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!

 

[koolishman]

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.

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

5 strange discoveries from Egypt’s lost golden city

1) An unusual skeleton
Finding the remains of ancient rulers and their subjects is not unusual in Egypt but one skeleton unearthed at Aten has puzzled archaeologists. The figure was found with its arms outstretched and rope tied around its knees and the team is still investigating why and how this person died. Elsewhere on the site, an entire cemetery has been located as well as stone tombs consistent with those found in the Valley of the Kings. They have not yet been opened.

2) A high-security wall
One unusual structure unearthed at the site is a zigzag wall, the design of which is unusual in Egyptian excavations. The wall has only one entranceway, leading researchers to speculate that it was heavily guarded or at least used to control entry and exit to what lay behind it: a mix of residential and administrative buildings.


https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/5-strange-discoveries-from-egypts-lost-golden-city/

 

[koolishman]

I just realized we crossed 2500 posts in this thread!

 

[CraigD]

I just realized we crossed 2500 posts in this thread!

...and just hit page 101.

Next stop 100,000 views

 

[CraigD]

Researchers call for greater awareness of unintended consequences of CRISPR gene editing

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing can lead to unintended mutations at the targeted section of DNA in early human embryos, researchers have revealed. This highlights the need for further research into the effects of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, especially when used to edit human DNA in laboratory research.

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing is a widely used research tool which allows scientists to remove and replace sections of DNA in cells, allowing them, for example, to study the function of a given gene or to repair mutations. Last year the researchers who developed CRISPR-Cas9 were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

In the study published in the journal PNAS, scientists retrospectively analysed data from previous research in which they had studied the role of the OCT4 protein in human embryos during the first few days of development.

The team found that while the majority of CRISPR-Cas9-induced mutations were small insertions or deletions, in approximately 16% of samples there were large unintended mutations that would have been missed by conventional methods to assess DNA changes.

Read on...

https://www.miragenews.com/researchers-call-for-greater-awareness-of-542681/

 

[CraigD]

https://www.sciencealert.com/this-graph-shows-what-raindrops-would-be-like-on-other-worlds

I was thinking about this a few days ago following the alien raindrop shape article:

What would be the terminal velocity for each of these raindrops in the respective atmospheres?

 

[CraigD]

Mineral-eating intraterrestrial bacteria may give clues on extraterrestrial life

A former gold mine in South Dakota is giving scientists clues as to how colonies of bacteria living in the continental deep subsurface and feeding out of minerals spread out and form biofilms, which are microbial coatings of the rock surface.

“Our results demonstrate the strong spatial dependence of biofilm colonization on minerals in rock surfaces,” Caitlin Casar, first author of the study, said in a media statement. “We think that this spatial dependence is due to microbes getting their energy from the minerals they colonize.”

“Our findings could inform the contribution of biofilms to global nutrient cycles, and also have astrobiological implications as these findings provide insight into biomass distributions in a Mars analog system,” Casar said.

In the researcher’s view, extraterrestrial life could exist in subsurface iron and sulphur-rich environments similar to that of DeMMO’s rock formations, where the microorganisms are protected from both radiation and extreme temperatures.

Read the full article:

https://www.mining.com/mineral-eati...eria-may-give-clues-on-extraterrestrial-life/

 

[CraigD]

Carbon dots from human hair boost solar cells

Researchers have used carbon dots, created from human hair waste sourced from a barbershop, to create a kind of 'armor' to improve the performance of cutting-edge solar technology.

After adding a solution of carbon dots into the process of making the perovskites [solar cells], Professor Wang's team found the carbon dots forming a wave-like perovskite layer where the perovskite crystals are surrounded by the carbon dots.

"It creates a kind of protective layer, a kind of armour," Professor Wang said.

"It protects the perovskite material from moisture or other environmental factors, which can cause damage to the materials."

The study found that perovskite solar cells covered with the carbon dots had a higher power conversion efficiency and a greater stability than perovskite cells without the carbon dots.

Read the full article:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210408112401.htm

 

[CraigD]

New generation of tiny, agile drones introduced

Researchers developed an insect-size drone with soft actuators -- akin to muscles -- that are agile and resilient to collisions. The advance could boost aerial robots' repertoire, allowing them to operate in cramped spaces and withstand collisions.

Chen designed a more resilient tiny drone using soft actuators instead of hard, fragile ones. The soft actuators are made of thin rubber cylinders coated in carbon nanotubes. When voltage is applied to the carbon nanotubes, they produce an electrostatic force that squeezes and elongates the rubber cylinder. Repeated elongation and contraction causes the drone's wings to beat -- fast.

Chen says his mini-aerialists could navigate complex machinery to ensure safety and functionality. "Think about the inspection of a turbine engine. You'd want a drone to move around [an enclosed space] with a small camera to check for cracks on the turbine plates."

Other potential applications include artificial pollination of crops or completing search-and-rescue missions following a disaster. "All those things can be very challenging for existing large-scale robots," says Chen. Sometimes, bigger isn't better.

Read the full article:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210303093505.htm

 

[Cannuck]

Our non-conscious mind appears to be a parallel processor; our conscious mind is a serial processor

The theory also provides clues as to the benefits that natural selection harnessed from EM field interactions in conscious minds. They are of course the activities – such as planning, imagination, problem-solving or creativity – that engage consciousness. These operations compute with holistic field-encoded complex ideas rather than binary digits. Ideas, I propose, are the computation units of consciousness – its conscious ‘bits’ or ‘cbits’.

The cemi field theory predicts that conventional computers will never gain general intelligence, because it’s a skill enabled by the cemi field’s ability to compute with cbits, ideas, rather than binary digits. Conventional AI lacks this capability because computer engineers take great pains to prevent EM fields interfering with their computations. Without EM field interactions, AI will remain forever dumb and non-conscious. A new form of computing could deliver the dream of conscious, general intelligence-enabled AI.

https://aeon.co/essays/does-consciousness-come-from-the-brains-electromagnetic-field/

 

[Cannuck]

Our non-conscious mind appears to be a parallel processor; our conscious mind is a serial processor

We become our thoughts...on self-determination

 

[koolishman]

Engineers tell spiders: I shall sing you the song of your people

As part of an investigation into spiderweb construction, MIT researchers have translated the structure of webs into music. The project’s findings could have applications ranging from improved 3D printing to interspecies communication.

Spiders have been weaving strands of silk extruded from their spinneret glands into intricate webs for approximately 100 million years. These 3D webs – which have various forms combining different types of silk – are used as both their shelter and their hunting ground.

Now, scientists have reported that they have translated the structure of a spiderweb into music, with applications beyond understanding arachnid behaviour, ranging from otherworldly composition to improved 3D printers.

“The spider lives in an environment of vibrating strings,” said Professor Markus Buehler, who led the project. “They don’t see very well, so they sense their world through vibrations, which have different frequencies.” These vibrations occur when a silk strand is disturbed, such as during construction or when knocked by the wind or a prey animal.

Buehler is a materials scientist and engineer known for working at the interface of art and science; last year he attracted attention for translating the coronavirus spike protein into music. In this project, he considered how to extract rhythms and melodies from spiderwebs: “Webs could be a new source for musical inspiration that is very different from the usual human experience.”

In addition to satisfying his own curiosity about music extracted from a non-human source, the project could give Buehler and his colleagues insights into the 3D architecture and construction of spiderwebs.

The MIT researchers built a digital model of a spider web, capturing cross sections with a sheet laser and reconstructing the 3D network with micro-scale resolution. This was in itself a challenge; the microscale size of the silk fibres and the complexity of structure make it challenging to quantify the structure and properties of webs.


They then assigned different frequencies (corresponding to notes) to strands of the web, using patterns in the 3D structure to generate melodies from these frequencies. They created a harp-like instrument and played the spiderweb-inspired music in several live performances.

 

[Cannuck]

Engineers tell spiders: I shall sing you the song of your people

Science is closing the gap on traditional knowledge. The wisdom of Grandmother Spider is a common thread amongst many First Nations. As a result, Dream Catchers have become popular in mainstream culture:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_Grandmother

 

[J Sokol]

Airborne plastic pollution ‘spiralling around the globe’, study finds

Microplastic pollution is now “spiralling around the globe”, according to a study of airborne plastic particles.

The researchers said human pollution has led to a global plastic cycle, akin to natural processes such as the carbon cycle, with plastic moving through the atmosphere, oceans and land. The result is the “plastification” of the planet, said one scientist.

The analysis calls plastic pollution one of the most pressing environmental issues of the 21st century. It indicates that the billions of tonnes of plastic discarded into the oceans and land and being broken down into tiny pieces are being thrown back into the air by road traffic and winds over seas and farmland.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...ution-spiralling-around-the-globe-study-finds

 

[CraigD]

Airborne plastic pollution ‘spiralling around the globe’, study finds

Microplastic pollution is now “spiralling around the globe”, according to a study of airborne plastic particles.

The researchers said human pollution has led to a global plastic cycle, akin to natural processes such as the carbon cycle, with plastic moving through the atmosphere, oceans and land. The result is the “plastification” of the planet, said one scientist.

The analysis calls plastic pollution one of the most pressing environmental issues of the 21st century. It indicates that the billions of tonnes of plastic discarded into the oceans and land and being broken down into tiny pieces are being thrown back into the air by road traffic and winds over seas and farmland.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...ution-spiralling-around-the-globe-study-finds

"Virtually none of the airborne microplastics came directly from plastic being discarded in cities and towns, the scientists found, but were the result of road traffic and winds across oceans and farmland whipping up plastic particles already in the environment."

"Prof Natalie Mahowald, at Cornell University in the US and part of the research team, said: “What we’re seeing right now is the accumulation of mismanaged plastics just going up. Some people think it’s going to increase by tenfold [per decade]."


These microplastics are inhaled into the lungs. Could they be contributing to the higher incidence of strokes?

 

[J Sokol]

These microplastics are inhaled into the lungs. Could they be contributing to the higher incidence of strokes?

It seems they could have lots of negative health consequences -- especially any kind of respiratory disorder, including covid.

 

[CraigD]

New species of frog unearthed in Peruvian Amazon jungle

The new species belongs to the Gastrotheca genus of tailless frogs found in South and Central America.

"This new species is distinguished by having a thick granular skin on the back, a green dorsal coloration without a pattern, turquoise iris and a belly without spots, specks or dots," said SERNANP.

Read the full article:

https://phys.org/news/2021-04-species-frog-unearthed-peruvian-amazon.html

 

[CraigD]

Scientists find ancient flying 'Monkeydactyl' with oldest opposed thumb

Humans tend to think of our thumbs as a sign of sophistication. We need to make space for a newly discovered species of flying reptile that scientists say sports the oldest true opposed thumb ever found. The researchers nicknamed it "Monkeydactyl."

The pterosaur species Kunpengopterus antipollicatus lived during the Jurassic era in China. It was fairly small, with a wingspan of about 33 inches (85 centimeters). What makes it stand out from other pterosaurs is the opposed thumb seen in the fossils.

The researchers suspect the thumb was an adaptation for living in trees. An illustration of what the animals may have looked like shows the pterosaurs grasping onto a tree.

Read the full article: https://www.cnet.com/news/scientists-find-ancient-flying-monkeydactyl-with-oldest-opposed-thumb/

 

[CraigD]

This is becoming a huge source of carbon emissions that really only benefits a minority.

Bitcoin mining emissions in China will hit 130 million tonnes by 2024

The carbon emissions associated with mining bitcoin have accelerated rapidly in China, and they will soon outstrip the total annual emissions of mid-sized European countries.

Analysis by Guan Dabo at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and his colleagues suggests that the total carbon footprint of bitcoin mining in China will peak in 2024, releasing around 130 million metric tonnes of carbon.

This figure exceeds the annual carbon emissions of countries including Italy and the Czech Republic.

By 2024, bitcoin mining in China will require 297 terawatt-hours of energy and account for approximately 5.4 per cent of the carbon emissions from generating electricity in the country.

Mining bitcoin relies on computers racing to solve mathematical puzzles, with miners receiving bitcoin for being the first to process a batch of verified transactions.

The number of bitcoin awarded for this are halved every four years, and the puzzles have become more difficult and require more computing oomph to solve. The cost of powerful computer equipment and the electricity to run it has also increased.

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2273672-bitcoin-mining-emissions-in-china-will-hit-130-million-tonnes-by-2024/

 

[CraigD]

Once 'green' plug-in hybrid cars suddenly look like dinosaurs in Europe

Remember when plug-in hybrid cars were the go-to technology for the climate-conscious driver? Turns out, they’re not good for the environment, according to some experts, and they could be phased out by carmakers in the face of tougher European rules.

EU policy plans for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), which contain an electric battery and a combustion engine, could mean the “transition” technology has a shorter lifespan than envisaged by some leading automakers.

Draft green finance regulations would ban manufacturers from labelling them as “sustainable investments” beyond 2025, potentially deterring investors. Meanwhile planned rules on emissions of pollutants like nitrogen oxides could increase the cost of producing these cars.

The aim of such reforms is to speed the transit to fully-electric vehicles and meet climate goals. Yet they would mark a shift from existing EU policies, such as CO2 standards, which have treated hybrids on a par with all-electric cars and helped spur the auto industry to invest tens of billions of euros in the technology.

Read on...

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-europe-regulations-insight-idUSKBN2BZ0C2

 

[CraigD]

A robotic spacecraft just latched onto an active satellite in orbit

Northrop Grumman nailed another milestone for in-orbit satellite servicing

A robotic spacecraft from Northrop Grumman latched onto an old communications satellite in deep orbit and extended its lifespan by five more years. The Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (MEV-2) marked Northrop’s second successful docking of an object in space. The mission is part of the company’s efforts to kickstart an industry of life-extension services for dead, dying or errant satellites.

MEV-2 launched in August last year from French Guiana in South America. It spent six months raising its orbit to rendezvous with Intelsat’s 17-year-old communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit, more than 22,000 miles from Earth. That satellite was running out of fuel and was getting old; it had operated far beyond its expected lifespan while still providing broadband communications to three continents.

On March 12th, the MEV-2 craft started a month-long docking process with the Intelsat satellite. Docking was completed and confirmed successful by Northrop Grumman today at 1:34PM ET. It “was every bit as exciting and successful as the docking of MEV-1,” Joe Anderson, vice president of business development at SpaceLogistics, the Northrop subsidiary that launches MEVs, said during a press conference on Monday. Now, Intelsat’s IS-10-02 satellite can carry on beaming broadband communications to South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Read on...

https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/12/...mev-2-satellite-servicing-intelsat-mrv-docked

 

[CraigD]

Science is closing the gap on traditional knowledge. The wisdom of Grandmother Spider is a common thread amongst many First Nations. As a result, Dream Catchers have become popular in mainstream culture:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_Grandmother

The wisdom of Grandmother Spider must have been the theme for the book/film Charlotte's Web (1973) that I remember watching at the drive-in as a young child.

It was memorable because being a special occasion, I was allowed junk food, and promptly threw up on the back seat of the car!

 

[Cannuck]

The wisdom of Grandmother Spider must have been the theme for the book/film Charlotte's Web (1973) that I remember watching at the drive-in as a young child.

A great book! Don't lose that childhood wonder and inquisitiveness

A modern application to spider medicine teaching (Weaver of Destiny) goes like this:

Grandmother Spider reminds us of the wisdom of our Elders and shows us the path to bring the spark of light back into our lives after failure and she teaches us how to disentangle ourselves from the old ways and begin to spin and weave a new way of being.

Many of my sisters and brothers walking the Ascension path for these past many years are feeling very tired indeed. We have been working to disconnect and deprogram ourselves from the world system for a long time, and this has cost a great deal.

During this time of Raven, while the world is still in chaos, Grandmother Spider invites us to sit down, breathe, connect with our bodies and surroundings, and pay attention to our physical needs.

Use this time to connect with the Great Spirit and your guides, lift yourself up in whatever way you need.

Nurture yourself and spend some time organizing and planning the future. For the world we have come to start building is on the horizon. This is the time that we need to gather ourselves and make our plans. Begin making new earth connections. Because people are awake and will be needing direction.

Wayshowers – the early generations that began coming to planet earth and working in the 60s, 70s, and 80s to change people’s perceptions and bring humanity together have the ideas, experience, sacred knowledge and divine ability to begin spinning the new earth web of connections from wherever we are at this moment.

This resonates with my life story, even as a domainer on the world-wide-web.

FYI - Here's some links to Native Starlore: https://www.wwu.edu/astro101/indianstarlore.shtml

 

[CraigD]

From pencil sharpeners to a $539m lawsuit: how big tech weaponised patents

In 1842, the US patent office registered 14 designs, including a bathtub and a ‘corpse preserver’. It now handles 35,000 a year. Why did this once sedate world became a corporate arms race?

https://www.theguardian.com/artandd...ners-539m-lawsuit-big-tech-weaponised-patents

 

[Cannuck]

From pencil sharpeners to a $539m lawsuit: how big tech weaponised patents

In 1842, the US patent office registered 14 designs, including a bathtub and a ‘corpse preserver’. It now handles 35,000 a year. Why did this once sedate world became a corporate arms race?

https://www.theguardian.com/artandd...ners-539m-lawsuit-big-tech-weaponised-patents

China overtook Japan in annually registered patents with nearly 2 million patents registered per year. While many of those patents are not renewed past the 5 year mark (in order to avoid additional fees), it shows that they leading in the field of development, and not merely stealing and/or copying technology.

 

[CraigD]

Virtual Property Sells for $1.5M in Ether, Smashing NFT Record

The eye-popping 888 ETH virtual land sale is said to mark the largest NFT transaction of all time.

A piece of virtual land on blockchain marketplace and gaming platform Axie Infinity has just sold for a record-breaking sum in cryptocurrency.

At around 23:00 UTC on Monday, one of the platform’s newest community members, “Flying Falcon,” purchased the digital estate of nine adjacent Genesis blocks for 888.25 ether (ETH, +7.47%), roughly $1.5 million at the time.

The transaction marks the largest non-fungible token (NFT) transaction of all time, superseding the previous $800,000 record set by Polyient Games and their purchase of “the Citadel of the Sun” from Gala Games.

“As Genesis land plots are the rarest and best-positioned plots in Axie Infinity they were a natural fit for my thesis,” Flying Falcon told CoinDesk via email. “What we’re witnessing is a historic moment; the rise of digital nations with their own system of clearly delineated, irrevocable property rights.”

https://www.coindesk.com/axie-infinity-virtual-land-record-eth-sale