SciByte

snag still-working antennas from the many retired and dead satellites in geosynchronous orbit — about 22,000 miles (35,406 kilometers) above Earth — and attach them to smaller "satlets," or nanosatellites, launched from Earth.

tender vehicle would cruise over to a satlet, pluck it out of its housing and ferry it to the appropriate defunct satellite. The tender would then switch the antenna over from the retired satellite to the satlet, creating a "new," and relatively cheap, satellite using previously useless space junk.

Satellites in GEO are not designed to be disassembled or repaired, so it's not a matter of simply removing some nuts and bolts

requires new remote imaging and robotics technology and special tools to grip, cut, and modify complex systems

consume alcohol to self-medicate, a behavior that greatly increases their survival rate

believe our results are the first to show that alcohol consumption can have a protective effect against infectious disease, and in particular against blood-borne parasites

the common fruit fly that swirls around browning bananas in your kitchen

The amount of alcohol in their natural habitat can range from 5 to 15 percent

fruit flies are really good at detoxifying alcohol."

When it gets within range of its target, which will be traveling at 28,000 km/h at an altitude of 630-750 km

began on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14),

uptick in activity in Earth's magnetic field sparked a geomagnetic storm

Sometimes the sky surprises us

with little warning, geomagnetic activity rippled around the Arctic Circle

producing an outbreak of auroras

among the best in months

some early speculation that a Feb. 10 sun storm, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), may have triggered the northern lights show, but this solar outburst has not yet been confirmed.

occur when charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's upper atmosphere

creating ripples of glowing light

charged particles are funneled to Earth's poles by the planet's magnetic field

typically only visible to skywatchers in far northern or far southern latitudes

northern lights are called the aurora borealis

southern lights are dubbed the aurora australis

halofuginone (HF) triggers a stress-response pathway that blocks the development of a harmful class of immune cells

prevents the autoimmune response without dampening immunity altogether

This compound could inspire novel therapeutic approaches to a variety of autoimmune disorders."

exciting example of how solving the molecular mechanism of traditional herbal medicine can lead both to new insights into physiological regulation and to novel approaches to the treatment of disease

Prior research had shown that HF reduced scarring in tissue, scleroderma (a tightening of the skin), multiple sclerosis, scar formation and even cancer progression.

Recognized only since 2006, Th17 cells are "bad actors," implicated in many autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and psoriasis

minute doses of HF reduced multiple sclerosis in a mouse model

Further analysis showed that HF was somehow turning on genes involved in a newly discovered pathway called the amino acid response pathway, or AAR

evidence that it extends lifespan and delays age-related inflammatory diseases in animal studies on caloric restriction

during a power outage we conserve what little juice we have left on our devices, foregoing chats in favor of emergency calls," said Whitman. "Cells use similar logic

Researchers do not yet fully understand the role that amino acid limitation plays in

researchers were able to home in on a single amino acid, called proline, and discovered that HF targeted and inhibited a particular enzyme (tRNA synthetase EPRS) responsible for incorporating proline into proteins that normally contain it.

proline also reversed other therapeutic effects of HF, inhibiting its effectiveness against the malaria parasite as well as certain cellular processes linked to tissue scarring

it is possible to correct SDO data for instrumental effects and sharpen the images even more than before

this eclipse can bring the lunar landscape into focus -- mountains and valleys on the moon show up as a raggedy edge when viewed at high resolution.

During its travels, the moon briefly blocked sunspot AR1422, an active region that is blasting strong ultraviolet emissions into space

This caused a dip in the EVE [extreme ultraviolet] output and may allow scientists to calibrate the energy emitted by the active region

next partial solar eclipse visible from Earth will occur May 20. Skywatchers in much of Asia, the Pacific and western North America will be able to see it

total solar eclipse will take place Nov. 13, but it will be visible only from parts of northern Australia and the South Pacific

skywatchers in much of Australia, New Zealand and southern South America will be able to see a partial eclipse on that day.

Those who work in the crew quarters include cooks, attendants, flight data file personnel, flight nurses and other astronauts supporting the crew.

Inside an area that dates back to the Apollo Program are facilities that have been upgraded throughout the years, including a kitchen, staff conference room, crew conference room, workout room, lounge, laundry room, computer room, suit-up room, dining room, medical facility, staff office and prime crew sleeping quarters.

access to crew quarters is limited to the staff and astronaut support personnel leading up to each launch

certified food handlers

team's typical day begins at 6 a.m. They get the kitchen going for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Laundry and inventory are completed. Maintenance trouble calls are tended to, and sleeping quarters and the beach house are cleaned

The staff operates under NASA Johnson Space Center's Health Stabilization Program. Twice yearly, the staff undergoes a physical exam and trains regularly on health issues and crew quarters procedures

found fossils of the tree's intact crown in a nearby location in 2004, and a 28-foot-long trunk portion in 2005

named one of the "100 top Science Stories of 2007" by Discover Magazine

They were able to determine that these trees actually resembled modern-day cycads or tree ferns, but interestingly enough, were not related to either one

how much we don't know but need to understand about our ancient past

forest began to emerge -- during the Middle Devonian period, about 385 million years ago – Earth experienced a dramatic drop in global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and the associated cooling led ultimately to a period of glaciation.

dating back about 385 million years ago

The complexity of the Gilboa site can teach us a lot about the original assembly of our modern day ecosystems