Scientific Discoveries

Scientific discoveries this week: 11-29-10

Heidelberg, Germany – What may be the first extra-galactic planet was discovered by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. The planet orbits a star that is apparently from another galaxy, one much older than the Milky-Way. The star is estimated to be roughly 3 to 6-billion years older than the sun, and very low in metals. This leads astronomers to question the origins of this planet, wondering if perhaps there is a different mechanism for the creation of orbiting bodies then what was previously thought.

Scientific discoveries this week: 11-15-10

Milan, Italy – Researchers at the University of Milan in Italy have possibly shown that Hawking Radiation, predicted 36 years ago by Stephen Hawking, exists. Hawking radiation theoretically occurs when a pair of virtual particles comes into existence on the event horizon of a black hole. One of the particles flies into the black hole while the other photon is ejected into space. By building up a potential barrier by skewing the properties of glass with ultra-high energy laser pulses, the scientists were able to replicate what they thought was an event horizon. They then detected the photons emitted by the setup. In addition to expected photons, a set was emitted that did not appear to have come directly from the laser pulse. This experimental setup could prove many years of theory.

Scientific discoveries this week: 11-8-10

Batavia, Illinois – Researchers at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, have been studying one of the most illusive particles in existence. Known as antineutrinos, these almost undetectable particles are pumped out by the sun in massive quantities, but because they are so small and lightweight, all but the very smallest number of them pass through the Earth without leaving any trace. Understanding these particles may help in understanding more about the presence of other “hidden particles.”

Scientific discoveries this week: 11-1-10

Woods Hole, Massachusetts – A 10-million-year glaciation may have been the driving factor in the evolution of mammals on Earth. Bio-geochemist Noah Planavsky at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts discovered that a phenomenon known as “snowball Earth” could be the cause of a rapid increase in atmospheric oxygen that allowed mammals to develop. Snowball Earth is the idea that in the past the entire earth was wrapped in an ice age, and most land masses were covered in glaciers. The glaciers would have advanced and receded over time, grinding down the land masses and releasing massive amounts of phosphorous into the oceans. This phosphorous would cause algae blooms which would in turn produce organic matter and oxygen.

Scientific discoveries this week: 10-15-10

Mount Wilson, California – Researchers at Mount Wilson Observatory in California have discovered a star whose “starspot” cycle is 1.6 years, the shortest on record. The star, known as Iota Horologii, has a very active magnetic cycle, which means that its sunspots occur with a much greater frequency than Earth’s own sun. The sun has a sunspot cycle that waxes and wanes over an 11 year period. At the peak of that period the sun launches sunspots with the power to knock out satellites and damage orbital vehicles.

Scientific discoveries this week: 10-11-10

Tempe, Arizona – Old wives’ tales may have proved themselves partly true in a recent study at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The study seeks to determine if rainfall is linked to moon phases, following the past several years of data collection showing that river runoff seems linked to the moon. Using data from 11,000 US Geological Survey stations from around the country, the team of researchers noticed that stream runoff showed a slight increase in volume when the moon is one-quarter full. While certainly not enough to prove that rainfall is affected by the moon, it’s one more step in the direction of understanding our water cycle.

Scientific discoveries this week: 10-4-10

Hawaii, US – Researchers at the V.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii discovered what looks to be the first habitable planet outside our solar system. The planet Gliesee 581g, which is about 20 light-years away, orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 581 once every 37 days. The planet is remarkably similar to Earth. One major difference is that Gliese 581g does not rotate about its axis, leaving one side perpetually in the light and one side perpetually in the dark. Scientists speculate that if the planet had any life-forms, they would live near the line between light and dark, known as the ‘terminator.’ This area is the temperate region, most hospitable toward life.

Scientific discoveries this week: 9-27-10

Pasadena, California – Scientists at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena have discovered what appears to be a magnetic field they suspect could be left over from the Big Bang. While the true origin of this magnetic field is unclear, the researchers hope that it will point them to the origin of magnetism. The distortion and static from super-massive black holes and supernovae is the primary obstacle at this point in time, but scientists believe that the static can be eliminated from the signal.

Scientific discoveries this week: 9-20-10

Sydney, Australia – Researchers at University of Sydney, Australia have found a way to make aluminum as strong as steel, while maintaining its lightweight properties. By crushing aluminum disks under 10-ton forces while slowly rotating them, the researchers have created super-strong aluminum. The new metal will hopefully come as an economical replacement to titanium, whose high costs limit its use to only the highest-tolerance applications. The final product of an alloyed aluminum put under this stress is a metal that can withstand three times the stress as pure aluminum.

Scientific discoveries this week: 9-13-10

Kansas City, MO – The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives collaborated with a Kansas City cardiologist and the curator of the Nelson-Atkins museum of art to reveal the identity of a 2500-year-old Egyptian mummy. The mummy, named Ka-i-nefer, is part of a new Egyptian exhibit at Nelson-Atkins that opened in May. Using CT scans of the mummy and making graphical drawings from those scans, the team of researchers from ATF and the cardiologist determined that the mummy was a man who lived to be 45-55 years old, and was five-foot seven-inches tall and wore a size 7 shoe. “The image of by ATF adds a powerful immediacy to this man who lived thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt,” said Robert Cohon, the curator of the art exhibit at Nelson-Atkins.