Jumbo Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/its-alive-fish-discovered-under-half-mile-antarctic-ice-n290681 It's Alive! Fish Discovered Under Half-Mile of Antarctic Ice Researchers drilling through a half mile of ice in west Antarctica came upon a surprising discovery: a population of fish and other invertebrates living deep beneath the ice sheet in extreme cold and perpetual darkness. It's the farthest south that fish have ever been found, scientists said. The discovery was made earlier this month by researchers with Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling, or WISSARD. The National Science Foundation-funded team is investigating the "grounding zone" — the place where Antarctic ice, land and sea all converge — of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, roughly 530 miles (850 kilometers) from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica's Ross Sea. Using a specially designed hot-water drill, the team bored through nearly 2,500 feet (740 meters) of the Ross Ice Shelf — the world's largest body of floating ice, the size of France. They became the first ever to reach and sample the grounding zone. Submersible cameras sent down the drilling hole on Jan. 16 revealed fish and marine crustaceans living under the ice in dark, 28-degree Fahrenheit (-2 Celsius) waters, NSF said. "I have been investigating these types of environments for much of my career, and although I knew it would be difficult, I had been wanting to access this system for years because of its scientific importance," Ross Powell, chief scientist with the WISSARD project and a researcher at Northern Illinois University, said in an NSF press release. "Findings such as these — gaining an understanding of the ice sheet dynamics and its interaction with ocean and sediment, as well as establishing the structure of its ecosystem — are especially rewarding. It's a big payoff in delayed gratification." Researchers will examine samples of sediment taken in the grounding zone to learn more about ice sheets and their potential effects on sea-level rise. As for the fish, researchers want to know how the creatures are able to thrive in such an extreme environment, practically devoid of sunlight. The site is the closest to the South Pole where such marine life has been documented, researchers said. <video link below> http://player.theplatform.com/p/2E2eJC/nbcNewsOffsite?guid=nn_08_bwi_icemelt_140512" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 why does that fish have eyes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliz Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 (edited) It really is extraordinary how persistent life is. We find it in the most inhospitable parts of the planet. In vents on the ocean floor spewing boiling hot ash from the core. Under a mile of ice. Whatever. It's what I always think about when we discover a new planet that's close to the goldilocks zone but not perfect. If life was able to make that first major leap there (Seeded with bacteria from a comet. Prokaryote to eukaryote. Whatever.) If it could make that first leap, then the extreme cold or heat is only a bump in the road for evolution. Edited January 27, 2015 by Bliz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbo Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Saturn's Rings Dwarfed By Huge Circles Around A Distant Planet Back in 2012, astronomers in the Netherlands discovered the first large ring system outside our solar system, circling either a giant planet or brown dwarf star called J1407b. A new analysis of that data finds that the ring system is actually massive — the more than 30 rings in the system are each tens of millions of kilometers in diameter and the system itself is much bigger and heavier than the famous rings circling Saturn. The scientists analyzed data from the transit of the system in front of the star J1407 — basically looking at how the rings eclipsed the light from the distant star as they passed in front of it, a process that took several weeks due to the size of the system. “We could make a detailed model based on the rapid brightness variations in the star light passing through the ring system,” said Leiden Observatory’s Matthew Kenworthy in astatement. ”If we could replace Saturn’s rings with the rings around J1407b, they would be easily visible at night and be many times larger than the full moon.” The planet at the center of the ring system is much larger than either Jupiter or Saturn and its rings are about 200 times larger than those around Saturn. There were also large gaps spotted in the rings that the scientists say indicate that exomoons may have formed or are in the process of forming amid the rings. “J1407’s eclipses will allow us to study the physical and chemical properties of satellite-spawning circumplanetary disks,” said Kenworthy. A paper on the new analysis of the system has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal and is available online via arXiv. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 why does that fish have eyes? Because evolution takes time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 The speed of light has never been so slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 (edited) Every extra-orbital mission ever. Click for a larger version. Edited February 9, 2015 by Corcaigh 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Speaking of cosmic missions. http://www.space.com/28548-star-wars-astronaut-space-station-poster.html?cmpid=514630_20150212_40425906&adbid=10152635630636466&adbpl=fb&adbpr=17610706465 Future Space Station Crew Dons Jedi Robes for Star Wars-Inspired Poster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbo Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Life May Have Thrived on Earth 3.2 Billion Years Ago, Study Says http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/life-may-have-thrived-on-earth-32-billion-years-ago-study-says/ar-BBhETqN Scientists have found evidence that life on earth may have blossomed 3.2 billion years ago, a challenge to the previous theory that the planet was a hostile climate until 2 billion years ago. Researchers from the University of Washington studied ancient rocks and found indications that 3.2 billion years ago life was sucking an essential nutrient, nitrogen, out of the air and converting it into larger structures, according to a report published in the weekly journal Nature. “Imagining that this really complicated process is so old, and has operated in the same way for 3.2 billion years, I think is fascinating,” lead author Eva Stüeken told UW Today. Nitrogen is an essential ingredient for life, as everything from viruses and bacteria to complex organisms use the nutrient to build genes. The process that makes nitrogen easier for organisms to use, called nitrogen fixation, did not emerge until 2 billion years ago. This led scientists to theorize that the earliest ecosystems were clinging on to an essentially uninhabitable planet, but the new study shows that may not be accurate. “Our work shows that there was no nitrogen crisis on the early earth, and therefore it could have supported a fairly large and diverse biosphere,” said study co-author Roger Buick. Some of my local boyz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) You know..there is an off-color (ha!) joke to made on this title..but I'm not gonna. more of the article if you click the link. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/02/17/black-supermoon-moon-wednesday-watch/ Black Supermoon: What (Not) To Look For Wednesday Night February 17, 2015 12:20 PM (CBS SF) — A supermoon is ready to take center stage in the night sky this Wednesday, but with a rare twist: it’ll be a new moon. During this time, the moon is at the closest to the Earth than at any other time making it appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons. Scientists call this phenomenon a “perigee moon.” The moon is usually about 238,000 miles from our planet, but because of the elliptical shape of the moon’s orbit, the distance varies throughout the year. At perigee, the moon is about 12,000 miles closer to the Earth. The moon’s phase and date of its approach to its perigee is not synced, but sometimes it’s possible for a full moon to occur at the same time. This is what’s known as a supermoon. You won’t be able to see Wednesday’s unique supermoon due to the sun’s glaring rays concealing it during day hours. But with minimal light pollution from the moon, it’ll be a prime time to dig out those astronomical binoculars and go searching for faint objects in the galaxy. Edited February 18, 2015 by The Evil Genius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 The World Police & Fire Games are in Fairfax this year. Aside from more traditional sports there are all sorts of competitions related to job skills. This police bike slalom is pretty cool: http://www.wimp.com/donniewilliams/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Alien lights shining at NASA spacecraft. http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/dawn/bright-spot-on-ceres-has-dimmer-companion/index.html#.VO8Pn_nF9vn Dwarf planet Ceres continues to puzzle scientists as NASA's Dawn spacecraft gets closer to being captured into orbit around the object. The latest images from Dawn, taken nearly 29,000 miles (46,000 kilometers) from Ceres, reveal that a bright spot that stands out in previous images lies close to yet another bright area. "Ceres' bright spot can now be seen to have a companion of lesser brightness, but apparently in the same basin. This may be pointing to a volcano-like origin of the spots, but we will have to wait for better resolution before we can make such geologic interpretations," said Chris Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. ~Bang 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliz Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/found-young-black-hole-12-billion-times-more-massive-than-our-sun/ar-BBhYbPZ Deep within the universe, there lies a gigantic black hole in the midst of an extremely luminous disc. This space-time warp is so gigantic, it’s estimated to be 12 billion times more massive than our own Sun. That makes it one of the most massive deep-space black holes ever recorded. Given how young this black hole is, its immense mass comes at a bit of a surprise. It means the black hole must have been growing constantly at a very high rate just after the Big Bang happened—and that kind of growth is considered pretty rare. “People assume there’s a fast growth rate for these black holes, but the energy released by the black hole will often stop the flow of new material. Therefore it doesn’t grow that fast over the course of its lifetime,” says Bram Venemans, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute, who wrote a commentary on the research. “But this black hole must have grown close to a maximum rate for most of its lifetime without the growth being stopped by energy output.” Not only is this one of the biggest supermassive black holes ever found, it is perhaps the largest one discovered in the early universe. This black hole-quasar combo is estimated to exist 12.8 billion miles away, meaning the light we’re seeing from it now is relatively young: only 900 million years old. (It also means there's no chance it will swallow the Earth, in case you were worried.) The Big Bang is thought to have occurred 13.8 billion years ago. So, light travels 12.8 billion miles in 900 million years, meaning a light year is only like 15 miles. Quite a revolutionary discovery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Baby weasel riding a woodpecker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Baby weasel riding a woodpecker. If you read about that picture, he isn't just a cute furry critter getting a ride from his flying pal as in some Disney movie, he is on the woodpecker because he's trying to kill it and eat it. Still a cool picture though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 well, that just makes him MORE bad-ass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 (edited) Window washing...I'm making it a link because she's drops an F bomb..in a hella sexy voice. https://youtu.be/dLmEr0pCjR8 Edited March 27, 2015 by The Evil Genius 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbo Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/video/arnold-schwarzenegger-shows-off-dollar2m-silver-bugatti/vi-AAav57Y 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve09ru Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/video/arnold-schwarzenegger-shows-off-dollar2m-silver-bugatti/vi-AAav57Y Who else reads anything listed after 'Arnold Schwarzenegger' in his voice? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 See the terrifying personal flamethrower that’s apparently legal in 48 states Just because SkyMall is dead doesn’t mean the public’s appetite for indefensibly stupid products has run dry. Take, for example, the XM42, “the world’s first commercially available hand-held flamethrower” from Cincinnati-based Ion Productions. The company plans to launch an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign this week to broaden the product’s production. “Our goal,” the company says on its Web site, “is to bring fun and awesome products into the world.” Click on the link for the full article and video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 See the terrifying personal flamethrower that’s apparently legal in 48 states Just because SkyMall is dead doesn’t mean the public’s appetite for indefensibly stupid products has run dry. Take, for example, the XM42, “the world’s first commercially available hand-held flamethrower” from Cincinnati-based Ion Productions. The company plans to launch an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign this week to broaden the product’s production. “Our goal,” the company says on its Web site, “is to bring fun and awesome products into the world.” Click on the link for the full article and video sheesh ... kids these days.... so lazy. they need everything done FOR them in MY day, if you wanted a flame-thrower, you made it yourself, galdarnit. and you LIKED it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shg53iv4B9o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 pic of one of my great grandfathers in about 1900...on a oil rig of course [experiencing technical difficulties ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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