SciByte

The tool has a set of spinning metallic brushes and this allows for the features to be exposed for unobstructed APXS or ChemCam observations

he team selected a rock for the first time use of the dust removal tool.

the team is searching for a suitable rock to test out the rotary-percussive drill.

it will be the first time that we will be drilling into a rock, acquire sample from deep within the rock, and also sort and transport it to the science instruments on board Curiosit

Bigelow is also eyeing a possible outpost on the moon, for which the company envisions using its BA-330 modules (so named because they offer 330 cubic meters of usable internal volume).

Several BA-330 habitats, along with propulsion tanks and power units, would be joined together in space and then flown down to the lunar surface.

Lunar dirt would be piled over the modules to protect against radiation, thermal extremes and micrometeorite strikes.

previous reports have indicated the inflatable module would be used for adding additional storage and workspace, and the module would be certified to remain on-orbit for two years

In 2006 Bigelow launched their Genesis I inflatable test module into orbit and according to their website, it is still functioning and “continuing to produce invaluable images, videos and data for Bigelow Aerospace

A second Genesis module was launched in 2007 and it, too, is still functioning in orbit.

even though the outer shell of their module is soft, as opposed to the rigid outer shell of current modules at the ISS, Bigelow’s inflatable modules are more resistant to micrometeoroid or orbital debris strikes

uses multiple layers of Vectran, a material which is twice as strong as Kevlar

"It could mean that our mathematical description of the universe has been oversimplified-and that would represent a serious difficulty and a serious increase in complexity,"

Since 1982 it has been known that quasars tend to group together in clumps or 'structures' of surprisingly large sizes, forming large quasar groups or LQGs.

the LQG which is so significant in size it also challenges the Cosmological Principle: the assumption that the universe, when viewed at a sufficiently large scale, looks the same no matter where you are observing it from.

The modern theory of cosmology is based on the work of Albert Einstein, and depends on the assumption of the Cosmological Principle

he Principle is assumed but has never been demonstrated observationally 'beyond reasonable doubt'.

the Milky Way, is separated from its nearest neighbour, the Andromeda Galaxy, by about 0.75 Megaparsecs (Mpc) or 2.5 million light-years.

Whole clusters of galaxies can be 2-3 Mpc

LQGs can be 200 Mpc or more across.

Based on the Cosmological Principle and the modern theory of cosmology, calculations suggest that astrophysicists should not be able to find a structure larger than 370 Mpc.

newly discovered LQG however has a typical dimension of 500 Mpc.

it is elongated, its longest dimension is 1200 Mpc (or 4 billion light years)

some 1600 times larger than the distance from the Milky Way to Andromed

conducted the studies in lab mice that were infected with different types of common bacteria

two different strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause pneumonia, and one strain of Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause respiratory infections

The next day, the researchers tested the animals’ breath by ionizing breath samples then shooting them through a mass spectrometer to analyze concentrations of various VOCs in a process called secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The test detected the different bacterial infections as well as differentiated between healthy and infected

also located the difference between the two strains of P. aeruginosa

technique will have to be tested in large human trials before it makes an appearance in the clinic

the rapidity of the test is appealing. And it could at least make it a good first step in detecting bacterial infections, with a follow-up culture coming later if deemed necessary—to detect drug-resistant TB, for example

suspect that we will also be able to distinguish between bacterial, viral and fungal infections of the lung

Similar breath tests have also been studied for detecting other ailments, such as diabetes and cancer

Medical School researchers demonstrate for the first time that hair cells can be regenerated in an adult mammalian ear by using a drug to stimulate resident cells to become new hair cells

resulting in partial recovery of hearing in mouse ears damaged by noise trauma

This finding holds great potential for future therapeutic application that may someday reverse deafness in humans.

This is the first demonstration of hair cell regeneration in an adult mammal

flakes are soluble in liquids and easily produced in bulk

The discovery

could be a boon in the cleanup of contaminated sites like the Fukushima nuclear plants

could also cut the cost of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") for oil and gas recovery and help reboot American mining of rare earth metals

Graphene oxide's large surface area defines its capacity to adsorb toxins

high retention properties are not surprising

What is astonishing is the very fast kinetics of sorption, which is key

the collaboration took root when

a graduate student

graduate student in Kalmykov's group, met at a conference several years ago.

researchers focused on removing radioactive isotopes of the actinides and lanthanides – the 30 rare earth elements in the periodic table – from liquids, rather than solids or gases

Naturally occurring radionuclides are also unwelcome in fracking fluids that bring them to the surface in drilling operations

When groundwater comes out of a well and it's radioactive above a certain level, they can't put it back into the ground

Companies have to ship contaminated water to repository sites around the country at very large expense

The ability to quickly filter out contaminants on-site would save a great deal of money

even greater potential benefits for the mining industry

Environmental requirements have "essentially shut down U.S. mining of rare earth metals, which are needed for cell phones

China owns the market because they're not subject to the same environmental standards

this technology offers the chance to revive mining here, it could be huge

capturing radionuclides does not make them less radioactive, just easier to handle

Where you have huge pools of radioactive material, like at Fukushima, you add graphene oxide and get back a solid material from what were just ions in a solution

Then you can skim it off and burn it

Graphene oxide burns very rapidly and leaves a cake of radioactive material you can then reuse

The low cost and biodegradable qualities of graphene oxide should make it appropriate for use in permeable reactive barriers, a fairly new technology for in situ groundwater remediation,