Quote from: Olias on November 08, 2012, 10:43:37 AM
This isn't really scary. It's actually very cool! But I didn't see an appropriate category to post this in.
Charge your cell phone with fire! Unbelievable!
http://biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/ (http://biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/)
A clock that runs on just water .....
Bedol has an alarm clock that runs on tap water. You don't have to put anything in the water – no salts or anything – just tap water.
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/09/03/bedol-water-clock-with-alarm-review/ (http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/09/03/bedol-water-clock-with-alarm-review/)
Wow...a clock running on water........and cell phone charging on fire! :spooked:
We had this technology RIGHT in front of our face since the beginning of time....
Cool stuff... 8)
:science: :thumbsup:
I see those TV shows about Sasquatch and laugh. But then ..... I see this. Who knows?
World's Rarest Whale Seen for the First Time
A whale that is almost unknown to science has been seen for the first time after two individuals — a mother and her male calf — were stranded and died on a New Zealand beach. A report in the November 6, 2012 issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, offers the first complete description of the spade-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon traversii), a species previously known only from a few bones.
The discovery is the first evidence that this whale is still with us and serves as a reminder of just how little we still know about life in the ocean, the researchers say.
(http://www.scientificcomputing.com/uploadedImages/Images/11_2012/World's%20Rarest%20Whale.jpg)
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-IN-Worlds-Rarest-Whale-Seen-for-the-First-Time-110712.aspx?et_cid=2939293&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews-IN-Worlds-Rarest-Whale-Seen-for-the-First-Time-110712.aspx (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-IN-Worlds-Rarest-Whale-Seen-for-the-First-Time-110712.aspx?et_cid=2939293&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews-IN-Worlds-Rarest-Whale-Seen-for-the-First-Time-110712.aspx)
Quote from: Olias on November 14, 2012, 09:24:44 AM
I see those TV shows about Sasquatch and laugh. But then ..... I see this. Who knows?
World's Rarest Whale Seen for the First Time
A whale that is almost unknown to science has been seen for the first time after two individuals — a mother and her male calf — were stranded and died on a New Zealand beach. A report in the November 6, 2012 issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, offers the first complete description of the spade-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon traversii), a species previously known only from a few bones.
The discovery is the first evidence that this whale is still with us and serves as a reminder of just how little we still know about life in the ocean, the researchers say.
(http://www.scientificcomputing.com/uploadedImages/Images/11_2012/World's%20Rarest%20Whale.jpg)
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-IN-Worlds-Rarest-Whale-Seen-for-the-First-Time-110712.aspx?et_cid=2939293&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews-IN-Worlds-Rarest-Whale-Seen-for-the-First-Time-110712.aspx (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-IN-Worlds-Rarest-Whale-Seen-for-the-First-Time-110712.aspx?et_cid=2939293&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews-IN-Worlds-Rarest-Whale-Seen-for-the-First-Time-110712.aspx)
Yup. Saw this a few days back and thought, "Wow. We apparently have not even scratched the surface surrounding what this planet contains."
It looks more like a dolphin than a whale...very cool though.
It makes you wonder just how many more "rare" spieces are out there....
Yep, we know more about the Universe and space that our oceans and seas. :yes:
Yet another Star Trek prediction comes true ....
Star Trek's "tractor" beam created in miniature by researchers
A team of scientists from Scotland and the Czech Republic has created a real-life "tractor" beam, as featured in the Star Trek movies, which for the first time allows a beam of light to attract objects.
Video clip here...
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2013/title,97477,en.php (https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2013/title,97477,en.php)
Quote from: Olias on February 22, 2013, 12:30:33 PM
Yet another Star Trek prediction comes true ....
Star Trek's "tractor" beam created in miniature by researchers
A team of scientists from Scotland and the Czech Republic has created a real-life "tractor" beam, as featured in the Star Trek movies, which for the first time allows a beam of light to attract objects.
Video clip here...
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2013/title,97477,en.php (https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2013/title,97477,en.php)
8) 8) 8)
I'm at the top of the list when Scotty starts beaming us up! :biggrin:
Quote from: Palehorse on February 22, 2013, 08:06:41 PM
8) 8) 8)
I'm at the top of the list when Scotty starts beaming us up! :biggrin:
I'll be right behind you. :yes:
Quote from: Locutus on February 22, 2013, 10:17:54 PM
I'll be right behind you. :yes:
And me behind Locutus!
Fascinating article, Olias.
Is it just me, or do these bat embryos bear a strong resemblance to Darth Vader?
(http://www.scientificcomputing.com/sites/scientificcomputing.com/files/styles/large/public/20_Place_21440_1_Hockman_sm.jpg)
(larger picture here...)
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/black-mastiff-bat-embryos?et_cid=3135856&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fblack-mastiff-bat-embryos (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/black-mastiff-bat-embryos?et_cid=3135856&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fblack-mastiff-bat-embryos)
They certainly do! ;D
Yes, itty bitty Darths.
One step closer to the Borg?
........................................
Creating Indestructible Self-healing Circuits
Imagine that the chips in your smart phone or computer could repair and defend themselves on the fly, recovering in microseconds from problems ranging from less-than-ideal battery power to total transistor failure. It might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but a team of engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), for the first time ever, has developed just such self-healing integrated chips.
The team, made up of members of the High-Speed Integrated Circuits laboratory in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science, has demonstrated this self-healing capability in tiny power amplifiers. The amplifiers are so small, in fact, that 76 of the chips—including everything they need to self-heal—could fit on a single penny. In perhaps the most dramatic of their experiments, the team destroyed various parts of their chips by zapping them multiple times with a high-power laser, and then observed as the chips automatically developed a work-around in less than a second.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/creating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits?et_cid=3137099&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcreating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/creating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits?et_cid=3137099&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcreating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits)
I wish they could get this thing worked out before my next colonoscopy! :spooked:
High-resolution endoscope is as thin as a human hair
Engineers at Stanford have demonstrated a high-resolution endoscope that is as thin as a human hair with a resolution four times better than previous devices of similar design. The so-called micro-endoscope is a significant step forward in high-resolution, minimally invasive bio-imaging with potential applications in research and clinical practice. Micro-endoscopy could enable new methods in diverse fields ranging from study of the brain to early cancer detection.
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/03/high-resolution-endoscope-thin-human-hair?et_cid=3138115&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fhigh-resolution-endoscope-thin-human-hair (http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/03/high-resolution-endoscope-thin-human-hair?et_cid=3138115&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fhigh-resolution-endoscope-thin-human-hair)
Quote from: Olias on March 13, 2013, 09:45:47 AM
One step closer to the Borg?
........................................
Creating Indestructible Self-healing Circuits
Imagine that the chips in your smart phone or computer could repair and defend themselves on the fly, recovering in microseconds from problems ranging from less-than-ideal battery power to total transistor failure. It might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but a team of engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), for the first time ever, has developed just such self-healing integrated chips.
The team, made up of members of the High-Speed Integrated Circuits laboratory in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science, has demonstrated this self-healing capability in tiny power amplifiers. The amplifiers are so small, in fact, that 76 of the chips—including everything they need to self-heal—could fit on a single penny. In perhaps the most dramatic of their experiments, the team destroyed various parts of their chips by zapping them multiple times with a high-power laser, and then observed as the chips automatically developed a work-around in less than a second.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/creating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits?et_cid=3137099&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcreating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/creating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits?et_cid=3137099&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcreating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits)
That is truly scary to me. But I don't want to write something right off the top of my head. Have to think about it a while.
Quote from: libby on March 13, 2013, 11:51:02 AM
That is truly scary to me. But I don't want to write something right off the top of my head. Have to think about it a while.
I know. This could probably have been posted in the Scary Science thread.
Quote from: Olias on March 13, 2013, 11:58:22 AM
I know. This could probably have been posted in the Scary Science thread.
No, it's fine here. My problem is that I probably read way too much science fiction back in the day, and when it starts happening in real life :spooked: :spooked:
Quote from: Olias on March 13, 2013, 09:45:47 AM
One step closer to the Borg?
........................................
Creating Indestructible Self-healing Circuits
Imagine that the chips in your smart phone or computer could repair and defend themselves on the fly, recovering in microseconds from problems ranging from less-than-ideal battery power to total transistor failure. It might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but a team of engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), for the first time ever, has developed just such self-healing integrated chips.
The team, made up of members of the High-Speed Integrated Circuits laboratory in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science, has demonstrated this self-healing capability in tiny power amplifiers. The amplifiers are so small, in fact, that 76 of the chips—including everything they need to self-heal—could fit on a single penny. In perhaps the most dramatic of their experiments, the team destroyed various parts of their chips by zapping them multiple times with a high-power laser, and then observed as the chips automatically developed a work-around in less than a second.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/creating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits?et_cid=3137099&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcreating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/creating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits?et_cid=3137099&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcreating-indestructible-self-healing-circuits)
Interesting. Lots of possibilities there.
More proof of the veracity of that the old saying "The more you know, the more you realize you don't know."
I consider myself a fairly intelligent fella. This makes me realize that maybe I'm not. Does anybody here understand this?
.................................
Research by scientists at the University of York has revealed new insights into the life and death of black holes.
Their findings dispel the so-called firewall paradox which shocked the physics community when it was announced in 2012 since its predictions about large black holes contradicted Einstein's crowning achievement — the theory of general relativity. Those results suggested that anyone falling into a black hole would be burned up as they crossed its edge — the so-called event horizon.
Now Professor Sam Braunstein and Dr Stefano Pirandola have extinguished the fire. In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, they invoke quantum information theory, a modern branch of quantum mechanics that treats light and atoms as carriers of information. The key insight from quantum mechanics is the existence of `spooky' quantum entanglement across a black hole's event horizon.
Professor Braunstein says: "Quantum mechanics shows that entanglement can exist across the event horizon, between particles inside and outside the black hole. But should this entanglement ever vanish, a barrier of energetic particles would be created: an energetic curtain (or firewall) would descend around the horizon of the black hole.
"We are the first to show the necessity of entanglement across all black hole event horizons and to consider what happens as black holes age. The greater the entanglement, the later the curtain descends. But if the entanglement is maximal, the firewall never occurs. Indeed, entanglement has long been believed to exist for some types of black holes, taking on exactly this maximum value. Our work confirms and generalizes this claim."
Stephen Hawking was the first to consider information flow in black holes, arguing that aging black holes must hoard information about everything they swallow. Professor Braunstein adds: "When quantum mechanics, and in particular entanglement, are included in the story, Hawking's prediction holds for the longest time possible. Our results not only back up Einstein's theory of gravity, but also point to quantum information theory as a powerful tool for disentangling the deep mysteries of the Universe."
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/curtains-down-black-hole-firewall-paradox-making-gravity-safe-einstein-again?et_cid=3139184&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcurtains-down-black-hole-firewall-paradox-making-gravity-safe-einstein-again (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/curtains-down-black-hole-firewall-paradox-making-gravity-safe-einstein-again?et_cid=3139184&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcurtains-down-black-hole-firewall-paradox-making-gravity-safe-einstein-again)
Quote from: Olias on March 15, 2013, 12:33:00 PM
More proof of the veracity of that the old saying "The more you know, the more you realize you don't know."
I consider myself a fairly intelligent fella. This makes me realize that maybe I'm not. Does anybody here understand this?
.................................
Research by scientists at the University of York has revealed new insights into the life and death of black holes.
Their findings dispel the so-called firewall paradox which shocked the physics community when it was announced in 2012 since its predictions about large black holes contradicted Einstein's crowning achievement — the theory of general relativity. Those results suggested that anyone falling into a black hole would be burned up as they crossed its edge — the so-called event horizon.
Now Professor Sam Braunstein and Dr Stefano Pirandola have extinguished the fire. In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, they invoke quantum information theory, a modern branch of quantum mechanics that treats light and atoms as carriers of information. The key insight from quantum mechanics is the existence of `spooky' quantum entanglement across a black hole's event horizon.
Professor Braunstein says: "Quantum mechanics shows that entanglement can exist across the event horizon, between particles inside and outside the black hole. But should this entanglement ever vanish, a barrier of energetic particles would be created: an energetic curtain (or firewall) would descend around the horizon of the black hole.
"We are the first to show the necessity of entanglement across all black hole event horizons and to consider what happens as black holes age. The greater the entanglement, the later the curtain descends. But if the entanglement is maximal, the firewall never occurs. Indeed, entanglement has long been believed to exist for some types of black holes, taking on exactly this maximum value. Our work confirms and generalizes this claim."
Stephen Hawking was the first to consider information flow in black holes, arguing that aging black holes must hoard information about everything they swallow. Professor Braunstein adds: "When quantum mechanics, and in particular entanglement, are included in the story, Hawking's prediction holds for the longest time possible. Our results not only back up Einstein's theory of gravity, but also point to quantum information theory as a powerful tool for disentangling the deep mysteries of the Universe."
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/curtains-down-black-hole-firewall-paradox-making-gravity-safe-einstein-again?et_cid=3139184&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcurtains-down-black-hole-firewall-paradox-making-gravity-safe-einstein-again (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/03/curtains-down-black-hole-firewall-paradox-making-gravity-safe-einstein-again?et_cid=3139184&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fcurtains-down-black-hole-firewall-paradox-making-gravity-safe-einstein-again)
You are a very intelligent fella. What you posted above is straight out of Star Trek. As we know, if you go through a black hole, you come out on the other side in a different dimension and/or time. :biggrin:
As for how much if any of the above I understand, I am not a scientist, but have been interested in quantum theory since I read about it years ago in one of Deepak Chopra's books about the power of the human mind. So to read that some physicists now "invoke quantum information theory" to describe their new theory of black holes way out there in outer space is :spooked: because quantum mechanics theories also apply in the subatomic world.
Beyond that, I'm smart enough to say that now I'll defer to the experts, one in particular:
"When it comes to a frontier science like cosmology, where the scope of inquiry stretches out to the distant galaxies and down to the subatomic jitterbug from which they emerged, conservatism is not decidedly a virtue nor imagination a vice. The universe is cleverer than we are, and to investigate it we need to be creative as well as critical. It may seem crazy to imagine that most of the matter in our universe is composed of exotic subatomic particles of varieties never yet observed, or that there are billions of universes each subject to a different set of laws, or that the mind may be said to bring the universe into existence. But quite possibly such hypotheses are, as Niels Bohr often used to say in exploring the atom, "not crazy enough."
-- Timothy Ferris,
The Whole Shebang, A State of the Universe(s) ReportFerris is a best-selling author and an emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley
Quote from: libby on March 15, 2013, 02:53:28 PM
You are a very intelligent fella. What you posted above is straight out of Star Trek. As we know, if you go through a black hole, you come out on the other side in a different dimension and/or time. :biggrin:
As for how much if any of the above I understand, I am not a scientist, but have been interested in quantum theory since I read about it years ago in one of Deepak Chopra's books about the power of the human mind. So to read that some physicists now "invoke quantum information theory" to describe their new theory of black holes way out there in outer space is :spooked: because quantum mechanics theories also apply in the subatomic world.
Beyond that, I'm smart enough to say that now I'll defer to the experts, one in particular:
"When it comes to a frontier science like cosmology, where the scope of inquiry stretches out to the distant galaxies and down to the subatomic jitterbug from which they emerged, conservatism is not decidedly a virtue nor imagination a vice. The universe is cleverer than we are, and to investigate it we need to be creative as well as critical. It may seem crazy to imagine that most of the matter in our universe is composed of exotic subatomic particles of varieties never yet observed, or that there are billions of universes each subject to a different set of laws, or that the mind may be said to bring the universe into existence. But quite possibly such hypotheses are, as Niels Bohr often used to say in exploring the atom, "not crazy enough."
-- Timothy Ferris, The Whole Shebang, A State of the Universe(s) Report
Ferris is a best-selling author and an emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley
Believe it or not, that helps!
Thanks! :biggrin:
Quote from: Olias on March 15, 2013, 02:59:14 PM
Believe it or not, that helps!
Thanks! :biggrin:
Thank you! Ever since you posted that I have been going back and reading it over and over, and looking things up in some texts I have. It has helped me get back on track after spending way too much time caught up in somebody else's problems. :smile:
A real Blast From The Past!
Want to hear Alexander Graham Bell's voice from 1885?
http://bio16p.lbl.gov/volta-release-2013.html (http://bio16p.lbl.gov/volta-release-2013.html)
Best way to keep your beer cold - aside from drinking it really fast?
Keep the outside of the bottle dry!
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/04/keeping-beverages-cool-summer-it%E2%80%99s-not-just-heat-it%E2%80%99s-humidity?et_cid=3219548&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f04%2fkeeping-beverages-cool-summer-it%25E2%2580%2599s-not-just-heat-it%25E2%2580%2599s-humidity (http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/04/keeping-beverages-cool-summer-it%E2%80%99s-not-just-heat-it%E2%80%99s-humidity?et_cid=3219548&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f04%2fkeeping-beverages-cool-summer-it%25E2%2580%2599s-not-just-heat-it%25E2%2580%2599s-humidity)
:biggrin:
Quote from: Olias on April 26, 2013, 03:41:21 PM
A real Blast From The Past!
Want to hear Alexander Graham Bell's voice from 1885?
http://bio16p.lbl.gov/volta-release-2013.html (http://bio16p.lbl.gov/volta-release-2013.html)
That is so very cool. For those who are too lazy to actually click on the link and listen, here is the recording right here. Click and listen to this man's voice from the year 1885. The text is displayed on the video so you can see what he's saying if you can't make it out in the recording. You can skip to near the end if you want to hear where he mentions his name and states where and when the recording was made. It's not often you get to hear someone's voice from the 1800s but now you can. :yes:
http://www.youtube.com/v/rqYxkiMyqhY
"The day will come when the man at the telephone will be able to see the distant person to whom he is speaking"
--- Alexander Graham Bell
Skype, FaceTime, etc., do just that today. :yes:
"Coal and oil are......strictly limited in quantity. We can take coal out of a mine but we can never put it back." "What shall we do when we have no more coal or oil?" "[The unchecked burning of fossil fuels] would have a sort of greenhouse effect." "The net result is the greenhouse becomes a sort of hot-house."
--- Alexander Graham Bell
Pretty amazing isn't it?
Personally ... I liked the tip about keeping your beer cold. :biggrin:
Quote from: Olias on April 27, 2013, 09:28:06 AM
Personally ... I liked the tip about keeping your beer cold. :biggrin:
Indeed! It's a tip I can use the whole year around here. :yes: :beers: :big grin:
Quote from: Locutus on April 26, 2013, 10:38:26 PM
That is so very cool. For those who are too lazy to actually click on the link and listen, here is the recording right here. Click and listen to this man's voice from the year 1885. The text is displayed on the video so you can see what he's saying if you can't make it out in the recording. You can skip to near the end if you want to hear where he mentions his name and states where and when the recording was made. It's not often you get to hear someone's voice from the 1800s but now you can. :yes:
http://www.youtube.com/v/rqYxkiMyqhY
Yes, that is very, very cool....
The World's Smallest Movie ....
Ummm ... I won't even try to explain this. You just have to read it ....
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/05/scientists-make-world%E2%80%99s-smallest-stop-motion-film?et_cid=3230174&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f05%2fscientists-make-world%25E2%2580%2599s-smallest-stop-motion-film (http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/05/scientists-make-world%E2%80%99s-smallest-stop-motion-film?et_cid=3230174&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f05%2fscientists-make-world%25E2%2580%2599s-smallest-stop-motion-film)
WOW is about the only words I can muster .... That is amazing ( okay I thought of a few more). 8)
Hmmm ... an inquiring mind might ask, "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" :sneaky:
Quote from: libby on May 02, 2013, 11:19:56 AM
Hmmm ... an inquiring mind might ask, "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" :sneaky:
My answer would be "infinity and beyond!" :yes:
Good observation, HH. My next question was going to be: "Has anybody here read the sci-fi short story He Who Shrank by Henry Hasse? It's from an old anthology published in 1957: Famous Science Fiction Stories: Adventures in Time and Space that I found in a used books store. It's one of two short stories I marked as :spooked:
This preceded the actual story:
"The reader is warned that this story, like infinity, has no ending. Being a faithful chronicle of infinity--sub-atomic infinity--it could properly have no ending. We never know the ultimate fate of our protagonist, for he descended into the vastnesses that lie within the atom. We have merely stepped on the top rung of an endless ladder in cracking the atom. What universes have we destroyed in exploding a single, solitary atom?"
The story is about time travel in inner -- vs. outer -- space. :spooked: :spooked:
Never read it, but I think it IS interesting to discuss...Kind of gives you a headache after a while though... :yes:
Quote from: Henry Hawk on May 02, 2013, 01:32:01 PM
Never read it, but I think it IS interesting to discuss...Kind of gives you a headache after a while though... :yes:
You know what, you're right. Too much thinking about infinity can mess with the mind. :spooked:
Experimental Air Force Aircraft goes Hypersonic
An experimental, unmanned aircraft developed for the U.S. Air Force went hypersonic during a test off the Southern California coast, traveling at more than 3,000 mph, the Air Force said.
The X-51A WaveRider flew for more than three minutes under power from its exotic scramjet engine and hit a speed of Mach 5.1, or more than five times the speed of sound.
It reached Mach 4.8 in less than half a minute ...
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/05/experimental-air-force-aircraft-goes-hypersonic?et_cid=3240596&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/05/experimental-air-force-aircraft-goes-hypersonic?et_cid=3240596&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
Wonder what its 0-60 time was? :wink:
Quote from: Bo D on May 08, 2013, 02:11:25 PM
Experimental Air Force Aircraft goes Hypersonic
An experimental, unmanned aircraft developed for the U.S. Air Force went hypersonic during a test off the Southern California coast, traveling at more than 3,000 mph, the Air Force said.
The X-51A WaveRider flew for more than three minutes under power from its exotic scramjet engine and hit a speed of Mach 5.1, or more than five times the speed of sound.
It reached Mach 4.8 in less than half a minute ...
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/05/experimental-air-force-aircraft-goes-hypersonic?et_cid=3240596&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/05/experimental-air-force-aircraft-goes-hypersonic?et_cid=3240596&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
Wonder what its 0-60 time was? :wink:
I just used a calculater we have here and mach 4.8 is 1.01494273443528 mph per second....
WOW!
Damn! I coulda been rich!
In high school, I did a term paper for a physics class on "Light Feedback" where I proposed that you could capture a laser beam between two parabolic mirrors with coinciding foci and the beam would be trapped infinitely.
Now this ....
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/05/light-storage-chaos-superior-order?et_cid=3243286&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/05/light-storage-chaos-superior-order?et_cid=3243286&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
The research, which is reported in Nature Photonics, involved a study of optical cavities – also known as optical resonators – and their ability to store light. Optical cavities typically store light by bouncing it many times between sets of suitable mirrors.
This is interesting enough in itself ....
New method of finding planets scores first discovery
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/05/new-method-finding-planets-scores-first-discovery (http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/05/new-method-finding-planets-scores-first-discovery)
But it was this sentence that pulled me in ....
The planet was detected using the BEER algorithm, which looked for brightness changes in the star as the planet orbits due to relativistic Beaming, Elliposidal variations, and reflected light from the planet. :biggrin:
So ... one thing led to another ....
http://www.oregonlive.com/beer/index.ssf/2013/05/if_you_dont_know_what_beer_you.html (http://www.oregonlive.com/beer/index.ssf/2013/05/if_you_dont_know_what_beer_you.html)
If you don't know what beer you want to drink --- there's an algorithm for that
Quote from: Bo D on May 09, 2013, 09:48:28 AM
Damn! I coulda been rich!
In high school, I did a term paper for a physics class on "Light Feedback" where I proposed that you could capture a laser beam between two parabolic mirrors with coinciding foci and the beam would be trapped infinitely.
Now this ....
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/05/light-storage-chaos-superior-order?et_cid=3243286&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/05/light-storage-chaos-superior-order?et_cid=3243286&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
The research, which is reported in Nature Photonics, involved a study of optical cavities – also known as optical resonators – and their ability to store light. Optical cavities typically store light by bouncing it many times between sets of suitable mirrors.
"In high school ...." Now that is impressive.
Quote from: libby on May 15, 2013, 01:57:07 PM
"In high school ...." Now that is impressive.
True story! I wish I had a copy of that paper. Many years later, I heard that the teacher of that class used it to get his masters. :rant: :rant: :rant:
I can believe it. "The same thing happened to two young men I know who did an extensive field study for a science class and found out years later that the instructor claimed credit for it.
Flying Robot Controlled with Only the Mind
Researchers in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering have developed a new noninvasive system that allows people to control a flying robot using only their mind. The study goes far beyond fun and games and has the potential to help people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases.
Five subjects (three female and two male) who took part in the study were each able to successfully control the four-blade flying robot, also known as a quadcopter, quickly and accurately for a sustained amount of time.
"Our study shows that for the first time, humans are able to control the flight of flying robots using just their thoughts sensed from a noninvasive skull cap," said Bin He, lead author of the study and biomedical engineering professor in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering. "It works as good as invasive techniques used in the past."
He said this research is intended to help people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases regain mobility and independence.
"We envision that they'll use this technology to control wheelchairs, artificial limbs or other devices," He said.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/flying-robot-controlled-only-mind?et_cid=3298184&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/flying-robot-controlled-only-mind?et_cid=3298184&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
New Species of Ancient Asian Lizard Discovered
Named after Jim Morrison - the Lizard King.
The Celebration Of The Lizard by James Douglas Morrison
Way back deep into the brain
Way back past the realm of pain
Back where there's never any rain
And the rain falls gently on the town
And over the heads of all of us
And in the labyrinth of streams beneath
Quiet unearthly presence of
Nervous hill dwellers in the gentle hills around
Reptiles abounding
Fossils, caves, cool air heights
(http://cc.pbsstatic.com/l/65/8665/9780684818665.jpg)
(http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/thumbnail/20130605194300842m3.jpg)
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/new-species-ancient-asian-lizard-discovered?et_cid=3298184&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/new-species-ancient-asian-lizard-discovered?et_cid=3298184&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
Quote from: Bo D on June 07, 2013, 09:32:17 AM
Flying Robot Controlled with Only the Mind
Researchers in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering have developed a new noninvasive system that allows people to control a flying robot using only their mind. The study goes far beyond fun and games and has the potential to help people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases.
Five subjects (three female and two male) who took part in the study were each able to successfully control the four-blade flying robot, also known as a quadcopter, quickly and accurately for a sustained amount of time.
"Our study shows that for the first time, humans are able to control the flight of flying robots using just their thoughts sensed from a noninvasive skull cap," said Bin He, lead author of the study and biomedical engineering professor in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering. "It works as good as invasive techniques used in the past."
He said this research is intended to help people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases regain mobility and independence.
"We envision that they'll use this technology to control wheelchairs, artificial limbs or other devices," He said.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/flying-robot-controlled-only-mind?et_cid=3298184&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/flying-robot-controlled-only-mind?et_cid=3298184&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
Mind control. That is a topic that has always fascinated me.
Quote from: Bo D on June 07, 2013, 09:52:29 AM
New Species of Ancient Asian Lizard Discovered
Named after Jim Morrison - the Lizard King.
The Celebration Of The Lizard by James Douglas Morrison
Way back deep into the brain
Way back past the realm of pain
Back where there's never any rain
And the rain falls gently on the town
And over the heads of all of us
And in the labyrinth of streams beneath
Quiet unearthly presence of
Nervous hill dwellers in the gentle hills around
Reptiles abounding
Fossils, caves, cool air heights
(http://cc.pbsstatic.com/l/65/8665/9780684818665.jpg)
(http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/thumbnail/20130605194300842m3.jpg)
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/new-species-ancient-asian-lizard-discovered?et_cid=3298184&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/new-species-ancient-asian-lizard-discovered?et_cid=3298184&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
I pulled up the above reference, and found it fascinating. Definitely worth reading. Definitely "Cool Science."
This is interesting! I maybe could have also put this in Sky Watch. I didn't have time to listen to much, but I will Share anyway ....
Star Songs - From X-Rays to Music
This is a story of how cosmic x-rays became music. A first step turned x-rays emitted by the binary system of EX Hydrae into sounds. A second step made these sounds into music.
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/sed/projects/star_songs/ (http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/sed/projects/star_songs/)
Interesting subject. A lot to read and listen to -- better done while fully awake (yawn) -- long hard day.
Cool!
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/father-son-team-demonstrates-simple-optical-cloaking-large-objects?et_cid=3334432&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/father-son-team-demonstrates-simple-optical-cloaking-large-objects?et_cid=3334432&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
Quote from: Bo D on June 26, 2013, 10:48:27 AM
Cool!
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/father-son-team-demonstrates-simple-optical-cloaking-large-objects?et_cid=3334432&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/father-son-team-demonstrates-simple-optical-cloaking-large-objects?et_cid=3334432&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
That's interesting enough to print out here:
Father-son Team Demonstrates Simple Optical Cloaking of Large Objects
Tue, 06/25/2013 - 9:24pm
University of Rochester
John Howell, a Professor of Physics at the University of Rochester, decided to tackle an unusual DIY project. With the help of his 14 year-old son, Benjamin, he built three simple, but surprisingly effective optical cloaking devices with inexpensive, off-the-shelf materials.
Cloaking is a common topic both in popular culture and in the scientific community. Cloaking means hiding an object from view at specific frequencies, and different types of cloaking have been recently demonstrated in labs around the world. Howell and his son built three different devices to show that it is possible to do optical, unidirectional cloaking cheaply, and for large objects.
In a paper they recently posted on the online paper depository, arxiv, they explain the strengths and limitations of the three approaches they used. The first device used plexiglass, out of which they fashioned L-shaped containers filled with water. The second used four $3 lenses to show optical cloaking similar to what a group from Cornell University recently showed, except that the Howells demonstrated spatial cloaking instead of temporal cloaking. The third device, which will be familiar to many amateur magicians, used an assembly of inexpensive, hardware-store mirrors (see demo in the video above). In the paper, the Howells stressed that the device, although it has some drawbacks, is "clearly scalable to very large dimensions."
John Howell's usual area of research is in quantum physics, including quantum information, weak measurement, entanglement and slow light. Intrigued by some of the recent cloaking work, he thought he would try a few experiments outside of his normal field with some help from his son.
The single direction in which these can be viewed is probably the biggest limitation, but for some uses that might not be a problem, for example earth-orbiting satellites. Large-scale applications, however, are likely to cost a bit more than the $150 that the Howells spent on this project.
To find out more about how these devices work, read the PDF of the paper.
To read more about John Howell's research, see his group's page.
(Huh. :science: Scottie, are you there? )
I didn't know whether to post this in "Cool Science" or "Scary Science." I opted for cool.
An article about some old predictions and some new ones ....
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/07/gregory-benford-future-never-was-looked-fantastic?et_cid=3386252&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/07/gregory-benford-future-never-was-looked-fantastic?et_cid=3386252&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
old ones
Flying cars. Waterproof living rooms that you clean with a hose. A pool on every rooftop.
new? ones
smart homes and self-driving cars are in the future
we'll have three-dimensional, hologram TVs in 20 or more years
human relations could be transformed by Google glass
:rant: I just spent about 20 minutes writing a careful answer to why I'd put it in Scary Science -- and then somehow lost it. Have things to do so will write it (again) later.
As I said above, I'd opt for Scary Science. For one thing, I do not like a lot of managing, and turning my life over to programmed machines is downright scary to me. Further, I like to understand how things that affect me work, and I'm already way behind in all that's happening now that most everything is being turned over to computers/smart machines. It's fascinating, but as I said above, scary. Maybe that's because I spent years reading science fiction, the kind written by scientists*, and so many things they predicted have come true.
*Like Isaac Asimov, American writer and Professor of Biochemistry, Boston University, best known for his works of sci-fi and popular science books.
Quote from: libby on July 25, 2013, 10:58:30 AM
:rant: I just spent about 20 minutes writing a careful answer to why I'd put it in Scary Science -- and then somehow lost it. Have things to do so will write it (again) later.
Sounds like you need this if you use the FF browser. Lazarus: Form Recovery 2.3 It works real well and has saved my butt many times. Don't have it on the laptop yet but probably need to install it while I'm thinking about it. :yes:
Quote from: me on July 26, 2013, 12:15:46 AM
Sounds like you need this if you use the FF browser. Lazarus: Form Recovery 2.3 It works real well and has saved my butt many times. Don't have it on the laptop yet but probably need to install it while I'm thinking about it. :yes:
Thanks. I lose stuff because I preview it and forget I'm in preview and try to make changes. Once in a while it will kick me back to my original, but most of the time it's gone as far as I can tell.
Do you get enough sleep? No? Read the following. It just might change your mind.
From today's Washington Post. Absolutely fascinating.
Brains flush toxic waste in sleep, including Alzheimer's-linked protein, study of mice finds
By Meeri Kim, Published: October 19, 2013
While we are asleep, our bodies may be resting, but our brains are busy taking out the trash.
A new study has found that the cleanup system in the brain, responsible for flushing out toxic waste products that cells produce with daily use, goes into overdrive in mice that are asleep. The cells even shrink in size to make for easier cleaning of the spaces around them.
Scientists say this nightly self-clean by the brain provides a compelling biological reason for the restorative power of sleep.
"Sleep puts the brain in another state where we clean out all the byproducts of activity during the daytime," said study author and University of Rochester neurosurgeon Maiken Nedergaard. Those byproducts include beta-amyloid protein, clumps of which form plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
Staying up all night could prevent the brain from getting rid of these toxins as efficiently, and explain why sleep deprivation has such strong and immediate consequences. Too little sleep causes mental fog, crankiness, and increased risks of migraine and seizure. Rats deprived of all sleep die within weeks.
Although as essential and universal to the animal kingdom as air and water, sleep is a riddle that has baffled scientists and philosophers for centuries. Drifting off into a reduced consciousness seems evolutionarily foolish, particularly for those creatures in danger of getting eaten or attacked.
One line of thinking was that sleep helps animals to conserve energy by forcing a period of rest. But this theory seems unlikely since the sleeping brain uses up almost as much energy as the awake brain, Nedergaard said.
Another puzzle involves why different animals require different amounts of sleep per night. For instance, cats sleep more than 12 hours a day, while elephants need only about three hours. Based on this newfound purpose of sleep, neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel speculates in a commentary that the varying sleep needs across species might be related to brain size.
Larger brains should have a relatively larger volume of space between cells, and may need less time to clean since they have more room for waste to accumulate throughout the day.
Sleep does play a key role in memory formation — mentally going through the events of the day and stamping certain memories into the brain. But sleeping for eight hours or more just to consolidate memories seems excessive, Nedergaard said, especially for an animal such as a mouse.
Last year, Nedergaard and her colleagues discovered a network that drains waste from the brain, which they dubbed the glymphatic system. It works by circulating cerebrospinal fluid throughout the brain tissue and flushing any resulting waste into the bloodstream, which then carries it to the liver for detoxification.
She then became curious about how the glymphatic system behaves during the sleep-wake cycle.
An imaging technique called two-photon microscopy enabled the scientists to watch the movement of cerebrospinal fluid through a live mouse brain in real time. After soothing the creature until it was sound asleep, study author Lulu Xie tagged the fluid with a special fluorescent dye.
"During sleep, the cerebrospinal fluid flushed through the brain very quickly and broadly," said Rochester neuropharmacologist Xie. As another experiment revealed, sleep causes the space between cells to increase by 60 percent, allowing the flow to increase.
Xie then gently touched the mouse's tail until it woke up from its nap, and she again injected it with dye. This time, with the mouse awake, flow in the brain was greatly constrained.
"Brain cells shrink when we sleep, allowing fluid to enter and flush out the brain," Nedergaard said. "It's like opening and closing a faucet."
They also found that the harmful beta-amyloid protein clears out of the brain twice as fast in a sleeping rodent as in an up-and-about one. The study was published in the journal Science on Thursday.
New York University cell biologist and Alzheimer's specialist Ralph A. Nixon, who was not involved in the study, said the findings could be of great interest to the Alzheimer's research community. For instance, the overproduction of beta-amyloid could be linked to the development of the disease, but he said these new findings hint that the lack of clearing it out might be the bigger problem.
Other neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, are also associated with a backup of too much cell waste in the brain. "Clearance mechanisms may be very relevant to keeping these proteins at a level that isn't disease-causing," Nixon said.
An MRI diagnostic test for glymphatic clearance is in the works by Nedergaard and her colleagues. She also believes that a drug could be developed to force a cleanup if necessary, perhaps by mimicking the sleep-wake cycle.
Meeri Kim is a freelance science journalist based in Philadelphia.
© The Washington Post Company
Well then...I know a bunch of people who should get a lot more sleep in order to flush loads of toxic crap outta' their brains! :biggrin:
Your beliefs become your thoughts
Your thoughts become your words
Your words become your actions
Your actions become your habits
Your habits become your values
Your values become your destiny
-- Mahatma Gandhi
I came across that while leafing through a book I didn't remember buying: "The Biology of Belief" by Bruce H. Lipton, PhD. But after thumbing through it, I think I know WHY I bought it: this is on the back cover:
"This book will forever change how you think about your own thinking. Stunning new scientific discoveries about the biochemical effects of the brain's functioning show that all the cells of your body are affected by your thoughts. Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D., a renowned cell biologist, describes the precise molecular pathways through which this occurs. Using simple language, illustrations, humor, and everyday examples, he demonstrates how the new science of Epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of the link between mind and matter and the profound effects it has on our personal lives and the collective life of our species."
The following is from yesterday's Washington Post. What a delight for me to read. :science:
Physics is enjoying a golden age
By Michael Gerson,
Published: February 24, 2014
Each of the GPS satellites that allow me to navigate to a new restaurant carries an atomic clock that needs to be accurate in order to triangulate the speed and position of my moving car. But there are a couple of problems. Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity predicts that clocks hurtling through space at satellite speed will appear to tick more slowly than earthbound clocks by about 7,000 nanoseconds each day (a nanosecond is a billionth of a second). His Theory of General Relativity, on the other hand, predicts that clocks farther from a massive object (the Earth), will advance faster than clocks on the ground, in this case by a little more than 45,000 nanoseconds.
If the GPS system fails to compensate for the 38,000-nanosecond difference predicted by an eccentric German physicist, errors in global positioning would increase by about 6 miles each day. In 23 days, my restaurant in Washington, D.C., might mistakenly show up in Philadelphia. This is the oddness of modern physics invading the everyday world.
Everyone needs a diversion, even from a job they love. My escape from a political world in which Ted Nugent figures prominently (or at all) is to read books on cosmology and quantum theory and then bore my family with scientific trivia. Note that reading is different from understanding. Being mathematically illiterate, I tend to skip the equations, which is like reading music without comprehending the notes. But I understand enough to know that physics, unlike politics, is experiencing a golden age. Microwave receivers detect small variations in the cold, ancient light from the big bang. Vast, underground colliders produce elegantly curved sprays of exotic particles.
Revolution has followed revolution. At the macro level, it was only in the late 1990s that astronomers found, against all expectation, that the expansion of the universe is accelerating instead of slowing down. This led to the postulation of an unseen dark energy in the vacuum of space — a force from the void capable of repelling galaxies. Astronomers have also found that stars on the edges of galaxies move faster than gravitational theory would predict, leading to the theory that (so far) undetectable dark matter keeps galaxies from flinging apart. It is estimated that more than 95 percent of the universe — dark energy plus dark matter — is entirely unseen.
The micro level is even odder. A century of quantum physics still has not fully sunken in. The smallest particles exist not in places but in probability waves that reach across the universe. In the prevailing (but disputed) consensus, they gain a definite position only upon observation. According to Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw in "The Quantum Universe," we inhabit "a world in which a particle really can be in several places at once and moves from one place to another by exploring the entire universe simultaneously."
At every level, from top to bottom, we gain knowledge of the world only by cutting our ties to common sense and intuition. The largest things are hidden from our view. The smallest things defy any coherent mental picture. There is, in fact, a strangeness at the heart of all things.
What are the philosophic implications? Such deep-down contingency does not, for example, prove or disprove theism. But modern physics leaves room for a reality beyond our senses. In the tame, orderly world of Isaac Newton, the motion, position, past and future of every particle, person or planet were predictable and determined. Compare this to Max Tegmark's brilliant, outlandish new book, "Our Mathematical Universe," in which the author argues that probability waves, instead of collapsing, branch off into parallel universes — meaning you and I do as well. He further claims that our external reality is not only described by math, it is actually a mathematical structure — leaving those of us who are mathematically challenged incapable of speaking our mother tongue.
The point here is not that Tegmark's theories are broadly accepted, only that such theories are no longer considered absurd. Physics has seen the return of the unseen — parallel universes, infinitesimal strings, floating and colliding branes — that are reasonably inferred without being physically observed. I can think of other creative forces in that category. Not for centuries has physics been so open to metaphysics, or more amenable to an ancient attitude: a sense of wonder about things above and within.
© The Washington Post Company
Excellent article!! Thanks for posting that libby. :smile:
:smile: Thanks, Locutus. I thought you'd like it.
There is a key sentence in that article that boggles the mind. And is key to why such things fascinate me.
"But modern physics leaves room for a reality beyond our senses."
Quote from: Bo D on February 27, 2014, 08:30:24 AM
There is a key sentence in that article that boggles the mind. And is key to why such things fascinate me.
"But modern physics leaves room for a reality beyond our senses."
Indeed dude; indeed!
And thanks Libby for posting the article. Those types of things get my wheels turning! 8)
Quote from: Bo D on February 27, 2014, 08:30:24 AM
There is a key sentence in that article that boggles the mind. And is key to why such things fascinate me.
"But modern physics leaves room for a reality beyond our senses."
Quote from: Palehorse on February 27, 2014, 06:23:54 PM
Indeed dude; indeed!
And thanks Libby for posting the article. Those types of things get my wheels turning!
Yes, Bo D, that sentence: "... modern physics leaves room for a reality beyond our senses." boggles the mind. And you're welcome, Palehorse. My wheels are also turning. :yes:
This just boggles the mind. I don't think we will ever be able to comprehend it.
Evidence Spotted for Universe's Early Growth Spurt
The universe was born almost 14 billion years ago, exploding into existence in an event called the Big Bang. Now, researchers say they've spotted evidence that a split-second later, the expansion of the cosmos began with a powerful jump-start.
Experts called the discovery a major advance if confirmed by others. Although many scientists already believed that initial, extremely rapid growth spurt happened, finding this evidence has been a key goal in the study of the universe. Researchers reported March 17, 2014, that they did it by peering into the faint light that remains from the Big Bang.
If verified, the discovery "gives us a window on the universe at the very beginning," when it was far less than one-trillionth of a second old
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/03/evidence-spotted-universes-early-growth-spurt?et_cid=3829598&et_rid=54725525&type=headline (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/03/evidence-spotted-universes-early-growth-spurt?et_cid=3829598&et_rid=54725525&type=headline)
Back from the Dead: Frozen for 1,600 years, Antarctic Moss Plant Revives
Scientists have revived a moss plant that was frozen beneath the Antarctic ice and seemingly lifeless since the days of Attila the Hun.
Dug up from Antarctica, the simple moss was about 1,600 years old, black and looked dead. But when it was thawed in a British lab's incubator, something happened. It grew again.
British Antarctic Survey ecologist Peter Convey said the moss was visibly greening with new shoots after three weeks. He said scientists didn't do anything to make it grow except squirt it with distilled water.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/03/back-dead-frozen-1600-years-antarctic-moss-plant-revives?et_cid=3829598&et_rid=54725525&type=headline (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/03/back-dead-frozen-1600-years-antarctic-moss-plant-revives?et_cid=3829598&et_rid=54725525&type=headline)
Quote from: Bo D on March 18, 2014, 01:13:14 PM
This just boggles the mind. I don't think we will ever be able to comprehend it.
Evidence Spotted for Universe's Early Growth Spurt
The universe was born almost 14 billion years ago, exploding into existence in an event called the Big Bang. Now, researchers say they've spotted evidence that a split-second later, the expansion of the cosmos began with a powerful jump-start.
Experts called the discovery a major advance if confirmed by others. Although many scientists already believed that initial, extremely rapid growth spurt happened, finding this evidence has been a key goal in the study of the universe. Researchers reported March 17, 2014, that they did it by peering into the faint light that remains from the Big Bang.
If verified, the discovery "gives us a window on the universe at the very beginning," when it was far less than one-trillionth of a second old
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/03/evidence-spotted-universes-early-growth-spurt?et_cid=3829598&et_rid=54725525&type=headline (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/03/evidence-spotted-universes-early-growth-spurt?et_cid=3829598&et_rid=54725525&type=headline)
"This just boggles the mind. I don't think we will ever be able to comprehend it. "
Yes! When I was a girl and interested in astronomy, I used to think that one day I would understand how there could be a beginning or an end to the universe, but here I am, all these years later, still wondering. No answers. Only more questions. :spooked: :spooked:
Universe: All that there is within the space and time dimensions accessible to us, as well as regions beyond (but still physically connected to) those that we can see.
-- from an Astronomy Textbook by Professor Alex Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley
Quote from: libby on March 18, 2014, 10:47:35 PM
"This just boggles the mind. I don't think we will ever be able to comprehend it. "
Yes! When I was a girl and interested in astronomy, I used to think that one day I would understand how there could be a beginning or an end to the universe, but here I am, all these years later, still wondering. No answers. Only more questions. :spooked: :spooked:
Universe: All that there is within the space and time dimensions accessible to us, as well as regions beyond (but still physically connected to) those that we can see.
-- from an Astronomy Textbook by Professor Alex Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley
"No answers. Only more questions."
So true! The old adage rings true - "the more you know, the more you realize you don't know."
Would you like that crispy or original? Fries?
'Chicken from Hell'
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/03/sharp-clawed-chicken-hell-dinosaur-unveiled?et_cid=3836791&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/03/sharp-clawed-chicken-hell-dinosaur-unveiled?et_cid=3836791&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
SALT LAKE CITY, March 19, 2014 – Scientists from Carnegie and Smithsonian museums and the University of Utah have unveiled the discovery, naming and description of a sharp-clawed, 500-pound, bird-like dinosaur that roamed the Dakotas with T. rex 66 million years ago and looked like an 11 ½-foot-long "chicken from hell."
Stanford bioengineers have developed a new circuit board modeled on the human brain, possibly opening up new frontiers in robotics and computing.
....
Boahen and his team have developed Neurogrid, a circuit board consisting of 16 custom-designed "Neurocore" chips. Together, these 16 chips can simulate 1 million neurons and billions of synaptic connections. The team designed these chips with power efficiency in mind. Their strategy was to enable certain synapses to share hardware circuits. The result was Neurogrid — a device about the size of an iPad that can simulate orders of magnitude more neurons and synapses than other brain mimics on the power it takes to run a tablet computer.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/circuit-board-modeled-human-brain?et_cid=3917684&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/circuit-board-modeled-human-brain?et_cid=3917684&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
I would think it would be easy to model a circuit board after some human brains - especially some of the brains on here ....
(http://powerup.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/media/20401/simpleseriescircuit.jpg)
Scientists have found that playing video games improves users' mental speed and agility in real life.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/blogs/2014/05/fda-approval-video-games-improve-cognition-older-people?et_cid=3917684&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/blogs/2014/05/fda-approval-video-games-improve-cognition-older-people?et_cid=3917684&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
I knew that! :biggrin:
And playing 'Medal of Honor' releases pent up anger at the same time! :icon_twisted:
Quote from: Bo D on May 02, 2014, 11:46:45 AM
I would think it would be easy to model a circuit board after some human brains - especially some of the brains on here ....
(http://powerup.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/media/20401/simpleseriescircuit.jpg)
:rotfl: :yes:
:biggrin:
17-Million-Year-Old Giant Sperm Found
Preserved giant sperm from tiny shrimps that lived at least 17 million years ago have been discovered at the Riversleigh World Heritage Fossil Site in north Queensland, Australia, by a team including University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia researchers.
The giant sperm are thought to have been longer than the male's entire body, but are tightly coiled up inside the sexual organs of the fossilized freshwater crustaceans, which are known as ostracods.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/17-million-year-old-giant-sperm-found?et_cid=3947815&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/17-million-year-old-giant-sperm-found?et_cid=3947815&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Tiny shrimp, giant sperm.
See?!!!! We guys have been telling you all along that size doesn't matter! :icon_twisted:
University of Maryland Unveils Deepthought2 Supercomputer
The University of Maryland has unveiled Deepthought2, one of the nation's fastest university-owned supercomputers, to support advanced research activities ranging from studying the formation of the first galaxies to simulating fire and combustion for fire protection advancements. Developed with high-performance computing solutions from Dell, Deepthought2 has a processing speed of about 300 teraflops.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/university-maryland-unveils-deepthought2-supercomputer?et_cid=3947815&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/university-maryland-unveils-deepthought2-supercomputer?et_cid=3947815&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Cripes! When I was there getting my computer science degree, they were still using an Eniac.
Yet again science fiction becomes reality ....
Special Operations Forces may get Iron Man Suit
In the 2008 movie Iron Man, the main character becomes a superhero after building a suit of armor with an exoskeleton that gives him incredible strength. Today, elite U.S. special operations forces may be a few short years away from donning a similar suit, one that can monitor the user's vital signs, give him real-time battlefield information and be bulletproof from head to toe. The suit might eventually have other features unheard of only a few years ago, including an exoskeleton made of liquid armor, smart fabrics that could help stop hemorrhaging, enhanced sensory capabilities and Google Glass-like visuals.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/special-operations-forces-may-get-iron-man-suit?et_cid=3954348&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/special-operations-forces-may-get-iron-man-suit?et_cid=3954348&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Wow! That's very cool.
Quote from: Bo D on May 22, 2014, 11:18:30 AM
Yet again science fiction becomes reality ....
Special Operations Forces may get Iron Man Suit
In the 2008 movie Iron Man, the main character becomes a superhero after building a suit of armor with an exoskeleton that gives him incredible strength. Today, elite U.S. special operations forces may be a few short years away from donning a similar suit, one that can monitor the user's vital signs, give him real-time battlefield information and be bulletproof from head to toe. The suit might eventually have other features unheard of only a few years ago, including an exoskeleton made of liquid armor, smart fabrics that could help stop hemorrhaging, enhanced sensory capabilities and Google Glass-like visuals.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/special-operations-forces-may-get-iron-man-suit?et_cid=3954348&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/05/special-operations-forces-may-get-iron-man-suit?et_cid=3954348&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
What scares the hell out of me is, what the hell are we going to do when Godzilla arrives? :spooked:
Not too long ago a friend drove to meet me for lunch near my home, and used GPS to get around heavy traffic. I don't have GPS and hadn't thought about needing it, but I was so impressed that I've decided I have to have it. In the meantime, though, that experience made me remember something from an Astronomy textbook that fascinated and (frankly) puzzled me:
"The global positioning system is a great practical application of relativity. If it didn't work, it wouldn't get you to the right place at the right time." (to be continued)
(continued)
"Based on the idea that there is no difference between a uniform acceleration and a uniform gravitational field, Einstein's theory postulates that gravity is a manifestation of the warping of space and time produced by matter and energy; objects follow their natural trajectory through curved space-time." -- Astronomy textbook
But what about the GPS? ... how does it work? I googled it:
How does GPS work?
"The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a network of about 30 satellites orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 20,000 km. The system was originally developed by the US government for military navigation but now anyone with a GPS device, be it a SatNav, mobile phone or handheld GPS unit, can receive the radio signals that the satellites broadcast.
Wherever you are on the planet, at least four GPS satellites are 'visible' at any time. Each one transmits information about its position and the current time at regular intervals. These signals, travelling at the speed of light, are intercepted by your GPS receiver, which calculates how far away each satellite is based on how long it took for the messages to arrive.
Once it has information on how far away at least three satellites are, your GPS receiver can pinpoint your location using a process called trilateration.
Trilateration
Imagine you are standing somewhere on Earth with three satellites in the sky above you. If you know how far away you are from satellite A, then you know you must be located somewhere on the red circle. If you do the same for satellites B and C, you can work out your location by seeing where the three circles intersect. This is just what your GPS receiver does, although it uses overlapping spheres rather than circles.
The more satellites there are above the horizon the more accurately your GPS unit can determine where you are.
GPS and Relativity
GPS satellites have atomic clocks on board to keep accurate time. General and Special Relativity however predict that differences will appear between these clocks and an identical clock on Earth.
General Relativity predicts that time will appear to run slower under stronger gravitational pull – the clocks on board the satellites will therefore seem to run faster than a clock on Earth.
Furthermore, Special Relativity predicts that because the satellites' clocks are moving relative to a clock on Earth, they will appear to run slower.
The whole GPS network has to make allowances for these effects – proof that Relativity has a real impact."
Find related sites on relativity with physics.org
I always liked this animation from Wikipedia of the GPS constellation and how it appears to someone standing on Earth insofar was what satellites are visible given the Earth's rotation and the orbits of the satellites.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/ConstellationGPS.gif)
This is an interesting read on the Fermi Paradox if you have time and are so inclined. It talks about the possibilities of intelligent life on other planets in the galaxy and Universe and why we haven't heard from anyone yet.
If you take the time to read it, please let me know your thoughts on where the "Great Filter" lies for humanity. ;D
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/the-fermi-paradox_b_5489415.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000043
Quote from: Locutus on June 20, 2014, 04:53:15 PM
This is an interesting read on the Fermi Paradox if you have time and are so inclined. It talks about the possibilities of intelligent life on other planets in the galaxy and Universe and why we haven't heard from anyone yet.
If you take the time to read it, please let me know your thoughts on where the "Great Filter" lies for humanity. ;D
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/the-fermi-paradox_b_5489415.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000043
Sounds interesting. Will read it this weekend (my time has not been my own lately) and let you know. Thanks for posting it.
Quote from: Locutus on June 20, 2014, 04:53:15 PM
This is an interesting read on the Fermi Paradox if you have time and are so inclined. It talks about the possibilities of intelligent life on other planets in the galaxy and Universe and why we haven't heard from anyone yet.
If you take the time to read it, please let me know your thoughts on where the "Great Filter" lies for humanity. ;D
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/the-fermi-paradox_b_5489415.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000043
I'm with .....
Explanation Group 2: Type II and III intelligent civilizations are out there -- and there are logical reasons why we might not have heard from them.
I think these are the most likely possibilities in this group ....
Possibility 6) There's plenty of activity and noise out there, but our technology is too primitive and we're listening for the wrong things.
Possibility 9) Higher civilizations are here, all around us. But we're too primitive to perceive them.
Possibility 10) We're completely wrong about our reality.I would lean toward #6 and 9 (they're really essentially the same.) But I see the merits of #10.
Quote from: Bo D on June 20, 2014, 05:12:51 PM
I think these are the most likely possibilities in this group ....
Possibility 6) There's plenty of activity and noise out there, but our technology is too primitive and we're listening for the wrong things.
Possibility 9) Higher civilizations are here, all around us. But we're too primitive to perceive them.
Possibility 10) We're completely wrong about our reality.
I would lean toward #6 and 9 (they're really essentially the same.) But I see the merits of #10.
I tend to agree with you there. The sheer enormity of the Universe tends to belie the idea that we're alone (albeit we might be until proven otherwise).
As to your specific points, I would agree that we don't know what we don't know. If we're listening for the wrong things, maybe we're sending gibberish out into the Universe as well, so others may not hear us either.
IF there are carbon, oxygen, and water based organisms out there (the building blocks of life as we know them) like us, there are no guarantees that they've evolved in the same manner that we have insofar as intelligence and communications are concerned.
But, it was an interesting read nonetheless.
Have a great weekend!
Any thoughts on the METI (Messaging to Extraterrestrial Intelligence -- the reverse of SETI) as discussed in the article? ;D
The ones cited in the article, including Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, think that's a very bad idea. :yes:
Quote from: Bo D on June 20, 2014, 05:12:51 PM
I'm with .....
Explanation Group 2: Type II and III intelligent civilizations are out there -- and there are logical reasons why we might not have heard from them.
I think these are the most likely possibilities in this group ....
Possibility 6) There's plenty of activity and noise out there, but our technology is too primitive and we're listening for the wrong things.
Possibility 9) Higher civilizations are here, all around us. But we're too primitive to perceive them.
Possibility 10) We're completely wrong about our reality.
I would lean toward #6 and 9 (they're really essentially the same.) But I see the merits of #10.
Quote from: Locutus on June 20, 2014, 05:21:21 PM
I tend to agree with you there. The sheer enormity of the Universe tends to belie the idea that we're alone (albeit we might be until proven otherwise).
As to your specific points, I would agree that we don't know what we don't know. If we're listening for the wrong things, maybe we're sending gibberish out into the Universe as well, so others may not hear us either. IF there are carbon, oxygen, and water based organisms out there (the building blocks of life as we know them) like us, there are no guarantees that they've evolved in the same manner that we have insofar as intelligence and communications are concerned.
But, it was an interesting read nonetheless.
I also agree with BoD's choices; they make the most sense to me, as judged by what we know now, with strong consideration of Possibility 10: "We're completely wrong about our reality." Why? Because of quantum observership, a mind-boggling concept. :spooked:
"When it comes to a frontier science like cosmology, where the scope of inquiry stretches out to the distant galaxies and down to the subatomic jitterbug from which they emerged, conservatism is not decidedly a virtue nor imagination a vice. The universe is cleverer than we are, and to investigate it we need to be creative as well as critical. It may seem crazy to imagine that most of the matter in our universe is composed of exotic subatomic particles of varieties never yet observed, or that there are billions of universes each subject to a different set of laws,
or that the mind may be said to bring the universe into existence. But quite possibly such hypotheses are, as Niels Bohr often used to say in exploring the atom, "not crazy enough."
The Whole Shebang, a State-of-the-Universe(s) Report, by Timothy Ferris
I don't know how many of you noticed this link at the bottom of the Fermi Paradox article, but it's a good read too about time. ;D I know; I'm a geek.
http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/08/putting-time-in-perspective.html
Quote from: Locutus on June 21, 2014, 03:35:43 PM
I don't know how many of you noticed this link at the bottom of the Fermi Paradox article, but it's a good read too about time. ;D I know; I'm a geek.
http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/08/putting-time-in-perspective.html
C'mon Locutus, just were do you come up with this stuff, you know damn well the earth is only 4 to 6 million years old. Depending on what preacher :preach: says the age is. :wink:
But something from medical science, butter is good for you and fat is good for you and fat and butter fat does not cause heart attacks. :smitten: :yes: :biggrin: :piano:
Quote from: The Troll on June 23, 2014, 06:39:21 AM
C'mon Locutus, just were do you come up with this stuff, you know damn well the earth is only 4 to 6 million years old. Depending on what preacher :preach: says the age is. :wink:
But something from medical science, butter is good for you and fat is good for you and fat and butter fat does not cause heart attacks. :smitten: :yes: :biggrin: :piano:
Now don't be beatin' up on Locutus. Some of my favorite people are nerds. :biggrin:
I think he's just joking. ;D
Quote from: Locutus on June 23, 2014, 12:12:37 PM
I think he's just joking. ;D
Yes I was joking and Locutus knows it. We believe in science and the vast mysteries of the Universe. :science: :genius: And we arn't pussies about it. :kitty: :seeya2:
;D
:-[ I was joking also, but certain language really turns me off. Lesson learned.
Quote from: libby on June 23, 2014, 05:44:05 PM
:-[ I was joking also, but certain language really turns me off. Lesson learned.
What language turns you off, "*****" or in other words that might bother you like sissies, or big fuzz balls. If that bothers you that's your problem, I might say, "Just grow up a little and join the real world. :rolleyes:
Quote from: libby on June 20, 2014, 11:54:10 PM
"When it comes to a frontier science like cosmology, where the scope of inquiry stretches out to the distant galaxies and down to the subatomic jitterbug from which they emerged, conservatism is not decidedly a virtue nor imagination a vice. The universe is cleverer than we are, and to investigate it we need to be creative as well as critical. It may seem crazy to imagine that most of the matter in our universe is composed of exotic subatomic particles of varieties never yet observed, or that there are billions of universes each subject to a different set of laws, or that the mind may be said to bring the universe into existence. But quite possibly such hypotheses are, as Niels Bohr often used to say in exploring the atom, "not crazy enough."
The Whole Shebang, a State-of-the-Universe(s) Report, by Timothy Ferris
The following is also by the above scientist, Cosmologist Timothy Ferris, from the same book, page 351 "Notes":
"When giving public lectures on cosmology I am often asked about my own religious convictions. On such occasions I sometimes tell the story about a theologian who is asked by an old friend, "Do you believe in God?"
The theologian replies, "I can answer you, but I promise that you won't understand my answer. Do you want me to go ahead?"
"Sure."
OK, the answer is "Yes.' "
The point of the story has to do, of course, with the preposterous ambiguity of such terms as "believe" and "God." And that is one reason I try to avoid answering such questions. Nor do I see that a statement of my personal beliefs would do much to illuminate the issues under discussion in this book.
But, if only to avoid being coy about it, let me say that I'm an agnostic. The term is derived from the Greek agnostos, "unknowable." ....
There are two varieties of agnosticism.
"Weak" agnosticism consists of suspending one's opinion as to the existence of God---pending, I suppose, the introduction of further evidence. This stance seems wishy-washy and probably deserves its dismissal, by a contemptuous Friedrich Engels, as shame-faced atheism.
My position is "strong" agnosticism. It denies that God's existence can ever be disproved. There are many definitions of God, some of which seem to say nothing at all about God except that he exists. I hold that it is impossible to disprove all these definitions. If, to take an extreme example, science were one day to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the universe was created by a mad scientist in a basement laboratory, it would still be possible to posit that the prior universe in which that scientist lived was created by God. Moreover, that scientist, regardless of his inhuman brilliance, would be unable, in principle, to prove that God does not exist -- or so I maintain. I might add that this view is not just a matter of logic chopping, or a sly way of skirting theological issues. It is offered in good faith with an honest appreciation of the merits of religion, science, and reason. It's not just that I don't know, I assert that we cannot know. "
My opinion is, there is no god. :no: No god that is the creation of the Christian religion. :no: No god that is in the bible. :no: The god in the religions of the world is the product of many false believers and leaders who have use their god to control the masses of sheeple people. :yes: Let us :pray: :preach: :pope:
If there is a creator of the universe the entity is so far beyond the human brain or intelligence that we as mere humans is inconceivable. And he doesn't give a damn about the people on this mere speck of matter in the inconceivable universe. :yes:
Maybe I should start a new thread "Weird Science" because this is truly bizarre.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/07/muscle-powered-bio-bots-walk-command?et_cid=4025373&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/07/muscle-powered-bio-bots-walk-command?et_cid=4025373&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Muscle-powered Bio-bots Walk on Command
Quote from: Bo D on July 01, 2014, 11:21:09 AM
Maybe I should start a new thread "Weird Science" because this is truly bizarre.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/07/muscle-powered-bio-bots-walk-command?et_cid=4025373&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/07/muscle-powered-bio-bots-walk-command?et_cid=4025373&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Muscle-powered Bio-bots Walk on Command
:spooked:
Just when I was beginning to think I understood a little of what quantum physics is all about, some scientists announced they'd found a flaw in Einstein's theory. But then I found this delightful article in the Washington Post. Meant to post it here, but got caught up in real life, real time speed, and forgot. :idea2:
The Washington Post
By Alexandra Petri, Published: February 23
A Saner World Than We Thought
It turns out those faster-than-light neutrinos at Europe's CERN lab might have been, well, not.
While the neutrinos appeared to arrive 60 nanoseconds faster than it would have taken to make the trip at light speed, Science magazine reported Wednesday that a bad fiber-optic cable connection between a computer and a GPS unit could account for the results.
But, wait! The scientists at CERN also noted in their news release that, in addition to the problem with the cable, another potential source of error "could have led to an overestimate of the neutrino's time of flight."
Perhaps there's still hope for the speedy neutrinos. But in general, as BlogPost writer Elizabeth Flock notes, when you think you are right and Albert Einstein is wrong, you are wrong.
It's all a bit disappointing. I was really counting on those subatomic particles. I invested heavily in hyperdrives. I bought a Groupon for spinning class on Kepler 22b. This is just another reason I should never purchase Groupons (and never mind those 581 cupcakes that are lurking uneaten in my refrigerator).
So much for improbability.
So much for all those jokes about bartenders saying, "Hey, we don't serve faster-than-light particles here," and then a neutrino walks into a bar.
So much for space travel. After all this time boasting that we violated the laws of nature, we may owe them some sort of apology card.
But, for the moment, that the world is saner than we thought it was might actually be the biggest news there is.
We're waiting for more confirmation, and maybe the follow-up tests will prove the neutrinos are still exceeding the speed limit.
But, for once, someone's pronouncement that the World Has Been Turned Upside Down And Everything We Know Is Incorrect could actually be proved wrong. This so seldom happens. We might as well savor it.
— Alexandra Petri
© The Washington Post Company
Who doesn't remember this?
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave Bowman: What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Is this the first step towards something like that?
Does your Computer Know How You're Feeling?
Researchers in Bangladesh have designed a computer program that can accurately recognize users' emotional states as much as 87 percent of the time, depending on the emotion. Writing in the journal Behaviour & Information Technology, A.F.M. Nazmul Haque Nahin and his colleagues describe how their study combined — for the first time — two established ways of detecting user emotions: keystroke dynamics and text-pattern analysis.
While much work remains to be done, this research is an important step in making 'emotionally intelligent' systems that recognize users' emotional states to adapt their music, graphics, content or approach to learning a reality.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/does-your-computer-know-how-you%E2%80%99re-feeling?et_cid=4117380&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/does-your-computer-know-how-you%E2%80%99re-feeling?et_cid=4117380&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
:spooked: No, no, no! That is truly scary. :eek: Think Borg. Think crazy or evil or power mad people who write those programs. :dizzy2:
Mars rover selfie ....
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/mars-rover-selfie?et_cid=4124406&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/mars-rover-selfie?et_cid=4124406&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used the camera at the end of its arm in April and May 2014 to take dozens of component images combined into this self-portrait where the rover drilled into a sandstone target called "Windjana."
(http://www.scientificcomputing.com/sites/scientificcomputing.com/files/Curiosity_Self-Portrait_at_Windjana_Drilling_Site.jpg)
Robo Brain Teaches Robots Everything from the Internet
Robo Brain — a large-scale computational system that learns from publicly available Internet resources — is currently downloading and processing about 1 billion images, 120,000 YouTube videos, and 100 million how-to documents and appliance manuals. The information is being translated and stored in a robot-friendly format that robots will be able to draw on when they need it.
To serve as helpers in our homes, offices and factories, robots will need to understand how the world works and how the humans around them behave. Robotics researchers have been teaching them these things one at a time: How to find your keys, pour a drink, put away dishes, and when not to interrupt two people having a conversation. This will all come in one package with Robo Brain.
"Our laptops and cell phones have access to all the information we want. If a robot encounters a situation it hasn't seen before it can query Robo Brain in the cloud," said Ashutosh Saxena, assistant professor of computer science at Cornell University. Saxena and colleagues at Cornell, Stanford and Brown universities and the University of California, Berkeley, say Robo Brain will process images to pick out the objects in them, and by connecting images and video with text, it will learn to recognize objects and how they are used, along with human language and behavior.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/robo-brain-teaches-robots-everything-internet?et_cid=4124406&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/robo-brain-teaches-robots-everything-internet?et_cid=4124406&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Quote from: Bo D on August 29, 2014, 11:14:17 AM
Robo Brain Teaches Robots Everything from the Internet
Robo Brain — a large-scale computational system that learns from publicly available Internet resources — is currently downloading and processing about 1 billion images, 120,000 YouTube videos, and 100 million how-to documents and appliance manuals. The information is being translated and stored in a robot-friendly format that robots will be able to draw on when they need it.
To serve as helpers in our homes, offices and factories, robots will need to understand how the world works and how the humans around them behave. Robotics researchers have been teaching them these things one at a time: How to find your keys, pour a drink, put away dishes, and when not to interrupt two people having a conversation. This will all come in one package with Robo Brain.
"Our laptops and cell phones have access to all the information we want. If a robot encounters a situation it hasn't seen before it can query Robo Brain in the cloud," said Ashutosh Saxena, assistant professor of computer science at Cornell University. Saxena and colleagues at Cornell, Stanford and Brown universities and the University of California, Berkeley, say Robo Brain will process images to pick out the objects in them, and by connecting images and video with text, it will learn to recognize objects and how they are used, along with human language and behavior.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/robo-brain-teaches-robots-everything-internet?et_cid=4124406&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/robo-brain-teaches-robots-everything-internet?et_cid=4124406&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
:spooked: Maybe not everyone thinks like me -- heck, maybe nobody does -- but I can distinctly remember a time when I was just out of high school and had the idea that too much education by rote would dull the mind, and I had to resist that and be an independent thinker.
If we turn it all over to computers/robots, what happens to the human brain? (Use it or lose it.)
I have enough trouble with this computer. When I want to write something, I often write and rewrite, thinking as I go, and that seems to confuse the computer, which keeps bouncing the cursor around, which then confuses me. :dizzy2:
Quote from: Bo D on August 29, 2014, 11:12:26 AM
Mars rover selfie ....
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/mars-rover-selfie?et_cid=4124406&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/08/mars-rover-selfie?et_cid=4124406&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used the camera at the end of its arm in April and May 2014 to take dozens of component images combined into this self-portrait where the rover drilled into a sandstone target called "Windjana."
(http://www.scientificcomputing.com/sites/scientificcomputing.com/files/Curiosity_Self-Portrait_at_Windjana_Drilling_Site.jpg)
That surface looks just like a dried river bed to me. And the place looks like it could be somewhere out west. . .
Quote from: Palehorse on September 01, 2014, 05:16:11 PM
That surface looks just like a dried river bed to me. And the place looks like it could be somewhere out west. . .
:yes: Seeing that made me think about
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. Spooky and fascinating reading.
The following was in yesterday's Washington Post. Thanks to genetic studies, a big surprise!
Easter Island's ancient inhabitants weren't so lonely after all
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON Thu Oct 23, 2014 2:31pm EDT
(Reuters) - They lived on a remote dot of land in the middle of the Pacific, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) west of South America and 1,100 miles (1,770 km) from the closest island, erecting huge stone figures that still stare enigmatically from the hillsides.
But the ancient Polynesian people who populated Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, were not as isolated as long believed. Scientists who conducted a genetic study, published on Thursday in the journal Current Biology, found these ancient people had significant contact with Native American populations hundreds of years before the first Westerners reached the island in 1722.
The Rapa Nui people created a unique culture best known for the 900 monumental head-and-torso stone statues known as moai erected around Easter Island. The culture flourished starting around 1200 until falling into decline by the 16th century.
Genetic data on 27 Easter Island natives indicated that interbreeding between the Rapa Nui and native people in South America occurred roughly between 1300 and 1500.
"We found evidence of gene flow between this population and Native American populations, suggesting an ancient ocean migration route between Polynesia and the Americas," said geneticist Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas of the Center for GeoGenetics at the University of Copenhagen, who led the study.
The genetic evidence indicates either that Rapa Nui people traveled to South America or that Native Americans journeyed to Easter Island. The researchers said it probably was the Rapa Nui people making the arduous ocean round trips.
"It seems most likely that they voyaged from Rapa Nui to South America and brought South Americans back to Rapa Nui and admixed with them," said Mark Stoneking, a geneticist with Germany's Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology who collaborated on a related study of Brazil's indigenous Botocudo people. "So it will be interesting to see if in further studies any signal of Polynesian, Rapa Nui ancestry can be found in South Americans."
In making their way to South America and back, the Rapa Nui people may have spent perilous weeks in wooden outrigger canoes.
The researchers concluded that the intermixing occurred 19 to 23 generations ago. They said Rapa Nui people are not believed to have started mixing with Europeans until much later, the 19th century. Malaspinas said the genetic ancestry of today's Rapa Nui people is roughly 75 percent Polynesian, 15 percent European and 10 percent Native American.
A second study, also published in Thursday's issue of Current Biology, illustrates another case of Polynesians venturing into South America. Two ancient human skulls from Brazil's indigenous Botocudo people, known for the large wooden disks they wore in their lips and ears, belonged to people who were genetically Polynesian, with no detectable Native American ancestry.
"How the two Polynesian individuals belonging to the Botocudos came into Brazil is the million-dollar question," said University of Copenhagen geneticist Eske Willerslev of the Center for GeoGenetics, who led the study on the Botocudos.
The findings suggest these Polynesians reached South America and made their way to Brazil, either landing on the western coast of the continent and crossing the interior or voyaging around Tierra del Fuego and up the east coast, Stoneking said.
"In either event it is an amazing story," he said.
(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Leslie Adler)
FILED UNDER:
Science
This may be cool ... it may be scary .... You decide!
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/11/direct-brain-brain-interface-operates-between-humans-real-time?et_cid=4252393&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/11/direct-brain-brain-interface-operates-between-humans-real-time?et_cid=4252393&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Direct Brain-to-brain Interface Operates between Humans in Real Time
Researchers have successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain connection between pairs of people as part of a scientific study following the team's initial demonstration a year ago. In the newly published study, which involved six people, researchers were able to transmit the signals from one person's brain over the Internet and use these signals to control the hand motions of another person within a split second of sending that signal.
If you have time, please read the entire article. Fascinating, at the very least!
Quote from: Bo D on November 09, 2012, 03:17:53 PM
A clock that runs on just water .....
Bedol has an alarm clock that runs on tap water. You don't have to put anything in the water – no salts or anything – just tap water.
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/09/03/bedol-water-clock-with-alarm-review/ (http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/09/03/bedol-water-clock-with-alarm-review/)
How big would the metal plates have to be and how much water would it take to make enough power to light a city???? :biggrin:
Quote from: Bo D on November 07, 2014, 01:50:20 PM
This may be cool ... it may be scary .... You decide!
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/11/direct-brain-brain-interface-operates-between-humans-real-time?et_cid=4252393&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/11/direct-brain-brain-interface-operates-between-humans-real-time?et_cid=4252393&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Direct Brain-to-brain Interface Operates between Humans in Real Time
Researchers have successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain connection between pairs of people as part of a scientific study following the team's initial demonstration a year ago. In the newly published study, which involved six people, researchers were able to transmit the signals from one person's brain over the Internet and use these signals to control the hand motions of another person within a split second of sending that signal.
If you have time, please read the entire article. Fascinating, at the very least!
I read it, and yes, it is fascinating. Right off the top of my head, I'd say that could be leaning towards scientific proof of what used to be called, especially in science fiction, telepathy. It has always fascinated me, to the point that I once took part in a short study, but it was called Mind Control. That was about the time that the U.S.and Russia were experimenting with mind to mind communication.
Quote from: Bo D on November 07, 2014, 01:50:20 PM
This may be cool ... it may be scary .... You decide!
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/11/direct-brain-brain-interface-operates-between-humans-real-time?et_cid=4252393&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/11/direct-brain-brain-interface-operates-between-humans-real-time?et_cid=4252393&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Direct Brain-to-brain Interface Operates between Humans in Real Time
Researchers have successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain connection between pairs of people as part of a scientific study following the team's initial demonstration a year ago. In the newly published study, which involved six people, researchers were able to transmit the signals from one person's brain over the Internet and use these signals to control the hand motions of another person within a split second of sending that signal.
If you have time, please read the entire article. Fascinating, at the very least!
Quote from: libby on November 07, 2014, 05:13:58 PM
I read it, and yes, it is fascinating. Right off the top of my head, I'd say that could be leaning towards scientific proof of what used to be called, especially in science fiction, telepathy. It has always fascinated me, to the point that I once took part in a short study, but it was called Mind Control. That was about the time that the U.S.and Russia were experimenting with mind to mind communication.
Am still thinking about the above, and guess I would say I'd call its scary science -- because of the feelings I went away with after I took the Mind Control class. During intermissions I walked around and listened to people talking: there was a really diverse group of people -- a couple of men who said they were bankers, a pilot, a college professor, a man from a federal agency, and others I don't remember specifically. And although it was all fascinating, I left with the very distinct feeling that I had learned enough to know that I did not want to go down that road.
https://www.youtube.com/v/Jzj5fO5my5M&feature=youtu.be
Quote from: me on November 26, 2014, 07:30:04 PM
https://www.youtube.com/v/Jzj5fO5my5M&feature=youtu.be
:eek: :spooked: (sometimes there are no words ....)
Take a Live Trip to the Edge of Space
Anyone with a computer or a smartphone can register for free live video streaming of Brunel University London's scientific expedition to the edge of space — more than 100,000 feet — three times higher than the cruise altitude of transatlantic passenger jets.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/02/take-live-trip-edge-space?et_cid=4409100&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/02/take-live-trip-edge-space?et_cid=4409100&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Quote from: me on November 26, 2014, 07:30:04 PM
https://www.youtube.com/v/Jzj5fO5my5M&feature=youtu.be
Please keep the junk in your garbage-can-of-an-inbox out of here.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/cicret.asp (http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/cicret.asp)
http://www.itbusiness.ca/news/the-cicret-is-out-this-futuristic-bracelet-doesnt-exist/52677 (http://www.itbusiness.ca/news/the-cicret-is-out-this-futuristic-bracelet-doesnt-exist/52677)
Quote from: Bo D on February 11, 2015, 11:27:21 AM
Please keep the junk in your garbage-can-of-an-inbox out of here.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/cicret.asp (http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/cicret.asp)
http://www.itbusiness.ca/news/the-cicret-is-out-this-futuristic-bracelet-doesnt-exist/52677 (http://www.itbusiness.ca/news/the-cicret-is-out-this-futuristic-bracelet-doesnt-exist/52677)
Could give a smart ass retort here but I won't. I hadn't seen anything on it, just ran across the video on Youtube and thought it was a neat idea that "may" come about in the future, not that it was already in production. Even Snopes said it could be possible in the future but maybe not entirely as depicted.
QuoteWhile the Cicret bracelet and app may not be impossible to develop with current technology, it's also not a device that exists even in prototype form at this stage. The video does not depict a working Cicret bracelet; and should the device ever come to market, it's not clear it would operate in the way its developers believe it might. While an eventual working Cicret could one day be real, it's also possible the concept will graduate to the realm of vaporware.
Quote from: me on February 11, 2015, 01:19:45 PM
Could give a smart ass retort here but I won't. I hadn't seen anything on it, just ran across the video on Youtube and thought it was a neat idea that "may" come about in the future, not that it was already in production. Even Snopes said it could be possible in the future but maybe not entirely as depicted.
It's one thing to speculate about what may be in the future. It's an entirely different matter to perpetuate a fraud.
Quote from: Bo D on February 11, 2015, 01:24:15 PM
It's one thing to speculate about what may be in the future. It's an entirely different matter to perpetuate a fraud.
Oh good grief, lighten up will ya? Did I make a comment about it saying it was real? No. Did I post anything saying it was already in the works? No. Did I just post something that may be a reality in some form in the future? Yes. It's still science and interesting to think about.
Quote from: me on February 11, 2015, 01:40:20 PM
Oh good grief, lighten up will ya? Did I make a comment about it saying it was real? No. Did I post anything saying it was already in the works? No. Did I just post something that may be a reality in some form in the future? Yes. It's still science and interesting to think about.
The people who made the video were trying to sell that product based on those claims. Not in the future. Now. It's a fraud and by posting it you bought in to it.
Quote from: Bo D on February 11, 2015, 01:44:12 PM
The people who made the video were trying to sell that product based on those claims. Not in the future. Now. It's a fraud and by posting it you bought in to it.
Well now I did not know that since I had read nothing on it and there is nothing to indicate that on the video.
Quote from: me on February 11, 2015, 03:10:28 PM
Well now I did not know that since I had read nothing on it and there is nothing to indicate that on the video.
Now you know. This is what people of your anti-science ilk will just never get. Question everything. Just a quick google search would have shown the truth.
PEE POWER!!!!
Install one of these in the local frat house and it could light up the whole city!
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/03/urine-power-light-disaster-zone-camps?et_cid=4455536&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/03/urine-power-light-disaster-zone-camps?et_cid=4455536&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Urine Power to Light Disaster Zone Camps
A toilet, conveniently situated near the Student Union Bar at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), is proving pee can generate electricity. It is hoped the pee-power technology will light cubicles in refugee camps, which are often dark and dangerous places, particularly for women.
Students and staff are being asked to use the urinal to donate pee to fuel microbial fuel cell (MFC) stacks that generate electricity to power indoor lighting.
:dizzy2: I thought it was one of your jokes until I saw the source.
Quote from: libby on March 10, 2015, 02:25:48 PM
:dizzy2: I thought it was one of your jokes until I saw the source.
:wink:
Quote from: Bo D on March 10, 2015, 12:17:21 PM
PEE POWER!!!!
Install one of these in the local frat house and it could light up the whole city!
Or any local bar that routinely offers a Beer Pong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_pong) tournament. ;D
Quote from: Locutus on March 10, 2015, 05:55:57 PM
Or any local bar that routinely offers a Beer Pong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_pong) tournament. ;D
Or coffee house......... :biggrin:
Quote from: me on March 10, 2015, 07:57:40 PM
Or coffee house......... :biggrin:
I think beer pong produces more product over time. :yes: :biggrin:
Quote from: Locutus on March 10, 2015, 11:03:33 PM
I think beer pong produces more product over time. :yes: :biggrin:
You could be right about that but coffee or tea runs a close second. :yes:
Star Trek Tricorder is No Longer Science Fiction
For the crew of the Starship Enterprise, Star Trek's "Tricorder" was an essential tool, a multifunctional hand-held device used to sense, compute and record data in a threatening and unpredictable universe. It simplified a number of Starfleet tasks, scientific or combat-related, by beaming sensors at objects to obtain instant results. The Tricorder is no longer science fiction. An invention by Tel Aviv University researchers may be able to turn smartphones into powerful hyperspectral sensors, capable of identifying the chemical components of objects from a distance. Professor David Mendlovic of TAU's School of Electrical Engineering and his doctoral student, Ariel Raz, have combined the two necessary parts of this invention: an optical component and image processing software.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/04/star-trek-tricorder-no-longer-science-fiction?et_cid=4496681&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/04/star-trek-tricorder-no-longer-science-fiction?et_cid=4496681&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
How long does it take for most of the atoms in your body to be replaced by others?
Every 16 days about 72% of you is replaced.
About 72% of the human body is H2O (liquid water). Every ~16 days nearly 100% of the water is exchanged in a healthy body. Heavy elements like carbon, sodium and potassium take occupancy far longer perhaps 8 months - 11 months. For example the calcium and phosphorus in bones are replaced in a dynamic crystal growth / dissolving process that will ultimately replace all bones in your body.
Other larger organs' atomic replacement can be estimated:
•The lining in stomach and intestine every 4 days
•The Gums are replaced every 2 weeks
•The Skin replaced every 4 weeks
•The Liver replaced every 6 weeks
•The Lining of blood vessels replaced every 6 months
•The Heart replaced every 6 months
•The Surface cells of digestion, top layer cells in the digestion process from our mouth through our large bowel are replaced every 5 minutes
In about a year every atom in your body would have been exchanged. Not a single atom in your body resides there forever and there is a 100% chance that 1000s of other humans through history held some of the same atoms that you currently hold in your body.
Just as fascinating, is the fact that about 30% of your body, by weight, is not even "you" (cells without human DNA/RNA), it is a cooperative arrangement of bacteria, viruses, parasites and other welcomed or sometimes unwelcome guests. In fact, just in the case of bacteria, there are 10 times more bacteria cells then human cells in your body.
http://www.quora.com/How-long-does-it-take-for-most-of-the-atoms-in-your-body-to-be-replaced-by-others (http://www.quora.com/How-long-does-it-take-for-most-of-the-atoms-in-your-body-to-be-replaced-by-others)
Quote from: Bo D on July 30, 2015, 01:49:44 PM
How long does it take for most of the atoms in your body to be replaced by others?
Every 16 days about 72% of you is replaced.
About 72% of the human body is H2O (liquid water). Every ~16 days nearly 100% of the water is exchanged in a healthy body. Heavy elements like carbon, sodium and potassium take occupancy far longer perhaps 8 months - 11 months. For example the calcium and phosphorus in bones are replaced in a dynamic crystal growth / dissolving process that will ultimately replace all bones in your body.
Other larger organs' atomic replacement can be estimated:
•The lining in stomach and intestine every 4 days
•The Gums are replaced every 2 weeks
•The Skin replaced every 4 weeks
•The Liver replaced every 6 weeks
•The Lining of blood vessels replaced every 6 months
•The Heart replaced every 6 months
•The Surface cells of digestion, top layer cells in the digestion process from our mouth through our large bowel are replaced every 5 minutes
In about a year every atom in your body would have been exchanged. Not a single atom in your body resides there forever and there is a 100% chance that 1000s of other humans through history held some of the same atoms that you currently hold in your body.
Just as fascinating, is the fact that about 30% of your body, by weight, is not even "you" (cells without human DNA/RNA), it is a cooperative arrangement of bacteria, viruses, parasites and other welcomed or sometimes unwelcome guests. In fact, just in the case of bacteria, there are 10 times more bacteria cells then human cells in your body.
http://www.quora.com/How-long-does-it-take-for-most-of-the-atoms-in-your-body-to-be-replaced-by-others (http://www.quora.com/How-long-does-it-take-for-most-of-the-atoms-in-your-body-to-be-replaced-by-others)
^^ I think Libby asked a question along these lines at some point in our past conversations.
Quote from: Locutus on July 30, 2015, 05:44:04 PM
^^ I think Libby asked a question along these lines at some point in our past conversations.
Locutus, you have a good memory. I've been trying to remember where/when I posted that. Can't remember if that's the one I copied from a science publication in which a scientist accounted for everything in a human body but had a little bit of 'space' left over, and he wondered if that was where the soul resided. Ever since I read Bo's post today, I've been trying to remember where I tucked that story away so I could find it again.
Quote from: libby on July 30, 2015, 11:06:25 PM
Locutus, you have a good memory. I've been trying to remember where/when I posted that. Can't remember if that's the one I copied from a science publication in which a scientist accounted for everything in a human body but had a little bit of 'space' left over, and he wondered if that was where the soul resided. Ever since I read Bo's post today, I've been trying to remember where I tucked that story away so I could find it again.
Ask and ye' shall receive. ;D I found it on the thread about followsthewolf when he died a couple of years ago.
http://theunknownzone.dailynuisanceproductions.com/index.php?topic=18755.msg473804#msg473804
Quote from: Locutus on July 31, 2015, 12:50:21 PM
Ask and ye' shall receive. ;D I found it on the thread about followsthewolf when he died a couple of years ago.
http://theunknownzone.dailynuisanceproductions.com/index.php?topic=18755.msg473804#msg473804
These are two very good questions ...
Quote from: libby on May 13, 2013, 10:23:20 AM
this naturally raises significant questions for physiology and psychology: Where are the memories of a lifetime stored? How is the sense of individual identity preserved through these numerous :re-embodiments:?'
Quote from: Locutus on July 31, 2015, 12:50:21 PM
Ask and ye' shall receive. ;D I found it on the thread about followsthewolf when he died a couple of years ago.
http://theunknownzone.dailynuisanceproductions.com/index.php?topic=18755.msg473804#msg473804
Thank you, Locutus. :smitten: I wonder how long it would have taken me to remember that it's from my book on reincarnation. It's an old book I found somewhere years ago. Not a how-to or anything like that, just quotes and anecdotes from credible sources.
Quote from: Bo D on July 31, 2015, 03:31:26 PM
These are two very good questions ...
Which from where I sit on this trail of life, proves that with all of the knowledge of science that is available today, and even stipulating to all that the worlds religions claim to know, in reality we haven't even scratched the surface of what the reality of the true meaning of life- physical nor eternal, truly is. . .
Quote from: Bo D on July 30, 2015, 01:49:44 PM
Just as fascinating, is the fact that about 30% of your body, by weight, is not even "you" (cells without human DNA/RNA), it is a cooperative arrangement of bacteria, viruses, parasites and other welcomed or sometimes unwelcome guests. In fact, just in the case of bacteria, there are 10 times more bacteria cells then human cells in your body.
Here's an interesting take from me on that subject...
We're not what we think are. Humans are nothing but the means by which bacteria become mobile and sentient.
:icon_twisted:
Well, I like to consider other possibilities, such as, bodies are temporary housing for souls. I'll leave speculation about why, how, for another time. Or not.
When earth's last picture is painted, and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colors are faded, and the youngest critic has died;
We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it -- lie down for an aeon or two,
'Till the Master of all Good Workmen shall put us to work anew.
-- Rudyard Kipling
Returning show on TV tonight: :yes:
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts former president Bill Clinton in the season premiere of StarTalk: (National Geographic at 11)."
Scientists have found evidence of gravitational ripples in space (http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/02/gravitational-waves-einstein-s-ripples-spacetime-spotted-first-tim), first predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago in his famous space-time theory.
Quote from: Henry Hawk on February 11, 2016, 11:31:30 AM
Scientists have found evidence of gravitational ripples in space (http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/02/gravitational-waves-einstein-s-ripples-spacetime-spotted-first-tim), first predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago in his famous space-time theory.
More proof that Einstein was an advanced alien. 8)
Quote from: Y on August 27, 2015, 05:47:23 PM
Humans are nothing but the means by which bacteria become mobile and sentient.
:icon_twisted:
Step 1 ....
Bacteria are more impressive than they look: they can survive the harsh cold and vacuum of space for more than a year, they number a tidy five million trillion trillion in number, at least, on planet Earth, and even make up around one in ten cells inside the human body.
And, it turns out, some of them can also see.
Bacterial cells can act as a form of tiny eyeball, enabling bacteria to 'see' their world.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-02/09/bacteria-can-see (http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-02/09/bacteria-can-see)
Quote from: Bo D on February 11, 2016, 12:15:08 PM
Step 1 ....
Bacteria are more impressive than they look: they can survive the harsh cold and vacuum of space for more than a year, they number a tidy five million trillion trillion in number, at least, on planet Earth, and even make up around one in ten cells inside the human body.
And, it turns out, some of them can also see.
Bacterial cells can act as a form of tiny eyeball, enabling bacteria to 'see' their world.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-02/09/bacteria-can-see (http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-02/09/bacteria-can-see)
Okay. . . now you guys are creeping me out. . . :spooked:
The Sound of Two Black Holes Colliding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyDcTbR-kEA&feature=player_embedded (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyDcTbR-kEA&feature=player_embedded)
The following is a book review from The Washington Post Science Scan on 4/12/16. It is absolutely fascinating.
Can squirrels count? That standard may not tell us much about animals' intelligence. -- by Frans de Waal
We love to compare the "intelligence" of various animals to that of humans, Frans de Waal notes: this chimp can count like a person, that parrot can talk like one. But de Waal, a professor of primate behavior in the psychology department at Emory University, thinks this anthropomorphic point of view is outdated, and he makes an entertaining, convincing case for each specie's intelligence on its own terms.
His new book puts it this way: It's unfair to ask whether a squirrel can count to 10 if squirrel life doesn't require counting. It does, however, require remembering where hundreds of nuts were hidden, and the squirrel totally aces that -- while you probably forget where you parked your car.
De Wall, author of several books on primates and one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" in 2007, is full of anecdotes about animal intelligence. Here's how killer whales hunt off the Antarctic Peninsula: A group of Orcas will spot a seal on a sizeable ice floe near land. Several of them work together -- and it's hard work, he notes -- to reposition the floe into open water. Then four or five line up side by side "and rapidly swim in perfect unison toward the floe, creating a huge wave that washes off the unlucky seal." Impressive. But the punch line's even better: A lot of the time the whales just release the seal -- and scientists have even seen them put one back on a different ice floe. Orca humor? Practical joke?
Lots of animals can recognize photographs of specific faces in their own species, de Waal reports, and crows can recognize -- and develop opinions about -- individual humans. One biologist in Seattle has captured so many crows for research that crows divebomb him when they see him outdoors. (He had his aides wear Halloween marks, but the crows learned to recognize those, too.)
And let's talk about dogs. de Waal knows some folks who own an Afghan hound and were enraged when the breed was ranked dead last in intelligence. "My insulted friends argued that the only reason Afghans were considered dimwitted is that they are independent minded, stubborn." The ranking wasn't about brains, the newspaper said, but obedience. Owners of border collies (No.1) may disagree.
The book is not only thought-provoking and full of information, it's also a lot of fun to read. It's title is Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals are? -- and the author certainly is.
-- Nancy Szokan
That sounds like an interesting read. I will have to look for it next time I am at the library. Thanks, Libby.
:yes: Reading that review made me think of my son, who died several years ago. Before he became ill, he worked at Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home, which is nearby. His joy was working with the animals.
Reading the above book review also made me think of another book, Planet of the Apes, which inspired the movie by the same name. I read the book before I saw the movie, and it changed forever the way I think about animals. It was science fiction, written from the viewpoint of a human who was captured and treated like an animal, including being caged and watched and studied.
"The Washington Post
Males may search for sex instead of food because their brains are programmed that way
By Elahe Izadi October 20, 2014
A petri dish containing C. elegans nemotodes (round worms) is prepared for examination by project scientists. 2003. Kennedy Space Center A petri fish containing C. elegans nemotodes (roundworms), from a 2003 experiment. These are the same kind of roundworms used in a recent study exploring sex-based differences in behavior (Kennedy Space Center)
There are some pretty basic building blocks to the survival of a species: that whole eating thing, and sex. Animals logically focus on both activities. But males prioritize the search for a mate over the hunt for grub, something that may be attributed to how their brains are programmed, according to new research published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.
For this study, researchers experimented on a microscopic roundworm (C. elegans) that has been used in labs for decades to understand the nervous system, with lessons applicable across the animal kingdom. They come in two genders: male and "females" (which are technically hermaphrodites since, in some cases, they can self-fertilize).
Scientists had previously discovered that the males and "females" end up making different decisions about feeding vs. finding a mate. The hermaphrodites prioritize finding food. But the males will "spontaneously leave a food source" to look for a mate in a lab setting, even "suicidally," ending up dead on a petri dish, said Douglas Portman, a University of Rochester associate professor and lead author of the new study.
Portman and others wanted to figure out just why the males did that. Could it be their genetic makeup, by virtue of being males, has programmed them to behave this way? Researchers zeroed in on the roundworm's sense of smell, and specifically, one particular gene that is related to receptors sensitive to the smell of food. The "females" produced more of these receptors, whereas the males just had less.
Researchers genetically modified a batch of males to produce more of the smelling-receptors, and compared them to normal males. "Females" were placed in the middle of a petri dish, and males were next to a food source on the edge of a petri dish, with another ring of food serving as a barrier between the two sexes. As expected, the normal males left their food source, went around the barrier and mated. But the genetically-modified males were much less successful at mating -- possibly because they were too busy eating.
Before you go thinking, "Ugh. Typical. Men," remember, it's not the male roundworms' fault! They aren't making a conscious decision to go mate instead of eat. "Part of the reason the males leave food to mate is that they don't smell it as well," Portman said.
Now what does this mean for other animals, including humans? Well, people are way more complex creatures than roundworms. "Social and cultural factors clearly have a very strong -- and maybe even dominant -- contribution to sex differences in human behavior," Portman said.
But, we still don't know a lot about how the male vs. female human brain functions. Portman said there has long been "dogma" that behavioral differences has only to do with hormones, but "the brain also has access to that genetic information, of whether the brain is male or female," which may result in "subtle tweaks" that have big impacts on behavior.
"The extent to which there are innate sex differences in human behavior is still actively debated. And it really comes to the nature-versus-nurture question..," Portman said. "But there is a growing appreciation that there are biologically-based differences in the nervous systems themselves, and we understand very little where they come from."
The findings, which bolster the idea of "neural plasticity" rather than animals being hard-wired to do something that can't be altered, could have bigger implications when it comes to disease susceptibility for different sexes, Portman said.
"The bigger picture here is we're interested in the more general problem of how the brain works, how animals make decisions and how neural circuits are modulated to change the way animals make decisions," Portman said. "Surprisingly little is understood, really at the level of how the nervous system integrates all that dynamic information to allow it to make a decision."
Why don't birds get lost? They may have mastered quantum mechanics.
Huh?
Sarah Kaplan
Friday, June 10, 2016
The Washington Post
Fascinating story.
"In the moment after their plane was hit, there was no time to think, let alone radio their position. The four Royal Air Force pilots ditched their broken bomber and dropped into the North Sea, near Britain. It was February 23, 1942 - and it should have been their last day on Earth.
Floundering in the frigid water, the pilots released their last hope: a tiny, bedraggled carrier pigeon named Winkie. She'd been inside a container the whole flight and was covered in oil from the crash. It wasn't clear that she would survive the 120-mile flight back home, or know how to get there.
But a few hours later, Winkie showed up at the home of her owner, who notified British authorities in time to launch a rescue mission. Without her, the four men might never have been found in the vast ocean.
So how did she do it?
"We think they are using quantum mechanics to navigate," said Daniel Kattnig, a researcher in the chemistry department at Oxford University. Kattnig works in a lab that studies radical pairs - a phenomenon in which atoms acquire extra electrons that are "entangled" with one another, each affecting the other's motion even though they're separated by space. It's a field of science that's difficult to understand under the best of circumstances; imagine trying to figure out it out with a bird brain.
But according to an increasingly popular theory, birds and other animals use a radical pair-based compass to "see" the Earth's magnetic field, allowing them to undertake great migrations and daring rescues without getting lost. It's still unproven, but Kattnig and his colleagues just verified a key component: In a study in the New Journal of Physics on Thursday, they report that the timing of these subatomic interactions makes them a good candidate to explain avian navigation.
"There are still many steps before we can say this for certain," Kattnig said. But this is one step along the way.
People have been trying to understand how animals know where they're going for more than 100 years. In a letter to Nature Magazine in 1873, Charles Darwin speculated that a sense of "dead reckoning" might allow everything from migratory birds to traveling tribes in Siberia to keep a course in rugged or unfamiliar terrain. Since then, scientists have proposed animal compasses based on sense of smell, memorized landmarks, the direction of the sun, polarization of light and even the positions of the stars. (It's been suggested that dung beetles plot a path back to their burrows by following the Milky Way.)
In the early 1960s, a German graduate student named Wolfgang Wiltschko set out to prove that birds navigated based on radio signals from the stars. During his experiments, he locked robins in a steel room with a Hemholtz coil - a device that produces a uniform magnetic field - and realized that the birds were reorienting themselves in response to it. He'd accidentally demonstrated that magnetism, not radio waves, was at the heart of animal navigation.
Those results sent scientists on a frenzied search for animals magneto-receptors. They discovered iron particles in the beaks of pigeons and hens, magnetite in the noses of trout, and other magnetic molecules in the ear hairs of birds.
Subsequent research found that some of those iron molecules were in immune cells rather than sensory ones, shaking up the migration-by-magnetic-molecules theory. But animal navigation scholars already had another possible mechanism: the radical pairs that Kattnig studies.
When the idea was first proposed by biophysicist Klaus Schulten, then of the Max Planck Institute, a reviewer at the journal Science wrote back to him, "A less bold scientist would have designed this piece of work for the wastepaper basket," he recalled in a history published by the University of Illinois.
"But there are lots of behavioral experiments that show this is actually a good fit," Kattnig said.
It's thought that light-sensitive proteins called cryptochromes - which have been found in the retinas of birds, butterflies, fruit flies, frogs and humans, among others - are at the center of the mystery. When light strikes the proteins, it creates radical pairs that begin to spin in synchrony; they're entangled.
The chemical reaction lasts only for a few microseconds, but Kattnig's research shows that it's long enough for the Earth's magnetic field to modulate the quality and direction of the electrons' spin. He also found that the radical pairs become more sensitive to the magnetic field as they "relax" - that is, as they transition back to equilibrium - if you take into account outside factors like ambient temperature.
This suggests to Kattnig and his colleagues that sensors in the bird's eyes survey the spin state of various radical pairs and then signal the results to the brain, allowing birds to more or less "see" the Earth's magnetic field as they fly through it.
There's still years of work to be done, Kattnig acknowledged. "We need to locate the spot where the cryptochromes are responsive to magnetism," he said. "And then we need to find the interaction partners - the cascade of signals which is then following up and giving rise to the visual impression."
"Lots of things are unknown," he concluded.
To scientists, maybe. The birds are finding their way just fine."
sarahkaplan@washpost.com
I don't know if this belongs in this section or not. I find it fascinating but also yuck, weird, gag....
Plastic bags???
The Washington Post
Speaking of Science
These pesky caterpillars seem to digest plastic bags
By Ben Guarino April 24
Holes in a plastic bag, the result of 10 worms chewing for 30 minutes. (CSIC Communications Department)
The shopping bag is an infamous source of plastic pollution. The 2010 documentary "Bag It" estimated that Americans use 102 billion plastic bags per year. Bags are persistent. Plastic at the waste dump can last for an estimated 1,000 years. And they are pernicious. A wild baby manatee named Emoji died in a Florida zoo in February after filling its guts with plastic bags and other litter. To curb our reliance on cheap plastic, Washington began levying 5-cent bag fees in 2009. Several other municipalities have followed suit.
Of course, plastic bags are useful, too. Federica Bertocchini, a biologist at Spain's Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria and a hobbyist beekeeper, used such a bag to collect pests called wax worms. The caterpillars, the larvae of the moth Galleria mellonella, had infested her hives, chowing down on honey and wax.
She plucked the wax worms from the beehives and dropped the caterpillars into a plastic bag — only to find "the worms all around and the plastic bag full of holes," as Bertocchini said in an email to The Washington Post. Bertocchini is an expert in embryonic development, not in caterpillars or things that chew through plastic. But the accidental discovery was too intriguing to pass up. The scientist contacted her colleagues at the University of Cambridge, Paolo Bombelli and Christopher Howe. "Once we saw the holes the reaction was immediate: that is it, we need to investigate this."
As the three scientists reported Monday in the journal Current Biology, the wax worms aren't simply chewing the plastic into tiny bits. Instead, it appears that the animals — or something inside them — can digest polyethylene, a common plastic, producing ethylene glycol.
"It was very exciting to find this, mainly because me and Paolo and Chris have been talking about this plastic biodegradation issue for a few years," Bertocchini said.
Their study was the most recent entry in a growing body of literature that suggests some organisms can process plastic. In 2015, scientists at Stanford University reported that mealworms, the beetle larvae used as fishing bait (and occasionally dusted with barbecue seasoning, as in eco-friendly snacks), can turn Styrofoam into carbon dioxide and droppings. In 2016, Japanese researchers discovered that microbes living close to a bottle-recycling plant could metabolize plastic.
Compared with the bacteria found near the recycling facility, "the wax worm is way faster, really faster," Bertocchini said. (When degrading plastic, though, speed is a relative term.) In the new study, it took 100 worms about 12 hours to eat their way through 92 milligrams of plastic, the mass of about three or four grains of rice.
To determine that the true source of wax worm power came from their guts, not their mandibles, Bertocchini and her colleagues reduced the caterpillars to a paste. They spread the stuff on a plastic sample. Over the span of 14 hours, the caterpillar schmear degraded 13 percent of the polyethylene mass.
Bertocchini speculated that the wax worms' predilection for honeycombs allowed the animals to process plastic. Wax itself is "a complex mixture of molecules," she said. Wax also contains a chemical bond found in polyethylene. "It may be that for this reason the worm evolved a molecular mechanism to break this bond."
The new report did not prove that the caterpillars were the responsible organisms. "At this point in time, we do not know if the caterpillars themselves are producing a digestive enzyme or might it be bacteria in their gut," Bombelli, a biochemist at Cambridge, wrote to The Post. "Or it might be a bit of both!"
(Nor did the study convince all biodegradation experts that animals can fully digest plastic. To the Atlantic, Michigan State Universitychemical engineer Ramani Narayan, who was not involved with this work, expressed concerns that wax worms could exacerbate problems by leaving tiny plastic crumbs in their wake. "Biodegradation isn't a magical solution to plastics waste management," Narayan said.)
But the authors of the new study do not envision dumping buckets of larvae over the world's landfills. Instead, they are attempting to home in on the wax worm digestive process. "If one molecule, one enzyme, is responsible for this reaction," Bombelli said, "we can aim at the isolation of the molecule."
That would be the first of several major hurdles the scientists would need to clear, to scale plastic biodegradation beyond a caterpillar curiosity. Once the researchers find the responsible enzymes and related genes, they would then need to "understand the optimal enzymatic condition," Bombelli said. Which is to say, what temperature and other conditions work best for worm-inspired digestion? What's more, an industrial scale requires a "cost-effective way of mass production." Perhaps, the biochemist said, engineered E. coli, common bacteria found in our own guts, could be coaxed into producing wax worm enzymes.
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