Science Documentary Films. "The Thing": A 140,000-Year-Old Organism Discovered in Antarctica's Ice-Shrouded Lake Vostok. An ancient living laboratory of our planet's past in Antarctica may have provided a preview of what we can expect to find deep below the barren surface of Mars and in the ice-shrouded seas of Jupiter's Europa. Two of the world's leading experts on life at the lower temperature extremes, Buford Price of the University of California, Berkeley and Todd Sowers of Penn State observed that microbes colonizing life appear to have two levels of metabolism: a survival metabolism in which they remain alive but become dormant until exposed to nutrients or higher temperatures, or, a maintenance metabolism for steady sustained growth.
The team observed that some organisms in permafrost appear to have "protein repair enzymes that maintain active recycling of certain amino acids needed for cell repair for at least 30,000 years. " They added that the "extremely low expenditures of survival energy enable microbial communities in extreme environments to survive indefinitely. " The Online Literature Library. Tree.jpg (JPEG Image, 800 × 800 pixels) 2008 / Juketube. 8 shocking things we learned from Stephen Hawking's book. From the idea that our universe is one among many, to the revelation that mathematician Pythagoras didn't actually invent the Pythagorean theorem, here are eight shocking things we learned from reading physicist Stephen Hawking's new book, "The Grand Design," written with fellow physicist Leonard Mlodinow of Caltech.
The book, covering major questions about the nature and origin of the universe, was released Sept. 7 by its publisher, Bantam. 1. The past is possibility According to Hawking and Mlodinow, one consequence of the theory of quantum mechanics is that events in the past that were not directly observed did not happen in a definite way.
Instead they happened in all possible ways. This is related to the probabilistic nature of matter and energy revealed by quantum mechanics: Unless forced to choose a particular state by direct interference from an outside observation, things will hover in a state of uncertainty. Yeah, we're still trying to wrap our brains around this. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. General Biology Video Lecture Course. Tiny Quantum Computers in Bacteria = Efficient Solar Power. Image: "Pediastra, a flat colony of green algae", Wim van Egmond Scientists at Berkeley report a breakthrough in the riddle of how bacteria can convert sunlight to energy at efficiencies nearing 100%.
And the answer is more elegant and amazing than you will believe. Imagine your favorite Sci-fi character trapped in a maze. The future of the planet depends upon finding the fastest way out. Utilizing their quantum super-powers, they run all possible combinations of the maze simultaneously in parallel universes, calculating the best path before committing to any. Hurrah, the planet is saved! Now scientists led by chemistry prof Graham Flemming and lead author Gregory Engel at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, have achieved a breakthrough advance in understanding the photosynthesis process. Understanding the role of quantum physics in efficient use of the sun's energy may lead to break-throughs in solar power technology.
50 Years of Protein Structure Determination. InnerHi. Pythagorean cup. Cross section Cross section of a Pythagorean cup. A Pythagorean cup (also known as a Pythagoras cup, a Greedy Cup or a Tantalus cup) is a form of drinking cup that forces its user to imbibe only in moderation. Credited to Pythagoras of Samos, it allows the user to fill the cup with wine up to a certain level. If he fills the cup only to that level, the imbiber may enjoy a drink in peace. If he exhibits gluttony, however, the cup spills its entire contents out of the bottom (onto the lap of the immodest drinker).[1] Form and function[edit] A Pythagorean cup looks like a normal drinking cup, except that the bowl has a central column in it – giving it a shape like a Bundt pan in the center of the cup.
When the cup is filled, liquid rises through the second pipe up to the chamber at the top of the central column, following Pascal's principle of communicating vessels. Common occurrences[edit] A Pythagorean cup sold in Crete A Pythagorean cup sold in Samos See also[edit] References[edit] The 13 Most Important Numbers in the Universe - James D. Stein's Cosmic Numbers. In the 17th century, scientists understood three phases of matter—solids, liquids and gases (the discovery of plasma, the fourth phase of matter, lay centuries in the future).
Back then, solids and liquids were much harder to work with than gases because changes in solids and liquids were difficult to measure with the equipment of the time. So many experimentalists played around with gases to try to deduce fundamental physical laws. Robert Boyle was perhaps the first great experimentalist, and was responsible for what we now consider to be the essence of experimentation: vary one or more parameter, and see how other parameters change in response. It may seem obvious in retrospect, but hindsight, as the physicist Leo Szilard once remarked, is notably more accurate than foresight.
Free university lectures - computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry. Whether your goal is to earn a promotion, graduate at the top of your class, or just accelerate your life, lectures can help get you there. Our archives of lectures cover a huge range of topics and have all been handpicked and carefully designed by experienced instructors throughout the world who are dedicated to helping you take the next step toward meeting your career goals. Lifelong learns can turn their free time turn into self-improvement time. The online lectures on this list are more than lecture notes or a slideshow on a topic -- they were designed for audiences like you, with carefully sequenced themes and topics taught by veteran educators, and often with additional resources for your own independent study.
The lectures are available to anybody, completely free of charge. Lecture courses are a valid and vital learning tool, and may be one of the best methods of learning available. Personal and Historical Perspectives of Hans Bethe. Snowflakes under the microscope | CoolTickling.com. If you look closely at falling snow, you can see a great many different crystal shapes. There’s a lot more to see than you might think! Photographing snowflakes can be great fun and a rewarding hobby.
It is a quiet, contemplative activity that takes you outdoors on snowy days to examine and record some of Nature’s most stunning artistry. Best of all, each picture you take will be different from all others, because each snow crystal is unique. Unfortunately, snowflake photography is not cheap, and it requires that you to spend some quality time outside in the cold. But if snowmobiling (which is also mighty cold and expensive) is not for you, then you may want to give snowflake photography a try. Before spending a lot of money on photographic equipment, I suggest that you first try some basic snowflake watching. Kenneth G. MythBuster Adam Savage: 3 Ways to Fix U.S. Science Education. When Jamie Hyneman and I speak at teacher conventions, we always draw a grateful crowd.
They tell us Thursday mornings are productive because students see us doing hands-on science Wednesday nights on our show MythBusters, and they want to talk about it. These teachers are so dedicated, but they have difficulty teaching for the standardized tests they're given with the budgets they're not given. It's one reason the U.S. is falling behind other countries in science: By 2010, Asia will have 90 percent of the world's Ph.D. scientists and engineers. We're not teachers, but our show has taught us a lot about how to get people interested in science. 1. It's really difficult to absorb things just by being told about them--I know I don't learn well that way. 2.
We like to do things on the cheap at MythBusters, and we often find the most elegant solution is also the least expensive. 3. A good scientist will tell you that being wrong can be just as interesting as being right. MythBusters Results — Outcomes from all MythBusters Episodes. This Will Mindfuck You: The Double-Slit Experiment. The video below shows scientific proof that there is something NOT quite logical or scientific about this universe. The mere act of observation can completely change the outcome of an event! Before I get too ahead of myself, you need to watch the video below to understand: (Forgive the corny cartoon character explaining the concept — at least he knows his stuff) Recap: When a camera observed the electrons, they acted as particles.
However, when the no equipment was used to observe the electrons, they acted as waves and particles simultaneously. So what’s the reason for this? Want even further proof? Then in 2002, a group of researchers set up the experiment in a way that the electron could not possibly receive information about the existence of an observing instrument. The Results: The photons acted like particles 93% of the time that they were observed. What are the implications of this? 1. 2. 3. What other implications did you get out of these experiments?