Current Moon Phase April 29, 2014 - New Moon Solar Eclipse 8° Taurus Current Solar Data From NOAA Current Earthquake Activity IRIS Earthquakes Worldwide in the Last 30 Days IRIS Astronomy Picture of the Day NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Archives NASA Website Spaceweather.com MAY 2014 Commemorative Events in May May 1 - May Day May 1 - Beltane May 3 - Kentucky Derby May 4 - New York City Five Boro Bike Tour May 5 - Cinco de Mayo May 11 - Mother's Day May 14 - Vesak, Birth of Buddha May 14-25 - Cannes Film Festival May 20 - Sun in Gemini May 21 - 28 - Fleet Week NYC May 26 - Memorial Day 2014 Archived Blogs

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Ellie's World Blogs
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
6.6 Earthquake - Vancouver Island
Cardinal Grand Cross April 23, 2014
Medical Marijuana: How the Evidence Stacks Up
Explaining The Illusion of Free Will

  Malaysia submits first report on MH370 -- but won't publicize it   CNN - April 24, 2014
Malaysia has sent its preliminary report on the disappearance of Flight 370, but hasn't released it publicly. And that is raising eyebrows.

Spacewalk Selfie! NASA Astronaut Shares Self-Portrait   NBC - April 24, 2014
During Wednesday's fast-track spacewalk, NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio complained that his arms were too short to take a selfie. But that didn't stop him from trying, or from sharing the results.

I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I've written for myself,

and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my part.

Shirley MacLaine Quotes 1

Shirley MacLaine Quotes 2

Austin Nichols Quotes

7 Ways Depression Differs in Men and Women   Live Science - April 23, 2014
1. Women are more likely to ruminate when feeling depressed.
2. Men with depression are more likely to abuse alcohol and other substances.
3. Women may respond differently to stressful life events.
4. Men's symptoms of depression may be harder for others to recognize.
5. Women are more likely than men to have depression and a co-existing eating disorder.
6. Men and women might respond differently to antidepressants.
7. Men are more likely to commit suicide

  This is you on stress   CNN - April 23, 2014
As a psychiatrist, I see many women who battle with anxieties, and not just at night. They obsess about their children, their marriage, their finances, their job, their parents; about sickness, accidents, disappointments and assorted other upsets that come under the heading Bad Things That Could Happen. This is the nature of anxiety - an unpleasant emotional experience caused by the unpredictability and uncontrollability of the future and the ways that it could hurt you.

  New migraine treatments show promise   CNN - April 23, 2014
The results herald a new mechanism for the preventive treatment of migraines. That mechanism involves a protein called calcitonin gene-related peptide, or CGRP. CGRP is one of the key chemicals that causes the debilitating effects of a migraine. Both drugs work by blocking CGRP and therefore stopping the migraine from starting.

Preventing Injury From Spring Sports That Span Seasons   Live Science - April 23, 2014
With spring sports seasons ramping up across the country, it is important to note the unique challenges that these athletes face as they progress through their seasons. Unlike the indoor sports of winter, spring athletes often start practicing outside in frigid end-of-winter temperatures and end up competing in the humid heat of spring. How can these athletes prepare themselves for this broad weather spectrum to prevent injury?

What Are the Types of Meditation?   Live Science - April 23, 2014
The primary benefits of meditation are immediate relaxation and a better understanding of how your body, mind and spirit work together so that you can handle stressful situations. Over time, you will gain greater peace for yourself and those around you. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Most meditation originated in ancient spiritual traditions. There are many types of meditation. These include ...

Magnifying The Body May Reduce Pain   Live Science - April 23, 2014
The perceived size of your hand affects how intensely your hand feels pain, according to a new study. A paper published in Neuropsychologia in March detailed the results of an experiment in which each participant was subjected to a pinprick-like sensation on one fingertip. The researchers used a lens to modify the size of the hand receiving the painful stimulus to look larger or smaller than normal in some of the experiments. They compared these responses to the pain response in the participants' unmodified hand.

Brain size matters when it comes to animal self-control   Science Daily - April 23, 2014
Chimpanzees may throw tantrums like toddlers, but their total brain size suggests they have more self-control than, say, a gerbil or fox squirrel, according to a new study of 36 species of mammals and birds ranging from orangutans to zebra finches.

Sleep behavior disorder linked to brain disease   Science Daily - April 23, 2014
A sleep disorder that causes people to act out their dreams is the best current predictor of brain diseases like ParkinsonÕs and AlzheimerÕs, research suggests. In this disorder, the disturbance occurs during the rapid-eye-movement (REM) stage of sleep and causes people to act out their dreams, often resulting in injury to themselves and/or bed partner. In healthy brains, muscles are temporarily paralyzed during sleep to prevent this from happening.

Sleeping away infection: Researchers find link between sleep, immune function in fruitflies   Science Daily - April 23, 2014
When we get sick it feels natural to try to hasten our recovery by getting some extra shuteye. Researchers found that this response has a definite purpose, in fruitflies: enhancing immune system response and recovery to infection. "These studies provide new evidence of the direct and functional effects of sleep on immune response and of the underlying mechanisms at work. The take-home message from these papers is that when you get sick, you should sleep as much as you can -- we now have the data that supports this idea," researchers conclude.

Life stressors trigger neurological disorders, researchers find   Science Daily - April 23, 2014
When mothers are exposed to trauma, illness, alcohol or other drug abuse, these stressors may activate a single molecular trigger in brain cells that can go awry and activate conditions such as schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder and some forms of autism. Until now, it has been unclear how much these stressors have impacted the cells of a developing brain. Past studies have shown that when an expectant mother exposes herself to alcohol or drug abuse or she experiences some trauma or illness, her baby may later develop a psychiatric disorder later in life. But the new findings identify a molecular mechanism in the prenatal brain that may help explain how cells go awry when exposed to certain environmental conditions.

People pay more attention to upper half of field of vision, study shows   Science Daily - April 23, 2014
People pay more attention to the upper half of their field of vision, a study shows, a finding that could have ramifications for traffic signs to software interface design. "It doesn't mean people don't pay attention to the lower field of vision, but they were demonstrably better at paying attention to the upper field," the lead researcher says.

Hundreds of genetic mutations found in healthy blood of a supercentenarian   PhysOrg - April 23, 2014
Genetic mutations are commonly studied because of links to diseases such as cancer; however, little is known about mutations occurring in healthy individuals. In a study published online in Genome Research, researchers detected over 400 mutations in healthy blood cells of a 115-year-old woman, suggesting that lesions at these sites are largely harmless over the course of a lifetime.

From liability to viability: Genes on the Y chromosome prove essential for male survival   PhysOrg - April 23, 2014
Despite a well-documented history of dramatic genetic decay, the human Y chromosome has over the course of millions of years of evolution managed to preserve a small set of genes that has ensured not only its own survival but also the survival of men. Moreover, the vast majority of these tenacious genes appear to have little if any role in sex determination or sperm production.

Chile's Recent Earthquake Defied Expectations   Scientific American - April 23, 2014
Monika Sobiesiak wasnÕt expecting the morning of April 2 to start with such an adrenaline jolt. But as she scrolled through a list of earthquakes on her mobile phone, she saw that overnight a series of quakes had rocked the coast of northern Chile - almost exactly where she had installed a seismometer network a few years earlier.

New discovery helps solve mystery source of African lava   PhysOrg - April 23, 2014
Floods of molten lava may sound like the stuff of apocalyptic theorists, but history is littered with evidence of such past events where vast lava outpourings originating deep in the Earth accompany the breakup of continents. New research at Michigan State University shows that the source of some of these epic outpourings, however, may not be as deep as once thought.

Ocean 'Duck' Noise ID'd, Other Sound Mysteries Remain   Discovery - April 23, 2014
For decades, mysterious sounds have been recorded from the ocean that have absolutely stumped scientists. While some remain a mystery, this week, researchers determined that an odd noise known as the "bio-duck" was emitted by an Antarctic minke whale. Denise Risch of Integrated Statistics and her colleagues explain in the journal Biology Letters that the Donald Duck-type sound is produced by Antarctic minke whales, which they tagged and recorded at Wilhelmina Bay, off the western Antarctic Peninsula.

If It Quacks Like a Duck, It Might Be a Whale   NBC - April 23, 2014
A mysterious duck-like sound recorded in the ocean around Antarctica has baffled scientists for decades, but the source of the sound has finally been found, researchers say. For more than 50 years, researchers have recorded the so-called "bio-duck" sound in the Southern Ocean. Submarine crews first heard the oceanic quack, which consists of a series of repetitive, low-pitched pulsing sounds, in the 1960s.

With Vaults and Domes, Two Architects Helped Shape New York CityÕs Look   New York Times - April 23, 2014
If you think the old Pennsylvania Station has completely disappeared, get off a No. 1 train at 34th Street-Penn Station, walk to the southernmost exit and press your nose to the safety-glass panel at the top of the landing. Then look up. Those herringbone tile vaults you see are unmistakably the work of the Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company. They were installed in 1909 as McKim, Mead & WhiteÕs masterpiece of a train station took form. And like several other peripheral architectural elements in the colossal structure, they escaped destruction 50 years ago.

In this country first you have to make the money.
When you get the money, you get the power.

Then when you get the power you get a woman.
You know who said that first? ... Rosie O'Donnell

George Lopez Quotes 1

George Lopez Quotes 2

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon", or simply "The Bard". His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

  Stowaway teen was at airport hours before flight, official says   CNN - April 22, 2014
A teen who authorities believe survived a flight from California to Hawaii by hitching a ride in the plane's wheel well was on airport grounds more than six hours before the aircraft took off, a federal official familiar with the incident said Tuesday.

Most Sherpas decide to leave Everest for season   Tampa Tribune - April 22, 2014
Most Sherpas mountain guides have decided to leave Mount Everest, a guide said, confirming a walkout certain to disrupt a climbing season that was already marked by grief over the lives lost last week in Everest's deadliest disaster.

World's fastest lift climbs 95 floors in 43 seconds at speeds of up to 45mph   Independent - April 22, 2014
Tired of awkwardly avoiding eye contact as the lift labors up to your floor? Help may be at hand. Hitachi has announced that its new high-speed elevator for the Guangzhou CTF Financial Centre will travel at a stomach churning 1,200 meters per minute (45mph), a speed that will allow it to reach the 95th floor in just 43 seconds.

Scientists explore possibilities of mind reading   - April 22, 2014
Mind reading technology isn't yet where the sci-fi thrillers predict it will go, but researchers like Just aren't ruling out such a future.

  Engineering students invent virtual fitting room for online shoppers   PhysOrg - April 22, 2014

Wong and her design partner, Xuaner "Cecilia" Zhang, are Team White Mirror, creators of what they call a "virtual fitting room." Their goal is simple and consumer-friendly: to assure online clothing shoppers a perfect fit and a perfect look with every purchase.

First findings of virtual reality exposure therapy for PTSD   PhysOrg - April 22, 2014
Researchers at Emory University conducted the study with 156 veterans with combat-related PTSD. After an introductory session, each veteran was randomly assigned to receive d-cycloserine (DCS) (53 subjects), alprazolam (50 subjects), or a placebo (53 subjects) before each of five sessions of VRE.

Study of Motion Sheds New Light on Autism and The Brain   Live Science - April 22, 2014
Our eyes detect light by converting it into electrochemical impulses. These are detected by brain and used to see but also to detect movement. How the brain processes visual information such as motion can lead to insights into autism.

Health Check: When is 'The Flu' Really a Cold?   Live Science - April 22, 2014
Most people who think they have the flu, donÕt. And some people who think they have a cold, really have the flu. So what is the difference between a cold and the flu? And does it matter?

Language Moves Your Inner Dancer   Scientific American - April 22, 2014
If you are sitting at a computer right now, take a look at your keyboard. If your keyboard looks like most, the "delete" key is further away from you than the "shift" key. Go ahead and hold down the "shift" key, and don't release it until I tell you to.

Neanderthals Lived in Small, Isolated Populations, Gene Analysis Shows   National Geographic - April 22, 2014
Modern humanity's ancient cousins, the Neanderthals, lived in small groups that were isolated from one another, suggests an investigation into their DNA. The analysis also finds that Neanderthals lacked some human genes that are linked to our behavior.

Amazingly Vivid Dino Illustrations Reveal a Brutal Prehistoric World   Wired - April 22, 2014
Over its lifetime, Earth has hosted countless species. But some of those species, like the dinosaurs, have managed to claw their way into a special place in our imaginations. Now, a new book illustrates the dinosaurs - and many of the beasts of millennia ago - in beautiful, spectacular and vicious style

  'Loch Ness Monster' Spotted On Apple Maps   Huffington Post - April 22, 2014
Apparently Loch Ness Monster hunters should've just asked Siri where to find the mythical beast. A group of Loch Ness Monster enthusiasts say they've sighted the legendary Scottish beast via satellite images on Apple Maps. The creature, which purportedly is seen periodically in Scotland's Loch Ness, was spotted this time by members of the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club using the Apple software. They have been puzzling over the dubious image for the past six months.

Steve Fossett was an American businessman, aviator, sailor, and adventurer and the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon. On September 29, 2008, a hiker found Fossett's identification cards in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, and the crash site was discovered a few days later.

I can only think of music as something inherent
in every human being, a birthright.

Music coordinates mind, body and spirit.

Yehudi Menuhin Quotes 1

Yehudi Menuhin Quotes 2

Spike in Earthquakes? An 'Illusion' Raises New Questions   NBC - April 21, 2014
Some of the best minds in earthquake science have been counting quakes and analyzing seismic waves to see if the largest in a string of recent quakes - the magnitude-8.2 tremor in Chile on April 1 - might have triggered others far, far away. Experts for years have known that the seismic waves from one quake can trigger a quake somewhere else - a process known as "dynamic triggering."

  'Incredible' -- teen apparently survives flight to Hawaii in landing gear   CNN - April 21, 2014
The first sign something was off was when the ground crew at Kahului Airport in Maui noticed a boy wandering the tarmac, dazed and confused. The story he told officials was even more incredible.

Today's Antarctic region once as hot as California, Florida   PhysOrg - April 21, 2014
arts of ancient Antarctica were as warm as today's California coast, and polar regions of the southern Pacific Ocean registered 21st-century Florida heat, according to scientists using a new way to measure past temperatures.

  Slow-Motion Disaster: Wyoming Landslide Rips Apart House   Live Science - April 21, 2014
A creeping landslide threatening homes and businesses since early April in Jackson, Wyo., suddenly lurched Friday, tearing apart a house. While landslides are common along the steep slopes fronting the nearby Teton Range, the crumbling hillside is a rare occurrence in the mountain resort town, according to news reports.

Malaysia MH370: No trace yet after two-thirds of sub's scan   BBC - April 21, 2014
A submarine scanning the ocean floor for signs of a missing Malaysian airliner is two-thirds of the way through its search but has yet to find the plane, officials say.

Japan's digital eyes show your emotions for you   PhysOrg - April 21, 2014
Can't be bothered to show anyone what you're thinking? A Japanese scientist has the answer - a pair of digital eyes that can express delight and anger, or even feign boredom.

MoMA's expansion and director draw critics   New York Times - April 21, 2014

Glenn D. Lowry, who will soon begin his 20th year running the Museum of Modern Art, has a longstanding practice of taking time each week to visit artistsÕ studios. Which is why he could be found one recent morning along the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, watching the glass-blowing sculptor Josiah McElheny and assistants fashion a vessel from molten lumps, a process almost Elizabethan in its rituals.

Neanderthals Had Shallow Gene Pool, Study Says   Live Science - April 21, 2014
Neanderthals were remarkably less genetically diverse than modern humans, with Neanderthal populations typically smaller and more isolated, researchers say.

First Eurasians left Africa up to 130,000 years ago   Science Daily - April 21, 2014
Scientists have shown that anatomically modern humans spread from Africa to Asia and Europe in several migratory movements. The first ancestors of todayÕs non-African peoples probably took a southern route through the Arabian Peninsula as early as 130,000 years ago, the researchers found.

Humans May Have Dispersed Out of Africa Earlier Than Thought   Live Science - April 21, 2014
Modern humans may have dispersed in more than one wave of migration out of Africa, and they may have done so earlier than scientists had long thought, researchers now say. Modern humans first arose between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago in Africa. But when and how the modern human lineage then dispersed out of Africa has long been controversial. Scientists have suggested the exodus from Africa started between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago. However, stone artifacts dating to at least 100,000 years ago that were recently uncovered in the Arabian Desert suggested that modern humans might have begun their march across the globe earlier than once suspected.

More questions than answers as mystery of domestication deepens   Science Daily - April 22, 2014
Perhaps the most famous experiment in domestication is a project in Russia that turned silver morphs of the wild red fox into tamer and more dog-like silver foxes in just 40 generations. But the silver foxes were kept in cages on a fox farm where they were sheltered and fed and illicit liaisons with wild foxes were thwarted. How representative was this experiment of prehistoric domestication events?

Medical Marijuana: How the Evidence Stacks Up   Scientific American - April 21, 2014

New York is on track to become the 21st state to legalize medical marijuana this year, and two states - Colorado and Washington - have decriminalized recreational use as well. Americans now overwhelmingly support fewer restrictions on marijuana, with 86 percent saying doctors should be allowed to prescribe the drug for medical purposes. Despite its surging popularity, the jury is still out on whether marijuana is truly the panacea its supporters claim it to be. Until recently, the drug's illegal status impeded rigorous study of its effectiveness. Several research groups are now taking advantage of today's looser laws to seek out answers. Here is where we stand for the six most studied conditions.