BCA

European aerospace giant EADS is poised to unveil a “hybrid” aircraft which runs on algae fuel, a world first, its technical director said on Friday.The firm will present the machine at the Berlin Air Show (ILA) that runs from June 9 to 13, Jean Botti told the Die Welt daily.
“At the ILA, we are going to fly for the first time a craft with biofuel that has been made 100 percent from algae. That is a world premiere,” Botti said.
“We need a paradigm shift in the aviation industry. We soon need an alternative to kerosene,” he said, adding: “If 10 percent of our fleet is flying with biofuel in 2040, I would be extremely happy.”
Slimy, fast-growing and full of fat, algae is quickly gaining ground as a potential renewable energy source.
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The Shimizu Corporation, a Japanese construction firm, has recently proposed a plan to harness solar energy on a larger scale than almost any previously proposed concept.
Their ambitious plan involves building a belt of solar cells around the Moon’s 6,800-mile (11,000-kilometer) equator, converting the electricity to powerful microwaves and lasers to be beamed at Earth, and finally converting the beams back to electricity at terrestrial power stations. The Luna Ring concept, the company says, could meet the entire world’s energy needs.
Shimizu envisions that robots would play a vital role in building the Luna Ring. Teleoperated 24 hours a day from the Earth, the robots would perform tasks such as ground leveling and assembling machines and equipment, which would be done in space before landing them on the Moon. A team of astronauts would support the robots on-site.
Due to the massive amount of solar panels and other materials needed for the project, Shimizu proposes that lunar resources should be used to the fullest extent possible. The company’s plans call for producing water by reducing lunar soil with hydrogen imported from Earth. Lunar resources could also be used to make cementing material and concrete, while solar-heat treatments could help produce bricks, glass fibers, and other structural materials needed for the project.
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Particle collision thought to replicate Big Bang forces, may help explain how things exist
by the logic of science, things simply shouldn’t exist. The best scientific minds of several generations have reasoned that shortly after the Big Bang created the universe, matter and antimatter should have wiped each other out.
“It’s like looking back to the instant where everything began,” said Joseph Lykken, a theoretical physicist at the sprawling research facility near Batavia, Ill. Simply put, the Fermi team sent protons and antiprotons around its underground Tevatron accelerator ring into a head-on collision, which produced slightly more tiny fragments called “muons” than tiny fragments called “antimuons.”
It was a laboratory victory of matter over antimatter, and a minuscule replication of what scientists believe must have happened shortly after the Big Bang, though exactly how matter won out has long confounded them.
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Believing that a moon base is essential for exploration of the solar system, Japan has recently announced plans to send humanoid robots to the moon to construct a robot lunar base.
As part of the $2.2 billion project, the robots will begin surveying the moon around 2015, and then build the unmanned base near the moon’s South Pole by 2020.
A Japanese government panel chaired by Katsuhiko Shirai, President of Waseda University, has developed a rough outline of the project. First, the robots, weighing about 660 pounds each, will begin by surveying the moon, taking images of the surface, collecting rocks, and returning the rocks to Earth via rocket for seismographic research. Later, robots will be sent to the moon to construct the lunar base for themselves.
According to the government panel, the robots and the unmanned moon base will be powered by solar panels. The robots will be controlled from Earth, but will also have a high degree of autonomy that enables them to operate on their own to perform certain tasks. Ultimately, the base could serve as a starting point for future robot colonizers, and even human colonizers.
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Two NASA robots are surveying a rocky, isolated polar desert within a crater in the Arctic Circle. The study will help scientists learn how robots could evaluate potential outposts on the moon or Mars.
The robots, K10 Black and K10 Red, carry 3-D laser scanners and ground-penetrating radar. The team arrived at Haughton Crater at Devon Island, Canada, on July 12 and will operate the machines until July 31. Scientists chose the polar region because of the extreme environmental conditions, lack of infrastructure and resources, and geologic features. Additionally, Haughton Crater is geographically similar to Shackleton Crater at the South Pole of the moon. Both are impact craters that measure roughly 12.4 miles in diameter.
“We are learning about the awesome potential of human and robot teams,” said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., where the group conducting the survey is based. “Studying how humans and robots can maximize scientific returns in sites such as Devon Island will prepare us to walk on the moon and Mars.”
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A twice weekly hip strengthening regimen performed for six weeks proved surprisingly effective at reducing — and in some cases eliminating — knee pain referred to as patellofemoral pain (PFP) in female runners. The study by Tracy Dierks, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, was based on the theory that stronger hips would correct running form errors that contribute to PFP, even though study participants were given no instruction in gait training. The study used a pain scale of 0 to 10, with 3 representing the onset of pain and 7 representing very strong pain — the point at which the runners normally stop running because the pain is too great. The injured runners began the six-week trial registering pain of 7 when they ran on a treadmill and finished the study period registering pain levels of 2 or lower; i.e. no onset of pain.
“I wasn’t expecting such huge reductions, to be honest,” Dierks said. “We’ve had a couple of runners who have been at level 2, but the overwhelming majority have been a 2 or below.”
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The privately-owned US firm SpaceX launched a rocket on its first test flight Friday, in what observers say is a milestone for the space industry and in the race to develop commercial carriers. SpaceX said on its website. It was due to place the Dragon capsule, a mockup of the company’s spacecraft, into orbit.” The first and second stage of the white, 180-foot (55-meter) tall rocket separated successfully, Regardless of the outcome, this first launch attempt represents a key milestone for both SpaceX and the commercial spaceflight industry,” the company said.
The launch represented a key test in developing commercial launchers capable of ferrying cargo and astronauts to the orbiting International Space Station (ISS).

SCIENCE BRIEFS FROM PhysOrg

 Airlines making a big push to offer in-flight Wi-Fi service February 17, 2010 By Richard Newman  

In-flight Wi-Fi, the next big-fee income generator for airlines, is available so far on 711 commercial aircraft, and the number is growing. Eight airlines, so far, have deals with technology provider Aircell to offer its Gogo in-flight service for $4.95 per flight segment and up, based on the length of the trip.

Microsoft Office 2010 beta ready to download    November 19, 2009 By Sharon Pian Chan  

If you want to try out Microsoft Office 2010, the beta is available for anyone to download, the company announced at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference.

IBM software safeguards consumer identity on the Web     January 26, 2007

IBM today announced software that allows people to hide or anonymize their personal information on the Web, ensuring protection from identity theft and other misuse. Developed by researchers at IBM’s laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland, the software—called Identity Mixer—will enable consumers to purchase goods and services on the Internet without disclosing personal information.

First germanium laser brings us closer to ‘optical computers’    February 4, 2010 by Larry Hardesty

MIT researchers have demonstrated the first laser built from germanium that can produce wavelengths of light useful for optical communication. It’s also the first germanium laser to operate at room temperature. Unlike the materials typically used in lasers, germanium is easy to incorporate into existing processes for manufacturing silicon chips. So the result could prove an important step toward computers that move data — and maybe even perform calculations — using light instead of electricity. But more fundamentally, the researchers have shown that, contrary to prior belief, a class of materials called indirect-band-gap semiconductors can yield practical lasers.

 Bluetooth 3.0 Launches April 21     April 10, 2009 by John Messina

The short-range wireless standard Bluetooth 3.0 will officially launch on April 21. The Bluetooth 3.0 standard is expected to deliver faster short-range wireless speeds up to 480 Mb per second.

 Study: Consumers don’t want wallet phones; airline, movie tickets on cell phones more acceptable     February 19, 2010

Of the things users expect their cell phones to be — address book, calendar, camera, music player — a wallet isn’t one of them, according to research by a Kansas State University marketing professor.

  Mobile Phone is greatest change for the better

Americans looking back at the end of a decade have little love for trends such as reality TV, they are generally positive when evaluating the most basic technological and communications advances that have affected their lives, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

Respondents had the overall best view of cellphones, which 69% claimed were a change for the better. Sixty-five percent said the same of both e-mail and the Internet.

Other, more advanced handheld devices, such as BlackBerrys and iPhones, were also relatively popular, though one-quarter of respondents thought they were a change for the worse. Unsurprisingly, younger adults were more likely to be positive about the rise of smartphones, while users over 65 were more evenly split.

Online shopping was slightly less likely to be seen as a good development, at 54% of total respondents. But when it came to e-commerce, 24% of consumers said it made no difference—and younger adults disliked it at more than twice the rate of seniors.

Adults ambivalent about social networking sites

“No difference” was also a major factor in consumer views of the marketing darling, social networking sites. Adults of all ages were notably ambivalent about the sites, though nearly one-half of those under 50 had a positive impression. Despite wide uptake in recent years, the largest group of respondents over 65 did not know enough to say whether social networks were good or bad.

Even active users of social media have registered mixed feelings of the medium with other researchers, however. Crowd Science reported that more than one-half of female users ages 12 to 21, for example, thought they spent too much time with social media.

Printed with permission of E-Marketer; to see data tables, go to E-Marketer.com.

A majority of consumers think technology has made life better in every area except personal relationships, according to the Philips Center for Health and Well-being.

Communication, information and medical treatments topped the areas of their lives that consumers felt were improved by technology. In addition, 64% of respondents said the Internet in particular had made life better, but only 26% said the same of social networking services such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Durability Top Consumer Concern

Consumers’ biggest concern was that technology be built to last, followed by good quality and the best price. Women were more interested than men in tech that could make life easier, save them time and let them express themselves through personalized features.

Just under one-half of consumers reported that technology was easy to use, and a further 32% felt it had a good mix of advanced features and basic functions. In 2004, only 13% of respondents thought technology was easy to use, indicating a dramatic increase in users’ comfort level.

Respondents ages 18 to 24 found technology easiest to deal with, while those ages 55 and up were most likely to say it was too complex to operate. Men also reported more ease of use than women.

Respondents Believe Tech Companies Understand Their Needs

Growing comfort with technology has come hand in hand with an increase in respondents who believe tech companies understand their needs (37%). Still, a majority of consumers said companies make what they think will sell, and 39% thought manufacturers simply fell in love with their own ideas.

One-third of respondents reported a substantial disconnect with tech marketers, saying companies had no idea what their lives were like or what they would use. Notably, women were 7 percentage points more likely to say so than men.

Printed with permission of E-Marketer; for complete data charts, go to E-Marketer.com