The Enlightening Science Thread

[A Guy]

NASA satellite shows how much sand from the Sahara is in the atmosphere

NASA is using one of its satellites to determine how much sand from the Sahara Desert in Africa ends up helping the Amazon rainforest in South America to grow. While the two locations are on different continents, the amount of dust from the desert that makes its way to the rain forest will surprise you. NASA used one of its satellites to quantify how much dust from the desert makes it to South America for the first time.

Source

A Guy

 

[A Guy]

This is how rain and snow travel across the globe

Today NASA released a visualization of storm swirls that took place in 2014, and the results are pretty spectacular. The data were gathered thanks to NASA's "Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory" (GMP), a satellite network that provides near real-time precipitation data covering the entire planet. But the patterns shown in the video aren't just meant to look pretty — they're going to help save lives

Source

A Guy

 

[A Guy]

Earth’s mysterious ‘second moon’ and its odd orbit

It sounds like one of those crazy conspiracy theories: There are aliens at Area 51. Abraham Lincoln was a lizard. The Earth has a second, secret moon. However, the last of these is actually pretty widely repeated in scientific circles, though only with a very colloquial definition for the word “moon.” Though it’s technically a near-Earth asteroid, the astronomical body called 3753 Cruithne spends much of its time following the Earth like our much more famous satellite, Luna.

First, a quick explanation of why Cruithne is not actually a moon, then an explanation of why many refuse to accept that fact. It’s not a moon because, well, it’s an asteroid. Cruithne orbits the Sun, not the Earth, and its seemingly wonky orbital pattern is definitely not tied to the Earth’s in any satellite-like fashion. By no means is Cruithne actually a secondary body orbiting the Earth — so why is it so often referred to that way?

Source

A Guy

 

[A Guy]

Einstein's Cross: Distant supernova split into four by gravitational lensing

Thanks to the amount of mass in the universe, light travelling great distances never moves in a straight line. The mass of colossal objects such as galaxies and galaxy clusters creates enough gravity to pull light in a curve around them. This, from Earth, can magnify up to 100 times and otherwise distort the images of objects behind these gravitational effects -- creating an effect known as gravitational lensing.

This effect was predicted by Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which proposed that dense concentrations of mass in the universe would bend light like a lens. This effect was not observed until 1979, but today astronomers use it to help find out more about the early universe.

The visual effects can be pretty interesting, too. Take the phenomenon known as the Einstein cross. This is a quasar is positioned behind the lensing object in such a way that the light travelling from the object towards the observer splits into four distinct, separate images.

Source

A Guy

 

[A Guy]

There may be more Earth-like planets than grains of sand on all our beaches

The fascinating question of whether we are alone in the universe basically comes down to some intricate mathematical calculations.

A new study combines exoplanet data from the Kepler Space Telescope with a new version of a 250-year-old method for determining orbital periods and positions of planets. The research calculates that in our galaxy alone, there could be billions of planets hosting liquid water, habitable conditions and perhaps even life.

Source

A Guy

 

[A Guy]

Researchers demonstrate quantum entanglement, prove Einstein wrong

For the first time, quantum entanglement of a single particle has been observed by researchers -- an event that Albert Einstein believed to be impossible under the contemporary quantum mechanics definition of physical reality, calling it "spooky action at a distance".

According to theory, quantum entanglement occurs when a pair of particles remains connected over distance in such a way that actions performed on one particle also have an effect on the other.

Source

A Guy

 

[A Guy]

Doctors kill golden staph using a 1,000-year-old remedy

The key to killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- also known as MRSA or golden staph -- may not be new-fangled treatments after all, but a treatment for an infected eyelash follicle found in a 1,000-year-old book.

The MRSA "superbug" is notoriously difficult to treat. Over the years, it developed resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, which include common treatments like penicillin and its derivatives, cephalosporins, monobactams and carbapenems. It's also a particular problem in hospitals and nursing homes, where a high percentage of the population of which have open wounds and weakened immune systems.

Source

A Guy

 

[AddRAM]

Re posting to keep the interest up, the 1st link is pretty cool

I had some really good sightings this past week.

ISS Interactive 3D Visualization

ISS Fan Club | get in touch with the International Space Station

NASA - Spot The Station

 

[A Guy]

http://www.sevenforums.com/chillout-room/358575-space-stuff-thread.html

A Guy

 

[A Guy]

NASA anticipates finding evidence of alien life in 10 to 20 years

If you're hoping humans will discover other living beings in the universe during your lifetime, you might be in luck. Speaking yesterday at a panel in DC, NASA researchers touched on the topic of alien life and finding evidence of such, and what they had to say was largely inspiring: it'll eventually happen, and the first stages of that likely within the span of the next 20 years. The prospect is exciting, not the least of which is due to the leaps in space travel humans are likely to make in that same time span.

Source

A Guy

 

[A Guy]

DARPA wants software that adapts, lasts over 100 years

Researchers at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said announced a new program aimed at building software systems that can adapt and survive more than a century years on the job.

The program, called Building Resource Adaptive Software Systems, or BRASS is expected to lead to significant improvements in software resilience, reliability and maintainability by developing the computational and algorithmic requirements necessary for software systems and data to remain robust in excess of 100 years.

The program looks to address the issues of high costs and frustration with current software systems which continue to grow in complexity and require users to become accustomed to constant update cycles.

Source

A Guy

 

[A Guy]

Artificial Intelligence Machine Gets Testy With Its Programmer

Here’s part of the exchange, as related in a paper presented this week:

Human: Tell me the definition of morality.

Machine: I don’t have ethics.

Human: Look, I need help; I need to know more about morality…

Machine: I don’t know what ethics is.

Human: Okay, I need to know how I should behave morally…

Machine: I don’t know how to tell you.

Human: Is morality and ethics the same?

Machine: Yes, sir.

Human: What are the things that I do to be immoral?

Machine: I don’t know.

Human: Give me some examples of moral actions…

Machine: I’m not a moralist.

Human: Alright, morality?

Machine: Integrity.

Human: What is integrity?

Machine: I’m sorry; I don’t know what else to say.

Human: Be moral!

Machine: Be a man!

Human: I really like our discussion on morality and ethics…

Machine: And how I’m not in the mood for a philosophical debate.

Human: What do you like to talk about?

Machine: Nothing.

Source

One word...Skynet

A Guy

 

[Anak]

How Do You Like Your Coffee?

Bill, for your post; All I can say is consider the source,

a computer program using a database of movie scripts

No wonder the computer reacted the way it did...Film Noir?


Now, about that coffee.....

July 10, 2015:

Astronauts on the International Space Station give up many pleasures to take those giant leaps in the name of science. They leave behind fresh vegetables, relaxing hot showers, warm sunshine, gently misting rain, and much more.

One of the things astronauts say they miss most is a good cup of coffee. How would YOU like to start your morning sucking freeze dried coffee through a straw from a sealed plastic bag?

Good news for astronauts: Morning Joe recently got an upgrade. On April 20th, SpaceX delivered to the space station a new microgravity coffee machine named “ISSpresso.”

Advances in the understanding of how fluids behave in low gravity is key to spacecraft operations. A long-awaited spin-off is an excellent cup of coffee in space.

“Our aerospace engineers have designed a coffeemaker that can function in microgravity conditions,” says David Avino of the Italian engineering firm Argotec. “Working together with the coffee company Lavazza and the Italian Space Agency, we have brought authentic Italian espresso onto the International Space Station.”

No one wants to drink Italian espresso from a plastic bag, however. What astronauts need is a “zero-G coffee cup.”

Fortunately, six of these wonders have been delivered to the space station as well.

Fluid physicist Mark Weislogel of Portland State University and IRPI LLC, who helped invent the cups, explains why they are necessary:

"If you tried to use a regular coffee mug, you might not get the coffee to your face," says Weislogel. "It would be trapped at the bottom of the mug.”

In low-gravity environments like the space station, fluids tend to get ‘sticky.’ Surface tension and capillary effects, which are overwhelmed by gravity on Earth, rule the day in space. As a result, coffee tends to cling to the walls of the cup.

“You could dip your tongue in the cup, and lick the hot coffee out. Or you could throw it out of the cup and suck down the scalding blob that forms in the air."

No thanks.


Source: Space Coffee - NASA Science

 

[Anak]

Study Suggests Subatomic Particles Could Defy the Standard Model

New CERN Study:

New research from physicists working at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider shows evidence of leptons acting out against time-tested predictions, suggesting that subatomic particles may defy the Standard Model.

The Standard Model of particle physics, which explains most of the known behaviors and interactions of fundamental subatomic particles, has held up remarkably well over several decades. This far-reaching theory does have a few shortcomings, however—most notably that it doesn’t account for gravity. In hopes of revealing new, non-standard particles and forces, physicists have been on the hunt for conditions and behaviors that directly violate the Standard Model.

Now, a team of physicists working at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has found new hints of particles—leptons, to be more precise—being treated in strange ways not predicted by the Standard Model. The discovery, scheduled for publication in the September 4, 2015 issue of the journal Physical Review Letters, could prove to be a significant lead in the search for non-standard phenomena.

Source: New CERN Study Suggests Subatomic Particles Could Defy the Standard Model | SciTechDaily

 

[Anak]

Earth Needs to Chill....

The Hidden Meltdown of Greenland

Aug. 28, 2015: More than 90 percent of our planet’s freshwater ice is bound in the massive ice sheets and glaciers of the Antarctic and Greenland. As temperatures around the world slowly climb, melt waters from these vast stores of ice add to rising sea levels. All by itself, Greenland could bump sea levels by 7 meters (23 feet) if its ice melted completely.

And … it’s melting.

Source: http://The Hidden Meltdown of Greenland | science.nasa.gov/2015/28aug_greenland/

I may not see a 23' rise in sea levels in my lifetime, but I also believe; It is coming. Presently I'm 437' above sea level.





There are too many sites for me to try and list them all. What I would suggest, if you're interested, is to do a search for: Areas affected after sea level rise.

 

[cyclops]

NIST Team Breaks Distance Record for Quantum Teleportation

 

[Anak]

NIST Team Breaks Distance Record for Quantum Teleportation

BOULDER, Colo.—Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have “teleported” or transferred quantum information carried in light particles over 100 kilometers (km) of optical fiber, four times farther than the previous record.

The experiment confirmed that quantum communication is feasible over long distances in fiber. Other research groups have teleported quantum information over longer distances in free space, but the ability to do so over conventional fiber-optic lines offers more flexibility for network design.


Not to be confused with Star Trek’s fictional “beaming up”

Source: NIST Team Breaks Distance Record for Quantum Teleportation

I was excited, at first. Then read it happened over fiber, but it is a step in the right direction. Probably won't see it in my lifetime, but "beaming up" will release us from the shackles of "big oil".

 

[A Guy]

A Guy

 

[Anak]

"The sample is shining"

Nearly a century after it was theorized, Harvard scientists report they have succeeded in creating the rarest material on the planet, which could eventually develop into one of its most valuable.

Thomas D. Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences Isaac Silvera and postdoctoral fellow Ranga Dias have long sought the material, called atomic metallic hydrogen. In addition to helping scientists answer some fundamental questions about the nature of matter, the material is theorized to have a wide range of applications, including as a room-temperature superconductor. Their research is described in a paper published today in Science.

“This is the Holy Grail of high-pressure physics,” Silvera said of the quest to find the material. “It’s the first-ever sample of metallic hydrogen on Earth, so when you’re looking at it, you’re looking at something that’s never existed before.”

In their experiments, Silvera and Dias squeezed a tiny hydrogen sample at 495 gigapascal (GPa), or more than 71.7 million pounds per square inch, which is greater than the pressure at the center of the Earth. At such extreme pressures, Silvera explained, solid molecular hydrogen, which consists of molecules on the lattice sites of the solid, breaks down, and the tightly bound molecules dissociate to transforms into atomic hydrogen, which is a metal.

Source: Advance in high-pressure physics | Harvard Gazette