Science & TechnologyS


Santa Hat

Cassini sends a parting gift: Hexagonal vortex hundreds of kilometers high discovered on Saturn


RT
Tue, 04 Sep 2018 16:48 UTC
saturn vortex north pole cassini
© Reuters/NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/The spinning vortex of Saturn's north polar storm
As the first anniversary of the climax of the Cassini mission approaches, the European Space Agency (ESA) has revealed the probe's parting gift: evidence of a hundreds-of-kilometers tall, hexagonal vortex at Saturn's north pole.

NASA's Voyager mission first discovered the unusual northern polar structure in the 1980s but the Cassini mission afforded a more detailed, multi-wavelength perspective which unveiled the potential scale of this incredible structure - a high-altitude vortex with a hexagonal shape that extends hundreds of kilometers into the planet's stratosphere.

Saturn's stratosphere is where the majority of the planet's weather systems interact.

Comment: Cassini over the years:

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Microscope 2

Russian scientists now closer to developing "invisible" metamaterial


Sputnik
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 09:20 UTC
metamaterial
© National University of Science and Technology MISiS
Members of an international research team consisting of specialists from National University of Science and Technology MISIS (NUST MISIS) and the Polytechnic University of Turin have developed a model of a new metamaterial that will help boost the accuracy of optical and biomedical nano-sensors by shielding them from external radiation.

A new metamaterial for camouflaging nano-sensors is being developed under the Russian-Italian project ANASTASIA (Advanced Non-Radiating Architectures Scattering Tenuously and Sustaining Invisible Anapoles) that aims to simulate and recreate a metamaterial to make nano-objects invisible in any wave band, the MISIS press service said in a statement.

The research project's results are published in the prestigious Scientific Reports journal from Nature Publishers.

Today, scientists in various countries have gained experience in creating materials and objects that remain transparent within extremely narrow spectrum bands and which conceal objects only from certain angles. ANASTASIA project researchers are compiling the experience of creating such structures and a theory for simulating and creating the metamaterials that can conceal objects under any angle and within a broad spectrum band.

Comment: See also:

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Info

Found: The earliest hominid with a cavity

Ross Pomeroy
Real Clear Science
Tue, 04 Sep 2018 03:47 UTC
Tooth with Cavity
© Fuss J/PLoS ONE
Austria of 12.5 million years ago seems to have been a very hospitable home for Dryopithecus carinthiacus. The forested landscape treated the now extinct ape, which measured roughly four feet in length and resembled a mix between a monkey and a chimpanzee, to a veritable feast of fruits. For nine to ten months out of the year, Dryopithecus could gorge on early forms of plums, cherries, grapes, mulberries, strawberries, and various citrus fruits. But eating all of those sugar-rich fruits may have come with a downside of which modern humans are quite aware: tooth decay.

In new study published in PLoS ONE, German researchers Jochen Fuss, Gregor Uhlig, and Madelaine Böhme revealed the earliest known cavity in hominids, a group which includes modern humans, human ancestors, and many apes. A 12.5 million-year-old Dryopithecus dubbed LMK-Pal 5508 found near St. Stefan, Austria had deep lesions in its left molars that likely required several years to form (see picture at top). Moreover, signs of wear observed on the right tooth row indicated that the individual likely experienced a painful toothache, the researchers speculated.

While cavities are well known to modern humans, they are quite rare in our ape relatives. Cavities occur in just 1.38% of the permanent teeth of wild chimpanzees, the researchers reported. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 92% of American adults aged 20-64 have had a cavity.
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Cheeseburger

Russian researchers identify gene mutation behind obesity


Sputnik
Mon, 03 Sep 2018 14:04 UTC
burger measuring tape
© CC0
Researchers at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University and Tomsk National Research Medical Center have taken an important step in studying metabolic syndrome by identifying a number of polymorphisms (gene mutations) that define it, Baltic Federal University's press service said in a statement.

Metabolic syndrome is described as a collection of disorders leading to obesity and hypertension. It includes the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and can be lethal.

"Research on the molecular mechanisms behind metabolic syndrome is especially relevant today due to the growing incidence of obesity," said Larisa Litvinova, Head of Immunology and Cellular Biotechnology Laboratory at Immanuel Kant University.

Comment: While it's interesting to see science making connections between specific genes and chronic disease states, it's unfortunate that it still seems to be entrenched in the genetic determinism paradigm. Recent research on genetics shows how complicated the picture truly is, defying the assumption that 'one gene = one disease'. Given the complexity of genetics, it's highly unlikely that treating disease genetically is just around the corner, as is often promised.

See also:

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Microscope 2

Scientists discover blasting fruit with cold plasma can keep it fresh for up to 3 weeks

Emma Wynne
ABC News
Tue, 28 Aug 2018 05:09 UTC
avocado plasma
It sounds like the stuff of science fiction - a low-energy, chemical-free process that can zap fresh produce, stopping mould spores from germinating and extending its shelf life for weeks.

But that's what scientists at Murdoch University have developed, and it's causing great excitement among growers in Western Australia and around the world.

"There is nothing worse than when you go to the supermarket, buy a punnet of strawberries, and two days later they have got grey fluff all over them," plant pathologist Dr Kirsty Bayliss said.

"They go mouldy within a few days and you throw them away and it is money down the drain.

"It's the same with avocados, which is one of the products we have been working on."

Comment: A variety of methods have been concocted to keep produce fresh and free from pathogens, in particular the US uses irradiation and chlorine washes. But, as noted in the article, what is this actually doing to the produce? And what potential damage are you causing to the consumer? A simple way to avoid these problems would be to eat seasonally from local, organic farmers:

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Brain

Super-rich freeze their brains to be 'reborn' in 200 years


RT
Sat, 18 Aug 2018 14:41 UTC
Brain
© Dennis Lane / Getty Images
The ultra-wealthy are ready to spend huge amounts of cash to have their brains frozen after their death in the hope of being re-born in the future.

Deep-pocketed citizens are reportedly paying $100,000 for cryogenic preservation of their brains in liquid. The service is being provided by the Arizona-based Alcor Life Extension Foundation.

The company is led by Bristol-born scientist Dr Max More and his team of eight people. Alcor has some 1,000 paying members on the books, with some of them paying more than $250,000 for full-body preservation instead of freezing just the brain. The full-body freezing involves hanging upside down in steel cylinders.

Comment: See also: What really happens when you die?

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Health

Canadian hospital first to treat patients with virtual reality


RT
Sat, 01 Sep 2018 15:52 UTC
Virtual reality
© Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters
A Calgary hospital has become the first in Canada to treat patients with virtual reality technology. It has seen patients experience a 75-percent reduction in discomfort by escaping their surroundings during painful procedures.

Graydon Cuthbertson, a patient at Rockyview General Hospital, nearly lost his legs from compartment syndrome. Following multiple surgeries on his calf muscle, the 47-year old experienced pain ranging from discomfort to excruciating during wound-dressing changes.

Cuthbertson found that utilizing the VR technology helped him to escape his grim hospital surroundings and take in a calming virtual lakeside campground, a prehistoric landscape with dinosaurs, or a tranquil ocean to swim with dolphins.

"It's a godsend," he said. "Even with painkillers, the first time I had wound care after my surgery, the pain was excruciating. But with virtual reality, I got through the next treatment with flying colors. I was focused on what I was seeing and hearing, and not thinking at all about how painful it might be. All of the sudden, one-and-a-half hours go by and it's all over. It was awesome."
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Gem

Putting the blue in blue diamonds

Will Durham
The Epoch Times
Wed, 01 Aug 2018 15:24 UTC
blue diamond
© Reuters/Denis Balibouse/File PhotoA Christie's employee poses with the 14.62 carats Oppenheimer Blue diamond during a preview in Geneva, Switzerland May 12, 2016.
The Hope Diamond, a rare blue diamond that is one of the world's most famous jewels, has had a complicated history, passing through the hands of monarchs and bankers and heiresses and thieves before landing for all to see at a Washington museum.

The geological history of blue diamonds is even more complex, according to research published on August 1 examining these exceptionally scarce and valuable gems.

Scientists analyzed 46 blue diamonds, including one from South Africa that sold for $25 million in 2016, and determined that they can form at depths of at least 410 miles, reaching into a part of the Earth's interior called the lower mantle. Tiny mineral fragments trapped inside them provided clues about the birthplace of the diamonds.
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Mars

NASA gives Opportunity rover deadline to wake up, or be lost forever


RT
Sat, 01 Sep 2018 13:54 UTC
Mar's rover Opportunity
© NASA
A global dust storm on Mars is threatening the planet's longest-living robot, NASA's Opportunity rover. The machine has been in hibernation since June to wait out the storm and now NASA have given it a deadline to wake up.

The US space agency has given the rover a 45-day deadline before giving up on the robot, which has been exploring the Red Planet for 14 years. Skies are finally starting to clear over Mars following an epic sandstorm, and mission managers are hopeful that the rover will attempt to make contact soon.

"The sun is breaking through the haze over Perseverance Valley, and soon there will be enough sunlight present that Opportunity should be able to recharge its batteries," said John Callas, Opportunity project manager at JPL, in NASA's latest update on the rover.
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Brain

Hidden brain rhythms: Study finds your brain tries to change focus four times per second

Jessica Boddy
Gizmodo
Wed, 22 Aug 2018 14:56 UTC
brain scan
© PexelsYour brain scans your surroundings about four times per second, even while you focus on something else like reading a book.
By the time you're finished reading this sentence, your brain will have rapidly assessed your surroundings 14 times to see if you should focus on something else. At least, that's what new research suggests.

This is a departure from the way we typically think our brains hold attention-neuroscientists have suggested that neurons fire in a consistent stream when you're focusing on one thing (like reading this Gizmodo blog, for instance). The new research suggests it instead has a kind of rhythm, where neurons become less active four times per second. During those little blips, the researchers suggest your brain visually checks your surroundings for something more important to pay attention to-like maybe something exceptionally threatening (a clumsy coworker about to douse you in hot coffee) or interesting (a dog in the office).

"Your brain's checking in on the rest of environment to see if it should focus on something else," Ian Fiebelkorn, a study author and cognitive neuroscientist at Princeton University, told Gizmodo. "Not that it unfocuses, but to see if something else beats out your current focus."
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