Fat or Thin? Check the Gut Microbes

The top of the recent Quirks and Quarks podcast describes how obesity is not simply a balance of calories but is strongly determined by the performance of microbes in the stomach. Swapping these microbes between mice stomachs demonstrates the effect. Listen here.

Total Lunar Eclipse, March 3rd

View a total lunar eclipse of the Moon, Saturday March 3, 2007. Visible from parts of all seven continents, including the eastern half of the United States.

Read more about the lunar eclipse and find the best time to view where you live at NASA Science News.

Birthday Calendar

Fun site if you have some downtime...enter your birth date in the birthday calendar and fun statistics and astrological data will be presented.

Free Physics Textbook

The 20th edition of The Free Physics Textbook was just released from Galilean motion to general relativity, and classical mechanics to quantum mechanics. This downloadable 1380-page tome, 10 years in the making, is meant to share modern physics to students and teachers in emerging economies.

Listen to Podcasts for free on any phone

A great way to listen to your favorite podcasts while away from a computer. Enter the rss feed url on the website and a unique phone number is created which you can then call from any phone. They also have an ever expanding directory of podcasts you can browse.

Check it out at Podlinez.net

What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

A series of photographs representing 200 calories of different types of food. This will definitely make me think about what I eat next.

Read more at wisegeek.com.

Endangered Species Ringtones

Ringtones of endangered species available from Biological Diversity for environmental awareness of species. Featured on NPR, these sound samples of a Blue-throated Macaw, Beluga Whale, and others can help your phone sound unique.

Physics - The best of 2006

It was the year that water flowed on Mars and the first cloak of invisibility was unveiled. Physicists also made important advances in the manipulation of materials at the quantum level in 2006, furthering our knowledge of the fundamental properties of matter and bringing futuristic technologies like quantum computers closer to reality.

Read the top 12 advances in 2006 discussed at Physicsweb.org.

Astronomers Await a Nova

The Star of Bethlehem might have been a nova, like T Pyxidis, which by the way could light up the night sky any time now.

Read more about T Pyxidis at Space.com.

FAA Sets Guidelines for Space Travel

Before you strap into any U.S.-operated private spaceship, you’ll be told about the risk as well as rewards of flying the friendly space skies.

Read more about the guidelines at Space.com.

"An Inconvenient Truth" DVD available to Teachers

50,000 copies of the acclaimed documentary will be donated on a first come, first serve basis to teachers across the country interested in using the film as a teaching tool in classrooms via Participate.net. This generous donation was made possible with the cooperation of Paramount Vantage, Participant Productions, The Environmental Media Association, and private funders.

The DVD's will be given away starting Monday, December 18, 2006 thru Thursday, January 18, 2007. Teachers are encouraged to log on to Participate.net to request the DVD, which will be delivered within 6-8 weeks. A free curriculum guide is also available for download.

http://participate.net/educators/DVD/giveaway

Postcards from Mars

Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift? Postcards from Mars, featured on a Quirks and Quarks podcast, looks like a great one to display on a coffee table.

Great White Shark Clip

A clip from BBC Planet Earth. Incredible footage of great white sharks.

read more | digg story

New York City Bans Trans Fats from Restaurants

In an effort to help Americans eat healthier, NYC health officials have implemented new requirements including a ban from using artificial trans fats, and requiring many restaurants to post food calorie counts right on their menus.

Read more details from these news articles:

LiveScience.com - "NYC Bans Trans Fats From Eateries"

The New York Times - "New York Bans Most Trans Fats in Restaurants" (log-in required)

"Sugar Plum Fairy" on Bike Parts

Tchaikovsky on bicycle? This site plays a short clip of a challenge by bike part manufacturer Specialized to play holiday music using bicycle components. A very nice effect. The page describes how it was done, plus even more pictures. I hope they arrange more!

Legendary Violins Were Chemically Treated?

Texas A & M researcher, Joseph Nagyvary, hypothesizes that the beautiful sound of the famous Stradivarius and Guarneri instruments could be from the wood being chemically treated.

Read more about the mysteries behind these legendary violins at LiveScience.

Furrier Transform

Short story: The Shoulders of Giants

Escape Pod has another great sci-fi podcast. This one's a "what if" about what could happen if humanity sends a sleeper colony ship to another solar system. What do they do if they find someone's there? This one's PG.

AbbyMath.com

A great educational site led by Abby Brown, an enthusiastic math teacher at Torrey Pines High School, AbbyMath.com introduces fascination of math and science to young students and encourages their enthusiasm. The site is updated as her classes evolve, producing examples of how other students can learn about math, including some that are interactive on the web. She and her students presented their work at the recent Wolfram Technology Conference. See also her MathRules.org site.

Note the new permanent link on the right!

Spooky Astronomy!

Happy Halloween!

Did you know that Halloween or October 31st is a "cross quarter date," meaning approximately midway between an equinox and a solistice? There are four cross quarter dates in a year. Lots of folklore and legends related to these dates.

Read more by visiting Spooky Astronomy at SpaceWeather.com.