Collected Writings By John Roach

Moon Not So Watery After All, Lunar-Rock Study Says

JohnR — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:53:48 +0000

The inside of the moon isn’t as watery as previously reported, according to a new study that found a high variety of chlorine atoms in Apollo moon rocks.

For decades scientists had thought the moon is bone dry inside and out. But recent moon-impact missions found water ice on the lunar surface, and reanalysis of rocks brought back by Apollo astronauts found evidence for significant amounts of water inside the moon in the form of hydroxyl (-OH), a hydrogen compound formed by the breakdown of water (H2O).

In a new study of Apollo moon rocks, geochemist Zachary Sharp of the University of New Mexico and colleagues measured the moon rocks’ chlorine isotopes, or different forms of the chlorine atom.

Universe’s Existence May Be Explained by New Material

JohnR — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 04:39:03 +0000

About 13.7 billion years ago, the big bang created a big mess of matter that eventually gave rise to life, the universe, and everything. Now a new material may help scientists understand why.

The material was designed to detect a theorized but unproven property of electrons, subatomic particles with a negative charge that orbit the centers of atoms.

If this “new” property of electrons exists, scientists say, it would help explain the current imbalance between matter and antimatter in the universe.

Pictures: Human Sacrifice Chamber Discovered in Peru

JohnR — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:04:06 +0000

Found in Peru within a chamber used for an ancient human-sacrifice rite called the presentation, this woman was likely an offering to the site, archaeologists say.

Announced last week, the 197-foot-long (60-meter-long) sacrificial chamber or passageway at the Huaca Bandera archaeological site belonged to the Moche culture, a pre-Columbian agricultural civilization that flourished on the north coast of Peru from about 100 B.C. to AD 800.

The several burials found in the sacrifice chamber “are from a time apparently after the site had been abandoned but nevertheless continued to receive offerings to maintain the status of the elite sanctuary,” archaeologist Carlos Wester La Torre, leader of the excavation, said in an email translated from Spanish.

How science measures up cats and dogs

JohnR — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:32:18 +0000

As “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore” hits the big screen, find out what science has to say about the intelligence and abilities of our favorite household pets. Related posts:Where Did Dogs Become Our “Best Friends”? Dogs in Training to Sniff Out Cancer Photos: Over 100 “Quake Dogs” Get Medical Aid in China [...] Related posts:

The real science of dream research

JohnR — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:48:57 +0000

Movie director Chris Nolan is famous for his unorthodox spin on thrillers ranging from “Memento” and “The Prestige” to “The Dark Knight.” Nolan’s latest movie, “Inception,” takes viewers on a sci-fi trip to a novel frontier: the visions of the sleeping mind.

The cerebral adventure introduces the concept of “extraction,” where corporate thieves enter people’s dreams and steal their ideas. Master extractor Dom Cobb – played by Leonardo DiCaprio, – is given the task of planting a dream instead.

Are our dreams really vulnerable to manipulation? Click ahead for a reality check on these ideas and more in the world of dream research

Human Brains “Evolve,” Become Less Monkey-Like With Age

JohnR — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:27:00 +0000

Brain regions that grow the most outside the womb are the same areas that expanded the most during evolution from monkeys to humans, a new study says.

As the human brain matures, it expands in a “strikingly nonuniform” fashion, according to researchers who compared MRI scans of 12 infant brains with scans of 12 young adult brains.

Eight great American discoveries in science

JohnR — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:00:32 +0000

When the colonies declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, scientists in the Americas, with a few notable exceptions, were largely dependent on Europeans — shipping botanical specimens, for example, across the Atlantic for study and classification, according to Marc Rothenberg, the agency historian with the National Science Foundation. But in the 19th century, the infrastructure was put in place for homegrown American science and engineering.

“In the 20th century we really become an international leader,” Rothenberg said. Follow along as msnbc.com takes a look back at some of the achievements and discoveries that gave the U.S. a leadership role in the sciences.

Mouse Tears Are Aphrodisiacs

JohnR — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:04:05 +0000

A guy who can shed a tear really can drive females wild—among mice, at least. According to a new study, male mouse tears contain a sex pheromone called ESP1, which makes female mice more receptive to mounting. Related posts:Certain Female Lizards Choose Sex of Offspring 10 peeks at sex in the wild Big Testes or [...] Related posts:

Touching Hard, Heavy Objects Makes Us More Serious

JohnR — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:26:23 +0000

Job seekers take note: Resumes printed on heavy paper stock are likely considered more seriously than those on lightweight sheets. That’s the finding of a new study that reveals our sense of touch unconsciously influences our thoughts and moods. Related posts:Remote-Controlled Sharks: Next Navy Spies? Paper Wasps Beg Their Young for a Saliva Snack Ants [...] Related posts:

Sharks Carrying Drug Resistant Bacterial Monsters

JohnR — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:18:35 +0000

Our leftover medicines are spawning drug-resistant “bacterial monsters” that thrive inside sharks, scientists say. The finding suggests antibiotics such as penicillin may be leaching into the environment and spurring drug-resistant bacteria to evolve and multiply in the oceans. Related posts:Rain Forest Plan Blends Drug Research, Conservation NASA Tool Helps Track Whale Sharks, Polar Bears Despite [...] Related posts: