|
We have received
31,908,062
page views since
December 23, 2003 |
|
Browse through 1000's of pages in our Archive
|
|
|
| azerin writes: MUKANNA
My article about first ancient telescope from my website
http://astro.aznet.org.eng.htm
MUKANNA "MOONMAKER" - DISCOVERER OF MERCURY TELESCOPE
A.A.Rustamov
The surface of a fluid in a container, rotating around vertical axis at a constant angular speed, gets the form of the spining parabola. The mirrors having such form are ideal telescopes. This well known physical phenomenon was used in 1908 by noted physicist Robert Wood in his mercury telescope. This most "useless" his invention gained large popularity for him. His telescope, which was a rotating dish with mercury fixed at bottom of a well under cowshed, became sensation. Standing on edge of the well, people looked downwards and were amazed by image of stars, which were like bright electrical lamps hanging in the air.
"New telescope will discover a mystery of the Universe. Is Mars inhabited?"
"Mercury telescope, invented by genius from Baltimore, brings Moon near to Earth up to several miles" - such headings filled in pages of leading newspapers. "Associated Press" and popular scientific syndicates also snatched at new invention and the cowshed became a "place of pilgrimage" for scientists and curious people.
These quotations were taken from the book by Seabrook, W. "Doctor Wood, Modern Wizard of the Laboratory." [1]
In the beginning of XV century Abd ar-Rashid al-Bakuvi (native of Baku) in his book "On monuments and miracles of powerful king" (reduced version) [2] described an event of six hundred years old, which took place in town Nahshab (near Buhara ), in strong degree reminding Baltimore phenomenon.
|
|
|
|
knute writes: This has to do with the disparity between the gravitational scale and the mass scale of elementary particles. Gravity may not be as weak as everyone thinks. A magnet can pick up a paper clip but gravity can cause the magnet and paper clip to fall at 32ft/sec/sec in the earth's environment!
In the case of the paper clip it isn't just the magnet pulling the clip but the clip being induced to move and then moving once induced to move. It isn't just pulled passively.
Gravity is considered weak because no one can measure it. It is not possible to measure it either. This is not because it is weak but because instruments used to measure it would be under the influence of whatever it is that causes the gravitational effects. Instruments in a gravitational field would not be able to detect that field of whatever might be the cause of these effects.
|
|
|
|
By Shen-Chi
Contrary to popular belief among most brain scientists today, I will argue that free-will not only exists, but ultimately is all that remains in an ever changing uncertain universe. In order to understand the body of my argument, we’ll need to delve into quantum physics, Skinnerian behaviorism, neurological imprinting, brainwashing and metaprogramming.
Here is Robert Anton Wilson’s definition of Von Neumann's Catastrophe of the infinite regress....
|
|
|
|
Honey writes: Israeli scientists have devised a computer that can perform 330 trillion operations per second, more than 100,000 times the speed of the fastest PC. The secret: It runs on DNA.
A year ago, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, unveiled a programmable molecular computing machine composed of enzymes and DNA molecules instead of silicon microchips.
Now the team has gone one step further. In the new device, the single DNA molecule that provides the computer with the input data also provides all the necessary fuel.
Article Source By Stefan Lovgren National Geographic News
|
|
|
|
Article Source - BBC Science Online
Forensic scientists could use DNA retrieved from a crime scene to predict the surname of the suspect, according to a new British study.
It is not perfect, but could be an important investigative tool when combined with other intelligence.The method exploits genetic likenesses between men who share the same surname, and may help prioritise inquiries.
Details of the research from the University of Leicester, UK, appear in the latest edition of Current Biology.The technique is based on work comparing the Y chromosomes of men with the same surname.
|
|
|
|
Article Source - Physorg.com
People who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don’t. Researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the first evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our brains. Brain scans they conducted reveal that experienced meditators boasted increased thickness in parts of the brain that deal with attention and processing sensory input.
In one area of gray matter, the thickening turns out to be more pronounced in older than in younger people. That’s intriguing because those sections of the human cortex, or thinking cap, normally get thinner as we age.
|
|
|
|
Article Source - Physorg.com
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found genetic evidence that seems to support a controversial hypothesis that humans and chimpanzees may be more closely related to each other than chimps are to the other two species of great apes – gorillas and orangutans. They also found that humans evolved at a slower rate than apes.
Appearing in the January 23, 2006 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, biologist Soojin Yi reports that the rate of human and chimp molecular evolution – changes that occur over time at the genetic level – is much slower than that of gorillas and orangutans, with the evolution of humans being the slowest of all.
|
|
|
|
Article Source - BBC Science
A proposal to scrap leap seconds - small adjustments made to clock time - could create chaos for astronomers and satellite operators, it is claimed.
Every six months, the Paris Observatory tells the world whether to add or subtract a second from atomic clocks. This synchronises clock time with the solar time used by astronomers.
The US plan to abolish leap seconds would force astronomers to look for new ways to make sure their telescopes are pointed in the right part of the sky.
|
|
|
|
Article Source - Checkbiotech.org
On the frontiers of biotech, two scientists are mingling the genetic materials of man and beast in new ways. The hoped-for outcome: Radical treatments for some of mankind’s most intractable ailments.
Goats throughout history have been symbols of vitality and cunning, and treasured for their silky fur and nutrient-rich milk. But Sweetheart, a brown-striped goat with soulful eyes, has a secret that could elevate her far above this illustrious legacy.
Named for her laid-back disposition, she has a single human gene in the twined strands of her DNA that enables her to produce a life-saving drug in her milk. It’s a protein that’s normally found in human blood.
|
|
|
|
Article Source - The Times
Death is no longer the end of a person’s life: dig them up, analyse them and revelations will emerge
THIS IS THE STORY of Einstein’s brain, Galileo’s finger, Shelley’s heart, Beethoven’s hair and Napoleon’s penis. But first, the tale of Mozart’s long-lost head.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born, as everyone in the world must now be aware, 250 years ago this month, and died 35 years later. He was buried in Vienna, but the gravedigger who had planted him later recovered the decomposing composer’s skull, when the grave was re-used.
This macabre object spent more than century in a basement in Austria, before being passed to the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg in 1901.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Topics |
13,826 |
| Posts |
164,295 |
| Members |
6,308 |
|
|
| 2008 |
| 01 |
02 |
03 |
| 04 |
05 |
06 |
| 07 |
08 |
09 |
| 10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
Home
Forums
Leaves of Wisdom
Daily News
Resources
Audio/Visual
Discussion & Chat
Information
Keep Up To Date
Fun & Games
Submitting
Spread The Word
Rules & Help
Personal
