Moments of Awareness

We listen to music and talk to people. Watch on cable channel 11 in the Boise area or on-line at TVCTVOnline.org . Watch previous shows here , and check out the backgrounds here . Join us at MOA's Facebook page  for discussion throughout the week. :) Band info at  reverbnation.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Nanotubes are tightly packed in the new carbon nanotube fibers produced by Rice University and Teijin Aramid. This cross section of a test fiber, which was taken with a scanning electron microscope, shows only a few open gaps inside the fiber. CREDIT: D. Tsentalovich/Rice University View full size image Mimicking silk-spinning spiders, scientists have created a type of nanotube fiber with an unmatched combination of strength, conductivity and flexibility. These light, versatile fibers could find uses in the aerospace, automotive, medical industries, as well as the smart-clothing markets, researchers say. Carbon nanotubes arehollow tubes of pure carbon just nanometers or billionths of a meter in diameter. Although they are only about the width of a strand of DNA, they are about 100 times stronger than steel and only one-sixth as heavy, and their conductive properties for both electricity and heat rival the best metal conductors ―enthralling qualities...

An artist's illustration of asteroid Apophis near Earth. The asteroid will fly extremely close to Earth in 2029, and then again in 2036, but poses no threat of hitting the planet. CREDIT: ESA View full size image The Earth is safe from the giant asteroid Apophis when it flies extremely close to our planet in 2029, then returns for seconds in 2036, NASA scientists announced today (Jan. 10). The chances of an impact in 2036 are less than one in a million, they added. Asteroid Apophis — which is the size of three and a half football fields — was discovered in June 2004 and gained infamy after a preliminary study suggested it had a 2.7 percent chance of hitting the Earth during its 2029 flyby. Subsequent observations ruled out an impact in 2029, but astronomers were closely studying Apophis’ return in 2036. Now, new observations of asteroid Apophis recorded Wednesday (Jan.9) have [...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can follow SPACE.com Manag...

The prunelike wrinkles that result from a long, hot bath may have an evolutionary purpose, researchers say. Writing in the journal Biology Letters, the scientists report that wrinkled fingers and toes allow a better grip on wet objects — so they may have evolved to give early humans an advantage in wet conditions. “People are about 12 percent quicker” at moving wet objects, said an author of the study, Tom Smulders , an evolutionary biologist at Newcastle University in England, “if their fingers are wrinkled than if their fingers are non-wrinkled.” He and his colleagues tested how quickly wrinkled and unwrinkled fingers could move wet and dry marbles. All the participants in the study were able to transfer dry [...] Full article at  nytimes.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Current standards for classifying foods as “whole grain” are inconsistent and, in some cases, misleading, according to a new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers. One of the most widely used industry standards, the Whole Grain Stamp, actually identified grain products that were higher in both sugars and calories than products without the Stamp. The researchers urge adoption of a consistent, evidence-based standard for labeling whole grain foods to help consumers and organizations make healthy choices. This is the first study to empirically evaluate the healthfulness of whole grain foods based on five commonly used industry and government definitions. [...] Full article at  scienceblog.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

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Education trends come and go: Mandatory pledges of allegiance, the new math, forcing left-handed children to write with the right hand. And then there is the classroom chair. In New York City public schools, a top chair of choice since the mid-1990s has been the Model 114, also known as the “super stacker,” 15 pounds of steel, sawdust and resin that comes in 22 colors and has a basic, unyielding design little changed from its wooden forebears. “They don’t die,” said Ali Salehi, the senior vice president for engineering and operations for Columbia Manufacturing , a 135-year-old company in Westfield, [...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alain Delaquérière and Sheelagh McNeill contributed research. Full article at  nytimes.com 'Bout frickin' time. :)   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness