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Yotta-eV and ET...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 24, 2015 at 9:46pm
Artist's impression of a black hole. Could an advanced alien civilization create a cosmic collider using such an object? (Courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech)


Topics: Black Holes, Neutrinos, Particle Physics, Space, SETI


Has an advanced alien civilization built a black-hole-powered particle accelerator to study physics at "Planck-scale" energies? And if such a cosmic collider is lurking in a corner of the universe, could we detect it here on Earth?

Brian Lacki of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, New Jersey, has done calculations that suggest that if such an accelerator exists, it would produce yotta electron-volt (YeV or 1024 eV) neutrinos that could be detected here on Earth. As a result, Lacki is calling on astronomers involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) to look for these ultra-high-energy particles. This is supported by SETI expert Paul Davies of Arizona State University, who believes that the search should be expanded beyond the traditional telescope searches.

Like humanity, it seems reasonable to assume that an advanced alien civilization would have a keen interest in physics, and would build particle accelerators that reach increasingly higher energies. This energy escalation could be the result of the "nightmare scenario" of particle physics in which there is no new physics at energies between the TeV energies of the Standard Model and the 1028 eV Planck energy (10 XeV) – where the quantum effects of gravity become strong. "The nightmare of particle physics is the dream of astronomers searching for extraterrestrials," says Lacki.

An important problem facing alien physicists would be that the density of electromagnetic energy needed to reach the Planck scale is so great that the device would be in danger of collapsing into a black hole of its own making. However, Lacki points out that a clever designer could, in principle, get round this problem and "reaching [the] Planck energy is technically allowed, if extremely difficult".

Physics World: Have alien civilizations built cosmic accelerators from black holes?
Hamish Johnston is editor of physicsworld.com

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The Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion concept resembles MY AO Luxury Cars

Posted by Carles CJ Juzang on March 23, 2015 at 10:18pm

Below is the link for more about this Mercedes Car:

http://blog.caranddriver.com/mercedes-benz-f-015-luxury-in-motion-concept-is-this-the-vehicular-future/#comments

The last drawing is MY concept of a Luxury Car of the Future

I drew for THE ADIGUN OGUNSANWO™ the major difference is the above Mercedes has actual wheels. My concept hovers at least 1 foot above the ground with Anti Grav Stablizers. WOW I believe I did well. Check my version out... at abyssiniamedia.net, AO comic Strip #19
CJ

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Outcasts of Jupiter by Shobo and Shof Coker

Posted by Carles CJ Juzang on March 23, 2015 at 1:30pm

I have been a fan of artist Shof Coker for quite sometime. He and his brother/writer Shobo Coker have released on Tapastic.com their Online Comic

Outcasts of Jupiter

Check it out at this link:

 

http://tapastic.com/episode/65786

 

This creative family, including their sister Funola Coker, works under their business banner The Coker CoOp. 

http://www.cokercoop.com/

 

Originally from Lagos, Nigeria.... Check it out!

 

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Cyber-Bullying...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 23, 2015 at 11:52am
ERA: History


Topics: Bullying, Diversity in Science, Equal Rights, Internet, Trolls, Women in Science


Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

A moment to discuss this related topic: Yesterday, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by congress in 1972 (a rare time congress actually worked in our behalf). It would ultimately be defeated from becoming law by Phyllis Schlafly, using fear tactics and some homophobia.

Even the actress Ashley Judd is not immune to cyber-bullying, subjected to the vilest and violent responses to a somewhat off-color remark at a sporting event, that most are thinking anyway as their team is losing, but didn't openly share on social media as we do now (as it didn't exist before). The double-standard is quite apparent as no male sharing such disappointment is assaulted in such a manner.  What used to be done in-person by the muscular bully on the playground is done by the cowardly troll on the Internet, usually before there moms call them down for dinner.

As a survivor of trolls: you have the ability to respond in protecting yourselves from bullying, cyber or otherwise. Most social media has a method of blocking them from commenting on your stream. The FBI has a podcast on cyber-bullying as well as an official PSA. My bullying usually has been the response to something said innocuously in a science post that offended a particular troll's view of the universe. After a spirited back-and-forth that eventually went nowhere, I either used the aforementioned blocking settings, or in one severe case, I went here where I found this:

The IC3 (Internet Criminal Complaint Center) was established as a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) to receive Internet related criminal complaints and to further research, develop, and refer the criminal complaints to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement and/or regulatory agencies for any investigation they deem to be appropriate. The IC3 was intended, and continues to emphasize, serving the broader law enforcement community to include federal, as well as state, local, and international agencies, which are combating Internet crime and, in many cases, participating in Cyber Crime Task Forces. You can file a complaint here.

Like Ms. Judd, it stops when you stand up and say "no more!" Social media has done wonderful things, but has revealed homophobes, misogynists, racists, sectarians and sociopaths. NONE of you with the ambition, drive and intelligence can be good scientists or engineers if you don't feel safe, on or offline. Sadly, by accident or incident, these Neanderthals will one day be someone's father, dealing with the seeds they have sown to the wind they will inherit. Let their mothers deal with them now when the authorities come to their doors. They deserve neither your power, your protection nor your respect.
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Dawn...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 23, 2015 at 11:47am
Image Source: Link below


Topics: Ceres, Ion Propulsion, NASA, Space Exploration


The NASA spacecraft Dawn has spent more than seven years traveling across the solar system to intercept the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Now in orbit around Ceres, the probe has returned the first images and data from these distant objects.

But inside Dawn itself is another first – the spacecraft is the first exploratory space mission to use an electrically-powered ion engine rather than conventional rockets.

Such ion engines will propel the next generation of spacecraft.

Ion engines use electric power to create charged particles of the fuel, usually the gas xenon, and accelerate them to extremely high velocities. The exhaust velocity of conventional rockets is limited by the chemical energy stored in the fuel’s molecular bonds, which limits the thrust to about 5km/s. Ion engines are in principle limited only by the electrical power available on the spacecraft, but typically the exhaust speed of the charged particles range from 15km/s to 35km/s.

What this means in practice is that electrically powered thrusters are much more fuel efficient than chemical ones, so an enormous amount of mass can be saved through the need for less fuel on board. With the cost to launch a single kilogram of mass into Earth orbit of around $20,000, fuel savings can make spacecraft significantly cheaper.

This can be of great benefit to commercial manufacturers of geostationary satellites, where electric propulsion can allow them to maneuver adding new capabilities to the satellite during its mission. And for scientific missions such as interplanetary travel to the outer regions of the solar system, electric propulsion is the only means to carry useful scientific payload quickly across the enormous distances involved.

Discovery: Step Aside, Rockets – Ion Engines Are the Future of Space Travel
By Steve Gabriel, University of Southampton
#P4TC: NEXT...

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Guidelines

Posted by Wayne Kelly on March 22, 2015 at 10:55pm

     I don't believe knowledge should be hoarded, but instead shared with others. Perhaps the following may help you, when composing your own work. 

1) With the exception of pay period, or vital research, no internet activity is conducted, till after you are done for the day.

2) Listen to podcast episodes, during the week, dealing with author related material. (From and to work, while on breaks and through-out lunch)

3) When creating, your area must always be clear, and clean. Any clutter is bound to be a distraction.

4) Listen to music, to center your mind, before you begin.

5) Write for two hours each day, to insure natural progression.

6)  Have another project set-up, or in the works, the moment you are done with your present one. 

7) In order to break away from the monotony, the following project MUST be completely different from the previous one. jumping between each novel series, helps in more ways than one.

These guideline can be applied to anyone, regardless their field of creativity. 

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RIP Leonard Nimoy

Posted by G.H. Wright on March 22, 2015 at 2:59pm

Can't believe he's gone. He was the original sci-fi straight man, making us laugh as his character innocently posed the obvious questions about ourselves that we never thought to ask. In that next life, live long and prosper. 

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Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 22, 2015 at 8:37am
Image Source: NobelPrize.org


Topics: Biochemistry, Cell Physiology, Diversity, Diversity in Science, Medicine, Nobel Prize, Women in Science

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1986

Rita Levi-Montalcini

Born: 22 April 1909, Turin, Italy

Died: 30 December 2012, Rome, Italy

Affiliation at the time of the award: Institute of Cell Biology of the C.N.R., Rome, Italy

Prize motivation: "for their discoveries of growth factors"

Field: biochemistry, cell physiology

Prize share: Stanley Cohen and Rita Levi-Montalcini "for their discoveries of growth factors"


My twin sister Paola and I were born in Turin on April 22, 1909, the youngest of four children. Our parents were Adamo Levi, an electrical engineer and gifted mathematician, and Adele Montalcini, a talented painter and an exquisite human being. Our older brother Gino, who died twelve years ago of a heart attack, was one of the most well known Italian architects and a professor at the University of Turin. Our sister Anna, five years older than Paola and myself, lives in Turin with her children and grandchildren. Ever since adolescence, she has been an enthusiastic admirer of the great Swedish writer, the Nobel Laureate Selma Lagerlöf, and she infected me so much with her enthusiasm that I decided to become a writer and describe Italian saga "à la Lagerlöf". But things were to take a different turn.

Ever since childhood, Paola had shown an extraordinary artistic talent and father's decision did not prevent her full-time dedication to painting. She became one of the most outstanding women painters in Italy and is at present still in full activity. I had a more difficult time. At twenty, I realized that I could not possibly adjust to a feminine role as conceived by my father, and asked him permission to engage in a professional career. In eight months I filled my gaps in Latin, Greek and mathematics, graduated from high school, and entered medical school in Turin. Two of my university colleagues and close friends, Salvador Luria and Renato Dulbecco, were to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, respectively, seventeen and eleven years before I would receive the same most prestigious award. All three of us were students of the famous Italian histologist, Giuseppe Levi. We are indebted to him for a superb training in biological science, and for having learned to approach scientific problems in a most rigorous way at a time when such an approach was still unusual.

In 1936 I graduated from medical school with a summa cum laude degree in Medicine and Surgery, and enrolled in the three year specialization in neurology and psychiatry, still uncertain whether I should devote myself fully to the medical profession or pursue at the same time basic research in neurology. My perplexity was not to last too long.

"Rita Levi-Montalcini - Facts". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 21 Mar 2015. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1986/levi-montalcini-facts.html

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First Contact...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 22, 2015 at 8:31am
Image Source: Carl Sagan Contact

Topics: Commentary, Existentialism, First Contact, Sectarianism, SETI

"Man fears time, but time fears only the pyramids." Arab Proverb


Before the movie of the same name by the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, there was an episode using the same name - "First Contact." The implications were that the particular alien species had a lot invested in their traditions and customs; the introduction of another humanoid species outside of itself would profoundly change their self-concept, similar to early man thinking Earth being the center of the universe, and the scientific, Heliocentric corrections of Copernicus and Galileo being heresy. I alluded to this in the post Terms of Indifference, and it was definitely brought to fore in the movie Contact based on a novel by Carl Sagan, which originally started life as a stalled screenplay. We don't have to go warp drive or travel to other worlds to see this species sectarianism. Just the transition from our current Type 0 Kardashev Scale (or, Carl Sagan gave us 0.7) to a Type 1 civilization is daily fraught with regressive forces determined to look backwards fearing natural forward motion, science and knowledge. That would thus bring an end to their respective hegemony, as they would no longer have unquestionable basis to their authority over others. It is incredulous the pull of ignorance on species survival. The irony is they typically rail about this online (often, in all CAPS) with a platform created by science in many cases, in 140 characters or less. It may be why the stars are silent: Type 1 may be a hard gap to leap and Type 2 a rarity; sadly, intelligence maybe its own Entropy.
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WISE...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 21, 2015 at 3:42pm
Image Source: Louisiana Tech University


Topics: Diversity, Diversity in Science, Economy, Engineering, Women in Science


Arizona: The Women in Engineering Program at the University of Arizona aims to increase interest and diversity in the fields of social and natural science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine by offering a variety of outreach programs and student engagement opportunities. In doing so, we work to motivate students to enter careers in STEM fields and to support them along the way. At WISE we firmly believe that greater diversity produces better science and science that is better equipped to address some of the most pressing problems we face in the world today.

Stony Brook: The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program seeks to increase the number of women in science, math and engineering fields through outreach, recruitment and retention efforts. Combining the vast resources of a major university with the close bonds of a small community, the WISE College Program enables undergraduate women to work closely with peers and faculty to form friendships and to achieve a solid background in their field. The WISE Precollege Program reaches out to local schools to inspire young women to choose to pursue science math and engineering degrees.

The WISE Program is multidimensional. Thank you for your interest in the program. We hope you find the information on this web site useful. If you would like additional information, please contact the WISE office.

UK: At WISE (Women in to Science and Engineering), our mission is to increase the gender balance in the UK’s STEM workforce, pushing the presence of female employees from 13% as it stands now, to 30% by 2020.

Our services are designed to build and sustain the pipeline of female talent in STEM from classroom to boardroom, boosting the talent pool to drive economic growth.

WISE, which has 30 years experience of inspiring girls to pursue STEM subjects, now incorporates the UKRC, which had a contract from the Government from 2004-12 to increase opportunities for women in science, engineering and technology through support services to business, education and women returners. The UKRC is now an independent Community Interest Company trading as WISE (company number 07533934).
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Diamond Nanosheets...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 21, 2015 at 3:39pm


Topics: Consumer Electronics, Economy, Electrical Engineering, Jobs, Nanotechnology, Materials Science


TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: Diamond films are among the most extraordinary materials on the planet. They are strong, transparent and they conduct heat well. They are biologically inert but can also be chemically functionalised by attaching molecules to their surface. What’s more, when doped, they become semiconductors and so can be used in electronic circuits.

So it’s no wonder that materials scientists are licking their lips at the prospect of incorporating this wonder material into more or less any device they can think of.

But there’s a problem. Diamond films have to be grown at high temperatures in an atmosphere of pure hydrogen, which is not compatible with the way other microdevices are made, such as silicon chips.

So a useful trick would be to have a way to make diamonds films in one place and then transfer them to another so that they can be placed onto chips and other devices.

Today, Venkatesh Seshan at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in The Netherlands and a few pals, say they have perfected a way to grow diamond films on a quartz substrate, separate the films and then pick them up and place them somewhere else.

The team begin by placing nanodiamond seed crystals on the quartz surface and heating it to over 500 degrees C in a hydrogen plasma atmosphere. The seeds then grow, creating a crystalline diamond surface up to 180 nanometres thick.

Physics arXiv: Pick-up and drop transfer of diamond nanosheets
V. Seshan, J.O. Island, R. van Leeuwen, W.J. Venstra, B.H. Schneider, S.D. Janssens, K. Haenen, E.J.R. Sudhölter, L.C.P.M. de Smet, H.S.J. van der Zant, G.A. Steele, A. Castellanos-Gomez

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Dr. Gertrude B. Elion...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 20, 2015 at 8:01pm
Image Source: NobelPrize.org


Topics: Diversity, Diversity in Science, Medicine, Nobel Prize, Pharmacology, Women in Science


Note: though her doctorate was honorary, her life and contributions were extraordinary. She completed Masters work, and never married though had a full life as an aunt and researcher (and Nobel Laureate). You owe it to yourself to read her entire bio, which I excerpt below. Note 2: she was the daughter of immigrants.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1988

Born: 23 January 1918, New York, NY, USA

Died: 21 February 1999, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Affiliation at the time of the award: Wellcome Research Laboratories, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

Prize motivation: "for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment".

Prize share: James W. Black, Gertrude B. Elion and George H. Hitchings "for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment".


I was born in New York City on a cold January night when the water pipes in our apartment froze and burst. Fortunately, my mother was in the hospital rather than at home at the time. My father emigrated from Lithuania to the United States at the age of 12. He received his higher education in New York City and graduated in 1914 from the New York University School of Dentistry. My mother came at the age of 14 from a part of Russia which, after the war, became Poland; she was only 19 when she was married to my father. My first seven years were spent in a large apartment in Manhattan where my father had his dental office, with our living quarters adjoining it.

My brother was born about six years after I was, and shortly thereafter we moved to the Bronx, which was then considered a suburb of New York City. There were still many open lots where children could play and large parks, including the Bronx Zoo, to which I was very much devoted. My brother and I had a happy childhood. We went to a public school within walking distance of our house. Our classrooms were generally quite crowded, but we received a good basic education.

I was a child with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and remember enjoying all of my courses almost equally. When it came time at the end of my high school career to choose a major in which to specialize I was in a quandary. One of the deciding factors may have been that my grandfather, whom I loved dearly, died of cancer when I was 15. I was highly motivated to do something that might eventually lead to a cure for this terrible disease. When I entered Hunter College in 1933, I decided to major in science and, in particular, chemistry.

By this time my father was not financially well-off since he, like many others, had invested heavily in the stock market, and in the crash of 1929 had gone into bankruptcy. Fortunately, he still had his profession and his loyal patients. Had it not been that Hunter College was a free college, and that my grades were good enough for me to enter it, I suspect I might never have received a higher education. My brother also was able to take advantage of a free higher education, going to the College of the City of New York where he studied physics and engineering.

"Gertrude B. Elion - Facts". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 19 Mar 2015. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1988/elion-facts.html

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An Eclipsing Friday...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 20, 2015 at 7:57pm
Image Source: See "link" in following paragraph


Topics: Astronomy, Eclipse, Safety, Space


Please enjoy the Solar Eclipse safely from your vantage point. This link (also the source of the photo above) has a scientist explaining how to build a pinhole viewing box. I've used one with one of my undergrad professors at the observatory on the top floor of Marteena Hall. I can't overemphasize safety enough. If you're lucky to see it in person, protect the only eyes you'll ever own.

Since I'm neither at the Faroe Islands or Svalbard, I don't think we're going to see anything in New York. Besides: we have more snow in the forecast from "Ultima" for the first official day of Spring. This is one many hope the meteorologists got hopefully wrong! If I sound frustrated, ask any New Yorker in Manhattan, and give them some space in their reply (again, for your safety).

Slooh Community Observatory: The Total Solar Eclipse of 2015
Solar Eclipses: An Observer's Guide (Infographic)
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

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The Risks Of Being An Early Adopter: Scientists create Terminator 2-inspired 3D printer

Posted by William Hayashi on March 19, 2015 at 4:40pm

New technique works 100 times faster than conventional 3D printing and makes objects within minutes by simply lifting them out of a pool of resin.

Scientists have created a Terminator 2-inspired 3D printer that lifts objects fully-formed from a pool of goo in a matter of minutes.

Click here for the full story

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THE AFRICAN SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT

Posted by Technics Ikechi Nwosu on March 19, 2015 at 7:00am

Seeking real and sincere persons to collaborate, partner, and represent THE AFRICAN SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom. (Science fiction writing trainers, electric vehicle conversion trainers, and science fiction event developers needed in these countries). Persons must be permanent residents of these countries. Please call +2348038853832. Email: frontpagetechnics@gmail.com. Thanks.

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-African-Science-Fiction-Project/155052544549796?ref=hl

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Women In STEM...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on March 19, 2015 at 6:41am
Image Source: [3] below


Topics: Diversity, Diversity in Science, Economy, Women in Science, Science, Research, STEM


Most STEM (science, technology, engineering, or math) fields are dominated by men. That makes these fields an excellent career choice for women!

STEM Careers Just Right for Many Women

Men outnumber women in most STEM careers. For example, just 17 percent of chemical engineers and 22 percent of environmental scientists are women. But that doesn't mean it's hard for women to get jobs in those fields. In fact, many companies want to hire and keep qualified women for STEM jobs.

There are challenges, but help is out there. If you're a woman considering a STEM field, don't be put off by some of the challenges you may face.

Challenge 1: Shortage of mentors for women in STEM fields.

- Solution 1: If you can't find a mentor in your organization, join a professional association.

Challenge 2: Lack of acceptance from coworkers and supervisors.

- Solution 2: Work for a company with female-friendly policies and programs.

Challenge 3: Coping with gender differences in the workplace.

- Solution 3: Educate yourself. [1]

1. Iseek.com: Women in STEM
2. US Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration:
Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation
3. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy: Women in STEM
4. Brain Pickings: Einstein's Advice to a Little Girl Who Wants to be a Scientist, Maria Popova

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