Ship
hideA ship /ʃɪp/ Audio (US) (help·info) is a large vessel that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and passenger capacity. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing, entertainment, public safety, and warfare.
Ships and boats have developed alongside mankind. In major wars, and in day to day life, they have become an integral part of modern commercial and military systems. Fishing boats are used by millions of fishermen throughout the world. Military forces operate highly sophisticated vessels to transport and support forces ashore. Commercial vessels, nearly 35,000 in number, carried 7.4 billion tons of cargo in 2007.
These vessels were also key in history's great explorations and scientific and technological development. Navigators such as Zheng He spread such inventions as the compass and gunpowder. Ships have been used for such purposes as colonization and the slave trade, and have served scientific, cultural, and humanitarian needs.
As Thor Heyerdahl demonstrated with his tiny boat the Kon-Tiki, it is possible to navigate long distances upon a simple log raft. From Mesolithic canoes to today's powerful nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, ships tell the history of humankind.
For more information about Ship, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with ships
Antarctic nations plan tough new shipping controls
Dec 12, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Countries that manage Antarctica plan tough new controls on ships visiting the southern oceans and the fuels they use to reduce the threat of human and environmental disasters as tourist numbers rise, ...
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Glider robot a sleek ocean explorer
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 27, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (8) |
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The sea was heaving, the skies gray. The captain of the research ship was worried about the weather. About 120 miles off the coast of Spain, three Rutgers University scientists had a narrow window of opportunity to find and ...
As shuttle's career nears an end, NASA turns focus to satellites
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 26, 2009 |
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NASA heads into 2010 with the bittersweet assignment of retiring the space shuttle after nearly three decades. But that's not all the agency has planned: There are also launches of three new satellites aimed at better understanding ...
Probing Question: What are the origins of skiing?
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Swoosh…Undeniably, this is the sound of skiing. As winter approaches, legions of avid skiers are preparing their equipment. Skis are being waxed, boots are being pulled out of storage and people are yearning ...
Oceans becoming noisier thanks to pollution -- report
Dec 20, 2009 |
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The world's oceans are becoming noisier thanks to pollution, with potentially harmful effects for whales, dolphins and other marine life, US scientists said in a study published Sunday.
Year's Best Gift Could Be A Job From Santa
Dec 17, 2009 |
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In this year's myriad discussions of stimulus and jobs programs, no one has yet publicly raised the idea to ask Santa Claus to take Christmas Eve off. Outsourcing his job by asking mere mortals to deliver ...
Monument lifted from Cleopatra's underwater city
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 17, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
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(AP) -- Archaeologists on Thursday hoisted a 9-ton temple pylon from the waters of the Mediterranean that was part of the palace complex of the fabled Cleopatra before it became submerged for centuries in ...
Miracle light: Can lasers solve the energy crisis?
Dec 15, 2009 |
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Next year will mark the 50th birthday of the laser, one of the most productive and widely used mega-inventions of the last century. Scientists hope that 2010 also will see the launch of laser technology's greatest challenge: ...
Soup can reopens mystery of doomed Franklin Expedition
Dec 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Lead levels that are "off the scale" have been confirmed after tests were done this morning on the lid of a soup can dating back more than 150 years. The findings reopen the mystery surrounding ...
Microscopic gyroscopes, the key for motion sensing
Dec 09, 2009 |
5 / 5 (6) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Tiny devices made possible by combining the latest advances in mechanical and electronics technology could be at the heart of next-generation personal navigation and vehicle stabilisation ...
Giant iceberg spotted south of Australia
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 09, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (16) |
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A monster iceberg nearly twice the size of Hong Kong island has been spotted drifting towards Australia in what scientists Wednesday called a once-in-a-century event.
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