Should Columbus Day Become 'Exploration Day'?
"In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue." And with that benign little mnemonic many people sum up their working knowledge of the endeavors of the Genoan sailor who discovered America (even though he didn't) for the glory of the Spanish crown (which later imprisoned him for his "atrocities").
But even if you know the Santa Maria from the Mayflower, if you live in the U.S. there's a good chance that you'll be enjoying a day off work this coming Monday in honor of a man who's traditionally celebrated regardless of his accidental discovery, dubious motivations and more-than-questionable actions across the islands of the Caribbean. There are a few people who'd like to change that. |  |
“Once in a Civilization” Comet to Zip past Earth Next Year
As it flares out of the distant Oort Cloud, the newly discovered comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) appears to be heading on a trajectory that could make for one of the most spectacular night-sky events in living memory. Why is this comet expected to be so unique? Two reasons:
Astronomers predict that the comet will pass just 1.16 million miles from the Sun as it swings around its perihelion, or closest approach. (This may seem like a lot, but remember—the Sun is big. If we were to scale the Sun down to the size of Earth, the comet would pass well within the orbits of dozens of satellites.) The close approach will melt enormous amounts of the comet’s ice, releasing dust and gas and forming what should be a magnificent tail. |  |
Joe Rogan and Duncan Trussell Investigate Gobekli Tepe
Joe Rogan and Duncan Trussell talk about ancient cataclysms, comet impacts, and the Göbekli Tepe ruins. Audio from The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast. Animated by Paul Klawiter. Direct video link here
*Warning*: Adult language is used. |  |
Stanford researchers show oil palm plantations are clearing carbon-rich tropical forests in Borneo
Expanding production of palm oil, a common ingredient in processed foods, soaps and personal care products, is driving rainforest destruction and massive carbon dioxide emissions, according to a new study led by researchers at Stanford and Yale universities.
The study, published online Oct. 7 in the journal Nature Climate Change, shows that deforestation for the development of oil palm plantations in Indonesian Borneo is becoming a globally significant source of carbon dioxide emissions.
The study, published online Oct. 7 in the journal Nature Climate Change, shows that deforestation for the development of oil palm plantations in Indonesian Borneo is becoming a globally significant source of carbon dioxide emissions.
Study shows Atlantic Ocean influence on European summers
This year's dismal UK summer could be part of a run of poor summers caused by a major warming of the North Atlantic Ocean that occurred back in the 1990s.
According to new research at the University of Reading published in Nature Geoscience, the North Atlantic warming in the 1990s coincided with a shift to wetter summers in the UK and northern Europe and hotter, drier summers around the Mediterranean. The patterns identified match those experienced this summer (2012), when the UK had the wettest summer in 100 years, while the Mediterranean suffered with temperatures as high as 40 degrees centigrade or more. |  |
Environmentalist finds CO2 rises faster in good times than it falls in bad
Richard York, a researcher with the Department of Sociology and Environmental Studies Program at the University of Oregon, has found that a measured reduction in CO2 emissions during economic downturns is not on par with the increase in CO2 emissions that is apparent during boon times. York made this discovery after analyzing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of several nations during the period 1960 to 2008, and then comparing these values with the countries' corresponding annual measures of CO2 emissions. The results are published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
|  |
Mammals' ancestor was not as puny as we thought
The common ancestor of modern mammals was tiny and shrewlike, living unobtrusively in the shadow of the dinosaurs – or so we thought. A genetic analysis now suggests it may have been more like a small monkey in size.
Fossils indicate that some larger mammals shared the dinosaurs' world, but palaeontologists think that they all disappeared alongside the giant reptiles. Only tiny mammals survived, giving rise to all modern forms. Nicolas Galtier of the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences in Montpellier, France, begs to differ. With colleagues, he used common features in the genomes of 36 modern mammals to sketch out the genome of the creature from which they descended. |  |
Build a Mars base with a box of engineered bugs
THE next time humans set foot on an alien world, they may not travel alone. Small, lightweight "bug boxes" packed full of engineered microbes could make life on hostile planets a lot more liveable.
Pioneering settlers on a distant world will require food, fuel and shelter if they are to survive, but bringing bulky supplies from Earth is far too costly. Synthetic biology offers another option. Microbes weigh precious little, and would take up next to no space on a spacecraft, but once the mission lands - on Mars, say - they could multiply by feeding on the materials available there. The products of their labour could provide the building blocks essential for a human settlement. |  |
Proposed Mission May Bring Frozen Moon Samples to Earth in 2020s
Europe and Russia are working together to bring samples of frozen moon dirt to Earth in the next decade.
The unmanned mission, called Lunar Polar Sample Return (LPSR), aims to bore into the moon's surface at either the north or south pole, where nearly permanent sunlight would allow a robot to operate in manageable conditions. "Scientists wanted a sample from the bottom of an unilluminated crater, but this would be practically impossible with the technology we have today," said European Space Agency official Bruno Gardini. |  |
The Craziest Things People Have Proposed Putting on the Moon
You might be excused if, upon reading about a proposal to build a supercomputer on the moon, your first thought was, “Wasn’t there a Heinlein novel about this?”
But the idea is real and a lunar supercomputer could serve some important functions, like processing space science data and helping to alleviate bandwidth problems for the current Deep Space Network. Though many obstacles stand in the way of such a project getting off the ground, it’s not the strangest thing that people have suggested we build on the moon.
But the idea is real and a lunar supercomputer could serve some important functions, like processing space science data and helping to alleviate bandwidth problems for the current Deep Space Network. Though many obstacles stand in the way of such a project getting off the ground, it’s not the strangest thing that people have suggested we build on the moon.
Dilithium Crystals Could Power Hypothetical, Star Trek-Style Warp Drive
Humanity has been in space for a while, but we really haven’t managed to go very far. Carl Sagan once said that “the surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean, and recently we’ve waded a little way out, maybe ankle deep” — that was in 1980, and we haven’t risked testing the water any deeper since then.
One of the main reasons for that, though, is that space is so frustratingly massive. Voyager 1 is the fastest man-made thing ever, but 10.5 miles per second is a piffling fraction of the speed of light. Even getting to one of our nearest neighbours, Mars, would take six to eight months using conventional spaceship engines. Ideas like warp drives are still theoretical, and unlikely to be seen within our lifetimes. However, it might be possible to cut that trip to Mars down to as few as three months using a form of fusion fuel — “dilithium crystals.” Yep, just like Star Trek. |  |
Australia launches colossal radio telescope to study the origins of universe
The Australia Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (Askap), with an array of 36 antennas each 40 feet across, started peering into the universe on Friday from a far-flung cattle station in Western Australia state.
The A$152 million (£96m) telescope will "listen" to radio waves from the cosmos that might give astronomers insights into the beginnings of the universe. |  |
The Best Way to Find Aliens: Look for Their Solar Power Plants
In 1960, mathematician, physicist, and all-around genius Freeman Dyson predicted that every civilization in the Universe eventually runs out of energy on its home planet, provided it survives long enough to do so. Dyson argued that this event constitutes a major hurdle in a civilization's evolution, and that all those who leap over it do so in precisely the same way: they build a massive collector of starlight, a shell of solar panels to surround their home star. Astronomers have taken to calling these theoretical megastructures Dyson Spheres. Dyson's insight may seem like nothing more than a thought experiment, but if his hypothesis is sound, it has a striking implication: if you want to find advanced alien civilizations, you should look for signs of Dyson Spheres.
|  |
Not Second Sight, But First Sight
There is a new theory about your mind -- about where your decisions and experiences come from before you are aware of them. This theory has solid science behind it, and it suggests that there is a lot more going on in your mind than you realize.
Parts of this theory are familiar. Research has told us that brain events stand behind every thought we think and lead to them. And we have learned that many implicit psychological processes precede our experiences too, processes like subliminal sensations, stored memories and long-term values. These things aren't conscious in themselves, but the unconscious mind uses them to help lead to whatever we do become conscious of.
Parts of this theory are familiar. Research has told us that brain events stand behind every thought we think and lead to them. And we have learned that many implicit psychological processes precede our experiences too, processes like subliminal sensations, stored memories and long-term values. These things aren't conscious in themselves, but the unconscious mind uses them to help lead to whatever we do become conscious of.
Patient, Heal Thyself
Until last week, I don’t think I’d ever heard of the African spiny mouse. I’m guessing I’m probably not alone.
Apparently, they’re nice pets if you prefer an other-side-of-the-glass relationship. No question they’re cute things, only six inches or so long if you count their tails, and they have a rep for sucking down a lot of water. Oh, and you’re not supposed to pick them up by their tails. Turns out the tail thing–namely that it can come off with great ease–is why this little furball was in the news. It’s also the reason the African spiny mouse could end up playing a big role in the future of medicine. |  |
Researchers use magnets to cause programmed cancer cell deaths
A team of researchers in South Korea has developed a method to cause cell death in both living fish and lab bowel cancer cells (in vivo and in vitro) using a magnetic field. The application of the magnetic field, as described in their paper published in the journal Nature Materials, triggers a "death signal" that leads to programmed cell death.
A major problem with treating cancer is how to effectively and efficiently apply a therapy, one that discriminates between cancer and healthy cells: killing the bad while retaining the good. Numerous methods have been tried over the years with varying degrees of success. |  |
Language Learning Makes the Brain Grow, Swedish Study Suggests
At the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy, young recruits learn a new language at a very fast pace. By measuring their brains before and after the language training, a group of researchers has had an almost unique opportunity to observe what happens to the brain when we learn a new language in a short period of time.
At the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy in the city of Uppsala, young people with a flair for languages go from having no knowledge of a language such as Arabic, Russian or Dari to speaking it fluently in the space of 13 months. From morning to evening, weekdays and weekends, the recruits study at a pace unlike on any other language course. |  |
Life created from eggs made from skin cells
Stem cells made from skin have become "grandparents" after generations of life were created in experiments by scientists in Japan.
The cells were used to create eggs, which were fertilised to produce baby mice. These later had their own babies. If the technique could be adapted for people, it could help infertile couples have children and even allow women to overcome the menopause. But experts say many scientific and ethical hurdles must be overcome. |  |
Roman Mosaics Help Scientist Track Endangered Fish
A few years ago Paolo Guidetti was leafing through a book on ancient art when he came across a Roman mosaic showing a man's legs dangling from the mouth of an enormous fish. Struck by the picture, Guidetti, a biologist at the University of Salento in Italy, recognized the fish as one that he studies: the dusky grouper.
Today fishers would be hard-pressed to find a dusky grouper that large and so close to the sea's surface. The fish, found throughout the Mediterranean, are endangered. While they can grow to a length of more than four feet and a weight of 100 pounds, most are much smaller, and at sites where fishing pressures are highest they occupy waters too deep to leap out and eat anyone.
Today fishers would be hard-pressed to find a dusky grouper that large and so close to the sea's surface. The fish, found throughout the Mediterranean, are endangered. While they can grow to a length of more than four feet and a weight of 100 pounds, most are much smaller, and at sites where fishing pressures are highest they occupy waters too deep to leap out and eat anyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment