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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 34 declined, 13 accepted (47 total, 27.66% accepted)

Space

Submission + - Using Light's Handedness to Find Alien Life (eurekalert.org)

Submitted by
Rational Egoist
Rational Egoist writes: "Scientists working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have come up with a novel, easy way to detect life on other planets. Rather than try to measure the composition of atmospheres, they want to look at the chirality of light coming from the planet. From the article: "If the [planet's] surface had just a collection of random chiral molecules, half would go left, half right," Germer says. "But life's self-assembly means they all would go one way. It's hard to imagine a planet's surface exhibiting handedness without the presence of self assembly, which is an essential component of life." And they have already built a working model: "Because chiral molecules reflect light in a way that indicates their handedness, the research team built a device to shine light on plant leaves and bacteria, and then detect the polarized reflections from the organisms' chlorophyll from a short distance away. The device detected chirality from both sources." The article abstract is available online."
Biotech

Submission + - First royal mummy found since Tut is identified (reuters.com)

Submitted by brian0918
brian0918 writes: In what is being described as the most important find in the Valley of the Kings since the discovery of King Tut, a single tooth has clinched the identification of an ancient mummy as that of Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt about 3,500 years ago. A molar inscribed with the queen's name, discovered in a wooden box in 1881 in a cache of royal mummies, was found to fit perfectly in the jaw of "a fat woman in her 50s who had rotten teeth and died of bone cancer." Reuters also reports on the DNA analysis: 'Preliminary results show similarities between its DNA and that of Ahmose Nefertari, the wife of the founder of the 18th dynasty and a probable ancestor of Hatsephsut's.'
Space

Submission + - How a Pulsar gets its Spin

Submitted by
brian0918
brian0918 writes: "Until now, the assumption has been that the rapid spin of a pulsar comes from the spin of the original star. The problem was that this only explained the fastest observed pulsars. Now, researchers at Oak Ridge have shown that the spin of a pulsar is determined by the shock wave created when the star's massive iron core collapses. From the article: 'That shock wave is inherently unstable, and eventually becomes cigar-shaped instead of spherical. The instability creates two rotating flows — one in one direction directly below the shock wave and another, inner flow, that travels in the opposite direction and spins up the core. The asymmetrical flows establish a 'sloshing' motion that accounts for the pulsars' observed spin velocities from once every 15 to 300 milliseconds.'"
Biotech

Submission + - Blood Protein used to Split Water

Submitted by
brian0918
brian0918 writes: "The Imperial College in London is reporting that genetically-engineered blood protein can be used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. From the article: 'Scientists have combined two molecules that occur naturally in blood to engineer a molecular complex that uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This molecular complex can use energy from the sun to create hydrogen gas, providing an alternative to electrolysis, the method typically used to split water into its constituent parts. The breakthrough may pave the way for the development of novel ways of creating hydrogen gas for use as fuel in the future.' The abstract can be viewed for free from the Journal of the American Chemical Society."
Technology (Apple)

Submission + - Pyramid Stones Were Poured, not Quarried

Submitted by
brian0918
brian0918 writes: "Times Online is reporting that French and American researchers have discovered that the stones on the higher levels of the great pyramids of Egypt were built with concrete. From the article: 'Until recently it was hard for geologists to distinguish between natural limestone and the kind that would have been made by reconstituting liquefied lime.' They found 'traces of a rapid chemical reaction which did not allow natural crystalisation. The reaction would be inexplicable if the stones were quarried, but perfectly comprehensible if one accepts that they were cast like concrete.'"
Space

Submission + - Solar probe films plasma loops, sunspots in action

Submitted by
brian0918
brian0918 writes: "NewScientist reports that Japan's Hinode (Solar-B) spacecraft has captured videos of surface details of the Sun, including the development of loops of hot plasma above the surface, and activity around sunspots. From the article: 'It is hoped that its observations will shed light on what triggers solar eruptions — called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These ejections spew out radiation that poses a health risk for astronauts, and they can also knock out satellites. The mission team is still testing out the spacecraft's instruments, but full scientific observations will probably be underway by January 2007.' More videos can be viewed at NASA's site."
Data Storage

Submission + - Magnetic Storage using Quantum Vortex Cores

Submitted by
brian0918
brian0918 writes: "Researchers at the Max Planck Institute have discovered a new, easy way to manipulate the state of tiny magnetic structures, called vortex cores, quickly and with no losses. From their press release: 'Up until now, very strong magnetic fields have been necessary to accomplish this, requiring highly complex technology. The new method might open up new possibilities for magnetic data storage. The directions of the small nanoscopic magnetic needles define a digital bit that is extremely stable in the face of frequently unavoidable external factors such as heat or interference from magnetic fields.' Nature is also covering this research."
Space

Submission + - Emissions of Key Greenhouse Gas Stabilize

Submitted by
brian0918
brian0918 writes: "Multiple news sites are reporting that levels of the second most important greenhouse gas, methane, have stabilized. From Scientific American: 'During the two decades of measurements, methane underwent double-digit growth as a constituent of our atmosphere, rising from 1,520 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) in 1978 to 1,767 ppbv in 1998. But the most recent measurements have revealed that methane levels are barely rising anymore — and it is unclear why.' NewScientist notes that 'although this is good news, it does not mean that methane levels will not rise again', and that 'carbon dioxide remains the 800-pound gorilla' of climate change."
Power

Submission + - Green Light for Nuclear Fusion Project

Submitted by
brian0918
brian0918 writes: "NewScientist reports that a seven-member international consortium has signed a formal agreement to build the $12.8 billion International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). From the article: 'Representatives from China, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States signed the pact, sealing a decade of negotiations. The project aims to research a clean and limitless alternative to dwindling fossil fuel reserves, although nuclear fusion remains an unproven technology. ' ITER will be built 'in Cadarache, southern France, over the course of a decade, starting in 2008.'"
Space

Submission + - Fastest Spinning Black Hole Ever Found

Submitted by
brian0918
brian0918 writes: "NewScientist reports that researchers in Cambridge have detected a black hole spinning at nearly 1,000 times per second — the fastest ever recorded. From the article: 'McClintock's team examined a black hole in our galaxy called GRS 1915+105, which lies about 36,000 light years away. They found the innermost stable orbit around GRS 1915 is so close that the black hole must be spinning at nearly 1000 times per second. The finding supports the idea that only fast-spinning stars can collapse to create powerful explosions called long gamma-ray bursts.' Also see the relevant journal article published in The Astrophysical Journal."
Biotech

Submission + - Ancient swords made of carbon nanotubes

Submitted by
brian0918
brian0918 writes: "Nature reports that researchers at Dresden University believe that sabres from Damascus dating back to 900 AD were formed with help from carbon nanotubes. From the article: 'Sabres from Damascus are made from a type of steel called wootz. But the secret of the swords' manufacture was lost in the eighteenth century.' At high temperatures, impurities in the metal 'could have catalysed the growth of nanotubes from carbon in the burning wood and leaves used to make the wootz, Paufler suggests. These tubes could then have filled with cementite to produce the wires in the patterned blades, he says.'"

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