Gizmorama
November 17, 2010
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The COMPLETE Collection of one of the most famous comedy teams in history.
http://pd.gophercentral.com/u/3845/c/186/a/474
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Good Morning,
Scientists have developed a new way to test the effects of
fire on steel structures. Check out all the details on this
revolutionary procedure in the last article.
Until Next Time,
Erin
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Author: Darwin wasn't first with evolution
NEW YORK - Darwin's theory of evolution isn't fully supported
by geological history, and an earlier theory was, in fact, a
more accurate one, a U.S. researcher writes. New York Univ-
ersity Geologist Michael Rampino, in an essay in the journal
Historical Biology, says a more accurate theory of gradual
evolution that says long periods of evolutionary stability
are disrupted by catastrophic mass extinctions of life was
put forth by Scottish horticulturalist Patrick Matthew in
1831, at least 10 years prior to Darwin's first essay on the
topic. "Matthew discovered and clearly stated the idea of
natural selection, applied it to the origin of species, and
placed it in the context of a geologic record marked by
catastrophic mass extinctions followed by relatively rapid
adaptations," Rampino says. As Rampino notes, geological
history is now commonly understood to be marked by long per-
iods of stability punctuated by major, sometimes catastrophic
ecological changes. "Matthew's contribution was largely
ignored at the time, and, with few exceptions," Rampino says,
usually only gets "a footnote in modern discussions of the
discovery of natural selection." "His discovery was con-
signed to the dustbin of premature and unappreciated scien-
tific ideas."
Invasive grass threatens U.S. grazing land
CORVALLIS, Ore. - An invasive species of "devil" weed in
range lands in the western United States could make millions
of acres of grazing land worthless, researchers say. Re-
searchers at Oregon State University say the weed knows as
medusahead has growth advantages over most other grass spec-
ies that could allow it to continue to spread across much of
the West and disrupt native ecosystems, a university release
said Thursday. Their study comparing the "relative growth
rate" of this invasive annual grass to that of other com-
peting species in natural field conditions found that medusa-
head has a faster growth rate, a longer period of growth and
produced more total biomass than any native grasses.
"Medusahead is now spreading at about 12 percent a year over
17 western states," Seema Mangla, a researcher in the OSU
College of Forestry, said. "Once established, it's very hard
to get rid of. "It displaces native grasses and even other
invasive species that animals can still eat," she said. "This
is a devil species," she said. Native to the Mediterranean
region, medusahead was imported to the United States in the
late 1880s. The sharp and twisting points on the tips of
medusahead can injure animals and give the plant its name,
based on the female monster in Greek mythology who had hair
composed of writhing snakes. The plant takes up other soil
resources and its deep root system soaks up limited moisture.
It creates fuel for wildfires, is virtually inedible and pre-
vents many other plants from germinating, researchers say.
Experts at the Oregon Department of Agriculture say once land
is invaded by medusahead, it becomes largely worthless, in-
capable of supporting native animals, birds or livestock.
Japan: Asteroid sample mission a success
TOKYO - A Japanese spacecraft has successfully returned the
first-ever samples gathered from the surface of an asteroid,
the country's JAXA space agency said Tuesday. Tiny dust
grains were collected directly from the asteroid Itokawa in
2005 by Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft, which returned to Earth
in June after a 1.25 billion-mile, seven-year voyage,
SPACE.com reported. A sample return capsule that landed in
Australia was flown back to Japan for analysis. "About 1,500
grains were identified as rocky particles, and most of them
were judged to be of extraterrestrial origin, and definitely
from Asteroid Itokawa," the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency said in a statement. Since the capsule's landing in
July, JAXA scientists have known there were particles of
material inside, but were unsure if they were actual pieces
of an asteroid, cosmic dust or contamination from Earth.
Now, they said, it is clear; the Hayabusa spacecraft came
home with samples of an asteroid. Using a scanning electron
microscope to study the samples, researchers identified
minerals such as olivine, pyroxene and others which matched
remote-sensing observations taken by Hayabusa when it visited
the asteroid. "I'm filled with emotion and I can't believe
it," Hayabusa project manager Junichiro Kawaguchi said. "A
long period of hard work has paid off."
Structures tested in giant fire test lab
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - U.S. scientists studying the effects
of fire on steel structures such as buildings and bridges
say they've built a one-of-a-kind system to create their
"fire." Researchers at Purdue University designed a system
made up of heating panels with electrical coils much like
giant toaster ovens that are placed close to the surface of
large steel beams and other components to simulate fire as
they are subjected to forces with hydraulic equipment, a
university release says. Such testing is customarily con-
ducted inside large furnaces. "However, in a furnace it is
very difficult to heat a specimen while simultaneously
applying loads onto the structure to simulate the forces
exerted during a building's everyday use," Amit Varma, an
associate professor of civil engineering, said. Building
fires may reach temperatures above 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit,
Varma said. "At that temperature, exposed steel would take
about 25 minutes to lose about 60 percent of its strength
and stiffness," he said. "As you keep increasing the temp-
erature of the steel, it becomes softer and weaker." The
heating system is being used to test full-scale steel
columns at Purdue's Laboratory for Large-Scale Civil
Engineering Research. Each panel is about 4 feet square,
and the system contains 25 panels that cover 100 square feet.
Having separate panels enables researchers to heat certain
portions of specimens, recreating "the heating and cooling
path of a fire event," Varma said. It is believed to be the
only such heating system in the world, Varma said.
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