On February 1st 2018, archaeologists in Guatemala announced that they have discovered the ruins of a previously undetected Mayan city. Their findings have yielded evidence of at least 60,000 unknown structures. Their discovery is being hailed as a, "major breakthrough," in Mayan archaeology, that reveals the pre-Colombian civilization as a more connected and complex society than most Mayan scholars had believed.
The discovery was made possible through the use of Light Detection and Ranging or LiDAR. The archaeologists made aerial surveys of over 800 square miles of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in northern Guatemala. The LiDAR system fires as many as 150,000 pulses of light a second when it scans a surface. Repeated scans gave the researchers the ability to create a topographical map of the region.
From the data that was retrieved, the archaeologists were able to determine that the region supported a civilization that was equal to that of the ancient Greeks or the Chinese. Francisco Estrada-Belli, an archaeologist from Tulane University said, the area was more densely populated than previously believed. He said, "It's no longer unreasonable to think that there were 10 to 15 million people there."
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Successful Launch Of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy
On February 6th 2018, SpaceX successfully launched it Falcon Heavy rocket into space. The rocket lifted off at 3:49 pm eastern time from launch complex 39A at Cape Canaveral Florida. With its launch, the Falcon Heavy became the most powerful rocket since the Saturn 5, which was used to lift the Apollo missions to the moon. It also made SpaceX the first private company to launch a vehicle of the Falcon Heavy's size and payload capacity.
The Falcon Heavy stands 23 stories tall. It uses three boosters that are based on Falcon 9 rockets that have 27 Merlin engines. These boosters can produce a combined 5 million pounds of thrust at lift off. The Falcon Heavy has a low Earth payload capacity of 140,700 pounds. It is also capable of carrying 58,900 pounds to geostationary orbit, or it can carry 37,000 to Mars. The latter is the stated objective of Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of SpaceX.
On Its maiden flight, Mr Musk decided to send a red Telsa Roadster as its demonstration payload. The car was eventually placed into an orbit that will eventually take it into the asteroid belt. Meanwhile, the two main rocket boosters both returned to Earth for a synchronized landing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The Falcon Heavy stands 23 stories tall. It uses three boosters that are based on Falcon 9 rockets that have 27 Merlin engines. These boosters can produce a combined 5 million pounds of thrust at lift off. The Falcon Heavy has a low Earth payload capacity of 140,700 pounds. It is also capable of carrying 58,900 pounds to geostationary orbit, or it can carry 37,000 to Mars. The latter is the stated objective of Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of SpaceX.
On Its maiden flight, Mr Musk decided to send a red Telsa Roadster as its demonstration payload. The car was eventually placed into an orbit that will eventually take it into the asteroid belt. Meanwhile, the two main rocket boosters both returned to Earth for a synchronized landing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Dennis Edwards Dies
Former lead singer of the Temptations, Dennis Edwards died on February 1st 2018. He was 74. He died in Chicago from complications from meningitis. Mr Edwards joined the Temptations in 1968, replacing David Ruffin who had left the group for a solo career. He will be best remembered for his performances on the Temptations' hits, "I Can't Get Next To You," "Ball Of Confusion," and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone.
Mr Edwards was born in Fairfield Alabama 1943, but grew up in Detroit, where he sang in various gospel groups. He turned professional after attending the Detroit Conservatory of Music. In the early sixties he became a member of the Contours, who were best known for the hit, "Do You Love Me?" After joining the Temptations, he remained a member from 1968 to 1977, when he left the group to embark on a solo career.
Mr Edwards had a solo R&B hit with the song, "Don't Look Any Further," in 1984. He rejoined the Temptations several times through out the eighties. Mr. Edwards and the Temptations were inducted into the Rock Hall Of fame in 1989. Mr. Edwards is survived by his wife Barbara, five daughters, a son, and several grandchildren
Mr Edwards was born in Fairfield Alabama 1943, but grew up in Detroit, where he sang in various gospel groups. He turned professional after attending the Detroit Conservatory of Music. In the early sixties he became a member of the Contours, who were best known for the hit, "Do You Love Me?" After joining the Temptations, he remained a member from 1968 to 1977, when he left the group to embark on a solo career.
Mr Edwards had a solo R&B hit with the song, "Don't Look Any Further," in 1984. He rejoined the Temptations several times through out the eighties. Mr. Edwards and the Temptations were inducted into the Rock Hall Of fame in 1989. Mr. Edwards is survived by his wife Barbara, five daughters, a son, and several grandchildren
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
The Earth Is Due For A Geomagnetic Pole Reversal
On January 26th 2018, Undark.org posted an excerpt from a book written by science journalist Alanna Mitchell, that make the case for a shift of the Earth's magnetic poles. She says that the magnetic poles shift or flip once every 200,000 to 300,000 years, and that we are over due as one hasn't happen for nearly 780,000 years. The Earth's magnetic field protects our planet from harmful solar and cosmic radiation by deflecting high energy particle off into space.
According to Ms. Mitchell readings from the European Space Agency's SWARM satellite system, which were launched in 2013, coupled with data from Germany's CHAMP satellite were used by researchers to take measurements of the Earth's crustal magnetization. Their findings help them to discover that the Earth's magnet field is in a permanent state of flux. They also learned that the earth's magnetic field tried to shift but failed about 40,000 years ago.
If a pole shift were to occur in the not to distant future, it could be very bad for life on Earth. Scientists haven't been able to determine when a pole reversal would take place. They do however, believe that pole shifts happen slowly and could possibly take anywhere from a couple of months to thousands of years. During a pole shift, our planet would be left unprotected and the ozone layer depleted. High energy particles and ultra violet rays would not only damage our electrical systems but could also cause man to go the way of the Dinosaurs.
According to Ms. Mitchell readings from the European Space Agency's SWARM satellite system, which were launched in 2013, coupled with data from Germany's CHAMP satellite were used by researchers to take measurements of the Earth's crustal magnetization. Their findings help them to discover that the Earth's magnet field is in a permanent state of flux. They also learned that the earth's magnetic field tried to shift but failed about 40,000 years ago.
If a pole shift were to occur in the not to distant future, it could be very bad for life on Earth. Scientists haven't been able to determine when a pole reversal would take place. They do however, believe that pole shifts happen slowly and could possibly take anywhere from a couple of months to thousands of years. During a pole shift, our planet would be left unprotected and the ozone layer depleted. High energy particles and ultra violet rays would not only damage our electrical systems but could also cause man to go the way of the Dinosaurs.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
The Chinese Produce First Cloned Monkeys
On January 24th 2018, scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, China, announced in the journal, Cell, that they have successfully cloned two Macaque monkeys. The monkeys represent the first time that a primate has been successfully cloned. They were born eight weeks and six weeks ago through the use of the same process that was used to clone Dolly the sheep in 1996. The monkeys names are Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua.
The scientists involved in the cloning used the DNA from a single fetal tissue cell which was then inserted into an egg that had its DNA removed. The DNA and Egg were then fused together using chemicals. Then, a small amount of electricity was used to get the dividing process to begin, which was continued until an embryo was formed. A surrogate mother of the same species was then chosen to carry the embryo to term.
A total of 181 embryos were created, with 79 of the embryos yielding pregnancies. Only Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua were born. The researchers are aware of the concerns over the application being used for human cloning, and say that they only intent to clone monkeys to use in biomedical research.
The scientists involved in the cloning used the DNA from a single fetal tissue cell which was then inserted into an egg that had its DNA removed. The DNA and Egg were then fused together using chemicals. Then, a small amount of electricity was used to get the dividing process to begin, which was continued until an embryo was formed. A surrogate mother of the same species was then chosen to carry the embryo to term.
A total of 181 embryos were created, with 79 of the embryos yielding pregnancies. Only Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua were born. The researchers are aware of the concerns over the application being used for human cloning, and say that they only intent to clone monkeys to use in biomedical research.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
NASA Develops Space Navigation System
On January 11th 2018, NASA announced that it has successfully tested an autonomous x-ray navigation system. The system is called Neutron-star Interior Composition Explorer or NICER, and it is an orbital observatory that is currently attached to the exterior of the International Space Station. NICER monitors the clock work like pulses that are emitted by rapidly rotating neutron stars know as pulsars.
NICER works on a principle similar to the Global Positioning System, or (GPS) that uses atomic clocks mounted on satellites that orbit the Earth. It, however, as an x-ray telescope, uses x-rays to probe the nature of ultra dense matter. In November of 2017, a research team used pulsars that rotate thousands of times a second (millisecond pulsars), to determine the location of an object that was traveling at thousands of miles an hour through space.
NASA believes that the development of the NICER technology will make the navigation of automated deep space missions much more accurate. Current deep space missions rely on what's know as the Deep Space Network or DNS, which is a global system of radio antennas.
NICER works on a principle similar to the Global Positioning System, or (GPS) that uses atomic clocks mounted on satellites that orbit the Earth. It, however, as an x-ray telescope, uses x-rays to probe the nature of ultra dense matter. In November of 2017, a research team used pulsars that rotate thousands of times a second (millisecond pulsars), to determine the location of an object that was traveling at thousands of miles an hour through space.
NASA believes that the development of the NICER technology will make the navigation of automated deep space missions much more accurate. Current deep space missions rely on what's know as the Deep Space Network or DNS, which is a global system of radio antennas.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Fast Radio Burst Mystery
On January 10th 2018, researchers from the American Astronomical Society published a paper in the journal Nature describing what they believe is the cause of a fast radio burst transmission emanating from extra galactic space. Fast radio bursts are short duration surges of radio waves that have intrigued scientists since 2007. The signal in question has been named FBR 121102 and was first discovered in 2012.
Scientists have observed that FBR's happen as a fraction of a millisecond, single play, one time occurrence. What makes the discovery of FBR 121102 unique is that it is the first FBR that is known to repeat. They have also observed that FBR 121202's wave pattern is twisted. This could mean that this FBR may be passing through some highly magnetically charged source before it arrives here on Earth.
In August 2017, the researchers noticed that the repeating signal had become hyperactive. At that point in time they began using the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico and Green Bank telescope in West Virginia to take a better look at FBR 121102. At first they thought the FBR's signal pattern might be twisted because the radio waves are passing though a neutron star. But after receiving 16 bursts in a 10 hour period, that were so extremely distorted by a powerful magnetic field, they concluded that they had to have passed through a black hole.
While the researchers search for an answer that will solve the mystery, the possibility of alien contact has been ruled out.
Scientists have observed that FBR's happen as a fraction of a millisecond, single play, one time occurrence. What makes the discovery of FBR 121102 unique is that it is the first FBR that is known to repeat. They have also observed that FBR 121202's wave pattern is twisted. This could mean that this FBR may be passing through some highly magnetically charged source before it arrives here on Earth.
In August 2017, the researchers noticed that the repeating signal had become hyperactive. At that point in time they began using the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico and Green Bank telescope in West Virginia to take a better look at FBR 121102. At first they thought the FBR's signal pattern might be twisted because the radio waves are passing though a neutron star. But after receiving 16 bursts in a 10 hour period, that were so extremely distorted by a powerful magnetic field, they concluded that they had to have passed through a black hole.
While the researchers search for an answer that will solve the mystery, the possibility of alien contact has been ruled out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)