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New Zealand's earthquake most complex ever studied


GNS New Zealand
Wed, 22 Mar 2017 20:28 UTC
Interferogram Kaikoura
© GNS New Zealand
Last November's magnitude 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake was so complex and unusual that it is likely to lead to changes in the way scientists think about earthquake hazards in plate boundary zones worldwide, a new study says.

Not only was it a record-setter for its complexity, but it was also one of the best recorded large earthquakes anywhere in the world. This latter feature has enabled scientists to undertake analysis in an unprecedented level of detail.

The paper is the first of a number of studies to be published on the rich array of data collected during and immediately after the earthquake revealing its astonishingly complex nature.

Published today in the journal Science, the paper is titled 'Complex multi-fault rupture during the 2016 M7.8 Kaikoura earthquake, New Zealand'. Led by GNS Science and with 29 co-authors from 11 national and international institutes, it reports on the analysis of a range of quake data including satellite radar imagery, field observations, GPS data and coastal uplift data.

The authors say the quake has underlined the importance of re-evaluating how rupture scenarios are defined for seismic hazard models in plate boundary zones worldwide.

The study shows the quake moved parts of the South Island more than 5 metres closer to the North Island in addition to being uplifted by up to 8m.
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Question

Scientists search for proof that Tasmanian tigers are living in outback Queensland, Australia

Fiona Connor
Daily Mail
Fri, 24 Mar 2017 19:57 UTC
The last known Tasmanian tiger (pictured) died in Hobart zoo in September 1936

The last known Tasmanian tiger (pictured) died in Hobart zoo in September 1936
Scientists will search for the long-lost Tasmanian tiger in Far North Queensland after two promising sightings of what could be the extinct predator.

Experts hold high hopes of re-discovering the Thylacine, based on descriptions of sightings which they believe are 'detailed and plausible'.

Dr Sandra Abell from James Cook University - who recently discovered a second population of the near-extinct northern bettong in the same area, will lead the field survey, Australian Geographic reports.

The search was first instigated after the ABC asked co-investigator Professor Bill Laurance, also from JCU, to respond to a description of a sighting by former tourism operator Brian Hobbs of Ravenshoe.

Mr Hobbs gave Professor Laurance a detailed account of seeing a pack of animals matching the description of Tasmanian tigers while spotlighting in the Cape York Peninsula.
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Magnify

A new lung function has been discovered - they make blood


Science Alert
Fri, 24 Mar 2017 19:06 UTC
lungs
© Puwadol Jaturawutthichai/Shutterstock.com
Researchers have discovered that the lungs play a far more complex role in mammalian bodies than we thought, with new evidence revealing that they don't just facilitate respiration - they also play a key role in blood production.

In experiments involving mice, the team found that they produce more than 10 million platelets (tiny blood cells) per hour, equating to the majority of platelets in the animals' circulation. This goes against the decades-long assumption that bone marrow produces all of our blood components.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco also discovered a previously unknown pool of blood stem cells that makes this happen inside the lung tissue - cells that were incorrectly assumed to mainly reside in bone marrow.

"This finding definitely suggests a more sophisticated view of the lungs - that they're not just for respiration, but also a key partner in formation of crucial aspects of the blood," says one of the researchers, Mark R. Looney.
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Beaker

New kind of matter: Scientists create a self-propelling liquid

Lawrence Goodman
Phys Org
Fri, 24 Mar 2017 18:11 UTC
new matter
Imagine a liquid that could move on its own. No need for human effort or the pull of gravity. You could put it in a container flat on a table, not touch it in any way, and it would still flow.

Brandeis researchers report in a new article in Science that they have taken the first step in creating a self-propelling liquid. The finding holds out the promise of developing an entirely new class of fluids that can flow without human or mechanical effort. One possible real-world application: Oil might be able to move through a pipeline without needing to be pumped.

The researchers work at Brandeis' Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), part of a National Science Foundation initiative to create a revolutionary new class of materials and machines made from biological components.

The breakthrough reported in the journal Science was achieved by reproducing in the lab the incredibly complex series of processes that allow cells to change shape and adapt to their environment. Cells can do this because the building blocks of its scaffolding—hollow cylindrical tubes called microtubules—are capable of self-transformation. The microtubules grow, shrink, bend and stretch, altering the cell's underlying structure.
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Mars

Purest, most massive brown dwarf discovered by astronomers

Dr. Robert Massey
Phys.org
Fri, 24 Mar 2017 00:00 UTC
brown dwarf
© John Pinfield
An artist's impression of the new pure and massive brown dwarf.
An international team of astronomers has identified a record breaking brown dwarf (a star too small for nuclear fusion) with the 'purest' composition and the highest mass yet known. The object, known as SDSS J0104+1535, is a member of the so-called halo - the outermost reaches - of our Galaxy, made up of the most ancient stars. The scientists report the discovery in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Brown dwarfs are intermediate between planets and fully-fledged stars. Their mass is too small for full nuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium (with a consequent release of energy) to take place, but they are usually significantly more massive than planets.

Located 750 light years away in the constellation of Pisces, SDSS J0104+1535 is made of gas that is around 250 times purer than the Sun, so consists of more than 99.99% hydrogen and helium. Estimated to have formed about 10 billion years ago, measurements also suggest it has a mass equivalent to 90 times that of Jupiter, making it the most massive brown dwarf found to date.

It was previously not known if brown dwarfs could form from such primordial gas, and the discovery points the way to a larger undiscovered population of extremely pure brown dwarfs from our Galaxy's ancient past.

The research team was led by Dr ZengHua Zhang of the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands. He said: "We really didn't expect to see brown dwarfs that are this pure. Having found one though often suggests a much larger hitherto undiscovered population —I'd be very surprised if there aren't many more similar objects out there waiting to be found."

SDSS J0104+1535 has been classified as an L type ultra-subdwarf using its optical and near-infrared spectrum, measured using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT). This classification was based on a scheme very recently established by Dr Zhang.
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Galaxy

Ripples in space-time just got violent - a monster black hole has been kicked from its galactic core in a bizarre cosmic collision


Science Alert
Fri, 24 Mar 2017 15:58 UTC
tell-tale quasar and its host galaxy
© NASA, ESA, M. Chiaberge (STScI/ESA)
The tell-tale quasar and its host galaxy.
Scientists have identified a runaway supermassive black hole that appears to have been dislodged from its galactic centre by the extraordinary force of gravitational waves - ripples in space-time that were first predicted by Einstein more than a century ago.

This black hole is thought to weigh more than 1 billion Suns, and is tearing through its galaxy at speeds of roughly 7.6 million km/h (4.7 million mph). It's so far cleared an intimidating 35,000 light-years, and there's no telling where it's going to end up.

"We estimate that it took the equivalent energy of 100 million supernovae exploding simultaneously to jettison the black hole," says one of the team, Stefano Bianchi from the Roma Tre University in Italy.
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Attention

Port Canaveral: Mysterious equipment on SpaceX drone ship

Emre Kelly
Florida Today
Wed, 22 Mar 2017 06:11 UTC
Space X equip
© Florida Today
Stephen Marr had his suspicions when he photographed a mysterious piece of equipment atop SpaceX's drone ship at Port Canaveral on Monday. "I knew there was something different there," Marr, 34, said.

So he did what any lover of space and social media would do: He posted it online. Reddit users quickly propelled Marr's clear, high-resolution photo to the top of the website's SpaceX community and so began discussion that the object was likely a highly anticipated robot that would interact with Falcon 9 first stages.

whats on top
© Florida Today
Which of these does not belong!
"Optimus Prime," as some have nicknamed it, could one day secure first stages after they land on SpaceX's autonomous spaceport drone ships. Like previous upgrades, it could cut down on costs, number of required personnel and turnaround time between launches. It could also improve safety. "Optimus Prime" refers to a character from Transformers.

Ricky Lim, senior director of launch operations for SpaceX, told Florida Today the device is "in the testing phase" and is a "future capability" that SpaceX plans to introduce as soon as it passes the test regimen. "I don't think it's very far away" from being used, Lim said. "But it's new."

SpaceX did not comment when asked about its functionality and features.
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Satellite

Electric Universe: Supersonic plasma jets discovered in Earth's atmosphere


MilTech
Thu, 23 Mar 2017 10:42 UTC
Birkeland currents
© University of Calgary/ESA
Birkeland currents.
Information from ESA's magnetic field Swarm mission has led to the discovery of supersonic plasma jets high up in our atmosphere that can push temperatures up to almost 10 000°C.

Presenting these findings at this week's Swarm Science Meeting in Canada, scientists from the University of Calgary explained how they used measurements from the trio of Swarm satellites to build on what was known about vast sheets of electric current in the upper atmosphere.

The theory that there are huge electric currents, powered by solar wind and guided through the ionosphere by Earth's magnetic field, was postulated more than a century ago by Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland.

It wasn't until the 1970s, after the advent of satellites, however, that these 'Birkeland currents' were confirmed by direct measurements in space.

These currents carry up to 1 TW of electric power to the upper atmosphere - about 30 times the energy consumed in New York during a heatwave.

They are also responsible for 'aurora arcs', the familiar, slow-moving green curtains of light that can extend from horizon to horizon.

While much is known about these current systems, recent observations by Swarm have revealed that they are associated with large electrical fields.

Comment: The Electric Universe paradigm, plasma physics and much more, are explained in the book Earth Changes and the Human Cosmic Connection by Pierre Lescaudron and Laura Knight-Jadczyk.

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Cow Skull

Sting operation reveals science's insane fake news problem

Ryan F. Mandelbaum
Gizmodo
Wed, 22 Mar 2017 00:00 UTC
fake science news
© Wikimedia Commons
If someone applied to a top position at a company, you'd hope a hiring manager would at least Google the applicant to ensure they're qualified. A group of researchers sent phony resumes to 360 scientific journals for an applicant whose Polish name translated to "Dr. Fraud." And 48 journals happily appointed the fake doctor to their editorial board.

This sting operation was the first systematic analysis on editorial roles in science publishing, adding concrete evidence to a problem past stings have shed light on. There are a whole lot of "predatory" scientific journals out there, journals that take advantage of scientists' need to produce articles by publishing anything for a fee, without checking to make sure the paper is actually new research, worth publishing, and not completely inaccurate. But the problem is more than a juiced-up email scam (despite some probably-predatory journals looking essentially the same), and highlights many issues in today's scientific publishing industry. Those issues can result in important science not being published in real journals, or worse, bad, un-vetted science being published, scientists bolstering their resumes with crap, and an eroding public trust in science as an institution.

Comment: It seems that in the effort to make scientific research more open and accessible in response to the narrow and highly politicized world of 'legit' journals, we are now seeing a lack of rigor and business model for that undercuts the value of open source science journalling.

See also:

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Bulb

Scientists develop graphene 'electronic skin' that can feel

Ben Hirschler
Yahoo! News
Thu, 23 Mar 2017 17:17 UTC
Prosthetic graphene hand
© University of Glasgow/Handout via Reuters
Ravinder Dahiya of the University of Glasgow’s School of Engineering poses with the prosthetic hand developed by his team at Glasgow University, Scotland, Britain March 11, 2017.
Scientists have found a way to power an experimental kind of electronic skin using solar energy in a further step towards the development of prosthetic limbs or robots with a sense of touch.

Teams around the world are working to develop flexible versions of synthetic skin that can feel by mimicking the different kinds of sensory receptors found in human skin.

Powering such systems is a challenge, but now researchers at the University of Glasgow's School of Engineering have developed a way to use graphene, an ultra-thin form of carbon, to generate electricity via solar power.

Graphene, which is just one atom thick, is strong, highly flexible, electrically conductive and transparent, making it ideal for gathering the sun's energy to generate power, the scientists said on Thursday.

Smart prosthetic hands, in particular, can already reproduce many mechanical properties of human limbs and giving them a skin-like sense of touch would make them even more useful for amputees.
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