NASA asked researchers to look into what to do if an asteroid targeted earth. Some enterprising students have decided that gravity is the most efficient (and cheapest) way to deflect big rocks from destroying our small planet. What’s more is that the students have designed their device to perform research on the asteroid as the spacecraft does it thing.

The equipment will collect data on the location and composition of the asteroid and relay it back to Earth. It is considered very unlikely that Apophis will collide with Earth. However, if required, the craft will be sent to it again in 2025 and, using its gravity, will begin to divert the asteroid from its path. Due to the difference in mass between the asteroid and the spacecraft, it will not be able to divert the asteroid with enough force and will need the assistance of the Earth’s mass. Since in 2029, the asteroid is supposed to pass near the Earth, the spacecraft will use the Earth’s mass in order to divert it.

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Animals seem to be wonderful for human health, we just found out the greatness of cats, and now we know about the greatness of horses. The Totem Saddle Club in British Columbia provides therapeutic riding for kids who suffer from cerebral palsy.

They are participating in a therapeutic riding session run by the Northwest Therapeutic Equestrian Association (NWTEA). Therapeutic riding involves using horses to aid in the development of children and young adults with mental, physical and emotional difficulties.

According to Lisa Burd, president of the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA), almost anyone with such difficulties can benefit from therapeutic riding, including people with spina bifida, brain injury, attention deficit disorder, emotional difficulties, autism and neurological impairments.

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I just found out about this really neat wiki called Open Source Ecology! The wiki is setup to create sustainable technologies, farming methods, and shelters for creating a “New Village” economy. The wiki is flush with neat information.

This wiki is dedicated to the open, collaborative development of a basic and robust infrastructure for a Global Village economy, as embodied in the list of the 28 of the above products and services. Such a village is by design
one which promotes the highest autonomy and freedom
grounded in self-sufficiency
dedicated to voluntary pursuits, right livelihood, and quality of life
The basic assumption for a New Village economy is that humans are capable of transcending struggle for survival and resource conflicts, where this preoccupation is replaced by higher pursuits of personal and societal evolution.

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I like cats! Now there is another reason to love those cute balls of fur: they’re good for keeping a healthy heart.

A U.S. study suggests having a cat at home could cut your risk of a heart attack by almost a third.

The finding suggests that the stress relief pets provide to humans is heart-healthy.
Researchers analyzed data on more than 4,400 Americans, age 30 to 75, who took part in the U.S. government’s second National Health and Nutrition Examination Study, which ran from 1976 to 1980.

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According to the BBC, scientists are working on a number of novel ways to get animals out of the laboratory, replacing our cuddly little friends with high speed automated robots or live cells grown in the laboratory. As long as the robots aren’t artificially intelligent this could be a substantial step forwards, allowing everything from cosmetics to pesticides to be tested for toxicity. Sounds preferable to the traditional system. It’s even faster and cheaper. The overall goal is to model a live human being digitally so more complex drugs and potential carcinogens could be tested.

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