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Profile Byron Leigh Hatch @ team Carl ...
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Message 39392 - Posted: 1 Aug 2011, 16:02:56 UTC
Last modified: 1 Aug 2011, 16:13:47 UTC

Hello BOINC friends and neighbors

any of these Science and Technology stories catch your eye ?????

Everyone ... please feel free to post a comment in this thread ... or rant and rave ... or what ever :) - nothing is off the topic ... the more the merry ;)

OK ... let's start posting!

Science and Technology in the News for:

Monday August 1, 2011

NEWS AND BLOG HEADLINES


any of these Science and Technology stories catch your eye ?????

Everyone ... please feel to post a comment in this thread ... or rant and rave ... or what ever :) - nothing is off the topic ... the more the merry ;)

OK ... let's start posting!

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Message 39401 - Posted: 1 Aug 2011, 23:12:42 UTC

NASA Science News for August 1, 2011

Today's story from Science@NASA unveils Dawn's first full-frame image of Vesta and describes the unique way Dawn entered orbit around the giant asteroid.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/01aug_smoothmove/
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/01aug_smoothmove/
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Message 39415 - Posted: 2 Aug 2011, 22:43:56 UTC

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Message 39416 - Posted: 2 Aug 2011, 22:45:15 UTC

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Message 39421 - Posted: 3 Aug 2011, 1:07:22 UTC

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Message 39427 - Posted: 3 Aug 2011, 10:40:39 UTC

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Message 39428 - Posted: 3 Aug 2011, 10:42:21 UTC

Space Weather News for August 3, 2011http://spaceweather.com

MINOR STORM WARNING: On August 2nd, the sun hurled a cloud of plasma (CME) toward Earth when magnetic fields above sunspot 1261 erupted. Analysts expect the CME to arrive during the early hours of August 5th, possibly sparking geomagnetic storms around the poles. This is not a big event; the eruption that propelled the cloud in our direction registered only "M1" (for medium) on the Richter Scale of Flares. Nevertheless, sky watchers at high latitudes should be alert for auroras. Movies of the eruption and 3D models of the incoming cloud are featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

SUNSPOT TELESCOPE: Several large sunspots are currently transiting the solar disk. Would you like to see them? Explore Scientific's White Light Solar Observing System is now available in the Space Weather Store:

http://www.shopspaceweather.com/explore-scientific-white-light-solar-observer-system.aspx
http://www.shopspaceweather.com/explore-scientific-white-light-solar-observer-system.aspx
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Message 39461 - Posted: 5 Aug 2011, 16:11:36 UTC

NASA Science News for August 4, 2011

A new study of images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests that salt water may be actively flowing across the surface of the Red Planet.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/04aug_marsflows/
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Message 39554 - Posted: 10 Aug 2011, 2:50:01 UTC
Last modified: 10 Aug 2011, 3:11:14 UTC

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Message 40691 - Posted: 17 Oct 2011, 14:33:07 UTC

NASA to test new Atomic Clock



Artist's rendering of a vacuum tube, one of the main components of an atomic
clock that will undergo a technology flight demonstration. Image Credit: NASA

Source: NASA Technology Demonstration Mission Announcements

When people think of space technologies, many think of solar panels, propulsion systems and guidance systems. One important piece of technology in spaceflight is an accurate timing device.

Many satellites and spacecraft require accurate timing signals to ensure the proper operation of scientific instruments. In the case of GPS satellites, accurate timing is essential, otherwise anything relying on GPS signals to navigate could be misdirected.

The third technology demonstration planned by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is the Deep Space Atomic Clock. The DSAC team plans to develop a small, low-mass atomic clock based on mercury-ion trap technology and demonstrate it in space.

What benefits will a new atomic clock design offer NASA and other players in near-Earth orbit and the rest of our solar system?

The Deep Space Atomic Clock demonstration mission will fly and validate an atomic clock that is 10-times more accurate than today’s systems. The project will demonstrate ultra-precision timing in space as well as the benefits said timing offers.

The DSAC will fly on an Iridium spacecraft and make use of GPS signals to demonstrate precision orbit determination and confirm the clock’s performance. As mentioned previously, precise timing and navigation are critical to the performance of many aspects of deep space and near-Earth exploration missions.

The DSAC team believes the demonstration will offer enhancements and cost savings for new missions, which include:

  • Increase Data Quantity: A factor of 2 to 3 increase in navigation and radio science data quantity by allowing coherent tracking to extend over the full view period of Earth stations.

  • improve Data Quality: Up to 10 times more accurate navigation, gravity science, and occultation science at remote solar system bodies by using one-way radiometric links.

  • Enabling New Missions: Shift towards a more flexible and extensible one-way radio navigation architecture enabling development of capable in-situ satellite navigation systems and autonomous deep space radio navigation.

  • reduce Proposed Mission Costs: Reduce mission costs for using the Deep Space Network (DSN) through aperture sharing and one-way downlink only time.

  • Benefits to GPS: Improve clock stability of the next GPS system by 100 times.


One example use for the DSAC is for a future mission that is a follow-up to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). A spacecraft equipped with the DSAC could avoid reliance on two-way communications using NASA’s Deep Space Network to perform orbital determination.

One of the benefits of avoiding said reliance on two-way communications would allow the mission to only require the DSN for one-way communication to transmit scientific data to Earth. Reducing the reliance on two-way communications would provide an additional benefit of cost savings.

In the previous example, the DSAC team estimates an $11 million dollar reduction in network operational costs, as well as a 100% increase in the amount of usable science and navigation data that could be received.

read more ...

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/crosscutting_capability/tech_demo_missions.html
Source: NASA Technology Demonstration Mission Announcements

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Message 41046 - Posted: 7 Nov 2011, 17:41:24 UTC


the “Hundred Year Starship,” has received $100,000 from NASA and $ 1 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)



The Director of NASA’s Ames Center, Pete Worden has announced an initiative to move space flight to the next level. This plan, dubbed the “Hundred Year Starship,” has received $100,000 from NASA and $ 1 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He made his announcement on Oct. 16. Worden is also hoping to include wealthy investors in the project. NASA has yet to provide any official details on the project.
Worden also has expressed his belief that the space agency was now directed toward settling other planets. However, given the fact that the agency has been redirected toward supporting commercial space firms, how this will be achieved has yet to be detailed. Details that have been given have been vague and in some cases contradictory.

The Ames Director went on to expound how these efforts will seek to emulate the fictional starships seen on the television show Star Trek. He stated that the public could expect to see the first prototype of a new propulsion system within the next few years. Given that NASA’s FY 2011 Budget has had to be revised and has yet to go through Appropriations, this time estimate may be overly-optimistic.

One of the ideas being proposed is a microwave thermal propulsion system. This form of propulsion would eliminate the massive amount of fuel required to send crafts into orbit. The power would be “beamed” to the space craft. Either a laser or microwave emitter would heat the propellant, thus sending the vehicle aloft. This technology has been around for some time, but has yet to be actually applied in a real-world vehicle.

The project is run by Dr. Kevin L.G. Parkin who described it in his PhD thesis and invented the equipment used. Along with him are David Murakami and Creon Levit. One of the previous workers on the program went on to found his own company in the hopes of commercializing the technology used ...

read more here ...

http://www.universetoday.com/76195/nasas-ames-director-announces-100-year-starship/
http://www.universetoday.com/76195/nasas-ames-director-announces-100-year-starship/

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Message 41235 - Posted: 19 Nov 2011, 19:12:30 UTC

Neutrino experiment replicates faster-than-light finding

Latest data show the subatomic particles continue to break the speed limit.Eugenie Samuel Reich

18 November 2011

Physicists have replicated the finding that the subatomic particles called neutrinos seem to travel faster than light. It is a remarkable confirmation of a stunning result, yet most in the field remain sceptical that the ultimate cosmic speed limit has truly been broken.

http://www.nature.com/news/neutrino-experiment-replicates-faster-than-light-finding-1.9393
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Message 41249 - Posted: 21 Nov 2011, 17:51:49 UTC

here is something interesting:

Quantum theorem shakes foundations:

The wavefunction is a real physical object after all, say researchers.

Mathematical device or physical fact?

The elusive nature of the quantum wavefunction may be pinned down at last

By: Eugenie Samuel Reich

21 November 2011

The wavefunction of quantum mechanics is not simply a statistical tool that reflects our ignorance of the particles being measured, but is physically real, according to physicists at Imperial College London

Action at a distance occurs when pairs of quantum particles become entangled. The paper suggests that if a quantum wavefunction were purely a statistical tool, even quantum states that are unconnected across space and time would be able to communicate with each other. As that seems very unlikely, the researchers conclude that the wavefunction must be physically real after all.

Theoretical physicist Antony Valentini believes that this result may be the most important general theorem relating to the foundations of quantum mechanics since Bell’s theorem.

Robert Spekkens, a physicist at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, says he expects the theorem to have broader consequences for physics, as have Bell’s and other fundamental theorems. No one foresaw in 1964 that Bell’s theorem would sow the seeds for quantum information theory and quantum cryptography — both of which rely on phenomena that aren’t possible in classical physics.

Read more here:

http://www.nature.com/news/quantum-theorem-shakes-foundations-1.9392
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Message 41388 - Posted: 29 Nov 2011, 16:04:07 UTC

Free software activists to take on Google with new free search engine

Peer-to-peer search offers an alternative to the big incumbents

By Jennifer Baker, IDG News Service
November 28, 2011 01:05 PM ET

Free software activists have released a peer-to-peer search engine to take on Google, Yahoo, Bing and others.

The free, distributed search engine, YaCy, takes a new approach to search. Rather than using a central server, its search results come from a network of independent "peers," users who have downloaded the YaCy software. The aim is that no single entity gets to decide what gets listed, or in which order results appear.

"Most of what we do on the Internet involves search. It's the vital link between us and the information we're looking for. For such an essential function, we cannot rely on a few large companies and compromise our privacy in the process," said Michael Christen, YaCy's project leader.

The project is supported by the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), which is concerned that dominant search engines have too much control and power over what information Internet users can find online. "That company will also know what you're currently interested in. The search terms used tell others a lot about what you're up to. Targeted advertising is only the most benign use of this data," explained Karsten Gerloff, FSFE president.

"We are moving away from the idea that services need to be centrally controlled. Instead, we are realizing how important it is to be independent, and to create infrastructure that doesn't have a single point of failure," added Gerloff.

The YaCy network currently has around 600 'peers', but project organizers expect this to grow along the lines of other free software projects that aim to replace centrally-run services. For example, identi.ca (status.net) offers a free software alternative to Twitter; diaspora (joindiaspora.com) and many others provide a free, distributed alternative to Facebook.

As is often the case in the early stages of a new technology, results are better on some topics than on others -- mainly computer-related issues.

The YaCy peers create individual search indexes and rankings, so that results better match what users are looking for over time. Each instance of the software contains a peer-to-peer network protocol to exchange search indexes with other YaCy search engines.

Everyone can try out the search engine at http://search.yacy.net/. Users can become part of YaCy's network by installing the software on their own computers. YaCy is free software, so anyone can use, study, share and improve it. It is currently available for GNU/Linux, Windows and MacOS. The project is also looking for developers and other contributors.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.

Read more here:

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/112811-free-software-activists-to-take-253488.html
http://search.yacy.net/


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Message 41498 - Posted: 6 Dec 2011, 14:44:13 UTC

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Message 41523 - Posted: 7 Dec 2011, 19:40:22 UTC

I hope we humans never forget how to dream.

Imagine the historic moment when the first Earth-like planet -- Kepler-22b: A ‘Super-Earth’ in the Habitable Zone -- is detected deep across interstellar space. Like an inaccessible jewel it will beckon us. Is this a future home for humanity? What forms of life are already there? How do we get there? What happens when we arrive?

Based on today's technology, traveling to the stars is a long-term proposition. While existing space agencies grapple with sending astronauts beyond Earth orbit, and entrepreneurial firms bring the thrill of spaceflight to the people, no one has taken on the challenge of reaching other habitable worlds; until now.

The Tau Zero Foundation is a volunteer group of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and writers who have agreed to work together toward practical interstellar flight and to use this quest to teach you about science, technology, and our place in the universe. By posting the latest developments and unfinished advancements here, we give students the starting materials to begin their own discoveries. By showing both how daunting and incredible this challenge is, we hope to increase attention on protecting the habitability of Earth while planning journeys into the galaxy. By reaching for the stars we will create benefits every step of the way.

Here is how you can help with this ambition. With enough support we can competitively award grants and scholarships. Help us create a future worth striving for, where humanity can survive and thrive into the heavens. Let's make this dream a reality together.

Read more here:

http://www.tauzero.aero/#
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Message 42708 - Posted: 23 Feb 2012, 16:26:49 UTC - in response to Message 31082.  

Computer modeling: brain in a box

February 23, 2012

Henry Markram’s controversial proposal for the Human Brain Project (HBP) — an effort to build a supercomputer simulation that integrates everything known about the human brain, from the structures of ion channels in neural cell membranes up to mechanisms behind conscious decision-making — may soon fulfill his ambition.

The project is one of six finalists vying to win €1 billion (US$1.3 billion) as one of the European Union’s two new decade-long Flagship initiatives.

The HBP would integrate these discoveries, he said, and create models to explore how neural circuits are organized, and how they give rise to behavior and cognition. Ultimately, said Markram, the HBP would even help researchers to grapple with disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

He proposed to model everything, “from the genetic level, the molecular level, the neurons and synapses, how microcircuits are formed, macrocircuits, mesocircuits, brain areas — until we get to understand how to link these levels, all the way up to behavior and cognition.”

The computer power required to run such a grand unified theory of the brain: roughly an exaflop, or 1018 operations per second, to be available in exascale computers by the 2020s.

So far, his team at he Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) has simulated 100 interconnected columns.


Read more here:
http://www.nature.com/news/computer-modelling-brain-in-a-box-1.10066




The Blue Brain Project is the first comprehensive attempt to reverse-engineer the mammalian brain, in order to understand brain function and dysfunction through detailed simulations.

Once you start building a brain in a box you get two things: admission into the Mad Scientists’ Club, and a chance to speak at TED. Henry Markram is the director of the Blue Brain Project, a collaboration between European scientists and IBM that aims to construct a life-like simulation of a brain using a supercomputer. Earlier this year Markram spoke at TED Global discussing how most of human perception is based on decision making within the brain.....

read more here:

http://bluebrain.epfl.ch/
http://bluebrain.epfl.ch/

http://singularityhub.com/2009/11/13/the-brain-according-to-henry-markram-video/
http://singularityhub.com/2009/11/13/the-brain-according-to-henry-markram-video/


Henry Markram's model of a brain is built one neuron at a time

10 Year Documentary To Follow Bluebrain Project (Video) Singularity Hub Feb. 12, 2010

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Message 42720 - Posted: 24 Feb 2012, 1:03:18 UTC

April 21, 2011 marks the one-year anniversary of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) First Light press conference, where NASA revealed the first images taken by the spacecraft.

Facts About Earth
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Message 42732 - Posted: 24 Feb 2012, 19:14:13 UTC

Alan Turing, (1912 – 1954) was a mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist

Nature hails him as one of the top scientific minds of all time in a special issue that sweeps through Turing’s innumerable achievements

_ As Alan Turing’s centenary year opens, Nature hails him as one of the top scientific minds of all time in a special issue that sweeps through Turing’s innumerable achievements — wartime code-breaker and founder of computer science — to his lesser known interests of botany, neural nets, unorganized machines, quantum physics and, well, ghosts.

Beneath it all, Turing was driven by the dream of reviving — possibly in the form of a computer program — the soul of Christopher Morcom, perhaps his only true friend, who died abruptly when they were both teenagers. I want to “build a brain,” he said.

Alan Turing, born a century ago this year, is best known for his wartime code-breaking and for inventing the 'Turing machine' – the concept at the heart of every computer today. But his legacy extends much further: he founded the field of artificial intelligence, proposed a theory of biological pattern formation and speculated about the limits of computation in physics. In this collection of features and opinion pieces, Nature celebrates the mind that, in a handful of papers over a tragically short lifetime, shaped many of the hottest fields in science today

Read more here:
http://www.nature.com/news/specials/turing/index.html
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Message 54295 - Posted: 28 May 2014, 20:12:09 UTC

SETI Institute and SETI@home was mentioned in an article on Space.com May 24, 2014
"We'll Find Alien Life in This Lifetime, Scientists Tell Congress"
Humans have long wondered whether we are alone in the universe. According to scientists working with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, the question may be answered in the near future.
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