smile4433 posted a photo:
!["Sunset"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8544/28805964213_d85dd40e90_m.jpg")
Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second.
!["Over]("http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/files/2016/09/Photo-3-600x800.jpg")
!["Kailua]("http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/files/2016/09/Photo-1-600x450.jpg")
!["IMG_1803]("http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/files/2016/09/Amber-Strong-Makaiau-600x659.jpg")
Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau is the Director of Curriculum and Research at the University of Hawai‘i Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education and an Associate Specialist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education Institute for Teacher Education Secondary Program. She is a dedicated practitioner of philosophy for children Hawai‘i who achieved National Board Certification while teaching secondary social studies in the Hawaii State Department of Education for over ten years. In 2011 she won the Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Culturally Responsive Teaching. Her current projects include carrying out multicultural, social justice, and democratic approaches to pre-service social studies teacher education, using self-study research methodologies to promote international collaboration, and developing the emergent field of deliberative pedagogy.!["2016-08-31-1472673640-5572203-Large_WW1104199.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472673640-5572203-Large_WW1104199.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472673531-7845660-22519284989_fdd1327534_k.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472673531-7845660-22519284989_fdd1327534_k.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472673602-6554375-22885445716_fa553e6399_o.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472673602-6554375-22885445716_fa553e6399_o.jpg")
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
NPR's Scott Simon talks with neurophysiologist Jason Sherwin about his research into how a baseball batter processes an incoming fastball.
![]("https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=492516937"){kind=tracking}
!["apocalypse-now"]("https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/apocalypse-now.jpg?w=680")
Let's talk box office! Because it's one of my pet obsessions; I've long been curious how the rise of new entertainment tech (Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Pokémon Go) will impact movies, our oldest and most storied cultural commons. And because I was trawling through Box Office Mojo's numbers, as you do, and happened to stumble across something which makes me fear for… Read More After the device launched in early August, dozens of users reported that their waterproof smartphones caught fire or exploded. Samsung traced the problem to its battery and promises replacements.
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Finclude%2Fimages%2Ftracking%2Fnpr-rss-pixel.png%3Fstory%3D492366052&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
Fun@365 posted a photo:
!["September]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8247/28800002004_e494baa204_m.jpg")
Sunrise bokeh in the garden
RimantaSlanius posted a photo:
!["Radar]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8080/28802438793_eff271a97c_m.jpg")
This was taken in East Tilbury .
A team of Hungarian scientists has determined dogs can understand words, not just tone. NPR's Scott Simon says it may mean we should rethink our entire relationship with our furry friends.
![]("https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=492457729"){kind=tracking}
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/170566421/m%3D900/b52cc23c52c43c6e3cc74fb43352af9b")
DMontalbano posted a photo:
!["Gates]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/29388105356_933440dd0c_m.jpg")
Some images don't make the original cut. Then, months later, I'll see something in them that I had missed or discounted first time around. This one's a prime example. I was pulled back into it by one little detail I hadn't seen - the flyer on the right-hand gate.
We are not alone. We have never been alone. We are possessed. Our inner demons cannot be cast out, because they did not move in and take possession: they were here before us, and will live on after us. They are invisible, insidious and exist in overwhelming numbers. They manage us in myriad ways: deliver our minerals and vitamins, help digest our lunch, and provide in different ways all our cheese, yoghurt, beer, wine, bread, bacon and beef. Microbes can affect our mood, take charge of our immune system, protect us from disease, make us ill, kill us and then decompose us.
Related: Gut reaction: the surprising power of microbes | Ed Yong
All life is here, and death too, and sex and violence, including deviations of which you had never dreamed
Complex life has a 500m-year evolutionary history: microbial life is at least 3.5bn years old. We are their offspring
Continue reading...Miko D posted a photo:
!["Sunrise]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8601/29420600425_73798aecfb_m.jpg")
The Russian Supreme Court has upheld a conviction against a blogger who correctly noted that the Soviet Union jointly invaded Poland with the Nazi government in 1939.…
Kieran Williams Photography posted a photo:
!["A]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8428/29131987070_340555fd61_m.jpg")
ShutterJack posted a photo:
!["As]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/29384761116_99b4c2b525_m.jpg")
Gazing upon the hustle and bustle of city life on a rainy day
ShutterJack posted a photo:
!["Botanical"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8291/29339341171_970da021a4_m.jpg")
Detail of a leaf
Jupiter has a colossal hexagon at its North Pole.…
From psychedelic chequerboards to sci-fi hulks, which of these magnificent monstrosities is deserving of architecture's most ignoble accolade?
It's the one award no architect wants to win, the trophy that won't be taking pride of place on the mantelpiece. While buildings are daily showered with prizes for the best use of bricks and wood, for finely poured concrete and the most elegant windows, the accolade that haunts them all is rearing its ugly head once again.
Holding up a dark mirror to the Stirling prize, the Carbuncle Cup singles out the worst offenders of the year, the abominations that blight our skylines and bully our streets, the mean-minded developer tat that clutters cities up and down the country. From botched renovations to bloated towers, it awards the most heinous “crimes against architecture” or crimes against the public.
Related: Carbuncle Cup: Walkie Talkie wins prize for worst building of the year
Continue reading...Steve McQueen and Colm Tóibín remember Wilde, Marcus Harvey's grotesque images of British history are perfect for a Brexit summer's end and shots from the seaside all in your weekly art dispatch
Inside: Artists and Writers in Reading Prison
Oscar Wilde's incarceration in Reading jail after falling foul of the Marquess of Queensberry is remembered by artists and writers including Steve McQueen and Colm Tóibín at the prison itself.
• HM Prison Reading, until 30 October.
Expectations for groundbreaking discoveries at landmark £700m biomedical research facility are high, but does its architecture live up to the same hype?
Appearing on London's King's Cross horizon like an upturned beetle, with its row of metal chimneys protruding like little pairs of legs from the fattened silver belly of its roof, the Francis Crick Institute cuts a strange silhouette. As its dichroic-coated glass fins shimmer with rainbow iridescence in the late summer sun, it could be one of the specimens under the electron microscope buried in the bowels of this new £700m biomedical research facility.
“It looks better from 1,000 ft,” says Sir Paul Nurse, the jovial Nobel prize-winning director of the country's new flagship research centre, the largest such hub in Europe, now charged with furthering our understanding of the fundamental biology of human health. “You can't really see it properly from the ground.”
Related: Carbuncle Cup 2016: gong for UK's ugliest building up for grabs
In other hands, this building could have had the thrill of the Pompidou Centre in Paris
Related: Francis Crick portrait unveiled to honour breakthrough DNA work
Continue reading...![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.designboom.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2Ffloating-dreams-ik-joong-kang-totally-thames-london-designboom-05.jpg&width=540&mix=0b54d-art")
comprising a façade of 500 drawings, the giant geometric lantern serves as a symbol of hope for the reunification of north and south korea.
The post ik-joong kang lights up floating dreams on london's river thames appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.
Steve McQueen and Colm Tóibín remember Wilde, Marcus Harvey's grotesque images of British history are perfect for a Brexit summer's end and shots from the seaside all in your weekly art dispatch
Inside: Artists and Writers in Reading Prison
Oscar Wilde's incarceration in Reading jail after falling foul of the Marquess of Queensberry is remembered by artists and writers including Steve McQueen and Colm Tóibín at the prison itself.
• HM Prison Reading, until 30 October.
Steve McQueen and Colm Tóibín remember Wilde, Marcus Harvey's grotesque images of British history are perfect for a Brexit summer's end and shots from the seaside all in your weekly art dispatch
Inside: Artists and Writers in Reading Prison
Oscar Wilde's incarceration in Reading jail after falling foul of the Marquess of Queensberry is remembered by artists and writers including Steve McQueen and Colm Tóibín at the prison itself.
• HM Prison Reading, until 30 October.
Museum of London site showcases exhibits including melted window glass from site of blaze in bakery on Pudding Lane
The Museum of London has launched a Great Fire of London website to mark the 350th anniversary of the blaze, tracking the course of the fire that broke out in the small hours of 2 September 1666, and over four days tore the heart out of the medieval city.
Related: Lost in the Great Fire: which London buildings disappeared in the 1666 blaze?
Related: The Great Fire of London killed a lot more than a dozen people | Letters
Continue reading...![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.designboom.com%2Fwp-content%2Fdbsub%2F357913%2F2016-08-30%2Fimg_1_1472595048_4109e8acc1c48157560faad88336abe5.jpg&width=540&mix=0b54d-art")
the 25-meter high cylindrical space of light, movement and sounds leads the user through a journey of madness.
The post kollision presents rabbit hole immersive installation at aarhus festival appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.designboom.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2Fazuma-makoto-drop-time-exhibition-flowers-tokyo-designboom-01.jpg&width=540&mix=0b54d-art")
the exhibition displays the evolving conditions, qualities, and characteristics of flowers as they shift through the stages of decay.
The post azuma makoto displays the death and life of floral sculptures in tokyo appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.
Somerset House, London
The musician's otherworldly VR album-exhibition shows that technology can't quite keep up with her galactic-scale artistic ambition
Well, this is definitely the most fun you can have inside a gigantic pulsating mouth this month. Predictably, Björk Digital is a peculiar affair. It is essentially the first chance to watch or perhaps “experience” or “inhabit” would be more appropriate four of the new virtual reality videos for Vulnicura tracks that are to be released “on all major VR platforms” this winter, plus a couple of cinema rooms and some odd musical instruments and iPad apps you can tootle on. Ticketholders are led through in timed groups so that VR stations and this immersive exhibition can be experienced in sync. It's neither art exhibition nor film presentation nor tech demonstration, but a hodge-podge of all of the above.
Related: Björk: ‘I build bridges between tech and the human things we do'
Related: Björk: 'It's no coincidence that the porn industry has embraced virtual reality'
Continue reading...![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2F53dea79b81a63ebe5aabe1c6907aaeb1%2Ftumblr_ocw4qdolb01rlkdy0o1_500.gif&width=540&mix=219b9-gifs")
371
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2Ffe6da62f18c58d28172ced806d8432cb%2Ftumblr_ocu9x2tcWq1rlkdy0o1_500.gif&width=540&mix=219b9-gifs")
370
Skinny lines of ants snake through the rainforest carrying leaves and flowers above their heads—fertilizer for industrial-scale, underground fungus farms. Soon after the dinosaur extinctions 60 million years ago, the ancestors of leaf-cutter ants swapped a hunter-gatherer lifestyle for this bucolic existence on small-scale subsistence farms. A new study at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama revealed that living relatives of the earliest fungus-farming ants still have not domesticated their crop, a challenge also faced by early human farmers.
!["and]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F2016-09-02-Leaf-cutter-ants-1-533x800.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
The ant “Mycocepurus smithii” farms a non-domesticated fungal cultivar in gardens that hang from the ceilings of underground nest chambers. (David Nash/Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)
Modern leaf-cutter ants cannot live without their fungus, and the fungus cannot live without the ants—in fact, young queens carry a bit from the nests where they were born when they fly out to establish a new nest. The fungus, in turn, does not waste energy-producing spores to reproduce itself.
“For this sort of tight mutual relationship to develop, the interests of the ants and the fungi have to be completely aligned, like when business partners agree on all the terms in a contract,” said Bill Wcislo, deputy director at the STRI and co-author of the new publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “We found that the selfish interests of more primitive ancestors of leaf-cutting ants are still not in line with the selfish interests of their fungal partner, so complete domestication hasn't really happened yet.”
Just as human farmers harvest their vegetables before they go to seed, ants want their fungus to minimize the amount of energy it puts into creating inedible mushrooms full of spores. It is best for the ants if the fungus grows more of the fungal hyphae that fill up the chambers in their underground gardens and serve as food for the ants and their larvae.
In a study of Mycocepurus smithii, an ancestor of the leaf cutters that has not yet domesticated its fungal crop, at the Smithsonian research center in Gamboa, Panama, Jonathan Shik, a Marie Curie Post-Doctoral Fellow in Jacobus Boomsma's lab at the University of Copenhagen, and collaborators discovered that the ants adjust the protein and carbohydrate concentration of the mulch they provide to minimize the amount of mushrooms that their non-domesticated fungal cultivars produce. When they provide mulches rich in carbohydrates, the fungus can produce both hyphae and mushrooms, but carefully provisioned doses of protein can prevent the fungi from making mushrooms. However, this strategy of keeping their fungus in line requires that the total output of their fungus gardens remain low.
!["ant]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F123208_web-625x800.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
The ant “Mycocepurus smithii” farms a non-domesticated fungal cultivar in gardens that hang from the ceilings of underground nest chambers. (David Nash/Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)
“The parallels between ant fungus farming and human agriculture are uncanny,” Shik said. “Human agriculture evolved in the past 10,000 years.”
“It took 30 million years of natural selection until the higher attine ants fully domesticated one of their fungal symbiont lineages. We think that finally resolved this farmer-crop conflict and removed constraints on increased productivity, producing the modern leaf-cutter ants 15 million years ago,” Boomsma said. “In contrast, it took human farmers relatively little time to domesticate fruit crops and to select for seedless grapes, bananas and oranges.”
The post Some ants still trying to get crop domestication right appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.
!["green"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2FGreen-sea-turtle-630x375.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
Green sea turtle, Tortuga, Hati (Flickr photo by Philippe Guillaume)
According to a new study, eating sea turtle eggs increases the health risk of heavy metal exposure in local communities in Panama and may provide a new strategy for conservation.
Researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and McGill University collected eggs from green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) from the Pacific coast of Panama, and measured the heavy metal amounts—known to cause adverse health effects in humans—the eggs contained. The study was published in June in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health.
They found the eggs contained elevated levels of a number of heavy metals, particularly cadmium at a level that could be toxic to young children who eat 20 eggs per week or more. That consumption figure may sound high, but during egg laying season, when the turtle eggs are an easy source of protein, it is consistent with the eating habits in isolated coastal communities.
!["bags]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2FOlive-Ridley-eggs-truck-630x506.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
Bags full of olive ridley turtle eggs ready to be sold near Ostional, Costa Rica. (Flickr photo by Brandon Schabes)
Throughout the year, thousands of female sea turtles crawl onto beaches on both sides of the Isthmus of Panama (Pacific and Caribbean) and lay eggs in the sand. The eggs are easily dug up, collected, eaten or sold by locals. Because one nest can contain as many as 100 eggs, families living near laying beaches with no refrigeration can easily exceed the safe weekly consumption of a few eggs per individual per day.
“When you are in these local communities along the coast, when it's the season, the people eat them all the time,” says Hector M. Guzman, a marine biologist at the Tropical Research Institute. “You can buy a dozen right on the street everywhere in the countryside, and there are plenty in the market. Kids and pregnant women eat them, and people put them in their drinks at bars.”
!["carrying]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2FCarrying-bags-1-1-630x473.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
Locals carry bags of harvested turtle eggs in Ostional, Costa Rica as a female olive ridley rests on the beach after laying eggs. (Flickr photo by Brandon Schabes)
The most damaging effects of eating so many eggs may be cumulative, Guzman explains. “It might not be that something is going to happen in one or two weeks, or in one season,” he adds. “But if you do that every year of your life, you are bio-accumulating these metals into your tissues.”
Heavy metals tend to stay in a person's body, accumulating in fatty tissues over a lifetime. Heavy metals consumed in turtle eggs are added to the normal daily intake of these toxins from fish, seafood and other environmental sources. Sea turtle eggs may contribute a significant amount of these toxins. In the case of cadmium, average consumption rates can account for more than 30 percent of safe intake levels set by the World Health Organization, especially in young people from the age of five through young adulthood
Long-term exposure to cadmium can cause kidney and skeletal problems in humans. The researchers also found elevated levels of mercury, arsenic, manganese, iron, copper and zinc in the turtle eggs. The effects of these heavy metals on humans range from neurological damage, reproductive health problems and various forms of cancer.
The effect of these toxins on the turtles remains unknown, although it is presumed to be just as detrimental. The presence of toxins in the marine environment has grown dramatically in recent decades from mining runoff, industrial emissions and batteries and paints. Sea turtles the world over have been found to have elevated levels of heavy metals in their bodies, which could be having a negative impact on their health and reproductive rates.
!["olive]("http://insider.si.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Turtle_golfina_escobilla_oaxaca_mexico_claudio_giovenzana_2010.jpg")
An olive ridley turtle nesting on Escobilla Beach in Oaxaca, Mexico (Photo by Claudio Giovenzana/www.longwalk.it)
A more immediate threat to the turtles, however, comes from direct human activity such as hunting, entanglement in fishing gear and the raiding of sea turtle nests.
Although collecting turtle eggs is mostly prohibited throughout the tropical eastern Pacific, including Panama, poaching is rampant and contributes to the dwindling numbers of many sea turtle species. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, olive ridley turtles are listed as vulnerable and green turtles as endangered.
Conservation efforts have increased awareness of the problem, but among rural coastal communities, these campaigns have made limited progress. “Back in the '70s, when I was a student in Costa Rica, the practice of conservation campaigns was to produce coloring books to teach the kids to conserve, or to teach about beautiful turtles in danger,” Guzman says. “Now, four decades later and after a huge international effort, honestly, I don't think we have succeeded in protecting the turtles.”
He hopes this study will open a dialogue about public health that might be more effective at conserving sea turtles by reducing demand for their eggs. “We need more data of course; this is just preliminary while we continue working in the Caribbean, but it is suggesting that we should be careful about eating the eggs,” he says. “I am a scientist, not a conservationist, but to me, it says talking about public health might be an ideal approach to the conservation of sea turtles.”
The post Human health risks of eating sea turtle eggs could benefit species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F67.media.tumblr.com%2F051fdbe08dc73ab825e189e1920db9db%2Ftumblr_ocvnhiNqL91r6ivyno1_500.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
Italian 2-fogli for EL TOPO (Alejandro Jodorowsky, Mexico, 1970)
Designer: uncredited
Poster source: Heritage Auctions
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F68.media.tumblr.com%2F32c3d9eb95ce565317fa2f4f7e1a0503%2Ftumblr_ocoxu67L8v1r6ivyno1_500.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
2016 US theatrical re-release poster for DEKALOG (Krzysztof Kieslowski, Poland, 1988)
Designer: Anthony Gerace
Poster source: Janus Films
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F09%2FApple-Twitter-current-796x375.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2013%2F01%2F107793037-730x486.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2015%2F10%2Fdrone_shutterstock-1200x600.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2015%2F03%2Fshutterstock_200260748_Nintendo_Barone-Firenze_resized-730x280.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F09%2Fezgif.com-optimize-1.gif&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F09%2Fshutterstock_475490482-796x398.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F01%2Fwallst-1200x600.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F09%2Fbrave-logo-796x398.jpg&width=540&mix=3106b-technology"){kind=logo}
!["Celje,]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02175624%2FiStock_84621315_LARGE-751x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
The best brands are instantly recognisable by their icons. A little Nike swoosh, McDonald's golden arches, a blue chirping bird: we all know the companies behind the logos.
But something else sets good brands apart sound. Specifically, musical logos.
Sonic branding is all things from McDonald's' “I'm lovin' it” earworm and Intel's over enthusiastic “bing”, to Apple's self-congratulatory announcement on start-up and Sony PlayStation's ethereal waiting-room-of-the-future music on its homepage.
All these audio logos have been meticulously crafted to represent their brands just like their visual counterparts, and they work because they're designed to be remembered and form implicit associations with their companies in our minds.
There's a reason then why we all laughed when Pixar's Wall-E had fully recharged. His waking sound was instantly recognisable as the Apple startup chime (a nod perhaps to Steve Jobs, who was previously chief executive of Pixar before it was bought by Disney).The Apple logo or typeface was not on show anywhere in the film, and there were no visual cues to help us associate that sound with the Apple brand. Apple's audio logo is ingrained in us, and using it was as obvious as giving Wall-E a half-eaten, glowing apple on his chest.
An audio identity can help imprint a character on a brand. It becomes more human and takes on a personality. Slightly tweaking a classic psychological experiment can demonstrate the power of this and it's easy to play along at home. Watch the video above with different types of music (sad, uplifting, etc.) and you'll soon see how simple geometric shapes can take on personality traits. Brand icons are just simple, geometric shapes too.If you were academically-inclined, you could argue that sonic branding is an evolution of the leitmotif, a musical technique pioneered by Richard Wagner in the mid-1800s for his operas, ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen'.
A leitmotif is basically a character's sonic brand a musical theme. Variations on the main theme are used to signify different moods so you'll hear a suspense version, a hopeful version, a sad version but they will all still be recognisable as the character's theme. They're the character's sub brands, if you will. It's so ubiquitous in cinema now that Howard Shore even gave the ring in Lord of the Rings its own theme.
So a piece of music especially crafted to help us recognise a particular brand echoes a common cinematic technique used to help us recognise a particular character. But why go to all that trouble and not just use an existing piece of music?
Gap and Apple may be the most prolific in this regard and have used popular music to great effect in their TV ads for years. But can you recall specific songs they've used? Maybe a Rolling Stones track? An indie band who are quite popular now?If your ad uses a pre-existing song, it's already associated with all kinds of other situations and contexts: other ads, a film trailer, your favourite restaurant, that Spotify ‘pining-after-your-ex' playlist. The link between the song and the brand is far weaker than an original composition because you'll only ever hear that composition in one context.
There's obvious benefits to having an audio logo, too. You engage with the consumer, rather than the consumer having to engage with you first. Your brand can be reinforced from a distance as others engage with it; someone across the train carriage starting up a MacBook, or hearing an ad on TV while you're making a cup of tea.
And who doesn't skip YouTube ads after the obligatory five seconds? For brands advertising in this space, you've only got a second or two to communicate who you are before you're quickly muted or skipped. Having a sonic brand is an obvious solution so think about giving your brand a voice.
The post Sonic branding: Why logos should be heard as well as seen appeared first on Design Week.
!["RoyalMail-GreatFireOfLondon-Firstclass2"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02163955%2FRoyalMail-GreatFireOfLondon-Firstclass2-751x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
The Chase has designed a series of stamps for Royal Mail, marking 350 years since the start of the Great Fire of London.
Dividing the key events spanning the start, spread and aftermath of the fire, the six stamps reimagine it in the form of a series of graphic novel-style illustrations by artist John Higgins.
“The Great Fire of London is actually part of school curriculum this year, so Royal Mail were keen to produce a set that would appeal to a slightly younger audience,” explains creative director at The Chase, Richard Scholey.
“Graphic novels were discussed during the initial chats but then we were given the flexibility to take it from there.”
As an established comic book artist, John Higgins was seen as a good choice when deciding how to translate the intricate detail of a comic strip onto the small surface area of a stamp, according to Scholey.
“John Higgins uses strong black line work which he then fills in. When we looked at different artists, his seemed to retain that detail on a small scale,” he says.
“The way he treats lighting also works really well. The fire does create a very specific dramatic look, and he was very good at capturing that.”
Instead of dividing up the story into physical grids like a traditional graphic novel, the consultancy has opted to use physical landmarks to locate the action, such as Pudding Lane where the fire first broke out and the River Thames.
The stamps are available from royalmail.com and 8,000 Post Office branches.
!["1.GreatFireOfLondon-Sunday2nd"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02163921%2F1.GreatFireOfLondon-Sunday2nd-500x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["2.GreatFireOfLondon-Sunday2nd"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02163929%2F2.GreatFireOfLondon-Sunday2nd-500x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["3.GreatFireofLondon-Monday3rd"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02163932%2F3.GreatFireofLondon-Monday3rd-500x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["4.GreatFireofLondon-Tuesday4th"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02163936%2F4.GreatFireofLondon-Tuesday4th-500x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["5.GreatFireOfLondon-Weds5th"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02163941%2F5.GreatFireOfLondon-Weds5th-500x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["6.GreatFireOfLondon-Tuesday11th"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02163945%2F6.GreatFireOfLondon-Tuesday11th-500x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
The post New Royal Mail stamps designed to commemorate Great Fire of London appeared first on Design Week.
!["4B7A4754"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02121614%2F4B7A4754-750x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
Ikea has introduced its Order and Collection Point store to Westfield Stratford City in London, opening a 900m2 retail space in the shopping centre.
The convenience store concept was first trialled by Ikea last autumn, when it opened one in Norwich in order to save customers from having to journey to large out-of-town stores.
Since then, it has opened a further three Order and Collection Points, but the Westfield Stratford City site is its first one in a UK shopping centre, and in London.
Designed as a “planning studio”, the concept is intended to support customers' shopping experience by “giving them a convenient opportunity to engage with Ikea co-workers and ask questions, touch and feel the products and get ideas and inspiration,” according to Ikea.
In addition to popular room sets on display, the store also offers a selection of “market hall” items to buy.
Customers can then order from the store's online range for home delivery or collection from the store itself.
Ikea Westfield Stratford Order and Collection Point manager, Mirco Righetto, says: “Customers in the region shop with us online but they have to travel to other London stores to see the range or get advice from our co-workers.”
“Ikea Westfield Stratford City Order and Collection Point will be easy to access by public transport, something that we know is important to many customers who live in London.”
!["4B7A4821"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02121639%2F4B7A4821-750x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["4B7A4817"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02121636%2F4B7A4817-750x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["4B7A4767"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02121630%2F4B7A4767-750x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["4B7A4765"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02121627%2F4B7A4765-750x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["4B7A4842"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02121648%2F4B7A4842-333x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["4B7A4835"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02121645%2F4B7A4835-333x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["4B7A4829"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02121642%2F4B7A4829-333x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
The post Ikea rolls out convenience store concept in London appeared first on Design Week.
!["Sir]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3atsf3fgek2rw.cloudfront.net%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F11%2FJohn-Sorrell.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
“The reasons for this fall include the loss of D&T's statutory status in 2004, and the introduction of the EBacc which does not include art, design or subjects such as music and drama. The 90% EBacc goal set by the Government seems likely to further reduce take-up rates for creative subjects. Perceptions of the value of studying creative subjects have been severely damaged.
So, what can be done?
1) Lobby Government to rethink the Creative Industries Federation is on to this with their educational policy work.
2) Produce effective careers advice in schools which demonstrates to parents and teachers that young people can have successful careers in design.
3) Encourage all schools to use Creative Journey UK to help teachers, parents and pupils find out more about careers in the creative industries.
4) Help teachers with their professional development, particularly in keeping up to speed on the latest developments in the creative sector.
5) Help us develop the National Art&Design Saturday Club, which gives 13-16-year-old schoolchildren the opportunity to study art and design on Saturdays at their local university or college for free. The aim is to encourage them to go on to further and higher education, and careers in design and the creative industries.”
!["Eliza]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02092233%2FEliza-Easton-5.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
“We need to be in schools and academy chains highlighting the variety of jobs in our sector and others which require a high level of technical and creative (especially design) skills. There is also a need for better careers advice as part of a broader explanation to parents, teachers and students of the economic and social case for these subjects and how they can lead to very fulfilling careers.
The drop in the take-up of creative subjects demonstrates how damaging Government policy has been. It is unacceptable that it is now possible for academies to be Ofsted ‘outstanding' without arts in the curriculum.”
!["Terry]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02092240%2FTerry-pic.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
“Unfortunately there are two problems: fewer students are choosing to take D&T, and fewer schools are offering it in the first place. I think as a sector we can tackle the first problem by changing perceptions. We know industry is desperate for designers: it's a career where you can make a difference and get paid well (the average designer earns £635 per week, according to the Design Council's Design Economy research, well over the national average of £385).
GCSE and A-level content has recently been rewritten to make it more robust, and I think we'll see that have an impact. But we urgently need government to address the second problem. D&T is an expensive subject to run, and the EBacc will make it even less attractive to cash-strapped schools. The industrial strategy won't succeed without designers, and championing D&T has to be on the new government's agenda. Our forthcoming skills research will look at this in more detail.”
!["Paul]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F02092236%2FMcCombie-P-28889-APP-1798-cropped.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
“I think the most important thing is to communicate an appreciation of the breadth of design, technology and engineering. What we do is the most fundamentally creative thing that anyone could do above all, we create. To do this well, we need imagination and understanding, perseverance and rigour. To be doing the right thing, we must be motivated by the real needs of real people physical, social, emotional, spiritual. Therefore, our professions allow a full and fulfilling expression of ourselves as individuals, through social, cultural, emotional and rigorously technical collaboration with colleagues and with the people we are working for.”
The post How can we encourage young people to study design? appeared first on Design Week.
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/170692483/m%3D900/da4fe69b2c6fdcb32df02237251a650a")
NASA Goddard Photo and Video posted a photo:
!["Hubble's]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8061%2F29327410501_75b7fe0a3e_m.jpg&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
The closest star system to the Earth is the famous Alpha Centauri group. Located in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur), at a distance of 4.3 light-years, this system is made up of the binary formed by the stars Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, plus the faint red dwarf Alpha Centauri C, also known as Proxima Centauri.
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has given us this stunning view of the bright Alpha Centauri A (on the left) and Alpha Centauri B (on the right), shining like huge cosmic headlamps in the dark. The image was captured by the Wide-Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). WFPC2 was Hubble's most used instrument for the first 13 years of the space telescope's life, being replaced in 2009 by Wide-Field Camera 3 (WFC3) during Servicing Mission 4. This portrait of Alpha Centauri was produced by observations carried out at optical and near-infrared wavelengths.
Compared to the sun, Alpha Centauri A is of the same stellar type, G2, and slightly bigger, while Alpha Centauri B, a K1-type star, is slightly smaller. They orbit a common center of gravity once every 80 years, with a minimum distance of about 11 times the distance between Earth and the sun. Because these two stars are, together with their sibling Proxima Centauri, the closest to Earth, they are among the best studied by astronomers. And they are also among the prime targets in the hunt for habitable exoplanets.
Using the European Space Organization's HARPS instrument, astronomers already discovered a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B. Then on Aug. 24, 2016, astronomers announced the intriguing discovery of a nearly Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone orbiting the star Proxima Centauri
Image credit: ESA/NASA
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2F3a%2F73%2F7e%2F3a737eff8efabd395c8a076a87cbac00.jpg&width=540&mix=0385d-pin-gifs")
_
Ahuna Mons is a volcano that rises 13,000 feet high and spreads 11 miles wide at its base. This would be impressive for a volcano on Earth. But Ahuna Mons stands on Ceres, a dwarf planet less than 600 miles wide that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Even stranger, Ahuna Mons isn't built from lava the way terrestrial volcanoes are — it's built from ice.
"Ahuna is the one true 'mountain' on Ceres," said David A. Williams, associate research professor in Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration. "After studying it closely, we interpret it as a dome raised by cryovolcanism." Volcanic dome Ahuna Mons rises above a foreground impact crater, as seen by NASA's Dawn spacecraft with no vertical exaggeration. Eruptions of salty, muddy water built the mountain by repeated eruptions, flows and freezing. Streaks from falls of rocks and debris run down its flanks, while overhead views show fracturing across its summit.
This is a form of low-temperature volcanic activity, where molten ice — water, usually mixed with salts or ammonia — replaces the molten silicate rock erupted by terrestrial volcanoes. Giant mountain Ahuna is a volcanic dome built from repeated eruptions of freezing salty water.
Williams is part of a team of scientists working with NASA's Dawn mission who have published papers in the journal Science this week. His specialty is volcanism, and that drew him to the puzzle of Ahuna Mons.
"Ahuna is truly unique, being the only mountain of its kind on Ceres," he said. "It shows nothing to indicate a tectonic formation, so that led us to consider cryovolcanism as a method for its origin."
Dawn scientist Ottaviano Ruesch, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is the lead author on the Science paper about Ceres volcanism. He says, "This is the only known example of a cryovolcano that potentially formed from a salty mud mix, and which formed in the geologically recent past."
Williams explained that "Ahuna has only a few craters on its surface, which points to an age of just couple hundred million years at most."
According to the Dawn team, the implications of Ahuna Mons being volcanic in origin are enormous. It confirms that although Ceres' surface temperature averages almost 40° (Celsius or Fahrenheit; the scales converge at this temperature), its interior has kept warm enough for liquid water or brines to exist for a relatively long period. And this has allowed volcanic activity at the surface in recent geological time.
Ahuna Mons is not the only place where icy volcanism happens on Ceres. Dawn's instruments have spotted features that point to cryovolcanic activity that resurfaces areas rather than building tall structures. Numerous craters, for example, show floors that appear flatter than impacts by meteorites would leave them, so perhaps they have been flooded from below. In addition, such flat-floored craters often show cracks suggesting that icy "magma" has pushed them upward, then subsided.
A few places on Ceres exhibit a geo-museum of features. "Occator Crater has several bright spots on its floor," said Williams. "The central spot contains what looks like a cryovolcanic dome, rich in sodium carbonates." Other bright spots, he says, occur over fractures that suggest venting of water vapor mixed with bright salts.
"As the vapor has boiled away," he explained, "it leaves the bright 1salts and carbonate minerals behind. "
Dawn's Framing Camera looks down on the fractured summit of Ahuna Mons, tallest mountain on dwarf planet Ceres. The cracks on top suggest Ahuna grew by inflation: Icy freezing water pushed up inside the mountain, making a dome.
Researchers draped a digital terrain model over a shaded image of Ahuna, placing contour lines at 100-meter (330-foot) elevation intervals. Key spot elevations are shown in meters.
The geological map of the major units at Ahuna Mons will be filled in with more details as scientists continue to study this small world shaped by icy volcanism.
Photo courtesy of Dawn Science Team and NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC
Although volcanic-related features appear across the surface of Ceres, for scientists perhaps the most interesting aspect is what these features say about the interior of the dwarf world. Dawn observations suggest that Ceres has an outer shell that's not purely ice or rock, but rather a mixture of both.
Recently, Williams was involved in research that discovered that large impact craters are missing, presumably erased by internal heat, but smaller craters are preserved.
"This shows that Ceres' crust has a variable composition — it's weak at large scales but strong at smaller scales," he said. "It has also evolved geologically."
In the big picture, said Williams, "Ceres appears differentiated internally, with a core and a complex crust made of 30 to 40 percent water ice mixed with silicate rock and salts." And perhaps pockets of brine still exist in its interior.
"We need to continue studying the data to better understand the interior structure of Ceres," said Williams.
Ceres is the second port of call for the Dawn mission, which was launched in 2007 and visited another asteroid, Vesta, from 2011 to 2012. The spacecraft arrived at Ceres in March 2015. It carries a suite of cameras, spectrometers and gamma-ray and neutron detectors. These were built to image, map and measure the shape and surface materials of Ceres, and they collect information to help scientists understand the history of these small worlds and what they can tell us of the solar system's birth.
NASA plans for Dawn to continue orbiting Ceres and collecting data for another year or so. The dwarf planet is slowly moving toward its closest approach to the sun, called perihelion, which will come in April 2018. Scientists expect that the growing solar warmth will produce some detectable changes in Ceres' surface or maybe even trigger volcanic activity.
"We hope that by observing Ceres as it approaches perihelion, we might observe some active venting. This would be an ideal way to end the mission," said Williams.
The Daily Galaxy via Arizona State University
Image credits: Courtesy of Dawn Science Team and NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Eff%2FTheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond%3Fd%3DyIl2AUoC8zA&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond%2F%7E4%2FOtYtxq6jLxc&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
Scientists are exploring are proposing transplanting life to planets outside our solar system that are not permanently inhabitable. a Genesis mission could be achieved within a few decades with the aid of interstellar unmanned micro-spacecraft that could be accelerated and slowed down passively. On arrival, an automated gene laboratory on board the probe would synthesize a selection of single-cell organisms with the aim of establishing an ecosphere of unicellular organisms on the target planet. This could subsequently develop autonomously into complex life forms.
In recent years, the search for exoplanets has identified very different types. "It is therefore certain that we will discover a large number of exoplanets that are inhabitable intermittently but not permanently. Life would, indeed, be possible on these planets, but it would not have the time to grow and develop independently," says Claudius Gros from the Institute of Theoretical Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt.
"In this way, we could jump the approximately four billion years that had been necessary on Earth to reach the Precambrian stage of development out of which the animal world developed about 500 million years ago," explains Gros. In order not to endanger any life that might already be present, Genesis probes would only head for uninhabited exoplanets.
The mission's actual duration played no role in the Genesis project, since the time scales for the subsequent geo-evolutionary development of the target planet lies in the range between a few tens of millions and a hundred million years.
The Genesis project therefore has no direct benefit for people on Earth. "It would, however, enable us to give life something back," says Gros. In this context, he is also discussing whether biological incompatibilities would have to be expected in the case of colonization of a second Earth fully developed in terms of evolution. "That seems at present to be highly unlikely," says the physicist, dampening any excessive expectations.
The image at the top of the page is artist's conception depicting an Earth-like planet orbiting an evolved star that has formed a stunning planetary nebula. Earlier in its life, this planet may have been like one of the eight newly discovered worlds orbiting in the habitable zones of their stars. David A. Aguilar (CfA)
More information: Claudius Gros; Developing Ecospheres on Transiently Habitable Planets: The Genesis Project; Astrophysics and Space Science (in press); DOI: arxiv.org/abs/1608.06087
The Daily Galaxy via Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond%2F%7E4%2FmxVe6iIM8l0&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
Two years ago, the XMM-Newton X-ray satellite radioed data back to Earth which fired up great hopes with astrophysicists. It had picked up weak radiation from several galaxy clusters at an energy of around 3.5 kiloelectronvolts (keV) which the researchers were not immediately able to explain with the aid of the known X-ray spectra.
Speculation quickly arose that they could be signals of decaying particles of dark matter this would have been the first concrete trace of the long-sought form of matter. Hope was soon dampened, however: The regions in which XMM-Newton observed the X-ray radiation did not match the spatial distribution which astrophysical analyses predicted for dark matter.
In addition, there are still a large number of physical processes for which astronomers do not know the corresponding fingerprints in X-ray spectra, and so cannot yet be excluded as the possible cause of the mysterious signal. Fact is, the spectral data in the collection of tables which researchers use to evaluate astronomical spectra are still incomplete. They are sometimes based on theoretical assumptions and are correspondingly unreliable.
In order to help answering this question, physicists at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg checked an alternative explanation. Accordingly, the search for this form of matter, which is difficult to detect, must go on, as the mysterious X-ray signal seems to originate from highly charged sulfur ions that capture electrons from hydrogen atoms.
Highly charged ions can frequently be found between the galaxies. Physicists working with José Crespo, leader of a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, have now closed one gap in the X-ray data with their experiments. According to computations done by researchers from SRON, Netherlands Institute for Space Research, the mysterious line could be caused by bare sulfur nuclei (S16+), i.e. sulfur atoms that have lost all their electrons, each of which picks up one electron from a hydrogen atom.
Highly charged ions can often be found in the hot medium between the galaxies of a cluster, and sufficient completely ionized sulfur is present as well. “Explained in illustrative terms, the charge exchange operates like this,” says José Crespo in explanation of the process: “The high charge of the S16+ ion sort of sucks in the electron of the H atom. It then releases energy in the form of X-rays.”
The physicists used an electron beam ion trap for the measurements. First, they injected an extremely thin beam of a volatile sulfur compound into the vacuum of the apparatus. The electrons with which they then bombarded the molecules fragmented the molecules and knocked the electrons out of the atoms how many depends on the energy of the electron beam. They can thus specifically produce the highly charged sulfur ions desired.
The researchers then switched off the electron beam for a few seconds in order to be able to observe how bare sulfur ions suck electrons from molecules which have not yet been destroyed. The electrons initially have a large amount of energy when they are captured by the S16+ ions, but release this energy in the form of X-rays. The most energetic of these emissions was at around 3.47 kiloelectronvolts i.e. quite near the mysterious line which XMM-Newton had recorded.
“In order to support our interpretation, our colleagues from the Netherlands have carried out model computations on the charge exchange, and they can explain our data very well,” says Chintan Shah, who made crucial contributions to the experiments.
The fact that the bare sulfur ions removed the electrons from intact molecules of the volatile sulfur compound and not from hydrogen atoms in the experiments carried out in Heidelberg, is not important for the X-ray spectrum, as X-rays are only generated when the electrons in the sulfur lose energy.
“If the inaccuracies of the astrophysical measurements and the experimental uncertainties are taken into account, it becomes clear that the charge exchange between bare sulfur and hydrogen atoms can outstandingly explain the mysterious signal at around 3.5 keV,” explains José Crespo, in summary of the result. The search for dark matter must therefore go on.
The image at the top of the page shows 1/1000 of a Bolshoi cosmological simulation, zooming in on a region centered on the dark matter halo of a very large cluster of galaxies. (NASA Ames Research Center)
The Daily Galaxy via Max Planck Institute
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond%2F%7E4%2F8aW-0kjpttQ&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2F01%2Fad%2F66%2F01ad66735d09724e7d35d968aff98b39.jpg&width=540&mix=9aae6-pin-gaia")
Minute brown scavenger beetle (Corticaria rubripes) collected in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, and photographed at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (sample ID: BIOUG09172-F04; specimen record: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=SSJAF4368-13; BIN: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_BarcodeCluster?clusteruri=BOLD:ACK6024)
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2F00%2F19%2F96%2F001996f0b92a2ecaded756927e8c374b.jpg&width=540&mix=9aae6-pin-gaia")
Diagram of whale evolution - Note not only the intermediate stages, but independent dating of those fossils shows them to occur in the precise temporal order expected if they were transitional forms. (The tree shows the time when each form diverged from its ancestor.) The rear legs get smaller, the nostrils move atop the head to form the blowhole, the earholes and auditory apparatus forms, the pelvis separates from the spine, and so on.... ![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2Fea%2Fc8%2F11%2Feac811ec672fa1ebf2960380f080cfbf.jpg&width=540&mix=9aae6-pin-gaia")
Evolution of whales mineral2150 posted a photo:
!["Young]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/29378517506_85a47ea882_m.jpg")
!["2016-09-01-1472723838-9260456-Solar_Cycle_Prediction.gif"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-09-01-1472723838-9260456-Solar_Cycle_Prediction.gif")
!["2016-09-01-1472723936-1238552-cycle24magneticfield.png"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-09-01-1472723936-1238552-cycle24magneticfield.png")
!["2016-09-01-1472724012-5461392-ZharakovaConvection.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-09-01-1472724012-5461392-ZharakovaConvection.jpg")
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
millerartwork posted a photo:
!["Greenwich]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8544/28789190353_927bbf5c8e_m.jpg")
A. Nothstine posted a photo:
!["London]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8197/29376015546_b6d3ac1f17_m.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472650819-7921679-TortioiseAndHare.jpeg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472650819-7921679-TortioiseAndHare.jpeg")
!["2016-08-31-1472651279-8143223-speedoflight.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472651279-8143223-speedoflight.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472651726-8801024-lighteninggodthecreator10339233500343.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472651726-8801024-lighteninggodthecreator10339233500343.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472652006-430501-speeding_bullet.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472652006-430501-speeding_bullet.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472652809-103216-falcon.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472652809-103216-falcon.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472653182-5675822-brainelectricalcurrent.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472653182-5675822-brainelectricalcurrent.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472653470-7691492-lascisnbatssonarjammingecholocationstealfoodmexicanfreetailed20141108"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472653470-7691492-lascisnbatssonarjammingecholocationstealfoodmexicanfreetailed20141108-thumb")
!["2016-08-31-1472653649-919275-hare.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472653649-919275-hare.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472653928-1248749-snap.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472653928-1248749-snap.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472654198-6369646-fire.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472654198-6369646-fire.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472654647-8646302-Collapsible_top_hat_IMGP9647.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472654647-8646302-Collapsible_top_hat_IMGP9647.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472654918-9050893-eye.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472654918-9050893-eye.jpg")
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Once reliant solely on buses and subway systems, our nation's seniors may soon have new choices on how to navigate their communities, including to their doctor's appointments. In March, the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) released a poll indicating that Hispanic older adults felt that affordable and safe driverless cars could improve the lives of themselves and their family members. Although approximately 70% of senior surveyed live within an area with mass transit, they still felt that driverless cars could provide significant value, highlighting an opportunity for innovative transportation options to address the needs of a population that will reach 20 million by 2060.
This poll comes at a critical juncture as our transportation landscape continues to shift towards ride-sharing and health disparities persist among older Latinos and African Americans. Zhai Yun Tan reports in an August 2016 article in The Atlantic that hospitals nationwide are now starting to partner with ride-sharing services such as Lyft and Uber to help patients get to their appointments on time. In some cases, these rides are even being paid for by Medicaid and other insurance plans. According to a 2013 Journal of Community Health review by Samina Syed, Ben Gerber, and Lisa Sharp, patients with lower socioeconomic status, particularly those lacking a vehicle, report higher barriers to accessing health care and are more likely to miss their appointments. These ride partnerships could help fill in the gaps for patients who struggle to make it to appointments; although many hospitals provide transportation services, these typically need to be planned in advanced and may not offer a direct route to the hospital.
Patients with lower socioeconomic status, particularly those lacking a vehicle, report higher barriers to accessing health care and are more likely to miss their appointments.
In addition to providing quick and reliable rides for routine medical care, ride-sharing services may also help improve access to medical research opportunities for communities of color that often cite transportation as a barrier to participation. Despite a higher prevalence for diseases like Alzheimer's, Latinos and African Americans are chronically underrepresented in clinical research for life saving drugs. According to the FDA Office of Women's Health, Latinos make up less than one percent of clinical trial participants despite making up 17 percent of the U.S. population. However, polling data has demonstrated that Latinos and African Americans are willing to participate in these trials. A recent poll from the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation found that 39% of Americans said they would consider taking part in an Alzheimer's clinical trial, including 34% who are African American, 41% who are Hispanic. This diversity gap has real consequences for public health and both the FDA and NIH agree that minority inclusion in medical research is vital to ensuring drug safety and spurring medical innovation.
Yet transportation is a persistent issue. The Eliminating Disparities in Clinical Trials Project (EDICT) named unreliable transportation among the key socioeconomic obstacles working class individuals face when participating in medical research. Ride-sharing, and eventually driverless cars, could offer new avenues for addressing these transportation issues.
We need Uber for Clinical Trials -- why can clinical trials go to the patient. #bcsm
— Alicia C. Staley (@stales) June 14, 2016
Data released by Uber reveals that ride-sharing services are uniquely positioned to serve diverse communities. A March 2014 Uber study concluded that in Chicago, four in ten rides begins or ends in an underserved neighborhood, and the average wait time and likelihood that a ride will be completed has no relationship with the median neighborhood income. Further, ride-sharing company Lyft recently partnered with Axovant Sciences to provide transportation to seniors enrolled in an Alzheimer's clinical trial in California. If successful, this novel partnership model should be further explored with minority communities in mind.
Ride-sharing may not be a panacea for eliminating health disparities or for the exclusion of minorities in clinical research, but it is an example of a fresh approach that could help bridge the divide today.
While promising, these services have their own set of challenges that must be addressed. For example, advocates have noted that ride-hailing services have mixed success serving individuals with disabilities. Additionally, these services rely heavily on electronic payments and smart phones, which can be a barrier for individuals of lower socioeconomic status. Despite these challenges, innovative transportation options have the potential to improve mobility while increasing access to care and treatment for many communities.
Ride-sharing may not be a panacea for eliminating health disparities or for the exclusion of minorities in clinical research, but it is an example of a fresh approach that could help bridge the divide today while larger fixes are developed. As our population ages and diseases like Alzheimer's become more prevalent, demand for these types of innovative solutions will only grow.
Jason Resendez, executive director of the LatinosAgainstAlzheimer's Network and Coalition - a network of UsAgainstAlzheimer's - with contributions by Beth Moretzsky, The George Washington University.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/170729515/m%3D900/0c331a42288e3dc8b53dca94ddc8129d")
The first day of school in France, the ‘taking of Caracas' in Venezuela, a murder re-enactment in Bali, the Notting Hill carnival in London, Mark Zuckerberg meets the Pope, a Bavarian ox race, an annular solar eclipse above La Reunion, and much more.
![]("https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2016/09/photos-of-the-week-827-92/w01_AP16243607147171/main_1200.jpg?1472837544")
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/170694297/m%3D900/ce89e727a11d5cf24973636b78c7078c")
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/170683439/m%3D900/7aa2c4bacbf3c2ad4eb612338191947b")
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/170663269/m%3D900/3a228796f2560024b4c725ea28b4cde9")
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/170656755/m%3D900/c5f60e2ddbb7263409521c5016db98f5")
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/170649323/m%3D900/da29e94e9575606b55f88cfdb51954ca")
![]("https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/170643423/m%3D900/9d29a4310039990cb416670de634e6aa")
!["2016-08-31-1472670016-8419364-Large_WW1106192.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472670016-8419364-Large_WW1106192.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472670266-5632062-Large_WW1106214.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472670266-5632062-Large_WW1106214.jpg")
!["2016-08-31-1472670398-3962749-Large_WW1106273.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-08-31-1472670398-3962749-Large_WW1106273.jpg")
!["2016-09-01-1472741232-4180037-Large_WW1106222.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-09-01-1472741232-4180037-Large_WW1106222.jpg")
!["2016-09-01-1472741989-5370133-Large_WW1106225.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-09-01-1472741989-5370133-Large_WW1106225.jpg")
!["2016-09-01-1472742289-2672944-Large_WW1106239.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-09-01-1472742289-2672944-Large_WW1106239.jpg")
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
kàiaiguo posted a photo:
!["London]("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7784/29300043502_cf0e4253cc_m.jpg")
!["Ahuna-williams"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailygalaxy.com%2F.a%2F6a00d8341bf7f753ef01bb0932128a970d-800wi&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy" "\"Ahuna-williams\"")
!["Ahuna-overhead"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailygalaxy.com%2F.a%2F6a00d8341bf7f753ef01b8d2186918970c-800wi&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy" "\"Ahuna-overhead\"")
!["Planetary2"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailygalaxy.com%2F.a%2F6a00d8341bf7f753ef01b7c88ea794970b-800wi&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy" "\"Planetary2\"")
!["Eso1629a"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailygalaxy.com%2F.a%2F6a00d8341bf7f753ef01b7c88ea7a4970b-800wi&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy" "\"Eso1629a\"")
!["MD_cluster01_gas_sn320"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailygalaxy.com%2F.a%2F6a00d8341bf7f753ef01b8d2186675970c-800wi&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy" "\"MD_cluster01_gas_sn320\"")