discuss Science & Technology news & discussion

[CraigD]

Post and discuss interesting articles & videos about science and technology.

You don't need to be an expert - just interested in the wonders of modern science, technology, and the history of these fields.

Please keep it rational, and post articles from reputable sources.
Try not to editorialise headlines and keep the copy to just a paragraph with a link to the original source. When quoting excerpts from articles, I think the best method is to italicise the copy, and include a link to the source.

Have some fun with your comments and discussions... just keep the sources legitimate.

Other threads:
The Break Room has a number of other popular threads, so there is no need to post material here that is better suited to these other threads:

- Covid19-Coronavirus updates and news
- Conspiracy Thread Free For All
- The *religious* discussion thread

Please enjoy!

 

[koolishman]

Pigs have to be among the top 5.

 

[koolishman]

Microplastics found in human placenta.

Plasticenta: First evidence of microplastics in human placenta


Highlights
For the first time microplastics were detected by Raman microspectroscopy in human placentas.

Microplastics were found in all placental portions: maternal, fetal and amniochorial membranes.

Microplastics carry with them substances which acting as endocrine disruptors could cause long-term effects on human health.

Abstract
Microplastics are particles smaller than five millimeters deriving from the degradation of plastic objects present in the environment. Microplastics can move from the environment to living organisms, including mammals. In this study, six human placentas, collected from consenting women with physiological pregnancies, were analyzed by Raman Microspectroscopy to evaluate the presence of microplastics. In total, 12 microplastic fragments (ranging from 5 to 10 μm in size), with spheric or irregular shape were found in 4 placentas (5 in the fetal side, 4 in the maternal side and 3 in the chorioamniotic membranes); all microplastics particles were characterized in terms of morphology and chemical composition. All of them were pigmented; three were identified as stained polypropylene a thermoplastic polymer, while for the other nine it was possible to identify only the pigments, which were all used for man-made coatings, paints, adhesives, plasters, finger paints, polymers and cosmetics and personal care products.

 

[CraigD]

British engineers to start work on 'comet chaser' probe

Mission will record details about the composition of the astral bodies and could be launched in 2028... will head for a gravitational no-man’s land on the opposite side of the Earth to the sun. By loitering at this so-called Lagrange point, where the forces of gravity tend to make things stay put, the mission can await its quarry while burning a minimum of fuel. The mission may have to wait in orbit for years before astronomers spot a suitable target for the spacecraft to investigate.


https://www.theguardian.com/science...engineers-to-start-work-on-comet-chaser-probe

 

[CraigD]

Breakthrough in Nuclear Physics: Strong Interaction Between Stable and Unstable Particles

High-precision measurements of the strong interaction between stable and unstable particles.

https://scitechdaily.com/breakthrou...action-between-stable-and-unstable-particles/

 

[koolishman]

Study finds that by age 3 kids prefer nature's fractal patterns

Before their third birthdays, children already have an adult-like preference for visual fractal patterns commonly seen in nature, report University of Oregon researchers.

That discovery emerged among children raised in a world of Euclidean geometry, such as in houses with rooms constructed with straight lines in a simple nonrepeating manner, said Kelly E. Robles, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology.

“Unlike early humans who lived outside on savannahs, modern-day humans spend the majority of their early lives inside these manmade structures,” Robles said. “So, since children are not heavily exposed to these natural, low-to-moderate complexity fractal patterns, this preference must come from something earlier in development or perhaps are innate.”

We found that people prefer the most common natural pattern, the statistical fractal patterns of low-moderate complexity, and that this preference does not stem from or vary across decades of exposure to nature or to individual differences in how we process images,” Robles said. “Our preferences for fractals are set before our third birthdays, suggesting that our visual system is tuned to better process these patterns that are highly prevalent in nature.”

The aesthetic experience of viewing nature’s fractals holds huge potential benefits, ranging from stress-reduction to refreshing mental fatigue, said co-author Richard Taylor, professor and head of the UO’s Department of Physics.

 

[CraigD]

Black 'sand-like' asteroid dust found in box from Japan probe

Black sandy dust found in a capsule brought to Earth by a Japanese space probe is from the distant asteroid Ryugu, scientists confirmed after opening it on Monday. The discovery comes a week after the Hayabusa-2 probe dropped off its capsule, which entered the atmosphere in a streak of light before landing in the Australian desert and then being transported to Japan.

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-black-sand-like-asteroid-japan-probe.html

 

[CraigD]

Experimental "Faraday fabric" blocks almost all electromagnetic waves

Researchers at Drexel University have created “Faraday fabrics” that can block almost all electromagnetic waves. The key ingredient is a 2D material called MXene, and the development could help protect wearables from interference and people from potentially dangerous radiation.

https://newatlas.com/materials/faraday-fabric-mxene-blocks-electromagnetic-waves/

 

[CraigD]

Study finds that by age 3 kids prefer nature's fractal patterns

Before their third birthdays, children already have an adult-like preference for visual fractal patterns commonly seen in nature, report University of Oregon researchers.

That discovery emerged among children raised in a world of Euclidean geometry, such as in houses with rooms constructed with straight lines in a simple nonrepeating manner, said Kelly E. Robles, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology.

“Unlike early humans who lived outside on savannahs, modern-day humans spend the majority of their early lives inside these manmade structures,” Robles said. “So, since children are not heavily exposed to these natural, low-to-moderate complexity fractal patterns, this preference must come from something earlier in development or perhaps are innate.”

We found that people prefer the most common natural pattern, the statistical fractal patterns of low-moderate complexity, and that this preference does not stem from or vary across decades of exposure to nature or to individual differences in how we process images,” Robles said. “Our preferences for fractals are set before our third birthdays, suggesting that our visual system is tuned to better process these patterns that are highly prevalent in nature.”

The aesthetic experience of viewing nature’s fractals holds huge potential benefits, ranging from stress-reduction to refreshing mental fatigue, said co-author Richard Taylor, professor and head of the UO’s Department of Physics.

I cannot get over that photograph. Amazing!

 

[Sutruk]

Pigs have to be among the top 5.

I miss some the most intelligent animals on that list: Octopus, Racoon, Bears and Honey Badger (this one could win also the bravest animal of the world).

 

[CraigD]

Arctic sea ice's dramatic transformation revealed through 42 years of satellite data

The vanishing Arctic: Since the mid-80s the Arctic has been warming twice as fast as the entire world — a phenomenon the vast majority of scientists agree is the direct result of human-induced climate change.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12...transformation-as-seen-by-satellites/12961584

 

[koolishman]

Small, quiet crickets turn leaves into megaphones to blare their mating call

Some male crickets make their own megaphones by cutting wing-sized holes into the center of leaves. With their bodies stuck halfway through this vegetative speaker, male Oecanthus henryi crickets can more than double the volume of their calls, allowing naturally quiet males to attract as many females as loud males, researchers report December 16 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

It’s a rare example of insect tool use that “really challenges you to think about what it takes to produce complex behavior,” says Marlene Zuk, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul who wasn’t involved in the study.

I conclude that gender ratio of cricket population was highly skewed in favor of males, where I spent my childhood.

 

[koolishman]

Moon Influences Arctic Ocean Methane Releases, Study Finds

The moon helps to control the release of methane from the Arctic Ocean.

That's the takeaway from a study published in Nature Communications in October, which found that the tidal rhythms played a role in the intensity and frequency of methane releases from sediments in the Arctic Ocean. Lower tides meant more intense releases, while higher tides reduced the height and volume of gas releases.

To achieve their results, the researchers put a device called a piezometer in Arctic Ocean sediment about a meter (approximately 3.28 feet) from the seafloor and left it there for four days. The piezometer measured the pressure and temperature of sediment pours every hour and revealed that the upward and downward movement of gas is linked to pressure, which is in turn determined by the tides.

"Low tide means less of such hydrostatic pressure and higher intensity of methane release. High tide equals high pressure and lower intensity of the release," study coauthor Andreia Plaza Faverola, also of CAGE, said in the press release.

 

[koolishman]

To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language

In some ways, learning to program a computer is similar to learning a new language. It requires learning new symbols and terms, which must be organized correctly to instruct the computer what to do. The computer code must also be clear enough that other programmers can read and understand it.


In spite of those similarities, MIT neuroscientists have found that reading computer code does not activate the regions of the brain that are involved in language processing. Instead, it activates a distributed network called the multiple demand network, which is also recruited for complex cognitive tasks such as solving math problems or crossword puzzles.


However, although reading computer code activates the multiple demand network, it appears to rely more on different parts of the network than math or logic problems do, suggesting that coding does not precisely replicate the cognitive demands of mathematics either.

 

[CraigD]

Scientists plan mission to biggest iceberg as it drifts towards island

Team will study effects on environment of A-68A, which is heading for South Georgia

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...o-biggest-iceberg-as-it-drifts-towards-island

 

[CraigD]

'What's that Skip?' Researchers say kangaroos can communicate with people

Study shows animals with no long history of domestication show patterns of interaction with humans similar to that of dogs or horses.

https://www.theguardian.com/science...researchers-kangaroos-communicate-talk-people

 

[CraigD]

Oceanographers have an explanation for the Arctic's puzzling ocean turbulence

Eddies are often seen as the weather of the ocean. Like large-scale circulations in the atmosphere, eddies swirl through the ocean as slow-moving sea cyclones, sweeping up nutrients and heat, and transporting them around the world.

In most oceans, eddies are observed at every depth and are stronger at the surface. But since the 1970s, researchers have observed a peculiar pattern in the Arctic...

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-oceanographers-explanation-arctic-puzzling-ocean.html

 

[CraigD]

The farthest galaxy in the universe

A team of astronomers used the Keck I telescope to measure the distance to an ancient galaxy. They deduced the target galaxy GN-z11 is not only the oldest galaxy but also the most distant. It's so distant it defines the very boundary of the observable universe itself. The team hopes this study can shed light on a period of cosmological history when the universe was only a few hundred million years old.

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-farthest-galaxy-universe.html

 

[Sutruk]

The farthest galaxy in the universe

A team of astronomers used the Keck I telescope to measure the distance to an ancient galaxy. They deduced the target galaxy GN-z11 is not only the oldest galaxy but also the most distant. It's so distant it defines the very boundary of the observable universe itself. The team hopes this study can shed light on a period of cosmological history when the universe was only a few hundred million years old.

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-farthest-galaxy-universe.html

Very interesting. Just think that the image of that galaxy is "13.4 billion light years" old. By now, that Galaxy just may have changed or evolved a lot.

 

[CraigD]

Hubblecast 133: Spectroscopy with Hubble

This Hubblecast explores how the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s observations differ across different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, and how these observations will be complemented by those of the upcoming NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.

 

[CraigD]

Deadly 'brain-eating amoeba' has expanded its range northward [USA]

The [Naegleria fowleri] organisms' expanded range may be due to increased temperatures from climate change.

https://www.livescience.com/brain-eating-amoeba-expanded-range-northern-united-states.html

 

[CraigD]

China's moon probe lands back on Earth - state media

China's Chang'e-5 moon probe has landed in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, the official Xinhua news agency reported, completing its return to Earth and bringing back the first lunar samples since the 1970s.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...be-lands-back-on-earth---state-media-13789454

 

[CraigD]

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Has 5 Hidden Gems Riding Aboard to Mars

More than halfway to the Red Planet, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover isn’t just shuttling sophisticated science instruments and tubes to be filled with Earth-bound rock samples. It’s carrying symbols, mottos, and objects that range from practical to playful — everything from meteorite fragments to chips carrying the names of 10.9 million people.

https://scitechdaily.com/nasas-perseverance-rover-has-5-hidden-gems-riding-aboard-to-mars/

 

[koolishman]

Universality of Human Emotional Expression: The 16 Facial Expressions Most Common Worldwide

First, researchers used Cowen’s machine-learning algorithm to log facial expressions shown in 6 million video clips of events and interactions worldwide, such as watching fireworks, dancing joyously, or consoling a sobbing child.

They used the algorithm to track instances of 16 facial expressions one tends to associate with amusement, anger, awe, concentration, confusion, contempt, contentment, desire, disappointment, doubt, elation, interest, pain, sadness, surprise, and triumph.

Next, they correlated the facial expressions with the contexts and scenarios in which they were made across different world regions and discovered remarkable similarities in how people across geographic and cultural boundaries use facial expressions in different social contexts.

 

[Cannuck]

Experimental "Faraday fabric" blocks almost all electromagnetic waves

Researchers at Drexel University have created “Faraday fabrics” that can block almost all electromagnetic waves. The key ingredient is a 2D material called MXene, and the development could help protect wearables from interference and people from potentially dangerous radiation.

https://newatlas.com/materials/faraday-fabric-mxene-blocks-electromagnetic-waves/

I used to sell emf maternity aprons before they became a thing...even before cell phones became popular (damn, seems I'm always a couple decades ahead of my time, lol)

Arctic sea ice's dramatic transformation revealed through 42 years of satellite data

The vanishing Arctic: Since the mid-80s the Arctic has been warming twice as fast as the entire world — a phenomenon the vast majority of scientists agree is the direct result of human-induced climate change.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12...transformation-as-seen-by-satellites/12961584

I've been studying Arctic geography since the early 80's, and predicted (through geomancy and Indigenous wisdom) this would be the result. Few people listened to me then, and still today there is resistance to change. Now 40 years later, we are seeing the result. I suspect it will get worse before it gets better. I also predicted Global cooling from nuclear winter that will bring on another Ice Age once particulate laden clouds fill the sky blocking out sunlight. (btw nuclear winter doesn't necessarily mean as a result of nuclear bombs), but from clouds formed through evaporation and particulate released from power plant emmissions - as additional cooling is required due to Global warming ie. AC.

Oceanographers have an explanation for the Arctic's puzzling ocean turbulence

Eddies are often seen as the weather of the ocean. Like large-scale circulations in the atmosphere, eddies swirl through the ocean as slow-moving sea cyclones, sweeping up nutrients and heat, and transporting them around the world.

In most oceans, eddies are observed at every depth and are stronger at the surface. But since the 1970s, researchers have observed a peculiar pattern in the Arctic...

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-oceanographers-explanation-arctic-puzzling-ocean.html

That's most likely due to the mixing of fresh water (melting ice) with salt water in the Arctic Ocean. It also affects the global conveyor belt, a huge solar energy sink that disperses and moderates heat around the planet. These currents are also extremely important in driving the base of the food chain, as they stir up and mix nutrients - photoplankton and zooplankton. Without this mechanism, oceans would die.

 

[Cannuck]

As well as pollution from factories and power plants, dust particles from dry land due to drought and desertification will end up in the atmosphere. It's happening in China and the same thing led to collapse of the Mayan Empire.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/f...sertification-and-boosting-incomes-in-ningxia

https://www.inverse.com/article/47758-maya-empire-collapse-drought-theory

Not only will dust add to nuclear winter, but "silica, which makes up ~60% of windblown dust from desert regions, is known to cause chronic lung inflammation and fibrosis, lung cancer, and systemic autoimmune diseases." This will become particularly prevalent across the US south-west.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aabf20/meta