Cyborg Cockroaches Could Save Your Life | Cyborg Nation

Δημοσιεύτηκε στις 4 Νοε 2015

Most consider them pesky critters, but Dr. Alper Bozkurt of North Carolina State University thinks that cockroaches have the potential to save human lives. By hacking their antennae and transforming them into remote-controlled creatures, he believes we can use the cyber roaches as a mobile search and rescue team to help find survivors during natural disasters. 

Ancient Greek fortress thought to have been unearthed in Jerusalem

Δημοσιεύτηκε στις 3 Νοε 2015

Israeli archaeologists unearth what they think is an ancient Greek fortress in Jerusalem. . Report by Asana Greenstreet.

New APEX instrument for finding water in the Universe

eso1543 — Organisation Release

First Observations from SEPIA

New APEX instrument for finding water in the Universe

4 November 2015

A new instrument attached to the 12-metre Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope at 5000 metres above sea level in the Chilean Andes is opening up a previously unexplored window on the Universe. The Swedish–ESO PI receiver for APEX (SEPIA) will detect the faint signals from water and other molecules within the Milky Way, other nearby galaxies and the early Universe.

Installed on APEX earlier this year, SEPIA [1] is sensitive to light with wavelengths in the range 1.4–1.9 millimetres [2]. The exceptional observing conditions on the extremely dry Chajnantor Plateau in northern Chile mean that, although this light is blocked by water vapour in the atmosphere at most places on Earth, SEPIA is still able to detect the faint signals coming from space.

This wavelength region is of great interest to astronomers as signals from water in space are found here. Water is an important indicator of many astrophysical processes, including the formation of stars, and is believed to play an important role in the origin of life. Studying water in space — in molecular clouds, in star-forming regions and even in comets within the Solar System — is expected to provide critical clues to the role of water in the Milky Way and in the history of the Earth. In addition, SEPIA’s sensitivity makes it a powerful tool for also detecting carbon monoxide and ionised carbon in galaxies in the early Universe.

The new SEPIA receiver has been used to make test astronomical observations at APEX during 2015. Identical receivers are being installed in the ALMA antennas. Results from the new detector on APEX have shown it to be working well. With this validation, SEPIA is being made available to the wider scientific community. Observations with SEPIA can now be proposed by astronomers in the community.

"The first measurements with SEPIA on APEX show that we really are opening up a new window, including looking at water in interstellar space — SEPIA  will give astronomers a chance to search for objects that can be followed up at higher spatial resolution when the same receiver becomes operational on the ALMA array," says John Conway, director of Onsala Space Observatory, Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

Just as dark skies are essential to see faint objects in visible light, a very dry atmosphere is needed to pick up the signals from water in the cosmos at longer wavelengths. But dry conditions are not the only requirement, the detectors need to be cooled to a very low temperature of –269 degrees Celsius — just 4 degrees above absolute zero — for them to work. Recent technological advancements have only now made these detectors possible and practical.

APEX, which is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) and ESO, is the largest single-dish submillimetre telescope operating in the southern hemisphere and is based on a prototype antenna constructed for the ALMA project.

Notes

[1] SEPIA stands for “Swedish ESO PI receiver for APEX”. SEPIA was designed and built by Onsala Space Observatory's Group for Advanced Receiver Development (GARD) at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, and supported by ESO. SEPIA has room for three receivers and currently one receiver is in position. The receiver cartridge was originally developed and tested for ALMA Band 5 as part of a project under the European Commission supported Framework Programme FP6 (ALMA Enhancement). ESO delivered the local oscillator source and the room temperature electronics were produced by NRAO.  (ann15059).

Sepia is also a colour with a close connection to water. The reddish-brown shade, characteristic of pigment collected from the cuttlefish of genus Sepia (found in the waters of both Sweden and Chile), has been used in ink since ancient times and sepia toning is a well-known way of giving photographic prints a longer life.

[2] Frequencies between 158 and 211 GHz.

More information

APEX is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) and ESO. Operation of APEX at Chajnantor is carried out by ESO.

ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its Member States), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), NSC and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (South Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ.

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world’s most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world’s most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world’s largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is a major partner in ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre European Extremely Large Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become “the world’s biggest eye on the sky”.

Blue Glaucus, Blue Sea Slug, or Sea Swallow?

The blue glaucus (Glaucus atlanticus), sometimes called the blue sea slug or blue ocean slug, is a bizarre-looking marine creature in the group of sea slugs known as nudibranchs. Found in the temperate and tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, this slender, up-to-3-centimeter-long slug lives its life floating upside-down on the surface of the ocean thanks to an air bubble which it swallows and keeps inside its stomach. Its color pattern, an example of a phenomenon known as countershading, helps it avoid both flying and swimming predators while floating wherever the wind and the currents take it: its underside, which faces upward, is blue, helping it blend into the water’s surface when seen from above, while its back, which faces downward, is a more grayish color, helping it blend into the ocean when seen from below. This camouflage, however, is not the blue glaucus’ only form of self-defense. It feeds on animals known as hydrozoans (in the same phylum as jellyfish), especially the highly venomous Portuguese Man-O’-War. Although a sting by a Portuguese Man-O’-War is very painful to a human, the blue glaucus, like some other nudibranchs, can swallow its prey’s stinging cells (known as nematocysts) without hurting itself. It may be able to protect itself from the sting both by secreting mucus and by hard discs in its skin. Far from being harmed by the poison, the blue glaucus stores it in the up to 84 finger-like structures or cerata sticking out of its body, and uses it to defend itself against predators.

NASA Sees Cyclone Chapala Approaching Landfall in Yemen

On Nov. 2, 2015 at 09:40 UTC (4:40 p.m. EDT) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of Tropical Cyclone Chapala as the eye of the storm was approaching the Yemen coast. Chapala maintained an eye, although it appeared cloud-covered. Animated multispectral satellite imagery shows the system has maintained a 15-nautical-mile-wide eye and structure. The image was created by the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

Chapala weakened from category four intensity a couple days ago while maintaining a course that steers it toward Yemen.

Awe-inspiring fireball lights up sky over Bangkok (VIDEOS)

Published time: 2 Nov, 2015 18:06Edited time: 2 Nov, 2015 19:47

© Saran Pol / YouTube

A bright fireball lit up the night sky above Bangkok on Monday, as an objected suspected to be a meteor burnt up in the atmosphere over Thailand.

The flash could be seen in several parts of the country, including the capital, Thai media report. Dashcam videos published soon after the fireball hit the sky show the dark night turn into day for a few seconds.

According to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, it is suspected that the fireball was a small meteor that burnt up in the atmosphere at a high altitude.

The newest spectacle comes after a meteor streaked across the skies of Bangkok on September 9, causing a huge fireball.

Islamic State Claims It Downed Russian Airliner — But Cause Remains Unclear

By Atoosa Moinzadeh

November 1, 2015 | 6:06 pm

Investigators are still searching for answers after a Russian jetliner crashed in Egypt on Saturday, killing all 224 passengers and crew members aboard. An Islamic State (IS) affiliate has claimed responsibility for downing the jet, but experts working at the crash site say they haven't found conclusive evidence to confirm the cause.

"It's too early to make any conclusions. The destruction [of the plane] happened in the air and the fragments scattered over a large area (around 20 square kilometers)," said Victor Sorochenko, the executive director of Russia's Interstate Aviation Commission, according to RT.

Related: Russian Airliner Crashes in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula With 224 People Aboard

Video footage of the crash site showed the ruins of the Russian Metrojet plane, which was carrying vacationers from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg before it went down. An Egyptian ground service official who carried out a pre-flight inspection said Sunday that the Airbus A321 appeared to be in good condition.

"We are all shocked. It was a good plane. Everything checked out in 35 minutes," the official told The Associated Press. The Russian A321 aircraft, which crashed over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, fell apart in the air.

On Saturday, IS affiliate Wilayat Sinai claimed responsibility for the crash via social media. "The fighters of the Islamic State were able to down a Russian plane over Sinai province that was carrying over 220 Russian crusaders. They were all killed, thanks be to God," the group's statement read.

Russia's transport minister has written off the claims, saying they "can't be considered accurate."

Wilayat Sinai also released a video on Sunday titled "From Sinai to Jerusalem," which calls for attacks on Israel and includes footage of recent attacks in Israeli territory, but doesn't make mention of the crash.

Wilayat Sinai was created in November 2014, when Egypt's most active militant group Ansar Bayit al-Maqdis announced it had pledged allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The group has since carried out a number of attacks against security forces in the Sinai, including a ground assault against as many as 21 Egyptian military and police positions near the town of Sheikh Zuweid in July. In 2014, the group took credit for the murder of William Henderson, an American who was killed while working in Egypt.

Related: Sinai Militants Bring Down a Helicopter, But With Whose Missile?

The group's statement did not indicate how the militants allegedly downed the Russian aircraft. Radio Free Europe reported that some IS supporters on Twitter claimed that IS's Sinai affiliate possessed Igla surface-to-air missiles, and that Israeli officials have also claimed that Wilayat Sinai has released footage showing its militants apparently firing an Igla (SA-18) weapon. In January 2014, the militants claimed to have shot down an Egyptian military helicopter.

Since the crash, Russia has grounded its Airbus A321 jets and several UAE Carriers said on Sunday that they were re-routing flights to avoid flying over the region. Security precautions are being taken by Russia's the Kogalymavia airline, Emirates airline, Air Arabia, and Flydubai airlines until the details behind the crash become more clear.

Egyptian and Russian investigators will begin examining the contents of two "black box" flight recorders recovered from the airliner, which crashed into a mountainous area of central Sinai around daybreak shortly after losing radar contact near cruising altitude.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail told a news conference late on Saturday that there did not appear to be any unusual activity behind the crash, but added that investigations are still underway.

Somalia: At least 12 dead as gunmen attack Mogadishu hotel

Δημοσιεύτηκε στις 1 Νοε 2015

Two suicide car bombs exploded outside Safari hotel in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu with at least 12 people reportedly killed and 20 more injured, Sunday morning. The gunmen, who are reported to be members of militant group Al-Shabab, are also said to have taken hostages which resulted in an exchange of fire between them and police.