The Search

Ramping Up The Search For Intelligent Life On Other Planets

A $100 million initiative co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri Milner and the late Stephen Hawking to detect signs of intelligent life across the universe announces a major systems upgrade enabling earthlings to probe tens of billions of stars for technologically advanced extraterrestrial lifeforms.

From article, (Installed by scientists and engineers from the University of California, Berkeley SETI Research Center (BSRC), the new digital equipment is capable of handling 130 gigabits per second from the Parkes 13 “multibeam” receiver. For reference, this is many thousands of times faster than your fastest home internet connection. It represents more than 100 million radio channels scanned for each of the 13 beams. Along with an increase in speed, the multibeam receiver better distinguishes between radio-frequency interference (RFI) emitted from our own technology (satellites, airplanes, smartphones, etc.) and errant signals that may possibly indicate non-human technology emanating from other worlds. Breakthrough Listen’s data will also be analyzed for signatures of fast radio bursts (FRBs). FRBs are equal parts puzzling and powerful flashes of radio light documented by various experiments at Parkes, as well as by Listen’s instrument on the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia.

“With these new capabilities,” says Danny Price, Parkes Project Scientist with the Breakthrough Listen project at UC Berkeley, “ we are scanning our galaxy in unprecedented detail. By trawling through these huge datasets for signatures of technological civilizations, we hope to uncover evidence that our planet, among the hundreds of billions in our galaxy, is not the only where intelligent life has arisen.”)

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A Token Missile Defense?

Why is America still stuck with token missile defense?

The answer harks back to a 1972 treaty, and despite that agreement expiring years ago, defense experts and politicians failed to move with the times

From article, (the anti-defense mentality of late 1960s politicians and academics, embodied in the spirit and main provisions of the 1972 US-Soviet anti-ballistic defense missile treaty, remains embedded in the US bureaucracy, our military and defense industry.

the 1972 treaty expired in 2002

the heart of official US policy: we must do nothing, develop or research anything, that poses obstacles to missiles from Russia or China striking America.

The ABM Treaty’s prohibition of missile defense by weapons based on “other physical principles” was inserted not because of a technical consensus that boost-phase defense by lasers was infeasible. On the contrary. The technical paths to space laser weapons’ development were already clear.

By 1976, the US Navy had developed a near-infrared laser scaleable to several megawatts. It had intended it for the defense of ships against cruise missiles, but discovered that lasers don’t propagate well or even reliably within the atmosphere – a lesson that the US government would have to re-learn again and again.

Not a few noted, however, that it would be lethal if deployed in orbit. That same year, the KH-11 intelligence satellite went into service. Its pointing-tracking system, accurate to tenths of a nano-radian, and its huge mirror, were the space laser weapon’s main missing ingredients. By 1979, a low-level effort to combine them began. Fifteen years later, The New York Times reported that the prototype was “nearly ready to fly.” It was canceled precisely because it would have defended against Russian and Chinese missiles. That was, and remains US policy.)

Me, "So while the US took the high road, countries like Russian and China are developing these very same weapons we refuse not too. If the U.S. does not pull our heads out of the sand and start building these weapons, Russia and China will one day use them against us."

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Satellite Debris could mean Advanced Life.

We Could Find Aliens by Spotting Their Satellites

Alien civilizations with technology on a par with humanity's could be detectable using today's instruments. A new study suggests that if geostationary satellites are thick enough around an alien world, they could be spotted with telescopes already hunting for undiscovered planets.

From article, (Alien civilizations with technology on par with humanity's could be detectable using today's instruments. A new study suggests that if geostationary satellites are thick enough around an alien world, they could be spotted with telescopes already hunting for undiscovered planets.

Both governments and private corporations on our own world use geostationary satellites — which orbit such that they hover over the same spot on Earth — for science, communications, espionage and military applications. 
If advanced alien civilizations loft enough satellites into their own geostationary belts, these spacecraft could create a dense, ring-like structure visible from Earth, according to the study.)

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Spooky Atoms

These 'Spooky' Entangled Atoms Just Brought Quantum Computing One Step Closer

Scientists have made the biggest and most complex quantum-computer network yet, getting 20 different entangled quantum bits, or qubits, to talk to each other. The team was then able to read out the information contained in all those so-called qubits, creating a prototype of quantum "short-term memory" for the computer.

 From article, (Modern computers use this language by sending or stopping the flow of electricity through metal and silicon circuits, switching magnetic polarity or using other mechanisms that have a dual "on or off" state.However, quantum computers use a different language — with an infinite number of "letters."If binary languages use the north and south poles of the globes, then quantum computing would use all the points in between. The goal of quantum computing is to also use all the area between the poles.)

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India sets its sights on landing on the Moon.

India's second lunar mission will now launch in October 2018

India's first attempt at landing a semi-autonomous rover near the lunar south pole, originally set to launch this April, will have to wait for at least six more months, thanks to additional tests suggested by experts.

From article, ( India’s first attempt at landing a semi-autonomous rover near the lunar south pole, originally set to launch this April, will have to wait for at least six more months, thanks to additional tests suggested by experts. “Being a very complex mission with a lander, rover, and an orbiter, more critical tests are planned,” said Dr. Arun Sinha, former senior scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

 Chandrayaan-2, aims to demonstrate more of India’s technical capabilities by soft landing a six-wheeled rover on the Moon. By simplifying the system and enacting strict quality-control practices, the team has brought down the mission cost to around $123 million. 

Chandrayaan-2’s scientific goals include studying the topography, exosphere, and elemental abundance of the Moon to better understand both its origin and evolution. One of the primary goals is to soft-land a rover successfully on the lunar surface, where the rover will then operate in semi-autonomous mode, partially controlled by ISRO. Onboard the rover resides a navigation camera that will be used to capture images of the lunar surface to be sent back to Earth.) 

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Several Months a Monkey resists HIV

Single shot protects against HIV in monkeys for several months

Researchers have developed an antibody that protects rhesus monkeys from infection by simian HIV (SHIV), a virus similar to HIV that causes an AIDS-like illness in the species. The paper, published in Nature Medicine , reports that protection lasts up to 20 weeks, and shows that regular use of anti-HIV antibodies could provide long-term prevention of HIV infection in humans.

 From article, (Researchers have developed an antibody that protects rhesus monkeys from infection by simian HIV (SHIV), a virus similar to HIV that causes an AIDS-like illness in the species.

The paper, published in Nature Medicine, reports that protection lasts up to 20 weeks, and shows that regular use of anti-HIV antibodies could provide long-term prevention of HIV infection in humans.

For more than thirty years, enormous research effort has been directed toward finding a cure for AIDS, while simultaneous efforts have sought to develop a vaccine for HIV. Although these efforts have led to extraordinary progress in our understanding of the immune system and the nature of the disease, neither a cure nor an effective vaccine has been found.

While that work continues, neutralising antibodies may provide a way to substantially limit transmission of the virus.

Recent research shows that individuals with HIV can produce antibodies that neutralise the virus, and clinical trials are underway to determine whether such antibodies can control viral levels in HIV-positive individuals.)

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Taiwan wants to Increase its Wind Power Supply.

Wind power companies flock to Taiwan's breezy shores

TAIPEI/TOKYO -- Taiwan is preparing to choose the winners in a crowded global contest to develop offshore wind power for the island, as companies around the world shift their focus toward Asia in search of more profitable projects. The decision is expected to be announced on April 30.

 From article, (Anticipation was intense Friday afternoon as executives from companies including Australian financier Macquarie Group and German wind farm developer WPD gathered at the headquarters of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs. Taipei is entering its final phase of talks before awarding contracts for 3.5 million kilowatts of offshore wind facilities expected to begin operations in 2025. This portion of the project is worth around 630 billion New Taiwan dollars ($21 billion).

Taiwan granted environmental permits at the end of last year to wind power developers to build a total of 10.6 million kilowatts in offshore capacity. Those companies are competing for 5.5 million kilowatts of contracts, with 3.5 million kilowatts guaranteed at a fixed rate through a feed-in tariff system, and the rest up for auction. Investment applications, including costs after 2026, total some NT$1.8 trillion.

Taiwan's capacity in 2017 was 8,000kW, which would grow to more than 5.5 million kW in 2025 if the plan materializes.

President Tsai Ing-wen has pledged to end the island's dependence on nuclear power by 2025 while sourcing 20% of Taiwan's electricity from renewable energy, five times the share in 2015. Her plan depends on offshore wind, for which the Taiwan Strait is particularly suitable. Wind speeds in the strait average over 25km per hour year-round, making it the best place in Asia to generate wind power, one participating company noted.)

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Using Century Old Mines to confront the Poor Working Conditions of the DRC.

British Mines Could Be New Source of Electric-Car Battery Materials

The next big source of metals for electric-car batteries may be centuries-old British mines, many of which haven't been active since the 1990s, according to a new report. A new source of metals is exactly what's needed as automakers seek to boost production of electric cars. Mines in the U.K.

From article, ( The next big source of metals for electric-car batteries may be centuries-old British mines, many of which haven't been active since the 1990s, according to a new Reuters report. A new source of metals is exactly what's needed as automakers seek to boost production of electric cars.

Mines in the U.K. county of Cornwall access one of the world's largest tin deposits, but were shut down in the 1990s when a drop in prices made them unviable. Now, researchers are looking at the possibility of reopening the mines, which may contain lithium deposits as well, to supply metals for batteries.

This would solve many problems for the battery industry. Increased demand from automakers is expected to create a shortage of the metals used in lithium-ion battery cells. Chinese companies also control most of the existing mines and refineries, leaving Western companies concerned that they will be shut out. Poor working conditions in existing mines in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo also present ethical issues.)

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"NOx Is not a Problem," says Bosch.

Breakthrough: new Bosch diesel technology provides solution to NOx problem

Bosch CEO Denner also calls for transparency on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions

 From article, (“Equipped with the latest Bosch technology, diesel vehicles will be classed as low-emission vehicles and yet remain affordable.” The Bosch CEO also called for greater transparency with regard to the CO2 emissions caused by road traffic, and called for fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions to be also measured under real conditions on the road in the future.

Since 2017, European legislation has required that new passenger car models tested according to an RDE-compliant mix of urban, extra-urban, and freeway cycles emit no more than 168 milligrams of NOx per kilometer. As of 2020, this limit will be cut to 120 milligrams. But even today, vehicles equipped with Bosch diesel technology can achieve as little as 13 milligrams of NOx in standard legally-compliant RDE cycles. That is approximately one-tenth of the prescribed limit that will apply after 2020. And even when driving in particularly challenging urban conditions, where test parameters are well in excess of legal requirements, the average emissions of the Bosch test vehicles are as low as 40 milligrams per kilometer.)

Me, "I still think all car and truck producing companies should transition to Battery Electric Vehicles (because it is a Superior Technology to Internal and Diesel combustion engines. It has less maintenance issues, longer driver ownership, better resale value, 'if it still drives your okay on purchasing it, even if you have to buy a new battery pack, a high mileage used electric car costs a lot less, with all the above benefits than a high mileage used Combustion Engine car, which tend to breakdown more often with age.' and, of course, a Battery Electric car creates a lot less pollution). But I decided to add this article to my Facebook friends page to be fair to Diesel Engine fans. This article shows there are still technological leaps for Diesel Engines, if your into that thing."

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