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Scientists have momentarily restored a faint twinkle of life to dying cells in the human eye. In order to better understand the way nerve cells succumb to a lack of oxygen, a team of US researchers measured activity in mouse and human retinal cells soon after their death. Amazingly, with a few tweaks to the tissue's environment, they were able to revive the cells' ability to communicate hours later. When stimulated by light, the postmortem retinas were shown to emit specific electrical signals, known as b-waves. These waves are also seen in living retinas, and they indicate communication between all...

The Trump administration seems to be leaning towards allying with the oil refining industry in its fight against Big Corn and federal rules requiring the use of corn ethanol. Reuters reports that the U.S. EPA apparently granted an exemption to Andeavor, a large oil refiner, from having to comply with blending requirements as part of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) last month. The RFS requires refiners to blend biofuels, such as corn ethanol, into their refined fuels. If they can’t or find it too costly, they are required to purchase credits. The law dates back to 2007 under the George...

Scientists from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London together with colleagues from the USA, Russia and China, have discovered that forest fires across the globe were more common between 300 and 250 million years ago than they are today. This is thought to be due to higher level of oxygen in the atmosphere at that time. The study which was published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, found that peats that were to become coal contained high levels of charcoal that could only be explained by the high levels of fire activity. The team...

Photo #1. Somewhere on planet Earth a USAF C-141B Starlifter Cargo and Troop Transport lights up the sky with a spectacular and awesome flare release. USAF Image ID: 021205-O-9999G-017. PhotographerSenior Airman Greg Davis, United States Air Force Courtesieshttp://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/021205-O-9999G-017.jpghttp://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20060914.htm (photo as sized above, ALT text, caption info) Photo #2. Italy, August 28, 2006: A Member of Explosive Ordnance Mobile Unit Eight (EODMU-8) practices static line parachute proficiency operations with combat equipment on board Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella, Italy. USN Image ID: 060828-N-3572Z-025. PhotographerMass Communication Specialist Seaman Chad Zenthoefer, United States Navy Courtesieshttp://www.news.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=38550 (caption)http://www.news.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/060828-N-3572Z-025.jpghttp://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20060905.htm (picture as sized above, ALT text)...