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    How a Mineral found in Martian meteorites may provide clues to Ancient Abundance of Water

    March 6, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    q. The dark, narrow, 100-meter-long streaks flowing downhill within the Hale Crater on Mars in this rendering are inferred to have been formed by flowing water in this false-color image that was draped on a digital terrain model. Credit: NASA JPL, University of Arizona 2. An impact crater on Mars, named Melas Dorsa, and its surroundings show a rich geologic history. The image was created by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express. Studies of the transformation of a synthetic version of a mineral known as whitlockite suggest that Mars had a more water-rich past than previously thought. Credit: G. Neukum/ESA,DLR, FU Berlin 3. Naturally formed crystals of the mineral whitlockite, which is rare on Earth, are visible in this sample on display at Canada’s Royal Ontario Museum. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

    1. The dark, narrow, 100-meter-long streaks flowing downhill within the Hale Crater on Mars in this rendering are inferred to have been formed by flowing water in this false-color image that was draped on a digital terrain model. Credit: NASA JPL, University of Arizona
    2. An impact crater on Mars, named Melas Dorsa, and its surroundings show a rich geologic history. The image was created by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express. Studies of the transformation of a synthetic version of a mineral known as whitlockite suggest that Mars had a more water-rich past than previously thought. Credit: G. Neukum/ESA,DLR, FU Berlin
    3. Naturally formed crystals of the mineral whitlockite, which is rare on Earth, are visible in this sample on display at Canada’s Royal Ontario Museum...

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    Probing 7 Worlds with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

    March 6, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This artist's concept shows what each of the TRAPPIST-1 planets may look like, based on available data about their sizes, masses and orbital distances. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

    This artist’s concept shows what each of the TRAPPIST-1 planets may look like, based on available data about their sizes, masses and orbital distances. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

    With the discovery of seven earth-sized planets around the TRAPPIST-1 star 40 light years away, astronomers are looking to the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope to help us find out if any of these planets could possibly support life. “If these planets have atmospheres, the James Webb Space Telescope will be the key to unlocking their secrets,” said Doug Hudgins, Exoplanet Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “In the meantime, NASA’s missions like Spitzer, Hubble, and Kepler are following up on these planets.”

    “These are the best Earth-sized planets for the James Webb Space Telescope to characteriz...

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    10 Million Lives Saved by 1962 Breakthrough, study says

    March 5, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    S. J. Olshansky, L. Hayflick. The Role of the WI-38 Cell Strain in Saving Lives and Reducing Morbidity. AIMS Public Health, 2017; 4 (2): 127 DOI: 10.3934/publichealth.2017.2.127 Credit: National Cancer Institute

    S. J. Olshansky, L. Hayflick. The Role of the WI-38 Cell Strain in Saving Lives and Reducing Morbidity. AIMS Public Health, 2017; 4 (2): 127 DOI: 10.3934/publichealth.2017.2.127 Credit: National Cancer Institute

    Nearly 200 million cases of polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, adenovirus, rabies and hepatitis A – and ~450,000 deaths from these diseases – were prevented in the U.S. alone between 1963 and 2015 by vaccination. The study is published in AIMS Public Health. In 1963, vaccination against these infections became widespread, thanks to the development of a human cell strain that allowed vaccines to be produced safely. Globally, the vaccines developed from this strain and its derivatives prevented an ~4.5 billion cases of disease and saved more than 10 million lives.

    Author S...

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    Group blazes path to efficient, Eco-friendly Deep-Ultraviolet LED

    March 5, 2017, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Biology/Biotechnology

    Members of the Jena-Xing Research Group - Debdeep Jena, Moudud Islam, Huili (Grace) Xing, Vladimir Protasenko, Kevin Lee and Shyam Bharadwaj - are pictured in front of one of the molecular beam epitaxy systems used in their latest work. Credit: Image courtesy of Cornell University

    Members of the Jena-Xing Research Group – Debdeep Jena, Moudud Islam, Huili (Grace) Xing, Vladimir Protasenko, Kevin Lee and Shyam Bharadwaj – are pictured in front of one of the molecular beam epitaxy systems used in their latest work. Credit: Image courtesy of Cornell University

    The darkest form of UV light, ie UV-C, is unique because of its reputation as a killer – of harmful organisms. With wavelengths of between 200 and 280 nanometers, this particular form of UV light penetrates the membranes of viruses, bacteria, mold and dust mites, attacking their DNA and killing them...

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