These are the asteroids to worry about

nature: Reversal of biological clock restores vision in old mice

Researchers have restored vision in old mice and in mice with damaged retinal nerves by resetting some of the thousands of chemical marks that accumulate on DNA as cells age. The work, published on 2 December in Nature1, suggests a new approach to reversing age-related decline, by reprogramming some cells to a ‘younger’ state in which they are better able to repair or replace damaged tissue.  more...

ARTE: Der Blob - Intelligenz ohne Gehirn? | Doku

zeit.de: Forscher wollen das Altern besiegt haben

Ergrauten Männern wachsen wieder dunkle Haare, ihre biologischen Uhren drehen sich rückwärts. Forscher sagen, sie hätten neun Menschen verjüngt. Kann das wahr sein? mehr...

Guardian: Scientists reverse memory decline using electrical pulses

Working memory of older group temporarily improves to match younger group in study [more...]

guardian: Easter Island statues: mystery behind their location revealed

Location of statues was based on nearby fresh water and other resources, says US study [more...]

guardian: 'Gene map for depression' sparks hopes of new generation of treatments

A 200-strong team of researchers from across the globe have mapped the genetic variants that increase the risk of depression [more...]

NASA at Mars: 20 years of 24/7 exploration

No one under 20 has experienced a day without NASA at Mars. The Pathfinder mission, carrying the Sojourner rover, landed on Mars on July 4, 1997. In the 20 years since Pathfinder's touchdown, eight other NASA landers and orbiters have arrived successfully, and not a day has passed without the United States having at least one active robot on Mars or in orbit around Mars.

the guardian: Rosetta mission ends with touchdown on comet 67P - as it happened

And this seems like a good place to end the coverage today. The final, final images have just been shown. We know that science data was flowing back to Earth from Rosetta until the final moment of touch down. We know that it is going to take years to fully analyse all the data. [more...]

Vera F. Birkenbihl - Humor in unserem Leben

nova: TOP Secret Things about Mathematics you didn't Know

the guardian: Crafty yoghurts: can your tastebuds be tricked? – video

yahoo: They’re not saying it’s aliens, but signal traced to sunlike star sparks SETI interest

SETI researchers are buzzing about a strong spike in radio signals that seemed to come from the direction of a sunlike star in the constellation Hercules, known as HD 164595. [more...]

Film: Angela Summereder "AUS DEM NICHTS"

AUS DEM NICHTS - LINK

 

the guardian: Alien life, or noise? Russian telescope detects 'strong signal' from sun-like star

Signal detected a year ago from HD164595, only 95 light years  away and with at least one planet, but Seti scientists are scanning the area and have yet to find it [more...]

the guardian: Publisher wins rights to Voynich manuscript, a book no one can read

 Tiny Spanish publisher can clone centuries-old manuscript written in language or code that no one has cracked [more...]

The Voynich MS (english)

Wikipedia Voynich Manusript (english)

Wikipedia Voynich Manusript (german)

arte: Galaxis Milchstrasse ★ HD ★ Universedokus

nieman lab: A group of researchers is trying to help science journalists parse academic articles on deadline

The tool is called Science Surveryor, and it’s being developed at Columbia and Stanford to help journalists find context and background information on tight deadlines. [more...]

eLife: Geological and taphonomic context for the new hominin species Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa

We describe the physical context of the Dinaledi Chamber within the Rising Star cave, South Africa, which contains the fossils of Homo naledi. Approximately 1550 specimens of hominin remains have been recovered from at least 15 individuals, representing a small portion of the total fossil content. Macro-vertebrate fossils are exclusively H. naledi, and occur within clay-rich sediments derived from in situ weathering, and exogenous clay and silt, which entered the chamber through fractures that prevented passage of coarser-grained material. [more...]


National Geographic: Zwei Millionen Jahre alte Menschenart entdeckt

We describe the physical context of the Dinaledi Chamber within the Rising Star cave, South Africa, which contains the fossils of Homo naledi. Approximately 1550 specimens of hominin remains have been recovered from at least 15 individuals, representing a small portion of the total fossil content. Macro-vertebrate fossils are exclusively H. naledi, and occur within clay-rich sediments derived from in situ weathering, and exogenous clay and silt, which entered the chamber through fractures that prevented passage of coarser-grained material. - See more at: http://elifesciences.org/content/4/e09561#sthash.WrD21ogo.dpuf

spiegel online: Geheimnis des Alterns: Was den Grönlandwal 200 Jahre leben lässt

Grönlandwale können über 200 Jahre alt werden und bekommen keinen Krebs. Genanalysen zeigen, was sie so widerstandsfähig macht. Nun hoffen Forscher, dass irgendwann auch der Mensch von den Erkenntnissen profitieren kann. [mehr...]