Current Event: Kepler Mission

NASA's Kepler Mission Changes how Astronomers Study Distant Stars

Iowa State University

October 26, 2010

ScienceDaily.com
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101026111729.htm

Kepler

On March 6, 2009 Scientists at NASA launched a space mission called the Kepler Asteroseismic Investigation. This mission is to use measurements of light from stars to determine whether or not a planet is able to support life. To record the brightness of the stars the Kepler has a photometer that is 37 inches in diameter and is attached to a 95 mega pixel CCD camera. Reaserchers ate the Space Telescope Science Institution have been using the data collected from the Kepler to study the stars. One thing they have found is a binary star system. A binary star system is formed when two stars orbit each other and is another example of Albert Einsteins Theory of Relativity.The information is also being used to study star quakes, and is helping scientists to learn about the interior of stars.The Kepler Asteroseismic Investigation will collect information on over 170,000 stars in only three and a half years. Overall, this mission will help further our understanding of the universe.

The photographs and data could have a very big impact on the scientific community.Fist, the photographs of stars could help us understand the universe and lead to important advancements in physics. Another possible discovery would be if the Kepler found life on other planets or planets that humans could live on. If they found alien life if could lead to advanced technology and would add to our understanding of plants, animals, chemistry, and many more areas of science. Also, if the Kepler found a planet that could be inhabited by humans then it could save us if there was some sort of disaster like in 5 million years when the sun expands.Overall, the Kepler could find information that would completely change our understanding of the universe.

This article was written by Iowa State University so all of the information is correct. In general most of the information made sense and most of the concepts were explained very well. One thing I learned was about the Theory of Relativity and what binary star systems were.I however did not completely understand the concept of star quakes and how scientists study them. I would also like to know how the Kepler is sending back information to the scientists when it is billions of miles away. Overall, this artical had lots of interesting information.

This artical was fascinating and taught me a lot about the stars and how measuring the brightness of a star could help scientists figure out if the planet could substain life. Before reading this artical I thought it was impossible for stars to orbit around each other, but now I know that it is possible. I agree with the authors that Kepler could lead to great scientific discoveries and completely change our understanding of the universe. I chose this article because i thought the cocept of using a photometer to determine the temperatures of the planets sounded very interesting because it could help discover life on other planets. In conclusion the Kepler uses new technology to help us learn more about the universe.

Toxic Spill in Hungary

Hungary battles to stem Torrent of Toxic Sludge
BBC news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11475361

On October 5, 2010 toxic sludge spilled out of an aluminum plant in Hungary. According to experts 600,000 to 700,000 cubic meters of the sludge leaked out of the plant. The heavy rainfall is suspected to have caused the plant to overflow. This event has killed at least four, has injured 120, and has effected 7,000. The chemicals consist of water and heavy metals. Also 90 people have been sent to the hospital with serious chemical burns from the chemicals in the sludge. So far three countries have declared emergency. In the town where the spill took place the chemical waste is said to be two meters deep. Right now, six emergency teams along with police officers and soldiers are working hard to get rid of this hazardous waste. There have been alerts for the Marcal and Torna rivers and people are trying to keep the sludge from contaminated the Raba and Danube rivers. Experts have predicted that the spill will take at least eighteen months to clean up.

Current Events

Brain Cell Communication: Why its so fast
Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100921111000.htm

Scientist from the universities of Copenhagen have been studying brain cell communication. When you nerve cells transmit signals slowly this can lead to mental disorders like schizophrenia, Parkinson's Disease and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The scientists have discovered how brain cells transmit signals and interacts with each other. The cells use small neurotransmitters that pass on molecular messages. The scientists have also discovered that cells with only one set of SNARE (linking bridges) can connect with each other, but it takes a lot longer. According to Professor Jakob Balsev Sørensen they are going to study why some reactions are slower and if our cells do that on purpose and what kind of affect it has.
This is a very important discovery that could have a great influence in medical history. If they can figure out how to add more linking bridges in cells than that could help cure some genetic diseases and sharpen peoples reflexes. This discovery could be used in the military to help train soldiers to have quicker reflexes so they can react faster if they are in danger. Lots of genetic problems cause difficulties for many people all over the world, this new technology could help cure them.Right now these experiments are in the early stages, so it will take a while to develop the technology, but when they do it could have a very big affect on society and medicine.
This article was based on studies at the Universities of Copenhagen, Göttingen and Amsterdam. I learned that the nerve cells have could several SNARE bridges in them that transport biochemicals to the bran using neurotransmitters. While this article was very interesting I'm still not sure what SNARE stands for, I know they are little "bridges" that the information is sent through. I also learned that the number of bridges influence how fast cells can fuse and send signals. Also, can you insert the connector bridges into other cells, or is that impossible? Overall this was a very interesting article with lots of fascination information.
I chose this article because I am really interested in genetics and the nervous system as well as recent developments in medicine. I never knew that some cells had multiple bridges to other cells and that that causes the speed of the reaction. I agree with the author, this discovery has a lot of potential. If it is studied enough it could possibly increase our understanding of the nervous system and help cure many diseases. In conclusion, this discovery could help save lives by curing diseases.

Bioplastics

Bioplastics are a different variation of plastic, that are more environmentally friendly than regular plastics. Instead of using crude oil to create plastic, bioplastics use corn and other organic materials to create plastics. Also, Bioplastics are combustable, which means they can decompose instead of slowly rotting in a landfill.  One example of a Bioplastic being used today is in Sun Chip bags. Theses are biodegradable bags can decompose and therefore not cause any pollution and is made completely of bioplastic.These However there are many problems with the manufacturing of bioplastics. In order to grow the organic plants needed for green plastics farms use a lot pesticides and crude oil to power the tractors and other equipment. Also, the factories use a lot of electricity which is made using crude oil. Another concern is taking up land to farm products for plastics could effect the world food supply, possibly causing a worldwide food shortage and could harm the rainforests because of cutting down trees and destroying land. You cannot combine different types of plastics because their melting points are different and the plastics are a lot less strong and break easily. Polyactic acid is a type of bioplastic that is made by combining Lactic acid oligemers which are turned into Lactide and become Polyactic acid. To create normal plastic you combine diffrent Monomers for RO2H2 and create Polymers that release H2O (water) when they combine. When you create Bioplastic CO2 (carbon dioxide) is released. This video connects to Blue Gold because it shows the importance of keeping our environment clean and using new technology to stop polluting the water by stopping our dependence on mining for crude oil. Overall bioplastics show promise for helping create a more environmentaly friendly industry.

Atoms Video

http://www.101science.com/Chemistry.htm#Chemicals_and_Interactions
Overall I found this video very informative. Atoms don't orbit around the nucleus, they have orbitals. This means that electrons can be found anywhere in an atom and there is just the probability of where electrons can be. Atoms can have diffrent shapes depending on the number of electrons and the charge of an electron is stronger the further away it is from the nucleus. One thing I found shocking is the fact that 99.99% of atoms are just free vacuum space. This means that even solids aren't completely solid since only 0.01% of atoms take up space. Also in an atom the number of protons can change, but it will still remain the same element. These are called isotopes, which are diffrent variations of an element. The atomic weight is the average weight of the isotopes. Also, one proton or neutron is equel to 1 atomic mass unit (AMU) which is used to measure the atomic weight. One proton is equel to 1836 electrons. In conclusion this video was very interesting and had a lot of important information.