Brain wave surge at death, Shared Nobel Prize, Driving on glass?, Clashes in Jerusalem, Gold on the rise - [Current top 5]
It's Tuesday, and it's time for another top 5 on Current.com.
- Brain Waves Surge Moments Before Death
I've always been intrigued by stories about near-death "out of body" experiences. Thanks to the Journal of Palliative Medicine, there appears to be an explanation to the cause of these experiences.
"A study of seven terminally ill patients found identical surges in brain activity moments before death, providing what may be physiological evidence of "out of body" experiences reported by people who survive near-death ordeals.
Moments before death, the patients experienced a burst in brain wave activity, with the spikes occurring at the same time before death and at comparable intensity and duration."
Fascinating news, but I wonder if the cause of death has any impact on whether or not these surges actually take place. Why do I ask? You don't want to know. Let me know what you think here. - Nobel prize for medicine shared by 3 US scientists for work on ageing and cancer
Speaking of death, thankfully the 3 US scientists sharing the Nobel Prize for medicine are doing so based on their work on aging and cancer. I once met someone who was more frightened of aging than disease. Which do you fear more? Here's some info on the scientists:
"The prestigious award – and the 10m Swedish kronor (£818,000) prize money – is shared by Elizabeth Blackburn, 60, Carol Greider, 48, and Jack Szostak, 56. It is the first time the prize has honoured two women at once."
Read more and comment on this story here. - Driving on Glass? Inventor Hopes to Lay Down Solar Roads
"We're building solar panels that you can drive on," Brusaw says. "The fact that it's generating power means it pays for itself over time, as opposed to asphalt."
There are about 260,000 kilometers of roadway in the U.S. National Highway System alone, and thousands more in state highways, suburban thoroughfares and rural roads. Could all that asphalt be replaced with a solar technology that would also double as the nation's power grid?
The key to making this work will be the glass: The solar road panel prototype is 1,024 modules—each containing a solar cell, a light-emitting diode and, someday, an ultracapacitor for storage—sandwiched between a layer of some yet-to-be developed glass and a layer of conducting material. "Nobody's tried to drive on glass long-term," Brusaw says.
The energy and fuel-efficiency debates seem to be turning focus towards highways lately. It makes sense, finding a way to make use of these large stretches of asphalt seems like a win. So far, SolarCity has retrofitted a ""corridor" of high-watt/high-amp electric charging stations on the route of the 101 Freeway", and I've also heard suggestions of building new freeways that charge electric vehicles while they drive. What do you think? Tell us here. - Israeli-Palestinian clashes raise tension in Jerusalem
Andrew is back in the top 5, yet again. This time, he's clipped a story on clashes breaking out in Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians. Add to the conversation here. - Gold price rises to all-time high
It may be no surprise to some, but the price of gold has hit an all-time high of $1,043.77 per ounce. To give you some perspective, an ounce is roughly equal in weight to five US quarters. Adrian Ash of the UK gold brokerage Bullion Vault.com had this to say:
"Now a lot of investors are buying gold because they are concerned about the impact of higher inflation."
Scam or no scam, no wonder Cash4Gold is raking in the money. What do you make of this? Tell us here.
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