Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Elsevier unavailable for Germany, Taiwan Peru from 2017
Elsevier unavailable for Germany, Taiwan Peru from 2017
Scientists in Germany, Peru and Taiwan would most likely lose access to Elsevier journals, after negotiations between governments/funding agencies for the trio and the Dutch journal failed.
“It’s very unpleasant,” says Horst Hippler, spokesperson for the DEAL consortium of state-funded universities and research organizations, which is overseeing negotiations in Germany. “But we just cannot accept what Elsevier has proposed so far.”
More at http://www.nature.com/news/scientists-in-germany-peru-and-taiwan-to-lose-access-to-elsevier-journals-1.21223
“It’s very unpleasant,” says Horst Hippler, spokesperson for the DEAL consortium of state-funded universities and research organizations, which is overseeing negotiations in Germany. “But we just cannot accept what Elsevier has proposed so far.”
More at http://www.nature.com/news/scientists-in-germany-peru-and-taiwan-to-lose-access-to-elsevier-journals-1.21223
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Come on bull, hit me now.
In urdu we often say آ بیل مجھے مار , O Bull come and hit me. or
"when you are in deep shit keep your mouth shut"
I would certainly follow the safety first approach by Search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), to listen enough before speaking.
According Drake equation there is finite probability for an intelligent life form elsewhere in multiverse.
Same is being done or at least planned to be done in near future by sending a message about our presence on pale blue dot.
Messaging Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (METI), a San Francisco-based organization plans to call upon aliens if any on distant planets, instead of waiting for them to contact us here on Earth. They plan to send signals to planets at Proxima Centauri, the next astronomical neighbor.
Famous scientists have already showed concerns about the controversial plan.
Searching for trouble? A thesis on the same subject outlines the trouble expected if the aliens are hostile.
"when you are in deep shit keep your mouth shut"
I would certainly follow the safety first approach by Search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), to listen enough before speaking.
According Drake equation there is finite probability for an intelligent life form elsewhere in multiverse.
Same is being done or at least planned to be done in near future by sending a message about our presence on pale blue dot.
Messaging Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (METI), a San Francisco-based organization plans to call upon aliens if any on distant planets, instead of waiting for them to contact us here on Earth. They plan to send signals to planets at Proxima Centauri, the next astronomical neighbor.
Famous scientists have already showed concerns about the controversial plan.
Searching for trouble? A thesis on the same subject outlines the trouble expected if the aliens are hostile.
The article on Phys.org accounts the critique by scientists on the subject.
We shouldn't draw attention to ourselves, say science fiction writer David Brin and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
"We have almost zero idea of whether aliens are likely to be dangerous," physicist Mark Buchanan wrote in journal Nature Physics.
Other experts say it's worth waiting until we're better conversationalists - and, then, use use well-established groups with international consultation.
"Babbling babies are not always appreciated during adult conversation," said Andrew Fraknoi, chair of the astronomy department at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. "Listening and learning is how children become adults, and why not try that for a while?"
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-12-scientists-worlds.html#jCpMonday, December 26, 2016
Vera Rubin dies at 88.
Vera Rubin the discoverer of Dark matter
(July 23, 1928-December 25, 2016)
"In a spiral galaxy, the ratio of dark-to-light matter is about a factor of ten. That's probably a good number for the ratio of our ignorance-to-knowledge. We're out of kindergarten, but only in about third grade."
—Vera Rubin
She was first person to state existence of astronomical ignorance aka DARK MATTER.
She was denied a Nobel despite quality of her work on DarkMatter.
http://www.popsci.com/in-memory-vera-rubin-woman-nobel-priz…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scien…/…/universe/scientists/vera_rubin
http://edition.cnn.com/…/vera-rubin-dark-matter-astronomy-…/
http://www.amnh.org/…/c…/profile-vera-rubin-and-dark-matter/
Article on rotating galaxies cited by more than 1100 articles.
http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-…/nph-iarticle_query…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scien…/…/universe/scientists/vera_rubin
http://edition.cnn.com/…/vera-rubin-dark-matter-astronomy-…/
http://www.amnh.org/…/c…/profile-vera-rubin-and-dark-matter/
Article on rotating galaxies cited by more than 1100 articles.
http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-…/nph-iarticle_query…
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Lovely Jaegers, the Manned Robots
Manned robot project by "Korea Future Technology
Jaegers made in Korea
I am a fan of Pacific Rim, the way Jaegers would destroy huge alien beings. I was amazed to see these videos. I would love to own one some day. Till then Enjoy these.Wednesday, December 21, 2016
A laser mediated by water waves
Ripplon laser through stimulated emission mediated by water waves
Among other materials in different forms necessary to sustain life on the pale blue dot in our solar system, water takes the highest accolades.
Recently, scientists at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion, 32000 Haifa, Israel reported, their findings in Nature Physics Nov 2016 fabricating a laser that uses water instead of crystals or others to sustain population inversion. The reported coherent excitation of capillary resonances were at kilohertz rates and therefore audible.
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- Supplementary information (504 KB)
- Supplementary Movie 3
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- Supplementary information (4.81 MB)
- Supplementary Movie 4
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- Supplementary information (132 KB)
- Supplementary Movie 5
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- Supplementary information (984 KB)
- Supplementary Movie 6
Sources:
Infrared Viewers improved
Third Infrared Window
Eyes of human beings can only see in short visible spectrum, thus limiting human vision physically in a very narrow spectrum of colors.
IR viewers can readily detect heat signatures.
IR spectral windows |
The heat detection often diminishes the information gathered and collected as an image by the IR cameras.
InGaAs sensor can solve bunch of issues in imaging and surveillance in SWIR band. |
SWIR cameras can now be used to open the third and final window available for infrared
photonics. Both Long wave (LWIR) and MWIR sensors can only sense a living being if his thermal signature is more than that of the surroundings. However SWIR uses reflected
light, giving a window to look into yet with perks of visible light like imaging,
Laser gated imaging: working principle
It is a technique that can be used for imaging
through atmospheric obscurants such as smoke, haze, fog and dust. The technique employs laser pulses synchronized
imaging sensor that illuminates object for duration as short as few
nanoseconds to microseconds. The term gated is signified by the way sensor opens up for a short time, thus staying shielded off the scattered unwanted light. The camera gating time or exposure time will define the depth of view.
The two challenges for the technique are
- Imaging through atmospheric obscurants requires longer (IR) wavelengths, in order to reduce scattering on molecules and particles.
- High-power lasers in near-infrared (around 850 nm) are not eye-safe.
Lasers in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) range, λ>1.4 μm, range, photons
are absorbed in water within human eye’s surface before reaching its retina. Most eye-safe lasers
operate around 1.55 μm, also the prime wavelength for telecomunication and laser range finders. Currently, most cameras operating in IR require cooling for optimal perfromance.
Sources:
Friday, December 16, 2016
Sunday, December 11, 2016
All 'Original Seven' American astronauts now dead
All 'Original Seven' American astronauts now dead
Mercury 7 also known as the ORIGINAL 7 were the riders of the first known pod allowing humans to traverse the then outermost orbit around earth, under the adventurous US space program in 1959. Last week, John Glenn's was the last among these seven brave men to die aged 95.
The Original seven were
- Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
- John H. Glenn, Jr.
- Virgil I. 'Gus' Grissom
- Scott Carpenter
- L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.
- Walter M. Schirra, Jr.
- Donald K. 'Deke' Slayton
Saturday, December 10, 2016
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