71253169
submission
hypnosec writes:
On March 21 CERN detected an intermittent short circuit to ground in one of the LHC's magnet circuits that could delay the restart by anywhere between a few days to several weeks. CERN revealed that the short circuit has affected one of LHC's powerful electromagnets thereby delaying preparations in sector 4-5 of the machine. The European research organisation confirmed that seven of the machine’s eight sectors have successfully been commissioned to 6.5 TeV per beam, but it won't be circulating beam in the LHC this week. Though the short circuit issue is a well understood one, engineers will take time to resolve it since it is in a cold section of the machine and repair may therefore require warming up and re-cooling after repair.
71169937
submission
hypnosec writes:
Mars One CEO Bas Lansdorp has lambasted recent criticism of the project in a new interview, which have raised questions on almost each aspect of the project, stating that the reports are anything but the truth and pegged an article by journalist Elmo Keep as a sensational one that is devoid of actual facts. Lansdorp said in the interview that at Mars One they value ‘good criticism’ as it helps them to improve their mission. He said that the recent bad press was due to an article by Keep which contains quite a few things including details about the total applicants, and astronaut selection process which are ‘not true’
70826539
submission
hypnosec writes:
Oldest human brain in the UK is believed to have been preserved for over 2,500 years by mud, archaeologists have revealed. The brain was found inside a decapitated skull, with the jaw and two vertebrae still attached, at an Iron Age dig site near York, UK, in 2008. Based on radiocarbon dating of a sample of the jaw bone, researchers have determined that the person lived in the 6th century BC and is likely to be a man between 26 and 45 years old. A team of 34 experts have been working to study and conserve the brain since its discovery. An examination of the vertebrae in the neck shows that he was first hit hard on the neck, and then the neck was severed with a small sharp knife. York Archaeological Trust said the skull had been buried in wet, clay-rich ground providing an oxygen-free burial.
70804413
submission
hypnosec writes:
A prototype of an inexpensive power generator that converts human urine into electricity is being tested in the UK with the hope that it can be used to light cubicles in refugee camps, which are often dark and dangerous places particularly for women. The prototype urinal is situated near the Student Union Bar at the University of the West of England and is the result of a partnership between researchers at UWE and Oxfam. Students and staff are being asked to use the urinal to donate pee to fuel microbial fuel cell (MFC) stacks that generate electricity to power indoor lighting.
70761963
submission
hypnosec writes:
Scientists have created a paint not only provides ultimate self-cleaning surfaces, but also continues to retain those abilities even in cases of damaging effects. The paint, composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, is delivered as a suspension in ethanol containing the chemical perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane. Once the coating is applied on any surface, the ethanol needs to be allowed to evaporate for 180 seconds before it is ready for use. Depending on the surface on which it is applied, the coating can be sprayed, dipped, or painted onto a surface. YouTube Link [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtLs5ky3m-s]
70714549
submission
hypnosec writes:
Scientists over at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California have reproduced non-biologically the three basic components of life found in both DNA and RAN — uracil, cytosine, and thymine — in lab. For their experiment scientists deposited an ice sample containing pyrimidine — a ring-shaped molecule made up of carbon and nitrogen — on a cold substrate in a chamber with space-like conditions such as very high vacuum, extremely low temperatures, and harsh radiation and irradiated the sample with high-energy ultraviolet (UV) photons from a hydrogen lamp. Researchers discovered that such an arrangement produces these essential ingredients of life including uracil, cytosine, and thymine.
70706169
submission
hypnosec writes:
NASA has revealed that its Mars Curiosity rover has experienced a transient short circuit and has a result the rover has halted all work temporarily while its engineers analyse the situation. NASA reveled that from the telemetry data it received from Curiosity indicated a transient short circuit following which vehicle followed its programmed response, stopping the arm activity underway at the time of the irregularity in the electric current. NASA has parked Curiosity as its engineers analyse the issues and figure out if any damage has been done. NASA did say that transient short circuit would have little effect on rover's operations in some systems, but it could force the team to restrict use of rover's mechanism.
70681003
submission
hypnosec writes:
First ever 'selfie' taken in space by NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin back in November 1966 has fetched almost £6,000 blowing away its estimated minimum selling price by ten times at an auction held in London. The space selfie was part of a collection of 700 vintage NASA photographs that sold for a total of £489,440 at London's Bloomsbury Auction. The selfie was snapped by Aldrin during the Gemini 12 mission in November 1966.
70580375
submission
hypnosec writes:
Europeans on March 20 will witness a full solar eclipse and as that happens, a whopping 35,000 MW of solar energy will gradually fade from Europe’s electrical system before being re-injected into the system. According to European Network of Transmission System Operators of Electricity (ENTSO-E) European transmission system operators (TSOs) have been preparing for the March 20 solar eclipse for several months now. ENTSO-E has been busy evaluating the risk involved and mulling steps to mitigate them with the aim of bringing the risk of an incident back to the security level equal to that of a standard operating day.
70554189
submission
hypnosec writes:
Jeremy England, a young researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has put forward a new physics theory that could hold the key to answering the question of how life began on our planet. The theory holds the potential of putting God ‘on the ropes’ as it claims that life began out of a necessity and wasn’t accidental. Jeremy has essentially derived a mathematical formula that he believes holds the key to answering the essential difference between living and non-living objects. Jeremy derived the formula from already established physics – the second law of thermodynamics. The new formula indicates that when a group of atoms is driven by an external source of energy (like the sun or chemical fuel) and surrounded by a heat bath (like the ocean or atmosphere), it will often gradually restructure itself in order to dissipate increasingly more energy. This, he claims, could mean that under certain conditions matter inexorably acquires the key physical attribute associated with life. “You start with a random clump of atoms, and if you shine light on it for long enough, it should not be so surprising that you get a plant,” England said.
70532365
submission
hypnosec writes:
Scientists in the UK are working on a new prosthetic limb that could pave way for a bionic hand similar to the one used by Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker. The project is being led by scientists at Newcastle University and includes researchers from various UK varsities including Leeds, Essex, Keele, Southampton and Imperial College London. Researchers are aiming to develop an electronic device that is capable of connecting to the neural network of a human and establish a two-way communications with the brain.
70425583
submission
hypnosec writes:
Aggression is one human failing that celebrity scientist Stephen Hawking would like to correct as it holds the potential of destroying human civilisation and even wipe humans off the planet. Hawking expressed his views while escorting Adaeze Uyanwah — London’s Official Guest of Honour — around London's Science Museum. Uyanwah asked Hawking what human shortcomings he would alter, and which virtues he would enhance if this was possible. To this he replied: "The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression. It may have had survival advantage in caveman days, to get more food, territory, or partner with whom to reproduce, but now it threatens to destroy us all. A major nuclear war would be the end of civilization, and maybe the end of the human race."
70404851
submission
hypnosec writes:
There have been many theories that claim to put forward reasons behind mass extinction of dinosaurs, but none have implicated the role of dark matter until now. A new research claims that Earth's infrequent yet predictable path around and through Milky Way's disc may have a direct and significant effect on geological and biological phenomena occurring on Earth. The research adds that dark matter may perturb the orbits of comets and lead to additional heating in the Earth's core, both of which could be connected with mass extinction events. In his research published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, New York University Biology Professor Michael Rampino analyzed the pattern of the Earth's passes through the Galactic disc and found that these disc passages seem to correlate with times of comet impacts and mass extinctions of life. The famous comet strike 66 million ago that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs is just one example, he notes.
70399391
submission
hypnosec writes:
One of the top science journals, Nature, will be offering double-blind peer review starting March in a bid to eliminate personal biases, such as those based on gender, seniority, reputation and affiliations. Nature notes that peer-review process alternatives are proposed often and some researchers have even advocated use of open peer review wherein the identity of the authors and reviewers are known. Open peer review process supporters argue that such a method with increased transparency will limit bias. But a recent study involving 4000 researchers has shown that 76 per cent researchers agree to effectiveness of double-blind peer review as compared to just 20 per cent who are in favour of open review.
70378709
submission
hypnosec writes:
Researchers at the University of Cambridge and Microsoft Research have joined hands to develop a computer model that provides for the first time a comprehensive simulation of development of blood cells paving way for better understanding of the control mechanisms that keep blood production normal while also paving way for new treatments for leukemia and lymphoma. The research is published in journal Nature [paywalled].
