ZNAK SAGITE — više od fantastike — edicija, časopis, knjižara...

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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope was able to detect a super Earth's direct light for the first time using its sensitive heat-seeking infrared vision. Super Earths are more massive than Earth but lighter than gas giants like Neptune. As this artist's concept shows, in visible light, a planet is lost in the glare of its star (top view). When viewed in infrared, the planet becomes brighter relative to its star. This is largely due to the fact that the planet's scorching heat blazes with infrared light. Even on our own bodies emanate more infrared light than visible due to our heat. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The star 55 Cancri has been a source of joy and firsts for planet hunters. Not only  was it one of the first known stars to host an extrasolar planet, but now the light from one of its five known planets has been detected directly with the Spitzer Space Telescope, the first time a 'smaller' exoplanet's light has been detected directly.  Planet "e" is a super-Earth, about twice as big and eight times as massive as Earth.  Scientists say that while the planet is not habitable, the detection is a historic step toward the eventual search for signs of life on other planets.

"Spitzer has amazed us yet again," said Bill Danchi, Spitzer program scientist.  "The spacecraft is pioneering the study of atmospheres of distant planets and paving the way for NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope to apply a similar technique on potentially habitable planets."


The first planet around 55 Cancri was reported in 1997 and 55 Cancri e – the innermost planet in the system — was discovered via radial velocity measurements in 2004.  This planet has been studied as much as possible, and astronomers were able to determine its mass and radius.

But now, Spitzer has measured how much infrared light comes from the planet itself. The results reveal the planet is likely dark, and its sun-facing side is more than 2,000 Kelvin (1,726 degrees Celsius, 3,140 degrees Fahrenheit), hot enough to melt metal.

Lično više volim hladnije vreme. Lakše je zagrejati se nego osloboditi se viška toplote.

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Teleportation is the extraordinary ability to transfer objects from one location to another without travelling through the intervening space. 

The idea is not that the physical object is teleported but the information that describes it. This can then be applied to a similar object in a new location which effectively takes on the new identity.

And it is by no means science fiction. Physicists have been teleporting photons since 1997 and the technique is now standard in optics laboratories all over the world.

The phenomenon that makes this possible is known as quantum entanglement,  the deep and mysterious link that occurs when two quantum objects share the same existence and yet are separated in space.

Teleportation turns out to be extremely useful. Because teleported information does not travel through the intervening space, it cannot be secretly accessed by an eavesdropper.

For that reason, teleportation is the enabling technology behind quantum cryptography, a way of sending information with close-to-perfect secrecy.

http://http://www.space.com/15676-asteroid-earth-close-flyby-2012ju.html (http://http://www.space.com/15676-asteroid-earth-close-flyby-2012ju.html)


An asteroid the size of a school bus gave Earth a close shave yesterday (May 13), passing well inside the orbit of the moon, but our planet was never in any danger of being hit.

   The near-Earth asteroid (http://www.space.com/51-asteroids-formation-discovery-and-exploration.html) 2012 JU, which is thought to be about 40 feet (12 meters) wide, came within 119,000 miles (191,500 kilometers) or so of our planet before zooming off into deep space, according to NASA's Near-Earth Object Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The moon orbits Earth at an average distance of 238,000 miles (382,900 km).

The asteroid-tracking office put together an animation of asteroid 2012 JU's orbit (http://www.space.com/15668-tractor-trailer-sized-asteroid-zips-earth-moon-video.html) to illustrate its Sunday flyby. The space rock completes one lap around the sun every 3.2 years, according to a Near-Earth Object Program database.

http://www.et3.com/index.asp (http://www.et3.com/index.asp)








WHY ET3?
Transportation should be clean, green, fast, comfortable and affordable for all; It must also be financially sustainable on a global level. THE TIME FOR A NEW MODE OF TRANSPORTATION IS NOW


WHAT IS ET3 and HOW DOES IT WORK?ET3 is literally "Space Travel on Earth". ET3 is silent, low cost, safe, faster than jets, and is electric.Car sized passenger capsules travel in 1.5m (5') diameter tubes on frictionless maglev. Air is permanently removed from the two-way tubes that are built along a travel route. Airlocks at stations allow transfer of capsules without admitting air. Linear electric motors accelerate the capsules, which then coast through the vacuum for the remainder of the trip using no additional power. Most of the energy is regenerated as the capsules slow down. ET3 can provide 50 times more transportation per kWh than electric cars or trains.


Speed in initial ET3 systems is 600km/h (370 mph) for in state trips, and will be developed to 6,500 km/h (4,000 mph) for international travel that will allow passenger or cargo travel from New York to Beijing in 2 hours. ET3 is networked like freeways, except the capsules are automatically routed from origin to destination.]ET3 capsules weigh only 183 kg (400 lbs), yet like an automobile, can carry up to six people or 367 kg (800 lbs) of cargo. Compared to high speed rail, ET3 needs only 1/20th the material to build because the vehicles are so light. With automated passive switching, a pair of ET3 tubes can exceed the capacity of a 32 lane freeway. ET3 can be built for 1/10th the cost of High Speed Rail, or 1/4th the cost of a freeway.


ET3 stands for Evacuated Tube Transport Technologies. The company et3.com Inc. is an open consortium of licensees dedicated to global implementation of Evacuated Tube Transport (ETT).

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A group of students and professors from Yale University have found a fungi in the Amazon rainforest that can degrade and utilize the common plastic polyurethane (http://aem.asm.org/content/77/17/6076.full) (PUR). As part of the university's Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory (https://webspace.yale.edu/rainforest/Site/Home.html) educational program, designed to engage undergraduate students in discovery-based research, the group searched for plants and cultured the micro-organisms within their tissue.Several active organisms were identified, including two distinct isolates of Pestalotiopsis microspora with the ability to efficiently degrade and utilize PUR as the sole carbon source when grown anaerobically, a unique observation among reported PUR biodegradation activities.Polyurethane is a big part of our mounting waste problem and this is a new possible solution for managing it. The fungi can survive on polyurethane alone and is uniquely able to do so in an oxygen-free environment. The Yale University team has published their findings in the article 'Biodegradation of Polyester Polyurethane by Endophytic Fungi' for the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal.

Biodegradation of Polyester Polyurethane by Endophytic Fungi (http://aem.asm.org/content/77/17/6076.full)

via PSFK: http://www.psfk.com/2012/03/plastic-eating-fungi.html#ixzz1uwwDdzn9 (http://www.psfk.com/2012/03/plastic-eating-fungi.html#ixzz1uwwDdzn9)

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Inside the mouth of every child is a terrifying double row of teeth. Not that you'd ever know it — muscle, skin and bone prevent most of us from ever catching a glimpse of this extra dentition. Here's your chance to get a close-up look at what lies beyond the gum line.

On some level, most people probably recognize that a child's erupting permanent teeth have to be situated more or less right on top of their smaller predecessors, in order to dissolve their roots and ultimately replace them (a process known as exfoliation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deciduous_teeth#Description)).

What many fail to appreciate, however, is just how little room there is for exfoliation to take place. This picture [click for hi-res (http://img.gawkerassets.com/post/8/2012/05/schaferskull.jpg)], taken by photographer Stefan Schäfer (http://www.stefanschafer.com/) at the Hunterian Museum in London (http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums), reveals several permanent teeth crammed into a space so small, it almost looks like they're burrowing outward in a bid to escape from the skull entirely — the front teeth via the eye and nasal cavities, the lower teeth by way of the jawline.

Stare at it too long, in fact, and the skull's primary teeth almost start to resemble a set of pharyngeal jaws (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharyngeal_jaw). Wonderful. Now I'll never be able to look at a child again without thinking about xenomorph dentition. Biology: Not only is it fascinating, it's also high-octane nightmare fuel.

http://io9.com/5910844/the-mouth-of-a-child-is-a-terrifying-thing-to-behold (http://io9.com/5910844/the-mouth-of-a-child-is-a-terrifying-thing-to-behold)

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Fifty years ago today, a coal seam caught fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania, causing the mines beneath the town to catch fire. While the decades-old fire has caused most residents to abandon the town, a few holdouts remain.
We mentioned Centralia among our "Underground Fires that Burn for Decades" (http://io9.com/375485/underground-fires-that-burn-for-decades) (along with Uzbekistan's so-called "Door to Hell") and our "Greatest Fossil Fuel Disasters In Human History." (http://io9.com/5526826/greatest-fossil-fuel-disasters-in-human-history) It's believed that the Centralia fire started when a group of men set fire to some local refuse located near the opening of an abandoned strip-mine. The fire, which started on May 27th, 1962, spread throughout the city's mines, and with plenty of coal to fuel it, has burned ever since. Lethal levels of carbon monoxide spew from cracks in the Earth. The ground is uncomfortably hot in some places. Because the road buckled and became too expensive to repair, the Centralia branches of Pennsylvania Routes 54 and 61 were permanently closed. Concerned about the safety of the residents, the US Congress bought out most of the city's residents in 1984, and in 1992, Pennsylvania's governor seized the remaining homes under eminent domain, declaring the region condemned.

Despite the extreme environment and attempts at eviction, a handful of folks still regard Centralia as home. The 2010 census counted 10 residents in Centralia — which lost its zip code in 1993 — and the locals are attempting to have the government seizure reversed. They claim that the fire poses no threat to their property and pledge to stay put. However, Tim Altares, a geologist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, noted that the hazard for Centralia residents is from the toxic gases, and the possibility that eternal flame may open still more pathways to the surface.

In the meantime, the swirling smoke billowing from beneath Centralia has provided fodder for a number of spooky fictions, notably the film adaptation of Silent Hill. The one fictional person who could stop the Centralia fire? Superman, who swung by in Action Comics #558 to make a firebreak and rescue the town's atmosphere from toxic smoke.

http://io9.com/5913603/50-years-later-the-coal-fire-beneath-pennsylvania-still-burns (http://io9.com/5913603/50-years-later-the-coal-fire-beneath-pennsylvania-still-burns)

NASA Launches Space Telescope to Hunt Black Holes

NASA's newest space telescope, an ambitious X-ray observatory, launched into orbit today (June 13) on a mission to peer deep into the universe and study the violent regions around black holes.

   The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (http://www.space.com/15925-nasa-black-holes-telescope-nustar.html) (NuSTAR) spacecraft launched spaceward at the tip of an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket, which itself was carried into launch position by a high-altitude L-1011 "Stargazer" jet aircraft. At 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT), the plane dropped the rocket in midair, where the booster fired its engines for its climb into the sky.

http://www.space.com/16126-nasa-launches-black-hole-telescope-nustar.html (http://www.space.com/16126-nasa-launches-black-hole-telescope-nustar.html)

i, donekle u vezi sa time:

Mountain View, CA. Today, astronomers have announced new evidence that small planets – the type of worlds most favorable for biology – may be more common than thought.  Once believed to accompany only stars with a large helping of heavy elements, this result suggests that – like weeds that can grow anywhere – Earth-size planets can be found around nearly any type of star.  The new work bolsters the chances that scientists will eventually succeed in discovering extraterrestrial biology.

A team of 29 Danish and American astronomers, led by Lars Buchhave, of the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, has analyzed data from both NASA's Kepler space telescope and ground-based observatories to discover that even star systems that contain only sparse amounts of the heavy elements that make up planets can still get enough of this material together to form small worlds, the size of Earth or Mars.

This has two consequences in the search for extraterrestrial life: (1) The tally of small worlds is even greater than we once believed, and (2) Even relatively ancient stars, billions of years older than our Sun and generally deficient in such relatively heavy elements as silicon and iron, could host planets that are potential homes to life.  This circumstance may help in the discovery of intelligent life beyond Earth.

"The idea that very old stars could also sport habitable planets is encouraging for our searches," notes Jill Tarter (http://www.seti.org/tarter), the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute.  "In particular, intelligent life has taken a long time to evolve here on Earth.  Consequently, it's reasonable to suppose that older planetary systems are more likely to have technological societies – the kind we might detect with our radio telescopes."

At SETIcon II (http://www.seticon.org/), a public event being hosted by the SETI Institute, leading experts on planetary systems will be discussing where life might be discovered and how we could find it.  Among them will be planet-hunters extraordinaire Geoff Marcy (http://seticon.com/speakers/#gmarcy), of the University of California, Deborah Fischer (http://seticon.com/speakers/#dfischer), of Yale University, and Jon Jenkins (http://www.seti.org/users/jon-jenkins) and Doug Caldwell (http://www.seti.org/users/douglas-caldwell) of the SETI Institute.  SETIcon takes place June 22 – 24 at the Hyatt Santa Clara hotel in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, and will feature approximately 50 panel discussions, fireside chats, and lightning talks.  Eminent guests from the worlds of science and science-fiction will be presenting at this unique event. For more information and registration, go to: seticon.org (http://www.seti.org/node/seticon.org).

This latest discovery about so-called exoplanets adds to the growing evidence that planets are commonplace, but also that the smaller sorts of rocky worlds that could have both oceans and atmospheres are similarly ubiquitous.

"It could have been otherwise," says Edna DeVore (http://www.seti.org/devore), Deputy CEO of the SETI Institute.  "For a half-century, our search for biology beyond Earth has been motivated by the assumption that planets – and more important, habitable planets – are abundant.  It might have turned out that this assumption was wrong.  But these new data from the Kepler Mission provide real support that what we hoped might be true really could be. Small planets which make good homes for ET are very likely everywhere." 

mene zanima jedno pitanje ako neko zna odgovor

koliki je minimalan broj ljudi koji treba biti dopremljen na jednu planetu kako bi ostvarili potpuno zdravo potomstvo i recimo razmnožili se na brojku od 1 milijuna kolonista bez degenerativnih problema nastalih spajanjem rođaka  :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:

Matematičko rešenje: 1 milion. Praktično rešenje: dvoje, samo treba dobro da paze.

... a zaboravljate na IVF hladnjače koje bi bile kamen temeljac svake kolonije... c, c, c,...  :lol:

Trebalo bi imati i desetak hiberniranih odraslih, čisto da ima neko stariji ako početni odrasli zbog nečeg zglajznu.

Quotedvoje, samo treba dobro da paze.

Pa reče lepo bez bolesti.

http://genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask113 (http://genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask113)

hm zanimljivo... dugo vremena sam o tome razmišljao ali samo baziran na genetiku i rađanje
nisam mislio na bolesti i viruse izvana  :roll:

ja sam kontao da je minimum 20-30 parova  :idea:
onda nisam računao na faktor vremena  :P


inače mrzim guglati uvijek odem na drugu stranu i čitam što nisam tražio
zato volim forume fino pitaš i dobiješ odgovor  :lol:

Quote from: mac on 14-06-2012, 22:20:54
Trebalo bi imati i desetak hiberniranih odraslih, čisto da ima neko stariji ako početni odrasli zbog nečeg zglajznu.

ali ima i bolja zanrovska varijanta (mislim, bolja za nesrecnike kojima preti zglajzavanje), sasvim lepo predocena u ovom gudi-oldi sf filmicu: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075931/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075931/)
uvek mi se nekako cinilo da tehnofobicni sentimenti nekako budu veci podstrek za zanrovsku raspojasanost negoli oni tehnofilicni.  xwink2

E sad, da li smo se skupili ovde da pomognemo budućim kolonistima, ili da ih načisto sjebemo...

Pa da im pomognemo, naravno: obilje IVF zamrznutih fetusa poštedelo bi ih krajnje neugodne situacije "parenja po dužnosti" a kompjuterski operisani inkubatori poštedeli bi kolonistkinje tmurne sudbine "mašina za rađanje". Benefiti su, valjda, očigledni. E sad, ako se ispostavi da će se tu usput ubaciti i neka pomalo eugenički nastrojena genetska poboljšanja... pa, ne vidim što bi se zbog toga ovde sad šokirali, ljudima je to ionako vazda bilo u prirodi. Ko normalan voli da mu se dinastička krvna loza optereti genima dubioznog kvaliteta? Niko. Razlika je jedino u tome što poboljšanje vrste u ostatku životinjskog sveta priroda nameće kroz evoluciju, dok čovek uzima sebi pravo i mogućnost da sam po sebi prčka, vođen intelektom i estetikom.   

"mašina za rađanje"... niđe veze

u kolonije bi išli mladi bračni parovi koji su zdravi sposobni i žele djecu
sumnjam da bi feministice imale šta tražiti na nekom nenaseljenom planetu  8-) 8-) 8-)
feministice i gejevi neće kolonizirati svemir  :evil:

Neke žene se traumiraju rađanjem i kad posle prvog-drugog pomisle da treba tako još 20-30 puta mine ih želja za još dece. Kad ti mašina isporuči dete nekako ti dođe lakše.

Quote from: mac on 15-06-2012, 22:23:14
treba tako još 20-30 puta

Znam da se zezaš, ali karlica me zabolela čim sam pročitala ovu cifru. Neće biti ozbiljnog teraformiranja bez inkubatora...

vjerovatno bi rađale i po 15 kad bi im se omogućio besplatni doživotni šoping

E zato što oftopičariš  ti ćeš za kaznu da čuvaš svu tu decu dok one "šopuju" u sred bestragije.

ne ozbiljno... vamo se promovira kako je ok umrijeti za grupu herojstvo i tako to
a na drugoj strani se misli kako ne bi bilo žena koje bi željele samo rađati  :idea:
našlo bi se od 3 milijarde barem 80 takvih  :lol:

Ali nije ni praktično da ti je pola radne snage stalno trudno. Više jedu, a manje rade (karikiram sad, nadam se da neće neko sad da se peca na ovo). Ne svodi se naseljavanje nove teritorije samo na štancovanje, neko mora i da ore, seje, žanje, muze, melje, kuva, plete... Ranije su se deca i rađala da bi pomagala oko kuće, jer dvoje ne može sve samo.

A gde vi žurite?

Quote from: mac on 16-06-2012, 02:23:47
Ne svodi se naseljavanje nove teritorije samo na štancovanje, neko mora i da ore, seje, žanje, muze, melje, kuva, plete... Ranije su se deca i rađala da bi pomagala oko kuće, jer dvoje ne može sve samo.

Sutra će sve to roboti da rade, naseljenici samo moraju da obezbede dovoljno inženjera za popravljanje robota.
Nego, po našem intraterestrijalnom iskustvu sa kolonizacijom, neće ići strogo probrani genetski zdravi idealisti, nego prvo avanturisti a onda sirotinja i eventualno kažnjenici. Nemojte mnogo da se nadate eugenetskoj utopiji. :(

Zamislite tek kakvi će to poligoni biti za ispitivanje procesa nastajanja novhi dijalekata!  xnerd

Mac to malko karikira, ali u principu mislim da je skroz u pravu kad pretpostavlja da će svaki pojedini kolonista biti isuviše dragocen da bi se akao na mundane poslove. (Ne mislim time da su svi poslovi oko podmlatka mundani, ali dosta njih jeste, pogotovo u toj konkretno fazi dok se oko deteta malo šta radi sem hranjenja i menjanja pelena.) Tačno je to za robote, ali... robot valja onoliko koliko mu je valjao programer a teško je programirati robota za nepoznate uslove. Ima ona caka sa ruskom sondom za koju se očekivalo da će analizirati sastav tla na Veneri i koja nikada nije poslala tu informaciju, iako je preživela dovoljno dugo da tu analizu obavi. Kasnije se ustanovilo da je za to najverovatnije kriv poklopac koji je pokrivao ležište za bušilicu, tako što je pao tačno na mesto na kom je bušilica trebalo da rije tlo. I eto, fenomenalno skup komad mašinerije nije uradio ama baš ništa korisno, samo zato što u blizini nije bilo čoveka da šutne to parče metala... a zamislimo samo sve druge nepredviđene situacije  za koje je mašineriju gotovo nemoguće programirati na neviđeno. Ne, ne, ljudska sposobnost opažanja i odlučivanja biti će tu presudna, pogotovo u tom prvom talasu. A posle toga, prva tura kolonista biti će još više dragocena zbog svog specifičnog znanja: lako je decu napraviti ali je malo teže obrazovati ih da prežive u surovom okolišu, a ko bi im to obrazovanje mogao dati negoli upravo ta prva tura kolonista. Naravno, pod uslovom da prežive dovoljno dugo da svoje iskustvo prenesu prvoj generaciji rođenih u koloniji. 


Za eugeniku nekako ne sumnjam da će je biti, mada pre u distopičnoj nego utopijskoj varijanti. Nešto od toga bi svakako bilo pozitivno, pošto čovek mora da se prilagodi svom okolišu a u ovakvim uslovima baš i ne bi bilo vremena da se čeka na prirodnu evoluciju. S druge strane, znajući kakvi smo sada, opsednuti rasom i nacijom, onaj ko bude najviše finansirao ekspediciju, garant će iznaći masu otvorenih i prikrivenih načina da na njoj ostavi upravo takav svoj pečat.  :cry:  A možda samo umišljam, smoždena svežim utiskom na najbezvezniji sf film kog sam u životu videla - Prometej.  :cry: :cry: xfoht

Broj opcija daleko prevazilazi kapacitete mašte kojima mi raspolažemo. Kad bi neko odabrao uslove na planeti koja se naseljava, mogući obim i ritam ekspedicija, kao i potencijalna očekivanja od poduhvata, moglo bi se započeti sa igrom kako će to izgledati. Mislim da još niko nije šutnuo poklopac bušilice.

Istina je to za broj opcija, a i za potencijalna očekivanja od poduhvata. S obzirom na brzinu kojom uništavamo ovu planetu, moguće je da će nam vrlo skoro trebati nova. Recimo da se nadam da će kolonija imati za cilj da stvori alternativnu Zemlju, sa kojom bi postupala nešto bolje nego sa ovom, poučena iskustvom da je sasvim lako upropastiti i čitavu planetu ako se o njoj razmišlja kao o sopstvenom vlasništvu, a ne samo pozajmljenom od budućih generacija. 

Quote from: LiBeat on 16-06-2012, 10:25:17
Istina je to za broj opcija, a i za potencijalna očekivanja od poduhvata. S obzirom na brzinu kojom uništavamo ovu planetu, moguće je da će nam vrlo skoro trebati nova. Recimo da se nadam da će kolonija imati za cilj da stvori alternativnu Zemlju, sa kojom bi postupala nešto bolje nego sa ovom, poučena iskustvom da je sasvim lako upropastiti i čitavu planetu ako se o njoj razmišlja kao o sopstvenom vlasništvu, a ne samo pozajmljenom od budućih generacija.

s tim što je ovo čista utopija imajući u vidu da dilujemo sa homo sapiens sapiensom na ovom nivou evolucije. znači, prvo bi trebalo da se desi neki nuklearni šit na zemlji koji bi mutaciju gurnuo ka "empatičnijoj & samosvesnijoj" varijanti čoveka, pa tek onda bi takvog trebalo otisnuti negde.

Ljudi su zaboravna i subjektivna bića. Prvi talas kolonista bi se još i vodio iskustvom sa Zemlje, ali već druga generacija ne bi ni imala ta iskustva, nego samo priče starijih. Treća generacija bi već totalno radila po svome, i dobrano radila na dovođenju ekosistema do ivice održivosti.

Quote from: mac on 16-06-2012, 10:40:46
Ljudi su zaboravna i subjektivna bića. Prvi talas kolonista bi se još i vodio iskustvom sa Zemlje, ali već druga generacija ne bi ni imala ta iskustva, nego samo priče starijih. Treća generacija bi već totalno radila po svome, i dobrano radila na dovođenju ekosistema do ivice održivosti.

I tragala za sledećom planetom.


Mac, previše brzo prolaziš sa svojom šemom. Dogovorite se oko startnih uslova.

Quote from: lilit_depp on 16-06-2012, 10:35:18

Quote from: LiBeat on 16-06-2012, 10:25:17
Istina je to za broj opcija, a i za potencijalna očekivanja od poduhvata. S obzirom na brzinu kojom uništavamo ovu planetu, moguće je da će nam vrlo skoro trebati nova. Recimo da se nadam da će kolonija imati za cilj da stvori alternativnu Zemlju, sa kojom bi postupala nešto bolje nego sa ovom, poučena iskustvom da je sasvim lako upropastiti i čitavu planetu ako se o njoj razmišlja kao o sopstvenom vlasništvu, a ne samo pozajmljenom od budućih generacija.

s tim što je ovo čista utopija imajući u vidu da dilujemo sa homo sapiens sapiensom na ovom nivou evolucije. znači, prvo bi trebalo da se desi neki nuklearni šit na zemlji koji bi mutaciju gurnuo ka "empatičnijoj & samosvesnijoj" varijanti čoveka, pa tek onda bi takvog trebalo otisnuti negde.

Eto, vidis sad kako si ovom izjavom otkrila stav koji negujes u dubuni duse... tebi je svaka iskra optimizma, ma kako malecka, ravna utopiji. A posle ja budem rezident mizantrop.  :cry: :cry: :(


Opet se priklanjam Macovom stavu kad tvrdi da bi kolonisti relativno brzo raskinuli veze sa nasim mentalitetom. Mi smo tradicionalno i istorijski uslovljeni da ovako reagujemo na nas okolis a kad bi se taj okolis drasticno promenio, sledila bi i jednako drasticna kolonisticka adaptacija na novi.


E sad, da li bi to bila trajna promena na bolje... to ne mozemo znati, mozemo samo spekulisati. Moja koleginica, inace fanatik nutricionizma, sumira celu tu filozofiju u vrlo prost zakljucak: sve ono ultra ukusno sto jedes, sve to apsolutno nije zdravo ni dobro po tebe. Sta to znaci, da smo genetski uslovljeni na lagano samounistenje? Ako je tako, onda cemo i u kolonijama da uprskamo stvar. Ali, ako nije, mozda cemo da tamo dokazemo da na greskama ucimo.


Isto tako, verujem da ce nam i tu pomoci ogromna sujeta, koja je sigurno los gospodar ali je zato vrlo koristan sluga: mozda lansiramo kolonije i pre totalnog ukakavanja ove zemlje, prosto da krajnje sujetno dokazemo sebi i drugima da nam se moze.  :lol:

Quote from: LiBeat on 16-06-2012, 11:40:34
Opet se priklanjam Macovom stavu kad tvrdi da bi kolonisti relativno brzo raskinuli veze sa nasim mentalitetom. Mi smo tradicionalno i istorijski uslovljeni da ovako reagujemo na nas okolis a kad bi se taj okolis drasticno promenio, sledila bi i jednako drasticna kolonisticka adaptacija na novi.

Ja mislim da situacija sa kolonistima na novoj planeti ne bi bili suštinski razlićita od kolonista na drugom kontinentu. Dakle, pod uslovom da Zemlja još uvek postoji, odnosno da celokupna civilizacija nije nekim čudom uništena, mogli bismo očekivati da odnos između Zemlje i nove planete bude vrlo sličan onome između Britanije i Amerike, odnosno Australije.

Hoću reći, ne mislim da okoliš ima tu mnogo veze. Čovek je čovek, ma gde ga posadili. Kultura, braćo, kultura, a ne flora i fauna.  :lol:

I sestre. I sestre.

Sa obzirom na trenutno stanje svemirskog programa, i sama ideja o kolonijama je utopistička.
A razvoj kolonija zavisio bi od toliko faktora da bi se za svaku viziju našlo mesta, kao i do sada  :mrgreen:
- da li se održava kontinuirana veza sa maticom?
- da li postoji težnja ka osamostaljivanju od iste?
- da li je cilj samo eksploatacija bogatstava ili trajno naseljavanje?
- da li su prirodni uslovi čovekoljubivi ili ne (atmosfera, klima)?
- kakav je domaći živi svet?
- da li postoji inteligentna živa vrsta/vrste?
itd. itd.

Jeftina kineska radna snaga obezbediće i tu prokletu kolonizaciju kosmosa, uskoro...

Jest, prvi Kinez u svemiru 2003. godine, evo sad prva Kineskinja, a 2020. planiraju svemirsku stanicu. Ja ne vidim što 2050. ne bi imali koloniju.  :lol:

I stargate kod Šangaja. Pa, čim neko naseli prve koloniste i kompletira adresu, evo ti njih.

Pa, Amerika nije autsorsovala samo Detroit u Kinu, već je to učinila i sa svojim svemirskim programom.
Biće to ipak bakićevska pečalba u svemisrkim slamovima. Nešto kao Lagos na Marsu ili Bombaj na Veneri...

Quote from: Jevtropijevićka on 16-06-2012, 12:04:35
Sa obzirom na trenutno stanje svemirskog programa, i sama ideja o kolonijama je utopistička.

Hm. Cisto zezancije radi, pogledaj kakvo je "stanje svemirskog programa" bilo deset godina pre onog famoznog Kenedijevog obecanja o sletanju na Mesec, pa ga uporedi sa stanjem deset godina nakon te izjave. I pri tom, ne zaboravi da se radi o ondasnjem tehnoloskom nivou, ne danasnjem. Motivacija je cudo, ne smes to potcenjivati, a ako se na to doda fakt da ljudi jesu povodljivi i da je sa njima lako manipulisati, potreban je samo jedan malecki napor maste da se toj manipulaciji dadne pozitivan predznak, za razliku od tog uporno negativnog sa kojim smo toliko srasli. I bila to utopija ili ne, fakt ostaje da je u domenu moguceg. 

Quote from: Jevtropijevićka on 16-06-2012, 12:04:35
A razvoj kolonija zavisio bi od toliko faktora da bi se za svaku viziju našlo mesta, kao i do sada  :mrgreen:
- da li se održava kontinuirana veza sa maticom?
- da li postoji težnja ka osamostaljivanju od iste?
- da li je cilj samo eksploatacija bogatstava ili trajno naseljavanje?
- da li su prirodni uslovi čovekoljubivi ili ne (atmosfera, klima)?
- kakav je domaći živi svet?
- da li postoji inteligentna živa vrsta/vrste?
itd. itd.

- kontinuirana veza sa mativcom se, naravno, ne odrzava, a ako se i odrzava - beskorisna je.
- naravno, ovakve vrste kolonija bi po pravilu bile samostalne, samopodrazumno i sporazumno, bez ikakve borbe.
- neka vrst eksploatacije je moguca ali ne i nuzna niti znacajna, trajno naseljavanje je prioritet.
- prirodni uslovi su krajnje negostoljubivi - kakva bre Australija, bog budi s tobom, momak, i kakva bre Afrika! - i originalni kolonisti mogu da opstanu samo u autonomnom ekosistemu, bio to skafander ili kupola ili stalivec. Planeti tek sledi teraformiranje, pobogu, ne govorimo o paralelnoj zemlji koju nam je neki Savaot namenio, a ako atmosfere i ima, onda je najverovatnije opasna po zivot originalnih kolonista, mada se genetskom manipulacijom to moze donekle i promeniti kod potonjih generacija.
- domace flore i faune nema, ili, ako ste bas toliko krvolocno raspolozeni, ima je upravo takve da pozelite da je nema.
- nista nije inteligentno osim ljudi.  :lol:

Slažem se i izvinjavam ako sam ja išta poremetio. Topik je jasno postavljen i oni koji bi se samo zezali, mogi bi da pročitaju naslov. Radi se o SF ekspediciji.

Aman, bre, Skalope, ne da nisi nista poremetio nego skroz naprotiv, zezamo se. Opusti se malo, svoji smo na svome.  :wink:
PS. zamisli kolonije tipa one iz Gospodara svetlosti... ah!!  :!: 

Ma, jedno je SF ekspedicija, a drugo ekspedicija naseljavanja u svemiru. Ono prvo mora imati distopični karakter inače je dosadno. Recimo, pisac tvrdog, ABNovskog SF-a mora znati iz kojih u koje uslove ide, koja je motivacija (da li je frka ili plan), u kojoj fazi se društvo na Zemlji nalazi... itd... itd... Dakle, zamisliš polazne uslove i pakovanje kreće. Sasvim je svejedno koja je tehnika putovanja, važno je da se stiže. Naravno, trolovaćemo sami svoju priču, ali jednom rečenicom, da se može odgovoriti.

Da stvarno, ko bi bacao pare za nešto što mu neće povratiti investiciju? Ponajpre fundamentalisti, uglavnom religiozni. Samo, odakle njima pare?

Quote from: Jevtropijevićka on 16-06-2012, 12:04:35
- da li je cilj samo eksploatacija bogatstava ili trajno naseljavanje?

Руку на срце, ова тачка је прва и најважнија. Ако докучимо ово, остало ће лако кренути даље. Зашто? Па оно што се ја упљувах, рецимо, кад се прича о приступању ЕУ: хајде да видимо cost/benefit анализу.

Тачка 2 је ту занимљива и често се у неко наивније време насељавање других планета видело као решење пренасељености. Прц! - кажем ја. Цена транспорта великог броја људи на другу планету толико је већи од уништења истог броја људи да о тој варијанти једноставно не треба ни размишљати. Ако то одбацимо, практично остаје само ово прво јер би (у почетку бар) земаљска експлоатација ресурса те друге планете била приоритет. Опет је нејасно да ли би се то исплатило или се пре тога више исплати експлоатација астероида, рецимо. Баш сам недавно читао о прорачунима тога да ли се исплати хватати и мања тела и допремати их на Земљу, уз наравно строгу процену њиховог састава.

Дакле, колонија на другој планети само колоније ради може бити еквивалент истраживачких станица на Антарктику или свемиру. Ко има лове плати да неко тамо проводи више времена, али се опет поставља питање да ли је људска посада толико потребна или се исплативије слати сонде.

Експлоатација је УВЕК кључна реч и само о томе вреди разговарати. Све остало су маштарије.

Džone, volim ja tvoj tvrdi način razmišljanja, ali eksploatacija je tek na trećem mestu. Prvi i ultimativni motiv je tanatos. U ovom trenutku se razmatra bar deset uzroka globalne katastrofe. Kad Branson, ili ko već, uloži stotine miliona dolara u fol komercijalno putovanje do orbite nad Zemljom, on ulaže u polaznu stanicu. Odatle će već nekako da zbriše. Seti se kako su u Sajgonu gubitnici visili na helikopterima kad je vrag odneo šalu. Znači, survival je na prvom mestu. Ne smem da kažem da je eros na drugom, neko će mi se smejati.

Tri milenijuma je trebalo da se prokopa Suecki kanal. Još je Faraon znao da to treba uraditi. A koliko ih je samo nastradalo kopajući Panamski kanal. Šta ima veze, trebaće im 500 godina da stignu do eksploatacije asteroida. Ali neće stradati eksploatatori nego eksploatisani.

A cena koštanja? Pa to će narod da plati  :!:

Bogatašima će i na Zemlji biti lepo još dugo vremena. Onaj ko ide u koloniju ide tamo da radi. Nisu kolonije za bogataše.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18458544 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18458544)

QuoteChina launches space mission with first woman astronaut

Ovo je samo početak. Nameravaju da tamo pošalju jedno 200 miliona Kineskinja  :idea:

Godišnje.

Quote from: scallop on 16-06-2012, 13:43:12
Ma, jedno je SF ekspedicija, a drugo ekspedicija naseljavanja u svemiru. Ono prvo mora imati distopični karakter inače je dosadno.

Nemas pojma koliko se slazem sa ovim. Najozbiljinije. Kog god SF futurizma danas da se latim, ako nije distopican, odmah mi se ucini da je naivan i za malu tupavu decu napisan. Ne znam kad sam to i kako izgubila sposobnost da me futuristicki optimizam odusevi, ali eto, vidim da jesam.

Quote from: Джон Рейнольдс on 16-06-2012, 14:06:35
Тачка 2 је ту занимљива и често се у неко наивније време насељавање других планета видело као решење пренасељености. Прц! - кажем ја. Цена транспорта великог броја људи на другу планету толико је већи од уништења истог броја људи да о тој варијанти једноставно не треба ни размишљати. Ако то одбацимо, практично остаје само ово прво јер би (у почетку бар) земаљска експлоатација ресурса те друге планете била приоритет. Опет је нејасно да ли би се то исплатило или се пре тога више исплати експлоатација астероида, рецимо. Баш сам недавно читао о прорачунима тога да ли се исплати хватати и мања тела и допремати их на Земљу, уз наравно строгу процену њиховог састава.

Дакле, колонија на другој планети само колоније ради може бити еквивалент истраживачких станица на Антарктику или свемиру. Ко има лове плати да неко тамо проводи више времена, али се опет поставља питање да ли је људска посада толико потребна или се исплативије слати сонде.

Експлоатација је УВЕК кључна реч и само о томе вреди разговарати. Све остало су маштарије.

Pa, kakva je to konkretna eksploatacija odvela coveka na Mesec? Ista takva bi mogla opet da se upotrebi, zar ne?


A Zemlja kao planeta uopste nije prenaseljena, to je po meni vise pitanje pritiska na odredjene resurse u pojedinim regionima, a i to je daleko lakse resiv problem nego sto izgleda, samo sto je nazalost u domenu politicke sfere, vise nego bilo koje druge.


Inace, to poredjenje sa posadama istrazivackih stanica na Antarktiku je skroz dobro pogodjeno, i ja mislim da je taj i takav suvo-informativni aspekt vrlo bitan, i ima neko svoje mesto u onom okviru eksploatacije koju pominjes, jer nisu sve eksploatacije cisto materijalne prirode, ili, ako jesu, onda i originalna informacija kao takva ima u njima neki relevantan plasman. Hocu reci, ne verujem da bi nam se isplatilo ikakvo rudarenje asteroida ili planeta (male su sanse da tamo nadjemo ono sto nam treba u smislu tehnoloskih resursa) ali definitivno bi se time doslo do izvesnih saznanja koja bi sama po sebi imala svoju vrednost cak i u okvirima sadasnje tehnologije, a kamoli one buduce koju bi upravo takva originalna informacija lansirala.

Quote from: LiBeat on 16-06-2012, 15:56:34
Pa, kakva je to konkretna eksploatacija odvela coveka na Mesec? Ista takva bi mogla opet da se upotrebi, zar ne?

Месец је била пре свега пропагандна акција у јеку Хладног рата, где је СССР од разорене државе без атомског оружја дошао до оружја, а и први послао човека у свемир, па је САД морао некако да узврати. То је обема странама значило отприлике - ако можемо да вам дођемо изнад главе, можемо нешто и да вам бацимо на главу. Немојмо се заваравати да је у томе било ичега племенито истраживачког. Уосталом, у давна времена неистражене Земље истраживања су и постојала да би се видело има ли се негде тамо шта узети, ископати или отети. Или наћи краћи и јефтинији трговачки пут, рецимо.

Путом на Месец експлоатисана је идеја престижа. На крају крајева, кад је последњи пут човек био на Месецу, а колико је технологија у међувремену напредовала. Поставља се питање, шта ће човек на Месецу? Чему? Данас би евентуално могли говорити о туризму за хипер-богате који би се томе дичили јер, ето, то још у животу нису радили. Опет престиж. Ништа племенитије.

Na Mesecu su helijum-3 i radio tišina za posmatranje svemira. Mnogo tišine. I može da posluži kao pomoćno spremište informacija. Špajz, takoreći.

Pa, tehničko-tehnološka istraživanja su po difoltu multitasking. 90% istraživanja u SAD imaju taj karakter, čak i kad to izgleda nemoguće. U ovom ili onom obliku, Pentagon učestvuje u svim istraživačkim projektima . Zapazite da nisam napisao skoro svim. Važno je posedovati pravo na eksploataciju rezultata, pa šta bude. Isto tako, svi čisto vojni projekti imaju svoju marginu u tržišnoj eksploataciji. Tako se najveći deo uloženih sredstava vraća u kasicu prasicu. I kod nas su postojala fabrički pogoni "namenske proizvodnje" i tamo gde smo se pitali - čemu to. Zbog svega toga je i putovanje na Mesec imalo i svoju ekonomsku stranu isplativosti. Isto tako, kad raspolažemo tehnologijom brzog starenja viskija ili vinjaka, šalje se poruka da su tu izotopi, a gde ima izotopa, ima i izo-topova.


Sa druge strane, distopija je preduslov za postojanje dramskog zapleta u SF-u. Zbog toga je i u onom tekstu gde se raspravljalo o utopiji i distopiji u fantastičnom moglo da se nađe puno smešnog. Utopijsko društvo mora da se poremeti da bi postojala drama, a onda to već i nije utopija. Zbog toga smo se složoli.


Ipak, rado bih se igrao kolonizacije svemira, ali ne bih da ja postavljam ulazne parametre. Ja bih radije distopirao.  :-|

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120613-will-we-ever-live-on-the-moon (http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120613-will-we-ever-live-on-the-moon)

žene u selu odakle je moja mama su trudne išle u šumu po drva
i vraćale se sa naramkom drva u jednoj ruci i bebom u drugoj  8-)
to su bile žene  :lol:
doduše i muški su bili drugačiji  :!:
takve treba slati u ekspedicije... brojevi pobjeđuju  xdrinka

Quote from: Джон Рейнольдс on 16-06-2012, 16:15:52

Quote from: LiBeat on 16-06-2012, 15:56:34
Pa, kakva je to konkretna eksploatacija odvela coveka na Mesec? Ista takva bi mogla opet da se upotrebi, zar ne?

Месец је била пре свега пропагандна акција у јеку Хладног рата, где је СССР од разорене државе без атомског оружја дошао до оружја, а и први послао човека у свемир, па је САД морао некако да узврати. То је обема странама значило отприлике - ако можемо да вам дођемо изнад главе, можемо нешто и да вам бацимо на главу. Немојмо се заваравати да је у томе било ичега племенито истраживачког. Уосталом, у давна времена неистражене Земље истраживања су и постојала да би се видело има ли се негде тамо шта узети, ископати или отети. Или наћи краћи и јефтинији трговачки пут, рецимо.

Путом на Месец експлоатисана је идеја престижа. На крају крајева, кад је последњи пут човек био на Месецу, а колико је технологија у међувремену напредовала. Поставља се питање, шта ће човек на Месецу? Чему? Данас би евентуално могли говорити о туризму за хипер-богате који би се томе дичили јер, ето, то још у животу нису радили. Опет престиж. Ништа племенитије.

Istina.
Ali, nekako mi se čini, kad bi sad krenuli da pravimo listu svih dostignuća motivisanih isključivo plemenitošću, mesec dana kasnije sedeli bi i dalje za praznim papirom, tako da... to je već dizanje prečke na nivo na kom možemo samo da podbacimo. S druge strane, čovek poseduje na tone motivacija koje možda ne dobacuju do ranga plemenitosti, ali bože moj, ako ga dovedu do istog cilja, onda možda i ne moramo odviše u zube da im zagledamo. Lično pomalo sumnjam da bi nas plemenitost kao takva ikad odvela na Mesec, a kad je već tako, onda, hvala bogu makar i za sujetne borbe oko prestiža.


A to za parametre, pa, postoji dosta argumentovan stav da bi u slučaju neke silne frke, kataklizme ili neke druge o-glavu-nužnosti najbolja opcija bila kolonija na Europi, to čak i kao prednost nad Mesecom: Europa je također blizu, a pride ima i leda, kiseonika, nešto malo retke atmosfere a moguće i tečnu vodu, sa isto tako mogućim nekim primitivnim oblikom mikro-života pride. Naravno, u tom slučaju kolonija i ne bi bila onako autonomna kao što bi to mogla biti na nekom od tela van sistema, a ni Europa nikad ne bi bila dobra alternativna Zemlja, hladna kakva već jeste, ali prednost je što bi za Europu bio dovoljan daleko manji tehnološki nivo nego za bilo šta drugo. Planiranje te kolonije bi zahtevalo daleko manje fantastičnih premisa negoli planiranje bilo koje druge.

Meni ideja sa Evropom deluje tako klarkovski. Mada i ona za koju bih se ja založio deluje isto. :-x  Mislim, za slučaj frke, a frka je uvek prva na spisku, bolje leži priča o stabilnoj orbitalnoj bazi (evo ti ga Kalidasin most! :-x ) ili održivoj bazi na Mesecu. Za veliki poduhvat nam je neophodna odskočna tačka sa malom potrošnjom energije. Evropa bi bila ista takva odskočna tačka, ali sa daleko većim ulaganjima.

Jeste, jeste, cista klarkovstina.  :)  Mnogi su pisali i pisu o kolonizaciji sistema i dalje, ali brate, tek kad Klark nesto objasni, onda je to meni objasnjeno. A Kalidasin toranj mi nije pao na pamet, valjda zato sto mi je u secanju ostao tek kao dobra stara zemaljska gradjevina... ne znam da li bi se kvalifikovao kao kolonista onaj ko zivi na spratu supersolitera, pa makar mu sprat i bio u orbiti.  :lol:

I slazem se da bi sve to sto navodis bile odskocne daske, kako jedna baza za drugu, tako i sve one dalju ekspanziju van sistema. Ali ne znam koja bi od njih bila odrziva a koja samoodrziva, pa zato tipujem na Evropu. Mislim, kud cemo mi bez vode? Sve drugo je drugo, ali voda nam je bas zestok prioritet, pa sve tipujem na mesta gde vode vec ima u izobilju.

Lepo je to, ali kad pogledam sveukupnu SFovštinu po knjigama i na ekranima, nešto nisam primetio frku sa vodom, a sva visprena i manje visprena rešenja su nam nudila nešto što bismo mogli da progutamo kao zamenu za onesposobljavajući nedostatak pogonske energije. Mnogo nas švrsto drži ta naša rodna gruda. I Kalidasina praćka bi bila bolja dok ne izmislimo svemirske federe. Oni koji sada razmišljaju o odlasku, prvo misle na sebe (jer oni i "ulažu"), pa im je ta geostacionarnost u prvom planu. Odatle je energija mnogo manji problem, a već na Mesecu bi se dalo nešto izmisliti. Evropa ili neki drugi satelit Jupitera ili Saturna, sa dostupnom vodom, će biti tek treća stanica.


Izvini, eno upiša mi se unuka svuda naokolo. Pokušavamo da joj poskidamo pelene, pa moram da brišem. Vidiš, nema problema sa vodom. :lol: [size=78%]  [/size]

Ja pis'o o tome na radionici...  :)

Piš'o ne pis'o, voda nije problem jer je sistem bilo kog svemirskog broda zatvoren. Muka je onim šta se ne može reciklirati. Zato ćemo odabrati da putujemo kroz crvotočine, da klizamo niz prostorna iskrivljenja, da prolazimo kroz zvezdane kapije (ne bi bilo zgoreg da napomenem da je tu foru izmislio još Simak), da putujemo brže od svetlosti (mnogo, mnogo brže) ili da hvatamo neku drugu krivinu. U tom slučaju su jako korisne informacije da postoje planete, slične planete, iste planete, kao što je majčica Zemlja. Čini mi se da upravo zato i postoje ta istraživanja. Da parafraziram Bobana: Možda i ne postoje krivine u svemiru, ali ćemo ih već iskriviti.

A ne, ne, nisam ja mislila na takvu potrebu za vodom... za potrebe svemirskog broda definitivno bi se snalazili reciklažom.  :evil:  Ali za potrebe teraformiranja treba vode i to užasno mnogo. Takve se količine ne bi mogle pribavljati opskrbom, odnosno, možda bi se i moglo, ali to bi bio sumanut poduhvat. Voda treba da bude pristupačna lokalno, onako na izvolte, a onda... pa, ne znam, možda onaj fazon sa strateški postavljenim ogledalima u orbiti da otope led, ili nešto već u tom fazonu, da bude minimum zahtevno za okoliš. Bio bi to uberinžinjering, na svim zamislivim nivoima, od onog banalno mehaničkog pa sve do suptilno biološkog.


Čovek bi tu bio Kreator, a ne samo stanovnik na bogomdanoj planeti, kao što je ovde. Zamislite to samo, čikam ja vas.  8)   


Mićo, a gde ti je to što si piso? daj link.


ps, Radmilo, ja mislila da ti se unuka već iskobeljala iz pelena.  :)

Ova ima 21 mesec. Malo sam i parafrazirao. :lol:


Dakle, odredi početne uslove. Posebno, veličinu prve kolonije.

Quote from: LiBeat on 18-06-2012, 18:00:57


Mićo, a gde ti je to što si piso? daj link.

Mislim da je ovo:
http://www.znaksagite.com/D/mart_11.pdf (http://www.znaksagite.com/D/mart_11.pdf)
:lol:

Eh, lako je to reći... zapravo bi trebalo imati listu, koliko esnafa bi tu bio minimum, koliko raznih zanata, pa koliko bi tu bio minimum življa po svakoj profesiji... zeznuto je to, zapravo, sad tek vidim, ali mislim da bi neki minimum sugurno bio najmanje stotinjak ljudi, s tim što bi osnovna posada ostala na brodu u orbiti a prava radna snaga bi sa nečim manjim i podesnijim sišla na Europu, i to bi uglavnom bili inžinjeri. Za početak bi svi oni živeli u tom manjem i podesnom, šta god da je, dok ne naprave sebi trajnije prebivalište.


Zapravo, sad kad pitaš, vidim da je skroz zeznuto smišljati te parametre, bez da se nešto konkretno ripuje od neke poznatije proze. A ja se ne sećam ničega konkretnog za tu prvu fazu, svi romani kojih se sećam bave se uglavnom distopijom u koloniji dobrih par vekova od njenog osnivanja - ne sećam se ijednog koji detaljiše sam taj prvi talas udaranja kamena temeljaca.   :(


Ima li taj Mićin pričuljak ikakvu korist u ovom i ovakvom planiranju?  :mrgreen:

Aaaa... blagodarim, odoh da overim šta je to silno hvaljeni autor Crvenog sunca skuckao...  :evil:


PS. trebalo je da pretpostavim da će to biti izuzetno didaktična proza....  :evil: :evil:  a Pavić savetuje da to valja raditi samo punog stomaka, dakle - najpre večera, i to obilna, bogata proteinom.  :mrgreen:

Vidim da ti ne nedostaje smajlića  :) :) :)

Quote from: LiBeat on 18-06-2012, 19:02:36
A ja se ne sećam ničega konkretnog za tu prvu fazu, svi romani kojih se sećam bave se uglavnom distopijom u koloniji dobrih par vekova od njenog osnivanja - ne sećam se ijednog koji detaljiše sam taj prvi talas udaranja kamena temeljaca.   :(

Libe, dve reči: sovjetski SF. :-|

EDIT: ne diraj mi Miću, kako ću posle čoveku na oči?

Mogu da pokušam da smislim nešto što bi pretpostavljala da sve imamo. Dopada mi se i Lidijina ideja. Uvek smo pametniji pune tibice. Time-out.

Planeta: Vrlo mi je svejedno koja I koliko daleko. Pretpostavka je da je bilo moguće stići i da se stiglo. Pošto bi nas opredelila voda – ima voda. Mora da ima ,,geo"termalne energije, gravitacija +/- 5%, atmosfera bilokakva, metan bi bio ohrabrujući. Biosfera – nema. Altrnativno: nepoznato da li je ima (potencijalni antagonist).


Tim: Kako sam skeptik oko energije, sklon sam da grupa nema više od 40 osoba. Ionako ćemo većinu da potamanimo. Moj tip je da možemo da baratamo sa onoliko likova koliko likova gradi priču. Svako ko bi se uključio mora da formuliše svoj lik (pol, starost, specijalnost).  Ne planira se povratak, ali se može poslati podprostorni signal (fol ansibl) kojim bi se podstakao dolazak novih naseljenika.


Tehnologija teraformiranja: Mnogo sam sklon ,,tehnici" Garba kamagen, odnosno, da se kao starter koristi biološki materijal sa Zemlje sposoban da opstane i u vanzemaljskim uslovima. Lilit bi bila zgodni član ekipe, čak i ako je nezgodan karakter. Postupak bi se sastojao iz zarobljavanja ,,izduvnih gasova" i zatvaranja u nezavisne balone na tlu. Baloni bi se vezivali, lepili jedan na drugi, kao mehurovi od kojih riba borac pravi svoje gnezdo. Tamo gde se pokrene prihvatljiva biosfera išlo bi se na povezivanje balona. Znači, ne neka neverovatno uspešna i brza transformacija atmosfere, nego postepeno ,,slaganje kockica".


Dosta od mene, za sada, ako je prihvatljivo bilo šta od toga.

Quote from: Mica Milovanovic on 18-06-2012, 19:10:47
Vidim da ti ne nedostaje smajlića  :) :) :)

... ali ipak, to nisu bili smajlići kao što su ovi tvoji.  :cry:  Ne može se dalje od svog Aspekta ni Atributa, pa to ti je.  Inače, "Na leđima bika" ti je od one kripto-fele "kako da napišem priču a da niko ne provali o čemu je", pa je kao takva verovatno okej. Još kad bi mi je neko i protumačio dalje od naslova... eh.  :lol:

Quote from: scallop on 18-06-2012, 20:28:12
Planeta: Vrlo mi je svejedno koja I koliko daleko. Pretpostavka je da je bilo moguće stići i da se stiglo. Pošto bi nas opredelila voda – ima voda. Mora da ima ,,geo"termalne energije, gravitacija +/- 5%, atmosfera bilokakva, metan bi bio ohrabrujući. Biosfera – nema. Altrnativno: nepoznato da li je ima (potencijalni antagonist).


Tim: Kako sam skeptik oko energije, sklon sam da grupa nema više od 40 osoba. Ionako ćemo većinu da potamanimo. Moj tip je da možemo da baratamo sa onoliko likova koliko likova gradi priču. Svako ko bi se uključio mora da formuliše svoj lik (pol, starost, specijalnost).  Ne planira se povratak, ali se može poslati podprostorni signal (fol ansibl) kojim bi se podstakao dolazak novih naseljenika.


Tehnologija teraformiranja: Mnogo sam sklon ,,tehnici" Garba kamagen, odnosno, da se kao starter koristi biološki materijal sa Zemlje sposoban da opstane i u vanzemaljskim uslovima. Lilit bi bila zgodni član ekipe, čak i ako je nezgodan karakter. Postupak bi se sastojao iz zarobljavanja ,,izduvnih gasova" i zatvaranja u nezavisne balone na tlu. Baloni bi se vezivali, lepili jedan na drugi, kao mehurovi od kojih riba borac pravi svoje gnezdo. Tamo gde se pokrene prihvatljiva biosfera išlo bi se na povezivanje balona. Znači, ne neka neverovatno uspešna i brza transformacija atmosfere, nego postepeno ,,slaganje kockica".


Dosta od mene, za sada, ako je prihvatljivo bilo šta od toga.

Sve me se doima kao odličan start, osim onog dela o podprostornom signalu i kolonističkoj prinovi. Zamislimo rađe da toga nema - ta ekipa koju imamo u početku, to nam je, što nam je. S tim u vezi, sad se postavlja pitanje da li bi 40torica bila dovoljna, a dobra strana u svemu tome je što ih de neće smeti utepavati.


A nisam baš shvatila to sa mehurovima, o kakvim je izduvnim gasovima tu reč? Da li je taj proces već negde objašnjavan?


Jevtro, ja sam užasno slaba sa Rusima. Em sam ih strašno malo čitala, em ne pamtim i to malo što sam pročitala. Na šta konkretno misliš da vredi overavanja?

Ja tek ništa nisam čitala od tog vašeg tvrdog teraformirajućeg sfa, mene i ova konverzacija višestruko nadilazi. :mrgreen:  Ali sećam se da su se npr. Stažeri/Tahmasib/ šetkali po planetama u jeku kolonizacije i da su u onoj Suvinovoj antologiji bili zastupljeni tekstovi toga tipa. Rađa se prva beba na Marsu, u je (ništa inkubatori)...

To sa mehurovima bi bila neka moja interpretacija samodovoljnih sfera koje su testirane na Zemlji. U teraformiranju ne bih bio pristalica čekanja na sporo izvrtanje sastava atmosfere, niti neke izmišljene burne reakcije, ali hvatanja podešene atmosfere u neku vrstu balona (samodovoljnog) i postepenog spajanja u klastere u kojima bi mogao da se održi život. Naravno, novu atmosferu bi generisali u geotermalnim uslovima. Zamlisli trenutak kada naseljenici aktiviraju prvi balon u kome se da živeti bez posebne zaštite, a sledeći se već puni. Taj balon bi, postavljen kao kalota na tlu, megalomanski mogao imati zapreminu kubnog kilometra. Znači, testirano je na Zemlji.


Jevtropijevićka, muka sa SF-om je dobra priprema i za razliku od epske ili neke druge fantastike, težište je na tehničkoj pripremi.

Quote from: LiBeat on 18-06-2012, 19:02:36
A ja se ne sećam ničega konkretnog za tu prvu fazu, svi romani kojih se sećam bave se uglavnom distopijom u koloniji dobrih par vekova od njenog osnivanja - ne sećam se ijednog koji detaljiše sam taj prvi talas udaranja kamena temeljaca.   :(

KSR je u Marsu izdetaljisao sve faze, prvi talas, ako se dobro secam 100 najboljih specijalizovanih naucnika :)

I meni je Crveni Mars pao na pamet.  :)

Eh, da, nema nam toga o cemu SF vec nije pisao.  :)  I Paul McAuley ima Kineze na Marsu a i trilogiju Tihi Rat, bas o kolonizaciji Jupiterovih i Saturnovih meseca. Ali spejs opere u ogromnim tomovima budu ponekad pomalo smaracke za citanje, bar meni. 
To sa mehurovima je dobra fora, a ako je vec testirano, onda sigurno  nije odvise tehnoloski zahtevno. Inace, ja sam kao klinka uvek zamisljala kolonije kao botanicke baste pod staklenom kupolom, i uvek mi se cinilo da je to prosta sitnica, napraviti takvu samodovoljnu koloniju bilo gde. ali teraformiranje je vec poduhvat od kog zastaje dah, samo sto nam je to film Totalni opoziv preterano vizuelno  pojednostavio.  :cry:

Ne znam dokle ću imati saglasnost oko ovakvog formulisanja imaginacije, ali ja ću terati dokle god bude zainteresovanih. Mislim da je srećna okolnost što tri Marsa nisam čitao, a jesam gledao Totalni opoziv. Film je uvek "plići" od knjige, jer nameće svoj vizuelni koncept, a knjiga ga jednim delom prepušta čitaocu.


Da počnem. Koncept samodovoljnih kolonija je bitan zbog toga što je, kad je jednom uspostavljen, ograničen samo volumenom. Ne treba smetnuti s uma da ni Zemlja nije potpuno teraformirana. Jednom sam povlačio linije na Zemlji da bih odredio životni prostor kojim raspolažemo. Onaj prirodni, bogomdani, smo odavno i značajno proširili. Možda i previše. Pitao sam se zašto i vanzemaljska kolinizacija ne bi išla drugim putem. To između samodovoljne kolonije i teraformiranja povlači znak jednakosti. Jedini preuslov je da postoje resursi iz kojih bi se kolonija dala proširivati.


Dalje, odavno motive teraformiranja i slične ne vidim kao cilj SF priče, nego okvir u kome se preispituju neki ljudski odnosi koji bez te fikcije ne bi ili bi drugačije nastali i odvijali se. U našem slučaju to bi bila krizna zajednica u kojoj bi se sukobili postavljeni i prikriveni ciljevi. To i jeste u korenu svih naših nedoumica i neslaganja, što rekli, put do pakla popločan je dobrim namerama. Ili, kako bih ja rekao - teorije zavere bi uvek bile uspešne da u velikim zaverama ne postoje male zavere.


Treba videti ko je sve spreman da gradi ovakvu priču o teraformiranju, a lako bismo, iz raspoloživih ličnih i nikovskih karaktera postavili protagoniste i potražili zaplet.

samo ti furaj i ne brini za zainteresovanost, to ne manjka, jedino mi vreme manjka.  :)
a tacno je i da ova planeta ima ihahaj ekstremnih zivotnih uslova u kojima bi tesko opstali, i ne mislim samo na polarne krajeve, nego na basbas opake uslove kao da nisu sa ove planete, a opet, i u njima takvima se ponesto adaptiralo da prezivi.
evo samo par:     

A new discovery of bacterial life in a Martian-like environment on Earth suggests our neighboring red planet could also be hospitable to some form of microbial life.   
Researchers found methane-eating bacteria that appear to be thriving in a unique spring called Lost Hammer on Axel Heiberg Island in the extreme north of Canada 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37574455/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/extreme-life-earth-could-survive-mars/ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37574455/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/extreme-life-earth-could-survive-mars/)

ili ovih osam malih cuda: From bacteria that can survive inside rocks to microbes that can  withstand tremendous heat, cold and radiation, life can take some  extreme forms. These enterprising creatures reveal not just the  resilience of life on Earth, but the possibilities for life elsewhere in the universe. Here are some especially amazing examples of so-called  extremophiles
http://www.livescience.com/13377-extremophiles-world-weirdest-life.html (http://www.livescience.com/13377-extremophiles-world-weirdest-life.html)

I ne brini za krizu u zajednici, to ne bi mogao da izbegnes sve i kad bi iz petnih zila hteo, jer gde god imas makar dvoje ljudi tu vec imas silnu krizu u nastanku, pogotovo kad im ujedno i das za pravo donosenje vaznih odluka, pa tu su ti sukobi neminovni. ja tu zamisljam neki najosnovniji sukob dvajujakih  struja misljenja od kojih bi jedna htela da od kolonije u svemu napravi minijaturnu kopiju zemlje a druga bi htela da upravo to izbegne, jer smatra da bi to neminovno dovelo do istih problema zbog kojih se lek i trazio u kolonizaciji. dakle, eto, frka za zaplet ne moze da izostane, pa ljudi smo, pobogu.  :mrgreen:
a sad stvarno moram da gibam, citamo se tek predvece.             

Da, meni je sve ovo krajnje zanimljivo, ali ću se suzdržati od amaterskog uplitanja. Samo da pitam - hoće li bitne profesije (lekar...) biti zastupljene sa po dva člana, rezerve radi?

Trebalo bi poraditi i na onim pomagalima za sticanje znanja i veština a la Matrix. Kad zajednici zatreba neko znanje prosto odredi nekog člana da ga učita i drži u sebi.

Evropa je zgodno mesto, jer je vrlo verovatno da tamo ima vode ispod ledenog omotača.


U priči sam pretpostavio da u tom potpovršinskom okeanu ima i domaćih životinja, ali to je samo zbog
ograničenja od 6000 karaktera...  :)

PS: Ako vam u ekipi treba neki "stručnjak" za upravljanje vodnim resursima, čija je specjialnost istorijat engleskog punokrvnog konja u periodu 1700-1800 (moraću da se potrudim da ovo ima smisla), tu sam...

Ovo ne bi bilo 6Kk, nego virtualno osvajanje svoje planete. Nešto slično je napravio Mika Anđelković sa Naseljavanjem Vizantije, znam koncept, ali knjigu nisam imao u rukama. Znači, učesnici bi preuzeli par likova na novoj planeti i vozili ih dalje prema nekom okvirnom dogovoru. Libeat je u više navrata signalizirala linkove sa potencijalnim lokacijama i tu se ne bismo morali vezivati za konkretnu planetu, jer postoje dokazi da ih ima.


Jevtropijevićka pita šta je sa deficitom pojedinih profesija, a Mac je odmah ponudio rešenje sa privremenim preuzimanjem određenih znanja iz svakako mogućih baza podataka jedne takve ekspedicije. On pominje Matrix, a bila je na TV dosta zgodna serija Pretender koja nudi prilagodljive likove. To je svakako bolje od rezervnog lekara, jer kako znati kliko je rezervi dovoljno. Znači, ekspedicija raspolaže bazom podataka, a dodaćemo i predekspedicioni trening adaptacionih sposobnosti. Sviđa mi se. :lol:


Mićo, za vode je OK, a konja ćemo da napravimo, ako ga ne nađemo. :!:

Quote from: scallop on 19-06-2012, 10:19:03
...Ne treba smetnuti s uma da ni Zemlja nije potpuno teraformirana. Jednom sam povlačio linije na Zemlji da bih odredio životni prostor kojim raspolažemo. Onaj prirodni, bogomdani, smo odavno i značajno proširili. Možda i previše.

I s ovim se u potpunosti slazem. Ponekad mi se cini da ono sto zovemo "civilizacijom" zapravo nije nista drugo nego neka vrst "teraformiranja", jos od onog prvog krcenja suma da bi se dobile njive i od prvih brana na rekama, da bi se dobila jezera i kontrolisala plavljenja. Sve je to meni neka vrsta teraformiranja.

E sad, to se uvek moglo smatrati (a i smatralo se) unistavanjem prirodnog okolisa, sto i jeste tacno, bar u odredjenoj meri. Ali taj stav kao da podrazumeva da se covek nije bas osecao udobno cak ni na planeti n a kojoj je nastao, i da mu je za tu udobnost uvek trebala nekakva alteracija "prirodnog" stanja okolisa. A  to je opet, s druge strane, proizvodilo i neku vrst zakljucka da covek "unistava" sopstvenu planetu, i da bi trebalo da je ostavi i njenom "prirodnom" stanju, cak i ako to podrazumeva kompromis po pitanju njegove udobnosti. E sad, gde povuci granicu - to bas i ne znam. Neke promene okolisa zasigurno nisu pozitivne, ali neke ipak jesu, pa cak i neophodne. Razdvojiti one pozitivne od negativnih bi bio vazan posao, makar u cilju kolonistickog ucenja na greskama.

Sa kolonijom na Europi izostala bi ta griza savesti po pitanju unistenja okolisa. Tamo nema nicega osim leda, pa se nista ne moze ni unistiti. Isto tako, covek bi imao priliku da napravi ono sto mu treba i to onako kako sam to zeli. A to bi skroz promenilo njegov odnos ne samo prema okolisu, nego i prema sopstvenom mestu u tom okolisu, pa time i njegovu kulturu. Tako bar ja verujem.   

Slažem se.


Ekologija se danas vrlo često poistovećuje sa zaštitom životne sredine, što je potpuno pogrešno.


Danas sam nabavio jednu malu knjižicu iz 1933. godine "Okvir života" u kojoj Siniša Stanković
približava ovu tada mladu biološku disciplinu široj javnosti.


"Ničim opravdano, verovanje da čovek može živeti izvan ostale prirode i nezavisno od nje,
ustupa danas mesto sasvim drugom shvatanju zasnovanom na načelima ekologije. Čovek nije
samo član svoje uže društveno zajednice nego u isto vreme i član jedne daleko šire zajednice koju
čini ceo živi svet oko njega. Odrediti odnos čoveka prema ostaloj živoj prirodi koja je jedna
nerazdeljiva celina i koju čovek sve intenzivnije iskorišćuje, - jedan je od zadataka ekologije, i
to zadatak od nedoglednog praktičnog značaja..."


Trebalo je da prođe još četrdesetak godina od tog vremena da ovo značajnije uđe u glave ljudi...

Quote from: LiBeat on 20-06-2012, 10:47:25
Razdvojiti one pozitivne od negativnih bi bio vazan posao, makar u cilju kolonistickog ucenja na greskama.

Sa kolonijom na Europi izostala bi ta griza savesti po pitanju unistenja okolisa.

Budući da ovde neki i rade (sebe isključujem) izdvojiću ove dve rečenice.


Prva bi mogla da postavi temu čitavog našeg angažmana na virtualnom teraformiranju. Bilo bi zgodno da kolonisti u jednom trenutku shvate pravi cilj ekspedicije. To bi bila optimistička, presudoutopijska varijanta. Takva bi ekspedicija bila "siromašnije" opremljena i odmah evo mesta za lik Ejaja, koji je rekalibrisani softver najveće evropske kladionice na konjske trke. Potencijalni učesnici bi mogli da počnu da biraju svoje avatare. Dva do tri jer očekujem grupu od desetak protagonista sa izgrađenim karakterom.


Griža savesti je osnovna dilema za gradnju zapleta. Mora se voditi računa da nijedna zemaljska vrsta ne da pišivog boba za čuvanje okoline. Tu se čovek postavlja kao izuzetak, možda zbog svesnosti ugrožavanja. Dabar ne misli koga će ugroziti kad uređuje sebi zagat u kome će organizovati svoj opstanak. Termiti, bor koji ne trpi travu, trava koja ne trpi maslačak. I tako dalje. I pitanje: da li bi naša kolonija izmenila svoje ciljeve kad bi, kao u Mićinoj priči, shvatila da Evropa i nije planeta namrtvo? Svakako da ne bi. Samo bi se od prilagođavanja okoline okrenula i borbi za opstanak. Ajde, sad na posao. :lol:


Dobro jutro, Mićo. :lol:

Vidi šta kaže Siniša Stanković te 1933. godine:


Ovakva ekološka kontrola koja gleda na budućnost, posao je celog čovečanstva.
Ona pretstavlja najracionalniji oblik iskorišćavanja žive prirode, jer se stara o održavanju
čoveka kao vrste i kao člana žive prirode. Otuda ona mora biti zasnovana na najširoj osnovi
koja prelazi granice naroda ili grupa naroda.


I tako je dakle ekologija kao nauka o ekonomiji žive prirode pozvana da rukovodi
celokupnim poslom iskorišćavanja žive prirode. Utvrđujući načela na kojima počiva
održavanje živog sveta, ona omogućuje čoveku da odmeri dohvat svog uticaja na
ostali svet u sadašnjosti i u budućnosti. Ona mu stvara osnovu za praktične
metode iskorišćavanja žive prirode, i najzad, ona mu otvara puteve ka onom čemu
on neodoljivo teži: ka moćnom i neograničenom gospodarstvu nad celokupnom prirodom.

Siniša Stanković ti je tatko na Mileta Jankovića, a sa potonjim smo proveli nekoliko godina zajedno. Volim kad pišu ovako načelno, čini se lako i jednostavno, samo treba da 'oćemo. A, nećemo. Živi svet Zemlje je antiekološki, a samo čovek se načelno smatra odgovornim i pomalo spremnim. Zato i ima više nestalih nego postojećih vrsta. Neko uvek dobije bitku protiv manje prilagođenog. Mi spadamo u najprilagodljivije vrste i zato smo tu u ovolikom broju. Povremeno se uspešno međusobno uništavamo i to je sve. Zato, daj malo oslobodi maštu, pa da polako pređemo na konkretne zahvate.

Quote from: scallop on 20-06-2012, 11:34:14


Prva bi mogla da postavi temu čitavog našeg angažmana na virtualnom teraformiranju. Bilo bi zgodno da kolonisti u jednom trenutku shvate pravi cilj ekspedicije. To bi bila optimistička, presudoutopijska varijanta. Takva bi ekspedicija bila "siromašnije" opremljena i odmah evo mesta za lik Ejaja, koji je rekalibrisani softver najveće evropske kladionice na konjske trke. Potencijalni učesnici bi mogli da počnu da biraju svoje avatare. Dva do tri jer očekujem grupu od desetak protagonista sa izgrađenim karakterom.

Pa da, i meni se dopada optimisticka varijanta, pa makar bila i pseudoutopijska.  :)  A ti si vec dao materijala da se lansira sinopsis, recimo sa onom pripremnom fazom - ko bi to isao, i, jos vaznije - ko bi to birao ljude koji ce da idu. Velika i bitna stvar, ta predfaza; bice i makar delimicna osnova kasnijeg zapleta. Sto se mene tice, priklanjam se misljenju da su medicinari vazan esnaf koliko i inzinjerci: jes da neko mora da popravlja masineriju kad se pokvari, ali ko ce da popravlja popravljace masinerije?  :lol:  vrlo bitan esnaf, vrlo. a posle toga - pa, ne znam. ali bitna je ta lista, to sigurno. ako imamo stotinjak ljudi, neka ih najmanje 30 bude vezano za brod i bazicni hjuman risors menadzment (uzgajanje i odgajanje IVF fetusa bi tu spadalo, bar u pocetku, radje nego na riskantnu i prezauzetu koloniju) , ostalih 70 bi islo na Europu. E sad, KO bi to bio? 

Quote from: Mica Milovanovic on 20-06-2012, 12:09:43
Vidi šta kaže Siniša Stanković te 1933. godine:


Ovakva ekološka kontrola koja gleda na budućnost, posao je celog čovečanstva.
Ona pretstavlja najracionalniji oblik iskorišćavanja žive prirode, jer se stara o održavanju
čoveka kao vrste i kao člana žive prirode. Otuda ona mora biti zasnovana na najširoj osnovi
koja prelazi granice naroda ili grupa naroda.


I tako je dakle ekologija kao nauka o ekonomiji žive prirode pozvana da rukovodi
celokupnim poslom iskorišćavanja žive prirode. Utvrđujući načela na kojima počiva
održavanje živog sveta, ona omogućuje čoveku da odmeri dohvat svog uticaja na
ostali svet u sadašnjosti i u budućnosti. Ona mu stvara osnovu za praktične
metode iskorišćavanja žive prirode, i najzad, ona mu otvara puteve ka onom čemu
on neodoljivo teži: ka moćnom i neograničenom gospodarstvu nad celokupnom prirodom.

to podvuceno. to bi bila zdravorazumska baza za koloniju. i odlican medjuljudski povod za surov zaplet bez kojeg prica ne bi bila zanimljiva za citanje a koji Skalop bez sumnje vec ima u planu.  :lol:  (ali da pobede gud gajs, i to bez krvi, samo snagom argumenata, pliz, necemo distopiju :wink: )

e da, jos nesto: okej je to sa ejaj idejom, ali da ne bude bas preterano urnebesno kao ono iz matrixa... recimo da bi bilo lepse planirati koloniju bez sumanuto fantastickih pretpostavki, nego prosto, uzeti danasnji tehnoloski nivo svega, pa tu cvrknuti mozda 10 ili maksimum 20% napretka i furati sa time. recimo da Europi vise pasuje umeren i odmeren i oprezan sf, negoli tamo neki proizvoljni fentezi.  :lol: :lol: xwink2

Imam mali problem. Čini mi se da ste prilično za to da nebesko telo bude Evropa. Jeste li pročitali sa wikija kako to izgleda? Ako želite dobar zaplet i aktivnu priču, onda bi bilo zgodnije da nema toliko poznatih, a neugodnih činilaca koliko ih ima na Evropi. Drugim rečima, možemo da se naselimo, ali ne možemo da teraformiramo. Sve čvrste podloge su i suviše hladne, atmosfera je formirana na drugim principima nego na Zemlji, a jedino pasuje moj Stenka, da purnja negde sa dna. Nadam se da ne želite da se transformišemo u amfibije. Izgleda da je objektivnije izmisliti planetu koja postavlja manje zadataka. Ionako smo prepali one koji bi možda učestvovali u zapletu, ali ne i u tehničkim finesama teraformiranja.


Svima koji prate ovaj topik: konkurs za posadu je otvoren!

Prva stanica je Mars. Jeste mali, ali je Sunce relativno blizu. Paralelno s Marsom ja bih pikirao i na Veneru. Znate li da je biosfera povećala temperaturu na Zemlji, a da bi bez života Zemlja bila daleko hladnija? Na Veneri treba samo ukloniti efekat staklene bašte, ohladiti planetu nekakvim sočivima, i da vidite kako bi to lepo mesto bilo. Ista sočiva mogu da se upotrebe i za grejanje Marsa (samo da se obrne polaritet, hehe).

Znam, Mac, ali sam uvek smatrao da verzije pomeranja ka Suncu predstavljaju fatalno rešenje - postajemo dalji od izvansunčanih prostora. Tada pomislim da smo, zapravo, "pali s Marsa" i da smo tu grešku već jednom načinili. Voleo bih da sam sebi zadam ograničenja sa kojima bih mogao da se borim, a da ne izgubim priču.

Mogli bismo da pošaljemo kolonijski brod ka zvezdanom sistemu za koji smo pouzdano utvrdili da odgovara zemaljskom životu, samo da bi kolonisti po prispeću utvrdili da stvari nisu onakve kako je njima predstavljeno.

Masirao sam pile ljutom paprikom pre neg što se brčne u rerni, i opet mi se desilo  :-x  da slabo opranim rukama čačkam oči - elem, možda mi je vid trenutno malo pomućen, ali rekao bih da na ovom topiku isuviše utopije cveta (isključujući Džonovo "real-političko" viđenje, koje mi je donekle blisko).
Prenaseljenost će biti problem, ali ne i presudan pa da se "Ujedinjene nacije" zdaju u kakvo ozbiljno razmišljenje, kolonizacija i tako to. Ogromni su troškovi, a za čije babe zdravlje kad sirotinja još uvek poseduje nešto planete Zemlje. Interesantan filmčić - "How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth", David Attenborough, koga interesuje a nije gledao http://digital.films.com/play/EZSDTL (http://digital.films.com/play/EZSDTL)
Bojim se i da bi (ako bi ih se navatalo) "ludim naučnicima" i ostalim dobrovoljcima manjkalo fondova ma i započeti razmatranje"gde" i "kako" a kamoli "kad". Iskreno, meni nije jasni ni kako se SETI program finansira, a verovatno baš tako i treba da bude - "privatne donacije", khm...
Cenim da i "entuzijaste" tipa Richarda Bransona ("letovi" u vasionu turističkog tipa e a da bi se keš dalje investirao u razvoj tehnologije), samo vaćare lovu od onih koji je imaju previše. "Investiraće" dok mu se isplati.


Šta sam ono hteo reći... Elem, ljudska "civilizacija" je zasnovana, ajd da ipak kažem - skoro, u potpunosti na parazitiranju. Što je digestativnim traktom vezano za vojsku kao provajdera. Moj "scenosled" bi bio - "kolonizacija" (rekao bih možda pre, "osvajanje") svemira je neizbežna, a postaće i realna tek kad energetski resursi na Zemlji budu pred konačnim presahnućem. Ubeđen sam da kojekavi "dronovi" uveliko njuškaju gde šta ima da se api. A i kad usnifaju nešto "u eksploataciji" isplativo, sumnjam da bi rentabilno bilo slati ljudske posade. Ako robot pravi robota, može i da ga opravi. Time se, u slučaju većih razdaljina, eliminišu i problemi "hibernacije", "kupola", "teraformiranja", psihijatrijskih klinika za lečenje klaustrofobija i ostalih svemirskih šizofrenija + štatijošjaznam. Kolonizacija kao takva, možda, jednom, kad "nauka" toliko profitira iz besomučnih investicija u vojni "space program" (podrazumeva se nova trka u naoružanju) da sve gore navedeno (a što ja podvodim pod "utopizam") postane obično ko kupovina luka na pijaci.
Mislim da bi pronalazak "korisne" i "useljive" planete, a pride još i benigno domorodački naseljene, bio prava poslastica! Belgijski Kongo i tako to.


Ne vidim (a ipak mi se u međuvremenu pročistio vid  :) ) šansu da naseljavanje svemira bude imalo drugojačije od "naseljavanja" Zemlje. Divlji Zapad i pobadanje zastavica.

I šta sad? Da se predomislimo i da se vratimo u Kongo sve dok je u Belgiji? Nije ti to od ljute paprike, nego nemaš druga posla. Ja ću da te posavetujem: ako ne vidiš, a ti nemoj da gledaš. Mi smo već stigli i raspakujemo se. Skeptike ćemo pomenuti u nekom od poglavlja, kad posumnjamo "ko nas gurno".

Ja započeo jedan intro i pitam se da li da nastavim.

Da.

Da.

Lepo je to "da", ali, Libeat je gazdarica na kućata, a ako uračunam i Maca, malo je. To vam je kao ona priča u kojoj moj Bog kaže ljudima da je on anlaser, ali ne i motor. Da može da gurne, ali ne i da kotrlja. Za ovu igranku treba najmanje deset učesnika sposobnih i spremnih da nešto pročitaju i da bar toliko i napišu.


Uostalom, evo vam intro, osim Stenke, imena likova su za sada proizvoljna, da ne zadržavaju.


Stenka purnja i u svaki mehur koji hrli naviše upušta gomilu kletvi. Oseća se silovanim iako ne zna potanko šta mu se dogodilo. Povezao se za dimnjak na dnu, toplote je bilo taman koliko treba, žigalo ga je i malo radijacije iz samog dna, ali bilo je tu i nečega gorčiljavog, ne mnogo da bi odustao od srkanja iz dimnjaka, ali nečega  što je jasno ukazivalo da nije na svome dnu. Dozivao je Spinolorika, dozivao je Sloan Zubu, mada se maglovito sećao da je on njih napustio i da se otisnuo ka površini . U mraku nije bilo nikakvog svetla koje bi označilo nečije prirustvo.  Da su ga pokupili mrežom i šta su sve, potom, sa njime radili, nije se sećao.
,,Da znaš, Fredi, sve vreme sam sumnjao da će ovo proraditi..."
,,A, u šta si verovao? Niko te nije naterao da pođeš..."
,,Nisam verovao da oni koji su ostali imaju neku šansu."
Fred se zagrcnu od smeha i njegova kaciga se sudari sa Majklovom. Zaljuljali su se i posrnuli ka membrani čiji su rast proveravali. Umalo nisu upali u nju.
,,Hej, hej! Pripazimo malo, jer može se desiti da i ne proradi."
Neko vreme je vladala tišina. Dve osobe u skafandrima su pritezale kopče kojima su ivice mehura  prijanjale uz tlo. Masa mehura je sama prožimala tlo, upijala se preko neravnina, a kopče, nalik na kočiće za šatore, koje je jednom Majkl video u datoteci ,,Wikija", bile su više skup podataka koliku površinu pokriva mehur.
,,Ovo čudo može i da pukne..."
,,Eh, Fredi, ti ni na obuci nisi pazio." uzdahnu Majkl. ,,Cevkani purljaju u primarne mehurove samo jednu komponentu buduće atmosfere i oni će očvrsnuti  kad unutrašnji pritisak dostigne 0,44 atmosfere..."
,,Znam. I to ne možemo da dišemo. Inače bismo mogli da skinemo odela i trčkamo naokolo.  Samo, mnogo mi je komplikovano to sa primarnim i sekundarnim mehurovima, sa ventilima i mešanjima, a sasvim nam je dovoljan i kiseonik koji je i dalje napolju..."
,,Ali..."
,,Bre, Majkle, nisam ja ovde došao jer sam blesav, nego ne mogu da poverujem da je sve ispitano i provereno i da se nikakvo čudo ne može dogoditi pa da pođe po zlu. Ne ide da sadiš dugmeta, a da niču odela.  A i dosadno je ići ovako u krug i pomerati kočeve, a krug sve veći i pogledu nagore krov izmiče svesnost da i dalje postoji." 

Quote from: mac on 20-06-2012, 13:48:42
Prva stanica je Mars. Jeste mali, ali je Sunce relativno blizu. Paralelno s Marsom ja bih pikirao i na Veneru. Znate li da je biosfera povećala temperaturu na Zemlji, a da bi bez života Zemlja bila daleko hladnija? Na Veneri treba samo ukloniti efekat staklene bašte, ohladiti planetu nekakvim sočivima, i da vidite kako bi to lepo mesto bilo. Ista sočiva mogu da se upotrebe i za grejanje Marsa (samo da se obrne polaritet, hehe).

Venera je najnaj odrediste ekspanzionistickog SFa  :lol: , ali, ali, tehnoloski nivo potreban za ostvarenje tog sna je van naseg domasaja, bar za izvesno vreme. Za razliku od Marsa- koji ce svakako biti prvi i koji moze da se kolonizuje i sa danasnjom tehnologijom, samo malko tvikovanom - za Veneru bi trebalo razviti neke skroz specijalizovane tehnologije, pa bi zato svako ozbiljno budzetiranje moralo biti striktno svrhovito i obilno. A koga vidis danas da bi bio spreman toga da se lati, i toliko da plati? avaj, pusti snovi.  :(   s druge strane, za Mars skoro da imamo tehnolosku glavninu vec spremnu i donekle proverenu u ekstremnim ovdasnjim uslovima, to bar za onaj deo kolonizacije bez teraformiranja. A za samo teraformiranje trebaju jos silni pomaci u domenu bioinzinjeringa, jer da bi se na Marsu izvukao led iz permafrosta i CO2 iz atmosfere i zamenio kiseonikom, to moze samo biomasa da uradi. A posto tesko da ce to moci ternaska biomasa, ostaje samo opcija genetskog inzinjeringa, na bazi nekih ovdasnjih ekstremno adaptiranih organskih mikro-fenomena.
sve u svemu, Mars ce garantovano biti prvi na spisku.  :!:

Samo da dodam u jednačinu da Mars nema magnetosferu (neke lokalizovane džepove da, ali ne i planetarnu) te će održavanje ozonskog omotača biti (praktično) nemoguće.

eh, da.  :(  ali zato i mastamo o Europi, a?  :wink:

Da, ona barem ima magnetosferu. Prema podacima Nase, zračenje koje bi primilo ljudsko biće na Marsu, poprimilo bi kritičnu masu već nakon tri godine.

a sad nesto malko sajdvejz... The Face of Seven Billion:  :) (https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fngm.nationalgeographic.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fage-of-man%2Finteractive%2Fimg%2F1pop.jpg&hash=17352bb3f95bb57cdabae2f73d9d386e1325ee0b)

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/age-of-man/face-interactive (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/age-of-man/face-interactive)

jel se samo meni cini ili je kinez u pitanju?

definitivno je malko... mongoloidno to lice 7 milijardi. (receno mi je da je to najpolitickikorektniji izraz, "mongoloidno", za te kosooke...  :) )

a sad, evo za Maca i nesto malo opisa kolonije na Merkuru, iz novog romana K.S. Robinsona - 2312.

Quote
The sun is always just about to rise.Mercury rotates so slowly that you  can walk fast enough over its rocky surface to stay ahead of the dawn; and so many people do. Many have made this a way of life. They walk roughly westward,
staying always ahead of the stupendous day. Some of them hurry from location to
location, pausing to look in cracks they earlier inoculated with bioleaching metallophytes, quickly scraping free any accumulated residues of gold or tungsten or uranium. But most of them are out there to catch glimpses of the  sun.
Mercury's ancient face is so battered and irregular that the planet's  terminator, the zone of the breaking dawn, is a broad chiaroscuro of black and  white—charcoal hollows pricked here and there by brilliant white high points, which grow and grow until all the land is as bright as molten glass, and the long day begun. This mixed zone of sun and shadow is often as much as thirty
kilometers wide, even though on a level plain the horizon is only a few kilometers off. But so little of Mercury is level. All the old bangs are still there, and some long cliffs from when the planet first cooled and shrank. In a landscape so rumpled the light can suddenly jump the eastern horizon and leap
west to strike some distant prominence. Everyone walking the land has to attend to this possibility, know when and where the longest sunreaches occur—and where they can run for shade if they happen to be caught out.
Or if they stay on purpose. Because many of them pause in their walkabouts on certain cliffs and crater rims, at places marked by stupas, cairns, petroglyphs, inuksuit, mirrors, walls, goldsworthies.  The sunwalkers stand by these, facing east, waiting.
The horizon they watch is black space over black rock. The superthin neon-argon atmosphere, created by sunlight smashing rock, holds only the faintest predawn glow. But the sunwalkers know the time, so they wait and watch—until—a flick of orange fire dolphins over the horizon and their blood leaps inside them. More brief banners follow, flicking up, arcing in loops, breaking off and floating free in the sky. Star oh star, about to break on them! Already their faceplates have darkened and polarized to
protect their eyes.
The orange banners diverge left and right from the point of first appearance, as if a fire set just over the horizon is spreading north and south. Then a paring of the photosphere, the actual surface of the sun, blinks and stays, spills slowly to the sides. Depending on the filters deployed in one's faceplate, the star's actual surface can appear as anything from a blue maelstrom to an orange pulsing mass to a simple white circle. The spill to left and right keeps spreading, farther than seems possible, until it is very obvious one stands on a pebble next to a star.
Time to turn and run! But by the time some of the sunwalkers manage to jerk themselves free, they are stunned—trip and fall—get up and dash west, in a panic like no other.
Before that—one last look at sunrise on Mercury. In the ultraviolet it's a perpetual blue snarl of hot and hotter. With the disk of the photosphere blacked out, the fantastic dance of the corona becomes clearer, all the magnetized arcs and short circuits, the masses of burning hydrogen pitched out at the night. Alternatively you can block the corona, and look only at the sun's photosphere, and even magnify your view of it, until the burning tops of the convection cells are revealed in their squiggling thousands, each a thunderhead of fire burning furiously, all together torching five million tons of hydrogen a second—at which rate the star will burn another four billion years. All these long spicules of flame dance in circular patterns around the little black circles that are the sunspots—shifting whirlpools in the storms of burning. Masses of spicules flow together like kelp beds threshed by a tide. There are nonbiological explanations for all this convoluted motion—different gases moving at different speeds, magnetic fields fluxing constantly, shaping the endless whirlpools of fire—all
mere physics, nothing more—but in fact it looks alive, more alive than many a living thing. Looking at it in the apocalypse of the Mercurial dawn, it's impossible to believe it's not alive. It roars in your ears, it speaks to you.
Most of the sunwalkers over time try all the various viewing filters, and then make choices to suit themselves. Particular filters or sequences of filters become forms of worship, rituals either personal or shared. It's very easy to get lost in these rituals; as the sunwalkers stand on their points and watch,
it's not uncommon for devotees to become entranced by something in the sight, some pattern never seen before, something in the pulse and flow that snags the mind; suddenly the sizzle of the fiery cilia becomes audible, a turbulent roaring—that's your own blood, rushing through your ears, but in those moments it sounds just like the sun burning. And so people stay too long. Some have their retinas burned; some are blinded; others are killed outright, betrayed by an overwhelmed spacesuit. Some are cooked in groups of a dozen or more.
Do you imagine they must have been fools? Do you think you would never make such a mistake? Don't you be so sure. Really you have no idea. It's like nothing you've ever seen. You may think you are inured, that nothing outside the mind can really interest you anymore, as sophisticated and knowledgeable as you are. But you would be wrong. You are a creature of the sun. The beauty and terror of it seen from so close can empty any mind, thrust anyone into a trance. It's like seeing the face of God, some people say, and it is true that the sun powers all living creatures in the solar system, and in that sense is our god. The sight of it can strike thought clean out of your head. People seek it out precisely for that.

:!:

i jos:


First private deep space mission will search for Earth-destroying asteroids

Funding raised by the B612 Foundation will send a telescope far into space.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/06/first-private-deep-space-mission-will-search-for-earth-destroying-asteroids/ (http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/06/first-private-deep-space-mission-will-search-for-earth-destroying-asteroids/)

Hah, poslednji pasus direktno mene opominje :)

U tom slucaju, srdacno ti preporucujem roman.  :wink:
(KSR je inace skroz nepravicno skrajnut, bar kad o forumskom caskanju govorimo. :( )

Quote from: LiBeat on 02-07-2012, 12:29:31
U tom slucaju, srdacno ti preporucujem roman.  :wink:
(KSR je inace skroz nepravicno skrajnut, bar kad o forumskom caskanju govorimo. :( )

Pravda za KSRa!!!

No, salu na stranu, pominjan je on u ovih 10 godina i ispade da ga samo ja volem...

скоро смо установили да си ти један прави КСР мазохиста!  :lol:

Pa eto, to mi je valjda promaklo za KSRa, jer osim nešto malo o Mars trilogiji nisam ništa detaljnije ovde nalazila. 

Inače, još nešto malo zanimljivih premisa. Ovu konkretno je maestralno iscrpio Peter Watts u svojoj Rifter trilogiji:




Pre-RNA World



The quest to understand the origins of life on Earth has led scientists to take a hard look at life's first biomolecules.  What was the nature of the first biomolecules?  How and when did molecules transition from being merely a random mixture of chemicals to actual living things?  Many biologists agree that life could not have arisen from nonliving chemicals to single-celled living organisms in a single step.  Instead, it has been proposed that there may have been an intermediate life form that was acellular.  The discovery of self-catalyzing RNA molecules in the 1980s by Noble-prize winning Thomas R. Cech lent credibility to suggestions that the first living organisms may have been self-replicating RNA molecules.  This "RNA World", as termed in 1986 by biologist Walter Gilbert, has become one prominent conjecture about the origin of life on Earth. However, RNA skeptics contend that there are too many problems with RNA for it to have been the molecule responsible for the transition from chemical to biological.  These scientists have proposed a variety of mechanisms and molecules by which the transition from chemical to living might have transpired in a world existing before RNA.  This world, the pre-RNA world, is subject to much interesting discussion.



Over 40 years ago, A. Graham Cairns-Smith proposed that the first molecule with replicating capability was not organic like RNA at all; rather, life arose from inorganic irregularities.  His model detailed the participation of inorganic clays in creating a replicating system capable of storing information.  He imagined a clay surface with irregularities, such as an unusual distribution of anions (negatively charged ion).  If a particular arrangement of ions in the surface could direct the synthesis of another layer on top of the surface with the same irregularities, Cairns-Smith considered this successful replication.  Natural selection would come into play when the number of ions in a layer influences how quickly and efficiently the new layer can be made.  Since self-replication through this process is likely to be highly inaccurate, this model has long been considered implausible.  So much so that no one has yet tested it in the lab.



Other scientists have proposed situations in which molecules more similar to RNA may have been the first life molecules on Earth.  Of these, two come to the forefront of the pre-RNA world propositions.  The first, pyranosyl RNA (pRNA) is similar to the RNA currently found in living organisms.  The main difference is that instead of the five-member sugar ring ribose, pRNA utilizes a six-member ring that has an extra carbon atom.  When linked together into strands, pRNA can engage in base pairing just like RNA (i.e.: cytosine base pairs with guanine).  And double stranded pRNA does not twist around itself in the same way that double stranded RNA or DNA does.  This would be important in a world without proteins to help keep strands from getting tangled during replication.  Unfortunately, scientists have not yet discovered how the six-member ring would have been synthesized on early Earth.



The second alternative to RNA is a molecule that completely forgoes having a sugar at all.  Instead of a sugar-phosphate backbone, peptide nucleic acid (PNA) relies on a protein-like backbone coupled with nucleic acid bases for side chains.  Just as RNA and pRNA, peptide nucleic acids can engage in complementary base pairing.  PNA was designed using computer-assisted model building; therefore it is still unclear exactly whether or not a PNA polymer could be formed.  If successfully accomplished within the lab setting, PNA might become the new focus for origins of life researchers.



Regardless of the true nature of the molecules that bridged the transition between chemistry and biology, tracing life on Earth back to its primordial origins will undoubtedly yield valuable insights into the origins of life on other planets.  As we expand our knowledge of other worlds, their chemistries and conditions, we might recognize something that distinguishes itself as more than a set of spontaneous chemical reactions.

 :-D Ma genijalan je KSR, stvarno. Evo kako on nudi teraformiranje, i to jedno vrlo specificno, ono na asteroidima, inace znanim kao "terarijumi".  :!:



Extracts (1)



Take an asteroid at least thirty kilometers on its long axis. Any type will do?solid rock, rock and ice, metallic, even ice balls, although each presents different problems.



Attach a self-replicating excavator assembly to one end of the asteroid, and with it, hollow out your asteroid along its long axis. Leave the wall at least two kilometers thick at all points except for your entry hole. Assure the interior integrity of the wall by coating it with a dura of suitable strength.



As your assembly hollows the interior, be aware that ejection of the excavated material (best aimed toward a Lagrange salvage point, to collect the salvage fee) will represent your best chance to reposition your terrarium, if you want it in a different orbit. Store excess ejecta on the surface for later use.



When the interior is hollowed out, leaving an empty cylinder at least five kilometers in diameter and ten kilometers long (but bigger is better!), your excavator assembly will return to the access hole and there reconfigure itself into your terrarium?s propulsion unit. Depending on the mass of your new world, you may want to install a mass driver, an antimatter ?lightning push? engine, or an Orion pusher plate.





Beyond the forward end of the cylinder, on the bow of your new terrarium, attach a forward unit at the point of the long axis. Eventually your terrarium will be spinning at a rotational rate calculated to create the effect of gravity on the inner surface of the interior cylinder so that when you are inside, you will be pulled to the floor as if in a gravity field. This is the g equivalent, or gequivalent. The forward unit will then be connected to the bow of the terrarium by a geared axle, to allow the forward unit not to spin but instead to stay fixed. It will be nearly weightless in this bowsprit chamber, but many functions of the terrarium will go better without the spinning, including docking, viewing, navigating, etc.



It is possible to build an interior cylinder that spins freely inside an asteroid that does not spin—the so-called prayer wheel configuration—and this does give you both an interior with g effect and a non-spinning exterior, but it is expensive and finicky. Not recommended, though we have seen some good ones.



When stern and bow are properly installed and configured, and the asteroid is set spinning, the interior is ready to be terraformed.



Begin with a light dusting of heavy metals and rare earths, as specified for the biome you are trying to create. Be aware that no Terran biome ever began with the simple ingredients you will be starting with on an asteroid. Biospheres need their vitamins right from the start, so be sure to arrange for the importation of the mix you want, usually including molybdenum, selenium, and phosphorus. These are often applied in "puff bombs" set off along the axis of the cylindrical space. Don't poison yourself when you do this!



After that, string the axis of the cylinder with your terrarium's sunline. This is a lighting element, on which the lit portion moves at whatever speed you choose. The lit portion of the sunline usually starts the day in the stern of the cylinder, after a suitable period of darkness (during which any streetlights overhead will serve as stars). The lit portion of the line, appropriately bright, then traverses the sunline from stern to bow (or east to west, as some describe it), taking usually the same time as a Terran day, as measured by the latitude of your biome on Earth. Seasons inside your terrarium will be rendered accordingly.



Now you can aerate the interior to the gas mix and pressure you desire, typically somewhere between 500 and 1100 millibars of pressure, in something like the Terran mix of gases, with perhaps a dash more oxygen, though the fire risk quickly rises there.



After that, you need biomass. Naturally you will have in your spice rack the complete genetic codes of all the creatures you intend to introduce into your biome. Generally you will be either recreating some Terran biome, or else mixing up something new, hybrid biomes most people call Ascensions, after Ascension Island on Earth, the site of the first such hybrid (started inadvertently by Darwin himself!) All the genomes for all the species of your particular biome will be available for print on demand, except for the bacteria involved, which are simply too numerous and too genetically labile to categorize. For them you will have to apply the appropriate inoculant, usually a muck or goo made of a few tons of the bacterial suite that you want.



Luckily bacteria grow very fast in an empty ecological niche, which is what you now have. To make it even more welcoming, scrape the interior wall of your cylinder, then crumble the rock of the scrapings finely, to a consistency ranging from large gravel to sand. Mixed with an edible aerogel, this then becomes the matrix for your soil. Put all the ice gathered in your scraping aside, except for enough when melted to make your crumbled rock matrix moist. Then add your bacterial inoculant and turn up the heat to around three hundred K. The matrix will rise like yeasted dough as it becomes that most delicious and rare substance, soil. (Those wanting a fuller explanation of how to make soil are referred to my bestselling All About Dirt.)



With a soil base cooked up, your biome is well on its way. Succession regimens at this point will vary, depending on what you are looking for at climax. But it's true to say that a lot of terraria designers start out with a marsh of some kind, because it's the fastest way to bulk up your soil and your overall biomass. So if you are in a hurry to occupy, this is often a good way to start.



When you've got a warm marsh going, either freshwater or salt, you are already cooking good. Smells will rise in your cylinder, also hydrological problems. Fish, amphibian, animal, and bird populations can be introduced at this point, and should be if you want maximum biomass growth. But here you have to watch out for a potential danger: once you get your marsh going, you may fall in love with it. Fine for you, but it happens a bit too often. We have too many estuarine biomes now, and not enough of the other biomes we are hoping to cook out here.



So try to keep your distance at this point; keep a depopulate marsh, or stay away from it during this part of the process. Or join a trading scheme in which you trade asteroids when they are at the marsh point, so that you come into a new one wanting to change things, unattached to what's already there.



With the hefty biomass created by a marsh, you can then build up land using some of your excavated materials, saved on the surface of the asteroid for this moment. Hills and mountains look great and add texture, so be bold! This process will redirect your water into new hydrologies, and this is the best time to introduce new species, also to export species you no longer want, giving them to newer terraria that might need them.



Thus over time you can transform the interior of your terrarium to any of the 832 identified Terran biomes, or design an Ascension of your own making. (Be warned that many Ascensions fall as flat as bad soufflés. The keys to a successful Ascension are so many that I have had to pen another volume, How to Mix and Match Biomes!, now available.)



Ultimately you will need to make many temperature, landscape, and species adjustments, to get to the kind of stable climax community you want. Any possible landscape is achievable; sometimes the results are simply stunning. Always the entire landscape will be curving up around you, rising on both sides and meeting overhead, so that the look of the land will envelop you like a work of art—a goldsworthy inscribed on the inside of a rock, like a geode or a Fabergé egg.



Obviously it is also possible to make interiors that are all liquid. Some of these aquaria or oceanaria include archipelagoes; others are entirely water, even their walls, which are sometimes refrozen transparently so that in the end when you approach them, they look like diamonds or water droplets floating in space. Some aquaria have no air space in their middles.



As for aviaries, every terrarium and most aquaria are also aviaries, stuffed with birds to their maximum carrying capacity. There are fifty billion birds on Earth, twenty billion on Mars; we in the terraria could outmatch them both combined.



Each terrarium functions as an island park for the animals inside it. Ascensions cause hybridization and ultimately new species. The more traditional biomes conserve species that on Earth are radically endangered or extinct in the wild. Some terraria even look like zoos; more are purely wilderness refugia; and most mix parkland and human spaces in patterned habitat corridors that maximize the life of the biome as a whole. As such, these spaces are already crucial to humanity and the Earth. And there are also the heavily agricultural terraria, farmworlds devoted to producing what has become a very large percentage of the food feeding the people of Earth.



These facts are worth noting and enjoying. We cook up our little bubble worlds for our own pleasure, the way you would cook a meal, or build something, or grow a garden—but it's also a new thing in history, and the heart of the Accelerando. I can't recommend it too highly! The initial investment is nontrivial, but there are still many unclaimed asteroids out there.

uh, ako nastavim ovako, ostaviću na topiku ceo roman, ali moram, jače je od mene.  :lol:





Io orbited so far within Jupiter's ferocious radiation belts that it was never going to be occupied at all except by a few small hardened scientific stations. Europa, a big beautiful ice moon, had a great depth of ice for people to delve into to escape the Jovian radiation, strong even there: wondrous ice palaces, with giant Jupiter always gnarling overhead—or everyone had thought at first. But it hadn't happened, because there had proved to be aliens living in the ocean below, a complete ecology of algae, chemotrophs, lithotrophs, methanogens, scrapers, suckers, fans, scavengers, and detrivores, all swimming or crawling or holding on or burrowing in; and they created a problem.




Some thought they had already contaminated this ocean by their exploratory intrusion into it, because examining it with a drill had been the Lake Vostok problem writ large. But they had done their best to sterilize the probes, and then, having discovered and sampled the full ecology, they had sealed off the hole, and now sat on the surface in scientific stations, culturing and studying their sample populations and pondering whether they should stay or go, and if they stayed, what kind of presence they should have. Possibly the proposed ice palaces would be perfectly fine, with the life below completely sequestered by the ten kilometers of glaciosphere that lay between the moon's surface and its ocean. On the other hand, life being life, spermatozoically wriggling into every place it could reach, contamination might almost certainly be assumed to follow any occupation of the moon. And yet, given that these creatures appeared to be cousins of theirs anyway, long separated by meteor voyage—and now already recontaminated by a visit—would living above them and continuing to be a minor contaminant clearly be such a bad thing? When there were already people out there swallowing the alien microscopic life, and shooting it into their veins? And when life had been bouncing around the solar system and interacting with its cousins all along? These were open questions, interesting and vivid to the Europans and the other Jovians, less so to the rest of the system.


...



Io, the innermost moon of Jupiter, as big as Luna. The yellow slag world, awesome upchucking of a moon's guts, regurgitation over and over until everything more volatile than sulfur has long since burned off. Sulfur, sulfur everywhere, and nary a place to stand. Four hundred live volcanoes bursting through the slag like angry boils, geysering sulfur dioxide hundreds of kilometers into the air. A moon with an interior hotter than Earth's—and try putting your hand in front of the steam coming out of the volcanic vent on Néa Kaméni, in the caldera of Santorini, to feel just how hot Earth is; it looks like the steam on your stove top, but you will quickly find it is three times hotter. Even though you snatch your hand away instantly, your skin will blister. And Io's interior is thirty times hotter than that.




It looks it. A hellworld, flexed hugely in the immense tidal pull between Jupiter and Europa, almost torn apart. That's gravity at work. Then also Jupiter's radiation field is so vast and so strong that Io sizzles inside it; even Deinococcus radiodurans perishes in it. Nothing lives on Io.




Except humans, and the little suite of biota they carry everywhere they go. For it is possible to find islands of hard rock in the highlands of the enormous volcanoes, and bore into that rock, and hide a little station. A cube to hold Wang's qube. Everything there must be triply protected, first by physical walls, then by a magnetic field strong enough to counteract Jupiter's radiation; but this field itself would be enough to kill, so inside that field a Faraday cage is necessary, to protect you from your protection.




Descend in a blue magnetic aurora, a fire of electrons. Below, the moon spreads from a ball to a plain to a tumultuous mountainscape of overlapping volcanoes, the bulky cones hard to spot in all the overlapping swaths of yellow on tan on white on black on brick on bronze, swaths of every burnt color, but most of all, yellow. Here and there scattered rings of black or red or white reveal active vents, pouring out the guts of the interior in irregular circles around the vents; but most of the patches are much less regular, and taken altogether, the surface is a jumble that cannot be resolved by the eye into a topography. It is what it looks like, a molten world, a world on fire.




The names humans have applied are redundant. Fire gods, thunder gods, lightning and volcano gods, every combustible deity, from Agni the Hindu god of fire to Volund the German blacksmith of the gods: all these names attempt to humanize the moon, but fail. Io is not a human place. The hard crust on its surface, cooled only by contact with the chill vacuum of space, is so thin that in many places it would not support a standing person. Some early explorers found this out the hard way: walking too far away from their lander, they plunged through the sulfurous ground into red-hot lava and disappeared.




We think that because we live on cooler planets and moons, we live on safer ground than that. But it is not so.

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A i ovo definitivno ima da pomogne!






"Most realistic" robot legs developed!!




US experts have developed what they say are the most biologically-accurate robotic legs yet.
Writing in the Journal of Neural Engineering, they said the work could help understanding of how babies learn to walk - and spinal-injury treatment.
They created a version of the message system that generates the rhythmic muscle signals that control walking.
A UK expert said the work was exciting because the robot mimics control and not just movement.
The team, from the University of Arizona, were able to replicate the central pattern generator (CPG) - a nerve cell (neuronal) network in the lumbar region of the spinal cord that generates rhythmic muscle signals.
The CPG produces, and then controls, these signals by gathering information from different parts of the body involved in walking, responding to the environment.
This is what allows people to walk without thinking about it.
The simplest form of a CPG is called a half-centre, which consists of just two neurons that fire signals alternately, producing a rhythm, as well as sensors that deliver information, such as when a leg meets a surface, back to the half-centre.'New approach'The University of Arizona team suggests babies start off with this simplistic set-up - and then over time develop a more complex walking pattern.
They say this could explain why babies put onto a treadmill have been seen to take steps - even before they have learnt to walk.
Continue reading the main story"Start Quote"The implications for increased understanding of, for example, patients with spinal cord injury are very exciting"Matt Thornton,Royal National Orthopaedic HospitalWriting in the journal, the team says: "This robot represents a complete physical, or 'neurorobotic' model of the system, demonstrating the usefulness of this type of robotics research for investigating the neuropsychological processes underlying walking in humans and animals".
Dr Theresa Klein, who worked on the study, said: "Interestingly, we were able to produce a walking gait, without balance, which mimicked human walking with only a simple half-centre controlling the hips and a set of reflex responses controlling the lower limb.
"This underlying network may also form the core of the CPG and may explain how people with spinal cord injuries can regain walking ability if properly stimulated in the months after the injury."
Matt Thornton, gait analysis laboratory manager at the UK's Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, said the work was "an interesting development".
He added: "Previous robotic models have mimicked human movement: this one goes further and mimics the underlying human control mechanisms driving that movement.
"It may offer a new approach to investigate and understand the link between nervous system control problems and walking pathologies."
Mr Thornton said existing systems for analysing how people walk, so-called gait analysis performed by the RNOH and others, accurately measure hip, knee, and ankle joint movements in 3D while patients walk on a treadmill. Patients react differently, depending on their condition.
He added: "At present this type of analysis provides us with detailed information about the joints, bones and muscles.
"The robotic model may go one step further in linking these problems to the nervous system, which actually controls the movement.
"The implications for increased understanding of, for example, patients with spinal cord injury are very exciting."







http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18724114 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18724114)

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Phobos caught by the camera of the European mission Mars Express as it passed near the limb of Mars. The principal scientist on the camera is Prof. Gerhard Newkum. Credit: ESA.

A mysterious wave discovered in the Milky Way suggests our galaxy is still ringing like a bell from a galactic collision, a crash that possibly occured within the last 100 million years, scientists say.

   Astronomers discovered that stars north and south of the midplane of the galaxy are distributed differently, suggesting that some recent event perturbed them. The most likely explanation is that a small satellite galaxy (http://www.space.com/14274-dark-matter-dwarf-galaxy-satellite.html) or clump of invisible dark matter plowed through the Milky Way, leaving behind the echoes that we see.

   "Our part of the Milky Way is ringing like a bell," Brian Yanny, of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Ill., said in a statement. "But we have not been able to identify the celestial object that passed through the Milky Way. It could have been one of the small satellite galaxies that move around the center of our galaxy, or an invisible structure such as a dark matter (http://www.space.com/13765-dark-matter-mass-limit.html) halo."

http://www.space.com/16488-milky-way-galaxy-wave-collision.html (http://www.space.com/16488-milky-way-galaxy-wave-collision.html)

A desi nam se, tu i tamo, i malecki korak unazad :( :


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Two scientific papers published have disproved a controversial claim made by NASA-funded scientists in 2010 that a new form of bacterial life had been discovered that could thrive on arsenic.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/07/09/nasa-bacteria-cannot-substitute-arsenic-for-phosphorus (http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/07/09/nasa-bacteria-cannot-substitute-arsenic-for-phosphorus)

A evo kako ćemo da putujemo na površini Europe:

Boaz Almog "levitates" a superconductor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXHczjOg06w#ws)

... žešća stvar.  :!:


inače, maestro Robinson nam daje koloniju na Merkuru kao vrlo jednostavan mehanički koncept grada pod kupolom, i to na šinama: šine idu pravo preko Merkurovog ekvatora a grad uvek ostaje u senci nekih pola sata pred svitanje, i to tako što sunce zagreva šine i širi ih, gurajući tako grad-koloniju dalje od sebe. Uber-ekstra prosto i efikasno rešenje da ti prosto pamet stane kako genijalno funkcioniše. 

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NASA announced (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/new-pluto-moon.html) yesterday that the Hubble Space Telescope has discovered yet another moon circling around the dwarf planet Pluto, bringing the total known number up to five.

"The discovery of so many small moons indirectly tells us that there must be lots of small particles lurking unseen in the Pluto system," said Harold Weaver of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in the press release.

Pluto's moon Charon was first discovered in 1978. Two other moons, Hydra and Nix, were discovered by Hubble in 2006. Pluto's fourth moon, so far designated P4, was discovered in 2011.

Hubble is particularly aimed at Pluto and the space around it to prepare the way for the New Horizons spacecraft, which will make a flyby in 2015. Hubble data is being used to ensure that that the craft can safely navigate near Pluto.

"The inventory of the Pluto system we're taking now with Hubble will help the New Horizons team design a safer trajectory for the spacecraft," Alan Stern, the mission's principal investigator, said in the release.

The moon itself is pretty tiny – somewhere between 6 and 15 total miles across, and it resides in a circular orbit around Pluto. Further observations of the moon are needed, but the moon is expected to have a circular orbit in the same plane as Pluto's other 4 moons.

Team lead Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute describes the orbits of Pluto's moons pretty amusingly in the release. "The moons form a series of neatly nested orbits, a bit like Russian dolls."
Five moons, with four of them discovered in the last decade? That's got to be some consolation for poor Pluto after losing its full planet status.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2012/07/12/the-hubble-telescope-finds-a-fifth-moon-around-pluto/ (http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2012/07/12/the-hubble-telescope-finds-a-fifth-moon-around-pluto/)

Teraformiranje Plutonovog satelita bi bio izazov i za KSR-a...  :)

Koliki je? 15 milja! Lako, ugradis motore i dovedes ga u orbitu oko Marsa :)

... ili ga baciš na Mars, u svrhe teraformiranja a la Arkadij, ukoliko se bar delimično sastoji od vodenog leda...


... ili ga izdubiš u terarijum, pa napraviš od njega koloniju-farmu-svemirski brod, ako je od čvršćeg materijala...


maestro Robinson je gejzir sf ideja!  :!:

Scientists place 500-million-year-old gene in modern organism

It's a project 500 million years in the making. Only this time, instead of playing on a movie screen in Jurassic Park, it's happening in a lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology.Using a process called paleo-experimental evolution, Georgia Tech researchers have resurrected a 500-million-year-old gene from bacteria and inserted it into modern-day Escherichia coli(E. coli) bacteria.


This bacterium has now been growing for more than 1,000 generations, giving the scientists a front row seat to observe evolution in action."This is as close as we can get to rewinding and replaying the molecular tape of life," said scientist Betül Kaçar, a NASA astrobiology postdoctoral fellow in Georgia Tech's NASA Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution.


"The ability to observe an ancient gene in a modern organism as it evolves within a modern cell allows us to see whether the evolutionary trajectory once taken will repeat itself or whether a life will adapt following a different path."


In 2008, Kaçar's postdoctoral advisor, Associate Professor of Biology Eric Gaucher, successfully determined the ancient genetic sequence of Elongation Factor-Tu (EF-Tu), an essential protein in E. coli. EFs are one of the most abundant proteins in bacteria, found in all known cellular life and required for bacteria to survive. That vital role made it a perfect protein for the scientists to answer questions about evolution.


After achieving the difficult task of placing the ancient gene in the correct chromosomal order and position in place of the modern gene within E. coli, Kaçar produced eight identical bacterial strains and allowed "ancient life" to re-evolve.


This chimeric bacteria composed of both modern and ancient genes survived, but grew about two times slower than its counterpart composed of only modern genes.  "The altered organism wasn't as healthy or fit as its modern-day version, at least initially," said Gaucher, "and this created a perfect scenario that would allow the altered organism to adapt and become more fit as it accumulated mutations with each passing day.


"The growth rate eventually increased and, after the first 500 generations, the scientists sequenced the genomes of all eight lineages to determine how the bacteria adapted. Not only did the fitness levels increase to nearly modern-day levels, but also some of the altered lineages actually became healthier than their modern counterpart.


When the researchers looked closer, they noticed that every EF-Tu gene did not accumulate mutations. Instead, the modern proteins that interact with the ancient EF-Tu inside of the bacteria had mutated and these mutations were responsible for the rapid adaptation that increased the bacteria's fitness.


In short, the ancient gene has not yet mutated to become more similar to its modern form, but rather, the bacteria found a new evolutionary trajectory to adapt.These results were presented at the recent NASA International Astrobiology Science Conference.


The scientists will continue to study new generations, waiting to see if the protein will follow its historical path or whether it will adopt via a novel path altogether.


"We think that this process will allow us to address several longstanding questions in evolutionary and molecular biology," said Kaçar. "Among them, we want to know if an organism's history limits its future and if evolution always leads to a single, defined point or whether evolution has multiple solutions to a given problem."

http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=138621 (http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=138621)

... i popsci verzija:




(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popsci.com%2Ffiles%2Fimagecache%2Farticle_image_large%2Farticles%2Fecoli.jpeg&hash=abf428eedc54851a237f622362f50a3c9729575d)








We are still waiting with bated breath for the day scientists resurrect the woolly mammoth. Until then, we'll have to satisfy ourselves with resurrections of ancient plants and bacteria — which may be more amazing anyway, because they're even older. The dish in the above image holds a bacterium with a 500 million-year-old gene in it. That's an era just a little while after the Cambrian explosion, when life became complex.




http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-07/500-million-year-old-gene-grows-modern-bacteria (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-07/500-million-year-old-gene-grows-modern-bacteria)

Joj, samo još kad ih znala da pišem.... :lol:


Nature doi:10.1038/nature.2012.10808
======================June 13, 2012
In Good Health? Thank Your 100 Trillion Bacteria

By GINA KOLATA

For years, bacteria have had a bad name. They are the cause of infections, of diseases. They are something to be scrubbed away, things to be avoided.

But now researchers have taken a detailed look at another set of bacteria that may play even bigger roles in health and disease: the 100 trillion good bacteria that live in or on the human body.

No one really knew much about them. They are essential for human life, needed to digest food, to synthesize certain vitamins, to form a barricade against disease-causing bacteria. But what do they look like in healthy people, and how much do they vary from person to person?

In a new five-year federal endeavor, the Human Microbiome Project, which has been compared to the Human Genome Project, 200 scientists at 80 institutions sequenced the genetic material of bacteria taken from nearly 250 healthy people.

They discovered more strains than they had ever imagined — as many as a thousand bacterial strains on each person. And each person's collection of microbes, the microbiome, was different from the next person's. To the scientists' surprise, they also found genetic signatures of disease-causing bacteria lurking in everyone's microbiome. But instead of making people ill, or even infectious, these disease-causing microbes simply live peacefully among their neighbors.

The results, published on Wednesday in Nature and three PLoS journals, are expected to change the research landscape.

The work is "fantastic," said Bonnie Bassler, a Princeton University microbiologist who was not involved with the project. "These papers represent significant steps in our understanding of bacteria in human health."

Until recently, Dr. Bassler added, the bacteria in the microbiome were thought to be just "passive riders." They were barely studied, microbiologists explained, because it was hard to know much about them. They are so adapted to living on body surfaces and in body cavities, surrounded by other bacteria, that many could not be cultured and grown in the lab. Even if they did survive in the lab, they often behaved differently in this alien environment. It was only with the advent of relatively cheap and fast gene sequencing methods that investigators were able to ask what bacteria were present.

Examinations of DNA sequences served as the equivalent of an old-time microscope, said Curtis Huttenhower of the Harvard School of Public Health, an investigator for the microbiome project. They allowed investigators to see — through their unique DNA sequences — footprints of otherwise elusive bacteria.

The work also helps establish criteria for a healthy microbiome, which can help in studies of how antibiotics perturb a person's microbiome and how long it takes the microbiome to recover.

In recent years, as investigators began to probe the microbiome in small studies, they began to appreciate its importance. Not only do the bacteria help keep people healthy, but they also are thought to help explain why individuals react differently to various drugs and why some are susceptible to certain infectious diseases while others are impervious. When they go awry they are thought to contribute to chronic diseases and conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, even, possibly, obesity.

Humans, said Dr. David Relman, a Stanford microbiologist, are like coral, "an assemblage of life-forms living together."

Dr. Barnett Kramer, director of the division of cancer prevention at the National Cancer Institute, who was not involved with the research project, had another image. Humans, he said, in some sense are made mostly of microbes. From the standpoint of our microbiome, he added, "we may just serve as packaging."

The microbiome starts to grow at birth, said Lita Proctor, program director for the Human Microbiome Project. As babies pass through the birth canal, they pick up bacteria from the mother's vaginal microbiome.

"Babies are microbe magnets," Dr. Proctor said. Over the next two to three years, the babies' microbiomes mature and grow while their immune systems develop in concert, learning not to attack the bacteria, recognizing them as friendly.

Babies born by Caesarean section, Dr. Proctor added, start out with different microbiomes, but it is not yet known whether their microbiomes remain different after they mature. In adults, the body carries two to five pounds of bacteria, even though these cells are minuscule — one-tenth to one-hundredth the size of a human cell. The gut, in particular, is stuffed with them.

"The gut is not jam-packed with food; it is jam-packed with microbes," Dr. Proctor said. "Half of your stool is not leftover food. It is microbial biomass." But bacteria multiply so quickly that they replenish their numbers as fast as they are excreted.

The bacteria also help the immune system, Dr. Huttenhower said. The best example is in the vagina, where they secrete chemicals that can kill other bacteria and make the environment slightly acidic, which is unappealing to other microbes.

Including the microbiome as part of an individual is, some researchers said, a new way to look at human beings.

It was a daunting task, though, to investigate the normal human microbiome. Previous studies of human microbiomes had been small and had looked mostly at fecal bacteria or bacteria in saliva in healthy people, or had examined things like fecal bacteria in individuals with certain diseases, like inflammatory bowel disease, in which bacteria are thought to play a role.

But, said Barbara B. Methé, an investigator for the microbiome study and a microbiologist at the J. Craig Venter Institute, it was hard to know what to make of those studies.

"We were stepping back and saying, 'We don't really have a population study. What does a normal microbiome look like?' " she said.

The first problem was finding completely healthy people for the study. The investigators recruited 600 subjects, ages 18 to 40, poking and prodding them. They brought in dentists to probe their gums, looking for gum disease, and pick at their teeth, looking for cavities. They brought in gynecologists to examine the women to see if they had yeast infections. They examined skin and tonsils and nasal cavities. They made sure the subjects were not too fat and not too thin. Even though those who volunteered thought they filled the bill, half were rejected because they were not completely healthy. And 80 percent of those who were eventually accepted first had to have gum disease or cavities treated by a dentist.

When they had their subjects — 242 men and women deemed free of disease in the nose, skin, mouth, gastrointestinal tract and, for the women, vagina — the investigators collected stool samples and saliva, and scraped the subjects' gums and teeth and nostrils and their palates and tonsils and throats. They took samples from the crook of the elbow and the folds of the ear. In all, women were sampled in 18 places, including three sites in the vagina, and men in 15. The investigators resampled subjects three times during the course of the study to see if the bacterial composition of their bodies was stable, generating 11,174 samples.

To catalog the body's bacteria, researchers searched for DNA with a specific gene, 16S rRNA, that is a marker for bacteria and whose slight sequence variations can reveal different bacterial species. They sequenced the bacterial DNA to find the unique genes in the microbiome. They ended up with a deluge of data, much too much to study with any one computer, Dr. Huttenhower said, creating "a huge computational challenge."

The next step, he said, is to better understand how the microbiome affects health and disease and to try to improve health by deliberately altering the microbiome.

But, Dr. Relman said, "we are scratching at the surface now."

It is, he said, "humbling."

 Oldest Spiral Galaxy in Universe Discovered

Astronomers have discovered the universe's most ancient spiral galaxy yet, a cosmic structure that dates back roughly 10.7 billion years, a new study reveals.

   The galactic find, discovered by researchers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (http://www.space.com/17-amazing-hubble-discoveries.html), comes as something of a surprise. Other galaxies from such early epochs are clumpy and irregular, not strikingly symmetrical like the newfound spiral, which broadly resembles our own Milky Way.

"The fact that this galaxy exists is astounding," study lead author David Law, of the University of Toronto, said in a statement. "Current wisdom holds that such 'grand-design' spiral galaxies (http://www.space.com/15680-galaxies.html) simply didn't exist at such an early time in the history of the universe."

http://www.space.com/16641-oldest-spiral-galaxy-hubble-telescope.html (http://www.space.com/16641-oldest-spiral-galaxy-hubble-telescope.html)

Dobro, to je sve građa, a gde je domaća nadgradnja? I gde je Scallop, opet se ućutao?

Eh sad... slutim ja kolko može biti gadno izvesno cold turkey paćeništvo, ali ipak, ima nas koji stvarno i najiskrenije uopšte ne čeznemo za još jednom 'radionicom', pa...   :)


nego, još malo o materijalima:




(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.livescience.com%2Fimages%2Fi%2F10643%2Foriginal%2Fseashell-strong-nacre-110201-02.jpg%3F1296779803&hash=7cb72fbd9333119844c1a3d9fc0e87c224eb28df)







Abalone seashells are made of two layers, an outer brittle layer and a tough inner layer that is made of mother of pearl, or nacre. If something pierces through the outer layer, the sea snail inside (http://www.livescience.com/culture/snail-shell-sl-ortiz-100310.html) will still be protected by the nacre.


Surprisingly, this natural armor (http://www.livescience.com/technology/050118_abalone_armor.html) of nacre is about 95 percent chalk. And anyone who has written too hard on a chalkboard knows chalk is brittle and can easily shatter. The other 5 percent of the material is made up of more than 30 proteins, which act like the caulk that holds the chalk "bricks" together.


http://www.livescience.com/11696-seashells-strength-interlocking-bricks.html (http://www.livescience.com/11696-seashells-strength-interlocking-bricks.html)

Astronomers discover nearby exoplanet covered in magma

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Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have announced the discovery of a nearby explanet called UCF-1.01 — a planet so blazingly hot, it's likely covered in hot magma. And at 33 light years away, this is the closest planet we've discovered that is smaller than Earth.

The discovery is another example of our enhanced ability to detect distant objects that are not just smaller than gas giants, but even smaller than our own planet.

http://io9.com/5927456/astronomers-discover-nearby-exoplanet-covered-in-magma (http://io9.com/5927456/astronomers-discover-nearby-exoplanet-covered-in-magma)

Taman će da se ohladi dok ne stignemo tamo.

 :lol:  Potaman za sve koji vole tropsku klimu.
nego, malko zezancije u skladu sa... inzinjeringom.  :mrgreen:

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Could this possibly be the most amazing thing to be birthed out of Ridley Scott's flailing tentacle splatter porn movie, otherwise known as Prometheus? We certainly think so. Normand Lemay has crafted a collection of cartoons featuring a milky white Engineer saying suggestive things to you and Mr. DNA. It's amazing.


(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.gawkerassets.com%2Fimg%2F17tc97cqw64ekjpg%2Foriginal.jpg&hash=998dd9ff9ab027938dc791bb80690bb2568f0667)


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ostatak na: http://io9.com/5927573/my-boyfriend-is-an-engineer-shares-sexy-love-letters-from-prometheus-horny-aliens (http://io9.com/5927573/my-boyfriend-is-an-engineer-shares-sexy-love-letters-from-prometheus-horny-aliens)

Quote from: LiBeat on 20-07-2012, 11:10:04
:lol:  Potaman za sve koji vole tropsku klimu.

Ne. Problem je u tome, što i ako se ohladi, blizina dovodi do toga da je planeta uvek (ili barem, najverovatnije) istom polovinom/stranom okrenuta prema crvenom patuljku. E sad, temperaturne razlike u ovim slučajevima mogu da reše samo "prenosioci" temperaturnih razlika s tople na hladnu stranu - kao što su veliki okeani ili gusta atmosfera. I tu stižemo do problema... kada stignemo tamo - a taman se ohladila (if ever) - i nisu nastali veliki okeani ili gusta atmosfera, moći ćemo da kolonizujemo samo deo između svetle i tamne strane. S toliko snage možemo i na Merkur.
Sve u svemu cost/benefit uveliko zavisi od nepoznanica u vezi daljeg razvoja planete te ovo nije dobar kandidat.

 :(
ali dobro, ionako je predaleko.

E ovo je - za sada - mnogo bolja opcija:

http://io9.com/5927779/astronomers-confirm-there-are-two-potentially-habitable-planets-orbiting-gilese-581 (http://io9.com/5927779/astronomers-confirm-there-are-two-potentially-habitable-planets-orbiting-gilese-581)

Indeks sličnosti 0,92!

... samo sto je i to malko predaleko...  :( 

Pa da, zato treba da krenemo na vreme.

eh, a znas li ti za ono narodno 'brzo - kuso' premeravanje?  :lol:


s druge strane, ako pripazimo da ravnomerno rasporedimo tehnoloski napredak futurizma, imacemo i znatno produzen ljudski vek trajanja. maestro KSR nudi ... erm... ljudsku individuu (ili cekaj, mozda je ipak bolje reci zenocoveka, pa kud puklo  :mrgreen: ) staru ravno 210 godinica & still going strong... 


za svaki slucaj, tu nam je jos jedna zanimljiva varijanta: 10 Structures That Could Help Us Build Civilizations on the Ocean (http://io9.com/5927543/10-structures-that-could-help-us-build-civilizations-on-the-ocean?tag=daily-10)

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.gawkerassets.com%2Fimg%2F17ty07a155xezjpg%2Fxlarge.jpg&hash=36522d3090d20e3d0679ad50f070882f448058b9)



Our moon is a pretty big object. It's big enough to be a respectable planet in its own right, if it were orbiting the sun instead of the Earth. (Actually, it is orbiting the sun in a nearly perfectly circular orbit, that the Earth only slightly perturbs... but that's a topic for another day.) The Moon is a quarter the diameter of the Earth. Only Pluto has a satellite that is larger, in proportion to the size of the planet it orbits.

But what if the Moon were size of Mars, instead? It would like the picture above. Check out how some of the other planets of the Solar System would look in our sky, if they took the Moon's place. More » (http://io9.com/5929076/what-if-we-had-a-planet-instead-of-a-moon)

 Up For Grabs: a Ticket to Mars. Tryouts Start in 2013.

Quote
The Mars One project (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_One) wants to send you on a trip to the Red Planet by 2023. Yes, really. There's just one caveat: it's a one-way trip. Think you're up for it?

http://io9.com/5929213/up-for-grabs-a-ticket-to-mars-tryouts-start-in-2013 (http://io9.com/5929213/up-for-grabs-a-ticket-to-mars-tryouts-start-in-2013)

The spaceliner ETH Mobile was not a hollowed asteroid but rather one of the very large manufactured ships built in lunar orbit in the previous century. Made by Swiss universities and engineering firms that continued to operate them, they were combinations of glassy metals, bioceramics, aerogels, and water both frozen and liquid. They were extremely fast; frequent small fission explosions firing behind a pusher plate at the rear of the ship accelerated it at a one-g equivalent for those inside, and this very rapid rate of acceleration was typically maintained to the midpoint of a trip, at which point the ship was going so fast that it was necessary for it to turn and decelerate at the same rate. But even decelerating for half of each trip, the average speeds were so high that relatively short transit times were possible all over the solar system, and the longer the trip, the faster the top speeds became, so it was not a linear thing: Earth to Mercury took three and a half days; Saturn to Mercury, eleven days; across the Neptune orbit ("width of solar system"), sixteen days.




ETH Mobile was outfitted with characteristic Swiss elegance, undemonstrative and superb, evoking the ocean liners of the classic era but entering whole new realms of human comfort, the floors warm, the air tangy, the food and drink a string of masterpieces. There were floor-to-ceiling window walls on many of the public decks, affording spectacular views of the stars and any local object they passed. About ten thousand people could be accommodated, all in luxury. Design in the hotel section combined great slabs of metal with vegetable prints and a William Morris wall vine. The park that filled one tall floor of the ship was an arboretum occupied by a semitropical canopy forest, featuring parts of several South American biomes, including animals from these zones that could handle a few moments of weightlessness without too much risk of injury. What the animals thought of these turnaround moments of zero g was a matter much studied but little understood. It did not appear to make the animals different in subsequent behavior. Sloths did not even seem to notice. Monkeys and jaguars and tapirs floated up chattering and moaning, coyotes howling with their usual genius; then after a suspended moment they would all together float sweetly back to the ground. In this same time the sloths hung from their branches—down, sideways, down again, sometimes spinning all the way round—never once waking up. Not unlike certain people in that regard.


(skoro me panika hvata što se neumitno približavam kraju romana...  :cry: )

Evo pa birajte kuda ćete:

http://codementum.org/exoplanets/ (http://codementum.org/exoplanets/)

 :cry: 



http://io9.com/5931073/10-futuristic-technologies-that-will-never-exist (http://io9.com/5931073/10-futuristic-technologies-that-will-never-exist)


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Svetogrđe!

 :-D






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A-ha!  8)






DNA used to encode a book and other digital information






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- A team of researchers in the US has successfully encoded a 5.27 megabit book using DNA microchips, and they then read the book using DNA sequencing. Their experiments show that DNA could be used for long-term storage of digital information.




http://phys.org/news/2012-08-dna-encode-digital.html#jCp

A-ha!

Ljudi, ozbiljno vam kažem, to je - to.  :lol:

Ubio me bog, ako razumem...  :(

 :cry:


...eto, kad uporno obilaziš KSR i Egana...  :(

 :cry:


Evo mi ga Galileo's Dream pored ruke, ali je debeo... Kad da ga pročitam...

Lilit to sigurno može bolje od mene, ali ja to, onako seljački, vidim kao šifriranje. DNA se sastoji od samo 4 jedinjenja, adenin, guanin, citozin i timin koji su obeleženi, dva kao 0, a dva kao 1, binarni kod. Ako se DNA može sekvencirati, prepoznati, onda se može šifrirati. Problem je u čuvanju. Naravno, kad bi mi sve bilo jasno, ja bih sedeo tamo sa njima. :lol:

To mi nije jasno. Kako to čuvaju...

Na niskim temperaturama, kao i mamutski DNA.

DNK se dobro drži i na telesnim temperaturama...

jessss, dna se strašno lepo drži na telesnim temperaturama.
kiborgizacija, gospodo, kiborgizacija... razmišljajte duž te linije.  :-| 

A kako, do đavola, uspevaju da "kaleme" aminokiseline u rasporedu koji im treba?

Blokovi nukleotida su kratki, piše na linku. I, mislim da se tekst podešava prema "rasporedu aminokiselina". DNA je šifra.

Formirati nizove izgleda i jeste zeznuto, otud samo 96 segmenata po lancu. A čitaju ih lako, ta tehnologija je već prilično usavršena...

Čitanje nije problem. Tu sam prilično obavešten. Mi koji se bavimo istorijatom engleskog punokrvnog konja poslednjih nekoliko godina detaljno pratimo
šta se radi na ovom planu, pa čak i neki od nas (marginalno sam i ja uključen) pomažemo da se raščiste nedoumice zašto pojedine
"female families" engleskog punokrvnjaka nemaju iste sekvence MtDNA, kada bi, prema Stud Booku trebale da imaju zajedičkog potomka.


Ipak, nije mi jasno kako može da se tekst podešava prema rasporedu aminokiseline... Šta ti to znači da je DNA šifra?

Sećaš se kako su nekad izgledali šifarnici? Karton sa otvorima onoga šta se čita. DNA sekvence (koje su poznate) su taj karton.

To sam i ja pomislio, ali vidi šta kaže:


Multiple copies of each block were synthesized
[/size]
[/size]

Ja do tog kamena, do tog bedema.


Dalje bih sigurno nešto zabrljao, pa bi me dohvatio neko ko bolje zna.

Mogu oni sve da isprogramiraju, ali ne mogu da spreče fraktalni raspad sistema  8-)

Znam šta hoćeš da kažeš.


Ali što se tiče budućnosti korišćenja DNA za praktično skladištenje informacija, ne sumnjam da će naći načina da to urade...

http://www.icr.org/article/6927/ (http://www.icr.org/article/6927/)

QuoteThe authors wrote, "The maximum likelihood time for accelerated growth was 5,115 years ago." Old-earth proponents now have a new challenge: to explain why—after millions of years of hardly any genetic variation among modern humans—human genomic diversity exploded only within the last five thousand years?

However, the same data conforms to and dramatically confirms biblical history. Since the author's date represents the maximum time, the actual DNA diversification event probably occurred even sooner. A biblical time scale indicates that a global flood occurred about 4,500 years ago, and this closely correlates with the time scale of the researcher's estimate.

The Bible clearly indicates that modern humans descended from Noah's three sons— Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives. Such a dramatic reduction (bottleneck) in the overall size of the human population would certainly have been followed by a burst of genetic diversity, as it does in many animal populations.4 The genetic data from this research paper spectacularly confirms key biblical events and their Bible-based timelines.

Naučnici (vlasti) hoće da dokažu da svaka ljudska osobina zavisi od gena, tj. da je uslovljavanje završeno još na tom nivou, a da posle samo treba dorađivati ispiranje mozga...

To bi oni hteli.

Razlog za eksploziju varijacija je ono što zovem Jerihonska manufaktura. Trebalo je proizvesti ljude kako bi se ostvario novi izum - država. To pada otprilike u to vreme. Da bi se proizveli ljudi trebalo je imati stabilan izvor hrane. Stočarstvo ali pre svega poljoprivreda... Posle toga tek ide Sumer i piramide, širom zemljine kugle.

Tehnologija zaista diktira skoro sve, a ona napreduje sve brže i brže. Ljudi uskoro neće biti ni potrebni. Robotizacija u pravom smislu reči je već počela.

Evo šta je sada počelo i to itekako objašnjava sav onaj outsourcing u Kinu, Indiju, Brazil itd.

http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/columns/fullermoney-markets/10361/skilled-work-without-the-worker-fullermoney-10361.html (http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/columns/fullermoney-markets/10361/skilled-work-without-the-worker-fullermoney-10361.html)

Skilled Work, Without the Worker

QuoteDRACHTEN, the Netherlands - At the Philips Electronics factory on the coast of China, hundreds of workers use their hands and specialized tools to assemble electric shavers. That is the old way.

At a sister factory here in the Dutch countryside, 128 robot arms do the same work with yoga-like flexibility. Video cameras guide them through feats well beyond the capability of the most dexterous human.

One robot arm endlessly forms three perfect bends in two connector wires and slips them into holes almost too small for the eye to see. The arms work so fast that they must be enclosed in glass cages to prevent the people supervising them from being injured. And they do it all without a coffee break - three shifts a day, 365 days a year.

All told, the factory here has several dozen workers per shift, about a tenth as many as the plant in the Chinese city of Zhuhai.

This is the future. A new wave of robots, far more adept than those now commonly used by automakers and other heavy manufacturers, are replacing workers around the world in both manufacturing and distribution. Factories like the one here in the Netherlands are a striking counterpoint to those used by Apple and other consumer electronics giants, which employ hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers.

"With these machines, we can make any consumer device in the world," said Binne Visser, an electrical engineer who manages the Philips assembly line in Drachten.

Many industry executives and technology experts say Philips's approach is gaining ground on Apple's. Even as Foxconn, Apple's iPhone manufacturer, continues to build new plants and hire thousands of additional workers to make smartphones,
it plans to install more than a million robots within a few years to supplement its work force in China.

Foxconn has not disclosed how many workers will be displaced or when. But its chairman, Terry Gou, has publicly endorsed a growing use of robots. Speaking of his more than one million employees worldwide, he said in January, according to the official Xinhua news agency: "As human beings are also animals, to manage one million animals gives me a headache."

Kad smo već pomenuli KSR-a, upravo sam shvatio da je verzija Short, Sharp Shock-a objavljena u Monolitu 8 verzija iz Asimovsa, tj. nešto skraćena verzija u odnosu na onu koja je publikovana u ostalim izdanjima ove novele-kratkog romana...


Šteta. Verovatno je to bila jedina koju smo imali u tom trenutku... Ipak, to je bila 1993...

Ne mogu da se dosetim šta mu dođe KSR?
Kola za spavanje i ručavanje?

Kim Stenli Robinson.

Quote from: Mica Milovanovic on 23-08-2012, 00:44:09
Kad smo već pomenuli KSR-a,

... da dodam kako i on i Egan briljiraju u futurizmu bliske buducnosti i to zato sto retko ko u tvrdom sfu tako ozbiljno i pedantno ceprka po kontroverzama transhumanizma do Homo sapiens celestis.  :) 

Čitav članak je zanimljiv.

http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_body_politic/ (http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_body_politic/)

QuoteAs soon as we are born, bacteria move in. They stake claims in our digestive and respiratory tracts, our teeth, our skin. They establish increasingly complex communities, like a forest that gradually takes over a clearing. By the time we're a few years old, these communities have matured, and we carry them with us, more or less, for our entire lives. Our bodies harbor 100 trillion bacterial cells, outnumbering our human cells 10 to one. It's easy to ignore this astonishing fact. Bacteria are tiny in comparison to human cells; they contribute just a few pounds to our weight and remain invisible to us.
It's also been easy for science to overlook their role in our bodies and our health. Researchers have largely concerned themselves with bacteria's negative role as pathogens: The devastating effects of a handful of infectious organisms have always seemed more urgent than what has been considered a benign and relatively unimportant relationship with "good" bacteria. In the intestine, the bacterial hub of the body that teems with trillions of microbes, they have traditionally been called "commensal" organisms — literally, eating at the same table. The moniker suggests that while we've known for decades that gut bacteria help digestion and prevent infections, they are little more than ever-present dinner guests.

But there's a growing consensus among scientists that the relationship between us and our microbes is much more of a two-way street. With new technologies that allow scientists to better identify and study the organisms that live in and on us, we've become aware that bacteria, though tiny, are powerful chemical factories that fundamentally affect how the human body functions. They are not simply random squatters, but organized communities that evolve with us and are passed down from generation to generation. Through research that has blurred the boundary between medical and environmental microbiology, we're beginning to understand that because the human body constitutes their environment, these microbial communities have been forced to adapt to changes in our diets, health, and lifestyle choices. Yet they, in turn, are also part of our environments, and our bodies have adapted to them. Our dinner guests, it seems, have shaped the very path of human evolution.

Naročito je ovo zanimljivo onima koji se zanimaju za genetiku  :twisted:

To find a biological answer to the question "Who are we?" we might look to the human genome. Certainly, when the Human Genome Project first produced a draft of the 3 billion-base-pair sequence, it was touted as a blueprint for human life. Less than a decade later, however, most experts recognize that our genomes capture only a part of who we are. Researchers have become aware, for example, of the influence of epigenetic phenomena — imprinting, maternal effects, and gene silencing, among others — in determining how genetic material is ultimately expressed. Now comes the notion that the genomes of microbes within us must also be considered. Our bodies are, after all, composites of human and bacterial cells, with microbes together contributing at least 1,000 times more genes to the whole. As we discover more and more roles that microbes play, it has become impossible to ignore the contribution of bacteria to the pool of genes we define as ourselves. Indeed, several scientists have begun to refer to the human body as a "superorganism" whose complexity extends far beyond what is encoded in a single genome.

Ohhohoho, sad si obradovao Scallopa, on voli svoje bakterije :)

Nema rakije bez bakterije  :lol:

Quote from: zakk on 23-08-2012, 15:00:59
Ohhohoho, sad si obradovao Scallopa, on voli svoje bakterije :)

I grinje. I grinje.


Kufer, pazi sad:


Nema materije bez bakterije,
nema roba bez mikroba.

Quote from: LiBeat on 23-08-2012, 09:37:00

Quote from: Mica Milovanovic on 23-08-2012, 00:44:09
Kad smo već pomenuli KSR-a,

... da dodam kako i on i Egan briljiraju u futurizmu bliske buducnosti i to zato sto retko ko u tvrdom sfu tako ozbiljno i pedantno ceprka po kontroverzama transhumanizma do Homo sapiens celestis.  :) 

I Ber je tu dao svoj doprinos.

Eh da, itekako jeste, i stvarno je greota što mu tako slabo poznajem opus... nekad je tako cvala ljubav između nas dvoje, tamo u doba Muzike krvi, pa stvarno ne znam šta nam se desilo.  :(

Dakle Scallope, oko onog našeg DNKisanja:

http://phys.org/news/2012-08-dna-encode-digital.html (http://phys.org/news/2012-08-dna-encode-digital.html) kaže

QuoteMultiple copies of each block were synthesized to help in error correction.

a http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/08/dna-data-storage/ (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/08/dna-data-storage/)

Quotean inkjet printer embeds short fragments of chemically synthesized DNA onto the surface of a tiny glass chip.

Dakle ne kodiraju tekst koristeći postojeće lance, niti prave pačvork od postojećih rezanaca, već ređaju nukleotide po želji.

Doduše niko da nam kaže KAKO.

Неће нам ни рећи.
Али, нама остаје нада да ће нам сваком по једну Милу Јововић, савршено биће... и тако то  8-)

QuoteDakle ne kodiraju tekst koristeći postojeće lance, niti prave pačvork od postojećih rezanaca, već ređaju nukleotide po želji.

Tako sam i ja razumeo, ali, pobogu, kako???

Ja rekoh dokle sam razumeo, a za posle da ne znam. U svakom slučaju, to lepljenje na tiny glass chips je mućo glass, pa sam sklon da poverujem da je to rađeno zbog kontrole šifriranja, a ne kao realan proces. Sve je to još Gibson rešio.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/aug/16/book-written-dna-code (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/aug/16/book-written-dna-code)

QuoteWriting the data to DNA took several days.
...

The researchers, who have filed a provisional patent application covering the idea, used off-the-shelf components to demonstrate their technique.

To maximise the reliability of their method, and keep costs down, they avoided the need to create very long sequences of code – something that is much more expensive than creating lots of short chunks of DNA. The data was split into fragments that could be written very reliably, and was accompanied by an address book listing where to find each code section.

http://www.nature.com/news/dna-data-storage-breaks-records-1.11194 (http://www.nature.com/news/dna-data-storage-breaks-records-1.11194)

QuotePrevious attempts to store information in DNA have been held up by difficulties in making perfect long strands. Shorter molecules present less of a challenge, so Church and his colleagues kept their storage strands a mere 159 nucleotides long, and generated multiple copies of each to make catching and correcting mutations easier.

In each single strand, 96 nucleotides represented the encoded data as digital ones and zeroes; 19 nucleotides showed how these data blocks should be ordered; and 44 nucleotides enabled easier sequencing. The researchers' binary code assigned 'zero' to two types of nucleotide (As and Cs) and 'one' to the other two types (Gs and Ts).

A niko ne kaže kako, izgleda da je toliko očigledno svima da ne mora ni da se pominje :D

dakle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_synthesis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_synthesis)

Pa, RNK je u mozgu glavno sredstvo skladištenja informacije.

E, ja imam jedno pitanje. U vezi je sa temom, ali je uvod malo izokola.

Elem, onomad sam na FBu našao tekstić o trobojnim mačkama; tačnije, o trobojnim mačorima. Ako su trobojni, znači da imaju tri seta hromozoma - u tom konkretnom slučaju XXY - što ih čini neplodnim.

E sad - ispada da sam sve ove godine živeo u zabludi da živa bića mogu da imaju samo XX ili XY setove. Bi li neko bio ljubazan da me prosvetli?

Jes vala, al za razliku od ovih DNA pisaca, sam(o) Bog zna moždanu tehniku pisanja...

Ima toliko šarenih životinja i biljaka. Nisam siguran da je to mnogo u vezi s hromozomima.

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 24-08-2012, 14:32:49
Pa, RNK je u mozgu glavno sredstvo skladištenja informacije.

DNK se retko koristi direkno za bilo šta, već se potrebno parče gena kopira na RNK pa onda RNK ide u organele i od njih se prave potrebni hormoni, proteini ili štaveć

Ali da se koristi za skladištenje informacija u smislu pamćenja, sećanja, VELIKO OROGMNO NE.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100414134554.htm (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100414134554.htm)

QuoteOne fundamental property of the mammalian brain is that it continues to develop after birth, and one of the biggest drivers of the formation of new links between neurons is experience. Every time a baby sticks her finger on a pin or laughs in response to an adult's embellished gestures, a cascade of genetic activity is triggered in her brain that results in new, and perhaps even lifelong, synaptic connections.

self-renewal sistem

Zakče, može, al uz dosta pesničke slobode...  :)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100810122035.htm (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100810122035.htm)

Human Cells Can Copy Not Only DNA, but Also RNA

"For the first time, we have evidence to support the hypothesis that human cells have the widespread ability to copy RNA as well as DNA," said co-author Bino John, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Computational and Systems Biology, Pitt School of Medicine. "These findings emphasize the complexity of human RNA populations and suggest the important role for single-molecule sequencing for accurate and comprehensive genetic profiling."

Jel to znači nešto kao "dinamička memorija" - pragmatično remodelovanje...

Recimo, zašto pesnik uvek piše nove pesme a ne stalno jednu te istu?

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 24-08-2012, 14:42:18
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100414134554.htm (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100414134554.htm)

QuoteOne fundamental property of the mammalian brain is that it continues to develop after birth, and one of the biggest drivers of the formation of new links between neurons is experience. Every time a baby sticks her finger on a pin or laughs in response to an adult's embellished gestures, a cascade of genetic activity is triggered in her brain that results in new, and perhaps even lifelong, synaptic connections.

self-renewal sistem

QuoteBroadly speaking, when a neuron is stimulated by an external excitation (the pin, the gesture), it releases chemicals called neurotransmitters (the most common one is glutamate). This neurotransmitter binds to a receptor on the neuron surface and then sets in motion a chain of events that affects the genetic activity of the cell. This in turn helps to modify the synaptic connections between neurons, which are the basis of learning and memory.

Informacija je u mreži neurona, ne u RNK, to što je RNK svuda i deo je upravljanja procesima uspostavljanja veza je potpuno druga stvar. Reći da je informacija u RNK je zamena teza i potpuno netačno.

To ti je ko kad bi rekao da je informacija u hard disk kontroleru a ne na hard-disku

Pa, okej. To je sistem, mreža. I to mreža koja sama OBLIKUJE (znači proizvodi) informaciju, ne? Mislim, nije informacija nešto nezavisno od manifestacije? To još niko nije dokazao.

Javite mi kad se emocije slegnu kako stoje stvari. I dalje sam uveren da se podaci spolja nigde ne upisuju.

joj šta vi nalupaste. xrofl

sorry, morala sam pošto sam u frci i nema teorije da pišem nadugačko. a sintetizirati dnk je prosto, krenuli ljudi još pre 40 godina. i vi ste i neki sf-ovci! bruka!!! :lol:

najtflajeru, da, ima XYY (odmah vidim da nisi gledao alien 3 :lol:), XXY, XXX, svega ima na kugli zemaljskoj. i dobro je što je tako.

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 24-08-2012, 14:32:49
Pa, RNK je u mozgu glavno sredstvo skladištenja informacije.

:cry:  :cry:

Quote from: lilit_depp on 24-08-2012, 15:30:03
joj šta vi nalupaste. xrofl

sorry, morala sam pošto sam u frci i nema teorije da pišem nadugačko. a sintetizirati dnk je prosto, krenuli ljudi još pre 40 godina. i vi ste i neki sf-ovci! bruka!!! :lol:

najtflajeru, da, ima XYY (odmah vidim da nisi gledao alien 3 :lol:), XXY, XXX, svega ima na kugli zemaljskoj. i dobro je što je tako.

Ma jesam, ali je to bilo tako davno da se gotovo ničega više ne sećam. Čini mi se da sam imao 11 godina kada sam ga gledao - a nikada mi se nije posebno dojmio. Drugi deo je moj favorit.

Izvinjavam se na oftopiku. Ontopik:

Da li toga ima i kod ljudi?

Quote from: lilit_depp on 24-08-2012, 15:30:58

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 24-08-2012, 14:32:49
Pa, RNK je u mozgu glavno sredstvo skladištenja informacije.

:cry: :cry:

Pa, okej, šta je onda glavno sredstvo skladištenja informacija u mozgu?

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 24-08-2012, 15:34:01

Quote from: lilit_depp on 24-08-2012, 15:30:58

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 24-08-2012, 14:32:49
Pa, RNK je u mozgu glavno sredstvo skladištenja informacije.

:cry: :cry:

Pa, okej, šta je onda glavno sredstvo skladištenja informacija u mozgu?

Čikmeže.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_your_memories_stored_in_the_brain (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_your_memories_stored_in_the_brain)

Pametnjakovići

Where is your memories stored in the brain?

Answer:
There isn't a single exact location of memory storage. The process of encoding and retrieving memories is a complex one, requiring many structures to function. The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are two major areas- however numerous other areas play a part.


While these areas are integral to the process of encoding and retrieving, as to where memories are physically stored, there is no solid answer. Neurologists have done studies in which they teach a mouse a trick, then remove the right half of its brain, and it still remembers the trick (Though how they were able to keep the mouse alive with half a brain, I have no idea). Then, they remove the left half, and it still remembers the trick! The deduction is that the memory remains intact, independent of the functioning of any physical part of the brain. I have heard it concluded that ALL memory must exist in ALL parts of the brain equally at ALL times.

najtflajer,
pa da. ima. kod zivotinja ima i XXXX, XX0, itd.

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 24-08-2012, 15:34:01

Quote from: lilit_depp on 24-08-2012, 15:30:58

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 24-08-2012, 14:32:49
Pa, RNK je u mozgu glavno sredstvo skladištenja informacije.

:cry: :cry:

Pa, okej, šta je onda glavno sredstvo skladištenja informacija u mozgu?

sta god da je, RNK nije ni u snovima. RNK je operativac.

Šta god da je - sviđa mi se taj odgovor  8-)

Biće da je ipak Mreža.
Još je Lajbnic shvatio da znanje ima prirodu holograma.

Quote from: lilit_depp on 24-08-2012, 15:38:37
najtflajer,
pa da. ima. kod zivotinja ima i XXXX, XX0, itd.

Možeš li da mi daš link za neko mesto gde je to objašnjeno jezikom razumljivim za laike? (I really want to know, ne zadžebavam se...)

ma kuferu, radim, imam samo malo vremena za palamud, a tvoje siroko postavljene teorije zahtevale bi opsezan odgovor. al rnk nije, uz najbolju volju da to prihvatim kao fakt. :lol:

najt,
eno ti wiki, tu je bas jednostavno. samo ukucaj xxy ili xyy ili sta vec. radi se o dodatnim setovima hromozoma koji se manifestuju kao sindromi, mislim, bar mi "normalni" volimo tako da ih zovemo.

Pa dobro bre, shvatio sam da rnk nije to.
Više sam to reko s obzirom na ovo što sad koriste dnk umesto hard diskova, pa me zanimalo čisto komparativno.
Pre će biti da je znanje (ili/i informacija) skladištena u nekoj ili kao neka elektromagnetna mrežna struktura, koja opstaje nezavisno od konkretnih fizičkih manifestacija. Možda je mozak samo zaslon na koji se projektuje naše strogo cenzurisano, kalibrisano tumačenje...  ;)
Specifično, kod ljudi, kao "razum"?????

Jbg, možda Nature nije baš kompetentan za ove stvari?

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7396/full/485009b.html (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7396/full/485009b.html)

Small RNAs boost memory process

    Nature
    485,
    9
    (03 May 2012)
    doi:10.1038/485009b

Published online
    02 May 2012

 

A class of small RNA molecules discovered just six years ago has now been detected in the brain, where it seems to regulate the expression of a gene involved in memory. This could help to explain how long-lasting memories are maintained.


Možda je SMALL ali zato radi poso  8)

A, eve gu još: SURPRISE SURPRISE!  8)

http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674%2812%2900468-0?switch=standard (http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674%2812%2900468-0?switch=standard)

A piRNA to Remember

Danesh Moazed1, Go To Corresponding Author, 

1 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Corresponding author


    Summary
    In this issue of Cell, Rajasethupathy et al. report a surprising role for piRNAs, previously thought to act mainly in the animal germline to silence transposons, in transcriptional regulation of plasticity-related genes in the central nervous system of the sea slug Aplysia californica. The findings expand the functions of small RNAs and have important implications for our understanding of how transient signals can give rise to long-term memories.

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 24-08-2012, 17:21:15
Jbg, možda Nature nije baš kompetentan za ove stvari?

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7396/full/485009b.html (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7396/full/485009b.html)

Small RNAs boost memory process

    Nature
    485,
    9
    (03 May 2012)
    doi:10.1038/485009b

Published online
    02 May 2012

 

A class of small RNA molecules discovered just six years ago has now been detected in the brain, where it seems to regulate the expression of a gene involved in memory. This could help to explain how long-lasting memories are maintained.


Možda je SMALL ali zato radi poso  8)

ovo je paradigma mog problema s tvojim postovima. :lol:

znači, ti si rekao da je RNA storidž a niko ne negira da ne uçestvuje u regulaciji, pošto je to ionako funkcija raznoraznih RNK u organizmu. i sad izlaziš s teorijom " možda nature nije kompetentan" al ni nature ne kaze da je RNK storidz vec regulator. i sta cemo sad?
novi copy/paste odnekud?

Ali regulacija JESTE storage!
Nema tu nagomilane mase molekula koji su isto što i memorija (informacija).
RNA ima itekako veze s memorisanjem. To je dinamički sistem i RNA definiše dinamičku interpretaciju i modelovanje onoga što zovemo memorija.
RNA direktno utiče na memorisanje.

ima li kakav smajli da se samoupucam u glavu?

 xremyb

Quote from: lilit_depp on 24-08-2012, 17:44:03
ima li kakav smajli da se samoupucam u glavu?

Proveri u čikmeže.

A clue to how humans evolved from apes may be in our heads according to some scientists. As this ScienCentral News video reports, a glitch in a single gene may have paved the way.



Clues to Chew


At first glance, the differences between humans and other primates appear clear. Aside from hair and climbing skill, however, our big brains set us apart. Researchers Hansell Stedman and Nancy Minugh-Purvis of the University of Pennsylvania (http://www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn/article.php?794&hlt)have stumbled on a slip up in a single gene found in our jaw muscles that they say may have triggered this divergence by enabling the brain case to expand. Their findings, published in Nature (http://www.nature.com/), have spurred a lively debate among anthropologists and evolutionary biologists alike, giving them a new reason to ruminate our possible origins.
While studying human muscle disease, Stedman (http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/surgery/fac/hhs.html), a gastrointestinal surgeon, found a new version of a gene that encodes for a muscle-fueling protein called myosin. "Myosin is the most abundant protein in muscle," explains Stedman. "It's the motor protein that generates all the force. The body is able to make a wide range of different myosins, and each one has a different gene. The surprise came in finding that one of them...winds up having a mutation that cripples its ability to make a functional myosin...in all humans, as far as we can tell."



Stedman teamed up with Minugh-Purvis, an expert in developmental biology, to study this newly discovered version of the myosin gene, called MYH16. They compared random DNA samples from people from five continents with samples from seven nonhuman primate species. They reported finding MYH16 in human jaw muscle, but they found a different version of this gene in other primates. "Somewhere in recent human evolution, there was a mutation...so that now, all living descendents of that breeding population have inherited the defective form of this gene," says Stedman. He went on to explain that such a genetic defect would essentially weaken biting muscles in the jaw, likely causing them to grow smaller. Today, modern-day humans can bite with hundreds of pounds of force, but nonhuman primates can chomp with tons of force.







(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upenn.edu%2Fgazette%2F0904%2Fimages%2Fgaz06.gif&hash=e939e09712c4f06a042281442b43bca4cddd1375)








A genetic mutation that weakened the jaw muscles of our ancestors about 2.4 million years ago may, in turn, have relieved constraints on the skull, allowing the brains of early humans to expand, according to Dr. Hansell Stedman and Dr. Nancy Minugh-Purvis of the University of Pennsylvania.


The MYH16 gene (myosin heavy chain 16) is a muscle protein in mammals. In all non-human primates, it is a specialized muscle protein found only in the muscles of the jaw, but in humans, the MYH16 gene has a mutation which causes the protein not to function.




Macaques (the gene is functional in them) have chewing and biting muscles almost 10 times the size of those in humans, but we seemed to have survived the weaker bite because by that time, around 2.4 million years ago, this weakness wasn't a big deal for us as we had started using stone tools, and tamed fire among a few other developments.



And when the muscles weakened, it relieved pressure on the sutures—or fibrous tissues—that connect the bones of the skull, allowing it to expand over many generations.



Minugh-Purvis notes that there was a slow trend toward brain expansion for well over a million years before the myosin mutation likely took place. "What we're suggesting is that along comes this mutation, and it acts as sort of a suture-release mechanism if you will, and then in individuals carrying that mutation, the brain over time is going to expand more rapidly. In the past two-and-a-half million years, our lineage has undergone a tripling in brain size," she says, implying that the weaker jaw muscles permitted, rather than caused brain expansion.


http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/ (http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/)0904/0904gaz06.html

http://www.dnalc.org/view/2038-The-role-of-RNA-in-learning-and-memory.html (http://www.dnalc.org/view/2038-The-role-of-RNA-in-learning-and-memory.html)

Evo, ovde ima i zvučni zapis za one koji su ZABORAVILI da čitaju  8-)

QuoteBecause we know that learning and memory at some level involves changes at the synapse, and one of the changes at the synapse has to do with protein translation, that area of investigation has become very, very hot. And the research questions involved here are: one, if translation is going to occur at the synapse, we have to get RNA out there. So, problem number one is how do RNAs travel out to the dendrite? Problem number two is how are RNAs selected for going to the dendrite? Once the RNA is out there, that has been selected travel there, and has gotten out there by some mechanism, how is the RNA selected for undergoing active translation as problem number three? Because before the actual activation occurs, that RNA has to remain silenced and the silencing of RNAs in dendrites and their activation as a result of synaptic activity is perhaps the kernel of what many neurobiologists are interested in today.

i ovo je sad dokaz za šta?

Dokaz za ono što sam već rekao. Da je RNA faktor u memorijskom sistemu.
Pamćenje nije džak kukurusa.
Pamćenje je sistem, sastoji se od komponenti koje čine celo. Bez RNA nema pamćenja.

QuoteWhat is Memory?

Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain and later retrieve information. There are three major processes involved in memory: encoding, storage and retrieval.

In order to form new memories, information must be changed into a usable form, which occurs through the process known as encoding. Once information has been successfully encoded, it must be stored in memory for later use. Much of this stored memory lies outside of our awareness most of the time, except when we actually need to use it. The retrieval process allows us to bring stored memories into conscious awareness.

a ko je to negirao?

E, sad ću sam sebe da moderiram, majku mu. Sistem se fraktalno raspao  :-?

 xcheers

Quote from: lilit_depp on 26-08-2012, 16:20:51
a ko je to negirao?

Meni nije namera da se svađam bilo s kim. Ti i Zakk ste izričito tvrdili da RNA nema nikakve veze s memorijom. To jednostavno nije tačno.

ja sam negirala da je rnk jednako storidž, što si tvrdio samo nekoliko postova gore (ako mene u medjuvremenu nije uhvatio alchajmer). i dalje tvrdim da je to potpuni nonsens. sve ovo što dalje citiraš proizilazi iz onoga što sam posle napisala.

hm, moguće da google ipak nije toliko dobra stvar koliko sam do danas mislila da jeste. :lol:

Quote from: lilit_depp on 26-08-2012, 16:43:16

hm, moguće da google ipak nije toliko dobra stvar koliko sam do danas mislila da jeste. :lol:

Zavisi kako ga ko i u koju svrhu koristi. Ljudi pohadjaju manje i vise poznate univerzitete godinama, danonocno uce , provode sate u laboratorijama i research centrima i sad ce neki kufer ili whoever da otkriva misteriju RNA pomicu googla na forumu naucne fantastike , horora i knjizevnosti xrofl. Pa da moze da se takav pokusaj ustvari svrsta u horor  :P . Postoje forumi , blackboards po univerzitetskim sajtovima gde studenti i profesori ozbiljno diskutuju o ovakvim stvarima, ali ne koriste google i wikipediju kao reference.

Ne postoji storidž. To je pogrešna ideja koja nema svoj pandan u konkretnom svetu. Radi se o dinamičkom sistemu.
Memorija je po definiciji afekcija. Ona je to sve do trenutka kada bude apsorbovana u iskustvo. Osim toga, memorija nikad nije pouzdana, ona nikad ne može biti fakat. Za to ima bezbroj faktora, od psiholoških do fizičkih tj. hemijskih, elektromagnetnih, kako god hoćeš.
"Proces" pretvaranja memorije u iskustvo je sam sistem, koji prirodno degradira i mora da se održava. Ništa tu nije urezano u kamenu, jer i kamen ima vek trajanja.
Iskustvo je sila a ne materija. Jedno prelazi u drugo i obratno. Zbog toga mora da se posmatra dinamički a ne mehanički.

Nasuprot memoriji je iskustvo, kada memorija postane deo iskustva, ona više ne mora da se čuva u skladištu. U sistemu memorisanja podataka, potrebno je vreme i traženje, odnošenje i donošenje, ubacivanje novih podataka. U iskustvu toga nema - informacija je trenutno na raspolaganju.
Zbog toga i postoje kratkoročne i dugoročne memorije.
Prema onome što sam pročitao, RNA ima ulogu i u jednom i drugom sistemu.


Evo konkretnog primera.

Parna mašina iz 18. veka.
Parna mašina iz 19. veka.
Parna mašina iz 20. veka.

U novijim mašinama konkretizovano je ono što je kod starijih modela tek u fazi prikupljanja podataka koji u jednom trenutku, kada se stvori kritična "masa" memorisanog (a to su nove tehnologije), mogu da se iskoriste i da se stvori konkretni, usavršeni deo. Istovremeno, stare memorije se brišu i dobavljaju se nove (podaci).

Quote from: Biki on 26-08-2012, 16:51:46

Quote from: lilit_depp on 26-08-2012, 16:43:16

hm, moguće da google ipak nije toliko dobra stvar koliko sam do danas mislila da jeste. :lol:

Zavisi kako ga ko i u koju svrhu koristi. Ljudi pohadjaju manje i vise poznate univerzitete godinama, danonocno uce , provode sate u laboratorijama i research centrima i sad ce neki kufer ili whoever da otkriva misteriju RNA pomicu googla na forumu naucne fantastike , horora i knjizevnosti xrofl. Pa da moze da se takav pokusaj ustvari svrsta u horor  :P . Postoje forumi , blackboards po univerzitetskim sajtovima gde studenti i profesori ozbiljno diskutuju o ovakvim stvarima, ali ne koriste google i wikipediju kao reference.

Ajde molim te, reci nešto ozbiljno, umesto da troluješ bez ikakvog doprinosa razgovoru.

Pokušaću još malo da pojasnim, mada mislim da nije lako shvatiti.
Tehnologija, kao suma tehnologije, je taj aktivni sistem koji deluje kao iskustvo.
Ovaj sistem nipošto nije nešto konačno. Oni koji su navikli da na stvari gledaju kao na konačne moduse (po Spinozinoj definiciji) traba da imaju u vidu da se jedna stvar definiše kao nešto što je ograničeno drugim stvarima.
Posledica toga je međusobna povezanost svih elemenata u univerzumu. To je zaista nepraktično sa svakodnevnog stajališta, ali je tačno i dejstveno.

Neka konkretna tehnologija zavisi od sopstvene, unutrašnje organizacije znanja, zatim od prikupljanja podataka IZVAN sebe (to je memorijski sistem i potreban je senzorski sistem koji glumi ono spolja i obezbeđuje input, koji se uzgred pretumačuje, itd.) kako bi te nove podatke uvela u sebe, tojest u svoje iskustvo i time nadogradila sebe.

Posebno je važno to što za održavanje određenog tehnološkog istema treba da postoje resursi.

Sadašnjem nivou tehnologije kojom raspolaže čovečanstvo, ili obratno, tehnologije koja raspolaže čovečanstvom - potrebni su mnogi resursi, od prirodnih, elementarnih do infrastrukture, logistike, banki podataka, itd.

Ako bi se uskratili ti resursi, opšti tehnološki nivo bi morao da drastično opadne.
Problem bi nastao ukoliko su podaci (memorisani podaci) o tom nekom nižem nivou izgubljeni. Recimo, ukoliko bismo se sada vratili u gvozdeno doba, ili u industrijsko doba, imali bismo probleme različitih vrsta. Moderna infrastruktura ne bi u mnogo čemu odgovarala i bila bi nepotrebna. Mnoga konkretna znanja o tome kako organizovati privredu su iščilela iz naše svesti, morali bismo da iznova učimo stare tehnologije. I tako dalje.

Kako reče genije, sistem se raspada fraktalno. Ali, sa stanovišta sistema to raspadanje, prevazilaženje stare forme je istovremeno i nastajanje nove forme. To se u šamanskoj nauci zove: Ptica Feniks  8-)

Da ne ispadne kako sam gurnuo kola pa zbrisao, ja volim kako Kufer pakuje fakte. Isto tako, pomalo su mi smešne tvrdnje onih koji veruju da su fakta spakovana jednom za svagda.

Ispostavilo se da ono što je Spinoza rekao za čoveka, da parafraziram: mi težimo da unapređujemo svoje znanje, važi i za tehnologiju. Ali, u tom slučaju tehnologija je maznula od ljudi ličnost, tako da ljudi prosto služe razvoju tehnologije.

Ima tu nešto što je veoma teško objasniti: neki teže da znaju što manje. Akcenat stavljam na ovo teže.

Problem je u tome što izgleda da je to neuništivo svojstvo "nečega", ali ja ne znam da li je to materija, tojest ona Njutnova "lenjost" koja je itekako faktor na koji treba računati  8-)

Možda je Kurzweil u pravu kada propagira singularnost tipa Borg? A možda se ja ne slažem s tim...

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 17:34:09
...Ali, u tom slučaju tehnologija je maznula od ljudi ličnost...

Moram priznati da je ovo najsimpatičnije formulisana interpretacija Elila koju sam do sad pročitala.  :-|

Koj beše Elil?

Žak.
http://anarhisticka-biblioteka.net/library/jacques-ellul-tehnika (http://anarhisticka-biblioteka.net/library/jacques-ellul-tehnika)

Ako nije interpretacija, imate začuđujuće podudarne stavove.

Izgleda zanimljivo. Ovo ću da upamtim u memorijski storidž  :-|

Ustvari, to je tema naširoko obrađivana od najstarijih vremena, od Bude, Lao Cea i Zenona, Heraklita, itd. preko "novijih" mislilaca, pa sve do sada već počivšeg Kastanede i Bodrijara. Ona adresira osnovno egzistencijalno pitanje: šta jesmo a šta nismo.

Elil kaže tehnika, ali mislim da je danas uobičajeno da se kaže tehnologija, kao princip.

Naravno. Sve negde do sedamdesetih se to uglavnom zvalo tehnika, od tada uglavnom tehnologija (bar prema mom kopanju po literaturi).
(Btw, da dodam, i pola likova oko Franfurtske škole je pisalo na tu temu)

Quote,,Nikakva tehnika nije moguća kada su ljudi slobodni... Milje u koji tehnika prodire postaje, i to često jednim udarcem, potpuno tehnički. Ako je definisan željeni ishod, nikakav izbor između tehničkih i netehničkih sredstava, zasnovan na mašti, ličnim kvalitetima ili tradiciji, nije moguć. Ništa ne može da se takmiči s tehničkim sredstvima. Izbor je napravljen unapred. Nije u moći pojedinca ili grupe da odluče da slede neki drugi metod, osim tehničkog. Pojedinac je u dilemi: ili će odlučiti da sačuva slobodu izbora i koristi tradicionalna, lična, moralna ili empirijska sredstva i tako uđe u nadmetanje sa silom protiv koje nema efikasne odbrane i koja će ga nužno poraziti; ili će prihvatiti tehničku nužnost, gde će on sam biti pobednik, ali samo tako što će sebe nepovratno baciti u tehničko ropstvo. U suštini, on nema slobodu izbora. (str. 154; 101-102)

,,Jednostavno rečeno, pokušao sam da na osnovu detaljne analize, izložim konkretno i temeljno tumačenje tehnike. To je jedini cilj ove knjige. (str. 11)

Ovde je analiza doterana do kraja.
To je ustvari Budizam, al da ne imenujem, dosledno korišćenje analitičkog metoda.

Stvar je u tome, što je život osnovna posledica neznanja, i ovo što Elil priča je isto što i Buda: život je neminovno patnja (Buda koristi psihološki rečnik). Ustvari, život je sredstvo ostvarenja tehnologije, koja je neprekidni proces raspadanja i izraz nepostojanosti. "Sve stvoreno je nepostojano."

Nažalost, tehnologija koja u ljudima najbolje funkcioniše, a to su predstave, emocije i ideje, obrće stvari naopako. Zbog toga su ljudi u funkciji ideja, emocija, predstava i služe kao hrana toj "tehnologiji", a istovremeno uobražavaju da su mnogo inteligentni i napredni. Tu čaroliju je nemoguće razvejati.

Mnogi misle da je Buda bio "pro life", ali on je bio za oslobađanje od života.

Postoji samo jedan par suprotnosti: život - smrt, odnosno neznanje-znanje. Smrt treba shvatiti kao znanje (istinu) koje je "smrt" za neznanje.
Ali, smrt je oklevetana, ljudi ne znaju ništa o njoj i beže od nje kao od kuge. To je tako... U ljudskom društvu ne postoji ništa gore od ogoljene istine. Čitav sistem se upinje da srpeči prodor istine u, recimo, politički život. Istina je bukvalno smrt političkog bića.

Elil to lepo kaže... indirektno.

Quote from: Irena Adler on 26-08-2012, 18:16:57
Naravno. Sve negde do sedamdesetih se to uglavnom zvalo tehnika, od tada uglavnom tehnologija (bar prema mom kopanju po literaturi).
(Btw, da dodam, i pola likova oko Franfurtske škole je pisalo na tu temu)

Svaki dosledni filozof je to znao. Znali su to i Platon i Lajbnic i Hegel. Ali, oni su bili istovremeno i dr Džekil i mr Hajd. Jedno su pričali a drugo radili.

Elil svašta lepo kaže. Što naravno,ne znači obavezno da je u pravu. :) Niti da se sa njim moramo složiti, čak i ako jeste u pravu.  :mrgreen:

Dodatak: antička priča o tehnologiji je meni skroz treći padež. Tj. nisam sigurna da smo odavde gde smo danas uopšte u stanju da sagledamo pojmovni/vrednosni/životni okvir u kome su oni funkcionisali. A pisani tragovi kojima raspolažemo su u najmanju ruku oskudni i ko zna koliko puta do sad probrani (u smislu da mi danas znamo za ono što je preživelo sticajem okolnosti ili se nekome uklapalo u priču pa rešio da prevodi).

Edit: sad tek videh da pominješ i svašta dalje od Platona. :)

Sa Planktonom ste napravili krucijalnu grešku.

QuoteNikakva tehnika nije moguća kada su ljudi slobodni...

Slobodan od svega - to je nirvana.
Nezamisliva forma postojanja, jer se ne može predstaviti. Međutim, može se spoznati. Zbog ovoga volim da tvrdim da Dekartovo "cogito" ne znači prosto "mislim" nego "spoznajem". Ali, on je morao da pazi šta priča kako ga ne bi zgazili kao glistu  :mrgreen:

Mislio sam na Planktonove večne ideje, koje predstavljaju skok u metafizičko.

@scallop
Ja samo kažem da u stvari nemamo pojma koliko su Platonovi (i Aristotelovi i Heraklitovi itd) stavovi (konkretno kada je reč o tehnici) reprezentativni za staru Grčku uopšte.

Edit: a metafizika trenutno prevazilazi sferu mojih interesovanja.  :)

Mislim da su Tales, Demokrit ili Anaksimandar aktuelni koliko i Hajzenberg.

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 18:35:51
Mislio sam na Planktonove večne ideje, koje predstavljaju skok u metafizičko.

Jeste planktoni imaju vecne ideje pre nego postanu hrana kitovima  xrofl

I ja. Ali ih danas rabe kao da jesu.

U Suncu je voda. Sve je voda. A u vodi - kitovi.

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 18:35:07

QuoteNikakva tehnika nije moguća kada su ljudi slobodni...

Slobodan od svega - to je nirvana.
Nezamisliva forma postojanja, jer se ne može predstaviti. Međutim, može se spoznati. Zbog ovoga volim da tvrdim da Dekartovo "cogito" ne znači prosto "mislim" nego "spoznajem". Ali, on je morao da pazi šta priča kako ga ne bi zgazili kao glistu  :mrgreen:

Pa dobro sad to i nije toliko strasno ako znamo da glista moze da se regenerise, pretpostavljajuci da nije zgazena celom duzinom.

Koliko dugo živi nezgažena glista?

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 18:48:26
Koliko dugo živi nezgažena glista?

Pojma nemam

Dovoljno kratko da joj je svejedno.

Okej, al meni su kitovi zanimljivi.
Recimo, Melvil je silno elaboriro o vodi i kitovima.
Recimo da je Mobi Dik to jezivo, iskustveno jezgro koje neminovno uništava onog idiota Ejhaba...

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 18:51:20
Dovoljno kratko da joj je svejedno.

Duhovito. Ali glista ne misli tako da za nju vreme nije isto sto i za tebe ili mene. Glisti ne moze da bude svejedno ili da joj ne bude svejedno posto nema svest. A i vreme je relativno. Ali ako imate 10 minuta i volje da pogledate ovu malu prezentaciju ( sigurna sam da ce vam se svideti)

RSA Animate - The Secret Powers of Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oIiH7BLmg#ws)

Referentni sistem vremena je stvar projekcije. Ukoliko glista nema svoj razum, onda koristi nečji tuđi (ko koga tu zapravo koristi?). Tu se vraćamo još dalje u istoriju, ali ne baš, jer animizam vidi "duhovnu" vezu između svih stvari. A to je itekako aktuelno, ko razume o čemu se tu radi.

Quote from: Biki on 26-08-2012, 18:56:33

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 18:51:20
Dovoljno kratko da joj je svejedno.

Duhovito. Ali glista ne misli tako da za nju vreme nije isto sto i za tebe ili mene. Glisti ne moze da bude svejedno ili da joj ne bude svejedno posto nema svest. A i vreme je relativno. Ali ako imate 10 minuta i volje da pogledate ovu malu prezentaciju ( sigurna sam da ce vam se svideti)

RSA Animate - The Secret Powers of Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oIiH7BLmg#ws)

Možda glista može da isprati sve ovom brzinom  8-)

Ali, uočio sam onaj detalj o Siciliji, gde kaže da u dijalektu koji se tamo govori nema budućeg vremena. Ovaj tip (fiktivni neko) mnogo greši kad kaže "Zbog toga se tamo ništa nikad ne uradi."

Šta ako neko vodi računa o tome da to što radi ima trenutnu posledicu?

Primer Borhesove priče Tlen, Ukbar... je upravo o tome. Borhes tamo raspravlja o ljudima u čijem jeziku nema ni prošlog ni budućeg vremena. Očigledno, to je praktičan način da se iz upotrebe isključi projektovanje, a prošlost i budućnost su upravo to, projekcije.

Elil kaže to isto: "Nikakva tehnika nije moguća kada su ljudi slobodni..."

Oblast slobode je oblast gde nema uslovljavanja. A oblast prostor/vreme je upravo to, u toj oblasti se dešavaju uzročno-posledični nizovi događaja.
Ljudi su naučeni da koriste linearnu projekciju vremena, ali ljudi su u stanju da se oduče od toga i pređu u oblast gde je sloboda.
Tehnologija, međutim, to ne može. Zbog toga ona projektuje daleku, što dalju prošlost, i što dalju budućnost i dosezanje te budućnosti nameće kao nešto najnužnije, zahtevajući pritom žrtvu.
To je Kron koji jede svoju decu. Auto-Kanibal. Uroboros. Majka-i-dete.

Ja da se vratim na RNK. Zakukao sam kad ju je Kufer prvi put pomenuo jer je postavio tezu da se znanje/informacija/pamćenje skladišti u RNK. To je i dalje pogrešno i netačno.

Okej Zakk. Pa gde se onda skladišti?

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:14:32
Ljudi su naučeni da koriste linearnu projekciju vremena, ali ljudi su u stanju da se oduče od toga i pređu u oblast gde je sloboda.

To stoji, ali da li je to ono sto zelis i cemu tezis? Sloboda, nistavilo, nirvana? Meni je ovo bilo aktuelno pre 20 godina i tada kao i sada sam kao i svi ostali imala slobodu izbora. To je ono sto ja nazivam slobodom , mogucnost da se opredelis kojim ces putem da ides. Mozes da izaberes tu tzv tvoju "slobodu" (koja po mom misljenju nije nikakva sloboda vec samo opcija gde izaberes da ides linijom manjeg otpora) ili zivot onakav kakav jeste (uslovljen ljudima i sistemom oko tebe). Ja sam donela svesnu odluku da zelim uslovljen zivot (porodicu, posao, materijalne stvari koje mi pricinjavaju zadovoljstvo tipa: nov kompjuter, kola, kucu, novi set tanjira, haljina, cipelice, itd). Kada biras tu tvoju tzv "slobodu" biras nistavilo, nirvanu, iskaces iz koloseka  linearnog vremena i to je sasvim ok ako je to ono sto zaista zelis.

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:24:30
Okej Zakk. Pa gde se onda skladišti?

Skladisti se u amigdali

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:24:30
Okej Zakk. Pa gde se onda skladišti?

U mozgu, neko vreme, a onda sve crkne i nestane.

Mada danas mnogi argumentuju da je amigdala samo "procesor "

Sad ću malo da elaboriram na jednu temu. Mnogi ne razumeju moj način razmišljanja, zbog toga što je on očigledno drugačiji od njihovog. To je razumljivo.
Od nekih dobijam i pogrde zbog toga, moj način razmišljanja okida okidače izvesnih emocija, koje su često toksične i agresivne.


Kao pesnik, mogu da uradim sledeće. Ustvrdiću da su jastozi inteligentna bića. Napisaću roman o tome. Recimo, o nekim svemirskim jastozima. Biće to neki SF-fentezi bućkuriš. Roman će poslužiti kao poligon na kojem ću iz sve snage pokušati da dokažem i na kraju dokazati da jastozi jesu inteligentni.
Prva reakcija, naročito kod onih znalaca koji se zovu naučnici, biće - Ha, pa jastozi imaju rudimentarni nervni sistem. Tako nešto je nemoguće! Fuj, budalo!

Jastozi imaju jednu bitnu osobinu, koja se sreće kod inteligentnih bića, koja mi poznajemo - dugovečnost. Jastog može da doživi i 70 godina. Kao čovek, slon, kit, ali i neke druge životinje za koje obično ne mislimo da su inteligentne - recimo kornjače, krokodili, zmije i slično.

Ali, zar je zaista inteligentno tvrditi za krokodile da su glupi, kad znamo da su stariji rod od dinosaura, koji su stotinama miliona godina vladali Zemljom? Krokodili su ih nadživeli, ne samo da su ih nadživeli nego su se, sudeći po nađenim ostacima - hranili dinosaurima.

Ali, da se vratim na jastoga. Jastog je arthropoda, beskičmenjak koji ima egzoskelet, hitinski oklop ili kožu, zglavkaste noge, 4 para, i tako dalje.
Nervni sistem je nerazvijen, skoro da ga nema.

Na koji način bi se moglo dokazati da su jastozi ipak inteligentni?
Pa, tu dolazimo na animizam, ili ako hoćete panteizam, ili na moderniju varijantu kao što je Matrix. Mreža! Planetarna, kosmička, okeanska mreža. Ultra-mega organizam kojem su druga živa bića samo delovi. Za ovo ima osnova, pogotovo što se danas sve više otkriva u kojoj meri je čovek simbiotsko biće, povezano s bakterijama čiji genetski materijal u odnosu s čovekovim iznosi 1000:1. Dakle, bakterije koje su s nama u simbiozi imaju toliko više genetskog materijala.

Ali, moj roman bi krenuo malo drugačijim tokom.

Ovde uvodim aksiom: aksiomi se, kao što znate, ne dokazuju. Oni su čin volje.

Okean je ogroman skup najrazličitije informacije. Ta informacija može da se oseti mnogobrojnim čulima i na raznim kalibracijama. Mi to ne možemo ni da zamislimo.
Čovek ima mozak koji je istovremeno i procesor, i tumač i projektor i zaslon na koji se projektuje predstava. Možda nismo u potpunosti u pravu, ali to mu dođe kao neka redimejd činjenica.
Recimo da Okean, kao takav nema taj zaslon, a ima ili nema moć da procesuje sopstvenu informaciju, znači - nije samosvesno biće.
Ali, tu je jastog, koji umesto nervnog sistema ipak ima nešto što bi moglo da se iskoristi kao zaslon, u najmanju ruku - ima svoj oklop, koji je osetljiv na vibraciju i može da služi kao interfejs.
Dalje, ukoliko su proteini bitni u određenim procesima neophodnim da se održi inteligencija - znamo da je jastogovo meso neđu najhranljivijim. To nek ostane otvoreno pitanje, kao začin ovoj supi.

Ako je tačna teza da je hitinski oklop jastoga interfejs, možemo dalje da razmišljamo o tome da jastozi međusobno, preko svojih oklopa, koristeći Okean kao informatičko skladište, međusobno komuniciraju na velike daljine i na taj način tvore jedno biće koje ne može da se definiše prosto fiziološki kao jedinka, već kao nešto mnogo kompleksnije - kao svojevrsni Matriks, kao iz onog filma...

Vidite kuda sve ovo može da odvede?

Quote from: zakk on 26-08-2012, 19:31:04

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:24:30
Okej Zakk. Pa gde se onda skladišti?

U mozgu, neko vreme, a onda sve crkne i nestane.

U kom delu mozga. U neuronima? Prionima?

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:39:59

Quote from: zakk on 26-08-2012, 19:31:04

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:24:30
Okej Zakk. Pa gde se onda skladišti?

U mozgu, neko vreme, a onda sve crkne i nestane.

U kom delu mozga. U neuronima? Prionima?

ako je i pesnički, prepesnički je! al odlična sf hipoteza! :)

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:39:59

Quote from: zakk on 26-08-2012, 19:31:04

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:24:30
Okej Zakk. Pa gde se onda skladišti?

U mozgu, neko vreme, a onda sve crkne i nestane.

U kom delu mozga. U neuronima? Prionima?

Neuralna mreža.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storage_%28memory%29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storage_%28memory%29)

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:39:35
ili na moderniju varijantu kao što je Matrix. Mreža! Planetarna, kosmička, okeanska mreža. Ultra-mega organizam kojem su druga živa bića samo delovi.

Kao u Avataru ono drvo na Pandori sto je bilo povezano sa svima :wink: .

Dobro, a što Matrix? Lemov Solaris bi bio dovoljan.


Zakk, sad ćeš da naređaš bilo šta u tintari, samo da ne bude - RNA. Ala ti je fazon. :roll:

Mogo sam da navedem Solaris ali nisam teo. A Sumu Tehnologije nisam imo prilike da vidim, pa nisam teo da spominjem Lema. Lem je u Solarisu dobro načeo i zagrizo ovu temu. Morao bih ponovo da pročitam i eventualno bolje ukapiram nego što sam to mogao ranije.

Ima još dosta dela s ovakvom temom. Nisam ja stvarno nameravao da pišem roman, ali ova ideja skoro uvek može da se iskoristi.

Ma dobro, nije samo RNA. Baš me briga, ispostavilo se da je u pitanju vektorski, skalarni i matrični proces...

The multi-trace distributed memory model suggests that the memories that are being encoded are converted to vectors of values, with each scalar quantity of a vector representing a different attribute of the item to be encoded. Such notion was first suggested by early theories of Hooke (1969) and Semon (1923). A single memory is distributed to multiple attributes, or features, so that each attribute represents one aspect of the memory being encoded. Such vector of values is then added into the memory array or a matrix, composed of different traces or vectors of memory.

Quote from: Biki on 26-08-2012, 19:53:32

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:39:35
ili na moderniju varijantu kao što je Matrix. Mreža! Planetarna, kosmička, okeanska mreža. Ultra-mega organizam kojem su druga živa bića samo delovi.

Kao u Avataru ono drvo na Pandori sto je bilo povezano sa svima :wink: .

Svakako  8-)

Ali, moj omiljeni primer je ipak Borg Collective  :twisted:

Bože moj, dokle li će da traje ovo monomanijakalno glavinjanje?  :roll:


Storidž za memori je forum znaka sagite, jado.  :evil:

Quote from: LiBeat on 26-08-2012, 20:23:56
Bože moj, dokle li će da traje ovo monomanijakalno glavinjanje?  :roll:


Storidž za memori je forum znaka sagite, jado.  :evil:

Ali tebi neko krade misli, pobogu ženo.
Pa gde ih ti storidžuješ?

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:39:59

Quote from: zakk on 26-08-2012, 19:31:04

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 26-08-2012, 19:24:30
Okej Zakk. Pa gde se onda skladišti?

U mozgu, neko vreme, a onda sve crkne i nestane.

U kom delu mozga. U neuronima? Prionima?

Kao sto sam vec navela gore u amigdali, samo ne znam da li me ignorises ili nisi procitao sta sam napisala. Ustvari uopste ne znam da li se zezas ili si ozbiljan, a ja sam moram da priznam lako paljiva ili sto bi rekli ovi Englezi gullible.
Za slucaj da si ozbiljan , evo ti jednog ozbiljnog artikla

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC33638/ (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC33638/)

ABSTRACT
"There is extensive evidence that the amygdala is involved in affectively influenced memory. The central hypothesis guiding the research reviewed in this paper is that emotional arousal activates the amygdala and that such activation results in the modulation of memory storage occurring in other brain regions. Several lines of evidence support this view. First, the effects of stress-related hormones (epinephrine and glucocorticoids) are mediated by influences involving the amygdala. In rats, lesions of the amygdala and the stria terminalis block the effects of posttraining administration of epinephrine and glucocorticoids on memory. Furthermore, memory is enhanced by posttraining intra-amygdala infusions of drugs that activate β-adrenergic and glucocorticoid receptors. Additionally, infusion of β-adrenergic blockers into the amygdala blocks the memory-modulating effects of epinephrine and glucocorticoids, as well as those of drugs affecting opiate and GABAergic systems. Second, an intact amygdala is not required for expression of retention. Inactivation of the amygdala prior to retention testing (by posttraining lesions or drug infusions) does not block retention performance. Third, findings of studies using human subjects are consistent with those of animal experiments. β-Blockers and amygdala lesions attenuate the effects of emotional arousal on memory. Additionally, 3-week recall of emotional material is highly correlated with positron-emission tomography activation (cerebral glucose metabolism) of the right amygdala during encoding. These findings provide strong evidence supporting the hypothesis that the amygdala is involved in modulating long-term memory storage."

amygdala is involved in modulating long-term memory storage

Uopšte ne sumnjam u to.

I mislio sam da amigdala ima ulogu u stvaranju, recimo, uslovnih refleksa, emocija - "affectively influenced memory".

Ali, nije bila diskusija baš o tome, nego o konkretnom materijalnom bloku koji čuva memoriju. Recimo, ima li barem približne analogije načinu na koji se podaci čuvaju na magnetno osetljivom mediju, gde se binarnim sistemom, jednostavno preorijentišu atomi gvožđa i to tako ostane do sledećeg zapisivanja.

Evo ja laički, pošto je prizvan magnetno osetljivi medijum. Ima male analogije, ali samo utoliko što se nešto tu fizički promeni da bi se novo sećanje zapamtilo. Mreža neurona postaje drugačija jer su se neuroni drugačije prevezali. Ono što je razlika u odnosu na magnetni medijum je što se promena nije lokalna nego se svuda po mozgu po nešto menja.

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anl.gov%2Fsites%2Fanl.gov%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Fhero_content_right%2Fpublic%2FPRWangCarbonClustersPic2.jpg&hash=0e37e3ad91cecba62c414d129721784000d16f50)


A new super-hard form of carbon has been created by an international team of scientists working with X-rays at the Advanced Photon Source (http://www.aps.anl.gov/) at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory.

Carbon materials, such as graphene, graphite, buckyballs and nanontubes, display a remarkable range of mechanical, electronic and electrochemical properties that make them sought-after materials for advanced products in electronics and nanotechnology.

Scientists with the Carnegie Institute of Washington's Geophysical Laboratory (https://www.gl.ciw.edu/) led the research team, which was also comprised of scientists from Argonne, Jilin University (http://en.jlu.edu.cn/University/MainPageAction_getAll.aspx), the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (http://www.unl.edu/), Stanford University (http://www.stanford.edu/) and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (http://www.slac.stanford.edu/). Their work was conducted at the High Pressure Collaborative Access Team (http://hpcat.gl.carnegiescience.edu/) at the Advanced Photon Source (http://www.aps.anl.gov/).

"We created a new type of carbon material, one that is comparable to diamond in its inability to be compressed," said lead author and Carnegie scientist Lin Wang. "Once created under extreme pressures, this material can exist at normal conditions, meaning it could be used for a wide array of practical applications."

Not only is the new material incredibly strong – it can dent diamond, the hardest substance on Earth – but also it was able to retain its new super-hard form even when the high pressure that created it was removed.

The new material combines two forms of carbon, one with an organized atomic structure and one without, into a hybrid material only previously theorized about. Wang's team crushed hollow carbon-60 molecules called buckyballs between two flattened diamond tips until the molecules collapsed into a new harder, carbon form. They found a sweet spot in the pressure level where the new material held its form and did not return to its less durable buckyball state. That optimal crushing pressure is 320,000 times atmospheric pressure. The ability to maintain super-hard status without continual pressure is key for commercial applications.

X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy and inelastic X-ray scattering were used to analyze the materials crystal structure, lattice vibration and bonding type at high pressure.

"The results are exciting," said Yang Ding, a coauthor of the paper and a scientist with the Advanced Photon Source. "The new form of carbon may have some new properties which others do not have due to its novel structure."

"The thing that stands out for me from this work," Lin Wang added, "is that carbon-60 can crystallize with various solvents, and those solvates would have different periodicities, which enables us to synthesize a series of similar carbon materials with different packing symmetry and carbon cluster size by compressing different types of carbon molecules."

The results (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/337/6096/825.abstract?sid=7da2d02d-7d84-48d6-a5cecb7692cf7b7f) were published in the Journal Science August 16.

View the press release (http://carnegiescience.edu/news/new_form_carbon_observed) from the Carnegie Institute of Science.

Time and the Associated Press are reporting a story (http://techland.time.com/2012/08/06/engineer-in-pakistan-claims-to-have-invented-water-fuelled-car/) about a Pakistani engineer who claims to have invented a water-fueled car.  That would definitely be science fiction becoming science fact right before our eyes (if it's true).

From the story:  ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani officials who have failed for years to fix the country's rampant energy shortages have latched on to a local engineer's dubious claim to have invented a water-fueled car, sparking criticism from experts who bemoan what the episode says about the sorry state of the government.

Excitement over the supposed discovery has been fueled by sensationalist TV talk show hosts, who have hailed the middle-aged engineer, Agha Waqar Ahmed, as a national hero and gushed about the billions of dollars Pakistan could save on oil imports.

Harvard creates cyborg flesh that's half man, half machine

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.extremetech.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F08%2Fnanoelectric-scaffolds-crop2-640x353.jpg&hash=932f2923a7d47fb69a7fc18e9fc1d5b957779722)



Bioengineers at Harvard University have created the first examples of cyborg tissue: Neurons, heart cells, muscle, and blood vessels that are interwoven by nanowires and transistors.

These cyborg tissues are half living cells, half electronics. As far as the cells are concerned, they're just normal cells that behave normally — but the electronic side actually acts as a sensor network, allowing a computer to interface directly with the cells. In the case of cyborg heart tissue, the researchers have already used the embedded nanowires to measure the contractions (heart rate) of the cells.

To create cyborg flesh, you start with a three-dimensional scaffold that encourages cells to grow around them. These scaffolds are generally made of collagen, which makes up the connective tissue in almost every animal. The Harvard engineers basically took normal collagen, and wove nanowires and transistors into the matrix to create nanoelectric scaffolds (nanoES). The neurons, heart cells, muscle, and blood vessels were then grown as normal, creating cyborg tissue with a built-in sensor network.

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.extremetech.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F08%2Fnanoelectric-scaffolds-larger-640x283.jpg&hash=fd0060e7acfac8bf84482af11193530ca78cd2c1)
Cardiac cells, with a nanoelectroic electrode highlighted


So far the Havard team has mostly grown rat tissues, but they have also succeeded in growing a 1.5-centimeter (0.6in) cyborg human blood vessel. They've also only used the nanoelectric scaffolds to read data from the cells — but according to lead researcher (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22217-cyborg-tissue-is-half-living-cells-half-electronics.html) Charles Lieber, the next step is to find a way of talking to the individual cells, to "wire up tissue and communicate with it in the same way a biological system does."

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/135207-harvard-creates-cyborg-flesh-thats-half-man-half-machine (http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/135207-harvard-creates-cyborg-flesh-thats-half-man-half-machine)

The Bionic Eye

The bionic eye, designed, built and tested by the Bionic Vision Australia, a consortium of researchers partially funded by the Australian government, is equipped with 24 electrodes with a small wire that extends from the back of the eye to a receptor attached behind the ear.
It is inserted into the choroidal space, the space next to the retina within the eye.
"The device electrically stimulates the retina," said Dr Penny Allen, a specialist surgeon who implanted the prototype.
"Electrical impulses are passed through the device, which then stimulate the retina. Those impulses then pass back to the brain (creating the image)."
The device restores mild vision, where patients are able to pick up major contrasts and edges such as light and dark objects. Researchers hope to develop it so blind patients can achieve independent mobility.
"Di is the first patient of three with this prototype device, the next step is analysing the visual information that we are getting from the stimulation," Allen said.
The operation itself was made simple so it can be readily taught to eye surgeons worldwide.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/08/30/little-flash-as-bionic-eye-brings-australian-woman-some-sight (http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/08/30/little-flash-as-bionic-eye-brings-australian-woman-some-sight)

Dust-obscured galaxies may be missing link

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timeslive.co.za%2FFeeds%2FReuters_Images%2F2012%2F08%2F30%2F29-08-2012-23-08-01-103mdf40069.jpg%2FRESIZED%2FSmall%2F29-08-2012-23-08-01-103mdf40069.jpg&hash=8df82c397e27ec73da936f8ad31771375e02eb44)

Scientists have unveiled a new species in the cosmic zoo, a super-heated, dust-shrouded object called a "hot DOG," which may represent a missing link in galaxy evolution.
A full-sky survey by Nasa's wide-field infrared WISE telescope turned up about 1 000 hot, dust-obscured galaxies, or hot DOGs, each of which pump out as much light as 100 trillion sun-like stars.
The objects are rare, accounting for about one in 100 000 light sources, and difficult to find since most of their energy is masked by dust.
Astronomers believe hot DOGs, which are twice as warm as similar galaxies, may be a transitional state between disk-shaped galaxies, like the Milky Way, and elliptical galaxies.
Most of the hot DOGs found by WISE are about 10 billion light years away, meaning they formed when the universe was a fraction of its present age.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/08/30/dust-obscured-galaxies-may-be-missing-link (http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/08/30/dust-obscured-galaxies-may-be-missing-link)

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpre.cloudfront.goodinc.com%2Fposts%2Ffull_1346777062galactic.jpg&hash=e122325ea04ad9737842accf3c90a727cade9d67)



Virgin America Is Offering a Free Trip to Space for One Frequent Flier  (http://www.good.is/post/virgin-america-is-offering-a-trip-to-space-for-one-frequent-flier/)

Hmm, interesting  8)

http://www.mindfulmuscleblog.com/heart-has-consciousness/ (http://www.mindfulmuscleblog.com/heart-has-consciousness/)

The Heart Has Its Own "Brain" and Consciousness

Heart Fields

Many believe that conscious awareness originates in the brain alone. Recent scientific research suggests that consciousness actually emerges from the brain and body acting together. A growing body of evidence suggests that the heart plays a particularly significant role in this process.

Far more than a simple pump, as was once believed, the heart is now recognized by scientists as a highly complex system with its own functional "brain."

Research in the new discipline of neurocardiology shows that the heart is a sensory organ and a sophisticated center for receiving and processing information. The nervous system within the heart (or "heart brain") enables it to learn, remember, and make functional decisions independent of the brain's cerebral cortex. Moreover, numerous experiments have demonstrated that the signals the heart continuously sends to the brain influence the function of higher brain centers involved in perception, cognition, and emotional processing.

In addition to the extensive neural communication network linking the heart with the brain and body, the heart also communicates information to the brain and throughout the body via electromagnetic field interactions. The heart generates the body's most powerful and most extensive rhythmic electromagnetic field. Compared to the electromagnetic field produced by the brain, the electrical component of the heart's field is about 60 times greater in amplitude, and permeates every cell in the body. The magnetic component is approximately 5000 times stronger than the brain's magnetic field and can be detected several feet away from the body with sensitive magnetometers.

The heart generates a continuous series of electromagnetic pulses in which the time interval between each beat varies in a dynamic and complex manner. The heart's ever-present rhythmic field has a powerful influence on processes throughout the body. We have demonstrated, for example, that brain rhythms naturally synchronize to the heart's rhythmic activity, and also that during sustained feelings of love or appreciation, the blood pressure and respiratory rhythms, among other oscillatory systems, entrain to the heart's rhythm.

:-D xremyb xfoht

http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=14314 (http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=14314)

Quote from: Warren EllisHow To See The Future September 7th, 2012 | Work
This is the raw text of the keynote I gave at Improving Reality on Thursday.  Thanks again to Honor and her crew for being so wonderful, and for so kindly inviting me.
HOW TO SEE THE FUTURE     
Warren Ellis[/b]

The concept of calling an event Improving Reality is one of those great science fiction ideas. Twenty five years ago, you'd have gone right along with the story that, in 2012, people will come to a tech-centric town to talk about how to improve reality. Being able to locally adjust the brightness of the sky. Why wouldn't you? That's the stuff of the consensus future, right there. The stories we agree upon. Like how in old science fiction stories Venus was always a "green hell" of alien jungle, and Mars was always an exotic red desert crisscrossed by canals.

In reality, of course, Venus is a high-pressure shithole that we're technologically a thousand years away from being able to walk on, and there's bugger all on Mars. Welcome to JG Ballard's future, fast becoming a consensus of its own, wherein the future is intrinsically banal. It is, essentially, the sensible position to take right now.

A writer called Ventakesh Rao recently used the term "manufactured normalcy" to describe this. The idea is that things are designed to activate a psychological predisposition to believe that we're in a static and dull continuous present. Atemporality, considered to be the condition of the early 21^st century. Of course Venus isn't a green hell – that would be too interesting, right? Of course things like Google Glass and Google Gloves look like props from ill-received science fiction film and tv from the 90s and 2000's. Of course getting on a plane to jump halfway across the planet isn't a wildly different experience from getting on a train from London to Scotland in the 1920s – aside from the radiation and groping.

We hold up iPhones and, if we're relatively conscious of history, we point out that this is an amazing device that contains a live map of the world and the biggest libraries imaginable and that it's an absolute paradigm shift in personal communication and empowerment. And then some knob says that it looks like something from Star Trek Next Generation, and then someone else says that it doesn't even look as cool as Captain Kirk's communicator in the original and then someone else says no but you can buy a case for it to make it look like one and you're off to the manufactured normalcy races, where nobody wins because everyone goes to fucking sleep.

And reality does not get improved, does it?

But I'll suggest to you something. The theories of atemporality and manufactured normalcy and zero history can be short-circuited by just one thing.

Looking around.

Ballardian banality comes from not getting the future that we were promised, or getting it too late to make the promised difference.

This is because we look at the present day through a rear-view mirror. This is something Marshall McLuhan said back in the Sixties, when the world was in the grip of authentic-seeming future narratives. He said, "We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future."

He went on to say this, in 1969, the year of the crewed Moon landing: "Because of the invisibility of any environment during the period of its innovation, man is only consciously aware of the environment that has preceded it; in other words, an environment becomes fully visible only when it has been superseded by a new environment; thus we are always one step behind in our view of the world. The present is always invisible because it's environmental and saturates the whole field of attention so overwhelmingly; thus everyone is alive in an earlier day."

Three years earlier, Philip K Dick wrote a book called Now Wait For Last Year.

Let me try this on you:

The Olympus Mons mountain on Mars is so tall and yet so gently sloped that, were you suited and supplied correctly, ascending it would allow you to walk most of the way to space. Mars has a big, puffy atmosphere, taller than ours, but there's barely anything to it at that level. 30 Pascals of pressure, which is what we get in an industrial vacuum furnace here on Earth. You may as well be in space. Imagine that. Imagine a world where you could quite literally walk to space.

That's actually got a bit more going for it, as an idea, than exotic red deserts and canals. Imagine living in a Martian culture for a moment, where this thing is a presence in the existence of an entire sentient species. A mountain that you cannot see the top of, because it's a small world and the summit wraps behind the horizon. Imagine settlements creeping up the side of Olympus Mons. Imagine battles fought over sections of slope. Generations upon generations of explorers dying further and further up its height, technologies iterated and expended upon being able to walk to within leaping distance of orbital space. Manufactured normalcy would suggest that, if we were the Martians, we would find this completely dull within ten years and bitch about not being able to simply fart our way into space.

Now imagine a world where space travel to other worlds is an antique curiosity. Imagine reading the words "vintage space." Can you even consider being part of a culture that could go to space and then stopped?
If the future is dead, then today we must summon it and learn how to see it properly.

You can't see the present properly through the rear view mirror. It's in front of you. It's right here.
There are six people living in space right now. There are people printing prototypes of human organs, and people printing nanowire tissue that will bond with human flesh and the human electrical system.

We've photographed the shadow of a single atom. We've got robot legs controlled by brainwaves. Explorers have just stood in the deepest unsubmerged place in the world, a cave more than two kilometres under Abkhazia. NASA are getting ready to launch three satellites the size of coffee mugs, that will be controllable by mobile phone apps.

Here's another angle on vintage space: Voyager 1 is more than 11 billion miles away, and it's run off 64K of computing power and an eight-track tape deck.

In the last ten years, we've discovered two previously unknown species of human. We can film eruptions on the surface of the sun, landings on Mars and even landings on Titan. Is all of this very boring to you? Because all this is happening right now, in this moment. Check the time on your phone, because this is the present time and these things are happening. The most basic mobile phone is in fact a communications devices that shames all of science fiction, all the wrist radios and handheld communicators. Captain Kirk had to tune his fucking communicator and it couldn't text or take a photo that he could stick a nice Polaroid filter on. Science fiction didn't see the mobile phone coming. It certainly didn't see the glowing glass windows many of us carry now, where we make amazing things happen by pointing at it with our fingers like goddamn wizards.

That, by the way, is what Steve Jobs meant when he said that iPads were magical. The central metaphor is magic. And perhaps magic seems an odd thing to bring up here, but magic and fiction are deeply entangled, and you are all now present at a séance for the future. We are summoning it into the present. It's here right now. It's in the room with us. We live in the future. We live in the Science Fiction Condition, where we can see under atoms and across the world and across the methane lakes of Titan.

Use the rear view mirror for its true purpose. If I were sitting next to you twenty-five years ago, and you heard a phone ring, and I took out a bar of glass and said, sorry, my phone just told me it's got new video of a solar flare, you'd have me sectioned in a flash. Use the rear view mirror to imagine telling someone just twenty five years ago about GPS. This is the last generation in the Western world that will ever be lost. LifeStraws. Synthetic biology. Genetic sequencing. SARS was genetically sequenced within 48 hours of its identification. I'm not even touching the web, wifi, mobile broadband, cloud computing, electronic cigarettes...

Understand that our present time is the furthest thing from banality. Reality as we know it is exploding with novelty every day. Not all of it's good. It's a strange and not entirely comfortable time to be alive. But I want you to feel the future as present in the room. I want you to understand, before you start the day here, that the invisible thing in the room is the felt presence of living in future time, not in the years behind us.

To be a futurist, in pursuit of improving reality, is not to have your face continually turned upstream, waiting for the future to come. To improve reality is to clearly see where you are, and then wonder how to make that better.

Act like you live in the Science Fiction Condition. Act like you can do magic and hold séances for the future and build a brightness control for the sky.

Act like you live in a place where you could walk into space if you wanted. Think big. And then make it better.

Dok ne naprave replikator, niš me ne zanima  8-)

Trenutni mobilni telefoni su beskorisni bez infrastrukture. Na Marsu dva telefona se ne bi ni videla jer nemaju mrežu. A da i ne pričamo da komunikatori koriste podprostor, to jest imaju domet na drugi kraj sunčevog sistema, a bez ograničenja brzine svetlosti. Beat that, iPhone. Shames SF, malo sutra.

Zato ja i kažem - nema ništa od osvajanja svemira. Ima samo - izgradnje svemira.

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 11-09-2012, 01:10:25
Dok ne naprave replikator, niš me ne zanima  8)

Ne budi govedo.

Quote from: zakk on 11-09-2012, 01:53:21

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 11-09-2012, 01:10:25
Dok ne naprave replikator, niš me ne zanima  8)

Ne budi govedo.

Objasni ovu uvredu???

on to od milja

Pobeže...  :roll:

vratiće se

a možda i neće...

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 11-09-2012, 01:55:16

Quote from: zakk on 11-09-2012, 01:53:21

Quote from: Lord Kufer on 11-09-2012, 01:10:25
Dok ne naprave replikator, niš me ne zanima  8)

Ne budi govedo.

Objasni ovu uvredu???

Ja to od milja. Pitaj Draganu.

Stvarno sam mislila da ti to do milja.


Al sad više ne mislim. :)

Mars Colonization Reality Show Gets First Sponsors

(via Giant Freakin Robot)


http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/sci/mars-colonization-reality-show-sponsors.html (http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/sci/mars-colonization-reality-show-sponsors.html)


+


The Mars Underground [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDWvsdEYSqg#ws)

Suvi sneg (?) pada na Marsu.



NASA Observations Point to 'Dry Ice' Snowfall on Mars

(via JPL/NASA)

QuoteNASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data have given scientists the clearest evidence yet of carbon-dioxide snowfalls on Mars. This reveals the  only known example of carbon-dioxide snow falling anywhere in our solar system.

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-286 (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-286)

Six astronauts are about to return from an usual mission after spending a week in a vast cave network on the island of Sardinia.

The European Space Agency sent the crew into the network because it is regarded as a useful astronaut training ground.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19583007 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19583007)

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s480x480/527854_528048663876780_1853049456_n.jpg)

Many organisms have exoskeletons, including grasshoppers and crabs. Over the course of evolution, exoskeletons have proved themselves time and time again - for instance, insects have been around many millions of years and are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth. But how do exoskeletons compare to our bones?

Using a special computer-tomography machine, Professor David Taylor and Dr. Jan-Hennings Dirk took x-ray images of insect legs and compared them to data regarding human femurs and crab legs (focusing on diameter and thickness in particular). They found insect and crab "bones" have a much thinner wall in relation to radius. "This relation of wall-thickness to radius can tell us a lot about the mechanical stability of the structure," said Taylor. "Imagine the bones as simple tubes. Now, if you had a limited amount of material, what would you do? Would you make a thin solid rod or a hollow, thin walled tube? When compressed, the rod might easily bend like a straw, the hollow tube however might buckle like a beer-can."

Analysis revealed the crab leg to be an excellent compromise between the bending and compression forces that an underwater animal faces. Likewise, the locust leg was perfectly adapted to deal with the massive bending forces its jumps create. These facts are not shocking, as we'd expect animals to be adapted physiologically. What was fascinating was how the human thigh bone performed - it's not close to an optimal design. The femur may be the strongest bone in the human body, but the same materials in an exoskeleton would create a bone twice as strong as what we have evolved!

Photo credit: M. Plonsky.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120912084432.htm (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120912084432.htm)

http://www.naturenplanet.com/articles/2981/20120913/anthropods-stronger-leg-bones-humans.htm (http://www.naturenplanet.com/articles/2981/20120913/anthropods-stronger-leg-bones-humans.htm)

 
Ortaka mi zanimalo šta se desi kada naučnici uoče buđ koja (sva sretna) raste na zidovima negdašnje nuklearne centrale u Černobilu? pa ga nije mrzelo da to sjuri.  :)



"Recent studies suggest that colonies of Cryptococcus neoformans and related fungi growing on the ruins of the melted down reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant may be able to use the energy of radiation (primary beta radiation) for "radiotrophic" growth."

(vidi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptococcus_neoformans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptococcus_neoformans))


... i nakon laboratorijskih istraživanja, dođu do ovakvih saznanja: http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000457 (http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000457)


Eto novih ideja za preoblikovanje humanog melanina kako bi čovek mogao da se hrani radijacijom ili bar da bude oslobođen problema radijacije koju upijaju astronauti u svemiru
(iliti, eto rešenja za problem radijacije na Marsu - naravno, sve to bi bio rezultat izmene dela ljudskog genoma (ne bi li ovo bio divan početak razdvajanja ljudske rase na Mehaničare i Modelare?))

Genetically engineered crops have led to an increase in overall pesticide use, by 404 million pounds from the time they were introduced in 1996 through 2011.

This is according to the report by Charles Benbrook, a research professor  at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University.

  Of that total, herbicide use increased over the 16-year period by  527 million pounds while insecticide use decreased by 123 million  pounds.

  Benbrook's paper — published in the peer-reviewed journal  Environmental Sciences Europe over the weekend and announced on Monday — undermines the value of both herbicide-tolerant crops and insect-protected  crops, which were aimed at making it easier for farmers to kill weeds in their  fields and protect crops from harmful pests, said  Benbrook.

  Herbicide-tolerant crops were the first genetically modified crops  introduced to world, rolled out by Monsanto Co. in 1996, first in "Roundup  Ready" soybeans and then in corn, cotton and other crops. Roundup Ready crops  are engineered through transgenic modification to tolerate dousings of  Monsanto's Roundup herbicide.

  The crops were a hit with farmers who found they could easily kill  weed populations without damaging their crops. But in recent years, more than  two dozen weed species have become resistant to Roundup's chief ingredient  glyphosate, causing farmers to use increasing amounts both of glyphosate and  other weedkilling chemicals to try to control the  so-called "superweeds."

"Resistant weeds have become a major problem for many farmers  reliant on GE crops, and are now driving up the volume of herbicide needed each  year by about 25%," Benbrook said.

  Monsanto officials had no immediate  comment.

"We're looking at this. Our experts haven't been able to access the  supporting data as yet," said Monsanto spokesman Thomas  Helscher.

  Benbrook said the annual increase in the herbicides required to  deal with tougher-to-control weeds on cropland planted to genetically modified  crops has grown from 1,5 million pounds in 1999 to about 90 million pounds in  2011.

  Similarly, the introduction of "Bt" corn and cotton crops  engineered to be toxic to certain insects is triggering the rise of insects  resistant to the crop toxin, according to Benbrook.

  Insecticide use did drop substantially — 28% from 1996 to 2011 — but is now on the rise, he said.

"The relatively recent emergence and spread of insect populations  resistant to the Bt toxins expressed in Bt corn and cotton has started to  increase insecticide use, and will continue to do so," he  said.

  Herbicide-tolerant and Bt-transgenic crops now dominate  US agriculture, accounting for about one in every two acres of harvested  cropland, and around 95% of soybean and cotton acres, and over 85% of corn  acres.

"Things are getting worse, fast," said Benbrook in an interview. "In order to deal with rapidly spreading resistant weeds, farmers are being  forced to expand use of older, higher-risk herbicides. To stop corn and cotton  insects from developing resistance to Bt, farmers planting Bt crops are being  asked to spray the insecticides that Bt corn and cotton were designed to  displace."

Kao što rekoh, sistem se raspada fraktalno  :wink:

A jel se ono pounds odnosi na novac ili na težinsku meru? Samo pitam. Pretpostavljam da je ovo drugo inače bi imalo znak £.

Imaš li link za ovaj tekst?

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/10/02/pesticide-use-rises-as-genetically-modified-crops-backfire (http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/10/02/pesticide-use-rises-as-genetically-modified-crops-backfire)

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/craziest-moon-ideas/?pid=5016 (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/craziest-moon-ideas/?pid=5016)

 :mrgreen:

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This image from the right Mast Camera (Mastcam) of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a scoop full of sand and dust lifted by the rover's first use of the scoop on its robotic arm. In the foreground, near the bottom of the image, a bright object is visible on the ground. The object might be a piece of rover hardware.
Image by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
(... i ne moze se bez ljudske posade pa to ti je.  8) )

Malko RL reasesmenta na (ne bas straobalno postavljen) roman The Restoration Game, Ken MacLeoda.  :mrgreen:

Physicists say there may be a way to prove that we live in a computer simulation



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Back in 2003, Oxford professor Nick Bostrom suggested that we may be living in a computer simulation (http://people.uncw.edu/guinnc/courses/Spring11/517/Simulation.pdf). In his paper, Bostrom offered very little science to support his hypothesis — though he did calculate the computational requirements needed to pull of such a feat. And indeed, a philosophical claim is one thing, actually proving it is quite another. But now, a team of physicists say proof might be possible, and that it's a matter of finding a cosmological signature that would serve as the proverbial Red Pill from the Matrix. And they think they know what it is.
  More » (http://io9.com/5950543/physicists-say-there-may-be-a-way-to-prove-that-we-live-in-a-computer-simulation)

I jos kapljica ulja:

7 Signs We Are Heading for a Mass Extinction


A mass extinction happens when over 75 percent of all species on the planet die in a period of less than two million years. That may sound long to you, but it's the blink of an eye in geologic time. There have been five mass extinctions on Earth over the past 540 million years, sometimes caused by catastrophic disasters, and sometimes by quiet, insidious events like invasive species taking over the planet. Today, many scientists believe (http://rewilding.org/rewildit/images/Barnosky-6th-Great-Extinction-copy.pdf) we are on the cusp of a sixth mass extinction which could wipe out most life on Earth as we know it. Here are seven signs that they could be right.


More:  (http://io9.com/5950630/7-signs-we-are-heading-for-a-mass-extinction)

http://www.esf.org/research-areas/humanities/news/ext-news-singleview/article/how-mirror-neurons-allow-us-to-learn-and-socialise-by-going-through-the-motions-in-the-head-558.html (http://www.esf.org/research-areas/humanities/news/ext-news-singleview/article/how-mirror-neurons-allow-us-to-learn-and-socialise-by-going-through-the-motions-in-the-head-558.html)

How mirror neurons allow us to learn and socialise by going through the motions in the head

The old adage that we can only learn how to do something by trying it ourselves may have to be revised in the light of recent discoveries in neuroscience. It turns out that humans, primates, some birds, and possibly other higher animals have mirror neurons that fire in the same pattern whether performing or just observing a task. These mirror neurons clearly play an important role in learning motor tasks involving hand eye coordination, and possibly also acquisition of language skills, as well as being required for social skills, but the exact processes involved are only just being discovered. In particular the relationship between mirror neural networks and social cognitive tasks has been unclear, and greater knowledge of it could shed light on problems such as autism that may arise when this process goes wrong.

This emerging field of mirror neurons in social cognition was discussed at a recent workshop organized by the European Science Foundation (ESF), which laid the ground for the first common research network dedicated to this fast emerging field, within the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme running until 2013.

The role of mirror neurons at all levels of social interaction is even greater than had been realized, according to convenor of the ESF conference Riccardo Viale, president of Rosselli Foundation in Turin, Italy and professor of Cognitive Science (University of Milan). "Most of the speakers highlighted how the mirror mechanism is crucial for both more basic forms of emotional recognition and also higher aspects of empathy," said Viale. 

Just as the same mirror neurons fire when observing and doing certain tasks, so other mirror neurons may be triggered both when experiencing a particular emotion and when observing someone else with that emotion. At the ESF conference it emerged that mirror neurons involved in emotion resided in both the insula and cingulate cortexes, two regions of the brain known to play roles in emotions and feelings. However until recently the mechanisms of interaction between these two had been largely unknown. "In the case of emotions, we can say that there is a good deal of overlap between areas from the insula and cingulate cortexes," said Viale. "These areas become active both when individuals feel an emotion (e.g. disgust) and also when they watch someone else feeling that emotion."

Mirror neurons were discovered in the 1980s by an Italian group led by Giacomo Rizzolatti, which placed electrodes in the inferior frontal cortex of macaque monkeys' brains to study neurons dedicated to control of hand movement. This led to the surprising observation that some of the neurons responded in the same way when monkeys saw a person pick up a piece of food as when they were doing it themselves. This introduced the principle of the mirror neuron as a neuron capable of being triggered by imitation, as a mechanism both for learning and empathising in social situations.

While mirror neutrons cannot be observed directly in humans because electrodes cannot be inserted into their brains, the action has been inferred by imaging of the whole brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This showed patterns of brain activity consistent with the firing of motor neurons.

More recently motor neurons have also been discovered in birds. "This suggests that such a sensory-motor mechanism is not confined to primates, but is shared by different phyla," said Viale. However the mechanism is not thought to be present in more primitive animals, including the lower cold blooded vertebrates, that is fish, reptiles and amphibians.

The ESF workshop took the field forward by highlighting growing agreement over the role of mirror neurons in social cognition. "The main outcome of the workshop was substantial convergence on some key points concerning the basic mechanisms of social cognition," said Viale. "In particular, most of the invited speakers agreed on the relevance of mirror-based action and emotion understanding in the phylogeny and ontogeny of mind-reading abilities." There was also agreement on the need to develop a multidisciplinary approach to the different levels of social cognition. The ESF workshop, Mirror Neurons and Social Cognition, was held in Turin, Italy, in September 2008.

Planet with four suns discovered by volunteers

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Astronomers have found a planet whose skies are illuminated by four different suns - the first known of its type.

The distant world orbits one pair of stars and has a second stellar pair revolving around it.

The discovery was made by volunteers using the Planethunters.org (http://www.planethunters.org/) website along with a team from UK and US institutes; follow-up observations were made with the Keck Observatory.
Binary stars - systems with pairs of stars - are not uncommon. But only a handful of known exoplanets (planets that circle other stars) have been found to orbit such binaries. And none of these are known to have another pair of stars circling them.
Continue reading the main story (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19950923#story_continues_2) 

Our solar system is shaped like a thin-crust pizza, with most of the planets traveling around the sun close to the same plane, and it's apparently not alone. A new study suggests the majority of alien planetary systems are much like ours, "flatter than pancakes," scientists say.

UCLA astronomers looked at data from NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope and found that more than 85 percent of alien planets (http://cms.space.com/cms/articles/18069-alien-solar-systems-flatter-than-pancakes/edit) have inclinations of less than 3 degrees. This means they orbit around a star near the same axis as other planets in their system.


"The best mental image for the geometry of planetary systems is somewhere between a crepe and a pancake," UCLA professor Jean-Luc Margot explained in a statement today (Oct. 15).


http://www.livescience.com/24002-alien-solar-systems-flatter-than-pancakes.html (http://www.livescience.com/24002-alien-solar-systems-flatter-than-pancakes.html)

European astronomers have discovered a planet with about the mass of the Earth orbiting a star in the Alpha Centauri system — the nearest to Earth. It is also the lightest exoplanet ever discovered around a star like the Sun. The planet was detected using the HARPS instrument on the 3.6-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. The results will appear online in the journal Nature on 17 October 2012.

http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1241/ (http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1241/)



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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1TVZIBj7UA&feature=player_embedded (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1TVZIBj7UA&feature=player_embedded)

 :mrgreen:

Large Hadron Collider Won't Destroy Earth With Planet-Eating Black Hole, Court Says

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By: Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer
Published: 10/19/2012 03:48 PM EDT on LiveScience
  A woman concerned that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will create black holes and destroy the Earth lost a court appeal to shut the atom smasher down on Tuesday.


According to Phys Org (http://phys.org/news/2012-10-german-woman-atom-smasher-world.html), a higher administrative court in Muenster, Germany, rejected the German citizen's claims that the LHC, as it is known, will destroy the planet. The woman's attempts have also been rejected by a court in Switzerland.


"In view of the CERN safety reports for the years 2003 and 2008, a hazard of the proton accelerator LHC according to the state of science is impossible," writes the Justice Ministry of north Rine-Westphalia, translated from German by Google. (The LHC is located at the European Center for Nuclear Research, or CERN.)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/19/large-hadron-collider-court_n_1989630.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/19/large-hadron-collider-court_n_1989630.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003)

Carl Sagan's Cosmos: 'The Meat Planet' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP7K9SycELA#)

In this "lost" episode of Cosmos, Carl Sagan describes the wonders of the Meat Planet.

In this never before seen episode of Cosmos, Carl Sagan takes us on a journey to the often misunderstood Meat Planet, examining it's origins, geological activity and atmosphere among many other unsettling details.

More information on The Meat Planet:  http://www.spellingmistakescostlives.com/meatplanet/origins.htm (http://www.spellingmistakescostlives.com/meatplanet/origins.htm)

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It remains in the realm of science fiction for now but the discovery of a new planet just four light years away will reignite a race to find a twin of planet Earth that may host extraterrestrial life.


The step change comes as the most powerful telescopes ever built are about to enter into service and as ideas about where life could exist are being turned on their head. At the same time, scientific discussion about the possible existence of alien life is becoming more mainstream.
"I think scientists are very happy having a rational conversation about the likelihood of life out there," said Bob Nichol, an astronomer at Portsmouth University in Britain.
Nichol said this was partly driven by the discovery of new planets such as one identified this week in the Alpha Centauri star system, the closest yet outside our solar system.
Over 800 of these so-called exoplanets have been discovered since the early 1990s.
"An explosion in the number of planets makes it so much more likely," said Nichol, adding that the many formats in which life appears on Earth is indirect evidence, though not proof, that life is out there.  (http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/10/19/search-for-alien-life-about-to-step-up-a-gear)

http://www.space.com/18166-black-hole-revealed-rare-star-explosion.html (http://www.space.com/18166-black-hole-revealed-rare-star-explosion.html)

Astronomers have spotted a rare X-ray star explosion near the center of our Milky Way galaxy, revealing a previously unknown black hole munching on gas from a neighboring sun-like star.
NASA's Swift satellite made the cosmic find last month when it detected a new and rapidly brightening X-ray source a few degrees from the galactic center of the Milky Way. Astronomers identified the outburst as a short-lived bright X-ray nova, which is produced when a stream of gas rushes toward either a neutron star or a black hole (http://www.space.com/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html). Unlike a supernova, which is the explosive death of a star, novas are smaller explosions that do not completely destroy a star.
The black hole is thought to be 20,000 to 30,000 light-years away in the galaxy's inner region. Astronomers, who named the bright X-ray nova Swift J1745-26 after its coordinates in space, said witnessing such an event is rare.

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/10/live-wires-newly-discovered-seafloor-bacteria-conduct-electricity/ (http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/10/live-wires-newly-discovered-seafloor-bacteria-conduct-electricity/)

Live Wires: Newly Discovered Seafloor Bacteria Conduct Electricity

Two years ago, microbiologist Lars Peter Nielsen of Aarhus University in Denmark was studying the mud on the seafloor of the city's port when he discovered something unexpected: The mud was coursing with detectable levels of electricity. At the time, he and his colleagues suspected that the electric currents might be attributable to some sort of external transport network between individual bacteria or other microscopic organisms.

The truth, described in a paper published yesterday in Nature, is even more surprising. "Our experiments showed that the electric connections in the seabed must be solid structures built by bacteria," PhD student Christian Pfeffer, the lead author of the paper, said in a press release. His team, working with researchers from the University of Southern California, found a new type of multicellular bacteria that behave like electrical cables, capable of conducting electricity over a distance of several centimeters, a far greater span than scientists had previously imagined.

The group discovered the bacteria, which belong to the Desulfobulbaceae family, by examining seafloor mud under a microscope. Because the bacteria are so small and fragile—one hundred times thinner than a human hair—there is no way to directly measure the electric current they carry, but the researchers found several types of indirect evidence that they do conduct electricity.

The bacteria are aligned vertically in the sediment, and when non-conducting tungsten strands were pulled horizontally across the bacteria, the bacteria short-circuited and the electric current was disrupted (like an excavator cutting through buried cables). Additionally, when filters were put in place to block the bacteria from growing, the electric current was shut down, unless the filter's pores were large enough for the bacteria to grow through.

Remarkably, under a microscope, the bacteria look a bit like the cables used in electrical devices. Inside each bacterium, 15 to 17 distinct fibers run lengthwise, each capable of conducting electricity. The long fibers are made up of many connected cells, each only a micrometer long.

A cross section of the bacteria reveals the individual conducting fibers that run along their length, contained within each cell. Image by Karen E. Thomsen

A natural question to ask is why bacteria would go to the trouble of evolving the unusual capability to conduct electricity. The answer might be as fascinating as the bacteria themselves. It turns out that just a few centimeters below the seafloor is a rich, largely untapped energy source: negatively charged sulfur atoms called sulfides.

The reason that most organisms are unable to harvest the energy from these chemicals is that the surrounding mud is largely devoid of oxygen. An energy-rich, electron donor food source is present, but organisms need oxygen to accept the spare electrons as part of the energy-harvesting equation known as respiration. It's analogous to our need to both eat food (the sulfides) and breathe air (the oxygen) in order to survive.

The bacteria solve this problem by traversing the distance between their food and their oxygen source with a circuit capable of carrying electrons. At the bottom end, the organism harvests energy from the sulfides, then sends the electrons upward. At the top, near the oxygen-rich seawater, it is able to use the abundant oxygen available to conduct respiration.

The bacteria conduct electrons vertically, bringing together an energy resevoir and an oxygen source. Image via Nature

As a result, the bacteria have only been found so far in anaerobic seafloor sediments—but in these environments, the research team found a staggering amount of them. On average, in each cubic centimeter of the sediment tested, they found 40 million cells of this type of bacteria, an amount they calculate could form 117 meters of the superthin conducting cable.

Although the organisms have tentatively been taxonomically placed in an existing bacteria family, the researchers say they are radically different from any other bacteria we've found so far. "They're so different that they should probably be considered a new genus," Nielsen told Ed Yong at Discover's Not Exactly Rocket Science, noting that they only share 92 percent of their DNA with any other species in the family.

In the same piece, Nielsen also mused about the possibility that the heretofore undiscovered species might be much more ubiquitous than now known. "They seem to be the optimal organism in any place where you become short of oxygen. Why are they not everywhere?" Nielsen asked. "Or are they everywhere?"

jeste, ima o tome i ovde:


Filamentous bacteria transport electrons over centimetre distances

Oxygen consumption in marine sediments is often coupled to the oxidation of sulphide generated by degradation of organic matter in deeper, oxygen-free layers. Geochemical observations have shown that this coupling can be mediated by electric currents carried by unidentified electron transporters across centimetre-wide zones. Here we present evidence that the native conductors are long, filamentous bacteria. They abounded in sediment zones with electric currents and along their length they contained strings with distinct properties in accordance with a function as electron transporters. Living, electrical cables add a new dimension to the understanding of interactions in nature and may find use in technology development.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11586.html (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11586.html)

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/09/05/bacteria-use-electric-wires-to-shock-uranium-out-of-groundwater/ (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/09/05/bacteria-use-electric-wires-to-shock-uranium-out-of-groundwater/)

Bacteria use electric wires to shock uranium out of groundwater

Even today, the legacy of the Cold War leaches into the waters of Colorado. Uranium, freed from the earth and destined for nuclear weapons, now contaminates the groundwater beneath several Colorado mines. But at some of these mines, a most unusual clean-up crew is at work. Lashing about with long electric cables connected to their own bodies, they remove dissolved uranium from the water. Each one of these janitors is just a thousandth of a millimetre across. They're called Geobacter. They're bacteria.

The handful of Geobacter species are recent discoveries. The first one, G.metallireducens, was discovered in the Potomac River in 1987. Another, G.sulfurreducens, was later found in oil-soaked Oklahoman soils. The group has the remarkable and useful ability to break down a range of contaminating chemicals, such as petroleum compounds. While humans use oxygen to rend carbon compounds into carbon dioxide and water, Geobacter can use iron oxides and other metals for the same purpose. Roughly speaking, it breathes metal and rock.

This ability has made Geobacter into an obvious candidate for cleaning up environmental mess – a process known as bioremediation. For the last decade, for example, scientists have been using G.sulfurreducens to clean up uranium-contaminated groundwater in Colorado mines. The bacteria add electrons to uranium ions, converting them from a form that easily dissolves in water into one that doesn't. The uranium drops out of the water, and it can be more easily removed.

This has been a case of technology running ahead of the science. We knew a fair bit about what the bacteria were doing, but less about how they do it. But that gap is being filled. Earlier this year, Derek Lolvey from the University of Massachussetts found that G.sulfurreducens channels electrons along its own home-grown electric wires. It literally plugs itself into its environment.

These wires, known as pili, are just a few nanometres wide, but can be much longer than the bacteria themselves. Although they are made of protein, they can conduct electricity as well as materials used in the electronics industry. Different species can use their pili to wire up to one another, and scientists can even harvest electricity from the bacteria (albeit inefficiently) by growing them on electrodes.

Now, Dena Cologgi from Michigan State University has found that the pili are essential for Geobacter's uranium-removing abilities. Geobacter uses the pili to offload electrons onto uranium particles, covering a far greater area than it could otherwise reach. Cologgi found that pili-wielding Geobacter removed substantially more uranium from contaminated water than strains that lacked the gene responsible for creating these wires.

Geobacter also uses its pili to protect itself, by breaking down uranium at a distance. Dense deposits of uranium built up around the wires and far away from the bacterium itself. However, the pili-less mutants accumulated uranium in their own membranes and were the worse for it. Their vital functions slowed, they grew less quickly, and they took more time to recover from uranium exposure. Geobacter clearly benefits from keeping its reactions at wire's length.

Cologgi hopes that her study, by showing how Geobacter acts upon uranium, will help scientists to design better ways of using the bacterium to clean up our messes. It might also apply to other species. Another uranium-removing bacterium called Sheanella oneidensis also has conductive wires. There could be an entire network of conducting bacteria waiting to be tapped into.

Reference: Cologgi, Pastirk, Speers, Kelly & Reguera. 2011. Extracellular reduction of uranium via Geobacter conductive pili as a protective cellular mechanism. PNAS http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1108616108 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1108616108)

Hubble Sees Stars and a Stripe in Celestial Fireworks

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ABOUT THIS IMAGE:A delicate ribbon of gas floats eerily in our galaxy. A contrail from an alien spaceship? A  jet from a black-hole? Actually this image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, is  a very thin section of a supernova remnant caused by a stellar explosion that occurred  more than 1,000 years ago.
On or around May 1, 1006 A.D., observers from Africa to Europe to the Far East  witnessed and recorded the arrival of light from what is now called SN 1006, a  tremendous supernova explosion caused by the final death throes of a white dwarf star  nearly 7,000 light-years away. The supernova was probably the brightest star ever seen  by humans, and surpassed Venus as the brightest object in the night time sky, only to be  surpassed by the moon. It was visible even during the day for weeks, and remained  visible to the naked eye for at least two and a half years before fading away.
It wasn't until the mid-1960s that radio astronomers first detected a nearly circular ring of  material at the recorded position of the supernova. The ring was almost 30 arcminutes  across, the same angular diameter as the full moon. The size of the remnant implied that  the blast wave from the supernova had expanded at nearly 20 million miles per hour over  the nearly 1,000 years since the explosion occurred.
In 1976, the first detection of exceedingly faint optical emission of the supernova  remnant was reported, but only for a filament located on the northwest edge of the radio  ring. A tiny portion of this filament is revealed in detail by the Hubble observation. The  twisting ribbon of light seen by Hubble corresponds to locations where the expanding  blast wave from the supernova is now sweeping into very tenuous surrounding gas.
The hydrogen gas heated by this fast shock wave emits radiation in visible light. Hence,  the optical emission provides astronomers with a detailed "snapshot" of the actual  position and geometry of the shock front at any given time. Bright edges within the ribbon correspond to   places where the shock wave is seen exactly edge on to our line of sight.
Today we know that SN 1006 has a diameter of nearly 60 light-years, and it is still  expanding at roughly 6 million miles per hour. Even at this tremendous speed, however,  it takes observations typically separated by years to see significant outward motion of the  shock wave against the grid of background stars. In the Hubble image as displayed, the  supernova would have occurred far off the lower right corner of the image, and the  motion would be toward the upper left.
SN 1006 resides within our Milky Way Galaxy. Located more than 14 degrees off the  plane of the galaxy's disk, there is relatively little confusion with other foreground and  background objects in the field when trying to study this object. In the Hubble image,  many background galaxies (orange extended objects) far off in the distant universe can be  seen dotting the image. Most of the white dots are foreground or background stars in our  Milky Way galaxy.
This image is a composite of hydrogen-light observations taken with Hubble's Advanced  Camera for Surveys in February 2006 and Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations  in blue, yellow-green, and near-infrared light taken in April 2008. The supernova  remnant, visible only in the hydrogen-light filter was assigned a red hue in the Heritage  color image.

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2008/22/image/a/ (http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2008/22/image/a/)

Incredibly Small: Best Microscope Photos of the Year

Every year for nearly four decades, Nikon has received hundreds of entries in its Small World microscope photography contest. Every year, the images are more amazing, and this year's winners -- selected from nearly 2,000 submissions -- are undoubtedly the best yet.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/nikon-small-world-winners/?pid=5122&viewall=true (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/nikon-small-world-winners/?pid=5122&viewall=true)

 


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Earlier this year, the CTX camera team saw a crater containing a dark spot on the dusty slopes of the Pavonis Mons volcano. We took a closer look at this feature with HiRISE and found this unusual geologic feature.


The dark spot turned out to be a "skylight," an opening to an underground cavern (http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/images/2011/details/cut/ESP_023531_1840.jpg), that is 35 meters (115 feet) across. Caves often form in volcanic regions like this when lava flows solidify on top, but keep flowing underneath their solid crust. These, now underground, rivers of lava can then drain away leaving the tube they flowed through empty. We can use the shadow cast on the floor of the pit to calculate that it is about 20 meters (65 feet) deep.


The origin of the larger hole that this pit is within is still obscure. You can see areas where material on the walls has slid into the pit.  How much of the missing material has disappeared via the pit into the underground cavern?


Later this year, HiRISE will acquire a second image to create a stereo pair.  Seeing this feature in stereo will help us unravel the mystery of its formation.

http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_023531_1840 (http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_023531_1840)

First ever family tree for all living birds reveals evolution and diversification
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sheffield.ac.uk%2Fpolopoly_fs%2F1.220990%21%2Fimage%2Fbird-family-tree2cropped.gif&hash=75a038ed0f22e734d2109d802d8e232cf982a074)The world's first family tree linking all living bids and revealing when and where they evolved and diversified since dinosaurs walked the earth has been created by scientists from the University of Sheffield.

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/family-tree-birds-evolution-sheffield-university-1.220940?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social%2Bmedia&utm_content=famiy-tree-birds&utm_campaign=generic (http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/family-tree-birds-evolution-sheffield-university-1.220940?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social%2Bmedia&utm_content=famiy-tree-birds&utm_campaign=generic)

 

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A landmark project that has sequenced (http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2012/121101.html) 1,092 human genomes from individuals around the world will help researchers to interpret the genetic changes in people with disease.

This first study to break the "1000 genomes barrier" will enable scientists to begin to examine genetic variations at the scale of the populations of individual countries, as well as guiding them in their search for the rare genetic variations related to many diseases.

http://www.kurzweilai.net/1000-genomes-barrier-broken (http://www.kurzweilai.net/1000-genomes-barrier-broken)

Možda je vreme da se ovaj topik preimenuje...

Očigledno, slanje ekspedicija danas nije isto kao pre 500 godina. Pa ni kao pre 60 godina  :twisted:
Samo pustiš virusa i on ti završi poso  :evil:

 :twisted: :twisted: :evil:

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http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/quantum-scientists-offer-proof-soul-exists/story-fneszs56-1226507452687#ixzz2B5hDRWHA (http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/quantum-scientists-offer-proof-soul-exists/story-fneszs56-1226507452687#ixzz2B5hDRWHA)

Scientists offer quantum theory of soul's existence

A PAIR of world-renowned quantum scientists say they can prove the existence of the soul.

American Dr Stuart Hameroff and British physicist Sir Roger Penrose developed a quantum theory of consciousness asserting that our souls are contained inside structures called microtubules which live within our brain cells.

Their idea stems from the notion of the brain as a biological computer, "with 100 billion neurons and their axonal firings and synaptic connections acting as information networks".

Dr Hameroff, Professor Emeritus at the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology and Director of the Centre of Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona, and Sir Roger have been working on the theory since 1996.

They argue that our experience of consciousness is the result of quantum gravity effects inside these microtubules - a process they call orchestrated objective reduction (Orch-OR).

In a near-death experience the microtubules lose their quantum state, but the information within them is not destroyed. Or in layman's terms, the soul does not die but returns to the universe.

Dr Hameroff explained the theory at length in the Morgan Freeman-narrated documentary Through the Wormhole, which was recently aired in the US by the Science Channel.

The quantum soul theory is now trending worldwide, thanks to stories published this week by The Huffington Post and the Daily Mail, which have generated thousands of readers comments and social media shares.

"Let's say the heart stops beating, the blood stops flowing, the microtubules lose their quantum state," Dr Hameroff said.

"The quantum information within the microtubules is not destroyed, it can't be destroyed, it just distributes and dissipates to the universe at large.

'If the patient is resuscitated, revived, this quantum information can go back into the microtubules and the patient says "I had a near death experience".'

In the event of the patient's death, it was "possible that this quantum information can exist outside the body indefinitely - as a soul".

Dr Hameroff believes new findings about the role quantum physics plays in biological processes, such as the navigation of birds, adds weight to the theory.

Ovo postaje zastrašujuće

http://www.livescience.com/2333-earth-clouds-alive-bacteria.html (http://www.livescience.com/2333-earth-clouds-alive-bacteria.html)


Article:
Earth's Clouds Alive With Bacteria

Clouds are alive with tiny bacteria that grab up water vapor in the atmosphere to make cloud droplets, especially at warmer temperatures, a new study shows.

The water droplets and ice crystals that make up clouds don't usually form spontaneously in the atmosphere — they need a solid or liquid surface to collect on. Tiny particles of dust, soot and airplane exhaust — and even bacteria — are known to provide these surfaces, becoming what atmospheric scientists call cloud condensation nuclei (CCN).

"Nucleation events and this ice formation is widely recognized as a process that is important to the initiation of precipitation, whether it be snowfall or rain," said lead author of the new study, Brent C. Christner of Louisiana State University.

Biological nuceli

Bacteria and other particles of biological origin are actually pretty good at collecting water vapor to form cloud droplets.

"Biological particles such as bacteria are the most active ice nuclei in nature," Christner told LiveScience. "In other words, they have the ability to catalyze ice formation at temperatures warmer than a particle of abiotic origin."

Whereas abiotic (or non-biological) particles such as dust are good at collecting water at temperatures below about 14 degrees F (-10 degrees C), biological particles seem to be the main active nuclei above that temperature, according to Christner's findings. This talent of bacteria could have implications for understanding cloud formation at warmer temperatures.

Atmospheric bacteria

To see how widespread biological nuclei were in the atmosphere, Christner and his team took samples of freshly fallen snow from sites all over the world.

Antarctic snowfall had the lowest concentrations of biological nuclei, while sites in Montana and France had the highest. Christner said this finding was expected because Antarctica is isolated geographically and far from the suspected source of most of the biological nuclei, plants.

"But the concentrations weren't zero; you could still measure some level of them," Christner said. "And that implies that these particles travel large distances in the atmosphere and retain their ice nucleating" properties.

Most of the biological nuclei identified in the study, detailed in the Feb. 29 issue of the journal Science, were plant pathogens. These microbes could be carried into the atmosphere from an infected plant by winds, strong updrafts or the dust clouds that follow tractors harvesting a field. Christner and others suspect that becoming cloud nuclei is a strategy for the pathogen to get from plant to plant, since it can be carried for long distances in the atmosphere and come down with a cloud's rain.

The next step in determining how big a role biological particles play in cloud droplet formation is to directly sample the clouds themselves, Christner says.

A da pokreneš religiju Bogteriju?

Mi služimo Bakteriji  8-)

Nebuloza.

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Google has now updated their Mars coverage by including large swaths from the Context Camera (CTX) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/). CTX offers great details with around 20 feet per pixel. Each of the gray bands in the picture above represents one of CTX's imaged areas, showing the extent of the coverage. To really appreciate the difference, here's a random location zoomed in with the CTX layer turned off (left) and then turned on (right).

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http://www.google.com/mars/ (http://www.google.com/mars/)

State of the Species

THE PROBLEM WITH environmentalists, Lynn Margulis used to say, is that they think conservation has something to do with biological reality. A researcher who specialized in cells and microorganisms, Margulis was one of the most important biologists in the last half century—she literally helped to reorder the tree of life, convincing her colleagues that it did not consist of two kingdoms (plants and animals), but five or even six (plants, animals, fungi, protists, and two types of bacteria).

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/7146 (http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/7146)

OF LICE AND MEN

Why and how did humankind become "unusually successful"? And what, to an evolutionary biologist, does "success" mean, if self-destruction is part of the definition? Does that self-destruction include the rest of the biosphere? What are human beings in the grand scheme of things anyway, and where are we headed? What is human nature, if there is such a thing, and how did we acquire it? What does that nature portend for our interactions with the environment? With 7 billion of us crowding the planet, it's hard to imagine more vital questions.

NASA's Space Launch System Using Futuristic Technology to Build the Next Generation of Rockets

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/selective_melting.html (http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/selective_melting.html)


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First test piece produced on the M2 Cusing Machine at the Marshall Center. (NASA/MSFC/Andy Hardin)
View large image (http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/gallery/slm2.html)

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. is using a method called selective laser melting, or SLM, to create intricate metal parts for America's next heavy-lift rocket. Using this state-of-the-art technique will benefit the agency by saving millions in manufacturing costs.

NASA is building the Space Launch System or SLS -- a rocket managed at the Marshall Center and designed to take humans, equipment and experiments beyond low Earth orbit to nearby asteroids and eventually to Mars.


SLM is similar to 3-D printing and is the future of manufacturing.


"Basically, this machine takes metal powder and uses a high-energy laser to melt it in a designed pattern," says Ken Cooper, advanced manufacturing team lead at the Marshall Center. "The laser will layer the melted dust to fuse whatever part we need from the ground up, creating intricate designs. The process produces parts with complex geometries and precise mechanical properties from a three-dimensional computer-aided design."


There are two major benefits to this process, which are major considerations for the Space Launch System Program: savings and safety.

"This process significantly reduces the manufacturing time required to produce parts from months to weeks or even days in some cases," said Andy Hardin, the integration hardware lead for the Engines Office in SLS. "It's a significant improvement in affordability, saving both time and money. Also, since we're not welding parts together, the parts are structurally stronger and more reliable, which creates an overall safer vehicle."


The emerging technology will build parts for America's next flagship rocket more affordably and efficiently, while increasing the safety of astronauts and the workforce. Some of the "printed" engine parts will be structurally tested and used in hot-fire tests of a J-2X engine later this year. The J-2X will be used as the upper stage engine for the SLS.


The goal is to use selective laser melting to manufacture parts on the first SLS test flight in 2017.


The agency procured the M2 Cusing machine, built by Concept Laser -- a division of Hoffman Innovation Group of Lichtenfels, Germany to perform the selective-laser-manufacturing.
 

Watch video of the SLM machine and see it in action:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=154931531 (http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=154931531)

Još malo pa replikator...

Još o baktarenima  :|

http://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/15/12/1468.full (http://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/15/12/1468.full)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/neurophilosophy/2012/aug/19/microbes-manipulate-your-mind (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/neurophilosophy/2012/aug/19/microbes-manipulate-your-mind)

Mind controlled android robot - CNRS-AIST Joint Robotics Laboratory and the CNRS-LIRMM Interactive Digital Human group


Mind controlled android robot - Researchers working towards robotic re-embodiment #DigInfo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOsUw9dRgIA#ws)

Šta ja znam, bemliga, možda je to samo poetska intuicija  :roll:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144420.htm (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144420.htm)

Prion Leaves Lasting Mark On Memory

ScienceDaily (Feb. 5, 2010) — Prions are a special class of proteins best known as the source for mad cow and other neurodegenerative diseases. Despite this negative reputation, according to a new report in the February 5th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, a prion may also have important and very positive roles in brain function. The researchers suggest that a prion-like protein may participate in memory in higher eukaryotes, from sea slugs on up.

"The persistence of memory is a fundamental problem," said Kausik Si of Stowers Institute for Medical Research. "Experiences are temporal; they happen once, but somehow must lead to changes [in the brain] that are somewhat permanent."

Those changes must be mediated by molecules, including proteins. "The question is: how can you maintain a stable state with unstable biological molecules," Si said.

And now, research conducted by Si in collaboration with Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, suggests that prions may be one solution to that problem. Prions are distinguished by their ability to assume at least two distinct conformational states, one of which is dominant and self-perpetuating. That means that once a protein switches to its "prion state" it has the ability to convert other "non-prion" proteins to that state as well. Therefore, once engaged, the "prion state" is self-renewing and stable.

The findings suggest that memory traces may depend on a fairly unique mechanism involving a prion-like protein known as CPEB, Si said, adding to a growing body of evidence that proteins with the characteristics ascribed to disease-causing prions may have a broader role in biology.

Scientists have known for some time that plenty of prion-like proteins are found in relatively simple organisms such as yeast, some of which have known functions. A report by another group in Cell last year suggested that prions in yeast may serve as an important source of variation in nature.

Si's team made its discovery in studies of the sea slug Aplysia, which has served as an elemental model for learning and memory for decades. When you touch the animals' gills, they withdraw. When the slugs are trained by touching their gill and delivering a shock, that withdrawal reaction becomes stronger for up to a month.

Scientists long ago traced that simple learned behavior to a specific set of sensory and motor neurons, which are stimulated by the nerve messenger serotonin. But Si wanted to better understand the underlying molecular details. In a survey of proteins made at the synapse when serotonin is applied, he turned up CPEB. Upon closer examination of the protein's sequence, Si had what he calls his "aha moment." He realized CPEB looked a lot like the prions others had found in yeast.

He earlier reported evidence that the slug protein does display prion-like properties when inserted into yeast. They now provide evidence that those characteristics hold when the protein is expressed in its usual spot -- Aplysia sensory neurons. The proteins switch to their prion state and clump together (as prions typically do) in the presence of serotonin. An antibody that targets the clumped prion protein blocks the persistence of neural connections that are the cellular basis for learning and memory.

"These results are consistent with the idea that ApCPEB can act as a self-sustaining prion-like protein in the nervous system and thereby might allow the activity-dependent change in synaptic efficacy to persist for long periods of time," the researchers conclude. Si cautions, however, that they haven't yet proven that blocking CPEB's ability to self-perpetuate also blocks memory. For that, he says they would need to see whether a slug with a mutant version of the protein would learn but then quickly forget.

"Persistence of memory is a difficult problem," Si said. The new evidence offers "at least an idea" for how this may happen and he suspects the prion-like protein's apparent role in memory may turn out to be a more general phenomenon. His group is following up on their findings by investigating the role of the fly version of CPEB, and Si notes that humans do have a similar protein.

The researchers include Kausik Si, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS; Yun-Beom Choi, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY; Erica White-Grindley, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO; Amitabha Majumdar, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO; and Eric R. Kandel, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY.

A ovo je malo svežiji članak o prionima i memoriji

http://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2012/10/19/a-prion-like-protein-protein-kinase-mzeta-and-memory-maintenance/ (http://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2012/10/19/a-prion-like-protein-protein-kinase-mzeta-and-memory-maintenance/)

A Prion Like-Protein, Protein Kinase Mzeta and Memory Maintenance


« New England Compounding Center: A Family Business
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A Prion Like-Protein, Protein Kinase Mzeta and Memory Maintenance

October 19, 2012 by larryhbern






1 Vote


English: diagram based on Squire and Zola (199...

English: diagram based on Squire and Zola (1996) about decalarative and non-declarative memory (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Larry H Bernstein, MD, FCAP, Reporter

An interesting paper recently published.

I only show abstract and part of introduction.

Available online http://www.interesjournals.org/JMMS (http://www.interesjournals.org/JMMS)

Copyright © 2012 International Research Journals
Review

Martin Ezeani, Maxwell Omabe, J.C. Onyeanusi, I.N. Nnatuanya, Elom S.O.
*1Department of Neurosciences, University of Sussex UK
*2Molecular Pathology Division, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State
University.
*3Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Ebonyi State University.

ABSTRACT
Molecular studies of both declarative and non-declarative memory in Aplysia californica, lymaea stagnalis and hippocampal slices implicate experience-dependent changes of synaptic structure and strength as the fundamental basis of memory storage and maintenance. The essential outcome of these changes in synaptic structure and strength is our ability to remember what we are thought.
Remembrance is of critical importance. In disease conditions like Alzheimer's there is lack of the ability to recreate the past. From this perspective, memory literally is the glue that binds our mental life, the scaffolding that holds our personal history and that makes it possible to change throughout life. What causes memory persistence after labile phase of memory is not yet fully known.

Elegant discoveries have explained why labile memory phase could persist over time into long term memory phase. Synaptic connections are not fixed but become modified by learning. These modifications in synaptic structure and strength persist and become the fundamental component of memory storage
after learning. Learning-induced changes in behavioural performance are the result of a fundamental physiological phenomenon.

The fundamental physiological phenomenon is neuronal plasticity. In the
process of neuronal plasticity, we review only the emerging aspect of the roles of prion like-protein, neuronal astrocyte and protein kinase Mzeta (PKMζ) in memory maintenance.
Keywords: Memory Maintenance, NMDARs and AMPARs, CPEB, Neuronal Lacate and Protein Kinase Mzeta.

INTRODUCTION
Memory defines the ability to retain, store and recall events. Memory maintenance is the process of keeping optimally these events. For instance, the beautiful nature of Sussex genomic center and its Medical School are
examples of explicit or declarative memory. Memories such as these are stored very well in the brain for recall of details later in life. Apart from these explicit or
declarative memories another type of memory is implicit or non-declarative memory. In this latter type of memory, motor skills and other type of tasks are done through performance with no conscious recall of past experience.
For instance riding a bicycle and driving a car.

Studies suggest that experience-dependent changes of synaptic strength, growth, structure and fundamental mechanism are ways of which these memories are encoded, processed and stored within the brain (Hawkins et al.,
2006; Bailey et al., 2004; and Beckinschtein et al., 2010). In these processes of initial memory formation and consolidation, memory basically exists in forms. These forms may include; short term memory (STM), intermediate memory (IM) and Long term memory (LTM) (Beckinschtein et al., 2010). There is also early and late LTM. Memories are maintained because, if all these memories are formed by similar molecular process, then what accounts for these types of basic memory?

Alien Worlds: Exoplanets in Pictures



Astronomers have discovered hundreds of planets orbiting other stars, but only a few have been seen in photographs:
(http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/bad_astronomy/2012/11/exoplanet_pictures_astronomers_have_photos_of_alien_planets.html)

Departing Space Station Commander Provides Tour of Orbital Laboratory (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doN4t5NKW-k#ws)

The Sound of Saturn: The Winds of Titan, from the Huygens Probe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36ffV-CI3Mo#)





titan landing huygens color
(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.space.com%2Fimages%2Fi%2F18451%2Foriginal%2Ftitan-landing-huygens-color.jpg&hash=3f6b38deddbf6d61aa0834d5e2da4d27168d2b6d)

CASSINI SPOTS MINI NILE RIVER ON SATURN MOON
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Cassini_spots_mini_Nile_River_on_Saturn_moon (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Cassini_spots_mini_Nile_River_on_Saturn_moon)






The international Cassini mission has spotted what appears to be a miniature extraterrestrial version of the Nile River: a river valley on Saturn's moon Titan that stretches more than 400 km from its 'headwaters' to a large sea.
It is the first time images have revealed a river system this vast and in such high resolution anywhere beyond Earth.
Scientists deduce that the river is filled with liquid because it appears dark along its entire extent in the high-resolution radar image, indicating a smooth surface.
"Though there are some short, local meanders, the relative straightness of the river valley suggests it follows the trace of at least one fault, similar to other large rivers running into the southern margin of this same Titan sea," says Jani Radebaugh, a Cassini radar team associate at Brigham Young University, USA.
"Such faults – fractures in Titan's bedrock – may not imply plate tectonics, like on Earth, but still lead to the opening of basins and perhaps to the formation of the giant seas themselves."
Titan is the only other world we know of that has stable liquid on its surface. While Earth's hydrologic cycle relies on water, Titan's equivalent cycle involves hydrocarbons such as ethane and methane.
Images from Cassini's visible-light cameras in late 2010 revealed regions that darkened after recent rainfall.
Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer confirmed liquid ethane at a lake in Titan's southern hemisphere known as Ontario Lacus in 2008.
"This radar-imaged river by Cassini provides another fantastic snapshot of a world in motion, which was first hinted at from the images of channels and gullies seen by ESA's Huygens probe as it descended to the moon's surface in 2005," says Nicolas Altobelli, ESA's Cassini Project Scientist.
The Cassini–Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA and ASI, the Italian space agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and ASI, working with team members from the US and several European countries.


(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.esa.int%2Fvar%2Fesa%2Fstorage%2Fimages%2Fesa_multimedia%2Fimages%2F2012%2F11%2Ftitan_s_nile_river%2F12132842-1-eng-GB%2FTitan_s_Nile_River_small.jpg&hash=baf8e453ba33c7fa5bd845461819f3a7b6c1cb57)

It's a bit overwhelming to realize just how little is understood still about the human body. In fact, it was only a few years ago that doctors at Duke University Medical School proposed a beneficial function of the appendix, long thought of as a vestigial organ left over from evolutionary development. Their theory is that the appendix replenishes good bacteria into the gut, which is vital after things like diarrhea effectively slough the top layer of cells from the GI tract, including bacteria that help to digest consumed food. Without an appendix, a person's GI flora repopulate more slowly, and it's unclear what effects that has on health.

http://singularityhub.com/2012/12/28/biotech-startup-ubiome-aims-to-sequence-the-bacteria-that-call-our-bodies-home/ (http://singularityhub.com/2012/12/28/biotech-startup-ubiome-aims-to-sequence-the-bacteria-that-call-our-bodies-home/)

http://www.youtube.com/embed/0jHsq36_NTU?start=0&end=120 (http://www.youtube.com/embed/0jHsq36_NTU?start=0&end=120)

Lepo nacrtano.
Ali argumentacija je više nego smešna. Poređenje s elektronima, s DNK, nacrtaše i rep Suncu...

Quadruple helix DNA found in living human cells — and it may be linked to cancer (http://io9.com/5977603/quadruple-helix-dna-found-in-living-human-cells--and-its-linked-to-cancer)

The double helix DNA structure is about as iconic as its gets. But geneticists have long speculated about the potential for a quadruple helix to exist — a four-stranded DNA structure. And indeed, computer models and lab experiments have suggested that it's theoretically possible.
Now, researchers working at Cambridge University have proven that quadruplexes do in fact exist in nature and they can be found right inside the cells of our bodies. Trouble is, their presence has been correlated with an increase in cellular replication — a process that could be contributing to the spread of some cancers.


Rapid Cellular Division
Called the "G-quadruplex," it's a square-shaped structure that forms in regions of DNA that are rich in the building block, guanine (abbreviated as G, and is one of the four main nucleobases found in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA). It's held together by a special type of hydrogen bonding, one that forms a compact square matrix that can disrupt the DNA helix.

The researchers, a team that included Giulia Biffi, Shankar Balasubramanian and Julie Sharp, were able to isolate the quadruplexes within human cancer cells by using fluorescent biomarkers. The research was funded by Cancer Research UK.

Their discovery shows that a clear link can be established between the presence of concentrated amounts of quadruplexes and the process of DNA replication — a combo that's facilitating cell division and production. And indeed, the research showed that quadruplexes are more likely to occur in genes of cells that are rapidly dividing — including cancer cells. Moreover, they also tend to appear in the core of chromosomes and in telomeres (the caps on the tips of chromosomes that protect them from damage).

Potential Therapy

Consequently, the researchers are looking to further establish this potential link and create a cancer therapy in which synthetic molecules can be used to trap and contain these genetic trouble makers, thus preventing certain cells from replicating their DNA. The scientists are hoping that such a therapy could halt the runaway cell proliferation that's so characteristic of cancer. And indeed, when cancer cells divide rapidly, they often exhibit defects in their telomeres; subsequently, there may be a very intimate link between quadruplexes and tumorous growths.

To prove the existence of the quadruplexes, the researchers generated antibody proteins that could locate and bind to sections of the human genome that's rich in quadruplex-structured DNA. They used fluorescence to mark the antibodies, thus allowing them to visually see where the four-stranded DNA was doing its work within the genome — and at what stage of cell division.

Interestingly, the quadruplex DNA exists fairly consistently throughout the genome of human cells, but they increase dramatically during the 's-phase' of replication, the time when DNA replicates before the cell divides.

Tumors grow when cell proliferation spirals out of control — a process that's driven by genes called oncogenes that have mutated to increase DNA replication. As a result, the increased DNA replication rate in oncogenes leads to an increase in quadruplex structures. So, if the researchers can figure out a way to trap the quadruplex DNA with synthetic molecules, they could devise a novel way to treat cancer.

"This research further highlights the potential for exploiting these unusual DNA structures to beat cancer –- the next part of this pipeline is to figure out how to target them in tumour cells," said Sharp through a release (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/uoc-hd011813.php).

Read the entire study (http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nchem.1548.html) at Nature.

Ova ti je dobra kao podloga za SF. Muka je ko će moći da taj potencijal izdvoji.

This miniature ecosystem has been thriving in an almost completely isolated state for more than forty years. It has been watered just once in that time.

The original single spiderwort plant has grown and multiplied, putting out seedlings. As it has access to light, it continues to photosynthesize. The water builds up on the inside of the bottle and then rains back down on the plants in a miniature version of the water cycle.

As leaves die, they fall off and rot at the bottom producing the carbon dioxide and nutrients required for more plants to grow.






(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/550138_537142976306718_2132960982_n.jpg)

What's the meaning of almost?

Radmilo, zar baš moraš da štrcneš te svoje jednorečenične nedotupavnosti ama na svaki topik?

Pa, ako ti toliko smeta ja ću da odem tamo gde sam dobrodošao. Inače, mene zatvoreni sistemi prilično zanimaju, pa mi se omaklo. Tako je i sa kvadruplim heliksima DNK.

Da nema bakterija, ne bi se lišće pretvaralo u azot i ostala sranja...

To mi ne smeta toliko, koliko me, recimo, smeta što svaki put kad svratim na forum na njemu arlauču vaši seoski ludaci. I smeta mi što se svi mi maksimalno sklanjamo, kao da je to upravo to normalno ponašanje, kao da je upravo to ta vaša famozna "socijalna inteligencija".  A nije. Nije uopšte. To je samo nemoć pred sociopatama, i to retardiranim. Zato me tvoj nastup ovde i ne smeta toliko koliko me iritira, je se od čoveka tvojih godina ipak ne očekuje da dnevno postuje makar jedan provokativni oneliner na svakom božjem aktivnom topiku, a kad time nekog eventualno i iziritira - a iziritira neminovno - onda zove Bobana da "reaguje" banom. A ja ne bih da ovaj topik završi na deponiji, tu mi je dosta linkova koji mi trebaju i za koje me mrzi da sad prebacujem u bukmark. I zato nisam malopre imala dovoljo živaca da ti ovde strpljivo crtam očigledno, a to je da odgovor na tvoje kobajagi pitanje leži u drugoj po redu rečenici - sipana je voda, jednom, samo jednom, za svo to vreme. Ali zato sistem nije apsolutno zatvoren, nego je "almost".

I sunce su sipali.

Morali su da dodaju vodu jer je biljka rasla.

Onda ću ti malo opširnije, da bi shvatila šta mene, zapravo, zanima. Prema informaciji sa linka za mene je sistem zatvoren. Sipanje vode u sud pre više od 40 godina je startovanje sistema i ono je isto što i seme biljke sa kojom sistem opstaje. I Zakkova opaska o svetlosti je rešiva sabirnim sočivima sa spoljne strane suda u bilo kojim uslovima, ako svetlosni izvor, bilo kakav postoji. Jedino bi povremene intervencije upućivale na "almost" status, a takve se ne pominju. O tvojim strepnjama neću ni reči.

http://io9.com/5892356/artist-suspends-real-clouds-in-the-middle-of-the-room (http://io9.com/5892356/artist-suspends-real-clouds-in-the-middle-of-the-room)

http://liftport.com (http://liftport.com)

UBIQ?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/14/carbon_nanotube_threads_spun/ (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/14/carbon_nanotube_threads_spun/)

Scientists spin carbon nanotube threads on industrial scale


Stronger than steel, conductive as copper, thinner than human hair

By Iain Thomson in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in Science, 14th January 2013 19:41 GMT

An international team of scientists has successfully found a way to spin tens of millions of carbon nanotubes into a flexible conductive thread that's a quarter of the thickness of human hair.

"We finally have a nanotube fiber with properties that don't exist in any other material," said lead researcher Matteo Pasquali of Rice University. "It looks like black cotton thread but behaves like both metal wires and strong carbon fibers."

The thread has ten times the tensile strength of steel and is as conductive as copper, but is flexible enough to be wound around a spool or woven. The team envisages it being used in "smart" clothing and the aerospace industry, and says that its properties will be of particular use to electronics manufacturers.

"Metal wires will break in rollers and other production machinery if they are too thin," he said. "In many cases, people use metal wires that are far more thick than required for the electrical needs, simply because it's not feasible to produce a thinner wire. Data cables are a particularly good example of this."

The thread is the result of nearly a decade of research at Rice, which initially focused on extruding nanotubes of a uniform type without them clumping together into weak, poorly connective bundles. Nanotubes come in many forms with different properties, and the team needed to get a uniform production process to get a material than behaved consistently.

 
Hm, to mi izgleda kao da je Klarkov monofilament, a još i provodnik pride...

Da ne bude zabune, u vreme kad je Klark pisao Rajske vodoskoke, ja sam imao ugljenične filamente u laboratoiji. Bili su i tada čvršći od čelika i provodniji od bakra, jer je ugljenik provodniji od bakra kao element. Naravno, ideja o liftu do orbite je bila opsenjujuća i taj roman mi je najbolje što je Klark ispovrteo. Problem koji je tada postojao postoji i danas, a to je istegljivost ugljeničnog vlakna i ako su u Rajsu nešto pomakli, onda bi to moralo da bude u tom pravcu. Neko je već ovde postovao da je projektovanje takvog lifta već u fazi konstruktivnog rešenja, pa kad reše istegljivost - evo ga.

Ovo je sad početak nove tehnološke revolucije. CNT su upotrebljive u mnogim oblastima. Tek će mi da vidimo čemu služi sav taj CO2 i bakibali  :twisted:

The True Story of a 1967 "Contact" Incident

      The story of the SETI discussions during the discovery of pulsars has never been fully told—until now


http://www.technologyreview.com/view/511136/the-true-story-of-a-1967-contact-incident/ (http://www.technologyreview.com/view/511136/the-true-story-of-a-1967-contact-incident/)


(https://www.technologyreview.com/sites/default/files/images/JBell_array.jpg)



One of the most significant events for human kind will be the detection of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. This kind of 'contact' is bound to have a profound impact on human culture, society and technology.

The question of how to handle such an event has been widely discussed. Indeed, the international community agreed on a 'Detection Protocol' in 1990 that sets out the steps that a research group should take in the event of a contact.

Today, Alan Penny at the University of St Andrews in Scotland tells the story of a real life incident in which the possibility of contact with an intelligent civilisation was seriously considered. Penny draws together various first hand recollections of the event to show how researchers handled the possibility.

The event in question is the 1967 discovery of pulsars, which we now know are rotating neutron stars that produce regular radio pulses. The team that made the discovery was led by Anthony Hewish, who later won a Nobel prize for the work, and famously included Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who did not win the prize.

At the time, the dawn of radio astronomy, the discovery of a source of regular pulses in space was a huge surprise. "We had to face the possibility that the signals were, indeed, generated on a planet circling some distant star, and that they were artificial," said Hewish later.

The timeline behind the discovery stretches over 6 months or so. In August 1967, Bell noticed regular signals at the same sidereal time each day. Almost immediately, the team considered the possibility that the signals were generated by Little Green Men or LGM as they called it.

In December, the team confirmed the discovery using another telescope and Bell pinpointed the exact position of the source in the sky.

Soon afterwards, she found a second source of signals and by mid-January, a third and fourth source. By this time, the team discounted the possibility that an artificial source could be responsible and eventually settled on neutron stars as the explanation.

In February, the paper announcing the discovery was accepted and published in Nature following a public announcement on 24 February 1968.

Penny says that what's interesting about this process is that during the discovery process, the team discussed the implications should the signal turn out to be an artificial source, how to verify such a conclusion and how to announce it. They also discussed whether such a discovery might be dangerous.

This process closely follows the Detection Protocol agreed by the international community in 1990.

There's an interesting corollary to this. The team also discussed the possibility that if it were an artificial source, somebody would want to reply.

Penny points out that the international community has yet to agree on a Reply Protocol because there are widely differing views on whether such a course of action would be beneficial or dangerous for humanity.

This is a situation that needs to be rectified. "The 1967 episode indicates how difficult it would be to construct a policy in the fervid atmosphere of a 'Contact'," says Penny.

With SETI searches now focusing on habitable exoplants around other stars, it seems prudent to come to some agreement sooner rather than later.

Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1302.0641 (http://arxiv.org/abs/1302.0641): The SETI Episode in the 1967 Discovery of Pulsars

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/paleofuture/2013/02/libra-the-21st-century-libertarian-space-colony/ (http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/paleofuture/2013/02/libra-the-21st-century-libertarian-space-colony/)


Introduction to Libra - a 21st century space colony (1978) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jVxPCECjz8#)

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/558096_10151452694265155_1575472345_n.jpg)


The Obama administration is planning a decade-long scientific effort to examine the workings of the human brain and build a comprehensive map of its activity, seeking to do for the brain what the Human Genome Project (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml) did for genetics (http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/specialtopic/genetics/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier).

The project, which the administration has been looking to unveil as early as March, will include federal agencies, private foundations and teams of neuroscientists and nanoscientists in a concerted effort to advance the knowledge of the brain's billions of neurons and gain greater insights into perception, actions and, ultimately, consciousness.
       
Scientists with the highest hopes for the project also see it as a way to develop the technology essential to understanding diseases like Alzheimer's (http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/alzheimers-disease/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier) and Parkinson's (http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/parkinsons-disease/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier), as well as to find new therapies for a variety of mental illnesses.
       
Moreover, the project holds the potential of paving the way for advances in artificial intelligence.

The project, which could ultimately cost billions of dollars, is expected to be part of the president's budget proposal next month. And, four scientists and representatives of research institutions said they had participated in planning for what is being called the Brain Activity Map project.
       
The details are not final, and it is not clear how much federal money would be proposed or approved for the project in a time of fiscal constraint or how far the research would be able to get without significant federal financing.
       
In his State of the Union address (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/us/politics/obamas-2013-state-of-the-union-address.html), President Obama (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per) cited brain research as an example of how the government should "invest in the best ideas."
       
"Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy — every dollar," he said. "Today our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's. They're developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs, devising new materials to make batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation."

Story C. Landis, the director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said that when she heard Mr. Obama's speech, she thought he was referring to an existing National Institutes of Health (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_institutes_of_health/index.html?inline=nyt-org) project to map the static human brain. "But he wasn't," she said. "He was referring to a new project to map the active human brain that the N.I.H. hopes to fund next year."
   
     http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/science/project-seeks-to-build-map-of-human-brain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2 (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/science/project-seeks-to-build-map-of-human-brain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2)& 

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.ddmcdn.com%2Fgif%2Fmedieval-brain-medicine-lg.jpg&hash=258ecb55e1c3655745b5e8727c8b0dc2d92b2b6f)
This anatomical specimen dating to the 1200s is the oldest known in Europe.
   http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/mummy-head-medieval-science-130305.htm (http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/mummy-head-medieval-science-130305.htm)                                           

In the second century, an ethnically Greek Roman named Galen became doctor to the gladiators. His glimpses into the human body via these warriors' wounds, combined with much more systematic dissections of animals, became the basis of Islamic and European medicine for centuries.

Galen's texts wouldn't be challenged for anatomical supremacy until the Renaissance, when human dissections —- often in public -— surged in popularity. But doctors in medieval Europe weren't as idle as it may seem, as a new analysis of the oldest-known preserved human dissection (http://www.livescience.com/12994-body-worlds-human-taxidermy.html) in Europe reveals.

The gruesome specimen, now in a private collection, consists of a human head and shoulders with the top of the skull and brain removed. Rodent nibbles and insect larvae trails mar the face. The arteries are filled with a red "metal wax" compound that helped preserve the body.

(Gallery: Historic Images of Human Anatomy (http://www.livescience.com/27629-human-anatomical-illustrations.html))

Evo ne moramo daleko da se lansiramo:

Hakovani bilbord na trgu republike! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO_o8casdhs#)

Mislim da bi se Kori Doktorov radovao.

 Najs tač, ali... hakeri?! jesterdejz njuz.  :mrgreen:

Astronomers Conduct First Remote Reconnaissance of Another Planetary SystemMar. 11, 2013 — Researchers have conducted a remote reconnaissance of a distant planetary system with a new telescope imaging system that sifts through the blinding light of stars. Using a suite of high-tech instrumentation and software called Project 1640, the scientists collected the first chemical fingerprints, or spectra, of this system's four red exoplanets, which orbit a star 128 light years away from Earth.


(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.sciencedaily.com%2F2013%2F03%2F130311173756.jpg&hash=ce08e70ad378cad6d12f1fb679917332753b9c11)


A detailed description of the planets -- showing how drastically different they are from the known worlds in the universe -- was accepted Friday for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.
"An image is worth a thousand words, but a spectrum is worth a million," said lead author Ben R. Oppenheimer, associate curator and chair of the Astrophysics Department at the American Museum of Natural History.
Oppenheimer is the principal investigator for Project 1640, which uses the Hale telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California. The project involves researchers from the California Institute of Technology, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cambridge University, New York University, and the Space Telescope Science Institute, in addition to Oppenheimer's team at the Museum.
The planets surrounding the star of this study, HR 8799, have been imaged in the past. But except for a partial measurement of the outermost planet in the system, the star's bright light overwhelmed previous attempts to study the planets with spectroscopy, a technique that splits the light from an object into its component colors -- as a prism spreads sunlight into a rainbow. Because every chemical, such as carbon dioxide, methane, or water, has a unique light signature in the spectrum, this technique is able to reveal the chemical composition of a planet's atmosphere.
"In the 19th century it was thought impossible to know the composition of stars, but the invention of astronomical spectroscopy has revealed detailed information about nearby stars and distant galaxies," said Charles Beichman, executive director of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at the California Institute of Technology. "Now, with Project 1640, we are beginning to turn this tool to the investigation of neighboring exoplanets to learn about the composition, temperature, and other characteristics of their atmospheres."
With this system, the researchers are the first to determine the spectra of all four planets surrounding HR 8799. "It's fantastic to nab the spectra of four planets in a single observation," said co-author Gautam Vasisht, an astronomer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The results are "quite strange," Oppenheimer said. "These warm, red planets are unlike any other known object in our universe. All four planets have different spectra, and all four are peculiar. The theorists have a lot of work to do now."
One of the most striking abnormalities is an apparent chemical imbalance. Basic chemistry predicts that ammonia and methane should naturally coexist in varying quantities unless they are in extremely cold or hot environments. Yet the spectra of the HR 8799 planets, all of which have "lukewarm" temperatures of about 1000 Kelvin (1340 degrees Fahrenheit), either have methane or ammonia, with little or no signs of their chemical partners. Other chemicals such as acetylene, previously undiscovered on any exoplanet, and carbon dioxide may be present as well.
The planets also are "redder," meaning that they emit longer wavelengths of light, than celestial objects with similar temperatures. This could be explained by significant but patchy cloud cover on the planets, the authors say.
With 1.6 times the mass and five times the brightness, HR 8799 itself is very different from our Sun. The brightness of the star can vary by as much as 8 percent over a period of two days and produces about 1,000 times more ultraviolet light than the Sun. All of these factors could impact the spectral fingerprints of the planets, possibly inducing complex weather and sooty hazes that could be revealed by periodic changes in the spectra. More data is needed to further explore this planetary system's unusual characteristics.
"The spectra of these four worlds clearly show that they are far too toxic and hot to sustain life as we know it," said co-author Ian Parry, a senior lecturer at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge University. "But the really exciting thing is that one day, the techniques we've developed will give us our first secure evidence of the existence of life on a planet outside our solar system."
In addition to revealing unique planets, the research debuts a new capability to observe and rapidly characterize exosolar systems in a routine manner, something that has eluded astronomers until now because the light that stars emit is tens of millions to billions of times brighter than the light given off by planets. This makes directly imaging and analyzing exoplanets extremely difficult: as Oppenheimer says, "It's like taking a single picture of the Empire State Building from an airplane that reveals the height of the building as well as taking a picture of a bump on the sidewalk next to it that is as high as a couple of bacteria."
Project 1640 helps scientists clear this hurdle by sharpening and darkening a star's light. This technical advance involves the coordinated operation of four major instruments: the world's most advanced adaptive optics system, which can make millions of tiny adjustments to the device's two 6-inch mirrors every second; a coronagraph that optically dims the star but not other celestial objects in the field of view; an imaging spectrograph that records 30 images in a rainbow of colors simultaneously; and a specialized wave front sensor that distinguishes between residual starlight that sneaks through the coronagraph and the light from planets, allowing scientists to filter out background starlight more effectively.
Altogether, the project has produced images of celestial objects 1 million to 10 million times fainter than the star at the center of the image, with only an hour of observations. It is also capable of measuring orbital motion of objects.
"Astronomers are now able to monitor cloudy skies on extrasolar planets, and for the first time, they have made such observations for four planets at once," said Maria Womack, program director for the Division of Astronomical Sciences at the National Science Foundation. "This new ability enables astronomers to now make comparisons as they track the atmospheres, and maybe even weather patterns, on the planets."
Researchers are already collecting more data on this system to look for changes in the planets over time, as well as surveying other young stars. During its three-year survey at Palomar, which started in June 2012, Project 1640 aims to survey 200 stars within about 150 light years of our solar system.
"The variation in the spectra of the four planets is really intriguing," said Didier Saumon, an astronomer at Los Alamos National Laboratory who was not involved in this study. "Perhaps this shouldn't be too surprising, given that the four gaseous planets of the solar system are all different. The hundreds of known exoplanets have forced us to broaden our thinking, and this new data keeps pushing that envelope."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130311173756.htm (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130311173756.htm)

(https://www.technologyreview.com/sites/default/files/images/Polonnaruwa%20meteorite.png)

Astrobiologists Find Ancient Fossils in Fireball Fragments      Algae-like structures inside a Sri Lankan meteorite are clear evidence of panspermia, the idea that life exists throughout the universe, say astrobiologists.

On 29 December 2012, a fireball lit up the early evening skies over the Sri Lankan province of Polonnaruwa. Hot, sparkling fragments of the fireball rained down across the countryside and witnesses reported the strong odour of tar or asphalt.
Over the next few days, the local police gathered numerous examples of these stones and sent them to the Sri Lankan Medical Research Institute of the Ministry of Health in Colombo. After noticing curious features inside these stones, officials forwarded the samples to a team of astrobiologists at Cardiff University in the UK for further analysis.
The results of these tests, which the Cardiff team reveal today, are extraordinary.  They say the stones contain fossilised biological structures fused into the rock matrix and that their tests clearly rule out the possibility of terrestrial contamination.


http://www.technologyreview.com/view/512381/astrobiologists-find-ancient-fossils-in-fireball-fragments/ (http://www.technologyreview.com/view/512381/astrobiologists-find-ancient-fossils-in-fireball-fragments/)

A Day in the Life of a Living Mars (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RSY37H_sFU#ws)

Ne bih da kvarim ljudima snove, ali da je Mars ikada bio "živ" i nastanjen ičim kompleksnijim od bakterije taj život bi erodirao sve ove kratere koji se tako lepo vide na animaciji. Zelenilo na Marsu je deo budućnosti, a ne prošlosti.

Unlike Saturn's icy ring system, it is believed that Jupiter's rings contains dust particles. This ring system is very faint, they consist of three main segments, the halo, a fairly bright main ring, and an outer gossamer ring. Some of Jupiter's Moons orbit within the ring system and may have influence on them. The rings are not observable through telescopes.




(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/479968_590695524276724_318489655_n.jpg)

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/news/wise20130311.html (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/news/wise20130311.html)


Closest Star System Found in a Century 03.11.13   (https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fimages%2Fcontent%2F733437main_pia16872-43_226-170.jpg&hash=ed88a37ab842583e4c8c8471c6cb45967b077878) (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/multimedia/pia16872.html) WISE J104915.57-531906 is at the center of the larger image, which was taken by the NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Image credit: NASA/JPL/Gemini Observatory/AURA/NSF
› Full image and caption (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/multimedia/pia16872.html) 
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has discovered a pair of stars that has taken over the title for the third-closest star system to the sun. The duo is the closest star system discovered since 1916.

Both stars in the new binary system are "brown dwarfs," which are stars that are too small in mass to ever become hot enough to ignite hydrogen fusion. As a result, they are very cool and dim, resembling a giant planet like Jupiter more than a bright star like the sun.

"The distance to this brown dwarf pair is 6.5 light-years -- so close that Earth's television transmissions from 2006 are now arriving there," said Kevin Luhman, an associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, University Park, Pa., and a researcher in Penn State's Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds.

"It will be an excellent hunting ground for planets because the system is very close to Earth, which makes it a lot easier to see any planets orbiting either of the brown dwarfs."

The results will be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The star system is named "WISE J104915.57-531906" because it was discovered in an infrared map of the entire sky obtained by WISE. It is only slightly farther away than the second-closest star, Barnard's star, which was discovered 6 light-years from the sun in 1916. The closest star system consists of: Alpha Centauri, found to be a neighbor of the sun in 1839 at 4.4 light-years away, and the fainter Proxima Centauri, discovered in 1917 at 4.2 light-years.

malko van teme ali... radi se o pilot epizodi koja nije uspela da izraste u sf seriju. Liptak je odusevljen, pa mozda vredi overavanja:





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In the Canadian TV pilot Borealis, which aired back in January 2013 on the Space Channel, a body falls out of the sky in the Canadian arctic, and threatens to cause a major international incident. Taking place in the near-ish future, global energy supplies have declined, leaving many nations to look for new sources of oil. The Canadian arctic contains some untapped oil reserves, and the world wants a piece of it. The Russians are interested, and looking far into the past to see if there was a Russian presence (and thus some claim on the land), while environmentalists are out documenting abuses.
Into the middle of this complicated mess is Vic, a Canadian agent who owns a bar in the border town called Borealis. He caters to all types: the Russians, Environmentalists, folks looking for a job, Canadian military, and others. He simply wants to make a living and with the arrival of the body, he finds himself stuck in the middle of all the problems, while trying to figure out who killed the guy, and just why he's got some ancient nails in his pocket.

Borealis (2012) starring Ty Olsson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVMvqNygFk4#ws)

Cities Of The Future, Built By Drones, Bacteria, And 3-D Printers


Within a decade or so, the barriers between biology and technology will start to fall.



As complex ecosystems, cities are confronting tremendous pressures to seek optimum efficiency with minimal impact in a resource-constrained world. While architecture, urban planning, and sustainability attempt to address the massive resource requirements and outflow of cities, there are signs that a deeper current of biology is working its way into the urban framework.

Innovations emerging across the disciplines of additive manufacturing, synthetic biology, swarm robotics, and architecture suggest a future scenario when buildings may be designed using libraries of biological templates and constructed with biosynthetic materials able to sense and adapt to their conditions. Construction itself may be handled by bacterial printers and swarms of mechanical assemblers.

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http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681891/cities-of-the-future-built-by-drones-bacteria-and-3-d-printers (http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681891/cities-of-the-future-built-by-drones-bacteria-and-3-d-printers)

Government Lab Reveals It Has Operated Quantum Internet for Over Two Years     
A quantum internet capable of sending perfectly secure messages has been running at Los Alamos National Labs for the last two and a half years, say researchers


(https://www.technologyreview.com/sites/default/files/images/QC%20network.png)




One of the dreams for security experts is the creation of a quantum internet that allows perfectly secure communication based on the powerful laws of quantum mechanics.

The basic idea here is that the act of measuring a quantum object, such as a photon, always changes it. So any attempt to eavesdrop on a quantum message cannot fail to leave telltale signs of snooping that the receiver can detect. That allows anybody to send a "one-time pad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-time_pad)" over a quantum network which can then be used for secure communication using conventional classical communication.

That sets things up nicely for perfectly secure messaging known as quantum cryptography and this is actually a fairly straightforward technique for any half decent quantum optics lab. Indeed, a company called ID Quantique (http://www.idquantique.com/) sells an off-the-shelf system that has begun to attract banks and other organisations interested in perfect security.

These systems have an important limitation, however. The current generation of quantum cryptography systems are point-to-point connections over a single length of fibre, So they can send secure messages from A to B but cannot route this information onwards to C, D, E or F. That's because the act of routing a message means reading the part of it that indicates where it has to be routed. And this inevitably changes it, at least with conventional routers. This makes a quantum internet impossible with today's technology

Various teams are racing to develop quantum routers that will fix this problem by steering quantum messages without destroying them. We looked at one of the first last year (http://www.technologyreview.com/view/428706/first-demonstration-of-a-quantum-router/). But the truth is that these devices are still some way from commercial reality.

Today, Richard Hughes and pals at Los Alamos National Labs in New Mexico reveal an alternative quantum internet, which they say they've been running for two and half years. Their approach is to create a quantum network based around a hub and spoke-type network. All messages get routed from any point in the network to another via this central hub.

This is not the first time this kind of approach has been tried. The idea is that messages to the hub rely on the usual level of quantum security. However, once at the hub, they are converted to conventional classical bits and then reconverted into quantum bits to be sent on the second leg of their journey.
So as long as the hub is secure, then the network should also be secure.

The problem with this approach is scalability. As the number of links to the hub increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to handle all the possible connections that can be made between one point in the network and another.

Hughes and co say they've solved this with their unique approach which equips each node in the network with quantum transmitters–i.e., lasers–but not with photon detectors which are expensive and bulky. Only the hub is capable of receiving a quantum message (although all nodes can send and receiving conventional messages in the normal way).

That may sound limiting but it still allows each node to send a one-time pad to the hub which it then uses to communicate securely over a classical link. The hub can then route this message to another node using another one time pad that it has set up with this second node. So the entire network is secure, provided that the central hub is also secure.

The big advantage of this system is that it makes the technology required at each node extremely simple–essentially little more than a laser. In fact, Los Alamos has already designed and built plug-and-play type modules that are about the size of a box of matches. "Our next-generation [module] will be an order of magnitude smaller in each linear dimension," they say.

Their ultimate goal is to have one of these modules built in to almost any device connected to a fibre optic network, such as set top TV boxes, home computers and so on, to allow perfectly secure messaging.

Having run this system now for over two years, Los Alamos are now highly confident in its efficacy.

Of course, the network can never be more secure than the hub at the middle of it and this is an important limitation of this approach. By contrast, a pure quantum internet should allow perfectly secure communication from any point in the network to any other.

Another is that this approach will become obsolete as soon as quantum routers become commercially viable. So the question for any investors is whether they can get their money back in the time before then. The odds are that they won't have to wait long to find out.

Ref:arxiv.org/abs/1305.0305 (http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.0305?utm_source=feedly):Network-Centric Quantum Communications with Application to Critical Infrastructure Protection

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/514581/government-lab-reveals-quantum-internet-operated-continuously-for-over-two-years/ (http://www.technologyreview.com/view/514581/government-lab-reveals-quantum-internet-operated-continuously-for-over-two-years/)

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http://www.gizmag.com/hypothalamus-fountain-of-youth/27392/ (http://www.gizmag.com/hypothalamus-fountain-of-youth/27392/)
Instead of traipsing through Florida in search of the Fountain of Youth, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León might have been better off turning his search inwards. More specifically, he should have turned his attention to a region of the brain called the hypothalamus. At least that's what research carried out on mice by scientists at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University suggests. They found that the hypothalamus controls many aspects of aging, opening up the potential to slow down the aging process by altering signal pathways within that part of the brain.

Located just above the brain stem and found in all vertebrate brains, the hypothalamus is roughly the size of an almond in humans and is responsible for numerous functions, including growth, development, reproduction and certain metabolic processes.

Previous work by Dongsheng Cai, M.D., Ph.D., professor of molecular pharmacology at Einstein, and his colleagues had shown that inflammatory changes in the hypothalamus can lead to various components associated with metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

This led Dr. Cai to suspect that the hypothalamus may also play a key role in aging, prompting him to study hypothalamic inflammation by focusing on a protein complex called NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells). This is a protein complex that plays an important role in regulating cellular responses, the production of small molecules used for cell signaling known as cytokines, and cell survival.

Dr. Cai and his team found that activating the NF-κB pathway in the hypothalamus of mice caused them to age faster by causing a decline in levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This hormone is synthesized in the hypothalamus and its release into the blood is usually associated with reproduction.

"The mice showed a decrease in muscle strength and size, in skin thickness, and in their ability to learn – all indicators of aging. Activating this pathway promoted systemic aging that shortened the lifespan," he said.

Conversely, blocking the NF-κB pathway in the mice slowed the aging process and increased their median longevity by about 20 percent compared to the control group.

The researchers also found that injecting GnRH into a part of the hypothalamus known as a hypothalamic ventricle protected aged mice from age-associated impaired neurogenesis. In other words, the aged mice were better able to create new neurons. Mice that received daily GnRH injections for a prolonged period saw a slowing of age-related cognitive decline, which the researchers theorize is the result of neurogenesis.

Dr. Cai believes the findings offer two potential strategies for treating age-related diseases and increasing lifespan – preventing the hypothalamus from causing inflammation and using GnRH therapy to increase neurogenesis.

The technology has been made available for licensing and is detailed in a paper published in the journal Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature12143.html).

Source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University (http://www.einstein.yu.edu/news/releases/894/brain-region-may-hold-key-to-aging/)

Meet the thousands of people ready to die on Mars

For $40, those who couldn't be astronauts see Mars One as their chance.
xrotaeye


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http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/05/meet-the-thousands-of-people-ready-to-die-on-mars/ (http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/05/meet-the-thousands-of-people-ready-to-die-on-mars/)

ooo... Europa, moj favorit.

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What do you get when you combine documentary style film making with hard science and an assist by NASA? If you read the title to this post, you know it's Europa Report (http://www.magnetreleasing.com/europareport/), a movie about an expedition to the eponymous moon of Jupiter. Here's the synopsis:

A unique blend of documentary, alternative history and science fiction thriller, EUROPA REPORT follows a contemporary mission to Jupiter's moon Europa to investigate the possible existence of alien life within our solar system. When unmanned probes suggest that a hidden ocean could exist underneath Europa's icy surface and may contain single-celled life, Europa Ventures, a privately funded space exploration company, sends six of the best astronauts from around the world to confirm the data and explore the revolutionary discoveries that may lie in the Europan ocean.

After a near-catastrophic technical failure that leads to loss of communication with Earth and the tragic death of a crewmember, the surviving astronauts must overcome the psychological and physical toll of deep space travel, and survive a discovery on Europa more profound than they had ever imagined.
Europa Report hits theaters on Aug. 2nd, but it goes live On Demand starting June 27th.

Europa Report Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Science Fiction Movie HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avzqYgtpdMQ#ws)

After nine years of hard Mars roving, Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity has broken a 40-year-old extraterrestrial distance record.


On Thursday, the tenacious six-wheeled robot drove 80 meters (263 feet), nudging the total distance traveled since landing on the red planet in 2004 to 35.760 kilometers (22.220 miles). NASA's previous distance record was held by Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt when, in December 1972, they drove their Lunar Roving Vehicle 35.744 kilometers (22.210 miles) over the lunar surface.


http://news.discovery.com/space/history-of-space/opportunity-breaks-nasas-40-year-roving-record-130516.htm (http://news.discovery.com/space/history-of-space/opportunity-breaks-nasas-40-year-roving-record-130516.htm)




(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.ddmcdn.com%2Fgif%2Fblogs%2Fdnews-files-2013-05-opportunity-rover-record-670x440-130516-jpg.jpg&hash=e08923b99245264541e9ec2935b5c0c276b1a469)

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.realfarmacy.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F05%2Fburning-gmo.jpg&hash=eaa2475373b61c4086a5c6e91fb1732f8718869d) (http://www.realfarmacy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/burning-gmo.jpg)Hungary  has taken a bold stand against biotech giant  Monsanto (http://naturalsociety.com/blind-health-forbes-magazine-declares-monsanto-company-of-the-year/) and genetic modification by destroying 1000 acres of maize found to  have been grown with genetically modified seeds, according to Hungary deputy  state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar. Unlike many  European Union countries, Hungary is a nation where genetically modified (GM)  seeds are banned. In a similar stance against GM ingredients, Peru has also  passed a 10  year ban (http://naturalsociety.com/peru-passes-monumental-ten-year-ban-on-genetically-modified-foods/) on GM foods.

Almost 1000 acres of maize found to have been ground with genetically  modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary, deputy state secretary of  the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said. The GMO maize has been  ploughed under, said Lajos Bognar, but pollen has not spread from the maize, he  added.

Unlike several EU members, GMO seeds are banned in Hungary.  The checks will continue despite the fact that seek traders are obliged to make  sure that their products are GMO free, Bognar said.
During the invesigation, controllers have found Pioneer Monsanto products  among the seeds planted.
The free movement of goods within the EU means that authorities will not  investigate how the seeds arrived in Hungary, but they will check where the  goods can be found, Bognar said. Regional public radio reported that the two  biggest international seed producing companies are affected in the matter and  GMO seeds could have been sown on up to the thousands of hectares in the  country. Most of the local farmers have complained since they just  discovered they were using GMO seeds.
With season already under way, it is too late to sow new seeds, so this years  harvest has been lost.
And to make things even worse for the farmers, the company that distributed  the seeds in Baranya county is under liquidation. Therefore, if any compensation  is paid by the international seed producers, the money will be paid primarily to  that company's creditors, rather than the farmers.

Read more at http://www.realfarmacy.com/hungary-destroys-all-monsanto-gmo-corn-fields/#kSIlAqqGc2ZlK3sV.99 (http://www.realfarmacy.com/hungary-destroys-all-monsanto-gmo-corn-fields/#kSIlAqqGc2ZlK3sV.99)

New Stem Cell Discovery Moves One Step Closer to Human Cloning  (http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/468765/20130519/stem-cell-human-cloning-milestone.htm#.UZsiw9hBuie)

Dubai Timelapse on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/65888557)

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/421999/astronomers-find-first-evidence-of-other-universes/ (http://www.technologyreview.com/view/421999/astronomers-find-first-evidence-of-other-universes/)

:-?

QuoteThere's something exciting afoot in the world of cosmology. Last month, Roger Penrose at the University of Oxford and Vahe Gurzadyan (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/26039/) at Yerevan State University in Armenia announced that they had found patterns of concentric circles in the cosmic microwave background, the echo of the Big Bang.
This, they say, is exactly what you'd expect if the universe were eternally cyclical. By that, they mean that each cycle ends with a big bang that starts the next cycle. In this model, the universe is a kind of cosmic Russian Doll, with all previous universes contained within the current one.   
That's an extraordinary discovery: evidence of something that occurred before the (conventional) Big Bang.
Today, another group says they've found something else in the echo of the Big Bang. These guys start with a different model of the universe called eternal inflation. In this way of thinking, the universe we see is merely a bubble in a much larger cosmos. This cosmos is filled with other bubbles, all of which are other universes where  the laws of physics may be dramatically different to ours.
These bubbles probably had a violent past, jostling together and leaving "cosmic bruises" where they touched. If so, these bruises ought to be visible today in the cosmic microwave background.
Now Stephen Feeney at University College London and a few pals say they've found tentative evidence of this bruising in the form of circular patterns in cosmic microwave background. In fact, they've found four bruises, implying that our universe must have smashed into other bubbles at least four times in the past.
Again, this is an extraordinary result: the first evidence of universes beyond our own.

Scientists resolve a 3.5 billion-year-old mystery of life  (http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/06/04/scientists-resolve-a-3-5-billion-year-old-mystery-of-life/)

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Most astrobiologists believe that life in some form is likely to exist away from Earth. But new research demonstrates that life as we know it on Earth might never have come to exist at all if not for a key element delivered to the planet by meteorites billions of years ago.

Scientists at the University of Washington and the University of South Florida found that during the Hadean and Archean eons – the first two of the four principal eons of the Earth's earliest history – the heavy bombardment by meteorites provided reactive phosphorus essential for creating the earliest life on Earth.

When released in water, that reactive phosphorus could be incorporated into prebiotic molecules, and the researchers documented its presence in early Archean limestone, showing it was abundant some 3.5 billion years ago.

"The importance of this finding is that it provides the missing ingredient in the origin-of-life recipe: a form of phosphorus that can be readily incorporated into essential biological molecules like nucleic acids and cell-membrane lipids," said Roger Buick (http://earthweb.ess.washington.edu/dwp/people/profile.php?name=buick--roger), a UW professor of Earth and space sciences.

Buick is a co-author of a paper explaining the findings, published the week of June 3 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (http://www.pnas.org/). The lead author is Matthew Pasek, an assistant professor of geology at the University of South Florida.

The scientists concluded that the meteorites delivered phosphorus in minerals that are not now seen on the surface of the Earth, and these minerals corroded in water to release phosphite, a form of phosphorus seen only on the early Earth.

"Meteorite phosphorus may have been a fuel that provided the energy and phosphorus necessary for the onset of life," said Pasek. "If this meteoritic phosphorus is added to simple organic compounds, it can generate phosphorus biomolecules identical to those seen in life today."

He said the research provides a plausible answer for why we don't see new life forms on Earth today: The conditions under which life arose billions of years ago are no longer present.

"The present research shows that this is indeed the case: Phosphorus chemistry on the early Earth was substantially different billions of years ago than it is today," he said.

The findings are based on examination of samples from Australia, Zimbabwe, West Virginia, Wyoming and Florida. The presence of phosphite was detected only in the oldest samples, from surface materials and drill cores from the early Archean in Australia.

Previous research showed that the earliest biological forms might have evolved from RNA alone, before the modern DNA-RNA-protein life emerged. But scientists didn't know how those early RNA–based proto-organisms incorporated environmental phosphorus, which in its current form, phosphate, is relatively insoluble and unreactive.

Meteorites would have provided reactive phosphorus in the form of the iron–nickel phosphide mineral schreibersite, which when placed in water released soluble and reactive phosphite. Phosphite is the salt scientists believe could have been incorporated into prebiotic molecules.

Though there could be other sources of phosphite, no other terrestrial sources could have produced the quantities needed to be dissolved in early Earth oceans that gave rise to life, the researchers concluded. The meteoritic phosphite would have been abundant enough to dominate the chemistry of the oceans, with its chemical signature then becoming trapped and preserved in marine carbonate.

"This finding opens the way for a lot more prebiotic chemical experimentation and may even allow us to produce a catalytic replicating RNA molecule in a test-tube, mimicking what might have naturally happened during the origin of life," Buick said.

Other co-authors are Jelte Harnmeijer of the UW and the Edinburgh Center for Carbon Innovation in Scotland, and Maheen Gull and Zachary Atlas of the University of South Florida. The work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Agouron Institute and NASA.
This story is based in part on an article (http://news.usf.edu/article/templates/?z=123&a=5477) by Vickie Chachere of the University of South Florida.

Math Model Links Space-Time Theories


http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/math-model-links-space-time-theories




Researchers at the Univ. of Southampton have taken a significant step in a project to unravel the secrets of the structure of our Universe.


Prof. Kostas Skenderis, Chair in Mathematical Physics at the university, comments, "One of the main recent advances in theoretical physics is the holographic principle. According to this idea, our Universe may be thought of as a hologram and we would like to understand how to formulate the laws of physics for such a holographic Universe."


A new paper released by Skenderis and Marco Caldarelli from the Univ. of Southampton, Joan Camps from the Univ. of Cambridge and Blaise Goutéraux from the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics, Sweden published in the Rapid Communication section of Physical Review D, makes connections between negatively curved space-time and flat space-time.


Space-time is usually understood to describe space existing in three dimensions, with time playing the role of a fourth dimension and all four coming together to form a continuum, or a state in which the four elements can't be distinguished from each other.


Flat space-time and negative space-time describe an environment in which the Universe is non-compact, with space extending infinitely, forever in time, in any direction. The gravitational forces, such as the ones produced by a star, are best described by flat-space time. Negatively curved space-time describes a Universe filled with negative vacuum energy. The mathematics of holography is best understood for negatively curved space-times.


Skenderis has developed a mathematic model that finds striking similarities between flat space-time and negatively curved space-time, with the latter however formulated in a negative number of dimensions, beyond our realm of physical perception.


He comments, "According to holography, at a fundamental level the universe has one less dimension than we perceive in everyday life and is governed by laws similar to electromagnetism. The idea is similar to that of ordinary holograms where a three-dimensional image is encoded in a two-dimensional surface, such as in the hologram on a credit card, but now it is the entire Universe that is encoded in such a fashion. Our research is ongoing, and we hope to find more connections between flat space-time, negatively curved space-time and holography. Traditional theories about how the Universe operates go some way individually to describing its very nature, but each fall short in different areas. It is our ultimate goal to find a new combined understanding of the Universe, which works across the board."


The paper specifically explains what is known as the Gregory Laflamme instability, where certain types of black hole break up into smaller black holes when disturbed – rather like a thin stream of water breaking into little droplets when you touch it with your finger. This black hole phenomenon has previously been shown to exist through computer simulations and this work provides a deeper theoretical explanation.

Kod "negative number of dimensions" sam zakukao od nemoći.  :?:

Ala će se mističari obradovati novoj teoriji. Dakle ceo svemir, uključujući i nas, je samo projekcija nečega drugog, i to nešto drugo je "prava stvar", a mi ovde, meso i koske, samo smo projekcija.

...

http://scitechdaily.com/physicists-create-artificial-magnetic-monopoles/ (http://scitechdaily.com/physicists-create-artificial-magnetic-monopoles/)

A team of researchers from Cologne, Munich and Dresden have managed to create artificial magnetic monopoles. To do this, the scientists merged tiny magnetic whirls, so-called skyrmions. At the point of merging, the physicists were able to create a monopole, which has similar characteristics to a fundamental particle postulated by Paul Dirac in 1931. In addition to fundamental research, the monopoles may also have application potential. The question of whether magnetic whirls can be used in the production of computer components one day is currently being researched by a number of groups worldwide.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a new moon orbiting the distant  blue-green planet Neptune. This brings the number of known satellites circling  the giant planet to 14.
The body is estimated to be no more than 12 miles across, making it the smallest  known moon in the Neptunian system. It's so small that it escaped detection by  NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, which flew by Neptune in 1989 and surveyed the  planet's system of moons and rings.
Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., discovered the  moon on July 1, while studying the faint ring-arcs of Neptune. "The moons and  arcs orbit very quickly, so we had to devise a way to follow their motion in order  to bring out the details of the system," he said. "It's the same reason a sports  photographer tracks a running athlete — the athlete stays in focus, but the  background blurs."
On a whim, Showalter extended his analysis outward to regions well beyond the  ring system, and noticed an extra white dot about 65,400 miles from Neptune,  located between the orbits of the moons Larissa and Proteus.
Showalter next analyzed over 150 archival Neptune photographs taken by  Hubble from 2004 to 2009. The same white dot appeared over and over again.  He then plotted a circular orbit for the moon, which completes one revolution  around Neptune every 23 hours.
The moon, designated S/2004 N 1, is so small and dim that it is roughly one  hundred million times fainter than the faintest star that can be seen with the  naked eye.
Neptune's largest moon, Triton, which is nearly the size of Earth's moon, may be  a captured icy dwarf planet from the Kuiper Belt at the outer rim of our solar  system. This capture would have gravitationally torn up any original satellite  system Neptune possessed. Many of the moons now seen orbiting the planet  probably formed after Triton settled into its unusual retrograde orbit about  Neptune.

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2013/30/full/ (http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2013/30/full/)

Roll Over Dracula: 'Vampire Cemetery' Found in Poland

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/suspected-cemetery-of-vampires-located-in-poland-a-912363.html (http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/suspected-cemetery-of-vampires-located-in-poland-a-912363.html)

A chilling find has been made in Poland: at least 17 skeletons buried with the skulls severed and placed between the knees or hands. That, say archaeologists, is how vampires used to be interred, to stop them rising from the dead.


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July 23, 2013 — Researchers at Brown University have shown that some Martian valleys appear to have been caused by runoff from orographic precipitation -- moisture carried part of the way up a mountain and deposited on the slopes. Valley networks branching across the Martian surface leave little doubt that water once flowed on the Red Planet. But where that ancient water came from -- whether it bubbled up from underground or fell as rain or snow -- is still debated by scientists. A new study by researchers at Brown University puts a new check mark in the precipitation column.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130723155046.htm (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130723155046.htm)

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http://spacelog.org (http://spacelog.org)












Read the stories of early space exploration from the original transcripts. Now open to the public in a searchable, linkable format.

Roadmap to Alpha CentauriTechnology: Pick your favorite travel mode—big, small, light, dark, or twisted.






http://nautil.us/issue/3/in-transit/roadmap-to-alpha-centauri (http://nautil.us/issue/3/in-transit/roadmap-to-alpha-centauri)





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http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/06/world/biggest-volcano/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/06/world/biggest-volcano/index.html?hpt=hp_t2)An underwater  volcano dubbed Tamu Massif was found some 1,000 miles east of Japan, says William Sager, a professor at the University of Houston, who led a team of scientists in the discovery.

Astronomy Picture of the Day


Discover the cosmos! (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

Scientists believe that Voyager 1 has crossed the invisible border around our solar system and become the first human-made object to go, in those famous words, where no one has gone before.
According to CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/tech/innovation/voyager-solar-system/), experts at NASA have "strong evidence" that Voyager 1 has crossed through the heliosphere -- the magnetic boundary that separates our solar system from the rest of the Milky Way galaxy -- to enter interstellar space.
Ed Stone, head of the the Voyager mission, said, "In leaving the heliosphere and setting sail on the cosmic seas between the stars, Voyager has joined other historic journeys of exploration: The first circumnavigation of the Earth, the first steps on the Moon ... That's the kind of event this is, as we leave behind our solar bubble."
Although it was reported as far back as last year that Voyager was leaving the solar system, NASA made it official today (Sept. 12). You may have heard other reports that Voyager 1 had made the historic crossing before, but Thursday was the first time NASA announced it.
The space agency said that instrumentation used to measure the density of the medium around the craft could calculate its approximate location and whether it had emerged from the heliosphere (that's the simple way of putting it -- CNN has a lot more technobabble).
With the density of electrons in interstellar space thought to be between 0.05 and 0.22 per cubic centimeter, measurements taken last spring indicated that Voyager 1 was at the time in a region with an electron density of around 0.08.
The specific date of Voyager's exit from local space is still not confirmed, but now that the spacecraft is on its way, it's got a new mandate. Stone said, "We're now on the first mission to explore interstellar space. We will now look and learn in detail how the wind which is outside, that came from these other stars, is deflected around the heliosphere."
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were both launched in 1977. Voyager 1 is now 11.7 billion miles from Earth, while its sister is 9.5 billion miles from home and three or four years away from its own trip out of the heliosphere. Although it took just three and a half decades for the first Voyager to leave the solar system, it won't make it to another star for another 40,000 years.
Unless it collides with an alien space probe along the way and becomes V'Ger ...

http://www.blastr.com/2013-9-12/voyager-1s-now-first-human-made-object-leave-solar-system (http://www.blastr.com/2013-9-12/voyager-1s-now-first-human-made-object-leave-solar-system)


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zanimljiv esej D. Turnbulla o koloniji na Marsu (http://www.space.com/22801-mid-century-life-on-mars.html)


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The moon really does rotate, even though it doesn't look like it from here. Because the moon is 'tidally locked (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_locking)' to the Earth, that means that it always has one face pointed towards us. However, it also means that the time it takes to rotate once is the same as the time it takes to go around the Earth — 27 days.
The only people who have ever seen the far side of the moon for themselves are the various astronauts that flew on the Apollo missions back in the 60s and 70s. This video may not take the place of that kind of experience, but it at least lets us share a bit of the wonder.


http://youtu.be/sNUNB6CMnE8 (http://youtu.be/sNUNB6CMnE8)

Lockheed's Skunk Works promises fusion power in four years  (http://www.dvice.com/2013-2-22/lockheeds-skunk-works-promises-fusion-power-four-years)


Until someone figures out a way to manufacture antimatter, fusion is by far the cleanest and most abundant source of power we can hope to harvest. We've known this for a long time, but fusion is hard, and it's expensive to build the giant lasers (http://www.dvice.com/archives/2012/03/this-could-be-t-2.php) or toroidal plasma containment systems (http://www.dvice.com/archives/2012/04/scientists-expl.php) that are needed to get it to work. By most estimates (http://www.dvice.com/archives/2012/04/scientists-expl.php), we're something like 40 years away from an operational fusion power plant.
"Most estimates" do not, apparently, include research being done at Lockheed Martin's secretive advanced development center, Skunk Works. At Google's Solve For X (https://www.solveforx.com/), Charles Chase describes what his team has been working on: a trailer-sized fusion power plant that turns cheap and plentiful hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) into helium plus enough energy to power a small city. It's safe, it's clean, and Lockheed is promising an operational unit by 2017 with assembly line production to follow, enabling everything from unlimited fresh water to engines that take spacecraft to Mars in one month instead of six.
Lockheed's fusion power plant uses radio energy to heat deuterium gas inside tightly controlled magnetic fields, creating a very high temperature plasma that's much more stable and well confined than you'd find in something like a tokamak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokamak).
Chase didn't give a whole lot more technical detail, but he seemed confident in predicting a 100mW prototype by 2017, with commercial 100mW systems available by 2022, implying that all global energy demands will be able to be met by fusion power by about 2045. No more oil, no more coal, no more nuclear, and not even any solar or wind or hydro will be necessary (unless you're into that sort of thing): fusion has the potential to produce as much affordable clean power as we'll ever need, for the entire world. That's wild, and we may see it happen in less than a decade. That is, if Lockheed Martin's plans come to fruition, which we certainly hope they do.
Watch the Solve For X presentation video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsRFVbcyUY&feature=player_embedded#t=0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsRFVbcyUY&feature=player_embedded#t=0)

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There's a deceptively still body of water in Tanzania with a deadly secret—it turns any animal it touches to stone. The rare phenomenon is caused by the chemical makeup of the lake, but the petrified creatures it leaves behind are straight out of a horror film.  (http://gizmodo.com/any-animal-that-touches-this-lethal-lake-turns-to-stone-1436606506?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow)

Photographed by Nick Brandt in his new book, Across the Ravaged Land, petrified creatures pepper the area around the lake due to its constant pH of 9 to 10.5—an extremely basic alkalinity that preserves these creatures for eternity. According to Brandt:

I unexpectedly found the creatures - all manner of birds and bats - washed up along the shoreline of Lake Natron in Northern Tanzania. No-one knows for certain exactly how they die, but it appears that the extreme reflective nature of the lake's surface confuses them, and like birds crashing into plate glass windows, they crash into the lake. The water has an extremely high soda and salt content, so high that it would strip the ink off my Kodak film boxes within a few seconds. The soda and salt causes the creatures to calcify, perfectly preserved, as they dry.
I took these creatures as I found them on the shoreline, and then placed them in 'living' positions, bringing them back to 'life', as it were. Reanimated, alive again in death.

The rest of the haunting images follow and they feature in Brandt's book, available here. Or, you could go and visit for yourself—but keep a safe distance from the water, please. [New Scientist]

 :-?

 Je, mene je razmera grotesknog, bizarnog i potresnog u tim fotkama toliko dohvatila da skroz ne mogu imidže izbacit iz glave.

nego, uzgredno pitanje pre no zaboravim: skoro redovno mi se ne otvaraju fotke ni linkovi na topicima dok sam ulogovana, pa se ponavljam u postovanju. kako to da sredim?

Sjajne fotke!

:mrgreen:

FYI: What Would Happen If You Got Zapped By The Large Hadron Collider? (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-09/fyi-what-would-happen-if-you-got-zapped-large-hadron-collider)

A Strange Lonely Planet  Found without a Star

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Multicolor image from the Pan-STARRS1 telescope of the free-floating planet PSO J318.5-22, in the constellation of Capricornus. The planet is extremely cold and faint, about 100 billion times fainter in optical light than the planet Venus. Most of its energy is emitted at infrared wavelengths. The image is 125 arcseconds on a side. Credit: N. Metcalfe & Pan-STARRS 1 Science Consortium.



http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases/LonelyPlanet/ (http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases/LonelyPlanet/)

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The stomach-turning truth about what the Neanderthals ate?  (http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/20/neanderthals-diet-plants-herbs-stomachs?CMP=twt_gu)






The idea of these early humans being plant-eating, self-medicating sophisticates has been brought into question by the findings of researchers at London's Natural History Museum

Šarmantno, ali zar ne fulaš pomalo topike? I onaj o GMO zaglavi na Hajzenbergu. :lol:


Naravno da su nama prethodnici krkali sve što je mogao da savlada njihov želudac. Pa i ono što nije mogao. Ustvari, Meho je na osnovu trvdnje o kamilici i ostalim čajevima da razvije tezu o prednostima vegetarijanstva, a ja o razlozima zašto su Neandertalci izumrli.


U svakom slučaju, jedemo mi životinjske utrobe i danas. Setite se prženih girica na kioscima, ne čiste ih.

Every year, scientists discover tens of thousands (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/science/30species.html?_r=0) of new creatures, most of which are cuddly  and/or wuddly. However, every once in a while we uncover a species so vile and  so contrary to all that we consider precious and good that it makes us seriously  wonder if all this exploration nonsense is worth the hassle. Horrors such as  ... A Wasp With Jaws That Can Wrap Around Its Head  :lol:


Read more:  http://www.cracked.com/article_20620_5-creepy-creatures-we-wish-science-hadnt-just-discovered_p2.html#ixzz2iLMB9cap (http://www.cracked.com/article_20620_5-creepy-creatures-we-wish-science-hadnt-just-discovered_p2.html#ixzz2iLMB9cap)

25 Amazing Things In Space That Actually Exist!  (http://mommyhasapottymouth.com/25-amazing-things-in-space-that-actually-exist-23083/)

This Is The Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of. And Most Of It's On You Right Now. (http://www.viralnova.com/microscopic-level/)

>_<

New Star System Similar to Ours --"We Cannot Stress Just How Important This Discovery Is" (http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2013/12/new-star-system-similar-to-ours-discovered-we-cannot-stress-just-how-important-this-discovery-is.html#more)



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A team of European astrophysicists has discovered the most extensive planetary system to date that orbit  star KOI-351 – with seven planets, more than in other known planetary systems arranged in a similar fashion to the eight planets in the Solar System, with small rocky planets close to the parent star and gas giant planets at greater distances. Although the planetary system around KOI-351 is packed together more tightly, "We cannot stress just how important this discovery is. It is a big step in the search for a 'twin' to the Solar System, and thus also in finding a second Earth," said Juan Cabrera, an astrophysicist at the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin-Adlershof.

Oldest Human DNA Reveals Mysterious Branch of Humanity


The oldest known human DNA found yet reveals human evolution was even more confusing than thought, researchers say.


The DNA, which dates back some 400,000 years, may belong to an unknown human ancestor, say scientists. These new findings could shed light on a mysterious extinct branch of humanity known as Denisovans, who were close relatives of Neanderthals, scientists added.


http://news.yahoo.com/oldest-human-dna-reveals-mysterious-branch-humanity-181139436.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory (http://news.yahoo.com/oldest-human-dna-reveals-mysterious-branch-humanity-181139436.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory)


i



http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/04/discovery-of-400000-year-old-dna-raises-questions-about-human-evolution/ (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/04/discovery-of-400000-year-old-dna-raises-questions-about-human-evolution/)

Zahvaljujem na upozorenju. Zgodan je zaključak da što više informacija imamo to manje znamo. Jedva čekam da saznam šta će sledeći nalaz demantovati.

http://youtu.be/VLouRKHknOU (http://youtu.be/VLouRKHknOU)

Mining Asteroids! Has the future finally arrived? Is this B.S. or not B.S.? Scientist and Sci-Fi author David Brin breaks down the idea into its fascinating ideas, taking a look at how Planetary Resources is planning to obtain metals and fuel by mining asteroids.


http://youtu.be/GamjQhgoSJ0 (http://youtu.be/GamjQhgoSJ0)

Voleo bih da budem upozoren ako ometam ovaj topik, ali ako može Brin da komentariše, valjda mogu i ja. Dok Lamborghini kukumavči da mu prodaja opada na globalnom nivo, a prosečni Amerikanac razmišlja kako se vozati od Siatla do Njujorka, mi ovde u Srbiji i dalje imamo bar dve narodne mudrosti: "klati vola za kilo mesa" i "sečeš uši krpiš dupe". Imam neko čudno uverenje da su napori svetske nauke pre usmereni na "uteći" nego na "stići". Oni koji ne spadaju u "uteći", teško da će negde "stići".

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The shadow of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, looking toward the base of Mount Sharp, which rises more than three miles above the 96-mile-wide Gale Crater floor




About 3.5 billion years ago — around the time life is thought to have first arisen on Earth — Mars had a large freshwater lake that might well have been hospitable to life, scientists reported Monday.

The lake lay in the same crater where NASA's Mars rover Curiosity landed last year and has been exploring ever since. It lasted for hundreds or thousands of years, and possibly much longer.

Whether any life ever appeared on Mars is not yet known, and Curiosity was not designed to answer that question. But the data coming back from the planet indicate that the possibility of life, at least in the ancient past, is at least plausible.

John P. Grotzinger, a professor of geology at the California Institute of Technology who is the project scientist for the Curiosity mission, said that if certain microbes like those on present-day Earth had plopped into that ancient Martian lake, they would most likely have found a pleasant place to call home.

"The environment would have existed long enough that they could have been sustained, prospered, grown, multiplied," he said. "All the essential ingredients for life were present.

"Potentially the aqueous stream, lake, groundwater system could have existed for millions to tens of millions of years," he added. "You could easily get a lake with the area of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York."

The interpretation comes from detailed analysis of two mudstones drilled by Curiosity earlier this year. The structure, chemistry and mineralogy of the sedimentary rocks were not alien.

"The whole thing just seems extremely Earthlike," Dr. Grotzinger said.

The scientists presented their latest findings at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco and in a set of six articles published in the journal Science.

The surface of Mars today is frigid and arid, bombarded by sterilizing radiation, but after it formed and cooled with the rest of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago, it was initially a warmer and wetter place during its first billion years. Over the past decade, scientists have identified several sites on Mars that they think were once habitable.

In 2004, after NASA's rover Opportunity discovered evidence that the Martian places it was traversing had once been soaking wet, Steven W. Squyres, the mission's principal investigator, declared, "This is the kind of place that would have been suitable for life."

But that location would have been an extremely challenging environment for life to take hold — very salty and highly acidic. Later, the scientists said the soils had been soaked not so much by water as by sulfuric acid.

NASA chose the 96-mile-wide Gale Crater as Curiosity's landing site because readings from orbit identified the presence of clay minerals, which form in waters with a neutral pH. Curiosity's instruments indeed detected clays in the two mudstones, named John Klein and Cumberland.

The clays appear to have formed at the lake bottom, not swept down from the walls of Gale Crater, strengthening the case that the lake water was not acidic.

Curiosity also measured carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen and phosphorus, elements that are critical for life on Earth, as well as iron and sulfur minerals that could have served as food for microbes.

"If there were microbial organisms around, I think they would have liked that environment," said David T. Vaniman, a researcher at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson and the lead author of a Science paper examining the mineralogy. On Earth, a class of such microbes known as chemolithoautotrophs live in caves, hydrothermal vents and the deep underground.

An impact, probably by an asteroid, excavated Gale Crater 3.6 billion to 3.8 billion years ago, and the John Klein and Cumberland mudstones formed out of sediments that subsequently accumulated in the crater. That is roughly the same age as rocks on Earth with the earliest signs of life.

"You can actually begin to line up in time what the Earth was doing and what Mars was doing," Dr. Grotzinger said. "It's kind of cool."

The Gale Crater lake was also of the same era as the sulfuric-acid-soaked rocks that Opportunity found. That suggests that as Mars dried out, conditions in different regions varied widely. "Things have just gotten more complex than we thought," Dr. Grotzinger said.

Curiously, even though the rocks formed in a lake, soluble elements like sodium and calcium had not been washed away. That suggests that the climate even then was cold and arid, just not as cold and arid as it is today — perhaps an ice-covered lake.

"What does it mean about the climate?" Dr. Vaniman said. "It's something we're all thinking about."

What has not been found yet is solid evidence for the carbon molecules known as organics that could serve as the building blocks of life. Such molecules are not always preserved in stone and are destroyed by radiation.

By measuring the abundance of certain elements, a technique that has long been used to date Earth rocks, Kenneth A. Farley, a professor of geochemistry at Caltech, was able to estimate that the sediments eroded from rocks 4.2 billion years old, give or take 350 million years, and that the rocks had been exposed at the surface for about 80 million years.

Previously, planetary scientists estimated ages by counting craters — the older a surface, the greater the number of craters. Dr. Farley's numbers fit with expectations for the Gale Crater rocks — "it's a nice demonstration this method could work," Dr. Farley said — and the dating technique could help locate rocks that have been exposed to radiation recently, raising the odds of finding organics, if they are present.

"That's a big step forward for the exploration of life on Mars," Dr. Grotzinger said. "We're now exploring for that subset of environments can preserve organic carbon."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/science/space/on-mars-an-ancient-lake-and-perhaps-life.html?hp&_r=2& (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/science/space/on-mars-an-ancient-lake-and-perhaps-life.html?hp&_r=2&)

The sun is set to "flip upside down" within weeks as its magnetic field reverses polarity in an event that will send ripple effects throughout the solar system.










(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Fincoming%2Farticle8942792.ece%2FALTERNATES%2Fw620%2Fsun.jpg&hash=8f4c9c835c58890411536377efdbce57303f3479)










Although it may sound like a catastrophic occurrence, there's no need to run for cover. The sun switches its polarity, flipping its magnetic north and south, once every eleven years through an internal mechanism about which little is understood.


The swap could however cause intergalactic weather fronts such as geomagnetic storms, which can interfere with satellites and cause radio blackouts.


Nasa said in August that the change would happen in three to four months time, but it is impossible to give a more specific date. Scientist won't know for around another three weeks whether the flip is complete.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/sun-will-flip-upside-down-within-weeks-says-nasa-8942769.html

Crows are among the planet's most intelligent animals, teaching their young to use tools for foraging and banding together to fight off intruders. Now, the first study of how abstract reasoning works in these birds' brains could shed light on how intelligence works in a truly alien, non-mammal brain.
(http://io9.com/crows-could-be-the-key-to-understanding-alien-intellige-1480720559?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow)










(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.gawkerassets.com%2Fimg%2F199mfdd4ahzqtjpg%2Fku-xlarge.jpg&hash=33a0eb19129e0e0e5f9bae1fa2d20d93895f457d)

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed water vapor above the frigid south polar region of Jupiter's moon Europa, providing the first strong evidence of water plumes erupting off the moon's surface.

Previous scientific findings from other sources already point to the existence of an ocean located under Europa's icy crust. Researchers are not yet fully certain whether the detected water vapor is generated by erupting water plumes on the surface, but they are confident this is the most likely explanation.

Should further observations support the finding, this would make Europa the second moon in the solar system known to have water vapor plumes. The findings are being published in the Dec. 12 online issue of Science Express, and reported at the meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.

"By far the simplest explanation for this water vapor is that it erupted from plumes on the surface of Europa," said lead author Lorenz Roth of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "If those plumes are connected with the subsurface water ocean we are confident exists under Europa's crust, then this means that future investigations can directly investigate the chemical makeup of Europa's potentially habitable environment without drilling through layers of ice. And that is tremendously exciting."

In 2005, NASA's Cassini orbiter detected jets of water vapor and dust spewing off the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus. Although ice and dust particles have subsequently been found in the Enceladus plumes, only water vapor gases have been measured at Europa so far.




http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-363 (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-363)

Scientists have discovered a second code hiding within DNA. This second code contains information that changes how scientists read the instructions contained in DNA and interpret mutations to make sense of health and disease.


(http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/12/12/scientists-discover-double-meaning-in-genetic-code)

European space craft to attempt first-ever comet landing



A space craft lurking in the outer solar system will make the first ever attempt to land on a comet next year, with British scientists playing a key role in the project




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/10502488/European-space-craft-to-attempt-first-ever-comet-landing.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/10502488/European-space-craft-to-attempt-first-ever-comet-landing.html)

Sjajno! Sad znamo da smo napola u pravu. Time se potvrđuje izreka "Može da bude, ali ne mora da znači." Ti si moj jedini upotrebljivi izvor informacija. Ko kaže da je SF priča završena? Pisci su jedino sve lenji da potraže i obrade novum.

Carl Sagan inspired a generation of scientists with his work in and out of the classroom. But he didn't always present science with cheer. In this clip, he passionately defends science with a grave warning. It's something we all need to hear.






http://youtu.be/_iyFw8UF85A (http://youtu.be/_iyFw8UF85A)

Timeline of the far future



http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140105-timeline-of-the-far-future (http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140105-timeline-of-the-far-future)

Al' se ovaj namučio! Ko će ga proverava?

Ja nešto nemam vremena...

Zanimljivo, ali nepregledno.

http://imgur.com/gallery/3ZidINK (http://imgur.com/gallery/3ZidINK)




ali, što reče čiča Brin, džaba mu to kad ne možemo ni do Marsa bez njih...  :cry: :mrgreen:

Stopping killer robots


Autonomous weapons are robotic systems that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by a human operator. Advances in computer technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics may lead to a vast expansion in the development and use of such weapons in the near future. Public opinion runs strongly against killer robots. But many of the same claims that propelled the Cold War are being recycled to justify the pursuit of a nascent robotic arms race. Autonomous weapons could be militarily potent and therefore pose a great threat. For this reason, substantial pressure from civil society will be needed before major powers will seriously consider their prohibition. However, demands for human control and responsibility and the protection of human dignity and sovereignty fit naturally into the traditional law of war and imply strict limits on autonomy in weapon systems. Opponents of autonomous weapons should point out the terrible threat they pose to global peace and security, as well as their offensiveness to principles of humanity and to public conscience.


http://bos.sagepub.com/content/70/1/32.full (http://bos.sagepub.com/content/70/1/32.full)

Astronomers Find What May Be a Star Within a Star



The best candidate yet for an elusive Thorne-Żytkow Object



he universe is a massive place, filled with crazy things like black holes and dark matter and theoretical wormholes and stars that shoot lasers at you. So, as Discover magazine put it back in 1994, "astronomers aren't easily surprised by things astronomical."

In that context, the idea of a star-within-a-star is weird. But it's not so weird as to be unbelievable.

Known as a Thorne-Żytkow Object, the idea of a nesting-doll star was first proposed by two physicists, Kip Thorne and Anna Żytkow, back in the '70s. But no one has ever seen one. Now, though, Alexandra Witze reports at Nature, astronomers have found the best candidate yet:


Theorists have proposed several ways in which a Thorne-Zytkow object could form, but the most likely scenario involves a red giant swallowing an orbiting neutron star.


Although a neutron star is only ten miles or so across, its gravitational pull is so strong that it could draw matter away from its huge but more diffuse companion. In the process, it would slow down, like a ship dragging an anchor. Eventually the neutron star, in an ever-shrinking orbit, would plow into the outer layers of its neighbor. After a few thousand years it would spiral down into the star's center, demolishing the existing stellar core but leaving the rest of the star essentially intact. A red giant that has been violated in this way has come to be called a Thorne-Zytkow object--even though no one has ever seen one.

The scientist are keeping the name of their specific star(s) quiet until their research can be vetted by their peers, since there's always a chance there could be some other explanation for what they're seeing.


Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/starception-astronomers-find-what-may-be-star-within-star-180949308/#ixzz2qGvD3twT (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/starception-astronomers-find-what-may-be-star-within-star-180949308/#ixzz2qGvD3twT)

Japan to Test Space Junk Cleanup Tether Soon: Report



(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.space.com%2Fimages%2Fi%2F000%2F028%2F583%2Fi02%2Fearth-debris-large.jpg%3F1367431271&hash=527acc513d9a46f982c90a45ef23759971869687)

Japanese scientists are getting ready to launch a test of a space junk-cleaning tether, according to press reports.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) researchers are developing an electrodynamic tether designed to generate electricity that will slow down space-based debris, according to a report from Agence France Presse.

The slowed-down space junk will fall into lower and lower orbits until burning up harmlessly in Earth's atmosphere.

http://www.space.com/24325-japan-space-junk-tether.html (http://www.space.com/24325-japan-space-junk-tether.html)

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.keckobservatory.org%2Fimages%2Fmade%2Fimages%2Fpress_images%2FSimFull_centered_lighted_onBolshoi_QSOwhite_wLabel_300_255_s.jpeg&hash=247490b1d7fb050e31efbcb190876c2ce590c964)



MAUNA KEA, HAWAII – Astronomers have discovered a distant quasar illuminating a vast nebula of diffuse gas, revealing for the first time part of the network of filaments thought to connect galaxies in a cosmic web. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, led the study, published January 19 in the journal, Nature.

Using the 10-meter Keck I telescope at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, the researchers detected a very large, luminous nebula of gas extending about 2 million light-years across intergalactic space.

"This is a very exceptional object: it's huge, at least twice as large as any nebula detected before, and it extends well beyond the galactic environment of the quasar," said Sebastiano Cantalupo, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow at UC Santa Cruz.

The standard cosmological model of structure formation in the universe predicts that galaxies are embedded in a cosmic web of matter, most of which (about 84 percent) is invisible dark matter. This web is seen in the results from computer simulations of the evolution of structure in the universe, which show the distribution of dark matter on large scales, including the dark matter halos in which galaxies form and the cosmic web of filaments that connect them. Gravity causes ordinary matter to follow the distribution of dark matter, so filaments of diffuse, ionized gas are expected to trace a pattern similar to that seen in dark matter simulations.

Until now, these filaments have never been seen. Intergalactic gas has been detected by its absorption of light from bright background sources, but those results don't reveal how the gas is distributed. In this study, the researchers detected the fluorescent glow of hydrogen gas resulting from its illumination by intense radiation from the quasar.

"This quasar is illuminating diffuse gas on scales well beyond any we've seen before, giving us the first picture of extended gas between galaxies," said J. Xavier Prochaska, coauthor and professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz. "It provides a terrific insight into the overall structure of our universe."

The hydrogen gas illuminated by the quasar emits ultraviolet light known as Lyman alpha radiation. The distance to the quasar is so great (about 10 billion light-years) that the emitted light is "stretched" by the expansion of the universe from an invisible ultraviolet wavelength to a visible shade of violet by the time it reaches the Keck telescope and the LRIS (Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) used for this discovery. Knowing the distance to the quasar, the researchers calculated the wavelength for Lyman alpha radiation from that distance and built a special filter for LRIS to get an image at that wavelength.
(http://www.keckobservatory.org/recent/entry/ucsc_scientists_capture_first_cosmic_web_filaments_at_keck_observatory)

ио9 о сф експедицијама у време апропо шајнинг грлс

A chart that explains time travel in Lauren Beukes' The Shining Girls (http://io9.com/a-chart-that-explains-time-travel-in-lauren-beukes-the-1515076833)

NASA is planning to make water and oxygen on the Moon and Mars by 2020


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NASA is forging ahead with plans to make water, oxygen, and hydrogen on the surface of the Moon and Mars. If we ever want to colonize other planets, it is vital that we find a way of extracting these vital gases and liquids from moons and planets, rather than transporting them from Earth (which is prohibitively expensive, due to Earth's gravity). The current plan is to land a rover on the Moon in 2018 that will try to extract hydrogen, water, and oxygen — and then hopefully, Curiosity's successor will try to convert the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into oxygen in 2020 when it lands on Mars.


In 2018, NASA hopes to put a rover on the Moon that will carry the RESOLVE (Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen & Lunar Volatile Extraction) science payload. RESOLVE will contain the various tools necessary to carry out in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). Basically, RESOLVE will sift through the Moon's regolith (loose surface soil) and heat them up, looking for traces of hydrogen and oxygen, which can then be combined to make water. There is also some evidence that there's water ice on the surface of the Moon — RESOLVE will find out for certain by heating the soil and seeing of water vapor emerges. (http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/175757-nasa-is-planning-to-make-water-and-oxygen-on-the-moon-and-mars-by-2020)

Plague DNA Found in Ancient Tooth Suggests Black Death Isn't Dead Yet


(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.gawkerassets.com%2Fimg%2F19dyhif0jkysnjpg%2Fku-xlarge.jpg&hash=5a8bebf5bdf0e4182213a5c08ab25f2ec2912a18)

You've undoubtedly heard about the Bubonic plague, but the chances of you knowing next to anything about the Justinian plague are significantly slimmer. That's because no one really knew anything about the Justinian plague—until recently, that is. Now, two ancient, plague-ridden teeth are finally teaching us a little more about one of the worst pandemics in history—including the fact that another outbreak could be just around the corner.

The two 1,500-year-old teeth, which belonged to Justinian plague victims buried in Bavaria, Germany between 541 and 543 CE, contained tiny fragments of actual plague DNA, making them the oldest pathogen genomes we've ever accessed (the Black Death having occurred just over 600 years ago). The particularly fascinating bit, though, is that in reconstructing the Justinian genome, scientists have found that both it and the Bubonic plague (which didn't strike until 800 years after it) are two different strains of the very same pathogen. This means that a third version of the rodent-carried plague could very well be in our imminent future.
(http://gizmodo.com/plague-dna-found-in-ancient-tooth-suggests-black-death-1510789914)

Is this the future of gardening? U.S. students have created a prototype autonomous machine (pictured) that not only cuts grass in a specified area, but uses the waste cuttings to power itself - potentially saving gardeners both time and money
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2548784/Now-thats-GREEN-energy-Robotic-lawnmower-uses-grass-cuts-FUEL.html)

изгледа да је џон брунер лансирао успешну експедицију у 2010.
stand on zanzibar (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0765326787/ref=nosim/themillions-20) (хуго 1969) има веома интересантне моменте:

Quote
Stand on Zanzibar is that rarity among science fiction novels — it really made accurate predictions about the future. The book, published in 1969, is set in the year 2010, and this allows us to make a point-by-point comparison, and marvel at novelist John Brunner's uncanny ability to anticipate the shape of the world to come.  Indeed, his vision of the year 2010 even includes a popular leader named President Obomi — face it, Nate Silver himself couldn't have done that back in 1969!
Let me list some of the other correct predictions in Brunner's book:
(1) Random acts of violence by crazy individuals, often taking place at schools, plague society in Stand on Zanzibar.
(2) The other major source of instability and violence comes from terrorists, who are now a major threat to U.S. interests, and even manage to attack buildings within the United States.
(3) Prices have increased sixfold between 1960 and 2010 because of inflation. (The actual increase in U.S. prices during that period was sevenfold, but Brunner was close.)
(4) The most powerful U.S. rival is no longer the Soviet Union, but China. However, much of the competition between the U.S. and Asia is played out in economics, trade, and technology instead of overt warfare.
(5) Europeans have formed a union of nations to improve their economic prospects and influence on world affairs. In international issues, Britain tends to side with the U.S., but other countries in Europe are often critical of U.S. initiatives.
(6) Africa still trails far behind the rest of the world in economic development, and Israel remains the epicenter of tensions in the Middle East.
(7) Although some people still get married, many in the younger generation now prefer short-term hookups without long-term commitment.
(8 ) Gay and bisexual lifestyles have gone mainstream, and pharmaceuticals to improve sexual performance are widely used (and even advertised in the media).
(9) Many decades of affirmative action have brought blacks into positions of power, but racial tensions still simmer throughout society.
(10) Motor vehicles increasingly run on electric fuel cells. Honda (primarily known as a motorcycle manufacturers when Brunner wrote his book) is a major supplier, along with General Motors.
(11) Yet Detroit has not prospered, and is almost a ghost town because of all the shuttered factories. However. a new kind of music — with an uncanny resemblance to the actual Detroit techno movement of the 1990s — has sprung up in the city.
(12) TV news channels have now gone global via satellite.
(13) TiVo-type systems allow people to view TV programs according to their own schedule.
(14) Inflight entertainment systems on planes now include video programs and news accessible on individual screens at each seat.
(15) People rely on avatars to represent themselves on video screens — Brunner calls these images, which either can look like you or take on another appearance you select — "Mr. and Mrs. Everywhere."
(16) Computer documents are generated with laser printers.
(17) A social and political backlash has marginalized tobacco, but marijuana has been decriminalized.

остатале мање успешне путнике кроз време можете видети овде (http://www.themillions.com/2013/03/the-weird-1969-new-wave-sci-fi-novel-that-correctly-predicted-the-current-day.html)

NASA laying foundation for Jupiter moon space mission

Potential Jupiter moon Europa visit still faces daunting financial gauntlet


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NASA recently began laying out the groundwork for the technology it will need to fly an unmanned mission to Jupiter's intriguing moon Europa.

Scientists say Europa - which orbits the planet Jupiter about 778 million km (484 million miles) from the Sun - could support life because it might have an ocean of liquid water under its miles-thick frozen crust.  NASA said in December the Hubble Space Telescope observed water vapor above the frigid south polar region of Jupiter's moon Europa, providing the first strong evidence of water plumes erupting off the moon's surface.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/nasa-laying-foundation-jupiter-moon-space-mission (http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/nasa-laying-foundation-jupiter-moon-space-mission)

Eto kako se ostvaruje predviđanje SF pisca sa naše radionice...
Jes' da mi niko nije dao bodove i da priča niš' ne valja, ali je zato vizionarska...  :)

Još onda smo znali da će teško biti skupiti pare.

[size=0.9375rem]This visualization, created by UC Berkeley astronomer Alex Parker, is one of the most beautiful representation of alien worlds we've ever seen.[/size]




http://space.io9.com/this-is-the-prettiest-visualization-of-keplers-planets-1590318125/1591056577/+rtgonzalez (http://space.io9.com/this-is-the-prettiest-visualization-of-keplers-planets-1590318125/1591056577/+rtgonzalez)

[/size]

Astronauts to Reveal Sobering Data on Asteroid Impacts
Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/111278/astronauts-to-reveal-sobering-data-on-asteroid-impacts/#ixzz34o7WTgrs (http://www.universetoday.com/111278/astronauts-to-reveal-sobering-data-on-asteroid-impacts/#ixzz34o7WTgrs)











How 3D bioprinting is changing the world: Photos of 10 great projects (http://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/how-3d-bioprinting-is-changing-the-world-photos-of-10-great-projects/1/)

Next Mars Rover Will Make Oxygen from CO2


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The spacecraft, due in 2020, will have a reverse fuel cell to produce oxygen for fuel—or to breathe


http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/next-mars-rover-will-make-oxygen-from-co2/ (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/next-mars-rover-will-make-oxygen-from-co2/)

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic01.nyt.com%2Fimages%2F2014%2F09%2F02%2Fscience%2F02genome_alt2%2F02genome_alt2-master675.jpg&hash=4ae00209bb68e8db098b8ccaf66090a05266be72)






Tiny, Vast Windows Into Human DNA









http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/science/human-fly-worm-dna.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0 (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/science/human-fly-worm-dna.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0)

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.salon.com%2F2012%2F06%2Fsperm_rect.jpg&hash=e38b61e5550c7ccd45d81a7c46114d569daa093c)






http://www.salon.com/2014/05/14/17_million_year_old_giant_sperm_discovered_and_it_was_preserved_in_a_very_strange_way/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow (http://www.salon.com/2014/05/14/17_million_year_old_giant_sperm_discovered_and_it_was_preserved_in_a_very_strange_way/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow)

Scientists' depressing new discovery about the brain

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Forget the dream that education, scientific evidence or reason can help people make good decisions



This article originally appeared on Alternet.

AlterNet

Yale law school professor Dan Kahan's new research paper is called "Motivated Numeracy and Enlightened Self-Government," but for me a better title is the headline on science writer Chris Mooney's piece about it in Grist:  "Science Confirms: Politics Wrecks Your Ability to Do Math."

Kahan conducted some ingenious experiments about the impact of political passion on people's ability to think clearly.  His conclusion, in Mooney's words: partisanship "can even undermine our very basic reasoning skills.... [People] who are otherwise very good at math may totally flunk a problem that they would otherwise probably be able to solve, simply because giving the right answer goes against their political beliefs."

In other words, say goodnight to the dream that education, journalism, scientific evidence, media literacy or reason can provide the tools and information that people need in order to make good decisions.  It turns out that in the public realm, a lack of information isn't the real problem.  The hurdle is how our minds work, no matter how smart we think we are.  We want to believe we're rational, but reason turns out to be the ex post facto way we rationalize what our emotions already want to believe.

For years my go-to source for downer studies of how our hard-wiring makes democracy hopeless has been Brendan Nyhan, an assistant professor of government at Dartmouth.

Nyan and his collaborators have been running experiments trying to answer this terrifying question about American voters: Do facts matter?

The answer, basically, is no.  When people are misinformed, giving them facts to correct those errors only makes them cling to their beliefs more tenaciously.

http://www.salon.com/2013/09/17/the_most_depressing_discovery_about_the_brain_ever_partner/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow (http://www.salon.com/2013/09/17/the_most_depressing_discovery_about_the_brain_ever_partner/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow)

Australian scientists have created a tractor beam that can move particles up to 20 centimetres

Physicists have developed the first ever long-distance optical tractor beam, and it can both repel and attract objects.

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencealert.com.au%2Fimages%2Fstories%2Fnew2014%2F1413849918201_wps_10_Star_Trek_Tractor_Beam_web.jpg&hash=4167962e1eda0995703ce38d45b403ae74664d14)
A functional tractor beam, like the kind used in the Star Wars films to pull ships in, is one of those sci-fi technologies that scientists dream about. And scientists from the Australian National University are a step closer to creating one that can both repel and attract objects.

http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20142110-26371.html (http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20142110-26371.html)

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.csmonitor.com%2Fvar%2Fezflow_site%2Fstorage%2Fimages%2Fmedia%2Fcontent%2F2014%2F1014-boulder-cheops-comet-67p%2F19152981-1-eng-US%2F1014-boulder-cheops-comet-67p_full_600.jpg&hash=cc565812f07e196ad02dd4ea2ccb0547c26fefbf)

The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft has sent home several spectacular images that show a large pyramid-shaped boulder studding the surface of its target comet.

Rosetta mission team members have named the 82-foot-tall (25 meters) boulder on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko "Cheops," after the largest pyramid in Egypt's famous Giza complex. The rock is much smaller than its namesake, however, which rises 456 feet (139 m) into the Egyptian sky.

Rosetta first photographed Cheops upon arriving in orbit around Comet 67P in early August. Over the past few weeks, the probe has taken close-up pictures and several wide-angle views that highlight the rock and its surrounding boulder field.


http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2014/1014/Bizarre-pyramid-on-comet-How-did-it-get-there-video (http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2014/1014/Bizarre-pyramid-on-comet-How-did-it-get-there-video)

Science Graphic of the Week: How Magic Mushrooms Rearrange Your Brain (http://www.wired.com/2014/10/magic-mushroom-brain/?mbid=social_fb)

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Brain-to-brain interface via Internet replicated, improved (http://www.kurzweilai.net/brain-to-brain-interface-via-internet-replicated-improved?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=660b4ae9b6-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_147a5a48c1-660b4ae9b6-281972889)


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University of Washington researchers have successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain connection between pairs of people as part of a scientific study following the team's initial demonstration a year ago, reported on KurzweilAI.

In the newly published study, which involved six people (instead of two), researchers were able to transmit the signals from one person's brain over the Internet and use these signals to control the hand motions of another person within a split second of sending that signal.

In the 2013 study, the UW team was the first to demonstrate two human brains communicating in this way. The recent more-comprehensive study was published Wednesday (Nov. 5) in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

"The new study brings our brain-to-brain interfacing paradigm from an initial demonstration to something that is closer to a deliverable technology," said co-author Andrea Stocco, a research assistant professor of psychology and a researcher at UW's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences. "Now we have replicated our methods and know that they can work reliably with walk-in participants."

Collaborator Rajesh Rao, a UW professor of computer science and engineering, is the lead author on this work.

The research team combined two kinds of noninvasive instruments and fine-tuned software to connect two human brains in real time. One participant is hooked to an electroencephalography machine that reads brain activity and sends electrical pulses via the Web to the second participant, who is wearing a swim cap with a transcranial magnetic stimulation coil placed near the part of the brain that controls hand movements.

Using this setup, one person can send a command to move the hand of the other by simply thinking about that hand movement.

The UW study involved three pairs of participants. Each pair included a sender and a receiver with different roles and constraints. They sat in separate buildings on campus about a half mile apart and were unable to interact with each other in any way — except for the link between their brains.

Each sender was in front of a computer game in which he or she had to defend a city by firing a cannon and intercepting rockets launched by a pirate ship. But because the senders could not physically interact with the game, the only way they could defend the city was by thinking about moving their hand to fire the cannon.

Across campus, each receiver sat wearing headphones in a dark room — with no ability to see the computer game — with the right hand positioned over the only touchpad that could actually fire the cannon. If the brain-to-brain interface was successful, the receiver's hand would spontaneously twitch, pressing the touchpad and firing the cannon that was displayed on the sender's computer screen across campus.

The researchers found that accuracy varied among the pairs, ranging from 25 to 83 percent. Misses mostly were due to a sender failing to accurately execute the thought to send the "fire" command. The researchers also were able to quantify the exact amount of information that was transferred between the two brains.

Another research team from the company Starlab in Barcelona, Spain, recently published results in the same journal showing direct communication between two human brains, but that study only tested one sender brain instead of different pairs of study participants and was conducted offline instead of in real time over the Web.

'Nanomotor lithography' provides simpler, affordable nanofabrication (http://www.kurzweilai.net/nanomotor-lithography-provides-simpler-affordable-nanofabrication?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=660b4ae9b6-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_147a5a48c1-660b4ae9b6-281972889)


Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego recently invented a new lithography method for creating nanoscale electronic and medical devices, using nanorobots (nanomotors) that are chemically powered, self-propelled, and magnetically controlled.

These nanorobots swim over the surface of light-sensitive material to create complex surface patterns.

Their research, published recently in the journal Nature Communications, offers a simpler and more affordable alternative to the high cost and complexity of current state-of-the-art nanofabrication methods, such as electron beam writing, the researchers say.

Led by distinguished nanoengineering professor and chair Joseph Wang, the team developed, the team's proof-of-concept study demonstrates the first nanorobot swimmers able to manipulate light for nanoscale surface patterning. The new strategy combines controlled movement with unique light-focusing or light-blocking abilities of nanoscale robots.


"All we need is these self-propelled nanorobots and UV light," said Jinxing Li, a doctoral student at the Jacobs School of Engineering and first author. "They work together like minions, moving and writing and are easily controlled by a simple magnet."

As scientists invent devices and machines on the nanoscale, there is new interest in developing unconventional nanoscale manufacturing technologies for mass production.

State-of-art lithography methods such as electron beam writing are used to define extremely precise surface patterns on substrates used in the manufacture of microelectronics and medical devices.

These patterns form the functioning sensors and electronic components such as transistors and switches packed on today's integrated circuits.

Li was careful to point out that this nanomotor lithography method cannot completely replace the state-of-the-art resolution offered by an e-beam writer, for example.

However, the technology provides a framework for autonomous writing of nanopatterns at a fraction of the cost and difficulty of these more complex systems, which is useful for mass production.

Wang's team also demonstrated that several nanorobots can work together to create parallel surface patterns, a task that e-beam writers cannot perform.

The team developed two types of nanorobots: a spherical nanorobot made of silica that focuses the light like a near-field lens, and a rod-shape nanorobot made of metal that blocks the light. Each is self-propelled by the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide fuel solution.

Two types of features are generated: trenches and ridges. When the photoresist surface is exposed to UV light, the spherical nanorobot harnesses and magnifies the light, moving along to create a trench pattern, while the rod-shape nanorobot blocks the light to build a ridge pattern.

"Like microorganisms, our nanorobots can precisely control their speed and spatial motion, and self-organize to achieve collective goals," said professor Joe Wang.

His group's nanorobots offer great promise for diverse biomedical, environmental and security applications.

Joe Wang is the director of the Center for Wearable Sensors at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and holds the SAIC endowed chair in engineering.

A possible alternative to antibiotics

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Scientists from the University of Bern have developed a novel substance for the treatment of severe bacterial infections without antibiotics, which would prevent the development of antibiotic resistance.


Ever since the development of penicillin almost 90 years ago, antibiotics have remained the gold standard in the treatment of bacterial infections. However, the WHO has repeatedly warned of a growing emergence of bacteria that develop antibiotic resistance. Once antibiotics do no longer protect from bacterial infection, a mere pneumonia might be fatal.

Alternative therapeutic concepts which lead to the elimination of bacteria, but do not promote resistance are still lacking.

A team of international scientists has tested a novel substance, which has been developed by Eduard Babiychuk and Annette Draeger from the Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern in Switzerland. This compound constitutes a novel approach for the treatment of bacterial infections: the scientists engineered artificial nanoparticles made of lipids, "liposomes" that closely resemble the membrane of host cells. These liposomes act as decoys for bacterial toxins and so are able to sequester and neutralize them. Without toxins, the bacteria are rendered defenseless and can be eliminated by the cells of the host's own immune system. The study will be published in Nature Biotechnology Nov 2.

Artificial bait for bacterial toxins

In clinical medicine, liposomes are used to deliver specific medication into the body of patients. Here, the Bernese scientists have created liposomes which attract bacterial toxins and so protect host cells from a dangerous toxin attack.

"We have made an irresistible bait for bacterial toxins. The toxins are fatally attracted to the liposomes, and once they are attached, they can be eliminated easily without danger for the host cells", says Eduard Babiychuk who directed the study.

"Since the bacteria are not targeted directly, the liposomes do not promote the development of bacterial resistance", adds Annette Draeger. Mice which were treated with the liposomes after experimental, fatal septicemia survived without additional antibiotic therapy.


http://phys.org/news/2014-11-alternative-antibiotics.html#ajTabs (http://phys.org/news/2014-11-alternative-antibiotics.html#ajTabs)

Discovery of Oldest DNA Scrambles Human Origins Picture


The bones were first thought to belong to European Neanderthals, but analysis showed they are genetically closer to the Siberian Denisovans.



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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131204-human-fossil-dna-spain-denisovan-cave/ (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131204-human-fossil-dna-spain-denisovan-cave/)

Ancient Computer Even More Ancient Than We Thought

http://www.iflscience.com/technology/ancient-computer-even-more-ancient (http://www.iflscience.com/technology/ancient-computer-even-more-ancient)



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The astonishing Antikythera mechanism is even older than previously suspected, new research suggests. Instead of being "1500 years ahead of its time," it may have been closer to 1800.

The mechanism was found in 1901 in the wreck of a ship that sank in the Aegean Sea around 60 BC. Though its origins are unknown, it could be used to calculate astronomical motion, making it a sort of forerunner to computers.

The sheer sophistication of the device makes it mysterious, being more advanced than any known instrument of its day – or for centuries thereafter. Even with parts missing after spending such a long time in the briny deep, it was examined to have at least 30 gears. This is perhaps why for many, it represents the pinnacle of technology of the ancient world and what was lost during the Dark Ages.

If devices such as this had survived, Kepler might have found the task of explaining the orbits of the planets far easier to achieve. Although the makers likely would not have understood why the moon slowed down and sped up in its orbit, they were sufficiently aware of the phenomenon. In fact, the mechanism mimics it precisely.

One of the mechanism's functions was to predict eclipses, and a study of these dials indicates it was operating on a calender starting from 205 BC.

Estimates of the mechanism's date of manufacture have gradually been pushed back, starting with the year in which it sank. The device was housed in a box, which has engravings dated to 80 to 90BC, but the lettering appears consistent with a date of 100 to 150BC.

However, in The Archive of History of Exact Sciences, Dr. Christian Carman of Argentina's National University of Quilmes and Dr. James Evans of the University of Puget Sound believe they have identified the solar eclipse that occurs in the 13th month of the mechanism's calender. If so, this would make its start date, when the dials are set to zero, May 205BC.

Carman and Evans add, "We also examine some possibilities for the theory that underlies the eclipse times on the Saros dial and find that a Babylonian-style arithmetical scheme employing an equation of center and daily velocities would match the inscribed times of day quite well. Indeed, an arithmetic scheme for the eclipse times matches the evidence somewhat better than does a trigonometric model."

While the device might theoretically have been built with a starting date set many years before its construction, doing so would have reduced its usefulness. Precise as the mechanism is, errors naturally accumulate, reducing its accuracy and suggesting its makers would not have wanted to start it too far in the past.

Speculation about the origins of the Mechanism has often focused on Archimedes, if not as the inventor then at least as the inspiration for its creation. However, the Babylonia influence makes this unlikely, despite the starting date being just seven years after his murder.

To gain some idea of the Antikythera mechansim's complexity, consider this Lego recreation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLPVCJjTNgk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLPVCJjTNgk)

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The Cretaceous era was a truly terrifying place, with galloping crocodiles capable of giving the better-known dinosaurs a run for their money. A documentary on the giant crocodiles of the era will screen on December 20th.

In 2009, National Geographic expeditions to Morocco and Niger revealed three new species of 100-million-year-old crocodiles, formally described in Zookeys.

The first specimen unearthed of Kaprosuchus saharicus would have been 6.5-meters-long (21 feet). Combined with three sets of sharp tusks and a snout that could probably have been used as a sort of battering ram, this must have been the stuff of nightmares for the beasts of the time. While it is thought that K. saharicus fed mainly on dinosaurs, our ancestral mammals probably had plenty of reason to be afraid.


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Laganosuchus thaumastos grew to a similar size, but its flat head appears to have been more suited to ambush attacks on passing fish.

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/galloping-crocodiles-ate-dinosaurs-north-africa (http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/galloping-crocodiles-ate-dinosaurs-north-africa)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/orion-capsule-returns-to-earth-after-dramatic-test-flight/ (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/orion-capsule-returns-to-earth-after-dramatic-test-flight/)


Boosted to an altitude of 3,604 miles by a powerful Delta 4 rocket, NASA's Orion deep space exploration vehicle fell back to Earth Friday in the program's maiden voyage, slamming into the atmosphere at nearly 20,000 mph, enduring a hellish 4,000-degree re-entry and settling to a Pacific Ocean splashdown to wrap up a critical unmanned test flight.

Navy recovery crews and NASA personnel stationed near the landing zone quickly moved into position to recover the spacecraft and its three huge parachutes, along with quick-look video of the capsule's heat shield. Recorded video and data from more than 1,200 sensors will be recovered after the spacecraft is hauled back to port in San Diego.

But elated engineers said the Exploration Flight Test 1 -- EFT-1 -- mission appeared to go off without a hitch.

"It's hard to have a better day than today," said Mark Geyer, the NASA program manager.

"It was a lot of fun, very exciting, each part of the mission. Part of the reason it's exciting is it's a difficult mission, it's a tough environment to fly through, tough objectives we set for this flight. But it appears that Orion and the Delta 4 were nearly flawless. Great job by the team."

Mike Hawes, the senior manager with Orion-builder Lockheed Martin, said he started with NASA in the early days of the shuttle program when many Apollo engineers still worked at the space agency.

"So we've kind of now finally done something for the first time for our generation," he reflected, choked with emotion, during a post-splashdown news conference. "It's a good day."

As if following a script, the Orion test craft sailed through one test objective after another, blasting off on time atop the heavy-lift Delta 4 after a variety of countdown delaysThursday, successfully jettisoning structural panels and a launch abort tower during the climb to space and then enduring extreme space radiation as it flew through and then beyond the Van Allen belts.

Live television views near the top of the spacecraft's trajectory provided spectacular shots of Earth from an altitude some 14 times higher than the International Space Station, the highest point any spacecraft designed to carry astronauts has reached since the final Apollo moonshot more than 40 years ago.

Appropriately enough, a small lunar soil sample made the trip back into orbit aboard Orion along with a part from an Apollo lunar suit and a variety of other mementos, including a "Star Trek" Captain Kirk action figure and an assortment of flags, medallions, patches and pins, according to collectSPACE.

Falling back to Earth after separation from the Delta 4's second stage, the Orion capsule's flight computer fired thrusters to properly orient the spacecraft for re-entry and the spacecraft plunged into the discernible atmosphere 75 miles above the Pacific Ocean around 11:18 a.m. EST (GMT-5).

на неки начин и ово припада овде

Rosetta results: Comets 'did not bring water to Earth' (http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30414519)

Quote
Scientists have dealt a blow to the theory that most water on Earth came from comets.
Results from Europe's Rosetta mission, which made history by landing on Comet 67P in November, shows the water on the icy mass is unlike that on our planet.
The team found that there was far more heavy water on Comet 67P than on Earth.
David Shukman reports on the findings....

The brainwaves of a parasitic roundworm are now driving a Lego robot.


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When you think about it, the brain is really nothing more than a collection of electrical signals. If we can learn to catalogue those then, in theory, you can upload someone's mind onto a computer, allowing them to live forever as a digital form of consciousness, just like in the Johnny Depp film Transcendence.

But it's not just science fiction. Sure, scientists aren't anywhere near close to achieving such  feat with humans (and even if they could, the ethics would be pretty fraught), but now an international team of researchers have managed to do just that with the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans.

C. elegans is a little nematodes that have been extensively studied by scientists - we know all of their genes and their nervous system has been analysed many times.

Now a collective called the OpenWorm project has mapped all the connections between the worm's 302 neurons and managed to simulate them in software, as Marissa Fessenden reports for the Smithsonian.

The ultimate goal of the project is to completely replicate C. elegans as a virtual organism, but for now, they've only managed to simulate its brain, and they've now uploaded that into a simple Lego robot.

This Lego robot has all the equivalent limited body parts that C. elegans has - a sonar sensor that acts as a nose, and motors that replace its motor neurons on each side of its body.

Amazingly, without any instruction being programmed into the robot, the C. elegans brain upload controlled and move the Lego robot.

Lucy Black writes for I Programmer:

"It is claimed that the robot behaved in ways that are similar to observed C. elegans. Stimulation of the nose stopped forward motion. Touching the anterior and posterior touch sensors made the robot move forward and back accordingly. Stimulating the food sensor made the robot move forward."

This video of the Lego-worm-robot was released by Timothy Busbice, a founder of OpenWorm, showing it moving, stopping and then travelling backwards.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWQnzylhgHc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWQnzylhgHc)


Of course, the brain simulation still isn't exact - for one, the researchers had to simplify the process that triggers an artificial neuron to fire. But the fact that this robot can move, stop before it bumps into something and reverse using nothing more than a network of connections that mimic a worm's brain, is pretty incredible.

Scientists are now working out how to map all the connections in the human brain - something called the connectome. Even if we're not uploading our brains into computers, just being able to simulate a human brain would help to revolutionise artificial intelligence and computers.

And if we could one day get to the point where we can somehow get our minds to escape the vulnerable fleshy meat sacks that currently house them, the opportunities would, quite literally, be mind-blowing.


http://www.sciencealert.com/watch-scientists-have-put-a-worm-s-brain-into-a-lego-robot-s-body-and-it-works (http://www.sciencealert.com/watch-scientists-have-put-a-worm-s-brain-into-a-lego-robot-s-body-and-it-works)

The Search for Starivores, Intelligent Life that Could Eat the Sun

There could be all manner of alien life forms in the universe, from witless bacteria to superintelligent robots. Still, the notion of a starivore—an organism that literally devours stars—may sound a bit crazy, even to a ​seasoned sci-fi fan. And yet, if such creatures do exist, they're probably lurking in our astronomical data right now.

That's why philosopher Dr. Clement Vidal, who's a researcher at the Free University of Brussels, along with Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology Stephen Dick, futurist John Smart, and nanotech entrepreneur Robert Freitas are soliciting scientific proposals to seek out star-eating life. Vidal, who coined the term starivore in a paper he wrote in 2013, is the first to admit how bizarre it sounds. Yet he insists that some of the most profound scientific discoveries have come about by examining natural processes through a radically different lens.

"Newton did not discover new gravitational bodies: He took a different perspective on a phenomena and discovered new things exist," Vidal told me. "It might well be that extraterrestrial intelligence is already somewhere in our data. Re-interpreting certain star systems as macroscopic living things is one example."

Simple forms of life may be strewn all over universe, but if we ever discover intelligent aliens, they'll probably vastly outstrip us in technology and intellect. It's impossible to say exactly how a hyper-advanced civilization would live, but one very likely feature—according to the handful of scientists who ponder such matters—is their ability to harness tremendous quantities of energy.

"Our civilization produces minuscule amounts of energy—a trillion times less than the power produced by the sun," Avi Loeb, chair of Harvard University's astronomy department, told me. "You can imagine that some advanced civilization would be able to harness the entire energy of its host star. The question is, how would they do it?"

Is star-eating life one possible answer? That may depend on how we actually define life. Vidal's starivores call for a definition free of our terrestrial biases (that life will require carbon, oxygen, water and so forth). But metabolism—the controlled conversion of matter to energy and expulsion of waste—is, by definition, common to all living organisms. And, it so happens, there are a number of stellar bodies in the universe that display similar behaviors, including certain binary stars.

"Energy flow, a maintenance of an internal organization and an exportation of entropy, all appear to be present in some binary systems," Vidal writes in his PhD thesis, which was published as a book last year.

Which is to say, what astronomers may have taken to be two massive balls of plasma locked in a gravitational embrace could actually be a very large, very hungry civilization devouring a hapless star.

Now, not all binary star systems behave even remotely like metabolic systems. Contact binaries vigorously exchange matter and energy, but the process is unstable, while detached binaries don't appear to exchange matter at all. But in certain semi-detached binary systems, energy flows from one star to another in a controlled manner, while gas is expelled regularly via novae or jets. It's this latter sort of binary system, Vidal argues, that may be hiding some form of metabolism—perhaps belonging to intelligent life.

Strictly speaking, Vidal's idea is not entirely new. In the 1953 novel The Star Maker, Olaf Stapledon envisioned an advanced civilization that feeds off the energy of an artificial star, in a binary system constructed to fuel an endless journey through space. Vidal also takes inspiration from Dyson spheres, hypothetical megastructures that encircle stars and soak up nearly all their energy.

But intriguing as it sounds, the notion of advanced life masquerading as a star faces a major hurdle: Some way of empirically proving or disproving the presence of intelligence.

"The difficulty with this idea, like any other idea for advanced intelligence, is in finding signals," Loeb said. "If we knew what to look for, we would have found it already."

Vidal agrees. "Obviously, the confirmation or refutation of this idea is over my head. It needs to be a team effort, composed of high energy astrophysicists and astrobiologists."

Whether any researchers decide to take up the starivore challenge remains to be seen. But it'd be shortsighted to write off the possibility. After all, new searches for life's techno-signatures—waste heat, industrial pollution and even Dyson spheres—are bubbling forth from the astronomical community.

And if Vidal happens to be right, well, that would pretty much change the way we conceive of the universe. We could have thousands of starivores in our galaxy alone.

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/starivores-intelligent-life-that-could-eat-the-sun (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/starivores-intelligent-life-that-could-eat-the-sun)

To Find Aliens, We Should Look for Industrial, Polluted Wastelands


The subject of extraterrestrial life tends to bring out both our inner utopianists and dystopianists. In fiction, aliens are usually depicted as either extremely cute and benevolent (E.T.-style) or ruthless planet pillagers (Kaiju-style).

Still, both extremes have one thing in common: The alien characters show basic competence when it comes to ensuring the survival of their race. They may lose their kids on other planets as with E.T., and they may underestimate that priceless Smith/Goldblum chemistry, but they aren't as fundamentally self-destructive as our own species.

But as it turns out, aliens saddled with comparable foibles to humanity might be the easiest for us to find. At least, that's what researchers based out of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics speculate in a study announced today. The team suggests for signs of specific industrial pollutants in the atmospheres of exoplanets could help streamline the search for alien life.

"We consider industrial pollution as a sign of intelligent life, but perhaps civilizations more advanced than us, with their own SETI programs, will consider pollution as a sign of unintelligent life since it's not smart to contaminate your own air," said lead author Henry Lin in Harvard's statement.

Admittedly, this concept of screening exoplanets for signs of industrial waste is not entirely new. Astronomers have searched for telltale megastructures like Dyson spheres in the spectrums of distant stars, while others have suggested looking for artificial debris used for mining.

What sets the Harvard team's approach apart, however, is its focus on using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to specifically detect chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in exoplanet atmospheres.

The JWST is currently scheduled for launch in 2018, and it will have the ability able to root out CFCs—but only in very specific conditions. As in: only on Earth-sized planets with at least 10 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth that also orbit white dwarf stars.

That narrow set of parameters will allow the chemical signal of CFCs to be maximized to levels that the JWST can pick out. Looking for CFCs on exoplanets orbiting Sun-like stars will require a much more advanced telescope, so for now we're stuck with whatever weird civilizations are polluting up a storm on their pressurized exoplanets orbiting white dwarfs.

Of course, it's natural to raise the question of what we would even do if we found such a civilization. Some might be skeptical about reaching out to another unhinged society with self-destructive tendencies. But then again, there's that theory that, to quote Bill Watterson's Calvin, "the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us." It might be nice to have a pal in the same boat.

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/to-find-aliens-we-should-look-for-industrial-polluted-wastelands (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/to-find-aliens-we-should-look-for-industrial-polluted-wastelands)

Physicists achieve superconductivity at room temperature


German researchers have figured out how to put a piece of ceramic in a superconducting state at room temperature - no cooling required.

Physicists from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter have kept a piece of ceramic in a superconducting state, disproving the widely-held assumption that materials need to be cooled to temperatures of at least -140 degrees Celsius to achieve superconductivity.

Superconducting materials have the potential to change everything that relies on electrical power, such as power grids, transportation, and renewable energy sources. This is because they're able to transport electric currents without any resistance, which means they're incredibly efficient and cost-effective to run. Except right now, they're not, because in order to get a material to a superconducting state, it needs to be cooled to near absolute zero temperatures, which has really hampered the potential of this technology up to this point.

Over the past few decades, scientists have come to realise that metals cooled to temperatures of around -273 degrees Celsius using liquid nitrogen or helium aren't the only materials capable of reaching a superconducting state. During the 1980s, it was discovered that ceramic materials can reach this state at significantly higher (and yet still extremely cold) temperatures of around -200 degrees Celsius. This is why they're called high-temperature superconductors.

One such ceramic material, called yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO), has since been singled out, thanks to its great potential for use in a range of technical applications such as superconducting cables, electrical motors, and generators. Made from super-thin double layers of a copper oxide material stacked in-between layers made from barium, copper and oxygen, this material is designed to allow the bonding of electrons into what's known as Cooper pairs,  the team reports in a press release.

These Cooper pairs of electrons are able to 'tunnel' between the alternating layers "like ghosts can pass through walls, figuratively speaking - a typical quantum effect," they report, but it was thought this could only occur at super-cooled temperatures.

But then the physicists from Max Planck decided to see what would happen if they irradiated the YBCO ceramic material with infrared laser pulses. They found that for a fraction of a second, the ceramic becomes superconducting at room temperature. And when we say "a fraction of a second", we mean a fraction. "It was only a few millionths of a millisecond," says Adam Clark Estes at Gizmodo. "That's a very, very brief lifespan for our amazing new room temperature superconductor. However, the successful experiment is proof that such a thing is possible."

The team suspects this is because the pulses from the laser cause individual atoms in the crystal lattice structure of the ceramic to shift momentarily, which increases the superconductivity of the material.

The team explains the results in a press release from the Max Planck Institute:

"The infrared pulse had not only excited the atoms to oscillate, but had also shifted their position in the crystal as well. This briefly made the copper dioxide double layers thicker - by two picometres, or one hundredth of an atomic diameter - and the layer between them became thinner by the same amount. This in turn increased the quantum coupling between the double layers to such an extent that the crystal became superconducting at room temperature for a few picoseconds."

Publishing the results in the journal Nature, the team hopes the discovery will help drive the potential of superconductor technology in the future. "It could assist materials scientists to develop new superconductors with higher critical temperatures," said lead researcher, physicist Roman Mankowsky. "And ultimately to reach the dream of a superconductor that operates at room temperature and needs no cooling at all."

http://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-achieve-superconductivity-at-room-temperature (http://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-achieve-superconductivity-at-room-temperature)

intermeco...

When these 3D printed sculptures are spun, they come alive. The master behind these works of art, John Edmark, teaches design at Stanford University. They were created using the Fibonacci Sequence, which occurs naturally in nature in objects like pine cones, flowers and seashells, who knew math could be so stunning and hypnotic?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nom7NiTLrFg#t=13 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nom7NiTLrFg#t=13)

NASA's Kepler Space Telescope recently discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting a nearby star within the habitable zone of our galaxy. Kepler-186f is approximately 500 light-years from Earth in the Cygnus constellation.

The habitable zone, also known as the Goldilocks zone, is the region around a star within which planetary-mass objects with sufficient atmospheric pressure can support liquid water at their surfaces. While it has been estimated that there are at least 40 billion Earth-sized planets orbiting in our Milky Way Galaxy, this particular discovery is labeled the first Earth-sized planet to be found in the habitable zone of another star.


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http://in5d.com/scientists-discover-another-earth/ (http://in5d.com/scientists-discover-another-earth/)

NASA has its sights set on a visit to Jupiter's icy moon Europa, where astrobiologists believe there could be possible extraterrestrial life forms.

"For the first time in the history of humanity we have the tools and technology and capability to potentially answer this question. And, we know where to go to find it," Kevin Hand, a NASA astrobiologist, said last year.

Getting a closer look could soon be a reality. The $18.5 billion NASA budget recently proposed by the White House for next year includes money earmarked "for Planetary Science including formulation of a mission to Jupiter's moon Europa."





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Under its icy shell, Europa, one of the many moons orbiting Jupiter, has an interior ocean that could perhaps be ten times deeper than those on Earth, and include two to three times the volume of all liquid water on our planet, according to Hand.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nasa-mission-europa-search-extraterrestrial-life/story?id=28719191&cid=fb_wn (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nasa-mission-europa-search-extraterrestrial-life/story?id=28719191&cid=fb_wn)



http://io9.com/were-going-to-europa-1683721134?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow (http://io9.com/were-going-to-europa-1683721134?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow)

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NASA's Dawn spacecraft, on approach to dwarf planet Ceres, has acquired its latest and closest-yet snapshot of this mysterious world.

At a resolution of 8.5 miles (14 kilometers) per pixel, the pictures represent the sharpest images to date of Ceres.

After the spacecraft arrives and enters into orbit around the dwarf planet, it will study the intriguing world in great detail. Ceres, with a diameter of 590 miles (950 kilometers), is the largest object in the main asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter.

Dawn's mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The framing cameras were provided by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Gottingen, Germany, with significant contributions by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, and in coordination with the Institute of Computer and Communication Network Engineering, Braunschweig. The visible and infrared mapping spectrometer was provided by the Italian Space Agency and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, built by Selex ES, and is managed and operated by the Italian Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology, Rome. The gamma ray and neutron detector was built by Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, and is operated by the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona.

For more information about Dawn, visit:


http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov (http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov)

http://www.earthporm.com/woman-spent-last-14-years-photographing-worlds-oldest-trees/ (http://www.earthporm.com/woman-spent-last-14-years-photographing-worlds-oldest-trees/)



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3D Printing: The Future Is Now

Ever sketched a design idea on paper and wondered what it might look like if it could be brought to life? An earring design, a pendant, perhaps? A sculpture, or special widget? Or even a house plan?


One of the greatest challenges faced by artisans, entrepreneurs and small business operators is turning an idea into a tangible product. Often, the task of moving from concept to a functional prototype can be so difficult, many great ideas simply remain just that - ideas.

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A Printing Revolution




3D printing is not really that new, it's just newly affordable. It popularity was confined to the world of engineering, architecture and manufacturing until the last few years. That all changed with the introduction of relatively low-cost 3D-pirinters, and the wider availability of 3D-printing software, online how-to guides and thousands of practical applications. This convergence has sparked a 3D printing revolution, fuelled by mainstream media interest and growing popularity with consumers and small businesses. Today, 3D printing is one of the most hyped advancements in the technology arena.



Why? 3D printing puts the power of affordable prototyping and short-run manufacturing into everyone's hands. With one machine and a digital design, 3D printers can build a three-dimensional object of virtually anything right on the spot. It can allow jewelry designers, for example, to go from flat sketch to an exact physical model in just hours.


Driving Innovation




A relatively sophisticated, 3D printer can cost between $2,500 and $5,000. Cruder models are available for as little as $300-$400. This is giving rise to a growing community - from individual inventors and creative types, to nascent businesses - exploring the potential of 3D printing. They are driving innovation beyond the novelty of uniquely made printed objects.




Now, boutique engineering and manufacturing firms as well as aspiring inventors and innovators can afford to offer clients physical mockups and models of design concepts. Do-it-yourselfers can print replacement parts for common household items such as washers, picture-frames and light-fixtures.




In Sierra Leone, David Sengeh a 27-year-old doctoral student is using 3-D printing and advanced math to create a new kind of artificial limb he believes can significantly improve the lives of amputees in Sierra Leone and across the rest of the world. Earlier this year, NASA announced that it would be sending a test 3D printer to the International Space Station to allow astronauts the ability to print their own spare parts.




Business models are evolving as well. A number of companies are emerging that enable anyone to upload a design to a website and order and receive their 'prints'. Companies like Sculpteo and Shapeways take it even further. They help promote and sell products in a 3D marketplace. They will take the orders, print it and send it to interested buyers. You collect the profit from your designs. This opens a world of possibility for creative types who would typically be stymied by the hurdles of traditional manufacturing and sales processes.




These types of innovation create unique opportunities and threats for a broad range of industries. Companies can take advantage of the local 3D printing and use it to create cheaper, more responsive supply chains.

http://www.3d-print.today/?categoryId=29888&itemId=52085 (http://www.3d-print.today/?categoryId=29888&itemId=52085)

Living forever as robot? Prototype lets humans upload their mind into mechanized 'heads'


(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.rt.com%2Ffiles%2Fnews%2F38%2F1b%2F30%2F00%2F26.si.jpg&hash=1ac65b8f40fe459e37055969e64f1fba50c716aa)

An Artificial Intelligence pioneer is embracing the controversial idea of uploading the memories, thoughts and feelings of a living person into a computer to create a Mind Clone or "second self." The prototype for this new self is called 'Bina-48'.

Entrepreneur Martine Rothblatt has created a new robotic head that she hopes, one day in the future, humans will be able to upload their minds into. Bina-48 is named after Rothblatt's real-life wife, Bina Aspen, and serves as a proof-of-concept for the futuristic idea. The robot version is designed to carry on a conversation, with scientists hoping that these mind clones could give human owners a sort of artificial afterlife.

"I believe Mind Clones will be humanity's biggest invention. The market opportunity is limitless," Rothblatt told Bloomberg News. "Ultimately – just like we all want a smart phone, we all want a social media account – we are all going to want a Mind Clone. It will make everything in our life more useful, more valuable. It will give us twice as much time to do everything."

http://rt.com/usa/229811-mind-clones-robot-afterlife/ (http://rt.com/usa/229811-mind-clones-robot-afterlife/)

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Today, Leonardo da Vinci is renowned for being one of the Renaissance's most illustrious polymaths – but back in the
late 15th Century, the artist, inventor and all-around genius still had to job hunt like the rest of us. And yes, his resume was... intimidating.
(http://io9.com/leonardo-da-vincis-hand-written-resume-will-make-you-fe-1684441362?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow)

Photos: Europe's Rosetta Comet Mission in Pictures (http://www.space.com/24266-rosetta-comet-mission-photos-esa.html)

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mali apdejt za Ceres:


(Reuters) - A U.S. space probe slipped into orbit around Ceres, a miniature planet beyond Mars believed to be left over from the formation of the solar system, NASA said on Friday.

Launched in 2007, the Dawn spacecraft made a 14-month tour of the asteroid Vesta before steering itself toward Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Dawn shifted its path to allow itself to be captured by Ceres' gravity at 7:39 a.m. EST, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a dwarf planet.

"We feel exhilarated," lead researcher Chris Russell at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a statement after Dawn radioed back to Earth.

NASA's New Horizons probe is scheduled to fly by another dwarf planet, Pluto, in the far reaches of the solar system later this year. Like Ceres, Pluto was once considered a full-fledged planet, but was reclassified after the discovery of similar bodies.

Dawn will spend about a month repositioning itself from its initial orbit about 38,000 miles (61,000 km) above Ceres to the first survey altitude of 2,730 miles (4,400 km).

By the time the mission ends in June 2016, Dawn will have flown as low as 230 miles (375 km) above the surface.

Scientists already have a mystery to solve. Last month as Dawn neared Ceres, it relayed images of startlingly bright spots on the surface, which could be patches of subsurface ice exposed after an asteroid or comet impact. They also could be deposits of salt or other minerals.

"These spots were extremely surprising," Dawn scientist Carol Raymond of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, told reporters on Monday.

Scientists suspect Ceres may have had an underground ocean early in its history that later froze. Europe's Herschel telescope last year detected water vapor around Ceres, a clue that impacting bodies may periodically send plumes of watery material shooting into space. Dawn will try to confirm those findings.

The mission, which is costing NASA about $473 million, is the first to include stops at more than one extraterrestrial body.

Dawn is outfitted with an ion electric propulsion engine, which requires far less fuel that traditional chemical engines.

The spacecraft was designed and built by Orbital ATK (OA.N).

No new pictures of Ceres are expected until April when Dawn will be able to see the sunlight side of its new home.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/06/us-space-ceres-dawn-orbit-idUSKBN0M21QC20150306 (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/06/us-space-ceres-dawn-orbit-idUSKBN0M21QC20150306)

Man undergoing head transplant could experience something 'a lot worse than death', says neurological expert (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/man-undergoing-head-transplant-could-experience-something-a-lot-worse-than-death-says-neurological-expert-10164423.html)

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Yesterday, 30-year-old Russian man Valery Spiridonov volunteered to become the first person in the world to undergo a complete head transplant. Literally his entire head. On a different body.



The operation will be carried out by Italian surgeon Dr Sergio Canavero, in what he expects to be a 36-hour procedure involving 150 doctors and nurses.

A Werdnig-Hoffmann disease sufferer with rapidly declining health, Spiridonov is willing to take a punt on this very experimental surgery and you can't really blame him, but while he is prepared for the possibility that the body will reject his head and he will die, his fate could be considerably worse than death.

"I would not wish this on anyone," said Dr Hunt Batjer, president elect of the American Association for Neurological Surgeons.

"I would not allow anyone to do it to me as there are a lot of things worse than death."

The problem is, fusing a head with a separate body (including spinal cord, jugular vein etc) could result in a hitherto never experienced level and quality of insanity.

Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at New York University's Langone Medical Centre, who described Dr Canavero as "nuts", believes that the bodies of head transplant patients "would end up being overwhelmed with different pathways and chemistry than they are used to and they'd go crazy."

A head transplant was performed on a monkey 45 years ago in 1970. It lived, but only for eight days, with the body rejecting the new head and the monkey being left unable to breathe and unable to move because the spinal cord of the head and body were not connected properly.

Dr Canavero hopes to complete the operation in 2017.

NASA Posts a Huge Library of Space Sounds, And You're Free To Use Them  (http://createdigitalmusic.com/2014/10/nasa-posts-huge-library-space-sounds-youre-free-use/)

EVAGo Pro  (https://archive.org/details/EVAGoPro)

This footage was taken by U.S. astronaut Terry Virts during two spacewalks (EVAs) on the International Space Station on February 25, 2015 and March 1, 2015.

How China Entered the Space Race  (https://medium.com/backchannel/how-china-entered-the-space-race-9bdad503a1f8)

China's space program once cribbed from other agencies. Now it's vaulting ahead of them.

Project HAVOC: NASA Concept Could Explore Venus with Airships  (http://www.space.com/29141-venus-airship-havoc-nasa-concept-gallery.html)

najpre - zalazak sunca na Marsu  :D


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"NASA's Curiosity Mars rover recorded this view of the sun setting at the close of the mission's 956th Martian day, or sol (April 15, 2015), from the rover's location in Gale Crater.This was the first sunset observed in color by Curiosity. The image comes from the left-eye camera of the rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam)."

If you look closely, you can see Tars Tarkas leading a tribe of Tharks into battle  :lol: :lol: (ludi boingboing)



a onda:

NASA Announces Bold Plan To Still Exist By 2045  (http://www.theonion.com/article/nasa-announces-bold-plan-still-exist-2045-50398)

према овом чланку, изгледа да би експедиције требало слати директно у олују, а онда, рецимо, жњети позитроне, онда те позитроне у контролисаним условима спојити са електронима, по могућству изнад или на територији неке непријатељске земље

но, (оправдани) сарказам на страну - A Plane Took a Wrong Turn and Ended Up in a Cloud of Antimatter (http://gizmodo.com/a-plane-took-a-wrong-turn-and-ended-up-in-a-cloud-of-an-1704051139/+katharinetrendacosta#_ga=1.57711402.1495872032.1425306786) виа гизмодо

Quote
Where the hell did the antimatter come from? That's what atmospheric scientist Joseph Dwyer has been trying to figure out for the past six years, after his research plane accidentally flew through a thunderstorm into a cloud of antimatter in 2009.

Dwyer's plane was outfitted to detect atmospheric gamma-rays (or γ-rays), high-energy photons that can be caused by cosmic rays colliding into the atmosphere or by intense lightning storms. Here's what happened on that stormy day in 2009, as recounted by Nature:

QuoteIt was to study such atmospheric γ-rays that Dwyer, then at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, fitted a particle detector on a Gulfstream V, a type of jet plane typically used by business executives. On 21 August 2009, the pilots turned towards what looked, from its radar profile, to be the Georgia coast. "Instead, it was a line of thunderstorms — and we were flying right through it," Dwyer says. The plane rolled violently back and forth and plunged suddenly downwards. "I really thought I was going to die."

But Dwyer survived and his particle detector ended up detecting three 511-kiloelectronvolt gamma-rays spikes. Here's another thing you should know about gamma-rays: They can also be the result of an electron colliding with its antiparticle, a positron. Particles of matter and antiparticles of antimatter have the same mass but opposite properties such as charge, and they instantly annihilate when their counterparts collide, turning into things like gamma-rays. As our universe is made of matter, the presence of antimatter is usually fleeting.

And the 511 kiloelectronvolt gamma-ray spikes were a smoking gun for electron-positron annihilation. A few more calculations led Dwyer to the conclusion that the plane was surrounded by a small cloud of positrons.

But where did these positrons, the antimatter, come from? Intense thunderstorms can indeed produce positrons, but other data from this storm led the scientists to rule that explanation out. Same with cosmic rays, which should have caused other types of radiation to show up in the data.

Dwyer ended up publishing his results after failing to come up an explanation. But Nature reports he is now planning to send balloons and even another plane into a thunderstorm to collect more data and get to the bottom of the mysterious antimatter.

NASA Challenges Designers to Construct Habitat for Deep Space Exploration (http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-challenges-designers-to-construct-habitat-for-deep-space-exploration)

NASA and the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, known as America Makes, are holding a new $2.25 million competition to design and build a 3-D printed habitat for deep space exploration, including the agency's journey to Mars.


The multi-phase 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge, part of NASA's Centennial Challenges program, is designed to advance the additive construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth and beyond.


Shelter is among the most basic and crucial human needs, but packing enough materials and equipment to build a habitat on a distant planet would take up valuable cargo space that could be used for other life-sustaining provisions. The ability to manufacture a habitat using indigenous materials, combined with material that would otherwise be waste from the spacecraft, would be invaluable.


The first phase of the competition, announced Saturday at the Bay Area Maker Faire in San Mateo, California, runs through Sept. 27. This phase, a design competition, calls on participants to develop state-of-the-art architectural concepts that take advantage of the unique capabilities 3-D printing offers. The top 30 submissions will be judged and a prize purse of $50,000 will be awarded at the 2015 World Maker Faire in New York.


"The future possibilities for 3-D printing are inspiring, and the technology is extremely important to deep space exploration," said Sam Ortega, Centennial Challenges program manager. "This challenge definitely raises the bar from what we are currently capable of, and we are excited to see what the maker community does with it."


The second phase of the competition is divided into two levels. The Structural Member Competition (Level 1) focuses on the fabrication technologies needed to manufacture structural components from a combination of indigenous materials and recyclables, or indigenous materials alone. The On-Site Habitat Competition (Level 2) challenges competitors to fabricate full-scale habitats using indigenous materials or indigenous materials combined with recyclables. Both levels open for registration Sept. 26, and each carries a $1.1 million prize.


Winning concepts and products will help NASA build the technical expertise to send habitat-manufacturing machines to distant destinations, such as Mars, to build shelters for the human explorers who follow. On Earth, these capabilities may be used one day to construct affordable housing in remote locations with limited access to conventional building materials.


"America Makes is honored to be a partner in this potentially revolutionary competition," said Ralph Resnick, founding director of America Makes. "We believe that 3D printing/Additive Manufacturing has the power to fundamentally change the way people approach design and construction for habitats, both on earth and off, and we are excitedly awaiting submissions from all types of competitors."

NASA's potential squid rover is straight out of sci-fi

(http://www.cnet.com/au/news/nasa-is-studying-a-squid-rover-to-explore-sea-worlds/)


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 Critical Shit on the spot:



On the Taxonomy of Spaceships (http://criticalshit.org/2015/05/15/on-the-taxonomy-of-spaceships/)

NASA's New Horizons Sees More Detail as It Draws Closer to Pluto (http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-sees-more-detail-as-it-draws-closer-to-pluto)

What a difference 20 million miles makes! Images of Pluto from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft are growing in scale as the spacecraft approaches its mysterious target. The new images, taken May 8-12 using a powerful telescopic camera and downlinked last week, reveal more detail about Pluto's complex and high contrast surface

Miniature origami robot self-folds, walks, swims, blows our minds (http://boingboing.net/2015/05/29/miniature-origami-robot-self-f.html?utm_content=buffer581f2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer)

https://youtu.be/f0CluQiwLRg (http://youtu.be/f0CluQiwLRg)

Here Are The 9 Instruments We'll Use To Reveal The Secrets Of Europa (http://space.io9.com/heres-the-9-instruments-well-use-to-reveal-the-secrets-1706993818)

Memories emerge intact from cryogenic resurrection machine (http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/206713-memories-emerge-intact-from-cryogenic-resurrection-machine)

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The European Space Agency (Esa) says its comet lander, Philae, has woken up and contacted Earth.

Philae, the first spacecraft to land on a comet, was dropped on to the surface of Comet 67P by its mothership, Rosetta, last November.

It worked for 60 hours before its solar-powered battery ran flat.

The comet has since moved nearer to the Sun and Philae has enough power to work again, says the BBC's science correspondent Jonathan Amos.

An account linked to the probe tweeted the message, "Hello Earth! Can you hear me?"

On its blog, Esa said Philae had contacted Earth, via Rosetta, for 85 seconds on Saturday in the first contact since going into hibernation in November.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/11673849/Philae-Europes-comet-lander-wakes-up.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/11673849/Philae-Europes-comet-lander-wakes-up.html)
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33126885 (http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33126885)
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/14/world/philae-comet-lander-found/index.html (http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/14/world/philae-comet-lander-found/index.html)

Tour comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in Rosetta's latest image release  (http://astronomynow.com/2015/06/01/tour-comet-67p-in-rosettas-latest-image-release/)

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kurzweilai.net%2Fimages%2Fsimulated-black-hole.jpg&hash=cbc41a823ebd634809d7d7fed278210fd5255932)



Does a black hole create a hologram copy of anything that touches it? (http://www.kurzweilai.net/does-a-black-hole-create-a-hologram-copy-of-anything-that-touches-it?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a411278d20-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_147a5a48c1-a411278d20-281972889)


According to Samir Mathur. professor of physics at The Ohio State University, the recently proposed idea that black holes have "firewalls" that destroy all they touch is wrong. He believes that a black hole converts anything that touches it into a hologram — a near-perfect copy of itself that continues to exist just as before.

Mathur says he proves that in a open-access paper posted online to the arXiv preprint server. In fact, he says, our world could be captured by a black hole, and we wouldn't even notice.

The debate hinges on a principle called complementarity, proposed by Stanford University physicist Leonard Susskind. Complementarity requires that any such hologram created by a black hole be a perfect copy of the original.

But mathematically, physicists on both sides of this debate have concluded that strict complementarity is not possible; that is to say, a perfect hologram can't form on the surface of a black hole. But Mathur and his colleagues are comfortable with the idea, because they have since developed a modified model of complementarity, in which they assume that an imperfect hologram forms.

The information paradox

Physicist Stephen Hawking has famously said that the universe was imperfect from the very first moments of its existence. Without an imperfect scattering of the material created in the Big Bang, gravity would not have been able to draw together the atoms that make up galaxies, stars, the planets—and us.

This new dispute hinges on whether physicists can accept that black holes are imperfect, just like the rest of the universe. "There's no such thing as a perfect black hole, because every black hole is different," Mathur explained.

His comment refers to the resolution of the "information paradox," a long-running physics debate in which Hawking eventually conceded that the material that falls into a black hole isn't destroyed, but rather becomes part of the black hole. The black hole is permanently changed by the new addition. That means every black hole is a unique product of the material that happens to come across it.

Interestingly, one of the tenets of string theory is that our three-dimensional existence might actually be a hologram on a surface that exists in many more dimensions.

"If the surface of a black hole is a firewall, then the idea of the universe as a hologram has to be wrong," Mathur said.  "It's a simple question, really. Do you accept the idea of imperfection, or do you not?"

Google's Dream Robot Is Running Wild Across the Internet (http://gizmodo.com/googles-dream-robot-is-running-wild-across-the-internet-1715839224)


I


http://youtu.be/onbi3Ws8fng (http://youtu.be/onbi3Ws8fng)

Appliance Science: Edible water bottles and the strange chemistry of spherification
(http://www.cnet.com/news/appliance-science-edible-water-bottles-and-the-strange-chemistry-of-spherification/)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Mankind's first close-up look at Pluto did not disappoint Wednesday: The pictures showed ice mountains on Pluto about as high as the Rockies and chasms on its big moon Charon that appear six times deeper than the Grand Canyon.

Especially astonishing to scientists was the total absence of impact craters in a zoom-in shot of one rugged slice of Pluto. They said that suggests that Pluto is geologically active even now and is being sculpted not by collisions with cosmic debris but by its internal heat.

Breathtaking in their clarity, the long-awaited images were unveiled in Laurel, Maryland, home to mission operations for NASA's New Horizons, the unmanned spacecraft that paid a history-making flyby visit to the dwarf planet on Tuesday after a journey of 9 1/2 years and 3 billion miles.


http://www.aol.com/article/2015/07/15/coming-attractions-1st-close-up-pictures-of-pluto/21209804/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk2&pLid=1714034301 (http://www.aol.com/article/2015/07/15/coming-attractions-1st-close-up-pictures-of-pluto/21209804/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk2&pLid=1714034301)

New Image of Pluto: 'Houston, We Have Geology' (http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-image-of-pluto-houston-we-have-geology)

:)

What Would an Alien Megastructure Look Like? Sci-Fi Authors Weigh In

A star is dimming for reasons that astronomers can't explain.

Observations by NASA's Kepler space telescope revealed that the star KIC 8462852, which lies about 1,500 light-years from Earth, dimmed dramatically and strangely several times over the past few years. Researchers aren't sure what's going on, and they have posited that some sort of light-blocking "alien megastructure" is a possible — though unlikely — explanation.

Astronomers are following up on that possibility, using radio telescopes to hunt for signals coming from KIC 8462852. But these scientists are urging skepticism on the alien-life hypothesis — as are science-fiction writers. [13 Ways to Hunt Intelligent Alien Life]

http://www.space.com/30941-alien-civilization-megastructure-kepler.html (http://www.space.com/30941-alien-civilization-megastructure-kepler.html)

Why Alien Life Will Be Robotic

If life off Earth exists it has probably transitioned to machine intelligence.  (http://nautil.us/issue/29/scaling/why-alien-life-will-be-robotic)




Louis Friedman says humans will never venture beyond Mars   (http://www.examiner.com/article/louis-friedman-says-humans-will-never-venture-beyond-mars)

Genetically engineered algae, specifically, diatoms packaged with chemotherapeutic drugs, kills 90% of cancer cells without harming healthy cells. (http://futurism.com/links/genetically-engineered-algae-kills-cancer-cells-without-harming-healthy-cells/)

New papermaking technology can produce new paper from shredded pieces in minutes and without the use of water. (http://futurism.com/links/worlds-first-papermaking-system-can-produce-new-paper-waste-paper/)

Flight Over Dwarf Planet Ceres


http://youtu.be/nJiw2NxqoBU (http://youtu.be/nJiw2NxqoBU)
Published on Jan 29, 2016


Take a flight over dwarf planet Ceres in this video made with images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft. The simulated flyover was made by the mission's camera team at Germany's national aeronautics and space research center (DLR).

(https://www.znaksagite.com/diskusije/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fresearchnews.osu.edu%2Farchive%2FImpact_event.jpg&hash=cf5d1ebdb105b5d1f9d364b52fd184fabfe45962)


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Planetary scientists have found evidence of a meteor impact much larger and earlier than the one that killed the dinosaurs -- an impact that they believe caused the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history.

The 300-mile-wide crater lies hidden more than a mile beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. And the gravity measurements that reveal its existence suggest that it could date back about 250 million years -- the time of the Permian-Triassic extinction, when almost all animal life on Earth died out.

http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/erthboom.htm (http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/erthboom.htm)

Found! Potentially Earth-Like Planet at Proxima Centauri Is Closest Ever

http://www.space.com/33834-discovery-of-planet-proxima-b.html (http://www.space.com/33834-discovery-of-planet-proxima-b.html)


(https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/mt/2016/08/eso1629a_1-2/lead_960.jpg?1471990330)