Wednesday 25 June 2014

Raw Data: The Man Who Hated Gravity, Part 2

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More on Roger Babson, and on the real danger facing George Clooney and Sandra Bullock in “Gravity.”















via New York Times

Method of nickel-carbon heterofullerenes synthesis presented

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Heterofullerene molecula. Image courtesy of the authors of the research     Scientists from several British, Spanish and Russian research centers (MIPT, Institute for Spectroscopy RAS, Kurchatov Institute and Kintech Lab Ltd) have come up with a method of synthesizing a new type of nickel-carbon compound. The article titled Formation of nickel-carbon heterofullerenes under electron irradiation has been published by Dalton Transactions and is available as a pre-print at arxiv.org. The first author of the article is Alexander Sinitsa, an MIPT student, and the leading author is Andrey Popov (Institute for Spectroscopy RAS, 1989 MIPT graduate).  Heterofullerenes are hollow molecules with a nearly-spherical shape, which, unlike the typical fullerenes, contain atoms of elements other than carbon. Such compounds were synthesized quite a while ago, in 1991, but till now no heterofullerenes containing nickel, or any other transition metal, have been obtained. Yet, as the authors point out in their article, transition metals are now being studied as catalysts in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes and graphene. “I’d like to emphasize that the majority of calculations have been performed by a student. Hopefully, students regularly visit the MIPT site and get inspired by their colleagues’ successes. If you are especially interested in the role of MIPT graduates in research,

The post Method of nickel-carbon heterofullerenes synthesis presented has been published on Technology Org.

 
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Space industry: Does 3-D printing have the right stuff?

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3D-printed parts promise a revolution in the space industry, rapidly creating almost any object needed. But do the results really have the right stuff for flying in space? The European Space Agency is now checking if their surface finish comes up to scratch.

via Science Daily

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Whale of a target: Harpooning space debris

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Faced with the challenge of capturing tumbling satellites to clear key orbits, the European Space Agency is considering turning to an ancient terrestrial technology: the harpoon.

via Science Daily

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Black hole trio holds promise for gravity wave hunt

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The discovery of three closely orbiting supermassive black holes in a galaxy more than four billion light years away could help astronomers in the search for gravitational waves: the 'ripples in spacetime' predicted by Einstein.

via Science Daily

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NASA's STEREO maps much larger solar atmosphere than previously observed

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Surrounding the sun is a vast atmosphere of solar particles, through which magnetic fields swarm, solar flares erupt, and gigantic columns of material rise, fall and jostle each other around. Now, using NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, scientists have found that this atmosphere, called the corona, is even larger than thought, extending out some 5 million miles above the sun's surface -- the equivalent of 12 solar radii.

via Science Daily

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NASA's Mars Curiosity rover marks first Martian year

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NASA's Mars Curiosity rover completed a Martian year -- 687 Earth days -- on June 24, having accomplished the mission's main goal of determining whether Mars once offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.

via Science Daily

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Aluminum-bearing site on Mars draws NASA visitor

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With its solar panels their cleanest in years, NASA's decade-old Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is inspecting a section of crater-rim ridgeline chosen as a priority target due to evidence of a water-related mineral.

via Science Daily

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Puzzling X-rays point to dark matter

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Astronomers using ESA and NASA high-energy observatories have discovered a tantalizing clue that hints at an elusive ingredient of our Universe: dark matter. Astronomers believe that dark matter is the dominant type of matter in the Universe -- yet it remains obscure. Now a hint may have been found by studying galaxy clusters, the largest cosmic assemblies of matter bound together by gravity.

via Science Daily

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Curiosity travels through ancient glaciers on Mars

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Some 3,500 million years ago, the Martian crater Gale -- through which the NASA rover Curiosity is currently traversing -- was covered with glaciers, mainly over its central mound. Very cold liquid water also flowed through its rivers and lakes on the lower-lying areas, forming landscapes similar to those which can be found in Iceland or Alaska.

via Science Daily

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Orion's Belt Deep Wide Field Poster

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


tagged with: astronomy, space, nebula, orion

A deep field panorama that extends from Orion's belt (left) to the M42 nebula (upper right).

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The 4 coolest science experiments happening on the International Space Station right now

Science Focus

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Since its first crew came on board in the year 2000, the International Space Station (ISS) has been one of the most productive research laboratories on (well, off) the planet. Astronauts, cosmonauts, and scientists from 15 different nations have conducted hundreds of experiments over the first 14 years of the ISS's ongoing mission.

And experiments in space often translate into benefits for Earth. "For example, GE now builds new lighter, aircraft engines, because of the technologies we developed in space," says Julie Robinson, chief scientist for the station since 2007.

So what amazing innovations...

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#science 
 » see original post http://theweek.com/article/index/263120/the-4-coolest-science-experiments-happening-on-the-international-space-station-right-now
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AUDIO: New award to show importance of maths

Science Focus

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Entrepreneur Yuri Milner and author Rob Eastaway discuss the Breakthrough Prize Foundation's new mathematics award. 
#science 
 » see original post http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27978682#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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the joy of life

Science Focus

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the joy of life
Amazing what modern technology allows us to see

  #science  

Corina Marinescu originally shared:

Just 22 hours after fertilization, this zebrafish embryo is already taking shape. By 36 hours, all of the major organs will have started to form. The zebrafish's rapid growth and see-through embryo make it ideal for scientists studying how organs develop.

Image courtesy of Philipp Keller, Bill Lemon, Yinan Wan and Kristin Branson,
Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Va.
Part of the exhibit Life:Magnified by ASCB and NIGMS

Source: http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/life-magnified/Pages/10_zebrafishembryo.aspx

 » see original post https://plus.google.com/116000959328274308893/posts/ZE6GHWngXQj
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Dumbbell Nebula in Taurus Oval Stickers

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


tagged with: awesome astronomy images, inspirational, dmbblneb, vulpecula constellation, intense ultraviolet radiation, messier 27 ngc 6853, heavens, stars, dumbbell nebula, the fox constellation, european southern observatory, eso, vista

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A great photo from deep space featuring the Dumbbell Nebula - also known as Messier 27 or NGC 6853. It's a typical planetary nebula and is located in the constellation Vulpecula (The Fox).

The distance is rather uncertain, but is believed to be around 1,200 light-years. It was first described by the French astronomer and comet hunter Charles Messier who found it in 1764 and included it as no. 27 in his famous list of extended sky objects.

Despite its class, the Dumbbell Nebula has nothing to do with planets. It consists of very rarefied gas that has been ejected from the hot central star (well visible on this photo), now in one of the last evolutionary stages. The gas atoms in the nebula are excited (heated) by the intense ultraviolet radiation from this star and emit strongly at specific wavelengths.

This image is the beautiful by-product of a technical test of some FORS1 narrow-band optical interference filters. They only allow light in a small wavelength range to pass and are used to isolate emissions from particular atoms and ions.

In this three-colour composite, a short exposure was first made through a wide-band filter registering blue light from the nebula. It was then combined with exposures through two interference filters in the light of double-ionized oxygen atoms and atomic hydrogen. They were colour-coded as “blue”, “green” and “red”, respectively, and then combined to produce this picture that shows the structure of the nebula in “approximately true” colours.



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Image code: dmbblneb

ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

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Astronomers map space's icy wastes

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Using the AKARI orbiting observatory, astronomers have made the first large-scale maps of icy material where stars are forming. In a challenge to conventional ideas about the formation of water in space, they find ice in regions with little dust or gas.

via Science Daily

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The Hercules Cluster of Galaxies

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These are galaxies of the Hercules Cluster, an archipelago of island universes a mere 500 million light-years away. Also known as Abell 2151, this cluster is loaded with gas and dust rich, star-forming spiral galaxies but has relatively few elliptical galaxies, which lack gas and dust and the associated newborn stars. The colors in this remarkably deep composite image clearly show the star forming galaxies with a blue tint and galaxies with older stellar populations with a yellowish cast. The sharp picture spans about 3/4 degree across the cluster center, corresponding to over 6 million light-years at the cluster's estimated distance. Diffraction spikes around brighter foreground stars in our own Milky Way galaxy are produced by the imaging telescope's mirror support vanes. In the cosmic vista many galaxies seem to be colliding or merging while others seem distorted - clear evidence that cluster galaxies commonly interact. In fact, the Hercules Cluster itself may be seen as the result of ongoing mergers of smaller galaxy clusters and is thought to be similar to young galaxy clusters in the much more distant, early Universe.

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Helix Nebula Hubble Room Sticker

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


tagged with: helix nebula, planetary nebula, eye of god, astronomy, milky way, nebula photo, nasa, universe, nature, cool space, nebula photograph, nebula, esa, outer space, hubble telescope, hubble space telescope, hubble photo, cosmos, astronomical, astrophotography, cosmology, space photo, ngc 7293, space picture, space image, deep space, space, natural, science, abstract, eye, cool astronomy

Hubble photograph of the Helix Nebula

This eye-like composite photograph of the Helix Nebula is created from images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and Chile's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. It shows orange-coloured gaseous clouds around a blue central area.

Credit: NASA, ESA, C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University), and M. Meixner, P. McCullough, and G. Bacon ( Space Telescope Science Institute)

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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Pleiades iPad Mini Case

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: lovely, glowing, blue, image, space, photography, pleiades, star, cluster, nasa, hubble, starlight, starbright, amazing, constellation, myth, legend, fascinating

A lovely, glowing blue image of the Pleiades Star Cluster (NASA/Hubble). The Pleiades have held mankind's ention for millenia and this image shows us why.

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Clumped galaxies give General Relativity its toughest test yet

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(Phys.org) —Nearly 100 years since Albert Einstein developed general relativity, the theory has passed its toughest test yet in explaining the properties of observable Universe. The most precise measurements to date of the strength of gravitational interactions between distant galaxies show perfect consistency with general relativity's predictions. The results will be presented by Dr Lado Samushia at the National Astronomy Meeting 2014 in Portsmouth on Wednesday 25 June.



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Engineers Build World’s Smallest, Fastest Nanomotor

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Researchers at the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have built the smallest, fastest and longest-running tiny synthetic motor to date. The team’s nanomotor is an important step toward developing miniature machines that could one day move through the body to administer insulin for diabetics when needed, or target and treat cancer cells without harming good cells. With the goal of powering these yet-to-be invented devices, UT Austin engineers focused on building a reliable, ultra-high-speed nanomotor that can convert electrical energy into mechanical motion on a scale 500 times smaller than a grain of salt. Mechanical engineering assistant professor Donglei “Emma” Fan led a team of researchers in the successful design, assembly and testing of a high-performing nanomotor in a nonbiological setting. The team’s three-part nanomotor can rapidly mix and pump biochemicals and move through liquids, which is important for future applications. The team’s study was published in the April issue ofNature Communications. Fan and her team are the first to achieve the extremely difficult goal of designing a nanomotor with large driving power. With all its dimensions under 1 micrometer in size, the nanomotor could fit inside a human cell and is capable of rotating for

The post Engineers Build World’s Smallest, Fastest Nanomotor has been published on Technology Org.

 
#materials 
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New class of nanoparticle brings cheaper, lighter solar cells outdoors

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 Dr. Zhijun Ning (ECE) in the lab, holding a film coated with colloidal quantum dots (Photo: Roberta Baker)   Think those flat, glassy solar panels on your neighbour’s roof are the pinnacle of solar technology? Think again. Researchers in the University of Toronto’s Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering have designed and tested a new class of solar-sensitive nanoparticle that outshines what we currently consider state of the art. This new form of solid, stable light-sensitive nanoparticles, called colloidal quantum dots, could lead to cheaper and more flexible solar cells, as well as better gas sensors, infrared lasers, infrared light emitting diodes and more. The research, led by post-doctoral fellow Zhijun Ning (ECE) and Professor Ted Sargent (ECE), was published this week in Nature Materials. Collecting sunlight using these tiny colloidal quantum dots depends on two types of semiconductors: n-type, which are rich in electrons; and p-type, which are poor in electrons. The problem? When exposed to air, n-type materials bind to oxygen atoms, give up their electrons, and turn into p-type. Ning and colleagues modelled and demonstrated a new colloidal quantum dot n-type material that does not bind oxygen when exposed to air. Maintaining stable n- and p-type layers simultaneously not only boosts the

The post New class of nanoparticle brings cheaper, lighter solar cells outdoors has been published on Technology Org.

 
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Earth at Night Posters

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


tagged with: earth, night, astronomy, space

Earth at Night

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Crab Nebula in Taurus - Our Awesome Universe Sticker

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


tagged with: crbneb, astronomy, messier 1, neutron stars, star ejecta, pulsars, supernovae explosions, heavens, european southern observatory, supernova, eso, vista

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A great outer space picture featuring a three colour composite of the well-known Crab Nebula (also known as Messier 1), as observed with the FORS2 instrument in imaging mode in the morning of November 10, 1999.

It's the remnant of a supernova explosion at a distance of about 6,000 light-years, observed almost 1,000 years ago, in the year 1054. It contains a neutron star near its center that spins 30 times per second around its axis (see below).

In this picture, the green light is predominantly produced by hydrogen emission from material ejected by the star that exploded. The blue light is predominantly emitted by very high-energy ("relativistic") electrons that spiral in a large-scale magnetic field (so-called synchrotron emission). It's believed that these electrons are continuously accelerated and ejected by the rapidly spinning neutron star at the centre of the nebula and which is the remnant core of the exploded star.

This pulsar has been identified with the lower/right of the two close stars near the geometric center of the nebula, immediately left of the small arc-like feature, best seen in ESO Press Photo eso9948.

Technical information: ESO Press Photo eso9948 is based on a composite of three images taken through three different optical filters: B (429 nm; FWHM 88 nm; 5 min; here rendered as blue), R (657 nm; FWHM 150 nm; 1 min; green) and S II (673 nm; FWHM 6 nm; 5 min; red) during periods of 0.65 arcsec (R, S II) and 0.80 (B) seeing, respectively. The field shown measures 6.8 x 6.8 arcminutes and the images were recorded in frames of 2048 x 2048 pixels, each measuring 0.2 arcseconds. North is up; East is left.

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image code: crbneb

ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
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Ring Nebula Hubble Space Room Decal

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


tagged with: ring nebula, planetary nebula, hubble, astronomy, nebula photo, nasa, outer space, hubble space telescope, nature, cool space, nebula, nebulae, m57, esa, universe, hubble telescope, hubble photo, cosmos, astronomical, astrophotography, cosmology, space photo, space picture, space image, deep space, space, natural, science, abstract, orange, ring, oval, round, cool astronomy

Hubble photograph of the Ring Nebula

This is an image of the oval-shaped Ring Nebula, situated around 2000 light years from Earth. It was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1998, and shows orange and yellow outer areas around a blue-green centre.

Credit: Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA/ESA)

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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Hyper Space in Color iPad Mini Cover

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: digital, artwork, nasa, hubble, snr, 0509, supernova, bubble, colorful, stars, starry, kaleidoscope, digital art

Digital artwork based on a NASA Hubble image of SNR 0509 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).

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