Via hiredgoon
news
The Milky Way is teeming with billions of planets, including many that are similar to our own. But how many of these alien worlds have water, and do any host extraterrestrial life?
No answers to those questions just yet. But astronomers using a new infrared technique say they've discovered water vapor in the atmosphere of a nearby gas giant planet called "tau Boötis b."
The finding suggests that the technique may play an important role in identifying which exoplanets might be hospitable for life.
Boston Marathon runner, Mike Rossi, took his two third-graders out of school to go with him and his wife on a family vacation. The girls missed three days of school during a trip that included watching their father run the Boston Marathon and touring historical sites in Boston. In return they received a form letter from their school saying that the days they missed would be counted as unexcused absences. Rossi's written response to the school supporting his children's educational experience on the trip has gotten a lot of media attention.
Rossi does not deny that this is the policy of the school. Concerning his response to the schools letter, Rossi said this to Philadelphia Magazine:
"These rules should be in place for parents who aren't involved and who, in some cases, don't even know their kids are absent. This is not for responsible parents trying to teach their kids the right things and teach them about the world outside the classroom."
Via Daily Kos
Stephen Colbert has partnered with Share Fair Nation and ScanSource to fund every grant request made by a South Carolina public school teacher on the crowdfunding platform DonorsChoose.org. Colbert made the announcement through a live video feed at a Greenville, SC elementary school. The grants that will be fulfilled total up to $800,000.
Via KWCH
Who would have thought a man in a mask holding a replica weapon wouldn't go over so well in a place with minors? Crazy!
Via CBC News
A bus driver was shown throwing a student off the bus in what seemed to be a sudden, tyrannical incident in a video filmed by someone riding the bus. After the school board insisted that he be fired, the bus company released a dashboard video showing that moments before the other video begins, the student who was thrown off the bus hit the driver in the face with a large bag. With this new perspective, the school board has promised an apology to the bus driver.
Via Science Daily
A fungus living in the soils of Nova Scotia could offer new hope in the pressing battle against drug-resistant germs that kill tens of thousands of people every year, including one considered a serious global threat.
A team of researchers led by McMaster University has discovered a fungus-derived molecule, known as AMA, which is able to disarm one of the most dangerous antibiotic-resistance genes: NDM-1 or New Delhi Metallo-beta-Lactamase-1, identified by the World Health Organization as a global public health threat.
