Lifeboat Foundation

This experiment has accessed the conditions under which hydrogen starts to transition from a gas to a metal. What the researchers find is that the transition to a fully metallic state occurs at significantly higher pressures and temperatures than predicted. And during that transition the hydrogen is not only somewhat conducting, but also opaque to visible light, while still transparent to infrared wavelengths.

The implication is that planets like Jupiter and Saturn should actually have thick interior layers of this ‘dark’ hydrogen above their conductive, metallic hydrogen zones. And the infrared transparency of dark hydrogen may help explain how heat leaks out and allows these, and any other, gas-giant worlds to cool and evolve.

Perhaps the most remarkable discovery is that even the simplest element in the universe still has some tricks up its sleeve — if pushed into the right conditions.

Continue reading “Do Giant Planets Contain ‘Dark’ Hydrogen?” »

Guessing the pressurization suits (like those in space) will have to be worn. Some of my friends who were test pilots for experimental type aircraft use to tell me how they had to push the jets to their limits and at times wear pressurization suits due to pressurization in the cockpit. So, this should be interesting.

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WALLOPS ISLAND — With space station resupply launches expected to resume in August and a runway under construction for testing drone flights, Virginia is looking at another opportunity to lure a major federal research program to the state’s expanding spaceport complex on this Eastern Shore barrier island.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is expected to begin looking for a place to base a new “science and technology testing ground” for unmanned vehicle systems — operating in the air and underwater — and boosters say the regional spaceport would be an ideal fit.

“What better place to do it than here?” said Peter Bale, chairman of the Wallops Island Regional Alliance, as members of the House Appropriations Committee visited last week.

Continue reading “Virginia looks at new opportunities for Wallops spaceport” »

How we can influence the butterfly effect to better our personal endeavours (article I just wrote).

It’s funny, when we look around at our daily lives, we begin to see the things which reflect us. Our environment breeds our mindset. Our aptitude becomes driven by the exponential increase of clutter or minimalism, by work, or by passions. We each have the opportunity to create our own atmosphere, ensuring we surround ourselves by the people and places which foster an eminent light within us. This fire ignites the desire to reach our potential, present in the opportunity the future holds. Like a dream that feels all too real, our life can have many outcomes that lead to the predictable… or the unknown. We are each given a myriad amount of choices — varying in amplitude — which culminate to provide a chance at betterment… or the opposing force. We are given the responsibility to define that road ahead. By making the most of every minuscule and prominent decision, the balance will tip in our favor. People often fail to see this metric… that each choice has a butterfly affect across the horizon of time. Kindness can have a lasting impact. It can make the difference between life and death — success — or failure — because it is the most assured way of bettering the souls of yourself and others.

When we take the path of most resistance, it often starts with countless hurtles, and intermittent mountains along the way. The frontier is never easy, but it always comes with vast rewards to those who can brave it. Each day of life is another battle, and when you have within your mind a war-zone that plagues your focus, it can seem an impossible feat to overcome. But… so was creating fire, then harnessing power, then driving, then flying and exploring space. It never stopped us before, and it should never stop us now. It might start with an adjustment of priorities, of things which eclipse your sight on a consistent basis. It can be searching for more about your passion, and looking into bridging the gap between your interests and your life.

Continue reading “LIFE, Business & the Butterfly Effect” »

The craving to explore beyond our solar system grows sturdier every day. This proves true for the understanding of wormholes and time travel as well. In order to satisfy our thirst for the unknown, NASA will research unknown physics revolutionizing exploration of space. We first have to advance our understanding of space-time, the quantum vacuum, gravity and other physical phenomena. This info will help NASA send robots on interstellar space missions. Precisely 15 areas will be studied comprising human exploration, landing systems, nanotechnology and robots.

How fast can a cause make an effect? Is there a speed limit? How much of the universe can you influence with any given action?

Physicists in the US presently made the most precise measurement ever made of the present rate of growth of the Universe, but there is a problem: our Universe is expanding 8 percent quicker than our present laws of physics can give details. Currently astronomers are looking over once more at their measurements and if turn out to be right, this latest measurement will automatically force us to redefine how dark substance and dark energy have been manipulating the evolution of the Universe for the past 13.8 billion years, and that can’t be done without changing or addition something in the typical model of particle Physics.

It may seem like something from science fiction, but researchers have found a group of microorganisms that can live off of pure electricity, reports. All life uses electricity, but scientists long thought it impossible for a cell to directly consume and expel electrons. That’s because fatty cell membranes act as insulators, preventing the flow of electricity. Scientists have now found evidence that some cells can discharge electrons through specialized proteins in their membranes, and others can ingest electrons from an electrode by using an enzyme that creates hydrogen atoms. Still others might be able to directly consume electrons, though that research has yet to be published. The findings could help researchers understand how life thrives under a variety of conditions, and how it could exist on places like Mars.

Sharing in case anyone is interested Prof. Scott Aaronson’s Computational discussion on “Complexity and Fundamental Physics”.

Summer continues, and the public lecture series on physics continues a pace at the Aspen Center for Physics with Dr. Catherine Heymans of the University of Edinburgh talking today on the “Dark Side of the Universe”.

The talk is part of one of the three workshops currently taking place: