Earth & Environment - Tuesday, March 9, 2010 11:09 - 0 Comments
Sun pummeled Earth’s wimpy magnetic field
Lead researcher John Tarduno says that in addition to the smaller magnetopause allowing the solar wind to strip away more water vapor from the early Earth, the skies might have been filled with more polar aurora. “On a normal night 3.5 billion years ago you’d probably see the aurora as far south as New York,” says Tarduno. Above, an artist’s interpretation of Earth aurora. (Credit: U. Rochester)
U. ROCHESTER (US)—The Earth’s magnetic field 3.5 billion years ago was only half as strong as it is today, new research shows. The weakness—coupled with a strong solar wind—likely allowed particles from the young Sun to strip water from early Earth’s atmosphere. Continue…
Science & Technology - Jan 14, 2010 16:28 - 0 Comments
Genomes of ’smart bomb’ wasps sequenced
Above, the Nasonia female. Below, Chris Desjarding and Jack Werren compare parasitic wasps (tiny insects in upper tube) to their hosts flies ( in the lower tube). Werren helped led a team that has sequenced the genomes of three relatively unknown parasitic wasp species—all members of the wasp genus Nasonia.
U. ROCHESTER—By sequencing the genomes of three wasp species that kill pest insects, a team of scientists is hopeful they will discover features that could be useful to pest control and medicine—that will enhance our understanding of genetics and evolution. Continue…
Science & Technology - Dec 28, 2009 16:54 - 1 Comment
Star found hiding among Big Dipper friends
Scientists recently discovered that two binary stars in the Big Dipper, Alcor and Mizar, are actually a group of sextuplets. “Finding that Alcor had a stellar companion was a bit of serendipity,” says Eric Mamajek, leader of the team that found the star. Above, the first image of Alcor (blotted out) and new Alcor B. (Credit: University of Rochester)
U. ROCHESTER (US)—In ancient times, people with exceptional vision discovered that one of the brightest stars in the Big Dipper was, in fact, two stars so close together that most people cannot distinguish them. Now scientists have discovered that the twins are actually sextuplets. Continue…
Science & Technology - Nov 18, 2009 16:44 - 0 Comments
Laser’s stellar jet replicates star behavior
Image of the stellar jet of HH 110, which is dramatically similar to the simulations created in a lab using one of the world’s most powerful lasers. “The Omega laser let us create a tiny artificial jet and blast it into a foam cloud to see what happens. The results gave us new insights into what happens in nature on scales a trillion trillion times larger,” says Adam Frank. (Credit: NASA)
U. ROCHESTER (US)—A multi-trillion-watt laser has simulated a stellar jet—an outpouring of matter from a fledgling star—with unprecedented realism. Continue…
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