On October 16th 2015, researchers at Stanford University announced that they had created artificial skin that could feel pressure. This development is expected to one day give prosthetic limbs a sense of touch. The researchers say that the plastic skin is capable of distinguishing the strength of a hand shake and can send that information to the central nervous system. The break through was made by Zhenan Bao, professor of chemical engineering and her team, and was a decade in development.
Dr. Bao and her coworkers made the artificial skin by connecting, microstructured resistive pressure sensors, flexible organic electronic circuits, and nerve cells that contained light activated ion channels. The sensors, which measured conductance in response to applied pressure, were made of carbon nanotube elastomer that coated the surface. Each sensor was then connected to an organic printed circuit that converted the pressure signal into electrical impulses that increased in frequency in response to an increase in pressure.
From there, the electrical impulses were used to modulate the frequency of a light emitting diode (LED). Light from the LED was fed through an optical fiber which then stimulated a slice of mouse brain tissue. The nerve cells in the mouse brain tissue were treated with channelrhodosins that opened and closed in response to light, which triggered the nerve cells to fire.
Dr Bao said, "This is just the beginning of the path toward building fully integrated artificial skin." She and her team hope to mimic other human sensing functions, such as the ability to feel heat.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
YouTube Subscription Services Coming Soon
On September 25th 2015, it was announced that YouTube is in the final stages of launch preparations for its much anticipated new music service. According to Peter Kafka of Recode.com, an email was sent to content creators advising them to accept and agree to new terms by October 22nd 2015. After such time, if they have not, their "videos will no longer be available for public display or monetization in the United States."
YouTube plans to bundle two separate services into one offering. They are going to offer both its music service, YouTube Music Key, and another service that they have yet to launch. The services will be priced at $10 a month and will be ad free. Most of the money will go to the record labels and copyright owners. While an actual launch date has not been given, the new premium ad free subscription service is expected to arrive by the end of November.
YouTube plans to bundle two separate services into one offering. They are going to offer both its music service, YouTube Music Key, and another service that they have yet to launch. The services will be priced at $10 a month and will be ad free. Most of the money will go to the record labels and copyright owners. While an actual launch date has not been given, the new premium ad free subscription service is expected to arrive by the end of November.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Two Scientists Win Nobel Prize For Neutrino Oscillations
On October 6th 2015, two scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of neutrino oscillations. The discovery, which was made by Takaaki Kajita and Arther B McDonald, definitively proves that neutrinos do have mass. The announcement was made during a press conference by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The two men will share an award of 8 million Swedish Krona ($964,000).
The two physicists led separate teams, Kajita at the University of Tokyo in Japan and McDonald at Queen's University in Canada. They each used massive detectors designed to alert them if a neutrino had passed through them. Neutrinos have very little mass, no electric charge, and rarely interact with other particles. They are found as the result of radioactive decay and most notably as a by product of the nuclear fusion reaction that powers the sun.
Because they rarely interact with anything, billions of them, streaming from the sun, pass through the earth and our bodies every second. Neutrinos come in what is called, three "flavors," electron, muon, and tau. The experiments conducted by Kajita and McDonald revealed that one type of neutrino could turn into another by a process called oscillation. It was further determined that this process occurs as neutrinos travel from the sun towards the earth.
It is not yet known what the mass of each of the three flavors of neutrinos are, but it is believed that it is very small, on the order of at least a million times smaller than the mass of the electron. Some scientists believe that the success of the experiments by Kajita and McDonald will not only help to increase our understanding of how the fusion process works inside the sun, but it may also one day aide in the creation of fusion reactors here on earth.
The two physicists led separate teams, Kajita at the University of Tokyo in Japan and McDonald at Queen's University in Canada. They each used massive detectors designed to alert them if a neutrino had passed through them. Neutrinos have very little mass, no electric charge, and rarely interact with other particles. They are found as the result of radioactive decay and most notably as a by product of the nuclear fusion reaction that powers the sun.
Because they rarely interact with anything, billions of them, streaming from the sun, pass through the earth and our bodies every second. Neutrinos come in what is called, three "flavors," electron, muon, and tau. The experiments conducted by Kajita and McDonald revealed that one type of neutrino could turn into another by a process called oscillation. It was further determined that this process occurs as neutrinos travel from the sun towards the earth.
It is not yet known what the mass of each of the three flavors of neutrinos are, but it is believed that it is very small, on the order of at least a million times smaller than the mass of the electron. Some scientists believe that the success of the experiments by Kajita and McDonald will not only help to increase our understanding of how the fusion process works inside the sun, but it may also one day aide in the creation of fusion reactors here on earth.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Water Flows On The Surface Of Mars
On September 28th 2015, NASA announced that they had made conformation of liquid water flowing on the surface of Mars. Photos taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have revealed what researchers at NASA are calling, recurring slope lineae or (RSL), which are narrow, dark streaks on the planet's surface. NASA's director of planetary sciences division, James L Greene said, "We now have, I think, great opportunities to investigate the possibility of life."
The recurring slope lineae or RSL are about 15 feet in width or smaller and appear on slopes during the planets warm seasons. These lineae then fade during the cooler seasons only to reappear when the temperature warms again. Previous analysis of data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer found neither salt nor water. However, the new study has yielded greater detail.
A team of researchers, led by Lujendra Ojha, of the School of Earth Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, found evidence of hydrated salts like magnesium chlorate, magnesium perchlorate, and sodium perchlorate. All of these substances can effectively lower the freezing point of water so that it can flow freely at cooler temperatures. The average temperature on Mars is 70 degrees below zero but can reach as high as 70 degrees above zero near the equator.
NASA and other research institutions are developing new technologies to search for a bio-signature on Mars. Some of those bio-hunting devices are expected to be incorporated into the next NASA mission, Mars 2020 rover and the European Space Agency's ExoMars Mission. Researchers are now expressing some concern as to how life can be detected without causing cross contamination. Any robotic mechanism designed to detect Martian life may ultimately only be detecting life brought there from Earth.
The plan for future exploration is to use a sort of, "stand off," analysis. At this time, the idea is to use Raman Spectroscopy, which is a form of vibrational spectroscopy. While it's harder for Raman Spectroscopy to distinguish between fossils and carbon based materials, it is however very adept at distinguishing between organic compounds that were once alive and those that are living now. Some researchers believe that the ideal way to examine the Martian soil, is to do a Mars sample return.
The recurring slope lineae or RSL are about 15 feet in width or smaller and appear on slopes during the planets warm seasons. These lineae then fade during the cooler seasons only to reappear when the temperature warms again. Previous analysis of data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer found neither salt nor water. However, the new study has yielded greater detail.
A team of researchers, led by Lujendra Ojha, of the School of Earth Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, found evidence of hydrated salts like magnesium chlorate, magnesium perchlorate, and sodium perchlorate. All of these substances can effectively lower the freezing point of water so that it can flow freely at cooler temperatures. The average temperature on Mars is 70 degrees below zero but can reach as high as 70 degrees above zero near the equator.
NASA and other research institutions are developing new technologies to search for a bio-signature on Mars. Some of those bio-hunting devices are expected to be incorporated into the next NASA mission, Mars 2020 rover and the European Space Agency's ExoMars Mission. Researchers are now expressing some concern as to how life can be detected without causing cross contamination. Any robotic mechanism designed to detect Martian life may ultimately only be detecting life brought there from Earth.
The plan for future exploration is to use a sort of, "stand off," analysis. At this time, the idea is to use Raman Spectroscopy, which is a form of vibrational spectroscopy. While it's harder for Raman Spectroscopy to distinguish between fossils and carbon based materials, it is however very adept at distinguishing between organic compounds that were once alive and those that are living now. Some researchers believe that the ideal way to examine the Martian soil, is to do a Mars sample return.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
A New Species Of Human Is Found In South Africa
On September 10th 2015, scientists in South Africa announced that they had discovered what they believed to be a new species of human. The fossil find was made while searching the Rising Star Cave. The remains, which were many, covered the earthen floor just beyond the caves narrow entrance. Deep within what is being called the Dinaledi Chamber were the 1,500 bones of approx 15 hominids that have been named Homo Naledi.
The international team that made the discovery consisted of 60 scientists who were led by Lee R Burger. Burger is an American paleontologist and a professor of human evolution studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Burger says that the species' name, Homo Naledi, is derived from the cave where the remains were found, and that "naledi" means "star" in the local Sesotho language.
Researchers analyzing the Homo Naledi remains have yet to determine the actual age of the fossils. A determination has been difficult due to the muddled chamber contents and the absence of fauna. Because the species had a brain no larger than an orange, Dr Burger believes that it might have evolved near the root of the Homo genus. If this is true, then it's possible that Homo Naledi may have lived 2.5 to 2.8 million years ago.
The scientists who made the discovery have noted that Homo Naledi has a combination of both primitive as well as modern characteristics, which include their jaws, teeth and feet. The average Homo Naledi is believed to have stood five feet tall and weighed about 100 pounds.
The international team that made the discovery consisted of 60 scientists who were led by Lee R Burger. Burger is an American paleontologist and a professor of human evolution studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Burger says that the species' name, Homo Naledi, is derived from the cave where the remains were found, and that "naledi" means "star" in the local Sesotho language.
Researchers analyzing the Homo Naledi remains have yet to determine the actual age of the fossils. A determination has been difficult due to the muddled chamber contents and the absence of fauna. Because the species had a brain no larger than an orange, Dr Burger believes that it might have evolved near the root of the Homo genus. If this is true, then it's possible that Homo Naledi may have lived 2.5 to 2.8 million years ago.
The scientists who made the discovery have noted that Homo Naledi has a combination of both primitive as well as modern characteristics, which include their jaws, teeth and feet. The average Homo Naledi is believed to have stood five feet tall and weighed about 100 pounds.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Arctic Ice Shrinks To Fourth Lowest Level
On September 15th 2015, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced that the sea ice in the Arctic had reached its fourth lowest level in recorded history. The decline is seen as a long term trend that has been monitored via satellite since the 1970s. Melting sea ice is closely tied to warmer weather in the region as average Arctic temperatures continue to rise.
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) stated that the lowest extent occurred on September 17th 2012, when the ice only covered 1.31 square miles of terrain. This year's level, reached on September 11th, was 1.70 square miles. The NSIDC went on to say that, "the nine lowest extents recorded during the satellite era all occurred in the last nine years. They added that in 2013, the ice experienced an unexpected revival when the volume was recorded as increasing by 41%.
Tony Scambos, head of the NSIDC science team, said that unlike 2012 when storms broke up a great deal of ice, there wasn't anything particularly extraordinary, in an atmospheric sense. He believes that the Arctic is "evolving," and says that, "even relatively typical summers in the Arctic lead to relatively low sea ice extents." NASA, which funds the NSIDC, added that, "The sea ice decline has accelerated since 1996.
The NSIDC has not released a full analysis of this year's ice melt. They note that there is still a chance that changing wind patterns or low season melt could possibly see the ice recede even further.
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) stated that the lowest extent occurred on September 17th 2012, when the ice only covered 1.31 square miles of terrain. This year's level, reached on September 11th, was 1.70 square miles. The NSIDC went on to say that, "the nine lowest extents recorded during the satellite era all occurred in the last nine years. They added that in 2013, the ice experienced an unexpected revival when the volume was recorded as increasing by 41%.
Tony Scambos, head of the NSIDC science team, said that unlike 2012 when storms broke up a great deal of ice, there wasn't anything particularly extraordinary, in an atmospheric sense. He believes that the Arctic is "evolving," and says that, "even relatively typical summers in the Arctic lead to relatively low sea ice extents." NASA, which funds the NSIDC, added that, "The sea ice decline has accelerated since 1996.
The NSIDC has not released a full analysis of this year's ice melt. They note that there is still a chance that changing wind patterns or low season melt could possibly see the ice recede even further.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
NASA Creates Material That Heals Its Self
On August 27th 2015, NASA announced that it had created a material that can self heal after being punctured. The research, funded by NASA, and carried out at the University of Michigan, has produced a "Terminator style," material that may one day be used to protect spacecraft from being damaged by space debris.
The material consists of two layers of polymer with a third layer of a liquid resin called, Thiol-ene-Tryialkyborane, which is sandwiched in between them. When the material is punctured, the resin is released and mixes with the surrounding oxygen. The resin quickly hardens to form a solid plug in the damaged area.
University of Michigan researchers believe that the new material could also be used to line the inside of fuel tanks, in airplane hulls, or in just about anything that may face the risk of being depressurized due to a breach. The most notable possible application is the outer hull of the International Space Station.
The material consists of two layers of polymer with a third layer of a liquid resin called, Thiol-ene-Tryialkyborane, which is sandwiched in between them. When the material is punctured, the resin is released and mixes with the surrounding oxygen. The resin quickly hardens to form a solid plug in the damaged area.
University of Michigan researchers believe that the new material could also be used to line the inside of fuel tanks, in airplane hulls, or in just about anything that may face the risk of being depressurized due to a breach. The most notable possible application is the outer hull of the International Space Station.
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