System designed to improve hand function lost to nerve damage
Corvallis OR (SPX) Oct 01, 2014 -
Engineers at Oregon State University have developed and successfully demonstrated the value of a simple pulley mechanism to improve hand function after surgery.
The device, tested in cadaver hands, is one of the first instruments ever created that could improve the transmission of mechanical forces and movement while implanted inside the body.
After continued research, technology suc ...
more
How things coil
New York NY (SPX) Sep 30, 2014 -
When one sends an email from Boston to Beijing, it travels through submarine optical cables that someone had to install at some point. The positioning of these cables can generate intriguing coiling patterns that can also cause problems if, for instance, they are tangled or kinked.
The deployment of a rodlike structure onto a moving substrate is commonly found in a variety of engineering a ...
more
Skin pigment renders sun's UV radiation harmless using projectiles
Lund, Sweden (SPX) Sep 30, 2014 -
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden and other institutions have worked out how the pigment of the skin manages to protect the body from the sun's dangerous UV rays. The skin pigment converts the UV radiation into heat through a rapid chemical reaction that shoots protons from the molecules of the pigment.
In a new study, the team from Lund University, working with colleagues in France ...
more
Chemists Observe Key Reaction To Produce 'Atmosphere's Detergent'
Philadelphia PA (SPX) Sep 30, 2014 -
Earth's atmosphere is a complicated dance of molecules. The chemical output of plants, animals and human industry rise into the air and pair off in sequences of chemical reactions. Such processes help maintain the atmosphere's chemical balance; for example, some break down pollutants emitted from the burning of fossil fuels.
Understanding exactly how these reactions proceed is critical for ...
more
Cyanide fog marks winter's onset on Saturn moon Titan
Paris (AFP) Oct 01, 2014 -
A cyanide cloud formed over Titan's south pole as the strange moon of Saturn entered its seven-year winter in 2009, astronomers reported on Wednesday.
An enigma of the Solar System, Titan is studded with lakes of liquid hydrocarbons and a choking nitrogen-methane atmosphere, according to data sent back by a US-European scout mission.
The satellite and its mother planet are so far from th ...
more
NASA's Swift satellite sees small star ejecting 'super flares'
Greenbelt, Md. (UPI) Sep 30, 2014 -
Astronomers don't normally use canine clichés, but if they did, they might employ one - it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog - to describe a small but energetic red dwarf in a binary system known as DG Canum Venaticorum, or DG CVn. That's because red dwarfs like DG CVn serve a serious electromagnetic punch in a small package.
Astronomers kn ...
more
Europe shortlists four sites for 2019 Mars mission
Paris (AFP) Oct 01, 2014 -
The European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday it had identified four potential sites for landing a rover on Mars in 2019 in its boldest exploration yet of the Red Planet.
The landing is the second part of a two-phase endeavour called ExoMars, a project between ESA and Russia's Roscosmos space agency to look for evidence of life on Mars.
In the first step, an orbital probe will be lau ...
more
'Man in the Moon' was born from lava - scientists
Paris (AFP) Oct 01, 2014 -
A dark lunar basin that, seen from Earth, produces the "Man in the Moon" effect, was created by an outpouring of lava and not an asteroid strike, astronomers said Wednesday.
Known as the Oceanus Procellarum - the "ocean of storms" as classical skygazers dubbed it - the vast basin measures nearly 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mile) across.
Until now, the main theory to explain this extraordin ...
more
Coppery reds of upcoming lunar eclipse may be accented with turquoise
Washington (UPI) Oct 1, 2014 -
Next Wednesday, Oct. 8, the full moon will turn a coppery red as a lunar eclipse becomes visible across the entirety of the United States.
"It promises to be a stunning sight, even from the most light polluted cities," Fred Espenak, NASA's resident eclipse expert, said in a recent press release. "I encourage everyone, especially families with curious children, to go out and enjoy the ev ...
more
Europe sat-nav launch glitch linked to frozen pipe
Paris (AFP) Oct 01, 2014 -
A frozen fuel pipe in the upper stage of a Soyuz launcher likely caused the failure last month to place two European navigation satellites in orbit, a source close to the inquiry said Wednesday.
Confirming a report in French daily Le Monde, the source said investigators suspect a pipe containing hydrazine fuel, used by the Fregat upper stage to drive the satellites to their orbital slots, ha ...
more
Winter is coming ... to Titan's south pole
Bristol, UK (SPX) Oct 03, 2014 -
Titan is unique in our solar system because of its dense nitrogen-methane atmosphere, which is very similar to Earth's in some ways, but very different in others. For example, air temperatures are around 200 degrees colder and, in contrast to the warm salt water seas of Earth, frigid hydrocarbon lakes populate Titan's surface.
Titan has seasons just like Earth, only each season lasts over ...
more
To boldly go: what is the point of space exploration?
Bristol, UK (SPX) Oct 03, 2014 -
The UK's space activities employs over 100,000 people and contributes nearly Pounds 10 billion to the economy but why bother with space exploration? This question will be debated by a panel including an aerospace engineering PhD student from the University of Bristol as part of the Battle of Ideas 2014 to be held in London this month [18 and 19 October].
Ashley Dale will speak alongside W ...
more
Four candidate landing sites for ExoMars 2018
Paris (ESA) Oct 03, 2014 -
Four possible landing sites are being considered for the ExoMars mission in 2018. Its rover will search for evidence of martian life, past or present.
ExoMars is a joint two-mission endeavour between ESA and Russia's Roscosmos space agency. The Trace Gas Orbiter and an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module, Schiaparelli, will be launched in January 2016, arriving at Mars nine mont ...
more
Origin of moon's 'ocean of storms' revealed
Providence RI (SPX) Oct 03, 2014 -
Oceanus Procellarum, a vast dark patch visible on the western edge of the Moon's near side, has long been a source of mystery for planetary scientists. Some have suggested that the "ocean of storms" is part of a giant basin formed by an asteroid impact early in the Moon's history. But new research published in Nature deals a pretty big blow to the impact theory.
The new study, based on dat ...
more
Running the Race to Cure Cancer From Space
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 03, 2014 -
The race to find answers for cancer is not a sprint, but a marathon. When you participate in charity runs for yourself or your loved ones, it is in pursuit of improved treatments and hopefully a cure. While you are putting one foot in front of the other on the ground, there are researchers running tests aboard the International Space Station in support of this universal cause.
Research don ...
more
Wild ducks take flight in open cluster
Paris (SPX) Oct 03, 2014 -
Messier 11 is an open cluster, sometimes referred to as a galactic cluster, located around 6000 light-years away in the constellation of Scutum (The Shield). It was first discovered by German astronomer Gottfried Kirch in 1681 at the Berlin Observatory, appearing as nothing more than a fuzzy blob through the telescope.
It wasn't until 1733 that the blob was first resolved into separate sta ...
more
Scientists Resurrect Ancient Proteins to Learn about Primordial Life on Earth
Moffet Field CA (NASA) Oct 03, 2014 -
Geological evidence tells us that ancient Earth probably looked and felt very different from the planet we all recognize today. Billions of years ago, our world was a comparatively harsh place. Earth likely had a hotter climate, acidic oceans and an atmosphere loaded with carbon dioxide. The fact that manmade climate change, through carbon dioxide pollution, is re-introducing such hotter, acidif ...
more
Russia to Launch New GLONASS Navigation System Satellite by Year End
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Oct 03, 2014 -
A new model of the Russian GLONASS navigation system satellite will be launched at the end of this year, the JSC Information Satellite Systems, a leading Russian satellite manufacturing company, announced Wednesday.
"In November-December, 2014 we will launch the new GLONASS-K spacecraft. The launch is planned to be implemented from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome [in northern Russia] using a Soyuz ...
more
US, India Cement Cooperation in Earth Exploration
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Oct 03, 2014 -
The United States and India have signed two agreements according to which NASA and the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) will roll out a joint satellite mission to explore Earth's surface.
"The signing of these two documents reflects the strong commitment NASA and ISRO have to advancing science and improving life on Earth," NASA administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement publ ...
more
Dream Chaser Teams with Stratolaunch to Carry People into Space
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 03, 2014 -
The Dream Chaser, a reusable crewed space shuttle currently under development by Sierra Nevada Corporation, may one day carry people into space with the help of Stratolaunch's massive carrier plane, the brainchild of aviation legend Burt Rutan and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
The news comes on the heels of Sierra Nevada Corporation's announcement that it will legally challenge NASA's d ...
more
Poland may veto CO2 emission cuts in EU talks
Warsaw (AFP) Oct 02, 2014 -
Poland's new prime minister said Thursday her coal-reliant country would not rule out vetoing the high carbon cuts likely to be demanded by other European Union members.
"We will definitely be firmly stating our position," Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said in an interview with Poland's commercial broadcaster TVN24.
Asked if Poland would opt to exercise a veto in negotiations over carbon di ...
more
Bolivia to spend $2 bn on nuclear energy plant: Morales
La Paz (AFP) Oct 02, 2014 -
Bolivia's President Evo Morales on Thursday announced plans to spend two billion dollars to build a nuclear energy plant, with construction set to get underway later this year.
Morales said the facility would be located in the capital region, and would be built with assistance from Argentina and France.
The plant "is the best way to free ourselves from energy dependency," Morales said, u ...
more
Facebook tightens reins on research at social network
San Francisco (AFP) Oct 02, 2014 -
Facebook tightened the reins Thursday on its research methods in the wake of an outcry by members who felt manipulated by a secret study into how posts affect moods.
The world's biggest social network announced that a panel of senior personnel from a range of teams was created to review proposed research projects, which will go through advanced scrutiny to make certain they fall within accep ...
more
Mainland Chinese shoppers stay clear of Hong Kong
Hong Kong (AFP) Oct 02, 2014 -
Sleek luxury store fronts plastered with political slogans and shops eerily empty of customers: the scenes in protest-gripped Hong Kong have left unsuspecting mainland Chinese visitors stunned in peak holiday season.
With access to information about the pro-democracy demonstrations severely restricted in China, many had no idea that streets usually teeming with traffic and tourists had been ...
more
Indonesian graft busters launch anti-corruption app
Jakarta (AFP) Oct 02, 2014 -
Indonesia's powerful anti-graft agency said Thursday it had launched a mobile app packed with graphics and games to educate the public and officials about bribery in one of the world's most corrupt countries.
The app, available for free on iPhones and handsets using the Android operating system, features a virtual theme park where animated graphics teach people about how to avoid giving out ...
more
