NASA reinstates asteroid mission

Having spent over $150m, NASA have decided to revive the Dawn mission, after having earlier announced they did not have enough money to complete the project.

Because of the delays, Dawn will now launch some time in the summer of 2007, taking 4 years to reach two large asteroids, Ceres and Vesta, in an effort to gain insights as to how the solar system was originally put together.

The Stone Head

Story of a gigantic stone head found in the Guatemalan jungle, originally discovered by a landowner in the 1950s, and more recently nearly totally destroyed by local guerillas using it for target practice.

Although similar in scale to the more famous Olmec heads, this one is in a completely different style, seeming to depict a more Caucasian visage, and which intriguingly has its eyes closed. As yet it has not been dated, but it's hoped that further study will reveal as yet hidden clues.

Oetzi's Murder Recorded on Ancient Stone?

One of the great mysteries concerning Oetzi was why it took about ten years for anyone to notice that he had a flint arrowhead lodged in his left shoulder - and now comes news that an ancient stele found in nearby Laces seems to depict someone in the process of being shot from behind by an archer.

Probe returns first Mars pictures

The Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter has given a hint of the future quality of images we can expect to see when it finally gets into its proper orbit in October. The attached image was snapped from 1,550 miles above the surface, but this distance will decrease to 158 miles, giving a resolution down to 11 inches per pixel - and with any luck, the upgraded images will also be in colour.

At some point in the future, the US public will be able to submit suggestions for areas of Mars they feel would most benefit from high quality imaging, meaning that we might at last be able to make conclusive comments on exactly what is to be found at Cydonia.

Probe yields Earth defence clues

Although the Hayabusa probe is currently languishing in space and not even on its way home until 2007, sufficient data has been gathered from the mission to merit mention at the 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, held in Houston, Texas.

Most of the interest seems to be in assessing the Itokawa asteroid as a suitable example of something that might be on a collision course with Earth, and an object that might have to be destroyed or diverted away from its path to prevent a catastrophic incident.

Front wheel on Mars rover stops

Three years into what was originally planned as a 90-day mission, Spirit Rover is slowly grinding to a halt, though with three wheels left on the wagon, there's life in the old soldier yet.

Life's diversity 'being depleted'

The sixth great extinction is in full swing, and whether we survive it remains to be seen - if we don't, there will be a new set of species that will dominate the planet, but it may well be that mankind will survive on other worlds, though it's not yet known whether we could take various plant and animal species with us.

NASA - Moonquakes

Although we tend to think of the Moon as a dead and desolate wasteland where nothing ever happens, people who live there in the future will have to contend with shallow moonquakes.

These quakes last much longer than on Earth, sometimes going on for 10 minutes, during which time the Moon has been observed to 'ring like a bell', which is similar to what happened in the past when probes were sent crashing into the Moon, causing some to think that the Moon itself could be hollow.

Comets 'are born of fire and ice'

Because comets have traditionally thought to have originated in the cold depths of the outer solar system, NASA scientists examining the results of the Stardust mission find themselves puzzling over some unexpected results.

It has been found that some of the grains from Comet Wild-2 were formed at extremely high temperatures, red or white hot, when the region the comets occupy is extremely cold, meaning the comets cannot be leftover planetary material that did not coalesce.

Two ideas have been put forward to explain this, one being the X-Wind theory, whereby molten droplets of matter were propelled outward from the inner solar system on a magnetised jet, or that comet particles were formed in other stars before finding their way into the bodies of comets - but as a quarter of all the particles were formed hot, this seems unlikely.

A third proposal is that the comets themselves represent the remains of one or more exploded planets that once dwelt in the outer regions of the solar system - and that these explosions may have contributed to past extinction events here on Earth.

White House Delays Release of Study Showing Toxic Rocket Fuel in Most Americans

Perchlorate, the explosive element in rocket fuel has also been found in humans, though whether it's energising them in any way is doubtful. It is absorbed when people consume dairy and other foods, has been detected in animal food crops, and causes damage to the thyroid - so why anyone would want to delay publication of this report is a mystery. This doubtless affects many millions of others outside the US, who would also like to know how much percholate they have on board.

The poison lurking in your plastic water bottle

With sales of carbonated drinks in the UK plummeting, and people suspicious of what may be contained in tap water, millions of people have instead turned to bottled water as a safer and healthier alternative.

But it now appears that antimony from the plastic bottles is contaminating the mineral water, to such an extent that one expert has sworn never to touch bottled water again.

Antimony has been known to cause feelings of illness and depression, and in large amounts can cause nausea and even death - so at some stage someone is gong to have to come up with an inert container that doesn't pollute the water.

You don't exist, so don't worry about it

Although technically the linked article doesn't exist, it's worth reading nevertheless. It makes the point that at the very smallest levels of our reality, matter doesn't act in the way it's supposed to - we're used to thinking of atoms as billiard balls linked together to form molecules. However, as we know, an atom is mostly fresh air - there's a nucleus in the middle, with electrons whizzing round in orbit - but even these aren't the smallest components of an atom, as they themselves are composed of other particles that fluctuate in and out of existence.

Taken on a larger scale, it could be demonstrated that as we, and all matter, are similarly composed, we spend a great deal of time during which our constituent parts are at their smallest level, continuously blinking in and out of existence, meaning in effect that we are both dead and alive at the same time.

How I woke up to a nightmare plot to steal centuries of law and liberty

The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill will give Ministers the power to make or amend any law they like, without having to put a Bill before Parliament. The Government claim that ther simply isn't enough time to pass all the legislation needed for their hue amount of deregulation that is supposedly in the offing, but from here it looks very much as though the end of Parliament as an effective instrument of democracy, has now arrived.

Mars craft enters critical phase

Mars Reconaissance Orbiter will be the fourth satellite in orbit around the Red Planet as long as the current operation to allow it to be captured by Mars' gravity succeeds.

Then there will follow a further 500 orbits over 6 months as the craft moves itself from elliptical to circular orbit, from where it will begin a two-year mission to study the atmosphere, suface and subterrannean features - this is slated to start in October of this year.

However it should be borne in mind that 21 out of 35 missions to Mars since 1960 have failed, most disappearing without trace - some believe missions were deliberately sabotaged from Earth, others that aliens wishing to keep cosmic secrets had waylaid the craft, but most believe bad luck and system malfunctions were to blame.

Treasury Dept. Moves to Avoid Debt Limit

Meanwhile back on Earth, the US is having to raise its debt limit, currently standing at 8.18 trillion dollars, by raiding some of its pension plans - otherwise the prosepect of a first ever default on payments to bondholders looks likely sometime after March 20th.

Even if a new budget limit is agreed, it can only be a matter of time before another new limit will have to be set, especially in the light of a war with Iran. In such circumstances the US might well feel that rather than invading Iran, it will be cheaper and quicker to go for the nuclear option. Either way, the dollar looks set to lose more value against other currencies.

Radical! Liquid Water on Enceladus

The Cassini mission to Saturn has just come up with the discovery of water on the mentioned moon, which scientists are hoping may mean there's some kind of life extant there.

Genome's knowledge "avalanche"

Some day, when everyone on the planet has their body and mind both permanently monitored and controlled, we might have cause to regret that work ever began on deconstructing the human genome - but by then, such thoughts may have been eradicated, and we won't know any better.

Iran confrontation moves to next stage

The International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded it cannot rule out the possibility that Iran has no undeclared nuclear materials or activities, and the issue will now be taken up by the UN Security Council.

There will likely be demands that Iran cease all uranium enrichment, which Iran will refuse to do, saying it as the right to develop nuclear power for domestic use, and needs to do so at a local level in order to guarantee steady supplies.

This is in part a response to Russia's proposal to enrich the uranium on her soil and then ship it over to Iran, an offer that Iran has so far declined to take up.

However, despite the many warnings that will be issued in the coming weeks, it's unlikely that any sanctions will be applied, with the US making the ominous threat of 'consequences', which as we are all aware means military action.

Both Iran and the US this week have referred to damage and harm that could be suffered by both sides, and there are fears that Iran already has a nuclear weapon capability which it might use in response to a pre-emptive strike from the US.

Mars To Earth: Sample Mission A Must

While there is a great deal to be said for studying as much of Mars as possible before sending human missions, it's not entirely clear what the health and safety risks involved would be. Bringing back alien microbes and and nanobiology might have unexpected and far reaching effects back here on Earth - we might be better served if facilities were built on the Moon that allowed analysis of extraterrestrial materials to take place there.

Contact with troubled Hayabusa probe restored

Although we haven't quite seen the last of Hayabusa, the chances of it returning to Earth grow increasingly remote. Nearly all the fuel has leaked away, and it will be 2007 at the earliest that the 3 year trip back to Earth can be attempted.

Still Evolving, Human Genes Tell New Story - New York Times

Article that discusses how the human genome has changed in crucial areas over the last 15,000 years. It claims that human evolution did not come to a halt in the past, although the forces in question here are those of natural selection, which are not the same thing as evolution.

Areas of the genome studied include bone structure, skin colour, resistance to malaria, and the ability to digest milk products after childhood - it's suggested that the shift to an agricultural lifestyle was largely responsible for the changes in dietary capabilities, while paler skin able to absorb more vitamin D, is thought to reflect the move northwards from Africa to cooler climates back in the Palaeolithic.

A good demonstration of how evolution might work on the micro scale, which nevertheless fails to explain how completely new species of hominids repeatedly appeared out of nowhere throughout prehistory.

Tools 'may be 250,000 years old'

There's been a dearth of Neanderthal news recently, but now word comes that their mighty empire may have included the Isle of Wight, and at a surprsingly early date of 250,000 years, which is about the time of the first traces of Neanderthals anywhere in Europe - there's plenty more to be uncovered from the site At Great Pan Farm.

Red Lines Crisscross Iraq's Political Landscape

Faced with the prospect of weak central government, eternal feuding between Sunni and Shi'a factions, the Kurds of the north are increasingly looking to break away from the rest of Iraq - and the US might well be reduced to the role of spectator, albeit paying a very high price for the privilege.

US to present Iran with 30-day ultimatum

Despite the gloomy headline, it may yet transpire that the headlong descent into nuclear war in the Middle East could be averted.

Moscow appears to have taken the initiative, having more or less agreed with Iran to move the uranium enrichment process to Russia, which would also allow the EU to say it had achieved its aims of halting the process from taking place in Iran, amid fears that sooner or later weapons will be manufactured.

There is a great deal of rumour surrounding missing nuclear material that has disappeared since the end of the Cold War, with many suspecting Iran of having obtained some of it, in which case the current debate might turn out to be irrelevant.

However, in the short term, it appears that all sides are unwilling to let matters get out of hand too quickly - but one way or another, this story still has a long way to run. Iran and the US are sworn enemies, and while both might be stalling for time until the right opportunity to strike at each other arises, it will be interesting to see if the rest of the international community can convince the two adversaries to keep it peaceful.

E-mail delivery 'tax' criticised

As with anything good and of benefit to millions, sooner or later someone comes up with the idea of charging for it. AOL say they're trying to stop the spammers, and Yahoo plan to do the same, but from here it just looks like the thin end of a wedge that will soon see everyone paying to send and receive email, with the only benefit appearing on the profit and loss sheets of the providers.

Altruism 'in-built' in humans

Although people certainly can be helpful on occasion, altruism is something that's probably coaxed out of us from an early age, disppears completely for a while, before sometimes returning in old age, when there isn't much else to do except be nice to people.

Huge impact crater found in Egypt

Story of a crater so large that no one has hitherto recognised its presence - however, until someone puts a date to it, we won't know what effect the asteroid would have had at the moment of impact.

Media 'sensationalising science'

Article that leads us to believe we cannot trust everything we read in the papers. Extraordinary.

Red Sea timbers provide a raft of knowledge

When the ships of ancient Egypt returned home from sea, they were examined for wear and tear; if wood was damaged it was painted red, then removed from the structure, to be restored and repaired before being pressed into service for non-marine purposes such as walkways.

It's thought that these ships were originally part manufactured in the Nile valley before being sent overland to the coast, where the work was then finished.

Stealth sharks to patrol the high seas

If you're out swimming in the deep blue sea, and you find yourself being tailed by sharks wearing bulky raincoats and sporting dark glasses, chances are you're being monitored by the Pentagon.

'E.T. Contact Would Transform Society'

Interview with Paul Davies, who believes if we made contact it would be with artificial intelligence, as he believes biological intelligence is only a passing phase, and it's also unlikely that two or more worlds would have the same levels of intelligent life after billions of years in the making.

The fact that they have not already invaded Earth leads him to think that any aliens are not hostile, although there are many others who would dispute this, claiming that mankind has been under the control of various aliens for thousands of years.

Nuclear Deal Centre Stage for U.S., India

With the signing of an accord with the US, India has, after three decades, been welcomed into the nuclear trading family, which allows for the provision of nuclear energy in the civilian sector.

Elsewhere, Iran and Russia have so far been unable to agree the details if an agreement that would allow Iran to import enriched uranium from Russia - while in the background, Israel is becoming increasingly uneasy about relations between the two nations.

Telescopes 'worthless' by 2050

Referring to the increase in contrails caused by ever increasing amounts of discounted air-traffic in the skies above Earth, astronomers reckon ground-based astronomy could be impossible within the next 40 years. Global warming and it's accompanying cloud cover have already put a finite time limit on terrestrial observation, though it's hard to believe viewing conditions will be so bad.

If we want to be serious about studying the Universe, we need our telescopes to be in space, and out of the way of the Sun's glare, but that's going to take a lot of money which no-one seems to want to spend right now.

Ausonia Mensa remnant massif

Image from ESA showing one large mountain, 3,700 m high on Mars - it's 98km long and 48km wide, and as the picture shows, has been hit several times in the past by large objects smashing into it. Sooner or later they'll get round to publishing images of a similar quality from the Cydonia region, whose appearance in recent images has been notable by its absence.

Profits set to soar in outer space

Article that enthuses about the vast amounts of money waiting to be made in space if only someone can go and claim them. Mention is made of an asteroid, 3554 Amun, which carries nickel,iron,cobalt and platinum-like metals that are worth 450 times the wealth of Bill Gates.

Shuttle hopes for three flights

It looks as though the Shuttle will fly again, perhaps as early as May, and possibly as many as three flights during this calendar year.

Efforts are being made to ensure the safety issues connected with the foam covering on the fuel tank are addressed, a problem that has still not been entirely eliminated.

Apart from a mission to repair Hubble, all the remaining Shuttle flights until 2010 are heading towards building the International Space Station, which will have a benefit to science and mankind of approximately nil, and it is to be greatly regretted that so much of NASA's budget is being needlessly squandered in this way.

Compulsory water meters confirmed

Although it might seem hard to believe, but the South East of England is apparently experiencing a drought, and the water companies have seized on this to enforce their plans of compulsory water meters for all - meaning that for the first time, millions of people face the potential prospect of being denied water, should they fail to pay their bills.

Although only one company has been granted this so far, it's expected that others will follow, and it can only be a matter of time before all households in the UK are similarly equipped with meters.

But the water shortages of the UK will be nothing compared to what might happen in other parts of the world, where millions of farmers are pumping up fossil water from underground to offset the shortages caused by irrigation projects involving the damming of rivers and other similar schemes.

Water pumped from underground is causing water tables to fall, as the annual raifall isn't sufficient to recharge subterranean aquifers, and there are some figures that bear sombre reading when we learn where all this water is going.

For example, to produce a single kilo of coffee, 20,000 litres of water are required, a kilo of cheese uses 5,000 litres, and a kilo of sugar, 3,000 litres. So although these problems are currently in Asia, pumping up water also occurs in South and North America, and to a lesser extent in North Africa, the consumer world of the west is partly responsible for driving demand. It is thought that a tenth of the world's food is grown using water that is irreplaceable.

Early humans more peaceful than thought

Follow-up piece to the article of last week that proposed early mankind was hunted rather than a hunter - until about 2 million years ago. At that time there were ten times as many predators, some of which were ten times larger than they are today - predation rates for hominins ran at about 6%, which was and is the same for primates alive today.

But once mankind had protected itself against predation, other species suffered an increase, as the predators switched their targets - indeed, Paranthropus became extinct, while early hominid populations were increasing apace. Other prey species suddeny found themselves the subject of even closer predatory attention than ever before.

From this it was surmised that early humans learnt that cooperation amongst themselves made them safer and more able to cope with the demands of daily life, and that conflict was rarely used to settle disputes. Such claims are often ridiculed by anthropologists, who refer to such ideas as coming from 'prehistoric peaceniks'.

However, the evidence would seem to indicate that as mankind became more populous and invented such concepts as ownership of lands and resources, wars began to break out. This has been happening for the several thousand years that so-called civilisation has existed, and has now become a part of our daily lives, to such an extent that it could be argued that war and conflict form the basis for our modern way of life, as that state of affairs seems to best serve the interests of the involved parties, both culturally and economically.

image laetoli footprints c.3.5 million years bp