Video Released Showing The Collapse Of The 900-ton Arecibo Observatory Radio Telescope

 

Daily Mail: Drone footage captures the moment cables supporting the 900-ton Arecibo Observatory SNAP and cause the world's largest telescope to collapse 

 * Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory radio telescope collapsed early Tuesday 

 * Drones were investigating cables on the telescope when the event happened 

 * One clip shows the platform swaying and then falling out of frame 

 * The other is a view of the cable attached to Tower 4 that appears to be frayed 

 * It fails, breaks away from the tower and releases the platform onto a dish below 

 * The catwalk, supporting towers, azimuth arm and Gregorian dome also fell 

New footage of Arecibo Observatory collapsing in the jungle of Puerto Rico shows the moment its main cables snapped and sent a massive platform hurling to the ground - triggering a reaction that led to its destruction. 

Drones were investigating cables around the telescope when the restraints failed and dropped the 900-ton platform onto to the reflector dish 400 feet below. In one of the videos, the platform begins swaying in the air before letting out a loud roar as it dislodged from the supporting cable and snapping into pieces as it dropped. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: :(

DARPA Wants To 'Freeze' Soldiers On The Battlefield

Live Science: Why DARPA Wants to 'Freeze' Soldiers on the Battlefield

When troops are injured on the battlefield, time is of the essence: How long it takes service members to receive medical care is often the single most important factor in determining whether they live or die.

Now, scientists are looking at new ways to buy some extra time for battlefield injuries, but not by getting medical care to troops faster. Instead, the scientists want to essentially slow down time.

And they're taking a cue from tiny creatures called tardigrades.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The above video explains why the first 30 minutes are critical for wounded soldiers.

U.S. Government Lifts It's Three-Year Research Funding Ban On Making Deadly Viruses Even More Deadlier

Daily Mail: US government lifts three-year research funding ban aimed at making viruses more lethal and says studies could even extend to cover Ebola

* The NIH said that it is lifting a three-year moratorium on deadly virus research
* The government halted funding for research aimed at making more lethal and transmittable viruses like influenza, MERS and SARS in 2014
* To get funding, researches will need to face a new government panel
* The panel will determine whether the research benefits outweigh any risks

Government officials have lifted the moratorium on funding for research that involves altering certain viruses to make them more lethal and transmittable.

In a press briefing, the head of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis S. Collins, said Tuesday that the research can now go ahead — provided a scientific panel determines that the benefits of that research outweighs any risks involved.

The suspension was originally put into place in October 2014, impacting research that involved making the influenza virus, as well as viruses that cause Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), more dangerous and communicable.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Why do I believe that this is not going to end well.

More News On The U.S. Government Lifting It's Three-Year Research Funding Ban To Make Deadly Viruses Even More Deadlier

US lifts research moratorium on enhancing germs' danger -- Washington Post
NIH Lifts Ban On Research That Could Make Deadly Viruses Even Worse -- NPR
NIH lifts limits on making deadly new viruses in the lab -- NBC
Risky mutant virus research can once again receive government funding -- The Verge
US Government Lifts 3-Year Research Ban on Engineering Lethal Viruses -- Inverse
Why the government is creating lethal viruses -- Wayne Drash, CNN

Eclipse Of The Sun (Live Feeds)

China Makes A Leap Forward To Develop A Communications Network That Cannot Be Hacked

China has used a laser on a satellite orbiting 480 kilometres above the earth to produce entangled photons and beam them to stations on the ground. Picture: Cai Yang/Xinhua via ZUMA

News.com.au: China sets new record for quantum entanglement en route to build new communication network

CHINA has scored a victory against hackers and spooks as it surges ahead of other world powers in a new kind of space race.

IN A bid to build an entirely new kind of internet — completely secure and impervious to hackers — China has pulled off a major feat in particle physics.

Chinese scientists have set a new distance record for beaming a pair of entangled particles: photons of light that behave like twins and experience the exact same things simultaneously, even though they’re separated by great distances.

The principle is called quantum entanglement and it’s one of the subatomic world’s weirdest phenomena. And China has smashed the distance record for quantum entanglement.

Read more ....

Update #1: Quantum entanglement, science's 'spookiest' phenomenon, achieved in space -- Chicago Tribune/Washington Post
Update #2: China's quantum leap in space a step toward unhackable communications -- Globe and Mail

WNU Editor: I am not a scientist or physicist .... but from what I understand .... China has made a discovery that will permit it to build a communications network that cannot be hacked.

The Pentagon Will Continue To Tap Some Of Science And Technology's Greatest Minds To Help Innovate U.S. Military Capabilities And Culture,

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson interacts with Pepper, a social humanoid robot, during the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting in New York, Sept. 28, 2015.

VOA: Top Scientists, Tech Experts to Innovate Military Under Trump Administration

THE PENTAGON — The Pentagon has tapped some of science and technology's greatest minds to help innovate U.S. military capabilities and culture, and members of the panel say they will continue serving in the Trump administration if asked.

Eric Schmidt, the chairman of the board and chairman of Google's parent company, Alphabet, said he expects everyone to stay on to serve under retired General James Mattis, if the board is invited to continue its work.

"No one has told me they are leaving," Schmidt told reporters Monday at the Pentagon after the first board meeting since the presidential election.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: No surprises here. America's top minds have always worked with the military to give them a heads up on emerging technologies (Einstein and the atomic bomb) to today's leaders from Silicon Valley and elsewhere.

The Super Blood Moon Eclipse

Scientific American: Sunday's "Supermoon" Total Lunar Eclipse: When and Where to See It

The evening of September 27 will be the fourth time in the last 17 months that the moon becomes immersed in the Earth's shadow.

On the evening of Sept. 27, the moon will once again become immersed in the Earth's shadow, resulting in a total lunar eclipse─the fourth such event in the last 17 months,

As with all lunar eclipses, the region of visibility for Sunday's blood-moon lunar eclipse will encompass more than half of our planet. Nearly 1 billion people in the Western Hemisphere, nearly 1.5 billion throughout much of Europe and Africa and perhaps another 500 million in western Asia will be able to watch as the Harvest Full Moon becomes a shadow of its former self and morphs into a glowing coppery ball.

WNU Editor: I have been an amateur astronomer since I was a teen .... so I love this stuff. The last time that I saw such an eclipse was in my teenage years .... and the memory of seeing a red moon in the night sky is something that still sticks with me today. If you have a chance to see it please do .... it will be something that you will never forget.

The CIA Invented Cough Syrup

Fotolia

io9: Why the CIA Invented Cough Syrup

Much of the cough syrup on the shelves today owes a little something to the US Navy and the CIA. One of its main effective ingredients was developed by a project funded by both agencies. Learn why.

Dextromethorphan (DM), a major ingredient in many cough syrups, is not entirely uncontroversial. At high doses it can produce hallucinations and get people high. What it doesn’t do is get people pleasantly high. Forums dedicated to drug use include entries like, “Worst thing I’ve done,” and “Terrified of Dying.” That sounds like one of the projects the CIA would engage on during its MKUltra evil phase.

Actually, this drug was developed well before that phase. It was invented, with the support of the Navy, to fix a practical problem. People in the field, or in a war, or stuck on a boat, needed to function even when they were sick. This meant they needed the best medication, and the best medication in the early 1950s was codeine. Anyone with even the slightest acquaintance with codeine knows the problem there. Codeine always makes people high. It also makes them sleepy, and just as a bonus it is physically addictive. Everyone needed an alternative.

WNU Editor: You learn something new everyday.

Pentagon Wants To Study The Brains Of Dead Soldiers

DOD Establishes Brain Tissue Bank -- FOX News

The U.S. Defense Department has established was it is calling the world's first brain tissue repository in an effort to understand more about traumatic brain injuries(TBI) to members of the armed services.

The Pentagon will attempt to collect several hundred samples for the repository. They will seek permission from the families of deceased service members to collect specimens.

"We have been at war for more than a decade and our men and women have sacrificed," said Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense. "The military health care system is bringing all the resources it can to better understand how to prevent, diagnose and treat traumatic brain injuries and to ensure that service members have productive and long, quality lives."

The Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine Brain Tissue Repository for Traumatic Brain Injury was established in Bethesda, Md.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is creepy.

Military Scientists On The Frontline

What Do UK's Military Scientists Do On The Frontline? -- BBC

It's a little known fact that the UK Ministry of Defence deploys scientists to the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan. But what do military science advisers do?

To find out, Quentin Cooper from BBC Radio 4's Material World programme interviewed Nick Barrett, programme leader for support to operations at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

QC: Nick, a lot of us are used to the idea that alongside soldiers there are embedded journalists. But aside from medics and engineers, we don't really hear about scientists going to war.

NB: I guess it's not something which has received a lot of media attention in the past, but it's a growing capability. It's a growing initiative to send scientists on to the front line to assist and support our troops.

Read more ....

My Comment: Fascinating reading .... there is a lot of smart people out there who are risking their lives everyday to better protect the soldiers.

Its Been 50 Years Since John Glenn Circled The Earth

50 Years Later, Celebrating John Glenn’s Feat -- New York Times

In the winter of 1962, the nation needed a hero.

Americans had yet to recover from the Soviet Union’s launching of the first spacecraft, Sputnik, in October 1957 — a rude jolt to our confidence as world leaders in all things technological. The space race was on.

Soon after he took office in 1961, President John F. Kennedy had thrown down the challenge to send men to the Moon by the end of the decade. But the Russians still set the pace, boastfully. They launched a dog into orbit, then the first man, Yuri A. Gagarin, and another, Gherman S. Titov.

The United States lagged, managing only two 15-minute suborbital astronaut flights — only five minutes of weightlessness each time.

Read more ....

More News On John Glenn's Space Accomplishment 50 Years Ago

John Glenn reunites with 50-year-old Mercury team -- AP
John Glenn to mark 50 years since historic first orbit of Earth -- FOX News/AP
Fifty years on, Glenn's flight remains a giant leap -- CNET
John Glenn’s flight, 50 years ago, made history -- Washington Post
Glenn chats with space station to mark anniversary -- Miami Herald/McClatchyNnews
Feb. 20, 1962: Yank in Orbit -- This Day In Tech
John Glenn, 50 years later, and in poetry -- New York Daily News
John Glenn on anniversary of historic flight -- CBS News
John Glenn Frustrated on 50th Anniversary of Friendship 7 -- ABC News
Video: Mercury astronaut John Glenn recalls first orbit flight, 50 years ago -- Globe and Mail
A conversation with John Glenn -- CNET
Another John Glenn needed for U.S. space program -- Fred Grimm, Kansas City/The Miami Herald
Fifty years after Glenn flight, U.S. buying rides to space -- Reuters
John Glenn's fury over death of Nasa space programme -- The Telegraph

My Comment: My nationality is Russian .... so to me Yuri Gagarin is the man to celebrate. But .... John Glenn is a space icon .... and he did help lay the groundwork for ALL future astronauts.

On a side note .... Yes .... I know that this is not a war/defense/national security post .... but I have always been an amateur astronomer, and I still dream of the day that I can collect enough money (i.e. win some super loto somewhere), and pay my way to go up into space.

America's Dominance in R&D Now Threatened

Beijing Ups R&D Competition With U.S. -- Washington Times

BEIJING — Stepping up its long-running struggle with the United States over access to technology, China this year embarked on a campaign to target advanced industries such as aerospace, medicine and information technology for its next stage of development.

Those industries are long-standing strengths in the U.S. and important sources of wealth and high-paying jobs. Many in Washington remain reluctant to see a rising competitor in the economic and geopolitical spheres gain access to valuable trade secrets and technical know-how.

Read more ....

My Comment: China is now graduating more students in the sciences and engineering fields than the U.S. .... and with no restrictions on copying US patents (as well as avoiding royalties) .... I suspect that they are going to give many U.S. institutions a run for their money. But will they surpass the U.S. in R&D .... I have my doubts.

Why Fireflies Are Important To The Military

Male fireflies flashing in unison (Malaysia)

Military Eyes Glowing Secrets Of Fireflies, Others -- Washington Times/AP

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — Someday, the secrets of fireflies or glowing sea plankton could save an American soldier in battle, a Navy SEAL on a dive or a military pilot landing after a mission.

That's the hope behind a growing field of military-sponsored research into bioluminescence, a phenomenon that's under the microscope in laboratories around the country.

Read more ....

My Comment: This research makes sense. Many of natures common insects/plants/etc. have implications far beyond their own ecology .... with new scientific focus, I expect more interesting research projects popping up in the near future.

India's Military Studying The Secrets Of The Yogi Masters

India Seeks Super Soldiers By tapping the techniques of a holy man who claims he's gone without food and water for 70 years, India's military research arm hopes to train soldiers to last longer on the battlefield.

Seeking Troop Longevity, Indian Military Taps A Holy Man On A Supposed 70-Year Fast -- Popular Science

India's Defense Research Development Organization thinks it may have found a new secret weapon: an 82-year-old holy man named Prahlad Jani. His tactical advantage: longevity. Jani claims via the UK's Telegraph that he has not consumed food or drink for 70 years, and military authorities are conducting a rigorous study to see if he's onto something they could use.

Read more ....

My Comment: So much for staring at goats.

So Much For The Argument That Somali Pirates Protect The Fishing Grounds Off Their Coast

Scourge of the Indian Ocean (Image: Mohamed Dahir/AFP/Getty Images)

Somali Pirates Hold Science To Ransom -- New Scientist

SOMALI pirates terrorising the Indian Ocean are a hazard to more than shipping and tourists. They are also killing important scientific research and may be indirectly damaging the ocean's ecosystem.

Fishing boats in the Indian Ocean routinely carry scientists who gather data about fish stocks and threatened species while ensuring that boats comply with fishing rules. The piracy threat has put a stop to that. "We can't monitor and we can't do experiments because of the pirates," says Laurent Dagorn of France's Research Institute for Development (IRD).

Read more ....

My Comment: For the past two years I have been reading stories about how many of the Somali pirates are actually fishermen who were driven to piracy for a living .... while this is probably true it is also true that these pirates are now exacerbating a terrible problem in the industry that they are claiming they are saving.