Jonathan Williams
- UMD Astronomy
- https://www.astro.umd.edu/~jonvwill/
NSF Astronomical Sciences/Electromagnetic Spectrum Management · Astrophysicist · Engineer · Posts are my own.
Joined Dec 2017
A new 'atmospheric disequilibrium' could help detect life on other planets
"As NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and other new giant telescopes come online they will need novel strategies to look for evidence of life on other planets. A University of Washington study has found a simple approach to look for life that might be more promising than just looking for oxygen."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180124141603.htm
Repurposed drug found to be effective against Zika virus
"In both cell cultures and mouse models, a drug used to treat Hepatitis C effectively protected and rescued neural cells infected by the Zika virus -- and blocked transmission of the virus to mouse fetuses. Researchers say their findings support further investigation of using the repurposed drug as a potential treatment for Zika-infected adults, including pregnant women."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180125135529.htm
More Multiverse Madness
"The 'multiverse' – the idea that our universe is only one of infinitely many – enjoys some credibility, at least in the weirder corners of theoretical physics. But there are good reasons to be skeptical, and I’m here to tell you all of them."
http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2018/01/more-multiverse-madness.html
Plastic waste associated with disease on coral reefs
"Coral reefs provide vital fisheries and coastal defense, and they urgently need protection from the damaging effects of plastic waste. Lamb et al. surveyed 159 coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific region. Billions of plastic items were entangled in the reefs. The more spikey the coral species, the more likely they were to snag plastic. Disease likelihood increased 20-fold once a coral was draped in plastic."
(As a fairly recent convert to using OpenBSD-powered networking equipment, I hope not)
Are the BSDs Dying? Some Security Researchers Think So
"The BSDs have lost the battle for mindshare to Linux, and that may well bode ill for the future sustainability of the BSDs as viable, secure operating systems, writes CSO's JM Porup."
The number of cyber incidents doubled in 2017
"The biggest threat: Ransomware, like WannaCry and NotPetya, “far outweighs” other attacks, says [Online Trust Alliance]."
https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/610074/the-number-of-cyber-incidents-doubled-in-2017/
U.S. doctors plan to treat cancer patients using CRISPR
"The first human test in the U.S. involving the gene-editing tool CRISPR could begin at any time and will employ the DNA cutting technique in a bid to battle deadly cancers.
"Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania say they will use CRISPR to modify human immune cells so that they become expert cancer killers, according to plans posted this week to a directory of ongoing clinical trials."
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609999/us-doctors-plan-to-treat-cancer-patients-using-crispr/
#NSF 's Dr. Ashley Zauderer tells the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee that spectrum management, and defense of scientific uses of the radio spectrum, are crucial activities for astrophysics and other disciplines.
New Antennas Will Take CubeSats to Mars and Beyond: By packing big antennas into tiny satellites, JPL engineers are making space science cheap
https://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/satellites/new-antennas-will-take-cubesats-to-mars-and-beyond
Not bad for a turnaround time.
Intel Promises More Secure Chips This Year
"SAN FRANCISCO — Intel will begin releasing later this year redesigned chips that address recently disclosed processor security vulnerabilities, CEO Brian Krzanich said during a conference call with analysts after the company reported fourth quarter results and gave a first quarter forecast that beat Wall Street's expectations."
Internet rumors have long warned that artificial sweeteners cause cancer.
It looks like it might be just the opposite.
"Artificial Sweetener Could Offer Superior Cancer Treatments"
Prediction of titanic nitride proved unsinkable: Long sought-after form of cubic, semiconducting titanium nitride synthesized
"A team of experimental and computational scientists have synthesized a long sought-after form of titanium nitride, which has promising mechanical and optoelectronic properties."
Research funded by the National Science Foundation
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180125085108.htm
MIT Group May Have Solved The Liquid Sodium Battery Conundrum
"A battery that uses a liquid sodium electrode was first proposed in 1968. While revolutionary in theory, in practice it required a specialized membrane manufactured from ultra thin ceramic material to keep the components of the battery separated. Not only was the ceramic membrane expensive to manufacture, it was also exceedingly brittle, making it impractical for real world use."
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/01/26/mit-group-may-solved-liquid-sodium-battery-conundrum
The largest gap in Near-Earth-Objects awareness is for objects from 140m to 1km in size.
NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office received over 18 million observations of Near-Earth Objects, from 76 countries, in 2016.
Afterglow from Neutron-Star Merger Continues to Puzzle Astrophysicists
"The afterglow from the distant neutron-star merger detected last August has continued to brighten – much to the surprise of astrophysicists studying the aftermath of the massive collision that took place about 138 million light years away and sent gravitational waves rippling through the universe."
https://scitechdaily.com/afterglow-from-neutron-star-merger-continues-to-puzzle-astrophysicists/
"NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office: established in January 2016 to address and plan response to asteroid impact hazard."
-- NASA-‐LSST Near-‐Earth Object Collaborations, by NASA's LTC Lindley Johnson, Planetary Defense Officer
Presentation given at NSF's Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee
New Biosensor Can Monitor Glucose Levels From Contact Lenses
"Researchers report in the journal ACS Nano the development of an ultra-thin, flexible sensor that could be incorporated into contact lenses or on the backs of watches for real-time glucose tracking."
https://scitechdaily.com/new-biosensor-can-monitor-glucose-levels-from-contact-lenses/
Physicists Take First Step Towards Quantum Dot Based Spin Qubit Registers
"The worldwide race to create more, better and reliable quantum processors is progressing fast, as a team of TU Delft scientists led by Professor Vandersypen has realized yet again. In a neck-and-neck race with their competitors, they showed that quantum information of an electron spin can be transported to a photon, in a silicon quantum chip."
https://scitechdaily.com/physicists-take-first-step-towards-quantum-dot-based-spin-qubit-registers/
Oldest Stars in the Galaxy Provide Clues to Dark Matter
"Just how quickly is the dark matter near Earth zipping around? The speed of dark matter has far-reaching consequences for modern astrophysical research, but this fundamental property has eluded researchers for years."
https://scitechdaily.com/oldest-stars-in-the-galaxy-provide-clues-to-dark-matter/
Jonathan Williams
- UMD Astronomy
- https://www.astro.umd.edu/~jonvwill/
NSF Astronomical Sciences/Electromagnetic Spectrum Management · Astrophysicist · Engineer · Posts are my own.
Joined Dec 2017