Measuring Mars #39; Ancient Ocean HD
For decades, planetary scientists have suspected that ancient Mars was a much warmer, wetter environment than it is today, but estimates of just how much water Mars has lost since its formation...
By: Michael500ca
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The last few years have seen a rekindling of imagination and interest in space exploration and the loopy fundamentals of our understanding of the universe, from the mind-bending Interstellar to Neil deGrasse Tyson's Seth MacFarlane-assisted reboot of Cosmos.
According to rough estimates, 108 billion people in total have walked the Earth since we emerged from the murk of unconsciousness 200,000 years ago. Of those 108 billion, only 547 have been blasted off of our comfortable rock to explore, gingerly, the cold vastness that we float amidst and to conduct experiments (and be living experiments themselves...) that will help us explore ever further.
Billboard had the honor of speaking to Colonel Terry Virts and Commander Butch Wilmore, two astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station, orbiting the Earth at 17,500 miles per hour. These are people confronted every moment with the majesty of the heavens and the ego-destroying scale of the Earth, in relief against the cosmos.
With such a holistic worldview, what better time to ask whether or not Beyonce got robbed at the Grammys, and what music they prefer while changing the world? Watch the highlights right here, and read our full transcript below.
You guys actually had to deal with the "desert island disc" question -- so what were your "vastness of space" discs?
Terry Virts: The question is what music did we bring, is that the question? I brought a lot of different kinds of music. I have a lot of contemporary country music like Brandon Heath, Casting Crowns, I've got some pop and some dance music that I use when I work out. I brought some country music, I got come classical stuff that I just chill out to. I really like a lot of different kinds of music and it depends on what mood I'm in and what I'm doing. Barry "Butch" Wilmore: Yeah I'm about the same, I've got some contemporary Christian some mercy me and that type of stuff. I also really like the big band kind of movie score music with Audiomachine and Thomas Bergersen and that type of genre as well. I listen to a lot of that. Do you guys ever fight over who gets to pick the music? Virts: No, we haven't. [Laughs] I actually like his music, and he seems to like mine too.
Courtesy of Nasa
Who would you say has the best taste in music? For some reason my guess was Elena [Serova, a Russian astronaut on the same mission]. Yeah that's a good guess. Her and Samantha [Cristoforetti, an Italian astronaut also on the mission], they've both got very good taste in music. If you could pick on artist live or dead to send into space -- either to learn from the experience or just to entertain you -- who would it be? Virts: I would send Brandon Heath. He's a good friend of mine; he's a contemporary Christian artist. He was actually at my space shuttle launch -- he came to Russia to Kazakhstan for my launch a few months ago. He wrote a song after my shuttle launch which was kind of inspired by that. It would be really cool to have him up there, somebody who's an artist, not just a fighter pilot like me and butch are, someone who could communicate the wonder of space flight, I think that would be really cool. Wilmore: I honestly could not choose one. There's so many that I enjoy, and it would be narrowing it too narrow to pick one. I can't do it. Piggybacking off what you just said, how are you relieved that Chris Hatfield and his guitar aren't there anymore? Virts: Oh we've heard Chris play many times -- he's quite good. And he's made up some songs that are quite humorous as well. We kind of enjoy that. It's not bad.
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From the International Space Station, Astronauts Talk Beyonce's Grammy Snub, Alien Life
Science and politics have both benefited from humanitys journey into space. And we really might just be getting started
Credit: almir1968/Thinkstock
Editor's note: The following is the introduction to the February 2015 issue of Scientific American Classics: Conquering Space.
I was eight years old when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. As Apollo 11 touched down on that gray, cratered surface, I was already dreaming of following those astronauts into space. The moon missions made meand millions of others around the worldfeel as though we could do anything, go anywhere.
Twenty-five years after that first moon landing, I was flying onboard the space shuttle Columbia on a 15-day mission during which we conducted some 80 experiments in microgravity.
Space travel was unlike anything I could have imagined when I was a boy. It remained fantastic even after two more shuttle flights, a Soyuz flight and six months on the International Space Station (ISS).
I remember taking a space walk on the ISS. There I was, wrench in hand, tightening bolts on a new module. It was such a mundane task. But when I looked in one direction, there was Earth floating in vivid blues and greens. In the other direction, I could see the blackest black conceivable, punctured by unwavering pinpoints of starshine. It was intense and surreal.
You might have heard about a transformation that can occur when someone first sees Earth from spacehow it becomes harder to think about my country or my people and harder not to think about our planet.
I can tell you, that transformation is real.
I came home with a different sense of our world. And I would wager that every single one of the 500-plus men and women who have traveled into space came home transformed as well. It is one of the reasons why I continue to believe that we need to keep sending humans into space as well as robots. The results are tangible: I have seen firsthand how projects such as the ISS can foster cooperation among countries and cultures that otherwise might find it easier to be enemies.
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Having successfully landed a space probe on comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko, the European Space Agency (ESA) is turning its attention closer to home. Today, the ESA launched its new space plane on its very first suborbital test flight. While the flight was only projected to last around 100 minutes, the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) flew almost completely around the planet and reached a maximum altitude of 256 miles (412 kilometres). Not bad for a plane without any wings.
The fully autonomous IXV looks a bit like a smaller, stubby Space Shuttle with the wings sheared off. Instead of relying on wings for lift, it has a full body-lifting design and a pair of flaps toward the rear of the craft for steering in the atmosphere. Its five meters long and has a wingspan (well, width) of 2.2 meters. The underside is covered in protective carbon fiber panels woven into a ceramic matrix. One of the main goals of this test launch is to monitor the performance of these panels during reentry with an array of 300 sensors.
Getting a handle on how the craft performs on reentry is crucial because the IXV will eventually form the heart of Europes planned Program for a Reusable In-Orbit Demonstrator for Europe (PRIDE) system. The space plane would be launched into low-Earth orbit to deposit a satellite or other payload, then descend into the atmosphere for landing on a standard runway. SpaceX is planning a reusable launch system as well, but even its first stage rocket would come back down and land under its own power.
The IXV test began with a launch from French Guiana aboard a Vega rocket. This is a relatively new rocket design with only three launches under its belt. The IXV was planned to separate from the Vega launch vehicle 18 minutes after liftoff at an altitude of 333 kilometers, but the IXV will continue upward in an arc to the maximum altitude of 412 kilometers.
The IXV then flew over the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, and Asia before landing somewhat softly in the Pacific ocean. As the space plane descended, it picked up a tremendous amount of speed, traveling at about 7.5 km/s by the time it reached 120 kilometers above the surface. Thats a fair approximation of reentry speed when coming in from orbit, and should be a good test of the heat tolerance. This was basically the entire point of the test get the IXV up high enough that it falls into the atmosphere at reentry speeds.
It was recovered by a ship after the mission ended, but future versions will obviously shoot for a runway landing. The splashdown is merely a safety precaution for this first flight. The reentry phase of the mission happened entirely over open water, just in case.Check out the launch replay below:
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ESAs wingless space plane successfully performed its first test flight
File photo. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield (R) attends a news conference behind a glass wall at the Baikonur cosmodrome Dec. 18, 2012.(REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov)
Remember that astronaut who sang David Bowie's "Space Oddity" on the International Space Station? Chris Hadfield is making headlines againor rather, his flight suit is. Somehow the blue outfit ended up in a Toronto thrift store, CBC reports.
"I thought, wow, what is a flight suit like that doing up there?" says Dr. Julielynn Wong. When she saw the "Chris Hadfield" badge on the jumpsuit, "My jaw just dropped," she says.
She bought the suit for a mere $40. To make the find even more incredible, Wong, who studied space medicine, actually knows Hadfield, ABC News reports: "I trained with him; we actually had lunch," she says.
She contacted him on Facebook and was able to confirm the suit's identity with a photo and some detailed information. So how did it end up in a thrift store? The former ISS commander himself doesn't know, telling Wong it's "a mystery to me." He's "had many flight suits over the years," Wong tells ABC.
"It's possible that it inadvertently got placed in a donations bag when he moved back to Canada after living abroad for 20 years." Now, she plans to use it in lectures she gives on space supplies.
"This way, the flight suit is much more inspiring for the next generation of space pioneers and innovators," she says. (Click to watch Hadfield's version of "Space Oddity.")
This article originally appeared on Newser: 'Space Oddity' Astronaut's Suit Turns Up in Thrift Shop
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JAW-DROPPING FIND Astronaut's spacesuit turns up in thrift shop for $40
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Two U.S. astronauts took the first of three spacewalks outside the International Space Station today to create parking spots for so-called space taxis that will ferry crew to and from the station.
Station commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore, 52, and flight engineer Terry Virts, 47, started the spacewalk shortly before 8 a.m. ET for the 6 1/2 hour venture. This is the first of three spacewalks in the next eight days to install wiring for two docking mechanisms for crewed commercial capsules built by Boeing and Space X. It is the first major overhaul of the station since it was completed in 2011.
"We're doing a lot of reconfiguration this year," Kenneth Todd, NASA's International Space Station operations integration manager, said earlier this week. "We are really trying to take the station into this next phase in support of the commercial industries and providers."
The astronauts worked on Saturday to install electrical wiring, new antennas and cables at the station's Harmony module in preparation for the Boeing-built International Docking Adapters. The IDAs will allow the Boeing and Space X spacecraft to dock at the top and front of Harmony beginning in 2017. NASA is hoping to end its dependance on Russia for rides to the ISS since the space shuttle was retired in 2011.
Wilmore and Virts are expected to continue the work on Wednesday and March 1.
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World View's successful test of a high-altitude parafoil brings the dream closer to reality.
Fancy a trip to the edge of space in a high-altitude balloon? World View and United Parachute Technologies (UPT) brought that dream one step closer to reality on Friday with the successful flight of a parafoil from a record-breaking height of 102,200 feet.
World View aims to one day take passengers to dizzying heights in hot air balloons, making Friday's parafoil test flight a major milestone for the company. The plan is to begin near-space flights in a balloon and then use a parafoil for "easing passengers gently down to Earth from the stratosphere."
The test flight above Arizona also marked the official start of World View's partnership with UPT, which co-designed the parafoil technology with Performance Designs. The parafoil system tested this week will be used for unmanned research flights and passenger trips to the edge of space.
"The accomplishments of this flight further our two main objectives of manned spaceflight and advancing research," World View chief technology officer Taber MacCallum said in a statement. "The successful flight of the parafoil at this altitude brings us closer to flying private citizens safely to the edge of space and also allows us to continue our research and education program by providing safe access to the near-space environment."
The uncrewed test flight carried a payload of experiments. Montana State University researchers tested a computer system "designed to achieve increased reliability in extreme environments" and video equipment which is to be used to capture a 2017 solar eclipse. Researchers from the University of North Florida supplied a nanocrystalline gas sensor array for measuring the stratosphere's ozone gas profile.
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Red vs. Blue: Which Team Should You Choose?
[Jamie Madigan writes about the overlap between psychology and video games atwww.psychologyofgames.com. Follow him on Twitter@JamieMadiganor on Facebook.]
Chess may have its "black vs. white" color scheme, but for video games it's often "red vs. blue." It's the kind of matchup that you find in dozens of games once you go looking for it, whether it's the color of your avatar, the heads up display, or both. Sometimes you're randomly assigned to a team when you join, but other times you can choose. Is there any advantage to picking red? Or blue?
Yes. Well, maybe. A bit.
I just finished reading the book Drunk Tank Pink and Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behaveby Adam Alter. One chapter deals with how the color of a uniform can affect performance in a competitive sport. Alter cites a 2005 study that looked at Olympic athletes participating in one-on-one "combat sports" like boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling, and freestyle wrestling. The rules of the Olympics stipulate that one competetor is randomly assigned a blue outfit while the other gets red. Thus it was a great opportunity for a natural experiment on the effects of uniform color on performance.
The researchers found that those wearing red uniforms won a statistically significantly larger portion of their matches:
Hill and Barton's theory (which is also Drunk Tank Pinkauthor Adam Alter's theory) is that throughout nature the color red is associated with heightened agression, dominance, and testosterone levels (think mating season and/or fighting season). Skin gets flushed and animals display the red bits of their bodies while engaging in dominant and aggressive behavior. I know; it sounds a bit far fetched in the context of humans participating in sports, but the idea is simply that wearing the color red primes competitors to think more about being particularly aggressive and dominating. That is, it makes thoughts about those concepts come to mind quicker and more easily. In sports like boxing or tae kwon do where agression makes you more competitive, this matters. Wearing red, the researchers argue, essentially makes it just a little easier for you to get pumped up and visualize the kind of behavior that wins bouts. And the competitor in blue might compound the effect by perceiving his/her red opponent as more intimidating or imposing. This might even all be subconscious. Probably is, in fact.
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David Ortiz turned heads Wednesday with some colorful language regarding one of Major League Baseballs new speed-up initiatives. The candid slugger wasnt happy when he learned batters must keep one foot in the box at all times this season.
Ortizs tirade wasnt the only bit of news at JetBlue Park. Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino and chairman Tom Werner also addressed the media, as they do annually at spring training.
Lets run down some notes.
Ortiz wasnt aware of MLBs recent rule changes governing pace of play until a reporter filled him in on the details upon asking a question related to the topic. Everything snowballed from there.
It seems like every time they want to speed up the game, they focus on the hitters. You ever notice that? Ortiz said. How about the pitchers who go over the mound and do all the (expletive). What about that? Why dont you tell the pitcher, Throw the pitch and stay on the mound. Dont move.
MLB teams using moreinfield shifts is another topic that Ortiz isnt especially happy about. It doesnt sound like the 39-year-old is ready to make adjustments, either.
That would be like saying, Im going to go back to be 20 (years old) again. You know what I mean? Ortiz said. You cant compete against that. Im a lefty, Im going to be hitting balls (to right field) more than (left field). It doesnt matter what I try to do. So thats nature. Its like a right-hander is going to be pulling balls more than they hit to the opposite field.
Thats something that I would worry about eight, nine years ago. But not now. Im too old for that (expletive).
Ortiz has been asked about retirement several times over the last couple of years. He still isnt ready to tackle the subject head on, though, as he simply doesnt know when hes going to hang up the spikes.
Ortiz praised Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for their Super Bowl XLIX win over the Seattle Seahawks.
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Red Sox Notes: David Ortiz Too Old To Make Infield Shift Adjustments
Just Uma! After turning heads with a shocking new look at a red carpet premiere on Monday, Feb. 9, Uma Thurman appeared on the Today show on Thursday, Feb. 12, and looked like her usual, beautiful self again.
The Kill Bill star, 44, made headlines when she attended the New York City kickoff of her NBC show The Slap. The veteran actress looked completely different at the star-studded soire, sparking questions as to what she had done to change her appearance.
PHOTOS: Uma Thurman and Other Stars Without Makeup
"I know I look weird!" Thurman told Savannah Guthrie when asked on the Today show about her photos from the event. "I don't know, I guess nobody liked my makeup."
Uma Thurman attends "The Slap" New York Premiere Party on February 9, 2015 Credit: Robin Marchant/Getty Images
While there was some speculation that the mother of three had gone under the knife, her makeup artist, Troy Surratt, told Refinery29.com that he'd created the new look himself.
PHOTOS:Celebrity Makeunders: Prettiest Star Transformations
"We experimented with the makeup," he explained on Tuesday, Feb. 10. "We did a much stronger brow and a bold lip for a French sort of feel. The way I shaded her eyebrows with the pencil, I created an uplifting effect. Then, I finished with a shimmering, silky-beige shadow on her lids, and went with no mascara at all. Sort of a reaction against all the fake lashes we've been seeing on the red carpet."
Thurman, who stars in The Slap alongside Peter Sarsgaard, Thandie Newton, and Zachary Quinto, ditched the experimental look for her Thursday morning gig on Today. She returned to her classically simple and stunning appearance, glowing as she caught up with Guthrie.
Uma Thurman visits The Today Show on February 12, 2015
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Uma Thurman Explains Shocking Red Carpet Appearance in New Video: "Nobody Liked My Makeup"
Hooray for Hollywood! The 2015 Oscars have come and gone, but our heads are still spinning from all the craziness. From the star-studded red carpet pre-show to the final sign-off from host Neil Patrick Harris, every minute of the 87th Academy Awards on Feb. 22 was a conversation starter. (Just look at Twitter!)
PHOTOS: What the stars wore to the 2015 Oscars
In case you need a cheat sheet, here are just a few of the many highlights and top moments from Hollywood's biggest night.
1. Neil Patrick Harris Flubs Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Oyelowo, Margot Robbie's Names
Practice doesn't always make perfect! Neil Patrick Harris stumbled over several names during the telecast, some on purpose, some not. To be fair, though, he had his hands full with that opening song-and-dance number and he was mostly naked when he mispronounced Margot Robbie's name as Margot Row-bie. (Who wouldn't be flustered?)
2. Lady Gaga Hits All the Right Notes in Impeccable Sound of Music Tribute
After giving a sweet shout-out to fiance Taylor Kinney earlier in the night, newly engaged Gaga took the stage at L.A.'s Dolby Theatre to sing a medley of songs from The Sound of Music, including "Edelweiss" and "My Favorite Things." Even Julie Andrews who played Maria in the 1965 movie musical was impressed with her performance!
PHOTOS: Best dressed stars at the Oscars
Lady Gaga performs onstage during the 87th Annual Academy Awards Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
3. Patricia Arquette Calls for Equal Rights for Women, Meryl Streep Goes Wild
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Oscars 2015 Highlights and Top Moments: Your Cheat Sheet for Hollywood's Biggest Night
Enrique Iglesias performs at the Pepsi Center. (Seth McConnell, The Denver Post)
Now on sale
Jackson Browne should be as comfortable playing Red Rocks Amphitheatre as Colorado audiences are hearing his 1970s-penned hits like "Doctor My Eyes" and "Running on Empty." The 66-year-old folk-rocker plays there Aug. 18, with tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 20. ($39.50-$89.50, axs.com)
Steely Dan and Elvis Costello, despite their differing musical styles, share an arch, wounded romanticism that defines their best work in the '70s. The seemingly odd couple will play Red Rocks on July 6 as part of Steely Dan's "Rockabye Gollie Angle" tour, with Costello's Imposters in tow as his backing band. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 20. ($49.50-$125, axs.com)
Def Leppard's fist-pumping guitar anthems have dimmed little with age, even as singer Joe Elliott's voice has caused him problems in recent years. The band plays the Pepsi Center on Sept. 26 with opening acts Styx and Tesla. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 20. ($29.50-$125, altitudetickets.com)
Alt-J and TV on the Radio's July 27 concert at Red Rocks will undoubtedly be one of the moodiest of the year as the British pop-rockers and acclaimed New York indie band join forces. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 20. ($39.95-$45, axs.com)
Eddie Izzard's occasional film and TV roles pale in comparison to his one-man comedy shows, which place the British comedian in the same rarified air as Richard Pryor and George Carlin (yes, he's that good). Izzard's rare, 25-city U.S. "Force Majeure" tour is being generous with its Western dates, including May 26-27 shows at the Paramount Theatre. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 20. ($37-$64, altitudetickets.com)
Also in comedy: Colorado favorite Kathleen Madigan returns to Colorado Springs' Pikes Peak Center on Oct. 2 (on sale Feb. 20) and the Paramount Theatre on Oct. 3 (on sale now). Tickets are $38.50-$58.50 and available via pikespeakcenter.com and altitudetickets.com, respectively.
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Bang up job!
On Feb. 9, Uma Thurman turned heads on the red carpet with her nearly unrecognizable, minimally made-up face. But on Thursday, March 5, the Slap actress stepped out again, this time looking much more like her boho self, with one exception: She added bangs.
PHOTOS: Uma and more stars without makeup
Thurman, 44, arrived at the Tibet House Benefit Concert Afterparty at Metropolitan West in NYC with a windblown 'do and her fresh fringe falling over her forehead. She also modeled blushed cheeks and a rose-hued lip.
PHOTOS: Sexy! Hot celebs over 40 in swimsuits
Adding to the artsy appeal, the Pulp Fiction alum, who has been known to alternate between ultra-glam and casually chic styles, donned a black and white, paisley-print scarf, which she teamed with a cream coat.
PHOTOS: Ageless A-listers!
The ensemble and beauty choices are a total turnaround from her stiff style at The Slap premiere the month before. "I know I look weird!" the actress said on the Today show, four days after the appearance. "I don't know, I guess nobody liked my makeup."
PHOTOS: Celeb makeup malfunctions
But she also added, "I've been doing this for years and years and years. People say things nice and they say things mean and it's like whatever. You take the good with the bad."
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Uma Thurman Adds Bangs to Her Look, Embraces Her Boho Style on the Red Carpet: Photo
Bernard Ray Hawke, director of the Pacific Regional Planetary Data Center (PRPDC), is dead at 68. He passed away in his sleep at Straub Hospital on Jan. 24.
A member of the University of Hawaii since 1978, Hawke initially joined as a planetary geologist and later became part of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology in 1983.
Hawke is noted for his research of collecting measurements of color at high resolution of small spots on the Moon, lunar geology, planetary photogeology and the cratering processes. His studies contributed to the understanding of the geological evolution of the lunar crust.
"He spent many hours at Hawaiis Mauna Kea Observatory, diligently working to make certain that data for the correct spot on the Moon was being acquired," saidPaul D. Spudsin his remembrance of the former planetary scientist.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1946, Hawke served in the army in 1970-71 and later analyzed lunar regolith chemistry as a Masters student at the University of Kentucky. He used a technique that would later be adopted "to decipher the geological history of the Apollo landing sites."
He later studied at Brown University where he earned another M.S. and a Ph.D in geological studies.
Hawke is survived by his brother Stephen, Stephens wife Nancie, and their children David and Michael of Columbia, Missouri.
A memorial gathering will be held in the Pacific Regional Planetary Data Center (POST 544) on Sunday, February 15 at 3 p.m.
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PennEngineering professor Mark Allen
What goes on in the orange world behind the glass wallsof the nanotechnology building? The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with Engineering professor Mark Allen, the Inaugural Scientific Director of the Singh Center for Nanotechnology, to get an inside look.
The Daily Pennsylvanian:What does nanotechnology actually mean?
Mark Allen: The best way to describe it is applying the science of the very small. There are two interesting things that happen when things get really small. One is that by being able to put very small things in close proximity you can build up complex systems. Weird quantum things also start to occur; things you normally think are intuitive, stop being intuitive.
DP:Why has this field become so popular recently?
MA: Over the past 20 years, the ability to manipulate things on small scales has become available. There have been tremendous examples of impactful successes, like the integrated circuit, that allow people to see the benefit of making things smaller and smaller.
DP:What is your area of research?
MA: Our research group is in the area of MEMS, which stands for micro-electro-mechanical systems. A lot of things that are sensed in the natural world are through these mechanical structures. For example, iPhones have small accelerometersinside that measure the acceleration due to gravity and adjusts the screen appropriately. These small mechanical structures started off as devices in cars to fire off airbags, since then they have become widespread.
DP:What are other applications for your research in MEMS?
MA:Some other things weve done in our groupweve built devices that are planted in the body and are used to measure pressures inside the body. This information can be communicated wirelessly to doctors and they can figure out how best to help people with heart failure.
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For those set on sneaking into the nonexistentrestricted sectionof Van Pelt Library late at night, electrical and systems engineering professor NaderEngheta is working with materials that can bend light in a manner reminiscent of an invisibility cloak straight out of Harry Potter.
Engheta works with materials known as metamaterials, which are engineered to have certain properties that are not currently found in nature.When these materials are manipulated, theycan gain strange capabilities like the ability to bend waves around an object, hiding that object from sight.
You can write down the theoretical equations that show that you can bend light around an object, said professor Mark Allen, director ofthe Singh Center of Nanotechnology. Then what I would see is whats behind you. To me you would look invisible.
These metamaterials do not only work with waves of light they have also been used to bend heat around objects and reduce the scattering of electrons, which could increase the efficiency of electronic devices.
Waves are all around usfrom radio stations, micro-ovens and light, Engheta said. We work with how to control these waves with materials and structures that might make them do something unusual.
Some other applications for this technology could include blocking electromagnetic radiation andguiding cellphone tower signals.
However, this technology is not quite from a J.K. Rowling novel. It only worksover a narrow range of light, which means that only light of a particular color shown from a particular direction can be bent.So if someone or somethingwere to be invisible from the front, they would still be visible from the back.
Wharton Sophomore Luis De Castrois interested in the possible applications that these nanomaterials might offer.
It makes me excited for the future, saidDe Castro, who is also the captain of the Penn Quidditch teamBoth scientifically, and the idea that things that are so clearly magic arent.
Yet, Engheta's technology may never create a complete invisibility cloak because the daylight hours feature too many distinct wavelengths. Even so, his research may contribute to a more worldly application he has recently been investigating how scattering light throughmetamaterials cansolve complex mathematical equations.
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Students from Waterway Elementary School in Little River, S.C., learn how nanoscience is affecting advances in medicine at Ingram Planetarium in Sunset Beach. Photo by Edward Ovsenik
Come to Ingram Planetarium and experience the Nano exhibit in the Paul Dennis Science Hall. Admission is free.
The exhibit consists of several stand-alone multimedia kiosks. Each kiosk highlights a way in which nanotechnology affects our lives, from regenerating damaged nerve, bone, and muscle tissue to demonstrating how high-tech nanomaterials mimic natural phenomena by manipulating light and color.
Some of the kiosks include short videos that play on demand in either English or Spanish.
Fourth-graders from Waterway Elementary School in Little River, S.C., visited the planetarium on Feb. 11 and were the first to enjoy this fun, interactive way to learn about nanoscience.
Ingram Planetarium is at 7625 High Market St. in Sunset Beach. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
When you visit the planetarium to see the Nano exhibit, why not stay for a show in the planetariums state-of-the-art dome theater? Visit http://www.museumplanetarium.org to see start times for current movies. Movies shown at 2 and 3 p.m. are followed by live star shows.
Admission to shows is free for planetarium and dual museum/planetarium members.
Regular nonmember per-show admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors (62+), $7 for children (3-12), and free for age 2 and under. For more information, call 910-575-0033 or visit http://www.MuseumPlanetarium.org.
If you are an educator and would like to schedule a visit to see the new Nano exhibit or see a full high-definition dome show, visit http://www.museumplanetarium.org and complete a school group registration form. An educator will contact you to arrange your visit.
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LONDON, February 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
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Three dimensional printing for medical applications-how to find trends, technologies and sales potentials What's the future of additive manufacturing for medicine? That's fabricating three dimensional solid objects from digital models, via 3D printers. Visiongain's new report gives data and analysis, letting you explore developments, technology and revenue predictions.
That analysis forecasts revenues there to 2025 at overall world market, submarket and national level. Avoid falling behind in knowledge, missing business or losing influence.
Explore, then, the commercial prospects of those computer controlled industrial robots for performing additive processes. See outlooks for medical devices, tissues, drugs and more.
Advances in manufacturing for medicine-find what that printer technology could be worth So find potentials for those novel production tools for creating shapes and patterns - multiform designs. You explore that medical business. Now discover how you could gain.
So please read on to explore those technologies, applications and products, seeing what their future market could be worth.
Forecasts to 2025 and other information to help you stay ahead in knowledge Besides revenue forecasting to 2025, our new work shows you historical data, recent results, growth rates and market shares. There you explore research and development (R&D) too. You also get 57 tables, 53 charts and seven interviews with people in that field.
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3D Printing for Healthcare: R&D, Industry and Market 2015-2025
To improve lithium-sulfur batteries, researchers added glass cage-like coating and graphene oxide
IMAGE:This is a schematic illustration of the process to synthesize silica-coated sulfur particles. view more
Credit: UC Riverside
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Lithium-sulfur batteries have been a hot topic in battery research because of their ability to produce up to 10 times more energy than conventional batteries, which means they hold great promise for applications in energy-demanding electric vehicles.
However, there have been fundamental road blocks to commercializing these sulfur batteries. One of the main problems is the tendency for lithium and sulfur reaction products, called lithium polysulfides, to dissolve in the battery's electrolyte and travel to the opposite electrode permanently. This causes the battery's capacity to decrease over its lifetime.
Researchers in the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside have investigated a strategy to prevent this "polysulfide shuttling" phenomenon by creating nano-sized sulfur particles, and coating them in silica (SiO2), otherwise known as glass.
The work is outlined in a paper, "SiO2 - Coated Sulfur Particles as a Cathode Material for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries," just published online in the journal Nanoscale. In addition, the researchers have been invited to submit their work for publication in the Graphene-based Energy Devices special themed issue in RSC Nanoscale.
Ph.D. students in Cengiz Ozkan's and Mihri Ozkan's research groups have been working on designing a cathode material in which silica cages "trap" polysulfides having a very thin shell of silica, and the particles' polysulfide products now face a trapping barrier - a glass cage. The team used an organic precursor to construct the trapping barrier.
"Our biggest challenge was to optimize the process to deposit SiO2 - not too thick, not too thin, about the thickness of a virus", Mihri Ozkan said.
Graduate students Brennan Campbell, Jeffrey Bell, Hamed Hosseini Bay, Zachary Favors, and Robert Ionescu found that silica-caged sulfur particles provided a substantially higher battery performance, but felt further improvement was necessary because of the challenge with the breakage of the SiO2 shell.
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Dr. Emily Hunt, Trent Kelly and Benton Allen worked in the Energetic Materials Laboratory using combustion synthesis to create different versions of the alloy for the project.
Emily Hunt, Director and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, is the first of West Texas A&M University faculty member to have research accepted for commercialization. WT, the Texas A&M University System and Dr. Hunt signed a patent, giving permission for Aggie Venture Partners to license this invention for commercialization on Jan. 27.
Angela Spaulding, Vice President for Research and Compliance said Aggie Venture Partners selected to pursue the Antimicrobial Nano Alloy (ANA) license because it could be commercialized across a wide-ranging variety of industries and result in a greater return on investment.
Hunt describes Antimicrobial Nano Alloy as a mixture of nano-scale materials that act as a structural coating that prevents bacteria from reproducing. It can be applied on many different kinds of surfaces such as metal, plastic or ceramic. It kills bacteria using nanoparticles of silver.
I have been working for several years using combustion synthesis to make new materials, Hunt said. I wanted to be able to use my engineering research to help people. Nanosilver has been used forever to fight bacteria even when we didnt know that is what we were using. So, I developed a material that is both structural and antibacterial.
Hunt composed the initial proof of theoretical experiments to insure that the nanoparticles of silver were safe enough to use in application. Then Hunt recruited senior Mechanical Engineering majors, Trent Kelly and Benton Allen to construct antibacterial paint as well as investigate how to coat sand particles with ANA for use in clean water systems worldwide.
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