Scientists predict life on many more planets

Earth may not be the only inhabitable planet in the universe, new research has indicated.

Scientists at Aberdeen University believe they can show more planets are capable of supporting life. Photo: NASA

7:39AM BST 11 Sep 2012

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Scientists have designed new models for testing whether a planet could support life by searching for evidence of underground water, it was reported.

Instead of looking for surface water, the new tools identify whether there may be water kept liquid by core heat, according to the BBC.

The development could mean more planets are found to be capable of sustaining life forms.

The research, which was presented at the British Science Festival in Aberdeen, challenges the "Goldilocks" theory that planets need to be within a defined distance from the sun to support life before water either freezes or evaporates.

Sean McMahon, a PhD student from Aberdeen University, said: "It's the idea of a range of distances from a star within which the surface of an Earthlike planet is not too hot or too cold for water to be liquid.

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"So traditionally people have said that if a planet is in this Goldilocks zone – not too hot and not too cold – then it can have liquid water on its surface and be a habitable planet."

The new research could be an important breakthrough in establishing signs of life where planets generate their own heat rather than receiving heat from a star like the sun.

Prof John Parnell, lead researcher from Aberdeen University, said: "There is a significant habitat for microorganisms below the surface of the Earth, extending down several kilometres.

"And some workers believe that the bulk of life on Earth could even reside in this deep biosphere."

Mr McMahon added: "If you take into account the possibility of deep biospheres, then you have a problem reconciling that with the idea of a narrow habitable zone defined only by conditions at the surface.

"There will be several times more [habitable] planets."

Scientists predict life on many more planets

Earth may not be the only inhabitable planet in the universe, new research has indicated.

Scientists at Aberdeen University believe they can show more planets are capable of supporting life. Photo: NASA

7:39AM BST 11 Sep 2012

86 Comments

Scientists have designed new models for testing whether a planet could support life by searching for evidence of underground water, it was reported.

Instead of looking for surface water, the new tools identify whether there may be water kept liquid by core heat, according to the BBC.

The development could mean more planets are found to be capable of sustaining life forms.

The research, which was presented at the British Science Festival in Aberdeen, challenges the "Goldilocks" theory that planets need to be within a defined distance from the sun to support life before water either freezes or evaporates.

Sean McMahon, a PhD student from Aberdeen University, said: "It's the idea of a range of distances from a star within which the surface of an Earthlike planet is not too hot or too cold for water to be liquid.

RELATED ARTICLES

• 20 miles above Earth on a shoestring 
  10 Sep 2012
• Curiosity rover takes self-portrait from Mars 
  09 Sep 2012
• Mankind to voyage across final frontier 
  09 Sep 2012

"So traditionally people have said that if a planet is in this Goldilocks zone – not too hot and not too cold – then it can have liquid water on its surface and be a habitable planet."

The new research could be an important breakthrough in establishing signs of life where planets generate their own heat rather than receiving heat from a star like the sun.

Prof John Parnell, lead researcher from Aberdeen University, said: "There is a significant habitat for microorganisms below the surface of the Earth, extending down several kilometres.

"And some workers believe that the bulk of life on Earth could even reside in this deep biosphere."

Mr McMahon added: "If you take into account the possibility of deep biospheres, then you have a problem reconciling that with the idea of a narrow habitable zone defined only by conditions at the surface.

"There will be several times more [habitable] planets."

Farmer creates heart-shaped meadow in memory of wife

A devoted farmer created this touching heart-shaped meadow as a tribute to his late wife - by planting thousands of oak trees.

Dedicated Winston Howes, 70, spent a week planting each oak sapling after his wife of 33 years Janet died suddenly 17 years ago.

He laid out the fledgling trees in a six-acre field but left a perfect heart shape in the middle - with the point facing in the direction of her childhood home.

The labour of love has now blossomed into a mature meadow - a peaceful oasis where Winston can sit and remember his wife of 33 years.

His meadow cannot be seen from the road and has remained a family secret until a hot air balloonist took this photograph from the air.

Mr Howes said: "I came up with the idea of creating a heart in the clearing of the field after Janet died.

"I thought it was a great idea - it was a flash of inspiration - and I planted several thousand oak trees.

"Once it was completed we put seat in the field, overlooking the hill near where she used to live. I sometimes go down there, just to sit and think about things. It is a lovely and lasting tribute to her which will be here for years."

Mr Howes, who owns an 112-acre farm near Wickwar, South Gloucestershire, decided to seed housewife Janet's legacy after she died from heart failure in 1995, aged 50.

The pair got married in nearby Stroud in 1962.

He created with the wood using small oak trees next to his farmhouse in the months after her death - marking out an acre-long heart with a large bushy hedge.

The entrance to the secret heart is only accessible from a track leading up to its tip.

Mr Howes said: "We got people in especially to do it - there are several thousand trees.

"We planted large oak trees around the edge of the heart then decided to put a hedge around it too.

"The heart points towards Wotton Hill, where Janet is from.

"We plant daffodils in the middle that come up in the spring - it looks great. I go out there from time to time and sit in the seat I created.

"I also flew over it myself about five years ago."

Mr Howes's memorial was shown in all its glory after keen hot air balloonist Andy Collett, 42, from Wotton-Under-Edge, Glos., soared over the wood last week.

The transport businessman could not believe his eyes when he discovered the symbol of love hidden among the trees.

He said: "I have my own balloon and am quite a regular flyer - but this was the most amazing sight I have ever seen from the sky.

"It was a perfect heart hidden away from view - you would not know it was there.

"You can just imagine the love story."

GEMPA BUMI

Gempa bumi di Malaysia

Daripada Wikipedia, ensiklopedia bebas.

Gempa bumi di Malaysia belum sampai memusnahkan mana-mana tempat di Malaysia. Ahli geologi mendapati Malaysia diluar 'Lingkaran api Pasifik' .Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia (JMM) mempunyai 17 stesen pengesan gempa bumi di seluruh Malaysia.

Sejak 2007, Malaysia mengalami 40 gempa bumi lemah. 37 berlaku di Bentong, Pahang. 3 di Manjung (Perak) dan Jerantut (Pahang). Dari November 2007 - 2009 berlaku 29 gegaran gempa bumi di Bentong. Kadarnya antara 1.1 hingga 2.8 skala Richter.

[sunting]Senarai gegaran di Malaysia

1. 10 Mac 2010, gegaran di sekitar Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu pada 2.6 pada skala Richter jam 11.10 malam. Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia menyatakan titik pusatnya di 43 kilometer barat daya Kuala Terengganu dan 22 kilometer barat Kuala Berang, Terengganu.^]Pengarah Bahagian Geofizik dan Tsunami Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia Dr Rosaidi Che Abas menyatakan gempa lemah sebegini pernah berlaku pada 1980-an akibat pelepasan gas tektonik.Ia berlaku sewaktu proses pengisian air Empangan Kenyir. 
2. 26 Februari 2010, berlaku gempa bumi lemah 3.1 skala richter di Lahad Datu, Sabah. Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia menyatakan titii gempa pada latitud 5.3 Utara dan longitud 118.2 Timur.
3. 5 Disember 2009 jam 9.41 pagi , gegaran gempa 2.2 skala Richter terjadi Janda Baik, Pahang
4. 9 Oktober 2009, gempa bumi lemah di Bukit Tinggi, Pahang jam 4.45 pagi - 12.05 tengah hari.

Smoke

Smoke is a collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases^[1] emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrainedor otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires (includingstoves, candles, oil lamps, and fireplaces), but may also be used for pest control (cf.fumigation), communication (smoke signals), defensive and offensive capabilities in the military (smoke-screen), cooking (smoked salmon), or smoking (tobacco, cannabis, etc.). Smoke is used in rituals, when incense, sage, or resin is burned to produce a smell for spiritual purposes. Smoke is sometimes used as a flavoring agent, and preservative for various foodstuffs. Smoke is also a component of internal combustion engine exhaust gas, particularly diesel exhaust.

Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in victims of indoor fires. The smoke kills by a combination of thermal damage, poisoning and pulmonary irritation caused by carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and other combustion products.

Smoke particles are an aerosol (or mist) of solid particles and liquid droplets that are close to the ideal range of sizes for Mie scatteringof visible light. This effect has been likened to three-dimensional textured privacy glass^{[citation needed]} — a smoke cloud does not obstruct an image, but thoroughly scrambles it.

ELECTRICITY

Electricity is the science, engineering, technology and physical phenomena associated with the presence and flow of electric charges. Electricity gives a wide variety of well-knownelectrical effects, such as lightning, static electricity, electromagnetic induction and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire. In addition, electricity permits the creation and reception of electromagnetic radiation such as radio waves.

In electricity, charges produce electromagnetic fields which act on other charges. Electricity occurs due to several types of physics:

• electric charge: a property of some subatomic particles, which determines theirelectromagnetic interactions. Electrically charged matter is influenced by, and produces, electromagnetic fields.
• electric current: a movement or flow of electrically charged particles, typically measured in amperes.
• electric field (see electrostatics): an especially simple type of electromagnetic field produced by an electric charge even when it is not moving (i.e., there is no electric current). The electric field produces a force on other charges in its vicinity. Moving charges additionally produce a magnetic field.
• electric potential: the capacity of an electric field to do work on an electric charge, typically measured in volts.
• electromagnets: electrical currents generate magnetic fields, and changing magnetic fields generate electrical currents

In electrical engineering, electricity is used for:

• electric power (which can refer imprecisely to a quantity of electrical potential energyor else more correctly to electrical energy per time) that is provided commercially, by the electrical power industry. In a loose but common use of the term, "electricity" may be used to mean "wired for electricity" which means a working connection to an electricpower station. Such a connection grants the user of "electricity" access to the electric field present in electrical wiring, and thus to electric power.
• electronics which deals with electrical circuits that involve active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies.

Electrical phenomena have been studied since antiquity, though advances in the science were not made until the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Practical applications for electricity however remained few, and it would not be until the late nineteenth century that engineers were able to put it to industrial and residential use. The rapid expansion in electrical technology at this time transformed industry and society. Electricity's extraordinary versatility as a means of providing energy means it can be put to an almost limitless set of applications which include transport, heating, lighting, communications, and computation. Electrical power is the backbone of modern industrial society, and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future.^[1]

The word electricity is from the New Latin ēlectricus, "amber-like"^[a], coined in the year 1600 from the Greek ήλεκτρον (electron) meaning amber, because electrical effects were produced classically by rubbing amber.

BICYCLE

A bicycle, often called a bike^[1] (and sometimes referred to as a "pushbike",^[2] "pedal bike",^[3] "pedal cycle",^[4] or "cycle"^[5]), is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other.^[6] A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.

Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century and now number more than a billion worldwide, twice as many as automobiles.^[7] They are the principal means of transportation in many regions. They also provide a popular form of recreation, and have been adapted for such uses as children's toys, adult fitness, military and police applications, courier services and bicycle racing.

The basic shape and configuration of a typical upright bicycle has changed little since the first chain-driven model was developed around 1885.^[8] However, many details have been improved, especially since the advent of modern materials and computer-aided design. These have allowed for a proliferation of specialized designs for diverse types of cycling.

The invention of the bicycle has had an enormous effect on society, both in terms of culture and of advancing modern industrial methods. Several components that eventually played a key role in the development of the automobile were invented for the bicycle, including ball bearings, pneumatic tires, chain-driven sprockets, and tension-spoked wheels.

gold

GOLD

Gold ( /ˈɡoʊld/) is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. It is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79.

Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a transition metal and agroup 11 element. It is one of the least reactive chemical elements solid under standard conditions. The metal therefore occurs often in free elemental (native) form, as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Less commonly, it occurs in minerals as gold compounds, usually with tellurium.

Gold resists attacks by individual acids, but it can be dissolved by the aqua regia (nitro-hydrochloric acid), so named because it dissolves gold. Gold also dissolves in alkaline solutions of cyanide, which have been used in mining. Gold dissolves in mercury, formingamalgam alloys. Gold is insoluble in nitric acid, which dissolves silver and base metals, a property that has long been used to confirm the presence of gold in items, giving rise to the term the acid test.

Gold has been a valuable and highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since long before the beginning of recorded history. Gold standards have been the most common basis for monetary policies throughout human history^{[citation needed]}, being widely supplanted by fiat currency starting in the 1930s. The last gold certificateand gold coin currencies were issued in the U.S. in 1932. In Europe, most countries left the gold standard with the start of World War I in 1914 and, with huge war debts, failed to return to gold as a medium of exchange.

A total of 165,000 tonnes of gold have been mined in human history, as of 2009.^[2] This is roughly equivalent to 5.3 billion troy ounces or, in terms of volume, about 8500 m³, or acube 20.4 m on a side. The world consumption of new gold produced is about 50% in jewelry, 40% in investments, and 10% in industry.^[3]

Besides its widespread monetary and symbolic functions, gold has many practical uses in dentistry, electronics, and other fields. Its high malleability, ductility, resistance to corrosion and most other chemical reactions, and conductivity of electricity led to many uses of gold, including electric wiring, colored-glass production and even gold leaf eating.

It has been claimed that most of the Earth's gold lies at its core, the metal's high density having made it sink there in the planet's youth. Virtually all of the gold that mankind has discovered is considered to have been deposited later by meteorites which contained the element. This supposedly explains why, in prehistory, gold appeared nuggets on the earth's surface^[

DURIAN

DURIAN 

The durian ( /ˈdjʊriən/)^[2] is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durioand the Malvaceae family^[1][3] (although some taxonomists place Durio in a distinct family, Durionaceae^[1]).

Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.

The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and revolting. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as tert-Butylthiol, almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks. The odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia.

The durian, native to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, has been known to the Western world for about 600 years. The 19th-century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace famously described its flesh as "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds". The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.

There are 30 recognised Durio species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. Durio zibethinus is the only species available in the international market: other species are sold in their local regions. There are hundreds of durian cultivars; many consumers express preferences for specific cultivars, which fetch higher prices in the market.