Author: Kristen Brady

Neptune-sized exoplanet has blue sky like the earth

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Astronomers are able to learn much about planets with very little. A team of scientists, in this specific instance, had the ability to figure out that an exoplanet’s sky is blue. This planet includes the smallest on which Rayleigh scattering has been detected.

This discovery was probable due to the network at Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope. The astronomers monitored scattering on small particles inside the exoplanet environment, and they witnessed that these molecules scattered around blue light more.

Blue skies, unfortunately, do not equate to an environment such as ours. This exoplanet likely has a helium/hydrogen-dominated environment with hazes and high altitude clouds, according to research published inside the Astrophysical Journal. The scientists admit that it is probable the planet possesses an atmosphere robust in molecules like methane and water, yet they aren’t confident that the features viewed inside its light spectrum is real.

This planet, named GJ 3470b, will orbit a red dwarf that is 50% the Sun’s mass. This star possesses a temperature of around 6,000°Farhenheit and this planet will orbit around its star each 3 Earth days. Being so near to the star, the planet is very hot and called a hot Neptune.

The research is the initial high confidence detection of an exoplanet environment features utilizing observations that were taken with just 3.3’ and 6.6’ telescopes, showcasing the importance of meter class astronomy within boosting our comprehension of the universe.

Trailer – Captain America: Civil War

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Marvel debuted its original trailer of Captain America: Civil War recently upon Jimmy Kimmel Live, and it is even more glorious than first imagined.

The trailer concentrates on the conflict in between Iron Man and Captain America, and it is filled with high octane battle scenes, a battered and bruised Iron Man, as well as Captain America’s discharge.

The movie, of course, picks up at the place Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, along with Steve Rogers leading an all-new Avenger team. However, after the Avengers produce collateral damage, political pressure will force them to put in a system of accountability and new governing body.

It’s amongst the better Marvel film trailers we have seen to date, as it’ll appear to catch the right tone of the upcoming movie. Couple this with the truth that they added in Martin Freeman to the cast, it is safe to bet our anticipation is at an all-time high.

Now, we all have something to actually look forward to following Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Captain America: Civil War’s release date is slated for May 6th, 2016.

Watch the trailer here:

Game preview – Ark: Survival Evolved on Xbox One

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At present time, Ark: Survival Evolved is soaring upon STEAM’s trendiest games list. People clearly adore dinosaur games. Currently, developer studio Wildcard teased (through the official forum on Steam) that game Ark: Survival Evolved Xbox One release is “imminent.”

Even though we have known of Ark‘s impending Early Access-style release on Xbox One, now we know that it is much sooner than at first expected. In the meantime, the game sold more than two million copies to date upon PC, in spite of the truth that it still is in early access.

On PC, the price tag is $30, yet Xbox One players will have the ability to play a complimentary trial of the game prior to determining if they have a desire to spend their cash to dedicate to it. We do not know whether or not Wildcard is going to have the ability to keep up with the PC’s various updates for the Xbox One. However, hopefully, they will pay just as close attention to Xbox One edition as they will to the PC edition.

The full edition is going to release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One during some point in the year 2016.

Check out the video here:

Over 50% of world’s primates on the endangered species list

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Over 50% the world’s primates, which includes monkeys, lemurs and apes are faced with extinction, international professionals warned last Tuesday.

This population crunch includes the consequence of massive scale habitat destruction – especially the clearing and burning of forests – and hunting of primates for food, as well as illegal wildlife trade.

The species that were long known to be at risk, which includes Sumatran orangutan, were joined upon the most endangered listing for the initial time by Philippine tarsier as well as, from Madagascar, the Lavasoa dwarf lemur, researchers that met in Singapore stated.

According to director of conservation at Britain’s Bristol Zoological Society and leading primatologist, Christoph Schwitzer, ‘These studies highlight the extent of the danger that faces most of the globe’s primates.’

It’ll include Lavasoa dwarf lemur – species just found 2 years before – as well as Roloway monkey from Ivory Coast and Ghana that, according to experts, ‘are on the brink of extinction’.

According to the statement, ‘In the world, there will include 703 primate sub-species and species. Vietnam and Madagascar house the massive figures of extremely threatened species.’

The statement added that red colobus monkey, in Africa, was underneath specific risk, as were a few of South America’s spider monkeys and howler monkeys. The statement also mentioned that ‘All those species are conspicuous and fairly large, making them primary targets for bush meat hunting.

Chair of the species survival commission of the IUCN, Russell Mittermeier, stated he hoped this report might urge governments to dedicate to ‘desperately necessary measures for biodiversity conservation’.

Facebook makes dealing with your ex on social media less bothersome

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In today’s social media age it’s very difficult to handle relationships. Breaking up with somebody often means that you end up continuing to look at their photos online, you find out when they enter into a new relationship and exactly what they’re doing after you break up. While deleting someone as a friend on Facebook can send a strong message and make it difficult to potentially rekindle a romance later on, Facebook is introducing new features that make ending relationships easier.

This week Facebook launched a number of tools that sets different privacy alerts for people who have recently broken up over Facebook. This means that when a breakup occurs officially and a person changes their relationship status the social network will give each party the option to limit status updates, photos, videos and more that a former partner might see.

To go one step further these privacy options also allow users to edit some of their past posts giving partners the chance to un-tag themselves from previous photos all at once or through individual posts. This gives users the option to go absolutely nuclear and delete their relationship from Facebook altogether. Facebook won’t make these changes painful either and as you untagged yourself from photos Facebook won’t alert the other person to changes in tagging behavior.

It will be interesting to see exactly what these new relationship options can bring for dedicated Facebook users and those who are transitioning out of relationships over social media. These new options will be launched today throughout the US and for mobile users. Depending on the reception that Facebook gets with these initial changes to privacy option settings they may choose to roll out the update internationally from there.

Have you ever experienced issues with social media coming out of a relationship? Do you think these updates would be helpful to have on your Facebook? Comment below.

Netflix putting Lost in Space television series in works

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Netflix has yet taken an additional measure at becoming the king of television as the streaming service announced they have landed the rights to a television series remake of Lost in Space, which they are currently putting into production.

Netflix was within a heated bid war over the sci-fi cult television classic prior to landing the project, according to a report at Deadline. Netflix stated that they have placed feature writers Burk Sharpless (Dracula Untold) and Matt Sazama on the project, with legendary television’s Neil Marshall predicted to direct the series.

The 1965 television series was set 30 years into the future, as well as centered around an attempt by the United States to colonize deep space by sending one family upon a 5 1/2-year exploration to an additional planet. An enemy agent will sabotage the mission, and take the ship off course, thereby becoming lost in space.

The remake series Lost in Space originally was attempted by NBC as a telefilm, prior to being rebooted as a WB series, in which it received the pilot treatment which was directed by John Woo. It did not receive a series order, unfortunately.

We always are on the lookout for brand new sci-fi television series to view, of course, and had the television series been won by a broadcast network, we may not be as interested. But, the truth that Netflix picked the series up might mean the series may take a somewhat darker tone.

What will happen if a candle is lit in space?

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All of us have seen films which feature a fire inside the depths of space, the majority notably within the 2013 movie Gravity in which – alongside George Clooney smouldering away – viewers saw a fire break out upon their space station.

However, how could a fire really behave in microgravity? NASA scientists, fortunately, have been pondering that themselves for a long time.

Researchers, since 2009, onboard the ISS (International Space Station) have actively been performing experiment Flame Extinguishment Experiment (FLEX) that sought to figure out how fire will behave in space and, most importantly, how to put it out.

As you light a candle, it’ll form a classic teardrop shape. But, that only is due to gravity. As the oxygen is consumed by fire, the hotter air will rise and cooler un-combusted air will sink to the bottom. However, without gravity, there isn’t any separation between heavier and lighter air, therefore the fire burns in every direction equally, and causes a slow-burning world of combustion.

Oddly, Flame Extinguishment Experiment discovered that combustion has the ability to occur without any visible flames.

Look at this DNews episode that displays wonderful and even odder demonstrations of fire inside space.

Scientists create first cyber plant

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A Sweden University team of scientists created the initial electrically augmented plant, and developed both digital and analog circuits within a rose that is alive. The technology would permit researchers to regulate chemical processes and growth in plants and harness photosynthesis in order to develop fresh solar cells.

This Swedish team added in a polymer into the rose’s leaves and natural vessel system, and they had the ability to prove it is possible to develop electrical elements resembling transistors, wires, and display components.

The group utilized a conductive polymer, referred to as PEDOT-S, in order to form wires inside the inside of the xylem; tissue carrying water surrounding the plant. Wires were put together by exposing the rose cuttings to a polymer solution that evenly spread all throughout the plant, and coats the xylem as well as forms conductive structures that were longer than 2”. Due to the polymer not filling the xylem completely, the capability of the plant carrying nutrients and water around wasn’t restricted.

Also, the researchers infused the leaves of the plant utilizing a different polymer, an additional PEDOT family member that developed “pixels” surrounding the veins of the rose. By sending electrochemical signals via the veins, they had the ability to activate these pixels, altering the color inside these leaves as if they were simplistic displays, changing between dark and light green.

Head of the team which created the technology, Professor Magnus Berggren, thinks electronically enhanced plants might possess a massive impact in comprehending plants better and creating integrated technologies like bio-sensors, photosynthesis based fuel cells, growth regulators as well as devices which are able to control the plant’s inside functions.

Extinction faces over 50% of tree’s in Amazon

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Deforestation around the Amazon isn’t something new: All throughout a lot of history, farmers have been clearing out patches to raise livestock and grow crops. However, that was on a smaller scale than these days. Over the last couple of decades, over 289,000 square miles have been cut, mainly to make way for soybean production and cattle.

While all of us know the results at the ecosystem level, like habitat loss and climate alteration, less is known concerning how deforestation has affected plant and animal populations throughout human history, and what may occur in the future. It’ll mean that the conservation status of the 15,000 tree species residing in this region, amongst the most diverse plant hotspots within the globe, remains unknown.

Using information from IUCNs (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species, writers concluded that 36 – 57% of the Amazon’s species of trees likely would fall under the classification of threatened with extinction. Those figures reflect different scenarios scientists looked at for the year 2050: “optimistic” and “pessimistic.”

Also, they discovered that their trends aren’t restricted to the Amazon and may be applied to additional forests around the world, implying that most of the globe’s 40,000 tree species potentially share the exact same status. With the International Union for Conservation of Nature threshold for being eligible as threatened sitting at a loss of 30% Pitman explained that it’d mean that both Asia that has lost around 35% over the last 150 years, as well as Africa that has lost 55%, also would fall under the exact same category.

Is Star Wars Battlefront The Star Wars Game Fans Have Always Wanted?

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If you are a fan of Star Wars you may have found yourself absolutely lost in some of the battles of the original trilogy as well as some of the epic space battles from the trailers to the new film being released in December. Seeing these battles and living them are two very different things and battlefront actually gives you the tools to immerse yourself in the chaotic world of a sci-fi space battle.

Graphically this is probably one of the best examples of a Star Wars game that comes close to the insane visuals that we see in some of the movies. EA has gone all-out re-creating the Star Wars universe from the iconic characters like Bobo Fett, Princess Leia and Luke to immersing players in the original soundtrack, sounds of the battles and even capturing some of the explosions and effects. The presentation and Star Wars battlefront definitely is the type of Star Wars game that everyone has been waiting for over many years.

What battlefront lacks unfortunately is any semblance of story. The creators of this game took out any kind of narrative or dialogue that had to do with the Star Wars universe. It does create an amazing platform for 40 players to duel against each other in vehicles and weapons that are used throughout the movie series but there really isn’t much of a single player campaign, a story for any of the characters or game modes that don’t suffer from repetitions after long play sessions. While battlefront is definitely the type of simulation that Star Wars fans who have ever tried to simulate these battles with action figures have always wanted, it’s not necessarily the all-encompassing Star Wars game that gamers have always wanted.

If you are in the mood for the ultimate Star Wars battle simulation that you can casually play this is a great option. If you are looking for an immersive title that can keep you engaged for many hours of play however you may find this game getting somewhat repetitive at least until some of the expansion start to drop next year.