The Ghostly Neutron Star of a Supernova Remnant
-1st Ever View

post from The Daily Galaxy - Great Discoveries Channel -Your Daily Dose of Awe: Science, Space, Tech on 18 February 2010 11:14:00 PM. © The Daily Galaxy - Great Discoveries Channel -Your Daily Dose of Awe: Science, Space, Tech

This image gives the first clear view of the faint boundary of the Crab Nebula's X-ray-emitting pulsar wind nebula. The nebula is powered by a rapidly rotating, highly magnetized neutron star, or pulsar (white dot near the center). The combination of rapid rotating and strong magnetic field generates an intense electromagnetic field that creates jets of matter and anti-matter moving away from the north and south poles of the pulsar, and an intense wind flowing out in the equatorial direction.

The inner X-ray ring is thought to be a shock wave that marks the boundary between the surrounding nebula and the flow of matter and antimatter particles from the pulsar. Energetic electrons and positrons (antielectrons) move outward from this ring to brighten the outer ring and produce an extended X-ray glow.

The fingers, loops, and bays in the image all indicate that the magnetic field of the nebula and filaments of cooler matter are controlling the motion of the electrons and positrons. The particles can move rapidly along the magnetic field and travel several light years before radiating away their energy. In contrast, they move much more slowly perpendicular to the magnetic field, and travel only a short distance before losing their energy.

The Daily Galaxy via Chandra Space Telescope

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/WXYhkkb
tOYM/the-ghostly-neutron-star-of-the-crab-nebula-1st-ever-view.html

Digg this

Teenage night owl syndrome possibly caused by
lack of morning sunlight

post from Science and Medicine - For The Rest Of Us on 18 February 2010 11:08:46 PM. © Science and Medicine - For The Rest Of Us

tweetcount_url =[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/snmfortherestofus/~3/w06R35KM-_o/

Digg this

One gene may be associated with endurance running

post from Machines Like Us - Science at the speed of thought on 18 February 2010 10:40:33 PM. © Machines Like Us - Science at the speed of thought

A few minor variations in one gene may make a difference in athletic endurance, according to a new study from Physiological Genomics.

Read The Full Article:
http://machineslikeus.com/news/one-gene-may-be-associated-endurance-running

Digg this

Vaccine Opportunities - Bill & Melinda

post from The Big Red Biotech Blog on 18 February 2010 10:34:00 PM. © The Big Red Biotech Blog

Read The Full Article:
http://thebigredbiotechblog.typepad.com/the-big-red-biotech-blog/2010/02/vaccine-
opportunities-bill-melinda.html

Digg this

Sampson Research

post from SciEmploy.ca on 18 February 2010 09:39:02 PM. © SciEmploy.ca

Economic research that specializes in the evaluation of energy efficiency initiatives

Read The Full Article:
http://sciemploy.ca/sampson-research/

Digg this

11 Basic Researches get UPLB nod, to start in
2010

post from Home on 18 February 2010 09:12:14 PM. © Home

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension at UPLB has approved the implementation of 11 new basic research projects for 2010. This grant is given annually, endowing a special fund facilitating the jump-start of basic researches[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://rdenews.uplb.edu.ph/index.php/breaking-news/86-news/225-11-basic-researche
s-get-uplb-nod-to-start-in-2010

Digg this

Food Security for the Future :: Part 1

post from FUTURISM NOW on 18 February 2010 08:47:02 PM. © FUTURISM NOW

Photo: Romeo Ranoco A farmer walks with his carabao on cracked and dried farmland in Escribano town, Batangas province, south of Manila February 18, 2010

Climate change is going to greatly affect food security for millions in the future. It’s already affecting the ability to grow food in areas that are now suffering serious drought. The UN is working with countries and NGOs to develop the means to make sure everyone in the world, especially poor countries has enough to eat. Because of droughts and floods, this will get more difficult in the years ahead.

Finding the food to feed 9 billion people is going to be a huge challenge by 2050, according to a special issue of the journal Science. When you factor in the desirability of reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050, that presents even more challenges. What will people use for cooking and keeping food refrigerated? I assume solar power will be world-wide and cheap by then, but food may not be. There may also be distribution problems. In a special issue available to everyone (instead of only its usual subscribers) Science covers food security and the science of the possibility of plenty of food for everyone. Below is the introduction to this special issue and more information about the impact of global warming on food production.. There is a lot more on the Science site including a podcast and a special audio interview with a food science intern. (You can find much of this after the break). Below is the intro to the Science supplement on food security and climate change.

Feeding the Future

Feeding the 9 billion people expected to inhabit our planet by 2050 will be an unprecedented challenge. This special issue examines the obstacles to achieving global food security and some promising solutions. News articles take us into the fields, introducing farmers and researchers who are finding ways to boost harvests, especially in the developing world. Reviews, Perspectives, a special single-topic podcast, and an audio interview done by a high school intern provide a broader context for the causes and effects of food insecurity and point to paths to ending hunger.

We have little time to waste. Godfray et al. (p. 812) note that we have perhaps 40 years to radically transform agriculture, work out how to grow more food without exacerbating environmental problems, and simultaneously cope with climate change. Although estimates of food insecurity vary (Barrett et al., p. 825), the number of undernourished people already exceeds 1 billion; feeding this many people requires more than incremental changes (Federoff et al., p. 833).

Also Online

Special-issue Podcast [MP3]: Host Robert Frederick talks with contributors to this special section about how to measure food insecurity, the case for not eating meat, and radically rethinking agriculture

Audio Interview [MP3]: Science intern Lan-Vy Ngo, a senior at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA, talks with Dr. John Hoddinott, a senior policy fellow [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.civilianism.com/futurism/?p=4355

Digg this

Post-doctoral Research Positions in Healthcare
Management

post from Sedemos News on 18 February 2010 08:43:00 PM. © Sedemos News

The newly established Collaboration in Healthcare Managemenat Ulm University in Germany invites applications for:

Two Full-Time Post-doctoral Research Positions in Healthcare Management
(or as part-time research/PhD positions for Master?s degree holders)*

Ulm University, a leading medical and natural sciences university in Germany, is seeking two post-doctoral candidates for the newly established collaboration in Healthcare Management. This concentration brings together the medical and the business school at Ulm University to develop expertise in healthcare management. The candidates will work directly for the newly appointed professor of healthcare management and controlling at Ulm University and contribute to developing the teaching and research program. Candidates will participate in domestic and international collaborations with leading academic and medical institutions. Ideal candidates will possess academic or practical healthcare management experience and an understanding of the healthcare market, but need not come from a healthcare background. Candidates can expect the position to open doors for healthcare administration in Europe and the U.S.

To apply: Please send CV, cover letter, a brief synopsis of a research project previously conducted (or up to three selected publications) and up to 3 letters of reference to Prof. Dr. Katharina Janus latest until March 11, 2010.

[more]

*Non-PhD holders:

Candidates without a PhD have the option to complete a PhD at Ulm University while working part-time in the described positions. The professor of health management and controlling will act as the PhD candidate?s academic supervisor. To enroll in the PhD, candidates need to hold a Master?s Degree in a related field and propose an adequate research topic to the academic supervisor.

Read The Full Article:
http://sedemos.blogspot.com/2010/02/post-doctoral-research-positions-in.html

Digg this

NCBI ROFL: The case of the disappearing
teaspoons.

The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute.“OBJECTIVES: To determine the overall rate of loss of workplace teaspoons and whether attrition and displacement are correlated with the relative value of the teaspoons or type of tearoom. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: Research institute employing [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NcbiRofl/~3/oPpkqfORv10/

Digg this

Yvo de Boer Resigns as UNFCCC Secretary

Yvo de Boer has announced today, February 18th, that he will resign his position as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 1 July 2010.

Mr. de Boer will be joining the consultancy group KPMG as Global Adviser on Climate and Sustainability, as well as working with a number of universities. I personally don’t think it’s important who the executive secretary of the UNFCCC talks is, but maybe someone younger would be a good idea, given what they have to physically endure during the climate talks (going for several days without sleep during the last talks). Yvo de Boer worked very hard during the climate change talks but often appeared overwhelmed and exhausted and he was unable to pull a binding agreement together. According to the press release today:

“Working with my colleagues at the UNFCCC Secretariat in support of the climate change negotiations has been a tremendous experience”, said Mr. de Boer who has led the organisation since September 2006. “It was a difficult decision to make, but I believe the time is ripe for me to take on a new challenge, working on climate and sustainability with the private sector and academia,” he explained.

“I have always maintained that while governments provide the necessary policy framework, the real solutions must come from business” said Yvo de Boer. “Copenhagen did not provide us with a clear agreement in legal terms, but the political commitment and sense of direction toward a low-emissions world are overwhelming. This calls for new partnerships with the business sector and I now have the chance to help make this happen”, he added.

Mr. de Boer will remain in his current position until 1st July and help negotiations move forward ahead of the Climate Change Conference in Mexico in November this year. “Countries responsible for 80% of energy related CO2 emissions have submitted national plans and targets to address the climate change. This underlines their commitment to meet the challenge of climate change and work towards an agreed outcome in Cancun”, he said.

[I thought the conference would be in Mexico City, but Cancun is even better, if you plan on going down there].

Mr. de Boer (1954) was appointed Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC in [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.civilianism.com/futurism/?p=4357

Digg this