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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!
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Anti Solar Panels May Generate Power at Night Soon

Have anyone told you that a solar panel can be operational at the night? This might sound like an unrealistic tech. However, it is possible and in the future, we can see solar panels working at night also. The University of California (UC), Davis scientists are inventing a prototype for an ‘anti-solar panels’ that would work opposite to a classic solar panel. The new studies suggest that it is possible that such panels could work round the clock.


These anti-solar panels can produce a quarter of the energy they generate throughout the day under ideal conditions. The scientist reveals the requirement to combine thermoradiative panels that could produce energy on account of radiative cooling. In radiative cooling due to thermal radiation, a body dissipates out its heat. The thermoradiative cells are used for the experiment for manufacturing. After that, they transfigure the heat into electricity.


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ACS Photonics publication has published a research paper. In this paper, the scientists have revealed how they developed the anti-solar cells. Which perform their function of radiative cooling. Some engineers from UC states were puzzled concerning what would be the result if they installed one of the solar panels in a warm area, and pointed it towards the sky. It tends to concentrate on visible light to give rise to efficacious cells that could use the night sky and space as a heat sink. Jeremy Munday, an electrical and computer engineer from UC states mention that physics was identical in both the tech, only the materials are varying.
 
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Ancient Cave Artists May Have Knowingly Deprived Themselves of Oxygen to Paint

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Some of the oldest human art in Europe is entirely hidden from sight, tucked away in the narrow crawl spaces of deep, dark, and winding caves.

To even see the walls, let alone decorate them, stone age artists would have needed to crawl around with several torches, and archaeologists now suspect all that smoke induced an altered state of consciousness.

Hallucinatory plants have been connected to the otherworldly nature of cave art before, but this new hypothesis suggests ancient humans were consciously chasing a similar transformative experience in the depths of the underworld, long before they began using other psychoactive substances.

The further from fresh air they crawled, experts propose, the bigger the mental trip, and the more artistic they became.

Read on...

https://www.sciencealert.com/ancien...wingly-deprived-themselves-of-oxygen-to-paint
 
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Ingenuity helicopter poised for first-ever flight on Mars

Like a plucky character in a children’s’ book, NASA’s intrepid four-pound helicopter has survived a long, perilous journey to reach the rocky bottom of Mars’ Jezero Crater. There it will attempt what has never been tried before: flying on another planet.

The four-foot robot has already gotten through the rivet-wrecking vibrations of a rocket launch and overnight temperatures on Mars as low as minus 90 degrees Celsius (-130 degrees Fahrenheit). It detached itself from the Perseverance rover, straightened out its legs and raised its solar panel to the sun for the energy it needed to not only keep warm but also lift off from the surface.

The little helicopter with the oversized blades is poised to take flight no earlier than Sunday, April 11.

Read on...

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/4/9/ingenuity-helicopter-poised-for-first-ever-flight-on-mars


 
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China's J-20 stealth fighter jet flies without Luneburg lens, shows combat readiness

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The J-20, the most advanced, stealth-capable fighter jet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, has entered the next level of combat readiness, analysts said on Monday, after the aircraft was spotted flying without a Luneburg lens, a small device used to intentionally expose a stealth aircraft to others in situations like training or non-combat flights.

Read on...

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1220258.shtml



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Wikipedia: Chengdu J-20
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengdu_J-20
 
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Ancient Cave Artists May Have Knowingly Deprived Themselves of Oxygen to Paint

rtam_a_1903177_f0001_oc.jpg



Some of the oldest human art in Europe is entirely hidden from sight, tucked away in the narrow crawl spaces of deep, dark, and winding caves.

To even see the walls, let alone decorate them, stone age artists would have needed to crawl around with several torches, and archaeologists now suspect all that smoke induced an altered state of consciousness.

Hallucinatory plants have been connected to the otherworldly nature of cave art before, but this new hypothesis suggests ancient humans were consciously chasing a similar transformative experience in the depths of the underworld, long before they began using other psychoactive substances.

The further from fresh air they crawled, experts propose, the bigger the mental trip, and the more artistic they became.

Read on...

https://www.sciencealert.com/ancien...wingly-deprived-themselves-of-oxygen-to-paint


Knowingly?

How could they know they were depriving oxygen to brain? They felt good inside the cave. Similar to how south American tribes felt when climbing the mountains and low oxygen made them think they are close to God.
 
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Knowingly?

How could they know they were depriving oxygen to brain? They felt good inside the cave. Similar to how south American tribes felt when climbing the mountains and low oxygen made them think they are close to God.

... and they were aware they were creating high art. ;)
 
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Beast of five teeth: Chilean scientists unearth skunk that walked among dinosaurs

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A fossil of a skunk-like mammal that lived during the age of dinosaurs has been discovered in Chilean Patagonia, adding further proof to recent evidence that mammals roamed that part of South America a lot earlier than previously thought.

A part of the creature's fossilized jawbone with five teeth attached were discovered close to the famous Torres del Paine national park.


Christened Orretherium tzen, meaning 'Beast of Five Teeth' in an amalgam of Greek and a local indigenous language, the animal is thought to have lived between 72 and 74 million years ago during the Upper Cretaceous period, at the end of the Mesozoic era, and been a herbivore.
 
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I learnt today that gray foxes can properly climb trees.

 
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Honey bees rally to their queen via ‘game of telephone’

Scientists have long known individual bees scented, but just how these individual signals work together to gather tens of thousands of bees around a queen, such as when the colony leaves the hive to swarm, has remained a mystery.


In the new study, Dieu My Nguyen, a computer scientist at the University of Colorado (CU), Boulder, and colleagues focused on a colony of western honey bees (Apis mellifera L.), the most common honey bee species in the world. The researchers set up a flat, pizza box–size arena with a transparent ceiling, in which the bees could walk around, but not fly. They tucked the queen bee into a cage on one side and released the worker honey bees on the other. The scientists then recorded the insects’ movements from above with a camera; artificial intelligence software tracked bees that were releasing Nasanov pheromones.


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Once the first worker honey bees located the queen, they began to assemble chains of evenly spaced bees that extended outward from the queen, with each bee wafting Nasanov to its neighbor down the line. The findings, reported this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are the first direct observations of this collective communication in honey bees. Like smelly bread crumbs, the branching communication lines guided far-off honey bees back to the queen’s location—a feat no single bee could achieve alone.

“A really great analogy is the game of telephone,” says Orit Peleg, a computer scientist at CU and a senior author on the study. “You whisper a word in your neighbor’s ear, and they pass it to their neighbor, and so on.”


 
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"The opposed-piston engine has been around for over 100 years and is more efficient in almost every way.

Lemke cited one example.

“We know of one retail outlet that has 7,200 trucks. Their fuel bill last year just for those trucks was $350 million. We can save them $70 million to $100 million a year just by converting to this engine.”

https://www.autoweek.com/news/technology/a36068845/opposed-piston-engines/
 
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A Genius New Simulation Has Revealed More on How Whiskers Actually Work.

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Whiskers on cats and other mammals aren't covered with sensors. Instead, the sensing is done at the base of the whisker, hidden inside a small follicle, and scientists just discovered a lot more about how this biological transmission works.

Getting into the follicle to take a look at the base of whiskers would interfere with the whole setup, so a new study explores a first-of-its-kind mechanical simulation of how whisker sensing works.


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Combined with some anatomical observations of rats, the simulation shows that the base of the whisker gets converted into an 'S' shape as it's touched – and this 'S' shape then pushes and pulls certain sensor cells to tell the brain what's happening.

 
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More than 5,000 tons of extraterrestrial dust fall to Earth each year

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E
very year, our planet encounters dust from comets and asteroids. These interplanetary dust particles pass through our atmosphere and give rise to shooting stars. Some of them reach the ground in the form of micrometeorites.


An international program conducted for nearly 20 years by scientists from the CNRS, the Université Paris-Saclay and the National museum of natural history with the support of the French polar institute, has determined that 5,200 tons per year of these micrometeorites reach the ground. The study will be available in the journal Earth & Planetary Science Letters from April 15.
 
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A record-breaking, oxygen-starved galaxy may be full of gigantic stars’ shrapnel

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/galaxy-oxygen-star-shrapnel-black-holes

"The most oxygen-poor star-forming galaxy ever found hints that the first galaxies to arise after the universe’s birth glittered with supermassive stars that left behind big black holes.

Such galaxies are rare now because almost as soon as a galaxy initiates star formation, massive stars produce huge amounts of oxygen, which is the most abundant element in the cosmos after hydrogen and helium. Astronomers prize the few such galaxies found close to home because they offer a glimpse of what conditions were like in the very early universe, before stars had made much oxygen (SN: 8/7/19)."
 
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Interleukin-33 involved in immunity to SARS-CoV-2

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-04-interleukin-involved-immunity-sars-cov-.html

"The study points to the involvement of Interleukin 33, an important danger signal, when immune cells encounter SARS-CoV-2 for a second time.

An infection with SARS-CoV-2 triggers a complex immune response necessary for the development of immunity to the virus. In simple terms, two linked branches of our immune system need to remember the virus to prevent reinfection, namely antibody-producing B cells and memory T cells.

Effective immunity to a virus is reached when sufficient antibodies and memory T cells are present in the blood of a person who has recovered from the disease or has been vaccinated.

To test how this happens after COVID-19, the team exposed blood cells from participants who had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 to a portion of the virus. They observed that memory T cells had developed and quickly responded to viral proteins. "We measured a broad panel of molecules that our immune cells use to communicate with each other. It was most fascinating to us that of all these measurements, the amount of Interleukin 33 was the closest match to the amount of antibodies people had, and to the activation of their memory T cells,"
 
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Heatherwick's Rolling Bridge

The Rolling Bridge was designed by the award-winning Heatherwick Studio, working with structural engineers SKM Anthony Hunts. Installed in August 2004, the Rolling Bridge spans an inlet of the Grand Union Canal, towards the head of Paddington Basin.


The Rolling Bridge at first appears inconspicuous; a simple steel and timber footbridge. To allow access for a boat to be moored in its inlet however, it slowly curls up until its two ends meet, forming an octagonal sculpture that stands on one side of the canal towpath.

The twelve metre bridge is made from eight triangular segments, which fold towards each other. The master unit hidden underground powers hydraulic rams within the bridge parapets, which fold the handrail. This is what enables the bridge to curl.



 
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Turtles complete seemingly impossible journey thanks to a hidden 'corridor' through the Pacific

North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) hatch on the shores of Japan and spend much of their time in the open Pacific, but sometimes mysteriously crop up in Mexico, 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) away from their original nesting ground.

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That incredible journey requires them to pass through potentially deadly, cold waters that should be inhospitable to them, since loggerheads rely on warmth from the surrounding environment to maintain their core body temperatures. Now, scientists have a clue as to how the turtles survive this epic migration.

"This mystery had been around for decades, and nobody had a clue how to explain it," said senior author Larry Crowder, a professor of marine ecology and conservation at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.

But according to the new study, published April 8 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, loggerheads may have a fleeting opportunity to reach the Mexican coast during El Niño, a climate cycle that shifts warm water in the western tropical Pacific Ocean eastward along the equator.


"A warm 'door' needs to open for these turtles to get to Mexico," Crowder told Live Science. The study authors refer to this temporary door as a "thermal corridor" — essentially a passageway of warm water. "During El Niño, the turtles get a shot at going across."
 
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Gorillas beat their chest to prove who is the bigger foe

It is thought that mountain gorillas rapidly beat their chests as a way to communicate, but scientists now believe these drumming sounds may also reveal how big they are.


Researchers in Germany found that audio frequencies of the chest beats made by larger males were “significantly lower” than those made by smaller males, thus revealing clues about their body size.

Chest beating may help gorillas to assess the fighting ability of rivals or even to intimidate their foes (though King Kong’s chest beats wouldn’t help him to defeat Godzilla, according to our expert). Female gorillas, on the other hand, are likely to use the information to find potential mates.

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As part of a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, a research team observed and recorded 25 wild adult male silverback gorillas at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

The researchers calculated the body size of each gorilla by measuring the distance between shoulder blades.

Audio recordings enabled the authors to measure the duration, number and audio frequencies of 36 chest beats made by six male gorillas. They found that the chest beats of larger males had lower peak frequencies than smaller ones.
 
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These Rocks Made a 1,000-Mile Trek. Did Dinosaurs Carry Them?

Researchers suggest a collection of prehistoric stones found in Wyoming journeyed from Wisconsin in the bellies of very large beasts.

In the summer of 2017, Joshua Malone, then an undergraduate at Augustana College in Illinois, visited a field research camp in Wyoming and picked up some rocks. Rounded at the edges and the size of small fists, they were out of place amid the fine-grained mudrock that had surrounded them, and Mr. Malone asked his father, David Malone, a geologist at Illinois State University who led the dig at the site, if he knew where the rocks had come from.

Four years later, the two have developed a surprising answer.


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In a study published earlier this year in the journal Terra Nova, the Malones with colleagues say the stones came from a rock formation in southern Wisconsin about 1,000 miles to the east of where they were found. What’s even more surprising is their hypothesis for how the rocks made that journey: The researchers say they were carried in the guts of long-neck dinosaurs.

These animals, known as sauropods, reached lengths of over 100 feet and weights of 40 tons, and regularly swallowed stones known as gastroliths, perhaps to help them digest plants, just as some birds and reptiles do today. The hypothesis would explain how the rocks acquired their smooth and rounded textures. But questions remain about whether they really made the whole journey in the bellies of these great beasts.
 
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3,000-year-old ‘lost golden city’ of ancient Egypt discovered

Experts say Aten is the largest such city ever found and one of the most important finds since unearthing Tutankhamun’s tomb.

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Archaeologists have hailed the discovery of what is believed to be the largest ancient city found in Egypt, buried under sand for millennia, which experts said was one of the most important finds since the unearthing of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

The famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass announced the discovery of the “lost golden city”, saying the site was uncovered near Luxor, home of the Valley of the Kings.

“The Egyptian mission under Dr Zahi Hawass found the city that was lost under the sands,” the archeology team said. “The city is 3,000 years old, dates to the reign of Amenhotep III, and continued to be used by Tutankhamun and Ay.”

It called the find the largest ancient city, known as Aten, ever uncovered in Egypt.

Read on...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/09/lost-golden-city-ancient-egypt-aten-discovered
 
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Orion Spacecraft to Test New Entry Technique on Artemis I Mission

When NASA’s Orion spacecraft is nearing its return to Earth after its Artemis I mission to the Moon, it will attempt the first skip entry for a human spacecraft – a maneuver designed to pinpoint its landing spot in the Pacific Ocean.

During this skip entry, Orion will dip into the upper part of Earth’s atmosphere and use that atmosphere, along with the lift of the capsule, to skip back out of the atmosphere, then reenter for final descent under parachutes and splashdown. It’s a little like skipping a rock across the water in a river or lake.

“The skip entry will help Orion land closer to the coast of the United States, where recovery crews will be waiting to bring the spacecraft back to land,” said Chris Madsen, Orion guidance, navigation and control subsystem manager. “When we fly crew in Orion beginning with Artemis II, landing accuracy will really help make sure we can retrieve the crew quickly and reduces the number of resources we will need to have stationed in the Pacific Ocean to assist in recovery.”

During Apollo, the spacecraft entered the Earth’s atmosphere directly and could then travel up to 1,725 miles (1,500 nautical miles) beyond that location before splashing down. This limited range required U.S. Navy ships to be stationed in multiple, remote ocean locations. By using a skip entry, Orion can fly up to 5,524 miles (4,800 nautical miles) beyond the point of entry, allowing the spacecraft to touch down with more precision. The skip entry ultimately enables the spacecraft to accurately and consistently land at the same landing site regardless of when and where it comes back from the Moon.

“We extend the range by skipping back up out of the atmosphere where there is little to no drag on the capsule. With little or no drag, we extend the range we fly,” said Madsen. “We use our capsule lift to target how high we skip, and thus how far we skip.”


This graph shows the extent to which the Orion spacecraft's range can be extended with a skip entry, compared to the range the Apollo spacecraft was able to fly with a direct entry.

Although the concept of the skip entry has been around since the Apollo era, it wasn’t used because Apollo lacked the necessary navigational technology, computing power, and accuracy.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/orion-spacecraft-to-test-new-entry-technique-on-artemis-i-mission
 
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How Covid Vaccine Tech Could Fight Cancer Soon

The mRNA technology at the heart of two Covid-19 shots has been decades in the making. Now it may soon be used to fight cancer and HIV.

 
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In a comprehensive new test, the EmDrive fails to generate any thrust

The EmDrive is a hypothetical rocket that proponents claim can generate thrust with no exhaust. This would violate all known physics. In 2016, a team at NASA's Eagleworks lab claimed to measure thrust from an EmDrive device, the news of which caused quite a stir.

The latest attempt to replicate the shocking results has resulted in a simple answer: The Eagleworks measurement was from heating of the engine mount, not any new physics.

https://phys.org/news/2021-04-comprehensive-emdrive.html
 
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St Vincent volcano: Ash rains down on Caribbean island

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The Caribbean island of St Vincent has been blanketed in a layer of ash, bringing major disruption after a volcano erupted on Friday.


White-coloured dust has covered buildings and roads around the island, including in its capital Kingstown.

The La Soufrière volcano was still rumbling and emitting ash thousands of metres into the air on Saturday. The prime minister has called for calm.

The volcano was dormant for decades but started to become active in December.

Thousands of people have been forced out of their homes and the water supply to most of the island has been cut off.

About 3,000 people spent Friday night in emergency shelters, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said, and some 16,000 were evacuated from ash-covered or vulnerable areas.

Mr Gonsalves said it was unclear how much more ash the volcano would release. Some scientists have warned that eruptions could continue for days or even weeks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56703409
 
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Elon Musk's Neuralink has a monkey play Pong with its mind


The goal for Neuralink, and many researchers in the field, is to develop a completely wireless version, which would allow sufferers of paralysis far greater freedom and quality of life. A consortium of scientists working on this problem, known as BrainGate, earlier this week revealed it had developed the first wireless system to transmit neural signals at a similar bandwidth to wired systems. It uses arrays of 200 electrodes to gather the full spectrum of signals from the brain's motor cortex and pass them along to a connected wireless transmitter on the user's head.

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I'd be very interested to learn if left to their own devices so to speak, these monkeys become addicted to the games.
 
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