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NASA's Chandra Sees Brightest Supernova Ever
2007-05-08 19:19:00
The brightest stellar explosion ever recorded may be a long-sought new type of supernova, according to observations by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes. This discovery indicates that violent explosions of extremely massive stars were relatively common in the early universe, and that a similar explosion may be ready to go off in our own galaxy. "This was a truly monstrous explosion, a hundred times more energetic than a typical supernova," said Nathan Smith of the University of California at Berkeley, who led a team of astronomers from California and the University of Texas in Austin. "That means the star that exploded might have been as massive as a star can get, about 150 times that of our sun. We've never seen that before." Astronomers think many of the first generation of stars were this massive, and this new supernova may thus provide a rare glimpse of how the first stars died. It is unprecedented, however, to find such a massive star and wi...
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Scientists Offer New View of Photosynthesis
2007-05-08 18:41:00
During the remarkable cascade of events in photosynthesis, plants approach the pinnacle of stinginess by scavenging nearly every photon of available light energy to produce food.Yet after many years of careful research into the exact mechanisms, some key questions remain about this fundamental biological process that supports almost all life on Earth.Now a research team led by Neal Woodbury, a scientist at the Arizona State University (ASU) Biodesign Institute, has come up with a new insight into the mechanism of photosynthesis.The discovery involves the orchestrated movement of proteins on the timescale of a millionth of a millionth of a second."This pioneering research gives us new insights into the basic mechanism of photosynthesis," said Kamal Shukla, program director in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences. "Understanding such basic biological processes can lead to important societal benefits."For example, the answer may be good n...
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How Plants Manage Calcium May Reduce Effects of Acid Rain
2007-05-07 23:42:00
A new understanding of how plants manage their internal calcium levels could lead to modifying plants to avoid damage from acid rain. The pollutant disrupts calcium balance in plants by leaching significant amounts of the mineral from leaves as well as the agricultural and forest soils the plants live in."Our findings should help scientists understand how plant ecosystems respond to soil calcium depletion and to design appropriate strategies to protect the environment," said Zhen-Ming Pei, a Duke University biologist who led the study, which is published in the March 9, issue of the journal Science."The research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Xiamen University in China.To grow, a plant needs a reliable supply of calcium, which enters the plant dissolved in water the roots take in from surrounding soil. As the water circulates through a plant, dissolved calcium gets shuttled where it is needed to give the plant's cells ...
More About: Plants , Rain , Acid , Reduce , Mana

Archaeologists Reveal Ancient Solar Observatory in Peru
2007-05-07 20:30:00
Solar calendars and sun cults were an important part of indigenous American culture, from the Hopi to the Inca sun temple in Cusco, Peru . The latest issue of Science features a new discovery at Chankillo, in the Casma Valley of Peru's coastal desert, pushing sun cults in the region back nearly 2,000 years.A line of structures known as the 13 towers run north-south along the ridge of a low hill at Chankillo, a ceremonial center dating back to the fourth century B.C. From evident observation points on either side, the towers form a "toothed" horizon that spans the annual rising and setting arcs of the sun, indicating their use in solar observations."Chankillo is arguably the oldest solar calendar that can be identified as such with confidence within the Americas," said Ivan Ghezzi (Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru), who coauthored the Science paper with Clive Ruggles (University of Leicester).Starting in 2000, Earthwatch volunteer teams assisted Ghezzi at Chankillo for three ...
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Unique Data Collected on Double Asteroid Antiope
2007-05-07 14:26:00
Combining precise observations obtained by ESO's Very Large Telescope with those gathered by a network of smaller telescopes, astronomers have described in unprecedented detail the double asteroid Anti ope, which is shown to be a pair of rubble-pile chunks of material, of about the same size, whirling around one another in a perpetual pas de deux. The two components are egg-shaped despite their very small sizes. The asteroid (90) Antiope was discovered in 1866 by Robert Luther from Dusseldorf, Germany. The 90th asteroid ever discovered, its name comes from Greek mythology. In 2000, William Merline and his collaborators found that the asteroid was composed of two similarly-sized components, making it a truly 'double' asteroid, one of the very first of this kind in the main belt of asteroids that lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. "The way double asteroids have formed in the main belt is still unclear," says Pascal Descamps, from the Paris Observatory and lead-author of th...
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Finding Evidence of First Plate Tectonics 3.8 Billion Years Ago
2007-05-06 20:45:00
Identification of the oldest preserved pieces of Earth's crust in southern Greenland has provided evidence of active plate tectonics as early as 3.8 billion years ago, according to a report by an international team of geoscientists in the March 23 edition of Science magazine. The finding pushes back the date of continent-forming processes previously determined as 2.5 billion years ago to a much earlier era considerably closer to Earth's formation some 4.5 billion years ago. Geochemical analysis of rocks has previously suggested an earlier date for plate tectonics, but this is the first study to find physical evidence of tectonics among Earth's oldest known rock structures, according to Hubert Staudigel of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego."The fact that this rock structure is so well preserved is particularly lucky," Staudigel said. "The materials were formed as seafloor along a spreading center and accreted to a continental plate and just stuck there, surviving...
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Man’s Earliest Direct Ancestors Looked More Apelike Than Previously Belie
2007-05-06 20:29:00
Modern man’s earliest known close ancestor was significantly more apelike than previously believed, a New York University College of Dentistry professor has found.A computer-generated reconstruction by Dr. Timothy Bromage, a paleoanthropologist and Adjunct Professor of Biomaterials and of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology, shows a 1.9 million-year-old skull belonging to Homo rudolfensis, the earliest member of the human genus, with a surprisingly small brain and distinctly protruding jaw, features commonly associated with more apelike members of the hominid family living as much as three million years ago. Dr. Bromage’s findings call into question the extent to which H. rudolfensis differed from earlier, more apelike hominid species. Specifically, he is the first scientist to produce a reconstruction of the skull that questions renowned paleontologist and archeologist Richard Leakey’s depiction of modern man’s earliest direct ancestor as having a vertical facial profile...
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Fossil from 160,000 years ago shows growth profile similar to modern man
2007-05-05 14:36:00
An international team of scientists have found that the oldest member (160,000 years old) of the Homo sapiens species shows a life history profile similar to modern humans. These findings, based on experiments at ESRF, are in contrast to previous studies suggesting that early fossil humans possessed short growth periods, which were more similar to chimpanzees than to living humans.The origins of modern humans continues to be one of the most hotly debated topics among anthropologists, and there is little consensus about where and when the first members of our species, Homo sapiens, became fully modern. While fossil evidence tells a complex tale of mosaic change during the African Stone Age, almost nothing is known about changes in human 'life history', or the timing of development, reproductive scheduling, and lifespan. Research during the past two decades has shown that early fossil humans (australopithecines and early Homo) possessed short growth periods, which were more similar ...
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New form of matter-antimatter transformation observed for first time
2007-05-05 14:08:00
Whilst science fiction toys effortlessly with anti-matter, in reality it can be very hard to produce, so researchers around the world are celebrating a new break through in this area. For the first time, scientists using the BaBar experiment at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) have observed the transition of one type of particle, the neutral D-meson, into its antimatter particle - a process known as 'mixing'. The new observation will be used as a test of the Standard Model, the current theory that best describes the entire universe's luminous matter and its associated forces.UK BaBar spokesman, Fergus Wilson of the Rutherford Appleton Lab said "D-meson mixing was first predicted over three decades ago but it is such an elusive phenomenon that it has taken until today to see it. The observation of D-meson mixing is yet another outstanding achievement for the BaBar experiment. The BaBar collaboration continues to make ground-breaking measurements that challenge our und...
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A New Theory of Climate Change
2007-05-05 13:50:00
In a review paper in the latest issue of the RAS journal Astronomy & Geophysics, Henrik Svensmark, the leader of Sun-climate research at the Danish National Space Center, puts together the findings reported by him and his colleagues in a dozen scientific papers, to tell how the climate is governed by atomic particles coming from exploded stars. These cosmic rays help to make ordinary clouds. High levels of cosmic rays and cloudiness cool the world, while milder intervals occur when cosmic rays and cloud cover diminish.The review paper entitled ‘Cosmoclimatology: a new theory emerges’ appears in the February issue of Astronomy & Geophysics. Here are some of its salient points.For more than 20 years, satellite records of low-altitude clouds have closely followed variations in cosmic rays. Just how cosmic rays take part in cloud-making appeared in the SKY experiment, conducted in the basement of the Danish National Space Center. Electrons set free in the air by passing cosmic rays ...
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First study reporting chimps using caves
2007-05-05 13:13:00
Chimpanzees in Senegal apparently have much in common with our earliest human ancestors.A month after Iowa State University Assistant Professor of Anthropology Jill Pruetz reported chimpanzees at her Fongoli research site are using spear-shaped tools to hunt, her new study indicates those same chimps are also seeking shelter in caves to get out of the extreme African heat. The National Geographic Society-funded research is the first to document regular chimpanzee cave use.Pruetz' paper, titled "Evidence of Cave Use by Savanna Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Fongoli, Senegal: Implications for Behavioral Thermoregulation," will be published in an upcoming issue of Primates, a professional journal. The paper reports that the chimpanzees' cave use was based primarily on indirect evidence -- feeding traces, feces and hairs -- gathered from one cave from January through December 2004. Supplemental data from observational records was also collected from May 2001 through March 2006...
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COROT discovers its first exoplanet and catches scientists by surprise
2007-05-04 21:41:00
COROT has provided its first image of a giant planet orbiting another star and the first bit of ‘seismic’ information on a far away, Sun-like star, with unexpected accuracy.The unanticipated level of accuracy of this raw data shows that COROT will be able to see rocky planets - perhaps even as small as Earth - and possibly provide an indication of their chemical composition.The unanticipated level of accuracy of this raw data shows that COROT will be able to see rocky planets - perhaps even as small as Earth - and possibly provide an indication of their chemical composition. COROT, a CNES project with ESA participation, is a mission with a dual goal. It is the first space mission dedicated entirely to the search of extra-solar planets. It provides a wide-field survey of planets like our own at an unprecedented level of accuracy. It is also making the most comprehensive study ever of the interior of stars other than our Sun. Both objectives are achieved by analysing the behaviour...
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