BF2S Forums D&ST - Science

Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a new class of planet: a waterworld with a thick, steamy atmosphere.

The exoplanet GJ 1214b is a so-called "Super Earth" - bigger than our planet, but smaller than gas giants such as Jupiter.

Observations using the Hubble telescope now seem to confirm that a large fraction of its mass is water.

The planet's high temperatures suggest exotic materials might exist there.

"GJ 1214b is like no planet we know of," said lead author Zachory Berta, from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

....

The planet's short distance from Earth makes it a likely candidate for follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, which may launch by the end of this decade.

The study has been accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal.

Last edited by Cheeky_Ninja06 (2012-02-21 12:51:09)

For some scientists, the unfortunate distortion and misappropriation of scientific ideas that often accompanies their integration into popular culture is an unacceptable price to pay. I share their irritation, but my strongly held view is that science is too important not to be part of popular culture. Our civilization was built on the foundations of reason and rational thinking embodied in the scientific method, and our future depends on the widespread acceptance of science as THE ONLY WAY WE HAVE to meet many, if not all, of the great challenges we face. Is the climate warming and, if so, what is the cause? Is it safe to vaccinate children against disease? These are scientific questions, in that they can be answered by the analysis of data, and therefore the answers are independent of the opinion, faith or political persuasion of the individual. If you would like to see the scale of the problem faced by those who wish to champion science and reason above rhetoric and knee-jerk prejudice, have a glance at the comments that are no doubt proliferating below this article because I mentioned climate change and vaccination.

-CARNIFEX-[LOC] wrote:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/250317/atomsized_transistor_foretells_quantum_computer_scientists_say.html

Single-atom transistor created...apparently it's much more precise and controllable vs previous attempts/incarnations (although it's operated at liquid helium temps, in a vacuum...doesn't seem that practical atm).

Apparently this truly opens up the possibilities of quantum computing, although the implications of that are well beyond me (and the scope of the article).


(...in layman's, increased computational ability/efficiency by expanding beyond a binary system?)

Dr Funder and his team say their data shows a clear connection between temperature and the amount of sea ice. The researchers concluded that for about 3,000 years, during a period called the Holocene Climate Optimum, there was more open water and far less ice than today - probably less than 50% of the minimum Arctic sea ice recorded in 2007.

But the researcher says that even with a loss of this size, the sea ice will not reach a point of no return.

"I think we can say that with the loss of 50% of the current ice, the tipping point wasn't reached."

Putting all its data together, including observations of stars that did not have planets, the team was able to produce an estimate for how common different sorts of planets are around red dwarfs.

This assessment suggests super-Earths in the habitable zone occur in 41% of cases, with a range from 28% to 95%.

Given how many red dwarf stars there are in close proximity to the Sun, it means there could be perhaps 100 super-Earth planets in the habitable zones of stars that are less than about 30 light-years distant.