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science archives 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 III-2004: 02 02-2 03 09 18 22 28 |
science and technology 11 |
This second link also lists and describes field experiments, and provides links to field reports. related material the web address for this article is |
26.02.2004 related material |
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what is dark energy? what is dark matter?
The issue of keeping the Hubble space telescope in action —a quick, shallow summary. the web address for this article is |
22.02.2004 |
einstein helps find far-off galaxy—13 billion light years distant
This galaxy is, as yet, the most distant ever detected. Note: Einstein predicted gravitational lensing in his Genaral Theory of Relativity, saying that massive objects would deflect rays of light passing close to them. This effect works with objects such as our sun and with distant galaxies, where a foreground galaxy distorts the light of another, more distant, galaxy in appropriate alignment. This site gives an understandable explication. Here is a picture of galaxy cluster Abell 2218. the web address for this article is |
17.02.2004 | |
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16.02.2004 | |
matroshka (russian doll) to work in space
the web address for this article is |
14.02.2004 | |
on the second law of thermodynamics This is a nice item on the second law of thermodynamics, well worth a read. Note: the word order/disorder is not well defined in the article. The concept is difficult. For instance, in information theory, the most dispersed situations contain the least order, and therefore require the most information to describe them. Whereas what is being referred to in the article as the most ordered systems are those that require the least information for description. Thus information (requirement) increases with entropy. the web address for this article is |
10.02.2004 |
And what of the first recent NASA rover, Spirit?
Summary page of current Mars missions, together with small images and write-ups. related material the web address for this article is |
27.01.2004 related material human exploration of the universe grows ever more serious mars exploration rover mission with chart of landing sites and Mars data |
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“trichromatic vision evolved twice, and linked to reduced sense of smell”
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21.01.2004 | |||
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18.01.2004 | |||
Recommended scan. the web address for this article is |
17.01.2004 |
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15.01.2004 | ||||||||
The complete map, and various sheets focussing on regions such as our solar system, are available from here. A general background article is available from the NYT (nominal login may be required). the web address for this article is |
14.01.2004 | ||||||||
how to skip a stone on water—38 skips to top
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07.01.2004 | ||||||||
human exploration of the universe grows ever more serious
related material the web address for this article is |
updated related material mars exploration rover mission with chart of landing sites and Mars data |
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Leap seconds affect much in the global village, including communication, navigation and air traffic control systems and the computers linking global financial markets. A table of the leap-second changes can be seen here. the web address for this article is |
31.12.2003 |
rat detectives—faster than humans, but are they accurate enough?
related material the web address for this article is |
22.12.2003 related material |
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shooting round corners—bendy gun
Picture at link. the web address for this article is |
21.12.2003 | |
uav advance—computer-piloted helicopter: non-gps inertial and visual con
the web address for this article is |
20.12.2003 | |
advance notice: streaming live mars images
the web address for this article is |
19.12.2003 |
new spitzer drinks in images from space (NASA press release)
the web address for this article is |
19.12.2003 | ||||
advanced technology lens for 260° view without moving
The lens resolution is only 380k pixel so far, so the resulting picture is highly pixelated [lead from Limbic] the web address for this article is |
17.12.2003 | ||||
bacteria
to clean galician national park This week, work starts to clean 10,000 square metres of rocky zones polluted by the oil spilled from the Prestige tanker in November, 2002. A product called S-200 Custom-Blend, made by the Spanish company IEP Europe SL, has been chosen by National Park authorities to enable bacteria to ‘biologically’ clean rocks, sand and water in the Atlantic Islands National Park (Pontevedra). The director of IEP Europe, Santiago Ramas, explained that S-200 does not add new alien bacteria to the environment, but provides bacterial nutrients to species that already exist in the Galician coast, so that they increase their population by up to forty times. “In these circumstances, the bacteria break down the crude oil, converting it to carbon dioxide and water. When the oil has all been degraded, the bacteria population returns to its original numbers.” The bacteria are able to clean rock surfaces, oil spilt on earth, as well as fresh and salty water. Because some of the polluting oil on the rocks is in thick deposits, up to three separate applications will be made at approximately one-month intervals, using industrial sprays to create a fine layer of S-200 that sticks to the pollutant. Contaminated waters can be cleaned by pouring in S-200, which adheres to the polluting oil until that is broken down. The application rate will be approximately 1 litre S-200 for every kilogram of oil pollution. S-200 is a selective fertilizer, enriched with nitrogen, phosphorus and iron, that allows all-consuming hydrocarbon bacteria to attack the fuel. S-200 consists of a balanced nucleus of nutrients encapsulated by a oily membrane that adheres to hydrocarbon, and remains stuck to it until the bacteria are able “to eat” it all. The oily nature of the encapsulation also inhibits degradation of the S-200 by the weather. The bacteria already exist in the contaminated zone and when they have finished the work, they will “die of starvation”. The technology of the S-200, based on oleic encapsulation, has been developed in the United States. It is approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and is a nontoxic product , “non-irritating, non-inflammable and totally ecological”, said Santiago Ramas. Autonomous National Parks Organisation director, Basilio Rada, has personally verified that “the system works prefectly” and says that the Pontevedra “will be totally clean” by end of next April or the beginning of May, 2004. Rada describes this bio-cleaning system as superb, being able to clean zones in the rocky coastline inaccessible to mechanical cleaning systems. There is an sister product, S-200 Bilge-Pro, which is designed to deal with the bilges of sports and industrial boats. Note:
The claims for the benignity of S-200 appear excessive when these statements are taken into account. related material the web address for this article is |
17.12.2003 related material |
come into my parlour—inviting termites to try it on
the web address for this article is |
03.12.2003 | |
flood modelling in real time, combining simulation with satellite imaging
With satellite and simulation illustrations. the web address for this article is |
03.12.2003 |
group claims feedback system tends to produce fractal coastlines
the web address for this article is |
02.12.2003 | |
an approach to crippling computer virus attacks
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01.12.2003 | |
droplet formation discovery—potential for making nano threads
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21.11.2003 |
development of flywheels for power storage
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18.11.2003 | |
In 1995, at Boulder Colorado, an entirely new state of matter was created as predicted decades previously by Albert Einstein and Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose.
At this series of web-pages from Colorado University is a duffer’s guide to BECs, which may be created at very low temperatures. Various animated images explain and demonstrate concepts concerning BECs, including ‘making’ a BEC. A start for the curious who wish to dig deeper, from enc brit.
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16.11.2003 | |
real-world evolutionary biology text, 750,000 years old
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04.11.2003 | |
manufacturing very nasty and dangerous bugs
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03.11.2003 |
related material the web address for this article is |
03.11.2003 related material |
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fully functioning computer the size of a pack of cards
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01.11.2003 | |
the smoothing effect of large numbers “The basic idea is simple: we replace the atoms of conventional statistical mechanics by people. Of course, while atoms interact via well defined forces of attraction and repulsion, people are seldom so straightforward. But in some situations human interactions do not amount to very much more than this basic concept. For example, by avoiding collisions and not encroaching on one another's "personal space", we act just as though there was a repulsive force between us.” It is vital when reading this item to keep in mind the radical differences between statistical models and individual behaviour. See ‘intelligence’: misuse and abuse of statistics for more detail. related material the web address for this article is |
27.10.2003 related material |
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new frog from a very old family “A bright purple frog shaped like a donut with a pointy snout has been discovered in the mountains of southern India. “The seven-centimeter long amphibian hopped around the feet of dinosaurs. Researchers say the small-headed critter belongs to a new family of frogs thought to have disappeared millions of years ago.” With a small picture. related material the web address for this article is |
21.10.2003 related material |
gene expression in chimps and humans
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17.10.2003
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email email_abelard [at] abelard.org © abelard, 2003, 17 october the address for this document is https://www.abelard.org/news/science11.htm variable words |