Life on Other Planets

Is there life on other planets? It's a simple question without a simple answer.


"The expectation, in particular with the public, is a yes-or-no answer. Did you find it or didn't you find it?" Jim Green, NASA's chief scientist, told NPR.

But Green says the reality is much more complex. One scientific discovery about extraterrestrial life may give us a small new insight into the universe, but it may be exaggerated by researchers or misunderstood by the public.

The discovery of the meteorite ALH 84001 — which ignited excitement about the possibility of life on Mars — is one example from history.

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Green walks us through another example. Say a scientist is looking at a distant exoplanet roughly the size of Earth, roughly the same distance from a star, with oxygen and clouds in its atmosphere. That means vegetation on the surface of the planet may be generating the oxygen in the atmosphere, and it's possible we've just found life outside our solar system!

"Well, I got news for you, we know that planet, and that planet is Venus," Green said. "We see oxygen in the atmosphere of Venus, and I can guarantee there is no vegetation on the surface of Venus. So that one observation, although it sounded great, doesn't give us the confidence to lean forward and say we found life or could have found life."  READ MORE...

Forecasting 2022

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, cloud computing, and 5G will be the most important technologies in 2022, according to a survey to global technology leaders from the U.S., U.K., China, India, and Brasil, conducted by IEEE.

The IEEE is the Institute of electronic and Electrical engineers....  and they believe the following areas will lead the way:

• Telemedicine
• Remote surgery
• remote learning
• personal communications
• professional communications
• live event streaming
• manufacturing
• transportations
• energy efficiency
• agriculture

Strutting

 

New Heart Cell Discovered

A new type of cell has been identified in the heart that is linked to regulating heart rate – and the discovery promises to advance our understanding of cardiovascular defects and diseases, once these cells have been more extensively studied.

The new cell is a type of glial cell – cells that support nerve cells – like astrocytes in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). Named nexus glia, they're located in the outflow tract of the heart, the place where many congenital heart defects are found.

The new cell type was first found in zebrafish, before being confirmed in mouse and human hearts too. Experiments on zebrafish found that when the cells were removed, heart rate increased; and when genetic editing blocked glial development, the heartbeat became irregular.

"We don't completely know the function of these cells, but the concept that if you get rid of them, heart rates increase, could link it to certain disease cases," says biologist Cody Smith from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

"I think these glial cells could play a pretty important role in regulating the heart. This is another example of how studying basic neurobiology can lead to the understanding of many different disorders."

Finding the nexus glia cells took plenty of detective work. It was previously thought that star-shaped glia (astroglia) such as astrocytes could only be found in the brain and spinal cord, although "glial-like processes" had already been spotted in the heart.  READ MORE...

School Board Meeting

 

Pharaohs Stopped Building Pyramids

The iconic pyramids of Egypt dot the landscape and were built by pharaohs to be their tombs for 

over a millennia. But why did the ancient Egyptians stop building them? (Image credit: Islam 

Moawad via Getty Images)


For more than a millennia, Egyptian pharaohs had pyramids constructed and often were buried beneath or within the massive monuments.

Egyptian pharaohs constructed pyramids between the time of King Djoser (reign 2630 to 2611 B.C.), who built a step pyramid at Saqqara, to the time of King Ahmose I (reign 1550 to 1525 B.C.), who built the last known royal pyramid in Egypt at Abydos.

These iconic pyramids displayed the pharaohs' power, wealth and promoted their religious beliefs. So why did the ancient Egyptians stop building pyramids shortly after the New Kingdom began?

In ancient Egypt, pyramid construction appeared to wane after the reign of Ahmose, with pharaohs instead being buried in the Valley of the Kings near the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes, which is now modern-day Luxor. The Theban Mapping Project notes on their website that the earliest confirmed royal tomb in the valley was built by Thutmose I (reign 1504 to 1492 B.C.). His predecessor Amenhotep I (reign 1525 to 1504 B.C.) may also have had his tomb built in the Valley of the Kings, although this is a matter of debate among Egyptologists.

Why stop?
It's not entirely clear why pharaohs stopped building royal pyramids, but security concerns could have been a factor.

"There are plenty of theories, but since pyramids were inevitably plundered, hiding the royal burials away in a distant valley, carved into the rock and presumably with plenty of necropolis guards, surely played a role," Peter Der Manuelian, an Egyptology professor at Harvard University, told Live Science in an email.

"Even before they gave up on pyramids for kings, they had stopped placing the burial chamber under the pyramid. The last king's pyramid — that of Ahmose I, at Abydos — had its burial chamber over 0.5 km [1,640 feet] away, behind it, deeper in the desert," Aidan Dodson, an Egyptology professor at the University of Bristol, told Live Science in an email.  READ MORE...

Copper Mountain

 

Cutting Edge Fusion Reactor

Barely a year after the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) broke one record for fusion, it's smashed it again, this time holding onto a churning whirlpool of 100 million degree plasma for a whole 30 seconds.


Though it's well short of the 101 seconds set by the Chinese Academy of Sciences earlier this year, it remains a significant milestone on the road to cleaner, near-limitless energy that could transform how we power our society.

Here's why it's so important.

Deep inside stars like our Sun, gravity and high temperatures give simple elements such as hydrogen the energy they need to overcome the repulsion of their nuclei and force them to squeeze into bigger atoms.

The result of this nuclear fusion is heavier elements, a few stray neutrons, and a whole lot of heat.

On Earth, scooping together a Sun's worth of gravity isn't possible. But we can achieve similar results by swapping the crunch of gravity for some extra punch in the form of heat. At some point we can even squeeze enough heat from the fusing atoms to keep the nuclear reaction going, with enough left over to siphon off for power.

That's the theory. But getting that insanely hot plasma to stay in place long enough to tap into its heat supply for a sustained, reliable source of energy requires some clever thinking.  TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...

Up The Leg

 

View From Train

 

History of the Orient Express

The "Orient Express" was a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The carriages which now make up the world renowned, luxury train - the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, have each acquired their own history and special character developed over years of travelling the original Orient Express route, which was simply a normal international railway service across Europe.

In 1864, George Mortimer Pullman, a creative railway constructor, built a train in Great Britain that featured all the up-to-date technology of the time. His train employed more advanced technology and was far more luxurious than anything else that existed in Europe at the time.

From the 1870's parlour cars and sleeping carriages were put in service in Britain and passengers of those trains were the first to enjoy the novelty of having their meals served on board a train. In 1881 the Pullman Limited Express began operating an all Pullman service between London and Brighton and George Mortimer Pullman progressed by connecting train services to ferry services to offer luxury train travel between London and Paris.

Around the same time, a Belgian railway entrepreneur named George Nagelmackers started building luxury rail carriages and in 1883 started the first Orient-Express service from Paris to Giurgi in Romania. His train featured sleeping carriages and the first restaurant cars to be offered on a continental train.

In 1906, the Simplon Tunnel was completed. It was the longest tunnel in the world at the time and connected Switzerland to Italy under the Alps and drastically reduced the travelling time between Paris and Venice. In the 1920's the Orient-Express name became synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel and it had started its Simplon-Orient-Express journey from Paris to Constantinople (Ïstanbul) ushering in the heyday of luxury rail journeys that were enjoyed by celebrities, Royalty and spies alike. This opulent method of travel featured fine wines served with elaborate meals and luxurious accommodation. The Orient Express service was a showcase of luxury and comfort at a time when travelling was still rough and dangerouss

During the Second World War, frontiers across Europe were closed and ferry services cancelled, putting and end to this decadent mode of travel. Cheaper and faster air travel was the nail in the coffin for the Orient-Express and the service ceased in 1977.

The train carriages were sold off at a Sotherby's auction in Monte Carlo that year and two of the carriages were purchased by rail enthusiast and millionaire entrepreneur, James B Sherwood. Over the next few years he spent many millions tracing and purchasing 35 of the original CIWL vintage carriages from the 1920s and 1930s and restoring them to their former glory.

In 1982 the legend of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express was reborn as the world famous train made its maiden journey from London to Venice. Today, you can board the beautifully restored, luxurious carriages and participate in one of the most famous and romantic journeys in the world on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

Classic Sunday Morning Newspaper Cartoons

 

Keys to Emotional Intelligence

Have you ever known people who always seem to keep their cool, who are able to handle even the most awkward social situations with grace, and who always seem to make others feel at ease? Chances are pretty high that those individuals possess what psychologists refer to as emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence involves the ability to understand and manage emotions. Experts agree that this type of intelligence plays an important role in success, and some have suggested that emotional intelligence, or EQ, might even be more important than IQ. In any case, research has suggested that possessing emotional intelligence skills is linked to everything from decision-making to academic achievement.

So what does it take to be emotionally intelligent? Psychologist and author Daniel Goleman has suggested that there are five components of emotional intelligence. Fortunately, you can learn to improve these emotional intelligence skills. By working on and increasing these skills, you can become more emotionally intelligent.

1  Self-Awareness

Tom Werner / Getty Images

Self-awareness, or the ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, is a critical emotional intelligence skill. Beyond just recognizing your emotions, however, is being aware of the effect of your actions, moods, and emotions on other people.

To become self-aware, you must be capable of monitoring your own emotions, recognizing different emotional reactions, and then correctly identifying each particular emotion. Self-aware individuals also recognize the relationships between the things they feel and how they behave.

These individuals are also capable of recognizing their own strengths and limitations, are open to new information and experiences, and learn from their interactions with others. Goleman suggests that people who possess self-awareness have a good sense of humor, are confident in themselves and their abilities, and are aware of how other people perceive them.  TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE OTHER FOUR KEYS, CLICK HERE...

Skeleton

World's Largest Organism

Aerial outline of Pando, with Fish Lake in the foreground. (Lance Oditt/Friends of Pando)

In the Wasatch Mountains of the western US on the slopes above a spring-fed lake, there dwells a single giant organism that provides an entire ecosystem on which plants and animals have relied for thousands of years. This single genetic individual weighs around 6,000 metric tons. By mass, it is the largest

Although it looks like a woodland of individual trees with striking white bark and small leaves that flutter in the slightest breeze, Pando (Latin for "I spread") is actually 47,000 genetically identical stems that arise from an interconnected root network.  This single genetic individual weighs around 6,000 metric tons. By mass, it is the largest single organism on Earth.

Aspen trees do tend to form clonal stands elsewhere, but what makes Pando interesting is its enormous size. Most clonal aspen stands in North America are much smaller, with those in western US averaging just 3 acres.

Pando has been around for thousands of years, potentially up to 14,000 years, despite most stems only living for about 130 years. Its longevity and remoteness mean a whole ecosystem of 68 plant species and many animals have evolved and been supported under its shade.

This entire ecosystem relies on the aspen remaining healthy and upright. But, although Pando is protected by the US National Forest Service and is not in danger of being cut down, it is in danger of disappearing due to several other factors.  READ MORE...

Tiger

 

Windy

Superionic Ice

Researchers at Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics used the same set-up at the recent study to create superionic ice, shown here in this artistic rendering. In that instance, the ice was not stable. (Image credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory illustration / Millot, Coppari, Hamel, Krauss)

Scientists just squeezed a water droplet between two diamonds and blasted it to star-like temperatures with one of the world's most powerful lasers. The result was a new and mysterious phase of water.

Called superionic ice, the "strange, black" water exists under the same pressures and temperatures as those at the center of Earth — a fact that could soon help researchers investigate the secrets buried inside the cores of other worlds.

Previously, researchers used shock waves to create this weird ice for just 20 nanoseconds before it dissolved. This new experiment marks the first time that scientists have created stable superionic ice that lasts long enough to be studied in detail. The researchers published their findings Oct. 14 in the journal Nature Physics.  TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS, CLICK HERE...

Mealtime

 

Beneath Temple of Hatshepsut

Archaeologists conducting works at the Temple of Hatshepsut have made new discoveries in a subterranean tomb.

The temple was constructed during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. It is situated opposite the city of Luxor and is considered a masterpiece of ancient architecture, with its three terraces rising into the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari.

Since 1961, efforts from a Polish-Egyptian archaeological expedition have been working to conserve the temple, with more recent works by a team from the Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology (CAŚ) from the University of Warsaw.


Recently, CAŚ members have been working to document and restore a chapel dedicated to Hathor, in which beneath lies a rock cut tomb with a 15-metre-long corridor and burial chamber left untouched by archaeologists since the tomb was first documented by Henri Édouard Naville in the 19th century.

Wooden figurine discovered in the tomb – Image Credit : M. Jawornicki

The team discovered that the tomb contained tons of debris, in which several hundred artefacts were found that date from either the Middle Kingdom when the tomb was constructed, or from the later 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom period

Dr. Patryk Chudzik from CAŚ reported that the tomb was built next to the temple of Pharaoh Mentuhotep II, in which the interred was likely someone closely related to the pharaoh. “The number and quality of the monuments we found are amazing. They include a wooden figurine, most probably the owner of the tomb, with a wig on his head” said Chudzik.  READ MORE...