Spectacular Photos: 1st Meteor Shower of 2012 Amazes Skywatchers (SPACE.com)

A dazzling display of "shooting stars" kicked off the 2012 skywatching season early Wednesday (Jan. 4), thrilling amateur astronomers around the world with views of the Quadrantid meteor shower.

Usually one of the most dependable meteor displays of the year, the Quadrantid meteor shower peaked at about 2:30 a.m. EST (0730 GMT) in a brief, but eye-catching, light show. Quadrantid meteors are the leftover crumbs of a shattered comet that broke apart centuries ago, NASA scientists say.

To mark the meteor shower, SPACE.com invited readers to send in their photos of the event, and you answered in spades. From light-polluted cities to remote islands, skywatchers reported spotting some dazzling views of Quadrantid meteors.

Veterinary surgeon Roberto Porto photographed the meteor shower from the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. The view, he said, was stupendous. [Amazing 2012 Quadrantid Meteor Shower Photos]

On Tenerife, the Quadrantids display peaked close to sunrise (local time), "so the peak was [awash in] twilight," Porto told SPACE.com in an email. "Also, the weather predictions were for high clouds this night, [but] we managed to capture a couple of genuine meteors."

Tenerife is a volcanic island and home to Tiede, the highest mountain in Spain. Porto's photos show Quadrantid meteors streaking over Tiede and other peaks, with dark rock formations setting the scene.

According to the skywatching website Spaceweather.com and the International Meteor Organization, this year's Quadrantid display peaked at about 80 meteors an hour.

This reporter spotted three meteors within a 20-minute period of observing from West Orange, N.J., before the frigid winter night forced a retreat back inside. In Florida, skywatcher Richard Hay was more resilient.

"My wife and I ventured out into the frigid 26-degree Florida night this morning to catch the shower with our own eyes and were rewarded with about 20 or so bright Quadrantids over a 90-minute period," Hay wrote in a blog post.

In Ozark, Arkansas, skywatcher Brian Emfinger reported seeing several meteors that ? while not especially bright ? were still impressive.

"I caught one nice Quadrantid Earthgrazer that shot across much of the sky, but it wasn't super-bright," Emfinger told SPACE.com in an email. "It did leave a trail that was visible for about 15 minutes." Earthgrazers are meteors that occur low on the horizon, and can sometimes light up in dazzling fireball displays.

Unlike some of the more well-known annual meteor showers, such as the Perseid and Geminid displays late in the year, the Quadrantid meteor shower's peak lasts only a few hours. The Quadrantids and Geminids originate from the asteroid 2003 EH1, which astronomers suspect was once part of a larger comet that broke into pieces several hundred years ago.

The small space rocks that become Quadrantid meteors hit the atmosphere at speeds of about 90,000 mph and burn up about 50 miles above the Earth, creating dazzling fireballs.

The Quadrantid meteor shower is named for the constellation Quadrans Murals (or Mural Quadrant, which was an early astronomy tool for observing stars), a pattern first observed in 1795 by the French astronomer Jerome Lalande. The Quadrans Murals is located between the better-known constellations of Bootes the Hersdman and Draco the Dragon.

Editor's note: If you snapped an amazing photo the Quadrantid meteor shower or any other skywatching sight and would like to share it with SPACE.com, contact managing editor Tariq Malik at?tmalik@space.com.

You can follow Tariq Malik on Twitter?@tariqjmalik.?Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter?@Spacedotcom?and on?Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120104/sc_space/spectacularphotos1stmeteorshowerof2012amazesskywatchers

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Scientists develop drought-tolerant alfalfa

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.?? With much of the Southwest struggling with drought, many ranchers and dairy farmers are having difficulty finding enough hay for their livestock and making tough choices: pay up to twice as much as last year and ship it in from hundreds of miles away or do without and sell off some of their herd.

Farmers, ranchers and scientists say a perfect storm has turned hay into gold this year. The drought reduced forage on the range and led to an increase in demand for hay, including alfalfa and other grass mixes. At the same time, the drought and lower water allotments for agriculture reduced the supply and prices skyrocketed. Farmers as far as North Dakota and Minnesota have been feeling the effects.

Scientists at New Mexico State University are trying to help by using genetic analysis and traditional plant breeding practices to come up with more drought-tolerant varieties of alfalfa. The research is important because two-thirds of hay produced in the U.S. is grown in drought-prone areas of the Great Plains or the western U.S., said Ian Ray, the professor who runs NMSU's alfalfa breeding and genetics program.

Hay is the fourth most valuable crop grown in the United States with sales generating more than $7.5 billion. It's essential to everything from the billion-dollar dairy and beef industries to the wool market and even horse racing.

NMSU has been working on developing tougher alfalfa plants for more than three decades. Ray and his team, with help from the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Oklahoma, have identified a series of DNA markers on alfalfa chromosomes that they believe play a key role in producing more alfalfa with less water.

It took several years to map the alfalfa genome and identify the markers that influence development of the plant's shoots and roots during drought. Then a couple of years of breeding were needed to incorporate those characteristics into alfalfa cultivars typically grown by farmers in New Mexico.

The work is more precise than classical plant breeding because the scientists were able to introduce only the drought tolerance characteristics they were after.

"DNA markers just help us do a much better job of uncovering, tracking and selecting for natural genetic variation for drought tolerance," Ray said.

The team just wrapped up its harvest of the first test crops grown with less water and the results are promising. All the plants had smaller yields because of the lack of water, but those with drought-tolerant DNA markers produced 9 percent to 15 percent more than those without the markers.

One of the most promising cultivars being tested has a leafy canopy. More leaves means more nutritional value, Ray said.

"If what we're seeing is real, and it can be demonstrated that we see a yield advantage in multiple environments, then we've got a high forage quality population with enhanced drought resistance. That's the best of both worlds," he said.

Other universities, the federal government and large corporations like Monsanto Co. have been trying to develop alfalfa varieties that can withstand cold weather, salt-laden irrigation water and various insects and disease. But experts say the NMSU team is at the cutting edge when it comes to research on drought tolerance.

Mark McCaslin, president of Forage Genetics International in Nampa, Idaho, and a board member of the National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance, said while drought is common in alfalfa country, this year's has been particularly devastating.

"What happened this year was really a tragedy, so that puts a lot more energy behind this kind of work," he said.

Leon Porter, a rancher from central New Mexico, said he had to sell about 140 head because the tufts of grass on his ranch failed to green up this year. Even the native yucca plants wilted and turned brown.

Porter and other ranchers are paying more than $300 a ton for hay and alfalfa grass mixes to get their herds through the winter. Last year, it cost about $165 a ton.

"The more producers that produce hay and the more efficiently they can produce it, the more affordable it makes it for us," he said.

Alfalfa farmers across New Mexico have been turning away customers since early fall. Arizona is about out, and a number of dairies in southeastern New Mexico have had to go to the Dakotas to get orders filled.

"Basically anywhere in the western United States, there's no hay to be found right now," said Justin Boswell, a crop consultant and executive director of the New Mexico Hay Association. Any scientific breakthrough would be welcome, he said.

___

Follow Susan Montoya Bryan on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanmbryanNM

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45847703/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Oregon powers past Wisconsin 45-38 in Rose Bowl

Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas (5) celebrates with Kenjon Barner (24) after throwing a touchdown pass during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas (5) celebrates with Kenjon Barner (24) after throwing a touchdown pass during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Wisconsin's Nick Toon, left, scores a touchdown as Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu defends during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Wisconsin's Montee Ball (28) goes over Oregon's John Boyett (20) and others as he is stopped during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Oregon De'Anthony Thomas (6) celebrates his 64-yard touchdown with Mark Asper (79) during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Oregon's John Boyett (20) stops Wisconsin running back, Montee Ball (28) during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) ? Oregon's incredible offense busted up Wisconsin and the record books on the way to the Ducks' first Rose Bowl victory in 95 years.

Darron Thomas passed for three touchdowns, De'Anthony Thomas scored on runs of 91 and 64 yards, and the No. 6 Ducks earned their first bowl victory under coach Chip Kelly, holding off Wisconsin 45-38 Monday night in the highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever played.

And it wasn't over until a video review confirmed the Badgers (11-3) ran out of time at the Oregon 25, out of timeouts and unable to spike the ball in time to stop the clock for a last-gasp fling.

Lavasier Tuinei caught eight passes for 158 yards and two TDs for the Ducks (12-2), who had no postseason success to show for Kelly's otherwise wildly successful three-year tenure until this landmark offensive performance in the 98th Rose Bowl. Oregon hadn't won the West Coast's biggest game since 1917.

"It's been 95 years since you could say: Oregon Ducks, Rose Bowl champions," Kelly said after the Ducks held Wisconsin scoreless in the fourth quarter.

The Granddaddy of Them All had never seen this many points, beating the record 80 scored by Washington and Iowa in 1991.

With the Ducks wearing mirrored helmets and playing at their usual frantic pace, Oregon racked up 621 total yards, just shy of the Rose Bowl record.

Montee Ball rushed for 122 of his 164 yards in the first half for the Badgers (11-3), who lost the Rose Bowl for the second straight year despite managing 508 yards of their own. Ball tied Barry Sanders' FBS record with his 39th touchdown of the season, while Russell Wilson passed for 296 yards and two scores.

"This team showed what Oregon football is all about," said linebacker Kiko Alonso, named the game's top defensive player after getting a key interception.

Wisconsin had two drives to tie it after Oregon kicked a field goal with 6:50 to play, but Jared Abbrederis fumbled near the Oregon sideline after making a long catch. The ball plopped onto the turf without even bouncing, and Oregon's Michael Clay jumped on it with 4:06 left.

That video review went the Ducks' way, too.

The Badgers had burned two timeouts early in the second half, so Oregon was able to run the clock down to 23 seconds before punting.

Wilson connected on two long passes, but the officials went to video review after the clock went to zeros as Wilson rushed his team to the Oregon 25 with 2 seconds left, waited for the ball to be set, then took the snap and spiked the ball.

But the Badgers took too long. The officials ruled time had indeed expired, and the Ducks sprinted onto the field to the frenzied cheers of their outnumbered fans.

The Ducks and Badgers produced the highest-scoring first quarter (14-14) and first half (28-28) in Rose Bowl history, eventually surpassing the 80 scored in Washington's 46-34 win over Iowa in 1991. Oregon's yardage fell just short of USC's 633 yards against Illinois in 2008.

Sure, Baylor's 67-56 win over Washington in the Alamo Bowl last Thursday might have packed bigger sheer numbers. But Wisconsin and Oregon commanded a much bigger stage ? and the Ducks unleashed every bit of their formidable offensive power.

Tuinei was named the Ducks' offensive player of the game, but their flashiest star in those futuristic helmets was De'Anthony Thomas, the freshman from Los Angeles who showed off his electrifying athleticism on the longest scoring run in Rose Bowl history in the second quarter, going 91 yards up the middle. He added a mere 64-yard scoring run in the opening minute of the second half as Oregon won the matchup of the last two losers of the Rose Bowl.

Wisconsin lost 21-19 to TCU last season, and the Ducks lost to Ohio State two years ago before losing the BCS title game last year.

"It almost felt like there was some sort of magical force keeping us from getting it done in bowl games," Oregon guard Carson York said. "Glad we did it today."

LaMichael James rushed for 159 yards and an early TD in his likely college finale for the Ducks, while De'Anthony Thomas finished with 155 yards. Kenjon Barner also caught a TD pass from Darron Thomas.

Abbrederis and Nick Toon caught TD passes for Wisconsin, and defensive end Louis Nzegwu returned a fumble 33 yards for a score in the second quarter.

In the second half, the Ducks even slowed Ball. The Heisman Trophy finalist started strong in what's likely his final college game, even hurdling Oregon safety John Boyett in what's sure to be a big YouTube hit, but he had just three carries for no yards in the fourth quarter.

Both teams won their respective conferences' first-ever league title games to earn this trip to Pasadena. Although the Ducks' drought was generations longer, Wisconsin hasn't won in Pasadena since Jan. 1, 2000, when Ron Dayne led the Badgers to back-to-back Rose Bowl titles.

Oregon quickly debunked the theory that teams with extra time to prepare for the Ducks' inventive offense have a better chance to stop it. The Ducks were 1-4 in bowl games and season openers under Kelly until they carved up Wisconsin with the second-biggest yardage performance in Rose Bowl history.

Wisconsin set the tone from its opening drive, going 77 yards in seven plays for Abbrederis' wide-open 38-yard TD catch just 3:12 in. Ball carried on the Badgers' first four snaps, and play-action set up the pass ? two themes that dominated Wisconsin's game plan.

Oregon answered with an 80-yard drive in just 2:07, culminating in James' 1-yard TD run. Wisconsin scored again on Wilson's 4-yard run before the teams finally traded punts, but De'Anthony Thomas broke through the Wisconsin line and sprinted down the Oregon sideline for a 91-yard score, surpassing Tyrone Wheatley's bowl-record 88-yard run in 1993 and capping the second-longest scoring drive in Rose Bowl history at 95 yards with Oregon's longest run all season.

Wisconsin opened the second quarter with Ball's record-tying run, but Darron Thomas found Barner open down the seam for a 54-yard score on Oregon's next play. Both defenses then got a brief chance to shine: The Ducks stopped Wisconsin on fourth down inside the Oregon 20, but blitzing Wisconsin linebacker Mike Taylor forced Darron Thomas' fumble moments later, and Nzegwu scooped and scored.

Oregon calmly answered with Tuinei's 3-yard TD catch with 30 seconds left. The teams' 56 combined points surpasses the record 45 scored by Wisconsin and UCLA in 1999.

De'Anthony Thomas' 64-yard TD run put Oregon ahead, and the Ducks then held Wisconsin to a mere field goal ? but the Badgers' defense forced a punt, and Wilson made several heady plays on the way to an 18-yard TD pass to Toon.

The quarterbacks traded interceptions. Then Darron Thomas found Tuinei for his second score just 25 seconds into the fourth quarter, putting the Ducks ahead to stay.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-02-FBC-Rose-Bowl/id-ffeafbb4f3d64ff7851825edf358aec3

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Congo ex-rebels given perks for backing Kabila: U.N. (Reuters)

KINSHASA (Reuters) ? Former rebels have been promoted to senior posts in Democratic Republic of Congo's military in return for supporting President Joseph Kabila's re-election effort, the United Nations said in a report on Friday.

The finding could deepen divisions within the army and add to doubts over the credibility of the November 28 poll, which was marred by violence and described by Kabila's opponents as fraudulent, although endorsed by the Supreme Court.

The government has been integrating former rebels into the army, the FARDC, in a bid to curb rebellion.

Since February, Congo's senior military have been trying to reduce tensions by cementing the chain of command and eliminating loyalties based on rebel groupings.

But the U.N. report by the Group of Experts, a committee established to monitor the situation in Congo, found that this process had been "hijacked" by former rebels.

Bosco Ntaganda, a former rebel who is currently an FARDC general despite being wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, has managed to secure senior posts for his men in return for backing Kabila's re-election effort, the 127-page report said.

Ntaganda was previously allied to the CNDP, a Rwandan-backed group that fought against Kabila.

"Ntaganda has secured changes to FARDC restructuring in his favour, in return for the CNDP joining President Kabila's electoral alliance," the report said.

That backing may have involved the use of the military to intimidate voters into casting ballots for Kabila, it added.

The local observer group SOPROP said it had seen a "massive (...) presence of heavily armed soldiers" in parts of eastern Congo, where Ntaganda and his allies wield considerable influence, and that people were pressured to vote for Kabila.

Kabila's percentage of the vote was far higher in these areas than elsewhere, a member of the Group of Experts told Reuters, asking not to be named.

"Clearly there was a deal in place ... This shows (electoral support) was part of that deal."

The report also says Ntaganda controls a key minerals smuggling route to Rwanda.

Ntaganda's rise within the army has left other groups marginalized and disgruntled, leading to assassinations, desertions and the re-establishment of links with rebel movements, according to the report.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende denied the report's accusations.

"These are comments, not facts. We are not interested in people's comments. This is the way we are organizing our army, there is no link at all to the election," he said.

More than eight years after the end of a civil war and despite the presence of around 17,000 U.N. peacekeepers, some rebel groups continue to fight the government and target civilians in the mountainous east.

They often use weapons and ammunition bought or captured from the Congolese military, said the report.

Kabila has faced widespread criticism for his failure to bring stability to eastern Congo 10 years after coming to power.

(Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Alessandra Rizzo)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111230/wl_nm/us_congo_democratic_election

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Rustic Wedding Bouquet

Gertie Mae?s Floral Studio in Clarkesville, GA loved the idea of the bridal bouquet and the matching boutonniere and wanted to share this rustic wedding bouquet recipe with you. Perfect for an outdoor rustic, woodsy wedding with a neutral color palette. If you are not getting married in Georgia, you can easily bring this bouquet recipe to your florist to replicate this rustic wedding bouquet and matching boutonniere for you. Photography by Once Like A Spark. For more pretty bouquet recipes click here.

Rustic wedding bouquet recipe:
Sedum
Blushing bride protea
Sweet peas
Lysimachia(veronica)
Feverfew
Brunia (silver)
Scabiosa pods
Coleus leaves
Poke sallet weed berries(indigenous of Georgia)
Burgandy scabiosa

The boutonniere The recipe has? Immature Georgia blueberries, Feverfew and Blushing bride protea.

Categories: Bouquet Recipe

Source: http://www.weddingchicks.com/2011/12/28/rustic-wedding-bouquet/

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Red Meat Increases the Risk of Kidney Cancer

People who eat lots of red meat may have a higher risk of kidney cancer, according to researchers from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

Researchers found that middle-aged adults who ate the most red meat (about 4 ounces of red meat a day) were 19% more likely to be diagnosed with kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma i.e. RCC) than those who ate the least (less than 1 ounce a day). Higher intake of chemicals found in grilled or barbecued meat was also linked to increased risk of the disease.

The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Source-Medindia

Source: http://feeds.medindia.net/~r/allhealthnews/~3/ZneqLRZtIfs/Red-Meat-Increases-the-Risk-of-Kidney-Cancer-95500-1.htm

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Chris Vitek?s most-used iPhone and iPad apps of 2011

Narrowing down the list of my most used apps is a huge undertaking! There are apps that I may use intensively for long periods of time, then not...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/ey7_-eSnY9I/story01.htm

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