Environment: California Hotspots -- Species on the Edge

This site, accompanying an exhibit about biodoversity hotspots in the state by the California Academy of Sciences, features descriptions of at-risk species in hotspot areas such as Central Valley vernal pools, Mediterranean shrublands, the Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range volcanoes, the Redwood forests, and the Klamath-Siskiyou Wilderness. The site also describes such general environmental threats as population growth and global warming. "Defining a hotspot requires understanding a region's species' distributions and endemism (the degree to which species are found only in a given place)." <http://www.calacademy.org/>

Writers: Charles Darwin -- The Complete Works On Line

"This site contains every Darwin publication as well as any of his handwritten manuscripts. All told there are more than 50,000 searchable text pages and 40,000 images. There is also the most comprehensive Darwin bibliography ever published and the largest manuscript catalogue ever assembled. More than 150 ancillary texts are also included, ranging from reference works to contemporary reviews, obituaries, descriptions of Darwin's Beagle specimens and important works for understanding Darwin's context. Free audio mp3 versions of his works are also available." -- from the website. <http://darwin-online.org.uk/>

Astronomy: Black Holes

"[A]n exciting, in-depth exploration of the astronomy and physics of black holes. The site was created in a collaboration between astronomy, education and Web professionals. It offers astronomical images, animations, interactive experiments (some with audio), and an encyclopedia of accurate, up-to-date information." -- from the website.
<http://hubblesite.org/discoveries/black_holes/>

Video: Human Space Invaders (YouTube)

These people may or may not have too much time on their hands, but perhaps you do: Human Space Invaders.

Astronomy: Biggest 3D map yet of the "local" universe

Scientists have outlined the positions of all the galaxies and galaxy groupings, out to a distance of about 600 million light-years from Earth. The work by US, UK and Australian scientists is reported in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The data will aid the study of cosmic evolution and help to explain why the universe takes the form it does. Galaxies tend to cluster together, and these groupings form superclusters represented on the maps. Plus, not only does the map plot all of the visible material in the near universe, but also it gives clues to the distribution of the invisible "dark matter" that scientists cannot detect directly but which they believe is woven into fabric of normal matter. The Royal Astrological Society: <http://www.ras.org.uk/>

Resource: Planet Salsa

Planet Salsa
brings you the latest Salsa Scene news,
interviews, events,
previews, clubs
and feature articles,
sharing exclusive insights on Salsa dance and music.
<http://www.planetsalsa.com/>

Streaming: Radio Preciso

On the main channel of Accuradio's Radio Preciso, you get a mix of the biggest names in Latin music history -- mostly Latin jazz, salsa, and mambo, seasoned with cumbia, reggaeton and other regional styles. A subchannel is devoted to salsa; a channel each delivers Latin and Brazilian jazz; "The Sounds of Puerto Rico" is a subchannel devoted to one of Latin music's richest musical histories; and additional subchannels offer modern Latin styles, from Rock en Español to reggaeton and Latin hip hop. <http://www.accuradio.com/latin/>

Science: Teleportation

The concept of quantum teleportation -- the disembodied complete transfer of the state of a quantum system to any other place: "Beam me up, Scotty" to you and me -- was first experimentally realized between two different light beams. Later it became also possible to transfer the properties of a stored ion to another object of the same kind. A team of scientists at the Max-Planck-Institut fur Quantenoptik has now shown that the quantum states of a light pulse can also be transferred to a macroscopic object, an ensemble of 10 to the power of 12 atoms. This is the first case of successful teleportation between objects of a different nature - the one representing a "flying" medium (light), the other a "stationary" medium (atoms).

The rest of the story: <First quantum teleportation between light and matter>.

Mind over Matter: MyTelekinesis.com

"In MyTelekinesis, we do not only deal with the act of moving objects with the mind. We focus in the mind as a whole. Have you ever wondered why you are thinking about a song and a few minutes later you hear it playing on the radio? or why you think about an old friend only to see him a couple of minutes later somewhere? Could it be simply chance or our mind which we know so little about? Explore MyTelekinesis to find out! Do you want to master this dark skill? The one that very few people possess? Be our guest. We feature videos, articles and the ever-growing guide about Learning Telekinesis." -- from the website. <http://mytelekinesis.com/>

Nature: Carnivorous Plants

Galleria Carnivora displays a terrific collection of carnivorous plant photographs, curated by Barry Rice, whose tongue-in-cheek commentary makes for an entertaining introduction to this garden of fantastic fauna-devouring flora. Carnivorous Plants in Their Natural Habitats, by Matthias and Oliver Schmidt, also contains many beautiful pictures of meat-eating veggies. At Venus Flytrap on HowStuff Works, you can find out how the man-eater from Little Shop of Horrors attracts, traps, and digests insects. Indiana University biologist Roger P. Hangarter's Venus Flytrap is a QuickTime movie of the plant in action -- part of a Plants-In-Motion video collection). Another site honors the Nepenthes, a genus of tropical pitcher plants native to Borneo. Nikon's Small World Gallery has, among many other wonders, a beautiful photomicrograph of a sundew plant by Earl Nishiguchi, submitted to Nikon's Small World Gallery photo contest. Boston's Museum of Science displays a magnified image of a bladderwort, a tiny carnivorous plant found in freshwater. Another site from Barry Rice is The Carnivorous Plant FAQ, an entertaining look at the vegetation in the movies and on television, in such productions as Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Minority Report, and the like.

Chemistry: Autumn Leaves (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

"Every autumn across the Northern Hemisphere, diminishing daylight hours and falling temperatures induce trees to prepare for winter. In these preparations, they shed billions of tons of leaves. In certain regions....the shedding of leaves is preceded by a spectacular color show. Formerly green leaves turn to brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red." -- from the website. <http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/>

Terror Alert (not):The New Face of HATE!

Be afraid, be ver...be sort of afraid: <http://YouTube.com>