One step closer to the invisibility cloak

One step closer to the invisibility cloak

Science Unknown   1:41:00 PM

Scientists at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have made an object disappear by using a composite material with nano-size particles that can enhance specific properties on the object’s surface. Researchers from QMUL’s School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, worked with the UK industry to demonstrate for the first time a practical cloaking device that allows curved surfaces to appear flat to electromagnetic waves.

While the research might not lead to the invisibility cloak made famous in J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter novels quite yet, this practical demonstration could result in a step-change in how antennas are tethered to their platform. It could allow for antennas in different shapes and sizes to be attached in awkward places and a wide variety of materials. Co-author, Professor Yang Hao from QMUL’s School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, said, “The design is based upon transformation optics, a concept behind the idea of the invisibility cloak. Previous research has shown this technique working at one frequency. However, we can demonstrate that it works at a greater range of frequencies making it more useful for other engineering applications, such as nano-antennas and the aerospace industry.”

The researchers coated a curved surface with a nanocomposite medium, which has seven distinct layers (called graded index nanocomposite) where the electric property of each layer varies depending on the position. The effect is to ‘cloak’ the object: such a structure can hide an object that would have caused the wave to be scattered. The underlying design approach has much wider applications, ranging from microwave to optics for the control of any kind of electromagnetic surface waves. First author Dr Luigi La Spada, also from QMUL’s School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, said, “The study and manipulation of surface waves is the key to develop technological and industrial solutions in the design of real-life platforms, for different application fields. We demonstrated a practical possibility to use nanocomposites to control surface wave propagation through advanced additive manufacturing. Perhaps most importantly, the approach used can be applied to other physical phenomena that are described by wave equations, such as acoustics. For this reason, we believe that this work has a great industrial impact.”

NASA’s next Mars rover set for 2020 launch

NASA’s next Mars rover set for 2020 launch

Science Unknown   8:34:00 AM

The US space agency is ready to proceed with the final design and construction of its next Mars rover, currently targeted to launch in the summer of 2020 and arrive on the Red Planet in February 2021, NASA said.

The Mars 2020 rover will investigate a region of Mars where the ancient environment may have been favourable for microbial life, probing the Martian rocks for evidence of past life.

“This mission marks a significant milestone in NASA’s Journey to Mars - to determine whether life has ever existed on Mars, and to advance our goal of sending humans to the Red Planet,” said Geoffrey Yoder, Acting Associate Administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Throughout its investigation, it will collect samples of soil and rock and cache them on the surface for potential return to Earth by a future mission.

“The Mars 2020 rover is the first step in a potential multi-mission campaign to return carefully selected and sealed samples of Martian rocks and soil to Earth,” Yoder noted.

To reduce risk and provide cost savings, the 2020 rover will look much like its six-wheeled, one-tonne predecessor, Curiosity, which landed on Mars in 2012, but with an array of new science instruments and enhancements to explore Mars as never before, NASA said in a statement.

The Mars 2020 rover will use the same sky crane landing system as Curiosity, but will have the ability to land in a more challenging terrain with two enhancements, making more rugged sites eligible as safe landing candidates, the US space agency pointed out.

The Mars 2020 mission has already passed an extensive review process and a major development milestone.

Once a mission receives preliminary approval, it must go through four rigorous technical and programmatic reviews -- known as Key Decision Points (KDP) to proceed through the phases of development prior to launch.

Phase A involves concept and requirements definition, Phase B is preliminary design and technology development, Phase C is final design and fabrication, and Phase D is system assembly, testing, and launch. Mars 2020 has just passed its KDP-C milestone.

“Since Mars 2020 is leveraging the design and some spare hardware from Curiosity, a significant amount of the mission’s heritage components have already been built during Phases A and B,” George Tahu, Mars 2020 Programme Executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington said.

“With the KDP to enter Phase C completed, the project is proceeding with final design and construction of the new systems, as well as the rest of the heritage elements for the mission,” Tahu added.

Indian scientist helps design telescope that can be assembled by robots in space

Indian scientist helps design telescope that can be assembled by robots in space

Science Unknown   12:57:00 PM

Los Angeles: Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have designed an extremely large telescope that can be assembled by a robot in space to help enhance the ability of astronomers to peer deep into the cosmos. A new concept in space telescope design makes use of a modular structure and an assembly robot to build an extremely large telescope in space, performing tasks in which astronaut fatigue would be a problem.

Ground-based telescopes are limited by atmospheric effects and by their fixed location on the Earth. Space-based telescopes do not have those disadvantages but have other limits, such as overall launch vehicle volume and mass capacity.

Design of a modular space telescope that overcomes restrictions on volume and mass may allow telescope components to be launched incrementally, enabling the design and deployment of extremely large space telescopes. The robotically assembled modular space telescope (RAMST) designed by Nicolas Lee and colleagues at the California Institute of Technology and the NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US focuses primarily on a robotic system to perform tasks in which astronaut fatigue would be a problem.

 "Our goal is to address the principal technical challenges associated with such an architecture, so that future concept studies addressing a particular science driver can consider robotically assembled telescopes in their trade space," said researchers including Rudranarayan Mukherjee, from the Jet Propulsion Lab.

The main features of the proposed architecture include a mirror built with a modular structure, a robot to put the telescope together and provide ongoing servicing, and advanced metrology technologies to support the assembly and operation of the telescope. An optional feature is the potential ability to fly the unassembled components of the telescope in formation.

The system architecture is scalable to a variety of telescope sizes and would not be not limited to particular optical designs. "The capability to assemble a modular space telescope has other potential applications," said Harley Thronson, from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre. "For example, astronomers using major ground-based telescopes are accustomed to many decades of operation, and the Hubble Space Telescope has demonstrated that this is possible in space if astronauts are available," Thronson said.

"A robotic system of assembly, upgrade, repair, and resupply offers the possibility of very long useful lifetimes of space telescopes of all kinds," he said. The study was published in the Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments and Systems.

Pro cycling gear you can buy today albeit not at all cheaply

Pro cycling gear you can buy today albeit not at all cheaply

Science Unknown   3:34:00 PM

Ever wondered what it might cost to kit yourself out like a cycling pro? T3's Leon Poultney spoke to experts from some of the leading cycling teams and brands to find out. His fee for writing this should just about cover the expense, we reckon…

You may have heard that a bunch of mad bastards are currently cycling 2,187-miles around France, often averaging speeds of around 35mph for hours on end using nothing but the power of their ham hock legs and some seriously slick cycling equipment.

Yes, we're talking about the Tour de France and it's arguably the most high-tech peloton in recent years, with bikes that have been rigorously tested in wind tunnels for the ultimate in aero gains, clothing that's lighter and more slippery than ever and telemetry that rivals some Formula 1 teams.

While we can't help you with the ham hock legs, we can point you in the direction of the tech that the pros use.

Now, five-times Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault once said, "an amateur should think long and hard before attempting one of these stages," but screw that guy; if you're going to tackle an Etape du Tour, you may as well get geared up like a pro.

Prepare to blow a monster amount of cash, as this kit doesn't come cheap, but it's the real deal and could see you shave seconds off your Strava Segments. Because, you know, that King of the Mountain badge is definitely worth it.

The total cost of all this can be found on the last page. Warning: it will make your eyes water.

Newly-Discovered Species of Tarantula Named after Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Newly-Discovered Species of Tarantula Named after Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Science Unknown   12:40:00 PM

The new spider, scientifically named Kankuamo marquezi, was discovered in the Colombian mountain range Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

With its extraordinary defensive hairs, Kankuamo marquezi proved itself as not only a new species, but also a new genus.

A team of scientists led by Dr. Carlos Perafán from the University of the Republic, Uruguay, described the new genus and species in the journal ZooKeys.

“Kankuamo is a noun in apposition and refers to the indigenous people of the Chibcha family from the Caribbean region of Colombia, which inhabits the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, whose language and culture are at endangered,” the researchers explained.

“The specific epithet is a noun in genitive in honor to Gabriel García Márquez, who was a renowned Colombian writer, considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century, and awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature for One Hundred years of Solitude.”

When examined, Kankuamo marquezi showed something extraordinary about its defensive hairs and its genitalia.

The hairs were noted to form a small oval patch of lance-shaped barbs, hypothesized by the team to have evolved to defend their owners by direct contact.

On the other hand, when defending against their aggressors, the rest of the tarantulas in the Theraphosinae subfamily need to first face the offender and then vigorously rub their hind legs against their stomachs.

Aimed and shot at the enemy, a ball of stinging hairs can cause fatal injuries to small mammals when landed into their mucous membrane. Once thrown, the hairs leave a bald spot on the tarantula’s belly.

“This new finding is a great contribution to the knowledge of the arachnids in Colombia and a sign of how much remains to be discovered,” Dr. Perafán and co-authors said.

A Squirt Of Stm Cell Gel Heals Brain Injuries

A Squirt Of Stm Cell Gel Heals Brain Injuries

Science Unknown   7:49:00 PM

Scientists have developed a gel that helps brains recover from traumatic injuries. It has the potential to treat head injuries suffered in combat, car accidents, falls, or gunshot wounds. Developed by Dr. Ning Zhang at Clemson University in South Carolina, the gel is injected in liquid form at the site of injury and stimulates the growth of stem cells there.

Brain injuries are particularly hard to repair, since injured tissues swell up and can cause additional damage to the cells. So far, treatments have tried to limit this secondary damage by lowering the temperature or relieving the pressure at the site of injury. However, these techniques are often not very effective.

More recently, scientists have considered transplanting donor brain cells into the wound to repair damaged tissue. This method has so far had limited results when treating brain injuries. The donor cells often fail to grow or stimulate repair at the injury site, possibly because of the inflammation and scarring present there. The injury site also typically has very limited blood supply and connective tissue, which might prevent donor cells from getting the nutrients they require.

Dr. Zhang's gel, however, can be loaded with different chemicals to stimulate various biological processes at the site of injury. In previous research done on rats, she was able to use the gel to help re-establish full blood supply at the site of brain injury. This could help create a better environment for donor cells.

In a follow-up study, Dr. Zhang loaded the gel with immature stem cells, as well as the chemicals they needed to develop into full-fledged adult brain cells. When rats with severe brain injuries were treated with this mixture for eight weeks, they showed signs of significant recovery.

The new gel could treat patients at varying stages following injury, and is expected to be ready for testing in humans in about three years.