The SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY News Thread

[RRW]

A see-through solar energy panel announced today by Sharp -- primarily designed for balcony railings and skyscraper windows -- offers an uncommon alternative energy solution and sense of privacy in a single package.
The semi-transparent black solar panel launches in Japan on October 1, and delivers a solar power conversion efficiency of about 6.8-percent with a maximum output of 95 watts. While the low conversion rate seems lackluster comparative to the 10- to 20-percent efficiency standard these days, few see-through solar panel options exist commercially. Overall panel size stands at 4.5-feet wide by 3.2-feet tall and sports a super thin profile of only 0.37 inches.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-...h-solar-panel/

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by Demongod86

California's Governor Brown today signed a law allowing self-driving cars on the roads of California, and signed that bill at Google HQ.

I for one, welcome our new Googley overlords.

Link to said news

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Demongod86

California's Governor Brown today signed a law allowing self-driving cars on the roads of California, and signed that bill at Google HQ.

I for one, welcome our new Googley overlords.

Maybe Google is just a front for Skynet. Watch those cars run over people.

[AnimeFan188]

The Pokemon Plot: How One Cartoon Inspired the Army to Dream Up a Seizure Gun:

"In 1998, a secret Army intelligence analysis suggested a new way to take out
enemies: blast them with electromagnetic energy until their brains overload and
they start to convulse. Amazingly, it was an idea inspired by a Pokemon episode."

See:

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012...fever-dazzler/

[Ithekro]

"Big news"

Enormous gas cloud surrounds our Milky Way galaxy

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49180935...science-space/

Astronomers have discovered a cloud of gas engulfing our Milky Way galaxy that weighs as much as all the stars inside our galactic home. If the size and mass of this cloud is confirmed, it may solve a longstanding astronomical mystery, experts say.

The cloud, called a halo, appears to be enormous, extending hundreds of thousands of light-years across. Scientists suspect it is composed mainly of hydrogen, with some oxygen and other elements. The halo's temperature, size and mass were estimated using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton space observatory and Japan's Suzaku satellite.

Researchers think the mass inside this halo could be the answer to what's called the " missing baryon problem." Baryons are a class of subatomic particles that includes the protons and neutrons that make up the atoms inside stars and galaxies.

Theories of the formation and evolution of the universe predict there should be many more baryons than we see. In fact, the baryons that have been accounted for in our local cosmic neighborhood are only half of those predicted to exist there.

Galaxy-shrouding gas haloes, such as the one around the Milky Way, may be the hiding spot for many of these missing baryons.

"Although there are uncertainties, the work by Gupta (Anjali Gupta, lead author of a paper reporting the findings in The Astrophysical Journal) and colleagues provides the best evidence yet that the galaxy's missing baryons have been hiding in a halo of million-Kelvin gas that envelopes the galaxy," NASA officials wrote in a statement.
"The estimated density of this halo is so low that similar halos around other galaxies would have escaped detection."

Initial signs of our galaxy's halo came from the Chandra observatory, which observed eight objects shining brightly in X-ray light, and found that some of this light was being absorbed by charged oxygen atoms around the Milky Way.

Scientists determined that this absorbing gas is between 1 million and 2.5 million Kelvin (1.8 million and 4.5 million degrees Fahrenheit) — a few hundred times hotter than the surface of the sun.

"We know the gas is around the galaxy, and we know how hot it is," Gupta said in a statement. "The big question is, how large is the halo, and how massive is it?"

Follow-up observations by the XMM-Newton and the Suzaku satellite indicate that the gas is as heavy as 10 billion to 60 billion suns.

"Our work shows that, for reasonable values of parameters and with reasonable assumptions, the Chandra observations imply a huge reservoir of hot gas around the Milky Way," said co-author Smita Mathur of Ohio State University in Columbus. "It may extend for a few hundred thousand light-years around the Milky Way or it may extend farther into the surrounding local group of galaxies. Either way, its mass appears to be very large."

And

New comet might blaze brighter than the full Moon

http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1209/25comet/

A new comet has been discovered that is predicted to blaze incredibly brilliantly in the skies during late 2013. With a perihelion passage of less than two million kilometres from the Sun on 28 November 2013, current predictions are of an object that will dazzle the eye at up to magnitude —16. That's far brighter than the full Moon. If predictions hold true then C/2012 S1 will certainly be one of the greatest comets in human history, far outshining the memorable Comet Hale-Bopp of 1997 and very likely to outdo the long-awaited Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4) which is set to stun in March 2013.

The new comet, named C/2012 S1 (ISON) was found by the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) in Russia on 21 September when astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok captured it on CCD images taken through a 0.4-metre reflector. Its near-parabolic orbit suggests that it has arrived fresh from the Oort Cloud, a vast zone of icy objects orbiting the Sun, pristine remnants of the formation of the Solar System.

C/2012 S1 currently resides in the northwestern corner of Cancer. At magnitude +18 it is too dim to be seen visually but it will be within the reach of experienced amateur astronomers with CCD equipment in the coming months as it brightens. It is expected to reach binocular visibility by late summer 2013 and a naked eye object in early November of that year. Northern hemisphere observers are highly favoured. Following its peak brightness in late November it will remain visible without optical aid until mid-January 2014.

Comet brightness predictions sometimes exceed their performance. Amateur astronomers of a certain age may remember the Comet Kohoutek hype of 1973 – not quite the 'damp squib' it has been portrayed, since it reached naked eye visibility! Even if C/2012 S1 takes on the same light curve as Kohoutek it is certain to be spectacular, quite possibly a once-in-a-civilisation's-lifetime event.

Time to call up the Earth Defense Fleet. The White Comet is approaching.

[LoweGear]

Gizmodo: Woman Grows a New Ear on Her Arm, Has It Attached to Her Head (Warning: Graphic)

Originally Posted by Gizmodo

Yep, this happened. Doctors at Johns Hopkins have attached a new ear to a patient that was grown on her own forearm. It's a medical first, and a heartwarming-if-a-little-yucky story.

In 2008, Sherrie Walters was diagnosed with aggressive basal cell cancer, and had to have part of her ear, skull, and ear canal removed. But now she's the first patient to receive a new procedure that uses rib cartilage to build an entirely new ear, spearheaded by Dr. Patrick Byrne, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon. The new ear was then placed under the skin of her arm for months to grow.

And it seems to have been a success! The swelling still has to go down, but Byrne, who had been waiting for the right patient to try this procedure on, told CBS, "In my opinion, how it's just a matter of time as the swelling goes down and it heals, I believe she will have a normal looking ear." Which is incredible, really. Reconstructive surgery like this is one, among others, is one of the best and most human uses of all the scientific might we have at our disposal.

SCIENCE!

[ganbaru]

Mars rover Curiosity finds first evidence of water: a river of it
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...88Q1SM20120927

[Ithekro]

Well, where a river was, long ago.

The questions are what happened, and can we make it so water flows there again? Because if we can terraform Mars, we will be able to start expanding again. Our one planet limit will be expanded as Mars becomes more habitable (able to grow crops perhaps) and thus possibly lowering out population problems.

Also it would give us practise if we get those theoretical warp drives working and can attempt to settle other worlds in within five years travel from us at 10 times lightspeed.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Well, where a river was, long ago.

The questions are what happened, and can we make it so water flows there again? Because if we can terraform Mars, we will be able to start expanding again. Our one planet limit will be expanded as Mars becomes more habitable (able to grow crops perhaps) and thus possibly lowering out population problems.

Also it would give us practise if we get those theoretical warp drives working and can attempt to settle other worlds in within five years travel from us at 10 times lightspeed.

The problem is, what if we terraform it, and they start harvesting our people and try to control our government?

We are still bickering and can't even get together to form XCOM.

[AnimeFan188]

The next wave in US robotic war: drones on their own:

"The Pentagon is investing heavily in "autonomy" for robotic weapons, with
researchers anticipating squadrons of drones in the air, land or sea that would
work in tandem with manned machines -- often with a minimum of supervision."

""We're moving into more and more autonomous systems. That's an
evolutionary arc," said Peter Singer, an expert on robotic weapons and author
of "Wired for War.""

"One veteran robotics scientist, Ronald Arkin, a professor at the Georgia Institute
of Technology, believes that countries will inevitably deploy independent robots
capable of killing an enemy without a human pushing a button."



See:

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Th...r_own_999.html


Now, to make sure all these drones/robots work together efficiently, all we have
to do is hook them up to this new "Skynet" system.

What could possibly go wrong?

[monir]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Well, where a river was, long ago.

The questions are what happened, and can we make it so water flows there again? Because if we can terraform Mars, we will be able to start expanding again. Our one planet limit will be expanded as Mars becomes more habitable (able to grow crops perhaps) and thus possibly lowering out population problems.

Also it would give us practise if we get those theoretical warp drives working and can attempt to settle other worlds in within five years travel from us at 10 times lightspeed.

Mars is boring. Let's go to Europa or Ganymede or Titan where there are waiting oceans and may be even life..........

Not as impressive of a news, but Tesla S is now the official electric car that can travel 225+ miles in one charge. I'm excited just because my commute is 82 miles each way from-to work. Alas, the 80K+ price tag puts a little dampner in my enthusiasm.

[Neki Ecko]

Originally Posted by monir

Mars is boring. Let's go to Europa or Ganymede or Titan where there are waiting oceans and may be even life..........

Not as impressive of a news, but Tesla S is now the official electric car that can travel 225+ miles in one charge. I'm excited just because my commute is 82 miles each way from-to work. Alas, the 80K+ price tag puts a little dampner in my enthusiasm.

But you know, monir

I been scream about that for years now. If the Sun goes Red Giant, every planet inside of the Astro Belt would be destroy, including Mars. I think that Ceres would be spare but seriously, outside of that belt, there is so many possibility out there but about that time it will happen, it will be around 2025.

[monir]

Originally Posted by Neki Ecko

But you know, monir

I been scream about that for years now. If the Sun goes Red Giant, every planet inside of the Astro Belt would be destroy, including Mars. I think that Ceres would be spare but seriously, outside of that belt, there is so many possibility out there but about that time it will happen, it will be around 2025.

Are the Borg invading us in 2025 to mess with our sun? If not, then I think we got about 4-5 billion years to move out of the solar system before the sun runs out of its hydrogen fuel.

[Ithekro]

Russians face their space crisis
Agency chief worries that country's aerospace industry is becoming uncompetitive

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49217472...ce/?ocid=msnhp

....
At the traditional Russian post-landing press conference on Sept. 21, cosmonaut Gennady Padalka complained about the "spartan" conditions aboard the Russian side of the station, especially as compared with the American side. The conditions were cold, noisy, overstuffed with equipment, and cramped — each Russian had about one-seventh the living space that the American astronauts had. "All of this gives serious inconvenience in the operation of the Russian segment," he said.

Padalka compared the living conditions to the mass housing thrown together in the 1960s by Nikita Khrushchev — housing where many Russian city dwellers still reside. The apartment building is called a "khrushchevka," a bitter word play on both the late Soviet leader's name and on its root meaning, "beetle" (as in "bug house"). As the cosmonaut explained to reporters, he had spent his last three missions totaling about two years in duration aboard a "small-scale khrushchevka."

Padalka found the idea of spending an entire year in space, as has been proposed, to be completely unacceptable without major improvements in crew comfort.

Out-of-date equipment
The equipment, he continued, was reliable and safe but was decades out of date. "Nothing has been done in the 20 years since the foundation of the new Russia," he complained. The Russian space technology is technologically bankrupt and "morally exhausted." It was, he told reporters, "frozen in the last century."

He contrasted those conditions with the spaciousness and modernity of the American modules, and praised the advanced technology he saw there: the robotics experiment ("As always, still under study in Russia") and SpaceX's commercial spacecraft docking, for example....

Looks like they are going to need a revamp, or they might close down. Hopefully our new stuff will be ready by then (Dragon probably will be ready for manned missions by then as it already is go for unmanned cargo runs to the ISS).

[Jinto]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Looks like they are going to need a revamp, or they might close down. Hopefully our new stuff will be ready by then (Dragon probably will be ready for manned missions by then as it already is go for unmanned cargo runs to the ISS).

In an article in the intranet of the company I am working at (Dragon was designed and plm'ed* with software of said company) they were optimistic that it could transport humans soon. Of course there are more simulations required and some more real life tests. However, NASA is supporting SpaceX very much in that regard.

*plm (product lifecycle management)

[Ithekro]

Something odd about Mars.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow...184239849.html

Spidery black objects on Mars surface raise speculation

Someone alert Ziggy Stardust, there appear to be spiders on Mars.

Strange black objects seen from 200 miles above the surface of Mars are generating interest and speculation that the unidentified objects could be anything from geysers to sunbathing colonies of microorganisms.

NPR presents several photos of the objects, including one taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Jan. 27, 2010, that appears to show "little black flecks dotting the ridges, mostly on the sunny side, like sunbathing spiders sitting in rows."

The objects were first spotted in 1998. Interestingly, they appear when the surface of Mars begins to warm, showing up in the same location most of the time. And then when the Martian winter approaches, they disappear with the same precise regularity. The images have been brought into greater detail by Michael Benson in his book "Planetfall: New Solar System Visions."

Most scientists, including teams from the U.S. Geological Survey, Hungary and the European Space Agency, have their own theories, but the leading explanation is that the objects are geysers of CO2 exploding from underneath the planet's surface.
"If you were there, you'd be standing on a slab of carbon dioxide ice," Phil Christensen of Arizona State University told NPR. "All around you, roaring jets of carbon dioxide gas are throwing sand and dust a couple hundred feet into the air. The ground below would be rumbling. You'd feel it in your space boots."

And while the geyser theory is the most popular explanation, it has yet to be verified.

In the meantime, there are some interesting alternative theories, including one from a group of Hungarian scientists, who have speculated that the objects are actually colonies of photosynthetic Martian microorganisms that emerge each year to sunbathe in the warm weather.

[Ithekro]

And to get their faster:

New Fusion Engine Could Cut Travel Time To Mars Down To Six Weeks


http://www.businessinsider.com/newes...ystals-2012-10

Brace yourselves: Researchers at University of Huntsville in Alabama say they are using "Dilithium Crystals" in a new fusion impulse engine that could cut the travel time to Mars down to as little as six weeks, not the six months it takes now.

Txchnologist, an online magazine sponsored by General Electric, talked to team member and aerospace engineering PH.D. candidate Ross Cortez, he said "The fusion fuel we're focusing on is deuterium [a stable isotope of hydrogen] and Li6 [a stable isotope of the metal lithium] in a crystal structure."

"That's basically dilithium crystals we're using," he said.

Trekkies everywhere shudder in delight....

[AnimeFan188]

Jeff Bezos And The CIA Invest In D-Wave's Quantum Computer:

"Yesterday, commercial quantum computing company D-Wave announced that it had
closed a $30 million equity funding round. The primary investors in the financing
round were In-Q-Tel, which invests in technology on behalf of the CIA and other
intelligence agences, and Bezos Expeditions, which is Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos‘
private investment firm."

See:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknap...ntum-computer/

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

Jeff Bezos And The CIA Invest In D-Wave's Quantum Computer:

"Yesterday, commercial quantum computing company D-Wave announced that it had
closed a $30 million equity funding round. The primary investors in the financing
round were In-Q-Tel, which invests in technology on behalf of the CIA and other
intelligence agences, and Bezos Expeditions, which is Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos‘
private investment firm."

See:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknap...ntum-computer/

Can we take In-Q-Tel off this? There is no room in the world for Skynet.

[ganbaru]

Oracle CEO Ellison dreams of making Hawaii island model of sustainability
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8931OB20121004