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Huge solar panels get DUSTY! – Imagine having to dust objects the size of 25 to 50 football fields. That’s the problem facing companies that deploy large-scale solar power installations, which is why scientists have come up with the solution: self-dusting solar panels. Hey, somebody seems to have done it on Mars!

The need for that technology is growing with the popularity of solar energy. Use of solar, or photovoltaic, panels increased by 50 percent from 2003 to 2008, and forecasts suggest a growth rate of at least 25% annually into the future.
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And sniffer mice – We’re all familiar with dogs that sniff out illicit drugs, but the sniffer dogs you see at airports are generally used to detect food brought in from other countries and states. But here’s a new one: Sniffer dogs that detect DISEASE. Could they sniff out eggs tainted with Salmonella? Maybe we should all just change our diets.

Scientists have trained mice to identify feces of ducks infected with bird influenza. Migrating ducks, geese, and other birds can carry and spread flu viruses over wide geographic areas, where the viruses may possibly spread to other species. The next step: training dogs to do the same job. In some cases, they may work WITH the sniffer mice.
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The sun is back with a vengeance! – Solar flares are starting up again, after a long hiatus, and they are predicted to be extraordinary.

NASA warns that the recent massive flare wasn’t an anomaly, it’s just the beginning. A massive solar storm is building up that could even wipe out the Earth’s entire power grid. Similar storms in 1859 and 1921 wiped out telegraph wires on a massive scale. NASA says that a similar storm today could cause “$1 to 2 trillion in damages to society’s high-tech infrastructure and require 4 to 10 years for complete recovery.”
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There are some big surprises to be found out there. For instance, which men are having their genitals pierced? (Hint: It’s NOT who you think it is!)

A new study found that the average man with a genital piercing is 31, white, heterosexual, college-educated and earns more than $36,000 a year. Sociologist Alden Roberts says, “Some of the literature and stereotypes would lead you to believe that men who get genital piercings are strange or aberrant, but if you look at the data, these men are not much different from the general population.”
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