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]

Soap bubble freezes into an iridescent snow globe in cool new video
A photographer captured mesmerizing footage of a soap bubble freezing over and transforming into a delicate snow globe after temperatures plunged in Winnipeg, Canada.


The stunning footage was captured by Heather Hinam, a Canadian naturalist, artist, photographer and educator. She shared the video on Twitter, noting that "Cold, clear days with very little wind are great for freezing bubbles."

"This morning's -28 C [minus 18.4 degrees Fahrenheit] had me out in the backyard with the good camera, the bubble solution and the tripod," Hinam wrote. "Here's a frozen moment of zen for your afternoon."

This video was really amazing!

Someone needs to look into utilising this for rapid building of ice-structures in sub-zero temperatures.

 

[CraigD]

SpaceX's Starship prototype again explodes on landing attempt after successful launch

The latest prototype of SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket launched successfully on Tuesday but exploded on impact during an attempted landing. Starship prototype Serial Number 9, or SN9, aimed to fly as high as 10 kilometers, or about 32,800 feet altitude. While the rocket flew successfully, it hit the ground explosively on its return, just as the SN8 flight did in December.



SpaceX’s Starship test flight ends in fiery crash, again

A prototype of a SpaceX rocket the company hopes will one day journey to the moon and Mars has exploded in a roaring ball of flames as it tried to land upright after a test flight in Texas.

It was the second such accident after the last prototype of the Starship met a similar fate in December.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/3/spacexs-second-starship-test-flight-ends-in-fiery-crash

 

[koolishman]

COVID-19 lockdowns temporarily raised global temperatures

The lockdowns and reduced societal activity related to the COVID-19 pandemic affected emissions of pollutants in ways that slightly warmed the planet for several months last year, according to new research led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

The counterintuitive finding highlights the influence of airborne particles, or aerosols, that block incoming sunlight. When emissions of aerosols dropped last spring, more of the Sun's warmth reached the planet, especially in heavily industrialized nations, such as the United States and Russia, that normally pump high amounts of aerosols into the atmosphere.

"There was a big decline in emissions from the most polluting industries, and that had immediate, short-term effects on temperatures," said NCAR scientist Andrew Gettelman, the study's lead author. "Pollution cools the planet, so it makes sense that pollution reductions would warm the planet."

 

[koolishman]

Apollo 15 landing site is strikingly clear in image captured from Earth
Scientists captured this striking image of the Apollo 15 landing site by shooting a powerful radar signal from Earth into space and bouncing it off the lunar surface.

The thin, meandering channel running through the middle of the image is the Hadley Rille, a scar left on the moon after past volcanic activity, likely a collapsing lava tube, according to a statement from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The circular dent pictured near the rille is Hadley C, a crater about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) in diameter.

https://www.iflscience.com/space/th...ge-of-the-moons-surface-was-taken-from-earth/

 

[koolishman]

Beautiful image of a spiral galaxy captured by Hubble.

 

[koolishman]

Scientists have taught spinach to send emails and it could warn us about climate change

It may sound like something out of a futuristic science fiction film, but scientists have managed to engineer spinach plants which are capable of sending emails.


Through nanotechnology, engineers at MIT in the US have transformed spinach into sensors capable of detecting explosive materials. These plants are then able to wirelessly relay this information back to the scientists.

When the spinach roots detect the presence of nitroaromatics in groundwater, a compound often found in explosives like landmines, the carbon nanotubes within the plant leaves emit a signal. This signal is then read by an infrared camera, sending an email alert to the scientists.

This experiment is part of a wider field of research which involves engineering electronic components and systems into plants. The technology is known as “plant nanobionics”, and is effectively the process of giving plants new abilities.

“Plants are very good analytical chemists,” explains Professor Michael Strano who led the research. “They have an extensive root network in the soil, are constantly sampling groundwater, and have a way to self-power the transport of that water up into the leaves.”

 

[koolishman]

NASA will pay $500,000 to whoever can figure out how to grow fresh food in space


UPI reports that NASA and the Canadian Space Agency have teamed up for the Deep Space Food Challenge, during which participants can win prize money for their ideas surrounding fresh food transport, production, and distribution in space. You can find all of the details on the Deep Space Food Challenge website, including the challenge timeline. (Hint: Phase I registration closes May 28, with submissions due July 30.) According to the challenge website, up to 20 top-scoring U.S. teams will receive $25,000 each from NASA before they compete in Phase 2. The website is unclear about the prize for winning Phase 2, but it does specify “up to $500,000.” Also, some pretty great bragging rights.

https://www.deepspacefoodchallenge.org/

 

[CraigD]

Researchers discover an immense hydrocarbon cycle in the world's ocean

Hydrocarbons and petroleum are almost synonymous in environmental science. After all, oil reserves account for nearly all the hydrocarbons we encounter. But the few hydrocarbons that trace their origin to biological sources may play a larger ecological role than scientists originally suspected.

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-immense-hydrocarbon-world-ocean.html

 

[koolishman]

Scientists Explain Why Food Still Sticks to Your Stupid Non-Stick Pan

An investigation into the way oils behave on hot, flat surfaces has uncovered the process responsible for foods sticking to non-stick frying pans.

Concise and straight to the point, as is the explanation: “thermocapillary convection,” according to the authors, Alexander Fedorchenko and Jan Hruby, both from the Czech Academy of Sciences.

For their experiment, Fedorchenko and Hruby, specialists in fluid dynamics and thermophysics, tested two non-stick frying pans—one coated in ceramic particles and one covered with Teflon. The surfaces of the pans were covered with a thin layer of sunflower oil, and then, using an overhead camera, the scientists measured the speed at which it took dry spots to form and grow as the pans were heated.

The scientists noticed that, as the pans were being warmed from below, a temperature gradient appeared across the oily film. This in turn created a surface tension gradient, which directed the oils away from the center of the pan and towards the periphery; liquids with high surface tension pull more forcefully on surrounding liquids compared to liquids with low surface tension.

 

[koolishman]

Sea Levels Are Rising Faster Than Most Pessimistic Forecasts

Climate change is causing oceans to rise quicker than scientists’ most pessimistic forecasts, resulting in earlier flood risks to coastal economies already struggling to adapt.


The revised estimates published Tuesday in Ocean Science impact the two-fifths of the Earth’s population who live near coastlines. Insured property worth trillions of dollars could face even greater danger from floods, superstorms and tidal surges. The research suggests that countries will have to rein in their greenhouse gas emissions even more than expected to keep sea levels in check.

“It means our carbon budget is even more depleted,” said Aslak Grinsted, a geophysicist at the University of Copenhagen who co-authored the research. Economies need to slash an additional 200 billion metric tons of carbon — equivalent to about five years of global emissions — to remain within the thresholds set by previous forecasts, he said.

 

[koolishman]

Scientists Create A Tattoo That Is Able To Change Its Color Depending On Glucose Levels (2019)

A tattoo that will change colour to reflect the changes that occur in the blood glucose levels has been created by German scientists. So far, a team of scientists from the Technical University of Munich have successfully tested out the same on the skin of pigs. Led by a chemical engineer, Dr. Ali Yetise, the team used a colour-changing dye to reflect changes in blood glucose levels, with a view to help people manage diabetes. They also tried on picking up albumin, a marker of kidney disease. They used another dye to measure the pH level in human blood.

The dyes used react to changes in the three biomarkers in the interstitial fluid. This fluid acts as a storehouse of nutrients including glucose. The glucose level in interstitial fluid decreases and increases in response to the fall and rise in blood glucose levels. The researchers made the point that the glucose sensor picks up the chemical changes in blood glucose levels, leading to a change in the dye from yellow to dark green.

The albumin sensor turns green indicating presence of albumin. The pH sensor uses red and blue dye. The sensor turns yellow to blue when the pH level is normal for human blood.

 

[CraigD]

Rock collector finds rare gemstone that looks like Cookie Monster

You never know what you're going to get when you crack open a geode-like rock called an agate, but a new specimen is even more surprising than usual: It looks just like Cookie Monster.

The agate, found in Soledade, a precious stone hotspot in southern Brazil, is a dead ringer for the blue, googly-eyed Sesame Street Muppet.

https://www.livescience.com/colletor-finds-rare-cookie-monster-rock.html

 

[CraigD]

Spot's Got an Arm!

Now that Spot has an arm in addition to legs and cameras, it can do mobile manipulation. It finds and picks up objects (trash), tidies up the living room, opens doors, operates switches and valves, tends the garden, and generally has fun. Motion of the hand, arm and body are automatically coordinated to simplify manipulation tasks and expand the arm's workspace, making its reach essentially unbounded. The behavior shown here was programmed using a new API for mobile manipulation that supports autonomy and user applications, as well as a tablet that lets users do remote operations.
For more information, visit https://www.bostondynamics.com/spot-arm

Launch Event: Meet Spot's Expanded Product Line

Boston Dynamics reveal the latest in Spot's expanded product line

 

[secretagentdad]

Spot's Got an Arm!

Now that Spot has an arm in addition to legs and cameras, it can do mobile manipulation. It finds and picks up objects (trash), tidies up the living room, opens doors, operates switches and valves, tends the garden, and generally has fun. Motion of the hand, arm and body are automatically coordinated to simplify manipulation tasks and expand the arm's workspace, making its reach essentially unbounded. The behavior shown here was programmed using a new API for mobile manipulation that supports autonomy and user applications, as well as a tablet that lets users do remote operations.
For more information, visit https://www.bostondynamics.com/spot-arm

Launch Event: Meet Spot's Expanded Product Line

Boston Dynamics reveal the latest in Spot's expanded product line

Dis gives me the creeps for some reason. Like really badly in an exaggerated foreboding way.

 

[CraigD]

Nice try, but when the tree dies or wood burns, the carbon is released back into the atmosphere.

Next entry?

Yes, but they won't burn in the same amount and at the same time. In fact, with only the trees that have been cut down and without deforestation that have been made till today, the amount of CO2 in the air would be way lower.
Trees are the natural way to absorb CO2, and yearly deforestation will be definitely one of the causes for the next climate catastrophe. Not only they absorb CO2 but they produce oxygen, and we are destroying Earth's lungs.

Just a follow-up to our discussion.

I was thinking pines and gums that only live for a few hundred years.

I spoke with my friend this week who has been working in the plant-nursery and arborist field for the last 35-years.

His suggestion is that we plant long-living trees like sequoia - trees that live for thousands of years, so that we can be sure the carbon is trapped for that amount of time

 

[Sutruk]

Just a follow-up to our discussion.

I was thinking pines and gums that only live for a few hundred years.

I spoke with my friend this week who has been working in the plant-nursery and arborist field for the last 35-years.

His suggestion is that we plant long-living trees like sequoia - trees that live for thousands of years, so that we can be sure the carbon is trapped for that amount of time

The sequoia sounds great, it's such an amazing tree. But it won't work everywhere, as every forest has its own climate conditions. Whatever is the tree, it will help to catch the CO2 from the atmosphere and will give O2 in exchange. And all that without any external effort or maintenance.
The invention to catch CO2 from the atmosphere was already invented millions of years ago, and those are the trees.

 

[Sutruk]

How a tiny spider uses silk to lift prey 50 times its own weight

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/tiny-spider-uses-silk-lift-prey-50-times-its-own-weight-video

"A family of spiders can catch prey many times their own weight by hitching silk lines to their quarry and hoisting the meaty prize up into the air.

Tangle web spiders, in the Theridiidae family, are masters of using silk to amplify muscle power. Their webs are “a messy tangle,” says Gabriele Greco, who studies biological materials at the University of Trento in Italy. Silk strands slant and crisscross in a cobwebby scribble."

 

[Sutruk]

Empty seas: Oceanic shark populations dropped 71 percent since 1970

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/env...k-populations-dropped-71-percent-1970-rcna243

"Scientists have known for decades that individual shark species are declining, but a new study drawing on 57 global datasets underscores just how dramatically worldwide populations have collapsed in the past half century.

Globally, the abundance of oceanic sharks and rays dropped more than 70 percent between 1970 and 2018, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

And 24 of the 31 species of sharks and rays are threatened with extinction, while three species — oceanic whitetip sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks and great hammerhead sharks — are considered critically endangered."

 

[CraigD]

Square Kilometre Array: 'Lift-off' for world's biggest telescope

One of the grand scientific projects of the 21st Century is 'Go!'.

The first council meeting of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory has actioned plans that will lead to the biggest telescope on Earth being assembled over the coming decade.

Member states approved a thousand pages of documents covering everything from the power to open a bank account to engaging with industrial contractors.

The SKA telescope will comprise a vast formation of radio receivers.

These will be positioned across South Africa and Australia.

The array's resolution and sensitivity, allied to prodigious computing support, will enable astronomers to address some of the most fundamental questions in astrophysics today.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55933958

 

[CraigD]

We’re more like primitive fishes than once believed
People traditionally think that lungs and limbs are key innovations that came with the vertebrate transition from water to land. But in fact, the genetic basis of air-breathing and limb movement was already established in our fish ancestor 50 million years earlier. This, according to a recent genome mapping of primitive fish conducted by the University of Copenhagen, among others. The new study changes our understanding of a key milestone in our own evolutionary history

https://www.miragenews.com/were-more-like-primitive-fishes-than-once-510025/

 

[koolishman]

50 years ago, the Apollo 14 astronaut hit a golf ball that traveled roughly 40 yards.

Remastered images reveal how far Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the Moon

Fifty years ago this week, NASA astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. made space history when he took a few golf swings on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission, successfully hitting two golf balls across the lunar surface. Space enthusiasts have debated for decades just how far that second ball traveled. It seems we now have an answer, thanks to the efforts of imaging specialist Andy Saunders, who digitally enhanced archival images from that mission and used them to estimate the final resting spots of the golf balls.

 

[koolishman]

Arctic Ocean was once a tub of fresh water covered with a half-mile of ice

At at least two points in history, the Arctic was cut off from other oceans.

The Arctic Ocean was once a pool of fresh water capped with an ice shelf half as thick as the Grand Canyon is deep.

If that's hard to envision, don't despair. Scientists were surprised at the discovery, published Wednesday (Feb. 3) in the journal Nature, as well. The trick to envisioning this odd arrangement is to think about the relationship between ice sheets and the ocean. When ice sheets melt, they dump water into the ocean, raising the sea level. But when ice sheets grow, as they have during Earth's glacial periods, sea level drops.

Greenland, Iceland, and northern Europe and Siberia acting as the rim of a bowl containing the Arctic. (Ice itself could have further restricted circulation.) Land and sea alike were overlain with an ice sheet 2,952 feet (900 meters) thick.

 

[koolishman]

How elephants evolved to become big and cancer-resistant

A study shows that elephants possess a large toolbox of genes for evading cancer, and suggests that evolution of tumor suppression capabilities contributed to the development of big bodies.

 

[koolishman]

Deep Vision: Near-Infrared Imaging and Machine Learning Can Identify Hidden Tumors

Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging combined with machine learning can visualize tumors in deep tissue and covered by a mucosal layer, scientists show

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are tumors of the digestive tract that grow underneath the mucus layer covering our organs. Because they are deep inside the tissue, these "submucosal tumors" are difficult to detect and diagnose, even with a biopsy. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a novel minimally invasive and accurate method using infrared imaging and machine learning to distinguish between normal tissue and tumor areas. This technique has a strong potential for widespread clinical use.

 

[Technical Support]

Wow, This thread is very informative and I'm going to bookmark it for further reading, really interesting