Scientists Close to Finding Another Earth

The possibility of another Earth--is it something of science fiction? Not according to NASA scientists, who are saying the discovery is quite close.

The eternal question of our being alone in the universe is one that constantly floats around the astronomy community. "Finding Earth's twin," John Grunsfield says, "that's kind of the holy grail." Grunsfield is an astronaut who aided in the repair of the Hubble Telescope in 2009, now an associate administrator at NASA. Along with being an issue of philosophy and exploration, the concept of a "twin Earth" relays various complications. For one, the size: finding a planet Earth's size is difficult, as these bodies give off much fainter signals. In addition, finding another planet with Earth's perfect conditions that make it habitable can be problematic.

However, these challenges have not put down scientists, who are still searching. Many believe that greater strides in science are to come, as evidenced by the last decade. "We already know that our galaxy has at least 100 billion planets," says the director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Matt Mountain, "and we didn't know that five years ago." The hunt for this planet has been conducted majorly by the Kepler Space Telescope, which seeks out planets by finding dips in the brightnesses of surrounding stars. This search is aided by equipment like the Hubble Space Telescope, which because of lightyear travel, allows scientists to see millions of years in the past, and further construct their theories. The scientists write that the path to finding this new planet is ready; now all that is left is to wait.

This article was really interesting to me, someone who goes out of his way to see the latest in space exploration (even when documented in a Christopher Nolan movie). Although when this planet is found, it probably won't have a major impact on our lives, it still does relay an answer to the question of our being alone in the universe. The conclusion of this experiment would bring about so many answers, and just as many questions, and that's something to look forward to.

For more information, refer to: CNN Article

Scientists create World's coldest object by Mridul Bansal

A scientist observing a cryostat containing the copper cube.

Recently, a chunk of copper (1 cubic meter) was cooled to the point that it became the world's coldest object. It was cooled to 6 millikelvins, or six-thousandths of a Kelvin. This is colder than how cold the Earth without the Sun! It took them 10 years to design and build the cryostat where the copper is frozen.

While it is interesting that they created this frozen specimen, it was not to set any World Records. They want to explain why there is so much more matter in the universe than antimatter. They reason that since matter and antimatter "cancel" each other, and they were equal in quantity at the beginning of the universe, meaning that the universe shouldn't be the way it is. However, matter came to dominate, which is beneficial towards us, seeing as how otherwise we wouldn't exist.

This experiment allows scientists to view neutrinos, and to see how they interact with other particles. I don't completely understand the science (they are professionals), but what I do know is that if the experiment is successful, it will define physics and cosmology for years.

I personally think that the discovery is one of  many to follow about the beginnings of our universe and I believe that it is important to know how we came to be. Knowing how the universe was created can help answer some other questions, like: Are there other universes or What will happen to our universe? Also, the development of cryogenic technologies could improve the way we store our food.

The chamber is called Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events. The copper cube is surrounded by lead so no radiation gets in or out. As of right now, the particle detection chamber has not been built, but when it is, expect to see some sparks fly.

Link to article and picture: http://www.livescience.com/48514-coldest-object-created.html

New Technique to Detect Gravitational Waves - By Usayed Mahmud

Researchers have recently announced that gravitational waves could be found by looking for a change in the brightness of stars.

Gravitational waves are ripples in space-time that were first suggested by Albert Einstein as part of his theory of general relativity. The waves that an object creates are larger in the case of objects with greater masses.

This image shows two black holes orbiting each
other, generating gravitational waves.

Though they have not been able to directly observe gravitational waves, scientists are still trying to detect them by using lasers both in space and on the ground. It has been difficult for scientists to detect these waves because they have a very little effect on matter.

Scientists have theorized that stars that vibrate at the same frequency as gravitational waves can absorb much of the energy from the ripples. So, if a star absorbs a lot of energy from gravitational waves, it can appear brighter than it typically look.

However, it will be difficult to tell if a star brightens up by energy from gravitational waves or by some other factor. Researchers have come up with a solution. They will look at large groups of stars. When a group of stars come near a system of black holes, researchers believe that the larger stars will brighten first. Then as the black holes come closer together, the frequency of these gravitational waves will increase, and then the smaller stars will be able to absorb the energy and they will brighten, too.

I found this article interesting because I have always been fascinated in space. Last year in science, we discussed Einstein's Theories of Relativity. I remember talking about how Einstein said that space and time were one thing. Its interesting that after nearly 100 years after these theories were proposed, people are still discovering new methods to show the existence of the things Einstein suggested.

Link to the article: 

http://www.space.com/27510-gravitational-wave-detection-method.html

Can Drones Help Prevent Diseases? By Nihal Sidhu

In a remote area of Southeast Asia, drones are fighting a battle — not against terrorists or insurgents, but against infectious disease.

For the past few years many scientist have tried new ways to implement technology into fighting disease, and now drones are being used to help fight diseases! Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that are, in this instance, used to detect areas affected by disease. Researchers in the island called Borneo have been using these flying robots in order to find out areas that contain the malaria parasite called Plasmodium knowlesi which has mostly been impacting macaque monkeys. This malaria parasite is quite dangerous since it is both deadly and can spread to humans. These scientists are using the drone called senseFly eBee in order to map and understand the path of this parasite and to find out what regions are affected by this parasite.

The photo above is the drone that is being used in Borneo.

I chose this article since I have been reading many articles about diseases such as Ebola, and I wanted to see how other diseases were being solved. This article caught my eye because it involved both technology, and how technology is being implemented to prevent diseases. This article stood out from the rest because these scientists were able to take a independent flying vehicle, and use it in the field of science.

I found this article very interesting since I did not know how technology has been helping prevent and cure diseases. I found it surprising that these drones which are usually in combat and war, is used to track a parasite. Usually when I watch movies I see drones used for combat and to spy on an enemy, and it was amazing to find out that researchers are taking a war related vehicle, and implementing it into the field of science.

Also, this article is pertinent to my life since there has been many diseases passing throughout the world, that may or may not effect me at one point. This article shows me how scientists are using technology in order to prevent diseases to reach others, including myself. It is comforting to know and inspiring that these scientists used high quality technology to stop the disease and allow me and many others to live in a life full of comfort.

The link to the Article: http://www.livescience.com/48396-drones-track-infectious-disease.html

Why Are We Living Longer than Our Ancestors? by Sampoojya Nyalakonda

            Have you ever stopped and thought about your ancestors? Maybe perhaps when learning about evolution you thought about what it much have been like to live as hunter-gatherers, without the technology or medicine or any of the advancements that we have today. You may have thought about those things, but did you ever consider their life span?
            Though it's a well know fact that we humans evolved from apes, you may not know that apes currently have 2 times a shorter life span than hunter-gatherer groups today who lack the medicine and technology that we have in "industrialized" civilizations. Studies have also been done that show that hunter- gatherer groups today, who live in a similar way as the hunter-gatherers way long before us, have much higher mortality rates than those who live in industrialized countries such as the U.S. Many scientists believe that this increase in life span is due to all the amazing and influential advancements in technology and medicine that have occurred over the past hundreds of years, especially in the last few decades.
             I think that it's great that we are increasing our life spans with technology, and it amazes me how much of an impact medical and technological advancements have made in our society.

People always associate the word technology with smartphones and televisions and video games, but they never realize that technology is such a broad and vast idea. Basically everything around you is technology in some way or another. The chair you're possibly sitting on is technology, and so is the bowl you could have eaten cereal from this morning.
             This article opened my eyes and made me realize that so many of the things I, and you, use everyday are fascinating, and they aid us a lot, especially modern medicine. It was interesting to me how simple ideas and our curiosity led to world around us, which all leads back to us being able to live longer and sustain happier and healthier lives. I believe that this article is relatable to not only me, but to practically the whole population of the world. Such simple technologies are what are allowing us to live longer lives, and that, is amazing!

Want to check out the article? Click here!

Blue LEDS and how amazing they are!

Why should you care about blue LED? It’s just light right? Blue LED actually can create white light, which what we use for TV displays, blu-ray players, and so much more. Blue LED’s combined with red and green ones, make white light. This light, is much more energy-saving, and is better. LED light tend to be ecologically better. An interesting fact  about white light is that one can use different light bulb, like regular light bulbs which  give  16 lumen per watt, Fluorescent lights have 70 lumen per watt, but LED lamps can go up to 300 lumen per watt. Lumens, are a way to measure how bright something is. Before when people had fluorescent light bulbs, it probably wasn't really bright, since they are only 70 l/w. But, LEDS can have up to 300 watts, which is cool and super bright. I think most plays and theaters would use LEDS since they are super bright. LEDS can go up to 100,000 hours of light, compared to the mere 10,000 hours for fluorescent bulbs or only 1,000 for normal light bulbs. The iPhone or Samsung uses these amazing LEDS;  and no one can use their phone without it, because their phone most likely uses white light created by blue LED. There is something called an ultraviolet LED, which was created by blue LEDS, and what UV LEDS, can do are decontaminate polluted water. UV light kills germs and bacteria, and with this invention, it is possible to have clean water. This invention is barely 20 years old, but it’s a wonderful invention. This year a nobel prize of physics was given to 3 Japanese scientists for creating this wonderful and amazing invention.

I think blue LEDS are really cool. I never knew that my computer screen, or my phone is generated by this invention. It is pretty awesome that we have white light, and it’s so useful in our lives. I know that if we didn't have blue LEDS, many things would be different. Our phones, and TV screens would most likely look different and be less bright. It's such a wonderful contribution to our world. It's such a useful invention, and I think the scientists who created this deserved that Nobel prize since it's such a big thing in our world today.
Articles:

http://blog.tcpi.com/2013/02/13/what-are-lumens-what-does-it-mean-for-me/

http://www.newsweek.com/how-blue-led-changed-world-and-won-nobel-prize-275977

http://www.livescience.com/48193-how-blue-leds-changed-the-world.html

http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/why-blue-led-worth-nobel-prize

Virtual Reality Technology By Harsh Sharma

What is Virtual Reality

     Virtual Reality (VR) Technology is new, and rising in popularity, in the current world. It is a variation of the systems seen in the Matrix and Inception. VR systems simply sync your physical body with your virtual avatar.

                         How it Works

Gloves send your physical movements to the virtual world which
you can see through the goggles.

     The VR systems utilize your physical actions in reality and translate them into actions in your virtual avatar. Then all images produced are sent to a screen which you watch to create your next move. In short, it is like the current video games, but you are able see everything through the avatar's eyes giving you a more immersive environment.

What It can be Used For

     The VR systems main purpose will be directed towards gaming, although, it has many other uses. Instead of driving to a meeting, you could use your VR system and join a server in which you could communicate with the others with the aid of visuals. In other words, you could see virtual power points and presentations. It could also be used for social interaction by meeting people around the world and then have a virtual walk through a virtual park to play virtual games. Another major usage for VR systems would be for blueprinting buildings and walking through the architects creation, or in a completely opposite world where there are no laws, where you could fly and build absurd buildings. Using VR systems, your imagination is literally your limit. School would also be changed as you would take tests without cheating since your vision would be restricted for what you could see from side to side. The possibilities are endless.

                                                      Our Progress

   We already have products which can give us a more immersive feel such as the Oculus Rift which can track our vision and physical movement. Sony has revealed it's VR system project Morpheus for the Play Station 4. Currently, it is being used to really bring out the First Person Point of View in the Play Station games. As of now, VR systems are being used as visual aid more than anything else.

The Future

    VR Systems could be used to fully immerse us in a virtual world. I am excited to see how Virtual Reality Technology will unfold and what changes it will produce in our current society.

I was inspired to right this blog when I read an article by technologyreview.com (http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/531751/the-quest-to-put-more-reality-in-virtual-reality/)

A few good videos to watch

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/turning-virtual-reality-into-an-everyday-reality/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8uuDT5AYts