CLEVELAND (AP) ? The story of The Rolling Stones is so huge it takes 2? floors of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to tell.
The Cleveland-based museum will open "Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction," an exclusive exhibit celebrating the archetypal rock band, on May 24.
The exhibit will be open until March 2014 and will include personal and collected items that have never before been seen by the public along with film, text and interactive components and periodic lectures on the band's 50-year career. The entire exhibit will take up more than two floors of the museum.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and The Stones recently held a series of concerts to celebrate their 50th year together and there have been rumors of more activity.
Feb. 28, 2013 ? Using new technology at the telescope and in laboratories, researchers have discovered an important pair of prebiotic molecules in interstellar space. The discoveries indicate that some basic chemicals that are key steps on the way to life may have formed on dusty ice grains floating between the stars.
The scientists used the National Science Foundation's Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia to study a giant cloud of gas some 25,000 light-years from Earth, near the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. The chemicals they found in that cloud include a molecule thought to be a precursor to a key component of DNA and another that may have a role in the formation of the amino acid alanine.
One of the newly-discovered molecules, called cyanomethanimine, is one step in the process that chemists believe produces adenine, one of the four nucleobases that form the "rungs" in the ladder-like structure of DNA. The other molecule, called ethanamine, is thought to play a role in forming alanine, one of the twenty amino acids in the genetic code.
"Finding these molecules in an interstellar gas cloud means that important building blocks for DNA and amino acids can 'seed' newly-formed planets with the chemical precursors for life," said Anthony Remijan, of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).
In each case, the newly-discovered interstellar molecules are intermediate stages in multi-step chemical processes leading to the final biological molecule. Details of the processes remain unclear, but the discoveries give new insight on where these processes occur.
Previously, scientists thought such processes took place in the very tenuous gas between the stars. The new discoveries, however, suggest that the chemical formation sequences for these molecules occurred not in gas, but on the surfaces of ice grains in interstellar space.
"We need to do further experiments to better understand how these reactions work, but it could be that some of the first key steps toward biological chemicals occurred on tiny ice grains," Remijan said.
The discoveries were made possible by new technology that speeds the process of identifying the "fingerprints" of cosmic chemicals. Each molecule has a specific set of rotational states that it can assume. When it changes from one state to another, a specific amount of energy is either emitted or absorbed, often as radio waves at specific frequencies that can be observed with the GBT.
New laboratory techniques have allowed astrochemists to measure the characteristic patterns of such radio frequencies for specific molecules. Armed with that information, they then can match that pattern with the data received by the telescope. Laboratories at the University of Virginia and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics measured radio emission from cyanomethanimine and ethanamine, and the frequency patterns from those molecules then were matched to publicly-available data produced by a survey done with the GBT from 2008 to 2011.
A team of undergraduate students participating in a special summer research program for minority students at the University of Virginia (U.Va.) conducted some of the experiments leading to the discovery of cyanomethanimine. The students worked under U.Va. professors Brooks Pate and Ed Murphy, and Remijan. The program, funded by the National Science Foundation, brought students from four universities for summer research experiences. They worked in Pate's astrochemistry laboratory, as well as with the GBT data.
"This is a pretty special discovery and proves that early-career students can do remarkable research," Pate said.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
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Journal Reference:
Daniel P. Zaleski, Nathan A. Seifert, Amanda L. Steber, Matt T. Muckle, Ryan A. Loomis, Joanna F. Corby, Oscar Martinez, Kyle N. Crabtree, Philip R. Jewell, Jan M. Hollis, Frank J. Lovas, David Vasquez, Jolie Nyiramahirwe, Nicole Sciortino, Kennedy Johnson, Michael C. McCarthy, Anthony J. Remijan, Brooks H. Pate. DETECTION OF E-CYANOMETHANIMINE TOWARD SAGITTARIUS B2(N) IN THE GREEN BANK TELESCOPE PRIMOS SURVEY. The Astrophysical Journal, 2013; 765 (1): L10 DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/765/1/L10
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
By Suzanne York.? Original posted at 6degreesofpopulation.org
During that 15 minute coffee break you took this morning, somewhere across the ocean an elephant was killed.? It is estimated that every 15 minutes an elephant is slaughtered, about 40,000 annually.
It makes you wonder how much longer wild elephants will roam the earth.? Because at this rate, with high global demand for ivory and high levels of poverty for people that live near these creatures, they won?t be around for much longer.
The New York Times recently ran an op-ed by Carl Safina of the Blue Ocean Institute called ?Blood Ivory? that highlighted the forces at play.? Certainly consumption and poverty are drivers, but Safina pointed out how international policy has failed elephants.? A loop-hole of sorts in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES ? an international agreement that regulates the trade of endangered plants and wildlife), allows for one-time sales of ivory stockpiles, resulting in skyrocketing demand for ivory.? Ironically, a CITES ban on ivory in 1990 was successful in increasing elephant populations, yet this same multilateral environmental agreement is now feeding demand for ivory.
The graph below is from the just released United Nations Environment Programme Year Book 2013, which noted that ?2011 was the worst year on record for ivory seizures? for elephants and rhinos.
It is undeniably a bleak situation, yet there are some solutions ? beyond ending the CITES loop-hole ? that can begin to address and hopefully change the situation for the better, for both people and elephants.? Two solutions are empowering women and recognizing rights of nature.
Solution: Empowering Women
Addressing the needs of women can benefit communities and the environment.? Women are on the frontlines of coping with the effects of environmental degradation. In most countries around the world they are the main providers of food, water, and other resources for their families. When women are empowered, they can better support their families and adapt to environmental impacts, including climate change.
A woman?s decision on when and whether to have a child and her access to reproductive care, as well as education, are key components of a healthy and sustainable society.
In Tanzania, for example, family planning use has increased among married women since the early 1990s, yet it is still relatively low in the country, rising from 10 percent in the early 1990s to 34 percent in 2010, according to Population Reference Bureau.
Part of empowering women is addressing inequity.? Tanzania currently has 46 million people, estimated to increase to 82 million people by 2050. Most poachers are driven by grinding poverty, in a country where nearly 70 percent of the Tanzanians live on less than $1.25 per day. When people?s basic needs are met, they choose to invest in their families and communities.
Empowering Tanzanian women and families with reproductive rights, healthcare, education and sustainable and secure livelihoods can and will improve the situation and enable them to overcome challenges.
Of course, poachers tend to be men, and males with little education or few job prospects need to find ways to survive and feed their families.? Men need to be invested in and empowered too, to overcome poverty and a lack of quality jobs, and to have the right to an education.? Ultimately it comes down to empowering all people.
Solution: Rights of Nature
Earth does not exist for our species alone. Elephants and species all over the world are at grave risk due to human development and demand. The planet is undergoing its sixth mass extinction. Despite global conservation efforts, more species are lost every day. Worse, some like elephants and rhinos, are poached only for their tusks and left to die.
Given this situation, there is a growing movement around recognizing rights of nature that acknowledges that nature in all its life forms has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles. This is another solution for protecting elephants. Under this thinking, nature is not viewed as property and something to be exploited by humans.
There is precedent. Ecuador has included rights of nature in its state constitution, recognizing the legal right of ecosystems to exist. Bolivia has passed a law of Mother Earth, mandating nature legal rights, specifically the rights to life, regeneration, biodiversity, water, clean air, balance, and restoration. Rights of nature has been upheld in Ecuadorian court.
Considering Tanzania again, which still has a somewhat viable elephant population, recognizing rights of nature could be one way to protect remaining numbers.? The country recently rescinded a proposal to sell a stock-pile of ivory under the CITES loophole.? If rights of nature laws were in place, then selling ivory could be found illegal.
Natural laws should be constructed to be in balance with the needs of local people; as stated above, even poachers need education and sustainable economic alternatives.? Currently though, neither elephants/nature, nor people, are winners in this terrible situation.
Ensuring a Brighter Future
Not to be overlooked is the role of consumption.? Educating and empowering women and girls, promoting economic and sustainable livelihoods for local populations, and pulling people out of poverty must be top priorities.? But if there are no consumers for a product, or if there is a ban, then the market theoretically disappears, as happened with the earlier CITES ban.? A ban on ivory trading must be reinstated across the board, no exceptions.? And consumer education must also be made a priority.? Buyers of ivory need to fully comprehend ? and care ? about the true costs of ivory.
It is estimated that Africa has lost close to 90 percent of its elephants in the last fifty years.? There is still a small window of opportunity to change this picture and protect elephants and the people who share the land with them.? This is not negotiable; this is how a civilized society should function.? The global community knows what to do ? fully implement a ban on ivory, invest in people?s rights and livelihoods, and protect and respect nature.
Suzanne York is a senior writer with the Institute for Population Studies.
Women?s empowerment and rights of nature are just two of many issue areas on Wiser.org where you can find people, groups and organizations focusing on the issues that matter.
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Tags: elephants, endangered species, human rights, poverty, rights of nature, women's empowerment
In fact, research has shown that more than half of us may have "nomophobia," or the fear of being phone-less. Cell phone addictions can be just as real as other substance addictions. And students between ages 18 and 24 send an average of 109.5 text messages a day and check their phones an average of 60 times per day.
While it has yet to be defined in the DSM, experts characterize cell phone addiction by feelings of withdrawal when you're without it, compulsive checking of the phone and using it to feel good.
But we're here to tell you: There is more to life than texting. While we may fear the absence of our smartphones, unplugging does have its benefits: Taking 10-minute breaks can improve your productivity. And practicing mindfulness -- or the act of being present (read: not buried in your phone) -- has been shown to reduce stress, ward off symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve the ability to focus.
So, you want to unplug, but aren't sure where to begin. We've rounded up 19 things to do without your cell. Try them out, then let us know your other ideas for unplugging in the comments below.
Cook Yourself Up A Luxurious Brunch
You deserve a breakfast that doesn't come shrink-wrapped every now and again, and cooking it yourself will make it all the more scrumptious. (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/05/egg-recipes-breakfast-brunch_n_987844.html">Get some <em>egg</em>cellent inspiration, here.</a>)
Write A Note Of Gratitude To Your Best Friend
...when it <em>isn't</em> her birthday. Make a list of all the reasons she earns the title of BFF: She'll feel appreciated and grateful to have <em>you</em> in her life, and writing it will remind you how lucky you are to have her, too.
Get Moving
Lace up your sneaks, leash up your love and GO. No matter how you decide to move, choose to leave your cell at home -- grant yourself this time to be present with <em>your own</em> thoughts, and not the thoughts of the Twittersphere.
Take A Nap
You'll wake up refreshed and ready to tackle any problem that seemed impossible pre-snooze. (Want to take a nap at work? We're all for it! <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/how-to-nap-at-work_n_1232352.html">Find some tips, here.</a>)
Get Lost In Your City
Google Maps has saved your life again and again, but it's dulled the wonders of wandering. Why not take a break from knowing where you're going and instead explore the undiscovered?
Ritualize Your Morning Cup Of Joe
For a lot of us, our A.M. cup of coffee blends into the frantic "routine" of getting to work on time. Consider setting your alarm 10 minutes earlier to enjoy every aspect of your delicious morning ritual. (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ora-nadrich/meditation-practice_b_2114526.html">Some tips to turn your morning cup of coffee into a meditation -- it works for tea, too!</a>)
Sit Like This
Maybe you don't have time to unplug today. Fine. What about five minutes to sit? Good. Get yourself in this postion -- <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/22/stress-tips-yoga-poses_n_2736129.html?utm_hp_ref=gps-for-the-soul&ir=GPS%20for%20the%20Soul">Viparita Karani, or Legs Up the Wall</a> -- for just five minutes and feel the stress of the day evaporate.
Take An Art Class
Remember when Art was your favorite subject in school? Relive that release of creativity. (Sampling the Elmer's Glue is not encouraged.)
Take A Page From Your Grandmother's Recipe Book
Try crafting a meal from your roots, whether it's from a page of your Grandma's passed-down recipe book or the extravagant birthday dinner your dad used to cook you as a kid. One rule: No looking up the steps online!
Read A Book
Preferably one with pages that you turn, not tap.
Dig Through Some Childhood Memorabilia
Dust off those boxes of fourth grade genius: No one could compete with your report on Ulysses S. Grant (or so said your No. 1 fan: Mom). Revel in that fantastic feeling of nostalgia -- you are sure to find some gems!
Take A Bath
It won't be long until waterproof phones become the norm. For now, light a candle and take a nice, long tech-free soak -- you'll emerge <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/bath-bomb-recipe_n_2431955.html">relaxed</a> and peaceful.
Feed The Ducks
Talk about appreciating the present moment: Those ducks won't ignore you for their Instagram feed. You'll get their full attention in exchange for a little bread.
Declutter
Pick a space in your home and get organized. Doing a bit of a home-cleanse will help you feel <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sophie-keller/declutter-home-cleanse_b_1166467.html">less chaotic on the inside</a>.
Write Stream Of Consciousness
Whip out a pen and start scribbling -- you might be surprised to see all that's on your mind, without the interruptions and distractions from your external gadgets.
People Watch
Pick a crowded part of town and observe: People are always up to curious things that you won't notice unless your head's up!
Host A Phone-Free Potluck
Gather your gang for a night of culinary joy -- everyone should bring a dish, but leave their cells behind.
Volunteer
Spend some time doing something good for someone else -- you'll reap the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terri-cole/volunteering-health_b_2189477.html">many benefits of altruism</a>, and maybe even dig up a new hobby.
Play A Board Game
Just because they recently <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/06/monopoly-cat-piece_n_2629561.html">swapped the iconic iron piece for a cat </a>doesn't mean your favorite classics aren't worth a revisit.
Related Video: The Doctors' 48-Hour Technology Detox
Make sure to join our ?Social Media Anxiety Disorder? Twitter chat before you unplug this Friday, March 1 at 12 p.m. ET. We'll be tweeting from @HealthyLiving and @GPSforSoul with the hashtag #SMAD.
For more on unplugging and recharging, click here.
Way back in October last year we first heard word that ASUS planned to bring the Padfone 2 to the UK in early 2013. It's now early 2013 and true to their word ASUS is indeed bringing the Padfone 2 to the UK on March 1 for £599.
For some it may seem an anti-climax given the recent unveiling of the Padfone Infinity at MWC. But, the Padfone 2 is still an impressive device packing a Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, a 13MP camera and a HD Super IPS+ display. It isn't quite the powerhouse the new Padfone Infinity is, but the hardware specs are still impressive. And of course, the Padfone 2 will be around £200 cheaper than the Infinity.
Both white and black versions will be available, and several big name retailers will be picking it up including Amazon and Carphone Warehouse. The full press release can be found after the break.
The unwrapped shoe bundle showing the two pairs of children's shoes and the adult isolated adult shoe.
By Owen Jarus LiveScience
More than 2,000 years ago, at a time when Egypt was ruled by a dynasty of kings of Greek descent, someone, perhaps a group of people, hid away some of the most valuable possessions they had ? their shoes.
Seven shoes were deposited in a jar in an Egyptian temple in Luxor, three pairs and a single one. Two pairs were originally worn by children and were only about 7 inches (18 centimeters) long. Using palm fiber string, the child shoes were tied together within the single shoe (it was larger and meant for an adult) and put in the jar. Another pair of shoes, more than 9 inches (24 cm) long that had been worn by a limping adult, was also inserted in the jar.
The shoe-filled jar, along with two other jars, had been "deliberately placed in a small space between two mudbrick walls," writes archaeologist Angelo Sesana in a report published in the journal Memnonia.
?Whoever deposited the shoes never returned to collect them, and they were forgotten, until now. [See Photos of the Ancient Egyptian Shoes]
In 2004, an Italian archaeological expedition team, led by Sesana, rediscovered the shoes. The archaeologists gave Andr? Veldmeijer, an expert in ancient Egyptian footwear, access to photographs that show the finds.
Franco M. Giani - Milano - Italy
Archaeologists discovered seven shoes, which appear to be made out of bovine, within a jar in an Egyptian temple. The shoes date back more than 2,000 years and this picture shows the inside of the jar before the shoes were removed.
"The find is extraordinary as the shoes were in pristine condition and still supple upon discovery," writes Veldmeijer in the most recent edition of the Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. Unfortunately, after being unearthed the shoes became brittle and "extremely fragile," he added.
Pricey shoes Veldmeijer's analysis suggests the shoes may have been foreign-made and were "relatively expensive." Sandals were the more common footwear in Egypt and?the style and quality of these seven shoes was such that "everybody would look at you," and "it would give you much more status because you had these expensive pair of shoes," said Veldmeijer, assistant director for Egyptology of the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo.
The date of the shoes is based on the jar they were found in and the other two ?jars, as well as the stratigraphy, or layering of sediments, of the area. It may be possible in the future to carbon date the shoes to confirm their age.
Why they were left in the temple in antiquity and not retrieved is a mystery. "There's no reason to store them without having the intention of getting them back at some point," Veldmeijer said in an interview with LiveScience, adding that there could have been some kind of unrest that forced the owners of the shoes to deposit them and flee hastily. The temple itself predates the shoes by more than 1,000 years and was originally built for pharaoh Amenhotep II (1424-1398 B.C.).
Design discoveries Veldmeijer made a number of shoe design discoveries. He found that the people who wore the seven shoes would have tied them using what researchers call "tailed toggles." Leather strips at the top of the shoes would form knots that would be passed through openings to close the shoes. After they were closed, a long strip of leather would have hung down, decoratively, at either side. The shoes are made out of leather, which is likely bovine.
Most surprising was that the isolated shoe had what shoemakers call a "rand," a device that until now was thought to have been first used in medieval Europe. A rand is a folded leather strip that would go between the sole of the shoe and the upper part, reinforcing the stitching as the "the upper is very prone to tear apart at the stitch holes," he explained. The device would've been useful in muddy weather when shoes are under pressure, as it makes the seam much more resistant to water.
In the dry (and generally not muddy) climate of ancient Egypt, he said that it's a surprising innovation and seems to indicate the seven shoes were constructed somewhere abroad.
Health discoveries The shoes also provided insight into the health of the people wearing them. In the case of the isolated shoe, he found a "semi-circular protruding area" that could be a sign of a condition called Hallux Valgus, more popularly known as a bunion. [The 9 Most Bizarre Medical Conditions]
"In this condition, the big toe starts to deviate inward towards the other toes," Veldmeijer writes in the journal article. "Although hereditary, it can also develop as a result of close-fitting shoes, although other scholars dispute this ...."
Another curious find came from the pair of adult shoes. He found that the left shoe had more patches and evidence of repair than the shoe on the right. "The shoe was exposed to unequal pressure," he said, showing that the person who wore it "walked with a limp, otherwise the wear would have been far more equal."
Still, despite their medical problems, and the wear and tear on the shoes, the people who wore them were careful to keep up with repairs, Veldmeijer said. They did not throw them away like modern-day Westerners tend to do with old running shoes.
"These shoes were highly prized commodities."
Veldmeijer hopes to have the opportunity to examine the shoes, now under the care of the Ministry of State for Antiquities, firsthand.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?and Google+.
When World War III finally starts and the planet is decimated by nuclear bombs, facing a post-apocalyptic future will be a lot easier with a swig from this seemingly indestructible flask. Designed by Oakley working with The Macallan, The Flask—as it's called—is made from such Tonka-tough materials as carbon fiber, food-grade steel, and aerospace-grade aluminum. More »
Apple (AAPL) shares got a boost Tuesday afternoon on rumors that the company may announce a split on Wednesday during its annual shareholder meeting. The rumor comes from former money manager and current TheStreet.com contributor?Douglas Kass, who did not disclose his source. ?High above the Alps my Gnome is hearing a rumor that Apple will announce a stock split at tomorrow?s shareholder meeting,? Kass wrote in a post on Twitter, providing no further details. Apple shares rose more than 1.4% on the rumor after nearing a new closing low.
We all wish for long, thick, smooth, shiny and luscious locks. But if we have grown up with unmanageable and rough hair then we get fooled with various TV commercial, which promise to provide amazing hair. We get carried away and try several hair products just to get that perfect look with luscious locks.
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The truth is that all of us go through bad hair day or maybe bad hair weeks or months due various unhealthy lifestyle habits.?
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According to Dr. D.M. Mahajan ? Dermatologist at Apollo Hospital, Delhi says, "Hair problems are becoming common these days and we have noticed an increase of 10-12 percent in patients coming with such problems every year. Similarly, the demand for hair transplants has also increased over the last five years,"
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There are various types of hair problems like hair fall, hair thinning, baldness, dandruff etc. On the basis of the age and gender, some hair problems are very common.?
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One of the biggest hair problem faced by many women and young males is hair loss.Dandruff stands seconds. The main causes for this problem can be climate, water, soap, shampoo and food, says ? Dr. Mohan Thomas ? Cosmetic Surgeon at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai.
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He further adds ? men suffer from hair loss at an earlier and the hair loss usually starts as early as in their 20?s. The reason for hair loss can be bad lifestyle, poor diet, pollution and genes, but stress is one of the biggest culprits behind hair problems.
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Dr Mahajan says ? ?Hair is the fastest growing organ in the human body but has less stability. So when there is a change in season, or an exam coming up, it is generally accompanied with hair loss. Plus, there are other factors, like not enough exposure to sun and vitamin D deficiency, peer pressure or anxiety."
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Whereas, Dr. Nitin Walia ? Dermatology Consultant at Max Hospital, Delhi says - the reason for hair loss in women can menopause, hormonal imbalance, post pregnancy and menstrual cycle.
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To prevent hair problems among both the sexes, it is important that awareness is created at an early age, so that timely detection can prevent from major problems. Besides, random use of hair care products should be avoided.?
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Everyone should give a second thought before, trying any hair product on your locks. Even if it?s a home therapy by your hairdresser, rethink before using it. Instead of trying hair care products, go in for a medical analysis to treat your hair problems.?
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Dr. Thomas says ? people should use medicated products only under a doctor?s prescription. Shampoos should ideally have a pH of 4.5-5; otherwise it makes your hair alkaline and dry. Besides, treat dandruff and boils on the scalp, to avoid later hair loss.
SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - A year after the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager in this central Florida town, there is a small memorial, a new police chief and an effort to improve race relations.
Trayvon Martin, 17, was gunned down on February 26, 2012, as he walked to his father's fiancee's home in one of Sanford's gated communities. The man accused of his killing, George Zimmerman, 28, a white Hispanic on neighborhood watch, is set to be tried on June 10.
A judge could grant immunity to Zimmerman at a pre-trial hearing on April 29 under Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law, which allows people to use lethal force in self defense if they are in fear of serious bodily harm.
Martin's death drew top-tier civil rights leaders, such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who brought a national spotlight to this town just north of Orlando and not far from Disney World.
That spotlight forced the town of 53,000 to confront police work that seemed to be a throwback to the days of separate and resolutely unequal racial sensibilities.
"This situation, with all eyes on Sanford is making them (city leaders) do something about it now," said Cindy Philemon, 49, who helps run the local black heritage museum and welcome center.
A year later Martin's family says it does not want the case considered in racial terms. "We don't want people to see this as a black kid. I want people to see this as a teenager ... who was walking, minding his own business," Martin's mother, Sabrina Fulton, told the NPR radio show "Tell Me More" on Monday night.
Despite the pain of losing her son, Fulton said she was glad that a debate had opened up about Florida's Stand Your Ground law.
The family is backing an amendment to the law seeking to restrict its application. "You can't follow, pursue and chase anyone, be the aggressor, have a confrontation with him, shoot and kill him, and then go home to your bed and nothing happens," she said.
During the weekend, volunteers in the black community hastily worked to complete a modest memorial of stuffed animals, cards and crosses in time to remember the first anniversary of Martin's shooting. It has also become a way for Sanford to remember the many other black victims of violence whose stories largely went untold.
City Manager Norton Bonaparte, who is black, said Sanford had begun to tackle deep-seated problems between police and the black community that were exposed in public forums after Martin's death.
"In honoring Trayvon's life, we have to make ourselves a better community," Bonaparte said.
The police chief at the time of Martin's shooting lost his job over criticism that his department and prosecutors chose not to charge or arrest Zimmerman.
The new chief starts his job in April.
"Now, it's like the police are getting more involved in being with the community," Philemon said. "They are starting to do their part in interacting with us. They say there is not as many shootings as there once was."
Another resident, Thelma Holmes, 62, agreed saying, "It is better than what it was before, because we had a lot of killings of young men ... The people and the police, they're both trying."
Trayvon's death will not be forgotten.
"It started people to come forward. So his death is not going to be in vain," Philemon said. "And he will always be remembered."
Martin's parents and lawyers will be in New York City, not Sanford, to hold a candlelight vigil on Tuesday night.
Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder, was granted bond and ordered to surrender his passport, agree to be electronically monitored, reside in Seminole County, and observe a nighttime curfew.
(Editing by David Adams, Leslie Gevirtz and Bill Trott)
"People have often thought there's no upper bound for wind power?that it's one of the most scalable power sources," says Harvard applied physicist David Keith. After all, gusts and breezes don't seem likely to "run out" on a global scale in the way oil wells might run dry.
Yet the latest research in mesoscale atmospheric modeling, published today in the journalEnvironmental Research Letters, suggests that the generating capacity of large-scale wind farms has been overestimated.
Each wind turbine creates behind it a "wind shadow" in which the air has been slowed down by drag on the turbine's blades. The ideal wind farm strikes a balance, packing as many turbines onto the land as possible, while also spacing them enough to reduce the impact of these wind shadows. But as wind farms grow larger, they start to interact, and the regional-scale wind patterns matter more.
Keith's research has shown that the generating capacity of very large wind power installations (larger than 100 square kilometers) may peak at between 0.5 and 1 watts per square meter. Previous estimates, which ignored the turbines' slowing effect on the wind, had put that figure at between 2 and 7 watts per square meter.
In short, we may not have access to as much wind power as scientists thought.
An internationally renowned expert on climate science and technology policy, Keith holds appointments as Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and as Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Coauthor Amanda S. Adams was formerly a postdoctoral fellow with Keith and is now assistant professor of geography and Earth sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
"One of the inherent challenges of wind energy is that as soon as you start to develop wind farms and harvest the resource, you change the resource, making it difficult to assess what's really available," says Adams.
But having a truly accurate estimate matters, of course, in the pursuit of carbon-neutral energy sources. Solar, wind, and hydro power, for example, could all play roles in fulfilling energy needs that are currently met by coal or oil.
"If wind power's going to make a contribution to global energy requirements that's serious, 10 or 20 percent or more, then it really has to contribute on the scale of terawatts in the next half-century or less," says Keith.
If we were to cover the entire Earth with wind farms, he notes, "the system could potentially generate enormous amounts of power, well in excess of 100 terawatts, but at that point my guess, based on our climate modeling, is that the effect of that on global winds, and therefore on climate, would be severe?perhaps bigger than the impact of doubling CO2."
"Our findings don't mean that we shouldn't pursue wind power?wind is much better for the environment than conventional coal?but these geophysical limits may be meaningful if we really want to scale wind power up to supply a third, let's say, of our primary energy," Keith adds.
And the climatic effect of turbine drag is not the only constraint; geography and economics matter too.
"It's clear the theoretical upper limit to wind power is huge, if you don't care about the impacts of covering the whole world with wind turbines," says Keith. "What's not clear?and this is a topic for future research?is what the practical limit to wind power would be if you consider all of the real-world constraints. You'd have to assume that wind turbines need to be located relatively close to where people actually live and where there's a fairly constant wind supply, and that they have to deal with environmental constraints. You can't just put them everywhere."
"The real punch line," he adds, "is that if you can't get much more than half a watt out, and you accept that you can't put them everywhere, then you may start to reach a limit that matters."
In order to stabilize the Earth's climate, Keith estimates, the world will need to identify sources for several tens of terawatts of carbon-free power within a human lifetime. In the meantime, policymakers must also decide how to allocate resources to develop new technologies to harness that energy.
In doing so, Keith says, "It's worth asking about the scalability of each potential energy source?whether it can supply, say, 3 terawatts, which would be 10 percent of our global energy need, or whether it's more like 0.3 terawatts and 1 percent."
"Wind power is in a middle ground," he says. "It is still one of the most scalable renewables, but our research suggests that we will need to pay attention to its limits and climatic impacts if we try to scale it beyond a few terawatts."
###
Harvard University: http://www.harvard.edu
Thanks to Harvard University for this article.
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Charleston, South Carolina (Reuters) - At least one person was wounded in a shooting on Tuesday at a residence hall of a South Carolina university near the resort area of Myrtle Beach, and authorities were searching for a gunman, the university said.
Students were urged to remain in their dorm rooms at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, but the gunman was believed to have fled the scene, school officials said.
The shooting occurred just before 7:30 p.m. at University Place, an apartment-style residence hall that is home to nearly 2,000 students.
"The suspect fled in a vehicle. The campus is still on lockdown, although people in classrooms were allowed to go home. Those in dorms were advised to stay inside," said Mona Prufer, a university spokeswoman.
She said a shooting victim had been taken to a hospital in Myrtle Beach but had no further details.
The shooting came as the nation remains on edge over gun violence following the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, in December, in which 20 children and six adults were shot and killed.
More than 9,000 students attend Coastal Carolina University, which was founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College and became an independent university in 1993.
The university had not decided late Tuesday whether to hold classes on Wednesday, said university spokesman Doug Bell.
(Reporting By Cynthia Johnston, Barbara Goldberg and Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Greg McCune and Doina Chiacu)
Another busy day in Spain has drawn to a close, and center of a decent piece of todays new devices announcements was ASUS. In the way that only Johnny Shih and company know how, ASUS today introduced the new Padfone Infinity and the Intel Atom powered Fonepad tablet-cum-smartphone hybrid. Just in case you missed the Android Central liveblog, ASUS has kindly posted the highlights from the, interesting, press conference for us all to watch and enjoy.
New fabrication technique could provide breakthrough for solar energy systemsPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Colin Poitras colin.poitras@uconn.edu 860-486-4656 University of Connecticut
Atomic layer deposition process could greatly improve efficiency of solar rectenna arrays
A novel fabrication technique developed by a University of Connecticut engineering professor could provide the breakthrough technology scientists have been looking for to vastly improve the efficiency of today's solar energy systems.
For years, scientists have studied the potential benefits of a new branch of solar energy technology that relies on nanosized antenna arrays theoretically capable of harvesting more than 70 percent of the sun's electromagnetic radiation and simultaneously converting it into usable electric power.
But while nanosized antennas that also serve as rectifiers have shown promise in theory, scientists have lacked the technology required to construct and test them. The fabrication process is immensely challenging. The nano-antennas known as "rectennas" because of their ability to both absorb and rectify solar energy from alternating current to direct current must be capable of operating at the speed of visible light and be built in such a way that their core pair of electrodes is a mere 1 or 2 nanometers apart, a distance of approximately one millionth of a millimeter, or 30,000 times smaller than the diameter of human hair.
The potential breakthrough lies in a novel fabrication process called selective area atomic layer deposition (ALD) that was developed by Brian Willis, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Connecticut and the former director of UConn's Chemical Engineering Program.
It is through atomic layer deposition that scientists believe they can finally fabricate a working rectenna device. In a rectenna device, one of the two interior electrodes must have a sharp tip, similar to the point of a triangle. The secret is getting the tip of that electrode within one or two nanometers of the opposite electrode, something similar to holding the point of a needle to the plane of a wall. Before the advent of ALD, existing lithographic fabrication techniques had been unable to create such a small space within a working electrical diode. Using sophisticated electronic equipment such as electron guns, the closest scientists could get was about 10 times the required separation. Through atomic layer deposition, Willis has shown he is able to precisely coat the tip of the rectenna with layers of individual copper atoms until a gap of about 1.5 nanometers is achieved. The process is self-limiting and stops at 1.5 nanometer separation.
The size of the gap is critical because it creates an ultra-fast tunnel junction between the rectenna's two electrodes, allowing a maximum transfer of electricity. The nanosized gap gives energized electrons on the rectenna just enough time to tunnel to the opposite electrode before their electrical current reverses and they try to go back. The triangular tip of the rectenna makes it hard for the electrons to reverse direction, thus capturing the energy and rectifying it to a unidirectional current.
Impressively, the rectennas, because of their extremely small and fast tunnel diodes, are capable of converting solar radiation in the infrared region through the extremely fast and short wavelengths of visible light something that has never been accomplished before. Silicon solar panels, by comparison, have a single band gap which, loosely speaking, allows the panel to convert electromagnetic radiation efficiently at only one small portion of the solar spectrum. The rectenna devices don't rely on a band gap and may be tuned to harvest light over the whole solar spectrum, creating maximum efficiency.
Willis and a team of scientists from Penn State Altoona along with SciTech Associates Holdings Inc., a private research and development company based in State College, Pa., recently received a $650,000, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to fabricate rectennas and search for ways to maximize their performance.
"This new technology could get us over the hump and make solar energy cost-competitive with fossil fuels," says Willis. "This is brand new technology, a whole new train of thought."
The Penn State Altoona research team which has been exploring the theoretical side of rectennas for more than a decade is led by physics professor Darin Zimmerman, with fellow physics professors Gary Weisel and Brock Weiss serving as co-investigators. The collaboration also includes Penn State emeritus physics professors Paul Cutler and Nicholas Miskovsky, who are principal members of Scitech Associates.
"The solar power conversion device under development by this collaboration of two universities and an industry subcontractor has the potential to revolutionize green solar power technology by increasing efficiencies, reducing costs, and providing new economic opportunities," Zimmerman says.
"Until the advent of selective atomic layer deposition (ALD), it has not been possible to fabricate practical and reproducible rectenna arrays that can harness solar energy from the infrared through the visible," says Zimmerman. "ALD is a vitally important processing step, making the creation of these devices possible. Ultimately, the fabrication, characterization, and modeling of the proposed rectenna arrays will lead to increased understanding of the physical processes underlying these devices, with the promise of greatly increasing the efficiency of solar power conversion technology."
The atomic layer deposition process is favored by science and industry because it is simple, easily reproducible, and scalable for mass production. Willis says the chemical process is particularly applicable for precise, homogenous coatings for nanostructures, nanowires, nanotubes, and for use in the next generation of high-performing semi-conductors and transistors.
The method being used to fabricate rectennas also can be applied to other areas, including enhancing current photovoltaics (the conversion of photo energy to electrical energy), thermoelectrics, infrared sensing and imaging, and chemical sensors.
Over the next year, Willis and his collaborators in Pennsylvania plan to build prototype rectennas and begin testing their efficiency.
"To capture the visible light frequencies, the rectenna have to get smaller than anything we've ever made before, so we're really pushing the limits of what we can do," says Willis. "And the tunnel junctions have to operate at the speed of visible light, so we're pushing down to these really high speeds to the point where the question becomes 'Can these devices really function at this level?' Theoretically we know it is possible, but we won't know for sure until we make and test this device."
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New fabrication technique could provide breakthrough for solar energy systemsPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Colin Poitras colin.poitras@uconn.edu 860-486-4656 University of Connecticut
Atomic layer deposition process could greatly improve efficiency of solar rectenna arrays
A novel fabrication technique developed by a University of Connecticut engineering professor could provide the breakthrough technology scientists have been looking for to vastly improve the efficiency of today's solar energy systems.
For years, scientists have studied the potential benefits of a new branch of solar energy technology that relies on nanosized antenna arrays theoretically capable of harvesting more than 70 percent of the sun's electromagnetic radiation and simultaneously converting it into usable electric power.
But while nanosized antennas that also serve as rectifiers have shown promise in theory, scientists have lacked the technology required to construct and test them. The fabrication process is immensely challenging. The nano-antennas known as "rectennas" because of their ability to both absorb and rectify solar energy from alternating current to direct current must be capable of operating at the speed of visible light and be built in such a way that their core pair of electrodes is a mere 1 or 2 nanometers apart, a distance of approximately one millionth of a millimeter, or 30,000 times smaller than the diameter of human hair.
The potential breakthrough lies in a novel fabrication process called selective area atomic layer deposition (ALD) that was developed by Brian Willis, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Connecticut and the former director of UConn's Chemical Engineering Program.
It is through atomic layer deposition that scientists believe they can finally fabricate a working rectenna device. In a rectenna device, one of the two interior electrodes must have a sharp tip, similar to the point of a triangle. The secret is getting the tip of that electrode within one or two nanometers of the opposite electrode, something similar to holding the point of a needle to the plane of a wall. Before the advent of ALD, existing lithographic fabrication techniques had been unable to create such a small space within a working electrical diode. Using sophisticated electronic equipment such as electron guns, the closest scientists could get was about 10 times the required separation. Through atomic layer deposition, Willis has shown he is able to precisely coat the tip of the rectenna with layers of individual copper atoms until a gap of about 1.5 nanometers is achieved. The process is self-limiting and stops at 1.5 nanometer separation.
The size of the gap is critical because it creates an ultra-fast tunnel junction between the rectenna's two electrodes, allowing a maximum transfer of electricity. The nanosized gap gives energized electrons on the rectenna just enough time to tunnel to the opposite electrode before their electrical current reverses and they try to go back. The triangular tip of the rectenna makes it hard for the electrons to reverse direction, thus capturing the energy and rectifying it to a unidirectional current.
Impressively, the rectennas, because of their extremely small and fast tunnel diodes, are capable of converting solar radiation in the infrared region through the extremely fast and short wavelengths of visible light something that has never been accomplished before. Silicon solar panels, by comparison, have a single band gap which, loosely speaking, allows the panel to convert electromagnetic radiation efficiently at only one small portion of the solar spectrum. The rectenna devices don't rely on a band gap and may be tuned to harvest light over the whole solar spectrum, creating maximum efficiency.
Willis and a team of scientists from Penn State Altoona along with SciTech Associates Holdings Inc., a private research and development company based in State College, Pa., recently received a $650,000, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to fabricate rectennas and search for ways to maximize their performance.
"This new technology could get us over the hump and make solar energy cost-competitive with fossil fuels," says Willis. "This is brand new technology, a whole new train of thought."
The Penn State Altoona research team which has been exploring the theoretical side of rectennas for more than a decade is led by physics professor Darin Zimmerman, with fellow physics professors Gary Weisel and Brock Weiss serving as co-investigators. The collaboration also includes Penn State emeritus physics professors Paul Cutler and Nicholas Miskovsky, who are principal members of Scitech Associates.
"The solar power conversion device under development by this collaboration of two universities and an industry subcontractor has the potential to revolutionize green solar power technology by increasing efficiencies, reducing costs, and providing new economic opportunities," Zimmerman says.
"Until the advent of selective atomic layer deposition (ALD), it has not been possible to fabricate practical and reproducible rectenna arrays that can harness solar energy from the infrared through the visible," says Zimmerman. "ALD is a vitally important processing step, making the creation of these devices possible. Ultimately, the fabrication, characterization, and modeling of the proposed rectenna arrays will lead to increased understanding of the physical processes underlying these devices, with the promise of greatly increasing the efficiency of solar power conversion technology."
The atomic layer deposition process is favored by science and industry because it is simple, easily reproducible, and scalable for mass production. Willis says the chemical process is particularly applicable for precise, homogenous coatings for nanostructures, nanowires, nanotubes, and for use in the next generation of high-performing semi-conductors and transistors.
The method being used to fabricate rectennas also can be applied to other areas, including enhancing current photovoltaics (the conversion of photo energy to electrical energy), thermoelectrics, infrared sensing and imaging, and chemical sensors.
Over the next year, Willis and his collaborators in Pennsylvania plan to build prototype rectennas and begin testing their efficiency.
"To capture the visible light frequencies, the rectenna have to get smaller than anything we've ever made before, so we're really pushing the limits of what we can do," says Willis. "And the tunnel junctions have to operate at the speed of visible light, so we're pushing down to these really high speeds to the point where the question becomes 'Can these devices really function at this level?' Theoretically we know it is possible, but we won't know for sure until we make and test this device."
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
UFC 157 completed the rare trick of living up to its intense hype. Who stood out as stars?
No. 1 star ? Ronda Rousey: Is there any better word to describe Rousey than star? After months of Rousey appearing on television, in magazines and on every site on the internet, she showed she's more than a media darling. Rousey not only escaped a submission attempt by Liz Carmouche, but also finished the fight with just 11 seconds to go in the first round. That's a star.
No. 2 star ? Robbie Lawler: Looking at this fight card, would you ever have guessed that Lawler would emerge as a star? Before returning to the UFC on Saturday, he lost three of his last five bouts. He was up against Josh Koscheck, who was eager to get a big win after losing to Johny Hendricks. But the power in Lawler's hands knocked Koscheck out in the first round, and earned Lawler a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus.
No. 3 star ? Dennis Bermudez: When the preliminary fights started, the Honda Center wasn't even half full. The UFC's tailgate was still going strong in the parking lot. But as Bermudez's bout with Matt Grice wore on, I noticed the stands filling up. Perhaps they heard about the Fight of the Year candidate happening inside, with Bermudez throwing everything he had at Grice, and Grice not only withstanding the punches but coming back with big punches of his own. They each took home a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus.
Who were your three stars from the night? Tell in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
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Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
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UFC 157 completed the rare trick of living up to its intense hype. Who stood out as stars?