New Particle Discovered

While this news sounds like something one might hear in an Iron Man sequel, researchers believe they may have discovered a new particle, or force of nature.  An atom smasher (something I must admit that I’ve never even heard of) from Fermilab physics laboratory in Batavia, Illinois called the Tevatron (which sounds like an extra from Transformers) has stimulated thousands of particle collisions, making what scientists believe may be a new particle.

It should be noted that these findings are not conclusive, and that the new particle has yet to be proven for sure. If it proves to be true, however, it means big news for the science community. It may result in the complete transformation of cosmology and high energy physics, say some researchers.

Other physicists are not very impressed, citing the findings as something interesting but far from being proven yet. “The experimenters need more data. If the signal does hold up at the five standard deviation level, it is an indication of something beyond the range of what we expected,” says scientist Eugene W. Beier.

That said, the “level of statistical significance in the data now is just over three standard deviations,” which means that it’s closer to being proven than any random finding.

Chaos & Stereotypes

We think that people act the way they do because of their personality. But what effect does their environment have on their behavior? We have all seen the same person act differently in different circumstances. Now a new study by Dutch scientists at Tilburg University in the Netherlands has suggested that a messy environment can cause people to stereotype other people.

They set up a situation in a train station. Caucasian subjects were asked to sit on a bench while they filled out a survey. There was a Dutch-African man sitting on the bench also filling out the survey. The researchers ran the experiment in a clean train station and in a very messy train station. They kept track of how far away the subject sat from the Dutch-African. It turned out that the test subjects were consistently influenced by how messy the station was. If the station was clean, they sat closer to the Dutch-African. If the station was messy, they sat further away from the Dutch-African.

This seems like a very good reason to promote order and cleanliness in public spaces. Maybe we can reduce prejudice a little.

Your Brain on Politics

When you try to understand why someone who is obviously intelligent and well informated still has such a different perspective than yours, sometimes you suspect that their brain must work differently than yours. A recent study on brain differences between Democrats and Republicans suggests that you may be right if your disagreement is a political one.

 Individuals who self identify as liberal tend to have a larger anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in their brain. This is consistent with other studies which found that liberals have a greater ability to cope with conflicting information and are more open to new experiences. Those who say that they are conservative, in contrast, have a larger amygdala. This is also consistent with findings that conservatives have a greater ability to recognize a threat and show anxiety in the face of uncertainty.

 These are just general tendencies and the researchers are not sure which came first.  Areas of the brain can expand or shrink based on their use. So the question of whether political attitude are born or made is still open.

 Image from Scienceline article - [Image Credit: Lena Groeger]

Half-lives of Some Radioisotopes

The radioactive isotopes of the elements vary enormously in their half-lives or the amount of time it takes for half of a particular isotope to decay into another isotope. The main radioactive elements released from the Fukushima nuclear disaster vary in half-life from a few days for Iodine – 131 to 30 years for Cesium 137. Basically, some areas around the plant will have to be abandoned for decades.

Artificial Leaves

The future of energy ?

One of nature's true marvels is photosynthesis, whereby trees and plants actually regulate, recycle, and conserve Earth's environment and atmosphere. Scientist have worked for years to recreate photosynthesis with artificial components, and it looks like some of the brightest minds at MIT have finally figured it out.

In the press release just issued regarding the March 27, 2011 public statement at the American Chemical Society about the creation of the world's first working artificial leaf, research team leader Daniel Nocera, Ph.D., reportedly announced, "A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades. We believe we have done it. The artificial leaf shows particular promise as an inexpensive source of electricity for homes of the poor in developing countries." The artificial leaf is approximately the size of a playing card, but much thinner. It's made of fairly stable and inexpensive components like silicon, cobalt, nickel, and electronics. The artificial leaves placed in water and exposed to sunlight apparently break down hydrogen and oxygen, which can then create electricity to be stored in a separate fuel cell. So far, the MIT team seems to have avoided the instability of previous attempts to create an artificial leaf. They report that, in the lab, their artificial leaves have worked with no significant decrease in output for as long as 45 continuous hours.

While perhaps we're still not quite geared up to the point where we'll be building forests of robot trees to power the earth, environmental publication Grist.org points out that the artificial photosynthesis offers an affordable and clean solution to power houses in places where the power-grid infrastructure doesn't exist, and otherwise presents cost-prohibitive obstacles to developing nations. Likewise, a rooftop garden with a mix of natural plants and artificial, energy-producing leaves might offer a beautiful and effective means of powering any building in a sustainable, green, environmentally-friendly manner. We're running out of excuses for continuing to pollute, deplete, and consume the earth's limited resources.

Considering the ever-increasing volatility in regions of the world where the bulk of our fossil fuels are extracted, the recent devastation of the Gulf of Mexico by petroleum giant BP, the recent local controversy over weaning Washington state off coal-burning power production, and the bald fact that the skyrocketing oil prices seem custom-built to impoverish anyone and everyone still reliant on fossil fuels, this encouraging MIT discovery couldn't have come at a better time.

The potential of a technological advance like the artificial leaf, when coupled with other recent green energy innovations like Australian company Sunergy's recent announcement about their pilot project with India to build the first floating solar power plant, really does sound like science fiction. But the world's desperate need for such innovations is right here, and right now.

Image Credit:  Energy Island. Used with permission.

Who's Afraid of Robots?

And so what now world?

From MSNBC The Dylan Ratigan Show -- "Jobs are already scarce in America despite some early signs of recovery. but the latest threat to employment might not be outsourcing, It might actually be robots. According to one estimate, there could be more than 1 million robots working jobs that used to belong to humans in the next two years alone."

What? In two years robots could be doing the jobs that one million people now do? Really? Really! Is there a robot job threat? See the video.

I can't imagine for a minute that I could be a Luddite, crying to slow the pace of technology, or railing to ban the machine to save the humans jobs. Progress means going forward into the undiscovered country, where we may literally find that literary creation, the brave new world, and for every job a robot takes an opportunity to make life better for people may well open up. Yeah? Right. I believe that.

I wouldn't be surprise if AI robots replace many of the repetitious and risky jobs that people don't do well. It is a stretch to think that AI's will compete against and not assist people, and will replace and not supplement people.

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Forward Into The Future

In times of financial stress space research is one of the first things to be cut back, as if space research and exploration is a hobby, an adventure play activity, to occupy the time of overgrown boys and girls, and not of the pursuit of serious people, and has little or any practical utility. President Nixon cut back space research following the Moon Landing in 1969, because he needed the dollars elsewhere. Maybe, if he hadn't, we would be further along in space exploration, discovery and knowledge, and in technology?

Last night the PBS News Hour did a segment on the Orion Spacecraft, and on its maybe bleak future? Bleak not because of science but because of the budget. Some people, a greater number than one would like, treat the American space program like it is a luxury that America can not afford. I think America can not afford to neglect space exploration and research. I think man kind can not afford the luxury of its continual ignorance of things out there beyond our planet.

Earlier Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, explained the "importance" of the human race continuing the exploration of space. He thinks man will have to expand into space in order to survive. See the video.

If at this time of tight budgets, the money can only be found for unmanned interplanetary trips, we should do unmanned interplanetary trips. If we can only find the dollars to send a crew of robots, then we must do that, in order to continue the research and the exploration. I think it is very important for man to master space travel. There are so many reasons why. There will come a time, if the human race survives long enough, when our sun will exhaust its fuel, and mankind will need to be able to keep the sun from dying, or will need to be able to leave this solar system. There may come a time when the earth may be under threat from intelligent guided or just natural objects, and man will need to be able to reach out into space and to save himself and to save the planet.

Item from the PBS News Hour -- "Despite budget constraints, Congress last October approved a deep-space crew vehicle called Orion. Lockheed-Martin, the nation's largest defense contractor, got the assignment, and has made a major financial commitment in Denver toward completing that mission. The spacecraft was unveiled in Denver last week." See the video.

It's the supermoon

This Saturday night, March 19th, as the sun goes down, the super moon will rise, the first time in twenty years. If one misses it, one will have to wait another nineteen or so years to see another one. So if one wants to see something rare and spectacular, go out doors tomorrow night and look at the sky.

Yeah?

What is the supermoon? Is it like the blue moon? No. The full moon? Well, no. The moon is full but -- according to NASA, the moon is super, the supermoon, because it wil appear about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal, Why? NASA says, because the moon's orbit is oval. Yeah? And?

And there is a point when the moon's closest orbital point to the earth and its full stage coincide to make it appear far bigger and brighter than usual. Oh?

What does it mean? Werewolves will be stronger? No? Love will be stronger? There will be more light for lovers to see each other by moon light? Will tides be stronger? The moon will only appear bigger, but it will be closer. Oh?

What about the loonies? Will the supermoon bring out more loony tunes?

Well, this Saturday night, the supermoon will rise.. This Sunday morning, in the Northern Hemisphere, spring will begin. Finally, after this winter? Yay!

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Journey to Mercury?

One of my major joys -- scratch that . Well, don't scratch it, just hold it in thought.

One of the reason why I enjoy the Internet as much as I do is, because I get to see the views from space, which NASA provides. I am a full enthusiastic member of the space age generation. Yes, I was a kid when all the talk was about NASA's seven original astronauts, and about my generation, stepping out on a new adventure. An adventure, for the most of us, has been and will continue to, in the words of Rod Sterling, an adventure "of the mind and of the imagination." A most enjoyable adventure just the same, and a mind expanding and learning adventure.

This brings me to an item from the PBS News Hour -- We are asked to "imagine traveling to a planet where the sun is eleven times stronger than on Earth, the temperature can swing 1,100 degrees and (we) have to maintain contact with headquarters back on Earth."

In the News Hour segment, PBS Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reported on NASA's tricky task of building a spacecraft to withstand the extreme environment on Mercury," and on the wondrous adventure that is a trip to Mercury. See the video.

And, I can't wait to see the pictures from Mercury, which NASA will provide the world..

Dogu Figures

Evidence of Japan's prehistoric alien visitors?

A few days before the big earthquake in Japan, I happened to stumble across an episode of a show on The History Channel called "Ancient Aliens" which discussed Dogu figurines in depth. I made a note to research them later, and now I can't help but wonder what has happened to these historical sites in the disaster. 

Dogu figurines are small fired clay statuettes of humanoid figures, which were made in the late Jomon Period of Japanese history, between 14,000 and 400 BC. The Jomon culture was a Paleolithic culture of hunter gatherers which settled in Japan and began to create the world's first example of pottery vessels.

There is a lot of variation in Dogu figurines, yet all of them share a similar set of qualities. Clearly these were something of a fad among the Jomon people, an artistic line that lasted for several thousand years. Most reputable anthropologists believe they are fertility symbols, or involved in fertility rituals. (But isn't that what they always say? It's the "tastes like chicken" of the anthropology world. When in doubt, write it off as a fertility symbol!)

Dogu figurines seem humanoid, although grossly distorted. Many of them have extremely overdeveloped breasts or butts, or have a tiny waist with hugely swollen arms and legs. And a surprising number of them seem to be wearing goggles.

In fact, one of the most prevalent styles of Dogu figurines are called "Shakokidogu," derived from the term "shakoki" which means "light blocking device." These figurines seem to be wearing slit goggles, similar to those worn by the Inuit to prevent snow blindness.

You can look at Dogu figurines and think, "Gosh, they had some strange artistic fads back in the Iron Age." Or you can look at them and think, "I bet those represent the aliens who came to Earth to give culture to the Japanese."

Such was the contention of many UFO specialists interviewed on "Ancient Aliens." The Dogu figurines do indeed look something like a person in a weird space suit. And their emergence in the artistic record coincides with a rich period in the development of Japanese culture. (Although you would be hard pressed to find a 10,000 year period in history in which that was NOT the case.)

Do the Dogu figurines represent aliens who brought Japan to the Japanese, so to speak? Or could they actually be time travelers who traveled back in time for the same reason? (And doesn't that sound like the plot of a sloppy time travel movie? "Time traveler travels back in time to create what would become his own culture.")

One feature which is common to almost all Dogu is the intricate patterning. Each figure is covered in swirls and stamps which coil around their torsos, encircling their limbs. And each one seems to have nipples, if not breasts. Do these represent elaborately patterned space suits? Or do they simply represent heavily tattooed people, both male and female?

One of the richest archaeological sites for Dogu figurines is in a town called Ishinomaki, which was one of the hardest hit by Friday's earthquake. Here's hoping that the site - and the archaeologists researching it - came through the event unharmed.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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