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The kraken is a mythological standby, a sea monster of epic proportions believed to have lived off the coast of Norway. But while scientists have turned up plenty of strange things in the sea, they?ve found no trace of the kraken.
Nevertheless, the creature made a big splash in the news last month when Mark McMenamin, a researcher with Mt. Holyoke College, claimed to have found evidence of the kraken?s "lair," in a Nevada fossil site. After seeing the bones, he said he noticed something strange.
"My first thought was that there was something very odd about the bone arrangement," he tells PM. "Then, what are all these skeletal remains doing here together in deep water? Next, it slowly dawned on me: Oh my, something murdered these creatures, dragged them to this spot, and messed with the remains. Bingo. This is the signature of a Triassic kraken."
The news of McMenamin?s findings spread quickly, but after a few days there was a backlash by scientists who called McMenamin?s hypothesis implausible. Plus, they pointed out, the kraken announcement was merely McMenamin?s interpretation of an already discovered and well-studied site, and he provided no direct evidence to corroborate the idea (tough to do, though, since a kraken wouldn?t fossilize.)
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, so the great sea monster remains a myth.
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Turkish company builds 65-inch Android 'tablet' with Honeycomb, 1080p support (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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New York ? The nation's highest court will weigh the constitutionality of the president's signature achievement ? and the 2012 election could hang in the balance
It's official. On Monday, the Supreme Court announced that it will consider the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act during its current term. Arguments will likely to be held in March 2012, with a decision handed down by the end of June. The Supreme Court has reserved 5.5 hours for argument in this case ? a modern record. There are four key issues the court will weigh: (1) The constitutionality of the individual mandate that requires Americans to have health insurance; (2) Whether the rest of the law can stand if the mandate is struck down; (3) Whether the Anti-Injunction Act prevents a challenge to the mandate in the first place; and (4) Whether the law's expansion of Medicaid is constitutional.?That culmination of the legal battle over health care reform will likely be the "most dramatic constitutional confrontation in recent memory," and the case will be decided during the height of President Obama's re-election campaign.?Is the timing a boon for Obama ? or will it ruin his re-election chances?
It all depends how the court rules:?If the Supreme Court ends up supporting "ObamaCare," Obama can claim vindication for the remainder of his re-election campaign, says Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. If the court strikes the law down, that's fatal for Obama's campaign. In one fell swoop, he'd lose his signature legislative achievement, and have to spend the next several months trying to explain that embarrassing loss. "And explaining is not winning."
"Breaking: SCOTUS to review 'ObamaCare,' individual mandate this term"
Well, most signs point to a win for Obama: The Obama administration is betting that a favorable ruling will vindicate the president after years of "attacks on the law's constitutionality," says Massimo Calabresi at TIME. That may be a wise bet. A D.C. Court of Appeals opinion written last week by conservative judge Laurence Silberman was a major blow to those who argued that the individual mandate was unconstitutional. And don't forget an "equally devastating opinion" by former Clarence Thomas clerk Jeffrey Sutton at the 6th Circuit Court. With such "conservative stalwarts" on Obama's side, there's good reason to believe "Obama will get a win" at a crucial moment in the presidential campaign.
"SCOTUS to hear 'ObamaCare' before election"
Regardless, this case won't swing the election: Let's assume the Supreme Court reaches its decision at the very end of June 2012, says Jonathan Bernstein at The Washington Post. That still leaves more than four months before the election ? a "very long time in politics, especially for something that won't have any immediate tangible effect on people's lives." Voters have short memories. The decision will be critically important for the future of health care in the U.S., "but not for the 2012 elections."
"The Supremes will take on health care. But will it matter in 2012?"
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NASA engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland have created a material that absorbs close to 99 percent of light across the spectrum from ultraviolet all the way to far infrared. This material will have a variety of space applications.
What is the light absorbent material?
It consists of tiny carbon nanotubes implanted on the surface of material such as silicon, silicon nitride, titanium, and stainless steel. The carbon nanotubes are 10,000 times thinner than a human hair and stand at a 90 degree angle on the material they coat, sort of like strands on a shag carpet.
How does the light absorbing process work?
When light hits the coated material, it is trapped between the tiny walls of the carbon nanotubes, thus being trapped and thus reflected back. A material thus coated will absorb 99.5 percent of light in the ultraviolet and visible ranges and 98 percent of light in the infrared and far infrared range. The material thus coated has 50 times more absorbing qualities than any other material. Such material thus coated would appear extremely black to the naked eye.
Why is this important to NASA?
One of the problems in space-based astronomy, such as conducted by the Hubble space telescope, is that reflective, ambient light tends to interfere with the light being captured onto the telescope's mirror. The less reflective light there is to contend with, the sharper the images can be acquired from distant, dim objects, such as planets circling other stars. The material would thus be a boon for future space astronomy, such as planned for the James Webb Space Telescope.
The material also has a cooling effect, as it radiates heat, which is also something of great importance in the hostile environment of space. Instruments can thus be kept cooler and thus more sensitive to distant, dim light sources.
The material is far more efficient than black paint or epoxy, now commonly used for coating spacecraft to suppress reflective light. The material is also very light weight, which is always a consideration for space craft that has to be launched from the Earth's surface.
What are some Earth bound applications for the material?
Depending, of course, on how cheaply the material can be manufactured, the coating could be used for building materials in hot climates to radiate heat, making the buildings more energy efficient. The light absorbing properties might make military vehicles stealthier at night, though the heat reflective properties could also make them more detectable on thermo-imaging equipment.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times and The Weekly Standard.
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SAN FRANCISCO ? A recent analysis from IHS iSuppli determined that Amazon's $79 Kindle e-reader, which is the online retailer's cheapest Kindle thus far, costs $84.25 to make.
In the report, iSuppli said the total cost of materials for the Kindle is $78.59, including $30.50 for the e-reader's 6-inch E-ink display. The market researcher estimates manufacturing costs run $5.66 per device.
IHS iSuppli notes that these costs don't include any of Amazon.com Inc.'s development costs for the Kindle, or costs related to things such as shipping and distribution of the device.
Even if Amazon pays more to build the $79 Kindle than it sells it for, the company has several other ways to bring in money from the device. This Kindle model includes ads that show up as screensavers and at the bottom of the device's home screen. And Amazon sees all the devices in the Kindle family ? and the free Kindle apps it offers for mobile devices and computers ? as a way to spur more sales of its digital e-books, music, games and apps.
Amazon has repeatedly lowered the price of the Kindle and added more devices to the Kindle lineup since it began selling the first one in late 2007 for $399. The $79 version, which the Seattle-based company started selling in late September, eschews the keyboard found on earlier Kindle models. Amazon will begin shipping touch-screen Kindles ($99 to $189) and its first tablet computer, the Kindle Fire ($199), later this month. Amazon still offers a Kindle that includes a physical keyboard, too.
Amazon has not said how many Kindles it has sold.
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George Clooney is the kind of movie star who can seem too perfect to be real, but in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, on stands and available through Rolling Stone All Access on Nov. 11, the actor and director reveals that he's actually a pretty ordinary guy despite his looks, success, charm and fame. Well, sorta.
In an interview with contributing editor Erik Hedegaard, Clooney is candid about sex, his struggle to keep control of his temper and his passion for politics.
"My name is George and the world is in trouble," he says. "I can name you 40 hot spots in the world right now, and not just physically violent hot spots, but financially violent hot spots as well."
Other highlights from the story:
Read more: Quotes from Clooney's Rolling Stone cover story and exclusive shots from the photo shoot
Copyright 2011 by Rolling Stone.com
Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45226192/ns/today-entertainment/
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George Clooney is the kind of movie star who can seem too perfect to be real, but in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, on stands and available through Rolling Stone All Access on Nov. 11, the actor and director reveals that he's actually a pretty ordinary guy despite his looks, success, charm and fame. Well, sorta.
In an interview with contributing editor Erik Hedegaard, Clooney is candid about sex, his struggle to keep control of his temper and his passion for politics.
"My name is George and the world is in trouble," he says. "I can name you 40 hot spots in the world right now, and not just physically violent hot spots, but financially violent hot spots as well."
Other highlights from the story:
Read more: Quotes from Clooney's Rolling Stone cover story and exclusive shots from the photo shoot
Copyright 2011 by Rolling Stone.com
Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45226192/ns/today-entertainment/
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