Tuesday 1 April 2014

New way to make biodiesel creates less waste from alligator, and likely other animal fats

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Chicken fat, pork fat or beef fat –– none is the cornerstone of a healthful diet –– but animal fats, including those from alligators, could give an economical, ecofriendly boost to the biofuel industry, according to researchers who reported a new method for biofuel production here today. The report, following up on their earlier study on the potential use of gator fat as a source of biodiesel fuel, was part of the 247th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. The meeting, attended by thousands of scientists, features more than 10,000 reports on new advances in science and other topics. It is being held at the Dallas Convention Center and area hotels through Thursday. “Conversion of animal fat to biodiesel has been around for some time, but the traditional biodiesel process generates significant quantities of solid waste,” said Thomas Junk, Ph.D. “Our new method creates hardly any such residues.” He also said that the new study concluded that using fat from such common sources as chicken, pork and beef could be much more practical for commercial implementation than from the limited amount available from alligators and could be just as effectively turned into biodiesel. Junk, who is

The post New way to make biodiesel creates less waste from alligator, and likely other animal fats has been published on Technology Org.


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A practical solution..

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A practical solution..
..to the problem of overly bright star-shine.
  #outerspace  

Corina Marinescu originally shared:

NASA's Starshade
The flower you see in this animation isn't NASA’s attempt to celebrate the coming of spring. It’s actually the latest design in a cutting-edge effort to take pictures of planets orbiting stars far from the sun.

Astronomers have been indirectly detecting exoplanets for more than 15 years, but actually taking a picture of one has proven an immensely difficult task. Picking out the dim light of a planet from a star billions of times brighter is akin to finding a needle in a cosmic haystack, especially when the planet in question is a small, rocky world similar to Earth. In order to achieve this feat, researchers are developing techniques to block out the starlight while preserving the light emitted by the planet. This is called starlight suppression.

It’s a task that NASA’s flower-shaped starshade is designed to make easier. Working in conjunction with a space-based telescope, the starshade is able to position itself precisely between the telescope and the star that’s being observed, and can block the starlight before it even reaches the telescope’s mirrors.

With the starlight suppressed, light coming from exoplanets orbiting the star would be visible. Using this technology, astronomers would be able to take actual pictures of exoplanets – images that could provide clues as to whether such worlds could support life as we know it.

Source and further reading:
http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/video/15
Video source:
NASA | Flower Power Starshade Unfurls in Space [HD]

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Misleading mineral may have resulted in overestimate of water in moon

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The amount of water present in the moon may have been overestimated by scientists studying the mineral apatite, researchers have discovered. For decades, scientists believed the moon was almost entirely devoid of water. However, the discovery of hydrogen-rich apatite within lunar rocks in 2010 seemed to hint at a more watery past. Scientists originally assumed that information obtained from a small sample of apatite could predict the original water content of a large body of magma, or even the entire moon, but a new study indicates that apatite may, in fact, be deceptive.

via Science Daily

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Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot Poster

Here's a great poster featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: carl, sagan, earth, science, astronomy, space, exploration, cosmos

This poster has Carl Sagan holding a globe with the Pale Blue Dot picture and his famous quote.

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Name, Witch Head Nebula deep space astronomy image Wrapping Paper

Get your out-of-this-world gift wrap here! Perfect for Christmas gifts for anyone who is fascinated by what the universe holds in store for us!


tagged with: star galaxies, outer space picture, deep space astronomy, wtchneb, witch head nebula, screaming witch, cursing witch, nasa space photograph, faces in space, witches curse

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A witch appears to be screaming out into space in this image from NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. The infrared portrait shows the Witch Head nebula, named after its resemblance to the profile of a wicked witch. Astronomers say the billowy clouds of the nebula, where baby stars are brewing, are being lit up by massive stars. Dust in the cloud is being hit with starlight, causing it to glow with infrared light, which was picked up by WISE's detectors.
The Witch Head nebula is estimated to be hundreds of light-years away in the Orion constellation, just off the famous hunter's knee.
WISE was recently "awakened" to hunt for asteroids in a program called NEOWISE. The reactivation came after the spacecraft was put into hibernation in 2011, when it completed two full scans of the sky, as planned.
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image code: wtchneb

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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Monogram, Witch Head Nebula deep space image Sticker

Here's a great sheet of stickers featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: monogram initials, star galaxies, outer space picture, deep space astronomy, wtchneb, witch head nebula, cursing witch, nasa space photograph, faces in space, witches curse, screaming witch

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A witch appears to be screaming out into space in this image from NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. The infrared portrait shows the Witch Head nebula, named after its resemblance to the profile of a wicked witch. Astronomers say the billowy clouds of the nebula, where baby stars are brewing, are being lit up by massive stars. Dust in the cloud is being hit with starlight, causing it to glow with infrared light, which was picked up by WISE's detectors.
The Witch Head nebula is estimated to be hundreds of light-years away in the Orion constellation, just off the famous hunter's knee.
WISE was recently "awakened" to hunt for asteroids in a program called NEOWISE. The reactivation came after the spacecraft was put into hibernation in 2011, when it completed two full scans of the sky, as planned.
more items with this image
more items in the Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series

image code: wtchneb

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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via Zazzle Astronomy market place

Space Station Robot Forgets Key Again

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Zazzle Space Gifts for young and old

Rainbow Nebula Galaxy Girly Polka Dots Pattern Wall Graphics

Here's a great wall decal featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: nebula, space, polka dots, modern, pink, bright, tuquoise, pattern, galaxy, nebula polka dots, cosmos, stars, girly, glitter, starfield, dots pattern, big dots, astronomy, universe, stellar, purple, space polka dots, glitter polka dots, unique, fun, whimsical, blue, teal, yellow, geometrical, shapes, girly polka dots, abstract, teal blue, geometrical pattern, abstract pattern, pink polka dots, circles pattern, black background, outer space

A bright, colorful polka dots pattern design of a girly, bright pink,turquoise, teal, purple Galaxy patchwork featuring outer space photography of different Nebulae, Stars, cosmos and space on a white background. Get this modern nebula polka dots pattern with rainbow colors. Perfect gift for her, for any occasion, for the astronomy geek and the space dreamer. Girly Road is a collaboration between Girly Trend and Railton Road

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NGC 3314 COVER FOR iPad AIR

Here's a great iPad case from Zazzle featuring a Hubble-related design. Maybe you'd like to see your name on it? Click to personalize and see what it's like!


tagged with: ngc 3314, interacting, overlapping, spiral, galaxies, nasa, hubble, space, image

NGC 3314 is a pair of interacting or overlapping spiral galaxies thanks to a June 2012 Hubble NASA space image.

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Satellite shows high productivity from US corn belt

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Data from satellite sensors show that during the Northern Hemisphere's growing season, the Midwest region of the United States boasts more photosynthetic activity than any other spot on Earth, according to scientists. Healthy plants convert light to energy via photosynthesis, but chlorophyll also emits a fraction of absorbed light as fluorescent glow that is invisible to the naked eye. The magnitude of the glow is an excellent indicator of the amount of photosynthesis, or gross productivity, of plants in a given region.

via Science Daily

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Bright Future for Protein Nanoprobes: New Rules for Single-Particle Imaging with Light-Emitting Nanocrystals

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The term a “brighter future” might be a cliché, but in the case of ultra-small probes for lighting up individual proteins, it is now most appropriate. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered surprising new rules for creating ultra-bright light-emitting crystals that are less than 10 nanometers in diameter. These ultra-tiny but ultra-bright nanoprobes should be a big asset for biological imaging, especially deep-tissue optical imaging of neurons in the brain. Working at the Molecular Foundry, a DOE national nanoscience center hosted at Berkeley Lab, a multidisciplinary team of researchers led by James Schuck and Bruce Cohen, both with Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division, used advanced single-particle characterization and theoretical modeling to study what are known as “upconverting nanoparticles” or UCNPs. Upconversion is the process by which a molecule absorbs two or more photons at a lower energy and emits them at higher energies. The research team determined that the rules governing the design of UCNP probes for ensembles of molecules do not apply to UCNP probes designed for single-molecules. “The widely accepted conventional wisdom for designing bright UCNPs has been that you want to use a high concentration of sensitizer

The post Bright Future for Protein Nanoprobes: New Rules for Single-Particle Imaging with Light-Emitting Nanocrystals has been published on Technology Org.


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Inspirational character, inspirational tips

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Inspirational character, inspirational tips
In any walk of life, you'd be hard pressed to find better guidance than this...
  #forwidersharing #designtips #hintsntips #skateboarding #outerspace  

Richard Branson originally shared:

Follow your dreams and just do it: read my illustrated top 10 tips for success http://virg.in/tips

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A Sky Full of Stars Print

Here's a great poster featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: templates, sky full stars, stars, star filled sky, sky, skies, space, outer space, astronomy, science, exploration, art, digital art, night sky, nature, outdoors, beautiful, breathtaking, amazing, star pictures, star photographs

A picture of a star filled sky at night.

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Click to customize with size, paper type etc.
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Cheap, better-performing lithium-ion batteries created

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Researchers have developed a cheap, high-performing silicon anode and sulfur-based cathode for lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are a popular type of rechargeable battery commonly found in portable electronics and electric or hybrid cars. Scientists have developed a cost-effective (and therefore commercially viable) silicon anode nearly three times more powerful and longer lasting than a typical commercial anode.

via Science Daily

Name, The Rings of Gas Giant Saturn - solar system Gift Wrap Paper

Get your out-of-this-world gift wrap here! Perfect for Christmas gifts for anyone who is fascinated by what the universe holds in store for us!


tagged with: star galaxies, astronomy pictures, strnmxtlt, outer space picture, hubble space image, rings of saturn, gas giant astronomy, solar system planet, ice particles, planetary bodies, planet, rocky debris

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A stunning image of Saturn, taken when the planet's rings were at their maximum tilt of 27 degrees toward Earth. Saturn experiences seasonal tilts away from and toward the Sun, much the same way Earth does. This happens over the course of its 29.5-year orbit. This means that approximately every 30 years, Earth observers can catch their best glimpse of Saturn's South Pole and the southern side of the planet's rings. Between March and April 2003, researchers took full advantage to study the gas giant at maximum tilt. They used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to capture detailed images of Saturn's Southern Hemisphere and the southern face of its rings.
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image code: strnmxtlt

Image credit: NASA (Hubble Telescope) and E. Karkoschka (University of Arizona)

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Click to personalize with name and message - or just to see it bigger.
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Monogram, Rings of Gas Giant Saturn - solar system Round Stickers

Here's a great sheet of stickers featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: monogram initials, star galaxies, astronomy pictures, strnmxtlt, outer space picture, hubble space image, rings of saturn, gas giant astronomy, solar system planet, ice particles, rocky debris, planetary bodies

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A stunning image of Saturn, taken when the planet's rings were at their maximum tilt of 27 degrees toward Earth. Saturn experiences seasonal tilts away from and toward the Sun, much the same way Earth does. This happens over the course of its 29.5-year orbit. This means that approximately every 30 years, Earth observers can catch their best glimpse of Saturn's South Pole and the southern side of the planet's rings. Between March and April 2003, researchers took full advantage to study the gas giant at maximum tilt. They used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to capture detailed images of Saturn's Southern Hemisphere and the southern face of its rings.
more items with this image
more items in the Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series

image code: strnmxtlt

Image credit: NASA (Hubble Telescope) and E. Karkoschka (University of Arizona)

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Click to customize.
via Zazzle Astronomy market place

Orion Nebula Green Upright Bass Wall Graphic

Here's a great wall decal featuring a beautiful image from deep space


tagged with: orion, nebula, shape, cosmic, astronomy, green, upright, bass, upright bass, space image, space, image, pretty, aqua

Space image of the Orion Nebula on the shape of an upright bass.

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Click to customize.
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Crab Nebula – Hubble Telescope Case For The iPad Mini

Here's a great iPad case from Zazzle featuring a Hubble-related design. Maybe you'd like to see your name on it? Click to personalize and see what it's like!


tagged with: crab nebula, nasa, universe, stars, outer space, hubble telescope, cosmos, astronomy, nature, space picture, esa, nebula, hubble space telescope, astronomical, cosmology, space photograph, crab nebula photograph, space, natural, science, abstract, space photo, space image, nebula picture, nebula photograph, nebula photo, nebula image, blue, turquoise, cyan, space gifts, space products

Hubble photograph of the Crab Nebula

This is a composite photograph produced from 24 individual images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and is the most detailed image of the Crab Nebula that has been produced to date.
Credit: NASA, ESA and Allison Loll/Jeff Hester (Arizona State University). Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble)

You can personalise the design further if you'd prefer, such as by adding your name or other text, or adjusting the image - just click 'Customize it' to see all the options. IMPORTANT: If you choose a different sized version of the product, it's important to click Customize and check the image in the Design view to ensure it fills the area to the edge of the product, otherwise white edges may be visible.

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