Tag: presence

NASA confirms two moons in the Solar System are venting oceans into space

Scientists are increasingly confident that an ocean below the icy surface of Enceladus could support life. (credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA) The prospects for life existing in our Solar System beyond Earth, and finding it within a decade or two, improved with two scientific findings announced Thursday by NASA. The space agency confirmed the presence of hydrogen in plumes emanating from Saturn’s small moon Enceladus, and it also reported that plumes are very likely to exist on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Both of these findings are significant. It means not only that most of the ingredients required for life must exist in the oceans of Enceladus but also that a pair of probes being planned to explore Europa will have a much better chance of finding any life there. In something of an understatement, NASA’s Jim Green, who oversees the agency’s planetary exploration plans, said, “This is a very exciting time to be exploring the Solar System.” The findings buttress a recent focus by NASA on bulking up a program to explore these ocean worlds in the outer Solar System, including Enceladus, Europa and Saturn’s methane-covered moon Titan. This has been a principal aim, in particular, for Texas Republican John Culberson, who serves as chairman of the House subcommittee over NASA’s budget. Read 13 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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NASA confirms two moons in the Solar System are venting oceans into space

AT&T’s multi-gigabit wireless over power lines heading to trials this year

Enlarge / Preliminary version of AT&T’s Project AirGig antennas. (credit: AT&T) AT&T says it is “in advanced discussions” with power companies to start trials of a new broadband technology in at least two locations by this fall. This is an update on the Project AirGig that AT&T announced in September 2016 . AirGig is a wireless technology even though it depends on the presence of power lines. Antennas that are placed on utility poles send wireless signals to each other; AT&T says the power lines “serve as a guide for the signals,” ensuring they reach their destination. AT&T says the wireless signals could be used to deliver multi-gigabit Internet speeds for either smartphone data or home Internet service. Trial locations have not yet been announced, but  today’s announcement  says, “One location will be in the United States with others to be determined in the coming months.” There’s also no word on when commercial deployment might begin, but AT&T seems to be excited about the project. Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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AT&T’s multi-gigabit wireless over power lines heading to trials this year

Cyborg locusts with tattooed wings can sniff out bombs

“Men, bring out the sniffer locusts.” That’s something a bomb squad chief could say in the future, thanks to a team of engineers working to turn the insects into cyborgs that can be sent anywhere to sniff out explosives. It won’t be an easy feat — the researchers, who hail from the Washington University in St. Louis, will have to equip the insects with several pieces of technology. Good thing they have a powerful backer: the Navy. Team leader Baranidharan Raman has received a three-year $750, 000 grant from the Office of Naval Research to make his dreams a reality. Raman has been studying how the bug processes smell for years now. He and his team found that locusts can identify particular scents, such as those they’re trained to detect, even in the presence of other odors. Raman believes the cyborg bugs will be much more effective than robots, because their antennae have a ton of natural sensors. “Why reinvent the wheel? Why not take advantage of the biological solution?” he asked. “That is the philosophy here. Even the state-of-the-art miniaturized chemical sensing devices have a handful of sensors. On the other hand, if you look at the insect antenna, where their chemical sensors are located, there are several hundreds of thousands of sensors and of a variety of types.” To turn ordinary locusts into bomb-sniffing machines, the engineers plan to implant an electrode into their brains to hijack their antennae and read electrical activity. Since operators need to get whatever info the bugs collect, the researchers are also developing a tiny backpack that can transmit data. The receiver’s red LED lights up in the presence of explosives, while the green LED lights up in the absence of any. Finally, the engineers plan to tattoo the bugs’ wings with biocompatible silk that can convert light into heat. A laser, probably installed on the backpack, will allow an operator to control the cyborg bug. Focus the laser on the left wing to make the insect go left, and vice versa. It will function much like a remote-controlled drone. If Raman and his team don’t hit a snag along the way, they could be testing the first prototypes within a year’s time and could be done within two. Via: BBC Source: Washington University in St. Louis

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Cyborg locusts with tattooed wings can sniff out bombs