Big Picture Science for Monday 01 December 2014 - Long Live Longevity

Big Picture Science - Long Live Longevity

ENCORE: Here’s to a long life – which, on average, is longer today than it was a century ago. How much farther can we extend that ultimate finish line? Scientists are in hot pursuit of the secret to longer life.

The latest in aging studies and why there’s a silver lining for the silver-haired set: older people are happier. Also, what longevity means if you’re a tree. Plus, why civilizations need to stick around if we’re to make contact with E.T.

And, how our perception of time shifts as we age, and other tricks that clocks play on the mind.

Guests:

• Ted Anton – Professor of English, DePaul University, Chicago, author of The Longevity Seekers: Science, Business, and the Fountain of Youth
• Laura Carstensen – Psychologist, Stanford University, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity
• Peter Crane – Botanist, dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental studies, Yale University, and author of Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot
• Frank Drake – Astronomer, SETI Institute
• Claudia Hammond – BBC broadcaster and author of Time Warped: Unlocking the Mysteries of Time Perception

This encore podcast was first released on July 29, 2014

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

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

Electric Blue Clouds over Antarctica

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 29, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

NASA's AIM spacecraft has spotted electric-blue clouds forming over Antarctica.  These are noctilucent clouds (NLCs) and their apparition marks the beginning of the 2014-2015 season for southern NLCs.  By the second week of December, Antarctica could be blanketed in electric blue.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

Young Volcanoes on the Moon

NASA Science News for Nov. 24, 2014

The Moon might not be as dead as it looks. Researchers using NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have found signs of geologically-recent volcanic eruptions dotting the lunar landscape.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/24nov_imps/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53TGz30Z1sM&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

Big Picture Science for Monday 24 November 2014 - This Land Is Island

Big Picture Science - This Land Is Island

ENCORE: There are many kinds of islands. There’s your iconic sandy speck of land topped with a palm tree, but there’s also our home planet – an island in the vast seas of space. You might think of yourself as a biological island … until you tally the number of microbes living outside – and inside – your body.

We go island hopping, and consider the Scottish definition of an island – one man, one sheep – as well as the swelling threat of high water to island nations. Also, how species populate islands … and tricks for communicating with extraterrestrial islanders hanging out elsewhere in the cosmos.

Guests:

• Edward Chamberlin – Professor emeritus of English and comparative literature at the University of Toronto; fellow of the Royal Society of Canada; author of Island: How Islands Transform the World
• Bill McKibben – Writer, activist and professor of environmental studies, Middlebury College, founder of 350.org
• Justin Sonnenburg – Microbiologist, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University
• Guy Consolmagno – Astronomer, Vatican Observatory
• Margaret Race – Ecologist, SETI Institute

This encore podcast was first released on January 9, 2012

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

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

Distro Astro - Linux for Astronomers

Softpedia recently published an article regarding Distro Astro which is a Linux distribution designed for those with an interest in astronomy.

Here is the URL for the article - http://news.softpedia.com/news/Distro-Astro-3-0-Is-an-OS-Designed-For-People-Fascinated-by-Astronomy-Screenshot-Tour-465174.shtml

Softpedia download site - http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/Operating-Systems/Linux-Distributions/Distro-Astro-102498.shtml

And here is the URL for the Distro Astro site - http://www.distroastro.org/

I haven't tried Distro Astro Linux yet, and it will be some time before I get a chance. If you happen to be using it or eventually start using it, then feel free to share you experiences in the comments section.

Cheers ~ Jim Cox

Resurgent old sunspot crackles with flares

Space Weather News for Nov. 16, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

Back for a second trip across the face of the Sun, old sunspot AR2192 is growing again and crackling with M-class solar flares.  The active region has an unstable magnetic field that harbors energy for even stronger X-flares. Future eruptions could affect Earth as the sunspot turns toward our planet in the days ahead. 

Check http://spaceweather.com for updates.

Big Picture Science for Monday 17 November 2014 - Surfeit of the Vitalest

Big Picture Science - Surfeit of the Vitalest

In the century and a half since Charles Darwin wrote his seminal On the Origin of the Species, our understanding of evolution has changed quite a bit. For one, we have not only identified the inheritance molecule DNA, but have determined its sequence in many animals and planets.

Evolution has evolved, and we take a look at some of the recent developments.

A biologist describes the escalating horn-to-horn and tusk-to-tusk arms race between animals, and a paleoanthropologist explains why the lineage from chimp to human is no longer thought to be a straight line but, instead, a bush. Also, New York Times science writer Carl Zimmer on the diversity of bacteria living on you, and which evolutionary concepts he finds the trickiest to explain to the public.

Guests:

• Douglas Emlen – Biologist, University of Montana and author of Animal Weapons: The Evolution of Battle
• Bernard Wood – Paleoanthropologist, George Washington University
• Carl Zimmer – Columnist for the New York Times

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

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

Rosetta, Philae, and xkcd

The Rosetta Mission's Philae probe has landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Up to date information can be found at: http://rosetta.esa.int/


xkcd: Landing

Check the following URL for updates to this xkcd strip: http://xkcd.com/1446/

Shared under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

Credit: Randall Munroe

Big Picture Science for Monday 10 November 2014 - Skeptic Check: Are You Sure You're Sure?

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Are You Sure You're Sure?

Nuclear fission powers the Sun. Or is it fusion? At any rate, helium is burned in the process, of that you are certain. After all, you read that article on astronomy last week*.

You know what you know. But you probably don’t know what you don’t know. Few of us do. Scientists say we’re spectacularly incompetent at recognizing our own incompetency, and that sometimes leads to trouble.

Find out why wrongness is the by-product of big brains and why even scientists – gasp! – are not immune. Plus, a peek into the trash bin of history: the biggest scientific blunders and the brighter-than-bright brains that made them. Including Einstein.

*Oh, and the Sun burns hydrogen to produce helium. But then, you knew that.

Guests:

• David Dunning – Psychologist, Cornell University. His cover story, “We Are All Confidence Idiots,” appeared in the November/December issue of The Pacific Standard.
• Robert Burton – Neurologist, author, On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not and A Skeptic’s Guide to the Mind: What Neuroscience Can and Cannot Tell Us About Ourselves
• Brendan Nyhan – Political scientist, Dartmouth College
• Mario Livio – Astrophysicist, Space Telescope Science Institute, author, Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein – Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists That Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe

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

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

X-flare and Martian Meteor Shower

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 7, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

MARTIAN METEOR SHOWER: NASA and European spacecraft have detected evidence of a "spectacular" meteor shower on Mars caused by the close approach of Comet Siding Spring last month.  If a human had been standing on the Red Planet at the time, they might have seen thousands of meteors per hour followed by a widespread yellow afterglow that lasted for days.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

X-FLARE!  Active sunspot AR2205 produced a potent X1-class solar flare on Nov. 7th, causing a strong HF radio blackout on the dayside of our planet. More X-flares are in the offing as the sunspot turns toward Earth this weekend.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates.

NASA Rocket Redefines What Astronomers Think of as Galaxies

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 6, 2014

Findings from a NASA rocket are redefining what scientists think of as galaxies. Galaxies may not have a set boundary of stars, but instead stretch out to great distances, forming a vast, interconnected sea of stars.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/06nov_ciber/

Actve Sunspot AR2205

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 4, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

Crackling with M-class solar flares, an active sunspot is emerging over the sun's northeastern limb.  The new region, numbered AR2205, has produced multiple CMEs in the past 48 hours.  So far Earth is outside the line of fire, and the solar storm clouds are sailing wide of our planet. This could change, however, as the sunspot turns toward Earth in the days ahead. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

How to Land on a Comet

Source NASA Science News for Nov. 3, 2014

The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft is about to attempt something "ridiculously difficult" - landing a probe on the surface of a speeding comet.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/03nov_rosettalanding/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5iyZTXiX78&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

Big Picture Science for Monday 03 November 2014 - Sounds Abound

Big Picture Science - Sounds Abound

ENCORE: The world is a noisy place. But now we have a better idea what the fuss is about. Not only can we record sound, but our computers allow us to analyze it.

Bird sonograms reveal that our feathery friends give each other nicknames and share details about their emotional state. Meanwhile, hydrophones capture the sounds of dying icebergs, and let scientists separate natural sound from man-made in the briny deep.

Plus, native Ohio speakers help decipher what Neil Armstrong really said on that famous day. And, think your collection of 45 rpm records is impressive? Try feasting your ears on sound recorded before the Civil War.

Guests:

• Bob Dziak – Oceanographer, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Program Manager, Acoustics Program, NOAA
• Michael Porter – Senior scientist of H.L.S. Research, La Jolla, California
• Patrick Feaster – Sound media historian at Indiana University
• Laura Dilley – Assistant professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University
• Jenny Papka – Co-director of Native Bird Connections
• Michael Webster – Professor of neurobiology and behavior, director of the Macaulay Library, Cornell University

This encore podcast was first released on August 5, 2103.

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

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