Scientists claim that the planet Wasp-12b has such a high carbon-to-oxygen ratio that the planet may literally be littered with diamonds and the core of the planet could have diamonds as well. It is the first carbon-rich planet observed and actually has more carbon than oxygen.
The lead researcher specifies: “You might see land masses and mountains made up of diamonds.”
The surface temperature is a warm 4199 Fahrenheit so the diamonds might be a little hot to the touch.
Scientists have recently discovered that the exoskeleton of the oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) contains special structures that trap sunlight and convert it to energy. Using an atomic force microscope they discovered that the yellow band on the abdomen was structurally different than the rest of their body.
This is made from a series of oval-shaped protrusions, each containing a pinhole-sized depression. Each protrusion is just 50nm tall and interlocks with another…Essentially, say the researchers, they stop light being reflected off the hornet’s body. Instead the light is trapped, and harvested for energy.
The Croatian Astronomical Society Vidulini is planning on putting a rover on the moon by the end of 2012 near where Apollo 17 last landed in 1972. The rover is called Histrohod and will only cost 20,000 Euros to build. The Astronomical Society Vidulini created the first Croatian space program (Astronautika) and is also part of team “Synergy Moon” which is participating in the Google Lunar X Prize contest.
Through a group of mobile devices, “Histrohod” will send televised segments down to Earth. This is a big challenge for our society and we are extremely proud that our association and our small Istria will become a part of space exploration,” said the Society’s president Marino Rumpic
Hunters in the remote woodlands of the Sichuan province in China caught a small hairless creatures that is said to resemble a bear with a kangaroo tail. The creature has been shipped to Beijing for scientists to examine and DNA test. The creature has been named the “Oriental Yeti” because the hunters believe the creature is a legendary animal that was once human.
“There are local legends of a bear that used to be a man and some people think that’s what we caught,” said hunter Lu Chin.
While local legends are well and good, everybody knows that if you find a hairless, mangy creature of any kind, the answer is chupacabra. This is a bold new direction for hairless animal discoveries that will resonate around the world.
A species of assassin bug, Stenolemus bituberus, sneaks onto spiders’ webs and pretends to be prey, then captures and eats the spider when it comes to investigate. It was noted that on occasion the ploy of the assassin bug failed and it ended up being a meal for the spider regardless.
“The assassin bug slowly approaches the spider on its web, using its forelegs to pluck the silk threads in a manner that simulates the vibrations of a fly struggling after being caught. Wignall studied the behavior of the bugs, and found that the response of the spider to the predator was the same as its response to when a vinegar fly or aphid was caught in the web.”
Researchers from the Multisensory Perception and Action Group at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany have provided evidence that if you ever become lost in the desert you are more than likely going to cross your own path. Using GPS tracking, the scientists dropped people off in the Sahara and forests in Germany and monitored their movements. As long as the subjects had visible cues as to their direction from the sun or the moon, they managed to walk a relatively straight line. However, as soon as they had no indicators, they immediately started walking in circles.
“The results from these experiments show that even though people may be convinced that they are walking in a straight line, their perception is not always reliable. Additional, more cognitive, strategies are necessary to really walk in a straight line. People need to use reliable cues for walking direction in their environment, for example a tower or mountain in the distance, or the position of the sun.”
In Red Hook, Brooklyn, a beekeeper noticed that a hive had begun to transform and display mysterious stripes of color in their honey stomachs. Even stranger, instead of honey, the hive began to produce a bright red substance that resembled maraschino cherries or Robitussin. The beekeeper began to suspect that the hive was bypassing the local flora and heading straight for the maraschino cherry juice at the local Dell’s Maraschino Cherries Company.
“A fellow beekeeper sent samples of the red substance that the bees were producing to an apiculturalist who works for New York State, and that expert, acting as a kind of forensic foodie, found the samples riddled with Red Dye No. 40, the same dye used in the maraschino cherry juice.”
Additionally, the beekeeper noticed that, “When the sun is a bit down, they glow red in the evenings,” he said. “They were slightly fluorescent. And it was beautiful.” Repeat: We have red, glowing bees in Red Hook! There is no word yet if the maraschino cherry honey is delicious.
Scientists have studied a centuries worth of comet data and come to the conclusion that at least 20 percent of visible comets were kicked out of the Oort Cloud by a Jupiter-sized object lurking at the solar system’s outer edge. Eighty percent of objects pushed out of the Oort cloud could be explained by the gravity of the galaxy, but the remaining comets would have required an object 1.4 times the mass of Jupiter to kick them out.
In 1999, Matese and colleague Daniel Whitmire suggested the sun has a hidden companion that boots icy bodies from the Oort Cloud, a spherical haze of comets at the solar system’s fringes, into the inner solar system where we can see them.
In a new analysis of observations dating back to 1898, Matese and Whitmire confirm their original idea: About 20 percent of the comets visible from Earth were sent by a dark, distant planet.
An object such as a brown dwarf would knock out more than 20 percent, but “Something smaller than Jovian mass wouldn’t be strong enough to do the deed,” Matese said.
U.S. and Filipino scientists have announced the discovery of a new species Teuthidodrilus samae, which they immediately named “squidworm.” It is a flat, eyeless, free-swimming worm with up to ten squid-like appendages. It also has twenty five or more pairs of translucent fins arranged on its sides for swimming. The creatures were found between 6,650 and 9,550 feet below the surface of the ocean in the Celebes Sea between Indonesia and The Philippines.
That having been noted, the squidworm differs dramatically from all known worms in that it is a polychaete — a type of bristly annelid that is generally found in marine environments — and seems to be a missing link between benthic polychaetes living on the seafloor and pelagic ones dwelling much further up.
The Cassini space probe recently scanned the atmosphere of Saturn’s second largest moon, Rhea, and discovered that it is comprised of 70% oxygen and 30% carbon dioxide. In the past the Hubble Space Telescope has detected thin oxygen layers on Europa and Ganymede around Jupiter, but this is the first time oxygen has been seen directly in the atmosphere of another world. Scientists are not holding out hope for life on Rhea at this point though.
“All evidence from Cassini indicates Rhea is too cold and devoid of liquid water necessary for life as we know it,” Teolis told them.
Are you planning on camping in the wilds of Norway soon? Are you worried that trolls are going to attack your camp and try and feast on your flesh while you sleep? Then perhaps you should build your very own Trolldetektor v.1.0b. The Trolldetektor is an Arduino-based project that uses an accelerometer, LEDs, and some nifty code to let you detect when and which type of troll is descending on your camp. The source code currently detects Rimtusse, Raglefant, and Skogstroll troll types based on the impact and frequency of their approaching footsteps. The code also notes:
“PS: This code may be rewritten to detect earthquakes, but trolls are worse…. alot worse….”
“Acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in 1922, these jars contain preserved muscle tissue taken from the left hind leg of a woolly mammoth uncovered in 1901 by palaeontologist Eugene Pfizenmayer – though they aren’t on public display.”
At least one radioactive mouse is on the loose in the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site, a former plutonium facility in Washington state. Workers found and tested mouse droppings that turned out to be radioactive and now the hunt is on. Even though 60 mouse traps have been set so far, the mouse has managed to avoid them all. Aside from trap avoidance, no word yet on any super powers that the mouse may have obtained.
One more milestone in private sector space exploration has been crossed. The FAA granted SpaceX the first-ever commercial license for reentry for its Dragon capsule. This means that SpaceX can offer round trip voyages to the ISS and beyond.
“Milestones are an important part of space exploration and SpaceX achieved a very important one today,” said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. “I congratulate SpaceX on this landmark achievement and wish them the best with their launch of the Dragon capsule.”
Scientists claim that the planet Wasp-12b has such a high carbon-to-oxygen ratio that the planet may literally be littered with diamonds and the core of the planet could have diamonds as well. It is the first carbon-rich planet observed and actually has more carbon than oxygen.
