Science & TechnologyS


Star

Leonid meteor shower could pack a punch

Curtis Roelle
carrollcountytimes.com
Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:34 UTC
November's annual Leonid meteor shower is associated with debris left behind during passages of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Although this year's shower is expected to be unremarkable, there is a chance that short-lived outbursts could occur.

The 2007 shower may be unremarkable but it is notable for several reasons. First, it is expected to peak on a weekend night, making it easier for observers who like staying up late. The nominal predicted peak should occur on the night of Nov. 17 to Nov. 18.

Second, the moon gets out of the way before things get going. According to Sky & Telescope magazine, the best viewing "starts around midnight, when Leo rises." In Westminster, the moon cooperates, setting at 12:53 Sunday morning. The magazine says you will "likely see the most meteors 2-3 hours before sunrise."
Read More...
Magic Wand

Watch it, Tom! Experts find fearless Jerries

Tan Ee Lyn
Reuters
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:00 UTC
Fear may be linked to the sense of smell, and can be switched off simply by shutting down certain receptors in the brain, Japanese scientists have found.

In an experiment with mice, the researchers identified and removed certain receptors on the olfactory bulb of their brains -- and the result was a batch of fearless rodents.

©Reuters

Comment: This experiment recreates similar characteristics to those seen in fearless rats infected with the brain parasite Toxoplasma Gondii. It's estimated that that up to 40 percent of the world's population could be infected with the parasite.

Read More...
Star

Scientists trace cosmic rays to black holes

John Johnson Jr.
Los Angeles Times
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:06 UTC
The ultra-high-energy particles appear to originate at the centers of some galaxies, researchers say

An international team of scientists said Thursday that they have tracked down the origin of the mysterious "Oh-My-God" particle -- a cosmic ray bearing energies millions of times larger than the most powerful particle accelerator can produce on Earth.

©HO/AFP/Getty Images
Astronomers have discovered the biggest black hole orbiting a star 1.8 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia, with a record-setting mass of 24 to 33 times that of our Sun

Researchers at the Pierre Auger Observatory, a complex of detectors spread over a Rhode Island-sized slice of the South American prairie, said the most likely source for these ultra-high-energy particles is a type of black hole found at the center of some galaxies.

These violent phenomena are called active galactic nuclei because they both gobble up energy from the surrounding space and spit some out with tremendous force.

"This is a fundamental discovery. We have taken a big step forward in solving the mystery of the nature and origin of the highest-energy cosmic rays," said Nobel laureate James Cronin, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago and coauthor of the paper published in the current issue of the journal Science.
Read More...
Stormtrooper

Robots that know when they've hit you


New Scientist
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:44 UTC
Isaac Asimov must be turning in his grave. In blatant contravention of the sci-fi writer's first law of robotics, Sami Haddadin's robot regularly hits him in the face.

The blows are no accident. Haddadin is part of a research team at the German Aerospace Centre Space Agency (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen aiming to transform industrial robots from insensitive drones into smart machines that can work alongside humans. He is testing the first industrial robot capable of sensing when it hits someone.

"Accidents happen," he says. "We have to accept that when people start to work more closely with robots they will sometimes hit people."
Read More...
Bulb

How the brain sends eyeballs bouncing


Cell Press
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:54 UTC
All vision, including reading this sentence, depends on a constant series of infinitesimal jumps by the eyeball that centers the retina on target objects - words or phrases in the case of reading. Such jumps, or saccades, are critical to vision because only the small central region of the retina, called the fovea, produces the clear image necessary for perception. Such saccades take place several times a second and are generated within a brain region known as the frontal eye field (FEF).

In studies with monkeys, Robert Schafer and Tirin Moore have taken an important step in understanding how circuitry of the FEF generates saccades - with the FEF's attentional circuitry governing the motor circuitry that produces saccades. The researchers published their findings in the November 8, 2007, issue of the journal Neuron, published by Cell Press.
Read More...
Telescope

Stellar Forensics With Striking New Chandra Image


Space Daily
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 01:14 UTC
A spectacular new image shows how complex a star's afterlife can be. By studying the details of this image made from a long observation by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers can better understand how some stars die and disperse elements like oxygen into the next generation of stars and planets.

©NASA/CXC/Penn State/S.Park et al.; Optical: Pal.Obs. DSS
The aftermath of the death of a massive star is shown in beautiful detail in this new composite image of G292.0+1.8. In color is the Chandra X-ray Observatory image - easily the deepest X-ray image ever obtained of this supernova remnant. Although considered a "textbook" case of a supernova remnant, the intricate structure shown here reveals a few surprises.
Read More...
Info

Paying Peanuts For Clean Water


Terra Daily
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 01:06 UTC
Peanut husks, one of the biggest food industry waste products, could be used to extract environmentally damaging copper ions from waste water, according to researchers in Turkey. Writing in the Inderscience publication the International Journal of Environment and Pollution, the team describes how this readily available waste material can be used to extract toxic copper ions from waste water. The discovery offers a useful alternative to simple disposal of this ubiquitous food industry waste product.

©Unknown
The researchers conclude that both untreated peanut husks, a cheap waste product of the food industry and pine sawdust from the timber industry could be used in waste water cleanup to reduce significantly levels of toxic copper levels.
Read More...
Display

From Molecules To The Milky Way Dealing With The Data Deluge


Space Daily
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:42 UTC
Most people have a few gigabytes of files on their PC. In the next decade, astronomers expect to be processing 10 million gigabytes of data every hour from the Square Kilometre Array telescope. And with DNA sequencing getting cheaper, scientists will be data mining possibly hundreds of thousands of personal human genome databases, each of 50 gigabytes.

©Unknow
An aim of the program is to develop completely new mathematical approaches and processes for scientists in a range of disciplines to further their research and boost Australia's position as a world science leader
Read More...
USA

San Francisco Seeks Multi-Million Dollar Voting Machine Refund

Steven Rosenfeld
AlterNet
Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:46 UTC
As City Hall hand tallies ballots, city attorneys are heading to court to seek refunds for defective products.

San Francisco has notified the manufacturer of its electronic voting systems that it will go to court to seek a multi-million dollar refund unless the company replaces hundreds of defective machines and reimburses the city for costs related to Tuesday's election.
Read More...
Telescope

Clue to cosmic rays discovered


BBC
Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:52 UTC
Black holes are the most likely source of the mysterious ultra high-energy cosmic rays that bombard the planet, scientists have discovered.

©BBC
Black hole: A source of 'cosmic bullets'?
Read More...