Monday 30 March 2015

Americans secretly modified human DNA

Leading US scientists have secretly carried out extensive work by altering the DNA of human embryos, which could lead to the creation of "designer babies". Proponents of these games with the human species considered that the technique could bring a revolution in medicine, allowing scientists to prevent genetic hereditary diseases and significantly reduce the chances of transmission.

However, the treatment has caused controversy, and critics say tampering with human code is dangerous and unacceptable.

It is believed that American scientists have conducted research on the egg cells taken from a woman who suffers from a hereditary disease - ovarian cancer - to explore the possibility of eventual changes in gene expression and thus create an embryo that does not have this hereditary disease. The work was published last year by Luan Yang, a scientist who works in the laboratory of the famous geneticist George Church.


Professor Church is insisted that everything is in the experimental stage and added that the experiments didn't carried out on people. It is believed that a several laboratories working on changing the DNA of human embryos, which means that scientists can attempt to change the personality of people like improving physical predisposition and intellectual abilities.

Professor John Parrington, from Oxford University said that this discovery he had expected, but not so early and it's very effective and beneficial treatment.

However, there are those who warn of the potential dangers of altering the genome of human embryos. It may have unforeseen consequences for future generations and that makes him dangerous and unacceptable.
 

Friday 27 March 2015

Scientists solve the mystery of origin of cells!?

Chemists have experimentally demonstrated just how the building blocks of life ingredients can be created in just a chemical reaction using two ingredients and sunlight.

At its core cell consists of three subsystems: the system for creating sections, which with the help of the lipid content is kept in one place, the metabolic system with catalysts and enzymes and system for copying DNA and RNA.

DNA molecule contains the instructions for making proteins, one of the most important parts of all living organisms. However, the cells may not be copied without a pre-existing DNA and proteins can not be synthesized lipids without enzymes that are based on the proteins.

Problem reminiscent of the story of what is older - the chicken or the egg, now may be solved thanks to the effort of experts.


One of the biggest issues in the study of the origins of life is did the mentioned subsystems formed together and at once or one after the other. A team of Cambridge who runs John Sutherland found it to be a precursor of DNA, RNA, amino acids and lipids can be created from hydrogen cyanide or hydrocyanic acid.

All subsystems could be created spontaneously through chemical reactions driven by the
influence of ultraviolet light. The only thing missing is hydrogen sulfide actually to donate its electron so that it is possible that some minerals containing metals as catalysts part of the process, experts say.  

- The young Earth was a perfect place for such a reactionhydrogen cyanide and hydrogen sulfide in this period were plentiful, as were in meteorites and comets, that bombed our planet in the first few hundred million years - said Sutherland.

It is possible that when these processes were changes that created amino acids and lipids, but in other places.

- It is quite likely that these ingredients separately created "met" after rains united them in the same place - concluded Sutherland.
 

Friday 20 March 2015

What to expect from science in next 50 years

If you were 50 years ago someone said that 2015 will be quite normal owning a 3D printer, the person you're talking to not only looked pale, but wondered what it is a printer, what is 3D and what all it serves. However, this is only one thing we can be grateful to science. And what we are still expected in the future...

1. Teleportation

Although today it sounds unbelievable, scientists have been able to teleport particles from point A to point B, and the distance of exactly 10 meters. Who knows how far will teleport that for 50 years ...

2. Light which is operated

This is hard to describe, but believe it or not, the light can tie a knot. This can be achieved with the help of holograms which direct the light in a certain path and thereby give the impression that the light was detached in space, but in fact when it creates an optical illusion, for which is again responsible science.


3. Objects that evolve by themselves

By this does not mean the Darwinian evolution, but the one that is yet to come. Today, there are 3D printers, and we all know what they are. But did you know that there is a 4D printer? It "print" objects that can  developed independently. For example, draw the ball, which eventually evolved into
rectangle!

4. Black holes in the laboratory

Today it is difficult to know exactly how black holes work, how they look or what properties they have. However, the scientists were able to replicate the conditions necessary for the formation of black holes and thus produce a true black hole, of course - under controlled conditions.
 


5. Stop the light
Einstein was the first scientist to realize that nothing can travel faster than light, but also never said that light can not slow down! Scientists at Harvard University have managed to reduce the speed of light at only 20 miles per hour. To make things even more dramatic, and even managed to stop light at a single point.
6. Production of antimatter
Matter and antimatter can not exist side by side. When they get together - offset each other (annihilation), with the release of large amounts of energy in the form of gamma rays or other particles. Despite the many controversies whether antimatter will "swallow" the earth - scientists have managed to create antimatter.
7. Telepathy
If you follow the SciFi movies know that telepathy is a science that is still not well understood, to be able to confirm or deny the facts. However, telepathy is possible, and this is proven by scientists when they operated on the brain of rats, and manage it successfully.
 

Saturday 14 March 2015

Moon has at least nine layers beneath the surface

Moon has far more complex geologic history than previously thought, until recently, the researchers believe that the layers formed under the influence of ancient lava flows that interfere with lunar soil, regolith, loose material arising from the rocks.

There are at least nine layers beneath the moon's surface, reveal radar for detection of underground infrastructure, the first Chinese lunar rover Yutu.

In fact, there are at least nine layers below the surface of the moon, and the researchers believe that they occur under the influence of ancient lava flows that interfere with lunar soil, regolith, loose material arising from the rocks.

Chinese spacecraft Chang-3 landed on the moon in December 2013, together with a small lunar lander Yutu, or "
Jade rabbit", whose task is to study the lunar soil.

After a walk of 114 meters on the surface of the moon, Yutu stopped near a crater in the field called Mare Imbrium.

In contrast to the places where from 1969 to 1972, NASA landed the Apollo missions, and other locations that are frequented landers from the Soviet era, this area is younger and has a complex surface structure, said Siao Long, a researcher with the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, in an article published in the journal Science.

"Moon's geological history is far more complex than we anticipated," said a Chinese scientist.

The first data indicate that the eruptions of lava at least five times overlapped Imbrium valley, forming layers of basaltic rocks at a depth of about one kilometer.

Yutu radar detected five layers of lava in the upper 400 meters of the lunar soil.

"It is likely that there were several volcanic eruptions whose lava covered the valley at greater depths," said Siao, adding that the results are the first detailed data on the moon's surface.

"During the Apollo missions, the regolith is punctured only three feet deep," recalled Siao.

"Layered structure tells us that later volcanic activities were of a different type. It also means that the variable elements significantly influenced the final phase to history of our Moon," concluded the Chinese researcher.

Friday 6 March 2015

If You Think Our Weather Is Crazy, Wait Until You See Storms On Other Planets

Warming of our planet one is of the biggest debates in years. The evidence for global climate change is in the news almost daily. Our weather is becoming crazier every year, from the polar vortekes to super hurricanes. We are all lucky to still be live.

While Mother Nature is not the kindest to
creatures of Earth, look at what happens on the surfaces of other planets. You can consider us lucky.

Mars
Mars has no atmosphere, which makes it extremely difficult to sustain human life as we know it. Mars lacks atmosphere is a mystery, but there is still a lot of bizarre weather going on on the planet. The pols are covered with ice caps, there are intense snowstorms. While our snow is frozen water, Mars snow is actually made of frozen carbon dioxide, or "dry ice". There are also tons of dust cyclone, which violently tear the planet.

Jupiter
What you are watching is Jupiter's most famous hurricane, the Great Red Spot. He raged for more than 400 years. This storm is so massive, up to the point where the 3 Earths can easily fit into it. There is another spot, known as Oval BA, which was discovered about seven years ago, and is now moving as fast as their larger counterparts. It seems that the increase in size. 

Mercury
As the closest planet to the sun and almost completely devoid of atmosphere, it's easy to see why Mercury becomes extremely hot. However, since there is little atmosphere, it is difficult for the planet to retain heat, which leads to intense temperature changes. Since lacks an axial tilt, no seasonal weather changes. It also incredibly slowly rotates, as it only completes about three “days” every two years. When Mercury is closest to the sun, the surface temperature can reach over 800º F. During the night, the temperature can drop to -290º F.

Neptune
Neptune has a storm big enough to swallow the whole Earth and bands of weather that mark its latitude. Planet has most violent winds in the solar system, which can reach a staggering 1,500 miles per hour. Since there is little talk in terms of topography, there is nothing to slow this down gusts of wind. It also has the ability to rain diamonds, so that's pretty radical.

Saturn
Saturn's atmosphere mainly consists of hydrogen, which led to an incredibly strong winds storms. Speeds can reach up to 1,000 kilometers per hour. For comparison, the strongest wind gust ever recorded on Earth was in 1996, at about 253 kilometers per hour.

Uranus
Uranus is the coldest planet in our solar system, with temperatures hitting -371ºF. Uranus is very strange, because as it is tipped entirely on his side. Its north pole faces the sun. This may be due to the great crash, as its magnetic field does not align with its poles. Because planet is so far away, it is difficult to obtain accurate read what happens on the surface. However, the massive hurricanes are studied through infrared telescopes, and it is also known to rain diamonds.

Venus
With a super-thick atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide, Venus is able to trap more of the sun's radiation than Mercury, which allows it to reach (and keep) a higher temperature. The surface temperature remains relatively consistent throughout the year, to 900º F. rain on Venus is almost exclusively sulfuric acid, which is highly corrosive. Sulfuric acid can damage clothing immediately and cause severe burns on body. However, the surface temperature of Venus is so hot, the rain evaporates before hitting the ground.
I do not know if I wanted to go to any of these planets with our current technology. In fact, I am 100% sure that you never want to leave the Earth at this point in time. Let us take care of our planet before we end up like Venus. 


Monday 2 March 2015

This Is What The World Would Look Like If Different Stars Replaced Our Sun


Have you ever wondered how would our world look like if the Earth is near the star that is not Sun? Neither do we, but now that we know the possibilities, we just can not stop wondering how things would be different. We always thought that life would be unfathomable-without our Sun, but now we are not so sure.

Here is some information about the stars featured in the video:

Alpha Centauri: the brightest star in the southern constellation Centaurus and the third brightest star in the night sky. It is also the closest star to our Sun.

Sirius: although it was thought that it is one star, is actually a binary star system. It is about 8.6 light-years away from our planet.

Arcturus: visual magnitude a'0.04, making it the brightest star north of the equator, and the fourth brightest star in the night sky.

Vega: has been extensively studied by astronomers, leading it to be termed "arguably the next most important star in the sky after the Sun" by The Astrophysical Journal.

Polaris: also known as the North Star, it is the 45th brightest star in the night sky.

We knew we took a lot of things for granted. Now we have a newfound appreciation for our Sun and astronomy has as a whole. This really things from a different angle.