NASA and GOOGLE announce a major breakthrough

NASA and Google announced a "major discovery"on Thursday: another solar system with eight planets. That finding is due to the discovery of a new planet, Kepler-90i - a hot, rocky orb circling a sun-like star called Kepler-90, which is 2,545 light-years from Earth. The planet was found using a machine-learning system from Google, which was put to work sifting through data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft.

Kepler, a space telescope that trails Earth in orbit around the sun, has stared down 145,000 sun-like stars over the years to look for signs of distant planets. Astronomers knew about the Kepler-90 solar system, but had not previously detected this planet. It appears to be the third planet from the sun-like star, and orbits roughly every 14 days. The temperature on Kepler-90i surface is likely around 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (980 degrees Celsius). "Kepler-90i is not a place I'd like to go visit," Andrew Vanderburg, an astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin who helped find the planet, said during a press briefing. Vanderburg was aided in the work by Google AI software engineer Christopher Shallue. "The way I see it, what we've developed here is a tool to help astronomers have more impact," Shallue said. Vanderburg and Shallue also found a second new planet, called Kepler 80g. To detect these two new worlds, Google's machine learning learned how to identify signals from exoplanets recorded in the Kepler data.

It processed 14 billion data points from four years' worth of Kepler images, using what's known as a convolutional neural network, which sort of mimics the way the human brain processes information. NASA and Google say this new technology will help scientists find many more such exoplanets in the future. In fact, Vanderburg believes the Kepler-90 solar system likely has more planets that we haven't yet detected. "It would almost be surprising to me if there weren't any more," he said. "Is an eight-planet solar system like our own really that extraordinary? Maybe there are systems out there with so many planets, they make our solar system seem ordinary."

Prior to this analysis, NASA's last examination of Kepler data confirmed 219 new worlds in the more than 4,000 candidates that Kepler had turned up. The space agency's current total of confirmed exoplanets is now 2,525 - and 10 of those may be rocky, Earth-size, and possibly habitable to alien life. For those wondering whether Google's AI system could make astronomers obsolete, NASA says not to worry. Jessie Dotson, a Kepler project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, explained that astronomers will always be needed to classify objects before feeding information into a neural network, so that the AI can learn how to look at new data. "This will absolutely work alongside astronomers," Dotson said. "You're never going to take that piece out."

SOURCE: Business Insider/Sciencealert

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JUNO'S ENCOUNTER WITH JUPITER

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a storm like nothing this world has ever seen. This crimson-hued anticyclone features winds three times as fast as the jet stream and is big enough to swallow Earth whole. It is almost surely older than any living human - 187 years at least - and could well still rage across the gas giant's surface after all of us are gone. Scientists don't know what makes the Great Red Spot so long-lasting. Nor can they explain the chemistry behind its brilliant colour. But thanks to NASA's Juno spacecraft, now on its second year of orbiting Jupiter, they know that the storm's roots go deep: The well of hot, swirling gas that powers the Great Red Spot extends some 217 miles (350 km) into Jupiter's interior. The finding was announced Monday at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, along with other results from Juno's first eight flights past the solar system's largest planet. The spacecraft arrived in orbit around Jupiter in summer 2016 and has since performed looping orbits that take it skimming between Jupiter's cloud tops and radiation belts once every 53 days. On Earth, the Great Red Spot would almost graze the orbit of the International Space Station. The highest clouds of our planet's worst hurricanes top out at around 10 miles (16 km).

But understanding the behaviour of the Great Red Spot could improve scientists' understanding of weather on Earth, said California Institute of Technology planetary scientist Andy Ingersoll, a co-investigator for the Juno spacecraft.

He called Jupiter's giant storm a good "stress test" for Earth-based weather models.

It isn't clear what the new find means for the future of the storm - Ingersoll said the spot already has stretched traditional weather models to their limits.

But the spot has been shrinking steadily since the Voyager 2 spacecraft visited it in 1979; it used to be big enough to engulf two Earths.

High above the cloud tops, Jupiter is enveloped in radiation belts formed by charged particles that get trapped by the planet's magnetic field.

On Monday, scientists said that Juno had discovered a new area of radiation just above the planet's atmosphere at the equator.The high energy particles in this region are even more intense than those that make up the radiation belt. But none of the eight spacecraft that preceded Juno at Jupiter had spotted it. Juno's orbit meant "we literally flew through it," said Heidi Becker, a physicist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who leads Juno's radiation investigation team. The radiation in this region is thought to stem from fast-moving atoms of hydrogen, oxygen and sulfur. These particles are produced in the gas clouds around Jupiter's moons, Io and Europa, but are stripped of electrons and become charged as they interact with Jupiter's atmosphere. The spacecraft found another area of high-energy particles in Jupiter's inner radiation belt, where electrons move at nearly the speed of light. Becker and her colleagues are still studying the exact nature of these particles. Juno's other discoveries at Jupiter include clusters of 600-mile-wide cyclones at the planet's poles and an uneven magnetic field that is weak in some places, but in others is 10 times as strong as anything found on Earth.The spacecraft's high resolution camera has also taken thousands of detailed images, revealing a planet that looks like a cross between a Van Gogh painting and the world's most elaborate latte foam art. In a lecture, project scientist Scott Bolton pulled up one of Juno's images of Jupiter's blue-tinged polar storms and burnt sienna gas clouds. "If you had shown us that five years ago, we couldn't have guessed what planet it was," he said.

SOURCE : The Washington Post

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HUMAN SIZED PENGUIN REMAINS UNEARTHED IN NEW ZEALAND

A new species of prehistoric penguin has been found in New Zealand, and it's so big that the researcher who found its bones initially couldn't figure out what kind of animal it was. Dating back to the late Paleocene 60-56 million years ago, the newly named Kumimanu biceae was so big it stood 1.65 metres tall (5'5") and measured 1.77 metres in length (5'10") when swimming. It weighed up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds). It's one of the biggest penguins that ever existed, coming in at just under the size of extinct Late Eocene Antarctic penguin Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, which was 2 metres long and weighed 115 kilograms. But although it's not breaking size records, K. biceae is the earliest giant penguin ever discovered, according to Te Papa Museum curator Alan Tennyson, who found the first piece of the skeleton in 2004. Other giant penguin fossils date back to around 42-35 million years ago, placing them in the Eocene epoch. And the two species of the earlier Waimanu genus of penguin that emerged not long after the Cretaceous-Paleocene extinction event are much smaller, and show signs of being closer to losing the ability to fly.

"That a penguin rivaling the largest previously known fossil species existed in the Paleocene may indicate that gigantism in penguins arose shortly after these birds became flightless divers," the researchers wrote in their paper."Gigantism therefore may be an inherent feature of Paleogene penguins, which may have evolved soon after aerodynamic constraints ceased to exist."Tennyson found the fossilised remains encased in a boulder on a beach in Otago, New Zealand. Initially, he didn't know what the bones were.

He found a rock that showed bone on the outside surface, so he took it back to his office - where it would remain on a shelf for a few years. Extraction on the boulder didn't start until 2015 - but once work began, the researchers realised they had found the bones of a bird. A really big bird."Painstaking extraction work slowly revealed that the rock contained a multitude of jumbled bones of a colossal penguin," Tennyson said. "We found flipper, body and leg bones and they are truly huge."

The penguin's humerus and a shoulder girdle bone entangled in clusters. (G Mayr/Senckenberg Research Institute) The new penguin was named Kumimanu, which means "monster bird" in Māori, and biceae in honour of Tennyson's mum, Bice Tennyson.It's difficult to know how similar K. biceae looked to modern day penguins, the tallest of which is the emperor penguin that stands at 1.1 metres. But it was probably a formidable creature. "it would have been very impressive, as tall as many people, and a very solid, muscly animal built to withstand frequent deep dives to catch its prey, It would not have been the kind of bird that someone could catch alive, it would have been considerably more powerful than a person."  Tennyson said. "

The decline of giant penguins around the world probably has something to do with the rise of marine mammals, with which it coincides. The expansion of seals, walruses, whales, and other ocean-faring mammals probably provided competition for both food resources and breeding grounds - and the giant penguins lost the battle.

Source :  Nature Communications

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NOW GET FUEL FROM CO2

A membrane developed by MIT researchers can isolate carbon monoxide from carbon dioxide, allowing polluting greenhouse gas emissions to be turned into useful alternate fuels(Credit:kodda/Depositphotos)

Researchers at MIT have developed a new membrane-based system that can convert carbon dioxide emissions into useful alternate fuels. The process has been effectively demonstrated on a small-scale and the researchers hope to ultimately adapt the system to conventional fossil fuel-based power plants.

Made of lanthanum, calcium, and iron oxide, the membrane is designed to separate out oxygen from carbon dioxide, leaving behind carbon monoxide that can then be turned into a variety of useful fuels.

The process requires a significant energy input to produce the up to 990° C (1,814° F) temperatures needed to separate the carbon dioxide input into oxygen and carbon monoxide. But the researchers suggest this heat energy could be provided by either, "solar energy or by waste heat, some of which could come from the power plant itself."

A pragmatic hypothetical outcome would be to incorporate the process into a natural gas power plant by adding an entirely new fuel output stream to the plant. The carbon dioxide produced by generating electricity from the burning gas would then be fed through the membrane system, which itself would be powered by a small stream of the original natural gas.

The carbon monoxide output could then be mixed with hydrogen to produce syngas, which can be used to generate electricity, as a fuel in internal combustion engines, or fed into the existing gas distribution network. This process would create a new commercial output for the power plant while also reducing greenhouse emissions.

It is worth noting that this research is co-funded by Shell Oil, which hopefully points to the process finding a real, practical outcome. After all, if the big fossil fuel companies can find a way to turn their carbon dioxide emissions into a positive revenue source then its a real win-win scenario for everyone.

The research was published in the journal CHEMSUSCHEM

SOURCE : Newatlas

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WORMS THRIVE IN MARTIAN SOIL - NASA

In a time where space travel is catching the eyes of the private sector, NASA has yet again revealed the possibility of human life on MARS. According to the recent research and experiments consucted by NASA they have successfully hindered the reproduction of the eartly insect using stimulated Mars soil on earth.

The NASA researchers added rucola (also known as rocket or arugula) plants, manure fertilizer and earthworms to a pot - and found that the worms not only thrive, but they've now reproduced to get their first offspring.

"Clearly the manure stimulated growth, especially in the Mars soil simulant, and we saw that the worms were active," said lead researcher and biologist WEIGNER of Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands.

"However, the best surprise came at the end of the experiment when we found two young worms in the Mars soil simulant."

One of the worms born in the simulant. Martian soil simulant is a really important tool for researching Mars missions. It's been developed by NASA based on data obtained by Mars rovers and orbiters, and its composition is as close to the material on Mars as possible based on the information available.

Here on Earth, it would be technically incorrect to call it soil, since soil contains organic material; but planetary scientists use the word to distinguish the finer material in the regolith on Mars from rocks and gravel.

This soil simulant can be used to figure out how the soil and dust on Mars will affect things like robotic rovers, mining equipment, and space suits. For the last few years, researchers have also been looking into whether plants can be coaxed to live in the material.

We need to know this because once we send humans to Mars, as NASA plans to do it in 2030’s it may be the first step towards a colony - and a colony is unsustainable without a food supply they can grow themselves.

As Wamelink and his team demonstrated in 2016, vegetables can be grown in martan soil. Not as well as in Earth soil, but that's why the team is now trying new things - including adding pig manure and earthworms, which digest decaying plant matter and convert it into nutrients, and aerate the soil through which they tunnel.

Mars has limited weathering compared to Earth, though, which means the soil grains may have sharp edges that could harm the earthworms' digestive tracts.

(Wieger Wamelink/Wageningen University & Research)

To determine the efficacy of the additions, the team prepared a variety of pots planted with rucola. They compared the Martian soil to silver sand,  a quartz-based sand used in Earth gardening for soil aeration.

Pots were set up with rucola planted, then manure was added to all pots. Then worms were added.

"The positive effect of adding manure was not unexpected," Wamelink said. "but we were surprised that it makes Mars soil simulant outperform Earth silver sand."

There are, however, other significant barriers to growing plants on Mars. They'd need a climate-controlled environment to keep them from freezing in Mar’s harsh cold, and to allow them liquid water, and some sort of shielding to protect them from the radiation on Mars surface thanks to its lack of a global magnetic field.

Both of these could be accomplished with a greenhouse, but another big problem is light. Mars gets about 60 percent of the amount of light Earth does, which means that plants on Mars would grow at about 60 percent of the rate of Earth plants.

To solve this problem, researchers at Utah State University have been working with NASA to develop fibre optic systems to deliver light to growing plants.

Meanwhile, Wamelink's work with soil simulants continues. He has already determined that vegetable grown in the heavy metal-rich simulant is safe to eat.

In the future, he wishes to carry out tests to determine the effect of Mars' high levels of perchlorate on vegetables - a chlorine compound which, in its heavy Mars levels, could be toxic to humans. The team is yet to publish their research.

(SOURCE : SCIENCE ALERT)

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Its CHEAPER than you know !!!

Till day, the concept of overseas study has been related to the rich and wealthy. However in today's rapidly globalizing works, everything option if ripped open within reaches of middle class families. By now you would probably be wondering how cheap can it be.

Lets take an example, For a private engineering college in India the yearly fee can be revised around rs. 1.5 to 2 lakh annualy . So, for  a course for 4 years you end up paying around Rs. 8 lakh . Now, what if we say that with the same amount you  can study overseas and gift yourself a chance to explore new heights for yourself and your professional life. Will you be interested? Of course, who wouldn't be.
So, today, let me tell you a few simple tips and tricks to make to oversea in budget you wish to set. To understand this  we will have to understand the education system :
The education system in NZ is spread across 10 level.

Graduates from India tend to go for higher education, which in the long run is useless for the Indian students. In order to understand this, we must shed light on the work ethics. Lets introduce the concept of "Overqualified".
INDIA :
Bachelor => MASTERS => Job

OVERSEAS:
Bachelor => Work experience => MASTERS( to strengthen the basics) => JOB

The above flow chart explains the education system in INDIA and NZ.

The life style and culture for the foreign land has been loved by millions of us. For you who wish to explore these lands and earn dollars to spend , this is one of the best career choices that one can make. The process is  simple and economical. Still not sure about it? Do you still feel confused? Got queries?? Get free advice to begin your preprations for a new life. Why visit an education consultant when you can do it all by yourself and from you own personal computer. Save the extra money for your travel abroad. Happy hunting's. Looking forward to hear from aspirants :)

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Made up you mind !!!! Here's how to do it.

If you are reading this, the chances are you are probably wishing to travel overseas for higher education. I also expect you would be wanting to get in touch with an education agent to guide you about what to do next. Sounds like a plan you got there. But before you decide to burn endless hours and fuel in visiting the agents, let me give you an option to sit back home and help yourself to do all the work. 

Yes you heard me. To be honest, the procedure of travelling overseas, working and studying  is as simple as opening a bank account for yourself. That's not hard for you, is it? Just because of the lack of knowledge, education consultants constantly take advantage of your poor knowledge in the area. Not any more !!!

Here is how we get started. 

• Choose the destination to wish to travel 

Preferable countries (in order) : New Zealand , Canada , USA , Australia , UK or else

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• Choose a course you wish to study 

The course should be chosen keeping in mind the jobs available. Education consultants tend to show a picture of extreme easiness, but this is not the case. DO some research on the immigration websites for the destination countries. 

Need a list for short term and longs term skill shortage lists??? GET A FREE COPY

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• Getting the documents ready 

Now that we have finalised the course the next step is to apply into the university for the intake in the program. For this you will need the following documents to be notarised by a notary ( can be done in local courts).

1. 12th marksheet
2. 10th marksheet
3. Graduation marksheet  (detailed + degree)  ( If applicable)
4. Bank account statements ( will be needed for visa application, maybe done later)

Confused?? 

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Friends, it's a simple task to be accepted into a college overseas. Don't let your plans for a bright future be ruined due to lack of knowledge and available options. You think and we help toward a bright future. We guide you and you show the world YOU CAN DO IT !!! 

For any more queries 

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