Science and Education
Antarctic record for scientific balloons
January 7, 2007 A record three long-duration, sub-orbital flights were launched and operated in Antarctica during this current Southern-Hemisphere summer, marking a new milestone for the almost 20-years of scientific ballooning in the region. The achievement was the result of a partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with NSF providing infrastructure and logistics and NASA providing the satellite communications link. Read More
Researchers reveal the biggest digital survey of the Milky Way to date
December 31, 2007 More than 50 astronomers from the UK, Europe, USA and Australia have joined forces to produce the first comprehensive optical digital survey of the plane of the Galaxy. The Initial Data Release (IDR) from the INT Photometric H-Alpha Survey (IPHAS) includes around 200 million unique objects available via an online database, forming a huge resource designed to boost our understanding of stellar evolution and further the study of stellar demographics of the Milky Way and of its three-dimensional structure. Read More
Education news goes paperless in Houston
December 20, 2007 Texas students have access to a customized education portal from the Houston Chronicle that includes an online daily newspaper and numerous education-specific programs. By making the news paperless the Chronicle estimates in the first year of the program it will eliminate nearly one million hard copies delivered to schools. Read More
New research sheds light on Solar Wind
December 11, 2007 New images and data from the Hinode space mission have provided a better understanding of the sun’s magnetic field and the origin of solar winds that blast through the solar system. Eruptions of magnetic energy from solar winds threaten satellites, telecommunications and electric power grids on Earth and a better understanding of the solar winds, which are propelled from the sun at speeds of almost one million miles per hour, could aid in the early prediction of damaging radiation waves before they reach satellites. Read More
Spitzer Space Telescope locates youngest solar systems
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December 3, 2007 Infrared imaging technology on
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has been used to locate some of the youngest solar systems yet detected. Astronomers at the University of Michigan made the discovery when using the telescope to more closely observe gaps in protoplanetary disks of gas and dust surrounding the young stars UX Tau A and LkCa 15 in the Taurus star formation region. Read More
ORION helium ion microscope
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October 31, 2007 A revolutionary type of microscope that uses a beam of helium ions to provide significantly higher resolution images than commonly used electron microscopes promises a new era in sub-nanometer, ultra-high resolution scanning microscopy. Read More
Chang'e-1 launch to expand lunar exploration
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October 29, 2007 The Chang’e-1 spacecraft successfully blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, Sichuan, atop a Long March 3A rocket last week bound for lunar orbit. The launch by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), is China’s first step in a program that aims to land robotic explorers on the Moon before 2020. Read More
SOLiD System - a next-gen DNA sequencing platform announced
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October 27, 2007 At the 57th annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Applied Biosystems announced the worldwide commercial availability of SOLiD, the company’s next-generation DNA sequencing platform. The SOLiD System is an end-to-end next-generation genetic analysis solution comprised of the sequencing unit, chemistry, a computing cluster and data storage which promises unparalleled throughput, scalability, accuracy, and application flexibility. Read More
UK's third National Identity Fraud Prevention Week
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October 9, 2007 Identity fraud is an increasingly prevalent global problem and this week marks the third annual National Identity Fraud Prevention Week in the UK. The campaign, backed by both the public and private sectors, aims to educate consumers and businesses as to the dangers of identity fraud and the preventative steps that can be taken. Read More
50th anniversary of Sputnik satellite launch
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October 4, 2007 Today marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Sputnik satellite. Even half a century on, the impact of the October 4th 1957 launch that saw the Soviet Union’s satellite became the first to be put into orbit still resonates as a momentous achievement in the history of human endeavor. Considered the first real blow in the "Space race" between the USSR and the USA, the launch provided the springboard for an exciting period of space exploration carried out by the two countries. Read More
U.K. team researches thinner, cheaper solar cells
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August 24, 2007 Enough solar energy falls on U.S. soil to provide 500 times the country's energy needs – but the cost of harvesting this free and sustainable resource is preventing people from using it to power their homes. That’s why scientists in the sunny U.K. are excited about the possibility of thin-layer photovoltaic cells that could bring the price of solar energy down and make solar cells a viable addition to the average home. Read More
Google Earth moves to become Google Universe
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August 24, 2007 The world is not enough for Google Earth. The groundbreaking free application already provides satellite photos, maps, street-level photos and a vast range of data overlays for most of the planet, and its latest incarnation looks to the heavens as well. A fantastic resource for backyard astronomers, the new Sky module lets users explore the planets, stars, constellations and galaxies of the night sky, including high resolution highlights from the Hubble Space Telescope and useful information overlays. Read More
Elevator: 2010 - a space race for the whole family
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August 5, 2007 Almost 40 years after it ended, the Spaceward Foundation is reigniting the space race with the third annual Elevator: 2010 competition. Part of the “Spaceward Games” taking place on October 19-21 near Salt Lake City, the competition is open to any family, school or adult and this year allows participants to compete in more events including the first inaugural Light Racer challenge. The tournament aims to bring attention to the viability of far-reaching space exploration concepts and requires competitors to build beam powered lunar buggies and beam powered cable “climbers”. But the machines aren’t the only thing ascending rapidly in the name of scientific advancement; the total prize money this year has skyrocketed to US$1 million. Read More
Smallest capacitance type pressure sensor used to detect absolute pressure
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August 2, 2007 Alps Electric has completed development of the industry’s smallest (4.8mm long x 4.8mm wide x 1.8 mm high) capacitance type pressure sensor to detect absolute pressure. The sensor can be used to detect pressure in a range of situations from air pressure in tyres to blood pressure. The capacitance-type pressure sensor is generally characterized by high sensitivity and low current consumption and this product also minimizes the influence of temperature changes on pressure detection. Due to the ability of the ceramic packaging to withstand a wide range of temperatures, it can even be used in the volatile automotive environment. Read More
Nanogenerator harvests energy from environmental sources
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July 26, 2007 The prototype nanogenerator provides continuous direct-current electricity by harvesting mechanical energy from such environmental sources as ultrasonic waves, mechanical vibration or blood flow. Providing power for nanometer-scale devices has long been a challenge. Batteries and other traditional sources are too large, and tend to negate the size advantages of nanodevices. And since batteries contain toxic materials such as lithium and cadmium, they cannot be implanted into the body as part of biomedical applications. Because the nanogenerator is non-toxic and compatible with the body, the new nanogenerators could be integrated into implantable biomedical devices to wirelessly measure blood flow and blood pressure within the body. This device could be in your shoes for example and when you walk you could generate your own small current to power small electronics. Anything that makes the nanowires move within the generator can be used for generating power. Read More
Archaeologists reconstruct life in the Bronze Age at a site of Southern Spain
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June 6, 2007 Researchers from the Group of Recent Prehistory Studies (GEPRAN) at the Universidad de Granada have been working since 1974 on reconstructing what daily life was like on the Iberian Peninsula in the Bronze Age. Archaeologists have been working on the site of the Motilla del Azuer, in the Southern province of Ciudad Real, in search of the necessary information to reconstruct daily life in this little-known historical period. Read More
Digital Micro Pipette with one-touch operation
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May 11, 2007 Being a klutz in the lab is becoming more managable these days with the advance of technology and massandmeasurement’s new Nichipet EX Autoclavable Digital Micro Pipette is a must-have for those of us with less-than-steady hands. The US$225 general purpose digital micro pipette is designed for fatigue-free operation and features an enlarged finger rest, easy to use digital counter for setting the sample volume, and a push-button extractor. Suitable for liquid handling on a clean bench, this pipette is UV-resistant and is offered in eight sizes for sampling volumes from 0.1 ul to 10.0 ml each. Read More
IBN Nano-Bio Kits demonstrate bioengineering and nanotechnology through interactive experiments
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March 12, 2007 One of the problems with new technologies advancing so quickly is that the classroom can be left a long way behind. Recognising this, Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) is arming teachers with new tools to revitalize their teaching of science in the classrooms. IBN has launched a series of educational Kits to help secondary school and junior college teachers inject cutting-edge concepts in their laboratory lessons. Aimed at students between the ages of 15 and 19, the IBN Nano-Bio Kits feature interactive experiments and lessons on practical applications in nanobiotechnology, drug delivery and medical devices. The first three Kits in the range include the Biological Fuel Cell Kit, the Thermo-responsive Hydrogel Kit, and the Dielectrophoresis Chip Kit, and they come equipped with lesson plans, background readings, experimental components and instructions, as well as worksheets and quizzes. Teachers are also provided with worksheet answers, experimental instructional videos, and slides to help them plan lesson modules based on the scientific topics relevant to each Kit. Video on the kits here. Read More
The Cafe Scientifique Network
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March 10, 2007 Cafe Scientifique is a place where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can go to explore the latest ideas in science and technology. Cafe Scientifique meetings always take place outside a traditional academic context, usually in cafes, bars, restaurants and even theatres, with the audience generally consisting of people who are interested in science but rarely have the opportunity to discuss their views with, and ask questions of, someone ‘in the know’. No scientific knowledge is assumed by the speakers, so anyone can participate. The first Cafes Scientifiques were held in the UK in 1998. From there, cafes sprang up in Newcastle, Nottingham and Oxford and then gradually spread throughout the UK and hence overseas. Currently, over 30 cafes meet regularly to hear scientists or writers on science talk about their work and discuss it with diverse audiences. Anyone interested in bringing Café Scientifique to their home town? Apply here. Read More
Sci-fi and fantasy dominate successful film adaptation list
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December 14, 2006 Forbes has compiled a list of the most successful film adaptations of books and not surprisingly, the chart is dominated by science fiction and fantasy titles, like Harry Potter and Jurassic Park. Relative newcomer J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series already tops the list and will surely set a record that won’t be beaten for a while. With four of the six books in the series already on celluloid (2001-2005) and film adaptations of the fifth and sixth books due in 2007 and 2008, respectively,the boy wizard tops the US-based list easily, having amassed $3.5 billion worldwide in box-office receipts. The Forbes list which also includes the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (U.S. Box-Office Gross US$1.06 billion), Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park Series (US$767 million), Forrest Gump (US$330 m), The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (US$330 m), Jaws (US$260 m), Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (US$260 m), H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds” (US$234 m) and The Exorcist (US$233 m). JK Rowling’s success continues to grow. This week her Harry Potter books once again made the most banned books. Her response to the listing is classic: “as this puts me in the company of Harper Lee, Mark Twain, J.D.Salinger, William Golding, John Steinbeck and other writers I revere, I have always taken my annual inclusion on the list as a great honour.” She concludes by quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson – “every burned book enlightens the world.” Read More
Piracy, technology and global illicit trade
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October 26, 2006 Prostitution is claimed to be the world’s oldest profession but in our book piracy would be a legitimate contender for the oldest profession and statistics show it is still a highly profitable and viable profession. One of our favourite blogs, slashdot, contained the following post today - "The music, movie, and software cartels claim 'piracy' is a Number One problem not only for themselves, but for the world as a whole and so successful are their continuing dis- and misinformation propaganda campaigns that they've been able to dragoon entire governments and police forces into acting as industry enforcers. But, says p2pnet, far from being at the top of the pile, movie and music piracy rank 16th and 20th, respectively, on a global index of illicit markets. (Software piracy ranks 7th.) And even those positions are subject to considerable doubt." The statistics make fascinating reading with Marijuana claiming the gold for the world’s largest illicit trade ahead of Counterfeit Technology Products, Cocaine and Opium/heroin, but it was the list of countries that are the worst offenders that knocked our socks off – looking uncannily like the gold medal count at an Olympic games, the USA wins hands down from China, Germany, UK and Russia. The top 20 markets and countries can be found here. Read More
The Whaling debate intensifies
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October 18, 2006 Man has hunted whales using boats and spears since at least 6000BCE and big business in Northern Europe for 500 years. Some countries such as Iceland and Japan have a long tradition of continuous whaling for more than a thousand years, and at points in history would not have survived without whaling. It is no coincidence that the Icelandic word "hvalreki" means both "beached whale" and "jackpot". Harpooning of whales by hand began in Japan in the 12th century, but it was not until the 1670s, when a much less dangerous and far more effective method of catching whales using nets was developed. This catalysed a whaling boom and whale meat became a primary source of food and protein for the population. In the post WW11 famine, the population became dependent on whaling again. So there’s a very staunch pro-whaling group, and there’s an equally staunch anti-whaling lobby.There are many arguments against whaling with the most emotionally compelling being that it’s unethical to kill an intelligent animal. There is also widespread agreement that it is morally wrong to exterminate a species of animal and agreements were made at the 1986 International Whaling Commission (IWC) global moratorium that are about to be broken because Iceland is preparing to resume commercial whale hunting for the first time in 20 years. The decision, which makes Iceland the second country along with Norway to hunt commercially, has drawn sharp criticism from both the UK government and animal conservationist groups like IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare). Officials from the Icelandic Fisheries Ministry say Icelandic fishermen will hunt nine fin whales (an endangered species) and 30 mink whales by August 2007. Read More
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
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May 14, 2006 The International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the world's largest celebration of science, showcasing the world's most promising young scientists and inventors in grades 9-12. This year in its 57th year, the 2006 final brought together1,482 students selected from 65,000 finalists who competed at 558 ISEF-affiliated science fairs across 47 countries during the past academic year. The top honours for the Intel-sponsored event were awarded yesterday with Hannah Wolf, Madhavi Gavini and Meredith MacGregor taking the gongs. Wolf took the main prize for her work studying formations caused by ancient earthquakes to predict seismic hazards, Gavini discovered a novel method of destroying a common and deadly infectious bacterium, while MacGregor studied the so-called “Brazil-Nut Effect.” Read on for a humbling array of student projects, such as a Mexican-developed Word Processor interface for the blind (pictured), a Chinese robotic fish used for exploring navigation techniques, a Brazilian device that converts solar energy into thermal energy and a British “Proximity Fire Alarm" which uses RF10 technology to transmit the location of individuals in a burning building. Read More
NASA's Cassini discovers potential liquid water on Enceladus
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March 11, 2006 NASA's Cassini spacecraft may have found evidence of liquid water reservoirs that erupt in Yellowstone-like geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The rare occurrence of liquid water so near the surface raises many new questions about the mysterious moon. "We realize that this is a radical conclusion -- that we may have evidence for liquid water within a body so small and so cold," said Dr. Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team leader at Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. "However, if we are right, we have significantly broadened the diversity of solar system environments where we might possibly have conditions suitable for living organisms." High-resolution Cassini images show icy jets and towering plumes ejecting large quantities of particles at high speed. Scientists examined several models to explain the process. They ruled out the idea that the particles are produced by or blown off the moon's surface by vapor created when warm water ice converts to a gas. Instead, scientists have found evidence for a much more exciting possibility -- the jets might be erupting from near-surface pockets of liquid water above 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), like cold versions of the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone. Read More
SkyScout – the next step in telescope functionality
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August 5, 2005 Stand by for a significant leap forward in telescope functionality. Telescope manufacturer Celestron has signed a global licensing agreement to incorporate “revolutionary new technology” from a company named Yamcon into a variety of its products. Yamcon has been granted three U.S. patents on technology that allows a device to instantly and accurately identify and/or locate any celestial object visible to the naked eye. The technology combines data from sensors measuring both the magnetic and gravitational fields of the Earth, along with GPS and a substantial celestial database. The first product to be released, the SkyScout, is a handheld device that can instantly identify and/or locate any celestial object visible to the naked eye, providing descriptions in a multimedia, planetarium-like experience. Celestron will launch the SkyScout at the International CES show in January of 2006. The groundbreaking technology patented by Yamcon is covered by US Patents 6,366,212, 6,570,506 and 6,844,822 (images and patent links in story) and will further the cause of astronomy more than any invention since the telescope, opening the way for future generations to explore the wonders of space. Read More
Sandia Lab’s Z machine: the fastest gun in the west
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June 10, 2005 Scientists at the United States Sandia National Nuclear Security Administration Labs have accelerated a small plate from zero to 76,000 mph in less than a second. Sandia’s Z Machine is sometimes referred to as the fastest gun in the West but is actually the fastest in the world, and it is now able to propel small plates at 34 kilometers a second, faster than the 30 km/sec that Earth travels through space in its orbit about the sun, 50 times faster than a rifle bullet, and three times the velocity needed to escape Earth’s gravitational field. The immediate purpose of these very rapid flights is to help understand the extreme conditions found within the interiors of the giant planets Saturn and Jupiter, hasten the achievement of virtually unlimited energy through peacetime atomic fusion, and provide more information about the condition of the U.S. nuclear stockpile without having to explode a nuclear weapon. Read More
Moss Project shows how some plants grow without gravity
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January 30, 2005 Experiments on moss grown aboard two Space Shuttle missions showed the plants didn't behave as scientists expected them to in the near-absence of gravity. The common roof moss (Ceratodon purpureus) grew in striking, clockwise spirals, according to Fred Sack. He is the study's lead investigator and professor of plant cellular and molecular biology at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Read More
Better rug up dear, it's minus 200 degrees, and raining methane
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23 January 2005 Last week, the European Space Agency's's Huygens probe made an historic first ever descent to the surface of Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons, some1.2 billion kilometres from Earth. Data coming from the probe shows the physical processes shaping Titan are much the same as those shaping Earth - precipitation, erosion, mechanical abrasion and other fluvial activity. The images being processed and interpreted by scientists around the world from the Huygens data are astounding. The rivers in this image are not water - they are METHANE! If you fancy a quick trip to Titan, check out these videos. Read More
Huygens begins its final journey into the unknown
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3 January 2005 Global cooperation will see yet another frontier breached in the next week as the European Space Agency's Huygens probe makes its descent towards the surface of Saturn's largest and most mysterious moon, Titan. The European Space Agency's Huygens probe was successfully released by NASA's Cassini orbiter on Christmas Day and is now on a controlled collision course toward Titan, where on 14 January it will make a descent through one of the most intriguing atmospheres in the solar system to an unknown surface. This will be the first man-made object to explore in-situ this unique environment, whose chemistry is assumed to be very similar to that of the early Earth just before life began, 3.8 billion years ago. Read More
Rapid Micro Product Development grows parts on demand
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November 29, 2004 Miniaturised components are used in bio-technology, surgery, optics, neuro-physiology and other developing fields that rely heavily on micro-technology. Cost-effective and rapid production of high-resolution three-dimensional micro-structures is now possible all the way down to the sub-nanometer range thanks to Rapid Micro Product Development (RMPD), a generative production method developed by German company microTEC. Read More
Murphy's Law finally written down in an equation
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Murphy's Law has finally been written down in an equation. One of the seeming fundamental laws of mankind "if anything can go wrong, it will" is known by many names, most commonly as Murphy's law. This can now be written as ((U+C+I) x (10-S))/20 x A x 1/(1-sin(F/10)) where U=urgency, C=complexity, I=importance, S=skill, A=aggravation and F=frequency Read More
Nikon School offers correspondence learning
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The Nikon School offers correspondence courses for photography but enrolment has many benefits beyond the joy of learning - as the course is recognised by Adobe as an educational institution, students are entitled to purchase Adobe software at significantly reduced "Educational Prices". The study combines monthly lecture notes posted to participants with set assignments that are assessed and then returned by the tutorial team. Enrolment is open to all, regardless of SLR or digital camera equipment or skill level. Read More
Map of the universe revealed
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Given that most distant object yet observed by modern astronomy is a quasar about 250,000 billion billion kilometres away, creating a map of the observable universe is the ultimate challenge of scale. But Richard Gott has found a solution to the problem and the results will be published as a pull-out map in the latest edition of New Scientist. Read More
Gizmo receives Inaugural B2Bcafe Black Box Innovation Award
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Gizmo Magazine was one of the four winners of the inaugural B2Bcafe Black Box Innovation Awards at Federation Square in Melbourne last night. Dr David Warren, the Australian inventor behind the Black Box Flight Recorder presented the four awards open to innovators across all industry sectors. Read More
