New x-ray techniques will be used on some of the Dead Sea Scrolls that are too fragile to unravel.

They will look at the texts using x-rays produced at the £360m Diamond Light Source in Didcot, Oxfordshire. The machine works by propelling electrons at great speeds around a giant tunnel. As they corner, they emit x-rays 100bn times brighter than a medical x-ray.

Researchers led by Tim Wess have developed computer software that can "unravel" x-ray images of rolled up parchment documents to reveal the writing, even if the parchment has text on either side.

Link -via the Presurfer

In this photo essay in JPG Magazine, Mr. Fly takes on a number of different jobs to support his 173 wives and 2,184 children. Link -via Dump Trumpet

Tagged as “The meeting of the internet’s most famous memes -PostSecret and LOLcats." Some of these are too funny to be sad; others are too sad to be funny. Link -via Reddit

Also see Lolthulhu and Icanhasderbygirlz.

The Aquarius Mission 2007 began Monday and will continue through September 23rd.

Aquarius is an underwater ocean laboratory in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. World renowned sponge biologists Dr. Niels Lindquist and Dr. Chris Martens will provide a first hand look into how reefs interact as a real life colony in this ecosystem, and the many daily issues that impact them. Watch as they perform their scientific experiments with sponges to better understand these complex organisms and what they have to tell us.

Four live webcams are set up for you to follow the mission, plus two cameras attached to divers and a surface camera. The first camera choice is the current active feed. http://www.oceanslive.org/portal/ -via Discovery News

Deputydog takes an in-depth look at the four steepest streets in the world. All present a challenge for walkers, runners, and cyclists. Pictured is Canton Avenue in Pittsburgh, which has a 37% grade. http://deputy-dog.com/2007/09/18/the-steepest-streets-in-the-world/

This marketplace in Bangkok shares space with a commuter train. This illustrates how crowded the city is. Push play or go to Break.com. -via the Presurfer

H. Piddy in the role of his life! I thought I would have to listen to this two or three times to catch all the pop culture reference, but the lyrics are avilable if you scroll down this MySpace page. Push play or go to Viral Video Chart.

The Astronomy Picture of the Day today features the eruption of Volcano Tungurahua in Ecuador. The photo was taken by Patrick Taschler last year. Tungurahua becomes active roughly every 90 years, and continues to erupt today. Link -via Reddit

Five graduate students are bicycling across Asia and Europe on a goodwill tour.

Starting September 15th of this year we will be biking across Asia and perhaps Europe. We will begin in Beijing, continue through India, and then proceed further West, if possible.

Along the way we will bike through rural areas and play music in villages. We feel that the people in these areas have a lot to teach us, and that this bike trip will be an excellent opportunity for spreading international good will on the local level. We also intend to advocate reducing carbon emissions and living slower-paced, more enjoyable lives.

You can follow their progress as they update their blog and photo gallery. http://fueledbyrice.org/index.html -via Metafilter

In the comments for the item about “basketball girl” Qian Hongyan, who is training to be a competitive swimmer, some people speculated about the possibility of swimming prosthetics, so this item really caught my eye.

Double amputee swimmer Nadya Vessey of New Zealand will soon test a prosthetic mermaid fin designed to help propel her through the water. The article says the tail was designed by “the same special effects team behind blockbuster Lord of the Rings and King Kong,” which has to be Weta Workshop {wiki}.

Link -via Gorilla Mask

Things were a bit different in the 1950s. Today, this story might include the words “bail bond” and “removed from custody”. Push play or go to Live Leak. -via Arbroath

When Napoleon Bonaparte died in 1821, an autopsy led doctors to believe he died of cancer stemming from a perforated stomach ulcer. 20th century tests on souvenir locks of Napoleon’s hair led researchers to think he was poisoned with arsenic. But could it have been his own house that killed him? Link -via Metafilter

The earlier item on internet warning symbols reminded me of this “motivational poster.” -found at Bits and Pieces

The World Conservation Union (IUCN)'s 2007 Red List of Threatened Species includes the Chinese river dolphin, which was classified as "critically endangered (possibly extinct)". National Geographic has a gallery of animals from the new list. Link

The London Fire Brigade has a rap video to publicize their free smoke alarm giveaway. Artist Stephen-remell Coleman is a firefighter on Wimbledon Fire Station’s Red Watch, but in his free time performs as a rapper under the name ‘Controversy’. Push play or go to Glumbert. http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/detail.asp?id=892 to story. Link to Controversy’s MySpace page. -via Abroath