SPACE
& SCIENCE NEWS: October 2004
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| Liquid 'suggested' on Titan |
Oct 29, 2004 |
| Ancient star dust may point to
human origins |
Oct 28, 2004 |
| 'Hobbit' joins human family tree |
Oct 28, 2004 |
| Cassini snaps at Titan's surface |
Oct 27, 2004 |
| Cassini set to pierce moon's
haze |
Oct 26, 2004 |
| Quantum quirk may give objects
mass |
Oct 25, 2004 |
| Shatner aims for real 'Star Trek' |
Oct 24, 2004 |
| Radical fabric is one atom thick |
Oct 22, 2004 |
| Einstein's warp effect measured |
Oct 21, 2004 |
| Auras may be generated in the
brain |
Oct 20, 2004 |
| CERN to probe
life, the universe and everything |
Oct 19, 2004 |
| Is a 90-day
Mars round trip possible via new propulsion? |
Oct 18, 2004 |
| Newfound star
cluster may be final Milky Way 'fossil' |
Oct 16, 2004 |
| Paralysed
man sends e-mail by thought |
Oct 15, 2004 |
| Giant virus
qualifies as 'living organism' |
Oct 15, 2004 |
| Drilling for
Africa's climate history |
Oct 14, 2004 |
| Anniversary
launch for 'nanosats' |
Oct 13, 2004 |
| Radio astronomers
remove the blindfold |
Oct 12, 2004 |
| Lost in space:
the killer screwdriver |
Oct 11, 2004 |
| Black holes
haunt ghost particle theory |
Oct 11, 2004 |
| 'New' giant
ape found in DR Congo |
Oct 10, 2004 |
| How to build
the Universe |
Oct 9, 2004 |
| 'No experiments'
for SpaceShipOne |
Oct 9, 2004 |
| NASA Mars
rovers find more signs of water |
Oct 8, 2004 |
| Faded star
defies description |
Oct 7, 2004 |
| Frequent starbursts
sterilize center of Milky Way |
Oct 5, 2004 |
| Mercury astronaut
Gordon Cooper gone at age 77 |
Oct 4, 2004 |
| SpaceShipOne
rockets to success |
Oct 4, 2004 |
| Russian move
on climate welcomed |
Oct 1, 2004 |
Liquid 'suggested' on Titan
(Oct 29, 2004)
Scientists examining pictures from the Cassini spacecraft think they
may be closer to showing there is liquid hydrocarbon on Saturn's moon
Titan. Radar images taken of a strip of the moon revealed dark patches,
which could indicate liquid methane or ethane. This is important because
scientists have theorised that the satellite may harbour hydrocarbon
oceans and lakes. The images also suggest that the surface of Titan
could be shaped by strong winds. "Titan is an extremely dynamic and
active place, not only in its atmosphere but on its surface as well,"
said Jonathan Lunine, Cassini imaging scientist.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Ancient star dust may point to human origins
(Oct 28, 2004)
Star dust found deep beneath the Pacific Ocean has led German scientists
to speculate that a supernova explosion 3 million years ago might
possibly have helped bring about human evolution. Gunther Korschinek
and colleagues at the Technical University of Munich in Germany reported
on Wednesday they found debris from an exploding supernova that could
have changed the climate on Earth around the time that humanity's
ancestors first began to walk. Depending on how far away the supernova
was, it might have caused an increase in cosmic rays for about 300,000
years that in turn could have heated up the Earth, they wrote in the
latest issue of Physical Review Letters. (Image: blast wave from supernova
1987A)
Read
more. Source: Reuters/MSNBC |
'Hobbit' joins human family tree
(Oct 28, 2004)
Scientists have discovered a new and tiny species of human that lived
in Indonesia at the same time our own ancestors were colonising the
world. The new species – dubbed "the Hobbit" due to its small
size – lived on Flores island until at least 12,000 years ago.
The fact that little people feature in the legends of modern Flores
islanders suggests we might have to take tales of Leprechauns and
Yeti more seriously. Details of the sensational find are described
in the journal Nature.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Cassini snaps at Titan's surface
(Oct 27, 2004)
The Cassini spacecraft has sent back images of Saturn's moon Titan
giving scientists the closest views yet of the mysterious satellite.
The hazy shots were beamed back to a Nasa antenna based in Madrid,
Spain, on Wednesday, at 0225 BST. The probe went within 1,200km (746
miles) of the moon, 300 times closer than its first flyby in July.
The first images were the clearest yet of the moon's surface, and
scientists said they expected better images later.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Cassini set to pierce moon's haze
(Oct 26, 2004)
The Cassini spacecraft is set to reveal the closest views yet of Saturn's
moon Titan, when it makes a close pass of the satellite on Tuesday.
At 1744 BST, the probe will make its closest approach to Titan, passing
within 1,200km of the enigmatic world. Attempts to view Titan's icy
surface have so far been frustrated by a thick, orange haze that shrouds
the moon. But Tuesday's pass should be close enough for Cassini's
radar to penetrate the satellite's dense smog.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Quantum quirk may give objects mass
(Oct 25, 2004)
If you thought that quantum entanglement – the weird effect
that allows two particles to behave as one, no matter how far apart
they are – is too subtle to affect your daily life, think again.
The phenomenon could be responsible for something as significant as
the mass of everyday objects, yourself included, and could finally
explain why the fundamental particles of matter have the mass they
do. Sometimes, the interaction of two particles, say electrons, causes
their individual properties, such as spin, to become “entangled”.
If you then change the spin of one particle it will instantly affect
the spin of the other, regardless of the distance between them. There
is mounting evidence that entanglement has consequences in the macroscopic
world.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Shatner aims for real 'Star Trek'
(Oct 24, 2004)
William Shatner wants to boldly go where he's only pretended to go
so far. The "Star Trek" star is among more than 7,000 people who have
told Richard Branson they would gladly pay him $210,000 (£115,000)
for a trip aboard his planned spacecraft, the entrepreneur said Friday.
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro has signed up
for a ride, and a Hollywood director who was not identified has booked
an entire ship.
Read
more. Source: CNN |
Radical fabric is one atom thick
(Oct 22, 2004)
A new class of material, which brings computer chips made from a single
molecule a step closer, as been discovered by scientists. Called graphene,
it is a two-dimensional, giant, flat molecule which is still only
the thickness of an atom. The nanofabric's remarkable electronic properties
mean that an ultra-fast and stable transistor could be made. The physicists
from the University of Manchester and Chernogolovka, Russia, published
their research in Science.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Einstein's warp effect measured
(Oct 21, 2004)
Two scientists appear to have beaten a $600 million Nasa mission to
be first to measure a phenomenon predicted by Einstein's theory of
relativity. "Frame-dragging" is the effect wherein a massive body
like Earth drags space-time around with it as it spins. Ignazio Ciufolini
and Erricos Pavlis measured frame-dragging by studying the movements
of two satellites in Earth orbit over a period of 11 years. The results
are published in the latest edition of the academic journal Nature.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Auras may be generated in the brain
(Oct 20, 2004)
She sees colours emanating like haloes from her friends and foes.
Blocks of colour form in her mind when looking at names of acquaintances,
or even at words like 'love' and 'hate'. And no, she will not read
your aura for a low introductory fee. She is not a charlatan, or a
psychic – she's a synaesthete. People with synaesthesia, perhaps
one in 2,000 by conservative estimates, get two-for-one sensory experiences.
They feel music, taste art, and often see colours around words or
things. A new case study now raises the possibility that cases like
this are the origin of the new-age belief in 'auras', a coloured emanation
of energy that can be seen only by the spiritually in-tune.
Read
more. Source: Nature |
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