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Most Talked About Discovery News Stories

Social Media More Addictive Than Booze and Cigs

news.discovery.com — If your urges to stay connected 24/7 bring you to hyperbolic declarations of powerlessness, you can now leave the hyperbole at the door. Results of a new study confirm what you've claimed for years: checking email and social media is more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol.

Hackers: We Intercepted FBI, Scotland Yard Call

news.discovery.com — A sensitive conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard was recorded and released online by the hackers in Anonymous, the group claimed Friday. The group released a roughly 15-minute-long recording of what appears to be a Jan. 17 conference call devoted to tracking and prosecuting members of the loose-knit hacking group and its spinoff group LulzSec.

Is Social Media Spreading Twitching Hysteria?

news.discovery.com — Doctors treating the strange case of nearly 20 teenagers with a twitching disorder in upstate New York say the symptoms may be spreading faster through the girls' own use of Facebook other forms of social media.
Weird NY twitching teens could be spreading symptoms through social media: http://t.co/BuUI37RI

A History of Cheerleading: Photos

discovery.com — Today's cheerleaders use more hairspray and perform more acrobatics than their forebears, but their pep evokes more than a century of history.

2012 Mayan Doomsday Inspires Chevy Superbowl Ad

discovery.com — It's perhaps as inevitable as seeing a partially-clad Danica Patrick trying to sell us domain names; the 2012 Mayan doomsday phenomenon is coming to this weekend's Superbowl! All this doomsday nonsense was bound to grab the attention of one or two marketing departments, and for the famous 2012 Superbowl ads, the automobile manufacturer Chevy wants you to know that when the end of the world comes, you'd better be driving their car.
2012 Mayan Doomsday Inspires Chevy Superbowl Ad http://t.co/nzV0Lrzg (I couldn't help myself!)

Football Shaped by Military

news.discovery.com — You might want to pause during this year's Super Bowl half-time show to give a nod to the military, which is closer to your Sunday night viewing experience than you probably realize. The armed forces, according to recent research, played a major role in turning football from an elitist college sport into an American pastime.
Football became an American pastime in large part because of military influences http://t.co/a986DsYO

Iran Launches Another Satellite

discovery.com — On Friday, Iran launched an observation satellite into Earth orbit -- its third since 2009 -- the official IRNA news agency reported. "The Navid satellite was launched successfully.... It will be placed into an orbit (at an altitude) between 250 and 370 kilometres," IRNA quoted the head of Iran's Space Organisation, Hamid Fazeli, as saying.

Tracker Keeps Kids In Digital View

news.discovery.com — PocketFinder: $149.95 (12.95/month subscription) If you're a parent, letting go of the reins can be scary, especially when the question all parents fear comes up, "Can I walk to school by myself?" It's normal for a kid to want to walk to school or the bus stop with their friends and not have Mom or Dad tagging along.

Virtual Reality Contact Lenses Offer 3D Panorama

news.discovery.com — Contact lenses that help enhance normal vision with megapixel 3D panoramic images are being designed by scientists using military funding. For those who do not want to rely on contact lenses, future versions could involve lenses directly implanted within the eye, researchers added.

Quadcopter Swarms Dance in the Air

news.discovery.com — Swarms of robots are getting closer and closer to moving around like a colony of insects. At the University of Pennsylvania's GRASP Laboratory, Alex Kushleyev, Daniel Mellinger and Vijay Kumar developed an algorithm that allows a group of tiny quadcopter robots to fly in formation, get around obstacles, and find each other again in the air when the patterns are disrupted.

Tracker Keeps Kids In Digital View

news.discovery.com — PocketFinder: $149.95 (12.95/month subscription) If you're a parent, letting go of the reins can be scary, especially when the question all parents fear comes up, "Can I walk to school by myself?" It's normal for a kid to want to walk to school or the bus stop with their friends and not have Mom or Dad tagging along.

Did Alan Lomax Invent Pandora?

news.discovery.com — Decades before you surfed the musical waves on Pandora and Spotify, ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax envisioned a "global jukebox" that could publicly circulate the wealth of musical recordings he collected over years of fieldwork. BLOG: Why The Web Is Sick Of SOPA Who is Alan Lomax you ask?

A Sublime Springtime for Martian Dunes: Big Pic

news.discovery.com — Feb. 2, 2012 -- Steep-sloped dunes in Mars' north polar region are etched with dark streaks and circular bull's-eye blotches in this image from the HiRISE camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, part of the recent PDS release of over 400 new images acquired in 2011.

Solar 'Wings' Power Swiss Ski Lift

news.discovery.com — The tiny Swiss ski town of Tenna has an impressively large claim to fame. Although larger, well-known ski resorts overshadow it, when their aging ski lift needed replacing, Tenna invested in building one of the world's first solar-powered ski lifts.

Did Alan Lomax Invent Pandora?

discovery.com — Decades before you surfed the musical waves on Pandora and Spotify, ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax envisioned a "global jukebox" that could publicly circulate the wealth of musical recordings he collected over years of fieldwork. BLOG: Why The Web Is Sick Of SOPA Who is Alan Lomax you ask?

Football Shaped by Military

news.discovery.com — You might want to pause during this year's Super Bowl half-time show to give a nod to the military, which is closer to your Sunday night viewing experience than you probably realize. The armed forces, according to recent research, played a major role in turning football from an elitist college sport into an American pastime.

Solar 'Wings' Power Swiss Ski Lift

news.discovery.com — The tiny Swiss ski town of Tenna has an impressively large claim to fame. Although larger, well-known ski resorts overshadow it, when their aging ski lift needed replacing, Tenna invested in building one of the world's first solar-powered ski lifts.

Little Ice Age Started With Volcanoes

news.discovery.com — In the late 13th century, massive volcanic explosions in the tropics destroyed mountain villages in northern Europe-not by burying them in lava and mudflows, mind you, but by triggering a cold spell that engulfed the towns in ice. So goes the latest explanation for the underlying cause of a celebrated cold snap known as the Little Ice Age.

You Didn't Need To Change Your Password Yesterday

news.discovery.com — If you didn't change your password on "Change Your Password Day" yesterday, I forgive you. If you stuck with a perfectly good password in spite of a contrived event telling you otherwise, I applaud you. The tech-news blog Gizmodo's decision to christen Feb.
ICYMI, yesterday's Discovery News post engages in a little mythbusting about passwords: http://t.co/hyFI3pmK
Why you (probably) didn't need to change your password yesterday... unless it was "password." http://t.co/nVboFWb0

Groundhog Day 2012: Big Pic

news.discovery.com — Feb. 2, 2012 -- And the verdict from Punxsutawney Phil after seeing his shadow this morning during the 126th annual Groundhog Day festivities is: six more weeks of winter! Ah, Groundhog Day. This U.S. and Canadian tradition comes every year on Feb. 2.

'Supergiant' Crustaceans Found Near New Zealand

news.discovery.com — ("Supergiant" Crustacean; Credit for all images: Oceanlab, University of Aberdeen, UK) "Supergiant" amphipods measuring over 13 inches long have just been found in waters north of New Zealand, according to a University of Aberdeen press release. These enormous shrimp-resembling shellfish are some of the most enigmatic creatures in seas worldwide.
RT @Earth_News: Discovery Animals: 'Supergiant' Crustaceans Found Near New Zealand http://t.co/BtfAy0WK @discovery

The Tech Behind Flying People

discovery.com — In the last couple of weeks, New Yorkers may have noticed people flying over and around the Brooklyn Bridge. It turns out it was a publicity stunt designed by Thinkmodo for the the movie "Chronicle," which is due to release Feb. 3. In the movie, three teens get superpowers.

When Sports Fans Turn Violent: A History

news.discovery.com — What should have been an ordinary soccer game in Port Said, Egypt, between al-Masry, the local club, and Cairo's Al Ahli collapsed into disaster after a deadly soccer riot took hold, claimed the lives of over 70 people and injured at least 1,000 more. NEWS: Are Revolutions Contagious?

The Earliest Copy Of Mona Lisa Found

news.discovery.com — Conservators at Madrid's Prado museum have identified what they believe is the earliest copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Brighter faced and younger than the original which hangs in the Louvre in Paris, the lady in the portrait has long been standing against a black background.

Is That a Crashed Flying Saucer on the Seabed?

news.discovery.com — This week, the mainstream media is reporting an undersea radar image of a "saucer shaped" object on the seabed in Baltic Sea's Gulf of Bothnia, between Sweden and Finland. The discovery was made by Swedish oceanographers who say it's nearly 200 feet across and lies 300 feet down.

Super Bowl Ads Aim For Your 'Second Screen'

news.discovery.com — You may not be in the huddle on Lucas Oil Field this Sunday, but Super Bowl advertisers have read all the scouting reports on you and and they've come to this conclusion: you rarely fumble...your digital device. Admit it, your smart phone or tablet is usually within arm's reach.

Window Installed Into a Live Brain

news.discovery.com — What if we had a glass window into the brain that lets us look inside? For the first time ever, a team of physicists, chemists and biologists has done just that. Led by a microscopy pioneer, they peered into a living mouse's brain using powerful technology.
I misread this as "Windows Installed Into A Live Brain." Aieee! RT @Discovery_News Window Installed Into a Live Brain http://t.co/kagzqBTk

Saving Whales, For Real and on the Screen

news.discovery.com — For two weeks in October 1988, much of the world became transfixed by the fate of three gray whales that had become trapped in encroaching sea ice off the town of Barrow, on the north coast of Alaska.

Groundhog Day 2012: Big Pic

news.discovery.com — Feb. 2, 2012 -- And the verdict from Punxsutawney Phil after seeing his shadow this morning during the 126th annual Groundhog Day festivities is: six more weeks of winter! Ah, Groundhog Day. This U.S. and Canadian tradition comes every year on Feb. 2.

145 Water-Skiers Attempt World Record

news.discovery.com — Getting up on water-skis requires a precise sense of body positioning, balance and strength. Once skiers master those skills, they often start looking for new challenges, such as carving turns, jumping wakes and doing tricks. NEWS: Drunken Electric Vehicle Breaks World Record A water-skiing club in Australia found an even bigger feat to surmount.
154 water-skiers travel a mile, all in a line, behind one boat http://t.co/Y0BZdssx

Quadcopter Swarms Dance in the Air

discovery.com — Swarms of robots are getting closer and closer to moving around like a colony of insects. At the University of Pennsylvania's GRASP Laboratory, Alex Kushleyev, Daniel Mellinger and Vijay Kumar developed an algorithm that allows a group of tiny quadcopter robots to fly in formation, get around obstacles, and find each other again in the air when the patterns are disrupted.

What Is This Chupacabra-Demonoid Monster?

news.discovery.com — There's a new monster on San Diego beaches, and he looks rough. He's got a bleach-blonde mohawk, sunburned skin, and a pair of really vicious-looking fangs. And don't even ask about the body odor, which is bad enough to draw flies. But don't worry, he (or she) is dead.
"...he looks rough." RT @Discovery_News: What Is This Chupacabra-Demonoid Monster? http://t.co/him8HNgs

Moss Froze the Planet

news.discovery.com — Rolling stones may not gather moss, but moss covered stones may have gathered ice during the Ordovacian Period, approximately 470 to 440 million years ago. A team led by botanists and earth scientists from the Universities of Exeter and Oxford recently modeled the process whereby the colonization of the land by plants led to a dramatic reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide and may have plunged the Earth into a series of ice ages.

Moss Froze the Planet

news.discovery.com — Rolling stones may not gather moss, but moss covered stones may have gathered ice during the Ordovacian Period, approximately 470 to 440 million years ago. A team led by botanists and earth scientists from the Universities of Exeter and Oxford recently modeled the process whereby the colonization of the land by plants led to a dramatic reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide and may have plunged the Earth into a series of ice ages.

Groundhog Day 2012: Big Pic

news.discovery.com — Feb. 2, 2012 -- And the verdict from Punxsutawney Phil after seeing his shadow this morning during the 126th annual Groundhog Day festivities is: six more weeks of winter! Ah, Groundhog Day. This U.S. and Canadian tradition comes every year on Feb. 2.

New Planet Found in 'Goldilocks' Zone for Life

discovery.com — Scientists have discovered a planet about five times bigger than Earth flying the right distance from its parent star for liquid water to exist on its surface, a condition believed to be necessary for life. The newly found planet circles a star dimmer than the sun that is located 22 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius (also known as Scorpio.)

Laser Tag To Make a Mobile Comeback

news.discovery.com — For those that have fond memories of laser tag birthday parties and were heart broken when the game died off, fear not. It's entered the digital age with the Xappr Gun. Smart phones connect to Xappr Gun to play augmented-reality and shooting games.

Saving Whales, For Real and on the Screen

news.discovery.com — For two weeks in October 1988, much of the world became transfixed by the fate of three gray whales that had become trapped in encroaching sea ice off the town of Barrow, on the north coast of Alaska.

Greasing The Jets With French Fry Oil

news.discovery.com — It didn't smell like fried chicken when an Alaska Airlines jet took off from Seattle last November for a cross-country flight to Washington D.C. Yet some of the fuel flowing through the Boeing 737's engines had previously been used in restaurant fryers.

SpaceX Test Fires Awesome New Rocket

news.discovery.com — With all the political wrangling over space exploration these days, it can be easy to forget that one burgeoning sector of U.S. industry is making great strides toward getting American astronauts back into space. Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) rolled out a brand new rocket system and successfully tested it in Texas recently.

Super Charged! Battery Power for the Future

discovery.com — Better battery technology is the best way to get society off fossil fuels and onto more sustainable energy.

Swap Old Junk for Cooler Junk

news.discovery.com — A lot of things grow in Brooklyn, trees, beards and socially concious vending machines. Swap-o-matics are popping up around town, taking the bartering system to a whole new (and much more interesting) level. The vending machine lets users trade items they don't want for more desirable items someone else doesn't want.

Hugs Help Kids' Brains

news.discovery.com — All those hugs and kisses you give your toddler when she skins her knee, waves goodbye at preschool, or gets tucked into bed may be even more beneficial than you thought. A new study shows that the brains of early-nurtured kids have a larger hippocampus.

Electric Scooter Hip To Be Square

news.discovery.com — Zipping around on motor scooters is a fun way to get around any city, but the cramped quarters of city living don't usually come with garage space. The BOXX is an electric scooter that's about three feet long and weighs 120 pounds.

Super Charged! Battery Power for the Future

news.discovery.com — Better battery technology is the best way to get society off fossil fuels and onto more sustainable energy.

Sea Turtle Baby Boom Breaks Records

news.discovery.com — A female turtle lays around 100 eggs per nesting, and hatchlings emerge after 7-12 weeks. Credit: A.G. SaƱo More than a million green turtle eggs were laid last year on one of the Turtle Islands in the Philippines, breaking at least three records since recording of nesting there started in 1984, according to Conservation International.

Electric Scooter Hip To Be Square

news.discovery.com — Zipping around on motor scooters is a fun way to get around any city, but the cramped quarters of city living don't usually come with garage space. The BOXX is an electric scooter that's about three feet long and weighs 120 pounds.

Peel-Off Solar Cells Coming Soon

news.discovery.com — Solar is about to get crazy thin, thanks to a startup that has a way to make peel-off solar cells. First you have to forget everything you know about thin-film solar cells, the kind where semiconductor material is literally printed onto a thin plastic or glass.

Apple's Siri Isn't Really Female

news.discovery.com — Sure, Apple's computerized voice on its new iPhone 4S sounds female, especially if you bought your phone in the United States or Australia. But in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Siri sounds male.

Rocky Mountain Sunset Surprise

discovery.com — Jan. 27, 2012 -- This spectacular, multi-hued formation of lenticular clouds was observed soon after the sun set over Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colo., on Jan. 5. Professional photographer Richard H. Hahn was on the south side of the park's Deer Mountain when he noticed the unique cloud formation in the dusk sky.

DNews Nuggets: Obesity Hurts

news.discovery.com — Jan. 30, 1:20 p.m. -- 2011 comes in at number nine in the top 10 warmest years since 1880, according to NASA. The 21st century has shown a trend of topping the global average surface temperature record. In fact, the only year not from the 21st century in the top 10 warmest years on record is 1998.
RT @Discovery_News: Little bits of news we find interesting || DNews Nuggets: World's Largest Orange! : Discovery News http://t.co/rnfTpyM0
DNews Nuggets: Get the news you may have missed, updated all day! http://t.co/4B5IpUdD