Scientists at Kyoto University in Japan have trapped a single water molecule inside a carbon buckyball. This will allow the researches to study how water acts without any of the hydrogen bonds that normally govern its properties. (New Scientist)

King Tut shares a DNA marker that belongs to the R1b1a2 haplogroup. This is found in more than half of European men, including 70% of both British and Spanish men, but less than 1% of modern Egyptian men. This doesn’t say a whole lot, but it does speak to the amount of migration that has gone on in Europe and the Mediterranean over the last 2500 years. (Medical Express via RD.net)

Israel has announced that it will build it’s fifth desalination plant, at a cost of US$423 Million. This reverse osmosis plant will produce 100 million cubic meters of water each year, which is about 15% of Israel’s household water use. Once this is completed they will be using sustainable technology to produce about 75% of the nations water and reduce the drain on the Sea of Galilee. (Scientific American)

Recent images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows dark seasonal streaks. They extend downhill in the spring and summer, then fade in the late summer and early fall. While the cause of this has not yet been determined, it very well may be a liquid brine, possibly even water. There are known subterranean Martian ice deposits and the summer temperatures in that region do rise above 0 degrees Celsius in the summer time, so it’s possible. This also increases the possibility of finding life. (Scientific American)

A new study shows that colon cleanses, popular among the (S)CAM crowd, can have side effects such as stomach cramps, nausea, and dehydration. This has been severe enough in a few cases to cause hospitalization and even kidney failure. This is a good reminder of why its important to make sure that any treatment you go through is thoroughly documented medical practice and that any products in its use be FDA licensed (or EMA licensed for my readers from Europe and other countries that recognize the European Pharmacopoeia). It would also always a good idea to read the informed consent and to run if there isn’t one. (Scientific American)

The Juno probe, NASA’s latest to head to Jupiter, launched last week with three Legos on board. The Legos are made to resemble the Roman thunder god Jupiter, his wife and sister Juno, and the first astronomer to observe Jupiter’s moons, Galileo. (PC Magazine)

Pregnant lab rats were starved for 24 during a critical point of fetal hypothalamus development to see what impact it would have. Rather than stunting development, the placenta will breakdown its own proteins to keep the fetus adequately supplied. The article did point out that this cannot necessarily be extrapolated to humans and human testing would be horribly unethical. (Scientific American)