Oldest known star in the Universe discovered

 

 

 

The ANU SkyMapper telescope at the Sliding Spring Observatory has discovered the oldest known star in the Universe (Photo: ANU)

 

A team of astronomers at The Australian National University (ANU) working on a five-year project to produce the first comprehensive digital survey of the southern sky has discovered the oldest known star in the Universe. Just a 6,000 light year astronomical hop, skip and jump from Earth, the ancient star formed shortly after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.

Similar to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), which is mapping the Northern Hemisphere sky, the SkyMapper Southern Sky Survey is casting its telescopic eye on the southern sky. In the first year of the five-year project, the ANU SkyMapper telescope at the Sliding Spring Observatory about 500 km (310 miles) north west of Sydney has photographed some 60 million stars.

As well as creating a comprehensive census of the stars in the southern sky, SkyMapper is also tasked with mapping dark matter and uncovering the first quasars and stars to form after the birth of the Universe. The SkyMapper telescope is able to find such ancient stars through its ability to detect, through their color, stars with low iron.

“The stars we are finding number one in a million,” said team member Professor Mike Bessell, who worked with Dr Stefan Keller of the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics on the research.

The researchers say the discovery will provide a better idea of what the Universe was like in its infancy by allowing the study of the chemistry of the first stars.According to the team, the composition of the newly-discovered star shows it formed in the wake of a primordial star, which had a mass 60 times that of our Sun.

“To make a star like our Sun, you take the basic ingredients of hydrogen and helium from the Big Bang and add an enormous amount of iron – the equivalent of about 1,000 times the Earth’s mass,” said Dr Keller. “To make this ancient star, you need no more than an Australia-sized asteroid of iron and lots of carbon. It’s a very different recipe that tells us a lot about the nature of the first stars and how they died.”

Although it was previously believed that the death of primordial stars involved extremely violent explosions that spread iron over huge volumes of space, the ancient star shows signs of lighter elements, such as carbon and magnesium, but no sign of iron.

“This indicates the primordial star’s supernova explosion was of surprisingly low energy,” said Dr Keller. “Although sufficient to disintegrate the primordial star, almost all of the heavy elements such as iron, were consumed by a black hole that formed at the heart of the explosion.”

The ancient star’s discovery was confirmed using the Magellan telescope in Chile, and a paper detailing the discovery is published in the journal Nature .Data collected by the survey, which is funded by the Australia Research Council, will also be made freely available on the internet.

 

Source: Australian National University

É, faz sentido.

 

The evolution of a smile

 

www.maneirissimo.net

Bubble room.

 

Como viver bem numa bolha.

Monday Escape: Rio de Janiero

 

 

Brazil | September 26, 2011 by Tom

If civilization was mostly wiped out and needed to choose one spot upon which to rebuild itself, it should choose the site of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Simply put, it’s the most stunning location for a large city anywhere on earth. There are sandy white beaches at almost every edge along its complex coastline, and there are gorgeous rock formations at every corner, the most famous of which is the enormous dual-peaked Sugarloaf Mountain.

Rio de Janeiro is too large and complicated to be summarized properly in a Monday Escape, so we’ll hit the highlights below. It also doesn’t seem to be a terribly popular place for English -speaking expats, at least compared to its overall size. I hear many more people basing themselves in Buenos Aires, Santiago, and even Lima, but none of those can match Rio as a vacation spot.

The vibe in Rio de Janeiro

As an enormous city, it’s not surprising that Rio de Janeiro has many distinct parts. There’s the downtown area that has no beach and resembles large downtowns in other Latin American cities. Then there are all the various residential neighborhoods, which range from opulent to frighteningly impoverished. In fact, some of the posh areas are very close to the favelas (slums) in a way that you rarely see elsewhere. The last type of area in Rio are the beach-resort districts, with Copacabana and Ipanema being the most famous, and these are the areas where most tourists spend most of their time, so we’ll concentrate on those.

Even within these various beach districts there are usually very expensive hotel and condominium buildings lining the beaches, and even the block just behind can have a mix of businesses that cater to all classes. The rich and the poor are never far apart in Rio, but this also helps tourists find affordable accommodations in convenient areas. As long as you are willing to stay in a hotel that is 2 blocks from the magnificent beaches, you can get it for a very reasonable price.

The pace of life in the beach areas of Rio is quite slow, at least until late at night when the party people fill the clubs and bars. The most popular activity is to find a spot on the beach and sit there checking everyone else out. The beaches are so huge that there seems to be room for everyone, even on a crowded day. However, don’t go down near the water after the crowds are gone or you’ll almost certainly get robbed. No joke.

Just walking along the beach sidewalks you’ll have a little food and drink shop every 100 meters, so you can sit down and drink a cheap can of beer or some coconut water before resuming your stroll. Watch for the volleyball courts where more often than not you’ll find locals playing a football variation instead of actual volleyball.

When it’s time for dinner you’ll want to reserve at least one night for the famous churrascaria steak restaurants. You pay a rather high flat fee upon entering and then the food is available buffet-style, except for the meats which are brought from table to table on a spit just off the grill. If you want some of that particular meat or sausage you’ll indicate to the server and he’ll carve a bunch of slices onto your plate. The meat is incredibly good, but of course it’s filling so best to skip lunch that day.

The cost of living in Rio de Janeiro

All of Brazil has been known as a fairly cheap country for decades, but its rising currency has changed things a bit recently. Rio de Janeiro is still cheaper than, say, Barcelona, but not by much anymore. You’ll probably have to pay at least US$50 a night for a basic hotel room, and over $100 per night for something nice.

Fortunately, the attractions are mostly free or cheap, as long as you mainly want to hang around the beach, but the cable car up Sugarloaf is very expensive, as is the train to Christ the Redeemer. Still, they are both worth it as long as you are there.

The food and drink costs can be very reasonable if you go to the sidewalk stands and eat like the locals. Wages are still quite low on average so you can still buy a simple meal for US$3 or so, but sitting down in a sidewalk cafe will cost you closer to $10 even for lunch. These sidewalk stands are open around the clock so cheap food is always available, but a dinner in a churrascaria will probably cost US$30 or more per person, so it’s a wide range.

10 Reasons Why Brazil Will Become A World Super Power

 

 

I have now lived in Brazil for close to 7 years. I have married a Brazilian woman, and I have two children, one which was born in Rio de Janeiro. So I am very embedded in Brazil, but I believe that I can state in an unbiased manner why I believe that Brazil is set to become an economic super power. When I look at the facts, it is a stark and scary difference to compare the fundamentals of the American economy with that of Brazil.

1. No wars or enemies

Only 25 years ago, Brazil was a military dictatorship. But since that time, Brazil has avoided military conflict. This of course is in stark contrast to the United States, where we manufacture reasons to go to war (weapons of mass destruction).

2. Made in Brazil

By and large, Brazil’s trade policy has been protectionist. Still today, many conveniences of American modern life are either non existent or very expensive. One area where they could improve greatly is in technology such as computers. Computers are still very expensive in Brazil and hence internet adoption and basic computing skills lag behind other developed nations. That said, the upshot of this policy is that Brazil produces almost everything it consumes. A great example are cars. Cars are affordable in Brazil, and I would say that 90% of the automobiles in Brazil are made in Brazil.

Contrast this with the United States. If you want to buy a vase or a cutting board, they are all made in China. All of the basic commodities of life in Brazil are manufactured and consumed internally.

3. High interest rates

As I have stated, I am truly afraid of the American economic system that now has interest rates pegged at zero. I believe that the countries that have the highest interest rates will fare the best during the economic melt down. High interest rates also encourage savings rather spending. Furthermore, high interest rates can be lowered to provide an economic stimulus for the economy.

I have been very fortunate and have been moving down large percentages of my savings into the equivalent of Brazilian T-bills. When I first purchased my apartment in 2003, interest rates were sitting at 20%. Since that time, it has dropped to 13% in 2008 and 9% in 2009. That said, I am much happier making 9% on my money here in Brazil than 0% in the United States.

4. Natural resources galore

I am astounded with the naturals resources in Brazil. Brazil is a huge land mass that is actually larger than the 48 continguous states of America. On this land is incredible wealth. Brazil is the largest exporter in the world of wood and one of the largest exporters of copper. But it does not end there. The number of fruits and vegetables in Brazil are astounding. Just going to the super market for an American is confusing because they have everything that American’s are accustomed plus so much more. I have just finished doing a bunch of Googling, but could not find anything. I would bet however if there was an index to measure the natural abundance of a country, Brazil would be the winner.

5. No natural disasters

In the United States, we all pay more for insurance because of natural disasters. In Myrtle Beach, it is for hurricanes, in the mid-west for tornadoes, and on the west coast, for earthquakes. Brazil has no natural disasters. There is some small amount of flooding in some areas but that is it.

6. Lots of water

In addition to all of the natural resources, Brazil has an abundance of water. It rains in Brazil a lot. In some parts of the United States such as California and Nevada, water will always be an infrastructure concern. In Brazil, none.

7. Oil aplenty

Off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest oil finds was discovered. It will take years to drill, remove and distribute this oil, but Rio de Janeiro is beginning to feel like a boom town. All the major oil companies in the world are establishing operations here in Brazil. The Brazilian Petrobras is positioned to catapult into a top tier energy provider during the next decade.

8. Leading producer of alcohol

Brazil is also the world’s largest exporter of ethanol. As long as I have lived here, Brazil has always been energy independent. More importantly, all of Brazil’s cars are manufactured to burn both ethanol and gasoline. Furthermore, the country’s infrastructure is already set up so that all “gas” stations handle both alcohol and gasoline. Note: ethanol is always about 30% cheaper than gasoline.

9. Government runs a surplus

The United States is so upside down, it is painful to watch. The trade deficit plus the federal deficit will be enough to sink the United States. On the other hand, Brazil is running a surplus on federal spending and also on trade.

10. Infrastructure

I am not very traveled throughout Brazil, but I recently visited Goiânia and Anápolis, both north of Rio de Janeiro. Goiânia has a metropolitan population of around 2.2M which makes it roughly the size of Pittsburgh. I visited the city and it is full of life, shopping malls, and it is a world class city. I also visited my wife’s home town of Anápolis, which has a population of 320,000. Much smaller in size, but again a city that is well developed. Brazil has a lot of the infrastructure to grow substantially in the decade to come.

Conclusion

Brazil is not without its problems. Government corruption is documented in the paper almost daily. The gap between the rich and the poor is the largest of any developed country. This results in higher violence levels in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. However, I believe that Brazil will grow and prosper despite these inherent problems.

Inside the Ducati factory: Building the 1199 Panigale from the ground up

 

Click on :  Ducati

Celebridades em close-up por Martin Schoeller

 

Incriveis fotos de celebridades em alta definição e close-up

 

Não são desenhos ou pinturas, são fotos mesmo, você teria coragem?

The ten most ridiculously awesome geek computer pranks.

 

ridiculously awesome geek computer pranks.

 

Awesome portraits of celebrities.

 

 

Presentation des portraits de celebrites incryable a partir de griboillis au stylo

 

 

www.designspartan.com

Low-Dose Statins Good Option for Some Heart Patients: Study

 

 

 

MONDAY Feb. 10, 2014, 2014 -- A new analysis suggests that people at high risk for heart disease who can't take high-dose statin drugs to lower their cholesterol might benefit from a treatment combination that includes taking a low-dose statin.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins reviewed published research to compare the benefits and harms of a lower-intensity statin when combined with one of several other cholesterol-lowering treatments in adults at high risk for heart disease.

Study author Dr. Kimberly Gudzune said combining a low-dose statin with either a so-called bile acid sequestrant or Zetia (ezetimibe) -- both of which are medications that also work to lower cholesterol levels -- lowered "bad" (LDL) cholesterol. Taking a high-dose statin by itself also lowered LDL levels.

"At least in the short term, this strategy seems to be as effective as the high-dose statin alone, although there were two major caveats: We don't know much about side effects and we don't know about long-term effectiveness," said Gudzune, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins.

She also said the researchers were not able to draw conclusions about mortality or heart problems such as heart attacks.

There was not enough evidence regarding LDL cholesterol reduction when it came to using a low-dose statin with fibrates, niacin or omega-3 fatty acids, Gudzune said. Fibrates can lower levels of blood fats known as triglycerides and can sometimes raise levels of "good" (HDL) cholesterol.

The review was published online Feb. 10 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association cholesterol guidelines recommend moderate- or high-intensity statin therapy for people whose medical conditions or cholesterol levels put them at risk for heart disease -- the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

But some patients don't respond to high doses of statins and some suffer from side effects, including muscle pain, Gudzune said.

"It doesn't happen infrequently that patients come in and say, 'I'm having muscle pains on this statin,'" she said. "So we wanted to review the literature and help shed a little bit of light on it for those patients."

Gudzune said they aren't yet sure of the long-term benefits of combining low-dose statins and other medications.

"Unfortunately, we weren't really able to examine the risk for [heart] events like heart attacks or strokes," she said. "We aren't sure if it translates into decreased [heart] risk."

Dr. Chip Lavie is medical director of cardiac rehabilitation and preventive cardiology at the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans.

"This is a nice paper," Lavie said. "But I suspect that many clinicians ... already know that a lower-dose statin combined with a second lipid agent -- most know this best with ezetimibe -- produced at least similar but probably slightly better [results] ... compared with lower-dose statins alone."

Based on the most recent guidelines, Lavie said, doctors should try to get patients to tolerate the proven therapies before resorting to other less proven "but potentially very effective treatment approaches."

More information

Visit the American Heart Association for more on cholesterol.

Pets de bolso.

 

                                   Estas imagens provam que estes bichinhos são as coisas mais fofas deste mundo.

Fonte: www. aparede.com

U.S. Officials Target Escalating Drug Overdoses

 

 

 

TUESDAY Feb. 11, 2014 -- As deaths from heroin and prescription painkillers mount across the United States, government officials are searching for ways to stem the toll of addiction.

The death last week of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46, in New York City from an apparent heroin overdose highlighted this escalating problem.

"The use of opioids -- a group of drugs that includes heroin and prescription painkillers -- is having a devastating impact on public health and safety in communities across the nation," Gil Kerlikowske, director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, said during a Tuesday morning news conference in Washington, D.C.

"In 2010, approximately 100 Americans died from overdoses every day," Kerlikowske said. Prescription painkillers were involved in more than 16,600 deaths that year, and heroin was involved in about 3,000 deaths, he added.

Overdose deaths now surpass deaths from murder and car crashes in America, he said.

Heroin's popularity has soared in recent years -- jumping to 669,000 users in 2012 from 373,000 in 2007, according to government figures provided at the news conference. However, heroin is still much less common than other drugs, Kerlikowske added.

Heroin's resurgence is partly the result of increased availability and lower cost relative to other drugs, he said.

Speaking at the news conference, Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, explained that heroin is an opioid, as is morphine and commonly prescribed painkillers like hydrocodone and oxycodone.

"These are all classified as opioids because they exert their effect by attaching to the opioid receptor found in our brain and spinal cord," Compton said.

Besides blocking the transmission of pain, "opioids also cause pleasurable sensations," Compton said. "It's through that mechanism that abuse can result in physical dependency and addiction."

These drugs also slow breathing and heart activity, Compton said. "These functions can be slowed to such an extent that they often result in a coma or death," he said.

The heroin epidemic is linked to prescription drug abuse, Kerlikowske said. "Many individuals who develop a substance abuse disorder or who overdose begin by misusing prescription drugs," he said.

To break this link, the federal government has begun to crack down on "pill mills" and doctors who over-prescribe narcotic painkillers. It has also developed education programs for doctors and patients on prescribing painkillers and disposing of unused prescriptions.

Nearly 80 percent of people who recently started using heroin had previously used prescription pain relievers illegally, according to a U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report issued last April.

Hoffman's death, despite his efforts to stay clean, reminds experts that any fight against heroin must be broad and multi-pronged.

Waging a campaign against drugs isn't a simple matter of law enforcement, Kerlikowske said.

Seizures of heroin along the Mexican border increased 324 percent from 2008 to 2013, he said, but even rural areas of the United States are finding heroin easy to come by.

"It is clear we are not going to arrest our way out of this problem. Science has shown that drug addiction is a disease of the brain -- a disease that can be prevented, treated and from which one can recover," Kerlikowske said.

Wider use of the drug naloxone would help curb drug-related deaths, Kerlikowske said. When given to someone suffering an overdose, naloxone can almost immediately counteract a drug's lethal effect and save that person's life, he said.

Kerlikowske believes that first responders, such as police and EMTs, should routinely carry naloxone. "Saving a life is more important than making an arrest," he said.

In New York state, legislators this week proposed a bill that would allow a trained layperson to administer naloxone to someone at risk of an overdose.

Making treatment available for drug addiction is also a key tool, Kerlikowske said.

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are required to cover treatment for drug addiction just as they would treatment for any other chronic disease, he said.

Drugs used to treat chronic addiction include naltrexone (Narcan), buprenorphine (Buprene) and methadone, Kerlikowske said.

"Medication-assisted treatment has already helped thousands of people in long-term recovery," he said.

More information

For more on drug abuse, visit the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration .

Posted: February 2014