discuss Science & Technology news & discussion

[CraigD]

Post and discuss interesting articles & videos about science and technology.

You don't need to be an expert - just interested in the wonders of modern science, technology, and the history of these fields.

Please keep it rational, and post articles from reputable sources.
Try not to editorialise headlines and keep the copy to just a paragraph with a link to the original source. When quoting excerpts from articles, I think the best method is to italicise the copy, and include a link to the source.

Have some fun with your comments and discussions... just keep the sources legitimate.

Other threads:
The Break Room has a number of other popular threads, so there is no need to post material here that is better suited to these other threads:

- Covid19-Coronavirus updates and news
- Conspiracy Thread Free For All
- The *religious* discussion thread

Please enjoy!

 

[CraigD]

Rock of ages: how asteroid dust may reveal secrets of life on Earth

A six-year mission [Hayabusa 2] will soon bring back a few grains of soil that could explain how water arrived on our planet. If all goes well, the container will parachute safely on to the Woomera test range in South Australia on 6 December, completing a mission that has involved a three-billion-mile journey across our solar system.

https://www.theguardian.com/science...roid-dust-may-reveal-secrets-of-life-on-earth

More information:
https://www.hayabusa2.jaxa.jp/en/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayabusa2

 

[CraigD]

Archaeologists uncover 1,000-year-old Viking ship burial site in Norway

Archaeologists in Norway have uncovered a unique Viking burial site, hidden deep underground, dating back over 1,000 years ago. Using only a radar, researchers identified a feast hall, cult house, farmhouse and the remnants of a ship.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/archaeologists-uncover-ancient-viking-ship-burial-site-norway/


Complete paper:

Gjellestad: a newly discovered ‘central place’ in south-east Norway

The Late Nordic Iron Age (AD 550–1050) was characterised by significant change in political, military, judicial and religious structures across Scandinavia, most clearly manifested in the appearance of high-status ‘central places’ in the landscape. Recent ground-penetrating radar surveys at Gjellestad in Norway have revealed a site comprising several large burial mounds—one of which contains a ship burial—in addition to a possible cult house and a feasting hall. This combination of features suggests that Gjellestad was part of a hitherto unknown central place...

https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour.../85418467F08E1679592BD0FC569F35C2/core-reader

 

[CraigD]

Great Barrier Reef's world-first coral IVF gets help from Whitsunday tourism industry
The Whitsundays are the first islands in the world to be a part of a scaled-up "coral IVF" program, where tourism operators work alongside scientists to increase the chances for propagation. Over the course of a week, coral spawn was collected for fertilisation in floating larvae nursery pools.The fertilised larvae were then taken and released in concentrated doses to a damaged reef off Hook island where it is hoped new life will thrive.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-14/coral-ivf-trials-great-barrier-reef-spawning/12867420

 

[koolishman]

Asteroid Apophis Has a Slim Chance of Hitting Us in 2068. Scientists Are Making Plans

Discovered in 2004, the 370-metre (1,210-foot) long rocky blob is on NASAs Sentry list – a list of asteroids we should be keeping an eye on – and although scientists have crossed off any chance of it hitting during its next close flyby in 2029, they're not so sure it won't slam into us in 2068 as it comes this way again.

While the risk of Apophis hitting Earth in 2068 is somewhere in the region of 1 in 150,000, an asteroid that size would cause a blast larger than an atomic bomb, so it's best to double check the numbers.

And a presentation at the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences virtual conference is probably not going to make you sleep better at night.

When you work that acceleration into the asteroid's model, "that basically means that the 2068 impact scenario is still in play," explains Tholen in his presentation.

"We need to track this asteroid very carefully - obviously the 2029 close approach is critical."

The April 2029 close approach is going to be very close (closer than some of our communication satellites close) and it gives scientists a very important opportunity to study Apophis in exceptionally high detail.

 

[koolishman]

Zebra stripes confuse biting flies, causing them to abort their landings

The researchers recorded three captive plains zebras and nine monochromatically colored horses in adjacent fields in the United Kingdom where European tabanids (horseflies) naturally occur. They also covered the horses with three different coats, one black, one white, and one striped (pictured) much like a zebra.


The zebra stripes did not deter flies from afar; both zebras and uncovered domestic horses experienced the same rate of circling flies. But a close analysis of the flies’ final approach to the striped animals revealed the insects failed to decelerate, and instead flew over the stripes or bumped into them, the team reports today in PLOS ONE.

Indeed, the flies landed on the zebras at an average of one-fourth of the rate they landed on the horses. Further, the scientists did not see a single tabanid probe a zebra’s skin during 5.3 hours of direct observation, whereas the flies successfully did so 239 times on the uncovered horses during 11 hours of observing them. Only five flies landed on the horses dressed in zebra coats during a 30-minute period, whereas more than 60 touched down on those in the solid black and solid white coats in the same time period. The flies attacked all the horses’ uncovered heads at the same rate.

It seems the stripes affect the insects only at very close range, the scientists say, and they suggest zebra-striped coats may be a simple way to protect domestic horses from biting flies.


https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0210831

 

[CraigD]

Building blocks of life can form long before stars

An international team of scientists have shown that glycine, the simplest amino acid and an important building block of life, can form under the harsh conditions that govern chemistry in space. The results, published in Nature Astronomy, suggest that glycine, and very likely other amino acids, form in dense interstellar clouds well before they transform into new stars and planets.

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-blocks-life-stars.html

 

[CraigD]

The Mass Extinction That Ended The Triassic May Have Happened Later Than We Thought

The Triassic-Jurassic extinction event that ended the Triassic period and brought in the Jurassic around 200 million years ago was one of the biggest mass extinctions in the history of our planet. But new research suggests this extinction event occurred later than initially thought, and sheds new light on the contributing factors.

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-triassic-extinction-seems-to-have-taken-place-later-than-we-thought

 

[CraigD]

Texas astronomers revive idea for 'Ultimately Large Telescope' on the moon

A group of astronomers from The University of Texas at Austin has found that a telescope idea shelved by NASA a decade ago can solve a problem that no other telescope can: It would be able to study the first stars in the universe. The team, led by NASA Hubble Fellow Anna Schauer, will publish their results in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-texas-astronomers-revive-idea-ultimately.html

 

[koolishman]

Why NASA wants to put a nuclear power plant on the moon


Key Points

• NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy will seek proposals from industry to build nuclear power plants on the moon and Mars to support its long-term exploration plans.
• The goal is to have a flight system, lander and reactor ready to launch by 2026.
• The facility will be fully manufactured and assembled on Earth, and tested for safety.
• The nuclear power plants will provide enough electrical power to establish an outpost on the moon or Mars.

May be Musk will find a way to establish underground colonies. He has been boring on earth these days

 

[CraigD]

May be Musk will find a way to stablish underground colonies. He has been boring on earth these days

I see what you did there...

Personally I find him a bit out there, but never boring

 

[CraigD]

Why NASA wants to put a nuclear power plant on the moon


Key Points

• NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy will seek proposals from industry to build nuclear power plants on the moon and Mars to support its long-term exploration plans.
• The goal is to have a flight system, lander and reactor ready to launch by 2026.
• The facility will be fully manufactured and assembled on Earth, and tested for safety.
• The nuclear power plants will provide enough electrical power to establish an outpost on the moon or Mars.

May be Musk will find a way to stablish underground colonies. He has been boring on earth these days

Looking forward to Lunar/Moon Fission!

 

[CraigD]

The rise of citizen science: can the public help solve our biggest problems?

In Darwin’s era, people commonly participated in botany and archaelogy. Now a raft of new projects aim to harness their curiosity again.

https://www.theguardian.com/educati...an-the-public-help-solve-our-biggest-problems

 

[Sutruk]

Planets with many neighbors may be the best places to look for life

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/planets-many-neighbors-may-be-best-places-look-life

"If you’re looking for life beyond the solar system, there’s strength in numbers.

A new study suggests that systems with multiple planets tend to have rounder orbits than those with just one, indicating a calmer family history. Only child systems and planets with more erratic paths hint at past planetary sibling clashes violent enough to knock orbits askew, or even lead to banishment. A long-lasting abundance of sibling planets might therefore have protected Earth from destructive chaos, and may be part of what made life on Earth possible, says astronomer Uffe Gråe Jørgensen of the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen."

 

[Sutruk]

SpaceX capsule, 4 astronauts dock at space station

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/spacex-capsule-4-astronauts-dock-space-station-n1247962

"Three Americans and one Japanese astronaut will remain at the orbiting lab until their replacements arrive on another Dragon in April.

SpaceX’s newly launched capsule with four astronauts arrived Monday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring.

The Dragon capsule pulled up and docked late Monday night, following a 27-hour, completely automated flight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The linkup occurred 262 miles (422 kilometers) above Idaho.

The three Americans and one Japanese astronaut will remain at the orbiting lab until their replacements arrive on another Dragon in April. And so it will go, with SpaceX — and eventually Boeing — transporting astronauts to and from the station for NASA."

 

[CraigD]

SpaceX capsule, 4 astronauts dock at space station

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/spacex-capsule-4-astronauts-dock-space-station-n1247962

"Three Americans and one Japanese astronaut will remain at the orbiting lab until their replacements arrive on another Dragon in April.

SpaceX’s newly launched capsule with four astronauts arrived Monday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring.

The Dragon capsule pulled up and docked late Monday night, following a 27-hour, completely automated flight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The linkup occurred 262 miles (422 kilometers) above Idaho.

The three Americans and one Japanese astronaut will remain at the orbiting lab until their replacements arrive on another Dragon in April. And so it will go, with SpaceX — and eventually Boeing — transporting astronauts to and from the station for NASA."

Congratulations USA!
Finally - after 10 long years - officially back in the manned space race

 

[CraigD]

Humans Will Never Colonise Mars

The suggestion that humans will soon set up bustling, long-lasting colonies on Mars is something many of us take for granted. What this lofty vision fails to appreciate, however, are the monumental ” if not intractable ” challenges awaiting colonists who want to permanently live on Mars... while there’s no doubt in my mind that humans will eventually visit Mars and even build a base or two, the notion that we’ll soon set up colonies inhabited by hundreds or thousands of people is pure nonsense, and an unmitigated denial of the tremendous challenges posed by such a prospect.

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/11/humans-will-never-colonize-mars/

This is an opinion piece, with some interesting ideas by scientists and futurists.

What do you think?

 

[CraigD]

Former piece of Pacific Ocean floor imaged deep beneath China

In a study that gives new meaning to the term "rock bottom," seismic researchers have discovered the underside of a rocky slab of Earth's surface layer, or lithosphere, that has been pulled more than 400 miles beneath northeastern China by the process of tectonic subduction.

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-piece-pacific-ocean-floor-imaged.html

 

[CraigD]

Zebra stripes confuse biting flies, causing them to abort their landings

The researchers recorded three captive plains zebras and nine monochromatically colored horses in adjacent fields in the United Kingdom where European tabanids (horseflies) naturally occur. They also covered the horses with three different coats, one black, one white, and one striped (pictured) much like a zebra.


The zebra stripes did not deter flies from afar; both zebras and uncovered domestic horses experienced the same rate of circling flies. But a close analysis of the flies’ final approach to the striped animals revealed the insects failed to decelerate, and instead flew over the stripes or bumped into them, the team reports today in PLOS ONE.

Indeed, the flies landed on the zebras at an average of one-fourth of the rate they landed on the horses. Further, the scientists did not see a single tabanid probe a zebra’s skin during 5.3 hours of direct observation, whereas the flies successfully did so 239 times on the uncovered horses during 11 hours of observing them. Only five flies landed on the horses dressed in zebra coats during a 30-minute period, whereas more than 60 touched down on those in the solid black and solid white coats in the same time period. The flies attacked all the horses’ uncovered heads at the same rate.

It seems the stripes affect the insects only at very close range, the scientists say, and they suggest zebra-striped coats may be a simple way to protect domestic horses from biting flies.


https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0210831

But a close analysis of the flies’ final approach to the striped animals revealed the insects failed to decelerate, and instead flew over the stripes or bumped into them...

I wonder if this 'visual confusion' dazzles drivers in a similar way when they approach zebra crossings?

 

[koolishman]

FUTURISTIC CLIMATE SOLUTION COULD SPELL DISASTER FOR EARTH'S OWN DEFENSES

Solar geoengineering is hotly debated among climate scientists. Instead of focusing on changes we can make on Earth to mitigate climate change, solar geoengineering takes the fight directly to the source: the Sun.

Here's how such an approach would go down: Scientists would inject tiny, reflective particles, like sulfur dioxide, into the Earth's atmosphere to act as a shield against incoming sunlight. Similar to how a windshield screen keeps the inside of your car from heating up on a summer day, this aerosol shield would (in theory) limit the Earth's warming and balance rising levels of CO2.

IN FACT, SOLAR GEOENGINEERING COULD CAUSE CERTAIN KINDS OF CLOUDS TO ESSENTIALLY DISAPPEAR FROM THE SKY ENTIRELY, the study suggests.

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/11/10/2003730117

 

[koolishman]

But a close analysis of the flies’ final approach to the striped animals revealed the insects failed to decelerate, and instead flew over the stripes or bumped into them...

I wonder if this 'visual confusion' dazzles drivers in a similar way when they approach zebra crossings?

Explains the accidents at Zebra crossings.

Also, humans should wear Zebra stripe clothings and study the mozzies.

 

[CraigD]

FUTURISTIC CLIMATE SOLUTION COULD SPELL DISASTER FOR EARTH'S OWN DEFENSES

Solar geoengineering is hotly debated among climate scientists. Instead of focusing on changes we can make on Earth to mitigate climate change, solar geoengineering takes the fight directly to the source: the Sun.

Here's how such an approach would go down: Scientists would inject tiny, reflective particles, like sulfur dioxide, into the Earth's atmosphere to act as a shield against incoming sunlight. Similar to how a windshield screen keeps the inside of your car from heating up on a summer day, this aerosol shield would (in theory) limit the Earth's warming and balance rising levels of CO2.

IN FACT, SOLAR GEOENGINEERING COULD CAUSE CERTAIN KINDS OF CLOUDS TO ESSENTIALLY DISAPPEAR FROM THE SKY ENTIRELY, the study suggests.

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/11/10/2003730117

Oh dear.... NO.

Please don't bugger around with our atmosphere any more.

Time and time again scientists introduce a 'fix' that has worse consequences further down the track.

One particular example comes to mind... Cane Toads were introduced in Australia to kill cane-beetles, but they turned out to be failures at controlling beetles, but remarkably successful at reproducing and spreading themselves.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-39348313
https://pestsmart.org.au/toolkit-resource/how-did-the-cane-toad-arrive-in-australia/
https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/sciencebitesvolume2/chapter/chapter-2/

 

[CraigD]

Explains the accidents at Zebra crossings.

Also, humans should wear Zebra stripe clothings and study the mozzies.

Why did the zebra cross the road?

 

[koolishman]

Oh dear.... NO.

Please don't bugger around with our atmosphere any more.

Time and time again scientists introduce a 'fix' that has worse consequences further down the track.

One particular example comes to mind... Cane Toads were introduced in Australia to kill cane-beetles, but they turned out to be failures at controlling beetles, but remarkably successful at reproducing and spreading themselves.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-39348313
https://pestsmart.org.au/toolkit-resource/how-did-the-cane-toad-arrive-in-australia/
https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/sciencebitesvolume2/chapter/chapter-2/

I watched a programme on NatGeo on cane toads a month back. Horrible. It is reaching cities too, right?

 

[CraigD]

I watched a programme on NatGeo on cane toads a month back. Horrible. It is reaching cities too, right?

Yes.

The odd one started showing up in Sydney a few years ago.

They were introduced in northern Queensland in 1935.

This animated map of their spread stops in 1980... it's much worse now.

Here are some maps showing current spread and projected spread.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...he-cane-toad-for-various-model_fig3_227604776

Worse than rabbits!

It was estimated that cane toads migrate at an average of 40 kilometres (25 miles) per year as of 1994, but new research in 2014 indicated that the migration rate had increased to 60 km (37 miles) per year on the western front
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toads_in_Australia

 

[koolishman]

Yes.

The odd one started showing up in Sydney a few years ago.

They were introduced in northern Queensland in 1935.

This animated map of their spread stops in 1980... it's much worse now.

Here are some maps showing current spread and projected spread.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...he-cane-toad-for-various-model_fig3_227604776

Worse than rabbits!

It was estimated that cane toads migrate at an average of 40 kilometres (25 miles) per year as of 1994,[9] but new research in 2014 indicated that the migration rate had increased to 60 km (37 miles) per year on the western front
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toads_in_Australia

What is a realistic solution to control this?