Cool Science

[Bo D]

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

I knew that! 

And playing 'Medal of Honor' releases pent up anger at the same time! 

[Locutus]

I would think it would be easy to model a circuit board after some human brains - especially some of the brains on here ....

 

[Bo D]

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



Tiny shrimp, giant sperm.

See?!!!! We guys have been telling you all along that size doesn't matter! 

[Bo D]

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

Cripes! When I was there getting my computer science degree, they were still using an Eniac.

[Bo D]

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

[Locutus]

Wow!  That's very cool.

[Palehorse]

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

What scares the hell out of me is, what the hell are we going to do when Godzilla arrives? 

[libby]

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)

[libby]

(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

[Locutus]

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.

[Locutus]

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. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/the-fermi-paradox_b_5489415.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000043

[libby]

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. 

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.

[Bo D]

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. 

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.

[Locutus]

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!

[Locutus]

Any thoughts on the METI (Messaging to Extraterrestrial Intelligence -- the reverse of SETI) as discussed in the article? 

The ones cited in the article, including Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, think that's a very bad idea.