It's a constant battle, as SETI scientists (and string theorists, for that matter) are often accused of falling down the wrong rabbit hole. "Why waste time looking for old-style radio signals," many people have written me, "when the aliens will be shooting neutrinos our way?" "The aliens will use entangled particles to signal us," many tell me. Luc Arnold, a French astronomer, has suggested that aliens might signal us with giant shadow puppets. Read More
TOKYO - By using ultrasonic waves, the scientists have developed software that creates pressure when a user's hand "touches" a hologram that is projected.Read More
In order to track a user's hand, the researchers use control sticks from Nintendo's popular Wii gaming system that are mounted above the hologram display area.
The technology has so far been tested with relatively simple objects, although the researchers have more practical plans, including virtual switches at hospitals, for example, and other places where contamination by touch is an issue.
SYDNEY -- A mathematical equation that counts habitats suitable for alien life could complement the Drake equation, which estimates the probability of finding intelligent alien beings elsewhere in the galaxy. The new equation, under developed by planetary scientists at the Open University in Milton Keynes, England, aims to develop a single index for habitability based on the presence of energy, solvents such as water, raw materials like carbon and whether or no there are benign environmental conditions. Read More
Are we in for another Blair Witch or has someone finally managed to turn Ghost Hunters into a fictional movie? Post your thoughts.
LiveScience -- Scientists working on behalf of NASA built a device to simulate variable levels of gravity. It consists of a superconducting magnet that generates a field powerful enough to levitate the water inside living animals, with a space inside warm enough at room temperature and large enough at 2.6 inches wide (6.6 cm) for tiny creatures to float comfortably in during experiments. Read More
