Scientists Move Closer to New Kind of
Thermoelectric 'Heat Engine'

post from CR4 - Recent Blog Entries on 11 July 2012 02:32:35 PM. © CR4 - Recent Blog Entries

From Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories: Researchers who are studying a new magnetic effect that converts heat to electricity have discovered how to amplify it a thousand times over - a first step in making the technology more practical. Read the whole article

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hermoelectric-Heat-Engine?from_rss=1

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Checking in on NASA's Space Launch System

post from Planetary Society Blog on 11 July 2012 02:32:26 PM. © Planetary Society Blog

Work continues on the Space Launch System, NASA's next-generation deep space vehicle slated to take humans beyond Earth for the first time since 1972.

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http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/jason-davis/20120711-checking-in-on-th
e-space.html

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Cryptography Research Teams with Discretix on DPA

post from CR4 - Recent Blog Entries on 11 July 2012 02:31:00 PM. © CR4 - Recent Blog Entries

From EE Times: Security R&D and licensing company Cryptography Research Inc. (CRI) has agreed a deal with Discretix allowing the latter to develop products incorporating differential power analysis countermeasures for use by CRI's licensees. Read the whole article

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tix-on-DPA?from_rss=1

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How the Universe Works Season 2 premier tonight!

post from Bad Astronomy on 11 July 2012 02:00:45 PM. © Bad Astronomy

I’m very pleased to let y’all know that the second season of The Science Channel’s show "How the Universe Works" premiers tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. Check your local listings, etc. etc.I’m pleased about this[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BadAstronomyBlog/~3/bvkR37rk1s0/

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Can You Quit Your Cell Phone

post from CR4 - Recent Blog Entries on 11 July 2012 01:56:24 PM. © CR4 - Recent Blog Entries

Cell phone companies are really starting to tighten their grip, and they want you to tighten your belt if you use a lot of data. I'm not condoning those who cancel their cable Internet service and flip on WiFi tethering when they get home without paying for a tethering plan. But when you cons

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Physics marches to it's own beat!

post from Physics Buzz on 11 July 2012 01:16:41 PM. © Physics Buzz

It started with the Cello. That was the fourth grade. I liked it, but it was a lot carrying and lugging that an 8 year old child should not have to endure. I then moved on the piano. It was cool to play. I just didn?t like only using my hands. I was pressing down on the foot pedals too hard, my instructor would advise me. After a few months I decided that I wanted to play the organ. That idea did not last long in my head. It was the contorting of the fingers again that was difficult for me to do, but I loved using my feet on the bass pedals below. Finally, I picked up a pair of drum sticks, and the story was written.
I was hooked and I practiced all of the time. The noise I would make was delightful at first with the smiles my family would have at an instrument that I loved to practice, loved to play, and would finally stick with (for the rest of my life?pun intended). After a few weeks, a practice pad was purchased to dampen the sound-smiles changed to hands over the ears and wishing that I would stop practicing. This is probably the track that most percussionists travel in their early years, the wonderful thing that is overlooked about being a percussionist is the amount of Physics involved.

From the rudiments like the 5-stroke, 9-stroke, double stroke roll, flam, ruff, paradiddle, ratamacue, and drag to the match or traditional grip, Physics encompasses a large part of the art of drumming. The lessons in Physics were there the whole time in my younger years. The amount of work done, the kinetic and potential energy concepts, the torque involved with the particular grips, and the amount of energy reflected from striking the stick on the drum head, the Physics was there. Take a look at the incorporation of Physics in drums. Enjoy!

Check this out as well? http://bit.ly/Nl4gE4

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marches-to-its-own-beat.html

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Plastic ingredient makes fish court other species

post from New Scientist - Environment on 11 July 2012 12:32:00 PM. © New Scientist - Environment

A common chemical could lead fish to interbreed, resulting in the loss of species

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icle0Cdn220A470Eplastic0Eingredient0Emakes0Efish0Ecourt0Eother0Especies0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fenvironment/story01.htm

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Controversy over Arsenic-Loving Bacteria comes
down to Data Interpretation

post from Visionlearning blog on 11 July 2012 12:18:00 PM. © Visionlearning blog

Mono Lake, California, home to the controversial, arsenic-tolerant
bacteria known as GFAJ-1. Image Courtesy Flickr User anaurath (CC)
A little over a year ago, we ran a blog post about a provocative paper in the journal Science called "A Bacterium That Can Grow by Using Arsenic Instead of Phosphorus." Or more accurately, we ran a blog post about the heated discussion and, yes, controversy surrounding the paper.

The researchers' findings were startling because they pointed to a life form--a bacterium called GFAJ-1--that, according to the authors' interpretation of the data, did not need phosphorus to survive. In fact, the authors, led by NASA astrobiology fellow Felisa Wolfe-Simon, posited that the bacteria were replacing the phosphorus in their DNA with the normally-toxic metal arsenic.

The implications were huge. If the results were reproduced by other researchers, our understanding of what makes life possible, on Earth and potentially on other planets, would need serious revision. As soon as the paper appeared online, debate raged in the scientific community. When the paper went to press a couple of months later, it was published alongside eight "technical comments" voicing concerns about the paper's conclusions as well as a rebuttal from the researchers.

Fast forward to this Monday--July 8, 2012.

Two new papers on GFAJ-1 have been published in the online version of Science, both of which suggest that the conclusions drawn in the original study were wrong. The second round of researchers--led by Tobias Erb at the Institute of Microbiology, ETH in Zurich and Marshall Louis Reaves at Princeton--took a closer look at the situation. They grew the same bacteria (provided by the original authors) in arsenic-rich and phosphorus-depleted conditions. For the most part, their results were similar to the original study--the bacteria did indeed continue to grow in these adverse conditions, and they did find arsenic in its cells.

But when they examined the bacteria's DNA and cellular byproducts more closely, they came to different conclusions than Wolfe-Simon's team had. The new results and their revised interpretation of the data indicate that GFAJ-1 bacteria is very resistant to arsenic (a feat in and of itself), but that it does not incorporate the metal into its genetic material and that it still needs a small amount of phosphorus to survive.

So what happened? Was the first study "bad science?" Did the system of peer review fail? Does this mean that we've wasted our time studying and reading about GFAJ-1?

On the contrary. This is the process of science. This is how our understanding of the natural world grows and evolves.

In a press statement released with the new papers, the editors of Science summed it up this way:

The scientific process is a naturally self-correcting one, as scientists attempt to replicate published results. Science is pleased to publish additional information on GFAJ-1, an extraordinarily resistant organism that should be of interest for further study, particularly related to arsenic-tolerance mechanisms.

THEN AND NOW:

Compare the Headlines:
New York Times Story "Microbe Finds Arsenic Tasty; Redefines Life," Dec. 2, 2010

New York Times Story "Studies Rebut Finding That Arsenic May Support Life" July 8, 2012

Compare the Papers:
The Original Science Paper, "A Bacterium That Can Grow by Using Arsenic Instead of Phosphorus" Dec. 2, 2010

The Technical Comments and Rebuttal from the authors, May 27th 2011

The New Science Papers, July 8, 2012
"GFAJ-1 Is an Arsenate-Resistant, Phosphate-Dependent Organism"

"Absence of Detectable Arsenate in DNA from Arsenate-Grown GFAJ-1 Cells"

Note: All related papers are free to access, but you may need to register with AAAS.

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-arsenic-loving.html

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A fifth moon for Pluto!

Astronomers have just announced that tiny Pluto has a fifth moon! It was discovered using the Hubble Space Telescope:You can see it in that image (click to enhadesenate) in the green circle. Pluto was targeted by HST for several observations in late June[...]

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TED: Chris Gerdes: The future race car -- 150mph,
and no driver - Chris Gerdes (2012)

Autonomous cars are coming -- and they?re going to drive better than you. Chris Gerdes reveals how he and his team are developing robotic race cars that can drive at 150 mph while avoiding every possible accident. And yet, in studying the brainwaves of professional racing drivers, Gerdes says he has gained a new appreciation for the instincts of professional drivers. (Filmed at TEDxStanford.)

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ure_race_car_150mph_and_no_driver.html

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