Monday 22 June 2015

Origami robot – folds up by itself and moves without motors

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Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a printable origami robot. It only weighs a third of

The post Origami robot – folds up by itself and moves without motors has been published on Technology Org.

 
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Astronomers discover 854 ultra-dark galaxies in the famous Coma Cluster

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Astronomers have discovered 854 "ultra-dark galaxies" in the Coma Cluster. The new discovery surpasses the 2014 discovery of 47 mysterious dark galaxies by more than 800 and suggests that galaxy clusters are the key environment for the evolution of these mysterious dark galaxies.
via Science Daily
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Detecting exoplanets close to their host star

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Astronomers have successfully commissioned a new type of optic that can reveal the image of an exoplanet next to its parent star. The 'vector Apodizing Phase Plate' (vector-APP) coronagraph was installed at the 6.5-m Magellan Clay telescope in Chile in May 2015, and the first observations demonstrated an unprecedented contrast performance very close to the star, where planets are more likely to reside.
via Science Daily
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Vintage Astronomy, Celestial Planisphere Star Map Print

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


tagged with: antique, constellations, retro, planisphere, americana, nostalgia, nostalgic, vintage illustration, celestial map, star chart, antique celestial

Vintage illustration astronomy and celestial star chart map by Carel Allard (1648-1709), a 17th century Dutch cartographer. This antique planisphere features constellations in the night sky including some signs of the zodiac and other creatues and figures in mythology, the sun, moon and earth, as well as other planets (Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn), 1706. Planisphaerii coelestis hemisphaerium meridionale.

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Chaotic orbital interactions keep flipping Pluto’s moons

Science Focus

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Here on Earth, our days are predictable, with sunrise following sunset each day at regular intervals. The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if the Sun set in the west one day and in the north the next?

Inhabitants of two of Pluto’s moons—Nix or Hydra—would not know when each day would begin and from which direction the Sun would rise. This is because, like two cosmic footballs, these moons are wobbling erratically as they travel through space. “Living on Nix, you literally would not know if the Sun was coming up tomorrow,” said Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute and co-author of a new study.

The Pluto system is unique in that it contains the only binary planet system in our solar system. Pluto and its largest moon Charon are what scientists refer to as a double-dwarf system. Pluto is currently classified as a dwarf planet; while Charon is technically labeled a moon, both bodies orbit the same point in space—a point that isn’t within the circumference of either body.

Read 18 remaining paragraphs | Comments

 
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 » see original post http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/science/~3/Cz2JdqlDr44/
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Cyclone Racing adds wings to formula racer, looks for quicker laps on track

Science Focus

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Roger Steinforth has been through all the data from all the computer simulations. And he thinks adding wings

The post Cyclone Racing adds wings to formula racer, looks for quicker laps on track has been published on Technology Org.

 
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 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechnologyOrgPhysicsNews/~3/qhutPHCLay8/
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Star Birth in Constellation Cygnus, The Swan Rectangular Sticker

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


tagged with: envelope sealers, star clusters, nebulae, gstlnrsr, rcw120, breathtaking astronomy images, star nurseries, inspirational stars, ionised gas clouds, star forming regions, galaxies, starfields, eso, european southern observatory, vista

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A gorgeous star forming region in Constellation Cygnus (The Swan). This Hubble image shows a dust-rich, interstellar gas cloud with a new-born star in the centre of the hour-glass shape. The glowing blue of the hydrogen in this nebula is due to the jets being emitted from the forming star as dust falls into into it and this causes the heating and turbulence of the hydrogen. The star, known as S106 IR, is reaching the end of its birth and will soon enter the much quieter period of adulthood known as the main stage.

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Image code: cygsb

Image credit: NASA, the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI) and ESA

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Plasmonics: Revolutionizing light-based technologies via electron oscillations in metals

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For centuries, artists mixed silver and gold powder with glass to fabricate colorful windows to decorate buildings. The results were impressive, but they didn't have a scientific reason for how these ingredients together made stained glass. In the early 20th century, the physicist Gustav Mie figured out that the color of a metal nanoparticle is related to its size and the optical properties of the metal and adjacent materials.

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New Horizons

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Intense radio emission from tiny binary star

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Astronomers have determined the mass of a tiny binary star thanks to its intense radio emissions – rare in such small stars – which compels scientists to review stellar evolution models.
via Science Daily
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Tarantula Nebula Hubble Space iPad Folio 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: tarantula nebula, nebula photo, star formation, astronomy, nasa photo, hubble telescope, universe, stars, astronomy products, cool space, 30 doradus nebula, european space agency, hubble photo, outer space, glowing, cosmos, cosmic, astronomical, astrophotography, cosmology, deep space, space, nature, natural, science, abstract, space photo, star birth, astronomy gifts, space gifts, space products, bright, light, sparkling, sparkly, starry sky, twinking, stellar, cool astronomy, cloudy

Cool space / astronomy photograph from NASA. This is a Hubble Space Telescope photograph showing a detailed area of the Tarantula nebula. This nebula is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, about 170,000 million light years away. This photo has shades of blue, green and orange, with sparkling stars.

Image Credit: 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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Graphene a potential substitute for critical raw materials

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Securing availability and access to critical raw materials constitutes a strategic objective for the EU political and economic agenda. Key EU industrial sectors such as construction, chemicals, automotive, aerospace and machinery provide a total added value of €1,324 billion and 30 million jobs and depend on access to critical raw materials. Rare earth elements are essential to industrial production, particularly for clean energy options such as wind turbines, solar cells, electric vehicles and energy-efficient lighting.

The scarcity of critical raw materials, together with their economic importance, makes it necessary to explore new avenues towards substitution in order to reduce the EU’s consumption and decrease the relative dependence upon imports. Recognizing the potential problems that resource scarcity poses for the industry in Europe, the European Commission is funding the project CRM_InnoNet to investigate substitutes of critical raw materials. As part of this project, Graphenea’s Business Development Director Iñigo Charola gave a talk at the conference “Substitution means evolution” on June 17th in Brussels.

Iñigo presented graphene as a potential substitute for the critical material indium, in particular focusing on the replacement of indium tin oxide (ITO) as a transparent conductor. Indium is on the list of EU’s top-20 critical raw materials.

Following the talk, Iñigo participated in a discussion panel where he answered some further questions, clarifying the potential of graphene as a replacement of some scarce materials. For example, Iñigo discussed the advantages of chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of graphene compared to most other graphene production methods, exemplified by the fact that CVD does not start from raw graphite ore but rather relies on widely available gases. CVD is fully compatible with mass production of large areas of high quality graphene for electronics and photonics. Also for the production of the popular graphene oxide, Graphenea uses synthetic graphite instead of the natural ore.

Graphene’s potential and uses in photonics, printed circuit boards and electronic components were also discussed. Most technology roadmaps predict large-scale mainstream use of graphene for these applications sometime between 2020 and 2030. Iñigo explained that graphene is already entering these markets through niche applications but also as a substitute, although price still needs to decrease and that is an important reason why we will have to wait another decade for graphene to be everywhere. Iñigo also mentioned the importance of standardization and legislation.

Finally, Graphenea’s Business Development Director assured us that graphene is not a critical material and we are not at risk of a shortage of graphene. We are looking forward to the continuation of the project CRM_InnoNet, which will map the route for replacement of critical materials, create a network of innovators and stakeholders, and prepare recommendations to relevant policymakers.

 


via Graphenea

Variations in atmospheric oxygen levels shaped Earth’s climate through the ages

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Variations in the amount of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere significantly altered global climate throughout the planet’s history. Efforts

The post Variations in atmospheric oxygen levels shaped Earth’s climate through the ages has been published on Technology Org.

 
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Vintage Astronomy, Celestial Planisphere Map Posters

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


tagged with: antique, constellations, retro, planisphere, americana, vintage illustration, norhtern hemisphere, celestial map, star chart, astronomy, antique celestial

Vintage illustration astronomy and antique celestial map by Joseph (James) Moxon (1627-1691). Star chart featuring a world planisphere and celestial sphere - both are surrounded by scenes from the Old and New Testaments including vignettes of the Creation, the Garden of Eden, the Deluge, Moses, the Crucifixion and angels observing the Holy City. Created circa 1691 -1699.

Joseph Moxon was a hydrographer to Charles II, was an English printer of mathematical books and maps, a maker of globes and mathematical instruments, and mathematical lexicographer. Joseph Moxin produced the first English language dictionary devoted to mathematics. In November 1678 he became the first tradesman to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

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Wreath Nebula in our awesome Milky Way Square Sticker

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


tagged with: envelope sealers, star forming activity, wnmwbpt, interstellar gas clouds, milky way, wreath nebula, awesome astronomy images, metallic elements, new born stars, galaxies, dust clouds, star nurseries, young hot stars

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A gorgeous outer space picture featuring the Wreath Nebula, located in our Milky way near the boundary between the constellations of Perseus and Taurus.
Tiny particles of dust, glowing warmly in the energy being radiated by the new-born star are similar to those in the composition of our Earthly smog. The red cloud is cooler than its environs and likely comprises more metallic elements as well.

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image code: wnmwbpt

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

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Introducing Summer of Science

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Explore mysterious solar snapshots, new findings about left-handedness and other intriguing bits of science.








via New York Times

Star birth in Carina Nebula from Hubble's WFC3 det iPad Folio Covers

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: argo navis, astronomy, carina, celestial bodies, exploration, milky way, natural sciences, natural world, nebula, ngc 3372, nobody, outer space, physical science, sciences, space exploration and research, stars

ImageID: 42-23286264 / STScI / NASA/Corbis / Star birth in Carina Nebula from Hubble's WFC3 detector

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