Clipmarks | pokkets's 'light' clips

Orion twins show not all are identical

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:46:33 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: The fact that the twins are different means the study of their eclipses, can shed more light on the formation of stars, and they are one of the yardsticks astronomers can use to test their theories on star formation. The information gained can help revise some theories that exist at the moment, including the ages of star types.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Irene Klotz

A pair of stars in the Orion nebula have shown astronomers that stars born at the same time, in the same parent cloud, don't necessarily have the same physical attributes.

The twins, known as Par 1802, reveal one is developmentally delayed compared to its partner

Par 1802 provides direct evidence that birth order in 'identical twin' stars can manifest itself as observable physical difference

says Vanderbilt University

Professor Keivan Stassun in the journal Nature

The discovery is more than a curiosity: Par 1802 is an eclipsing binary star system, meaning the twins periodically orbit in front of one another, relative to earth, temporarily and regularly blocking its partner's light.

Such phenomena are yardsticks for measuring stars' basic physical properties and for testing theories about stellar evolution.

The finding may mean that thousands of young stars may need to have their ages readjusted by as much as 20% for average-sized stars and 50% for low-mass stars like brown dwarfs.

Experimenting in a galaxy far far away

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:49:52 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: While the readings confirm the laws of physics apply across the known universe,
if it had been any other way, it would not only have been a surprise, but physics textbooks would have to be rewritten.
Of course, the search has only just begun. The Radio Telescope is only a recent development, and much of what we know about the Universe, has been learned since the Hubble telescope became operational.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Stephen Pincock

Light from a distant galaxy is helping scientists confirm that the laws of physics here on earth also hold true in the far reaches of time and space.

Astrophysicist Dr Michael Murphy from Swinburne University in Melbourne, along with colleagues in Sydney, Taiwan and Germany, made their finding using radio-waves emitted by a quasar some 7.5 billion light years away.

Their results appear in the latest issue of the journal Science.

Quasars are thought to be super-massive black holes at the centres of some galaxies.

On its long journey to earth, the radiation from the quasar B0218+357 passes through a galaxy approximately 6 billion light years away, where it was partially absorbed by a cloud of ammonia.

The ammonia absorbs the radiation at very specific wavelengths

researchers used the measured radiation to

determine the molecule's unique 'bar code'.

"If the proton-electron mass ratio were different in the distant galaxy then we would see that in the bar-code."

New Research On Octopuses Sheds Light On Memory

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:39:13 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: It is not completely understood how these two systems are interconnected, if at all. However, the organization in the octopus demonstrates a sophistication that was not described yet in other animals. In the octopus, the short-term and long-term systems are working in parallel, but not independently. This is so because the long-term memory area -- in addition to its capacity to store long-term memories -- also regulates the rate at which the short-term memory system acquires short-term memories. This regulatory mechanism is probably useful in cases where faster learning is significant for the octopus' survival in emergency or risky situations.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Research on octopuses has shed new light on how our brains store and recall memory,

Why octopuses?

Octopuses and other related creatures, known as cephalopods, are considered to be the most intelligent invertebrates because they have relatively large brains and they can be trained for various learning and memory tasks, says Dr. Hochner.

Their behavior repertoire and learning and memory abilities are even comparable in their complexity to those of advanced vertebrates. However, they are still invertebrate mollusks with brains that contain a much fewer number of nerve cells and much simpler anatomical organization than that of vertebrate brains. This unique constellation was utilized to tackle one of the most interesting questions in modern neuroscience, which is how the brain stores and recalls memories

Tags: octopuse, memory

Gene therapy helps blind see the light

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:59:45 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Deena Beasley and Ben Hirschler

Gene therapy for a rare type of inherited blindness has improved the vision of four patients, boosting hopes for the troubled field of gene repair technology, scientists say.

Gene therapy in preliminary, short-term trials has improved the vision of a handful of people with a rare but serious form of blindness. But much work is needed before this approach becomes routine

Two separate teams of doctors report successes in using gene therapy to treat Leber's congenital amaurosis, or LCA.

LCA damages light receptors in the retina. It usually begins affecting sight in early childhood and causes total blindness by the age of 30. There is no treatment.

Both teams used a common cold virus to deliver a normal version of one damaged gene that causes the disease, called RPE65, directly into patients' eyes.

"This result is important for the entire field of gene therapy," says High, a former president of the American Society of Gene Therapy.

If Advertising Were True

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:27:12 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug

Clip Source: thepandapage.com

#60: If Advertising Were True: 5 Popular Products

1. Bud Light

in reality, Bud Light’s the sauce of choice for people looking to buy a neutral beer for large quantities of people. It’s not the cheapest, nor the best. Which makes it perfect for someone who doesn’t care about life. The real demographic.

2. Colt 45

3. Marlboro

4. Haagen Dasz

The reality is the ice cream’s a brown, indiscernible mush. And its demographic are former smokers, depressed teenagers, and the recently broken-hearted.

5. The Office

The Office is NBC’s smash hit sitcom that’s marketed to attractive and witty 18-34 year-olds, but more relatable to the 25-34 range.

In reality, the demographic is more like 28-45, because it’s slowly replacing Dilbert comics and hunky firemen calendars as watercooler conversation.

Honorable Mention: GAP

M i l k y S e a s f r o m S p a c e

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:24:04 GMT

clipped by: michellezm

Clip Source: www.lifesci.ucsb.edu

Milky seas are unusual phenomena which have been noticed by mariners for centuries, but which remain unexplained by scientists. These events are when the surface of the ocean, often from horizon to horizon, glows with a continuous uniform milky light. Although the origins of this light are not well investigated, the most plausible explanation is that it is caused by blooms of bioluminescent bacteria. Dinoflagellates, which cause red tides, flashing waves, and sparkling wakes behind boats, need to be physically stimulated to produce their brief bright flashes. This type of display does not match the kind of display seen in milky seas. Bacteria, on the other hand, will glow with a continuous light, under the right conditions.

The light from a milky sea is sometimes described as white, but it is actually blue. It may appear white when detected by human night-time vision, using rod photoreceptors that do not distinguish colors.

Glasses don't make you a nerd

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:14:51 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Or geek - There's more to it...
There was another article a few months ago that studied myopia amongst Asian students, due to rates that are seen as high. It was suggested there that myopia, rather than being inherited, was a result of lack of exposure to light. Students with myopia didn't tend to get out as much. Science can have have trouble qualifying things that are a result of more than one reason. experiments that support or prove theories, are better if only one thing can change. They are missing the point. The reason geeks, and nerds don't 'socialize', or 'get enough light' isn't because they are unsociable, but perhaps because they 'travel' in a different social circle, which is cyber, and global, through the internet. Perhaps they can develop terminal screens that emit the wavelengths of solar radiation so chronic computer users avoid developing myopia.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Claudine Ryan

It's official. Wearing glasses doesn't mean you're a nerd but it could be a sign that you're more intelligent, new research shows.

The study, from the University of Melbourne's Centre for Eye Research Australia, shows there are no links between myopia or short-sightedness and introversion or conscientiousness, the socially withdrawn and hardworking personality traits often associated with nerds.

The study's lead author Associate Professor Paul Baird says this research, which has been investigating a number of factors linked to myopia including personality, puts to rest a popular stereotype in the scientific community as well as the general population.

"I was reading a text book a couple of nights ago and it said 'we have to conclude that people who are introverted have an association with myopia' and this was written 10 years ago," says Baird.

"I found it very perplexing that people would go along with this view without having done the study."

Nanowires may light up your home

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:39:06 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

Light-emitting diodes that give a warm glow to your home or office will be available within a few years, say Swedish researchers working with nanowires.

Professor Lars Samuelson and team at Lund University are aiming to produce devices that do not cast as harsh a light as existing LEDs, and that are more efficient and longer lasting.

A forest of nanowires

LEDs are often used in small applications like torches, bicycle lights and reading lamps

because defects in the crystal structure of the semiconductors limit their efficiency when scaled up

Samuelson's team have found a way to produce what they say are defect-free LEDs

The researchers have been making LEDs out of forests of long, thin nanowires grown from gallium arsenide and indium gallium phosphate.

these nanowires

produce "highly perfect structures"

they will last longer and be useful in large-scale home and office lighting, with an efficiency of around 50%

an incandescent light bulb is only 4% efficient, a compact fluorescent 25%

Sychatron helps artist see the light

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:57:18 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Dani Cooper

The evolution of light and technology has been illuminated by an artist using a simple light bulb and the Australian Synchrotron.

This chronophotograph, or multiple exposure, shows the optical beamline passing through the artist's light bulb (Source: Chris Henschke)

Melbourne-based multimedia artist Chris Henschke has also connected the facility to its outside environment by ensuring it resonates with the sound of a cicada.

Henschke, from RMIT University, says during his time at the Australian Synchrotron he wanted to expand on a desire to show artistically how science has grown.

"I wanted to use the synchrotron to illuminate an old light bulb and look at it as many different ways as I can," he says.

Henschke describes the tungsten filament light bulb as the great-grandfather of the synchrotron.

"Ironically it is about to become obsolete [under government plans to phase out domestic use], but one day the synchrotron will also become obsolete," he says.

Baby Boomer Galaxy aglow in UV light

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:40:35 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Scientist have patiently pieced together an 11-hour photoshoot of our galactic neighbour to create the most detailed image of its kind.

Light from hot newborn stars in the Triangulum galaxy illuminates pockets of dust, causing them to glow in ultraviolet light. The galaxy is home to a stellar baby boom, triggered by supernova explosions

The image, taken by a high-resolution ultraviolet camera, reveals a pinwheel-shaped lavender cloud, liberally sprinkled with bursts of fuchsia, glowing like embers in the black sky.

Or, in the words of NASA astronomer Dr Stefan Immler, "the most detailed ultraviolet image of an entire galaxy ever taken".

Galaxy M33, also known as the Triangulum galaxy, is a pint-sized companion to our own Milky Way located 2.9 million light-years from earth.

It shares our galaxy's spiral shape, though it contains roughly a tenth of the Milky Way's mass.

it has a much higher star-formation rate than either the Milky Way or Andromeda

The entire galaxy is ablaze with star birth

Found! Biggest web of dark matter

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:53:16 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: They should give it a better name
They say we would no doubt find bigger examples if we could see further. Hubble is dying, and there seems to be no sign of a replacement, with the amount spent on the military
While we could be learning about the universe, we have leaders leading us into trenches.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

The largest-ever structure of the enigmatic substance known as dark matter has been mapped by international astronomers who peered deep into the universe.

Cosmologists have found the largest web of dark matter so far. Their find supports the idea that galaxies and clusters of galaxies are embedded in giant filamentous structures of dark matter to form a 'cosmic web'

They detected a web of matter spanning 270 million light-years, or more than 2000 times the size of the Milky Way.

Around a fifth of the universe is believed to consist of dark matter, spreading out in mysterious filaments, sheets and clusters.

The images were captured by the telescope's 340 megapixel digital camera

Their technique is based on weak gravitational lensing, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein under which light from distant galaxies is deflected by dark matter as it travels through the cosmos to us.

The size of the structure we measured corresponds to the limits of our current observational capacity

Cosmic magnifying glass finds familiar planets

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:29:56 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: I wonder if when they think they have found 'Earth-Like planets, it will be easy to tell them from Venus, or Mars like planets.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Maggie Fox

Astronomers and amateur stargazers have used an unusual technique to find a solar system that closely resembles our own and say it may be a new and more productive way to scour the universe for planets and life.

Two newly discovered planets: one resembling Jupiter (middle) and one resembling Saturn (middle right). Both planets orbit a star that is about half the size of our sun. The light from a more distant star (upper right) made the discovery possible, as it brightened and dimmed through a phenomenon called gravitational microlensing. It is the first time such microlensing has been used to find two planets orbiting a single star

the microlensing technique shows promise for finding many more stars, perhaps with Earth-like planets

The planets were detected orbiting a star, called OGLE-2006-BLG-109L, which is 5000 light-years away from Earth.

A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, or about 10 trillion kilometres.

it looks like a scale model of our solar system

Knee gadget fires up your mobile.

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:36:07 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: They say it can power 10 mobile phones. I thought that thinking seemed fairly narrow, but batteries might be another story. Good for places where there is no electricity, and any number of battery powered devices are good for about an hour without A/C It doesn't look like the kind of thing you would use unless absolutely necessary, but it reminds me of the backpacks they used to describe as mobile phones.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Will Dunham

Scientists have developed a strap-on gadget that generates electricity as you bend your knees and walk.

The knee brace generates enough power to charge up 10 mobile phones at once, the US and Canadian scientists report today in the journal Science.

Researchers have been working on ways to harness the motion of the human body to create power.

A shoe-mounted device was nice and light, but did not generate much electricity.

A backpack device that generated power as it bounced up and down while a person walks generated a lot of electricity, but was heavy to lug.

The new energy-capturing knee brace, its inventors say, seems to find a happy medium, generating decent amounts of power while still being relatively light.

The scientists envisioned numerous applications for such a device. It could be of value to hikers

who may not have access to electricity, they say.

It also could be built into prosthetic knees or other implantable devices whose users must

surgery to replaceme

the batteries.

Underwater astonishments

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:42:55 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman
clipper's remarks: Can't clip the video. Go to the site to see this amazing presentation

Clip Source: www.ted.com

Talks David Gallo: Underwater astonishments

David Gallo shows jaw-dropping footage of amazing sea creatures, including a shape-shifting cuttlefish, a pair of fighting squid, and a mesmerizing gallery of bioluminescent fish that light up the blackest depths of the ocean. He focuses on the work of two scientists: Edith Widder at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, and Roger Hanlon at the Marine Biological Lab.

Tags: science, marine biology, ted talks

A touchy feely invisible cosmos

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:37:13 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: The Universe in Braille. Sounds unlikely, but the point is made that the images we see that have been taken by the Hubble, Chandra X-Ray, and Spitzer infra Red Telescopes, are graphis representations of wavelengths outside the visible spectrum. There is no reason a blind person would have any less accurate picture of the Universe than a sighted person. Perhaps their view can be clearer, because they are not made blind by preconception.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Larry O'Hanlon

The universe can now be felt, as well as seen, thanks to a new book that translates the mostly invisible wavelengths of the universe into Braille and embossed textures.

Some suggest a tactile representation of the universe might bring a deeper understanding of it

The book Touch the Invisible Sky, by Noreen Grice, has been unveiled by the US National Federation of the Blind and NASA.

It blends written text, Braille, astronomical images and embossed textures to recreate stars, galaxies and other cosmic objects as observed through some of the world's most advanced telescopes.

Hubble Space Telescope images

new book takes on an aspect of the universe that can't be actually seen directly by anyone

"It totally levels the playing field," Grice says. "Most of the light in the universe is not visible to our eyes."

So it makes no difference whether you represent celestial scenes made by x-rays, infrared or ultraviolet light as a false-colour photograph or in a tactile way.