Category: News

The reason that there is clearly more water on the Earth than on the other planets of the Solar System has not been clarified. There are few theories on how the world’s oceans were formed over the past 4.6 billion years.

Some of the most likely contributory factors to the origin of the Earth’s oceans are as follows:

(1) The cooling down of the primordial world to the point where the outgassed volatile components were held in an atmosphere,
(2) Comets, trans-Neptunian objects or water-rich meteoroids,
(3) Measurements of the ratio of the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and protium point to asteroids,
(4) Biochemically, during the Great Oxygenation Event, via redox reactions and photosynthesis,
(5) Gradual leakage of water stored in hydrous minerals,
(6) Photolysis: radiation can break down chemical bonds on the surface,
(7) Planetesimals heated by the decay of aluminum.

The reasons why we have water on Earth are presented in the following video material.

Oxford University professor Marianne Talbot has a number of excellent philosophy podcasts online, some of which we’ve previously featured on the site. Today, we bring you Talbot’s A Romp Through Ethics for Complete Beginners (Web – iTunesU – YouTube), which addresses one of philosophy’s central questions: what is the right way to conduct yourself in life?

The problem may, at first, seem somewhat trivial. “Live whichever way you want, as long as you’re going to be a good person,

Everyone’s had one of those days when everything seems to go wrong. At this point, some of us resort to nature’s tried and true stress relief method – crying. But, why do we cry? Is there any scientific explanation to this phenomenon?

Basically, there are some research explanations which we would like to present you through the following video material.

Over the decades security experts all around the world have been debating what sort of protection is the most suitable for a PC. So, what do you think you should do to keep your computer cyber safe?

Below are some key steps to protecting your computer from intrusion:

Keep Your Firewall Turned On

A firewall assists in protecting your computer from hackers who might try to gain access to crash it, delete information, or even steal passwords or other sensitive information. Software firewalls are widely recommended for single computers. For multiple networked computers, hardware routers typically provide firewall protection.

Install or Update Your Antivirus Software

Antivirus software is designed to prevent malicious software programs from embedding on your computer. If it detects malicious code, like a virus or a worm, it works to disarm or remove it. Viruses can infect computers without users’ knowledge. Most types of antivirus software can be set up to update automatically.

Install or Update Your Antispyware Technology

Spyware is just what it sounds like—software that is surreptitiously installed on your computer to let others peer into your activities on the computer. Some operating systems offer free spyware protection, and inexpensive software is readily available for download on the Internet or at your local computer store.

Keep Your Operating System Up to Date

Computer operating systems are periodically updated to stay in tune with technology requirements and to fix security holes. Be sure to install the updates to ensure your computer has the latest protection.

Be Careful What You Download

Carelessly downloading e-mail attachments can circumvent even the most vigilant anti-virus software. Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you don’t know, and be wary of forwarded attachments from people you do know.

Turn Off Your Computer

With the growth of high-speed Internet connections, many leave their computers on and ready for action. The downside is that being “always on” renders computers more susceptible.

We came to the end of this week and it is our time to recount the most exciting and incredible stories from the world of science and technology. As usual, we had to make a hard decisions and after a careful consideration we decided to promote the news as follows:

Can Facebook make you sad?

Not so long ago a new form of communication swept the world, transforming life in ways unimagined just a few years before. One commentator heralded it as “the greatest means of communication ever developed by the mind of man

Queensland’s researchers and scientists are encouraged to apply for fellowships to help them develop and establish their professional reputations through innovative, practical and applied research, working closely with business.

The $3 million Accelerate Fellowships funding program was opened today by Queensland Chief Scientist Dr Geoff Garrett AO who said the program will support scientists to undertake research that can have a positive impact on Queensland.

“Early career fellowships will offer a researcher with up to five years’ post-PhD research experience $180,000 over three years to support them lead and manage a research project, with close engagement with business partners.

“Mid-career fellowships will offer $300,000 over three years for a researcher with five to ten years’ post-PhD experience to lead a research team to deliver a significant research project,

If you head over to the Huy Fong Foods web site, they’ll tell you that Sriracha, their ever-popular Thai condiment, is “made from sun ripen chilies which are ground into a smooth paste along with garlic and packaged in a convenient squeeze bottle.

Bureau Chief Executive Dr Rob Vertessy said temperatures across Australia were, on average, almost 1°C warmer than they were a century ago, with most of the warming having occurred since 1950.

“Australia’s mean temperature has warmed by 0.9°C since 1910,

Computers and robots will become smarter and more adept than human beings in 15 years time. Computers develop an almost-organic intelligence gleaned from experience, and will be able to tell jokes and flirt with humans.

How real is this? Well, it’s quite real. Internet search giant Google has spent billions buying up the world’s top robotics companies. These corporations include DeepMind, a British company which specializes in machine learning, and Boston Dynamics, which makes advanced military robots.

We present you some of their solutions in the following video material.