niv

Theorists Propose a New Method to Probe the Beginning of the Universe

How did the universe begin? And what came before the Big Bang? Cosmologists have asked these questions ever since discovering that our universe is expanding. […]

The post Theorists Propose a New Method to Probe the Beginning of the Universe appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




niv

New study indicates mysterious fast radio bursts occur in universe every second

When fast radio bursts, or FRBs, were first detected in 2001, astronomers had never seen anything like them before. Since then, astronomers have found a […]

The post New study indicates mysterious fast radio bursts occur in universe every second appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.



  • Research News
  • Science & Nature
  • Space
  • Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
  • Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

niv

Underpaid women “computers” mapped the universe in the 19th century

Every day, astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics depend on computers to help them solve the mysteries of the universe, just as they did […]

The post Underpaid women “computers” mapped the universe in the 19th century appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.



  • Science & Nature
  • Space
  • astrophysics
  • Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

niv

National Museum of Natural History acquires gemstones in honor of its 100th anniversary

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History recently acquired four remarkable gemstones and jewelry pieces for the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the museum.

The post National Museum of Natural History acquires gemstones in honor of its 100th anniversary appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




niv

Diamonds are a planet’s best friend? In the early universe, perhaps

Could the universe’s earliest stars have formed planets, and if so, what might they have looked like? That was the question Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics […]

The post Diamonds are a planet’s best friend? In the early universe, perhaps appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




niv

Scientists are using the universe as a “cosmological collider”

Cambridge, MA -Physicists are capitalizing on a direct connection between the largest cosmic structures and the smallest known objects to use the universe as a […]

The post Scientists are using the universe as a “cosmological collider” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




niv

pinkIndexer – a universal indexer for pink-beam X-ray and electron diffraction snapshots

A crystallographic indexing algorithm, pinkIndexer, is presented for the analysis of snapshot diffraction patterns. It can be used in a variety of contexts including measurements made with a monochromatic radiation source, a polychromatic source or with radiation of very short wavelength. As such, the algorithm is particularly suited to automated data processing for two emerging measurement techniques for macromolecular structure determination: serial pink-beam X-ray crystallography and serial electron crystallography, which until now lacked reliable programs for analyzing many individual diffraction patterns from crystals of uncorrelated orientation. The algorithm requires approximate knowledge of the unit-cell parameters of the crystal, but not the wavelengths associated with each Bragg spot. The use of pinkIndexer is demonstrated by obtaining 1005 lattices from a published pink-beam serial crystallography data set that had previously yielded 140 indexed lattices. Additionally, in tests on experimental serial crystallography diffraction data recorded with quasi-monochromatic X-rays and with electrons the algorithm indexed more patterns than other programs tested.




niv

Smithsonian biologist Rachel Collin visits the Universidad Austral de Chile to collect special snails for her research.

In 2010 Dr. Rachel Collin visited her colleagues at the Universidad Austral de Chile in Valdivia to collect some very special snails for her research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama.

The post Smithsonian biologist Rachel Collin visits the Universidad Austral de Chile to collect special snails for her research. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.





niv

University of Michigan forest preserve joins Smithsonian global network

A 57-acre research plot at a University of Michigan forest preserve northwest of Ann Arbor has been added to a Smithsonian Institution global network used […]

The post University of Michigan forest preserve joins Smithsonian global network appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




niv

How Carnivorous Plants avoid eating their pollinating insect friends

Carnivorous plants are a fascinating example of nature at its best. Living in habitats with nutrient-poor soil, carnivorous plants evolved to attract some insects as […]

The post How Carnivorous Plants avoid eating their pollinating insect friends appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




niv

Comparison of two MnIVMnIV-bis-μ-oxo complexes, {[MnIV{N4(6-Me-DPEN)}]2(μ-O)2}2+ and {[MnIV{N4(6-Me-DPPN)}]2(μ-O)2}2+

The addition of tert-butyl hydro­peroxide (tBuOOH) to two MnII complexes, differing by a small synthetic alteration from an ethyl to a propyl linker in the ligand scaffold, results in the formation of the high-valent bis-oxo complexes, {[MnIV{N4(6-Me-DPEN)}]2(μ-O)2}2+ (1) and {[MnIV{N4(6-Me-DPPN)}]2(μ-O)2}2+ (2).




niv

Cal Lutheran University plans new art complex

The studio arts program at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif., includes courses in painting. ; Credit: Photo courtesy of Cal Lutheran/Brian Stethem

Mary Plummer

California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks has taken the first steps toward building a new, art center with a commitment of at least $8 million in contributions and matching funds.

Over the weekend, the university's board of regents voted to spend $300,0o0 on design and planning for the new project. The complex will include offices and art studios in about 25,000 to 30,000 square feet of space.

RELATED: Top 10 arts education stories for 2014

The center will be the new home for the school's art department, which is currently spread out across the campus. 

"The facilities that they're in now are really not optimal," said Karin Grennan, the media relations manager for the university. 

The school offers instruction in studio arts, design and commercial art, digital art and art history. 

Grennan said the new project will add to the university's recent art initiatives: in 2012, the faculty members launched an art conference that's attracted international interest. Two conferences have been held so far and the next one will take place in November. The university is also raising funds to build a new performing art center on campus. 

Art collector and real estate developer William Rolland pledged up to $4 million toward the art center project, an amount the university will match. 

Rolland has previously donated money to the university, including contributions for the football stadium and art gallery. Rolland spent several decades as a real estate developer in Ventura County, and once lived in Thousand Oaks. 

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.




niv

Virtual 'UniverseMachine' sheds light on galaxy evolution

Full Text:

How do galaxies such as our Milky Way come into existence? How do they grow and change over time? The science behind galaxy formation has long been a puzzle, but a University of Arizona-led team of scientists is one step closer to finding answers, thanks to supercomputer simulations. Observing real galaxies in space can only provide snapshots in time, so researchers who study how galaxies evolve over billions of years need to use computer simulations. Traditionally, astronomers have used simulations to invent theories of galaxy formation and test them, but they have had to proceed one galaxy at a time. Peter Behroozi of the university's Steward Observatory and colleagues overcame this hurdle by generating millions of different universes on a supercomputer, each according to different physical theories for how galaxies form. The findings challenge fundamental ideas about the role dark matter plays in galaxy formation, the evolution of galaxies over time and the birth of stars. The study is the first to create self-consistent universes that are exact replicas of the real ones -- computer simulations that each represent a sizeable chunk of the actual cosmos, containing 12 million galaxies and spanning the time from 400 million years after the Big Bang to the present day. The results from the "UniverseMachine," as the authors call their approach, have helped resolve the long-standing paradox of why galaxies cease to form new stars even when they retain plenty of hydrogen gas, the raw material from which stars are forged. The research is partially funded by NSF's Division of Physics through grants to UC Santa Barbara's Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Aspen Center for Physics.

Image credit: NASA/ESA/J. Lotz and the HFF Team/STScI




niv

Colleges and Universities Should Take Action to Address Surge of Enrollments in Computer Science

U.S. colleges and universities should respond with urgency to the current surge in undergraduate enrollments in computer science courses and degree programs, which is straining resources at many institutions, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




niv

Winners Selected for the 2017-2018 TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) recently selected winners for its University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs.




niv

NASA Should Expand the Search for Life in the Universe and Make Astrobiology an Integral Part of its Missions, Says New Report

To advance the search for life in the universe, NASA should support research on a broader range of biosignatures and environments, and incorporate the field of astrobiology into all stages of future exploratory missions, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




niv

Team From University of Maryland, Baltimore, Wins Grand Prize in 2018 D.C. Public Health Case Challenge

The winners of the sixth annual D.C. Public Health Case Challenge were announced at this year’s National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Annual Meeting.




niv

Entomologist May R. Berenbaum of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Named PNAS Editor-in-Chief

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announces the appointment of May R. Berenbaum as Editor-in-Chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the official journal of the Academy. Berenbaum will begin the editorship on January 1, 2019.




niv

Minority-Serving Colleges and Universities Are Positioned to Serve as a Greater Resource for Meeting U.S. STEM Workforce Needs, But Increased Attention and Investments Are Needed

Higher education leaders, policymakers, and the private sector should take a range of actions to strengthen STEM programs and degree attainment in the nation’s Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




niv

National Academies Join Colleges and Universities to Launch Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have joined with over 40 colleges, universities, and research institutions to launch an Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education.




niv

Team From University of Maryland, Baltimore, Wins Grand Prize in 2019 D.C. Public Health Case Challenge

The winners of the seventh annual D.C. Public Health Case Challenge were announced at this year’s National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Annual Meeting. The challenge aims to promote interdisciplinary, problem-based learning around a public health issue of importance to the Washington, D.C., community.




niv

Mentoring Could Improve Diversity and Inclusion in STEMM But Needs More Attention in Colleges and Universities, Says New Report, Which Identifies Effective Mentoring Practices

U.S. colleges and universities should take a more intentional, inclusive, and evidence-based approach to mentoring students in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) – a shift that could engage and help retain a broader group of students in these fields, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




niv

Leading Voices Discuss the Future of U.S. Science Policy at Feb. 26 Symposium - Event Marks 75th Anniversary of Vannevar Bushs 1945 Report Science - The Endless Frontier

The National Academy of Sciences, in partnership with The Kavli Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, will host a symposium to consider the future of science in the U.S. and how it can best serve society in the 21st century.




niv

Virtual 'UniverseMachine' sheds light on galaxy evolution

Full Text:

How do galaxies such as our Milky Way come into existence? How do they grow and change over time? The science behind galaxy formation has long been a puzzle, but a University of Arizona-led team of scientists is one step closer to finding answers, thanks to supercomputer simulations. Observing real galaxies in space can only provide snapshots in time, so researchers who study how galaxies evolve over billions of years need to use computer simulations. Traditionally, astronomers have used simulations to invent theories of galaxy formation and test them, but they have had to proceed one galaxy at a time. Peter Behroozi of the university's Steward Observatory and colleagues overcame this hurdle by generating millions of different universes on a supercomputer, each according to different physical theories for how galaxies form. The findings challenge fundamental ideas about the role dark matter plays in galaxy formation, the evolution of galaxies over time and the birth of stars. The study is the first to create self-consistent universes that are exact replicas of the real ones -- computer simulations that each represent a sizeable chunk of the actual cosmos, containing 12 million galaxies and spanning the time from 400 million years after the Big Bang to the present day. The results from the "UniverseMachine," as the authors call their approach, have helped resolve the long-standing paradox of why galaxies cease to form new stars even when they retain plenty of hydrogen gas, the raw material from which stars are forged. The research is partially funded by NSF's Division of Physics through grants to UC Santa Barbara's Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Aspen Center for Physics.

Image credit: NASA/ESA/J. Lotz and the HFF Team/STScI




niv

University of Washington paleontologists discover major T. rex fossil

Paleontologists with the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and the University of Washington have discovered a Tyrannosaurus rex, including a very complete skull. The find, which paleontologists estimate to be about 20 percent of the animal, includes vertebrae, ribs, hips and lower jaw bones.

read more



  • Paleontology & Archaeology

niv

Cosmic neighbors inhibit star formation, even in the early-universe

The international University of California, Riverside-led SpARCS collaboration has discovered four of the most distant clusters of galaxies ever found, as they appeared when the universe was only 4 billion years old. Clusters are rare regions of the universe consisting of hundreds of galaxies containing trillions of stars, as well as hot gas and mysterious dark matter. Spectroscopic observations from the ground using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Very Large Telescope in Chile confirmed the four candidates to be massive clusters. This sample is now providing the best measurement yet of when and how fast galaxy clusters stop forming stars in the early Universe.

read more



  • Astronomy & Space

niv

Discovery nearly doubles known quasars from the ancient universe

Quasars are supermassive black holes that sit at the center of enormous galaxies, accreting matter. They shine so brightly that they are often referred to as beacons and are among the most-distant objects in the universe that we can currently study. New work from a team led by Carnegie's Eduardo Bañados has discovered 63 new quasars from when the universe was only a billion years old. (It's about 14 billion years old today.)

read more



  • Astronomy & Space

niv

Explaining why the universe can be transparent

Two papers published by an assistant professor at the University of California, Riverside and several collaborators explain why the universe has enough energy to become transparent.

read more



  • Astronomy & Space

niv

Hybrid clouds span the edge of the universe

While workloads are increasingly moving from traditional to cloud data centers - both private and public, hybridization has allowed mission-critical workloads to stay on-premise. Multi-cloud adoption is also being driven by the evolution of new orchestration and management services that are helping to define and run cloud processes and create competitive solutions.




niv

Large carnivores are making a comeback in Europe

Wolves, bears, lynx and wolverines are rising in number in Europe, new research shows. Thanks in part to pan-European legislation, at least one of these species is now present in most mainland countries. The researchers say their study confirms that humans and wild predators can successfully live alongside each other.




niv

No form of asbestos is safe: report calls for a universal ban

A recent report calls for an urgent, worldwide ban on the mining and use of asbestos. It argues that there is no safe use of asbestos that can prevent occupational and environmental exposure and urges all countries to use safer alternatives to asbestos in order to protect the health of their citizens.




niv

Cortex 50: Golden Anniversary

Grey is a live streamer, Myke tries to resist making a clip show, and they both celebrate 50 episodes of Cortex




niv

New art exhibition at University of Hertfordshire explores the role of plastic in our lives

Last week, a brand new and highly topical exhibition of contemporary art opened to the public at the University of Hertfordshire. Visually stunning and extremely thought-provoking, Plastic Matter is a unique group exhibition that explores plastic’s potential to become something more treasured, looks at how hastily we consume and dispose of it, its environmental impact and its future role in society.




niv

​First electrically-driven ‘topological’ laser developed by NTU Singapore and University of Leeds scientists 

...




niv

NTU President's speech at the 100th Anniversary Annual Meeting of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences

...




niv

Vegan mayo, cookie dough earn omnivore thumbs-up

Hampton Creek does two things, vegan mayonnaise and cookie dough, and it does them well.




niv

University of Tennessee gets OK for natural gas extraction on public land

The school plans to fund a study on the effects of fracking by allowing the controversial extraction process to take place on 8,000 acres in Cumberland Forest.



  • Wilderness & Resources

niv

On 2-year anniversary, tsunami debris still washing ashore

Two years after a deadly tsunami swept ashore in Japan, killing more than 15,000 people, solemn reminders of the disaster are still washing ashore.



  • Wilderness & Resources

niv

On tsunami anniversary, Japan struggles with energy vision [Photos]

March 11 marks the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that displaced more than 30,000 and left more than 19,000 dead or missing.



  • Wilderness & Resources

niv

Japan marks anniversary of the Fukushima disaster

Japan reflects on the 3rd anniversary of the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.



  • Climate & Weather

niv

For NASA, a somber week of space disaster anniversaries

This week marks a somber time for NASA, with the anniversaries of three U.S. spaceflight disasters.




niv

Deepwater Horizon anniversary

On the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal tells TODAY that there's still work to be



  • Wilderness & Resources

niv

Hackers break into university in attempt to revive 'Climategate' scandal

'Hackergate' — a desperate attempt by climate skeptics to revive the manufactured 'Climategate' scandal in advance of U.N. climate conference — will backfir



  • Climate & Weather

niv

Pizza Fusion: Organic pizzas that please ethical omnivores and vegans alike

An organic pizza franchise is expanding fast with a menu that boasts vegan cheeses, organic meats, and gluten-free brownies.




niv

New carnivorous plant species found on Facebook

The huge 'magnificent sundew' was unknown to science until a scientist stumbled across its photo on Facebook.



  • Wilderness & Resources

niv

Universal one-shot flu vaccine could soon eradicate the disease forever

Breakthrough vaccine technique makes you immune to all forms of the flu virus.



  • Fitness & Well-Being

niv

Harvard University receives 50th LEED certification

The Ivy League campus is now home to 50 LEED certified green building projects.



  • Sustainable Business Practices

niv

Discovering a whole new universe in the soil

The intricacies of soil biodiversity may offer scientists insights into how species — animals and plants — can survive global warming.



  • Organic Farming & Gardening

niv

Not for soccer moms: Mercedes V-ision is an executive minivan that plugs in

Seen at the Geneva Motor Show, this green family hauler doubles as an office.