AGU: Voyager 1 has left the solar system, sudden changes in cosmic rays indicate

 

Thirty-five years after its launch, Voyager 1 appears to have travelled beyond the influence of the Sun and exited the heliosphere, according to a new study appearing online today. The heliosphere is a region of space dominated by the Sun and its wind of energetic particles, and which is thought to be enclosed, bubble-like, in the surrounding interstellar medium of gas and dust that pervades the Milky Way galaxy.
On August 25, 2012, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft measured drastic changes in radiation levels, more than 11 billion miles from the Sun. Anomalous cosmic rays, which are cosmic rays trapped in the outer heliosphere, all but vanished, dropping to less than 1 percent of previous amounts. At the same time, galactic cosmic rays -- cosmic radiation from outside of the solar system -- spiked to levels not seen since Voyager's launch, with intensities as much as twice previous levels.
The findings have been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.
"Within just a few days, the heliospheric intensity of trapped radiation decreased, and the cosmic ray intensity went up as you would expect if it exited the heliosphere," said Bill Webber, professor emeritus of astronomy at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. He calls this transition boundary the "heliocliff."
In the GRL article, the authors state: "It appears that [Voyager 1] has exited the main solar modulation region, revealing [hydrogen] and [helium] spectra characteristic of those to be expected in the local interstellar medium."
However, Webber notes, scientists are continuing to debate whether Voyager 1 has reached interstellar space or entered a separate, undefined region beyond the solar system.
"It's outside the normal heliosphere, I would say that," Webber said. "We're in a new region. And everything we're measuring is different and exciting."
The work was funded by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Source: American Geophysical Union

Google Android Smartwatch In The Works (Rumor)

 

Apple are rumored to be working on an iOS smartwatch, Samsung are rumored to be working on an Android based smartwatch, and now according to a recent report, Google are also working on a smartwatch.
According to a report by the FT, Google’s Android team are working on a new Android powered smartwatch, although there are not many details about the actual hardware as yet.

Google’s purchase of Motorola has given them access to all of the technology behind Motorola’s MotoACTV smartwatch, which is a fitness device, so they could be using some of this hardware in their future Android based smartwatch.
Major electronics produces like Apple and Samsung, obviously see the smartwatch as the next big thing in consumer electronics, and Google obviously has plans to get in on the game as well, it will be interesting to see if these companies come up with something that people actually want to wear every day.
Source FT, The Verge

Stephen Hawking

A belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a "fairy story" for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said.

In a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britain's most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain flickers for the final time.

Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, shares his thoughts on death, human purpose and our chance existence in an exclusive interview with the Guardian today.

The incurable illness was expected to kill Hawking within a few years of its symptoms arising, an outlook that turned the young scientist to Wagner, but ultimately led him to enjoy life more, he has said, despite the cloud hanging over his future.

"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he said.

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," he added.

Hawking's latest comments go beyond those laid out in his 2010 book, The Grand Design, in which he asserted that there is no need for a creator to explain the existence of the universe. The book provoked a backlash from some religious leaders, including the chief rabbi, Lord Sacks, who accused Hawking of committing an "elementary fallacy" of logic.

The 69-year-old physicist fell seriously ill after a lecture tour in the US in 2009 and was taken to Addenbrookes hospital in an episode that sparked grave concerns for his health. He has since returned to his Cambridge department as director of research.

The physicist's remarks draw a stark line between the use of God as a metaphor and the belief in an omniscient creator whose hands guide the workings of the cosmos.

In his bestselling 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, Hawking drew on the device so beloved of Einstein, when he described what it would mean for scientists to develop a "theory of everything" – a set of equations that described every particle and force in the entire universe. "It would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we should know the mind of God," he wrote.

The book sold a reported 9 million copies and propelled the physicist to instant stardom. His fame has led to guest roles in The Simpsons, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Red Dwarf. One of his greatest achievements in physics is a theory that describes how black holes emit radiation.

In the interview, Hawking rejected the notion of life beyond death and emphasised the need to fulfil our potential on Earth by making good use of our lives. In answer to a question on how we should live, he said, simply: "We should seek the greatest value of our action."

In answering another, he wrote of the beauty of science, such as the exquisite double helix of DNA in biology, or the fundamental equations of physics.

Hawking responded to questions posed by the Guardian and a reader in advance of a lecture tomorrow at the Google Zeitgeist meeting in London, in which he will address the question: "Why are we here?"

In the talk, he will argue that tiny quantum fluctuations in the very early universe became the seeds from which galaxies, stars, and ultimately human life emerged. "Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in," he said.

Hawking suggests that with modern space-based instruments, such as the European Space Agency's Planck mission, it may be possible to spot ancient fingerprints in the light left over from the earliest moments of the universe and work out how our own place in space came to be.

His talk will focus on M-theory, a broad mathematical framework that encompasses string theory, which is regarded by many physicists as the best hope yet of developing a theory of everything.

M-theory demands a universe with 11 dimensions, including a dimension of time and the three familiar spatial dimensions. The rest are curled up too small for us to see.

Evidence in support of M-theory might also come from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at Cern, the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva.

One possibility predicted by M-theory is supersymmetry, an idea that says fundamental particles have heavy – and as yet undiscovered – twins, with curious names such as selectrons and squarks.

Confirmation of supersymmetry would be a shot in the arm for M-theory and help physicists explain how each force at work in the universe arose from one super-force at the dawn of time.

Another potential discovery at the LHC, that of the elusive Higgs boson, which is thought to give mass to elementary particles, might be less welcome to Hawking, who has a long-standing bet that the long-sought entity will never be found at the laboratory.

Hawking will join other speakers at the London event, including the chancellor, George Osborne, and the Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

Science, truth and beauty: Hawking's answers

What is the value in knowing "Why are we here?"

The universe is governed by science. But science tells us that we can't solve the equations, directly in the abstract. We need to use the effective theory of Darwinian natural selection of those societies most likely to survive. We assign them higher value.

You've said there is no reason to invoke God to light the blue touchpaper. Is our existence all down to luck?

Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in.

So here we are. What should we do?

We should seek the greatest value of our action.

You had a health scare and spent time in hospital in 2009. What, if anything, do you fear about death?

I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.

What are the things you find most beautiful in science?

Science is beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations. Examples include the double helix in biology, and the fundamental equations of physics."

 

MICHIO KAKU in his book  "Physics of the Impossible”


Totally true story.

“In high school for my science fair project I assembled an atom smasher in my mom’s garage. I went to the Westinghouse company and gathered 400 pounds of scrap transformer steel. Over Christmas I wound 22 miles of copper wire on the high school football field. Eventually I built a 2.3 million-electron volt betatron particle accelerator, which consumed 6 kilowatts of power (the entire output of my house) and generated a magnetic field of 20,000 times the Earth’s magnetic field. The goal was to create a beam of gamma rays powerful enough to create antimatter.”

Difference Between The iPhone 4S And iPhone 5

Apple has now announced its latest iPhone, the iPhone 5, which has had a number of upgrades over last years iPhone 4S and this article is designed to explain the difference between the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5.
Apple now sells three different versions of the iPhone, the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5.

The iPhone 5 features a new design over the iPhone 4S, the handset is taller it measures 4.87 inches as opposed to 4.5 inches on the iPhone 4S, it is the same width at 2.31 inches and is thinner than the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5 is 0.30 inches thick where as the iPhone 4S is0.37 inches thick.
The iPhone 5 is also lighter than the iPhone 4S, weighing in at 112 grams as opposed to 140 grams for the iPhone 4S, it is also Apple’s first smartphone to come with a 4G LTE connection.

The main difference between the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 is the screen, the iPhone 4S feature a 3.5 inch Retina display with a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels at 326ppi.
The new iPhone 5 features a 4 inch Retina display with a resolution of 1,136 x 640 pixels at 326ppi, and it features a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, on top of that WiFi has also be upgraded on the iPhone 5.

The iPhone 4S comes with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, with 802.11n WiFi on the 2.4GHz band, where as the new iPhone 5 features 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and 802.11n WiFi on the 2.4GHz and 5 GHz bands.

Both devices come with Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS and GLONASS, and the iPhone 5 features either GSM Edge or CDMA, the same as the iPhone 4S, but the new iPhone 5 also comes with DC-HSDPA and 4G LTE.
The iPhone 5 features a new smaller Nano SIM card as opposed to the microSIM card in the iPhone 4S, unfortunately the iPhone 5 is not compatible with microSIM cards.
Processing wise the iPhone 5 features a new faster processor than the iPhone 4S, which according to Apple delivers two times faster processing and graphics performance, the iPhone 5 features an Apple A6 processor and the iPhone 4S features an Apple A5 processor.


Both devices come with an 8 megapixel camera with tap to focus, auto-focus, an LED flash, a backside illumination sensor, a five element lens and face detection.
The front camera on the iPhone 5 is different to the one on the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4S features features a VGA resolution camera for photos and video where as the iPhone 5 features a 1.2 megapixel camera for photos and it is capable of HD video in 720p, it also comes with a backside illumination sensor.
Video recording on the iPhone 5 is slightly different, and new features over the iPhone 4S include improved image stabilization, face detection and the ability to take photos whilst in the middle of recording a video.
Another difference between the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 is the new Apple EarPods, the iPhone 4S comes with standard Apple Earphones where as the iPhone 5 comes with Apple’s new EarPods.

The iPhone 5 also features Apple’s new Lightning dock connector, where as the iPhone 4S comes with Apple’s older 30 pin dock connector, there is also an adapter which will let you use the older 30 pin dock connector with the new lightning connector.
The iPhone 5 features a larger battery than the iPhone 4S, and according to Apple the iPhone 5 will come with up to 8 hours of talk time over 3G, up to 8 hours of browsing time over LTE, 8 hours over 3g, and 10 hours over WiFi, plus it comes with a standby time of up to 225 hours.
The iPhone 4S comes with up to 8 hours of talk time over 3g, up to 6 hours of browsing time over 3G and up to 9 hours of browsing time over WiFi, it also features a standby time of up to 200 hours.
There is a difference in pricing between the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, the SIM free prices are as follows, the iPhone 4S is available for $549 SIM free, it is also available on contract with a number of carriers.
The iPhone 5 will be available in three different sizes, the 16GB iPhone 5 will retail for $649, the 32GB iPhone 5 will retail for $749 and the 64GB iPhone 5 will retail for $849.

 

Skype iOS App 4.6 Update Brings New Call Design

 

Skype has this week rolled out a new update for Apple’s iOS devices, releasing the Skype iOS update 4.6 which brings with it a number of new features, together with the obligatory bug fixes and performance enhancements.
The menu feature of the latest Skype iOS update includes a redesigned calling “experience” which has been added to provide users with a cleaner and fresher looking interface.

Issues fixed by the release of the new Skype iOS 4.6 update includes correcting the order of One-to-one chats, together with the ability to now changing message to read with just a few taps. Skype explains
“Skype for iPad version 4.6 supports iPad, iPad 2, iPad mini and the latest iPad with Retina Display. Skype for iPhone version 4.6 supports iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, plus 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation iPod Touch. iOS 5.0 or later is required on all devices.”
For more information on the new Skype iOS 4.6 update jump over to the Skype website for details.
Source : Skype

New report confirms almost half of Africa's lions facing extinction

 

A new report concludes that nearly half of Africa's wild lion populations may decline to near extinction over the next 20-40 years without urgent conservation measures. The plight of many lion populations is so bleak, the report concludes that fencing them in -- and fencing humans out -- may be their only hope for survival. Led by the University of Minnesota's Professor Craig Packer and co-authored by a large team of lion biologists, including Panthera's President, Dr. Luke Hunter, and Lion Program Director, Dr. Guy Balme, the report, entitled Conserving large carnivores: dollars and fence, was published today in the scientific journal Ecology Letters.
"It is clear that fences work and unfenced populations are extremely expensive to maintain," said Craig Packer, who also sits on Panthera's Cat Advisory Council. Using field data from 11 African countries, the Ecology Letters study examines the cost of managing fenced and unfenced habitats, and compares lion population densities and trends in both. The report shows that conservation costs are lower, and lion population sizes and densities are greater, in reserves secured by wildlife-proof fences, compared to unfenced ecosystems. Lions in unfenced reserves were subject to a higher degree of threats from human communities, including retaliatory killing by herders, habitat loss and fragmentation, and overhunting of lion prey.
Panthera's Dr. Luke Hunter explained, "These findings highlight the severity of the lion conservation crisis today and the limited choices we have to ensure a future for the species. No one wants to resort to putting any more fences around Africa's marvelous wild areas, but without massive and immediate increases in the commitment to lion conservation, we may have little choice."
Whether fencing or some alternative physical boundary such as intensely managed buffer zones, it is clear that separating lion and human populations will be essential for the species' survival. Along with maintaining physical boundaries, conflict mitigation initiatives such as those carried out through Panthera's Project Leonardo and the Lion Guardians program, are required to reduce the killing of lions where humans and lions share the landscape.
Panthera's Dr. Guy Balme stated, "We have shown that it is possible to keep both humans and lions in African landscapes by reducing lion-human conflict, but it requires extensive resources. As the numbers of people and their livestock continue to grow in Africa, it is essential to scale up these programs to avert losing many lion populations."
Today, it is estimated that fewer than 30,000 lions remain in Africa in just 25% of the species' original natural habitat.

Source: Panthera