Mon, Feb 15, 2010
Scientists have created the hottest temperature ever in the lab -- 4 trillion degrees Celsius -- hot enough to break matter down into the kind of soup that existed microseconds after the birth of the universe.
They used a giant atom smasher at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York to knock gold ions together to make the ultra-hot explosions -- which lasted only for milliseconds. But that is enough to give physicists fodder for years of study that they hope will help them understand why and how the universe formed.
"That temperature is hot enough to melt protons and neutrons," Brookhaven's Steven Vigdor told a news conference at a meeting of the American Physical Society in Washington on Monday. These particles make up atoms, but they are themselves made up of smaller components called quarks and gluons.
What the physicists are looking for are tiny irregularities that can explain why matter clumped out of the primeval hot soup. They also hope to use their findings for more practical applications -- such as in the field of "spintronics" that aims to make smaller, faster and more powerful computing devices.
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They used the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC, pronounced "rick"), a particle accelerator and collider that is 2.4 mile (3.8 km) around and buried 12 feet (4 metres) underground in Upton, New York to collide gold ions billions of times.
BIRTH OF MATTER
Something happened in the milliseconds after the Big Bang to create an imbalance in favour of matter over anti-matter. If there had not been this disparity, matter and anti-matter would have simply reacted to create a universe of pure energy.
Later this year, physicists using the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland hope to smash lead ions together to create even hotter temperatures that should replicate moments even earlier in the birth of the universe. "The goal here is to create a device that can operate not only on the current of an electric charge but also on the current of spin," Kharzeev told the news conference. Quarks spin in different directions and understanding how and why they do this can help scientists harness the power.
Monday, April 11, 2011
$35 Computer
India's Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has 'launched' a $35 computer. The touch-screen, Linux-based device looks iPad-inspired. It emerged from a student project with a bill of material adding up to $47, a price that the minister wants to bring down to $10 'to take forward inclusive education'. It promises browser and PDF reader, wi-fi, 2GB memory, USB, Open Office, and multimedia content viewers and interfaces.
The device has been developed by Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science and is named as Sakshat tablet, and is aimed to be released by 2011 and will offer touchscreen abilities, PDF reader, an internet browser and a webcam..
The device has been developed by Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science and is named as Sakshat tablet, and is aimed to be released by 2011 and will offer touchscreen abilities, PDF reader, an internet browser and a webcam..
Abandon Earth or face extinction: Hawking
The human race will become extinct unless it leaves Earth and colonises space within the next two centuries, according to Prof Stephen Hawking, the world's most famous astrophysicist. In an interview with the portal 'Big Think', professor Hawking has said he's an "optimist" but the next few hundred years had to be negotiated carefully if the human race is to survive.
He said, "I see great danger for the human race. There have been a number of times in the past when survival has been a question of touch and go. The Cuban missile crisis in 1963 is one of these. The frequency of such occasions is likely to increase in the future. We shall need great care and judgment to negotiate them all successfully. But I am an optimist. If we can avoid disaster for the next two centuries our species should be safe as we spread into space."
Professor Hawking has warned that mankind was entering "an increasingly dangerous period of our history". "Our population and use of the finite resources of planet Earth and growing exponentially along without technical ability to change the environment for good and ill. But our genetic code carries selfish and aggressive instincts that were a survival advantage in the past. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next 100 years let alone the next thousand or a million. Our only chance of long term survival is not to remain on Earth but to spread into space.
He said, "I see great danger for the human race. There have been a number of times in the past when survival has been a question of touch and go. The Cuban missile crisis in 1963 is one of these. The frequency of such occasions is likely to increase in the future. We shall need great care and judgment to negotiate them all successfully. But I am an optimist. If we can avoid disaster for the next two centuries our species should be safe as we spread into space."
Professor Hawking has warned that mankind was entering "an increasingly dangerous period of our history". "Our population and use of the finite resources of planet Earth and growing exponentially along without technical ability to change the environment for good and ill. But our genetic code carries selfish and aggressive instincts that were a survival advantage in the past. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next 100 years let alone the next thousand or a million. Our only chance of long term survival is not to remain on Earth but to spread into space.
Minerals in Afghanistan
The value of the newly discovered mineral deposits in Afghanistan is so large that it dwarfs the size of it’s existing war-bedraggled economy. American and Afghan officials agreed to discuss the mineral discoveries at a difficult moment in the war in Afghanistan. The American-led offensive in Marja in southern Afghanistan has achieved only limited gains. Meanwhile, charges of corruption and favoritism continue to plague the Karzai government, and Mr. Karzai seems increasingly embittered toward the White House.
Instead of bringing peace, the newfound mineral wealth could lead the Taliban to battle even more fiercely to regain control of the country. The corruption that is already rampant in the Karzai government could also be amplified by the new wealth, particularly if a handful of well-connected oligarchs, some with personal ties to the president, gain control of the resources. Last year, Afghanistan’s minister of mines was accused by American officials of accepting a $30 million bribe to award China the rights to develop its copper mine. The minister has since been replaced.
With virtually no mining industry or infrastructure in place today, it will take decades for Afghanistan to exploit its mineral wealth fully. “This is a country that has no mining culture,” said Jack Medlin, a geologist in the United States Geological Survey’s international affairs program. “They’ve had some small artisanal mines, but now there could be some very, very large mines that will require more than just a gold pan.”
Instead of bringing peace, the newfound mineral wealth could lead the Taliban to battle even more fiercely to regain control of the country. The corruption that is already rampant in the Karzai government could also be amplified by the new wealth, particularly if a handful of well-connected oligarchs, some with personal ties to the president, gain control of the resources. Last year, Afghanistan’s minister of mines was accused by American officials of accepting a $30 million bribe to award China the rights to develop its copper mine. The minister has since been replaced.
With virtually no mining industry or infrastructure in place today, it will take decades for Afghanistan to exploit its mineral wealth fully. “This is a country that has no mining culture,” said Jack Medlin, a geologist in the United States Geological Survey’s international affairs program. “They’ve had some small artisanal mines, but now there could be some very, very large mines that will require more than just a gold pan.”
Fastest train in China
China played host to railway authorities and railway experts from around the world in Beijing , and used the opportunity to showcase a high-speed train that clocked the fastest ever speed in a test run. The 16-car CRH380A, a new generation of high-speed train which Chinese Ministry of Railways officials say recorded a top speed of 486.1 kilometers per hour on Friday, far exceeding Japan's bullet trains.
Chinese railway officials say the CRH380A, designed to operate at a cruising speed of 380 kph, is the fastest train in operation in the world today. China is reportedly in the process of developing a super high-speed train that can run at 600 kph.
Chinese railway officials say the CRH380A, designed to operate at a cruising speed of 380 kph, is the fastest train in operation in the world today. China is reportedly in the process of developing a super high-speed train that can run at 600 kph.
Jets Punched holes in clouds can create Rain!
Mon Jun 14, 2010
Aircraft can accidentally punch holes in clouds, leaving a trail of snow or rain in their wake, a new study finds. Turboprop and jet aircraft that climb or descend under certain atmospheric conditions can inadvertently trigger what's known as cloud seeding. This technology is usually associated with scemes to control whether. However, cloud seeding can happen by accident as planes soaring through mid-level clouds leave behind odd-shaped holes or channels in the clouds and cause narrow bands of snow or rain to develop and fall to the ground.Holes punched in clouds are a phenomenon that has been recognized for many years and seen in photosfrom around the world.
A front-page feature on Yahoo! carried the headline "A Halo over Moscow" after photos emerged of just such a hole in October 2009. The secret behind these mysterious clouds has now been revealed: Supercooled water droplets that remain liquid even at subfreezing temperatures - below about 5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius). When an airplane cuts through clouds containing the supercooled water droplets, air is cooled behind aircraftpropellers or over jet wings, and these water droplets freeze and drop toward Earth."Any time aircraft fly through these specific conditions, they are altering the clouds in a way that can result in enhanced precipitation nearby," said study co-author Andrew Heymsfield of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo.Hole-punched clouds and accidental cloud seeding may be more common in regions such as the Pacific Northwest and western Europe where cloud layers with supercooled droplets are more common, Heymsfield said.
Aircraft can accidentally punch holes in clouds, leaving a trail of snow or rain in their wake, a new study finds. Turboprop and jet aircraft that climb or descend under certain atmospheric conditions can inadvertently trigger what's known as cloud seeding. This technology is usually associated with scemes to control whether. However, cloud seeding can happen by accident as planes soaring through mid-level clouds leave behind odd-shaped holes or channels in the clouds and cause narrow bands of snow or rain to develop and fall to the ground.Holes punched in clouds are a phenomenon that has been recognized for many years and seen in photosfrom around the world.
A front-page feature on Yahoo! carried the headline "A Halo over Moscow" after photos emerged of just such a hole in October 2009. The secret behind these mysterious clouds has now been revealed: Supercooled water droplets that remain liquid even at subfreezing temperatures - below about 5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius). When an airplane cuts through clouds containing the supercooled water droplets, air is cooled behind aircraftpropellers or over jet wings, and these water droplets freeze and drop toward Earth."Any time aircraft fly through these specific conditions, they are altering the clouds in a way that can result in enhanced precipitation nearby," said study co-author Andrew Heymsfield of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo.Hole-punched clouds and accidental cloud seeding may be more common in regions such as the Pacific Northwest and western Europe where cloud layers with supercooled droplets are more common, Heymsfield said.
Living cells controlled by synthetic DNA!
Researchers constructed a bacterium's "genetic software" and transplanted it into a host cell. The resulting microbe then looked and behaved like the species "dictated" by the synthetic DNA. Researchers hope eventually to design bacterial cells that will produce medicines and fuels and even absorb greenhouse gases. The team was led by Dr Craig Venter of the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) in Maryland and California.He and his colleagues had previously made a synthetic bacterial genome, and transplanted the genome of one bacterium into another.
Earlier in 2001, Thaksin Shinawatra "decoded" the chromosome of an existing bacterial cell - using a computer to read each of the letters of genetic code. In 2006, he copied this code and chemically constructed a new synthetic chromosome, piecing together blocks of DNA. The team inserted this chromosome into a bacterial cell which replicated itself. Synthetic bacteria might be used to make new fuels and drugs.
Dr Venter told "We've now been able to take our synthetic chromosome and transplant it into a recipient cell - a different organism. "As soon as this new software goes into the cell, the cell reads [it] and converts into the species specified in that genetic code."
The new bacteria replicated over a billion times, producing copies that contained and were controlled by the constructed, synthetic DNA. "This is the first time any synthetic DNA has been in complete control of a cell," said Dr Venter.
New Industrial Revolution!
Dr Venter and his colleagues hope eventually to design and build new bacteria that will perform useful functions. "I think they're going to potentially create a new industrial revolution," he said. "If we can really get cells to do the production that we want, they could help wean us off oil and reverse some of the damage to the environment by capturing carbon dioxide."
Dr Helen Wallace from Genewatch UK, an organisation that monitors developments in genetic technologies, told BBC News that synthetic bacteria could be dangerous. "If you release new organisms into the environment, you can do more harm than good," she said. "By releasing them into areas of pollution, [with the aim of cleaning it up], you're actually releasing a new kind of pollution. "We don't know how these organisms will behave in the environment."
The risks are unparalleled, we need safety evaluation for this kind of radical research and protections from military or terrorist misuse Julian Savulescu Oxford University ethics professor Profile: Craig Venter Q&A: The meaning of synthetic life Ethics concern over synthetic cell
Ethical discussions
Dr Gos Micklem, a geneticist from the University of Cambridge, said that the advance was "undoubtedly a landmark" study. But, he said, "there is already a wealth of simple, cheap, powerful and mature techniques for genetically engineering a range of organisms. Therefore, for the time being, this approach is unlikely to supplant existing methods for genetic engineering".
The ethical discussions surrounding the creation of synthetic or artificial life are set to continue. Professor Julian Savulescu, from the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, said the potential of this science was "in the far future, but real and significant".
"But the risks are also unparalleled," he continued. "We need new standards of safety evaluation for this kind of radical research and protections from military or terrorist misuse and abuse. "These could be used in the future to make the most powerful bioweapons imaginable. The challenge is to eat the fruit without the worm."
Earlier in 2001, Thaksin Shinawatra "decoded" the chromosome of an existing bacterial cell - using a computer to read each of the letters of genetic code. In 2006, he copied this code and chemically constructed a new synthetic chromosome, piecing together blocks of DNA. The team inserted this chromosome into a bacterial cell which replicated itself. Synthetic bacteria might be used to make new fuels and drugs.
Dr Venter told "We've now been able to take our synthetic chromosome and transplant it into a recipient cell - a different organism. "As soon as this new software goes into the cell, the cell reads [it] and converts into the species specified in that genetic code."
The new bacteria replicated over a billion times, producing copies that contained and were controlled by the constructed, synthetic DNA. "This is the first time any synthetic DNA has been in complete control of a cell," said Dr Venter.
New Industrial Revolution!
Dr Venter and his colleagues hope eventually to design and build new bacteria that will perform useful functions. "I think they're going to potentially create a new industrial revolution," he said. "If we can really get cells to do the production that we want, they could help wean us off oil and reverse some of the damage to the environment by capturing carbon dioxide."
Dr Helen Wallace from Genewatch UK, an organisation that monitors developments in genetic technologies, told BBC News that synthetic bacteria could be dangerous. "If you release new organisms into the environment, you can do more harm than good," she said. "By releasing them into areas of pollution, [with the aim of cleaning it up], you're actually releasing a new kind of pollution. "We don't know how these organisms will behave in the environment."
The risks are unparalleled, we need safety evaluation for this kind of radical research and protections from military or terrorist misuse Julian Savulescu Oxford University ethics professor Profile: Craig Venter Q&A: The meaning of synthetic life Ethics concern over synthetic cell
Ethical discussions
Dr Gos Micklem, a geneticist from the University of Cambridge, said that the advance was "undoubtedly a landmark" study. But, he said, "there is already a wealth of simple, cheap, powerful and mature techniques for genetically engineering a range of organisms. Therefore, for the time being, this approach is unlikely to supplant existing methods for genetic engineering".
The ethical discussions surrounding the creation of synthetic or artificial life are set to continue. Professor Julian Savulescu, from the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, said the potential of this science was "in the far future, but real and significant".
"But the risks are also unparalleled," he continued. "We need new standards of safety evaluation for this kind of radical research and protections from military or terrorist misuse and abuse. "These could be used in the future to make the most powerful bioweapons imaginable. The challenge is to eat the fruit without the worm."
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