Mars Orbiter Mission shifts orbit to take cover from Siding Spring

India's Mars orbiter has sent a picture of regional dust storm activities over the northern hemisphere of the Red Planet, Isro said on Monday.

"Regional dust storm activities over northern hemisphere of Mars - captured by Mars Color Camera on-board Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)", Bangalore-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said on its official Facebook page with a picture.

It said the image was taken from an altitude of 74,500km from the surface of Mars.

MOM spacecraft had sent its first images of the planet on Thursday, a day after creating history by becoming the only such endeavour so far to have met with success on the maiden attempt.

The Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission aims to study the Martian surface and mineral composition and scan its atmosphere for methane, an indicator of life.

The spacecraft is equipped with five instruments, including a sensor to track methane or marsh gas, a colour camera and a thermal-imaging spectrometer to map the surface and mineral wealth of the planet.

The Rs. 450-crore MOM is the cheapest interplanetary mission. India is the first country to reach Mars in its very first attempt. European, American and Russian probes have managed to orbit or land on the planet, but after several attempts.

The orbiter will keep moving in an elliptical path for at least 6 months with its instruments sending their gleanings back home.

The spacecraft was launched on its 9-month-long odyssey on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, last year. It had escaped the Earth's gravitational field on December 1 and was placed in the Martian orbit on September 24.

World's smallest microphone is made from a single molecule

A team of scientists from Lund University in Sweden has figured out how to turn a single molecule into a microphone by making it capable of detecting the vibrations produced by sound waves.

This minuscule microphone works by embedding a single molecule of a substance called dibenzoterrylene (DBT) in a tiny crystal of a hydrocarbon material called anthracene. When the crystal is exposed to sound waves, the DBT molecule is disturbed by the vibrations, and it vibrates in response. 

"This movement changes the interaction between the electron clouds of DBT and anthracene, which ultimately result in a slight shift in DBT's fluorescence,” explains Sarah Zhang at Gizmodo. "By tracking the fluorescence of just a single molecule of DBT, the scientists could track the frequency of the sound."

Right now, the mini-microphone only works in a very specific environment - the surrounding temperature must always be super-cold because warm temperatures can cause the molecule to move around too much - but the team is now working on making it more flexible. They don’t see their device being included in any high-tech spy kits any time soon, but they do intend for it to be used in physics labs to spot nanoscale movements in both chemical and biological systems. “A tiny sensor for tiny things,” as Zhang puts it.

Scientists have created the most effective “invisibility cloak” so far, and you can make one for $100

Created by scientists at the University of Rochester in New York, the device can hide large objects from sight using cheap and readily available lenses.

“There’ve been many high tech approaches to cloaking and the basic idea behind these is to take light and have it pass around something as if it isn’t there, often using high-tech or exotic materials,” said John Howell, a professor of physics at the University of Rochester in a press release.

But while it works like an invisibility cloak, it looks more like something your optometrist would use to check your eyes - and when something is placed behind the layered lens, it disappears from view, leaving the background untouched.

“This is the first device that we know of that can do three-dimensional, continuously multidirectional cloaking, which works for transmitting rays in the visible spectrum,” graduate student Joseph Choi, who helped develop the technology with Howell, said in the release.

Previously, scientists had struggled to hide objects from varying angles, so they would be masked when you looked at them from straight on, but would be visible again when you moved your head. Now this new device has been used to cloak a hand, a face and a ruler from all angles. And the applications are pretty incredible - for example, a doctor could look through the lens and see the organs he was operating on below his hand. They could also let drivers see through their vehicle to their blind spot. Not to mention the fact that it can make you invisible, which is just freaking awesome.

The device can also be scaled up depending on the size of the lens, and would allow large objects to be cloaked. It also works for the whole visible spectrum of light, which means there are no limitations to what it can block.

It works by using four separate lenses with different focal lengths. By carefully calculating the distance between these lenses, Choi and Howell managed to bend the light around an object. They've submitted their results to the journal Optics Express, and the paper is also available onarXiv.org.

The team has now released instructions and equations that will help people build a similar device at home for around $100.

Kidneys produce an active form of vitamin D

Today is World Kidney Day! Kidneys produce an active form of vitamin D, remove waste products from the body and control the production of red blood cells. Here are more interesting facts about kidneys.

→ Each kidney has about 1 million nephrons.
→ Kidneys represent 0.5% of the body’s entire weight.
→ Your kidneys clean about 1 litre of blood every minute.
→ Kidneys filter about 2 litres of urine every day.
→ Kidneys receive 20 to 25% of all the blood pumped by the heart.

A glory has been seen for the very first time in the atmosphere of Venus

A glory has been seen for the very first time in the atmosphere of Venus – it’s also the first time one has been fully imagined in another planet! A glory is a natural phenomenon that occurs frequently on Earth. It occurs when sunlight shines on cloud droplets (water), forming a sort of circular rainbow. The one seen in Venus formed when sunlight shone on sulphuric acid droplets.

The study suggests our most recent common ancestor

The study suggests our most recent common ancestor is 8,300 years older than scientists previously believed - and puts him within the timeframe of the "Mitochondrial Eve". According to the researchers: “we can say with some certainty that modern humans emerged in Africa a little over 200,000 years ago". The discovery, published in European Journal of Human Genetics, contradicts a study from 2013 that claimed the human Y chromosome originated in a different species through interbreeding. 

Meet the mother of all spiders.

Meet the mother of all spiders. This 2cm-long fossil arthropod, named Enalikter aphson, was found in 425-million-year-old rocks in the UK. It's part of an extinct group of marine arthropods called megacheira, which may be distant ancestors of all arthropods alive today including lobsters and spiders.

Research suggests the artificial skin will speed up

Research suggests the artificial skin will speed up wound healing by reducing fluid build up and transporting nutrients, oxygen and immune cells to the damaged area. The artificial skin, which was developed by Swiss scientists, is about to undergo clinical trials.

विटामिन डीः जो न रोगी को फ़ायदा देती है न सेहतमंद को

आमतौर पर चिकित्सक हड्डी संबंधी बीमारियों के इलाज में और एहतियात के तौर पर विटामिन डी की गोलियां लेने का परामर्श देते हैं.

लेकिन एक शोध में पाया गया है कि सेहतमंद वयस्कों में बीमारी के ख़तरों से विटामिन डी की गोलियों का कोई ख़ास असर नहीं होता.

अग्रणी मेडिकल जर्नल क्लिक करेंलांसेट में प्रकाशित शोध के अनुसार, तक़रीबन 100 परीक्षणों में पाया गया है कि इन गोलियों से किसी भी स्वास्थ्य संबंधी ख़तरे में कोई महत्वपूर्ण कमी नहीं हुई. बच्चों, महिलाओं और बुज़ुर्गों समेत तमाम 'ख़तरे वाले' समूहों को अभी भी विटामिन डी को पूरक आहार के रूप में लेने की सलाह दी जाती है. न्यूज़ीलैंड के ऑकलैंड विश्वविद्यालय से जुड़े शोधकर्ताओं की इस टीम ने पहले भी इन परीक्षणों का मेटा-एनालसिस किया था जिससे पता चला था कि 'बोन मिनिरल डेंसिटी' पर विटामिन डी का कोई ख़ास प्रभाव नहीं पड़ता.

मामूली असर

शोधकर्ताओं ने पाया कि हृदय रोग, हृदयाघात या सेरेब्रोवैस्कुलर रोग, कैंसर और हड्डियों के टूटने के सापेक्षिक खतरे में विटामिन डी का बहुत मामूली (15 प्रतिशत) प्रभाव पड़ता है. अस्पताल में भर्ती मरीजों में विटामिन डी कूल्हे संबंधी बीमारियों के ख़तरे को 15 फ़ीसदी से ज़्यादा कम नहीं कर पाता. कैल्शियम के साथ भी इसका प्रयोग एक स्वस्थ व्यक्ति में ख़तरे को कम नहीं कर पाता है. शोध के अनुसार, इस बात पर पर्याप्त संदेह बरक़रार है कि कैल्शियम समेत या इसके बिना विटामिन डी का प्रयोग मृत्यु के ख़तरे को कम करता है. शोधकर्ताओं के अनुसार, ''हमारे निष्कर्षों के मुताबिक मांसपेशियों और हृदय संबंधी बीमारियों, कैंसर, फ्रैक्टर या मृत्यु के ख़तरे को कम करने में विटामिन डी का परामर्श देने को बहुत सही नहीं ठहराया जा सकता है.'' स्वीडन के उपसाला विश्व विद्यालय में सर्जिकल विभाग से जुड़े कार्ल माइकल्सन के अनुसार अभी भी इस बात पर विवाद है कि विटामिन डी की कमी की स्थिति में इसकी गोलियां लाभप्रद हैं या नहीं.

बरतें एहतियात

वे कहते हैं, ''आमतौर पर यह धारणा है कि विटामिन डी का प्रमुख स्रोत धूप है और इसकी थोड़ी खुराक लेने से सेहत में सुधार होगा लेकिन यह अभी बहुत स्पष्ट नहीं है कि ऐसा ही होता है.'' उन्होंने कहा कि जबतक और अधिक सूचना नहीं आ जाती है, यह ज़्यादा ठीक होगा कि स्वस्थ लोगों को संभल कर विटामिन डी की गोलियां लेनी चाहिए. हालांकि कुछ न्यूट्रिशन विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि विटामिन डी की कमी कई रोगों के लिए ज़िम्मेदार है जैसे कि फ्रैक्चर, कैंसर, हृदय रोग, मधुमेह और मृत्यु का ख़तरा आदि. जबकि कुछ विशेषज्ञों का का कहना है कि विटामिन डी की कमी ख़राब सेहत का परिणाम है न कि इसका कारण. रॉयल कॉलेज ऑफ पीडियाट्रिक्स एंड चाइल्ड हेल्थ में न्यूट्रिशन कमेटी के चेयरमैन और पीडियाट्रिक्स के वरिष्ठ प्रवक्ता डॉ. कोलिन मीशि ने कहते हैं कि इस अध्ययन ने विटामिन डी सप्लीमेंट्स को बहस में ला दिया है. उनके अनुसार, ''यह दिखाता है कि विटामिन डी की भूमिका तो है लेकिन यह उतनी महत्वपूर्ण नहीं है. चिकित्सकों को हरेक औसत सेहतमंद व्यक्ति के रक्त जांच के लिए हड़बड़ी नहीं करनी चाहिए.'' कोलिन के अनुसार, "इसके बावजूद पुरानी सलाह अभी भी सच है. ज़्यादा मछली खाइए, अपनी खुराक और जीवनशैली पर ध्यान दीजिए. बशर्ते कि आपको कोई ख़ास ख़तरा न हो."

European scientists have mapped cloud cover on the surface

European scientists have mapped cloud cover on the surface of a brown dwarf in a binary system called Luhman 16AB, six light-years away from Earth. “Soon, we will be able to watch cloud patterns form, evolve, and dissipate on this brown dwarf – eventually, exometeorologists may be able to predict whether a visitor to Luhman 16B could expect clear or cloudy skies,” said Dr Ian Crossfield, lead author on the Nature paper.

Indonesia volcano kills at least 11, fears over more eruptions

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano erupted and killed at least 11 people on the western island of Sumatra on Saturday, the first time it is known to have claimed any lives, a senior government official said.
The volcano has becoming increasingly active in recent months, regularly spewing columns of ash several kilometres into the air. The government has evacuated tens of thousands of residents near the area.
"Eleven people were killed because of the eruption this morning and the number could increase. No evacuations could be made at this stage because of the potential for more eruptions," Andi Arief, a presidential staff member, told Reuters.
Sinabung is one of nearly 130 active volcanoes in the world's most populous country, which stands along the "Ring of Fire" volcanic belt around the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
Indonesia's most deadly volcanic eruption in recent years was of Mount Merapi, near the densely populated city of Yogyakarta in central Java. It erupted in late 2010, killing more than 350 people.

Here's a pretty cool way to explore Earth's final frontier -

Here's a pretty cool way to explore Earth's final frontier - Nuytco’s Exosuit, which keeps its inhabitants at surface atmosphere even when they're more than 300 metres below the surface. This $600,000 suit has already been worn by divers to repair the New York City water supply pipes and it'll soon be used to check for oil pipeline leaks off Dubai. It's even got thrusters and an optional hook hand too, just to make it extra cool.

Snakes don't need a plane!

Snakes don't need a plane! A new study has found that some Southeast Asian rainforest snakes can remain airborne for up to 30 metres. They can launch themselves from any position on a tree, stretching and flattening their bodies from a circle shape into an arched semi-circle, looking kind of like a UFO in the process. It's a great way to move around their treetop home and escape from predators.

Trials have revealed that Muller glia cells taken

Trials have revealed that Muller glia cells taken from the back of donated human eyes can restore some vision to completely blind rats. Muller glia cells can transform into the specialised cells in the eye and could be used to treat a wide range of sight disorders. In humans, the improvement would not provide vision enough to read, but would lead to improved quality of life, according to the researchers.

Andromeda is headed our way at around 120km/second

Andromeda is headed our way at around 120km/second and is predicted to collide with the Milky Way galaxy in three or four billion years. The result, if anybody is around to see it, will be beautiful. As there's so much empty space and such large distances between stars, the two galaxies will pass through each other first and it's very unlikely any stars will collide, but dust and clouds will, meaning the rate of star creation will be greatly boosted and supernovae will become more common.

This is the first footage ever captured of a deep-sea squid battling an owlfish

This is the first footage ever captured of a deep-sea squid battling an owlfish - and it's mind blowing. Collected by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the video shows a black-eyed squid snaring an owlfish with its two hook-tipped tentacles and using its sharp beak to gnaw away at the owlfish's spinal cord, rotating it like a cob of corn until it severs the cord, rendering the owlfish helpless and ready to be eaten.

Would you like to become a diamond?

Would you like to become a diamond? A Swiss company is making diamonds out of cremated human remains. The process reduces ash to carbon and then applies intense heat and pressure for weeks to create diamond crystals. Once these have cooled off, they’re cut to shape and engraved. ‘Human diamonds’ tend to have a blue colouration due to the amount of boron present in the human body.

Astronomers have confirmed that the dwarf planet Ceres

Astronomers have confirmed that the dwarf planet Ceres - the largest body in the asteroid belt that sits between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter - is generating plumes of water vapour. Thought to be caused by cryovolcanoes, which spew water instead of molten rocks, these plumes could explain how so much water made it to the early Earth.

Astronomers have observed one of the most powerful black holes in the known Universe

Astronomers have observed one of the most powerful black holes in the known Universe. Located in a galaxy cluster around 3.9 billion lights years from Earth, the black hole has created two enormous cavities (shown as two dark spaces in the bright purple X-ray glow) in the hot gas surrounding it and stopped trillions of stars from forming.

For the first time, researchers have explained the mechanism

For the first time, researchers have explained the mechanism behind the eruptions of supervolcanoes like the one in Yellowstone, Wyoming that ejected more than 2,000km3 of material some two million years ago. Turns out these giant volcanic time bombs can erupt simply due to changes in their huge magma chambers as they slowly cool.

Reading someone’s mind is easier than you thought

Reading someone’s mind is easier than you thought – you just need to look at their pupils. A person who is about to answer ‘yes’ to a question will have more enlarged pupils than those who will say ‘no’. If the person is hesitant, the pupils will grow even larger. This is due to signaling chemicals produced by the brain.

For the past decade

For the past decade, 350 seals equipped with special headgear have been collecting crucial information about the Southern Ocean's temperature flucations and salinity. Scientists are now sorting through the data to better understand and monitor climate change events in the future.

This is what an embryonic leopard cub looks like in the womb.

This is what an embryonic leopard cub looks like in the womb. It's not a photograph, but a combination of three-dimensional ultrasound scans, tiny cameras and computer graphics used to create realistic representations of animal fetuses for a National Geographic documentary.

Super Moon

The DNA of a rare, sexually transmissible cancer has been decoded

The DNA of a rare, sexually transmissible cancer has been decoded. It arose in a single, husky-like dog 11,000 years ago and has survived through millions of genetic changes. The only other known transmissible cancer is the facial cancer currently devastating our Tasmanian devils.

This is fluorite, a widely occurring mineral found in parts of China

This is fluorite, a widely occurring mineral found in parts of China, Europe, and North America. Dubbed "the most colourful mineral in the world", it's commonly found in shades of purple, blue, green, yellow, and more rarely in pink, red, white, brown, and black.

This amazing shot by German photographer

This amazing shot by German photographer Martin Rietze captures the moment when a bolt of lightning flashed in an erupting volcano in Japan last year. The volcano, named Sakurajima, has been erupting almost constantly since 1955.