The elegant nature of science

[kim]

The auroral current can also be used for transmitting and receiving telegraphic dispatches. This was done between 8:30 and 11:00 in the morning, on September 2, 1859, on the wires of the American Telegraph Company between Boston and Portland, and upon the wires of the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad Company between South Braintree and Fall River, among others. The length of time during each positive wave was only, however, 15 to 60 seconds.

The following account came from between Boston and Portland.
Portland: "Please cut off your battery, and let us see if we cannot work with the auroral current alone."

Boston: "I have already done so. We are working with the aid of the aurora alone. How do you receive my writing?"

Portland: "Very well indeed - much better than when the batteries were on; the current is steadier and more reliable. Suppose we continue to work so until the aurora subsides?"

Boston: "Agreed. Are you ready for business?"

Portland: "Yes, go ahead."

This went on for a period of two hours. After the current from the aurora subsided, the battery was reconnected. The parties at Fort Braintree and Fall River did the same for over an hour, over a distance of 40 miles.

[Bucky Ball]

Science Friday yesterday, had at least two really interesting segments :
one on black holes.
and one on memory and genetics.

http://sciencefriday.com/audio/index.htm...dth-list/1

[Bucky Ball]

The Nobel for Physics today went to two who have done really interesting work, which spawned the quantum computing field.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/scienc...erbye&_r=0

[kim]

These might seem like disturbing photos to some but I have a greater respect for dentists after seeing them. They also give me a greater understanding of growth in the earlier stages of childhood. Child to adult; the transition seems easy enough, in theory…

Remember around 1st grade when you started losing your baby teeth? They told you your "baby" teeth had to fall out so your new "adult" teeth would have room to come in. Yea, sure… that sounded just insane enough to be true.

Ever wonder what went on inside your skull and where those "adult" teeth were going to come from? Well, here you go.

These are two different displays of child skulls that have been cut away to expose the formation of budding adult teeth.
It really is a dramatic process that is usually completed by the age of eight or nine.

Amazing what such a small part of the human body goes through in early youth. The human body sometimes seems so fragile but there are times when it really shows off an assembly line efficiency.

[Bucky Ball]

A PBS series, I did not notice before. Part 1 is a good history of Psychology.
http://video.idahoptv.org/program/history-science/

Edit : These vids are not available here. I'll see if they are on PBS.
Here's a YouTube link for the last one. The rest are there, in order.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDGd3DAyY...el&list=UL

[Bucky Ball]

Dark matter ?
http://www.space.com/18083-elusive-dark-...-view.html

[TheBeardedDude]

(17-10-2012 10:36 AM)Bucky Ball Wrote:  Dark matter ?
http://www.space.com/18083-elusive-dark-...-view.html

The big bright spot is a false color image of the dark matter?

Is dark matter really just evil matter?

[kim]

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 1275, the galaxy located in the center of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster. The red threadlike filaments are composed of cool gas suspended by a magnetic field.
Photo: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

[kim]

Uh oh... inside you know where.

[kim]

The announcement of 50 newfound alien worlds Sept. 12 included 16 so-called "super-Earths" and one planet that could just possibly, be habitable, astronomers said.

The planet called HD 85512 b, orbits the star HD 85512 about 35 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Vela (the Sail). The photo is a profile of this planet. (which I have personally dubbed Herbie.) I think the chart is pretty cool; it shows the star's habitable zone... and the little guy seems a bit close for my taste.