Then again, this is just my opinion, so don't get offended if you're the current reigning hot dog champ. If you've never seen the contest, you can catch it every year on ESPN or in person in Coney Island in New York.

From 2001 to 2006, Japanese, Takeru Kobayashi was the champion of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, until American, Joey Chestnut, the current winner, took his title away, and he's not about to relinquish it anytime soon.  This is also the first year, women were allowed to compete in their own separate event.  Yesterday, Joey ate 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.  How does he do it, and how is it possible to consume that much food in such a short period of time?  

Well..... ESPN has broken it down for us, and this is how it works...

Mammoth to Make a Gigantic Return by 2015

So it's possible the Mighty Mammoth may roam the earth once again.  At least according to a team of scientists from Russia, Japan and the United States.  And they plan to do it by 2015!

The recipe calls for:

A mammoth carcass (preferably preserved in a Russian laboratory)
Egg cells of an African elephant

All you have to do is extract DNA from the mammoth carcass and insert it into the egg cells of an African elephant.  And presto! You have your very first Wooly Mammoth since 15,000,000,000,000 (gazillion) years ago.

Read the full story here: CNN