Moving silicon atoms in graphene with atomic precision

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In recent years, it has become possible to see directly individual atoms using electron microscopy -- especially in graphene, the one-atom-thick sheet of carbon. Scientists have now shown how an electron beam can move silicon atoms through the graphene lattice without causing damage. The research combines advanced electron microscopy with demanding computer simulations.

via Science Daily

Interfaces within materials can be patterned as a means of controlling the properties of composites

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Patterned surfaces are all the rage among researchers seeking to induce surfaces to repel water or adhere to other things, or to modify materials’ electrical properties. Now materials scientists at MIT have added a new wrinkle to research on the patterning of surfaces: While most research has focused on patterns on the outer surfaces of materials, Michael Demkowicz and his team in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) have begun to explore the effects of patterned surfaces deep within materials — specifically, at the interfaces between layers of crystalline materials. Their results, published in the journal Scientific Reports, show that such control of internal patterns can lead to significant improvements in the performance of the resulting materials. Demkowicz explains that much research has aimed to create layered composites with desired strength, flexibility, or resistance to vibrations, temperature changes, or radiation. But actually controlling the surfaces where two materials meet within a composite is a tricky process. “People don’t think of them as surfaces,” says Demkowicz, an associate professor in DMSE. “If they do, they think of it as a uniform surface, but as it turns out, most interfaces are not uniform.” To control the properties of these materials, it

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1. A new wrinkle in the control of waves: Flexible materials could provide ways to manipulate sound and light

 
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Planets and dwarf planets poster

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Planets and dwarf planets poster

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Planets and dwarf planets of the solar system

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Cockatoos pick up tool use and manufacture through social learning

Science Focus

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Figaro, the one who started it all.

University of Vienna

Two years ago, we brought you the story of Figaro, a Goffin's cockatoo that lived at a research center in Vienna. These birds don't use tools in the wild—Figaro's minders even argue that the cockatoo's curved beak makes tool use rather difficult for them.

But Figaro's environment, which features lots of wired mesh, apparently drove him to some novel behaviors. He was observed splitting off splinters from wooden material, and the bird used them to retrieve objects (generally food or toys) that were on the wrong side of the wire. Figaro was making tools.

Tool use had been seen in a number of birds, so this in itself wasn't entirely radical. But the researchers involved realized that it presented a fantastic opportunity to learn how tool use spreads in birds and what that tells us about their inherent mental capacities. Now, two years on, they're back with a description of how, when given the chance, Figaro has started a bit of a social revolution.

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Laser makes microscopes way cooler

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Laser physicists have found a way to make atomic-force microscope probes 20 times more sensitive and capable of detecting forces as small as the weight of an individual virus. The technique, developed by researchers in the Quantum Optics Group of the Research School of Physics and Engineering in Australian National University, hinges on using laser beams to cool a nanowire probe to minus 265 degrees Celsius. “The level of sensitivity achieved after cooling is accurate enough for us to sense the weight of a large virus that is 100 billion times lighter than a mosquito,” said Professor Ping Koy Lam, the leader of the Quantum Optics Group. The development could be used to improve the resolution of atomic-force microscopes, which are the state-of-the-art tool for measuring nanoscopic structures and the tiny forces between molecules. Atomic force microscopes achieve extraordinarily sensitivity measurements of microscopic features by scanning a wire probe over a surface. However, the probes, around 500 times finer than a human hair, are prone to vibration. “At room temperature the probe vibrates, just because it is warm, and this can make your measurements noisy,” said Dr Ben Buchler,  a co-author of the research that is published in Nature Communications. “We

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1. Novel Laser System Mimics Sunlight to Test Solar Cell Efficiency

 
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Dinosaur titan's big bone haul

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Fossils unearthed in Argentina represent the most complete giant sauropod dinosaur ever discovered. 
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 » see original post http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29050114#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Astronomers unveil secrets of giant elliptical galaxies

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New findings of how giant elliptical galaxies move have been discovered by an international team of astronomers. Elliptical galaxies have long been considered as essentially being made up of old stars that move randomly within them, like a swarm of bees. This has been challenged in many instances in the past ten-twenty years, but giant elliptical galaxies are still considered as a nearly round and non-rotating group of old stars by astronomers.

via Science Daily

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Monogram - Enlarged Region of The Omega Nebula Sticker

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Monogram - Enlarged Region of The Omega Nebula Sticker

tagged with: stars, galaxies, astronomy, universe, outer space, envelope sealers, eroton, galaxies stars, gas clouds, star forming activity, green hydrogen, omega nebula m17, ultraviolet radiation, young massive stars, monogram initials, blue oxygen, red sulpher

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series Like the fury of a raging sea, this bubbly ocean of glowing hydrogen, oxygen, and sulphur gas lies in the extremely massive and luminous molecular nebula Messier 17.
This Hubble photograph captures a small region within Messier 17 (M17), a hotbed of star formation. M17, also known as the Omega or Swan Nebula, is located about 5500 light-years away in the Sagittarius constellation.
Ultraviolet radiation is carving and heating the surfaces of cold hydrogen gas clouds and the warmed surfaces glow orange and red. The intense heat and pressure causes some material to stream away from the surface, creating the glowing veil of even hotter green-coloured gas that masks background structures. The colours in the image represent various gases. Red represents sulphur; green, hydrogen; and blue, oxygen.

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Image credit: NASA, the ACS Science Team

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Name, Crab Nebula in Taurus outer space picture 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!

Name, Crab Nebula in Taurus outer space picture Gift Wrap Paper

tagged with: messier 1, neutron stars, star ejecta, pulsars, supernovae explosions, supernova remnant, crbneb, astronomy pictures, outer space images, crab nebula, heavens, european southern observatory, 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.
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ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
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Supernova Remnant Puppis A

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Driven by the explosion of a massive star, supernova remnant Puppis A is blasting into the surrounding interstellar medium about 7,000 light-years away. At that distance, this remarkable false-color exploration of its complex expansion is about 180 light-years wide. It is based on the most complete X-ray data set so far from the Chandra and XMM/Newton observations, and infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. In blue hues, the filamentary X-ray glow is from gas heated by the supernova's shock wave, while the infrared emission shown in red and green is from warm dust. The bright pastel tones trace the regions where shocked gas and warmed dust mingle. Light from the initial supernova itself, triggered by the collapse of the massive star's core, would have reached Earth about 3,700 years ago, though the Puppis A supernova remnant remains a strong source in the X-ray sky.

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NASA identifying candidate asteroids for redirect mission

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NASA is on the hunt to add potential candidate target asteroids for the agency's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). The robotic mission will identify, capture and redirect a near-Earth asteroid to a stable orbit around the moon. In the 2020s, astronauts will explore the asteroid and return to Earth with samples. This will test and advance new technologies and spaceflight experience needed to take humans to Mars in the 2030s.

via Science Daily

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NASA's Mars Curiosity rover arrives at Martian mountain

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NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has reached the Red Planet's Mount Sharp, a Mount-Rainier-size mountain at the center of the vast Gale Crater and the rover mission's long-term prime destination.

via Science Daily

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First map of Rosetta's comet

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Scientists have found that the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko -- the target of study for the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission -- can be divided into several regions, each characterized by different classes of features. High-resolution images of the comet reveal a unique, multifaceted world.

via Science Daily

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Unraveling mysteries of the Venusian atmosphere

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Underscoring the vast differences between Earth and its neighbor Venus, new research shows a glimpse of giant holes in the electrically charged layer of the Venusian atmosphere, called the ionosphere. The observations point to a more complicated magnetic environment than previously thought -- which in turn helps us better understand this neighboring, rocky planet.

via Science Daily

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Alien life search: Spotting atmospheric chemistry of alien worlds devoid of life

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Astronomers searching the atmospheres of alien worlds for gases that might be produced by life can't rely on the detection of just one type, such as oxygen, ozone, or methane, because in some cases these gases can be produced non-biologically, according to extensive simulations. Researchers have carefully simulated the atmospheric chemistry of alien worlds devoid of life thousands of times over a period of more than four years, varying the atmospheric compositions and star types.

via Science Daily

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Astrophysicists to probe how early universe made chemical elements

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In the beginning, all was hydrogen -- and helium, plus a bit of lithium. Three elements in all. Today's universe, however, has nearly a hundred naturally occurring elements, with thousands of variants (isotopes), and more likely to come. Figuring out how the universe got from its starting batch of three elements to the menagerie found today is the focus of a new research project.

via Science Daily

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Lurking bright blue star caught: The last piece of a supernova puzzle

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Astronomers have found evidence of a hot binary companion star to a yellow supergiant star, which had become a bright supernova. Its existence had been predicted by the team. This finding provides the last link in a chain of observations that have so far supported the team's theoretical picture for this supernova.

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Heart and Soul nebulae infrared mosaic NASA Room Decals

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

Heart and Soul nebulae infrared mosaic NASA Room Decals

tagged with: the heart and soul nebulae, heart, soul, nebulae, space, astronomy, nasa, infrared, mosaic, galaxy, universe, stars, blue, green, red, white, light, dark, night, sky, awesome, amazing, photo, photography, photograph, art, design, decor, decoration, science, scifi, explore, exploration, vast, spiral, cyan, dust, cluster, ic1848, cool

The Heart and Soul nebulae are seen in this infrared mosaic from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. Also visible near the bottom of this image are two galaxies, Maffei 1 and Maffei 2. Maffei 1 is the bluish elliptical object and Maffei 2 is the spiral galaxy. All four infra-red detectors aboard WISE were used to make this image. Colour is representational: blue and cyan represent infra-red light at wavelengths of 3.4 and 4.6 microns, which is dominated by light from stars. Green and red represent light at 12 and 22 microns, which is mostly light from warm dust.

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NASA's Great Observatories Witness a Galactic Spec iPad Mini Case

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NASA's Great Observatories Witness a Galactic Spec iPad Mini Case

tagged with: new, image, two, tangled, galaxies, has, been, released, nasa's, great, observatories., antennae, located, about, million, light-years, from, earth, are, shown, this, composite, chandra, x-ray, observatory, blue, hubble, space, telescope, gold, brown, spitzer, red, take, their, name, long, antenna-like, arms, seen

A new image of two tangled galaxies has been released by NASA's Great Observatories. The Antennae galaxies, located about 62 million light-years from Earth, are shown in this composite image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue), the Hubble Space Telescope (gold and brown), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (red). The Antennae galaxies take their name from the long, antenna-like arms seen in wide-angle views of the system. These features were produced in the collision.

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Introducing the multi-tasking nanoparticle

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Kit Lam and colleagues from UC Davis and other institutions have created dynamic nanoparticles (NPs) that could provide an arsenal of applications to diagnose and treat cancer. Built on an easy-to-make polymer, these particles can be used as contrast agents to light up tumors for MRI and PET scans or deliver chemo and other therapies to destroy tumors. In addition, the particles are biocompatible and have shown no toxicity. The study was published online today inNature Communications. “These are amazingly useful particles,” noted co-first author Yuanpei Li, a research faculty member in the Lam laboratory. “As a contrast agent, they make tumors easier to see on MRI and other scans. We can also use them as vehicles to deliver chemotherapy directly to tumors; apply light to make the nanoparticles release singlet oxygen (photodynamic therapy) or use a laser to heat them (photothermal therapy) – all proven ways to destroy tumors.” Jessica Tucker, program director of Drug and Gene Delivery and Devices at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, said the approach outlined in the study has the ability to combine both imaging and therapeutic applications in a single platform, which has

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3. Nanoparticles help disrupt tumor blood supply, destroy tumors

 
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Gaia discovers its first supernova

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While scanning the sky to measure the positions and movements of stars in our Galaxy, Gaia has discovered its first stellar explosion in another galaxy far, far away.

via ESA Space Science

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Gaia/Gaia_discovers_its_first_supernova

The Sun in the Milky Way galaxy poster

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The Sun in the Milky Way galaxy poster

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Early explorers mapping the continents of our globe, astronomers are busy charting the spiral structure of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Using infrared images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists have discovered that the Milky Way's elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars. Previously, our galaxy was thought to possess four major arms. This artist's concept illustrates the new view of the Milky Way, along with other findings presented at the 212th American Astronomical Society meeting in St. Louis, Mo. The galaxy's two major arms (Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus) can be seen attached to the ends of a thick central bar, while the two now-demoted minor arms (Norma and Sagittarius) are less distinct and located between the major arms. The major arms consist of the highest densities of both young and old stars; the minor arms are primarily filled with gas and pockets of star-forming activity. The artist's concept also includes a new spiral arm, called the "Far-3 kiloparsec arm," discovered via a radio-telescope survey of gas in the Milky Way. This arm is shorter than the two major arms and lies along the bar of the galaxy. Our sun lies near a small, partial arm called the Orion Arm, or Orion Spur, located between the Sagittarius and Perseus arms.

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Crab Pulsar Time Lapse - Neutron Star Stickers

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Crab Pulsar Time Lapse - Neutron Star Stickers

tagged with: stars, galaxies, astronomy, envelope sealers, tarnebes, tarantula nebula, r136, massive stars, youngest stars, supernovae

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series

Multiple observations made over several months with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope captured the spectacle of matter and antimatter propelled to near the speed of light by the Crab pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star the size of Manhattan.

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Image credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope

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Name, Dumbbell Nebula, Intriguing Outer Space Gift Wrap

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Name, Dumbbell Nebula, Intriguing Outer Space Gift Wrap

tagged with: inspirational, dmbblneb, vulpecula constellation, intense ultraviolet radiation, heavens, dumbbell nebula, star galaxies, the fox constellation, outer space, astronomy pictures, european southern observatory, messier 27 ngc 6853, 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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After a Two-Year Trek, NASA’s Mars Rover Reaches Its Mountain Lab

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The Curiosity rover will begin its main science investigations on Mars at a three-mile-high mountain called Mount Sharp.















via New York Times

Whimsical Purple Nebula Cat Pink Galaxy Stars Wall Graphics

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

Whimsical Purple Nebula Cat Pink Galaxy Stars Wall Graphics

tagged with: purple, pink, cat, pet, nebula, outer space, astronomy, abstract, stars, nebula cat, cosmos, space, geek, cute, whimsical, kitten, pet lover, modern, cool, original, unique, background, beige, nebula trend, cat trend, nebula fashion, cat fashion, girly, girly girl, bright, colorful, bright stars, whimsical cat, animal, pets, nebula photo, modern nebula, cute cat, hipster cat, purple nebula

A cute whimsical kitten cat animal featuring bright purple and pink nebula and galaxy photography with bright stars. Get this original and modern outer space design with a cool cat vector on a white, beige vintage background. perfect gift for anyone, for the pet lover, the geek who loves space and cosmos. Girly Road is a collaboration between Girly Trend and Railton Road

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The Texas Tribune: U.T. Is Poised to Collaborate With Mexico on Research Projects

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University of Texas System officials signed a letter of intent to work with the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology on a space-related project in Brownsville.















via New York Times

Monogram Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1672 iPad Folio Case

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Monogram Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1672 iPad Folio Case

tagged with: monogram initials, star galaxies, deep space astronomy, barred spiral galaxy, starry space picture, galactic arms, supermassive black hole, dust lanes, star forming galaxy, hrbstslr bsgsst

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series This NASA Hubble Space Telescope view of the nearby barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672 unveils details in the galaxy's star-forming clouds and dark bands of interstellar dust.
One of the most striking features is the dust lanes that extend away from the nucleus and follow the inner edges of the galaxy's spiral arms. Clusters of hot young blue stars form along the spiral arms and ionize surrounding clouds of hydrogen gas that glow red. Delicate curtains of dust partially obscure and redden the light of the stars behind them by scattering blue light.
Galaxies lying behind NGC 1672 give the illusion they are embedded in the foreground galaxy, even though they are really much farther away. They also appear reddened as they shine through NGC 1672's dust. A few bright foreground stars inside our own Milky Way Galaxy appear in the image as bright and diamond-like objects.
As a prototypical barred spiral galaxy, NGC 1672 differs from normal spiral galaxies, in that the arms do not twist all the way into the center. Instead, they are attached to the two ends of a straight bar of stars enclosing the nucleus. Viewed nearly face on, NGC 1672 shows intense star formation regions especially off in the ends of its central bar.
Astronomers believe that barred spirals have a unique mechanism that channels gas from the disk inward towards the nucleus. This allows the bar portion of the galaxy to serve as an area of new star generation.
NGC 1672 is also classified as a Seyfert galaxy. Seyferts are a subset of galaxies with active nuclei. The energy output of these nuclei can sometimes outshine their host galaxies. This activity is powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes.
NGC 1672 is more than 60 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Dorado. These observations of NGC 1672 were taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys in August of 2005. The composite image was made by using filters that isolate light from the blue, green, and infrared portions of the spectrum, as well as emission from ionized hydrogen.
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Image credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

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