05 Jun

Posted at 18:59h in Scoop.it

Distant water exoplanets might have oceans thousands of miles deep. That’s in contrast to Earth’s ocean, which is about 6.8 miles (about 11 km) deep at its deepest point.

 

Water worlds – planets or moons with global oceans – used to be considered part of science fiction, but we are starting to learn now that, not only do they exist, they might actually be fairly common.

 

In our own solar system, the moons Europa, Enceladus, Titan and Ganymede are known or suspected to have such oceans beneath their outer ice crust. Even Pluto is now thought to have one!

Sourced through Scoop.it from: earthsky.org

27 May

Posted at 17:49h in Scoop.it

What if drones and self-driving cars had the tingling “spidey senses” of Spider-Man? They might actually detect and avoid objects better, says Andres Arrieta, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, because they would process sensory information faster.

 

Better sensing capabilities would make it possible for drones to navigate in dangerous environments and for cars to prevent accidents caused by human error. Current state-of-the-art sensor technology doesn’t process data fast enough – but nature does.

And researchers wouldn’t have to create a radioactive spider to give autonomous machines superhero sensing abilities.

 

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.purdue.edu

27 May

Posted at 17:43h in Scoop.it

Elephants are among the most intelligent animals in the world. Previous studies have found that elephants are able to recognize individual faces and that they have a unique and sophisticated set of social norms which even includes mourning. Recently scientists have discovered that elephants have their own form of rudimentary language which seems primarily designed to warn other members of their herd about potential threats.

 

Researchers from a collaborative team comprising scientists from Oxford University, Save the Elephants and Disney’s Animal Kingdom have been studying the noises elephants make when exposed to certain threats. The researchers found that if elephants are exposed to the sound of a human voice, specifically speaking in the language of the Samburu tribe of northern Kenya, that elephants become vigilant and emit a distinctive noise that sounds like a low rumble. Other elephants, not exposed to the human voice, reacted to the elephant alarm by running away and making the exact same rumbling noise.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.disclose.tv

21 May

Posted at 18:17h in Scoop.it

Machine learning advances go above and beyond what has presently been achieved in medicine, the findings showed. Machine learning is overtaking humans in predicting death and heart attack, suggesting a continued maturation of the technology and a potential for increased efficiency among caregivers in the healthcare system, finds a study presented at the International Conference on Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac.

 

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.healthcarefinancenews.com

21 May

Posted at 18:16h in Scoop.it

A team of British scientists and engineers have created a full scale model for a car they intend to drive more than 1,000 mph. 

The model, named the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (SSC), was built by a team of aerodynamic experts, who took three years to build it. Recently shown off to the world at the Farnborough International Air Show, the 42-foot-long Bloodhound resembles a bright blue missile with wheels. 

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.youtube.com