Dark energy is a mysterious force that pervades all space, acting as a "push" to accelerate the Universe's expansion. Despite being 70 percent of the Universe, dark energy was only discovered in 1998 by two teams observing Type Ia supernovae. A Type 1a supernova is a cataclysmic explosion of a white dwarf star. These supernovae are currently the best way to measure dark energy because they are visible across intergalactic space. Also, they can function as "standard candles" in distant galaxies since the intrinsic brightness is known. Just as drivers estimate the distance ...

The following highlights summarize research papers that have been recently published in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL). In this release: Spooky action at a distance, for earthquakes Evidence for water ice near the Martian equator Extraordinary uplift of Yellowstone caldera New evidence could let supereruption off the hook Auroral oscillations seen on Saturn How much sea-level rise can coastal marshes withstand? Rain affects carbon-dioxide flow between sky and sea Ionosphere model overshoots during solar minimum Anyone may read the scientific abstract for ...

MANHATTAN, KAN. -- At any given time between 10 and 20 percent of cattle in the United States are afflicted with lameness, making it one of the most common ailments affecting feedlot and stocker calves. That's why a Kansas State University research team is working to reduce the percentage of cattle affected by bovine lameness. Three researchers -- David Anderson, professor of clinical sciences; Brad White, associate professor of clinical sciences; and Johann Coetzee, associate professor of clinical sciences -- are involved with bovine pain and welfare assessment at ...

BATON ROUGE – The Crab Nebula, once considered to be a source of energy so stable that astronomers used it to calibrate their instruments, is dimming. LSU physicists Mike Cherry, Gary Case and graduate student James Rodi, together with an international team of colleagues using the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, or GBM, on NASA's Fermi gamma-ray space telescope, discovered the anomaly. This revelation has proven astonishing for astronomers. The Crab Nebula, one of the most studied objects in the sky, is the wreckage of a star that exploded in 1054. Considered a cornerstone of ...

A research team from across the United States and Ecuador has pinpointed 1898 as the year the avipoxvirus, or avian pox, hit the Galapagos Islands and started infecting its birds. This estimation is vital to understanding avian diseases that affect today's Galapagos birds. The scientists' paper on the subject, "110 Years of Avipoxvirus on the Galapagos Islands," will be published on January 13 in PLoS ONE, an international, open-access science publication. The research team, led by Dr. Patricia Parker of the University of Missouri–St. Louis, examined 3,607 finches and ...

A new Chandra X-ray Observatory image of Messier 82, or M82, shows the result of star formation on overdrive. At a distance of only 12 million light years, M82 provides a unique cosmic laboratory for studying conditions similar to those that existed billions of years ago when stars were forming at a furious rate in most galaxies. M82 is a so-called starburst galaxy, where stars are forming at rates that are tens or even hundreds of times higher than in a normal galaxy. The burst of star birth may be caused by a close encounter or collision with another galaxy, which ...

DURHAM, N.C. — Researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute who have been studying prostate cancer cells for decades now think they know why PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels reflect cancer progression. "This is the first demonstration of a mechanism that explains why PSA is a bad thing for a tumor to produce," said senior author Sal Pizzo, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Duke Department of Pathology. "I am willing to bet there is also a connection in cancerous cell growth with this particular biological signaling mechanism happening in other types of cells." Using human ...

GALVESTON, TX – Drugs that pharmaceutical companies market most aggressively to physicians and patients tend to offer less benefit and more harm to most patients — a phenomenon described as the "inverse benefit law" in a paper from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Published online Thursday, Jan. 13 in the American Journal of Public Health, the article explores recent withdrawals of blockbuster drugs due to safety concerns and finds a clear pattern of physician-focused marketing tactics that ultimately exposed patients to a worsening benefit-to-harm ...

The American Heart Association today issued a call to action for the public, health professionals, the food industry and the government to intensify efforts to reduce the amount of sodium (salt) Americans consume daily. In an advisory, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, the association sets out the science behind the American Heart Association's recommendation for the general population, which is to consume no more than 1500 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day because of the harmful effects of sodium – elevated blood pressure and increased ...

New NASA satellite data indicate the current La Niña event in the eastern Pacific has remained strong during November and December 2010. A new Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason-2 satellite image of the Pacific Ocean that averaged 10 days of data was just released from NASA. The image, centered on Dec. 26, 2010, was created at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif. "The solid record of La Niña strength only goes back about 50 years and this latest event appears to be one of the strongest ones over this time period," said Climatologist Bill ...

The bodies of virtually all U.S. pregnant women carry multiple chemicals, including some banned since the 1970s and others used in common products such as non-stick cookware, processed foods and personal care products, according to a new study from UCSF. The study marks the first time that the number of chemicals to which pregnant women are exposed has been counted. Analyzing data for 163 chemicals, researchers detected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), phenols, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), phthalates, ...

Improve your writing with our brief, informative articles on our Prompt Proofing blog. New posts published every Friday, so check back often! We have partnered with coupon site Social Shopper to offer a deal of the day, which will be available from Monday (January 17th). This offer will be sent to Social Shopper's Vancouver site subscribers, but we'll also post a link on our Facebook and Twitter pages on the day of the deal. If you receive emailed deals from Social Shopper, feel free to post a link to your Facebook page or Twitter and spread the word! What does ...

There is good news for all those MMA training enthusiasts who have wanted to get a grappling dummy but have been unable to do so owing to the inability to make a one time payment. And since the benefits of a good grappling dummy are many, this is one contraption that is definitely missed by any dedicated MMA training aficionado. MMA training equipment manufacturer, S.M.A.R.T. Athletics, Inc. has announced that their 'Submission Master' grappling dummy can now be bought by making three monthly payments. This offer, according to the management of the company, is in place ...

Investors search for diversification for a multitude of reasons. Stock specific risk can be diversified by increasing the number of holdings in order to mitigate the effects of a blow up in any particular stock. However, the greater challenge lies with eradicating systematic or market risk. Sidstone, Gray & Partners is a middle market Merger and Acquisition Advisory Firm focused on delivering successful results to our Clients. Our M&A professionals provide unbiased, qualified and technically sound advice to business owners on mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance ...

Little Trendstar, makers of uniquely designed kids' T-shirts, has recently received an exclusive invitation to showcase their line at the 2011 Pre-Golden Globes 'Boom Boom Room' celebrity event in Beverly Hills, CA on January 14th & 15th. Hosted by TV personality and fashion guru Jayneoni Moore, this gifting suite event welcomes A-list celebrity parents to connect with the hottest must-have clothing and products for babies and kids. Celebrities from past Boom Boom Room events include Tori Spelling, Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, Ali Landry, Denise Richards, Chris Noth, ...

Entrepreneurs now endeavor to create a strong web presence by making use of every trick in the trade. Many business owners residing in the US have worked hard to facilitate their business growth by marketing themselves on the Internet. The craze has reached Fort Worth, the fifth largest city in Texas. A new type of Internet marketing business is arriving there in the form of Fresh Wave SEO. What makes them different? Well, if you are a business owner trying hard to make it big in the fascinating online world, then you will be thrilled to know that the right marketing strategies ...

Aneesoft Corporation, a leading digital multimedia software company, today announced the release of Aneesoft Free YouTube Downloader for Mac, software for Mac users to download YouTube videos for free on Mac OS. This Aneesoft Free YouTube Downloader for Mac is an easy-to-use YouTube video downloader that enables Mac users to download multiple YouTube videos all at once on Mac for free. With this Free YouTube Downloader, Mac users can easily download their favorite YouTube videos (even YouTube HD videos) on Mac with only a few clicks. Some of the major features in ...

If you've ever found yourself sat in front of an eager car salesman or financial advisor, desperate to sell you the finance to purchase your next run-around, you may have experienced the overwhelming urge to press pause. A desperate need to shut them up for a few minutes and marshal your thoughts is not an uncommon experience in these circumstances - and now you can! 'Car Loan Advisor' is a fantastic service offered by Carlyle Finance, a specialist car financing company who work in partnership with dealerships throughout the UK. Mark Able speaking for Car Loan Adviser ...

Web designs and associated web development services of top quality that used to be rendered by big firms in Phoenix are now slowly undergoing a change in trends. People want cost-effective results along with customized productivity. This is where web design Phoenix firms like WebItDesigns.com come into the picture and come to the rescue of the many online-business enterprises looking forward to cutting costs. WebItDesigns.com has seen an influx of many businesses lately who have switched over from other companies servicing in the website design industry in Phoenix on ...

As the Emmy Award winning director/choreographer of the Opening Ceremonies for six Olympic Games, more than a half dozen Super Bowl halftimes, and several World Cup Spectaculars, Doug Jack has shaped over a half million ordinary people into the most extraordinary and awe-inspiring, living, breathing works of art. From a bird's eye view, his work is larger than life. From the ground floor view, the individual performer feels his simple role elevated to something larger and greater than himself. Doug Jack believes in the Possibility of People, and has written The Backside ...

Award winning country songwriter, Kim McLean has released her first single from her new project, a concept album called Sweet Tea: A Southern Soundtrack to country radio impacting country radio and seeking adds on January 18, 2011. Created as a companion piece to Devon O'Day's new cookbook "My Southern Food" (Thomas Nelson Publishers), the songs are a perfect musical backdrop to southern dining. Most of the album consists of self-penned originals in a "grassy-groovy" style that McLean is known for, with additions like the southern gothic Ode to Billy Joe , a soft-shoe Jambalaya, ...

As one of the country's leading developers of the number one shopping cart technology for internet merchandising, Magento Enterprise, Orange Collar Media has widened its expertise to the most flexible and functional eCommerce solution available. In late 2010, Bravo TV star Bethenny Frankel contracted Orange Collar Media to launch the website and online store for her brand new line of daily nutritional supplements, called Skinnygirl Daily. Skinnygirl Daily was in need of a high performance site capable of handling the large amount of traffic the site expected upon launch. ...

No Slippy Hair Clippy today announced their participation in the Boom Boom Room charity event by donating a collection of hair accessories to Nahla's World, a play center and boutique founded by Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry. Nahla's World offers free supplies and garments to domestic violence victims, many of whom left their belongings in abusive homes. Nahla's World was initially a simple transitional housing apartment, but Halle Berry remodeled it on behalf of the Jenesse Center, the oldest domestic violence intervention program in south Los Angeles. No ...

GP Cameras ( http://www.GPCameras.com/ ) recently announced the official launch of their website, and the first in a series of GoPro HD reviews have been posted. GP Cameras is an independent GoPro HD review website featuring videos, reviews, discount coupon code promotions, and articles about the best-selling lineup of high definition GoPro cameras and accessories. Developed as a means of providing GoPro reviews to those who are in the market for a point of view (POV) camera, GPCameras.com also provides the latest in GoPro news, coupon code promotions and discounts, ...

NC Beautiful, a provider of environmental education and beautification opportunities that elevate the quality of life of North Carolinians, has announced this year's recipients of the organization's environmental education grants. Eight schools were awarded Windows of Opportunity Grants (WOOG) that are available to certified, full-time K-12 teachers in the state of North Carolina. Windows of Opportunity provides up to $1,000 grants to NC teachers to reward their creativity fostering environmental stewardship, leadership, and awareness and initiating a sense of community ...