Oxygen molecules discovered in deep space for first time

After even organic molecules containing ethyl alcohol can be observed in deep space, it does not come as a surprise there also is oxygen.

Article:

Oxygen Molecules Discovered in Deep Space for First Time

Date: 01 August 2011 - SPACE.com Staff

Astronomers can finally breathe a sigh of relief: A team of scientists has discovered the first oxygen molecules in deep space, capping a nearly 230-year search for the elusive cosmic molecule.


The Herschel space telescope found the molecules in a dense patch of gas and dust adjacent to star-forming regions in the Orion nebula. CREDIT: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech / space.com

The oxygen molecules were detected in a star-forming region of the Orion nebula, roughly 1,500 light-years from Earth, by the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory. The observatory used its large telescope and infrared detectors to hone in on the species, which is thought to be common in the cosmos, but has so far been hard to find.

Individual atoms of oxygen (called atomic oxygen) are common in space, particularly around massive stars. But molecular oxygen, which is formed of two bonded oxygen atoms and makes up about 20 percent of the air we breathe on Earth, has eluded astronomers until now.

"Oxygen gas was discovered in the 1770s, but it's taken us more than 230 years to finally say with certainty that this very simple molecule exists in space," Paul Goldsmith, NASA's Herschel project scientist at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement. Goldsmith is lead author of a recent paper describing the findings in the Astrophysical Journal. [Spectacular Photos of Nebulas in Deep Space]

Astronomers searched for the elusive oxygen molecules in space for decades using balloons, as well as ground- and space-based telescopes. The Swedish Odin telescope spotted the molecule in 2007, but the detection could not be confirmed. The discovery by the Herschel team has been confirmed, cementing the existence of molecular oxygen in space.


The squiggly lines, or spectra, reveal the signatures of oxygen molecules, detected in the Orion nebula by the Hershel Space Observatory. CREDIT: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech / space.com

Goldsmith and his colleagues suggest that oxygen is actually locked up in water ice that coats tiny dust grains. They think the oxygen detected by Herschel in the Orion nebula was formed after starlight warmed the icy grains, releasing water, which was converted into oxygen molecules.

"This explains where some of the oxygen might be hiding," said Goldsmith. "But we didn't find large amounts of it, and still don't understand what is so special about the spots where we find it. The universe still holds many secrets."

The researchers plan to continue their hunt for oxygen molecules in other star-forming regions.

"Oxygen is the third most common element in the universe and its molecular form must be abundant in space," said Bill Danchi, Herschel program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Herschel is proving a powerful tool to probe this unsolved mystery. The observatory gives astronomers an innovative tool to look at a whole new set of wavelengths where the tell-tale signature of oxygen may be hiding."

Source: space.com

I, Robot? A robot that can learn, think and act by itself!

Robotic technology is progressing really fast these days. The Tokyo Institute of Technology now came up with something really impressive: An intelligent humanoid robot, capable of learning and decision-making in a real environment.

Video documentary by DigInfo TV:

Link & HD video: YouTube

Perhaps there will be a need to implement the Three Laws of Robotics by Isaac Asimov soon - or to rethink them.

An article covering the recent breakthrough:

AUGUST 1, 2011 3:20 PM PDT
Japanese robot pours fake drinks with fake ice

Japanese researchers are developing a robot that can adapt its behavior to new situations and make educated guesses about new challenges based on its knowledge.

Tokyo Institute of Technology's Osamu Hasegawa and collaborators are working on a robot that operates based on an algorithm they've termed a self-organizing incremental neural network (SOINN), which is designed for unsupervised learning tasks.


The robot of the TIOT. Credit: Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET

The humanoid bot has a head, cameras, and two arms. In an experiment, when it's told to serve water, it can identify a cup, grasp it and then pour pellets, acting as the liquid, into the cup.
As seen in the video, the experiment isn't exactly mind-blowing. But practical artificial intelligence that works in real-world situations will require robots like this one to be able to figure out what a cup is, and how to pour water.

The SOINN system can filter useful sensory data from background noise, as well as mine the Internet and the experiences of other robots for knowledge. Hasegawa gave the example of an elder-care robot in Japan querying another in England on how to make tea.


German cooking robot PR2 paired with Rosie, preparing a Bavarian breakfast. Credit: Technical University Munich.

The idea of globally networked robots querying each other for how-to tips could gain traction with the advent of Willow Garage's open-source ROS operating system (see: PR2, German robot make breakfast of champions) - which is powering bots around the world. Let's just hope they don't get any dangerous ideas.

Source: news.cnet.com

CERN: Matter and antimatter are symmetrical

Scientists at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva) could provide evidence for an astounding relationship for the very first time: The symmetry of matter and antimatter.

This compact video coverage gives an insight:

Video: Symmetrie von Materie und Antimaterie - Cern (3:08)

Link to the German IT portal source: golem.de

Look into my eyes, darling!

Futuristic lense displays covering your eye? Now that sounds like a great alternative to cheat in exams and the likes. But of course this could offer a vastly broader range of applications and opportunities. Getting information displayed right in front of your window into the world might become a mainstream technology pretty soon, as the equipment is advancing fast.


A HUD-like contact lense projecting information right on the eye ball. Source

A recent Economist article on the topic:

Smart Contact Lenses
Biotechnology: Smart contact lenses exploit the unusual characteristics of the eye to diagnose disease, deliver drugs and more besides 

Jun 2nd 2011 - The Economist

EYES can reveal an awful lot about somebody. Look into someone’s eyes and you can tell if he is happy or sad, truthful or insincere, sober or drunk. By peering deeper still, ophthalmologists are even able to gauge a person’s health, spotting far more than just conditions that affect the eye itself: hypertension and brain tumours can also be diagnosed by examining the retina. Eyes are in many respects windows on the body, even if they are not quite windows on the soul.

And now contact lenses, normally used to bring the outside world into focus, are making it possible to peer back in through these windows. The idea of “smart” contact lenses that can superimpose information on the wearer’s field of view has been around for a while, but contact lenses are also being developed that use embedded sensors and electronics to monitor disease and dispense drugs. Such devices may eventually be able to measure the level of cholesterol or alcohol in your blood and flash up an appropriate warning.

The technology has huge potential, says Babak Parviz, a researcher at the University of Washington, in Seattle, who is one of the pioneers of smart contact lenses. Such lenses could act as both sensors and displays, providing new ways for data to pass in and out of the body. By adding tiny light-emitting elements to contact lenses, it is becoming possible to map digital images directly onto the wearer’s field of vision to create a head-up display or augmented-reality overlay that requires no glasses, screen or headset. “The ultimate goal would be to have a fully fledged display,” says Dr Parviz. 


The first smart contact lenses are already on the market. The Triggerfish, created by Sensimed, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is a wirelessly powered contact lens designed to help people with glaucoma manage their treatment. It does this by continuously measuring the curvature of the eye over a 24-hour period using a tiny strain gauge, built using micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technology, which is incorporated into the lens.


Read more:  http://www.economist.com/node/18750624

Holographic Video Conferences - SciFi becomes reality

The future is now! Holographic video conferences as depicted in a bunch of SciFi movies like Star Wars is already possible today. It is used for professional business conferences as well as artistic performances and the likes. And the technology gets more advanced and widespread while we speak. This may soon become daily business.

A video that shows the world's 1st holographic video conference from California (USA) to Bangalore (India) in 2007 (the 2 people to the right are holographs):


Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFQ8h3wClbI


Article:

Cisco Experimenting with an On-Stage Telepresence Experience
November 15, 2007 | HSL

Cisco demonstrated an "On-Stage" Telepresence experience at the launch of their Globilization Center East in Bangalore, India. During a presentation to the media in Bangalore, Cisco CEO John Chambers "beamed up" Marthin De Beer, Senior Vice President of Emerging Technology Group at Cisco, and Chuck Stucki the General Manager of the Telepresence Business Unit from San Jose. The photorealistic and lifesize virtual duo from San Jose then interacted with the Cisco CEO and presented to the audience in India. You can check out a video of the launch of the Cisco Globalization Center East which includes the stand up telepresence experience on the Cisco video website here.

Holographic projection of conferees

This demonstration married the telepresence display technology of UK based Musion with the ultra high definition camera and codec technology that powers the Cisco TelePresence offering and the Cisco Human Network that hooked together Bangalore and San Jose.

How The Heck Did They Do That?

The Musion display technology is similar to the tech that telepresence provider Digital Video Enterprises uses for their seamless tele-immersion room. A sheet of Musion's patented, transparent Eye-liner foil is stretched across the stage. The ultra high-definition image of Marthin De Beer and Chuck Stucki are captured in San Jose and the images of the virtual humans are then transported over the Human Network to be displayed in Bangalore.

The Cisco shots make it difficult to see the technology at work but the New York Times ran a story illustrating some of capabilities the Eyeliner video product brings to a modern theater production. It helps make the tech more tangible.

Actors (not seen by the audience) are reflected onstage on a nearly invisible screen, observed by Aldo Perez, right, in the play "Losing Something," at the 3LD Art & Technology Center. (By NY Times)

The Musion system takes a captured image and shines it down to a mirror on the ground with an ultra-bright projector. The image then bounces off the mirror and is displayed on the Eye-liner foil (as shown above). For more images of the process at work, check out the Times' slideshow


Sources: humanproductivitylab.com, musion.co.uk

Airbus wants to make your flight a futuristic wellness trip by 2050

Transparent membranes for a 360° panorama during your flight? Passenger seats adapting to all your needs? Holographic displays providing you information about Mount Everest while passing it? A whole new entertainment experience? And probably of capital importance: No classes anymore, but payment by use of services?
Airbus wants to open your mind and give a glimpse of future air travel. It's 2050 concept cabin (see official infosite) develops modern technology trends to imagine a more comfortable and at the same time more exciting journey above the solid ground of Earth. Admittedly, in part it might be a bit of bauble gadgets that look unnecessary to common passengers. But still, visions are made to inspire - and of course to show off and exaggerate a little.

The video with a visualization of the concept plane by Airbus:

Airbus Cabin of the Future

Article from Airbus website:
Concept airplane: Airbus presents a panoramic view of 2050

Intelligent cabin interiors replace class system for a bespoke flying experience
Leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus, in advance of the Paris Airshow “Le Bourget”, today invited the passengers of 2050 to discover its Concept Cabin - a whole new flying experience inspired by nature.

Personalised zones replace traditional cabin classes to offer tailored levels of experience. While taking a hop between destinations, according to Airbus, passengers in 2050 could join an interactive conference; enjoy a game of virtual golf; read the kids back home a bedtime story; and recharge in a ‘vitalising seat’ whilst watching the planet spread out beneath their feet. 

 Panoramic membrane roof - all images © Airbus S.A.S (2011) - ^ Click for full resolution! ^

This latest instalment of The Future by Airbus – a vision of aviation in 2050 – follows last year’s unveiling of the revolutionary Airbus Concept Plane, packed with technologies to reduce fuel burn, emissions, waste and noise. The Airbus Concept Cabin now gives further insight into some of the innovations and technologies that will shape future passenger experiences on board. 

The aircraft’s bionic structure mimics the efficiency of bird bone which is optimised to provide strength where needed, and allows for an intelligent cabin wall membrane which controls air temperature and can become transparent to give passengers open panoramic views.

The Concept Cabin has an integrated ‘neural network’ creating an intelligent interface between passenger and plane.  It can identify and respond to passenger needs and enables bespoke features such as morphing seats which change to your body shape. 

New personalised zones replace the traditional cabin classes in the Airbus Concept Cabin to offer new tailored levels of experience. The “vitalising zone” is all about wellbeing and relaxation allowing you to proactively recharge your batteries with vitamin and antioxidant enriched air, mood lighting, aromatherapy and acupressure treatments whilst taking in the infinite view of the world around you.

There are no limits to the kinds of social scenarios in the centre zone of the concept cabin – the “interactive zone”. The virtual pop up projections in this area can transform you to whichever social scene you want to be in, from holographic gaming to virtual changing rooms for active shoppers. 

The “smart tech zone” is tailored towards the more functional oriented passenger with a chameleon style offering, to meet individual needs ranging from a simple to a complete luxury service, but all allowing you to continue life as if on the ground.  By offering different levels of experience within each zone, airlines would be able to achieve price differentials and give more people access to the benefits of air travel with minimal environmental impact. 

Showcasing the innovative interior design, Charles Champion, Airbus Executive Vice President Engineering, said: “Our research shows that passengers of 2050 will expect a seamless travel experience while also caring for the environment. The Airbus Concept Cabin is designed with that in mind, and shows that the journey can be as much a voyage of discovery as the destination. Whichever flight experience is chosen, the passenger of 2050 will step out of the Airbus Concept Cabin feeling revitalised and enriched.” 

More than 90 percent of Airbus’ annual research & development investment of over €2 billion has environmental benefits for current and future aircraft. For example, due to advances in technologies the concept cabin will be 100% recyclable.  It will have self-cleaning materials made from sustainable plant fibres which reduce waste and maintenance and will harvest passenger body heat to power cabin features. 

Such technologies are already being developed and, while they may not be seen in the exact same manner as in the Airbus Concept Plane and Cabin, some of them could feature in future Airbus aircraft programmes.

Visitors to Le Bourget International Airshow in Paris will also be able to experience the Airbus’ Future of Flight film, a 360 planetarium movie – a vision of the transformations in air transport between now and the middle of the century which not only focuses on aircraft designs and innovations, but also addresses passenger expectations. The movie will be part of the planetarium’s programme at the Musee de l’Air et de l’Espace from 20 – 26 June.

To find out more about the Airbus Concept Cabin and The Future by Airbus visit: www.thefuturebyairbus.com
Article source: Airbus press release of 14 June 2011

More images of the Airbus 2050 concept cabin airplane:

Full exterior view
The exterior body's transparency can be turned on and off

Rendering of the interior night view 



The 'interaction zone' features private pods for virtual shopping and gaming, as in this golf game. (Designboom)


Seating in the 'smart tech' zone seamlessly integrates technology into the flight experience.


Holographic displays and the likes provide everything imaginable, such as information about sights you pass by flying.
All images © Airbus S.A.S (2011).

Hypersonic Jet by EADS at Paris Air Show - London-NYC in just 1 hour

London-Tokyo in just 2 hours? A passenger plane with Mach-4 flying faster than the Concorde and almost 4 times as fast as the usual Jumbo Jet (Boeing 747)? Driven by biofuel and hydrogen? Around 100 passengers? And first flights scheduled for 2021 already? Sounds almost too good to be true. But the European enterprise EADS now unveiled their groundbreaking hypersonic jet ZEHS at Paris Air Show that does it all. Flytime!


Unveiling of the EADS ZEHST model at Paris Air Show - Source


Graphic of the EADS hypersonic jet (Click for FullRes) - Source


Scheme of the Mach-4 ZEHST jet (Click for FullRes) - Source

June 20, 2011 2:16 AM IST
EADS Gives an Heir to the Concorde, the Mach-4 ZEHST
Aerospace group EADS, owner of planemaker Airbus, thinks it has the answer -- a hypersonic jet that flies above the atmosphere, yet takes off from a regular runway.

"It is not a Concorde but it looks like a Concorde, showing that aerodynamics of the 1960s were very smart," Jean Botti, EADS' chief technical officer, said.
By flying above the atmosphere and using biofuel to get the plane off the ground initially, the group hopes to avoid the supersonic boom and pollution Concorde was notorious for.
"When you are above the atmosphere nobody hears anything," Botti said.

The plane, being developed in collaboration with Japan, is being primarily designed with the business market in mind and could carry 50-100 passengers.
The concept project, known as ZEHST (zero emission high speed transport), comes as companies such as Virgin Galactic push forward with plans to take paying customers up on commercial space flights. Indeed, ZEHST is being developed using research from EADS' space arm Astrium.

Unlike Virgin Galactic customers, EADS says ZEHST would have a maximum acceleration of 1.2G, meaning passengers will not need any training in order to fly.
"The acceleration on people is very low, so no specific equipment or training is needed," Botti said.

The plane will take off using a regular turbofan engine, before rocket boosters kick in to start a sharp ascent, sending the plane soaring above the atmosphere.
Ramjet engines, currently used in missiles, will then take the plane up to altitudes of 32km as the plane cruises at speeds beyond Mach 4, or four times the speed of sound. After a gliding descent, the turbofans will reignite to enable landing.

"ZEHST has no novelty, it is all things that have been created before," Botti said, adding the company could have an unmanned demonstrator by 2020.
EADS boss Louis Gallois warned it could be another 30-40 years before commercial flights are a reality.
"We're not talking about a product that we launch in the next few years. We have to see security, integration of different technologies, how man reacts to it."
Article source: http://in.ibtimes.com/articles/165523/20110620/eads-zehst-concorde-mach-4.htm

Additional video on YouTube: EADS ZEHST Hypersonic plane (hydrogen + alguae)

Artificial Brains - I Robot to become reality?

Scientists Create Tiny Artificial Brain That Exhibits 12 Seconds of Short Term Memory

By Clay Dillow
Posted 2011-06-02

It’s not artificial intelligence in the Turing test sense, but the technicolor ring you see above is actually an artificial microbrain, derived from rat brain cells--just 40 to 60 neurons in total--that is capable of about 12 seconds of short-term memory.

This Artificial Rat Brain Has 12 Seconds of Short-term Memory. Ashwin Vishwanathan, Guo-Qiang Bi and Henry C. Zeringue, University of Pittsburgh - http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/Petri-dish-brain-650.jpeg

Developed by a team at the University of Pittsburgh, the brain was created in an attempt to artificially nurture a working brain into existence so that researchers could study neural networks and how our brains transmit electrical signals and store data so efficiently. The did so by attaching a layer of proteins to a silicon disk and adding brain cells from embryonic rats that attached themselves to the proteins and grew to connect with one another in the ring seen above.

But as if the growing of a tiny, functioning, donut-shaped brain in a petri dish wasn’t enough, the team found that when they stimulate the neurons with electricity, the pulse would circulate the microbrain for a full 12 seconds. That’s roughly 12 seconds longer than they thought it would (they expected the pulse to live for about a quarter of a second).

That’s essentially short-term memory. The neurons were relaying the signal in sequence, persistently, mimicking the activity we know as working memory (though admittedly we don’t understand it that well). The brain is basically storing the stimulus long after the stimulus is no more, which is a big deal for a tiny brain grown in a dish.

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-06/tiny-artificial-rat-brain-exhibits-12-seconds-short-term-memory

The International Space Station

The International Space Station is our permanent link to the orbit and beyond.
Mankind should be really thankful we managed to have a base in space. The station is now almost finished, finally!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/


http://h75.de/blog/astronaut-iss

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/5...52_946-710.jpg

The newly-installed Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 is visible at center of the International Space Station's starboard truss. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, is the largest scientific collaboration to use the orbital laboratory. This investigation is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and made possible by funding from 16 nations. Led by Nobel Laureate Samuel Ting, more than 600 physicists from around the globe will be able to participate in the data generated from this particle physics detector. The mission of the AMS is, in part, to seek answers to the mysteries of antimatter, dark matter and cosmic ray propagation in the universe.

Source: NASA - http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/image...ture_1952.html