Science and Technology Blog

Cool places to visit in Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:05:00 +0000

Vivid dreams. Yes, I'm writing about vivid dreams. Those unexpected dreams where reality and imagination combines in astonishing sceneries, where the surrounding seem unreal but yet so close you can almost touch it, where you can feel the touch of Divinity, where you feel a need to shed a tear because you are happy. Vivid dreams. If you plan to get memories for a lifetime, Switzerland is the perfect place to be. You can visit beautiful cities where you can enjoy a history preserved like nowhere in the world, you can take your backpack and walk the Swiss mountains. Check some of the best places to visit in Switzerland:

Zermatt:

Geneve

Crans Montana:

Zurich:

via MySwissRoom

What is Deer Antler and how it's used [infographic]

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:15:00 +0000

We love deers, but what you may not know about deers, is that the deer antler was used ever since antiquity for tool making and as dietary supplements. Ancient people used these antlers to create weapons, ornaments and even toys. In some tribes, they were worn in traditional "deer dances".

Into their early stage of growth, the antler are called deer antler velvet, because they are software and are not harden into bone. If the antlers were taken from a velvet stage, they can be used for medicine purposes. What's even more interesting, is that these deer antler grow every spring, it is cast in winter, and the cycle starts again the next spring.

Antlers of elk have been used in ancient Asia as a natural cure for various disease like kidney disorders, muscle disorder, impotence and has also been used as an immune stimulant. Today, there are various products based on Deer antler velvet that give the user more stamina, enhanced power and will help in joint health cases. Here is an infographic with more information on this topic:

Via: Nutronics Labs

Earth hit stronger than everybody thought

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:13:00 +0000

A study published in Nature Geoscience raised many questions that we need to be aware of. The Earth's temperatures rise sharply in western Antarctica, twice faster than originally estimated.

From 1958 until now, average temperatures have risen by 2.4 degrees Celsius. This phenomenon affects not only that region but the entire world, because the world's oceans will rise and many coastal villages are now under seriously threat. Forbes magazine writes that risks of something bad to happen in those areas are 2 times higher than researchers originally thought.

David Bromwich, a researcher at Ohio University, said that the western part of the ice face twice a warming than it was previously anticipated. In order to reach to these conclusions, the researchers made a thorough study. They took data recorded by meteorologists at Byrd Station and filled the gaps using advanced mathematical and computer modeling. Using all these techniques, they managed to better estimate the global warming. Everything points to the fact that West Antarctica is the region of the World that melts the fastest.

source: world.edu and nature.com/ngeo

Do we live in a Matrix World?

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:32:00 +0000

The idea that we live in a Matrix-like world is not new. In fact, many scientists say that it is possible to test whether our world is real or a computer simulation.

In 2003, Nick Bostrom, a professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford, published a paper called The Simulation Argument, arguing that it is most likely we live in a computer simulation world. Now, several researchers at Cornell University are trying to find a viable method of testing to see if we, as humans, are a string of numbers into a computer. Scientists at the University of Washington say that this theory can be tested. A similar idea came from German researchers, in November.

How to test if our world is real or imaginary?

Researchers say that they can use a technique named latticequantum chromodynamics. In simple words, they will use computer simulation and they will try to build their own models.

The idea that we live in a computer simulation is not new. In 1977, the famous science fiction writer Philip K. Dick was convinced this is true:

Going forward with the idea, Professor Martin Savage says that the same principle used in creating these simulations can be applied to a larger scale to see what happens to the universe in which we live. This could be the first signature test the idea, and if they simulate large enough, they can even create an universe like ours.

One of Savage's students went even further, and she believes that we could communicate with the civilization that created us. Zohreh Davoudi said that whoever did simulate our universe could have done other simulations. The question arises: if we can communicate with other worlds if they use the same platform? This is based on Multiverse theory.

Breakthrough: Leukemia Cured with HIV virus

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:42:00 +0000

The world of medicine witnessed a new medical breakthrough: a 7 year old girl was miraculously healed from a serious form of leukemia with a disabled form of HIV.

Emma Whitehead was diagnosed with acute form leukemia and she underwent every conventional treatment for long two years. The parents were really desperate at that point, so they agreed to enroll their daughter into an experimental program.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have perfected a treatment that will reprogram the immune system, so it will destroy every cancer cell in the body. The treatment is extremely hard, and it almost killed the little girl. But, miraculously, she resisted to the harsh cure. Moreover, her aggressive form of leukemia was cured.

7 months after that treatment phase passed and Emma's condition is still in remission. She was not the only girl who tried this, and the experimental treatment showed amazing results in more adults. The scientists who developed this treatment think that their discovery will gradually replace the known treatment: the bone marrow transplantation - a difficult procedure that remains a last hope for patients with leukemia.

How does the revolutionary treatment work

The doctors remove millions of T cells and adds new genes into them, programming them to destroy the affected B cells of the immune system. The technique involves a disabled form of HIV which turned out to be very good for transporting genetic material in the T cells. Modified T cells are then reintroduced into the patients' veins, they multiply and begin to destroy the affected tissue. The disadvantage of this form of treatment is that modified cells attack both cancerous and healthy tissues, so patients will become more sensitive and can develop certain infections.

image source: khoahoc.com.vn

The Secret of Immortality

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:55:00 +0000

The secret of immortality may be found in water,because researchers have discovered a creature that rejuvenates and never dies.

Turritopsis dohrnii is a jellyfish whose abnormal cycle of development was first observed in 1988 by Christian Sommer, a German marine-biology student of 20 years old. He discovered that the marine creature can rejuvenate and get back to an early stage of life. Basically, this jellyfish never dies.

Nowadays, science has managed to better understand the scientific miracle discovered 15 years ago by the young student. The rejuvenation process of Turritopsis dohrnii is determined by the environmental stress or a physical assault. During the transformation, the body cells change their function, such as a nerve cell can turn into a skin cell (the phenomenon also occurs in humans, with stem cells).

The process of aging in reverse it is not yet understood completely, and James Carlton, a professor of marine sciences at Williams College and the director of the Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program say that the case needs great hydroid experts in order to fully reveal the secrets of Turritopsis dohrnii.

source

Nanoparticle that can stop multiple sclerosis

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:56:00 +0000

Men of science at Northwestern Medicine research center had a successful discovery in the field of nanotechnology and multiple sclerosis. They have discovered a perishable nanoparticle that seems to be the complete vehicle to stealthily bear an antigen that deceptions the immune system into discontinuing its aggression on myelin, and stop a model of reverting remitting disseminated multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice.

This discovery can be practiced to a diversity of immune-disorders like Type 1 diabetes, nutrient negative reactions and bronchial asthma. In multiple sclerosis, the immune system aggresses the myelin tissue layer that isolates nerves cells in the brain, optic nerve and spinal cord. When the layer is destroyed, the signals are having a hard time getting from one place to another, consequent in symptoms that chain from mild arm numbness to palsy or sightless. Almost 80% of multiple sclerosis patients have the getting worse postponing variant of the disease.

via Nature.com

What's inside a CT Scanner

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:32:00 +0000

No, this is not a time machine! It's the inside of a CT Scanner.

CT Scan means Computed Tomography scan, and some call it CAT (Computer Axial Tomography) . Mainly, it uses digital geometry to generate a 3D image of the inside of our bodies.

How it works

The CT Scanner sends beams through the human body, while moving through an arc.

Genetics and Heredity - Lookalikes

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 08:33:00 +0000

Mom is blonde with green eyes, dad is dark-haired and has brown eyes. He has 1, 93m, she, on heels, is barely reaching his shoulder. Will their child inherit Mommy's genetics, or he/she will be a "carbon copy" of his Daddy?

Genetics - a lottery or a cocktail

There are so many possible combinations, that one couple can give birth to 70 billion different children. That, because every cell in the human body has 80,000 genes. In principle, half of these are given by the father, and half-mother.

And yet, these pictures say otherwise. Usually, a son or daughter has features of both parents. This is not the case here. The "dominant" gene was real strong in these cases, and it manifested clearly. Looking at these lookalikes, a single thought comes to mind: we are all copies of our parents.

Children will be smart like their parents?

Without a doubt, genetics acts like that! But if it's not stimulated since childhood, you can lose much of the native talent of the child. Patience is very important for a mature IQ. The ability to learn and to be passionate about one thing is achieved only through training and by the attention of parents..

I have another observation of my own: as time goes by in our life, we look more and more like our parents. An older man looks a lot more like his father now, compared to the time he was a kid, and he was looking more like his mother.

via ImgUr

Work out could improve the quality of sperm

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:02:00 +0000

The way we live may have a huge impact on our reproductive capabilities: it has been variably evoked that biking, wearing scrawny jeans,using drugs or using the laptop on your can affect the quality of sperm to some extent. The same speculations stated that healthy habits could improve the quality of sperm.

Men of science at University of Cordoba have gathered the semen from 31 subjects. From those 31, 16 were physically active and 15 were sedentary. Also, scientists have tested their fitness levels in the lab. In order to get more accurate results, the subjects were asked to restrain from sexual activities before the tests.

Scientist have evaluated the samples, paying attention to volume, sperm count, motility, sperm morphology, color, odor, pH, vitality, viscosity. They have also analyzed the blood samples from every patient, looking for the levels of LH, testosterone and cortisol (a stress hormone).

The results demonstrated once more that physically active men had a better quality of sperm (faster sperm, high percentage, high sperm concentration). Also, the blood analysis demonstrated that non-sedentary men had higher levels of FSH (important for sperm creation), LH (testosteron secretion) and a higher ratio of T/C (which shows the anabolic vs catabolic status).

So, if you plan to have children in a near future, you should be more active, do a lot of sport and eat healthy.

source

Impressive translation technology developed by Microsoft

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:50:00 +0000

With this new technology developed by Microsoft, you will be able to speak fluent Chinese or Japanese, without knowing any Chinese word.

This translation technology was developed by Microsoft and probably will be the next big thing in the following years.During a demonstration in Tianjin, head of research at Microsoft, Rick Rashid, showed how the new technology works. He proved that the system recognizes spoken phrases in English, and displays them on the screen. Moreover, it instantly translates them into Mandarin, and it also speaks them with the original voice of the speaker.

This technology has been shown before in Sci-Fi movies, but it seems that this time is very close to a real-world implementation. Early research began 60 years ago, and so far, the best systems systems had an error rate of 20-25%. It seems that system created by Microsoft is much better.

To develop this technology, Microsoft has collaborated with the University of Toronto, Canada. All research is based on the theory of deep neural networks, according to which computers learn using a form of digital inspiration the way of the human brain. The researchers were able to make the system understand speech with incredible accuracy. Basically, the error rate was reduced by 30% compared to previous systems.

Scientists have erased memories of sleeping mice

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:41:00 +0000

Scientists at Stanford University say they have managed to erase traumatic memories of mice while they were sleeping. The study aims to help people suffering from post-traumatic stress, says Nature. The standard treatment involves recollecting and talking about the painful events over and over again, in order to overcome this moment and learn to accept it.

In their study, scientists have induced this disease in mice. Every time they were exposed to jasmine scent, rodents were shocked. Then, half of the mice received the conventional treatment. While they were sleeping, they were exposed to the smell of jasmine, but not accompanied by the electric shocks. These mice, just like humans with post-traumatic stress, tended to regain the symptoms of the disease.

The other group of animals was tested with an innovative technique. Researchers gave mice a drug to block production of a protein in an area of the amygdala. That's a part of the brain associated with fear causing memories. The drug was administrated just before going to bed. Then, the researchers exposed the animals to the smell of jasmine. On awakening, the animals did not seem to fear jasmine anymore.

Scientists say that this technique could be used in humans very soon. They believe that anti-anxiety drugs could have the same effects in humans.

I hope this medical discover will not fall into the wrong hands...

Check Natural Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease

Hubble and Einstein credited for the discovery of ancient galaxies

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:45:00 +0000

For the first time, Scientists were able to observe a distant galaxy which was formed in the early days of the Universe, just 500 million years after the Big Bang. The discovery was possible thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope and the general relativity theory of Albert Einstein.

The oldest picture of the universe have been acquired by scientists using electromagnetic noise left from the Big Bang, a kind of diffuse halo that can not be associated with any star, galaxy or other astronomical object.

This occurs in less than 400,000 years after the Big Bang, a period that can be compared to a fraction of a second, according to the age of the universe (13.7 billion years). No star existed at that time, only the hydrogen atoms that were just created. It took another billion years to have another detailed image, but the landscape was already radically changed: the Universe was containing galaxies that included billions of stars.

What has happened in the meantime?

Astronomers find it difficult to answer, because they can not separate the cosmological background noise from the signals that come from the far corners of space. Wei Zheng from Department of Physics and Astronomy of the Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., and colleagues have formed an initial answer to this question, revealing a galaxy that formed approximately 500 million years after the Big Bang. They turned their attention to Albert Einstein's theory, according to which very massive objects have a gravitational field so strong that they manage to deflect the light rays passing near them. And sometimes, this deformation has the effect of enhancing the perceived image of an observer located on the other side of the field. Such a phenomenon is called "gravitational lens".

Scientists have used Hubble telescope to search for distant galaxies, hidden behind massive clusters of galaxies, which could serve as "magnifying glass". After analyzing 12 "clusters" of galaxies, they have discovered a distant galaxy, formed 500 million years after the Big Bang, according to the study published Wednesday in the Nature, a British journal.

Building huge terrestrial telescopes should lead to new discoveries like this, allowing scientists to explore new fields of the Universe.

How Planet Mars lost it's Atmosphere (via Nasa)

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:55:00 +0000

If we are to observe Mars today, there is no way humans can live there in normal conditions. But scientists believe that Mars was not always this way. We are talking about the possibility of water really existed on the surface. Enjoy the video, and don't forget to check us on Facebook

Hookah Smoking is as dangerous as Cigarettes

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:06:00 +0000

A recent study brought out in the journal Respirology divulges that hookah or bong smoking impacts lung function and respiratory symptoms very much like cigarette smoking.

Folks usually consider that fuming through a hookah strains the deadly components of tobacco. That's the reason the water pipe it is believed to be less noxious than smoking cigarettes. But, the new study, conduced by Mohammad Hossein Boskabady, MD, PhD, of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, depict differently.

Men of science commenced to compare lung role and respiratory symptoms amongst hookah smokers, cigar smokers, and non-smokers. 3 groups of tobacco users, including 57 hookah smokers, 30 deep inhalation cigaret smokers (S-DI), and 51 average inhalation cigarette smokers (S-NI) were described and analyzed. Even more, a control group of 44 non-smokers were examined.

A survey was distributed to evaluate the preponderance and asperity of respiratory symptoms and lung function examinations executed on tobacco users and control subjects, applying a spirometer. Results exhibited an augmented preponderance and harshness of respiratory symptoms amongst hookah smokers and cigarette users. There was found same effects of hookah fuming and deep inhalation cigar fuming on respiratory conditions.

Unhealthy symptoms:

23% in hookah smokers
30% in inhalation cigar smokers
21.6% in average inhalation cigarette smokers

Chest tightness:

36.8% in hookah smokers
40% in inhalation cigar smokers
29.4% in average inhalation cigarette smokers

Cough:

21% in hookah smokers
36.7% in inhalation cigar smokers
19.6% in average inhalation cigarette smokers

The conclusion

The report shows that fundamental effects of hookah smoking was found hookah users, similar to those found in deep inhalation cigar users.

Brown Recluse Spider Bite Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 09:17:00 +0000

The Brown Recluse Spider is also called violin spider and after watching the following pictures I really understand I should avoid it. These spiders are around 6-20 mm but it may grow larger. You will find violin spiders in abandoned or disorderly shelters.

These picture were posted on Reddit by a user, saying that his friend was bitten by the Recluse Spider.

Apparently, the Recluse Spider bite looked just like an infection.

Source: Wikipedia and Adam Whenderson

Intel will develop computers and phones that will mimic the human brain

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:13:00 +0000

Intel has opened a research institute in Israel in order to develop technologies that mimic the human brain, so they can make computers, smartphones and other devices that will learn about users.

Justin Rattner, director of Intel said that learning computers are a huge opportunity. Contrary to their name, smartphones are not that smart. My smartphone doesn't know more about me know compared to the moment I bought it. All these devices will know us as individuals and will adapt very much for us added Rattner in Tel Aviv for a press agency.

Experts from the Institute of Intel Research Institute of Computational Intelligence will collaborate with other researchers from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Technion in Haifa to make develop devices that can improve our everyday life.

For example, they can create a device that will remember where you leave your car keys for a week, and in the second week it will help us not to forget to take them before leaving home. Such devices could be available by 2014 or 2015.

Intel already is implementing such a device for Adidas shoes that identifies if the buyer is male or female, child or adult. Moody Eden said that in five years, all human senses will be integrated into PCs, and in over ten years, we'll have more transistors in a chip than the number of neurons in the human brain. Moody is Israel Intel's branch president.

Nokia: The Rise and Fall

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:15:00 +0000

Tomi Marjuaho assembled handsets in the last 10 years in Salo, a small town in southern Finland, where Nokia, the largest mobile phone maker in the world, opened a factory in the '80s. In 2010, when Nokia started to feel the full effects of the recession, Marjuaho was fired and he has not found work ever since.

"I was the only support of family and now things are getting harder," says the 39 year old man from union club, where the unemployed tend to gather in the city. "It's the same story for many friends that worked at the Nokia factory," he continued.

Salo, along with many cities that have survived and developed because of Nokia investment, faces an uncertain future given that Nokia (a multinational company) moves its mobile assembly operations in Asia.

Under the weight of Apple and Samsung's competition, Nokia was forced to cut production costs, which affected primarily European operations.

The Finnish company has already closed factories in Germany, Hungary and Romania, and now it's time for the ones in the country of origin, Finland. 1,000 to 3,500 jobs in the factory of Salo, which was one of the most important in Finland will disappear this year. What previously was a huge technological center has become a dusty town with empty windows and closed shops.

The First Nokia Phone

Nokia was founded in 1865, when it was a pulp mill established on the banks of Nokia rapids in Finland. Later, it began to manufacture rubber, cable and TV. Nokia opened its Saho factory in 1983, an important industrial center of Finland since the early '20s. The company made an alliance with a local radio and television producer. Starting in 1989, it was named Nokia Mobile Phones. Two years later, the company produced its first mobile phone: Mobira Senator.

1998 - Under the leadership of Jorma Ollila, Nokia became the largest manufacturer of mobile phones, when its sales surpassed Motorola. At that time, Nokia has become a powerful source of pride for a small country struggling to rebuild the Soviet invasion during the war.

Nokia has become, the largest Finnish company and it took over leadership in terms of exports and jobs establishment. In 2007, Nokia paid 1.2 billion Euros in taxes, a record amount for any Finnish company at that time.

In 2008, Nokia owns 40% of the global market of mobile phones. However, the same year was the year of its first decline. Technology was becoming more advanced and was developed rapidly in the U.S., the largest market for wireless technologies.

Profits began to fall apart, and last year, the tax bill was under 2 million.

President of Finland, Saul NIINISTÖ, born in Salo, visited the Nokia factory on March 20 to seek solutions to help those left without jobs. "We will not abandon our friends and we will not give up", the president said.

To the despair of Finnish, Nokia has fired many workers in its own country. It maintained headquarters in Espoo, near Helsinki, but in 2010 named the first president who is not Finnish, the Canadian Stephen Elop. He came with a strategic development plan in 2011 and made a deal with Microsoft, his former company, marking the beginning of Nokia Windows Phone.

We shall see what future holds for Nokia. They are trying a comeback with Pureview 808 - a 41MP smartphone

See Nokia Phones timeline:

Nokia Phones Timeline

Li-ion batteries will last 10 times longer and will charge in a tenth of the usual time

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:11:00 +0000

Processing power of today's smart phones and their ability to perform multiple functions are truly amazing. However, a general problem of these devices is the battery life that feeds them. They don't even come close to the performance these smartphones.

This is why many of us need to carry around an additional MP3 player, or, as we go by car, a GPS, although the smartphone meets with success of these functions and more.

Now, a new technology created by researchers at Northwestern University, USA, is about to change that. Engineers have made an electrode for lithium-ion batteries - the rechargeable batteries used for most electronic devices - which could provide gadgets an operating range of ten times longer and duration of recharge from outlet ten times faster than normal.

According to statements of Harold H. Kung, coordinator of the project, even after 150 charges, the new type of battery will still be five times more effective than lithium-ion batteries on the market today. Promise of American engineers would translate to more than a week of autonomy and a 15 minute full recharge any battery.

Today's batteries are charged through a chemical reaction manifested by lithium ions circulating back and forth between the two ends of the battery, the anode and cathode. When the battery is fully charged and used, the ions travel from the anode through the electrolyte, and reach the cathode. By the time all ions are in the cathode, the battery is low. And when charging, the process is reversed and the ions move from cathode towards the anode.

The proposed electrode combines two chemical processes to remove the two major shortcomings of the Li-ion battery technology: their limited ability to store energy (number of ions stored) and relatively slow charging rate (speed of movement of lithium ions during charging). The electrode eliminates these problems and promises super-batteries for next generation devices.

In the current version, anode - made of thin layers of graphene - can store only one lithium atom for every six carbon atoms. Experienced engineers replaced carbon with silicon, which can handle much more lithium (four lithium atoms to a silicon atom) than carbon. The problem is that silicon expands and contracts during the charging cycle. This soon leads to a loss of ability to recharge the battery.

But the team from Northwestern University solved this difficulty by stabilizing the silicon. Engineers have made this possible by setting silicon between graphene layers, like a sandwich. This maximizes the amount of ions that can cross layers, maintaining flexibility so that the battery assembly is not subject to pressure during charging.

The second problem solved by Kung's team was charging time. This was achieved by creating microscopic holes (10-20 nm) in the graphene layers. They allow ions to move the second and shorter route to the anode, which reduces the load at a fraction of the usual.

Extrapolating the implications of increased autonomy of the batteries for our gadgets, new electrode may contribute to decreasing size batteries for electric cars and a longer life. The technology could be commercially available anytime between three and five years from now.

Messenger probe provides new information about Mercury

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:44:00 +0000

Latest observations of the Messenger probe indicate that there is a high density material reservoir inside the closest planet to the Sun: Mercury

Since it entered the orbit of Mercury, a year ago, NASA's Messenger probe has taken nearly 100,000 photographs, it mapped the gravitational field of Mercury and elevation measurements.

Researchers published last week in Science Express new discoveries about the closest planet to the Sun. According to them, the planet's crust is thicker and thinner at low latitudes to the poles, which, together with activity data within Mercury, suggests a liquid outer core. This core radius is 85% of the planet to Earth, where the core is less than 50% of the radius.

However, findings reveal a Messenger mission of ferrous sulphate liquid layer beneath the crust of Mercury.

Regarding Mercury landforms, new study shows changes in elevation smaller than on Mars or the Moon, the most prominent topographic feature in terms of being a bump in a large volcanic plains lying north of the planet.

Analyzing the largest impact crater on Mercury, Caloris, also one of the largest in the solar system (with a diameter of 1500 km), it was observed that his center is far higher than its edges, which shows topographic changes of the planet after its formation, possibly due to tectonic forces.

Based on all these results, in the following period Messenger will make comprehensive measurements of the magnetosphere and exosphere and new observations in periods of high solar activity, in order to elucidate more clearly the mysteries of Mercury.

Origin of life on Earth revealed by new experiments

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:02:00 +0000

Scientists have found new evidence that serve to elucidate a long-sought mystery:

Which was the origin of life on Earth

Research confirms that life on Earth is possible due to comets that bombarded our planet billions of years ago, storing essential ingredients for its appearance here.

Jennifer G. Blank, research team coordinator, described experiments in the laboratory with powerful tools and computer models. Scientists have recreated the conditions inside comets at the moment when they hit Earth's atmosphere at a speed of about 30,000 mph and then crashed on the surface.

The research is part of a broad scientific effort that has the goal to understand how amino acids and other ingredients necessary for life on our planet have appeared several billion years ago. Before then, Earth was a barren and desolated planet. Amino acids are the key ingredient of proteins, "brick" core of all life, from microbes to humans.

The research shows that the key to life would have remained intact despite massive shock wave created by comet impact.

"Comets are an ideal body for delivering the necessary ingredients for chemical evolution that led to life. This scenario is ideal, because it includes all the ingredients of life: amino acids, water and energy" added Blank.

Comets are composed of frozen gases, water, ice, dust and rock. These bodies can measure 15 km in diameter or more. Comets orbit the sun in a belt located a long distance of planets in the solar system. Periodically, some comets can escape from that area, becoming visible in the sky.

A few billion years ago, many comets and asteroids bombarded Earth - craters on the Moon are evidence of this event.

Scientific evidence suggests that life on Earth began over 3.8 billion years after Earth was bombarded by asteroids and comets. Before then, Earth was too hot to support life forms. The oldest fossils that provide evidence of life dates back 3.5 billion years ago.

Analysis of samples collected by NASA comet probe confirmed that they contain amino acids. Now, experiments by Blank and colleagues in a NASA research center showed that amino acids were able to withstand impact with Earth. In the experiment, scientists have found that amino acids began to form peptide bonds, the first step towards forming proteins.

Evidence has been presented at the 243-meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society that was founded in 1876.

Avatar robot controlled by a suit

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:51:00 +0000

The new Japanese robot is an "avatar" electronically controlled via an interactive suit that allows the user to see through the robot's eyes and feel with his hands, which allows an accurate objects grabbing actions.

The robot, called V Telesar mimic the movements of its pilot. It was created by Japanese researchers from Keio University.

The view "through the eye" of the robot is achieved through a 3D headset, the robotic body can move in seven different directions.

Telesar's sensors are so sensitive and precise that the user can "taste" the touched object's temperature. Moreover, the user can feel the shape of small objects. The information obtained from sensors are transmitted to the user through gloves equipped with semiconductors and data engine that mimics the sensations of touch, pressure, texture and temperature of objects.

One member of the Telesar team, Furukawa Mashahiro sais about the suit that it "makes you feel as if you were in another place ... see and hear as if you were there ... feel what the robot reaches "

Serial Two-Photon Tomography

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:26:00 +0000

A team of neuroscientists researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA, led by Professor Pavel Osten, has developed a new technique to create images of the entire brain, after having conducted experiments on the brains of mice.

The new technique takes successive images of brain sections precisely, using a laser microscope with two photons. The resulting images are then computer processed, resulting in a three-dimensional image of the entire brain.

Developed in conjunction with the TissueVision company, new brain scanning technique was called Serial Two-Photon Tomography - STP.

Study leader, Professor Pavel Osten argues that this new technology is extremely accurate and is sufficiently developed to be already used in specific procedures.

The researchers tested the process at different resolutions, from 1-2 microns to less than one micron and obtained a complete set of data regarding the studied brain from 6.5-8.5 hours and a standby time considerably reduced compared to other current technologies.

Even if a scan at full resolution using Serial Two-Photon Tomography can take up to 24 hours, using a conventional scanning technologies complete data set can be achieved only in a week.

Professor Osten's team is currently using STP on the brains of mice tomography to identify genes responsible for diseases such as autism or the emergence of schizophrenia.

Extraction of DNA samples from the brains of deceased patients highlights the mysteries of mental illness

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:22:00 +0000

An American pathologist from Indiana University along with an international team of researchers extracted DNA samples from the brains of deceased patients belonging to the period 1896-1938 in order to observe if they contain genes related to schizophrenia or other mental illness.

It is believed that schizophrenia is caused by certain genetic variations, but researchers were unable to identify the precise mutation or series of mutations that are directly related to the disease.

Scientists took advantage of the fact that brain samples dating from the late 19th and early 20th century are kept perfectly preserved museum in a special substance (a form flammable gelatin and cellulose). The brains were not affected in any way by modern medicaments and have with clinical notes.

However, extracting DNA and RNA samples was not easy, because the brains must be treated with liquid nitrogen at -180 degrees Celsius temperature.

Although researchers have not published their findings, if DNA extraction method is validated, their work will be the beginning of the establishment of a database with important information about mental illness.

The brains were kept by the Medical History Museum Indianapolis

Consuming Fish - No Alzheimer's Disease

noreply@blogger.com (http://here-first.blogspot.com) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:26:00 +0000

Folks who consume baked or baked fish every week could be ameliorating their brain wellness and cutting down their risk of getting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease.

The study establishes a direct connection between fish eating habbits, brain structure and Alzheimer's risk.

"The results showed that people who consumed baked or broiled fish at least one time per week had better preservation of gray matter volume on MRI in brain areas at risk for Alzheimer's disease."

Alzheimer's disease is an incurable, graduated brain disorder that slowly ruins memory and cognitive skills. National Institute on Aging reports that 5.1 million US citizens may have Alzheimer's disease. In MCI, blackout is present but it's not that aggressive. Folks with MCI usually go on to germinate Alzheimer's disease.

"Consuming baked or broiled fish promotes stronger neurons in the brain's gray matter by making them larger and healthier," Dr. Raji alleged. "This simple lifestyle choice increases the brain's resistance to Alzheimer's disease and lowers risk for the disorder."