In a research paper called “The population of natural Earth satellites”, astronomers say that Earth has a second moon at any given time. While these moons are small, the scientific implications of this discovery are phenomenal. More »
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4fiEskEpB2I/earth-has-a-second-moon-astronomers-say
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Monday, December 19, 2011
The crushing pressures and intense temperatures in Earth’s deep interior squeeze atoms and electrons so closely together that they interact very differently. With depth materials change. New experiments and supercomputer computations discovered that iron oxide undergoes a new kind of transition under deep Earth conditions. Iron oxide, FeO, is a component of the second most abundant mineral at Earth’s lower mantle, ferropericlase. The finding, published in an upcoming issue of Physical Review Letters, could alter our understanding of deep Earth dynamics and the behavior of the protective magnetic field, which shields our planet from harmful cosmic rays.
Ferropericlase contains both magnesium and iron oxide. To imitate the extreme conditions in the lab, the team including coauthor Ronald Cohen of Carnegie’s Geophysical Laboratory, studied the electrical conductivity of iron oxide to pressures and temperatures up to 1.4 million times atmospheric pressure and 4000?F?on par with conditions at the core-mantle boundary. They also used a new computational method that uses only fundamental physics to model the complex many-body interactions among electrons. The theory and experiments both predict a new kind of metallization in FeO.
Compounds typically undergo structural, chemical, electronic, and other changes under these extremes. Contrary to previous thought, the iron oxide went from an insulating (non-electrical conducting) state to become a highly conducting metal at 690,000 atmospheres and 3000?F, but without a change to its structure. Previous studies had assumed that metallization in FeO was associated with a change in its crystal structure. This result means that iron oxide can be both an insulator and a metal depending on temperature and pressure conditions.
“At high temperatures, the atoms in iron oxide crystals are arranged with the same structure as common table salt, NaCl,” explained Cohen. “Just like table salt, FeO at ambient conditions is a good insulator?it does not conduct electricity. Older measurements showed metallization in FeO at high pressures and temperatures, but it was thought that a new crystal structure formed. Our new results show, instead, that FeO metallizes without any change in structure and that combined temperature and pressure are required. Furthermore, our theory shows that the way the electrons behave to make it metallic is different from other materials that become metallic.”
“The results imply that iron oxide is conducting in the whole range of its stability in Earth’s lower mantle.” Cohen continues, “The metallic phase will enhance the electromagnetic interaction between the liquid core and lower mantle. This has implications for Earth’s magnetic field, which is generated in the outer core. It will change the way the magnetic field is propagated to Earth’s surface, because it provides magnetomechanical coupling between the Earth’s mantle and core.”
“The fact that one mineral has properties that differ so completely?depending on its composition and where it is within the Earth?is a major discovery,” concluded Geophysical Laboratory director Russell Hemley.
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Carnegie Institution: http://www.ciw.edu
Thanks to Carnegie Institution for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116132/A_new_kind_of_metal_in_the_deep_Earth
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60-Second Earth |
Energy & Sustainability
Given the profits made from filming the natural world, can a scheme be worked out to pay for this ecosystem service? David Biello reports
December 18, 2011?|
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Entire television channels broadcast the wonders of the natural world. To gain viewers and sell ads, they rely on lions hauling down zebras, aerial tracking shots of the icy grandeur of Antarctica or more prosaic film of a bear ambling through the woods. So should the media pay for nature conservation?
That’s the question four British scientists asked, seriously, in a recent issue of the journal Science. Given the success of channels like Animal Planet, shows like Planet Earth and even films like March of the Penguins, big media makes big money from nature. Do they then have an obligation to re-invest some of their profit on the nature that provided the “ecosystem service” of existing to be filmed?
The researchers suggest setting up trusts that would hold payments from media companies on a per viewer or per DVD basis. The trusts would then invest in preserving the natural world, though selecting trustworthy trustees might prove a challenge.
Of course, that means we viewers would have to pay more to watch African wild dogs roaming free through Botswana. But wouldn’t it feel good to know that just by watching a show about nature you are also helping to conserve it?
?David Biello
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=3d0f8f420a0ea0e7a5e4fb7b58fda290
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MOSCOW ? The European Space Agency has received the first signal from an unmanned spacecraft bound for moon of Mars since it got stuck in Earth’s orbit.
The ESA, which has been helping Russia to try to communicate with the errant probe, said in a statement Wednesday that its tracking facility in the Australian city of Perth established contact with the spacecraft late Tuesday.
Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said Russian and European space experts will coordinate further attempts to contact the Phobos-Ground probe.
The $170 million craft has become stranded in orbit after its thrusters failed to fire after the Nov. 9 launch to send it to one of Mars’ two moons, Phobos. The ESA’s success in picking up signal from the probe has raised hope that engineers could prevent its uncontrollable plunge to Earth.
If the ESA manages to receive systems data from the craft, that may allow experts to determine the cause of the failure and then try to send commands that could prevent the probe from crashing back to Earth.
Roscosmos’ deputy chief, Vitaly Davydov, said Tuesday that space experts will keep trying until the end of the month to try to fix the probe and steer it to its designated flight path. If they fail, the craft could plummet to Earth some time between late December and late February, he warned, adding that the site of the crash cannot be established more than a day in advance.
The spacecraft weighs 13.2 metric tons (14.6 tons) with a highly toxic rocket fuel accounting for most of its weight. There have been concerns the fuel could freeze and spill on impact, although most experts believe it will likely stay liquid and burn up on re-entry.
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New York ? As harnessing the sun’s energy becomes cheaper and more efficient, some analysts believe solar will overtake fossil fuels in a matter of decades
According to Moore’s Law, the price of computing power is slashed in half every two years ? which helps explain why personal computers become outdated so quickly. But now, as Paul Krugman at The New York Times notes, the solar energy industry is experiencing a similar trend.?The price of producing solar power continues to fall ? thanks to technological improvements and heavy subsidies in countries like China ? and this onetime punchline of an energy sector continues to expand.?Will solar power eventually overtake oil as Earth’s primary energy source? Perhaps. In the meantime, a look at the shrinking cost of solar energy, by the numbers:
65
Percentage growth experienced by the solar energy industry in each of the past five years
7?
Percentage decline in the annual price of solar energy, adjusted for inflation
17
Percentage drop in the price of installing solar panels in the U.S. in 2010,?says the?Washington Post. “Solar companies are figuring out how to set up systems cheaply.”
17
Gigawatts of solar power that were created or used in the United States in 2010. That’s roughly equivalent to the output of 17 nuclear power plants.
700
Watts of power that the sun shines on every square meter of Earth
89 quadrillion
Watts of power shining on the Earth at any given moment. One quadrillion is a 1 followed by 15 zeros.
15 trillion
Watts of power used by “all of human civilization” each day. It may be a big number, but it’s just “one six-thousandth” of the 89 quadrillion watts shining on Earth at any given moment,?says Scientific American.
14.5
Seconds it takes for the sun to provide as much energy to Earth as humanity consumes in a day
88
Minutes it takes for the sun to provide as much energy to Earth as humanity consumes in a year
2018
The year that analysts expect solar power to become affordable enough to compete directly with fossil fuels
2060
The year that analysts expect solar power may satisfy more than half of the world’s energy needs
$491 billion
Amount that U.S. drivers are expected to spend on gasoline this year
Sources:?Forbes, Los Angeles Times,?NY Times, Scientific American, Washington Post
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