Micro stories - small news bits too small to have their own thread

[SvenSvensonov]

*this one's slightly longer than normal... sorry!

The Ancient Secrets of a "Bleeding" Glacier Are Finally Being Revealed

Against vast whiteness of Antarctica, Blood Falls bleeds a deep dramatic red. The color comes from iron-rich ancient seawater trapped under the ice for 2 million years. For the first time, scientists have been able to take a sample from deep under the ice.

The five-story tall Blood Falls was first discovered in 1911. In 2004, a team including Jill Mikucki, a microbiologist now at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, sampled the microbial life at the mouth of the falls. Because the microbes oozing out normally live in dark, oxygen-less, and extremely salt places, Blood Falls is a unique place to study extremophiles outside of their inaccessible natural habitat.

Mikucki went on to publish her work in Science, but there was still a problem. Exposure to the light and oxygen at the mouth of the falls could skew the results. This winter (or summer in Antarctica), she returned with a team and the IceMole, which the Antarctic Sun describes:

The IceMole is a long rectangular metal box with a copper head and ice screw at one end capable of melting its way through ice – but not just straight down like a conventional electro-thermal drill. Differential heating at the tip allows IceMole to change directions. It looks a bit like a very large hypodermic needle poised to inoculate a glacier.

Using the IceMole, Mikucki's team directly sampled a major vein that leads from the buried brine reservoir to the falls. (The reservoir itself is even further up the glacier and buried below even more ice, making it a considerable challenge.) To locate the liquid veins and guide the IceMole, the team used thermometers placed in boreholes in the ice.

The team will be analyzing these new, uncontaminated samples for chemical content and microbial life. Blood Falls is pretty much unlike any other place on Earth, so the extremophiles that live in it, isolated for millions of years, are likely to be pretty unique, too.




Gorgon Stare - Calcifying lake

Tanzania's Lake Natron takes its name from the naturally occurring mix of chemicals it contains: mainly sodium carbonate decahydrate (soda ash) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). The lake is fed by mineral hot springs and a river, but no water flows out except through evaporation.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

NASA Successfully Launched Its Mission Into the Magnetosphere

At 10:44 PM ET last night, NASA successfully launched the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket into space. It carries with it four Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft that will spend two years studying the magnetic fields between the Earth and the Sun.

The four spacecraft will construct the first-ever 3D view of the magnetosphere. In particular, they will help NASA scientists to understand why the magnetic fields around Earth connect and disconnect—in turn releasing explosive quantities of energy, in a process known as reconnection, which can disrupt electronics on the surface of our planet.

This long exposure image shows Atlas V soaring into the night sky above the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Hand-Launching a U-2

The U-2 was not designed for life on the ground. It relies on fall-away "pogo" wheels that work as outriggers for its long wings during taxi and takeoff. Apparently, these wheels fall off prematurely from time to time. Easy fix! Just get out on the runway and hold the wing while the U-2 goes to full power, than try not to be blown down the runway like a rag doll!

 

[Gufi]

The USAF's CV-22B Ospreys are the most capable combat search and rescue and tactical special operations transports ever devised. The video below, shot by CV-22 crews themselves, shows them in action like never before.

See now I want to ride on one of these too ... another snicker bar for you if can make it happen

 

[SvenSvensonov]

There May Be More Water On Jupiter's Largest Moon Than On Earth

By studying the subtle shifts of aurorae on Ganymede, scientists working with the Hubble Space Telescope have concluded that Jupiter's largest moon hosts a massive subterranean ocean. Quite suddenly, the outer reaches of our solar system appear to be a very wet place, indeed.

Ganymede, in addition to being the largest moon in the solar system (its radius is 0.413 Earths), is also the only moon to feature its own magnetic field. This magnetic field gives rise to aurorae, bands of hot electrified gas which circle the moon's north and south poles. Interestingly, Ganymede is embedded in Jupiter's magnetic field, so when the gas giant's magnetic field changes, the aurorae on Ganymede "rock" back and forth.

By measuring this rocking motion, the NASA scientists have determined that a large amount of saltwater must exist beneath the crust. This ocean is creating a secondary magnetic field that's countering Jupiter's field. This "magnetic friction" is suppressing the rocking of the aurorae. And in fact, the ocean is fighting Jupiter's magnetic field to such an extent that it's reducing the rocking of the aurorae by a factor of 2 degrees instead of the expected 6 degrees if an ocean was not present. The scientists were able to make these measurements by studying the ultraviolet images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.

And wow, is there a lot of water on Ganymede. Calculations suggest that Ganymede's ocean is 60 miles (100 km) thick, which is 10 times deeper than Earth's oceans. All this water is buried under a 95-mile (150-km) crust of mostly ice.

In addition to Ganymede, we're now fairly certain that Europa and Enceladus have subterranean oceans as well. It's time for NASA to start considering these objects as we continue the search for alien life in our own solar system.

See now I want to ride on one of these too ... another snicker bar for you if can make it happen

No can do. If this was the USMC, being part of the Naval Command, I might be able to call in a few favors... but, these systems belong to the USAF. Despite my working on military satellites, I didn't have too much to do with the USAF, they have their own launch systems, command and controls.

The Navy's equivalent is SPAWAR (both the USAF and USN operate very closely with another agency I worked with, the NRO).

 

[Gufi]

No can do. If this was the USMC, being part of the Naval Command, I might be able to call in a few favors... but, these systems belong to the USAF. Despite my working on military satellites, I didn't have too much to do with the USAF, they have their own launch systems, command and controls.

lol I would never impose on you I was joking around. But seriously 3 bars of chocolate and an axe

 

[SvenSvensonov]

How to cook delicious bacon using a M16 rifle

Competitive shooter Dustin Ellermann cooks bacon using his M16 rifle in a video that is a perfect example of what MURICA, F**K YEAH means. To do that, he wrapped the bacon around the suppressor of his gun, covered it in aluminum foil, and fired the M16 until the heat made it nice and crispy.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

In Costa Rica, A Restless Volcano Stirs

The increasingly active Turrialba volcano in Turrialba, Costa Rica erupted three times Thursday (including the one pictured here), followed by a smaller burst on Friday. Costa Rica's main airport in San Jose was briefly closed, and schools near the volcano suspended classes.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

It's Snowing On Hawaii

This past Thursday, a blizzard warning was in effect on the Big Island of Hawaii. Yes, even on Hawaii, it snows.

Snow on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that stands some 4,200 meters above sea level, is not unprecedented, but it is unusual. NASA's Operational Land Image Manager captured a rare image of the snow-capped peak on March 10th, as shown above. For comparison, the image below shows the same peak barren on February 22nd.

NASA explains how the inverted image created by the clouds on February 22nd and the snow on March 10th is no coincidence:

The location of the edge of the snow is closely tied to the elevation at which the temperatures get cold enough for precipitation to fall. At the same time, the location of the edge of the clouds marks the upward limit—also in elevation—for clouds that build from low altitudes toward the top of the peak. In general, clouds build upward during the day as the sunlit ground heats air near the surface and produces gentle, up-slope breezes and convection.

Apparently, even paradise can't escape this hellish winter.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

This Wild Photo Shows Warped Air Getting Gulped Into A Harrier's Engine

The Harrier is a massive Rolls Royce "Pegasus" turbofan engine with wings. Although not supersonic, the AV-8B has almost 24k lbs of thrust to play with even though it has no afterburner. This makes it very well suited for hauling *** down low, below radar and close to the targets it was built to destroy. In doing so some crazy visual phenomena can occur.

In this picture, taken by fellow aviation photog Alan Kenny (make sure to take a look at all his work here and subscribe to his aviation facebook page here), an AV-8B Night Attack Harrier belonging to test and evaluation squadron VX-31 "Dust Devils" out of NAWS China Lake, performs a knife edge transit through Rainbow Canyon, otherwise known as the "Jedi Transition."

You can actually see light being bent by the turbulent airflow caused by the engines massive suction on the outside edges of the intakes. What is even more incredible, is that you can see the air being stacked up in frequency-like layers, almost like liquid, in front of the engine's huge first-stage fan face.

The Harrier is literally trying to gulp more air than it can consume.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Designing a Shadowless Skyscraper Isn't Magic, Just Good Science

The boom in skyscrapers is good for elevator manufacturers, but can be bad for residents who have to live in the shadow (literally or otherwise). Using computer-aided design and some seriously big mirrors, architects in London have come up with a plan to build a pair of skyscrapers with no shadow at all.

As Wired reports, the proposal from NBBJ uses a pair of skyscrapers, whose curved surfaces act like mirrors, reflecting sunlight back at each other to remove any shadow at all. This isn't likeanother famous sun-reflecting skyscraper in London — the reflected light would be diffuse, and not able to, say, melt cars or fry eggs.

Rather than the traditional idea of architects sitting down with a big sheet of paper and sketching cool-looking shapes, the design process apparently involved tweaking a computer model, until the designers had something that had no shadow, but didn't look completely hideous (and would still stand up).

The full report is worth a read — both as an insight into the design process behind iconic buildings these days, and also a look into a technology that may be coming stateside in the future.




A Suprisingly Clear Photo of an Explosion's Shock Wave

Defence Research and Development Canada's (DRDC) experimental proving ground is a piece of land over 470 square kilometers — and its isolated, clear, and moderate weather makes the location perfect for scientists and researchers to do defense work. Like this explosion.

This particular photo is of an explosives test at the experimental proving ground. The photo gives an unusually clear look at the shock wave that accompanies the explosion, distorting the view around the fireball as it travels outward.



Erosion Exposes Curving Sedimentary Beds In The Land Of Terror

The harsh terrain of the Tanezrouft Basin earns it an ominous nickname: Land of Terror. A rough wilderness of stone and shifting dunes constantly blasted by relentless wind, this is a land of rugged beauty and geology laid bare.

Long ago, water eroded the canyons, basins, and plateaus of this basin in the Algerian Sahara. Now, wind continues to blast and polish exposed sedimentary rock, revealing concentric loops bands like sanding highlights the beauty of wood grain. Steep canyon walls tower 250 to 500 meters above the surroundings, while dunes migrates across the land.

This image is of the radar reflectivity as observed by the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite. The rougher a surface is, the brighter it is so that faults are brilliantly white, while soft, sanded rocks are darker. The image is a composite taken in three passes on March 23, 2009, June 1, 2009 and September 14 2009, capturing the dynamic landscape as bedrock is eroded into sediment, and sediment deposited into shifting dunes. The colours reflect changes between each radar pass.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

A Boston Dynamics Robot Montage Set to Scarface's Push It To The Limit

Boston Dynamic's robots increasingly resemble something from a Hollywood movie. So this montage of the automatons in action, set to the iconic piece of 80s movie soundtracking that isScarface (Push it to the Limit), is so very right. And so very wonderful, too.

Featuring the like of the Atlas robots running upstairs and PetMan doing push-ups, it's a synth-fuelled three minutes of robotic action that's impossible to resist. Tony Montana would be proud, we're sure.

 

[Gibbs]

Ancient teeth reveal early human entry into rainforests| Reuters

The site of Batadomba-lena in Sri Lanka, where human teeth dating back 20,000 years old were excavated, is pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters March 11, 2015

(Reuters) - People adapted to living in tropical rainforests thousands of years earlier than previously known, according to scientists who found crucial evidence in 20,000-year-old fossilized human teeth discovered in Sri Lanka.

The researchers said there has been a debate over when our species first began living in rainforests, with some experts arguing such habitats may have been too daunting for early human hunter-gathers.

In a study published on Thursday in the journal Science, the scientists examined teeth from 26 people found at various archaeological sites in Sri Lanka for evidence of whether their diet consisted of rainforest plants and animals.

They obtained small tooth enamel samples using a diamond-tipped drill and analyzed them with an instrument called a mass spectrometer.

Almost all the teeth, including the oldest ones from about 20,000 years ago found at the Batadomba-lena rock-shelter in southwestern Sri Lanka, indicated a diet primarily of food from the rainforest.

"Humans have been manipulating and living within dynamic rainforest environments for at least 20,000 years and probably even longer," said University of Oxford archaeologist Patrick Roberts, who studies early human adaptations.

"The lifestyle, as we can see, was dedicated rainforest subsistence," Roberts added.

Scientists previously had not found direct evidence of human occupation of rainforest regions before about 10,000 years ago.

Compared to open habitats, rainforests present difficulties such as dense vegetation that makes it tough to get around, small, nimble and often arboreal prey animals and a bewildering array of plants and fruit, including poisonous ones.

"However, it is clear that hunting and gathering communities in Sri Lanka figured out how to adapt to such settings," said Oxford archaeologist Mike Petraglia, another of the researchers.

The researchers said these people hunted monkeys, giant squirrels, mouse deer, porcupines and other mammals, as well as freshwater and forest snails, while also eating nuts and starchy rainforest plants.

"These results further the picture that our species was incredibly adaptive, and it is arguably this that made us the first species to expand across the diversity of the globe's ecologies and environments," Roberts said.

While the study provides the earliest direct evidence for human reliance on rainforest resources, the researchers said other evidence suggests people may have taken to Sri Lanka's rainforests as early as 38,000 years ago.

Roberts said archaeological work in Africa, Southeast Asia and Melanesia also suggests humans may have used rainforest resources at least 45,000 years ago.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Rare video captures volcanic lightning from an exploding volcano

Volcanic lightning is one of those crazy, Old Testament-type phenomenons that makes you think that maybe hell is hidden under Earth. We've seen crazy photos before but here it's captured on video by Marc Szeglat. He was chasing down the Sakurajima volcano as it was erupting in Japan and got this awesome footage.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Watch This Bipedal Robot Get Hammered With Dodgeballs

Introducing ATRIAS, a bipedal robot designed and built by Dynamic Robotics Labs. Its developers are optimistic that it'll eventually become the world's fastest two-legged robot. Until then, it'll have to endure the physical abuse typically afforded robots these days.

ATRIAS stands for "Assume The Robot Is A Sphere." Alternately, the robot could have been named "Assume The Robot Is A Chicken" because its legs were inspired by that particular bird. According to Jonathan Hurst, a roboticist at the Oregon State University College of Engineering, it'll eventually be the fastest bipedal robot in the world. Much of its agility is derived from legs made from a lightweight carbon-fiber mechanism built up on fiberglass springs.

As noted by Dynamics Robotics Labs, the robot is "designed to move like a simple 'spring-mass' model, a theoretical model which is comparable to a pogo stick. This springy model can both walk and run with remarkable energy economy and in a fashion highly similar to humans and other animals".

In the latest batch of testing, ATRIAS successfully managed to resist kicks and a flurry of dodgeball strikes. Well, until one of the balls hit the emergency stop button.

The DARPA-funded robot could eventually serve in rescue situations, and even inspire prosthetic limbs, which will help restore natural movement. ATRIAS is scheduled to demo its skills at the upcoming DARPA Robotics Challenge in June.

@Nihonjin1051 @levina @Peter C @AMDR @Gabriel92 - would you guys (and gal) like to join me in welcoming our new robot overlords?