Are We Alone for 06/28/10 - Home Brew Science

Are We Alone - Home Brew Science

The recipe for being a scientist was easy in the old days… just be born into a rich family, have an interest in nature and plenty of time to indulge yourself. But are the days of gentlemen scientists over? Maybe not.

We go to the Maker Faire and check out how small-scale projects have big-scale ambitions.

Also, how everyday experience often tells us something profound about the universe.

Guests:

• Spencer Weart - Former director of the Center for the History of Physics, at the American Institute of Physics
• Tim Russ - Actor, and the character Tuvok on Star Trek Voyager
• Marcus Chown - Science writer and author of The Matchbox That Ate a Forty-Ton Truck: What Everyday Things Tell Us About the Universe

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org:80/episodes/Home_Brew_Science

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

And be sure to check out the Are We Alone iPhone/iPad app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/are-we-alone-make-contact/id374968004?mt=8

Students Record Spellbinding Video of Disintegrating Spacecraft

Source - NASA Science News for June 25, 2010

On June 13th, while flying on an airplane at 41,000 feet, high school students from Massachusetts witnessed and recorded the dramatic breakup of Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft over Australia. Their newly-processed video is a must-see.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/25jun_hayabusa/

Remarkable Space Station Sky Show

Source - Space Weather News for June 25, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

SPACE STATION IN CONSTANT SUNLIGHT: For the next few days, the International Space Station (ISS) will be orbiting Earth in constant sunlight. This sets the stage for a remarkable sky show. Because the ISS is constantly illuminated, it shines brightly in the night sky every single time it passes overhead. Some observers can see the space station 3, 4, even 5 times a night. More information and flybys predictions may be found at http://spaceweather.com

ANDROID FLYBYS: Spaceweather's "Simple Flybys" app is now available for Android phones as well as the iPhone and iPad. Details at http://simpleflybys.com

WEEKEND LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Saturday, June 26th, the Moon will pass through Earth's shadow, producing a 54% partial lunar eclipse. The event is visible from most of the Americas, Australia, Japan, east Asia and all of the Pacific Ocean. For readers in the USA, the best time to look is just before sunrise on Saturday morning. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like to turn your phone into a space weather monitoring system? Sign up for Space Weather PHONE: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Big Lunar Eclipse

Source - NASA Science News for June 24, 2010

This Saturday morning, June 26th, there's going to be a lunar eclipse—and for many residents of the USA, it's going to be a big one. The eclipse will occur as the Moon is setting, prompting the "Moon Illusion" to magnify the event to truly beautiful proportions.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/24jun_lunareclipse/

Are We Alone for 06/21/10 - Swarm in Here... Or Is It Me?

Are We Alone - Swarm in Here... Or Is It Me?

An ant … can’t … move a rubber tree plant… but the colony can. As a group, ants are an efficient, organized, can-do bunch. And a model for humans trying to manage complex systems.

Find out about the eerie collective intelligence of animals, and how an MIT researcher is hoping to put humans to work collaboratively to solve problems like climate change.

Also … hear how research into flocking behavior helps Hollywood film a herd of stampeding dinosaurs.

Guests:

• Steve Strogatz - Applied mathematician at Cornell University and author of Sync: How Order Emerges From Chaos In the Universe, Nature, and Daily Life
• Craig Reynolds - Senior researcher for Sony Computer Entertainment
• Thomas Malone - Director of the Center for Collective Intelligence at MIT
• Iain Couzin - Biologist at Princeton University

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Swarm_in_Here_or_Is_It_Just_Me_

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

And be sure to check out the Are We Alone iPhone/iPad app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/are-we-alone-make-contact/id374968004?mt=8

Halfway to Pluto, New Horizons Wakes Up in Exotic Territory

Source - NASA Science News for June 18, 2010

Halfway to Pluto, NASA's New Horizons probe has woken up in 'exotic territory.' Mission controllers are taking the opportunity to give the spacecraft a thorough system's check in preparation for its Pluto flyby in 2015.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/18jun_newhorizons/

Hubble Photographs Jupiter Impact Site

Source - Space Weather News for June 16, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

HUBBLE SEEKS DEBRIS, FINDS NONE: Even the Hubble Space Telescope cannot find any debris where a meteoroid apparently hit Jupiter on June 3rd. Today, researchers released new HST images of the impact site, which show nothing but uninterrupted clouds. The non-detection is consistent with a relatively small asteroid or comet fragment making a shallow strike in Jupiter's high atmosphere. Links to photos and more information may be found at http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: Observers in Europe are reporting brightening displays of noctilucent clouds (NLCs). That's to be expected. Late spring and early summer often bring the strongest displays of these electric-blue clouds wafting across the top of Earth's atmosphere. Visit today's edition of http://spaceweather.com for photos, observing tips--and a possible connection between NLCs and sunspots.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like to turn your phone into a space weather monitoring system? Sign up for Space Weather PHONE: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Strange Martian Spirals Explained

Source - NASA Science News for June 16, 2010

For 40 years researchers have puzzled over a strange pattern of ice spirals and chasms around the Martian north pole. New data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter solve the mystery.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/16jun_martianspirals/

Are We Alone for 06/14/10 - Written in Code

Are We Alone - Written in Code

Genes – what are they good for? Absolutely… something. But not everything. Your “genius” genes need to be turned on – and your environment determines that. Find out how to unleash your inner-Einstein, and what scientists learned from studying the famous physicist’s brain.

Also, the bizarre notion that your children inherit not just your genes, but also the consequences of your habits – smoking, stress, diet, and other behaviors that turn the genes on.

Plus Francis Collins on affordable personal genomes, and a man who decoded his own DNA in under a week.

Guests:

• Francis Collins – Geneticist, Director of the National Institutes of Health
• David Shenk – Journalist, and author of The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong
• Stephen Quake – Biophysicist, Stanford University
• Dean Falk – Anthropologist and Senior Scholar at the School For Advanced Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Written_in_Code

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

And be sure to check out the Are We Alone iPhone/iPad app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/are-we-alone-make-contact/id374968004?mt=8

Solar Flares and Radio Bursts

Source - Space Weather News for June 12, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

ACTIVE SUNSPOT: A new sunspot has popped up and it is crackling with solar flares. Today, AR1081 has unleashed a series of M- and C-class eruptions plus at least one strong shortwave radio burst detected by amateur radio astronomers on the Pacific side of Earth. High resolution movies of the flares and an audio recording of the solar radio burst may be found at http://spaceweather.com.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like to turn your phone into a space weather monitoring system? Sign up for Space Weather PHONE: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Jupiter Impact: Mystery of the Missing Debris

Source - NASA Science News for June 11, 2010

On June 3rd, amateur astronomers were startled by a bright flash of light on Jupiter. It appeared to be an impact event--a comet or asteroid hitting the planet's cloudtops. Curiously, though, the strike left no obvious debris. Was it really an impact--or something else? Today's story from Science@NASA discusses the possibilities.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/11jun_missingdebris

New Comet in the Morning Sky

Source - Space Weather News for June 8, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

NEW COMET McNAUGHT: A fresh comet is swinging through the inner solar system, and it is brightening rapidly as it approaches Earth for a 100 million mile close encounter in mid-June.

Comet McNaught (C/2009 R1) has a vivid green head and a long wispy tail that look great through small telescopes. By the end of the month it could be visible to the naked eye perhaps as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper. Because this is the comet's first visit to the inner solar system, predictions of future brightness are necessarily uncertain; amateur astronomers should be alert for the unexpected. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps, photos and more information.

The Ultimate Astronomy Career Guide

Those of you who are interested in a career in astronomy may be interested in the resources listed at SR Education Group's The Ultimate Astronomy Career Guide

Journey to the Stars

Source - NASA Science News for June 7, 2010

It's immersive, it's explosive, and best of all it's free. On June 7th, NASA will begin sending complimentary DVDs of the smash-hit planetarium show "Journey to the Stars" to teachers and students around the country. Today's story from Science@NASA reviews the show and tells educators how to request their copies.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/07jun_journeytothestar

Are We Alone for 06/07/10 - Seth's Garage

Are We Alone - Seth's Garage

ENCORE It’s always a surprise to go digging in Seth’s garage – who knows what we’ll find! In this impressive heap of paraphernalia, tucked between boxes of old radio tubes and hydraulic jacks, we stumble upon the secrets to our galaxy’s central black hole… witness the dance of the PhD theses… uncover the genome of milk (while moo-ving boxes) and … hey? Who’s that crunching numbers in the corner? It’s astrophysicist Mario Livio addressing the mathematical mysteries of universe.

Guests:

• Andrea Ghez – Astronomer at University of California, Los Angeles
• Kathryn Denning – Professor of Anthropology at York University
• Mario Livio – Senior Astronomer at the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute and author of Is God a Mathematician?
• John Bohannon – Gonzo Scientist and Contributing Correspondent for Science
• Katrien Kolenberg – Astrophysicist, University of Vienna
• Danielle Lemay – Nutrition Scientist at the University of California, Davis

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Seth_s_Garage

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

And be sure to check out the Are We Alone iPhone/iPad app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/are-we-alone-make-contact/id374968004?mt=8

As the Sun Awakens, NASA Keeps a Wary Eye on Space Weather

Source - NASA Science News for June 4, 2010

The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and the next few years could bring much higher levels of solar activity. NASA is keeping a wary eye on the sun as officials meet in Washington DC on June 8th to discuss the potential consequences of stormy space weather.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/04jun_swef/

Jupiter Impact Event Caught on Video

Source - Space Weather News for June 3, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

SOMETHING HAS JUST HIT JUPITER: Veteran amateur astronomers Anthony Wesley of Australia and Christopher Go of the Philippines have independently observed an impact event on Jupiter. The strike occurred at 20:31 UT on June 3rd and produced a bright flash of light in the giant planet's cloudtops. Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and video.

Old Moon Rover Sends Surprising Laser Flashes to Earth

Source - NASA Science News for June 3, 2010

A Soviet robot lost on the dusty plains of the Moon for the past 40 years has been found again, and it is returning surprisingly strong laser pulses to Earth. Researchers plan to use the aged robot to help them measure the Moon's orbit and test theories of gravity.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/03jun_oldrover/

Noctilucent Clouds Sighted over Europe

Source - Space Weather News for June 3, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

Every summer since the late 19th century, Earth's polar skies have lit up with gossamer, electric-blue clouds, twisting and rippling in the twilight sky. They're called noctilucent ("night-shining") because they can be seen after dark. The origin of the clouds, which hover at the very top of Earth's atmosphere in close proximity to space itself, is uncertain. They have been linked to causes as varied as meteoroids, climate change, and the icy exhaust of the space shuttle.

News flash: The 2010 noctilucent cloud season has just begun in the northern hemisphere, with sightings over Russia, Scotland and Denmark. Although noctilucent clouds were once a phenomenon of high latitudes only, in recent years they have been sighted in the United States as far south as Colorado and Utah. Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.