Quick Charging Hybrid Supercapacitors That Can Charge In Seconds

Researchers have created energy storage device at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute by joining two nanomaterials.They combines the best qualities of batteries and supercapacitors.The resaerchers used supercapacitors unlike batteries because they are electrochemical components which can charge in seconds and can be used for 1 million recharge cycles.

This hybrid supercapacitor has enough capacity to store large amount of energy as well as quickly recharges.The scientists from CNSI created very small capacitor to fit in wearable devices that is known as "microsupercapacitor".Microsupercapacitor's thickness is 1/50th of a paper sheet and has potential to store more than twice charge.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and led by Richard Kaner, who is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and materials science and engineering, and Maher El-Kady, a postdoctoral scholar.

El-Kady said that the microsupercapacitor is a new evolving configuration, a very small rechargeable power source with a much higher capacity than previous lithium thin-film microbatteries.

The scientists used combination of two new laser scribed graphene or LSG components with manganese dioxide that are very conductive and charges and recharges in short time.Manganese dioxide is inexpensive and able to holds more charge which is used in alkaline batteries.

Kaner said that the microsupercapacitor is very thin you could out it inside the adhesive bandage to supply the current.You could also recharge it quickly and use it for a very long time.

"The LSG–manganese-dioxide capacitors can store as much electrical charge as a lead acid battery, yet can be recharged in seconds, and they store about six times the capacity of state-of-the-art commercially available supercapacitors," Kaner said. "This scalable approach for fabricating compact, reliable, energy-dense supercapacitors shows a great deal of promise in real-world applications, and we're very excited about the possibilities for greatly improving personal electronics technology in the near future."

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New Desktop Application Has Potential To Increase Asteroid Detection, Now Available To Public

A software application based on an algorithm created by a NASA challenge has the potential to increase the number of new asteroid discoveries by amateur astronomers.

Analysis of images taken of our solar system's main belt asteroids between Mars and Jupiter using the algorithm showed a 15 percent increase in positive identification of new asteroids.

During a panel Sunday at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, NASA representatives discussed how citizen scientists have made a difference in asteroid hunting. They also announced the release of a desktop software application developed by NASA in partnership with Planetary Resources, Inc., of Redmond, Washington. The application is based on an Asteroid Data Hunter-derived algorithm that analyzes images for potential asteroids. It's a tool that can be used by amateur astronomers and citizen scientists.

The Asteroid Data Hunter challenge was part of NASA's Asteroid Grand Challenge. The data hunter contest series, which was conducted in partnership with Planetary Resources under a Space Act Agreement, was announced at the 2014 South by Southwest Festival and concluded in December. The series offered a total of $55,000 in awards for participants to develop significantly improved algorithms to identify asteroids in images captured by ground-based telescopes. The winning solutions of each piece of the contest combined to create an application using the best algorithm that increased the detection sensitivity, minimized the number of false positives, ignored imperfections in the data, and ran effectively on all computer systems.

"The Asteroid Grand Challenge is seeking non-traditional partnerships to bring the citizen science and space enthusiast community into NASA's work," said Jason Kessler, program executive for NASA's Asteroid Grand Challenge. "The Asteroid Data Hunter challenge has been successful beyond our hopes, creating something that makes a tangible difference to asteroid hunting astronomers and highlights the possibility for more people to play a role in protecting our planet."

The data hunter challenge incorporated data provided by the Minor Planet Center (MPC), at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and images provided by the Catalina Sky Survey, an astronomical survey project run by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and focused on the discovery and study of near-Earth asteroids and comets.

"We applaud all the participants in the Asteroid Data Hunter challenge. We are extremely encouraged by the algorithm created and it's already making a difference. This increase in knowledge will help assess more quickly which asteroids are potential threats, human destinations or resource rich," said Chris Lewicki, president and chief engineer at Planetary Resources. "It has been exciting for our team to work with NASA on this project, and we also look forward to future space-based systems leveraging these results."

Astronomers find asteroids by taking images of the same place in the sky and looking for star-like objects that move between frames, an approach that has been used since before Pluto was discovered in 1930. With more telescopes scanning the sky, the ever-increasing volume of data makes it impossible for astronomers to verify each detection by hand. This new algorithm gives astronomers the ability to use computers to autonomously and rapidly check the images and determine which objects are suitable for follow up, which leads to finding more asteroids than previously possible.

"The beauty of such archives is that the data doesn't grow stale, and with novel approaches, techniques and algorithms, they can be harvested for new information. The participants of the Asteroid Data Hunter challenge did just that, probing observations of the night sky for new asteroids that might have slipped through the software cracks the first time the images were analyzed," said Jose Luis Galache of the MPC. "Moreover, this software can now be used to analyze new images and is available to any observer who wants to use it. The Minor Planet Center applauds these efforts to provide superior tools to all, and looks forward to receiving new asteroid observations generated with them."

The desktop software application is free and can be used on any basic desktop or laptop computer. Amateur astronomers may take images from their telescopes and analyze them with the application. The application will tell the user whether a matching asteroid record exists and offer a way to report new findings to the Minor Planet Center, which then confirms and archives new discoveries.

Through NASA's asteroid initiative, the agency seeks to enhance its ongoing work in the identification and characterization of near-Earth objects for further scientific investigation. This work includes locating potentially hazardous asteroids and identifying those viable for redirection to a stable lunar orbit for future exploration by astronauts using NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The Asteroid Grand Challenge, one part of the asteroid initiative, expands the agency's efforts beyond traditional boundaries and encourages partnerships and collaboration with a variety of organizations.

Application can be downloaded at:topcoder.com/asteroids

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Scientists Used Fruit Flies To Describe How We Judge Cold And Hot

Scientists from Northwestern University have observed that how a fruit fly's brain reacts to hot and cold temperature, which has implications for understanding the way more complex human brain and how it replies to sensory stimuli.

Marco Gallio, who led the research is an assistant professor of neurobiology in Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences said, "The brain is a beautiful machine, and one of the new frontiers in biology is to understand how it works.""The fruit fly is a fantastic model in which to study how the brain controls behavior, and it can help us understand how sensory circuits work in humans."

Scientists have found several neural pathways that send information about temperature from the antenna and meet in three central areas in the brain.Majority of neurons react to temperature change either hot or cold instead of their accuracy.These neurons help the animals to realize abrupt temperature change.Neuron which reacts to both types of temperature hot or cold is known as third kind of neuron.This neuron helps the fly to get danger signal about temperature.

"Humans are more resilient than flies in reacting to temperature change," Gallio said, "but the principles we are finding in the fly brain—the logic and organization—likely are the same in both. Whether human or fly, the sensory systems have to solve the same problems, so they often do it in the same ways."

Gallio added some more lines, "we decided to focus on temperature as one of the most fundamental sensory modalities.""Much like in the fly antenna, the sensory neurons in our skin respond to either hot or cold temperature. The brain knows what the hand feels by simply keeping track of which cell type is active—what we call a 'labeled line' system."

During the study they utilized a photolabeling technique to discover the connections that send temperature information to the brain.They discovered that signals meet at three regions which are the Mushroom Body and the Lateral Horn and the third one isthe Posterior Lateral Protocerebrum.

Then they used vivo imaging process to find the thermosensory projection neurons activated by either hot or cold stimuli have narrow tuned and those react to both hot and cold have broadly tuned.

Gallio and his team were confused and unable to unstand about different paths of brain after researching."We found there was an elegant answer," Gallio said. "Some neurons respond to only hot, some neurons respond to only cold, and some neurons respond to both hot and cold. They all converge in the brain, where all the messages are orchestrated into a cohesive response."

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Most Powerful X-Ray Laser In The World Has Developed, Research

In Palo Alto, california researchers have developed the most powerful X-ray laser at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.It is a billion times brighter than old version lasers.It uses Linac Coherent Light Source to experience how atoms and molecules move in living systems and allows to track chemical reactions as well.

Prof Mike Dunne said that "the LCLS fired extremely fast bursts of X-rays.He said let suppose a person is running the hundred metres and from first to second place different is 1/100th of a second.Now take 1/100th of a second, divide it a million times.Once again take one of those divisions and divide it another million times.That's how fast this burst of X-rays is."This genuinely is a revolution, also said Prof Dunne."

Researcher Dr Meng Liang was making a dish of the material found in the brains of people who have Parkinson's disease. She said that the new laser has the ability to change investigation in her field of study.

"To image these things in real time with the brightness and the fastness that LCLS has will be really special, so we can film them and see them instead of just looking at evidence for these kind of things," she said.

Prof Anders Nilsson who is working on atoms behaviour in a chemical reaction, said that the work would help chemists speed up and increase the efficiency of chemical production.

After the success of the LCLS, In Hamburg, Germany, Europe is building its own version and the Japanese government has also made a same kind of system as well.

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Airship concept, hybrid between drone and satellite

A new project of an autonomous airship has introduced which work as a drone and a satellite as well.This prototype airship is known as "StratoBus", has been developed in Europe.This project is organized by Thales Alenia Space ,Airbus Defence & Space, Zodiac Marine and CEA-Liten, and airship is able to perform a several actions such as border monitoring and maritime surveillance, telecommunications, broadcasting and navigation.

According to the company notes, "We design, integrate, test and operate high-performance satellite technologies in both civil and defense sectors."

The StratoBus is 70 to 100 meters long and 20 to 30 meters in diameter with the shell fabric is made of carbon fiber.The StratoBus will be able to support payloads up to 200 kg and work at an altitude of about 20 kilometers in the lower levels of the stratosphere but above air traffic and jet streams. 

"This prototype airship has Potential to perform different tasks like monitoring, boosting GSM network capacity for public events and GPS augmentation over dense traffic areas", company said.

One of the main purpose of this airship is carries "technological innovations" and will be able to capture the sun's rays.The airship will be equipped with solar panels and a light reversible fuel cell for energy storage.The first prototype is planned to be introduced within the next five years.

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Orange Light Makes People To Be More Alert, Research

In Belgium a team of researchers has discovered that people exposed to blue light show less brain activity and the other hand those exposed to orange light show more brain activity.

The study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers explain study, how they shined different colour lights in eyes of volunteers going for fMRI scanning and orange light might have an effect on the circadian rhythm.

The researchers was working on melanopsin and have believed that the melanopsin has an impact on the circadian rhythm.For more detail, the orange, blue or different lights were shined in volunteers eye's for ten minutes then their brains were scanned.

The researchers found during the brain scans studying, when the volunteers were exposed to orange light greater the brain activity, when exposed to green light a very small increase were noticed and blue light did not show any activity.The researchers said, orange light make melanopsin more active than other lights and messaging the brain to when it's time to be more alert.

The study did not show that orange light has an effect on the circadian rhythm and makes more alert.If it possible or turn out to be true in future then it might be a helpful for people to remain more alert where need to be.

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Human Brain Can Process Images That The Eye Sees In 13 milliseconds, Research

U.S. researchers discovered that the human brain can process images that the eye sees in just 13 milliseconds.A team of neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was recently published in the journal Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics.

That speed is eight times faster than the 100 milliseconds recorded by previous studies. Researchers asked viewers to look at a specific image, like a "picnic" or "smiling couple", they viewed a series of six or 12 pictures, presented for 13 to 80 milliseconds and viewers successfully identified images.

Mary Potter, an MIT professor of brain and cognitive sciences and senior author of the study said the fact that you can do that at these high speeds indicates to us that what vision does is find concepts.Professor Potter explained in the study a rapid-fire processing may help direct the eyes to their next target.

""The job of the eyes is not only to get the information into the brain, but to allow the brain to think about it rapidly enough to know what you should look at next.So in general we’re calibrating our eyes so they move around just as often as possible consistent with understanding what we’re seeing.""

A team of the researchers explain the process in which information flows from the retina to the brain.When someone look at something, after an image hits the retina, then the retina sends that information such as shape, color and orientation to the brain.

The researchers said, the images were only seen for 13 milliseconds before the next image displayed, the results indicate that part of the brain continues processing the images for longer.

Professr Potter says that in some cases, viewers were not asked about the presence of a particular image until after they had seen the whole sequence.

‘If images were wiped out after 13 milliseconds, people would never be able to respond positively after the sequence. There has to be something in the brain that has maintained that information at least that long,’ Professor Potter said.

The MIT team researchers decided to gradually increase the speed of images until they were no more accurate and they reached a point where subjects’ answers were no better than if they were guessing.

Professor Potter said, this didn’t really fit with common assumptions my colleagues and I have had for what you can see.

As the images were presented progressively faster, better performance may be that they were able to practice fast detection.The subjects received feedback on their performance, allowing them to adapt to this extremely fast presentation.

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The shortest day of the year: December Solstice 2013

Winter Solstice 2013:-

The December solstice happens when the sun reaches south pole at -23.5 degrees and the North Pole is 23.5 degrees away from the sun.According to the Gregorian calendar, the December solstice happens between December 20 and December 23.When it happens all places are in darkness which are above a latitude of 66.5 degrees north and rest of places are get 24 hours of daylight which are below a latitude of 66.5 degrees south.The sun is directly overhead on the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere during the December solstice. It also makes the longest day of the year in terms of daylight hours for those living south of the equator.All locations south of the equator have day lengths greater than 12 hours at the December solstice. Meanwhile, all locations north of the equator have day lengths less than 12 hours.Those who are living towards the South Pole will see the midnight sun during this time of the year and those who are living towards the North Pole will not be able to see the sun during this time of the year.In the northern hemisphere, the December solstice marks the day of the year with the least hours of daylight.Earth does not move at a fix speed in its elliptical orbit.Therefore the seasons are different of length.The relative location of the Earth's axis to the sun changes during the cycle of seasons. This fact is the reason why the sun’s height above the horizon changes throughout the year. It is also responsible for the seasons through managing the intensity and duration of sunlight received at several different locations around the planet.In ancient times the December solstice has played an important role in the lives of many people.The December solstice is also known as the "summer solstice" in the southern hemisphere. It is the winter solstice only in the northern hemisphere.In Poland the ancient December solstice people involved showing forgiveness and sharing food. It was a tradition that can still be seen in what is known as Gody.In the NE corner of Pakistan and among the Kalash Kafir people,celebrates a seven day celebration takes place in the Winter Solstice.In the Neolithic and Bronze Age, Winter Solstice was a way for people to find the actual time for harvests and sowing of new crops.

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China to launch moon rock-collecting probe in 2017

China to launch moon rock collecting:-

China to launch a fifth lunar probe with the purpose of bringing lunar soil and rocks samples back to Earth after a successful moon landing of another space probe.The new mission planned for 2017 would mark the third and final phase of China's robotic lunar exploration program and pave the way for possibly landing an astronaut on the moon after 2020.Wu Zhijian, spokesman for the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense said "Phase three will be a difficult task."On Saturday, Chang'e 3 landed on the moon, marking the first soft landing of a space probe on the moon's surface in 37 years and will lead or guide scientific examinations of the landing site for a year and the rover will move about and examine the moon's structure and look for natural resources.China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003, becoming the third nation after Russia and the United States.Chang'e 4 is designed to be an improved version of the Chang'e 3 that will pave the way for the fifth probe.

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Life on Mars: Martian fresh water lake may have supported life

Martian fresh water lake may have supported life

NASA says Curiosity rover has found fact of an ancient fresh water lake on Mars that existed 3.5 billion years ago and may have supported small organisms life for ten millions of years, but uncertain about the origin of the organic matter.“This environment would have been almost earthlike,” says Caltech planetary scientist and MSL project scientist John Grotzinger, “in terms of geochemistry and in the presence of water.”The water wasn’t big news, sign that Mars was once a very wet place has been coming in since the early 1970’s, when the Mariner 9 orbiter first marked what looked uncannily like dry riverbeds.
Curiosity examined solid material from the bottom of a long vanished lake and found that it harbours large amounts of organic matter of some kind.It is think possible that over 4 billion years ago Mars may have had sufficient fresh water on its surface to produce clay minerals which may have supported life but that it underwent drying that left any remaining water is acidic and briny to support life.Tons of organic matter falls on Mars every year in the form of meteorites and cosmic dust.The environment around Gale Crater in Yellowknife Bay where Curiosity made the discovery does not seem to have been very pleasant environment for life.By drilling into not protected sedimentary rock at a site nicknamed Yellowknife Bay, the rover has discovered minerals containing hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and sulfur.Such a lake would supply (give) ideal circumstances for simple microbes life such as chemolithoautotrophs to thrive in.On Earth, chemolithoautotrophs are commonly found in caves and around hydrothermal vents. The microbes break down rocks and minerals for energy.

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NASA Releases Saturn 'Hexagon' Images:-

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has catched new images of the hexagon.A bizarre, funnel-shaped cloud formation churning around Saturn's north pole was first noticed in the 1980s in Voyager flybys. Eventually, this mass known as "the hexagon."The hexagon is a unique six sided jet stream with a roiling rotating storm at its center.It spans approximately 20,000 miles and whips up 200 mph winds.NASA believes the hexagon's stability is due to Saturn being made up of a smooth ball of gas. Earth, on the other hand, has uneven solid landforms, like mountains and icecaps, which tend to interrupt weather patterns.NASA said it was able to get these new detailed images because the sun began to shine on the inside of the storm in late 2012. Cassini deputy project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Scott Edgington said as we approach Saturn's summer solstice in 2017, lighting conditions will improve and change will occur both inside and outside.NASA released new images of the planet and its 31 moons in March and also released a new full view of Saturn, shot from its north pole in October.

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LUNA RING To Turn Moon Into Solar Power Collector

LUNA RING to send solar energy from moon to Earth:-

Japanese construction firm Shimizu Corporation has introduced a proposal which would see a solar panel array built around the moon’s equator, collecting solar energy and sent back to Earth. They are calling the project LUNA RING.Due to the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan back in March 2011 scientists have been scrambling to find ways to create electricity for the country in other ways.A private company is reaching the sky.The company say, is to lay down a band of concrete which can be made of moon soil, 250 miles wide around the moon's equator, a distance of approximately 6,800 miles.The concrete would be covered with solar panels, which would be connected via cables to microwave and laser transmission stations.The energy beams sent from the moon would be received at receiving stations on Earth.Shimizu said that the system would be capable of sending 13,000 terawatts of power and construction could begin earlier as possible as 2035.While the cost and difficulties in place have not been addressed, and suggest that Shimizu are not entirely serious about the plan, it does make it very clear the lengths to which Japan are willing to go to gain energy independence.

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SeaOrbiter; A new journey to explore the oceans

SeaOrbiter; A new journey to explore the 

oceans:-

An ocean-based research laboratory called the SeaOrbiter.The SeaOrbiter is part giant ship and part giant submarine.The station will have laboratories, workshops, living quarters and a pressurized deck to support divers and submarines.The SeaOrbiter will also allow scientists to remain at sea and underwater for long periods of time. The SeaOrbiter which is spaceship like shape and French architect Jacques Rougerie has designed, also included the world's leading ocean and space experts and supported by NASA and National Geograghic.The cost is expected approximately $52.7 million.The laboratory is semi-submersible vessel and weighs 1000 tons and has height about 58 meters with 31 meters below sea level.It will travel with the ocean's currents and It will harvest energy from wind, sun, and waves and is designed to float vertically with its two small propellers.In sea robots can be sent from the laboratory. 

The SeaOrbiter is made of an alloy, five times thicker than a conventional vessel.
Jacques Rougerie said in the folks at Fast Company: “The SeaOrbiter is the synthesis of everything that we have been able to do at sea.It’s another way to explore and better comprehend the underwater universe and bring human life at sea to another level on a 24/7 basis and over long periods.”

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Next Satellite for Better Weather Forecasting

NASA’s Next Satellite For Better Weather Forecasting:-

NASA and JAXA create the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory Satellite for international weather and give precipitation updates around the world.New satellite, a partnership between NASA and Japan’s space agency JAXA, will provide accurate predictions about weather, famine and storms.

GPM will launch in February 2014.New satellite have two radars and a microwave which make it much more powerful.GPM will be the first satellite to measure falling snow.

The Tropical Rainfal Measuring Mission (TRMM) in 1997 had held the record as the largest satellite,the GPM Core Observatory breaks that record with,

• height:- 21 feet
•  wingspan:- 43 feet
• weight:-  8500 lbs

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8.8 billion stars were discovered like Earth-size planets in the Habitable Temperature Zone

8.8 billion stars with Earth-size planets in the Habitable Temperature Zone:-

Habitable Planets

Astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a nearby sun, an Earth-like climate that could support life.

Kelper 22b

Kelper 22b

The planet, which orbits a star 42 light years away, sits in the so-called Goldilocks Zone, the band around a sun where temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist.one of three super-Earth type planets recently discovered orbiting HD 40307, doubling the number of known planets in that system to six.

There are at least 8.8 billion stars with Earth-size planets in the habitable temperature zone.In the Milky Way, about 1 in 5 stars that are like our sun.

• There are about 200 billion stars in our galaxy,
•  with 40 billion of them like our sun,
• The planet has a mass at least seven times that of Earth.
• It receives a similar amount of solar energy as Earth gets.
• More than 800 planets have been discovered outside our solar system.
• Those that don't spin are said to be tidally locked, with one half in constant darkness.
•  Planets in the zone that rotate, create a day-time and night-time, Earth-like environment.
• Longer orbit of the new planet means that its climate and atmosphere to support life. 

  

  Kelper 69c

  

  Kelper 69c

  
  

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