http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/ http://www.redorbit.com/media/themes/redorbit/images/logo_160x80.gif http://www.redorbit.com/ 160 80 NASA’s making the cut for future space explorers. France finds feline inspiration. Tweet ain’t no longer slang. And running on hooch on today’s Daily Orbit. Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. And then there were 8. NASA’s 2013 Astronaut Candidate Class started with 6,300 potential candidates, but after sifting through resumes for a year and a half, they have selected their eight contenders. These maybe-astronauts will receive technical training at space centers around the world to prepare for missions to low-Earth orbit, an asteroid and Mars. Class is in-session this August. NASA said these candidates demonstrated impressive strengths academically, operationally, and physically with diverse backgrounds and skill sets. NASA should have jumped on the bandwagon and made the selection process a reality show. “Astronaut, you are safe! You are continuing on and are one step closer to Mars…” Maybe when these astronauts go to Mars they’ll take this cat with them! Engineers in France have developed this feline inspired robot that they say could be included in search and rescue missions or, yes, for space exploration on mountainous terrain. The cheetah-cub is the fastest of its kind, able to run 7 times its body length in one second. The leg design is based on detailed observation and construction of an actual feline leg with the same proportions and springs for tendons and small motors for muscles. They said the robo-cat is light, compact, and made from cheap materials. Doesn’t science make you purr? And from an artificial cat leg to an artificial bone—is there anything science can’t do? Well, except teleporting, but I’m still holding out for that one. Using 3D printing technology, MIT scientists have created physical fracture-resistant, bone-like structures from synthetic materials. They created bone simulations with the same geometric patterns seen in natural bone, but also new designs that do not exist in nature but could be stronger. Authors of the study said that one day whole buildings could be printed with optimized materials. And with all the recent concern about how climate change is affecting our ecosystems, it’s no surprise that scientists have been stumped as to how fish were able to survive and thrive in the toxic oceans and past climate changes the Earth has gone through over the past 400 million years. They say the key to their survival lies in the hemoglobin in their blood, which is responsible for unloading large amounts of oxygen into their tissues when there was a lack of oxygen in the water. The molecule hemoglobin was eventually passed on to us humans, and we use the same system today—although fish seem to be more efficient than us, since scientists say we branched off from fish in the evolutionary chain about 350 million years ago when the hemoglobin system was in its early stages. Scientists say we can study fish for better insight into conditions influenced by oxygen levels in the body. “Tweet.”(noun): A posting made on the social media website Twitter. (verb) “make a posting on the social media website Twitter.” “Tweet” is officially part of the English language landing in the Oxford English Dictionary. The new admission also included the words “follow” and “follower.” I tweet to my followers who follow me and they love my tweets. Put in the hooch and let’s scoot! How many times have you heard someone say—“that stuff could run a car!” Well it can and a Scottish energy start up is looking to do just that. The company Celtic Renewables is taking the draff—the residue of grains of barley and pot ale—and turning it into biobutanol. In a distillery, only 10% of what flows out will be whiskey, the other 90% is draff. And whiskey makers should be on board as draff disposal hits their bottom line. They are working on the process to make it more cost competitive. Well that puts the “GO” in Whiskey a go-go! And that’s all for the Daily Orbit. See you tomorrow! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112877006/astronauts-chosen-by-nasa-for-future-missions-061813/ 2013-06-18T04:44:08+0000 Did men cause menopause? Could it be a no-go for snow in LA? Why medical devices aren’t so secure. And the science of bad hair on the Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. There’s a reason the word menopause begins with m-e-n. A new study from McMaster University in Canada says that menopause was born of natural selection. Women only stopped reproducing at an older age because men tended to choose younger mates. Being dropped from the “mating pool” lead to mutations and hormone changes that caused menopause. Researchers said that had females continued to mate and reproduce in their older age, they would have maintained the ability to reproduce—like men. Or if the cards had played out the other way and women would have chosen younger mates, menopause would have happened to men. But let’s think about Demi and Ashton, Mariah and Nick… Looks like the tables are turning men, and it’s the females choosing the younger mates now—watch out! Natural selection might get you. And hackers could have their sights set on the medical community next. At a time when eyes are on national cyber security, the FDA says the medical community needs to be on guard. A recent report showed that many medical devices—from patient monitors to surgical equipment—have been infected with malware. Researchers say it’s easy to find passwords for medical equipment, as they tend to be the default passwords. And it’s easy to spread malware through a medical center with infected thumb drives or visiting an infected website. Malware is pathogenic I guess you could say! The researchers said that a motivated hacker could do serious damage to these unsecured systems and that “to fight the evils of the internet, not only do you have to have a moat, you have to have a drawbridge, burning oil to pour on attackers, and guys with arrows.” Love the medieval metaphor. And this report made me sad because I love to go snowboarding in California! A new study from UCLA reveals snowfall in the Los Angeles-area mountains will be 30-40% lower by mid-century. Of course the culprit is climate change but researchers say the choices we make now could save the snowfall. They say Los Angeles must begin today to prepare for climate change and mitigate greenhouse gases. If there is less snowfall it could mean changes in seasonal timing of local water resources, greater difficulty controlling floods and damage to mountain and river ecosystems. But to spoiled Angelenos, it would mean you couldn’t go to the beach and go skiing on the same day. Think about that! Ursa major has flare. The star WX UMa in this constellation gave off a major flare, shining 15 times brighter in a matter of 160 seconds. It’s a so-called flare star—a class of stars that become 100 times or more brighter within a few seconds or minutes. Flares are caused when a small focus of instability arises within the plasma of the star, causing turbulence in its magnetic field. Scientists liken it to an electric discharge. Scientists say it’s important to study these flares and flare stars because it provides us key information about the formation and evolution of stars. And my hair has been experiencing some unusual flare. Everyone here at the Daily Orbit knows my hair drives me crazy and there actually might be a scientific explanation it turns out. Scientists say that copper lurking in our water can leave hair dull and lifeless. Though low levels of copper occur naturally in tap water, most deposits come from pipes and hot water tanks in our homes. Researchers say this residue builds up on hair, accelerating any damage that has already been caused. What you get? Dry hair with split ends and fly-aways. And no amount of Pantene can repair it! So what is a girl to do? Researchers say chelants—chemicals commonly found in laundry detergent can neutralize the copper. So the race is on for beauty companies to find a way to incorporate chelants into dyes and shampoos. Well that’s all for the Daily Orbit. See you tomorrow! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112875683/menopause-from-natural-selection-and-men-061713/ 2013-06-17T04:44:52+0000 Just exactly how fast is a cheetah? Why is the number 58 important? Uh-uh! You ain’t patenting those genes! And some wild weather on the Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. Well there’s a new Supreme Court ruling that says you “can’t put no patent on genes!” Yep, genes belong to the public. Myriad Genetics Inc. had tried to patent breast and ovarian cancer genes but the court was having none of that! They ruled that patenting the DNA the company isolated from the body violates patent rules because the laws of nature, natural phenomena and abstract ideas cannot be patented. The patent would have kept other researchers from working with the BRCA gene, but this ruling opens up that opportunity. The judge simply said “Myriad didn’t create anything.” Seen that commercial where the guy outruns the cheetah? Ha! Just how fast is a cheetah? Well a team of scientists set to find out with GPS-based motion sensing collars that they put on cheetahs in the wild. They recorded speeds up to 58 mph, more than twice the fastest human on the planet—Usain Bolt. Previous speed estimates had been based on direct observations and film. The research team not only used GPS technology but also accelerometers, magnetometers, and gyroscopes. Most of the high-speed data coincided with hunting of course. But it wasn’t necessarily speed that caught the Impala—which makes up 75% of the cheetah’s diet—maneuverability was the key to success in hunting campaigns. Fast like a cheetah! And the number 58 is important for another reason that is out of this world! Temperatures on Mars can swing as much as 58 degrees F during the day. NASA scientists said they see a maximum temperature in the middle of the day but also a little after midnight. This semi-diurnal pattern—tides of temperature, wind and pressure that go up twice a day—were unexpected during non-dusty seasons but once the NASA team took into account the water-ice clouds into their models it made more sense. Temperatures on Mars go up and down up and down. Weather on Mars might be crazy, but the weather here on Earth is getting pretty crazy too! Have you noticed? According to the National Climatic Data Center, last year’s wild weather made 2012 the most expensive year since 1980 with costs adding up in the billions, 11 different weather and climate disasters, and 377 deaths. The yearlong drought and Hurricane Sandy won the most damaging award with $30 billion and $64 billion respectively. Though the weather patterns were typical, what made 2012 so different was the severity of each of these weather events and the unusual areas where they struck. What’s up Mother Nature? But this wild weather isn’t keeping us from populating the world. A new estimate puts the world population at 11 billion by the year 2100. That’s 8% more than last year’s previous projection of 10.1 billion. So what’s changed? Africa. The UN had expected the birth rates to decline more than they have on that continent. The current population of Africa is 1.1 billion but it’s expected to reach 4.2 billion by the end of the century. The study took into account increasing life expectancies and improved fertility forecasting methods. Researchers say we need to renew policies on family planning and family education. Well that’s it for the Daily Orbit... See you next week! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112874346/gene-patents-turned-down-by-supreme-court-061413/ 2013-06-14T04:44:47+0000 Is there a revolution is cosmic radiation? Which of our neighbors is full of holes? Staring social networking in the face. And a whole lot of pests, on today’s Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. Answers on protection for astronauts are radiating from the moon. A new moon radiation study is looking at how to reduce health hazards for astronauts. Data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter reveals that lighter materials like plastics provide effective shielding against the radiation hazards faced by astronauts during extended space travel. Aluminum has been the choice for spacecraft construction to protect against high-energy cosmic rays, but adds a lot of mass making it costly to launch. Scientists have performed ground-based simulations and found that “anything with high hydrogen content, including water, could work well.” We do want to get to other planets, but we do also want to keep our astronauts safe!!! Turns out our neighbor is full of holes! Our neighbor being the Andromeda galaxy. Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have identified 26 more black holes in our sister galaxy, added to nine previously discovered for a total of 35 potential black hole candidates. Why so many holes? Andromeda has a bigger concentration of stars in a spherical pattern in its center and a larger supermassive black hole that allows for the formation of other black holes. They say this is a case of where “bigger is better.” They say they are excited to see so many black hole candidates so close to the center because they have been searching for them for years. So happy y’all found them then. (mirror on wall) Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fiercest Facebooker of them all? (Em in mirror: You are Emerald!) A new study from the University of Michigan likens Facebook to a mirror and Twitter to a megaphone—both great outlets for narcissists. Looking at graduate students and 35 year old adults, they found that younger narcissists posted more frequently on Twitter to broadcast their feelings to a broader population while finding other social circles of people like themselves. Older narcissists posted more frequently on Facebook where they could gain approval from their already well-defined social circles. The study did not determine if social networks lead to narcissism or vice versa. I mean, I post all the time on Facebook and I’m not a narcissist…I’m not! And as if Florida didn’t have enough to worry about with crazy ants and boas, another invader is on its way to the Sunshine state—giant mosquitoes!!!! And I do mean monstrous at 20 times larger than their more common cousins, and they pack a painful bite! The huge bloodsuckers can bite right through clothing. They were seen in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby and are native to the Northeastern part of America. But it’s really on the females who feed on blood; the males prefer flower nectar and such. I can see you fellas out there saying “typical.” Hmph! Fortunately DEET still works to ward off these giant pests. So Floridians, make sure you give them their DEET desserts! And from pests to pets! If you like remote control cars then this might be right up your alley—remote controllable cockroaches. A new Kickstarter campaign by the company “Backyard Brains” wants you to own and control your own cockroach. The RoboRoach consists of a backpack you install on a cockroach’s back that sends pulses to its antenna, causing neurons to fire, which makes the roach think there is a wall…so it turns! How do you control the backpack? How do we control most everything else? With your iPhone of course! For a $100 you get the kit, sorry, cockroach not included. But for another $50 you can get a dozen “well behaved and well trained” cockroaches. Or you can save your money and catch them on your own. And that’s all for the Daily Orbit. ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112873479/moon-provides-clues-on-radiation-protection-for-astronauts-061313/ 2013-06-13T04:44:01+0000 A dirty story about human habits. The dust is flying. Celebrating a Canadian hero’s retirement. And, well, we’re just celebrating! On today’s Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the 200th episode of the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. I thought we could have a little celebration since today’s marks our 200th episode. And here’s a dirty little story for you. Don’t get excited. It’s literally dirty. A new report says that one in ten people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom. Ewww! And of those that do, one-third don’t use soap—especially men. What’s the point if you’re not going to use soap people? Only five percent of hand washers actually wash them long enough to kill the germs that can lead to infections. How do scientists know this? They had college students observe people in public restrooms while trying to be inconspicuous. Haha poor kids! Improper washing of hands spreads infection and causes nearly half of all foodborne illnesses. The CDC recommends 15 to 20 seconds of vigorous hand washing with both water and SOAP-you hear that men? I’ll keep my antibacterial gel just in case. [ dust storm ] What’s up with all this dirt? It’s supposed to be a party today! A study from the University of Colorado Boulder says the West is getting dustier. Dust storms are a way nature reorganizes nutrients and minerals, so researchers looked at calcium deposits as a proxy for dust measurements since calcium has been monitored since the 70s. They found an increase in calcium in the region, suggesting an overall increase in dust. And they added, it lined up with what the old timers were saying—that there are more dust storms than before. Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado have seen the biggest increase, which researchers say could be a result of drought, windstorms or human activity. And don’t expect this man to be collecting dust even if he is hanging up his astronaut suit. Commander Chris Hatfield announced his retirement from the Canadian Space Agency. Hadfield is a man of firsts—first Canadian Commander of an ISS mission, first Canadian to do a spacewalk, the first to “tweet” from space, and the first to rock out in a music video on the ISS. His breathtaking images from space captivated the Earthly audience. He said “it’s been an incredible adventure” but that it’s “time for me to do something else.” Thanks Chris Hadfield for making space even more fun for those of us who have to keep our feet on the ground! And we may be on the ground but there’s a lot to be done terrestrially as well! Case in point, the new stealth electric motorcycle. The company, Zero Motorcycles together with the US Special Operations Forces, have, well, joined forces to create a very special motorcycle. The Zero MMX Military Motorcycle takes off quickly from a standstill, has no engine noise, runs through a meter of water, and is electric! And for all you civilians out there, they incorporated all the powertrain enhancements of the military bike into their new 2013 line for the public. The company already makes bikes for police who say they can reach 95 mph and they’re quiet enough to perform surveillance. Want your own stealth motorcycle? Zero MX is retailing a public version for around $9,500. But you know as a civilian rider that engine noise can be helpful. It might keep from getting side swiped from a stressed out driver! Driving is stressful! Especially here in DC. Audi and MIT got together to discover just how stressful exactly in what they call the Road Frustration Index—a scorecard they used to measure how stressful traffic conditions are in different parts of the US. They monitored drivers’ heart rate and reactions while driving—an Audi of course—outfitted with three cameras and GPS tracking while driving in major U.S. cities. They found that peaks in stress for a driver in Boston are higher than some of the lower points experienced by a skydiver. I can believe that. They scored cities based on sentiments from Twitter, traffic and weather conditions, and incidents. Cities like Boston, Atlanta, Cleveland and LA scored the highest on the RFI scale. Phoenix, Charlotte and Baltimore scored the lowest with NYC also being surprisingly low. Huh…they obviously didn’t do DC! Well that’s all for the 200th episode of the Daily Orbit! See for #201 tomorrow! Thanks for watching! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112872115/restroom-study-reveals-lack-of-proper-handwashing-061213/ 2013-06-12T04:44:40+0000 Scientists cashing in on a bee bank? Crazy ants are driving us crazy! How can we say bye-bye to rising carbon dioxide levels? And predicting the face of humanity on the Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. Not long ago we talked about the massive die out of honeybees. Well, scientists have come up with a rather interesting solution—a sperm bank for bees. Using liquid nitrogen to preserve samples, scientists at Washington State University will begin to collect bee semen from colonies across the US and Europe. They will either freeze the samples, or use them to inseminate queens. Not only do they plan to bump up the numbers, but they also plan to use these samples to create a more diverse and resilient bee species. This “beastly” bee will be more resistant to the effects of a limited diet, as well as to deadly mites. The scientists plan to import three different subspecies of bees to the US to meet demands of beekeepers in different parts of the country. Well, I give this Plan B an “A” for ingenuity! And here’s an insect scientists are NOT looking to breed and save—crazy ants. We’ve talked about them before, but they’re becoming more than just a nuisance; they’re causing millions of dollars worth of damage. These omnivorous little invaders are taking over the US’s southeast and pesticides don’t cause them to kick the bucket. They love and destroy electrical wiring and components, eat other species, and monopolize food resources putting everything from cattle to songbirds at risk. In one year alone, they’ve caused over $146 million worth of damage in Texas. They are completely eliminating the indigenous fire ant population, which is messing up the entire ecosystem. Interestingly, these ants don’t quickly travel on their own. They require a little human transportation to spread. So scientists are saying “humans be mindful when you travel” that you don’t have any unwanted passengers. And it’s actually been a while since we’ve given the low-down on CO2, so here goes! Last year, worldwide emissions reached a record high of 31.6 billion tons even though the U.S. and Europe have record low numbers. China, on the other hand, had a 3.8% growth in emissions. Thanks China! Just kidding. The International Energy Agency warns that if we continue on this rising path, the global temperature could rise over 2 degrees C, which would create irreversible damage across the globe. The IEA is recommending energy efficiency improvement, cutting the use of coal-fired power plants, reducing the release of methane from oil and gas power plants, and gradually reducing fossil fuel subsidies to cut emissions by 2020. And speaking of the “unwanted”, who wants inflammation? Not I and, well, researchers say vegetable oil doesn’t cause it. They say veggie oil which is high linoleic acid can be part of a heart healthy diet. Previous animal studies have shown it to promote inflammation. But, the new study argues that animals aren’t people and we respond differently. Researchers say that using soybean, canola, corn and sunflower oil instead of animal-based fats when cooking can be good for your heart. So no fatback and lard? They looked at 15 different trials to come to their conclusion that vegetable oil is not a cause of inflammation. So there you have it! And looking even farther into the future—ever thought about what we humans might look like in 100,000 years? Hmm…well scientists have and here’s what they think. They say as genetic engineering becomes the ‘norm,’ we’ll have more control over what we look like. We’ll need an ever-expanding forehead to fit our growing brain. Our eyes will get bigger to accommodate for dimmer environments of off-world colonies, resembling the tarsier monkey. Our skin will have a deeper pigment to protect it from stronger UV rays. We’ll have larger nostrils for lower oxygen environments and a more pronounced brow for lower gravity. The scientists say it is just speculation based on reason. Hmm. Let’s speculate what I might look like. And that’s your Daily Orbit. See you tomorrow! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112870861/bee-sperm-bank-to-be-created-to-save-populations-061113/ 2013-06-11T04:44:20+0000 Did Mars having drinking water? Should we continue to protect the gray wolf? Cancer ain’t a new thing. And yoga for the brain on today’s Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit.  I’m Emerald Robinson. NASA’s taking the ‘Opportunity’ to “drink in” new evidence of Mars’ watery past.  The rover Opportunity has found evidence in a rock rich in clay that appears to have formed from non-acidic water.  Up until now, the rover had only found evidence of sulfuric acid, but one scientist said “this is water you could drink!” This new find is painting a portrait of a water-rich Mars with conditions conducive to life in its youth some 3 and a half billion years ago.   Opportunity will now travel on along the south rim of Endeavour Crater to search for more clues on how Mars became the Red Planet. Drink in the success, Opportunity! Is the US Fish and Wildlife Service potentially releasing the gray wolf from the threatened and endangered species list too soon? That’s what some people are saying about one proposal submitted by the FWS that would delist the wolves and return management of them to the states where they dwell.  The gray wolf went under federal protection in 1978.  Now there are about 6,100 gray wolves in the continental U.S.  The FWS says they’re ready but some environmental groups say “they are walking away from wolf recovery before the job is done.”  A second proposal submitted by the FWS would maintain protections and expand recovery efforts to the Mexican gray wolf in the southwest area of the nation.  So if you want to give your opinion, there is a 90-day public comment period before a final decision is made. While we often think of cancer as a disease born of our modern lifestyle, truth is it’s been around a long time.  Researchers have discovered evidence of bone cancer in the rib of a 120,000 year old Neanderthal from Croatia.  Before this find, the oldest bone tumor was found in a 2,200 year old Egyptian mummy.  The Neanderthal had a type of cancer where normal bone is replaced with fibrous bone tissue.  Researchers can’t say for sure if the disease led to the ancient hominids death. Blaming no new neurons on your forgetfulness in your old age?  Well, you can’t use that excuse anymore!  Until now scientists had believed we were born with a certain number of neurons, and that was all we got.  Turns out the adult brain does continue to generate new neurons.  The study, which actually came about due to early Cold War-era bomb tests, looked at donated adult brains of deceased individuals that had picked up a carbon isotope during nuclear testing in the 40s, 50s, and 60s.  The carbon isotope allowed them to calculate the growth of new cells.  What they found was that the hippocampus had gained between 700 and 1,400 new neurons in these adult lives.  Unfortunately that doesn’t make up for the rate of cell death in the brain with age but scientists said that, “even limited regeneration can provide a cognitive boost.”  So you can feel a little better about aging! But if you are feeling a little slow upstairs, maybe try some yoga!  New research says that spending twenty minutes on the popular yoga called “Hatha” is better for your brain than participating in vigorous exercise of the same time.  Study results showed that reaction time and accuracy on cognitive tests improved more after yoga than following aerobic exercise.  Also the participants could better focus mental resources, rapidly process information and learn, maintain and update information more effectively following yoga.  Researchers feel this might be because the breathing and meditation involved translate beyond the yoga practice to day-to-day activities. Well that’s all for the Daily Orbit.  “Namaste” ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112869665/mars-may-have-harbored-drinkable-water-061013/ 2013-06-10T04:44:18+0000 There’s a new firefighter in town... Scientists say our Sun was once a feisty little guy... Big Brother’s watching Verizon customers... And can you answer the million-dollar question? On the Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit., I’m Emerald Robinson. Fire! Firefighters are getting a little help from robotics. It may look like a Segway but it’s so much more! This little guy creates a virtual reality picture of a burning building’s interior -- characterizing the state of the fire, temperatures, volatile gases and structural integrity of the building -- while looking for survivors. The robot will provide near real time data to first responders. This first vehicle prototype is already built, and findings will be presented at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Hong Kong in 2014. Don’t worry ladies, they’re not going to replace the HOT firefighters we love—just help them! And from hot to hotter—turns out our Sun was a feisty little toddler. By studying the young star, TW Hydrae, astronomers can understand what happened when our Sun was a wee one about a half-billion years ago. The 10-million-year-old star located about 190 light-years away weighs about 80 percent as much as our sun and is still accreting gas from a surrounding disk of material. To grow, the star “eats” the disk by funneling gas along its magnetic field. In-falling material smashes into the star, creating a shock wave that heats temperatures up to 5 million degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers said the accretion process changes from night to night and that things are happening all the time! And that’s how our Sun was in its youth! And Big Brother is watching you a little more closely now. The US National Security Agency was granted a court order by the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that has been allowing the agency to collect phone records of millions of Verizon customers since April 25 of this year. It requires Verizon to hand over all of its customers’ calls daily until July 19—regardless of individuals’ involvement in any wrong-doing or not. However, it’s only allowed to collect “metadata,” which is the number of every caller and recipient, the unique serial number of the phones involved, the time and duration of each call, and the potential GPS location of where the call originated—not the actual contents of the call. The government argues that call data is not personal and likens it to looking at the outside envelope of a letter. Privacy advocates assert that this is essentially “a form of espionage.” We’ll let you judge for yourself. And this story sounds like something you might go see in theaters this weekend, but it’s all too true. The FBI and Microsoft have broken up a huge network of computer hijackers, called ‘The Citadel,’ that is responsible for stealing more than $500 million from bank accounts around the world. The group remotely installed a key-logging program on about five million machines to steal data. Using login and password details from online bank accounts stolen from compromised computers, the Citadel stole cash from a huge number of banks. The FBI is working with Europol to track down the ringleader, who is currently a “John Doe” believed to go by the nickname “Aquabox,” and to find the 81 “lieutenants” that helped him. I think the movie version, if there ever is one, should star George Clooney as the lead FBI agent who breaks the case! Love Clooney! Well Aquabox, if you’re good at math (and I’m guessing you are) here’s a way to get honest money from a banker—solve his math problem! Wealthy Texas banker D. Andrew Beal is offering $1 million to anyone who can solve a complex math equation, The Beal Conjecture, which has stumped mathematicians since the 80s. Beal hopes the contest will get students more interested in math. So get to work math whiz’s, if you think you have what it takes! You’ve got two years to submit an answer. The clock is ticking and the money is up for grabs! Well that’s it for the Daily Orbit. ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112868344/new-robot-fights-fires-060713/ 2013-06-07T04:44:36+0000 Scientists finding a little nomenclature inspiration in music... Using sunscreen to save a little face... Comet production is no laughing matter... And Curiosity is on the move! On today’s Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. The science community has honored the late great Jim Morrison of ‘The Doors’ in, well, the best way scientists can honor someone - naming a species after them. And it’s only fitting that the species be a lizard, since the late rocker was known as “The Lizard King.” One of the biggest lizards ever, Barbaturex morrisoni was a 60-foot, 60-pound giant plant-eating reptile that competed with mammals for food in the warm, tropical forests of Southeast Asia some 40 million years ago. Fossils were found in the 70s, but were left unstudied for decades. Researchers said they often listened to The Doors' music while doing their research, so the name was only appropriate. I think Morrison would have liked that! I have to admit, I’m not always the best about putting on sunscreen before I head out, but believe me — I won’t leave home without it now. A new study confirmed what scientists have long assumed, that sunscreen not only helps to prevent burns and skin cancer, but it actually prevents wrinkles! Exciting! Researchers found that participants who used sunscreen daily were 24 percent less likely to show increased signs of aging, which was gauged by microtopography — looking for signs of damage on the back of participants’ hands at the microscopic level. Researchers said, “Maybe sheer vanity will encourage young people to be proactive and use their sunscreen.” Works for me! Welcome to the comet factory!! What do you call a story about a comet? A tale! Thank you, thank you. So it’s not exactly the comedy factory, but astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array have found a veritable ‘comet factory’ — a region around a young star where dust particles can grow by clumping together. Scientists already knew that dust grains grow by colliding and sticking together, but they also realized that when these bigger grains collide again at high speeds, they are often smashed to pieces and sent back to square one. So they would need a “safe haven” where they could grow without being destroyed. Though scientists theorized that such an area existed, this is the first time it has been observed and modeled, allowing scientists to see how dust particles grow to larger sizes so that they can eventually form comets, planets, and other rocky bodies. In the future, scientists hope to use ALMA to observe such regions around other stars to see the same mechanisms at work! And it’s snowing, it’s snowing! Well, on Saturn’s moon Titan anyway. Astronomers have already observed aerosol particles in Titan’s lowest atmosphere haze layer, but didn’t know their origin. New observations show the presence of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the moon’s upper atmosphere. A reaction from sunlight or highly charged particles causes nitrogen and methane molecules to break up and lead to the production of carbon-based aerosols that then sink like snowflakes to Titan’s lower atmosphere - hence snow or something snow-like anyway - on Titan! Enjoy your winter wonderland, Titan! And just as the seasons change, the rover Curiosity has reached a turning point. NASA says they’re finished investigating the Glenelg area on Mars where Curiosity has spent the last six months, and it’s time for the rover to make a five-mile journey to a new destination — the base of Mount Sharp. But its short journey will take many months. And the rover might investigate interesting features along the way. Curiosity drilled its final hole in the Glenelg area last month, which took only a quarter of the amount of time the first hole took, and NASA says they’re hitting “full stride.” Onward and upward, our little rover! Godspeed! And that’s all for the Daily Orbit. See you tomorrow! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112866990/astronomers-find-comet-factory-060613/ 2013-06-06T04:44:00+0000 What’s up with exoplanets and solar winds? It’s electric! Triceratops trio found in Wyoming... Hate those captcha codes? You’re not the only one... And the good and bad of virtual reality on the Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. It’s electric! Stellar winds have exoplanets “electrified!” When scientists started to study planetary systems outside of our solar system, they assumed they’d look a lot like ours… with small rocky planets closer to their host star, and gas giants further out. But what they found was many systems where hot gas giants larger than Jupiter are orbiting very close to their star. These hot gas giants are larger than expected based on their mass —- basically “puffed out” from being extra hot! -— even hotter than what would be expected from solar radiation. Scientists believe this extra heat is generated from the interaction of stellar magnetic fields with planetary magnetospheres. But such powerful stellar winds should have caused these planets to become unbound, so scientists think possibly these planets formed farther away from their star and somehow drifted in, though they are not clear on that mechanism. They were like “we’re gonna rock down to electric avenue...” Looks like this one ran into an unlucky encounter with the wrong predator. Bag him! A Wyoming rancher has led scientists to the remains of three triceratops -— two adults and probably one child -- with one who probably met its maker at the hands of a gruesome predator, the T-Rex. This is one of the most complete skeletal finds of the species. Scientists are also excited about finding the juvenile and adult dinos together, because until now, there’s been no indication they moved in groups. And the one that probably got eaten by a T-Rex indicates this site could have been a Tyrannosaurus Rex feeding ground. All these clues! It’s like Law & Order: DU—Dino Unit. This sounds like a classic case of the blind leading the blind. So it turns out blind web users are having trouble signing an online “We The People” White House petition seeking support for an international treaty to help the blind due to the Captcha security code —- I hate those things! The National Federation for the Blind had asked people to sign the treaty, but got a lot of emails saying that people can’t because the audio code option to help the blind is incomprehensible. The White House claims they are in compliance with the federal standard for web accessibility. But the NFB says, in short, technical compliance doesn’t ensure usability. The petition has only 8,200 of the needed 100,000 signatures. I’m not completely blind and I personally still have trouble getting the Captcha right! And this next one might have made you go blind! Ha! How long did you really think it would take for someone to develop a porn app for Google Glass? But Google was quick to nix it -— saying they “don’t allow Glassware content that contains nudity, graphic sex acts, or sexually explicit material.” People please! The action came promptly after adult app store creator MiKandi released a porn app with, I have to say, a pretty catchy name that I’m not going to say. But the porn creator will probably find another avenue around the Google Play Android app store and they say they are working to comply with Google's terms. Ummm-hmmm… they’re naughty, naughty. And here’s a little more G-rated virtual reality experience for the masses -— a virtual reality treadmill. The company called Virtuix posted a Kickstarter project his week to seek funding to develop a virtual reality treadmill called Omni that puts your “footsteps in the game.” They say this ability to move naturally will provide unprecedented immersion into video games. Omni has already surpassed their target, having raised over $500,000 of their $150,000 goal. Virtuix is offering a reasonable price point to pledgers starting at $249 for a basic unit up to $349 for a full Omni. And that’s it for the Daily Orbit. Can you imagine running in virtual reality? ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112866093/triceratops-trio-found-in-wyoming-060513/ 2013-06-05T04:44:43+0000 Who’s got the shot we’re calling hot?! Solar power is powering on -- across the country… Poor little puffins getting puffed out... And blending in, on today’s Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit.  I’m Emerald Robinson. VLT got the hot shot of the week.  ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured a direct image of possibly the least massive exoplanet to date.  The team said they imaged a faint object moving near a bright star.  They estimate the possible planet’s size at four to five times the mass of Jupiter, making it potentially the lightest planet to be directly observed outside the Solar System.  And I keep saying “direct,” that’s because very few planets have been directly observed so far.  The new exoplanet circles its host star at twice the Neptune-Sun distance. Good eye VLT—you’re such a hot shot! The solar-powered plane, Solar Impulse, has completed the third leg of it’s journey, but not without a little drama.  The vehicle made the journey from Dallas to St. Louis in 21 hours and 22 minutes, but had delays due to the horrible storms that ravaged the south-central US, making this leg of the journey the most difficult. Upon arrival at St. Louis’s Lambert airport, there was no place for the plane, as the storm had caused considerable damage.  Where did Impulse “hang out” then?  Not to worry—Impulse whipped out it’s portable, inflatable hanger.  Now it’s on to Washington D.C. for this green plane that is being billed as the first cross-continental, solar-powered flight. And technology just keeps getting better and better.  Researchers say they are one step close to creating an artificial liver.   Liver cells, which are known for their ability to regenerate in the body, usually stop working once removed to a lab setting.  But by combining liver cells with mouse fibroblast cells and using different chemical compounds, scientists can now help these cells continue to function normally and also produce new tissue when grown in layers in lab dishes.  They say cells grown in this manner could generate tissues to treat people who suffer from hepatitis C and other chronic liver conditions. Oh no!  The puffins are in danger.  Though you probably hear puffin and think of some pastry filled with whip (or that’s what I thought at first), it’s actually an iconic bird that visits the Gulf of Maine.  NOAA says that the Atlantic puffin has been losing body weight and dying of starvation, possibly due to a lack of herring—their main food source.  Over the winter 2,500 dead puffins washed up on Scotland’s shore and 40 on Maine’s and researchers say for every dead bird that washed ashore, there were a dozen more that didn’t.  Scientists say they don’t know what climate change will bring and if puffins will adapt.  Don’t they kinda look like what would happen if a penguin and a parrot had a bird baby? And from exotic birds to even more exotic fish, researchers have discovered a new way that fish camouflage themselves in the ocean.  Scientists at UT Austin say that fish can actually manipulate light to help hide themselves in the open ocean.  They studied the “lookdown” fish because it’s known to be a good at camouflage.  For the last 40 years, scientists thought the state-of-the-art camouflaging in fish was “mirroring,” where the fish reflected sunlight like a mirror.  The research was funded by the US Navy, because of course they are looking to Mother Nature for better ocean camouflage technologies for defense.  What if we could blend in with our background? And that’s all for the Daily Orbit.  I’m kind of like a fly on the wall—be careful what you say!!!! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112864777/solar-power-is-powering-on-060413/ 2013-06-04T04:44:46+0000 Is it or is it not an “A”? What slimy little creature is pretty in pink? Have researchers found more clues in the Earhart crash mystery? And Google’s got TMI on today’s Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. Who knew the letter “a” could be such a big deal? But it is when it comes to a legendary American statement. Whether Neil Armstrong said “That one’s small step for man” or “that’s one small step for A man” has long been debated. Hmm..hard to tell--So researchers went to Armstrong’s native Ohio for answers. Ohioan colloquial speech often blends words like “for” and “a” for a “frrr”(uh).” Researchers concluded that his quote is more likely perceived as “for” even though Armstrong admitted it was supposed to be “for a.” It’s okay, down South it’s hard to tell when we say “for a” because we say it like “foooorrraaaah.” So this recently discovered slug anomaly might look like a Disney/Pixar adaptation of Mother Nature but it’s actually better than fiction. This hot pink slug was discovered atop Australia’s Mount Kaputar, an area formed from a volcanic eruption some 17 million years ago. You won’t spot these pink slugs very often during the daylight of the alpine forest, but at night these vegetarians come out to feed on mold and moss. One researcher said “as bright pink as you can imagine, that’s how pink they are.” That’s how I like my nail polish too! Just two weeks ago today we celebrated the 81st anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s transatlantic flight and now a non-proft group called The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery says they may have a sonar image of the wing from Earhart’s aircraft Lockheed Electra that went missing in the Pacific in 1937. The image shows an object 600 feet below the water near Nikumaroro Island. TIGHAR is looking for $3 million to fund an expedition to recover and analyze the wreckage. Past findings of shoes, scraps, a liquor bottle, freckle cream, and the skeleton of a Northern European woman on the island have some convinced Nikumaroro Island holds the answer to the question: what exactly happened to Amelia Earhart? Lately, the potential dangers of drones have been a hot topic of debate, but could they be used for good and not evil? California-based Matternet is looking to use drones as delivery vehicles for medicine and other necessary items to remote areas with poor roads or areas cut off by natural disasters. They recently successfully tested drones in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The drones would have hubs where they would recharge every few miles. Eventually the company sees an automated operating system whereby requests and payments would be made via a smartphone. Well, I have to say that’s pretty “smart.” And the company known for “information” is providing even more information, and this time it’s nutritional. Google plans to add the nutritional information for more than 1,000 different food types in their search engine results. What info exactly? Calorie, protein, and fat content of fruits, veggies, meats, meals, and, yes, drinks too. And no scrolling necessary. Nutrition facts will have their own box above search results and will be voice command compatible. Ugh! They’re making it excuse-proof! Ok Google that’s enough information. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. That’s all for the Daily Orbit. Oh stop! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112863514/what-slimy-little-creature-is-pretty-in-pink/ 2013-06-03T04:44:18+0000 More on Mars’ watery past. Who’s the most likely to text and drive? Not who you think! When did turtles get their shell? And a little THC for the brain on today's Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I'm Emerald Robinson. I feel like we should have an on-going segment entitled—“Was there ever water on Mars?” Well, here's more evidence on the "yes" side. The Curiosity rover captured images of pebbles in an area on Mars named “Hottah.” These pebbles were worn flat, smooth and round as seen with rocks shaped by flowing water. Rocks weathered by wind become angular. Scientists say that in order to have "moved and formed these pebbles, there must have been flowing water with a depth of between 10 cm and 1 meter and a flow rate of about 1 meter per second." I have to say I'm on team "yes" in the Mar's water debate. And with the summer heat and humidity comes the dreaded mosquito bites. But researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute say they've genetically modified some mosquitoes to lose their sense of smell. Hallelujah! They targeted the "orco" gene, which is linked to smell using a genetic engineering tool called zinc-finger nucleases. Once the mutated individuals matured, they studied the role of this gene and found that these mosquitoes had diminished activity in neurons linked to odor-sensing and a reduced preference for the smell of a human. Even when swarming around an arm slathered in the repellant Deet, they couldn't smell it until they landed, at which time they quickly flew away. Researchers said this research provide insights on existing repellants and provide ideas about future repellants. I wish they could genetically modify all mosquitoes—they obviously love my perfume. And from mosquitoes’ sense of smell to turtles and their shells. Just when did turtles get their hard covering? Researchers are now saying it was 40 million years earlier than they previously thought! The turtle is the only animal that forms a shell on the outside of its body by fusing ribs and vertebrae. Studying the recently discovered fossil of a 260 million year old African species, scientists were able to pinpoint this as the beginning of the evolution of the turtle shell. They say that like all complex structures, the shell evolved over millions of years to reach its current shape, which includes 50 bones in the turtle’s body. So modern turtles meet your great, great, great—well million times—Great-Grandpa. So the Mayhem Man commercials makes it look like it's a 16 year old in a pink SVU that you have to worry about texting and driving, but new research says that's not so. In fact, researchers found that it's college-educated, middle-aged men that are most likely to text and drive. A survey showed that men in general were 10% more likely than women to be on their phones while driving and those who earned more than $100,000 a year were top offenders. Also interesting, looks like a little religion keeps you off the phone as non-religious drivers were more likely to whip out their phones their religious peers. Hmm. Ironically it's always the older man in the Mercedes or Lexus that rolls down his window to yell at me to get off my cell phone! Go figure. And while it might seem that a little THC kills brain cells, turns out it can protect the brain before and after an injury. Researchers found that a small dose of THC seven days before or three days after an injury protects the brain cells from cognitive damage. THC signals brain cells to begin growing and even prevents cell death. In small doses, THC conditions the brain to prepare for injury and builds up its resistance. But that's a small dose… as in 1,000 to 10,000 times smaller than the average joint. So they're not saying to smoke a doobie a day. Also, how can you plan for an injury? Well that's all for the Daily Orbit. See you next week kiddos! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112861892/k_alexz_redorbit_dailyorbit_53113_001_001/ 2013-05-31T04:44:44+0000 Could we soon bring the past back to life? Is probiotic not pro-brainiac? Finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. And what’s “kicking” in citizen science! On the Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. Riddle me this: What are we not responsible for its death and are closer to bringing back to life? If you said the woolly mammoth…[ Bell sound ] You are correct! Russian scientists discovered a 10,000 to 15,000 year old female Siberian woolly mammoth carcass with flowing blood and some soft tissues. They now think mammoth blood must have some cryo-protective properties to be in its liquid form during the 14 degree-Fahrenheit excavation. This find could be HUGE in the effort to “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth. That would be like “Frankenmammoth.” “I see the moon and the moon sees me…and soon I can see from the moon!” Sort of anyway. The company Moon Express plans to deliver the world’s first private telescope to the moon in 2015. Get excited citizen scientists everywhere because its International Lunar Observatory precursor is part of Moon Express’s plan to provide access to a high-performance telescope open to not only pro scientists but amateurs and the public. Though not as sophisticated as the Earth-orbiting Hubble telescope, it will provide images of the lunar surface, the Earth, the Milky Way and beyond! It will deliver deep space images of objects both inside and outside our galaxy. Moon Express is vying for the Google Lunar X Prize of $20 million for the first privately funded team to land a robot on the moon. Good luck! And it’s citizen science on the move! Yet another company is looking to provide more public access to space. The company best known for its asteroid mining ambitions, Planetary Resources, announced its Kickstarter campaign to launch the world’s first crowdfunded space telescope. The goal? $1 million. The campaign is intended to engage the community “in cutting edge citizen science and discovery.” The company has geared the program towards students and will provide educational curriculum for students based on the telescope. I love what the company’s co-founder Peter H. Diamandis had to say—“let’s go explore the cosmos together!” Let’s Peter! Jamie Lee Curtis doesn’t mention brain function in her probiotic yogurt commercials that are on nearly every commercial break. Well, a new study showed that probiotic bacteria, found in yogurt, alters brain function both during a resting state and in response to an emotion-recognition task. Women who didn’t eat yogurt or ate yogurt without probiotics showed greater activity and performance in sensory processing and emotion than the women who ate probiotic yogurt. Scientists have long known that brain signals can affect the gut but this study showed that the “gut-brain connection is a two way street” bringing a whole new meaning to “gut feeling” or “you are what you eat.” They say more research needs to be done but these findings have strong neurological, mental, and digestive implications. I guess you’ll have to go with your gut on that one! Saying Type 1 diabetes is bad is nothing new, but saying it’s worse than thought is no bueno. Scientists have discovered that type 1 diabetes not only destroys insulin-producing cells but also blood vessels that support them. But the good news—they’ve developed a potential cure that combines a drug they created with adult stems cells from bone marrow. This drug-stem cell combo, when injected into the pancreas, leads to the growth of new blood vessels that then facilitates the reproduction of new beta cells that produce insulin and stops the immune system attack. The team is now filing for a patent on this treatment method. Well that does it for today’s Daily Orbit. Hmmm…it’s too quite around here. ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112860720/female-siberian-woolly-mammoth-carcass-found-with-flowing-blood-053013/ 2013-05-30T04:44:53+0000 All systems are go for Expedition 36. Life after being frozen? Who says social networking makes you unproductive? And gotta love that robot waiter on the Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. Expedition 36 of the International Space Station is now officially underway! Three astronauts arrived at the ISS with a welcome from the three current residents of the ISS. They completed the journey from Launchpad to orbiting complex in just 6 hours—it takes me that long to get to the West Coast! During their time in space, the crew will prepare the complex for the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module in December, and this is cool, they will spacewalk to take the Olympic torch outside. Also they will continue science experiments including one very important experiment to evaluate countermeasures to prevent the loss of bone density in space. They also will continue work on how crews may one day grow their own food in space. Expedition 36—may the force be with you! Ok, I know that doesn’t really go but I had to say it. And if plants can grow after being frozen for hundreds of years beneath a glacier, surely they can grow in space. A Canadian researcher recently found ancient plants known as bryophytes awakening after being exposed from a receding glacier. Scientists had long thought that all plants buried for that long were unable to regrow upon re-exposure. Not only were these 400-600 year old plants intact, but they were in pristine condition and growing. The researcher said that these entombed plants coming out from underneath the glacier will have a “big impact” as glaciers quickly disappear. [ Off screen] “Get off Facebook and get back to work!” FYI—Microsoft says social networking makes employees more productive! A new survey conducted by the company found that 50% of employees said that they believed social networking tools made them more productive, yet 30% of companies restrict the use of these tools. Productivity loss was the number reason given for the restriction of social networking tools followed by security issues. However, Microsoft says that these tools could lead to “collaboration in the workplace” and that deeply integrating apps into the workplace would speed collaboration and transform the way people work. Could Microsoft be a little biased? And some children in Colorado have been caught with their hands in the “special” cookie jar. The state has seen an uptick in hospitalization of children from accidental ingestion of marijuana since the passage of the 2009 state-wide legalization act. Children have more severe reactions to marijuana than adults and it’s difficult for docs to treat little kiddies who accidentally eat pot-laced baked goodies once they show up in the emergency room. And you can imagine it’s hard for Mom or Dad to admit little Suzie found their stash of pot-brownies or lollipops. But rest assured there’s been no deaths or lasting effects. Still, Colorado parents: heed the docs advice and find a better place to stash your “stash.” And ladies you might soon be replaced as your man’s “beer ----.’’ Ha! You thought I was going to say it didn’t you? Engineers are teaching a robot to anticipate human needs—like giving your coffee, or yes beer, a refill. The robot identifies the activities it sees, assesses the objects in the scenes, then generates a set of possible continuations—like drinking, eating, cleaning, and putting away and then sees what’s most probable. The robot made correct predictions 82% of time when looking one second in the future, but that accuracy rate dropped as it looked further into the future. Still pretty impressive though! I know all you dudes out there are excited—cleaning and refilling without the lip that usually comes with it! Right? Well, that’s it for the Daily Orbit. (robot comes in to refill my coffee) Oh why thank you! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112859414/record-time-to-the-space-station-for-expedition-36-astronauts-052913/ 2013-05-29T04:44:12+0000 Where oh where did that moon dust go? What do crack, meth, and diet cola have in common? An app for a mini-lab? And an itch you don’t have to scratch...on today’s Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. Where did my moon dust go? Ugh! I’m always misplacing it! Ever put something somewhere for safe-keeping and then forgot where you put it? Well, scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California did just that. After being lost for 40 years, vials of moon dust collected by the Apollo 11 astronauts have been found safe and sound, sitting safely in storage all this time. But scientists at the facility were surprised that this iconic dust from man’s first walk on the moon was even in their lab. NASA has requested the samples back but the real question is how and why was something of this nature lost in the first place? Good question NASA. Oh look I found it! Okay, maybe that was a bad idea. But why do we itch anyway? Researchers at NIH say it’s due to a small molecule that is released in the spinal cord that triggers a sensation that the brain reads as “itch.” This could be important in helping to relieve patients who suffer from eczema or psoriasis. Just talking about this study makes me itch! And researchers are itching to understand why amphibian numbers are rapidly dropping around the nation—even in designated protected areas. They say the rate is more severe than previously believed and even populations thought to be stable are in decline. Wowsah! Amphibians have survived in bodies of water all over the world for more than 350 million years, but now the pressures they face exceed their ability to survive. At current decline rates, half of amphibian species will disappear from their habitats within 20 years. But what disturbs researchers the most is the decline of amphibians in protected areas like national parks and forest, suggesting that stressors “transcend landscapes.” Poor little amphibians. So you’re a citizen scientist and all you need is a lab? Well get excited! A new app turns your iPhone into a mobile mini lab. The new app and cradle uses the phone’s built-in camera and processing power as a biosensor to detect toxins, proteins, bacteria, viruses and other organisms. And the pros will be using it too, for on-the-spot tracking in the field to map the spread of pathogens and so on. The cradle contains a smaller version of optical components that you would find in bigger lab devices—and much cheaper—at $200 compared to $50,000. Now I know you’re sitting there saying, “where do I place my order?” The team hopes to make the cradles widely available by next year. Put me on the list! Crack is whack! Especially for your teeth. But if you think you’re doing yourself a favor by getting “cracked out” on diet cola instead—think again! Diet soda might be as bad for your teeth as crack or meth. Research was based on a woman in her 30’s who drank at least 2 liters of soda a day for almost 5 years—how did she ever get to sleep is my question? Anyway, dentists found she had the same amount of dental damage as 29-year-old meth user and a 51-year-old crack addict. But the soda addict admitted to not seeing a dentist in two decades—still I’m pretty sure it’s been a while since the meth or crack addict had seen the old “D” too. They say that the effects of all three are comparable because they are all highly acidic substances. So diet soda drinkers here’s the really scary part—that woman had to have all her teeth removed just like the drug addicts. You know what I don’t want it anymore… Well that’s all for the Daily Orbit! See you tomorrow! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112858096/moon-dust-found-in-lab-to-be-returned-to-nasa-052813/ 2013-05-28T04:44:31+0000 The VLT celebrates its anniversary with a cocktail. How do you know you’re smart? What could cinnamon and Alzheimer’s possibly have in common? And attracting bugs! On today’s Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. It’s an anniversary party! The European Space Observatory is celebrating 15 years of success for its Very Large Telescope. Since 1998, the four giant telescope that comprise VLT were joined by four additional smaller telescopes, making VLT one of the most powerful and productive ground-based astronomical facilities in existence. And what better way to celebrate than by releasing a beautiful picture like this. The image is of a pink gas cloud called IC 2944. It resembles drops of ink floating in a strawberry cocktail, showing one of the interstellar clouds of dust and gas softly glowing pink. We should nickname it “Strawberry Cocktail.” Much easier don’t you think? Cheers VLT! What’s your IQ? Ok, you really don’t have to tell me. But scientists say IQ tests are relative to cultural or intellectual biases so it gets a little tricky. So a group of researchers came up with an intelligent idea—a vision IQ test. They displayed small moving bars on a screen and asked volunteers to determine their direction of movement. The higher the IQ, the faster they determined the direction. But that wasn’t the same for moving large bars. People with higher IQ’s had a harder time determining movement of large bars suggesting that the intelligent “suppress” background motion. They say this test could remove some of the cultural limitations from standard IQ tests. The test kind of looked like my jacket. I feel smarter just wearing it. And a little cinnamon power for the brain? New research says that the compounds cinnmaldehyde and epicatechin found in cinnamon have shown promise in combating Alzheimer’s. They prevent the aggregation of the protein “tau,” which plays a role in the structure of neurons, from oxidative stress. Researchers likened the problem to getting a sunburn—a form of oxidative damage. Say you wore a hat to protect your skin—that would be the cinnamon’s role. It protects the “tau” protein, but can also come off to ensure proper functioning of the protein. So all those crazy people on YouTube doing the cinnamon test are actually doing themselves some good—maybe. Ever heard the saying “you attract more bees with honey?” Well, you don’t always attract more German cockroaches with sugar. But why would you want to? Well maybe if you wanted to kill ‘em. But researchers say not all German cockroaches like the glucose found in most roach-bait poison. For some of the little critters, glucose sets off the bitter taste bud receptors, which the bugs don’t like so they avoid it! Normal German cockroaches still love their glucose but these mutated versions are rapidly increasing in number. Researchers said “these roaches just got ahead of us in the arms race.” Yep they sure did. And your furry little friend may be attracting more little friends that you didn’t even know about! New research says that people who have an in-house pet dog harbor more types of bacteria than those who don’t, and even some bacteria not even found in dog-free homes. Researchers could tell if a person kept a dog in the house based on the bacteria found on their TV screen or pillowcase. They said bacteria found in soil are 700 times more common in dog-owning households. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing, even though it’s kinda gross to think about. The influx in bacteria may actually hold benefits—especially for pregnant woman who are less likely to have children with allergies. Still, the thought of it just makes me well, queasy. And that’s all for your Daily Orbit! All this talk on bugs and bacteria makes me itch! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112856074/telescope-anniversary-party-for-very-large-telescope-052413/ 2013-05-24T04:44:37+0000 Who had their eye on the storm the whole time? Where is wild weather raging on in the universe? What galactic romance is forming a new world? And something for all the Trekkies out there on the Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. The tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma on Monday left incomprehensible devastation in its wake. But it also left behind imagery and data from a NASA and NOAA operated satellite system that is helping researchers determine how the storm system was generated. NASA’s Aqua satellite and NOAA’S GOES-13 provided imagery before, during and after the F-4 storm that had 166-200 mph winds. GOES-13 provided new images every 15 minutes tracking the storm’s movement and showing it’s beginning as seen near the bottom of a line of clouds resembling an exclamation point. The tornado, which touched down just outside Oklahoma City, claimed 24 lives, and we hope that one day technology can provide for earlier warnings. Our hearts go out to the people in Oklahoma. And wild weather is on the radar for elsewhere in the universe. A transition from spring to summer in Titan’s northern hemisphere could bring waves and hurricanes for Saturn’s largest moon. Titan has been dark since the arrival of the Cassini spacecraft in 2004 but the sun is creeping in with the promise of summer; it takes seven Earth years for season’s to change on Titan. Models show that as summer approaches, winds may increase up to 2 mph generating waves up to half a foot. Also, warming in the Northern hemisphere could bring hurricanes from methane vapor from Titan’s vast seas. One Titan forecaster said “if you think being a weather forecaster on Earth is difficult, it can be even more challenging on Titan!” So no excuses now Earthling weathermen! Love a good boy-meets-girl story? Me too, I’m a sucker for that stuff. But I’m an even bigger sucker for galaxy-meets-galaxy. Telescopes have spotted two galaxies far, far away merging, intertwined, and furiously making new stars. Ahh…little star babies. And eventually the two galactic love-birds will settle down to form an elliptical galaxy. Although mergers are common, this particular one is unusual because of the massive amount of gas and star formation. This formation goes against the current model suggesting that the biggest galaxies arise from minor acquisitions of smaller galaxies. And that’s the way our galaxy may have become an elliptical galaxy bunch! And this week we celebrate the 81st Anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s transatlantic flight. On May 20, 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, flying from Newfoundland to Ireland. Five years later Earhart would attempt her round-the-world flight, never to be seen again. And carbon emissions are on the run! New research says that a typical pair of running shoes is responsible for 30 pounds of CO2 emissions. What doesn’t create a carbon emission?! But it’s not in the running, but in the making of the shoes. Two-thirds of attributed emissions come from powering manufacturing plants of shoes largely located in China that use coal for electricity. The remaining 1/3 arises from the acquisition of raw materials. They say this research could help designers identify ways to improve designs and even reduce the carbon footprint. That’s it I’m boycotting my running shoes! Guess, that means I can’t go for a run anymore! Ok Trekkies, get excited! As if the latest installment of Star Trek wasn’t enough, Scanadu is making a real-life Tricorder!!! For those of you who live under a rock and don’t know what that is, it’s a device from Star Trek meant to measure vital signs. Scanadu’s non-fictional version called “Scout” uses an optical sensor held up to your forehead or temple, and delivers information about blood pressure, stress levels, respiratory rate and temperature directly to your smartphone. The company, based out of NASA’s Ames Research Center, started an Indiegogo campaign to help make their Tricorder commercially available. And it’s getting street cred from the company’s NASA roots and for borrowing technology from the Curiosity Rover. Talk about a Trekkie Thrill! And that’s all for your Daily Orbit! See you tomorrow! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112855736/storms-in-oklahoma-tracked-by-nasa-and-noaa-052313/ 2013-05-23T04:44:09+0000 What’s NASA’s hot new mission? How do you like your pizza printed? Get his brain to the Greek. And we’re off the hook on the Daily Orbit. Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. NASA’s heating things up! They’re launching a new mission in June called the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, to help scientists learn more about the sun’s interface region—the area in the lower atmosphere of the sun where most ultraviolet emissions are generated that affect near-Earth space and our climate. IRIS will orbit Earth and use an ultraviolet telescope to capture high-resolution images of the sun to try to answer the question of how the corona gets so hot. They believe the interaction between the sun’s moving plasma and magnetic field may be the source of the energy that heats the corona. NASA is so hot! And NASA doesn’t just have its head in space. The agency is jumping on the 3D printing bandwagon. And its goal? Pizza! NASA’s dishing out $125,000 in grant money to build a 3D printer that uses sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein or some other basic building blocks for nutrition to create nutritionally-appropriate meals synthesized one layer at a time from cartridges of powder and oils. And these ingredients have a 30 year shelf life. The company is looking to pizza first because it has distinct layers, but they have high hopes for this 3D food printer as a possible solution to an impending world food shortage. But it could also be what NASA needs to feed hungry astronauts in deep space travel. That’s taking processed food to a whole new level! Ugh! There’s an ant on my pizza! The other day we brought you news of how crazy ants were infesting homes in the Gulf, but today ants are responsible for a little inspiration. Researchers at Georgia Tech are looking at how these tiny creatures are masters at tunneling. Using video tracking and an imaging technique called tomography, researchers studied ants’ principal locomotion and how they move so quickly through tunnels. They found that ants in confined spaces use their antennae for locomotion as well as for sensing the environment—literally using their antennae to grab on when falling. Researchers hope to use this information to help create more effective search-and-rescue robots. They said ants can teach engineers a lot about using effective tricks for maneuvering in subterranean environments. I guess you build the world you play in, no? How about feeding your brain with a little hummus and olives? Yep, Mediterranean food is brain food. The Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts could improve the brainpower of older people. And researchers say it’s better for the brain than a low-fat diet. The Mediterranean diet consists of virgin olive oil as the main culinary fat with fruits, nuts, veggies, and legumes along with moderate fish and seafood. Yummy! Just what I like! And a moderate intake of red wine. So eat Greek and be smart! No, wonder I’m so smart. [ off-camera voice - “Yeah right!” ] Hey! So typically we humans get the blame for everything—global warming, climate change, species extinction, but guess what, we’re off the hook for the woolly mammoth. A new study found evidence of a large meteorite breaking apart in the atmosphere about 13,000 years ago—about the time of the mammoth die out. An event of this magnitude would have created toxic gas that would have filled the air and blocked out the sun, globally dropping temperatures, and rapidly changing the climate. They said animals and plants either had to “move, downsize, or...go extinct.” And there were two distinct groups: “winners and losers.” And well obviously the woolly mammoth fell into that last category. And that’s all for the Daily Orbit. [ woolly mammoth speak - “Hey lady, you calling me a loser?” ] The researchers said it! I didn’t…I mean…sorry? ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112854316/solar-mission-iris-to-study-solar-corona-052213/ 2013-05-22T04:44:17+0000 Animals in space? Diving dolphins discover what? Channeling your inner-dolphin. And catching some rays on today’s Daily Orbit! Hello and welcome to the Daily Orbit. I’m Emerald Robinson. The latest space travelers were a little furry and a little scaly. The Russian capsule Bion-M No. 1 containing animals and biological experiments successfully returned to Earth Sunday landing 750 miles south of Moscow. The capsule contained 53 mice, lizards, gerbils, and other small animals. Sadly less than half survived the voyage. The capsule also carried some microflora and plants that also succumbed to the stresses of space travel. Despite the death toll, researchers say they obtained the data they were looking for on how microgravity affects the skeletal and nervous systems and the muscles and heart, which could help pave the way for a manned mission to Mars. The Russian space program hopes to begin construction on a lunar base in 2030 that would be used as part of a flight to Mars. Poor mice, they always get the short end of the stick., even in space! Scientists are looking to our “inner-dolphin” to help the blind and visually impaired. New research has shown the blind could possibly use echolocation, similar to bats and dolphins, to determine the location of an object. Experiments showed that both sighted and blind people with good hearing, even without previous echolocation experience, could successfully find where objects were by use of echoes. Researchers now want to develop echolocation training programs and assistive devices for the blind and for sighted people in low-vision situations. I’ll have to try that the next time I can’t find my glasses in the dark! And speaking of dolphins, two very special dolphins being trained by the US Navy uncovered a 19th Century Howell torpedo that is one of only 50 ever made and one of two in existence. The Navy trains dolphins to detect mines and other underwater objects because of their natural sophisticated sonar ability. The Howell torpedo found is non-functioning due to its underwater tenure but is being cleaned for display at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington. And from undersea detective dolphins to landmine-sniffing bees—animal instincts are identifying bombs. Now, scientists are using honeybees in the hunt for unexploded landmines in Croatia and areas in the Balkans. De-mining is a major issue for the Croatian government who is set to join the European Union on July 1. During the War of Independence nearly 90,000 landmines were randomly buried with tens of thousands still in existence. Scientists are training the honeybees to detect the mines by mixing traces of TNT with their typical sugary food. But scientists say it’s easy to train one bee; it’s training their colony of thousand becomes a problem. And as summer is right upon us, most of us not so naturally bronzed goddesses are thinking about what kind of sunscreen we should use to protect us. But like so many other things in our lives, our SPF too may be misleading us. A survey of 1,400 sunscreen products did find that most met the December 2012 requirements put in place by the FDA, such as the need to filter out both UVA and UVB rays, as well as a ban of the misleading word “waterproof.” But some bottles still boast a 50-150 SPF which the group says is misleading because at 100-150 SPF, you’re only getting 1-2% more protection. They say this is a manufacturer gimmick and that all anyone needs is an SPF 30 to be reapplied every two hours. So remember all your fair maidens out there, slather on the SPF 30 and have fun in the sun! And that’s all for your Daily Orbit! I’m gonna catch some rays! ]]> http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/the-daily-orbit/1112852901/russian-bion-m-capsule-returns-to-earth-some-animals-did-not-make-it-052113/ 2013-05-21T04:44:15+0000