Eclipses of the moon occur twice a year, on average. Each
eclipse is visible only on the half of the Earth turned towards the moon at the
time the Earth's shadow falls on the moon.
There will be a partial eclipse of the moon on New Year's
Eve, Dec. 31. Because of its timing, it will not be visible in North and South
America, but will be visible over most of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The event will also mark the second full moon of the month
in North America, thereby garnering the title of "blue
moon." Unless unusual atmospheric circumstances come into play — such
as widespread dust from a volcano — the moon will not be blue, however.
Since it is a partial eclipse, the moon will just brush
past the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, never becoming totally immersed.
It will, however, be deep enough into the shadow that shading and reddish color
should be visible.
Even though the eclipse isn't visible for most of us in
North America, it's still possible to enjoy this event through astronomy
simulation software like Starry
Night. An armchair skywatcher can use this software to view the eclipse
from any point on Earth.
Here's how the eclipse will play out (these times will be
the same for most of western Europe and central Africa):
As the sun sets in the southwest, the full moon rises in
the northeast. At 6:17 p.m. local time Friday the moon begins to enter the
Earth's shadow, though it is undetectable at first. At 7:52, the moon enters
the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, called the umbra. Maximum eclipse is at
8:23, and the moon leaves the umbra at 8:53. The last traces of the shadow are
gone by 10:28.
Observers in other parts of the Old World will have to make
adjustments for their local time zones. Australians may catch a glimpse of the
eclipse just before moonset at dawn on Jan. 1. Again, the eclipse is not
visible from the Americas.
Vote:
The Best Moon Images
More Night Sky Features from Starry
Night Education
Top 10 Amazing
Moon Facts
This
article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the
leader in space science curriculum solutions.
Original Story: Partial Lunar Eclipse and Blue Moon New Year's Eve
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Sunday, January 31, 2010
Party under a blue moon this new year eve!
New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) Take out some time from new year eve revelry Thursday and look at the sky to catch a glimpse of a rare celestial phenomenon - a blue moon. A partial lunar eclipse will also be observed early Jan 1, 2010.
The full moon on Thursday will be a 'blue moon'.
A blue moon has nothing to do with the colour of the moon but when two full moons occur within the same month, the second full moon of the month is called a 'blue moon', a term used metaphorically to describe the rarity of an event, as in the idiomatic expression -- once in a blue moon.
'Most years have twelve full moons, but since a lunar cycle is 29.5 days, we wind up with almost 11 leftover days. Eventually the days add up, and we have two full moons in a single month -- like we do this month,' said N. Rathnasree, director of the Nehru Planetarium here.
A blue moon comes every two-and-a-half years on an average, but this will be the first time since 1990 that it will coincide with new year's eve. The event will not happen again till 2028.
The lunar eclipse will begin at 12.22 a.m. and end at 1.24 a.m. Friday. However, the partial eclipse will not be visible with the naked eye, Rathnasree said.
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The full moon on Thursday will be a 'blue moon'.
A blue moon has nothing to do with the colour of the moon but when two full moons occur within the same month, the second full moon of the month is called a 'blue moon', a term used metaphorically to describe the rarity of an event, as in the idiomatic expression -- once in a blue moon.
'Most years have twelve full moons, but since a lunar cycle is 29.5 days, we wind up with almost 11 leftover days. Eventually the days add up, and we have two full moons in a single month -- like we do this month,' said N. Rathnasree, director of the Nehru Planetarium here.
A blue moon comes every two-and-a-half years on an average, but this will be the first time since 1990 that it will coincide with new year's eve. The event will not happen again till 2028.
The lunar eclipse will begin at 12.22 a.m. and end at 1.24 a.m. Friday. However, the partial eclipse will not be visible with the naked eye, Rathnasree said.
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Scientists find 280-million-year-old reptiles` preserved last meal
Washington, December 29 (ANI): In a new research, scientists have found insect parts stuck between the teeth of two Paleozoic reptiles, which makes it the last meal for the 280 million year old reptiles.
According to a report in Discovery News, Lead author Sean Modesto, a Cape Breton University biologist, and his team discovered the insect parts after analyzing the remains for the reptiles, which were found in a hilly, and now mostly deserted, part of Oklahoma.
The discovery strongly suggests that the pre-Dinosaur Era equivalent of today's lizards feasted on insects, and it's the first known evidence for this behavior among vertebrates.
The prehistoric reptiles represent a new, as of yet unnamed, species that lived 280 million years ago.
"We envision the new acleistorhinid reptile as feeding primarily on small invertebrates, but also, as perhaps occasional opportunities arose, preying upon tetrapods that were small enough to swallow whole," according to Modesto and his colleagues.
"The compelling evidence of insectivory in this fossil reptile provides strong support for the hypothesis that the origins and earliest stages of higher vertebrate evolution are associated with relatively small terrestrial insectivores," said the researchers.
"We can conclude, therefore, that the subsequent diversification of Palaeozoic amniotes and the rise of small and large omnivorous, herbivorous and predatory forms arose from these modest beginnings," they added. (ANI)
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According to a report in Discovery News, Lead author Sean Modesto, a Cape Breton University biologist, and his team discovered the insect parts after analyzing the remains for the reptiles, which were found in a hilly, and now mostly deserted, part of Oklahoma.
The discovery strongly suggests that the pre-Dinosaur Era equivalent of today's lizards feasted on insects, and it's the first known evidence for this behavior among vertebrates.
The prehistoric reptiles represent a new, as of yet unnamed, species that lived 280 million years ago.
"We envision the new acleistorhinid reptile as feeding primarily on small invertebrates, but also, as perhaps occasional opportunities arose, preying upon tetrapods that were small enough to swallow whole," according to Modesto and his colleagues.
"The compelling evidence of insectivory in this fossil reptile provides strong support for the hypothesis that the origins and earliest stages of higher vertebrate evolution are associated with relatively small terrestrial insectivores," said the researchers.
"We can conclude, therefore, that the subsequent diversification of Palaeozoic amniotes and the rise of small and large omnivorous, herbivorous and predatory forms arose from these modest beginnings," they added. (ANI)
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The 12 most popular articles of 2009
London, Dec 29 (ANI): 2009 may have been a year of recession and climate change worries, but a new list shows that people were also concerned with how to decode ancient languages and the nature of female ejaculation.
According to New Scientist, here are the 12 most popular articles of 2009:
1. Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe
Normal storms are bad enough, but a solar storm could be really disastrous. The fiercest release balls of plasma from the sun's surface, and if one of them was to hit the Earth's magnetic field our power grids would be wiped out, our modern technological society would be shut down overnight, and it would take months or even years to repair the damage - during which time millions of people would die.
2. Our world may be a giant hologram
It may sound absurd, but there is plenty of theoretical physics that strongly suggests the entire universe is an enormous cosmic hologram, man. The idea has floated around for years, but now there is real evidence. A German experiment looking for gravitational waves has picked up some inexplicable noise, and it could be a clue to the underlying nature of the cosmos.
3. 13 more things that don't make sense
Way back in 2005 we published 13 things that don't make sense. But the mysteries just kept on coming, so this year we went back to the subject and published 13 more.
4. Clever fools: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart
George W. Bush has an IQ well above average, but even his admirers have a low opinion of his intellect. And he's not alone: many apparently "smart" people act foolishly a lot of the time. To understand this, we have to go beyond IQ, to RQ - a test of people's rationality.
5. 'Vampire' discovered in mass grave
A skeleton was exhumed from a grave in Venice with a brick in its mouth. To most people this would seem inexplicable, but to experts in the folk beliefs of the Middle Ages it sends a clear message: the people who buried this woman thought she was a vampire who would spread plague.
6. Decoding antiquity: Eight scripts that still can't be read
Throughout history, civilisations have invented hundreds of writing systems, but most have fallen into disuse. These dead scripts tantalise us: we know that they're writing, but what do they say? This feature took a tour of the world's undeciphered scripts, and it outperformed the female ejaculation feature (above), which was published in the same week. Readers, take a bow: you are all clearly very high-minded.
7. Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers
A survey of receipts from an adult entertainment provider found little variation in porn use between the US states, but there was a slight trend for Republican-voting states to buy more. However, many readers pointed out a flaw: the study could not identify the individuals buying the porn, so it was not clear which inhabitants of the red states were buying the extra porn.
8. Everything you always wanted to know about female ejaculation
There is plenty of evidence that some women can ejaculate during orgasm. Evolutionary biologist Sharon Moalem took readers through the science and considered what the mysterious fluid might be for.
9. Seven things that don't make sense about gravity
From everyday mysteries to more abstract ones: what exactly is gravity, why does it only pull and never push, and could we find a way to counter it? Gravity may keep our feet firmly on the ground, but when it comes to our understanding of it, we're still drifting.
10. Ten mysteries of you
We take them for granted, but there are plenty of aspects of humanity that seem to defy explanation. Why do we blush when it gives away that we're lying, why do we make art and what on earth are teenagers for? This feature tried to get to the bottom of all these questions.
11. Human sex from the inside out
From the sublime and profound to the, well, less philosophically challenging. In this experiment, a courageous couple had it off in an MRI scanner. The images were knitted together to make a video, which to our surprise was rather popular.
12. Seven questions that keep physicists up at night
At a physics festival in Canada in October, leaders in the field spent 10 days pondering the biggest questions about the universe.
During a panel discussion, they were all asked to answer one simple question: "What keeps you awake at night?" Apparently they all sleep very soundly, but nevertheless they have seven big conundrums on their minds. (ANI)
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According to New Scientist, here are the 12 most popular articles of 2009:
1. Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe
Normal storms are bad enough, but a solar storm could be really disastrous. The fiercest release balls of plasma from the sun's surface, and if one of them was to hit the Earth's magnetic field our power grids would be wiped out, our modern technological society would be shut down overnight, and it would take months or even years to repair the damage - during which time millions of people would die.
2. Our world may be a giant hologram
It may sound absurd, but there is plenty of theoretical physics that strongly suggests the entire universe is an enormous cosmic hologram, man. The idea has floated around for years, but now there is real evidence. A German experiment looking for gravitational waves has picked up some inexplicable noise, and it could be a clue to the underlying nature of the cosmos.
3. 13 more things that don't make sense
Way back in 2005 we published 13 things that don't make sense. But the mysteries just kept on coming, so this year we went back to the subject and published 13 more.
4. Clever fools: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart
George W. Bush has an IQ well above average, but even his admirers have a low opinion of his intellect. And he's not alone: many apparently "smart" people act foolishly a lot of the time. To understand this, we have to go beyond IQ, to RQ - a test of people's rationality.
5. 'Vampire' discovered in mass grave
A skeleton was exhumed from a grave in Venice with a brick in its mouth. To most people this would seem inexplicable, but to experts in the folk beliefs of the Middle Ages it sends a clear message: the people who buried this woman thought she was a vampire who would spread plague.
6. Decoding antiquity: Eight scripts that still can't be read
Throughout history, civilisations have invented hundreds of writing systems, but most have fallen into disuse. These dead scripts tantalise us: we know that they're writing, but what do they say? This feature took a tour of the world's undeciphered scripts, and it outperformed the female ejaculation feature (above), which was published in the same week. Readers, take a bow: you are all clearly very high-minded.
7. Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers
A survey of receipts from an adult entertainment provider found little variation in porn use between the US states, but there was a slight trend for Republican-voting states to buy more. However, many readers pointed out a flaw: the study could not identify the individuals buying the porn, so it was not clear which inhabitants of the red states were buying the extra porn.
8. Everything you always wanted to know about female ejaculation
There is plenty of evidence that some women can ejaculate during orgasm. Evolutionary biologist Sharon Moalem took readers through the science and considered what the mysterious fluid might be for.
9. Seven things that don't make sense about gravity
From everyday mysteries to more abstract ones: what exactly is gravity, why does it only pull and never push, and could we find a way to counter it? Gravity may keep our feet firmly on the ground, but when it comes to our understanding of it, we're still drifting.
10. Ten mysteries of you
We take them for granted, but there are plenty of aspects of humanity that seem to defy explanation. Why do we blush when it gives away that we're lying, why do we make art and what on earth are teenagers for? This feature tried to get to the bottom of all these questions.
11. Human sex from the inside out
From the sublime and profound to the, well, less philosophically challenging. In this experiment, a courageous couple had it off in an MRI scanner. The images were knitted together to make a video, which to our surprise was rather popular.
12. Seven questions that keep physicists up at night
At a physics festival in Canada in October, leaders in the field spent 10 days pondering the biggest questions about the universe.
During a panel discussion, they were all asked to answer one simple question: "What keeps you awake at night?" Apparently they all sleep very soundly, but nevertheless they have seven big conundrums on their minds. (ANI)
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How to keep stem cells `forever young`
Washington, Dec 29 (ANI): A new study explores ways to successfully keep stem cells 'forever young' during implantation by slowing their growth, differentiation and proliferation.
"The successful storage and implantation of stem cells poses significant challenges for tissue engineering in the nervous system, challenges in addition to those inherent to neural regeneration," said Dr. Ellis-Behnke, co-author. "There is a need for creating an environment that can regulate cell activity by delaying cell proliferation, proliferation and maturation. Nanoscaffolds can play a central role in organ regeneration as they act as templates and guides for cell proliferation, differentiation and tissue growth. It is also important to protect these fragile cells from the harsh environment in which they are transplanted."
According to Ellis-Behnke, advancements in nanotechnology offer a "new era" in tissue and organ reconstruction.
Thus, finding the right nano-sized scaffold could be beneficial, so researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a 'self-assembling nanofiber scaffold' (SAPNS), a nanotechnology application to use for implanting young cells.
"Fine control of the nanodomain will allow for increased targeting of cell placement and therapeutic delivery amplified by cell encapsulation and implantation," Ellis-Behnke said.
The researchers created the scaffold to provide a substrate for cell adhesion and migration and to influence the survival of transplanted cells or the invasion of cells from surrounding tissue.
The SAPNS they developed appear to slow the growth rate and differentiation of the cells, allowing the cells time to acclimate to their new environment.
"That delay is very important when the immune system tries attacking cells when they are placed in vivo," Ellis-Behnke said.
By manipulating both cell density and SAPNS concentration, the researchers were able to control the nanoenvironment surrounding PC 12 cells (a cell line developed from transplantable rat cells that respond to nerve growth factor), Schwann cells (glial cells that keep peripheral nerve fibers alive) and neural precursor cells (NPCs) and also control their proliferation, elongation, differentiation and maturation in vitro.
They extended the method to living animals with implants in the brain and spinal cord.
The researchers concluded that the use of a combination of SAPNS and young cells eliminated the need for immuno-suppressants when cells were implanted in the central nervous system.
The study has been published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation. (ANI)
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"The successful storage and implantation of stem cells poses significant challenges for tissue engineering in the nervous system, challenges in addition to those inherent to neural regeneration," said Dr. Ellis-Behnke, co-author. "There is a need for creating an environment that can regulate cell activity by delaying cell proliferation, proliferation and maturation. Nanoscaffolds can play a central role in organ regeneration as they act as templates and guides for cell proliferation, differentiation and tissue growth. It is also important to protect these fragile cells from the harsh environment in which they are transplanted."
According to Ellis-Behnke, advancements in nanotechnology offer a "new era" in tissue and organ reconstruction.
Thus, finding the right nano-sized scaffold could be beneficial, so researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a 'self-assembling nanofiber scaffold' (SAPNS), a nanotechnology application to use for implanting young cells.
"Fine control of the nanodomain will allow for increased targeting of cell placement and therapeutic delivery amplified by cell encapsulation and implantation," Ellis-Behnke said.
The researchers created the scaffold to provide a substrate for cell adhesion and migration and to influence the survival of transplanted cells or the invasion of cells from surrounding tissue.
The SAPNS they developed appear to slow the growth rate and differentiation of the cells, allowing the cells time to acclimate to their new environment.
"That delay is very important when the immune system tries attacking cells when they are placed in vivo," Ellis-Behnke said.
By manipulating both cell density and SAPNS concentration, the researchers were able to control the nanoenvironment surrounding PC 12 cells (a cell line developed from transplantable rat cells that respond to nerve growth factor), Schwann cells (glial cells that keep peripheral nerve fibers alive) and neural precursor cells (NPCs) and also control their proliferation, elongation, differentiation and maturation in vitro.
They extended the method to living animals with implants in the brain and spinal cord.
The researchers concluded that the use of a combination of SAPNS and young cells eliminated the need for immuno-suppressants when cells were implanted in the central nervous system.
The study has been published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation. (ANI)
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Genetic variants linked to disturbances in lipid metabolism identified
London, Dec 29 (ANI): Scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen claim to have identified certain genetic variants that appear to be linked to disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
Some of these common human gene variants are already known to be risk factors for diabetes mellitus.
Lead researcher Professor Karsten Suhre and his team identified variants in nine different genes, which could be associated with disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
They have succeeded for the first time in associating variants in the well-known diabetes risk genes MTNR1B and GCKR with changes in the metabolism.
"The results of our study bring us a decisive step closer in our search for markers for the early detection and therapy of serious metabolic diseases such as diabetes," Nature magazine quoted Suhre as saying.
The variants identified in the study usually cause differences in the metabolization of important lipid building blocks of the body.
The findings have been published in journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)
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Some of these common human gene variants are already known to be risk factors for diabetes mellitus.
Lead researcher Professor Karsten Suhre and his team identified variants in nine different genes, which could be associated with disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
They have succeeded for the first time in associating variants in the well-known diabetes risk genes MTNR1B and GCKR with changes in the metabolism.
"The results of our study bring us a decisive step closer in our search for markers for the early detection and therapy of serious metabolic diseases such as diabetes," Nature magazine quoted Suhre as saying.
The variants identified in the study usually cause differences in the metabolization of important lipid building blocks of the body.
The findings have been published in journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)
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Evidence suggests chocolate was relished in St. Augustine during the 1500s
Washington, December 29 (ANI): Archaeologists have found a whisk known as molinillo in a plastic container inside the storerooms at St. Augustine's Government House in the US, which suggests that chocolate may have been made and eaten in St. Augustine in the 1500s.
According to a report in the St. Augustine Record, the whisk is a slender wooden stick with a carved knob on one end.
"It shows a probable connection to Mexico or Central America that St. Augustine had," said City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt. "It's evidence for the presence of the chocolate drink (in St. Augustine)," he added.
The cacao bean, the basis for chocolate, was originally grown from rainforest trees and used in Central America and Mexico as currency.
For thousands of years, chocolate was known as a drink rather than as candy.
Archaeologists found the molinillo in a well during a dig on the south side of St. Augustine.
Halbirt said that the finding of the molinillo as well as pits of oyster, clam shells and animal bone shows the area may be associated with street vendors or a feasting place.
That well and the water in it are the reason the wooden stirrer survived.
The structure of wood would normally disintegrate; the water kept that from happening and preserved the stick.
For now, the stirrer, light in weight and about five inches long, is in a plastic bag filled with a solution that keeps it from disintegrating.
Researchers speculate that the stirrer ended into the well by a Spanish merchant sipping a cup of hot chocolate, who might have knocked the whisk into the well.
In his digging, Halbirt found another reminder of chocolate's role in St. Augustine, a gold strip that was once atop a box of candy.
The words "Utopian Chocolate" are on the strip of real gold.
"We found that while digging," Halbirt said, holding up the delicate strip. "Maybe it dropped off a box of candy, or maybe someone just threw away the box once it was empty," he added. (ANI)
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According to a report in the St. Augustine Record, the whisk is a slender wooden stick with a carved knob on one end.
"It shows a probable connection to Mexico or Central America that St. Augustine had," said City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt. "It's evidence for the presence of the chocolate drink (in St. Augustine)," he added.
The cacao bean, the basis for chocolate, was originally grown from rainforest trees and used in Central America and Mexico as currency.
For thousands of years, chocolate was known as a drink rather than as candy.
Archaeologists found the molinillo in a well during a dig on the south side of St. Augustine.
Halbirt said that the finding of the molinillo as well as pits of oyster, clam shells and animal bone shows the area may be associated with street vendors or a feasting place.
That well and the water in it are the reason the wooden stirrer survived.
The structure of wood would normally disintegrate; the water kept that from happening and preserved the stick.
For now, the stirrer, light in weight and about five inches long, is in a plastic bag filled with a solution that keeps it from disintegrating.
Researchers speculate that the stirrer ended into the well by a Spanish merchant sipping a cup of hot chocolate, who might have knocked the whisk into the well.
In his digging, Halbirt found another reminder of chocolate's role in St. Augustine, a gold strip that was once atop a box of candy.
The words "Utopian Chocolate" are on the strip of real gold.
"We found that while digging," Halbirt said, holding up the delicate strip. "Maybe it dropped off a box of candy, or maybe someone just threw away the box once it was empty," he added. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
"Night shining" clouds getting brighter worldwide
Washington, December 29 (ANI): A new research has indicated that "night shining" clouds are getting brighter all over the world.
"Night shining" clouds, or shimmering noctilucent clouds, are very thin and wispy, which makes them almost invisible during the day.
Appearing after sunset, these clouds are high enough in the atmosphere that the sun still hits them, even though it's dark on the ground.
"These clouds exist literally on the edge of space," said James Russell, principal investigator for NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite, adding that the clouds form only in a very narrow band a little more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth's surface.
According to a report in National Geographic News, once seen mostly in the Arctic, night-shining clouds are now appearing more frequently at lower latitudes.
Scientists suspect that the increase in night-shining clouds may be due to climate change.
Even as surface temperatures rise, the upper atmosphere is getting colder due to the buildup of carbon dioxide, creating perfect conditions for cloud formation, according to experts.
Since 2007, scientists using the AIM satellite have been documenting night-shining clouds as seen from space.
Based on five polar seasons of data, the satellite has revealed that the clouds' seasonal appearances turn on and off as abruptly as a "geophysical light bulb," according to the AIM Web site.
High-altitude night-shining clouds are similar in structure to lower-level clouds - a fact that is "startling," according to AIM deputy principal investigator Scott Bailey, of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
"That's because the two types of clouds form under such radically different conditions," Bailey said.
AIM's data on night-shining clouds have told scientists a lot about the upper atmosphere.
"The processes that control these clouds are very likely similar to the ones that control clouds down near the surface of Earth," said Bailey.
Other phenomena, such as rocket launches, can also set the stage for night-shining clouds.
In addition, more night-shining clouds tend to light up the skies during times when the sun is quiet, according to Daniel Marsh of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
"That's because when solar activity is most intense, ultraviolet radiation breaks up the air" water molecules and prevents the clouds from forming," Marsh said.
Volcanoes also inject water vapor into the upper atmosphere, which can lead to night-shining clouds. (ANI)
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"Night shining" clouds, or shimmering noctilucent clouds, are very thin and wispy, which makes them almost invisible during the day.
Appearing after sunset, these clouds are high enough in the atmosphere that the sun still hits them, even though it's dark on the ground.
"These clouds exist literally on the edge of space," said James Russell, principal investigator for NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite, adding that the clouds form only in a very narrow band a little more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth's surface.
According to a report in National Geographic News, once seen mostly in the Arctic, night-shining clouds are now appearing more frequently at lower latitudes.
Scientists suspect that the increase in night-shining clouds may be due to climate change.
Even as surface temperatures rise, the upper atmosphere is getting colder due to the buildup of carbon dioxide, creating perfect conditions for cloud formation, according to experts.
Since 2007, scientists using the AIM satellite have been documenting night-shining clouds as seen from space.
Based on five polar seasons of data, the satellite has revealed that the clouds' seasonal appearances turn on and off as abruptly as a "geophysical light bulb," according to the AIM Web site.
High-altitude night-shining clouds are similar in structure to lower-level clouds - a fact that is "startling," according to AIM deputy principal investigator Scott Bailey, of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
"That's because the two types of clouds form under such radically different conditions," Bailey said.
AIM's data on night-shining clouds have told scientists a lot about the upper atmosphere.
"The processes that control these clouds are very likely similar to the ones that control clouds down near the surface of Earth," said Bailey.
Other phenomena, such as rocket launches, can also set the stage for night-shining clouds.
In addition, more night-shining clouds tend to light up the skies during times when the sun is quiet, according to Daniel Marsh of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
"That's because when solar activity is most intense, ultraviolet radiation breaks up the air" water molecules and prevents the clouds from forming," Marsh said.
Volcanoes also inject water vapor into the upper atmosphere, which can lead to night-shining clouds. (ANI)
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How brain controls attention span
Washington, Dec 29 (IANS) Like a spotlight that illuminates an otherwise dark scene, attention highlights specific details of our surroundings while shutting others out.
A new study by Salk Institute for Biological Studies researchers shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind's spotlight.
Their findings add new insight to our understanding of how attention is controlled by the brain.
The results are closely related to a neurological disorder known as the neglect syndrome, and they may also shed light on chronic attention problems, such as autism or attention deficit disorder.
'Our ability to survive in the world depends critically on our ability to respond to relevant pieces of information and ignore others,' explains graduate student Lee Lovejoy, who co-authored the study with Richard Krauzlis, associate professor, Salk's Systems Neurobiology Lab.
It had been known that the superior colliculus plays a role in deciding how to orient the eyes and head to interesting objects in the environment. But it was not clear whether it also had a say in covert attention.
In their current study, the Salk researchers specifically asked whether the superior colliculus is necessary for covert attention.
To tease out the superior colliculus' role in covert attention, they designed a motion discrimination task that distinguished between control of gaze and control of attention.
The superior colliculus contains a topographic map of the visual space around us, just as conventional maps mirror geographical areas.
'The result is very similar to what happens in patients with neglect syndrome,' explains Lovejoy, who is also a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at University of California-San Diego (UCSD).
'Up to a half of acute right-hemisphere stroke patients demonstrate signs of spatial neglect, failing to be aware of objects or people to their left in extra-personal space.'
The findings were published in the December issue of Nature Neuroscience.
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A new study by Salk Institute for Biological Studies researchers shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind's spotlight.
Their findings add new insight to our understanding of how attention is controlled by the brain.
The results are closely related to a neurological disorder known as the neglect syndrome, and they may also shed light on chronic attention problems, such as autism or attention deficit disorder.
'Our ability to survive in the world depends critically on our ability to respond to relevant pieces of information and ignore others,' explains graduate student Lee Lovejoy, who co-authored the study with Richard Krauzlis, associate professor, Salk's Systems Neurobiology Lab.
It had been known that the superior colliculus plays a role in deciding how to orient the eyes and head to interesting objects in the environment. But it was not clear whether it also had a say in covert attention.
In their current study, the Salk researchers specifically asked whether the superior colliculus is necessary for covert attention.
To tease out the superior colliculus' role in covert attention, they designed a motion discrimination task that distinguished between control of gaze and control of attention.
The superior colliculus contains a topographic map of the visual space around us, just as conventional maps mirror geographical areas.
'The result is very similar to what happens in patients with neglect syndrome,' explains Lovejoy, who is also a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at University of California-San Diego (UCSD).
'Up to a half of acute right-hemisphere stroke patients demonstrate signs of spatial neglect, failing to be aware of objects or people to their left in extra-personal space.'
The findings were published in the December issue of Nature Neuroscience.
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Molecular chaperone keeps bacterial proteins in check
Washington, Dec 29 (ANI): Just like teenagers at a prom, proteins too are minded by chaperones that prevent unwanted interactions among immature clients, a new study has found.
In the research, scientists at the University of Michigan and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered how a protein chaperone called HdeA saves energy while keeping proteins from forming destructive clumps.
HdeA is known to help protect bacteria like the notorious Escherichia coli from the ravages of stomach acid.
Proteins in disease-causing bacteria like E. coli unfold when they land in stomach acid after being accidentally ingested by humans and other animals.
This unfolding stops the proteins from working and could spell doom for the bacteria if the chaperone HdeA didn't step in.
HdeA works by binding very tightly to the unfolded proteins while the bacteria are in the stomach. By attaching to the bacterial proteins, the chaperone stops them from tangling like slow-dancing teens, which could kill the bacteria.
The researchers discovered how HdeA could then let go of the unfolded proteins as the bacteria pass into the small intestine so that the proteins refold instead of clumping together.
"HdeA uses a unique timed-release mechanism. If the proteins were released all at once they would likely clump together, killing the bacteria. What we found instead is that the chaperone HdeA lets go of them gradually, making it more likely that they fold back up into their proper form than clump together," said postdoctoral fellow Tim Tapley, who spearheaded the work.
While most molecular chaperones consume large amounts of cellular energy in order to function, HdeA instead taps energy freely available in its living environment.
"In this way, HdeA is a bit like a wind powered machine, except that instead of harnessing wind, HdeA uses the energy from pH changes in the surrounding environment as the bacteria move from the acid stomach to the slightly alkaline small intestine," said James Bardwell.
The research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)
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In the research, scientists at the University of Michigan and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered how a protein chaperone called HdeA saves energy while keeping proteins from forming destructive clumps.
HdeA is known to help protect bacteria like the notorious Escherichia coli from the ravages of stomach acid.
Proteins in disease-causing bacteria like E. coli unfold when they land in stomach acid after being accidentally ingested by humans and other animals.
This unfolding stops the proteins from working and could spell doom for the bacteria if the chaperone HdeA didn't step in.
HdeA works by binding very tightly to the unfolded proteins while the bacteria are in the stomach. By attaching to the bacterial proteins, the chaperone stops them from tangling like slow-dancing teens, which could kill the bacteria.
The researchers discovered how HdeA could then let go of the unfolded proteins as the bacteria pass into the small intestine so that the proteins refold instead of clumping together.
"HdeA uses a unique timed-release mechanism. If the proteins were released all at once they would likely clump together, killing the bacteria. What we found instead is that the chaperone HdeA lets go of them gradually, making it more likely that they fold back up into their proper form than clump together," said postdoctoral fellow Tim Tapley, who spearheaded the work.
While most molecular chaperones consume large amounts of cellular energy in order to function, HdeA instead taps energy freely available in its living environment.
"In this way, HdeA is a bit like a wind powered machine, except that instead of harnessing wind, HdeA uses the energy from pH changes in the surrounding environment as the bacteria move from the acid stomach to the slightly alkaline small intestine," said James Bardwell.
The research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)
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Top 10 discoveries of the decade
Washington, December 29 (ANI): An article in Discovery News has listed the top ten discoveries of the decade.
At number 10 is the discovery of Eris in 2005, a minor body that is 27 percent bigger than Pluto.
The finding became the trigger that changed the face of our solar system, defining the planets and adding Pluto to a growing family of dwarf planets in 2006.
At number 9 is the discovery of what appeared to be soft tissues blood vessels, bone matrix and other cells - inside the fossilized femur of a small T. rex in 2005.
Since then, the bones have revealed amino acids that resemble those of modern chickens, firming the link between dinosaurs and birds.
At number 8 is the direct confirmation of the mysterious dark matter in the summer of 2006.
The unprecedented evidence came from the careful weighing of gas and stars flung about in the head-on smash-up between two great clusters of galaxies in the Bullet Cluster.
Until then, the existence of dark matter was inferred by the fact that galaxies have only one-fifth of the visible matter needed to create the gravity that keeps them intact.
So, the rest must be invisible to telescopes: That unseen matter is "dark."
At number 7 is the emergence of new human ancestors, first, in the form of a 6- to 7-million-year-old skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis - known as Toumai, in northern Chad in 2002.
Then, in 2009, the nearly complete skeleton of "Ardi," in northeastern Ethiopia bumped the famous "Lucy" as the earliest, most complete skeleton of a human ancestor ever found.
At number 6 is astronomers seeing alien planets, or "exoplanets", directly in 2008, using the Hubble Space Telescope and the infrared Keck and Gemini observatories in Hawaii.
At number 5 is the concept of cyborgs, that is, half-machine, half-humans, becoming a reality in the last decade, as much progress has been made with people controlling robotic limbs and computers with their minds.
At number 4 is finding of stem cells in new sources in 2007, when scientists from Kyoto University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, essentially turned back the clock for adult skin cells, allowing these mature cells, which were preprogrammed to become skin, to act like embryonic stem cells.
At number 3 is the discovery of water ice on the surface of Mars in 2008 by NASA's Mars Phoenix lander.
At number 2 is the development of the rough draft of the entire human genome in the year 2000, followed by a completed version in 2003.
At number 1 is the finding that in the past decade, glaciers have been melting much faster than ever expected. (ANI)
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At number 10 is the discovery of Eris in 2005, a minor body that is 27 percent bigger than Pluto.
The finding became the trigger that changed the face of our solar system, defining the planets and adding Pluto to a growing family of dwarf planets in 2006.
At number 9 is the discovery of what appeared to be soft tissues blood vessels, bone matrix and other cells - inside the fossilized femur of a small T. rex in 2005.
Since then, the bones have revealed amino acids that resemble those of modern chickens, firming the link between dinosaurs and birds.
At number 8 is the direct confirmation of the mysterious dark matter in the summer of 2006.
The unprecedented evidence came from the careful weighing of gas and stars flung about in the head-on smash-up between two great clusters of galaxies in the Bullet Cluster.
Until then, the existence of dark matter was inferred by the fact that galaxies have only one-fifth of the visible matter needed to create the gravity that keeps them intact.
So, the rest must be invisible to telescopes: That unseen matter is "dark."
At number 7 is the emergence of new human ancestors, first, in the form of a 6- to 7-million-year-old skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis - known as Toumai, in northern Chad in 2002.
Then, in 2009, the nearly complete skeleton of "Ardi," in northeastern Ethiopia bumped the famous "Lucy" as the earliest, most complete skeleton of a human ancestor ever found.
At number 6 is astronomers seeing alien planets, or "exoplanets", directly in 2008, using the Hubble Space Telescope and the infrared Keck and Gemini observatories in Hawaii.
At number 5 is the concept of cyborgs, that is, half-machine, half-humans, becoming a reality in the last decade, as much progress has been made with people controlling robotic limbs and computers with their minds.
At number 4 is finding of stem cells in new sources in 2007, when scientists from Kyoto University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, essentially turned back the clock for adult skin cells, allowing these mature cells, which were preprogrammed to become skin, to act like embryonic stem cells.
At number 3 is the discovery of water ice on the surface of Mars in 2008 by NASA's Mars Phoenix lander.
At number 2 is the development of the rough draft of the entire human genome in the year 2000, followed by a completed version in 2003.
At number 1 is the finding that in the past decade, glaciers have been melting much faster than ever expected. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
9 Astronomy Milestones in 2009 (SPACE.com)
This year provided plenty of cosmic eye-openers for astronomers and casual stargazers alike. Neighborhood planets such as Mercury and Jupiter received makeovers in both a scientific and literal sense. The discovery of water on the moon and Mars provided clues to the past, not to mention hints for the future of space exploration. A class of newly-detected "Super-Earth" planets around alien stars may ultimately prove more habitable than Earth. And a growing fleet of existing, new and revived space telescopes promises another stellar year ahead.
Here are the stories that stood out:
9. Oddball Objects
Earth had a front row seat to a multitude of space objects in 2009, with stunning meteor showers, wayward space rocks buzzing the planet and weird lights in the sky – both natural and man-made.
Annual light shows such as the Leonid meteor shower continued to dazzle, but some space rocks came a bit too close for comfort. An asteroid exploded over Indonesia with the force of several Hiroshima bombs on Oct. 8, 2009, and became the biggest space rock to take aim at Earth in more than a decade.
Weird and wonderful man-made lights also joined the natural light displays this year. NASA launched an experimental rocket that briefly recreated eerie night-shining clouds in September. But the strangest display of all came from a spiraling shape that appeared above Norway in December and sparked massive speculation about extraterrestrials or rogue meteors – before Russia's defense ministry confirmed that a failed launch had sent a missile spiraling out of control.
8. Mercury, Unmasked
Planet Mercury received a major scientific makeover in 2009, when NASA's MESSENGER probe completed a third and final flyby in September 2009 that should help guide the spacecraft into a Mercury orbit in 2011.
A third encounter with Mercury not only helped map up to 98 percent of the planet's surface, but also showed that the surface contains high amounts of heavy metals such as iron and titanium. The surprise has forced scientists to rethink how the small planet evolved.
The latest close-up also revealed changing seasons on the planet closest to the sun. Such seasonal shifts take the form of varying chemical compositions in Mercury's thin atmosphere.
7. The Most Massive Black Hole
There's big, and then there's galactic big. A supermassive black hole became the reigning heavyweight champ this year with 6.4 billion times the mass of the sun, after astrophysicists revised earlier estimates of the monster's size by two or three times through computer modeling and telescope observations.
The behemoth sits at the heart of the giant galaxy M87, not unlike the massive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. Other black holes in nearby large galaxies may now also get a second look, so don't rule out a new black hole challenger in the coming years.
6. Year of the Space Telescope
A new generation of space telescopes launched in 2009, aimed at seeking out new worlds or unraveling long-standing mysteries of the cosmos. Perhaps none garnered more attention than NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft, which can detect distant worlds based on the tell-tale dip in light created by a planet as it crosses in front of Earth's view of the parent star.
Other notable newcomers include Europe's Herschel and Planck space observatories, which took their first glimpses into the universe this year. Herschel represents the most powerful infrared space telescope ever launched into space, while Planck seeks to survey the "first light" from the universe that emerged shortly after the Big Bang.
Last but not least, NASA's WISE spacecraft launched in December with the goal of scanning the infrared sky 1-1/2 times during its mission lifetime.
These next-gen telescopes join an older crowd that includes NASA's Chandra and Europe's XMM Newton X-ray observatories, which both celebrated their 10th anniversaries this year.
5. Water Ice on Mars
Making the case for a once-wet Mars has never looked better than in 2009. Space rocks lent a helping hand to science by gouging out craters in the Martian surface that revealed almost 99 percent pure water ice near the surface – possible remnants of buried ice sheets that may cover almost half the planet.
An extensive map of the valleys crisscrossing the red planet points to a possible ocean in the planet's past, scientists say. NASA's intrepid Opportunity rover has also continued to provide a close-up view of evidence that water may have helped shape the Martian surface.
One of the biggest lingering questions going forward into 2010 is whether liquid water can still exist on the Martian surface. A string of globules attached to the legs of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander represents possible but controversial evidence for liquid Martian water, according to NASA scientists who reviewed the mission's five-month stint from last year.
4. First Rocky Planet Around Alien Star
Two of the biggest exoplanet discoveries to date occurred in 2009, as planet hunters took first steps toward finding Earth-like planets outside our solar system. Both cases involved spotting distant worlds passing in front of their parent stars, rather than merely inferring the existence of planets based on the gravitational wobble that they cause in parent stars.
First, astronomers confirmed the first rocky world spotted in orbit around another star. Called CoRoT-7b, the planet represents the first known exoplanet with a density similar to that of Earth – even if the planetary surface seems less Earth-like with scorching temperatures soaring above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius).
A second rocky, water-rich world, named GJ 1214b, also became the first "Super-Earth" to have a confirmed atmosphere.
The growing handful of Super-Earths, or planets with masses between that of Earth and Neptune, now stand out among the hundreds of Jupiter-like gas giants detected in orbit around other stars. Some scientists believe that such Super-Earths could ultimately prove better than Earth at fostering the existence of life.
3. Hubble Telescope Peers Deeper Into the Universe
NASA's beloved Hubble Space Telescope survived deep-space surgery and emerged in better shape than ever in 2009. The 19-year-old telescope then celebrated its rebirth by spotting what might be the oldest, most distant galaxies ever discovered.
Hubble's new Wide Field Camera 3 peered into the infrared wavelengths – about twice as long and "redder" than visible light – to spot galaxies that formed 600 million years after the theoretical Big Bang, or roughly 13.1 billion years ago. If confirmed, the find may replace the current titleholders for earliest known galaxies and most distant object in the universe.
Records aside, Hubble also found time to scope out an unexpected impact on Jupiter.
2. Jupiter Under Fire
What an amateur astronomer first reported as a new dark spot on Jupiter turned out to be a huge planetary bruise the size of the Pacific Ocean, left by a wayward asteroid or comet in the summer of 2009. The massive cosmic impact easily rivaled another from 15 years ago, when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 walloped the king of the planets.
Astronomers estimated the culprit behind the impact as being no bigger than half a kilometer (0.3 miles) in size. Yet such a cosmic object would have contained thousands of times the energy of the Tunguska impact on Earth, which exploded over Siberia in 1908 and flattened an area as big as a city.
An impact of similar size on Earth would have likely proved catastrophic. But Earth observers can count their lucky stars this year and every year for Jupiter, which attracts dangerous space rocks with its massive size and gravitational pull.
1. Water on the Moon
Perhaps no other space science revelation this year proved as significant as the discovery of water on the moon. A moon long described as a barren, dry environment now dangles the tantalizing possibility of lunar colonies, not to mention a launching point for more distant space exploration.
Scientists first confirmed the traces of water in the uppermost layers of the lunar surface, based on detections of either water or a hydroxyl group (oxygen and hydrogen chemically bonded) made by India's Chandrayaan-1, NASA's Cassini spacecraft and NASA's Deep Impact probe. But their findings, detailed in a paper that came out in the Sept. 25 issue of the journal Science, had only just scratched the surface.
Then NASA's LCROSS probe slammed into the lunar south pole in October, and everything changed once more. The plume of debris thrown up by the probe's impact revealed water ice, and lots of it. Such ice could either become drinking water for future astronauts and colonists, or could provide hydrogen for rocket fuel.
Knowing that water awaits humans on the moon provides a validation of sorts for NASA's goal of putting boots back on the lunar surface. And it may also provide a much-needed boost for new generations of scientists and space explorers to continue pushing into the unknown for 2010 and beyond.
Original Story: 9 Astronomy Milestones in 2009
SPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
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Here are the stories that stood out:
9. Oddball Objects
Earth had a front row seat to a multitude of space objects in 2009, with stunning meteor showers, wayward space rocks buzzing the planet and weird lights in the sky – both natural and man-made.
Annual light shows such as the Leonid meteor shower continued to dazzle, but some space rocks came a bit too close for comfort. An asteroid exploded over Indonesia with the force of several Hiroshima bombs on Oct. 8, 2009, and became the biggest space rock to take aim at Earth in more than a decade.
Weird and wonderful man-made lights also joined the natural light displays this year. NASA launched an experimental rocket that briefly recreated eerie night-shining clouds in September. But the strangest display of all came from a spiraling shape that appeared above Norway in December and sparked massive speculation about extraterrestrials or rogue meteors – before Russia's defense ministry confirmed that a failed launch had sent a missile spiraling out of control.
8. Mercury, Unmasked
Planet Mercury received a major scientific makeover in 2009, when NASA's MESSENGER probe completed a third and final flyby in September 2009 that should help guide the spacecraft into a Mercury orbit in 2011.
A third encounter with Mercury not only helped map up to 98 percent of the planet's surface, but also showed that the surface contains high amounts of heavy metals such as iron and titanium. The surprise has forced scientists to rethink how the small planet evolved.
The latest close-up also revealed changing seasons on the planet closest to the sun. Such seasonal shifts take the form of varying chemical compositions in Mercury's thin atmosphere.
7. The Most Massive Black Hole
There's big, and then there's galactic big. A supermassive black hole became the reigning heavyweight champ this year with 6.4 billion times the mass of the sun, after astrophysicists revised earlier estimates of the monster's size by two or three times through computer modeling and telescope observations.
The behemoth sits at the heart of the giant galaxy M87, not unlike the massive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. Other black holes in nearby large galaxies may now also get a second look, so don't rule out a new black hole challenger in the coming years.
6. Year of the Space Telescope
A new generation of space telescopes launched in 2009, aimed at seeking out new worlds or unraveling long-standing mysteries of the cosmos. Perhaps none garnered more attention than NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft, which can detect distant worlds based on the tell-tale dip in light created by a planet as it crosses in front of Earth's view of the parent star.
Other notable newcomers include Europe's Herschel and Planck space observatories, which took their first glimpses into the universe this year. Herschel represents the most powerful infrared space telescope ever launched into space, while Planck seeks to survey the "first light" from the universe that emerged shortly after the Big Bang.
Last but not least, NASA's WISE spacecraft launched in December with the goal of scanning the infrared sky 1-1/2 times during its mission lifetime.
These next-gen telescopes join an older crowd that includes NASA's Chandra and Europe's XMM Newton X-ray observatories, which both celebrated their 10th anniversaries this year.
5. Water Ice on Mars
Making the case for a once-wet Mars has never looked better than in 2009. Space rocks lent a helping hand to science by gouging out craters in the Martian surface that revealed almost 99 percent pure water ice near the surface – possible remnants of buried ice sheets that may cover almost half the planet.
An extensive map of the valleys crisscrossing the red planet points to a possible ocean in the planet's past, scientists say. NASA's intrepid Opportunity rover has also continued to provide a close-up view of evidence that water may have helped shape the Martian surface.
One of the biggest lingering questions going forward into 2010 is whether liquid water can still exist on the Martian surface. A string of globules attached to the legs of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander represents possible but controversial evidence for liquid Martian water, according to NASA scientists who reviewed the mission's five-month stint from last year.
4. First Rocky Planet Around Alien Star
Two of the biggest exoplanet discoveries to date occurred in 2009, as planet hunters took first steps toward finding Earth-like planets outside our solar system. Both cases involved spotting distant worlds passing in front of their parent stars, rather than merely inferring the existence of planets based on the gravitational wobble that they cause in parent stars.
First, astronomers confirmed the first rocky world spotted in orbit around another star. Called CoRoT-7b, the planet represents the first known exoplanet with a density similar to that of Earth – even if the planetary surface seems less Earth-like with scorching temperatures soaring above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius).
A second rocky, water-rich world, named GJ 1214b, also became the first "Super-Earth" to have a confirmed atmosphere.
The growing handful of Super-Earths, or planets with masses between that of Earth and Neptune, now stand out among the hundreds of Jupiter-like gas giants detected in orbit around other stars. Some scientists believe that such Super-Earths could ultimately prove better than Earth at fostering the existence of life.
3. Hubble Telescope Peers Deeper Into the Universe
NASA's beloved Hubble Space Telescope survived deep-space surgery and emerged in better shape than ever in 2009. The 19-year-old telescope then celebrated its rebirth by spotting what might be the oldest, most distant galaxies ever discovered.
Hubble's new Wide Field Camera 3 peered into the infrared wavelengths – about twice as long and "redder" than visible light – to spot galaxies that formed 600 million years after the theoretical Big Bang, or roughly 13.1 billion years ago. If confirmed, the find may replace the current titleholders for earliest known galaxies and most distant object in the universe.
Records aside, Hubble also found time to scope out an unexpected impact on Jupiter.
2. Jupiter Under Fire
What an amateur astronomer first reported as a new dark spot on Jupiter turned out to be a huge planetary bruise the size of the Pacific Ocean, left by a wayward asteroid or comet in the summer of 2009. The massive cosmic impact easily rivaled another from 15 years ago, when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 walloped the king of the planets.
Astronomers estimated the culprit behind the impact as being no bigger than half a kilometer (0.3 miles) in size. Yet such a cosmic object would have contained thousands of times the energy of the Tunguska impact on Earth, which exploded over Siberia in 1908 and flattened an area as big as a city.
An impact of similar size on Earth would have likely proved catastrophic. But Earth observers can count their lucky stars this year and every year for Jupiter, which attracts dangerous space rocks with its massive size and gravitational pull.
1. Water on the Moon
Perhaps no other space science revelation this year proved as significant as the discovery of water on the moon. A moon long described as a barren, dry environment now dangles the tantalizing possibility of lunar colonies, not to mention a launching point for more distant space exploration.
Scientists first confirmed the traces of water in the uppermost layers of the lunar surface, based on detections of either water or a hydroxyl group (oxygen and hydrogen chemically bonded) made by India's Chandrayaan-1, NASA's Cassini spacecraft and NASA's Deep Impact probe. But their findings, detailed in a paper that came out in the Sept. 25 issue of the journal Science, had only just scratched the surface.
Then NASA's LCROSS probe slammed into the lunar south pole in October, and everything changed once more. The plume of debris thrown up by the probe's impact revealed water ice, and lots of it. Such ice could either become drinking water for future astronauts and colonists, or could provide hydrogen for rocket fuel.
Knowing that water awaits humans on the moon provides a validation of sorts for NASA's goal of putting boots back on the lunar surface. And it may also provide a much-needed boost for new generations of scientists and space explorers to continue pushing into the unknown for 2010 and beyond.
Original Story: 9 Astronomy Milestones in 2009
SPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
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Partial Lunar Eclipse and Blue Moon New Year's Eve (SPACE.com)
Eclipses of the moon occur twice a year, on average. Each
eclipse is visible only on the half of the Earth turned towards the moon at the
time the Earth's shadow falls on the moon.
There will be a partial eclipse of the moon on New Year's
Eve, Dec. 31. Because of its timing, it will not be visible in North and South
America, but will be visible over most of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The event will also mark the second full moon of the month
in North America, thereby garnering the title of "blue
moon." Unless unusual atmospheric circumstances come into play — such
as widespread dust from a volcano — the moon will not be blue, however.
Since it is a partial eclipse, the moon will just brush
past the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, never becoming totally immersed.
It will, however, be deep enough into the shadow that shading and reddish color
should be visible.
Even though the eclipse isn't visible for most of us in
North America, it's still possible to enjoy this event through astronomy
simulation software like Starry
Night. An armchair skywatcher can use this software to view the eclipse
from any point on Earth.
Here's how the eclipse will play out (these times will be
the same for most of western Europe and central Africa):
As the sun sets in the southwest, the full moon rises in
the northeast. At 6:17 p.m. local time Friday the moon begins to enter the
Earth's shadow, though it is undetectable at first. At 7:52, the moon enters
the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, called the umbra. Maximum eclipse is at
8:23, and the moon leaves the umbra at 8:53. The last traces of the shadow are
gone by 10:28.
Observers in other parts of the Old World will have to make
adjustments for their local time zones. Australians may catch a glimpse of the
eclipse just before moonset at dawn on Jan. 1. Again, the eclipse is not
visible from the Americas.
Vote:
The Best Moon Images
More Night Sky Features from Starry
Night Education
Top 10 Amazing
Moon Facts
This
article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the
leader in space science curriculum solutions.
Original Story: Partial Lunar Eclipse and Blue Moon New Year's Eve
SPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
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eclipse is visible only on the half of the Earth turned towards the moon at the
time the Earth's shadow falls on the moon.
There will be a partial eclipse of the moon on New Year's
Eve, Dec. 31. Because of its timing, it will not be visible in North and South
America, but will be visible over most of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The event will also mark the second full moon of the month
in North America, thereby garnering the title of "blue
moon." Unless unusual atmospheric circumstances come into play — such
as widespread dust from a volcano — the moon will not be blue, however.
Since it is a partial eclipse, the moon will just brush
past the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, never becoming totally immersed.
It will, however, be deep enough into the shadow that shading and reddish color
should be visible.
Even though the eclipse isn't visible for most of us in
North America, it's still possible to enjoy this event through astronomy
simulation software like Starry
Night. An armchair skywatcher can use this software to view the eclipse
from any point on Earth.
Here's how the eclipse will play out (these times will be
the same for most of western Europe and central Africa):
As the sun sets in the southwest, the full moon rises in
the northeast. At 6:17 p.m. local time Friday the moon begins to enter the
Earth's shadow, though it is undetectable at first. At 7:52, the moon enters
the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, called the umbra. Maximum eclipse is at
8:23, and the moon leaves the umbra at 8:53. The last traces of the shadow are
gone by 10:28.
Observers in other parts of the Old World will have to make
adjustments for their local time zones. Australians may catch a glimpse of the
eclipse just before moonset at dawn on Jan. 1. Again, the eclipse is not
visible from the Americas.
Vote:
The Best Moon Images
More Night Sky Features from Starry
Night Education
Top 10 Amazing
Moon Facts
This
article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the
leader in space science curriculum solutions.
Original Story: Partial Lunar Eclipse and Blue Moon New Year's Eve
SPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
Find the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
Party under a blue moon this new year eve!
New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) Take out some time from new year eve revelry Thursday and look at the sky to catch a glimpse of a rare celestial phenomenon - a blue moon. A partial lunar eclipse will also be observed early Jan 1, 2010.
The full moon on Thursday will be a 'blue moon'.
A blue moon has nothing to do with the colour of the moon but when two full moons occur within the same month, the second full moon of the month is called a 'blue moon', a term used metaphorically to describe the rarity of an event, as in the idiomatic expression -- once in a blue moon.
'Most years have twelve full moons, but since a lunar cycle is 29.5 days, we wind up with almost 11 leftover days. Eventually the days add up, and we have two full moons in a single month -- like we do this month,' said N. Rathnasree, director of the Nehru Planetarium here.
A blue moon comes every two-and-a-half years on an average, but this will be the first time since 1990 that it will coincide with new year's eve. The event will not happen again till 2028.
The lunar eclipse will begin at 12.22 a.m. and end at 1.24 a.m. Friday. However, the partial eclipse will not be visible with the naked eye, Rathnasree said.
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The full moon on Thursday will be a 'blue moon'.
A blue moon has nothing to do with the colour of the moon but when two full moons occur within the same month, the second full moon of the month is called a 'blue moon', a term used metaphorically to describe the rarity of an event, as in the idiomatic expression -- once in a blue moon.
'Most years have twelve full moons, but since a lunar cycle is 29.5 days, we wind up with almost 11 leftover days. Eventually the days add up, and we have two full moons in a single month -- like we do this month,' said N. Rathnasree, director of the Nehru Planetarium here.
A blue moon comes every two-and-a-half years on an average, but this will be the first time since 1990 that it will coincide with new year's eve. The event will not happen again till 2028.
The lunar eclipse will begin at 12.22 a.m. and end at 1.24 a.m. Friday. However, the partial eclipse will not be visible with the naked eye, Rathnasree said.
Indo Asian News ServiceFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
Scientists find 280-million-year-old reptiles` preserved last meal
Washington, December 29 (ANI): In a new research, scientists have found insect parts stuck between the teeth of two Paleozoic reptiles, which makes it the last meal for the 280 million year old reptiles.
According to a report in Discovery News, Lead author Sean Modesto, a Cape Breton University biologist, and his team discovered the insect parts after analyzing the remains for the reptiles, which were found in a hilly, and now mostly deserted, part of Oklahoma.
The discovery strongly suggests that the pre-Dinosaur Era equivalent of today's lizards feasted on insects, and it's the first known evidence for this behavior among vertebrates.
The prehistoric reptiles represent a new, as of yet unnamed, species that lived 280 million years ago.
"We envision the new acleistorhinid reptile as feeding primarily on small invertebrates, but also, as perhaps occasional opportunities arose, preying upon tetrapods that were small enough to swallow whole," according to Modesto and his colleagues.
"The compelling evidence of insectivory in this fossil reptile provides strong support for the hypothesis that the origins and earliest stages of higher vertebrate evolution are associated with relatively small terrestrial insectivores," said the researchers.
"We can conclude, therefore, that the subsequent diversification of Palaeozoic amniotes and the rise of small and large omnivorous, herbivorous and predatory forms arose from these modest beginnings," they added. (ANI)
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According to a report in Discovery News, Lead author Sean Modesto, a Cape Breton University biologist, and his team discovered the insect parts after analyzing the remains for the reptiles, which were found in a hilly, and now mostly deserted, part of Oklahoma.
The discovery strongly suggests that the pre-Dinosaur Era equivalent of today's lizards feasted on insects, and it's the first known evidence for this behavior among vertebrates.
The prehistoric reptiles represent a new, as of yet unnamed, species that lived 280 million years ago.
"We envision the new acleistorhinid reptile as feeding primarily on small invertebrates, but also, as perhaps occasional opportunities arose, preying upon tetrapods that were small enough to swallow whole," according to Modesto and his colleagues.
"The compelling evidence of insectivory in this fossil reptile provides strong support for the hypothesis that the origins and earliest stages of higher vertebrate evolution are associated with relatively small terrestrial insectivores," said the researchers.
"We can conclude, therefore, that the subsequent diversification of Palaeozoic amniotes and the rise of small and large omnivorous, herbivorous and predatory forms arose from these modest beginnings," they added. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
The 12 most popular articles of 2009
London, Dec 29 (ANI): 2009 may have been a year of recession and climate change worries, but a new list shows that people were also concerned with how to decode ancient languages and the nature of female ejaculation.
According to New Scientist, here are the 12 most popular articles of 2009:
1. Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe
Normal storms are bad enough, but a solar storm could be really disastrous. The fiercest release balls of plasma from the sun's surface, and if one of them was to hit the Earth's magnetic field our power grids would be wiped out, our modern technological society would be shut down overnight, and it would take months or even years to repair the damage - during which time millions of people would die.
2. Our world may be a giant hologram
It may sound absurd, but there is plenty of theoretical physics that strongly suggests the entire universe is an enormous cosmic hologram, man. The idea has floated around for years, but now there is real evidence. A German experiment looking for gravitational waves has picked up some inexplicable noise, and it could be a clue to the underlying nature of the cosmos.
3. 13 more things that don't make sense
Way back in 2005 we published 13 things that don't make sense. But the mysteries just kept on coming, so this year we went back to the subject and published 13 more.
4. Clever fools: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart
George W. Bush has an IQ well above average, but even his admirers have a low opinion of his intellect. And he's not alone: many apparently "smart" people act foolishly a lot of the time. To understand this, we have to go beyond IQ, to RQ - a test of people's rationality.
5. 'Vampire' discovered in mass grave
A skeleton was exhumed from a grave in Venice with a brick in its mouth. To most people this would seem inexplicable, but to experts in the folk beliefs of the Middle Ages it sends a clear message: the people who buried this woman thought she was a vampire who would spread plague.
6. Decoding antiquity: Eight scripts that still can't be read
Throughout history, civilisations have invented hundreds of writing systems, but most have fallen into disuse. These dead scripts tantalise us: we know that they're writing, but what do they say? This feature took a tour of the world's undeciphered scripts, and it outperformed the female ejaculation feature (above), which was published in the same week. Readers, take a bow: you are all clearly very high-minded.
7. Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers
A survey of receipts from an adult entertainment provider found little variation in porn use between the US states, but there was a slight trend for Republican-voting states to buy more. However, many readers pointed out a flaw: the study could not identify the individuals buying the porn, so it was not clear which inhabitants of the red states were buying the extra porn.
8. Everything you always wanted to know about female ejaculation
There is plenty of evidence that some women can ejaculate during orgasm. Evolutionary biologist Sharon Moalem took readers through the science and considered what the mysterious fluid might be for.
9. Seven things that don't make sense about gravity
From everyday mysteries to more abstract ones: what exactly is gravity, why does it only pull and never push, and could we find a way to counter it? Gravity may keep our feet firmly on the ground, but when it comes to our understanding of it, we're still drifting.
10. Ten mysteries of you
We take them for granted, but there are plenty of aspects of humanity that seem to defy explanation. Why do we blush when it gives away that we're lying, why do we make art and what on earth are teenagers for? This feature tried to get to the bottom of all these questions.
11. Human sex from the inside out
From the sublime and profound to the, well, less philosophically challenging. In this experiment, a courageous couple had it off in an MRI scanner. The images were knitted together to make a video, which to our surprise was rather popular.
12. Seven questions that keep physicists up at night
At a physics festival in Canada in October, leaders in the field spent 10 days pondering the biggest questions about the universe.
During a panel discussion, they were all asked to answer one simple question: "What keeps you awake at night?" Apparently they all sleep very soundly, but nevertheless they have seven big conundrums on their minds. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
According to New Scientist, here are the 12 most popular articles of 2009:
1. Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe
Normal storms are bad enough, but a solar storm could be really disastrous. The fiercest release balls of plasma from the sun's surface, and if one of them was to hit the Earth's magnetic field our power grids would be wiped out, our modern technological society would be shut down overnight, and it would take months or even years to repair the damage - during which time millions of people would die.
2. Our world may be a giant hologram
It may sound absurd, but there is plenty of theoretical physics that strongly suggests the entire universe is an enormous cosmic hologram, man. The idea has floated around for years, but now there is real evidence. A German experiment looking for gravitational waves has picked up some inexplicable noise, and it could be a clue to the underlying nature of the cosmos.
3. 13 more things that don't make sense
Way back in 2005 we published 13 things that don't make sense. But the mysteries just kept on coming, so this year we went back to the subject and published 13 more.
4. Clever fools: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart
George W. Bush has an IQ well above average, but even his admirers have a low opinion of his intellect. And he's not alone: many apparently "smart" people act foolishly a lot of the time. To understand this, we have to go beyond IQ, to RQ - a test of people's rationality.
5. 'Vampire' discovered in mass grave
A skeleton was exhumed from a grave in Venice with a brick in its mouth. To most people this would seem inexplicable, but to experts in the folk beliefs of the Middle Ages it sends a clear message: the people who buried this woman thought she was a vampire who would spread plague.
6. Decoding antiquity: Eight scripts that still can't be read
Throughout history, civilisations have invented hundreds of writing systems, but most have fallen into disuse. These dead scripts tantalise us: we know that they're writing, but what do they say? This feature took a tour of the world's undeciphered scripts, and it outperformed the female ejaculation feature (above), which was published in the same week. Readers, take a bow: you are all clearly very high-minded.
7. Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers
A survey of receipts from an adult entertainment provider found little variation in porn use between the US states, but there was a slight trend for Republican-voting states to buy more. However, many readers pointed out a flaw: the study could not identify the individuals buying the porn, so it was not clear which inhabitants of the red states were buying the extra porn.
8. Everything you always wanted to know about female ejaculation
There is plenty of evidence that some women can ejaculate during orgasm. Evolutionary biologist Sharon Moalem took readers through the science and considered what the mysterious fluid might be for.
9. Seven things that don't make sense about gravity
From everyday mysteries to more abstract ones: what exactly is gravity, why does it only pull and never push, and could we find a way to counter it? Gravity may keep our feet firmly on the ground, but when it comes to our understanding of it, we're still drifting.
10. Ten mysteries of you
We take them for granted, but there are plenty of aspects of humanity that seem to defy explanation. Why do we blush when it gives away that we're lying, why do we make art and what on earth are teenagers for? This feature tried to get to the bottom of all these questions.
11. Human sex from the inside out
From the sublime and profound to the, well, less philosophically challenging. In this experiment, a courageous couple had it off in an MRI scanner. The images were knitted together to make a video, which to our surprise was rather popular.
12. Seven questions that keep physicists up at night
At a physics festival in Canada in October, leaders in the field spent 10 days pondering the biggest questions about the universe.
During a panel discussion, they were all asked to answer one simple question: "What keeps you awake at night?" Apparently they all sleep very soundly, but nevertheless they have seven big conundrums on their minds. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
How to keep stem cells `forever young`
Washington, Dec 29 (ANI): A new study explores ways to successfully keep stem cells 'forever young' during implantation by slowing their growth, differentiation and proliferation.
"The successful storage and implantation of stem cells poses significant challenges for tissue engineering in the nervous system, challenges in addition to those inherent to neural regeneration," said Dr. Ellis-Behnke, co-author. "There is a need for creating an environment that can regulate cell activity by delaying cell proliferation, proliferation and maturation. Nanoscaffolds can play a central role in organ regeneration as they act as templates and guides for cell proliferation, differentiation and tissue growth. It is also important to protect these fragile cells from the harsh environment in which they are transplanted."
According to Ellis-Behnke, advancements in nanotechnology offer a "new era" in tissue and organ reconstruction.
Thus, finding the right nano-sized scaffold could be beneficial, so researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a 'self-assembling nanofiber scaffold' (SAPNS), a nanotechnology application to use for implanting young cells.
"Fine control of the nanodomain will allow for increased targeting of cell placement and therapeutic delivery amplified by cell encapsulation and implantation," Ellis-Behnke said.
The researchers created the scaffold to provide a substrate for cell adhesion and migration and to influence the survival of transplanted cells or the invasion of cells from surrounding tissue.
The SAPNS they developed appear to slow the growth rate and differentiation of the cells, allowing the cells time to acclimate to their new environment.
"That delay is very important when the immune system tries attacking cells when they are placed in vivo," Ellis-Behnke said.
By manipulating both cell density and SAPNS concentration, the researchers were able to control the nanoenvironment surrounding PC 12 cells (a cell line developed from transplantable rat cells that respond to nerve growth factor), Schwann cells (glial cells that keep peripheral nerve fibers alive) and neural precursor cells (NPCs) and also control their proliferation, elongation, differentiation and maturation in vitro.
They extended the method to living animals with implants in the brain and spinal cord.
The researchers concluded that the use of a combination of SAPNS and young cells eliminated the need for immuno-suppressants when cells were implanted in the central nervous system.
The study has been published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation. (ANI)
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"The successful storage and implantation of stem cells poses significant challenges for tissue engineering in the nervous system, challenges in addition to those inherent to neural regeneration," said Dr. Ellis-Behnke, co-author. "There is a need for creating an environment that can regulate cell activity by delaying cell proliferation, proliferation and maturation. Nanoscaffolds can play a central role in organ regeneration as they act as templates and guides for cell proliferation, differentiation and tissue growth. It is also important to protect these fragile cells from the harsh environment in which they are transplanted."
According to Ellis-Behnke, advancements in nanotechnology offer a "new era" in tissue and organ reconstruction.
Thus, finding the right nano-sized scaffold could be beneficial, so researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a 'self-assembling nanofiber scaffold' (SAPNS), a nanotechnology application to use for implanting young cells.
"Fine control of the nanodomain will allow for increased targeting of cell placement and therapeutic delivery amplified by cell encapsulation and implantation," Ellis-Behnke said.
The researchers created the scaffold to provide a substrate for cell adhesion and migration and to influence the survival of transplanted cells or the invasion of cells from surrounding tissue.
The SAPNS they developed appear to slow the growth rate and differentiation of the cells, allowing the cells time to acclimate to their new environment.
"That delay is very important when the immune system tries attacking cells when they are placed in vivo," Ellis-Behnke said.
By manipulating both cell density and SAPNS concentration, the researchers were able to control the nanoenvironment surrounding PC 12 cells (a cell line developed from transplantable rat cells that respond to nerve growth factor), Schwann cells (glial cells that keep peripheral nerve fibers alive) and neural precursor cells (NPCs) and also control their proliferation, elongation, differentiation and maturation in vitro.
They extended the method to living animals with implants in the brain and spinal cord.
The researchers concluded that the use of a combination of SAPNS and young cells eliminated the need for immuno-suppressants when cells were implanted in the central nervous system.
The study has been published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation. (ANI)
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Genetic variants linked to disturbances in lipid metabolism identified
London, Dec 29 (ANI): Scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen claim to have identified certain genetic variants that appear to be linked to disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
Some of these common human gene variants are already known to be risk factors for diabetes mellitus.
Lead researcher Professor Karsten Suhre and his team identified variants in nine different genes, which could be associated with disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
They have succeeded for the first time in associating variants in the well-known diabetes risk genes MTNR1B and GCKR with changes in the metabolism.
"The results of our study bring us a decisive step closer in our search for markers for the early detection and therapy of serious metabolic diseases such as diabetes," Nature magazine quoted Suhre as saying.
The variants identified in the study usually cause differences in the metabolization of important lipid building blocks of the body.
The findings have been published in journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)
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Some of these common human gene variants are already known to be risk factors for diabetes mellitus.
Lead researcher Professor Karsten Suhre and his team identified variants in nine different genes, which could be associated with disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
They have succeeded for the first time in associating variants in the well-known diabetes risk genes MTNR1B and GCKR with changes in the metabolism.
"The results of our study bring us a decisive step closer in our search for markers for the early detection and therapy of serious metabolic diseases such as diabetes," Nature magazine quoted Suhre as saying.
The variants identified in the study usually cause differences in the metabolization of important lipid building blocks of the body.
The findings have been published in journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)
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Evidence suggests chocolate was relished in St. Augustine during the 1500s
Washington, December 29 (ANI): Archaeologists have found a whisk known as molinillo in a plastic container inside the storerooms at St. Augustine's Government House in the US, which suggests that chocolate may have been made and eaten in St. Augustine in the 1500s.
According to a report in the St. Augustine Record, the whisk is a slender wooden stick with a carved knob on one end.
"It shows a probable connection to Mexico or Central America that St. Augustine had," said City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt. "It's evidence for the presence of the chocolate drink (in St. Augustine)," he added.
The cacao bean, the basis for chocolate, was originally grown from rainforest trees and used in Central America and Mexico as currency.
For thousands of years, chocolate was known as a drink rather than as candy.
Archaeologists found the molinillo in a well during a dig on the south side of St. Augustine.
Halbirt said that the finding of the molinillo as well as pits of oyster, clam shells and animal bone shows the area may be associated with street vendors or a feasting place.
That well and the water in it are the reason the wooden stirrer survived.
The structure of wood would normally disintegrate; the water kept that from happening and preserved the stick.
For now, the stirrer, light in weight and about five inches long, is in a plastic bag filled with a solution that keeps it from disintegrating.
Researchers speculate that the stirrer ended into the well by a Spanish merchant sipping a cup of hot chocolate, who might have knocked the whisk into the well.
In his digging, Halbirt found another reminder of chocolate's role in St. Augustine, a gold strip that was once atop a box of candy.
The words "Utopian Chocolate" are on the strip of real gold.
"We found that while digging," Halbirt said, holding up the delicate strip. "Maybe it dropped off a box of candy, or maybe someone just threw away the box once it was empty," he added. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
According to a report in the St. Augustine Record, the whisk is a slender wooden stick with a carved knob on one end.
"It shows a probable connection to Mexico or Central America that St. Augustine had," said City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt. "It's evidence for the presence of the chocolate drink (in St. Augustine)," he added.
The cacao bean, the basis for chocolate, was originally grown from rainforest trees and used in Central America and Mexico as currency.
For thousands of years, chocolate was known as a drink rather than as candy.
Archaeologists found the molinillo in a well during a dig on the south side of St. Augustine.
Halbirt said that the finding of the molinillo as well as pits of oyster, clam shells and animal bone shows the area may be associated with street vendors or a feasting place.
That well and the water in it are the reason the wooden stirrer survived.
The structure of wood would normally disintegrate; the water kept that from happening and preserved the stick.
For now, the stirrer, light in weight and about five inches long, is in a plastic bag filled with a solution that keeps it from disintegrating.
Researchers speculate that the stirrer ended into the well by a Spanish merchant sipping a cup of hot chocolate, who might have knocked the whisk into the well.
In his digging, Halbirt found another reminder of chocolate's role in St. Augustine, a gold strip that was once atop a box of candy.
The words "Utopian Chocolate" are on the strip of real gold.
"We found that while digging," Halbirt said, holding up the delicate strip. "Maybe it dropped off a box of candy, or maybe someone just threw away the box once it was empty," he added. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
"Night shining" clouds getting brighter worldwide
Washington, December 29 (ANI): A new research has indicated that "night shining" clouds are getting brighter all over the world.
"Night shining" clouds, or shimmering noctilucent clouds, are very thin and wispy, which makes them almost invisible during the day.
Appearing after sunset, these clouds are high enough in the atmosphere that the sun still hits them, even though it's dark on the ground.
"These clouds exist literally on the edge of space," said James Russell, principal investigator for NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite, adding that the clouds form only in a very narrow band a little more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth's surface.
According to a report in National Geographic News, once seen mostly in the Arctic, night-shining clouds are now appearing more frequently at lower latitudes.
Scientists suspect that the increase in night-shining clouds may be due to climate change.
Even as surface temperatures rise, the upper atmosphere is getting colder due to the buildup of carbon dioxide, creating perfect conditions for cloud formation, according to experts.
Since 2007, scientists using the AIM satellite have been documenting night-shining clouds as seen from space.
Based on five polar seasons of data, the satellite has revealed that the clouds' seasonal appearances turn on and off as abruptly as a "geophysical light bulb," according to the AIM Web site.
High-altitude night-shining clouds are similar in structure to lower-level clouds - a fact that is "startling," according to AIM deputy principal investigator Scott Bailey, of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
"That's because the two types of clouds form under such radically different conditions," Bailey said.
AIM's data on night-shining clouds have told scientists a lot about the upper atmosphere.
"The processes that control these clouds are very likely similar to the ones that control clouds down near the surface of Earth," said Bailey.
Other phenomena, such as rocket launches, can also set the stage for night-shining clouds.
In addition, more night-shining clouds tend to light up the skies during times when the sun is quiet, according to Daniel Marsh of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
"That's because when solar activity is most intense, ultraviolet radiation breaks up the air" water molecules and prevents the clouds from forming," Marsh said.
Volcanoes also inject water vapor into the upper atmosphere, which can lead to night-shining clouds. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
"Night shining" clouds, or shimmering noctilucent clouds, are very thin and wispy, which makes them almost invisible during the day.
Appearing after sunset, these clouds are high enough in the atmosphere that the sun still hits them, even though it's dark on the ground.
"These clouds exist literally on the edge of space," said James Russell, principal investigator for NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite, adding that the clouds form only in a very narrow band a little more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth's surface.
According to a report in National Geographic News, once seen mostly in the Arctic, night-shining clouds are now appearing more frequently at lower latitudes.
Scientists suspect that the increase in night-shining clouds may be due to climate change.
Even as surface temperatures rise, the upper atmosphere is getting colder due to the buildup of carbon dioxide, creating perfect conditions for cloud formation, according to experts.
Since 2007, scientists using the AIM satellite have been documenting night-shining clouds as seen from space.
Based on five polar seasons of data, the satellite has revealed that the clouds' seasonal appearances turn on and off as abruptly as a "geophysical light bulb," according to the AIM Web site.
High-altitude night-shining clouds are similar in structure to lower-level clouds - a fact that is "startling," according to AIM deputy principal investigator Scott Bailey, of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
"That's because the two types of clouds form under such radically different conditions," Bailey said.
AIM's data on night-shining clouds have told scientists a lot about the upper atmosphere.
"The processes that control these clouds are very likely similar to the ones that control clouds down near the surface of Earth," said Bailey.
Other phenomena, such as rocket launches, can also set the stage for night-shining clouds.
In addition, more night-shining clouds tend to light up the skies during times when the sun is quiet, according to Daniel Marsh of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
"That's because when solar activity is most intense, ultraviolet radiation breaks up the air" water molecules and prevents the clouds from forming," Marsh said.
Volcanoes also inject water vapor into the upper atmosphere, which can lead to night-shining clouds. (ANI)
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How brain controls attention span
Washington, Dec 29 (IANS) Like a spotlight that illuminates an otherwise dark scene, attention highlights specific details of our surroundings while shutting others out.
A new study by Salk Institute for Biological Studies researchers shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind's spotlight.
Their findings add new insight to our understanding of how attention is controlled by the brain.
The results are closely related to a neurological disorder known as the neglect syndrome, and they may also shed light on chronic attention problems, such as autism or attention deficit disorder.
'Our ability to survive in the world depends critically on our ability to respond to relevant pieces of information and ignore others,' explains graduate student Lee Lovejoy, who co-authored the study with Richard Krauzlis, associate professor, Salk's Systems Neurobiology Lab.
It had been known that the superior colliculus plays a role in deciding how to orient the eyes and head to interesting objects in the environment. But it was not clear whether it also had a say in covert attention.
In their current study, the Salk researchers specifically asked whether the superior colliculus is necessary for covert attention.
To tease out the superior colliculus' role in covert attention, they designed a motion discrimination task that distinguished between control of gaze and control of attention.
The superior colliculus contains a topographic map of the visual space around us, just as conventional maps mirror geographical areas.
'The result is very similar to what happens in patients with neglect syndrome,' explains Lovejoy, who is also a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at University of California-San Diego (UCSD).
'Up to a half of acute right-hemisphere stroke patients demonstrate signs of spatial neglect, failing to be aware of objects or people to their left in extra-personal space.'
The findings were published in the December issue of Nature Neuroscience.
Indo Asian News ServiceFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
A new study by Salk Institute for Biological Studies researchers shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind's spotlight.
Their findings add new insight to our understanding of how attention is controlled by the brain.
The results are closely related to a neurological disorder known as the neglect syndrome, and they may also shed light on chronic attention problems, such as autism or attention deficit disorder.
'Our ability to survive in the world depends critically on our ability to respond to relevant pieces of information and ignore others,' explains graduate student Lee Lovejoy, who co-authored the study with Richard Krauzlis, associate professor, Salk's Systems Neurobiology Lab.
It had been known that the superior colliculus plays a role in deciding how to orient the eyes and head to interesting objects in the environment. But it was not clear whether it also had a say in covert attention.
In their current study, the Salk researchers specifically asked whether the superior colliculus is necessary for covert attention.
To tease out the superior colliculus' role in covert attention, they designed a motion discrimination task that distinguished between control of gaze and control of attention.
The superior colliculus contains a topographic map of the visual space around us, just as conventional maps mirror geographical areas.
'The result is very similar to what happens in patients with neglect syndrome,' explains Lovejoy, who is also a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at University of California-San Diego (UCSD).
'Up to a half of acute right-hemisphere stroke patients demonstrate signs of spatial neglect, failing to be aware of objects or people to their left in extra-personal space.'
The findings were published in the December issue of Nature Neuroscience.
Indo Asian News ServiceFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
Molecular chaperone keeps bacterial proteins in check
Washington, Dec 29 (ANI): Just like teenagers at a prom, proteins too are minded by chaperones that prevent unwanted interactions among immature clients, a new study has found.
In the research, scientists at the University of Michigan and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered how a protein chaperone called HdeA saves energy while keeping proteins from forming destructive clumps.
HdeA is known to help protect bacteria like the notorious Escherichia coli from the ravages of stomach acid.
Proteins in disease-causing bacteria like E. coli unfold when they land in stomach acid after being accidentally ingested by humans and other animals.
This unfolding stops the proteins from working and could spell doom for the bacteria if the chaperone HdeA didn't step in.
HdeA works by binding very tightly to the unfolded proteins while the bacteria are in the stomach. By attaching to the bacterial proteins, the chaperone stops them from tangling like slow-dancing teens, which could kill the bacteria.
The researchers discovered how HdeA could then let go of the unfolded proteins as the bacteria pass into the small intestine so that the proteins refold instead of clumping together.
"HdeA uses a unique timed-release mechanism. If the proteins were released all at once they would likely clump together, killing the bacteria. What we found instead is that the chaperone HdeA lets go of them gradually, making it more likely that they fold back up into their proper form than clump together," said postdoctoral fellow Tim Tapley, who spearheaded the work.
While most molecular chaperones consume large amounts of cellular energy in order to function, HdeA instead taps energy freely available in its living environment.
"In this way, HdeA is a bit like a wind powered machine, except that instead of harnessing wind, HdeA uses the energy from pH changes in the surrounding environment as the bacteria move from the acid stomach to the slightly alkaline small intestine," said James Bardwell.
The research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)
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In the research, scientists at the University of Michigan and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered how a protein chaperone called HdeA saves energy while keeping proteins from forming destructive clumps.
HdeA is known to help protect bacteria like the notorious Escherichia coli from the ravages of stomach acid.
Proteins in disease-causing bacteria like E. coli unfold when they land in stomach acid after being accidentally ingested by humans and other animals.
This unfolding stops the proteins from working and could spell doom for the bacteria if the chaperone HdeA didn't step in.
HdeA works by binding very tightly to the unfolded proteins while the bacteria are in the stomach. By attaching to the bacterial proteins, the chaperone stops them from tangling like slow-dancing teens, which could kill the bacteria.
The researchers discovered how HdeA could then let go of the unfolded proteins as the bacteria pass into the small intestine so that the proteins refold instead of clumping together.
"HdeA uses a unique timed-release mechanism. If the proteins were released all at once they would likely clump together, killing the bacteria. What we found instead is that the chaperone HdeA lets go of them gradually, making it more likely that they fold back up into their proper form than clump together," said postdoctoral fellow Tim Tapley, who spearheaded the work.
While most molecular chaperones consume large amounts of cellular energy in order to function, HdeA instead taps energy freely available in its living environment.
"In this way, HdeA is a bit like a wind powered machine, except that instead of harnessing wind, HdeA uses the energy from pH changes in the surrounding environment as the bacteria move from the acid stomach to the slightly alkaline small intestine," said James Bardwell.
The research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)
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Top 10 discoveries of the decade
Washington, December 29 (ANI): An article in Discovery News has listed the top ten discoveries of the decade.
At number 10 is the discovery of Eris in 2005, a minor body that is 27 percent bigger than Pluto.
The finding became the trigger that changed the face of our solar system, defining the planets and adding Pluto to a growing family of dwarf planets in 2006.
At number 9 is the discovery of what appeared to be soft tissues blood vessels, bone matrix and other cells - inside the fossilized femur of a small T. rex in 2005.
Since then, the bones have revealed amino acids that resemble those of modern chickens, firming the link between dinosaurs and birds.
At number 8 is the direct confirmation of the mysterious dark matter in the summer of 2006.
The unprecedented evidence came from the careful weighing of gas and stars flung about in the head-on smash-up between two great clusters of galaxies in the Bullet Cluster.
Until then, the existence of dark matter was inferred by the fact that galaxies have only one-fifth of the visible matter needed to create the gravity that keeps them intact.
So, the rest must be invisible to telescopes: That unseen matter is "dark."
At number 7 is the emergence of new human ancestors, first, in the form of a 6- to 7-million-year-old skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis - known as Toumai, in northern Chad in 2002.
Then, in 2009, the nearly complete skeleton of "Ardi," in northeastern Ethiopia bumped the famous "Lucy" as the earliest, most complete skeleton of a human ancestor ever found.
At number 6 is astronomers seeing alien planets, or "exoplanets", directly in 2008, using the Hubble Space Telescope and the infrared Keck and Gemini observatories in Hawaii.
At number 5 is the concept of cyborgs, that is, half-machine, half-humans, becoming a reality in the last decade, as much progress has been made with people controlling robotic limbs and computers with their minds.
At number 4 is finding of stem cells in new sources in 2007, when scientists from Kyoto University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, essentially turned back the clock for adult skin cells, allowing these mature cells, which were preprogrammed to become skin, to act like embryonic stem cells.
At number 3 is the discovery of water ice on the surface of Mars in 2008 by NASA's Mars Phoenix lander.
At number 2 is the development of the rough draft of the entire human genome in the year 2000, followed by a completed version in 2003.
At number 1 is the finding that in the past decade, glaciers have been melting much faster than ever expected. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
At number 10 is the discovery of Eris in 2005, a minor body that is 27 percent bigger than Pluto.
The finding became the trigger that changed the face of our solar system, defining the planets and adding Pluto to a growing family of dwarf planets in 2006.
At number 9 is the discovery of what appeared to be soft tissues blood vessels, bone matrix and other cells - inside the fossilized femur of a small T. rex in 2005.
Since then, the bones have revealed amino acids that resemble those of modern chickens, firming the link between dinosaurs and birds.
At number 8 is the direct confirmation of the mysterious dark matter in the summer of 2006.
The unprecedented evidence came from the careful weighing of gas and stars flung about in the head-on smash-up between two great clusters of galaxies in the Bullet Cluster.
Until then, the existence of dark matter was inferred by the fact that galaxies have only one-fifth of the visible matter needed to create the gravity that keeps them intact.
So, the rest must be invisible to telescopes: That unseen matter is "dark."
At number 7 is the emergence of new human ancestors, first, in the form of a 6- to 7-million-year-old skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis - known as Toumai, in northern Chad in 2002.
Then, in 2009, the nearly complete skeleton of "Ardi," in northeastern Ethiopia bumped the famous "Lucy" as the earliest, most complete skeleton of a human ancestor ever found.
At number 6 is astronomers seeing alien planets, or "exoplanets", directly in 2008, using the Hubble Space Telescope and the infrared Keck and Gemini observatories in Hawaii.
At number 5 is the concept of cyborgs, that is, half-machine, half-humans, becoming a reality in the last decade, as much progress has been made with people controlling robotic limbs and computers with their minds.
At number 4 is finding of stem cells in new sources in 2007, when scientists from Kyoto University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, essentially turned back the clock for adult skin cells, allowing these mature cells, which were preprogrammed to become skin, to act like embryonic stem cells.
At number 3 is the discovery of water ice on the surface of Mars in 2008 by NASA's Mars Phoenix lander.
At number 2 is the development of the rough draft of the entire human genome in the year 2000, followed by a completed version in 2003.
At number 1 is the finding that in the past decade, glaciers have been melting much faster than ever expected. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
9 Astronomy Milestones in 2009 (SPACE.com)
This year provided plenty of cosmic eye-openers for astronomers and casual stargazers alike. Neighborhood planets such as Mercury and Jupiter received makeovers in both a scientific and literal sense. The discovery of water on the moon and Mars provided clues to the past, not to mention hints for the future of space exploration. A class of newly-detected "Super-Earth" planets around alien stars may ultimately prove more habitable than Earth. And a growing fleet of existing, new and revived space telescopes promises another stellar year ahead.
Here are the stories that stood out:
9. Oddball Objects
Earth had a front row seat to a multitude of space objects in 2009, with stunning meteor showers, wayward space rocks buzzing the planet and weird lights in the sky – both natural and man-made.
Annual light shows such as the Leonid meteor shower continued to dazzle, but some space rocks came a bit too close for comfort. An asteroid exploded over Indonesia with the force of several Hiroshima bombs on Oct. 8, 2009, and became the biggest space rock to take aim at Earth in more than a decade.
Weird and wonderful man-made lights also joined the natural light displays this year. NASA launched an experimental rocket that briefly recreated eerie night-shining clouds in September. But the strangest display of all came from a spiraling shape that appeared above Norway in December and sparked massive speculation about extraterrestrials or rogue meteors – before Russia's defense ministry confirmed that a failed launch had sent a missile spiraling out of control.
8. Mercury, Unmasked
Planet Mercury received a major scientific makeover in 2009, when NASA's MESSENGER probe completed a third and final flyby in September 2009 that should help guide the spacecraft into a Mercury orbit in 2011.
A third encounter with Mercury not only helped map up to 98 percent of the planet's surface, but also showed that the surface contains high amounts of heavy metals such as iron and titanium. The surprise has forced scientists to rethink how the small planet evolved.
The latest close-up also revealed changing seasons on the planet closest to the sun. Such seasonal shifts take the form of varying chemical compositions in Mercury's thin atmosphere.
7. The Most Massive Black Hole
There's big, and then there's galactic big. A supermassive black hole became the reigning heavyweight champ this year with 6.4 billion times the mass of the sun, after astrophysicists revised earlier estimates of the monster's size by two or three times through computer modeling and telescope observations.
The behemoth sits at the heart of the giant galaxy M87, not unlike the massive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. Other black holes in nearby large galaxies may now also get a second look, so don't rule out a new black hole challenger in the coming years.
6. Year of the Space Telescope
A new generation of space telescopes launched in 2009, aimed at seeking out new worlds or unraveling long-standing mysteries of the cosmos. Perhaps none garnered more attention than NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft, which can detect distant worlds based on the tell-tale dip in light created by a planet as it crosses in front of Earth's view of the parent star.
Other notable newcomers include Europe's Herschel and Planck space observatories, which took their first glimpses into the universe this year. Herschel represents the most powerful infrared space telescope ever launched into space, while Planck seeks to survey the "first light" from the universe that emerged shortly after the Big Bang.
Last but not least, NASA's WISE spacecraft launched in December with the goal of scanning the infrared sky 1-1/2 times during its mission lifetime.
These next-gen telescopes join an older crowd that includes NASA's Chandra and Europe's XMM Newton X-ray observatories, which both celebrated their 10th anniversaries this year.
5. Water Ice on Mars
Making the case for a once-wet Mars has never looked better than in 2009. Space rocks lent a helping hand to science by gouging out craters in the Martian surface that revealed almost 99 percent pure water ice near the surface – possible remnants of buried ice sheets that may cover almost half the planet.
An extensive map of the valleys crisscrossing the red planet points to a possible ocean in the planet's past, scientists say. NASA's intrepid Opportunity rover has also continued to provide a close-up view of evidence that water may have helped shape the Martian surface.
One of the biggest lingering questions going forward into 2010 is whether liquid water can still exist on the Martian surface. A string of globules attached to the legs of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander represents possible but controversial evidence for liquid Martian water, according to NASA scientists who reviewed the mission's five-month stint from last year.
4. First Rocky Planet Around Alien Star
Two of the biggest exoplanet discoveries to date occurred in 2009, as planet hunters took first steps toward finding Earth-like planets outside our solar system. Both cases involved spotting distant worlds passing in front of their parent stars, rather than merely inferring the existence of planets based on the gravitational wobble that they cause in parent stars.
First, astronomers confirmed the first rocky world spotted in orbit around another star. Called CoRoT-7b, the planet represents the first known exoplanet with a density similar to that of Earth – even if the planetary surface seems less Earth-like with scorching temperatures soaring above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius).
A second rocky, water-rich world, named GJ 1214b, also became the first "Super-Earth" to have a confirmed atmosphere.
The growing handful of Super-Earths, or planets with masses between that of Earth and Neptune, now stand out among the hundreds of Jupiter-like gas giants detected in orbit around other stars. Some scientists believe that such Super-Earths could ultimately prove better than Earth at fostering the existence of life.
3. Hubble Telescope Peers Deeper Into the Universe
NASA's beloved Hubble Space Telescope survived deep-space surgery and emerged in better shape than ever in 2009. The 19-year-old telescope then celebrated its rebirth by spotting what might be the oldest, most distant galaxies ever discovered.
Hubble's new Wide Field Camera 3 peered into the infrared wavelengths – about twice as long and "redder" than visible light – to spot galaxies that formed 600 million years after the theoretical Big Bang, or roughly 13.1 billion years ago. If confirmed, the find may replace the current titleholders for earliest known galaxies and most distant object in the universe.
Records aside, Hubble also found time to scope out an unexpected impact on Jupiter.
2. Jupiter Under Fire
What an amateur astronomer first reported as a new dark spot on Jupiter turned out to be a huge planetary bruise the size of the Pacific Ocean, left by a wayward asteroid or comet in the summer of 2009. The massive cosmic impact easily rivaled another from 15 years ago, when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 walloped the king of the planets.
Astronomers estimated the culprit behind the impact as being no bigger than half a kilometer (0.3 miles) in size. Yet such a cosmic object would have contained thousands of times the energy of the Tunguska impact on Earth, which exploded over Siberia in 1908 and flattened an area as big as a city.
An impact of similar size on Earth would have likely proved catastrophic. But Earth observers can count their lucky stars this year and every year for Jupiter, which attracts dangerous space rocks with its massive size and gravitational pull.
1. Water on the Moon
Perhaps no other space science revelation this year proved as significant as the discovery of water on the moon. A moon long described as a barren, dry environment now dangles the tantalizing possibility of lunar colonies, not to mention a launching point for more distant space exploration.
Scientists first confirmed the traces of water in the uppermost layers of the lunar surface, based on detections of either water or a hydroxyl group (oxygen and hydrogen chemically bonded) made by India's Chandrayaan-1, NASA's Cassini spacecraft and NASA's Deep Impact probe. But their findings, detailed in a paper that came out in the Sept. 25 issue of the journal Science, had only just scratched the surface.
Then NASA's LCROSS probe slammed into the lunar south pole in October, and everything changed once more. The plume of debris thrown up by the probe's impact revealed water ice, and lots of it. Such ice could either become drinking water for future astronauts and colonists, or could provide hydrogen for rocket fuel.
Knowing that water awaits humans on the moon provides a validation of sorts for NASA's goal of putting boots back on the lunar surface. And it may also provide a much-needed boost for new generations of scientists and space explorers to continue pushing into the unknown for 2010 and beyond.
Original Story: 9 Astronomy Milestones in 2009
SPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
Find the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
Here are the stories that stood out:
9. Oddball Objects
Earth had a front row seat to a multitude of space objects in 2009, with stunning meteor showers, wayward space rocks buzzing the planet and weird lights in the sky – both natural and man-made.
Annual light shows such as the Leonid meteor shower continued to dazzle, but some space rocks came a bit too close for comfort. An asteroid exploded over Indonesia with the force of several Hiroshima bombs on Oct. 8, 2009, and became the biggest space rock to take aim at Earth in more than a decade.
Weird and wonderful man-made lights also joined the natural light displays this year. NASA launched an experimental rocket that briefly recreated eerie night-shining clouds in September. But the strangest display of all came from a spiraling shape that appeared above Norway in December and sparked massive speculation about extraterrestrials or rogue meteors – before Russia's defense ministry confirmed that a failed launch had sent a missile spiraling out of control.
8. Mercury, Unmasked
Planet Mercury received a major scientific makeover in 2009, when NASA's MESSENGER probe completed a third and final flyby in September 2009 that should help guide the spacecraft into a Mercury orbit in 2011.
A third encounter with Mercury not only helped map up to 98 percent of the planet's surface, but also showed that the surface contains high amounts of heavy metals such as iron and titanium. The surprise has forced scientists to rethink how the small planet evolved.
The latest close-up also revealed changing seasons on the planet closest to the sun. Such seasonal shifts take the form of varying chemical compositions in Mercury's thin atmosphere.
7. The Most Massive Black Hole
There's big, and then there's galactic big. A supermassive black hole became the reigning heavyweight champ this year with 6.4 billion times the mass of the sun, after astrophysicists revised earlier estimates of the monster's size by two or three times through computer modeling and telescope observations.
The behemoth sits at the heart of the giant galaxy M87, not unlike the massive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. Other black holes in nearby large galaxies may now also get a second look, so don't rule out a new black hole challenger in the coming years.
6. Year of the Space Telescope
A new generation of space telescopes launched in 2009, aimed at seeking out new worlds or unraveling long-standing mysteries of the cosmos. Perhaps none garnered more attention than NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft, which can detect distant worlds based on the tell-tale dip in light created by a planet as it crosses in front of Earth's view of the parent star.
Other notable newcomers include Europe's Herschel and Planck space observatories, which took their first glimpses into the universe this year. Herschel represents the most powerful infrared space telescope ever launched into space, while Planck seeks to survey the "first light" from the universe that emerged shortly after the Big Bang.
Last but not least, NASA's WISE spacecraft launched in December with the goal of scanning the infrared sky 1-1/2 times during its mission lifetime.
These next-gen telescopes join an older crowd that includes NASA's Chandra and Europe's XMM Newton X-ray observatories, which both celebrated their 10th anniversaries this year.
5. Water Ice on Mars
Making the case for a once-wet Mars has never looked better than in 2009. Space rocks lent a helping hand to science by gouging out craters in the Martian surface that revealed almost 99 percent pure water ice near the surface – possible remnants of buried ice sheets that may cover almost half the planet.
An extensive map of the valleys crisscrossing the red planet points to a possible ocean in the planet's past, scientists say. NASA's intrepid Opportunity rover has also continued to provide a close-up view of evidence that water may have helped shape the Martian surface.
One of the biggest lingering questions going forward into 2010 is whether liquid water can still exist on the Martian surface. A string of globules attached to the legs of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander represents possible but controversial evidence for liquid Martian water, according to NASA scientists who reviewed the mission's five-month stint from last year.
4. First Rocky Planet Around Alien Star
Two of the biggest exoplanet discoveries to date occurred in 2009, as planet hunters took first steps toward finding Earth-like planets outside our solar system. Both cases involved spotting distant worlds passing in front of their parent stars, rather than merely inferring the existence of planets based on the gravitational wobble that they cause in parent stars.
First, astronomers confirmed the first rocky world spotted in orbit around another star. Called CoRoT-7b, the planet represents the first known exoplanet with a density similar to that of Earth – even if the planetary surface seems less Earth-like with scorching temperatures soaring above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius).
A second rocky, water-rich world, named GJ 1214b, also became the first "Super-Earth" to have a confirmed atmosphere.
The growing handful of Super-Earths, or planets with masses between that of Earth and Neptune, now stand out among the hundreds of Jupiter-like gas giants detected in orbit around other stars. Some scientists believe that such Super-Earths could ultimately prove better than Earth at fostering the existence of life.
3. Hubble Telescope Peers Deeper Into the Universe
NASA's beloved Hubble Space Telescope survived deep-space surgery and emerged in better shape than ever in 2009. The 19-year-old telescope then celebrated its rebirth by spotting what might be the oldest, most distant galaxies ever discovered.
Hubble's new Wide Field Camera 3 peered into the infrared wavelengths – about twice as long and "redder" than visible light – to spot galaxies that formed 600 million years after the theoretical Big Bang, or roughly 13.1 billion years ago. If confirmed, the find may replace the current titleholders for earliest known galaxies and most distant object in the universe.
Records aside, Hubble also found time to scope out an unexpected impact on Jupiter.
2. Jupiter Under Fire
What an amateur astronomer first reported as a new dark spot on Jupiter turned out to be a huge planetary bruise the size of the Pacific Ocean, left by a wayward asteroid or comet in the summer of 2009. The massive cosmic impact easily rivaled another from 15 years ago, when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 walloped the king of the planets.
Astronomers estimated the culprit behind the impact as being no bigger than half a kilometer (0.3 miles) in size. Yet such a cosmic object would have contained thousands of times the energy of the Tunguska impact on Earth, which exploded over Siberia in 1908 and flattened an area as big as a city.
An impact of similar size on Earth would have likely proved catastrophic. But Earth observers can count their lucky stars this year and every year for Jupiter, which attracts dangerous space rocks with its massive size and gravitational pull.
1. Water on the Moon
Perhaps no other space science revelation this year proved as significant as the discovery of water on the moon. A moon long described as a barren, dry environment now dangles the tantalizing possibility of lunar colonies, not to mention a launching point for more distant space exploration.
Scientists first confirmed the traces of water in the uppermost layers of the lunar surface, based on detections of either water or a hydroxyl group (oxygen and hydrogen chemically bonded) made by India's Chandrayaan-1, NASA's Cassini spacecraft and NASA's Deep Impact probe. But their findings, detailed in a paper that came out in the Sept. 25 issue of the journal Science, had only just scratched the surface.
Then NASA's LCROSS probe slammed into the lunar south pole in October, and everything changed once more. The plume of debris thrown up by the probe's impact revealed water ice, and lots of it. Such ice could either become drinking water for future astronauts and colonists, or could provide hydrogen for rocket fuel.
Knowing that water awaits humans on the moon provides a validation of sorts for NASA's goal of putting boots back on the lunar surface. And it may also provide a much-needed boost for new generations of scientists and space explorers to continue pushing into the unknown for 2010 and beyond.
Original Story: 9 Astronomy Milestones in 2009
SPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
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Partial Lunar Eclipse and Blue Moon New Year's Eve (SPACE.com)
Eclipses of the moon occur twice a year, on average. Each
eclipse is visible only on the half of the Earth turned towards the moon at the
time the Earth's shadow falls on the moon.
There will be a partial eclipse of the moon on New Year's
Eve, Dec. 31. Because of its timing, it will not be visible in North and South
America, but will be visible over most of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The event will also mark the second full moon of the month
in North America, thereby garnering the title of "blue
moon." Unless unusual atmospheric circumstances come into play — such
as widespread dust from a volcano — the moon will not be blue, however.
Since it is a partial eclipse, the moon will just brush
past the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, never becoming totally immersed.
It will, however, be deep enough into the shadow that shading and reddish color
should be visible.
Even though the eclipse isn't visible for most of us in
North America, it's still possible to enjoy this event through astronomy
simulation software like Starry
Night. An armchair skywatcher can use this software to view the eclipse
from any point on Earth.
Here's how the eclipse will play out (these times will be
the same for most of western Europe and central Africa):
As the sun sets in the southwest, the full moon rises in
the northeast. At 6:17 p.m. local time Friday the moon begins to enter the
Earth's shadow, though it is undetectable at first. At 7:52, the moon enters
the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, called the umbra. Maximum eclipse is at
8:23, and the moon leaves the umbra at 8:53. The last traces of the shadow are
gone by 10:28.
Observers in other parts of the Old World will have to make
adjustments for their local time zones. Australians may catch a glimpse of the
eclipse just before moonset at dawn on Jan. 1. Again, the eclipse is not
visible from the Americas.
Vote:
The Best Moon Images
More Night Sky Features from Starry
Night Education
Top 10 Amazing
Moon Facts
This
article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the
leader in space science curriculum solutions.
Original Story: Partial Lunar Eclipse and Blue Moon New Year's Eve
SPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
Find the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
eclipse is visible only on the half of the Earth turned towards the moon at the
time the Earth's shadow falls on the moon.
There will be a partial eclipse of the moon on New Year's
Eve, Dec. 31. Because of its timing, it will not be visible in North and South
America, but will be visible over most of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The event will also mark the second full moon of the month
in North America, thereby garnering the title of "blue
moon." Unless unusual atmospheric circumstances come into play — such
as widespread dust from a volcano — the moon will not be blue, however.
Since it is a partial eclipse, the moon will just brush
past the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, never becoming totally immersed.
It will, however, be deep enough into the shadow that shading and reddish color
should be visible.
Even though the eclipse isn't visible for most of us in
North America, it's still possible to enjoy this event through astronomy
simulation software like Starry
Night. An armchair skywatcher can use this software to view the eclipse
from any point on Earth.
Here's how the eclipse will play out (these times will be
the same for most of western Europe and central Africa):
As the sun sets in the southwest, the full moon rises in
the northeast. At 6:17 p.m. local time Friday the moon begins to enter the
Earth's shadow, though it is undetectable at first. At 7:52, the moon enters
the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, called the umbra. Maximum eclipse is at
8:23, and the moon leaves the umbra at 8:53. The last traces of the shadow are
gone by 10:28.
Observers in other parts of the Old World will have to make
adjustments for their local time zones. Australians may catch a glimpse of the
eclipse just before moonset at dawn on Jan. 1. Again, the eclipse is not
visible from the Americas.
Vote:
The Best Moon Images
More Night Sky Features from Starry
Night Education
Top 10 Amazing
Moon Facts
This
article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the
leader in space science curriculum solutions.
Original Story: Partial Lunar Eclipse and Blue Moon New Year's Eve
SPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!
Find the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
Party under a blue moon this new year eve!
New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) Take out some time from new year eve revelry Thursday and look at the sky to catch a glimpse of a rare celestial phenomenon - a blue moon. A partial lunar eclipse will also be observed early Jan 1, 2010.
The full moon on Thursday will be a 'blue moon'.
A blue moon has nothing to do with the colour of the moon but when two full moons occur within the same month, the second full moon of the month is called a 'blue moon', a term used metaphorically to describe the rarity of an event, as in the idiomatic expression -- once in a blue moon.
'Most years have twelve full moons, but since a lunar cycle is 29.5 days, we wind up with almost 11 leftover days. Eventually the days add up, and we have two full moons in a single month -- like we do this month,' said N. Rathnasree, director of the Nehru Planetarium here.
A blue moon comes every two-and-a-half years on an average, but this will be the first time since 1990 that it will coincide with new year's eve. The event will not happen again till 2028.
The lunar eclipse will begin at 12.22 a.m. and end at 1.24 a.m. Friday. However, the partial eclipse will not be visible with the naked eye, Rathnasree said.
Indo Asian News ServiceFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
The full moon on Thursday will be a 'blue moon'.
A blue moon has nothing to do with the colour of the moon but when two full moons occur within the same month, the second full moon of the month is called a 'blue moon', a term used metaphorically to describe the rarity of an event, as in the idiomatic expression -- once in a blue moon.
'Most years have twelve full moons, but since a lunar cycle is 29.5 days, we wind up with almost 11 leftover days. Eventually the days add up, and we have two full moons in a single month -- like we do this month,' said N. Rathnasree, director of the Nehru Planetarium here.
A blue moon comes every two-and-a-half years on an average, but this will be the first time since 1990 that it will coincide with new year's eve. The event will not happen again till 2028.
The lunar eclipse will begin at 12.22 a.m. and end at 1.24 a.m. Friday. However, the partial eclipse will not be visible with the naked eye, Rathnasree said.
Indo Asian News ServiceFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
Scientists find 280-million-year-old reptiles` preserved last meal
Washington, December 29 (ANI): In a new research, scientists have found insect parts stuck between the teeth of two Paleozoic reptiles, which makes it the last meal for the 280 million year old reptiles.
According to a report in Discovery News, Lead author Sean Modesto, a Cape Breton University biologist, and his team discovered the insect parts after analyzing the remains for the reptiles, which were found in a hilly, and now mostly deserted, part of Oklahoma.
The discovery strongly suggests that the pre-Dinosaur Era equivalent of today's lizards feasted on insects, and it's the first known evidence for this behavior among vertebrates.
The prehistoric reptiles represent a new, as of yet unnamed, species that lived 280 million years ago.
"We envision the new acleistorhinid reptile as feeding primarily on small invertebrates, but also, as perhaps occasional opportunities arose, preying upon tetrapods that were small enough to swallow whole," according to Modesto and his colleagues.
"The compelling evidence of insectivory in this fossil reptile provides strong support for the hypothesis that the origins and earliest stages of higher vertebrate evolution are associated with relatively small terrestrial insectivores," said the researchers.
"We can conclude, therefore, that the subsequent diversification of Palaeozoic amniotes and the rise of small and large omnivorous, herbivorous and predatory forms arose from these modest beginnings," they added. (ANI)
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According to a report in Discovery News, Lead author Sean Modesto, a Cape Breton University biologist, and his team discovered the insect parts after analyzing the remains for the reptiles, which were found in a hilly, and now mostly deserted, part of Oklahoma.
The discovery strongly suggests that the pre-Dinosaur Era equivalent of today's lizards feasted on insects, and it's the first known evidence for this behavior among vertebrates.
The prehistoric reptiles represent a new, as of yet unnamed, species that lived 280 million years ago.
"We envision the new acleistorhinid reptile as feeding primarily on small invertebrates, but also, as perhaps occasional opportunities arose, preying upon tetrapods that were small enough to swallow whole," according to Modesto and his colleagues.
"The compelling evidence of insectivory in this fossil reptile provides strong support for the hypothesis that the origins and earliest stages of higher vertebrate evolution are associated with relatively small terrestrial insectivores," said the researchers.
"We can conclude, therefore, that the subsequent diversification of Palaeozoic amniotes and the rise of small and large omnivorous, herbivorous and predatory forms arose from these modest beginnings," they added. (ANI)
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The 12 most popular articles of 2009
London, Dec 29 (ANI): 2009 may have been a year of recession and climate change worries, but a new list shows that people were also concerned with how to decode ancient languages and the nature of female ejaculation.
According to New Scientist, here are the 12 most popular articles of 2009:
1. Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe
Normal storms are bad enough, but a solar storm could be really disastrous. The fiercest release balls of plasma from the sun's surface, and if one of them was to hit the Earth's magnetic field our power grids would be wiped out, our modern technological society would be shut down overnight, and it would take months or even years to repair the damage - during which time millions of people would die.
2. Our world may be a giant hologram
It may sound absurd, but there is plenty of theoretical physics that strongly suggests the entire universe is an enormous cosmic hologram, man. The idea has floated around for years, but now there is real evidence. A German experiment looking for gravitational waves has picked up some inexplicable noise, and it could be a clue to the underlying nature of the cosmos.
3. 13 more things that don't make sense
Way back in 2005 we published 13 things that don't make sense. But the mysteries just kept on coming, so this year we went back to the subject and published 13 more.
4. Clever fools: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart
George W. Bush has an IQ well above average, but even his admirers have a low opinion of his intellect. And he's not alone: many apparently "smart" people act foolishly a lot of the time. To understand this, we have to go beyond IQ, to RQ - a test of people's rationality.
5. 'Vampire' discovered in mass grave
A skeleton was exhumed from a grave in Venice with a brick in its mouth. To most people this would seem inexplicable, but to experts in the folk beliefs of the Middle Ages it sends a clear message: the people who buried this woman thought she was a vampire who would spread plague.
6. Decoding antiquity: Eight scripts that still can't be read
Throughout history, civilisations have invented hundreds of writing systems, but most have fallen into disuse. These dead scripts tantalise us: we know that they're writing, but what do they say? This feature took a tour of the world's undeciphered scripts, and it outperformed the female ejaculation feature (above), which was published in the same week. Readers, take a bow: you are all clearly very high-minded.
7. Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers
A survey of receipts from an adult entertainment provider found little variation in porn use between the US states, but there was a slight trend for Republican-voting states to buy more. However, many readers pointed out a flaw: the study could not identify the individuals buying the porn, so it was not clear which inhabitants of the red states were buying the extra porn.
8. Everything you always wanted to know about female ejaculation
There is plenty of evidence that some women can ejaculate during orgasm. Evolutionary biologist Sharon Moalem took readers through the science and considered what the mysterious fluid might be for.
9. Seven things that don't make sense about gravity
From everyday mysteries to more abstract ones: what exactly is gravity, why does it only pull and never push, and could we find a way to counter it? Gravity may keep our feet firmly on the ground, but when it comes to our understanding of it, we're still drifting.
10. Ten mysteries of you
We take them for granted, but there are plenty of aspects of humanity that seem to defy explanation. Why do we blush when it gives away that we're lying, why do we make art and what on earth are teenagers for? This feature tried to get to the bottom of all these questions.
11. Human sex from the inside out
From the sublime and profound to the, well, less philosophically challenging. In this experiment, a courageous couple had it off in an MRI scanner. The images were knitted together to make a video, which to our surprise was rather popular.
12. Seven questions that keep physicists up at night
At a physics festival in Canada in October, leaders in the field spent 10 days pondering the biggest questions about the universe.
During a panel discussion, they were all asked to answer one simple question: "What keeps you awake at night?" Apparently they all sleep very soundly, but nevertheless they have seven big conundrums on their minds. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
According to New Scientist, here are the 12 most popular articles of 2009:
1. Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe
Normal storms are bad enough, but a solar storm could be really disastrous. The fiercest release balls of plasma from the sun's surface, and if one of them was to hit the Earth's magnetic field our power grids would be wiped out, our modern technological society would be shut down overnight, and it would take months or even years to repair the damage - during which time millions of people would die.
2. Our world may be a giant hologram
It may sound absurd, but there is plenty of theoretical physics that strongly suggests the entire universe is an enormous cosmic hologram, man. The idea has floated around for years, but now there is real evidence. A German experiment looking for gravitational waves has picked up some inexplicable noise, and it could be a clue to the underlying nature of the cosmos.
3. 13 more things that don't make sense
Way back in 2005 we published 13 things that don't make sense. But the mysteries just kept on coming, so this year we went back to the subject and published 13 more.
4. Clever fools: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart
George W. Bush has an IQ well above average, but even his admirers have a low opinion of his intellect. And he's not alone: many apparently "smart" people act foolishly a lot of the time. To understand this, we have to go beyond IQ, to RQ - a test of people's rationality.
5. 'Vampire' discovered in mass grave
A skeleton was exhumed from a grave in Venice with a brick in its mouth. To most people this would seem inexplicable, but to experts in the folk beliefs of the Middle Ages it sends a clear message: the people who buried this woman thought she was a vampire who would spread plague.
6. Decoding antiquity: Eight scripts that still can't be read
Throughout history, civilisations have invented hundreds of writing systems, but most have fallen into disuse. These dead scripts tantalise us: we know that they're writing, but what do they say? This feature took a tour of the world's undeciphered scripts, and it outperformed the female ejaculation feature (above), which was published in the same week. Readers, take a bow: you are all clearly very high-minded.
7. Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers
A survey of receipts from an adult entertainment provider found little variation in porn use between the US states, but there was a slight trend for Republican-voting states to buy more. However, many readers pointed out a flaw: the study could not identify the individuals buying the porn, so it was not clear which inhabitants of the red states were buying the extra porn.
8. Everything you always wanted to know about female ejaculation
There is plenty of evidence that some women can ejaculate during orgasm. Evolutionary biologist Sharon Moalem took readers through the science and considered what the mysterious fluid might be for.
9. Seven things that don't make sense about gravity
From everyday mysteries to more abstract ones: what exactly is gravity, why does it only pull and never push, and could we find a way to counter it? Gravity may keep our feet firmly on the ground, but when it comes to our understanding of it, we're still drifting.
10. Ten mysteries of you
We take them for granted, but there are plenty of aspects of humanity that seem to defy explanation. Why do we blush when it gives away that we're lying, why do we make art and what on earth are teenagers for? This feature tried to get to the bottom of all these questions.
11. Human sex from the inside out
From the sublime and profound to the, well, less philosophically challenging. In this experiment, a courageous couple had it off in an MRI scanner. The images were knitted together to make a video, which to our surprise was rather popular.
12. Seven questions that keep physicists up at night
At a physics festival in Canada in October, leaders in the field spent 10 days pondering the biggest questions about the universe.
During a panel discussion, they were all asked to answer one simple question: "What keeps you awake at night?" Apparently they all sleep very soundly, but nevertheless they have seven big conundrums on their minds. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
How to keep stem cells `forever young`
Washington, Dec 29 (ANI): A new study explores ways to successfully keep stem cells 'forever young' during implantation by slowing their growth, differentiation and proliferation.
"The successful storage and implantation of stem cells poses significant challenges for tissue engineering in the nervous system, challenges in addition to those inherent to neural regeneration," said Dr. Ellis-Behnke, co-author. "There is a need for creating an environment that can regulate cell activity by delaying cell proliferation, proliferation and maturation. Nanoscaffolds can play a central role in organ regeneration as they act as templates and guides for cell proliferation, differentiation and tissue growth. It is also important to protect these fragile cells from the harsh environment in which they are transplanted."
According to Ellis-Behnke, advancements in nanotechnology offer a "new era" in tissue and organ reconstruction.
Thus, finding the right nano-sized scaffold could be beneficial, so researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a 'self-assembling nanofiber scaffold' (SAPNS), a nanotechnology application to use for implanting young cells.
"Fine control of the nanodomain will allow for increased targeting of cell placement and therapeutic delivery amplified by cell encapsulation and implantation," Ellis-Behnke said.
The researchers created the scaffold to provide a substrate for cell adhesion and migration and to influence the survival of transplanted cells or the invasion of cells from surrounding tissue.
The SAPNS they developed appear to slow the growth rate and differentiation of the cells, allowing the cells time to acclimate to their new environment.
"That delay is very important when the immune system tries attacking cells when they are placed in vivo," Ellis-Behnke said.
By manipulating both cell density and SAPNS concentration, the researchers were able to control the nanoenvironment surrounding PC 12 cells (a cell line developed from transplantable rat cells that respond to nerve growth factor), Schwann cells (glial cells that keep peripheral nerve fibers alive) and neural precursor cells (NPCs) and also control their proliferation, elongation, differentiation and maturation in vitro.
They extended the method to living animals with implants in the brain and spinal cord.
The researchers concluded that the use of a combination of SAPNS and young cells eliminated the need for immuno-suppressants when cells were implanted in the central nervous system.
The study has been published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
"The successful storage and implantation of stem cells poses significant challenges for tissue engineering in the nervous system, challenges in addition to those inherent to neural regeneration," said Dr. Ellis-Behnke, co-author. "There is a need for creating an environment that can regulate cell activity by delaying cell proliferation, proliferation and maturation. Nanoscaffolds can play a central role in organ regeneration as they act as templates and guides for cell proliferation, differentiation and tissue growth. It is also important to protect these fragile cells from the harsh environment in which they are transplanted."
According to Ellis-Behnke, advancements in nanotechnology offer a "new era" in tissue and organ reconstruction.
Thus, finding the right nano-sized scaffold could be beneficial, so researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a 'self-assembling nanofiber scaffold' (SAPNS), a nanotechnology application to use for implanting young cells.
"Fine control of the nanodomain will allow for increased targeting of cell placement and therapeutic delivery amplified by cell encapsulation and implantation," Ellis-Behnke said.
The researchers created the scaffold to provide a substrate for cell adhesion and migration and to influence the survival of transplanted cells or the invasion of cells from surrounding tissue.
The SAPNS they developed appear to slow the growth rate and differentiation of the cells, allowing the cells time to acclimate to their new environment.
"That delay is very important when the immune system tries attacking cells when they are placed in vivo," Ellis-Behnke said.
By manipulating both cell density and SAPNS concentration, the researchers were able to control the nanoenvironment surrounding PC 12 cells (a cell line developed from transplantable rat cells that respond to nerve growth factor), Schwann cells (glial cells that keep peripheral nerve fibers alive) and neural precursor cells (NPCs) and also control their proliferation, elongation, differentiation and maturation in vitro.
They extended the method to living animals with implants in the brain and spinal cord.
The researchers concluded that the use of a combination of SAPNS and young cells eliminated the need for immuno-suppressants when cells were implanted in the central nervous system.
The study has been published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation. (ANI)
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Genetic variants linked to disturbances in lipid metabolism identified
London, Dec 29 (ANI): Scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen claim to have identified certain genetic variants that appear to be linked to disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
Some of these common human gene variants are already known to be risk factors for diabetes mellitus.
Lead researcher Professor Karsten Suhre and his team identified variants in nine different genes, which could be associated with disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
They have succeeded for the first time in associating variants in the well-known diabetes risk genes MTNR1B and GCKR with changes in the metabolism.
"The results of our study bring us a decisive step closer in our search for markers for the early detection and therapy of serious metabolic diseases such as diabetes," Nature magazine quoted Suhre as saying.
The variants identified in the study usually cause differences in the metabolization of important lipid building blocks of the body.
The findings have been published in journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)
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Some of these common human gene variants are already known to be risk factors for diabetes mellitus.
Lead researcher Professor Karsten Suhre and his team identified variants in nine different genes, which could be associated with disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
They have succeeded for the first time in associating variants in the well-known diabetes risk genes MTNR1B and GCKR with changes in the metabolism.
"The results of our study bring us a decisive step closer in our search for markers for the early detection and therapy of serious metabolic diseases such as diabetes," Nature magazine quoted Suhre as saying.
The variants identified in the study usually cause differences in the metabolization of important lipid building blocks of the body.
The findings have been published in journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)
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Evidence suggests chocolate was relished in St. Augustine during the 1500s
Washington, December 29 (ANI): Archaeologists have found a whisk known as molinillo in a plastic container inside the storerooms at St. Augustine's Government House in the US, which suggests that chocolate may have been made and eaten in St. Augustine in the 1500s.
According to a report in the St. Augustine Record, the whisk is a slender wooden stick with a carved knob on one end.
"It shows a probable connection to Mexico or Central America that St. Augustine had," said City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt. "It's evidence for the presence of the chocolate drink (in St. Augustine)," he added.
The cacao bean, the basis for chocolate, was originally grown from rainforest trees and used in Central America and Mexico as currency.
For thousands of years, chocolate was known as a drink rather than as candy.
Archaeologists found the molinillo in a well during a dig on the south side of St. Augustine.
Halbirt said that the finding of the molinillo as well as pits of oyster, clam shells and animal bone shows the area may be associated with street vendors or a feasting place.
That well and the water in it are the reason the wooden stirrer survived.
The structure of wood would normally disintegrate; the water kept that from happening and preserved the stick.
For now, the stirrer, light in weight and about five inches long, is in a plastic bag filled with a solution that keeps it from disintegrating.
Researchers speculate that the stirrer ended into the well by a Spanish merchant sipping a cup of hot chocolate, who might have knocked the whisk into the well.
In his digging, Halbirt found another reminder of chocolate's role in St. Augustine, a gold strip that was once atop a box of candy.
The words "Utopian Chocolate" are on the strip of real gold.
"We found that while digging," Halbirt said, holding up the delicate strip. "Maybe it dropped off a box of candy, or maybe someone just threw away the box once it was empty," he added. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
According to a report in the St. Augustine Record, the whisk is a slender wooden stick with a carved knob on one end.
"It shows a probable connection to Mexico or Central America that St. Augustine had," said City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt. "It's evidence for the presence of the chocolate drink (in St. Augustine)," he added.
The cacao bean, the basis for chocolate, was originally grown from rainforest trees and used in Central America and Mexico as currency.
For thousands of years, chocolate was known as a drink rather than as candy.
Archaeologists found the molinillo in a well during a dig on the south side of St. Augustine.
Halbirt said that the finding of the molinillo as well as pits of oyster, clam shells and animal bone shows the area may be associated with street vendors or a feasting place.
That well and the water in it are the reason the wooden stirrer survived.
The structure of wood would normally disintegrate; the water kept that from happening and preserved the stick.
For now, the stirrer, light in weight and about five inches long, is in a plastic bag filled with a solution that keeps it from disintegrating.
Researchers speculate that the stirrer ended into the well by a Spanish merchant sipping a cup of hot chocolate, who might have knocked the whisk into the well.
In his digging, Halbirt found another reminder of chocolate's role in St. Augustine, a gold strip that was once atop a box of candy.
The words "Utopian Chocolate" are on the strip of real gold.
"We found that while digging," Halbirt said, holding up the delicate strip. "Maybe it dropped off a box of candy, or maybe someone just threw away the box once it was empty," he added. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
"Night shining" clouds getting brighter worldwide
Washington, December 29 (ANI): A new research has indicated that "night shining" clouds are getting brighter all over the world.
"Night shining" clouds, or shimmering noctilucent clouds, are very thin and wispy, which makes them almost invisible during the day.
Appearing after sunset, these clouds are high enough in the atmosphere that the sun still hits them, even though it's dark on the ground.
"These clouds exist literally on the edge of space," said James Russell, principal investigator for NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite, adding that the clouds form only in a very narrow band a little more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth's surface.
According to a report in National Geographic News, once seen mostly in the Arctic, night-shining clouds are now appearing more frequently at lower latitudes.
Scientists suspect that the increase in night-shining clouds may be due to climate change.
Even as surface temperatures rise, the upper atmosphere is getting colder due to the buildup of carbon dioxide, creating perfect conditions for cloud formation, according to experts.
Since 2007, scientists using the AIM satellite have been documenting night-shining clouds as seen from space.
Based on five polar seasons of data, the satellite has revealed that the clouds' seasonal appearances turn on and off as abruptly as a "geophysical light bulb," according to the AIM Web site.
High-altitude night-shining clouds are similar in structure to lower-level clouds - a fact that is "startling," according to AIM deputy principal investigator Scott Bailey, of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
"That's because the two types of clouds form under such radically different conditions," Bailey said.
AIM's data on night-shining clouds have told scientists a lot about the upper atmosphere.
"The processes that control these clouds are very likely similar to the ones that control clouds down near the surface of Earth," said Bailey.
Other phenomena, such as rocket launches, can also set the stage for night-shining clouds.
In addition, more night-shining clouds tend to light up the skies during times when the sun is quiet, according to Daniel Marsh of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
"That's because when solar activity is most intense, ultraviolet radiation breaks up the air" water molecules and prevents the clouds from forming," Marsh said.
Volcanoes also inject water vapor into the upper atmosphere, which can lead to night-shining clouds. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
"Night shining" clouds, or shimmering noctilucent clouds, are very thin and wispy, which makes them almost invisible during the day.
Appearing after sunset, these clouds are high enough in the atmosphere that the sun still hits them, even though it's dark on the ground.
"These clouds exist literally on the edge of space," said James Russell, principal investigator for NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite, adding that the clouds form only in a very narrow band a little more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth's surface.
According to a report in National Geographic News, once seen mostly in the Arctic, night-shining clouds are now appearing more frequently at lower latitudes.
Scientists suspect that the increase in night-shining clouds may be due to climate change.
Even as surface temperatures rise, the upper atmosphere is getting colder due to the buildup of carbon dioxide, creating perfect conditions for cloud formation, according to experts.
Since 2007, scientists using the AIM satellite have been documenting night-shining clouds as seen from space.
Based on five polar seasons of data, the satellite has revealed that the clouds' seasonal appearances turn on and off as abruptly as a "geophysical light bulb," according to the AIM Web site.
High-altitude night-shining clouds are similar in structure to lower-level clouds - a fact that is "startling," according to AIM deputy principal investigator Scott Bailey, of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
"That's because the two types of clouds form under such radically different conditions," Bailey said.
AIM's data on night-shining clouds have told scientists a lot about the upper atmosphere.
"The processes that control these clouds are very likely similar to the ones that control clouds down near the surface of Earth," said Bailey.
Other phenomena, such as rocket launches, can also set the stage for night-shining clouds.
In addition, more night-shining clouds tend to light up the skies during times when the sun is quiet, according to Daniel Marsh of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
"That's because when solar activity is most intense, ultraviolet radiation breaks up the air" water molecules and prevents the clouds from forming," Marsh said.
Volcanoes also inject water vapor into the upper atmosphere, which can lead to night-shining clouds. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
How brain controls attention span
Washington, Dec 29 (IANS) Like a spotlight that illuminates an otherwise dark scene, attention highlights specific details of our surroundings while shutting others out.
A new study by Salk Institute for Biological Studies researchers shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind's spotlight.
Their findings add new insight to our understanding of how attention is controlled by the brain.
The results are closely related to a neurological disorder known as the neglect syndrome, and they may also shed light on chronic attention problems, such as autism or attention deficit disorder.
'Our ability to survive in the world depends critically on our ability to respond to relevant pieces of information and ignore others,' explains graduate student Lee Lovejoy, who co-authored the study with Richard Krauzlis, associate professor, Salk's Systems Neurobiology Lab.
It had been known that the superior colliculus plays a role in deciding how to orient the eyes and head to interesting objects in the environment. But it was not clear whether it also had a say in covert attention.
In their current study, the Salk researchers specifically asked whether the superior colliculus is necessary for covert attention.
To tease out the superior colliculus' role in covert attention, they designed a motion discrimination task that distinguished between control of gaze and control of attention.
The superior colliculus contains a topographic map of the visual space around us, just as conventional maps mirror geographical areas.
'The result is very similar to what happens in patients with neglect syndrome,' explains Lovejoy, who is also a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at University of California-San Diego (UCSD).
'Up to a half of acute right-hemisphere stroke patients demonstrate signs of spatial neglect, failing to be aware of objects or people to their left in extra-personal space.'
The findings were published in the December issue of Nature Neuroscience.
Indo Asian News ServiceFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
A new study by Salk Institute for Biological Studies researchers shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind's spotlight.
Their findings add new insight to our understanding of how attention is controlled by the brain.
The results are closely related to a neurological disorder known as the neglect syndrome, and they may also shed light on chronic attention problems, such as autism or attention deficit disorder.
'Our ability to survive in the world depends critically on our ability to respond to relevant pieces of information and ignore others,' explains graduate student Lee Lovejoy, who co-authored the study with Richard Krauzlis, associate professor, Salk's Systems Neurobiology Lab.
It had been known that the superior colliculus plays a role in deciding how to orient the eyes and head to interesting objects in the environment. But it was not clear whether it also had a say in covert attention.
In their current study, the Salk researchers specifically asked whether the superior colliculus is necessary for covert attention.
To tease out the superior colliculus' role in covert attention, they designed a motion discrimination task that distinguished between control of gaze and control of attention.
The superior colliculus contains a topographic map of the visual space around us, just as conventional maps mirror geographical areas.
'The result is very similar to what happens in patients with neglect syndrome,' explains Lovejoy, who is also a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at University of California-San Diego (UCSD).
'Up to a half of acute right-hemisphere stroke patients demonstrate signs of spatial neglect, failing to be aware of objects or people to their left in extra-personal space.'
The findings were published in the December issue of Nature Neuroscience.
Indo Asian News ServiceFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
Molecular chaperone keeps bacterial proteins in check
Washington, Dec 29 (ANI): Just like teenagers at a prom, proteins too are minded by chaperones that prevent unwanted interactions among immature clients, a new study has found.
In the research, scientists at the University of Michigan and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered how a protein chaperone called HdeA saves energy while keeping proteins from forming destructive clumps.
HdeA is known to help protect bacteria like the notorious Escherichia coli from the ravages of stomach acid.
Proteins in disease-causing bacteria like E. coli unfold when they land in stomach acid after being accidentally ingested by humans and other animals.
This unfolding stops the proteins from working and could spell doom for the bacteria if the chaperone HdeA didn't step in.
HdeA works by binding very tightly to the unfolded proteins while the bacteria are in the stomach. By attaching to the bacterial proteins, the chaperone stops them from tangling like slow-dancing teens, which could kill the bacteria.
The researchers discovered how HdeA could then let go of the unfolded proteins as the bacteria pass into the small intestine so that the proteins refold instead of clumping together.
"HdeA uses a unique timed-release mechanism. If the proteins were released all at once they would likely clump together, killing the bacteria. What we found instead is that the chaperone HdeA lets go of them gradually, making it more likely that they fold back up into their proper form than clump together," said postdoctoral fellow Tim Tapley, who spearheaded the work.
While most molecular chaperones consume large amounts of cellular energy in order to function, HdeA instead taps energy freely available in its living environment.
"In this way, HdeA is a bit like a wind powered machine, except that instead of harnessing wind, HdeA uses the energy from pH changes in the surrounding environment as the bacteria move from the acid stomach to the slightly alkaline small intestine," said James Bardwell.
The research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
In the research, scientists at the University of Michigan and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered how a protein chaperone called HdeA saves energy while keeping proteins from forming destructive clumps.
HdeA is known to help protect bacteria like the notorious Escherichia coli from the ravages of stomach acid.
Proteins in disease-causing bacteria like E. coli unfold when they land in stomach acid after being accidentally ingested by humans and other animals.
This unfolding stops the proteins from working and could spell doom for the bacteria if the chaperone HdeA didn't step in.
HdeA works by binding very tightly to the unfolded proteins while the bacteria are in the stomach. By attaching to the bacterial proteins, the chaperone stops them from tangling like slow-dancing teens, which could kill the bacteria.
The researchers discovered how HdeA could then let go of the unfolded proteins as the bacteria pass into the small intestine so that the proteins refold instead of clumping together.
"HdeA uses a unique timed-release mechanism. If the proteins were released all at once they would likely clump together, killing the bacteria. What we found instead is that the chaperone HdeA lets go of them gradually, making it more likely that they fold back up into their proper form than clump together," said postdoctoral fellow Tim Tapley, who spearheaded the work.
While most molecular chaperones consume large amounts of cellular energy in order to function, HdeA instead taps energy freely available in its living environment.
"In this way, HdeA is a bit like a wind powered machine, except that instead of harnessing wind, HdeA uses the energy from pH changes in the surrounding environment as the bacteria move from the acid stomach to the slightly alkaline small intestine," said James Bardwell.
The research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)
ANIFind the Meanings of the English Words?.. Visit.. http://thesmsboss.com
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