Atlantis Found?

The biggest news since the launch of Google Ocean was the supposed find of Atlantis.

English aeronautical engineer, Bernie Bamford thought he found the famed city when he viewed what looked like a grid of streets and outlines of a big city on the sea floor 600 miles off the coast of West Africa on the Google software.

However, Google publicly disputed the discovery of Atlantis.  The grids are in fact gaps in data collected using sonar technology.  A Google spokesperson stated to the press; “The lines reflect the path of the boat as it gathers the data. The fact there are blank spots between each of these lines is a sign of how little we really know about the world’s oceans. Bathymetric (or sea floor terrain) data is often collected from boats using sonar to take measurements of the sea floor.”

Although, Google Earth has been an effective research and data collection tool, Atlantis will not be added to the list of discoveries.  Discoveries by Google Earth also include pristine forest in Mozambique and the remains of an ancient Roman villa.  Academy entomologist Brian Fisher even immortalized the name Google in the annals of science by naming a new ant species after it back in 2005.  He named the ant Proceratium google because of the incredible support Google gave to creating antweb.com. The Antweb site allowed scientists and ant aficionados to download the Google Earth program in order to plot known ants to Antweb on a three dimensional, interactive globe of satellite images. The technology looked up ants by location, rather than by name.  Therefore a team collecting ants could quickly assess if they have found a new species using the website.

With such an incredible tool now delving into the depths of the oceans, it is only a matter of time for yet another spectacular discovery to make it to the list.  Who knows?  Atlantis might still be out there waiting to be found…

-Cat

 

 Google Oceans: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

At a NASA press conference this morning, the mood was somber.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) failed to reach orbit after its nose cone didn’t separate from the rest of the spacecraft.  With the rocket’s thrust fine-tuned to the mass of everything on board, the added weight prevented the satellite from reaching orbit.  It circled the globe nearly three-quarters of a full revolution, then splashed down in the ocean off Antarctica.  Telemetry indicates that all the rocket fuel was expended; therefore, the only hazardous material on board was hydrozene, the substance used to power the satellite’s attitude thrusters once orbit is attained.

Had OCO succeeded in its mission, it would have studied variability in Earth’s carbon emissions and perhaps could have helped solve the mystery of “missing” carbon–the 30 percent of human-produced carbon dioxide that remain unaccounted for in current measurements.  OCO’s observations would have helped scientists forecast global climate change more accurately.

There is no hope of recovering the $280 million, 8-year investment. However the option of using OCO’s spare parts as a hub to rebuild it and relaunch in the future is a topic of some discussion at NASA.  The Glory satellite will not be launched until this failure is investigated.  A chairman of the investigation committee will be named within 24 hours.

—Ty (reporting from Vandenberg Air Force Base)

Images courtesy of NASA.

So what happens when biology meets engineering?  Possibly some of the coolest technology advances your eyes have ever seen!

Bio-mimicry (a.k.a. bio-inspiration) is when engineers and scientists look to nature for ideas.  Whether it’s making a crab-like robot to traverse the ocean floor or a robot designed to mimic a cockroach in scurrying across the surface of Mars, bio-inspiration is helping scientists and engineers invent by letting evolution do the quality assurance.

Locally, U.C. Berkeley biologists and engineers are developing an uber-adhesive based on a gecko’s feet.  Well, adhesive isn’t entirely accurate.  A gecko has millions of tiny hair-like structures on its toe pads.  When a gecko drags its foot along a surface those microscopic hairs are attracted to the surface by molecular forces called “van der Waals force.”  So really a gecko bonds with the surface at a molecular level.

Bio-inspiration seems like a great way for scientists to invent.  Millions of years of evolution have created some of the most interesting and amazing methods of locomotion, medication, and even environmental clean up.  Not to mention, watching a robotic gecko climb straight up a glass wall looks unbelievably cool.

This story was created from a fantastic piece that our partners at KQED’s Quest originally produced.

-Ty

 

 Gecko Adhesive: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Beyond Four Walls

Some of us had stayed up all night; some of us had gone to bed early to awake before sunrise. We were bundled in layers and looked like a motley crew in the pursuit of any warmth to be had on a brisk 20 degree January morning. However, the throng of two million hushed immediately as President Barack Obama stepped up to give his first address as the 44th President of the United States.

While I took my place in history in Washington, DC, Physics for Future Presidents debuted within Science in Action on the exhibit floor of the Academy. On this day, visitors were able to think about the role science plays in a presidency.  UC Berkeley professor Richard Muller aptly named the Physics for Future Presidents course and book to illuminate and educate the leaders of our future, whomever and wherever they may be.

His course became even more influential as it extended beyond the classroom.  The course has a dedicated podcast on the web making his classroom virtual and readily available, which provides a valuable lesson for all of us.  Virtual classrooms, speeches and influence have become a new territory for educators and politicians alike to navigate.  In DC, JumboTrons projected the details of the Inauguration with only a few second delay.  The effect was completely surreal as the echo of the speech reverberated down the mall.

In the past, the Academy influenced a president within the four walls of the museum.  Herbert Hoover was a member of the California Academy of Sciences before becoming the 31st President of the United States.  After his tenure of presidency, he became the first Vice President of the Academy and later retired an honorary member.  Who knows?  An Academy blog or podcast might influence a future president — all the more reason to build a strong foundation for virtual education and museums.

-Cat

(Footage courtesy of Change.gov, Obama photo, Jessica Lavin)

 

 Physics for Future Presidents: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A background on maps used by scientists is offered by today’s guest Kristin Byrd, the graphical information system coordinator at the California Academy of Sciences.

 

 Scientific Tools [1:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download