On April 26th 2016, astronomers working with the Hubble Space Telescope released a photo of the dwarf planet Makemake and its tiny moon. The dwarf planet is believed to be the second largest object in the Kuiper Belt, with Pluto being the largest. It was recognized as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in July 2008, after being first discovered in March of 2005.
Makemake has a diameter of 1,434 kilometers and takes 309.9 years to orbit the sun. It's moon, nicknamed MK2 was discovered in a Hubble Wide Field Camera image taken in April of 2015. MK2 has an estimated diameter of 100 miles and orbits Makemake at a distance of 13,000 miles. MK2 was difficult to detect because it appears as 1,300 times fainter than Makemake.
Since the tiny moon appears to be orbiting edge on relative to earth, astronomer Alex Parker from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder CO. said, "That means that often when you look at the system you are going to miss the moon because it gets lost in the glare of Makemake. The discovery of MK2 now gives Makemake more similarities with Pluto as both of them are covered with frozen methane.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
New Release!
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Solar Panels That Can Make Electricity From Raindrops
On April 11th 2016, it was reported that a team of researchers in China had created a new solar panel that can not only make electricity from the sun, but can also make electricity from the falling rain. Scientists from the Yunnan Normal University and Ocean University of China wrote in journal Angewandte Chemie, that they had produced an all weather solar cell through the use of graphene.
The team, led by Qunwei Tang developed a dye-sensitive solar cell. They did this by coating the cells with a thin layer of graphene film. Graphene is a two dimensional form of carbon whose atoms are arranged into a honeycomb pattern. Graphene has unusual electronic properties that allow it to conduct electricity. It's rich in electrons that freely flow across its entire surface.
Graphene can bind positively charged ions with its own electrons. This characteristic inspired Qunwei Tang and his research team to use graphene electrodes to get power from the impact of raindrops. Raindrops contain salts that dissociate into positive and negative ions. Sodium, calcium, and ammonium ions are positively charged and can bind with the surface of the graphene.
When the raindrops and the graphene connect, the water becomes enriched in positive ions and the graphene becomes enriched with delocalized electrons. This produces what is known as a pseudocapcitator and results in the production of current and voltage. The new solar cells are capable of producing a solar conversion efficiency of 6.53% from sunlight and hundreds of micro-volts via stimulation by raindrops.
Tang and his team feel that this is a positive step and that, "All weather solar cells are promising in solving the energy crisis."
The team, led by Qunwei Tang developed a dye-sensitive solar cell. They did this by coating the cells with a thin layer of graphene film. Graphene is a two dimensional form of carbon whose atoms are arranged into a honeycomb pattern. Graphene has unusual electronic properties that allow it to conduct electricity. It's rich in electrons that freely flow across its entire surface.
Graphene can bind positively charged ions with its own electrons. This characteristic inspired Qunwei Tang and his research team to use graphene electrodes to get power from the impact of raindrops. Raindrops contain salts that dissociate into positive and negative ions. Sodium, calcium, and ammonium ions are positively charged and can bind with the surface of the graphene.
When the raindrops and the graphene connect, the water becomes enriched in positive ions and the graphene becomes enriched with delocalized electrons. This produces what is known as a pseudocapcitator and results in the production of current and voltage. The new solar cells are capable of producing a solar conversion efficiency of 6.53% from sunlight and hundreds of micro-volts via stimulation by raindrops.
Tang and his team feel that this is a positive step and that, "All weather solar cells are promising in solving the energy crisis."
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Artificial Skin Is Grown In The Lab
On April 1st 2016, it was announced in the journal Science Advances, that researchers have successfully grown skin in the lab. Scientists at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Japan say that using the stem cells of mice, they've been able to build artificial skin that has hair follicles and sweat glands.
Takashi Tsuji, leader of the research team said, "Up until now, artificial skin development has been hampered by the fact that the skin lacked the important organs, such as hair follicles and exocrine glands, which allow the skin to play its role in regulation. He said that the skin was made by extracting cells from the gums of mice. These cells were then converted into a specialized type of stem cell.
Those cells were genetically modified to glow florescent green for easy identification, and were then transplanted into hairless mice, which caused them to grow into complex skin. Next, the researchers took that skin and implanted it into other mice. From there the tissue successfully connected it self to nerves and muscles. The skin not only had the important glands, but it also had the three layers that normal skin should have.
Takashi and his team feel that they are at least five to ten years away from reproducing this same procedure in humans. They also believe that their procedure could revolutionize skin grafts, which currently use skin from other parts of the body
Takashi Tsuji, leader of the research team said, "Up until now, artificial skin development has been hampered by the fact that the skin lacked the important organs, such as hair follicles and exocrine glands, which allow the skin to play its role in regulation. He said that the skin was made by extracting cells from the gums of mice. These cells were then converted into a specialized type of stem cell.
Those cells were genetically modified to glow florescent green for easy identification, and were then transplanted into hairless mice, which caused them to grow into complex skin. Next, the researchers took that skin and implanted it into other mice. From there the tissue successfully connected it self to nerves and muscles. The skin not only had the important glands, but it also had the three layers that normal skin should have.
Takashi and his team feel that they are at least five to ten years away from reproducing this same procedure in humans. They also believe that their procedure could revolutionize skin grafts, which currently use skin from other parts of the body
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
The Earh Could Be Hit By Super Solar Flare
On March 24th 2016, a new study published in the journal, Nature Communications, revealed evidence that suggests that the Earth could one day be hit by what is known as a super solar flare. A solar flare happens when magnetic energy that has built up within the sun's atmosphere is suddenly released. This occurrence sends highly charged particles hurtling toward the Earth where most of it is deflected by the electromagnetic field.
Here on Earth we witness these particles as the auroras that happen at the north and south poles. According to professor Christopher Karoff, of Aarhus University in Denmark, who led the team who researched the phenomenon, super solar flares are much more explosive events that are one to six orders-of-magnitude larger than the largest flare observed on the sun, through the space age.
Prof Karoff and his team used the Guo Shou Jing telescope in China to observe nearly 100,000 stars. What he and his team found, was that about one in ten of those stars were producing super solar flares, and that those stars had a magnetic field similar to, or weaker than our sun. Prof Karoff said that he and his team did not expect this finding. It leaves open the possibility that our sun could one day produce a super flare.
If the Earth were hit by a super flare eruption today, it would not only damage electronic equipment, but it would damage our atmosphere and the planet's ability to support life. However, there is evidence that the Earth has been hit by a super flare in the past. Tree rings from a geological archive, from 775 AD have shown an anomalously large amount of carbon 14 which is a radioactive isotope. Carbon 14 is formed when either cosmic rays or highly energetic protons from the sun enter the Earth's atmosphere.
On the bright side, if the Earth were hit by a super flare, it wouldn't necessarily be as bad as the ending of the 2009 movie, "Knowing." And, we would at least have some warning time. A Coronal Mass Ejection or CME, would take anywhere from 18 hours to five days to reach us.
Here on Earth we witness these particles as the auroras that happen at the north and south poles. According to professor Christopher Karoff, of Aarhus University in Denmark, who led the team who researched the phenomenon, super solar flares are much more explosive events that are one to six orders-of-magnitude larger than the largest flare observed on the sun, through the space age.
Prof Karoff and his team used the Guo Shou Jing telescope in China to observe nearly 100,000 stars. What he and his team found, was that about one in ten of those stars were producing super solar flares, and that those stars had a magnetic field similar to, or weaker than our sun. Prof Karoff said that he and his team did not expect this finding. It leaves open the possibility that our sun could one day produce a super flare.
If the Earth were hit by a super flare eruption today, it would not only damage electronic equipment, but it would damage our atmosphere and the planet's ability to support life. However, there is evidence that the Earth has been hit by a super flare in the past. Tree rings from a geological archive, from 775 AD have shown an anomalously large amount of carbon 14 which is a radioactive isotope. Carbon 14 is formed when either cosmic rays or highly energetic protons from the sun enter the Earth's atmosphere.
On the bright side, if the Earth were hit by a super flare, it wouldn't necessarily be as bad as the ending of the 2009 movie, "Knowing." And, we would at least have some warning time. A Coronal Mass Ejection or CME, would take anywhere from 18 hours to five days to reach us.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
King Tut's Tomb May Hold A Surprise
On March 17th 2016, Egyptian antiquities minister, Mamdouh el-Damaty, announced that radar scans of King Tutankhamun's tomb have revealed the existence of two unexplored chambers. The scans also revealed that there are objects made of both metal and organic material inside those hidden rooms. While el-Damaty did not elaborate on what exactly might be within the two chambers, he did say that it could be a member of King Tut's family.
The radar scans were taken in November 2015 by Hirokatsu Watanabe. The initial results suggested a 90% certainty that another chamber is behind the north wall of the tomb. The radar findings were reviewed by outside researchers that included Remy Hiramoto, Jason Herrmann, and British archeologist Nicholas Reeves. It is Reeves who believes that the hidden chamber contains the remains of King Tut's mother, Queen Nefertiti.
Queen Nefertiti was the wife of pharaoh Akhenaten, King Tut's father. Akhenaten's tomb is believed to have been found in the Valley of the Kings, while Queen Nefertiti's grave has never been found. Reeves also believes that King Tut's tomb was originally built for the queen but was used to house the young king's body, after he died suddenly at age 19. El-Damaty said, "This would be like having the discovery of Tutankhamun again. It could be the discovery of the century."
The radar scans were taken in November 2015 by Hirokatsu Watanabe. The initial results suggested a 90% certainty that another chamber is behind the north wall of the tomb. The radar findings were reviewed by outside researchers that included Remy Hiramoto, Jason Herrmann, and British archeologist Nicholas Reeves. It is Reeves who believes that the hidden chamber contains the remains of King Tut's mother, Queen Nefertiti.
Queen Nefertiti was the wife of pharaoh Akhenaten, King Tut's father. Akhenaten's tomb is believed to have been found in the Valley of the Kings, while Queen Nefertiti's grave has never been found. Reeves also believes that King Tut's tomb was originally built for the queen but was used to house the young king's body, after he died suddenly at age 19. El-Damaty said, "This would be like having the discovery of Tutankhamun again. It could be the discovery of the century."
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Scientists Discover A New Bacteria That Eats Plastic
On March 11th 2015, scientists announced that they had discovered a new variety of bacteria that eats and digests plastic. The plastic in question is polyethylene terephthalate or PET, which is used in the making of, packaging trays, blister packs, bottles, and polyester clothing. The bacteria is named, Ideonella Sakaiensis, and was discovered by a team of researchers working at the Kyoto Institute of Technology and Keio University in Japan.
The new bacteria was discovered outside a bottle recycling plant. The research team took samples of the soil, sediment, and waste water from around the plant. All of the samples were contaminated by PET. When they tested the samples they found that a microbe was degrading the plastic. More tests revealed that the bacteria, Ideonella Sakaiensis did so through the use of two enzymes.
The team found that the first enzyme was used to create an intermediate chemical that the second enzyme uses to break down the plastic into carbon and energy. Their tests showed that this process allowed the bacteria to degrade low quality plastic in about six weeks. However, the bacteria has a harder time breaking down highly crystallized PET that is found in most hard plastic.
At this time, the potential applications of the research team's findings are not clear. While they are not certain that Ideonella Sakaiensis could be used to help clean up the environment, they do believe that it might lead to the creation of other biological agents that are capable of breaking down other types of plastics.
The new bacteria was discovered outside a bottle recycling plant. The research team took samples of the soil, sediment, and waste water from around the plant. All of the samples were contaminated by PET. When they tested the samples they found that a microbe was degrading the plastic. More tests revealed that the bacteria, Ideonella Sakaiensis did so through the use of two enzymes.
The team found that the first enzyme was used to create an intermediate chemical that the second enzyme uses to break down the plastic into carbon and energy. Their tests showed that this process allowed the bacteria to degrade low quality plastic in about six weeks. However, the bacteria has a harder time breaking down highly crystallized PET that is found in most hard plastic.
At this time, the potential applications of the research team's findings are not clear. While they are not certain that Ideonella Sakaiensis could be used to help clean up the environment, they do believe that it might lead to the creation of other biological agents that are capable of breaking down other types of plastics.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)