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China is Using Drones Equipped With Flamethrowers for an … – Futurism

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

In Brief

Year after year, we witness drones becoming more multifaceted in functionality. From artificial pollinationto performing at halftime during the Super Bowl drones have become just as diverse as the society that created them. This is nowtruer than ever, as China has recently equipped drones with flamethrowers for the benefit of the public.

A power company in Xiangyang, China has establisheda hot, new way to clean power lines. Rather than having people try to reach the far corners of the city scrapingoff caked-on debris thats been lodged in hard-to-reach-spots, the power company will now have drones perform this task.

While this seems dangerous, the use of drones seems to actually besafer than the previous protocol. Before, maintenance workers would risk their lives to clean power lines, climbing upwards of 10 meters (32 feet) into the air while risking electrocution with each step. While the use of a flamethrower may require more frequent cable replacements, the metal power lines willnot be harmed by the flames.

The 11kg drones have officially made their fiery debut, reminding us that while this might mean fewer maintenance jobs, technology, and flamethrowers, can improve safety.

Parkland girls basketball finishes off Freedom with free throws – lehighvalleylive.com

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Parkland 65, Freedom 54 Rapid Recap

The Parkland High School girls basketball teams 68 percent success rate at the free throw line was modest.

The Trojans 41 attempts from the charity stripe were a little more eyebrow-raising.

Second-seeded Parkland used the foul line to pull away for a 65-54 victory over No. 7Freedom in the District 11 Class 6A quarterfinals on Thursday night at Whitehall High Schools Coach Tracy Court.

Turning point: Freedom went ice cold to start the second half and Parkland manufactured points at the foul line to fuel a 13-2 run, which turned a two-point halftime lead into a 43-30 advantage with 2:25 remaining in the third quarter.

The Trojans went 23-for-30 from the foul line in the second half.

Top performers: Emily Piston had a game-high 19 points for the Trojans, making 9 of her 12 free throws. Kassidy Stout finished with 15 points, all in the first three quarters.

Hailey Silfies led the Patriots with 15 points.

What it means: Parkland (18-6) advances to meet Easton, which defeated Allen, in the district semifinals on Monday at a time and site to be determined.

Freedom, which was making its first district playoff appearance since 2010, closes out the year at 14-10.

Kyle Craig may be reached atkcraig@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@KyleCraigSports. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.

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Parkland girls basketball finishes off Freedom with free throws - lehighvalleylive.com

GOP Congressman: More Uninsured People Means More Freedom – Mother Jones

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/AP

As Republicans try to balance their promise to repeal Obamacare with the health law's increasing popularity, one GOP lawmaker employed a novel argument on Thursday: If fewer people are insured under the Republican replacement plan, that's simply a sign of greater freedom.

For one of the central policy fights facing Congress, health care reform won't get much discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the annual Republican confab held just outside Washington, DC. The topic was scheduled for just one short panel Thursday afternoon. But given the way that discussion went, it's understandable why organizers might not want to highlight the policy implications of their health care plans.

Rep. Mike Burgess (R-Texas), a doctor who sits on a House health subcommittee, told the conservative crowd that a reduction in the number of people with health insurance coverage shouldn't be viewed as a negative. "If the numbers drop, I would say that's a good thing," Burgess said, "because we've restored personal liberty in this country, and I'm always for that." Burgess seemed to imply that there are people who hate the idea of having health insurance but were forced to buy it because otherwise IRS agents would be "chasing [them] down" under the current law.

If Republicans do move forward with their efforts to tear down the Affordable Care Act, they'll have to grapple with the consequences of a spike in the uninsured rate. Estimates suggest that 20 million people have gained insurance thanks to Obamacare.

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GOP Congressman: More Uninsured People Means More Freedom - Mother Jones

Trump’s draft executive order on religious freedom would free people of faith to serve those in need – Washington Examiner

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Earlier this month, a draft document emerged suggesting that President Trump is considering an executive order to protect religious freedom. Despite the overwrought complaints of some, the draft order is a measured attempt to restore religious freedom in areas where it was lost or threatened under President Barack Obama's administration.

During the last eight years, Obama showed little regard for religious freedom by signing laws, adopting regulations, reinterpreting statutes and issuing executive orders that drove people of faith, particularly members of the Abrahamic faiths, to the outskirts of society. On the campaign trail, candidate Trump promised to end that.

Speaking at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Presidential Forum in September 2015, Trump said, "The first priority of my administration will be to preserve and protect our religious liberty." Signing the religious freedom executive order would be a good start to show that he meant what he said.

Indeed, it's a vital first step to undo some of the most egregious harm that his predecessor caused. The prior administration insisted that religious organizations, like homes for the elderly and faith-based universities, must violate their convictions by indirectly providing their employees with abortion-inducing drugs. The draft executive order would end this still-looming threat to their freedom.

Also, during the last administration, numerous religious charities that serve needy families and abandoned children were driven out of doing that important work. In Washington, D.C., for example, Catholic Charities was forced to close its foster-care and adoption programs simply because it operated consistently with its religious belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. The draft executive order, if signed, would go a long way toward ensuring that these groups are once again free to serve their communities.

Not only is it unfair to drive these religious organizations from public life, it is also unwise. Society as a whole benefits from their work, and the marginalized and disadvantaged benefit the most. A recent study by Brian Grim at Georgetown University concluded that "the fair market value of goods and services provided by religious organizations" and "businesses with religious roots" is more than $1 trillion annually in the United States. Freeing those organizations to love and serve their neighbors is thus good for us all.

The opponents of religious freedom are feverishly marching out their objections, but their arguments are long on rhetoric and short on analysis. To begin with, they ignore that the draft order repeatedly states that it applies only "to the extent permitted by law." It will not take away any existing statutory right that any private citizen already has. It simply ensures that the federal government will not continue its last eight years of trampling religious freedom beneath its feet.

The draft order has other significant qualifications, too. For instance, its protection for federal employees, contractors, or grant recipients within the workplace applies only when the government is able to "reasonably accommodate" religious exercise. It's not an unqualified decree promising that religious freedom will always win. Rather, it requires the feds to accommodate religion when possible, which is directly in line with what Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (a federal employment nondiscrimination law) already requires.

Notably, the order makes clear that the executive branch is to uphold religious freedom for "persons of all faiths." While it expressly protects (in limited situations) people that speak or act consistently with specific beliefs about marriage and humanity, that is neither surprising nor troublesome. Those particular beliefs (like the conviction that marriage is the union of one man and one woman) were demonstrably targeted and disfavored by the prior administration. The Constitution allows the government to alleviate the most pressing and palpable burdens on religion, which is precisely what this order would do.

Also from the Washington Examiner

Gov. Jay Inslee's executive order makes it harder for law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

02/24/17 12:28 AM

Trump should sign it, the first of many steps to fulfill his promise to protect religious freedom. If he does that, it would welcome people of faith back into public life and free them to serve their neighbors, especially the most vulnerable, with love and compassion. On the issue of religious freedom, it would be the White House's first sign of a new dawn, the first hint that a long, dark night is coming to an end.

Jim Campbell is senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, which defends religious freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.

If you would like to write an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, please read our guidelines on submissions here.

How old anti-Catholic laws still threaten religious freedom today – Catholic News Agency

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Washington D.C., Feb 23, 2017 / 03:54 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Anti-Catholic state laws from the 19th century are today being used by secularists to fight public funding of all religious organizations, warned a religious freedom advocacy group.

State Blaine Amendment laws are utilized today to counter religious organizations and religious individuals, said Eric Baxter, senior attorney at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

The First Amendment was set in place to ensure that religious beliefs and religious exercise could have an equal part in our public life and culture, he told CNA.

These state laws, however, are being used to thwart that, to say that somehow religion is like the ugly stepchild of the family of civil rights, and creates this idea that religion should be sidelined in public life.

What was the original Blaine Amendment, and how were state laws modeled after it?

In the years following the Civil War, there was widespread suspicion and even open hostility toward Catholics in the U.S., especially toward immigrant Catholic populations from Europe.

Public schools at the time were largely Protestant, with no single Christian denomination in charge, and many Catholics attended parochial schools which were seen as sectarian by prominent public figures, explains historian John T. McGreevy in his book Catholicism and American Freedom.

Public figures, he notes, including one current and one future U.S. president at the time, pushed against taxpayer funding of Catholic schools and even advocated for an increase in the taxation of Catholic Church property in the U.S.

Ohios Republican gubernatorial candidate and future U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes opposed Catholic priests being able to visit state asylums.

In a speech to Civil War veterans in 1875, President Ulysses S. Grant insisted that no federal money be appropriated to the support of any sectarian school.

And, the former general-in-chief of the U.S. armies during the Civil War added, if we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixons but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition, and ignorance on the other.

As McGreevy noted, audience members understood what Grant meant about superstition, as he had referred to a Catholic Church that he saw as increasingly aggressive.

Grant pushed for a federal amendment by Sen. James Blaine of Maine that prohibited taxpayer funding of sectarian schools the original Blaine Amendment. It failed in the Senate, however, although as McGreevy noted some Republican senators, during the debate, cast aspersions toward Catholics as they argued for the passage of the amendment.

Nevertheless, the federal amendment took form at the state level and many states eventually passed versions of the bill barring state funding of Catholic schools.

In the Supreme Courts 2000 decision Mitchell v. Hobbs, a four-justice plurality insisted that the Blaine Amendments motive to deny public funding of sectarian institutions was bigoted.

Finally, hostility to aid to pervasively sectarian schools has a shameful pedigree that we do not hesitate to disavow, Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justices Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia and Chief Justice William Rehnquist, wrote in their plurality opinion.

Consideration of the amendment arose at a time of pervasive hostility to the Catholic Church and to Catholics in general, and it was an open secret that sectarian was code for Catholic, the opinion read. Furthermore, they added, pervasively sectarian schools are not blocked by the Constitution from receiving federal funding from otherwise permissible aid programs.

This doctrine, born of bigotry, should be buried now, they stated.

While they were introduced more than a century ago, these state laws are still in use today against religious organizations, Baxter said. For instance, a case before the Supreme Court involves the Missouri version of the amendment.

Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia, Mo. was seeking to enter a state program to receive used tires from landfills in order to create playground material. The playground is used by the public, but the state denied the churchs participation in the program because it is a religious institution.

It is blatant discrimination, Baxter said, given that the state used tire program is a purely secular program and open to everyone, and yet the state saying you cant participate if youre religious.

Other Blaine cases around the country include a church-run program in Florida that met inmates released from prison and connected them with programs to meet their needs of housing, mental health treatment, and job training. It had a positive record of preventing recidivism, Baxter said, but atheists sued over the programs connection with the state.

Although a federal judge ruled in the favor of Prisoners of Christ, that comes at the cost of years of litigation, Baxter noted.

In Oklahoma, students with disabilities were not sufficiently helped at the public schools and were instead given scholarships by the government to attend private schools with programs to meet their needs.

A lawsuit was brought against the use of scholarships for religious schools, but the state supreme court ruled in favor of the religious schools despite the states Blaine Amendment, Baxter said.

Another state school scholarship program in Georgia was criticized for sending children to Catholic schools on public scholarships, and the states Blaine Amendment was used in a lawsuit against the practice.

School cases present a substantial portion of Blaine Amendment cases, Baxter noted, because there are a number of these programswhere states are trying to figure out how best to provide a publicly-funded education to every student and incorporate private schools, including religious schools, into the programs.

These state laws are deleterious to religious groups, Baxter insisted, because even if the groups win in court, they are hampered by years of litigation and legal feeds. Also, he added, they contribute to religious strife in society by marginalizing religious groups.

The laws, when applied against equal participation in state programs by religious groups, are unconstitutional, he argued.

If theyre applied to discriminate against religious organizations and individuals, and keep them from participating on equal footing with other organizations and state programs, they violate the First Amendments free exercise and establishment clauses, he insisted, by basically trying to suppress religious believers or penalize religious entities on grounds that arent applied to everyone else.

Their main problem is this idea that somehow religion is not welcome in public life, when really, the First Amendment was created to ensure just the opposite, he said, to remind us that religion is a part of what it means to be a human being.

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How old anti-Catholic laws still threaten religious freedom today - Catholic News Agency

Jewish Groups: Transgender Rights Rollback An ‘Assault on Freedom’ – Forward

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Jewish organizations are railing against the Trump administrations removal of Obama-era protections for transgender youth.

In a string of angry statements, Jewish groups condemned the measure, which will lift a requirement that public schools allow transgender students to use bathrooms appropriate to their gender identity.

The Jewish activist group Bend the Arc called it a assault on freedom and human dignity. The National Council of Jewish Women said that it was disgusted by this betrayal.

We lament this serious step backward, said the leaders of Reform Judaism in a joint statement.

Transgender Jewish teenagers, disconcerted by the announcement, have been reaching out in recent hours to the Jewish LGBT equality group Keshet. It sends a really clear message that trans lives are not being valued and protected, Catherine Bell, the groups senior director for programming and leadership, told the Forward.

The Trump administration announced the policy shift in a letter issued jointly by the Departments of Justice and Education, which explained that federal anti-discrimination laws do not require that transgender students be permitted to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identities.

In doing so, the Trump administration reversed a controversial guidance document issued last May under former President Obama. Implementation of that guidance had been on hold since August, pending a federal court order.

The year-old Obama-era provision rested on the notion that transgender students are protected against discrimination under Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination on the basis of sex. Now, that interpretation is under threat.

The rejection of Title IX protections for transgender students undermines the safety and security of all students, said the Reform leaders statement. Further we are concerned that if the government can set aside Title IX for some students, important Title IX protections for all students and in particular women and minorities are also at risk.

Nancy Kaufman, head of the National Council of Jewish Women, said in a statement that the Trump administrations policy letter does not entirely remove Title IX protections for transgender students, which have been upheld in some courts. Still, she said, it does send a clear message to these students that their safety does not matter to this administration.

Right-leaning Jewish groups were largely quiet on the letter. A spokesman for Agudath Israel of America, the leading ultra-Orthodox advocacy group, told the Forward it had no position on the issue.

In his own statement, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called the rollback cruel.

Transgender individuals deserve to live in dignity, without fear of bullying or discrimination, wrote Schneiderman, who has emerged as a leading critic of the Trump administration. I will do whatever it takes to protect transgender and all LGBTQ New Yorkers, no matter what happens in Washington.

The New York Times reported that the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, initially opposed the new guidlines, but bent under pressure from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and President Trump.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at nathankazis@forward.com or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

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Jewish Groups: Transgender Rights Rollback An 'Assault on Freedom' - Forward

Living Freedom – Spiked

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

How might we make the case for freedom today? Asserting the capacity to think for ourselves seems like a good place to start. We should encourage people to live more freely by trying out new things, by experimenting with words or actions that fall outside conventional ways. We might also take inspiration from history. From periods such as the Enlightenment, when a practical battle for moral autonomy, for the right to speak, act and live freely, both sprung from and deepened a broader intellectual struggle to develop ideas suitable for the times.

Today, at a time when historic achievements related to freedom are to some extent being reversed, we need to broaden as much as possible the discussion about the history and importance of liberty. To that end, Living Freedom, a new, three-day residential school in London organised by the Institute of Ideas, is offering a unique opportunity for keen young advocates of freedom to participate in meaningful debate and a series of intellectual challenges.

Open to anyone between 18 and 25 years of age, and taking place in London from 6 to 8 April 2017, the school will provide an opportunity to explore current issues and also to discuss the historical development of the idea of freedom. Topics will include: the classical conception of freedom; freedom of conscience; existentialism and freedom; and how freedom relates to democracy. We will also explore determinism and free will, libertarianism, and the role of the state. There will be lectures, debates and workshops.

In stark contrast to the ethos of sensitivity-checking, which seeks to protect us from unfamiliar material and encourages us to stick to what we already know, Living Freedom will ask attendees to engage with difficult, controversial and challenging ideas. The school will be held in the spirit of Jean Paul Sartres argument that we should not shut ourselves up in our own minds, in a nice warm room with the shutters closed. Instead, he said, we should fly out over there, beyond oneself, to what is not oneself. If that appeals, then we hope to see you at Living Freedom.

Alastair Donald is co-founder of Living Freedom and associate director at the Institute of Ideas.

For further details and to apply to attend Living Freedom, click here.

For permission to republish spiked articles, please contact Viv Regan.

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Living Freedom - Spiked

Everything you need to know about Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom plan – Android Central

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Android Central

Everything you need to know about Sprint's Unlimited Freedom plan
Android Central
A complete breakdown of Sprint's Unlimited Freedom plan and everything else you can get when you sign up for service. In the United States, there are a lot of companies that can get you and your phone online, but most people use one of the four biggest ...
Sprint improving Unlimited Freedom and Unlimited Freedom Premium plans for existing customersPhoneDog

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Everything you need to know about Sprint's Unlimited Freedom plan - Android Central

Wired and weird: Meet the cyborg plants – Science News for Students (blog)

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Eleni Stavrinidou wasnt sure what shed see when she looked through her microscope at a slice of rose stem. Her team was experimenting with the flowers. They were trying to make a cyborg a living thing with electronic enhancements. In the past, their attempts had failed towork. But this time was different. She noticed a thin, dark line running up the stem,. It put agrinof excitement on her face.

That dark line was not some natural part of the plant. It was a wire. And it had grown there on its own.

Stavrinidou isnt the only one turning plants into cyborgs. Several research groups around the world are looking into ways to weave electronics into the natural world. With cutting-edge techniques, they are inserting artificial parts into the plants own structures. Such parts can enhance the normal abilities of its hosts. Others may give those plants superpowers.

Plants have the ability to create energy from sunlight. If scientists can harness that, they might one day build a literal power plant. They are working to engineerplants in other ways, too. Researchers are turning some into detectors for dangerous materials, from pollutants to bombs. Theyre also turning to plants for inspiration. By mimicking certain aspects of leaves and roots, researchers hope to create robots that help monitor the environment and alert us when conditions start to go bad.

One big reason to create cyborg plants: They might capture more energy than Mother Natures natural versions.

Green plants take light from the sun and turn it into electrical energy. Normally, that electricity goes to make the sugars the plant needs to grow. This process is called photosynthesis (Foh-toh-SIN-thuh-sis). And it takes place inside the small, walled-off sections of plant cells called chloroplasts (KLOR-oh-plasts). These structures are full of a pigment called chlorophyll (KLOR-oh-fill). Different pigments absorb different colors of visible light. Chlorophyll most strongly absorbs blue and red light. It reflects green, which is what makes these plants look green.

To make energy, the chloroplasts need both carbon dioxide and water. Plants pull in carbon dioxide from the air through tiny holes, called pores, on their leaves. Water travels up from the soil, first through the roots and then through a channel inside the plant stem. That channel, called the xylem (ZY-lem), is where Stavrinidous wire grew.

Stavrinidou works in bioelectronics at Linkping University in Sweden. She studies how electronics affect biological functions. Her team had created the wired rose she was peering at under the microscope. And that wire actually worked. It formed a circuit a path down which electricity could travel. The result was a rose that conducts electricity.

Under a microscope, the wires running through the roses stem look like thickblack lines. The darker ones are closer, the grayer ones are deeper back.

Eleni Stavrinidou / Liu

But how did the Linkping team get a wire grow inside the roses stem? They mixed into water the building blocks needed to make that wire. Then theyplaced thirsty cut flowers into the water. As each rose drank, it also sucked up molecules of the wire-making material. Once inside the plants stem, the molecules stuck together. They self-organized, Stavrinidou explains, into a long, thin line.

The material they used was a polymer a molecule made from a chain of identical, linked segments. Their thin shape makes such molecules ideal for wriggling into small spaces, like the long, narrow vessels that run up and down a plants xylem. Polymers form the basis of many materials, such as plastics. But most plastics do not let electricity flow through them. They block it. The PEDOT-S polymer that Stavrinidou used is special because it does conductelectricity. It even can act as a transistor a switch that stops or starts the flow of electrons. With PEDOT-S, the Linkping group became the first to build a transistor inside a flower.

Transistors lie at the heart of every computerized device. The chip inside a mobile phone may contain 2 billion of them. Each transistor can either switch on or off to make a 1 or 0. Computer programs rely on such 1s and 0s to store and handle information.

Engineers make most transistors from metals such as silicon. This electronic rose project, or one like it, might one day lead to living flowers that house working computer chips.

The Swedish group also is probing other ways to get polymers into plants. In one experiment, they submerged a roses leaves into a bath containing another type of PEDOT. The leaves absorbed the polymer, which settled into tiny cavities inside the lower part of the leaf. These cavities stack together in a single layer, looking almost like a piece of bubble wrap.

This PEDOT has a special color-change trait. It converts from dark to light blue as electricity travels through it. To inject electricity, the researchers attached pin-like electrodes. Each electrode pierced a single leaf cavity (think of a single bubble in a sheet of bubble wrap). When the researchers sent juice through the electrode, this tiny region lightened up, while all neighboring ones stayed dark. By attaching many electrodes, the researchers could control which cavities lit up throughout the leaf. This allowed them to create a pixelated display, sort of like the numbers on a digital watch. They published their findings in Science Advances a little more than a year ago.

Stavrinidou hopes that her teams accomplishments will lead to plants with whole new functions. For instance, scientists might build on her work to imbue plants with inner tools to monitor or even control their growth in farm fields. With tinkering, those plants might be able to use more of the suns light. That could cause them to produce flowers, fruits and vegetables faster than normal.

Or, Stavrinidou says: We could hack into the processes of the plant and take this electricity so people can use it. Some plants might even host embedded sensors to pick up and later broadcast information about the world around them (such as temperature, moisture levels and sunlight).

Its not quite as easy as that sounds, however. Michael Strano is an engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Althougha plant hacker, he wasnt involved in the Linkping projects. But he agrees that capturing and using the electrical energy of plant photosynthesis should be possible.

Any new capability that you can put into the plant is useful, he says of the Linkping teams work. Still, he cautions, the Swedish work is in its infancy. It relied on cut flowers and leaves, not rose bushes rooted in soil. Its hard to do these things in a way that keeps the plant viable and growing and thriving, Strano points out.

Thats something Stavrinidou has learned. Her team has performed tests with leaves attached to growing plants. But cuttings work better, shes found.

The good news: Adding polymers did not seem to harm her roses or affect the ability of their leavesto make electricity from the sun. Indeed, polymer-infused cuttings survived every bit as long as did those without polymers, she reports.

The cyborg leaves of this weedy mustard relative contain tiny antennae. They help the plant capture more light, making more energy than normal leaves do.

Michael Strano, MIT

Two years before the Linkping group published its findings, Stranos team made an exciting discovery. This MIT group found a way to insert extremely tiny machines nano-machines into a plants chloroplasts. These researchers work in a branch of engineering known as nanotechnology. They study incredibly tiny materials that that operate at very small scales.

Before Stranos research, scientists had not found a way to get anything through the wall of a plant cells chloroplasts. But the MIT team discovered that when it coated tiny particles with electrically charged molecules, chloroplants would suck those particles straight inside. Strano's team now understood how to insert any tiny particle, material, or even nanomachine into a plant cell.

At last they could begin testing different materials with the goal of altering a plants function,such as harvesting sunlight better.

A radio without its antenna cant capture very clear signals. Similarly, chloroplasts in a regular leaf cannot absorb much of the suns light. Plants focus on hues from deep blue to red, ignoring other wavelengths in sunlight. Stranos team decided to test the creation of a nano-antenna to boost the range of light a plant would capture. Then they inserted it into the chloroplasts of a small flowering weed within the mustard family.

The nano-antenna likely became trapped in the section of the chloroplast that gathers light, the researchers say. And although they still arent yet sure exactly how it works, cyborg plants hosting these antennae produced 30 percent more energy from sunlight than normal.

Under infrared light, parts of this cyborg leaf turn orange. Its orange spots reveal where the tiny antennae have infiltrated the leafs cells.

Michael Strano, MIT

The team published its initial findings three years ago, in Nature Materials. Since then, theyve begun working to further enhance their plants. For instance, theyve developed tiny sensors that can detect pollutants and other dangers in groundwater. They also found a way to insert these sensors into living plants.

A plant has roots that extend into the soil. It is constantly drinking, Strano says. Any pollutants in the soil or groundwater will get pulled in the way the polymers had been in Stavrinidous plants. Sensors within a plants roots or xylem should then be able to scout for particular chemicals.

We made an explosive-detecting plant, Strano says. Here, the plants sensors watched for chemicals in water that betrayed the presence of explosives such as TNT. When the sensors detected a bomb, the plant emitted infrared light. To watch for that signal, The MIT team built a system composed of a camera and a computer. When the camera "saw" the infrared light, the computer emailed out a warning.

Plant roots inspire scientists in other ways, too. Theyre remarkably good at finding water and nutrients while avoiding rocks and other obstacles. These are traits that could be especially useful to robots.

The Plantoid robot has a computer inside its trunk that controls each of its thick roots.

Italian Institute of Technology

Roots change direction when they run into objects in the soil. Most roots also are covered in sensitive hairs that check for water and nutrients. Thats how they know to grow toward the nutrients a plant needs. Figuring out how they do this could help researchers build better robots.

Thats why roots caught the attention of Barbara Mazzolai. She is a robot specialist at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa. Her team has created a robotic plant and begunrunning it through its paces. Called Plantoid, it has plastic branches with clear leaves. Each leaf contains sensors that measure temperature, touch and other factors. It has trunk, just like a tree. And this system not only can build its own roots but also direct them where to grow.

The tip of each robo-root uses sensors to gather information from its environment. Those sensors measure levels of nearby nutrients, water and pressure. In response, these roots bend away from obstacles and toward nutrients or water.

Some of the roots can even grow. They extend using a process similar to 3D printing. Plantoid feeds plastic thread from a spool through to the root. It stops at a spot just behind the roots tip. There, the plastic lays down new layers. Over time, this lengthens the root, pushing the tip out and down. A central computer located in Plantoids trunk manages the direction of that growth, based on incoming data from its sensor.

Plantoid has several possible uses. When loaded with sensors, its leaves and roots could spy signs of chemicals or pollutants in the air and soil. Plantoid could even travel to other planets and relay back data about alien worlds.

Lessons learned from building plantoid might one day evenlead to new tools in medicine, Mazzolai says. A flexible robot that can lengthen itself might help surgeons enter and operate on difficult-to-reach places. For example, the robot might snake down through the mouth and into the stomach.

For now, robo-roots and cyborg flowers remain laboratory curiosities. But that may change, because farmers and others are curious about whats going on in the immediate neighborhood of their crops.

Plantoids root pushes through a tub of plastic beads. Similar to a 3D printer, a spool feeds plastic down to just above the roots tip. This lengthens the root, making it grow.

Italian Institute of Technology

Already many farmers use sensors to monitor crops. These are not part of the plants, but instead are external electronic devices set up at regular intervals across a field or greenhouse. These sensorsmonitor the air or ground for water, nutrients and other things that matter to plant health. When theres a problem dry soil, for example the sensor sends a wireless alert to a central system. Such a system then alerts farmers about exactly what kind of care their crops need.

Cyborg plants might one day interact with or even replace such sensor systems. Stavrinidous wires, Stranos nanomachines, Plantoid and other similar technologies all turn plants into strange new versions of themselves. Cyborg plants could turn out to be healthier, more powerful or even smarter than regular plants.

One day, people may find it normal to walk past roses that both beautify the street and scan for pollution. At the same time, robots inspired by plants may help explore the surfaces of other planets.

Many people head out into the woods or a garden to get away from technology. But one day soon, nature itself may join our connected, electrified world.

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Wired and weird: Meet the cyborg plants - Science News for Students (blog)

Injustice 2 trailer: Batman battles Superman, Cyborg confirmed – EW.com

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Its Batman v Superman all over again in the latest trailer for Injustice 2.

The DC fighter game previews another face-off between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel in footage that tracksthe Kryptoniansrise to villainy. But the real reveal, for those fans keeping track, is the confirmation of Cyborg as a playable character in the new roster.

In my years fighting crime, Ive learned one truth that every villain is the hero of his own story, Batman says. Confronting the strongman as he ravages what looks to be Arkham Asylum, Superman says the battle only ends when theres no more crime.

While characters like Supergirl, Brainiac, Swamp Thing, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Black Canary, Gorilla Grodd, Deadshot, andAtrocituswere all previously confirmed for Injustice 2, Cyborg now has his moment inthe spotlight as he battles Blue Beetle and blasts Batman through a portal to Apokolips. (Speaking of which, dont forget you can pre-order the game now to score Darkseid at launch.)

The rest of the trailer plays out as a showdown between Bats and Supes, who flings the Caped Crusader into the clouds for a brutal blow. Watch it above.

Injustice 2 drops this May 16.

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Injustice 2 trailer: Batman battles Superman, Cyborg confirmed - EW.com

Norfolk: Relaxation and Royals, Beaches And Big Skies – Forbes

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Forbes

Norfolk: Relaxation and Royals, Beaches And Big Skies
Forbes
Norfolk; the quietest, mostly intensely rural part of England is beloved by the Royal Family who owns the Sandringham estate near Kings Lynn. Originally bought by Queen Victoria's eldest son, Edward VII, more recently, William and Kate chose to base ...

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Norfolk: Relaxation and Royals, Beaches And Big Skies - Forbes

Florida dominates TripAdvisor’s latest ‘Best Beaches’ list – Orlando Weekly (blog)

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Florida beaches dominated TripAdvisor's "2017 Traveler's Choice Awards for Best Beaches," taking seven out of the top 10 spots.

Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota took first place as the best beach in America, withKa'anapalli Beach in Maui, Hawaii, coming in second. However, St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach closely followed in third and fourth place.

This isn't the first time Siesta Key has been highly ranked in comparison to other beaches. In 2016, Siesta Beach ranked second in 2016's "Top 10 Beaches" list by Dr. Beach.

According to TripAdvisor, it's the fine white sand of Sarasota's Siesta Key Beach that made it the No. 1 spot for beachgoers in 2017. Siesta Key Beach was also ranked No. 5 in the "Top 10 Traveler's Choice Beaches in the World."

Here's what beaches made the top 10 forTripAdvisor's 2017 list:

1. Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota, Florida 2.Ka'anapalli Beach, Maui, Hawaii 3. St. Pete Beach, St. Petersburg, Florida 4. Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, Florida 5. Panama City Beach, Panama City, Florida 6. Hollywood Beach, Hollywood, Florida 7. Pensacola Beach, Pensacola, Florida 8. St. Augustine Beach, St. Augustine, Florida 9. Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Honolulu, Hawaii 10. Ocean City Beach, Ocean City, Maryland

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Florida dominates TripAdvisor's latest 'Best Beaches' list - Orlando Weekly (blog)

Vieques: A Caribbean island with beaches and eco-hotels galore – Mother Nature Network (blog)

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Right off the bat, Vieques surprised me in the best possible way. Just minutes after exiting the ferry from Puerto Rico, I saw my first wild horse. I admit with only some embarrassment to squealing and yelling "horse!" as if my cab driver were blind; luckily, he just laughed at me.

I devolved into my obsessed-with-horses young-girl self as I outright gawked at playful, lazy ponies in shades from dark brown to dusky white. They appeared trotting down the middle of the winding roads, nibbling grass in front of colonial-era ruins, and rolling delightedly in mud puddles next to the beach. The hundreds of frisky equines were just the first of many unexpected pleasures on this petite island eight miles from Puerto Rico.

Just some of the wild horses of Vieques. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

Each Caribbean island holds its own local charms. Besides the wildlife, Vieques has dozens of beaches, most of which are picture-perfect, easily accessible, very private and almost totally undeveloped. That's primarily because up until recently, most of the island was used as a bombing range for the U.S. Navy.

I have to admit that imagining these beautiful beaches and all the bird, insect and sea life that obviously thrives there being bombed repeatedly made me cry several times. From World War II until 2003, that's what most of this Caribbean island was used for.

Just steps from this lookout that's packed with native plants is one of the many beaches within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife property on Vieques. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

In 1999 a Vieques native, David Sanes, who worked for the U.S. Navy as a civilian, was accidentally killed by a bomb that misfired. While there had been several opposition movements to U.S. military presence on the island before, mass protests were sparked anew by Sanes' death, and this time, they were effective. In a real David-and-Goliath moment of civil disobedience, locals in fishing boats went up against much larger ships and successfully stopped the U.S. Navy's military exercises.

When celebrities and activists like Al Sharpton, RFK Jr., Jimmy Smits, Carlos Delgado and Jesse Jackson (to name just a few) joined the protest, they gained national media attention, and by May 2003, the Navy withdrew from the island, transferring its land to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS). Since then, the FWS has cleared much of the former Navy areas of bombs and other material, though some areas are still closed and being made safe for visitors. (I met several off-duty bomb-removal experts hanging out at Vieques' many friendly bars.)

The beautiful aquamarine waters that surround Vieques are lovely to swim and snorkel in and just enjoy looking at. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

Like Puerto Rico (which feels like the "mainland," even though it's an island, too), Vieques was originally settled by Indigenous people for thousands of years before the Spanish showed up and used it for its strategic position. As a result, it has many nicknames. My favorite was "Isla Nena," which means "Little Girl Island" in Spanish. This seems apt as it lives in Puerto Rico's shadow like the island of Culebra to the north, Vieques is a satellite of sorts to its larger, more well-known "parent" island.

Vieques is small, but it packs a lot in and most of the fun stuff is free. From exploring the abandoned ruins of a sugar plantation, now overgrown by thick tropical forest (below); to ancient Indigenous ruins that are well-known in archaeology circles; to horseback riding (some of the wild horses have been domesticated); to snorkeling the clear waters or visiting the world's largest Ceiba tree, which is over 300 years old.

Exploring a long-abandoned sugar mill deep in the woods was one of the highlights of my trip to Vieques. It rambled over quite a large area, and was, frankly, quite spooky. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

And of course, the beaches, with sands of many colors, off dirt roads and main drags, some long and flat, others crescent-moon shaped and lagoon-facing. And then there are the beaches in the Fish & Wildlife Refuge area, many of which still retain their Navy names: Blue Beach, Green Beach, etc. I can't forget Vieques' world-famous bioluminescent bay, which is well-protected by local regulations, and you will need a guide to see and explore.

More wild horses of Vieques; this one's getting a back-scratch on at the beach. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

There are three (very) different ethical accommodations on Vieques, ensuring that whatever you're into, you can stay in a place that's your style as well as conscious of the precious resources on this fragile wild islandand those of the larger planet.

Hix Island House is made up of several buildings; pictured behind the sign here is Casa Solaris, a completely solar-powered accommodation. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

I was not expecting to find such a design-focused accommodation like Hix Island House when I was looking into visiting Vieques, and I've not come across a similar hotel on any other Caribbean island. Built by architect John Hix, the Brutalist-style hotel fits in perfectly to the tropical forest ecosystem in the center of the island which admittedly sounds odd. But it makes perfect sense once you have spent time on Vieques the island is peppered with giant grey rocks which complement the greenery. Hix Island House juxtaposes itself with the local flora in the same way while inserting a real edge of modern style (not to mention luxury) into the equation.

Good morning from the beautiful @hixislandhouse and the Casa Solaris, the #caribbean's first and inly #solarpowered guesthouse! I'm here in the #forest of #Vieques, a small island off the coast of #puertorico, enjoying the birdsong, cool breezes, sunshine, and of course, stunning #architecture by John Hix, who takes the natural world as inspiration and writes, "it seems sensible that my Vieques buildings should be sculpture absorbed and concealed by landscape." --Starre #travel #ecotravel #ethicaltravel #wanderlust #mytinyatlas #design #architect #moderndesign #islandlife

A post shared by Eco-Chick.com (@ecochickie) on Nov 10, 2016 at 4:13am PST

While the design is both locally inspired and international, the eco bona fides are serious: Hix writes, "My houses are designed to conserve commercial energy, reduce repair and maintenance, minimize the use of chemicals, thus treading lightly on the Earth. The houses collect rain water and heat it with the sun. Then, after use, they give the water to the surrounding flora. The houses convert the suns rays into electricity."

Even Hix Island House's pool was minimalist-Brutalist in style and solar-powered. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

I stayed in the Casa Solaris, one of several "houses" that make up the hotel and the only solar-powered guest accommodation in the Caribbean: It was beautifully positioned not only to maximize the incredible views across the island's interior mountains and out to the sea, but the constant cooling breezes meant air conditioning was unnecessary. And since mosquitoes like quiet, standing air, there were few bugs to bother with. Quiet, incredibly relaxed, and with every detail seen to, my time at Hix Island House almost feels more like a dream than a memory.

You can spot La Finca's solar panels in the lower left corner of this picture of me relaxing in the deck-side hammock. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

Located just down the road from Hix Island House, and also set in the rugged hilly interior of the island, La Finca is the perfect, boho-Caribbean escape. Used as a backdrop for more than one fashion shoot, its colorful, friendly main building houses a full kitchen, huge, relaxing reading room and an unforgettable deck that looks out over the mountains. (You know how in meditation, they tell you to envision a place of peace? La Finca's front deck is what I picture now.) With a porch swing, hammocks, a big table and snug little twosomes of Adirondack chairs, I spent much of my La Finca time simply lolling about on the deck; it's just perfect.

The easy, groovy atmosphere of La Finca makes it feel like a home away from home. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

This self-proclaimed "rustic" retreat feels like its in perfect harmony with the local environment: fruit trees bearing snacks of all flavors abound, and each of the various guest houses (from single-roomed studio to a whole family-friendly house) have tons of unique character and plenty of color. But the eco-friendliness is much more than skin deep: solar panels provide hot water, linens are hung in the Caribbean breezes to dry (rather than in an energy-sucking dryer), rainwater is harvested, greywater is reused for plants, lights are low-power LEDs, and the pool is salt not chlorine.

A shower wall made with upcycled glass bottles in my casita at La Finca. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

But best of all, the brilliant and crafty folks at La Finca have taken "reduce, reuse, recycle" as instruction, utilizing glass (which is not recycled on the island) in all kinds of gorgeous, creative ways. My shower was built with bottles, and I've rarely seen something as pretty as when the sun shined through it. In addition to being incredibly knowledgeable and friendly people, the hosts at La Finca are also happy to lend things you might need while on-island, so you don't need to buy extras of something you don't need another simple but often-forgotten way to conserve resources (not to mention cash).

The facade of El Blok would fit in in NYC or Mexico City, but it's actually perfectly designed for its location on the Caribbean Sea. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

El Blok is a chic, urban hotel with a LEED-gold-certified heart of green not what you'd expect to find in the one-street long, two-streets wide town. But that's exactly what it is. With top-notch service and rooms that reminded me of The Standard or a W (but way cooler than either of those), I went to sleep on a weekend night with the sound of DJ music in my ears a fun change from the very quiet stays at previous accommodations.

The tail end of a colorful sunset over Puerto Real, from El Blok's rooftop. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

Besides the incredible food in El Blok's restaurant (people come from all over the island to eat Chef Carlos Perez's take on modern Puerto Rican food), both their bars serve up excellent cocktails. At sunset time, head upstairs to the incomparably beautiful roof deck (above), complete with live music and a cool dipping pool. I spent hours one evening soaking in the tub, watching the sun set (then enjoying a full moon rise), and drinking a fresh mojito there's not much better.

El Blok's lobby features an art installation made with local materials that's open to the sky. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

From using sustainably harvested local mesquite wood on the grill in the hotel's restaurant, to sourcing most materials for the hotel from within 1,500 miles (a true feat in the Caribbean, helped by the fact that the architect who designed the building was local), reusing water for plantings and a super-efficient A/C that reuses its own heat for additional free energy, El Blok has really done its homework when it came to being sustainable though you'd never know by looking at it. People who aren't interested in or conscious of green design might not even realize it's an "eco hotel" at all.

There's so much beachfront of Vieques, most of it is still wild, and there's plenty of room for long walks next to the surf. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

Traveling to Vieques is easy if you are a U.S. citizen, you don't even need a passport because it's part of the United States and there are a plethora of inexpensive flights to Puerto Rico, so it need not be a pricey proposition. Then simply hop a very short flight over to Vieques or take the ferry (as I did, it was only a couple of dollars). I know I'll be back it's a perfectly affordable, totally friendly, easy-to-enjoy locale in which to get a lot of writing done which is what I plan for my return there next year.

A 20-minute walk down a tropical forest path is the only way to access the black sand beach pictured at the top of this story. (Photo: Starre Vartan)

Starre Vartan ( @ecochickie ) covers conscious consumption, health and science as she travels the world exploring new cultures and ideas.

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Vieques: A Caribbean island with beaches and eco-hotels galore - Mother Nature Network (blog)

Oak Island and other coastal communities work to restore beaches – StarNewsOnline.com

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Four months after Hurricane Matthew hit the coast, some local beach towns are still working to restore the beaches.

SOUTHEASTERN N.C. -- Hank Henry smiled as he watched his family play at the edge of the water on the beach in Oak Island. Behind him rose a makeshift dune, a fence planted firmly in front of it. The dune stretched in front of a few houses before dropping off sharply, flat beach on either side.

Oak Island and Ocean Isle Beach suffered some of the most drastic cases of erosion followingHurricane Matthew, which hit the area in October.

More than four months later, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach and other coastal communities are making strides toward restoring beaches impacted by the hurricane.

In Oak Island, the storm flattened dunes all along the beach.Homeowners have pulled sand out from under their homes as part of an effort to recreate the dunes.

The town is in the process of seeking proposals for a FEMA emergency dune restoration project, which entails placing thousands of cubic yards of beach fill on more than five miles of beach. Mayor Cin Brochure said the town will consider bids for the project in March and hopes to have the sand placed before the summer months.

While the town weaves through the process of restoring the dunes, Henry said seeing the beach after Hurricane Matthew was devastating and he hopes to see more work done on the beach soon.

"Somebodys got to step up and do something to renourish the beach," he said.

Brochure said the beach is always a "top priority" in Oak Island and the town is working on creating a long-term beach plan.

Except for the eastern end of Ocean Isle Beach, Mayor Debbie Smith said the beaches are doing fairly well.

The town is in the process of planning a terminal groin project for the east end. A 750-foot terminal groin would be installed east of Shallotte Boulevard to mitigate erosion along 3,500 feet of oceanfront shoreline west of the Shallotte Inlet.

While the town has received a Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) major permit from the Division of Coastal Management, Smith said the town is still waiting on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of the project, which she expects soon.

In Sunset Beach, though the beach lost a significant amount of sand during the storm, Town Administrator Susan Parker said the beach is starting to build back.

The town is waiting for permits to begin work on the beach access at 10th Street and repair a single bulkhead.

Other than that our beaches are looking pretty good, she said.

Caswell Beach didnt experience a major washout, but Town Administrator Chad Hicks said it lost about 15 to 20 percent of beach sand.

We could be a lot worse, he said. Weve got a few skinny spots, but at least we dont have any threatened structures right now.

Hicks said he believes the Corps of Engineers will try to bring sand to the beach during the next dredging season.

Bald Head Island placed sand from a dredging project at the mouth of Bald Head Creek on the west-facing shoreline, which was the most impacted during the storm. However, Village Manager Chris McCall said the project had been planned before the hurricane.

Though Holden Beach did suffer some erosion, the towns $15 million beach nourishment effort, the Central Reach project, is in progress.The project will put about 1.3 million cubic yards of sand along four miles of beachfront.

Meanwhile in New Hanover County, though the beaches fared well during the storm, Layton Bedsole, the countys shore protection coordinator, said a known hot spot at Carolina Beach near the Carolina Beach Fishing Pier seemed to experience some of the most obvious relocations of sand.

Though the area hasnt recovered all the material taken into the near shore area, Bedsole said the area has mostly recovered.

In Pender County, Surf City Town Manager Larry Bergman said the town has started a beach bulldozing project designed to shore up and repair damaged dunes along the beach, which will take place until the end of March.

Bergman said the town is planning to pursue a Corps of Engineers project to bring in sand and rebuild the beach, though that project could be a few years down the road.

Reporter Makenzie Holland can be reached at 910-343-2371 or Makenzie.Holland@StarNewsOnline.com.

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Oak Island and other coastal communities work to restore beaches - StarNewsOnline.com

2 Popular Beaches Get Bad Bacterial Reports – Patch.com

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Patch.com

2 Popular Beaches Get Bad Bacterial Reports
Patch.com
TAMPA, FL Folks with plans to soak up some sun at Picnic Island or Cypress Point Beach might want to think twice before getting into the water. The Hillsborough County Health Department has issued an advisory for both beaches following routine water ...

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LGBT church in Palm Beach Gardens vandalized – WPTV.com

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -

Vandals pulled down the electrical wires at the Metropolitan Community Church of the Palm Beaches, causing an electrical surge and frying all computers, telephones and their organ.

The incident happened on Sept.18, but church officials have only now gone public with it.

It was very, very sad, Rev. Dr. Lea Brown, senior pastor at the MCC of the Palm Beaches said. It was very demoralizing.

Rev. Brown said she discovered the incident only after trying to turn on the lights in the building. When nothing worked, she went outside and saw the damage.

All these wires were pulled down here and these black smoke marks where the electrical surge happened when the wires were pulled, Brown said. We were very fortunate that the whole building didnt burn down.

Its not the first time houses of worship in the area have been vandalized. A mosque in Fort Pierce was set on fire last year.

Local Jewish Community Centers have been evacuated at least twice after bomb threats.

Rev. Brown said it hasnt been the first time her church has seen something like this happen.

Were an MCC, things happen here that dont happen at other churches, Brown said. We get hate mail, we get phone calls, people mess with our sign out on the street.

According to hate crime data collected by the FBI, L.G.B.T. people were more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other minority in 2014.

And thats the environment that were living in at the moment, Brown said. There are many people in my congregation who are living in fear.

Rev. Brown said that several MCC churches across the state have had cases of vandalism.

The MCC of Palm Beaches did not have surveillance cameras installed at the time, but they do now.

The Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office is investigating. So far Brown said no suspects have been found and there is no motive.

Through their insurance claim, the MCC of the Palm Beaches was able to replace their electrical equipment.

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LGBT church in Palm Beach Gardens vandalized - WPTV.com

Glow-in-the-dark gas lights up the cosmic web – Astronomy Magazine

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Lyman-alpha emission is a specific wavelength of light given off by neutral hydrogen as it cools after heating that allows astronomers to trace the location of this gas. Lyman-alpha blobs are large structures of gas emitting at this wavelength that are associated with young galaxies in the early universe. The emission seen from these blobs is typically assumed to arise from the high levels of radiation given off by quasars, star formation, or even supernovae in the galaxies they surround. Astronomers have recently discovered one of the largest Lyman-alpha structures found to date, but the source of this huge objects glow is not exactly obvious.

MAMMOTH-1 is an enormous Lyman-alpha nebula, or ELAN for short. Its a huge structure of hydrogen gas that sits at a distance of 10 billion light-years from Earth in the center of a dense concentration of galaxies. Its discovery was announced in a paper accepted for publication in theAstrophysical Journal and also available online, authored by Zheng Cai, a Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Santa Cruz, and several associates. The structures name is derived from the survey that found it: Mapping the Most Massive Overdensities Through Hydrogen, or MAMMOTH.

MAMMOTH-1 is not the first ELAN to be discovered. Coauthor J. Xavier Prochaska, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, found the first ELAN in 2014, known as the Slug Nebula.

MAMMOTH-1s location in and of itself isnt unusual, as Lyman-alpha blobs such as ELANs have been discovered around the highest densities of matter throughout the universe. However, what is unusual is that previously discovered ELANs are all associated with visible quasars, which provide an obvious mechanism responsible for the Lyman-alpha emission they produce. MAMMOTH-1 is not.

Quasars are intensely bright sources of radiation that arise from the disks of matter swirling around supermassive black holes. When a quasars high-energy photons hit hydrogen gas (such as that in MAMMOTH-1), they knock electrons away in a process called photoionization. The electrons are later recaptured by the hydrogen atoms, which gives off Lyman-alpha light. Alternatively, a quasar can produce outflows that heat the hydrogen gas of a Lyman-alpha blob via shocks, which also produces Lyman-alpha emission.

MAMMOTH-1 is extremely bright, and it's probably larger than the Slug Nebula, but there's nothing else visible except the faint smudge of a galaxy. So it's a terrifically energetic phenomenon without an obvious power source," said Prochaska in a press release.

MAMMOTH-1s home is a proto-cluster that consists of a huge number of galaxies spread out in a relatively large area just 3 billion years after the Big Bang. Given time to evolve, the protocluster should come to resemble the densely-packed galaxy clusters we see in our local universe today. Proto-clusters represent an early step in cosmic evolution, and its thought that gas flows along a cosmic web of invisible dark matter to form stars and galaxies. And, in fact, MAMMOTH-1 itself has a filamentary structure, which the team believes traces out the cosmic web thats growing the protocluster over time. Thus, MAMMOTH-1 acts as an illuminated portion of the cosmic web, showing astronomers where gas is flowing into this high-density area of the universe. According to Cai, From the distribution of galaxies we can infer where the filaments of the cosmic web are, and the nebula is perfectly aligned with that structure.

As for the mystery of MAMMOTH-1s power source, Cai and his coauthors speculate that its likely an active supermassive black hole thats simply obscured by dust and gas, and thus not readily visible in optical light. This idea is supported by evidence theyve gathered during their observations, including the dynamics of MAMMOTH-1s gas and the emission visible from elements other than hydrogen in the vicinity.

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Glow-in-the-dark gas lights up the cosmic web - Astronomy Magazine

The Europa mission is heading onto phase B – Astronomy Magazine

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

After successfully completing its Key Decision Point-B review on February 15, NASAs Europa space exploration mission has been given the green light to move onto its initial design phase at the end of this month.

Every NASA mission must pass each stage of review, showing NASA that the mission meets all the requirements to complete the process and launch. Phase A includes conceptual study and preliminary analyses of the missions, phase B is preliminary designs, and phases C and D are final designs, creating the spacecraft, testing, and finally launching it.

In the Europa review, Phase A included picking out which instruments the team wanted to include on the spacecraft to study the potentially habitable moon. It had already started testing spacecraft components, but that will continue into phase B.

The current plan is to have the mission launch some time in the 2020s and orbit Jupiter as much as every two weeks, estimating between 40-45 flybys through the duration of the mission. Along with studying the structure of Europa and learning more about the composition of its ocean, the mission will take thousands of high-resolution images of the icy moon.

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The Europa mission is heading onto phase B - Astronomy Magazine

Fermi space telescope finds possible dark matter ties in Andromeda … – Astronomy Now Online

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

The gamma-ray excess (shown in yellow-white) at the heart of M31 hints at unexpected goings-on in the galaxys central region. Scientists think the signal could be produced by a variety of processes, including a population of pulsars or even dark matter. Credits: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration and Bill Schoening, Vanessa Harvey/REU program/NOAO/AURA/NSF

NASAs Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has found a signal at the center of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy that could indicate the presence of the mysterious stuff known as dark matter. The gamma-ray signal is similar to one seen by Fermi at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy.

Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light, produced by the universes most energetic phenomena. Theyre common in galaxies like the Milky Way because cosmic rays, particles moving near the speed of light, produce gamma rays when they interact with interstellar gas clouds and starlight.

Surprisingly, the latest Fermi data shows the gamma rays in Andromeda also known as M31 are confined to the galaxys center instead of spread throughout. To explain this unusual distribution, scientists are proposing that the emission may come from several undetermined sources. One of them could be dark matter, an unknown substance that makes up most of the universe.

We expect dark matter to accumulate in the innermost regions of the Milky Way and other galaxies, which is why finding such a compact signal is very exciting, said lead scientist Pierrick Martin, an astrophysicist at the National Center for Scientific Research and the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse, France. M31 will be a key to understanding what this means for both Andromeda and the Milky Way.

A paper describing the results will appear in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

Another possible source for this emission could be a rich concentration of pulsars in M31s center. These spinning neutron stars weigh as much as twice the mass of the Sun and are among the densest objects in the universe. One teaspoon of neutron star matter would weigh a billion tons on Earth. Some pulsars emit most of their energy in gamma rays. Because M31 is 2.5 million light-years away, its difficult to find individual pulsars. To test whether the gamma rays are coming from these objects, scientists can apply what they know about pulsars from observations in the Milky Way to new X-ray and radio observations of Andromeda.

Now that Fermi has detected a similar gamma-ray signature in both M31 and the Milky Way, scientists can use this information to solve mysteries within both galaxies. For example, M31 emits few gamma rays from its large disk, where most stars form, indicating fewer cosmic rays roaming there. Because cosmic rays are usually thought to be related to star formation, the absence of gamma rays in the outer parts of M31 suggests either that the galaxy produces cosmic rays differently, or that they can escape the galaxy more rapidly. Studying Andromeda may help scientists understand the life cycle of cosmic rays and how it is connected to star formation.

We dont fully understand the roles cosmic rays play in galaxies, or how they travel through them, said Xian Hou, an astrophysicist at Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Kunming, China, also a lead scientist in this work. M31 lets us see how cosmic rays behave under conditions different from those in our own galaxy.

The similar discovery in both the Milky Way and M31 means scientists can use the galaxies as models for each other when making difficult observations. While Fermi can make more sensitive and detailed observations of the Milky Ways center, its view is partially obscured by emission from the galaxys disk. But telescopes view Andromeda from an outside vantage point impossible to attain in the Milky Way.

Our galaxy is so similar to Andromeda, it really helps us to be able to study it, because we can learn more about our galaxy and its formation, said co-author Regina Caputo, a research scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Its like living in a world where theres no mirrors but you have a twin, and you can see everything physical about the twin.

While more observations are necessary to determine the source of the gamma-ray excess, the discovery provides an exciting starting point to learn more about both galaxies, and perhaps about the still elusive nature of dark matter.

We still have a lot to learn about the gamma-ray sky, Caputo said. The more information we have, the more information we can put into models of our own galaxy.

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Fermi space telescope finds possible dark matter ties in Andromeda ... - Astronomy Now Online

Turner Farm to Hold ‘Astronomy for Family Fun: Moon’ – Patch.com

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Danzig

Patch.com

Turner Farm to Hold 'Astronomy for Family Fun: Moon'
Patch.com
Observatory Park at Turner Farm is hosting an astronomy night for family members age six to adult that puts a focus on the moon. Learn about earth's natural satellite, and enjoy fun activities and crafts that will help to demystify the moon and bring ...

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Turner Farm to Hold 'Astronomy for Family Fun: Moon' - Patch.com

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