Stories about Science from April, 2011
Bahamas: Shark Tales
Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith shares some good and bad news about sharks.
Ukraine: Memories and Photos of Chernobyl in August 1986
Aleksandr Strannik (LJ user av-strannik) arrived at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in mid-August of 1986, some four months after the April 26 blast at Reactor #4, to assist in the clean-up effort. Twenty-five years later, he is sharing some of his memories and photos from that time.
Russia: Regions Reduce Digital Divide
More than 90 percent of new users are not from Moscow or Saint-Petersburg, Yandex regional Internet development report says [ru]. Authors note a significant increase in Internet use nation-wide, 30-60 percent decrease in broadband prices, 10 percent raise of everyday user share. The report, quite optimistically forecasts that country's Internet...
The Genetic Origin Of Indians
Ever wondered about the genetic origins of Indians? Razib Khan at Sepia Mutiny analyzes in details about the genetics of Indians and the South Asians in general.
Kazakhstan, Russia: Photos of Baikonur
At Russia Blog, Anton Verstakov's photos from Baikonur, a city in Kazakhstan, rented and administered by Russia, home to the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Hungary: A Medical Doctor on Twitter
Debrecen-based Bertalan Meskó, a medical doctor who tweets under the name @Berci and has more than 6,000 followers, reported on his blog [en] that he was listed among the Top 10 Medical Tweeters on Project IVLine. He wrote this about his Twitter experience: “Whenever I have a question about my...
Russia: Yuri Gagarin's “Public Diplomacy Legacy”
Yelena Osipova of Global Chaos pays tribute to Yuri Gagarin and his “public diplomacy legacy” in this overview of web stories and events devoted to the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight.
Czech Republic: “Honor to the Astronaut”
Luboš Motl of The Reference Frame offers a Czech perspective on the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin‘s first human spaceflight on April 12, 1961. (More in this 2007 post by the same blogger.)
Macedonia: Construction Over A Probable Archeological Site
After examining historical documents and Google maps, Volan concluded – here and here [MKD] – that the new administrative building for the Public Enterprise of Skopje Waterworks is probably being built over the remains of Skopje's ancient Lower Town – an issue ignored by the traditional media. “How could the...
Russia: Majority of Russians Are Unaware of the Blogosphere
Levada-center has published [ru] a survey poll results on how Russians use the Internet. 39 percent of users use it for entertainment, 27 percent use it to search information, 18 percent – to communicate. Answering the question which bloggers they trust most, respondents have pointed out president Medvedev… and prime-minister...
Japan: Plutonium, Our Reliable Friend
Professor Yuji Ankei posted on Youtube a rare version of the animated video called Mr. Pluto, our reliable friend – Story of plutonium (頼れる仲間プルト君——プルトニウム物語). The video, that was later withdrawn, was made in the 1990s by the Japanese Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation and “tries to convince younger...
