2014 Ozone Hole Update

Source - NASA Science News for October 30, 2014

The Antarctic ozone hole reached its annual peak size on Sept. 11, according to scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The size of this year’s hole was 24.1 million square kilometers (9.3 million square miles) — an area roughly the size of North America.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/30oct_ozonehole/

Big Picture Science for Monday 27 October 2014 - Skeptic Check: Friends Like These

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Friends Like These

ENCORE: We love our family and friends, but sometimes their ideas about how the world works seem a little wacky. We asked BiPiSci listeners to share examples of what they can’t believe their loved-ones believe, no matter how much they hear rational explanations to the contrary. Then we asked some scientists about those beliefs, to get their take.

Discover whether newspaper ink causes cancer … if King Tut really did add a curse to his sarcophagus … the efficacy of examining your irises – iridology – to diagnose disease … and more!

Oh, and what about string theory? Is it falsifiable?

Guests:

• Steven Novella – Physician at Yale University, host of the podcast, “Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe”
• Matthew Hutson – Author of The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane
• Brian Greene – Physicist, Columbia University, author of The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos and The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
• Guy Harrison – Author of 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True and, most recently, 50 Simple Questions for Every Christian

This encore podcast was first released on March 25, 2013

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

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.

Rapid-fire X-flares from Giant Sunspot 2192

Space Weather News for Oct. 25, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

Solar activity continues to be at high levels this weekend as giant sunspot AR2192 crackles with strong flares, including two X-class explosions in less than 24 hours. The flares are causing intermittent HF radio blackouts around the dayside of Earth.  However, no major CMEs are yet heading in our direction. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

DID YOU MISS THE FLARES? Next time get a phone call. Real-time solar activity alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Solar eclipse on Thursday, Oct. 23rd

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 22, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

Solar activity is surging on the eve of Thursday's solar eclipse. Giant sunspot AR2192 is crackling with M- and X-class solar flares as the Moon approaches the sun for a partial eclipse that will be visible across almost all of North America on Oct. 23rd.  The eclipse will be particularly beautiful in the Central Time Zone where maximum coverage occurs at sunset. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS:  Giant sunspot AR2192 is poised to erupt again. Would you like to know when flares are in progress? Realtime alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

You are subscribed to the Space Weather mailing list, a free service of Spaceweather.com.

Big Picture Science for Monday 20 October 2014 - Tale of the Distribution

Big Picture Science - Tale of the Distribution

We all have at least some musical talent. But very few of us can play the piano like Vladimir Horowitz. His talent was rarefied, and at the tail end of the bell curve of musical ability – that tiny sliver of the distribution where you find the true outliers. Outliers also exist with natural events: hurricane Katrina, for example, or the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. Such events are rare, but they often have outsized effects.

In this hour we imagine the unimaginable – including the unexpected events labeled “black swans” – and how we weigh the risk for any of them. Also, how a supervolcano explosion at Yellowstone National Park could obliterate the western U.S. but shouldn’t stop you from putting the park on your vacation itinerary.

Guests:

• Donald Prothero – Paleontologist, geologist, author of many books, among them, Catastrophes!: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, and Other Earth-Shattering Disasters
• Dawn Balmer – Ornithologist at the British Trust for Ornithology
• Jake Lowenstern – Geologist, USGS, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
• Hank Heasler – Yellowstone National Park geologist
• Andrew Maynard – Director of the Risk Science Center at the University of Michigan

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

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.

Big Sunspot Produces X-Flare

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 19, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

X-FLARE: Solar activity increased sharply on Oct. 19th when huge sunspot AR2192 unleashed an X1-class solar flare.  The blast produced an HF radio blackout on the dayside of Earth and it likely hurled a CME into space.

Check http://spaceweather.com for pictures of the flare and more information about possible Earth-effects.

Orionid Meteor Shower

Source - NASA Science News for October 17, 2014

Earth is entering a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, parent of the annual Orionid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Tuesday, Oct. 21st.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/17oct_orionids/

Sunset Solar Eclipse

Source - NASA Science News for October 17, 2014

On October 23rd, the Moon will pass in front of the sun, off-center, producing a partial solar eclipse visible in most of the United States.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/17oct_sunseteclipse/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rcf_QNaXK0&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

A Big Sunspot Emerges

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 17, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

A large and active sunspot is emerging over the sun's southeastern limb. Only two to three days ago, this active region unleashed multiple flares and hurled a massive CME over the edge of the sun.  If these eruptions continue apace, solar activity could sharply increase in the days ahead as the sunspot turns to face Earth. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and updates.

Comet Siding Spring is about to buzz Mars

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 16, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

MARS COMET: This weekend, Comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) will make a historically close approach to Mars.  Satellites and rovers will get an eye-full as the green comet passes less than 140,000 km above the Red Planet's surface. No one knows what will happen. Possible side-effects of the flyby include a Martian meteor shower and auroras.  

More information and amateur images of the comet approaching Mars may be found on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com .

The Cloudy Future of Arctic Sea Ice

Source - NASA Science News for October 15, 2014

As climate change continues to hammer Arctic sea ice, pushing back its summertime boundaries to record-high latitudes, NASA is flying an innovative airborne mission to find out how these developments will affect worldwide weather.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/15oct_seaice2/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cubJXXma-Z4&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

Evidence for Young Lunar Volcanism

Source - NASA Science News for October 13, 2014

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has found strong evidence of geologically young volcanic activity on the moon. Some deposits appear to be less than 100 million years old, corresponding to Earth's Cretaceous period, the heyday of dinosaurs.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/13oct_moonvolcano/

Big Picture Science for Monday 13 October 2014 - Who's Controlling Whom?

Big Picture Science - Who's Controlling Whom?

A single ant isn’t very brainy. But a group of ants can do remarkable things. Biological swarm behavior is one model for the next generation of tiny robots. Of course, biology can get hijacked: a fungus can seize control of an ant’s brain, for example. So will humans always remain the boss of super-smart, swarming machines?

We discuss the biology of zombie ants and how to build robots that self-assemble and work together. Also, how to guarantee the moral behavior of future ‘bots.

And, do you crave cupcakes? Research suggests that gut bacteria control what we eat and how we feel.

Guests:

• David Hughes – Biologist, entomologist, Penn State University
• Mike Rubenstein – Roboticist, Self-Organizing Systems Research Group, Harvard University
• Wendell Wallach – Bioethicist, chair, Technology and Ethics Study Group, Yale University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics
• Athena Aktipis – Cooperation theorist, Arizona State University and director of Human and Social Evolution, Center for Evolution and Cancer, University of California, San Francisco

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

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.

First Light for MAVEN

Source - NASA Science News for October 10, 2014

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has reached Mars and it is beaming back "First Light" images of the Red Planet's upper atmosphere. The data could help researchers understand what transformed Mars from a hospitable planet billions of years ago into a desiccated wasteland today.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/10oct_firstlight/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ez2G5Efus&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

NASA Science Fleet Prepares for Mars Comet

Source - NASA Science News for October 9, 2014

NASA spacecraft and rovers are gearing up to observe a once-in-a-lifetime comet flyby of Mars on Sunday, Oct. 19.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/09oct_cometprep/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R4yj7DtQbM



License: Standard YouTube License

U.S. Methane 'Hot Spot' Bigger than Expected

Source - NASA Science News for October 9, 2014

According to a new study of satellite data, the largest concentration of methane over the USA is located in a single 'hot spot' near the Four Corners intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. As revealed from Earth orbit, the concentration of this greenhouse gas more than triples standard ground-based estimates.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/09oct_methanehotspot/

Total Lunar Eclipse!

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

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON:  The Moon is about to pass through the shadow of Earth, producing a colorful lunar eclipse.  Sky watchers in the Americas, Australia, Pacific islands and parts of Asia can expect to see the full Moon turn beautiful shades of red and turquoise for nearly an hour on Wednesday morning, Oct. 8th. 

Check http://spaceweather.com for viewing times and observing tips.

LIVE WEBCAST:  Got clouds? No problem. The eclipse will be broadcast live on the web by the Coca-Cola Science Center: http://www.ccssc.org/webcast.html

Study Finds Earth's Ocean Abyss Has Not Warmed

Source - NASA Science News for October 6, 2014

The cold waters of Earth's deep ocean have not warmed measurably since 2005, according to a new NASA study, leaving unsolved the mystery of why global warming appears to have slowed in recent years.

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

Big Picture Science for Monday 06 October 2014 - What's the Difference?

Big Picture Science - What's the Difference?

We make split second decisions about others – someone is male or female, black or white, us or them. But sometimes the degrees of separation are incredibly few. A mere handful of genes determine skin color, for example.

Find out why race is almost non-existent from a biological perspective, and how the snippet of DNA that is the Y chromosome came to separate male from female.

Plus, why we’re wired to categorize. And, a groundbreaking court case proposes to erase the dividing line between species: lawyers argue to grant personhood status to our chimpanzee cousins.

Guests:

• David Page – Biologist and geneticist, at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Stephen Stearns – Evolutionary biologist, Yale University
• John Dovidio – Social psychologist at Yale University
• Steven M. Wise – Lawyer, Nonhuman Rights Project

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

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.

Stratospheric Radiation Rebounds Following CME Strike

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 3, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

STRATOSPHERIC RADIATION: Stratospheric radiation levels are returning to normal, according to a Space Weather Buoy launched on Sept. 28th by students in California.  This follows a mid-September drop in ionizing radiation caused, ironically, by a strong solar storm and CME strike. 

Data and a discussion of the phenomenon may be found on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.