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I hope a few people find this article as fascinating as I do. Nims Purja, a Gurkha and former British SBS Special Operator, quit the military in an attempt to climb the 14 highest mountains in the world in 7 months. The previous record for climbing all 14 mountains was over 7 years, but this guy said he could do it in 7 months. Only 14 mountains in world are taller than 8,000 meters (more than 26,200 feet) and he has now climbed all 14. He summitted to the peak of Mt. Everest, came down, partied for 2 days and...

Mini-explosions under a cell sample could help to identify disease. Mass spectrometry on single cells could tell if they are cancerous or diseased.SCIENCE SOURCE/SPLAn explosive chemical technique can now be used to identify individual molecules in biological samples, down to the single-cell level. Researchers hope the procedure could be used in clinics a few years from now to screen blood or urine for metabolites — the final products of biological processes — that can be used to diagnose disease. "The vast majority of small molecules in humans are unknown," says Gary Siuzdak at the Scripps Center for Mass Spectrometry, La...

A month before the United States begins tying antiterrorism grants to recipients' observance of a new national emergency system, U.S. officials are cautioning state and local agencies against "continued resistance" to the system. As of Oct. 1, prospective recipients of federal terrorism grants must show "good-faith efforts" to implement the National Incident Management System, Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Don Jacks said Thursday. Full compliance with the system is required after a year. With the "good-faith" deadline approaching, the federal NIMS Integration Center has issued two cautionary bulletins in the past 10 days to response agencies around the country. "The...

NEW YORK (UPI) - Tiny mobile robots zipping through the wilderness on cables could monitor endangered species discreetly and analyze environmental chemistry linked to global climate. The robot networks, strung on their steel webs, also could screen urban streams for pollutants and germs and probe bridges for cracks. The little machines could even help archaeologists explore ancient sites while minimizing damage to precious artifacts, and any data they collected could be beamed, wirelessly and instantaneously, to public Web sites for researchers and students to analyze. "We would like, in particular, to enable students in grades 6 to 8 to participate,"...