‘Phenomenal Super Moon’ to Appear After 70 Years

New Heavy Rocket Launch Advances China’s Space Program

China’s state media said that the country has launched its new Long March-5 heavy rocket sending its cargo into orbit. It is the country’s latest move in progressing its space exploration program.

The launch comes following China’s commencement of its longest manned space mission last month, transporting two astronauts to spend a month on board a space laboratory. The manned space mission is a part of a general plan to have a permanent manned space station by 2022.

The rocket is bigger than the earlier versions of the Long-March carrier rockets. State news agency Xinhua said it lifted off on Thursday night from a launch pad in the southern province of Hianan. The launch was aimed at verifying the rockets performance and design.

“Its successful launch has propelled China to the forefront of the world in terms of rocket carrying capacity, and marks a milestone in China’s transition from a major player in space to a major power in space,” Xinhua mentioned the ruling Communist Party’s Central Committee and powerful Central Military Commission as stating in a letter.

The two-stage rocket’s capability to put 25 tonnes of cargo into low-Earth orbit and 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit renders its carrying capacity 2.5 times larger than previous models, Xinhua said.

The news agency said that the heavy-lift carrier rocket provides China the ability to build a permanent manned space station and explore the moon and Mars.

Developing China’s space program, which China insists is for peaceful purposes, is a priority for Beijing.

The U.S. Defense Department has underlined China’s improving space capabilities. It said that China was engaging on activities meant at keeping other nations from using space-based assets in a crisis.

Despite its advancements for commercial, scientific and military purposes, China’s space program is still behind Russia and the United States.

In late 2013, China’s Jade Rabbit moon rover landed on the moon to great fanfare. However, it developed severe technical problems soon after.

The moon rover and the Chan’e 3 probe that transported it there were first landing on the moon since 1976. Both Russia and the United States had accomplished the feat earlier.

US firms such as Blue Origin and SpaceX are currently developing space flight capabilities. Both companies are developing reusable rockets. SpaceX has gone as far as disclosing their ambitious plan of a manned mission to Mars as soon as 2024.

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Experts Pointed Out Safety Risk to SpaceX Fuel Proposal

A group of industry experts that advises NASA has told the U.S space agency about the danger of Elon Musk’s SpaceX proposal – to fuel its rockets while astronauts are on board. The team raised serious concerns after the fatal explosion incident while fueling the unmanned rocket last September. The incident is still under investigation.

In a conference call on Monday, Space Station Advisory Committee Chairman Thomas Stafford said, “This is a hazardous operation.”

NASA’s eight members including rockets Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle gets fueled before the astronaut’s board to the launch pad.

“Everybody there, and particularly the people who had experience over the years, said nobody is ever near the pad when they fuel a booster,” Stafford said
SpaceX launch system needs NASA approval before it can fully operate and send astronauts into space.

In a statement released last Tuesday, NASA said, “continuing its evaluation of the SpaceX concept for fueling the Falcon 9 for commercial crew launches. The results of the company’s Sept. 1 mishap investigation will be incorporated into NASA’s evaluation.”

SpaceX and NASA are working “hand-in-hand” developing its human launch operations, reports said; they have spent 18 months finding out potential hazards and how to manage it properly.

Meanwhile, Tesla Motors Inc CEO Musk, who owned SpaceX said, “It would re-evaluate its fueling system and launch processes depending on results of the accident investigation.”

SpaceX said on Friday, that the explosion incident happened last September 1 was due to fueling error – a pressurized container of helium inside the rocket’s upper stage exploded which destroyed a $200 million Israeli Communication Satellite and the booster itself

Rocket engine uses super-chilled liquid propellants to increase the rocket’s efficiency to turn around and fly back to earth and be reused.
NASA stopped its Space Shuttle Program in 2011, then hired SpaceX and Boeing Co to fly its crew to the space stations.

Future of Space Travel

SpaceX is expecting to launch its passenger spaceship on 2018. The spaceship will include an emergency escape system. It will incorporate the a flight system for the main cabin capsule to fly away from a failing rocket before and after the launch.

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Bionic Spinach; an Effective Bomb Detector

Scientists turn their inspiration on one of Mother Nature’s nutritious foods to build an advanced military defense system against concealed explosives. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology uses the humble spinach to detect land mines and other buried munitions.

The co-author and a Professor at MIT, Michael Strano said, “The plants could be used for defense applications”.

Scientists from MIT in Cambridge install tiny tubes which are part of the plant’s leaves. The tubes are designed to pick up chemicals found in explosives and can connect the data to a computer. It then transmits immediate findings to a mobile phone or other handheld devices.

How it works

Once scientists implanted the nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes in the plant’s leaves they dispensed the nitro-aromatics into the water. The spinach only takes about 10 minutes to fully absorb the chemicals from the roots going to the leaves.

To get the findings, experts point a laser directly to the leaf. This directs the implanted nanotubes to produce ‘near-infrared’ luminous light. Using an  inexpensive Raspberry Pi computer or a smartphone with a deactivated infrared filter, scientists can detect the light.

Professor Strano said on the BBC website that their “paper outlines how one could engineer plants like this to detect virtually anything”. He pointed out that their research confirms that exact principle.

Bionic plants as monitoring devices

Prof. Strano invented other remarkable uses of carbon nanotubes which act as sensors to detect hydrogen peroxide and other gas compounds. The nanotube changes its luminosity when the subject particle bonds with the polymer material.

He said plants can also act to “monitor public spaces for terrorism-related activities since we show both water and airborne detection”. Strano confirms that since plants can sip groundwater it can detect “buried munitions or waste that contains nitro-aromatics.”

In a laboratory setup, the experiment shows a significant result in which the spinach can detect buried munitions chemical compounds 1 meter away. MIT Scientists are working on how to expand the distance of the plant’s detection for future endeavors.

Nature Materials, a science journal magazine published the entire ‘bionic spinach’ research of MIT.

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Mysterious Alaskan “Ice Monster” Caught On Video

A short footage of a mysterious creature in the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska, is prompting lots of wild theories online.

Some suggest it could be a “giant arctic crocodile” or a “zombie salmon”. Moreover, others are calling it an “Ice Monster”, comparing it to Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster.

An Alaska Bureau of Land Management employee pulled out a camera to record the creature. He noticed it moving upriver as he was checking out ice on the river last week.

It seemed like ice chunks but moved simultaneously in a side-to-side motion. A dark shadow thrown beneath the icy surface caused some to speculate if it is a creature.

The Bureau of Land Management – Alaska explained on its Facebook page that their employees did not explore further since the creature is a bit far out in the middle of the river. Their BLM Fairbanks District Office took the footage facing downstream. “We’re not sure what it is. We’re letting you all be the judge.”

The video has been viewed 380,000 times and shared by almost 4,000 people since it was posted last week.

Workers at the Alaska Bureau of Land Management had fun with the video, adding eerie music to the close to 25-second video clip.

And Facebook fans played along.

Some presumed it could be a bull shark, a “beavegator” or maybe an Alaskan sturgeon. Others think it wasn’t an animal of any kind.

One viewer guessed that it’s likely a chunk of moose hide. It could also be other fragments caught up on something and swaying in the current.

Another said that according to natural science professor from Paul Smiths College, who is also a geology and zoology graduate from Duke, that it’s a slush caught between 2 adjacent currents.

Officials at the Alaska Bureau of Land Management admitted they don’t expect to find an answer anytime soon, but they enjoyed reading people’s wild guesses.

“Like you all, we honestly don’t know exactly what it is,” the group said. “But all the guesses are great!”

 

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For The First Time, Scientists Identify Fossilized Dinosaur Brain Tissue

An unassuming brown pebble has been distinguished by British and Australian scientists as the first known example of fossilized dinosaur brain tissue. The pebble was discovered by a fossil hunter in southern England more than 10 years ago.

The fossilized brain is most probably from a species similar to Iguanodon. This was a large herbivore that existed during the early cretaceous period, around 133 million years ago. It was found near Bexhill in Sussex in 2004 by Jamie Hiscocks, a fossil enthusiast.

A report of the researchers’ study in a Special Publication of the Geological Society of London was released. They said that they think the piece of tissue was so well-preserved since the dinosaur’s brain was “pickled” in an extremely acidic and low oxygen body of water – similar to a swamp or bog – immediately after it perished.

“The chances of preserving brain tissue are incredibly small, so the discovery of this specimen is astonishing,” said Alex Liu of Cambridge University’s department of earth sciences, who worked on its identification.

Cambridge’s David Norman, who led the work, said the discovery also brought up questions about the usual concept of dinosaurs as animals with very small brains.

In normal reptiles, the brain is sausage-shaped and bordered by a dense region of sinuses and blood vessels. This means that the brain itself only occupy about half of the space in the cranial cavity.

However, the scientists said the tissue in the fossilized brain seems to have been pressed against the skull. This raises the likelihood that some dinosaurs had larger brains.

But Norman’s team warned against generating any firm conclusions from this single fossil about dinosaurs’ intelligence levels or brain size.

Dinosaur brains may be larger than previously believed

Norman said that they can’t see the lobes of the brain. Hence, they can’t say for certain how large this dinosaur’s brain was. Though it is very much likely that dinosaurs had larger brains than they were given credit for, they can’t tell from this specimen alone.

Nevertheless, it is very much likely that dinosaurs had larger brains than they were given credit for. Though, they can’t tell from this specimen alone.

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Protecting the Ross Sea, Antarctica’s ‘Last Ocean’

An International Commission plans to safeguard the massive section of the Ross Sea, home to marine animals such as petrels and killer whales.

The Marine Protected Area (MPA) will ban fishing and drilling in the said region.

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) established in 1980, consists of 24 countries and the European Union, Its mission is to protect the common resources of the Southern Ocean.

UK made its first attempt to limit activities in the Ross Sea. It proposed the creation of the South Orkney Marine Protected Area at CCAMLR in 2009.

So far the commission is successful on limiting fishing activities around the South Orkneys. It now attempts to give protection to much larger bodies of water surrounding the Antarctica continent.

Last year, Russia was seen as the one country holding out against a consensus on the Ross Sea, just right after the negotiations.

The commission proposed expanding the MPA into East Antarctica and the Weddell Sea. However, there is a belief that Russia would support the Ross Sea option this time around.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has designated 2017 as the year of ecology and has expanded the MPA around Franz Josef Land in the Arctic.

“People have come into it feeling very positive that this could be the year,” said Cassandra Brookes, a Ph.D. student at Stanford University.

“Despite the US and Russian tensions in other parts of the world, historically countries have worked wonders in the Antarctic and I hope this will be a case where we see science and diplomacy working,” she added.

The Ross Sea which makes 2% of the Southern Ocean which homes to 38% of the world’s Adelie penguins, 30% of the world’s Antarctic Petrels and 6% world’s population of the Antarctic minke whales.

Concerns are rising as overfishing and climate change have significantly impacted the numbers of Krill. The small crustaceans are a staple food for species like whales and seals.

New Zealand and the United States proposed a “no-take” protection zone. This is an area  where no one can remove marine life and minerals in the area.

They also proposed a special zone where fishing from krill and toothfish would be allowed for “research purposes”

Mike Walker, from the Antarctic Ocean Alliance, said, “Right now, 24 countries and the EU are negotiating what could be the first-ever large-scale marine sanctuary in international waters.”

“An agreement would be a historic move to protect the ocean.”
One question remains – how long would the MPA last?

20 years may not be enough

China believes 20 years is long enough, but many conservationists said this is far too short. Especially, if one takes the lifespan of the animals that lives in the Ross Sea into consideration.

“We’ll see what it is,” said Cassandra Brooks.

“It will have value for the times it’s in place. But can it meet its objectives in such a short duration? That’s something that a lot of people are worried about.”

As concerns rise over the Artic, the UN attempted to develop a New Marine Biodiversity Treaty. One that could probably halt the Ross Sea proposal.

“For some states, it comes down to economics, for others, it is about setting a precedent,” added Brooks.

“For others, it might be cultural. A lot of people might say that MPAs are a very western thing so there could be some breakdown there.

“I am optimistic, sometimes it just takes time and the political window of opportunity – are we in that? It remains to be seen.”

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First Direct Evidence of Hoary Bats Migration And Hibernation

Nestled in the heart of the California redwood forest is a roving colony of hoary bats, scientifically known as Lasiurus cinereus. A hoary bat has the ability to travel hundreds of miles. It flies throughout western North America before resting to California’s North Coast.

It is uncommon for some species of bats to migrate or hibernate. However, it’s rarer to find species to do both. The Hoary Bat, North America’s largest bat at 5 inches length, is covered with unique fur from which it takes its name.

Researchers together with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station have recorded the first evidence of hoary bats migrating to the state of torpor, or hibernation. The coverage has been published earlier this month in Scientific Reports just in time for National Bat Week, Oct. 24-31, “First Direct Evidence of Long-distance Seasonal Movements and Hibernation in a Migratory Bat” reports newly discovered behaviors in hoary bats.

“It’s commonly assumed that species that migrate do so to reach areas that allow them to continue feeding and remain somewhat active throughout the winter,” said lead author

Ted Weller, an ecologist with the Forest Service said, “but our findings surprised even our own research team by showing that hoary bats spend much of the winter in hibernation.”

Back in September 2014 at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Weller and his team equipped several bats with GPS tracking devices and another group of bats with a device to monitor the light levels, body temperature and their activity, in order to study how bats respond to different weather conditions.

Weller said, “While such tracking and monitoring technology has existed for a while, it hasn’t been until somewhat recently that these units were made small enough to be affixed to animals of this size,”

After a month of tracking and monitoring, two of the GPS equipped bats were recovered and their data downloaded. The first bat met the expected behavior of “site fidelity. Its longest recorded trek was about 4 miles from its initial capture site. The second bat has surprisingly exceeded expectations; it had multiple treks in a single day, ranging from 30 to 45 minutes.

After several months, they were able to capture a third bat, and produced the most intriguing behavior. The third bat flew more than 600 miles. It made a loop into southern Oregon, then into California. It then flew over the Nevada border, and then back again into California.

In a statement, Weller said, “It’s hard to determine what led to such a journey,”
“Was he seeking favorable temperatures and humidity for roosting and foraging? Was he trying to intercept females to mate with as they migrated to their wintering grounds?” He added.

Meanwhile, the GPS tracking devices equipped to the other group of bats also gained new insights into the species. Two bats from that group were recovered in spring, with one of the bat’s devices generated 224 days of data. In the span of November 2014 through April 2015, the bat showed signs of being in a state of torpor. This was based on low body temperature and inactivity.

This study leads researchers to the question: Why would a species capable of migrating, hibernate? The answer could lie within the bats’ roosting habitat.

“Hoary bats roost outside in trees as opposed to inside caves,” Weller said. “It’s possible that hoary bats are evolved to hibernate. Hosever, they would freeze if they did so in their northern summer territories.”

The Redwoods is an ideal habitat for the bats because it offers an environment with lots of shelter. Moreover, It has cool temperatures and plenty of moisture to reduce the risk of dehydration.

Research provided a glimpse into Hoary Bat Habits

Similar to other migratory species, understanding seasonal movements and wintering habits are essential for conservation efforts. And because most bat research is confined to summer when bats are most active, these findings are especially useful.

“This research has provided us with a valuable look into the lives of hoary bats rarely before seen, and until now, never before documented to this extent,” Weller said.

“Knowing more about their lives outside of the summer months will help us better understand what steps might best promote their conservation.”

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Explosion Detected On Alaska Volcano, Alert Level Raised

A monitoring website said an explosion was detected on an isolated Aleutian volcano. It was heard by residents of a small village about 45 miles (72 km) away, prompting scientists to raise the alert level for the mountain on Monday.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory raised the alert level to orange from yellow for Cleveland Volcano. The mountain is a 5,676-foot (1,730-metre) peak on the deserted Chuginadak Island, about 940 miles (1,504 km) southwest of Anchorage.

The orange code is the second-highest on the scale. According to the observatory, the code is issued when a volcano “exhibits heightened/escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption”. A red code is issued when an eruption is imminent or under way.

The observatory disclosed that an explosion was detected on Cleveland by both seismic data and infrasound. It was also heard by residents of Nikolski, a community of not more than 50 people on Umnak Island about 45 miles (72 km) to the east.

Cloudy weather covered Cleveland’s summit in satellite images. However, no proof of an eruption cloud had been spotted at a height of 28,000 feet (8,534.4 meters), scientists said

Christened after U.S. President Grover Cleveland, the volcano is one of the most active of Alaska’s scores of volcanoes. Further, its ash cloud could present a risk to aircraft when it erupts.

The observatory said the volcano, which outlines the western portion of Chuginadak Island, has been recurrently producing explosions and small lava flows since 2001.

Alaska’s Aleutian archipelago, of which Chuginadak Island is part of, is a geologically active string of volcanic islands that is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. This makes the island very disposed to earthquakes.

Mount Pavlof also displaying unrest

Earlier this year, Mount Pavlof on the Alaska Peninsula exploded with barely any advanced warning. The volcano ejected an ash cloud up to 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) high. The eruption prompted aviation warnings across the region.

According to the observatory, Pavlof is presently at yellow on the alert scale. This means that it is displaying signs of elevated unrest but not erupting.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a joint program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys and the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

 

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WMO: Greenhouse Gas Volume Marked a Symbolic Threshold

According to U.N World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said, the amount of Greenhouse gas spiked to the highest rate in 2015. This fuels climate change and make the planet more dangerous even if government limits man-made global warming.

WMO reports said, the total percentage of carbon dioxide worldwide, a potent greenhouse gas hit 400.0 parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere. This is the first time on record and was 44 percent higher than pre-Industrial Revolution Levels.

The uncontrollable growth is in contrast with a recent Paris Agreement signed by 200 country leaders. The agreement is meant to regulate emissions, phase out fossil fuels, and expand renewable energy.

In a statement of WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taala, he said, “The year 2015 ushered in a new era of optimism and climate action with the Paris climate change agreement. But it will also make history as marking a new era of climate change reality with record high greenhouse gas concentrations,”

“The key issue here is to go from this kind of political will to concrete action,” he told a news conference in Geneva. “So far we haven’t seen a major change in the behavior.”

An observatory at Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the main measuring station with records back to 1958. It “predicts that carbon dioxide concentrations will stay above 400 ppm for the whole of 2016 and not dip below that level for many generations”, he added.

WMO’s atmospheric environment research chief Oksana Tarasova seconded the notion. He said, “Carbon dioxide levels will continue rising unless the world stops burning fossil fuels and starts planting trees, the technology is there. It’s just human will. If we want we can do it”. He recalls Europe’s successful efforts to combat acid rain by tackling sulfur and nitrogen emissions.

“You can bend the curve. If you take an action and you sign a treaty and everybody follows their commitments. It’s not magic.” She added.

Taalas said, “consequences of climate change, such as weather-related disasters, were set to continue even if emissions start to come down. We could see improvement in the 2060s if we start reducing emissions now.”

Man-made warming is blamed for causing heatwaves, downpours, droughts and rising ocean levels.

El-Niño boosts CO2 levels

The WMO said, the total level percentage of CO2 were at 400.0pm globally in 2015 while 2.3ppm from 2014.

El Niño warms the eastern pacific ocean. It is also the primary reason for the recent rapid increase of CO2 globally. Further, El Niño triggers droughts and wildfires in tropical regions. It reduces the ability of forests, vegetation and oceans to absorb carbon dioxide. This leaves more CO2 in the atmosphere.

A U.N. panel of climate scientists estimates that concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are at their highest in at least 800,000 years.

“The real elephant in the room is carbon dioxide, which remains in the atmosphere for thousands of years,” Taalas said.

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Virginia Delivers Supply to Space Station, First in Two Years

Virginia delivered its first shipment to the International Space Station in more than two years Sunday after a spectacular nighttime launch witnessed 250 miles up and down the East Coast.

Orbital ATK’s cargo ship stopped at the space station carrying 5,000 pounds of equipment, food and research.

Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi admired the vehicle as he used the station’s big robot arm to take hold the vessel. The capture happened as the spacecraft flew 250 miles above Kyrgyzstan; Onishi compared it to the last 195 meters of a marathon.

First Antares launch in 2 years

Since a 2014 launch explosion, last Monday’s launch from Wallops Island was the first by an Antares rocket. Orbital ATK revamped its Antares rocket and restored the pad. Virginia-based Orbital ATK maintained the NASA supply chain with transports from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using another company’s rocket while the Antares was grounded.

NASA has commissioned SpaceX and Orbital ATK to supply the station, but SpaceX is currently grounded. The California company is investigating the explosion of one of its Falcon rockets during launch pad testing on Sept. 1.

After liftoff, Orbital ATK’s Cygnus capsule circled solo for twice the usual amount of time. NASA would like the Cygnus to wait for three astronauts to launch from Kazakhstan. They arrived Friday, doubling the size of the crew. Aside from Onishi, the crew consists of three Russians and two Americans.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins helped Onishi with the Cygnus on Sunday morning. Their four-month mission will conclude next weekend.

Meanwhile, this specific Cygnus is formally known as the S.S. Alan Poindexter. It was named after a former space shuttle commander who assisted in building the station. He died in a jet ski accident in 2012.

The Cygnus will be filled with trash and set loose to burn up in the atmosphere in mid-November once it is unloaded.

 

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Schiaparelli most likely exploded in Mars landing: Crash site found.

Tasmanian Devil’s Milk Possible Weapon Against Super-bugs

The Sydney University researchers discovered a possible powerful antidote in Tasmanian Devil’s Milk against antibiotic-resistant superbugs. The milk from the marsupial animal contains essential peptides that seem to fight deadly infections including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or MRSA.

Tasmanian Devils developed the milk’s useful component to help their offspring ward diseases and make them stronger in the process. They found an important element called cathelicidins, the infection-fighting factor in the marsupial milk. The Sydney University team initiated an endeavor to imitate the peptides.

Emma Peel, a Ph.D. student researcher said they found six important peptides. These peptides are present in other marsupial’s milk, which she mentioned are also worth studying. The student researcher said, “Tammar wallabies have eight of these peptides and opossums have 12”. She also said that research on koala’s milk is underway. Peel’s work was published in a Nature journal, Scientific Reports.

Thriving in Filth

Scientist believed that the Tasmanian Devil’s habitat served as a suitable sample for research since their offspring thrive in “relatively dirty environment”.

Only a few weeks into pregnancy, Tasmanian devil mothers give birth and the little marsupial snuggle in the mother’s pouch for the next four months.

The Australian researchers successfully imitated six Tasmanian devil’s peptides they discovered. They tested the newly formed peptides in 25 bacteria and six types of fungi.

Saha-CATH5

The Saha-CATH5, one of the synthetic peptides had a positive effect in fighting the MRSA virus. Most of the time, MRSA infection is harmless, numerous people carry the virus on their skin, nose, and throat. But if the virus enters thru an open wound, problems will start to occur. That is why people who stay longer in a hospital are at greater risk.

MRSA can only be treated with medications of combined antibiotics which can withstand resistant problems.

The Saha-CATH5 appears to work on Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, another hard to kill resistance virus. It also performs well against a fungus called Candida, which usually cause skin infections.

Researchers say that by 2050, superbugs can kill one person every three seconds worldwide. This promotes the immediate need to discover new drugs to combat treatment-resistant infections.

According to Dr. Richard Stabler, “We need to do this hunting in unusual places for new antibiotics. People are beginning to explore and find new molecules”. Stabler is an Associate Professor in Molecular Bacteriology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine,

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Will AI destroy humankind?

In an old interview of Professor Stephen Hawking with BBC two years ago citing the advancement of AI, he maintained that it could wipe out humanity.

Recently, Stephen Hawking joined with Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak expressing their concerns about the rapid technology growth. They warned humanity that Artificial Intelligence can be more dangerous. However, above all them, Prof Hawking’s has the most portentous vision of a world where robots decided to overtake us.

However, above all, Prof Hawking’s fear has the most portentous vision of a world where robots decided to overtake us.

The goal of these group of AI experts was to let the whole world know about the future of science. Furthermore, they aim to persuade other scientists to join and let their voices be heard in a debate.

In the event at Cambridge last Wednesday, the group formed the Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI). This Organization was designed to research the implications of AI.

“I’m glad someone was listening,” added Prof Hawking’s during the launch of the centre.

In a short speech, he discussed the positive and negative effects of technology. Some examples are the recent self-driving car technology and Google’s DeepMind AI.

He said, “I believe there is no deep difference between what can be achieved by a biological brain and what can be achieved by a computer. It therefore follows that computers can, in theory, emulate human intelligence — and exceed it.”

Recent technological discoveries could lead to eradication of some diseases, poverty and even climate change. However, it could also have negative effects like the creation of autonomous deadly weapons, economic disruption, and machines that could conflict with humanity.

“In short, the rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which.”

So the CFI’s mission is to find out whether AI would eventually destroy us or not.

The multi-disciplinary centre, which gathers philosophers, psychologists, lawyers and computer scientists, will have a more realistic programme of research.

Before we develop robots deciding the faith of humanity, we should start deciding first if autonomous vehicles should protect pedestrians or passengers.

Robotic automation a more imminent problem

Another famous speaker at the launching was Professor Maggie Boden, an expert in AI research for more than 50 years.

“It is too early for us to worry about eminent extinction and was less convinced that we are heading into an AI future soon,” said Prof Boden.

She worries about robotic automation, like in Japan where they developed a robot to take care of elderly and sick. She said we should ask ourselves whether this was dehumanizing. “I’m scared of that,” she said.

After years of study, Prof Boden is still not convinced robots would replace humans’ functions that include emotions and empathy.

Artificial Intelligence could soon help the government with functions that could cut down cost and focus more on social care. Nevertheless, this should be only at the cost of those who need help.

Centre for the Future of Intelligence can now address these concerns and other urgent issues, rather than focus on the future “terminator” threat.

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Experts Believe Metal Object Could Be Part of Ancient UFO

A chunk of aluminium that looks as if it was handmade is being upheld as 250,000-year-old proof that aliens once visited Earth.

Metallic aluminum was not really created by mankind until around 200 years ago. Hence, the un-earthing of the large fragment that could be up to 250,000 years old is being held as a historic find.

The specifics of the discovery were never revealed at the time because it was dug out of the earth in communist Romania in 1973.

Constructors working on the coasts of the Mures River not far from the central Romanian town of Aiud discovered three objects 10 metres (33 feet) under the ground.

They seemed to be unusual and very old. Archaeologists were brought in and immediately classified two of them as being fossils.

The third appeared like a piece of man-made metal, although very light. Also, it was presumed that it might be the end of an axe.

All three were dispatched to Cluj, the main city of the Romanian region of Transylvania, for further analysis.

It was quickly determined that the two large bones belonged to a large extinct mammal that died 10,000-80,000 years ago. However, experts were shocked to realize that the third object was a piece of very lightweight metal. Moreover, the specimen seemed to have been manufactured.

According to tests, the object is made of 12 metals, 90% aluminum. Romanian officials dated it as being 250,000 years old. A lab in Lausanne, Switzerland later confirmed the initial results.

Other experts who conducted subsequent tests said the dates were altered. The true date should be between 400 and 80,000 years old. But even at 400 years old, it would still be 200 years prior to when aluminum was initially made.

The object is 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) long, 12.5 centimeters (4.9 inches) wide, and 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) thick.

What confounded experts is that the chunk of metal has concavities. These impressions make it seem as if it was fabricated as part of a more complicated mechanical system.

Piece of alien civilization

Now, an impassioned debate is going on that the object is actually part of a UFO. It could also be considered as evidence of visitation by an alien civilization in the past.

Deputy Director of the Romanian Ufologists Association Gheorghe Cohal told local media: “Lab tests concluded it is an old UFO fragment given that the substances it contains cannot be combined with technology available on Earth.”

Local historian Mihai Wittenberger has attempted to argue that the object is actually a metal piece from a World War II German aircraft. But this does not rationalize the age of the artifact.

The metal object has now gone on exhibit in the History Museum of Cluj-Napoca. Its full history caused heated conjecture after it was noted that museum officials had added a sign saying: “origin still unknown”.

 

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Schiaparelli Mars Lander is Probably Destroyed After Thrusters Failed

Europe’s Schiaparelli Mars lander may be lying dead on the surface of the red planet after its thrusters failed.

The thrusters were supposed to fire for 30 seconds to slow the lander down so that it could touch down gently and protect the sensitive equipment on board.

However it has been confirmed that they fired for just three or four seconds before unexpectedly switching off in the final phase of the six minute descent.

Lost

All contact was lost with Schiaparelli in the final minute of the descent and scientists at the European Space Agency are still analysing data sent from the lander to discover exactly what happened.

At this stage it is not certain that the lander was destroyed on impact but it is certainly feared that it did not survive the landing.

Everything was going fine with the descent phase until the final minute or so.

Schiaparelli successfully separated from its mothership the Trace Gas Orbiter, entered Mars’s atmosphere as planned and that its parachute was deployed as normal.

Martian

“From this point on, the lander has definitely not behaved exactly as we had expected,” Andrea Accomazzo, head of solar and planetary operations, told a news conference today.

“When we put this hardware in the Martian environment, the spacecraft didn’t behave exactly as we had expected. Now it is a matter to analyze why.

“We are not in a position yet to determine the dynamic condition under which the lander touched the ground.

“We are still processing the data from the descent and (when that is done) we will know whether it could have survived structurally or not.”

Valuable

Even if Schiaparelli did not survive the landing it was recording valuable atmospheric data on its descent to Mars and scientists will be able to analyze that.

Schiaparelli is part of the European-Russian ExoMars program to explore the red planet.

The Trace Gas Orbiter, another key part of the program,  is now successfully in orbit around the planet so all was not lost with the Mars mission.

“Following yesterday’s events we have an impressive orbiter around Mars ready for science and for relay support for the ExoMars rover mission in 2020,” said Jan Wörner, ESA’s Director General.

Data

“Schiaparelli’s primary role was to test European landing technologies. Recording the data during the descent was part of that, and it is important we can learn what happened, in order to prepare for the future.”

David Parker, ESA’s Director of Human Spaceflight and Robotic Exploration, said: “In terms of the Schiaparelli test module, we have data coming back that allow us to fully understand the steps that did occur, and why the soft landing did not occur.

“From the engineering standpoint, it’s what we want from a test, and we have extremely valuable data to work with. We will have an enquiry board to dig deeper into the data and we cannot speculate further at this time.”

 

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Monkeys Making Ancient Stone Tools, Humans Not So Special After All

Scientists recently found a remarkable discovery in a Brazilian forest. A stone tool was found in the forest which was always considered as handiwork made by early humans, but the discovery suggests, this is unlikely.

A group of capuchin monkeys was seen making stone flakes, an early tool used by ancient humans. It is unclear how the monkeys knew how to make one. Nonetheless, this might prompt researchers to be more cautious when they come across the ancient site where similar tools were found.

Stone flakes were used as knives by ancient humans. To make a flake you need to smash two rocks together. A special rock can easily break in a certain way, then you have to hit the two rocks until it breaks into flakes. The flake is shaped like a scallop shell, hold it together or place it in a stick then you’ve got a knife.

This ancient tool making method dates back 3.3 million years ago and has always been connected to ancient humans. They were also uses by some early ancestors such as Australopithecus or Kenyanthropus.

A group of anthropologists filmed a Brazilian capuchin doing this ancient tool making method easily.

Tomos Proffitt, Paleoanthopologist from Oxford University saw them do it and was expecting to see “Capuchins do nut-cracking,” he added, “they crack open palm nuts all the time. So we were looking for this.” It’s something chimpanzees do, as well.

But instead, the capuchins were smashing one rock on top of another, he added “we saw this, doing this stone-on-stone percussion, and that was quite exciting looking at the material they produced. … It was sort of a jaw-dropping moment.”

“Jaw-dropping because they were chipping off flakes. No one has ever seen a monkey doing that. Nuts, sure, but stone tools?”

“We hypothesize that it’s something to do with getting minerals from the quartz because they lick the dust, they ingest it,” Proffitt says.

Another possibility suggests they’re trying to get the lichen that grows on many rocks in the forest. These organisms were found to be nutritious.

Whatever it was, the capuchins were ignoring the flakes. Hence, we can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that monkeys are not as smart as our early ancestors.

Proffitt says the monkey flakes should not confuse researchers. The one made by humans are “more complex than what we see with the capuchins. Nonetheless, they share the same basic characteristics”. There are usually clues found along ancient tools, like cut-marks on nearby bones, unlike the monkey flakes.

This discovery tells us that non-human primates do use tools, occasionally.

The method used by capuchins are more primitive than what early humans most likely used to make flakes. What is interesting is it shows a higher level of thinking for a monkey, said Erin Marie Williams-Hatala, a biologist and expert on stone tools at Chatham University.

“We are constantly erecting false barriers between our mental and manipulative abilities and those of other animals,” she says. “But the truth is far more blurry.”

John Shea, an anthropologist at Stony Brook University says it’s important to remember that humans are more “obligated” to use tools; it was an essential part of being a human.

Most non-human primates don’t use tools. However, those who do don’t improve their usefulness over time, as human ancestors did.

But watching the films the team captured tells us capuchins smash the rocks earnestly, whatever the reason for it.

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Schiaparelli Mars Lander Feared Lost While Descending on Mars

Schiaparelli’s robot attempted to land on Mars surface but a minute before it touched down, the robot’s radio signals dropped.

Satellites currently orbiting Mars attempted to check the status of the probe. An American satellite also tried calling out to Schiaparelli to get it to respond, so far without success.

The European Space Agency fear’s that the robot crashed and has been destroyed. However, it is still too early to assume the probe’s outcome.

Schiaparelli’s engineers will be conducting “fault trees” to shed some light as per why communication was lost. The procedure will also tell them what they can do to proceed with the mission. This test might take several days to complete.

The Schiaparelli “mothership” also comes with a Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) to examine Martian atmosphere. As the probe descends down the surface, the TGO was placing itself into a parking ellipse around Mars. That telemetry, however, could not hold essential clues as to what happen before the expected touchdown.

Schiaparelli’s engineers and ESA experts will analyse the downlinked data overnight. They will hold a press conference at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST; 08:00 GMT) on Thursday.

“People will spend the night looking at this data. I’m pretty confident that this telemetry will tell us what action was interrupted when we lost the communications. I would say we have a very good chance tomorrow morning to either know that the lander is lost or to know what attempts we can make to recover it,” said Paolo Ferri, head of mission operation at ESA’s control centre in Germany.

If the Schiaparelli’s fate is really unlucky, the TGO would still proceed in its mission to orbit Mars’s atmosphere.

The mission, formally called ExoMars 2016, is a key part of the international joint endeavor of Russian Space Agency (Roscos) and ESA. The TGO would spend most of its time studying the behavior of gasses such as methane, water-vapor and nitrogen dioxide in the Martian atmosphere.

Gases such as Methane could hold vital clues about Mars’s current state and may even give clues to the existence of life on the planet.

The spacecraft’s calculated fast descent has to be just the right speed, or else it would run smashing into the Martian surface.

Schiaparelli is equipped with parachute, heat-shield and rocket thrusters in order to slow its approach to the surface.

If the robot is later confirmed as lost, it would be another major disappointment to ESA which recently suffered failure with Beagle-2 on Mars last 2003.

Six-wheeled-rover for planned 2021 mission

Official’s said Schiaparelli has always been considered as the agency’s technology demonstrator. The project was meant to provide the learning experience to land a more ambitious six-wheeled rover on Mars in 2021.

Professor Jan Woerner, ESA’s Director General said, “this is typical for a test”. He added, “we did this in order to get data on how to land on Mars with European technology. Therefore, all the data we will get this night will be used to understand how to manage the next landing when we go with the rover.”

 

The six-wheeler rover is expected to use the same technology as Schiaparelli. This   includes a doppler radar to calculate its distance to the surface while descending. Furthermore, it carries a similar navigation system and control algorithms.

The budget of the six-wheeler rover is not yet secure. If Schiaparelli is indeed lost, ESA officials would have to work harder to explain to member states why the extra investment would be worthy.

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Regular Exposure to Toxic Chemicals Costs the US $340 Billion Annually

Regular contact to plastic materials such as plastic bottles, food containers, toys, cosmetics, and flame retardants containing “endocrine-disrupting chemicals” may result to increase of toxic and potentially lead to medical conditions.

Health problems. because of regular exposure to these chemicals cost the US $340 billion per year in health costs and loss of wages. This was stated by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Childrens’ developing brains are more vulnerable to develop health conditions from chemicals, said Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a Professor at NYU Langone and lead investigator of this study. According to Trasande there are simple steps to reduce exposure to “endocrine-disrupting” chemicals at home.

“Families can eat organic. People can avoid the use of pesticides in their homes to get rid of unwanted creatures. They can avoid aluminium can food consumption. They can stop using microwaving plastic and machine-dishwashing plastic containers,” Transande said. He also  to avoid using plastic containers with the number 3, 6, or 7 on the bottom.

Trasande added “simply air out their houses every few days,” helps remove chemical dusts from your home specially flame retardants.

Hormonal Effects

Studies over the past three decades show how regular exposure to these chemicals have negative effects on human health. Furthermore, evidence shows endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere with the body’s natural sex hormones.

Harmful chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA) are found in food cans. Phthalates is an ingredient for making cosmetics and food containers. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) can be found in furniture and flame retardants. Lastly, there are pesticides such as chlorpyrifos and organophosphates.

The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology team at NYU reviewed the levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in blood and urine samples. These came from five thousand volunteers from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

An advanced computer model was then used to estimate total disease effects that resulted from exposure to levels of these harmful chemicals. Trasande and his colleagues also calculated the estimated health cost for each disease. The total came up to an annual cost of $340 billion. Worst of all, most financial headaches resulted from neurological damage in unborn children.

Trasande said people talk about cost to manufacturer. What they never really talk about are the benefits of regulating the use of these harmful chemicals.

“Typically, when policy discussions are had about regulation, the arguments are one-sided,” Trasande added.

This study is intended “to facilitate a transparent dialogue about the real and substantial tradeoffs for human health. The things that we make or do by failing to act to protect against the chemicals of greatest concern,” said Trasande.

Chemical Regulatory and Policies

On June 2016, President Obama signed into law the revised Toxic Substance Control Act, “the major law that reviews chemicals for their safety and decides whether they should be allowed for use in the broad environment,” including furniture, cosmetics and electronics.

Trasande added,”that law presumed that chemicals are innocent until proven guilty”.

The June overhaul, also known as the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, means “the Environmental Protection Agency is on a fast timeline to deal with the requirements associated with that action,” said Frankie Wood-Black, a principal of Sophic Pursuits, Inc. and an instructor at Northern Oklahoma College.

The timing and actions of the EPA intrigue “all of us in the regulatory world,” said Wood-Black.

“There is an opportunity here to ensure effective implementation of the law,” Trasande said.

Crucial for similar tests to be done in the U.S.

Andrea Gore, a professor at the University of Teas at Austin and Trasande calculated the costs based on prediction of exposures to the harmful chemicals in the European Union.

“It is important that they did a similar study in the US, because it shows that costs of endocrine-disrupting chemicals to health are an international problem,” Gore added, “learning about exposures in one part of the world can inform decisions in other places that may be considering whether or not to allow or ban a chemical.”

Gore was not a part of the new study. However, she is a co-author of some studies cited by Trasande.

“These authorities have a broader definition of endocrine disrupting-chemicals than that used by the US EPA,” according to Michele La Merril, a developmental toxicologist and an assistant professor at University of California-Davis.

“This exposes a weakness in the archaic US EPA definition and indicates a need for the US EPA to include endocrine-disrupting effects they currently do not consider, such as obesity,” La Merrill said.

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Weathermen use supercomputer to predict British winter a year in advance