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Enzymes regulating genetic expression can be just as important as the genome itself, increasing evidence shows. The expanding field of epigenetics focuses on the multiple influences on DNA and surrounding molecules that determine whether genes are turned on or off during development and disease processes.
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| ©Walter Meyers |
| Mercury Sunrise |
There been a lot of media attention over the possibility of asteroids and meteors striking Earth and causing cataclysmic damage, but now some scientists are saying that the planet Mercury (sunrise image above) could also possibly smash into our planet. Huh? That sounds bad.
New Dehli - With the help of local herdsmen , a huge cluster of ancient rock drawings has been unearthed in northern China's Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region.
Over one thousand drawings from the Bronze Era were discovered about 55 kilometers west of Hailiutu county, reports CCTV International.
Most of the pictures are carved on black granite along the mountainsides and they stretch about five kilometers into a valley near the Bayinhudu mountain.
The pictures are based mainly on daily life and involve a wide variety of subjects such as goats, longhorn-deer and dogs.
Some drawings depict hunting scenes and mysterious symbols while some single pieces contain dozens of patterns.
Over one thousand drawings from the Bronze Era were discovered about 55 kilometers west of Hailiutu county, reports CCTV International.
Most of the pictures are carved on black granite along the mountainsides and they stretch about five kilometers into a valley near the Bayinhudu mountain.
The pictures are based mainly on daily life and involve a wide variety of subjects such as goats, longhorn-deer and dogs.
Some drawings depict hunting scenes and mysterious symbols while some single pieces contain dozens of patterns.
A team of astronomers looking at the universe's distant past found nine young, unusually compact galaxies, each weighing in at 200 billion times the mass of the Sun. These young galaxies are the equivalent of a human baby that is 20 inches long, yet weighs 180 pounds.
"Seeing the compact sizes of these galaxies is a puzzle," said Pieter G. van Dokkum of Yale, who led the study. "No massive galaxy at this distance has ever been observed to be so compact, and it is not yet clear how one of these would build itself up to be the size of the galaxies we see today." The findings appeared in the April 10 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
"Seeing the compact sizes of these galaxies is a puzzle," said Pieter G. van Dokkum of Yale, who led the study. "No massive galaxy at this distance has ever been observed to be so compact, and it is not yet clear how one of these would build itself up to be the size of the galaxies we see today." The findings appeared in the April 10 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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| ©NASA, ESA, A. Feild (STScI) and P. van Dokkum (Yale) |
| This illustration shows the comparative sizes of our Milky Way Galaxy and an ultracompact galaxy, which existed in the early universe. Although the compact galaxy is only a fraction of the size of our Milky Way, it contains the same number of stars. The small, dense galaxy could fit inside the central hub of our Milky Way. |
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| ©Credit: NASA, ESA, P. van Dokkum (Yale University), M. Franx (Leiden University, The Netherlands), and G. Illingworth (University of California and Lick Observatory, Santa Cruz) |
| These images taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show nine compact, ultra-dense galaxies as they appeared 11 billion years ago. The galaxies are only 5,000 light-years across and yet are 200 billion times more massive than the Sun. |
Imagine receiving an announcement touting the birth of a baby 50 centimetres long and weighing 80 kilograms. After reading this puzzling message, you would immediately think the baby's weight was a misprint.
Astronomers looking at galaxies in the Universe's distant past received a similar perplexing announcement when they found nine young, compact galaxies, each weighing in at 200 billion times the mass of the Sun. The galaxies, each only 5,000 light-years across, are a fraction of the size of today's grownup galaxies but contain approximately the same number of stars. Each galaxy could fit inside the central hub of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Quantum cryptography may be essentially solved, but getting the funky physics to work on disciplined computer networks is a whole new headache.
Cryptography is an arms race, but the finish line may be fast approaching. Up to now, each time the codemakers made a better mousetrap, codebreakers breed a better mouse. But quantum cryptography theoretically could outpace the codebreakers and win the race. Forever.
Already the current state of the art in classical encryption, 128-bit RSA, can be cracked with enough raw, brute force computing power available to organisations like the US National Security Agency. And the advent of quantum computing will make it even simpler. The gold standard for secret communication will be truly dead.
Cryptography is an arms race, but the finish line may be fast approaching. Up to now, each time the codemakers made a better mousetrap, codebreakers breed a better mouse. But quantum cryptography theoretically could outpace the codebreakers and win the race. Forever.
Already the current state of the art in classical encryption, 128-bit RSA, can be cracked with enough raw, brute force computing power available to organisations like the US National Security Agency. And the advent of quantum computing will make it even simpler. The gold standard for secret communication will be truly dead.
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| ©SECOQC |
| SECOQC bank transfer demonstration. |
Air is crucial to human life, and the absence of a breathable atmosphere is one of the main obstacles to discovering other planets. Russian scientists have reproduced a gas mixture that human beings may breathe on the way to Mars and when on the Red Planet.
Staff at the Moscow Biomedical Problems Institute have constructed an experimental capsule and reproduced within it the conditions that might be encountered during a mission to Mars.
Staff at the Moscow Biomedical Problems Institute have constructed an experimental capsule and reproduced within it the conditions that might be encountered during a mission to Mars.
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| ©Unknown |
| Experimental capsule (computer graphics) |
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| ©Alamy |
| Spiders store silk proteins in a watery solution and are able to convert them into solid fibres within a fraction of a second |
The dream of producing spider silk in industrial quantities has come a step closer to reality after scientists managed to mimic the way silk protein is spun naturally into fibres that are potentially stronger than steel.
Researchers have been trying to make artificial spider silk for decades because of its unusual and potentially lucrative properties. In addition to its extreme tensile strength, spider silk is highly elastic, and has the added advantage of being biodegradable. In the past, engineers have suggested a variety of potential uses of the silk, from bullet-proof vests and lightweight material for parachutes, to extremely strong ropes and fishing nets that will decompose quickly if lost at sea.
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| ©Unknown |
| ARP 272 is a collision between two spiral galaxies, NGC 6050 and IC 1179, and is located in the constellation of Hercules. |
This majestic image reveals the vast shockwaves, rings and long tails of stars that form when galaxies collide, dance or tear each other apart.
Ancient humans started down the path of evolving into two separate species before merging back into a single population, a genetic study suggests.
The genetic split in Africa resulted in distinct populations that lived in isolation for as much as 100,000 years, the scientists say. This could have been caused by arid conditions driving a wedge between humans in eastern and southern Africa.
Details have been published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
The genetic split in Africa resulted in distinct populations that lived in isolation for as much as 100,000 years, the scientists say. This could have been caused by arid conditions driving a wedge between humans in eastern and southern Africa.
Details have been published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
