8 Modern Astronomy Mysteries Scientists Still Can’t Explain
Image: This artist’s impression shows galaxies at a time less than a billion years after the Big Bang, when the universe was still partially filled with hydrogen fog that absorbed ultraviolet light. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser
The vastness of space and the puzzling nature of the cosmic objects that occupy it provides no shortage of material for astronomers to ponder.
To round up some of the most enduring mysteries in the field of astronomy, the journal Science enlisted help from science writers and members of the Board of Reviewing Editors to choose eight puzzling questions being asked by leading astronomers today.
(via scinerds)
Source: ikenbot
Iceberg in Argentina gives spectators a rare show!
The iceberg flipped over in Argentina while people captured the event on their cameras. Here’s what the author says about the event under her Youtube video:
osibaruch writes:“This Iceberg was “calved” by Argentina’s Uppsala glacier. While we were passing by it with a catamaran, the huge berg lost a part of itself (look at the right side sinking) and then flipped over with a huge roar. In the process of melting this happens all the time, but it is seldom that it is captured on video WHEN it happens…”
(via scinerds)
Source: youtube.com
Supermassive Black Hole at Work
Image Credit: NASA, S. Gezari (The Johns Hopkins University), and J. Guillochon (University of California, Santa Cruz)
Back in 2010, astronomers witnessed an explosion of light from a star that was obliterated by a supermassive black hole. This is an accurate computer simulation of the event that took place.
Source: ikenbot
It’s been almost a year and a half since I visited the Jenny McCarthy Body Count. In that time, it looks like over 250 unnecessary vaccine-preventable deaths and over 20,000 illnesses have occurred because of Jenny and her ilk spreading brain-meltingly frustrating misinformation about the safety of vaccines.
Sure, she’s not the only guilty one, but she’s the leader of a dangerous movement that’s still quite active today.
This from a woman whose website has the following headline up today: 21 Benefits of Enzymes and Why You Need Them … oh I dunno, maybe to complete basic biological functions and literally BE ALIVE?!?!
A society that cares about science more will be a society that cares less about Jenny McCarthy. Keep up the good fight, and keep sharing science with your friends. Someone’s life may depend on it.
Source: jtotheizzoe
Guild Wars 2: Variety in lush areas. Grass, trees, plants… they don’t come vanilla is this game. With all the different kinds spread out the world of Tyria, it keeps the background and landscape from feeling like it was cut and paste. Just adds to the organic feel it already represents.
Source: soul-step-gaming
I AM SCIENCE
A little while back, I got the following question in my inbox:
I’m 32, and I decided after high school that college wasn’t going anywhere, and so i played in a punk rock band for 12 years, and after a few years of cooling off and accepting my old-ness, i have decided that i would really like to pursue a science and/or science related career. Am I too old already? If not, what are some good options for a late-comer like myself?
So you’re a late-comer to the game, you didn’t do everything “by the book”, and you want to get into science. What does your path ahead look like?
The same as everyone else’s.
I know that sounds obscenely and insultingly simple, but it’s the truth. That’s also the message of the I Am Science movement, celebrated above in a video from The Story Collider to commemorate their second year anniversary (which features several awesome science folks that I know online!). Everyone in that video took a non-traditional path to the science career they have today, because there is no traditional path. None of them would want it any other way.
They represent the tip of the iceberg. People just like them (and you) can be found on every campus. If you look in the newsrooms, classrooms and offices of the science world, you’ll find them too. In my department we have retired teachers returning for research degrees after the age of 50, we have former artists and musicians who never even graduated college, and we have veterans looking for more education after their military service.
There is no “right way”. There’s a simple set of criteria for pursuing a career in science: Curiosity, focus, the ability to learn, and the desire to try. If you have that, then the standardized tests and applications will be a cinch. You’ll need some experience, which you can get through volunteering in local labs or by working as a research assistant for a short time. You’ll need to practice writing, and reading scientific papers. But you’re never too old to pursue a career in science. You can only be unwilling to try.
Check out the original collection of I Am Science stories and the Story Collider audience submissions for inspiration. There’s more doors open to you than ever before.
Science is a hell of a fun party, and as far as I’m concerned everyone’s invited.
Source: jtotheizzoe
Skylon - currently in development by British company Reaction Engines Ltd. It is hoped that such a craft could take off like a conventional jet powered aircraft, and engage rocket boosters at high altitude to fly into orbit. At a length of 83m, it will be more than 50% greater than the space shuttle.
This thing just looks awesome. It reminds me of the Naboo cruiser.
Source: fuckyeahspaceexploration
The X-31 aircraft, on a research mission from NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, performing the Herbst maneuver. Effectively using the entire airframe as a speed brake and using the aircraft’s unique thrust vectoring system to maintain control, the pilot rapidly rolls the aircraft to reverse the direction of flight, completing the maneuver with acceleration back to high speed in the opposite direction.
Source: fuckyeahspaceexploration
Powerhouse Solar Cell Inspired by Leaf Biomimicry
A team of scientists headed up by Princeton University has achieved a whopping 47 percent increase in electricity generation from flexible plastic solar cells, simply by texturing the surface to mimic the wrinkles of a typical leaf.
Full Story: Cleantechnica
via emergentfutures:
1) Biomimicry is amazing. I love that human design is now recognizing that it has so much to learn from natural design. Especially when it can replace eco-questionable solutions with much more eco-friendly solutions - such as simply creating wrinkles on a surface as opposed to something like nano-sprays with unknown side-effects.
2) As the article notes, solar is getting very, very close to the 10-15% efficiency needed to make it competitive with traditional energy sources. And with the various solar innovations coming out, I expect we’ll hit that goal soon… and then surpass it by quite a bit. But of course, this requires research and funding. *cough*fund_science*cough*
(via scinerds)
Source: emergentfutures
