Ongoing important Science news thread

[psyang]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Nevermind, not worth the headache.

Man, it's like listening to my kids argue.

Fuzz is right. He's saying, based on the words, the value is incorrect - it should be 1.

Shantz is right too. He's saying, based on the value, the words are incorrect - it should read "galaxies the size of the milky way".

You're both right. Imagine that!

On the more serious side, however, Shantz has more going for his argument, but Fuzz can easily be justified for his stance - the issue is with the graphic (and accompanying article).

Drake's equation is based on probability, but the graphic as presented uses language that is trying to resonate more with the average reader (it's from the Business Insider). I see this all the time with articles about mathematics that are meant for a broader audience, and it drives me crazy.

Strangely enough, the article itself gives the proper interpretation, though it mixes its context:

The total number of civilizations that we calculate relies very heavily on our assumptions. Our optimistic estimates suggest a fairly crowded galaxy, with around 140,000 species like us living in the Milky Way. Turn the inputs down a couple orders of magnitude, as we do in our pessimistic assumptions, and life is so rare that only around 1% of galaxies like our own will be likely to host even one complex civilization.

When talking about the optimistic side of things, it refers specifically to life inside the Milky Way. But when talking about the pessimistic side of things, it refers to "Milky Way-like" galaxies.

Bottom line - let's try to get along - there may not be any other civilizations with which to make friends

[photon]

Nice, SpaceX just landed another first stage on the ocean barge.

[To Be Quite Honest]

Ancient Aliens just release their latest episode "The New Evidence". It's got to be true.

"These things are undeniably extraterrestrial."

[T@T]

Originally Posted by To Be Quite Honest

Ancient Aliens just release their latest episode "The New Evidence". It's got to be true.

"These things are undeniably extraterrestrial."

This thread is "Ongoing important Science news" not BS on a stick which is the Ancient Aliens program.

[To Be Quite Honest]

Originally Posted by T@T

This thread is "Ongoing important Science news" not BS on a stick which is the Ancient Aliens program.

It was a joke.

I watch them every now and again. The editing and music is very entertaining. The title just made me laugh enough to post it here. 😂

######### from me to you.

[wwkayaker]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/10/health...ant/index.html

I didn't know this technology existed. Pretty impressive and it makes me wonder why a person like Kimbo Slice or a relative didn't get this opportunity.

[Huntingwhale]

An article a year old. But really blurs the lines between science fact and science fiction. I found it very interesting to read. Most people think of Mars when we think of sending humans to another planet. But what about Venus?

Up in its clouds, temperatures are more Earth-like, and due to its size—roughly the size of Earth—the planet boasts a gravitational pull that's only 90 percent of Earth’s, something which would be immensely energy-intensive and mechanically complex to simulate elsewhere. This is what earned Venus its other nickname: Earth's twin.

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/why...ities-on-venus

[Fuzz]

Plus you could have an awesome moon door to offload the unwanted.

[Madman]

Space Time touched on that very subject.

[Drak]

http://mashable.com/2016/06/17/carbo...k#lOKNKQFm35qA

One by one, the observatories sounded the alarm in the past few years—from the peak of Mauna Loa in Hawaii, and the top of the Greenland ice sheet—as the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere crept above 400 parts per million (ppm).

The last alarm bells went off this week, when scientists announced that the Halley Research Station in Antarctica, as well as a monitoring post at the geographic South Pole, both located amid the most pristine air on the planet, have now passed the 400 ppm mark.

According to Pieter Tans, the lead scientist for the Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, 400 ppm is the highest level that carbon dioxide levels have reached in at least 4 million years.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by photon

Nice, SpaceX just landed another first stage on the ocean barge.

There has got to be a better way to launch spacecraft then the way we're doing it now. Why we haven't figured out a way to use conventional tack off and landing and far less cumbersome rocket technology baffles me.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

There has got to be a better way to launch spacecraft then the way we're doing it now. Why we haven't figured out a way to use conventional tack off and landing and far less cumbersome rocket technology baffles me.

Attaining escape velocity is I think the big constraining factor.

[ricosuave]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

There has got to be a better way to launch spacecraft then the way we're doing it now. Why we haven't figured out a way to use conventional tack off and landing and far less cumbersome rocket technology baffles me.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Attaining escape velocity is I think the big constraining factor.

Must be a reason it hasn't been done but fold up wings on a rocket powered aircraft? After takeoff go vertical and fold up the wings and tail feathers. Then fold them out to glide home.

[photon]

Excess weight and complexity probably isn't worth the payoff. Flying with wings only gets you tens of thousands of feet, and only gets you a thousand (optimistically) of the 25,000+ km/hr needed to reach low earth orbit. You get in a few tens of seconds of extra rocket what you'd gain with all that extra stuff.

Gliding back worked for the shuttle, but that's a lot of extra mass and complexity, where SpaceX is reusing to land what it already had to lug up (plus extra fuel). The shuttle didn't end up being very reusable.

At least with current technology, but some of the engines they've been looking at lately might make it possible.

Personally I like the idea of a railgun type slingshot into space

There's a wikipedia article on non-rocket launch ideas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-rocket_spacelaunch

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by photon

Personally I like the idea of a railgun type slingshot into space

Me too, just for cargo though, I think people are a little to squishy.

[underGRADFlame]

Spoiler for size...

Spoiler!

Space Elevator is whats needed!!!

[annasuave]

Originally Posted by underGRADFlame

Spoiler for size...

Spoiler!

Space Elevator is whats needed!!!

Arthur C. Clarke proposed this back in 1979. We should just build one already. It would be hella-cool.

[Knut]

Need carbon nano tube technology to take a giant leap forward

[zamler]

A rare, risky mission is underway to rescue sick scientists from the South Pole

Two small bush planes are flying to the South Pole this week to evacuate workers at the Amundsen-Scott research station — a feat rarely attempted during the middle of the Antarctic winter.

Spoiler!