Biggest full moon of the year is due tonight as 'supermoon' set to fill sky today

The moon is set to get a lot bigger tonight - at least from our perspective on Earth. And the 'Supermoon' - the nickname for a perigee full moon, closer to the Earth than usual - could cause tides to rise around the world as the moon's close 'fly past' exerts 42 per cent more tidal force.

The moon will appear bigger and brighter - sky-watchers promise this 'supermoon' will be 16 per cent brighter than most when it begins today at 3.35pm GMT, 11.35am EDT.

At 11.34pm, the moon will be about 221,802 miles from Earth - about 15,300 miles closer than average.

Super Moon Seen Earlier 

Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee).

Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon's orbit.

A perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high ‘perigean tides,’  but this is nothing to worry about, according to America's NOAA space-weather predicting agency.

In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual.  'To view this weekend's supermoon to best effect, look for it just after it rises or before it sets, when it is close to the horizon. There, you can catch a view of the moon behind buildings or trees, an effect which produces an optical illusion, making the moon seem even larger than it really is,' said Space.com, which reported the phenomenon

The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view.

For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects.

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New method can make even muddy water safe for drinking

A scientist at Michigan Technological Universityhas developed a simple, cheap way to make water safe to drink, even if it's muddy. It's easy enough to purify clear water. The solar water disinfection method, or SODIS, calls for leaving a transparent plastic bottle of clear water out in the sun for six hours.
That allows heat and ultraviolet radiation to wipe out most pathogens that cause diarrhea, a malady that kills 4,000 children a day in Africa.
It's a different story if the water is murky, as it often is where people must fetch water from rivers, streams and boreholes.

 'In the developing world, many people don't have access to clear water, and it's very hard to get rid of the suspended clay particles,' said Joshua Pearce, an associate professor of materials science and engineering.
'But if you don't, SODIS doesn't work. The microorganisms hide under the clay and avoid the UV,' he explained.
Thus, to purify your water, you first have to get the clay to settle out, a process called flocculation.
Working with student Brittney Dawney of Queen's University in Ontario, Pearce discovered that one of the most abundant minerals on Earth does this job very well: sodium chloride, or simple table salt.
 Salt is inexpensive and available almost everywhere. And it doesn't take very much to make muddy water clear again.
 'The water has a lower sodium concentration than Gatorade,' Pearce said.
 This would still be too much salt to pass muster as American tap water, but American tap water is not the alternative.
 'I've drunk this water myself. If I were somewhere with no clean water and had kids with diarrhea, and this could save their lives, I'd use this, no question,' he added.
Salt works best when the suspended particles are a type of clay called bentonite. The technique doesn't work as well with other kinds of clay.
However, by adding a little bentonite with the salt to water containing these different clays, most of the particles glom together and settle out, creating water clear enough for SODIS treatment.
Pearce and Dawney are running more tests on water containing various types of clays, and they are also investigating different soil types across Africa to see where their methods might work the best.
Their paper has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Development and will appear in June. 

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Daily glass of pomegranate boosts sexual desire in Both man and Women

Do you use Viagra as you don’t have sexual desire if Yes leave the Viagra and start drinking pomegranate Juice Every day it doesn’t only increases Sexual desire but also save us Heart disease and Cancer

Men and women who drank a daily glass of the fruit’s juice for a fortnight experienced a surge in the hormone testosterone, which increases sexual desire in both genders

The latest achievement claimed for pomegranates, which are already acclaimed as a superfood, will be welcome among those who would prefer a natural aphrodisiac.

The study, by researchers from Queen MargaretUniversity in Edinburgh, involved 58 volunteers aged between 21 and 64.

By the end of the fortnight both sexes had seen ‘significantly increased’ testosterone levels.
For men this affects traits such as facial hair, a deep voice and greater sexual urges.

It is also produced in female adrenal glands and ovaries, raising a woman’s sex drive and strengthening bones and muscles.

As a side effect, increased testosterone can help raise mood and memory and even relieve stress such as ‘pre-match nerves’ or stage fright, said the study.

Previous research on pomegranate juice has found it full of antioxidants which can help ward off heart diseases and help blood circulation.

The superfood’s ingredients also help fight various forms of cancer, alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis and cure stomach upsets and even conjunctivitis.

The Edinburgh research measured testosterone levels, blood pressure and, using a scientific scale, levels of 11 emotions including fear, sadness, guilt, shyness and self-assurance.

Testosterone levels increased between 16 per cent and 30 per cent among the subjects, while blood pressure plummeted.

Positive emotions rose and negative feelings fell.

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Samsung targets the iPhone with its Galaxy S III (Know about Features of Samsung Galaxy SIII)

Samsung has debuted its long-awaited Galaxy S III, a slick smartphone loaded with some truly sweet and stellar specs that is sure to make even the most diehard Apple iPhone fans slightly jealous. 

The handset is powered by Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) and boasts a 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display (1280 x 720 pixels), an 8MP rear camera, 1.9MP front camera and Wi-Fi Channel Bonding (doubles Wi-Fi bandwidth).

The Galaxy S III also introduces what Samsung calls "natural interaction," a feature designed to enhance the normally mundane interaction experience between the device and user.

Essentially, the smartphone is capable of detecting individual faces, voices and motions - allowing the handset to offer a truly personalized experience by recognizing how you are using the device.

The smartphone also features "S Voice," an advanced natural language user interface. Like Apple’s Siri, it is programmed to listen and respond to commands associated with various tasks, such as search, volume control, sending text messages, playing MP3s, organizing schedules, automatically launching the camera and capturing photos.

The Samsung GALAXY S III will be available at the end of May in Europebefore rolling out to other markets globally. Prices will be announced at a later date.

Additional specs include:

·        Recording & Playback - Full HD (1080p).

·        S Beam - Fast file transfer between Galaxy III phones.

·        Buddy photo share - Allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared \directly from the camera or photo gallery.

·        AllShare Cast - Users can wirelessly connect the Galaxy S III to their television to immediately transfer smartphone content onto a larger display, or share between devices. 

·        Group Cast - Shares handset screen among multiple friends on the same Wi-Fi network. You can also make comments and draw changes at the same time with your co-workers, witnessing real-time sharing on your individual device.

·        Pop up play - Plays a video anywhere on your screen while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web.

·        Zero-lag shutter speed and Burst Shot function - Capture moving objects (up to 20 continuous shots) easily without delay.

·        HD video - Improved backside illumination further helps to eliminate blur in photos that result from shaking, even under low lights. Mobile payment -

·        Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

·        Network - 2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz3G (HSPA+ 21Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz / 4G (Dependent on market).

·        Video Codec - MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark.

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Blind man can see the world after implanting Bionic Eye Microchips

'I've dreamed in colour for the first time in 20 years': Blind British man can see again after first successful implant of 'bionic' eye microchips
It was the ‘magic moment’ that released Chris James from ten years of blindness.

Doctors switched on a microchip that had been inserted into the back of his eye three weeks earlier.

After a decade of darkness, there was a sudden explosion of bright light – like a flash bulb going off, he says.

Now he is able to make out shapes and light. He hopes his sight – and the way his brain interprets what the microchip is showing it – will carry on improving.

Mr James, 54, is one of two British men who have had their vision partly restored by a pioneering retina implant.

Chip of 3mm by 3mm that is planted to sufferers Eye

The other, Robin Millar, one of Britain’s most successful music producers, says he has dreamed in colour for the first time. 

Both had lost their vision because of a condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, where the photoreceptor cells at the back of the eye gradually cease to work.

Their stories bring hope to the 20,000 Britons with RP – and to those with other eye conditions such as advanced macular degeneration which affects up to half a million.

Mr James had a ten-hour operation to insert the wafer-thin microchip in the back of his left eye at the Oxford University Eye Hospital six weeks ago. Three weeks later, it was turned on..

Mr James, who lives in Wroughton, Wiltshire, with his wife Janet, said of his ‘magic moment’: ‘I did not know what to expect but I got a flash in the eye, it was like someone taking a photo with a flashbulb and I knew my optic nerve was still working.’

Chip Pairs with This External Device to Process Image

The microchip has 1,500 light sensitive pixels which take over the function of the retina’s photoreceptor rods and cones.

One of the first tests was making out a white plate and cup on a black background.

 Mr James, who works for Swindon Council, said to Daily mail ‘It took a while for my brain to adjust to what was in front of me, but I was able to detect the curves and outline of these objects.’

Tim Jackson, a consultant retinal surgeon at King’s College Hospital and Robert MacLaren, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Oxford and a consultant retinal surgeon at the Oxford Eye Hospital, who are running the trial, say it has ‘exceeded expectations’ with patients already regaining ‘useful vision’.

  Ten more Britons with RP will be fitted with the implants, which are also being tested in Germanyand China. The device, made by Retina Implant AG of Germany, connects to a wireless power supply buried behind the ear. This is connected to an external battery unit via a magnetic disc on the scalp. The user can alter the sensitivity of the device using switches on the unit.

Mr Jackson said: ‘It’s difficult to say how much benefit each patient will get, this pioneering treatment is at an early stage.

Surgeon Robert Mclaren

‘But it’s an exciting and important step forward. Many of those who receive this treatment have lost their vision for many years. The impact of them seeing again, even if it is not normal vision, can be profound and at times quite moving.’ Mr Millar, 60, who was behind Sade’s Diamond Life album, has been blind for 25 years. He said: ‘Since switching on the device I am able to detect light and distinguish the outlines of objects.

‘I have even dreamt in very vivid colour for the first time in 25 years so a part of my brain which had gone to sleep has woken up! I feel this is incredibly promising and I’m happy to be contributing to this legacy.’

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