Showing posts with label science news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science news. Show all posts

Monday, January 2, 2017

Daggar [Pakistan], becomes Lightning hotspot on Earth

Daggar the lightning hotspot on earth

In early childhood nothing is more frightening than lightning followed by roar of thunder.
Daggar a small town roughly 100 km from the capital Islamabad has become one of the top 10 lightning hotspots across globe.
Daggar Buner, from Islamabad, Pakistan
Six out of top 10 hotspots are located in content Africa.The Congo Basin in Africa used to hold the lightning title, and it still has the most hotspots of anywhere in the world.lightning map

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Google translate AI invents its own language

Google AI evolving

Stepping into unchartered, untrained language, Google Translate AI based on neural network  can now translate a complete sentence on languages it was not even trained for.
Google Translate AI evolving 

During my PhD in Korea, where English was not an extensively used language among the locals, I translated text through Google translate from korean to english. But students from Indonesia, Russia, VietNam, Egypt or Mongolia for whom, English was not primary medium of communication, had to translate between from Korean to English and then English to their language and off course vice versa.  This new capability would work wonders.
As stated by article  in recent issue of Scientific American, if for example neural network was trained to translate between English and Japanese, and English and Korean, it can also translate between Japanese and Korean without first going through English. This new capability would accelerate the ability of Google translate system to translate between a large number of languages without the need to translate to a popular common language first.
Currently, Google Translate is being used for translating a whopping 140 billion words from 103 languages every day.
More at
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2114748-google-translate-ai-invents-its-own-language-to-translate-with/

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

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.
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#jCp

Monday, 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.

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.
  1. Supplementary information (504 KB)
    Supplementary Movie 3
  2. Supplementary information (4.81 MB)
    Supplementary Movie 4
  3. Supplementary information (132 KB)
    Supplementary Movie 5
  4. Supplementary information (984 KB)
    Supplementary Movie 6


Sources:
  1. Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot
  2. Nature Physics Nov 2016


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.
The shortwave IR aka SWIR viewers however can get even better details about the image, providing better surveillance compared to other cameras in low light situations. InGaAs is remarkable material providing peak sensitivity in the SWIR band, from 900 to 1700 nm
SWIR camera in action
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 
  1. Imaging through atmospheric obscurants requires longer (IR) wavelengths, in order to reduce scattering on molecules and particles. 
  2. High-power lasers in near-infrared (around 850 nm) are not eye-safe.
Lasers in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) range, &#955>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:

  1. SWIR photonics
  2. Security and surveillance
  3. why-swir
  4. Laser Gated Imaging

Sunday, December 11, 2016

All 'Original Seven' American astronauts now dead

All 'Original Seven' American astronauts now dead

All-American John Glenn: Astronaut, fighter pilot, senator
In this Jan. 11,1961 file photo, Marine Lt. Col. John Glenn reaches for controls inside a Mercury capsule procedures trainer as he shows how the first U.S. astronaut will ride through space during a demonstration at the National …
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
  1. Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
  2. John H. Glenn, Jr.
  3. Virgil I. 'Gus' Grissom
  4. Scott Carpenter
  5. L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.
  6. Walter M. Schirra, Jr.
  7. Donald K. 'Deke' Slayton
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-12-american-astronauts-dead.html#jCp

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

The battery that never runs out.

The battery that never turns out in your lifetime.
University of California, Irvine [UCI] breakthrough may extend the life of computers, smartphones and appliances
Mya Le Thai a PhD student at UCI has accidentally ended up with a battery claimed to last more than 100k cycles, 400 years [extrapolated results]. 
The results was published in ACS energy letters, April 20, 2016.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Calling all moms and dads and the POOP specialists

Well it is no joke at all, NASA has issued a call literally for poop specialists with a handsome price whooping 30,000 $.
If you can come up with a way to handle the astro-crap for six days and make something useful with it. The catch is the astronaut would not be changing their gears (pants or diapers) for at least six days. AND survive without the astro-crap aroma.
IF you are the one
Image result for NEO
Please come out and present your idea at
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/space-poop-challenge/
https://herox.com/SpacePoop
before Dec 20, 2016.
Good luck, and HAPPY POOPsavING

Sunday, November 27, 2016

World in 2025 through the eyepiece of SciWatch

World in 2025 through the eyepiece of SciceWatch

Science Watch has shared her forecasts, on how the world would look like in less than a decade from now in, 2025. The remarkable scenarios have been outlined as
  1. Cancer Treatments Have Very Few Toxic Side Effects
  2. Dementia Declines
  3. Digital Everything…Everywhere
  4. DNA Mapping At Birth is the Norm to Avoid Disease Risk
  5. Electric Air Transportation Takes Off
  6. Food Shortages and Food Price Fluctuations Are Things of the Past
  7. Petroleum-Based Packaging Is History; Cellulose-Derived Packaging Rules
  8. Solar is the Largest Source of Energy on the Planet
  9. Teleportation is Tested
  10. Type 1 Diabetes is Preventable



Monday, November 14, 2016

The Super moon of our Generation

The Super moon of our Generation

Not many among us saw the super moon 68 years ago. though you wont have to wait for another 68 to wait for the next one in your lifetime. It would next come back in 2034. In case you were in east, and the moon has already risen and you missed. You can look at a supermoon tomorrow as well, if you use a telescope. You would have a second go in 1934 next. Until then watch the videos.....

or perha:-Dasd

Seven landmarks etched on Moon


Sunday, November 1, 2015

You can grow new brain cells

You Can Grow New Brain Cells. Here's How

Can we, as adults, grow new neurons? Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says that we can, and she offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis—improving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging along the way.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.
Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate

 

Friday, April 10, 2015

Head transplant

Terrified, petrified, horrified, frightened, scared
Weird as it sounds. 
It is all over the internet sweeping like a mist around.  
This week, 30-year-old Russian man, Valery Spiridonov, announced that he will become the subject of the first human head transplant ever
head
Head transplant
Although sounds quite mind boggling, I found a video on brain transplant.
 First brain transplant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FV5pOO5Mt64

There is already an outcry on the issue of ethics and religion on this matter. I believe it is not too long before these would become reality, but i seriously doubt if it would be so soon within this decade. 
Successful desirable head transplants will be an inevitable frontier in next decade.

 http://www.sciencealert.com/world-s-first-head-transplant-volunteer-could-experience-something-worse-than-death

Monday, April 6, 2015

Images of Science March


Climate change turns mummies into black ooze
Vivien Standen
Mummies in Chile and Peru are disturbed for the first time in thousands of years due to climate change.  Sounds like sauna did not help. The mummies will now enjoy humidity controlled enclosures from now on, for free. Sounds nice hmm. You cant get that luxury since you are alive and not thousands of years old....
A live look at the AIDS virus
Philip Santangelo
AIDS virus, the incurable, (almost) looks like a small rodent.Though it is really dangerous and lethal. Stay away, far far away....
Fossil pushes back human origins 400,000 years
Kaye Reed
We keep getting older and older, I am not talking about our age, i am talking about the claim of crowning the first or oldest human jawbone. Grad students working in Ethiopia made an exciting discovery: when they found a 2.8-million-year-old jawbone of a hominin in the sand. The partial lower jaw is the oldest known member of the genus Homo and pushes back our origins 400,000 years.
NASA opts for boulder-snatch concept in its asteroid redirect mission
NASA
NASA gives out funds to look for a new ranger to scout the space beyond our horizon.They will snatch a small boulder off an asteroid, as illustrated above, rather than bag up an entire asteroid. The goal of the $1.25 billion mission is to test an idea for protecting Earth from a potentially catastrophic asteroid impact.
Polar bears turn to seabirds for sustenance
Jouke Prop
Polar bears, AKA poor bears are endangered and they are endangering others around them.
Polar bears are being forced to change their diets, scouring dry land for seabird eggs rather than enjoying their typical staple: seals. The disappearing sea ice is bad news for both bears and seabirds, as hungry bears are raiding nests, and the increasing predation on seabirds will likely diminish their numbers.
Science| DOI: 10.1126/science.aab2433
Photo credit: NASA
A stack of four identical spacecraft will study Earth’s magnetosphere – the comet-shaped magnetic shield that protects us from “space weather.”
http://earthsky.org/space/magnetospheric-mission-mms-launch-2015-magnetic-reconnection

Top 5 out of 20 wellcome image award 2015

Wellcome Images award held in March declared 20 photos as the best from around the world for the originality and the work of the person behind the lens. I chose these five for you to enjoy
Your Cat's tongue
Pregnant pony uterus

Chemical reactions in the kidney
Mouse brain

Mapping brain wiring


 Other pictures can be seen at http://www.wellcomeimageawards.org/2015/
The March 11 Solar Flare

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2015/03/31/the-march-11-solar-flare/


The Solar Impulse-2 takes off from Ahmadabad, India on 3/18/15 as it begins the third leg of its’ historic round-the-world trip. The sun-powered aircraft began its voyage on 3/9/15 in Abu Dhabi, UAE where it is scheduled to return in 8/15 (AP/Press Trust of India)
The Solar Impulse-2 takes off from Ahmadabad, India on March 18, 2015, beginning the third leg of its’ historic round-the-world trip. The sun-powered aircraft began its voyage on March 9, 2015 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where it is scheduled to return in August of this year. (AP/Press Trust of India)
Sunset falls over antennae at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array, on 3/3/15.  The radio astronomy antenna array is located in Socorro County, New Mexico. (AP)
Sunset falls over antennae at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Very Large Array, on March 3, 2015. The radio astronomy antenna array is located in Socorro County, New Mexico. (AP)
This is a mosaic of images taken by the panoramic camera aboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows part of the Red Planet’s "Marathon Valley".  The images that make up this mosaic were taken on 3/13/15, during the 3,958th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars.  (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University/Arizona State University)
A mosaic of images taken by the panoramic camera aboard NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows part of the Red Planet’s “Marathon Valley.” The images that make up this mosaic were taken on March 13, 2015 during the 3,958th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity’s work on Mars. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University/Arizona State University)
A photo of Ceres that was taken by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft on 3/1/15, just a few days before the mission achieved orbit around the previously unexplored dwarf planet to begin a 16-month exploration.  The Dawn spacecraft was about 48,000 kilometers away from Ceres when this photo was taken. (NASA)
This photo of Ceres was taken by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft on March 1, 2015, a few days before the mission achieved orbit around the previously unexplored dwarf planet to begin a 16-month exploration. The Dawn spacecraft was about 48,000 kilometers away from Ceres when this photo was taken. (NASA)
This 3/11/15 file photo shows an array of some of the 2,000 pressure vessels used to convert seawater into fresh water in the Carlsbad Desalination Project’s plant, Carlsbad, Calif.  Considered to be the largest desalination facility in the western hemisphere, it is scheduled to start operations some time later this year and is expected to provide 50 million gallons of fresh drinking water a day.  (AP)
This 3/11/15 file photo shows an array of some of the 2,000 pressure vessels used to convert seawater into fresh water in the Carlsbad (California) Desalination Project’s plant. Considered to be the largest desalination facility in the western hemisphere, it is scheduled to start operations some time later this year and is expected to provide 50 million gallons of fresh drinking water a day. (AP)
Researchers in a study released on 3/13/15 have successfully identified what they are calling a "treasure chest" of ancient galaxy clusters. This map of the entire sky was captured by the European Space Agency's Planck mission. The band running through the middle corresponds to dust in our Milky Way galaxy. The black dots indicate the location of galaxy cluster candidates identified by Planck and subsequently observed by the European Space Agency's Herschel mission.  (ESA/Planck Collaboration/ H. Dole, D. Guéry & G. Hurier, IAS/University Paris-Sud/CNRS/CNES)
In a study released on March 13, 2015, researchers successfully identified what they call a “treasure chest” of ancient galaxy clusters. This map of the entire sky was captured by the European Space Agency’s Planck mission. The band running through the middle corresponds to dust in our Milky Way galaxy. The black dots indicate the location of galaxy cluster candidates identified by Planck and subsequently observed by the European Space Agency’s Herschel mission. (ESA/Planck Collaboration/ H. Dole, D. Guéry & G. Hurier, IAS/University Paris-Sud/CNRS/CNES)
A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, blasts off from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on 3/28/15.  The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly, Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka, and Mikhail Korniyenko. (AP)
A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, blasts off from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on March 28, 2015. The Russian rocket carries U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly, Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka, and Mikhail Korniyenko. (AP)

Here’s an aerial photo, taken on 3/31/15, of some of the solar panels that make up a photovoltaic park in southern France.  Considered to be the biggest solar farm in France, this facility consists of 112,780 solar modules covering an area of 200 hectares of land and representing 100 MW of power.  (Reuters)
An aerial photo, taken on March 31, 2015, shows some of the solar panels that make up a photovoltaic park in southern France. Considered to be the country’s biggest solar farm, this facility consists of 112,780 solar modules covering an area of 200 hectares of land and representing 100 MW of power. (Reuters)
A total solar eclipse is visible through the clouds as seen from Vagar on the Faeroe Islands on 3/30/15.  The Faeroe Islands is an archipelago located halfway between Norway and Iceland. (AP)
A total solar eclipse is seen through the clouds from Vagar on the Faeroe Islands on March 30, 2015. The Faeroe Islands is an archipelago located halfway between Norway and Iceland. (AP)
A robot installation is pictured at the booth of Deutsche Telekom at the CeBIT technology on 3/15/15.  The German technology exposition was held in Hanover from 3/16/15-3/20/15 (AFP)
A robot installation is pictured at the booth of Deutsche Telekom at the CeBIT technology on 3/15/15. The German technology exposition was held in Hanover from 3/16/15-3/20/15 (AFP)      

Physically dynamic surfaces, Going after the mist of 2014

Imagine the impossible, to make it possible
Thats exactly what some humans have been doing to keep us way ahead of other living organisms. This ability makes our race unique, survivable, as well as destroy and devour other living beings around us in whole new ways.
Apple's iPad heralded a new era of flat panel interactive devices five years ago. It was not the first of its kind but it captured us all anyway, back then.
Now kids would often come to a wall and try to feel for the interactibility. I saw a kid who did not yet go to a school, make choices of prefering a touch panel device over a laptop. I feel it is about time now to move to the next level, the 3D interactive displays.
Last year it was the mist that captured me. It was like watching something as result of video editing. Something never seen before.
You can watch video here
Sneak a peek through the mist to technology of the future (w/ video)

Sneak a peek through the mist to technology of the future
Sneak a peek through the mist to technology of the future  

















Today while scorling through phys org news a new physically interacting screen came to my sight.
A physical screen you can interact of sort in 3D.
Physically dynamic surfaces
http://cdn.phys.org/newman/gfx/news/hires/2015/551e796de95a6.jpg There is a trend developing now towards this new area of interactive devices. But the best is yet to come, since we always tend to imagine better and develop even better toys for our children. Enjoy life while you have. Stay safe and keep others safe.





pple's iPad arrived five years ago. It is a device that changed the way we think about computing, marking a seismic shift from keyboard and mouse to direct manipulation with our fingers. The iPad wasn't the first tablet computer – it wasn't even Apple's first tablet computer – but it was the first to capture the world's imagination and sell tens of millions of devices.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-04-physically-dynamic-surfaces-herald-tablet.html#jCp
pple's iPad arrived five years ago. It is a device that changed the way we think about computing, marking a seismic shift from keyboard and mouse to direct manipulation with our fingers. The iPad wasn't the first tablet computer – it wasn't even Apple's first tablet computer – but it was the first to capture the world's imagination and sell tens of millions of devices.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-04-physically-dynamic-surfaces-herald-tablet.html#jCp

Book mentioned by Imran Khan about Lost Islamic History

Imran Khan in his tweet today mentioned reading books about Islam. I really appreciate a Pakistani PM actively quoting Islamic on internati...