BBC News - Neutrino 'ghost particle' sized up by astronomers

Neutrinos are particles that can travel through 1 light year of lead without interacting with any of the lead atoms.  It is extremely small and light and is responsible for a small portion of dark matter.  Professor Lahav believes neutrinos are a minor component of cold dark matter, the mysterious "stuff" which comprises some 25% of the Universe and more than 80% of matter in the Universe.

"The neutrino is squeezed into that slice [of the Universe] that is dark matter. But it probably accounts for less than one percent of that dark matter," he told BBC News.

The neutrino particle comes in three "flavours": muon, tau and electron. In a recent experiment, physicists caught a neutrino in the act of changing from one type to another.

BBC News - Neutrino 'ghost particle' sized up by astronomers

Hubble Ultra Deep Field 3D

A beautiful video made from the Hubble peering into the blackest of black space.

Hubble Ultra Deep Field 3D

Ununquadium: Element 114

Named Ununquadium, the latest addition to the periodic table is an artificial radioactive element that is the heaviest know.  The nucleus decays to lead and the element is known to stay stable for approximately 2.6 seconds before decaying.


Element 114 on the brink of recognition - physics-math - 24 June 2010 - New Scientist


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ununquadium


Photo from the Knight Science Journalism Tracker

BBC News - US experiment hints at 'multiple God particles'

The Higgs Boson is the subatomic particle that physicists theorize as the particle responsible for attributing mass.  However, it has yet to be detected. Summer results from Fermilab, the LHC's US rival, suggest physicists could be hunting five particles, not one. The idea of multiple Higgs-like bosons is supported by results gathered by the DZero experiment at the Tevatron particle accelerator

"The DZero results showed much more significant "asymmetry" of matter and anti-matter - beyond what could be explained by the Standard Model.

Bogdan Dobrescu, Adam Martin and Patrick J Fox from Fermilab say this large asymmetry effect can be accounted for by the existence of multiple Higgs bosons."

BBC News - US experiment hints at 'multiple God particles'

Images from CERN, AAAS

Understanding Clouds: How Much Do We Know?

Clouds are more than just the muse of a poet. They play a major role in climate change yet there are still many unanswered questions. Clouds are known to be the result of "a complex interplay of fluid dynamics, turbulence, convection and mixing" that are not exactly scalable or easy to predict.  Click the link below and hear a podcast on what we know and what we don't.


The Complex Physics of Clouds: Scientific American Podcast
Image by Barto

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Sugar May Be Bad But This Sweetener Is Far More Deadly

A great article by Dr. Mercola about why consuming high levels of high fructose can have deadly effects.  From Dr. Mercola:

"There are two reasons fructose is so damaging:

1. Your body metabolizes fructose in a much different way than glucose. The entire burden of metabolizing fructose falls on your liver.

2. People are consuming fructose in enormous quantities, which has made the negative effects much more profound."

Dr. Joseph Mercola: Sugar May Be Bad But This Sweetener Is Far More Deadly

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Zephyris

BBC News - First images from Nasa's Wise infrared sky probe

Have a look at some of the first images from Nasa's Wise infrared sky probe...beautiful.

BBC News - First images from Nasa's Wise infrared sky probe

Scientists Identify Gene Linked to Aging in Humans

Scientists believe that they have identified the gene process that is linked to aging and the results are very interesting.  For example, people age at different rates as programmed by DNA.

A structure called a telomeres, inside the gene seems to be the candlestick that is burnt by time.  As cells divide and are continually replaced, the wick of the telomere will continue to shorten.  Inheritance dictates how long the telomere is to begin life and the rate of shortening also seems to be influenced by inheritance.

Professor Tim Spector from King's College London and director of the TwinsUK study, who co-led this project, added: "Genetically susceptible people may age even faster when exposed to proven 'bad' environments for telomeres like smoking, obesity or lack of exercise - and end up several years biologically older or succumbing to more age-related diseases."

 

http://www.physorg.com/news184769662.html

Half Human and Half Virus; A New View

I have been sitting on this, trying to make sense of it.  Basically, we are the result of a DNA virus.  Have a great weekend!

Seriously, some interesting facts about what you are:

1. Scientists expected 100,000 genes in the human DNA, we found 20,000
2. 34% of those 20,000 genes are considered "junk" because they copy themselves but serve no function.
3. Half of the human genome can be traced to a virus.
4. The virus genes have shown to be vital to the formation of specific organs in the human body.

In short, it is interesting to note that retroviruses that have symbiosis with our DNA may have helped to shape our evolution and development.

I, virus: Why you're only half human - life - 29 January 2010 - New Scientist

Doctors able to 'print' new organs for transplant patients

This interesting new device is a 3D bio-printer that is capable of creating arteries and veins on a cellular level.  Future iterations of the device can allow scientist to recreate organs that layers cellular building blocks to create usable organs.

Doctors to be able to 'print' new organs for transplant patients | Mail Online

Scientists Tap Volcano Power

Scientists have discovered how to tap the geothermal energy of the Earth.  With 17,000 islands ranging from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of active volcanoes represent close to 40 percent of the world's geothermal energy potential.


One geothermal plant already exists in Kamojang, Java.  Built in 1982 can convert volcanic heat into electricity at much lower costs and with less pollution than coal plants.


A significant ($12 Billion) amount is required to further the technology, but tapping geothermal energy is a viable option to fossil fuels.




Indonesia aims to tap volcano power

Image Photographer:	Clearly Ambiguous

Physicists Investigate Possibility of an 'Unhiggs'

This figure represents a five-dimensional diagram relevant to how the Unhiggs affects certain parameters in particle physics models. Physicists are calculating the properties of the Unhiggs so that it will be recognized at the LHC, if it exists. Image credit: Falkowski and Pérez-Victoria.


The Unhiggs is the possibility that the Higgs-Boson doesn't exist.  It is the alternate theory which is really a "supermass" of a collection of particles that are in superposition.  So, measuring the mass of something involves defining the space in which that thing encompasses.  If measuring the mass of an orange, you wouldn't measure anything outside of the orange.  


However, in the quantum world, that orange can change to a watermelon, apple, peach or pumpkin during the time of the measurement.  Therefore, the measurement you get is a combination of all those fruit affecting the measurement for the instant that they were there.  This is similar to the Unhiggs theory which says that mass is formed as a combination of these superposition events.  


Physicists Investigate Possibility of an 'Unhiggs'

New Milestone in Optic Technology Allows Better Data Transmissions

Scientists in Germany have discovered a technique to  produce a pulse of light so short that it contains just a single oscillation of a light wave. Using optical-fibre-optic cables, Alfred Leitenstorfer's group at the University of Konstanz in Germany has found a way to boost data transmission significantly.  By reducing the amount of light needed to represent a 1 or 0, binary transmissions can be sent with higher efficiency.  This is a fascinating article that discusses a milestone in optical technology that will help in applications like advanced imaging, sensing and signal processing. 

Single light wave flashes out from fibre laser - physics-math - 21 December 2009 - New Scientist


(Image: Kim Steele/Getty)

New Hypothesis says Moon may have formed in a nuclear explosion

According to a new hypothesis, the moon's composition may have been caused by a nuclear explosion.  The hypothesis states that the centrifugal forces during the Earth's creation could have had concentrated heavy elements such as thorium and uranium at the Earth core-mantle boundary. If the concentrations of these radioactive elements were high enough, this could have led to a nuclear chain reaction that ejected the material that later formed the Earth and the Moon as separate entities.

The Moon may have formed in a nuclear explosion


Photo by NASA

Seven Questions Unanswered by Modern Physics

These are the seven questions that are unanswered by modern physics.  The discussion was part of "Quantum to Cosmos", a 10-day physics extravaganza, which took place in Canada.


Seven questions that keep physicists up at night - space - 23 October 2009 - New Scientist


Photo Credit: http://www.odec.ca/projects/2007/joch7c2/Controversy.html

Nuclear Fusion Test Expected in 2010

Two technologies have come together in order for an extraordinary test expected to take place at the end of 2010.  The test will take place in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, located in Northern California.  Testing is slightly delayed by the installation of concrete walls to fortify the laboratory and the addition of new instruments to collect data from the experiment.

The first of two technological advancements is called a hohlraum, which is a metal cylinder containing a fusion fuel pellet.  The pellet is designed to compress it's core to the density required to produce nuclear fusion by using two isotopes of hydrogen known as deuterium and tritium. Under the intense pressure from the second advancement, the isotopes merge and emit energy that is significantly higher than the energy put into the system.

The second advancement is the most powerful laser ever created and heats the hohlraum to 3.3 million °C.  At such a high temperature, the core begins to emit x-rays that cause the core to burst.

Giant laser reaches key milestone for fusion - physics-math - 28 January 2010 - New Scientist

(Illustration: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory/Department of Energy)

Proof of Dark Matter?

Monumental Scientific Discovery: It appears that proof for dark matter is building momentum. It occurs to me that many don't know the significance of such a discovery.  Amongst other things, evidence of dark matter implies that the universe will end in a big chill where it essentially decays after vast oceans of time.  In this scenario, stars run out of fuel, black holes emit all their energy as radiation and even protons begin to deteriorate, until all heat and energy fades away.  

A List of 50 Things We Didn't Know Last Year

Fantastic synopsis of the year in knowledge 2009.  Some examples:


9. Babies pick up their parents' accents from the womb, and infants are born crying in their native dialect. Researchers found that French newborns cry in a rising French accent, and German babies cry with a characteristic falling inflection.


29. The human body emits a glow that is 1,000 times less than what our eyes can detect.


34. Nearly all animals emit the same stench when they die, and have done so for more than 400 million years.


38. A chemical component in broccoli can protect the lining of arteries from blockage that leads to angina, heart attack and stroke.


50. Watermelon is more efficient at rehydrating our bodies than drinking water. It contains 92 percent water and essential rehydration salts.

AT&T - 50 Things we know now that we didn't know this time last year

Eyes To The Moon: The Beginning Of The Race For Control

Every major nation is looking at the moon to be first to establish colonization, mineral rights and the technology to stabilize such an endeavor.  The plans are based on the anticipation of new technologies that may not be available for years to come.

Moon hole might be suitable for colony - CNN.com

Planet-Hunting Telescope Unearths Hot Mysteries - ABC News

Planet-Hunting Telescope Unearths Hot Mysteries - ABC News