Ongoing important Science news thread

[Canada 02]

To understand how cells interpret the information locked within the genome much more needed to be learnt. This became the task of ENCODE, the Encyclopedia Of DNA Elements, the aim of which was to describe all functional elements encoded in the human genome. Nine years after launch, its main efforts culminate in the publication of 30 coordinated papers, 6 of which are in this issue of Nature.

Collectively, the papers describe 1,640 data sets generated across 147 different cell types. Among the many important results there is one that stands out above them all: more than 80% of the human genome's components have now been assigned at least one biochemical function.

When researchers first sequenced the human genome, they were astonished by how few traditional genes encoding proteins were scattered along those 3 billion DNA bases. Instead of the expected 100,000 or more genes, the initial analyses found about 35,000 and that number has since been whittled down to about 21,000. In between were megabases of “junk,” or so it seemed.
This week, 30 research papers, including six in Nature and additional papers published by Science, sound the death knell for the idea that our DNA is mostly littered with useless bases. A decadelong project, the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE), has found that 80% of the human genome serves some purpose, biochemically speaking.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal...l/489045a.html

http://www.nature.com/encode/

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/337/6099/1159.full

http://www.genome.gov/10005107

[Ozy_Flame]

http://www.flightrail.com/

A high-speed transportation system that uses vaccum and air pressure technology to move along a guided track. Many efficiencies are found with this technology, including stationary power systems on the elevating steel trusses that eliminate the need for propulsion or fuel combustion enginess, and reduces the weight of the train itself by not having these components in them.

Would love to see something like this get marketed some day.

[Flacker]

Spheroids pictured by Opportunity may be sign of past microbial life on Mars.

Link

[Knut]

Warp Drives closer to reality ?

http://gizmodo.com/5942634/nasa-star...rek-warp-drive

[polak]

Originally Posted by Hesla

Warp Drives closer to reality ?

http://gizmodo.com/5942634/nasa-star...rek-warp-drive

I'm thinking this guy is a little on the optimistic side.

Still, can you imagine...

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by polak

I'm thinking this guy is a little on the optimistic side.

Still, can you imagine...

this is more than just one writer and his opinions. when some of the smartest guys at NASA are saying that warp drives are possible within our lifetime, that's legitimate reason to be excited

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

this is more than just one writer and his opinions. when some of the smartest guys at NASA are saying that warp drives are possible within our lifetime, that's legitimate reason to be excited

I think they always thought it was possible, but the problem was getting enough energy to do so (thought was that we needed to harness the sun). This proof of concept would show that orders of magnitude less would be needed.


Very interesting stuff

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by Hesla

Warp Drives closer to reality ?

http://gizmodo.com/5942634/nasa-star...rek-warp-drive

http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php...&id=1623#comic

[Knut]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php...&id=1623#comic

Thanks for your input. It was actual NASA scientists getting excited about this and not sensationalist reporting.

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by Hesla

Thanks for your input. It was actual NASA scientists getting excited about this and not sensationalist reporting.

The comic is valid and it is sensationalist reporting. Sure it might be NASA making the comments, but experiments to see if it's theoretically possible through detection of possible warp bubbles does not equal "NASA starts work on REAL LIFE Star Trek warp drive".

[FlameOn]

Sandia National Labs has made a breakthrough in fusion. Using a technique called Magnetized Linear Inertial Fusion, they've generated fusion energy releases up to 1000 times higher than the input energy applied to the fuel.

Hopefully this puts cuts the 20-30 year time frame scientists are always quoting for fusion economic viability.
https://share.sandia.gov/news/resour...uclear_fusion/

[photon]

Would be so nice if that panned out... I'm not holding my breath though.

My favorite "fusion-device-that'll-get-there" is the polywell.

[sa226]

Originally Posted by Hesla

Warp Drives closer to reality ?

http://gizmodo.com/5942634/nasa-star...rek-warp-drive

Further to this,

http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/ful...-working-on-it

Its actually much of the same from the previous article.

Yeah ok, the starship Enterprise isn't about to be unveiled, but why can't our inner nerds get a little excited?

I think calling it sensationalist reporting is more of a valid criticism when you are reporting politics, crime, etc, etc

Just having a little fun here, and they are quotes from an actual NASA scientist. Thats good enough for me.

[Flames_Gimp]

article made me a bit excited

[octothorp]

Yeah, the very idea that it's possible is really intriguing, even if its decades or more likely centuries away. Consider what it means for extraterrestrial life. If it's possible and assuming there is earth-like life on other planets out there, then chances are, some civilization somewhere has already perfected this. Maybe extraterrestrial life doesn't consist of little pockets of civilization with no way to usefully travel beyond their own solar system; maybe there are civilizations that occupy and travel between multiple star systems or are actively exploring new ones. That's a super-intriguing idea, but one that has had no basis beyond science fiction until now (and even now, it's only basis is on an extremely hypothetical level).

[onetwo_threefour]

I think Gene Roddenberry came from the future and made Star Trek gizmos hokey enough not to cause suspicion, but achievable enough to direct mankind's immediate technological development...

[polak]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Yeah, the very idea that it's possible is really intriguing, even if its decades or more likely centuries away. Consider what it means for extraterrestrial life. If it's possible and assuming there is earth-like life on other planets out there, then chances are, some civilization somewhere has already perfected this. Maybe extraterrestrial life doesn't consist of little pockets of civilization with no way to usefully travel beyond their own solar system; maybe there are civilizations that occupy and travel between multiple star systems or are actively exploring new ones. That's a super-intriguing idea, but one that has had no basis beyond science fiction until now (and even now, it's only basis is on an extremely hypothetical level).

There is also the possibility that maybe, just maybe, WE are one of, if not the most advanced civilizations out there. I know the age of the universe vs. our short existence doesn't lend itself well to that theory, but I mean, someone has to be the top dog and considering how unsophisticated every other species on our planet is, its obvious that truly intelligent life isn't super common.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by polak

There is also the possibility that maybe, just maybe, WE are one of, if not the most advanced civilizations out there. I know the age if the universe vs. our short existence doesn't lend itself well to that theory, but I mean, someone has to be the top dog and considering how unsophisticated every other species on our planet is, its obvious that truly intelligent life isn't super common.

I totally agree! Someone - or some species - HAS to be first.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by polak

There is also the possibility that maybe, just maybe, WE are one of, if not the most advanced civilizations out there. I know the age of the universe vs. our short existence doesn't lend itself well to that theory, but I mean, someone has to be the top dog and considering how unsophisticated every other species on our planet is, its obvious that truly intelligent life isn't super common.

I don't know about that.
You're using a sample size of 1.

Hell, I'm just as correct to say that truly intelligent life is super common becasue of all of the planets with life that we know of, 100% of them have truly intelligent life.

[TheGrimm]

Gliese 581g has 3x the mass of earth, those are going to be some muscley aliens... Not sure I'd want to be the first guy to say hello!

All kidding aside, I think an important factor with finding "life" is as much the "when" as the "if". It is quite possible we arrive at a planet too early or too late to encounter much in the way of lifeforms. The whole concept is amazing to me though..