Science & Technology Today

The world’s largest detector for high-energy neutrinos was completed December 18 2010, when scientists lowered the last of 5,160 sensors more than a mile beneath the ice of the Antarctic plateau. The electron neutrino (a lepton) was first postulated in 1930 by Wolfgang Pauli to explain why the electrons in beta decay were not emitted with the full reaction energy of the nuclear transition. The apparent violation of conservation of energy and momentum was most easily avoided by postulating another particle. Enrico Fermi called the particle a neutrino and developed a theory of beta decay based on it, but it was not experimentally observed until 1956. Wolfgang Pauli introduced the neutrino to the world of physics in 1930 with a famous letter to "Liebe Radioacktive Damen und Herren" (Dear radioactive ladies and gentlemen) at the Tubingen meeting of radioactivity researchers. Pauli's first public discussion of the neutrino was at the 7th Solvay Conference in Brussels in 1...

While searching for a 3D TV, I cam across this health warning about the possibly dangerous effects of watching 3D television that was released by Samsung.                    Photosensitive Seizure Warning and Other Health Risks •Some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. If you or any of your family has a history of epilepsy or stroke, please consult with a medical specialist before using the 3D function. •If you experience any of the following symptoms, immediately stop watching 3D pictures and consult a medical specialist: (1) altered vision; (2) lightheadedness; (3) dizziness; (4) involuntary movements such as eye or muscle twitching; (5) confusion; (6) nausea; (7) loss of awareness; (8) convulsions; (9) cramps; and/or (10) disorientation. Parents should monitor and ask ...

On Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. EST, the moon was at its closest point to the Earth in 2011: a distance of 221,565 miles away. At its peak, the supermoon of March was 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than lesser full moons (when the moon is at its farthest from Earth). But to the casual observer, it may be hard to tell the difference. The moon has not been in a position to appear this large since March 1993. In December 2008, there was a near-supermoon when the moon turned full four hours away from its perigee – the point in its orbit that is closest to Earth. But this month, the full moon and perigee are just under one hour apart, promising spectacular views, depending on local conditions. Although a full moon theoretically lasts just a moment, that moment is imperceptible to ordinary observation. During the day or so before and after, most will speak of seeing the nearly full moon as "full," with the actual shaded area of the lunar surface being so narro...

The Hydrogen Explosions at Fukushima nuclear complex in Japan was result of the effort to prevent the meltdown of the core. The core which contains fuel rods is inside a 6 inches thick stainless steel vessel. Water is being injected into the vessel to keep the temperature for rising to the level were it will melt down. This process results in generation for steam and hydrogen and in order to release the pressure inside the vessel it released in to atmosphere. The hydrogen combines with atmospheric oxygen resulting in big explosions. The blast actually lessened pressure building inside the troubled reactor, and officials said the all-important containment shell - thick concrete armor around the reactor - had not been damaged. In that case, the uranium core can melt through the outer containment shell, releasing radioactive byproducts like iodine and cesium. That endangers the environment and people nearby.

iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is 33% thinner and up to 15% lighter than the original iPad while maintaining the same 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 is available in black or white, and introduces the innovative iPad 2 Smart Cover in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich leather colors. Thinner. Lighter. Faster. 10-hour battery Dual-core Apple A5 chip for faster performance Up to nine times the graphics horsepower   Two cameras for FaceTime video calling, HD recording, and PhotoBooth   Same great 10-hour battery life, with an even thinner and lighter design   Video Mirroring allows the iPad screen to be displayed on a TV, projector, or other HDMI device with the new Apple   Digital AV Adapter (sold separately) Key Features - iOS iPad 2 comes with iOS 4.3, the latest version of the world's most advanced mobile operating system, with new features, including faster Safari mobile browsing performance, iTunes Home Shari...

Recent floods in Australia has result in abundant proliferation of Noctiluca scintillans, commonly known as the Sea Sparkle resulting some breath taking Bioluminescent spectacle. For a cluster of lakes in Australia's eastern Victoria, the combination of the fire and then the rain washed ash and nitrogen-rich soil into the water. The Gippsland Lakes experienced a rise in sea level. That caused the lakes to mix with sea water, which also raised the salinity. As you can see blow the bioluminescent brew has gaven the water a nocturnal glow. Courtecy:Phil Hart/ http://www.philhart.com/ Noctiluca scintillans  a species of algae , also called  Noctiluca miliaris, is a free-living non-parasitic marine-dwelling species of dinoflagellate that exhibits bioluminescence. The bioluminescent characteristic of N. scintillans is produced by a luciferin-luciferase system located in thousands of spherically shaped organelles, or “microsources”, located throughout the cytoplasm of ...

One of the futuristic ways to achieve immortality may be to consider the prospect of ‘mind-uploading’, that is, the transfer of the mind’s information to a machine. Hence, even if the organic brain dies, the mind could continue to exist once it is uploaded in a silicon-based machine. Some scientists think that even if it were not possible to indefinitely suspend the body’s death, it would at least be possible to emulate the brain with artificial intelligence (Kurzweil, 1993; Moravec, 2003). Two crucial philosophical issues are raised by this prospect. First, the field of philosophy of artificial intelligence raises the question: could a machine ever really be conscious? Philosophers who adhere to a functionalist understanding of the mind would agree; but other philosophers would not (Consider Searle’s Chinese Room Argument in Searle, 1998). Even if we were to claim that a machine could in fact be conscious, the technological prospect of mind uploading raises a second philosophic...

If you don’t know it already, Stuxnet is a worm that could take control of industrial equipment. It is widely believed that its target was machinery used to enrich uranium. Stuxnet first came to light in July 2010. Nearly 60% of reported infections were inside Iran. The worm targets industrial control systems, known as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), made by Siemens. While PLCs are used to control a wide variety of automated systems, it is believed that it was those inside Iran's nuclear facilities that were the intended target. Analysts who have examined the Stuxnet code say it could have been used to damage centrifuges which play a crucial role in the process of enriching uranium for both nuclear power and weapons. In a recent report on Stuxnet, the security firm Symantec said that it would have taken a team of between five and 10 developers, six months to create the worm.