Post on 01-Jul-2015
description
SCIENCE
PHOTO CREDIT: ESO/S. Brunier
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious – the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”
– Albert Einstein
DISCOVERScience feeds our natural curiosity – it confirms our suspicions about
where we came from and unearths the mysteries of how things work.
DREAMWith every new advancement, discovery and limit pushed, we inch
closer to realizing our dreams and creating a new realm of possibilities.
UNDERSTANDThe point is that science exists outside theories. It manifests in
everyday events of both microscopic and galactic scale. It lives at the
very intersection of humanity and the universe, helping us appreciate
our collective best moments and make sense of our worst.
ADVANCEScience has allowed us to push the human body and experience
reality differently than we ever thought possible.
FLTR is designed to make sense of all the information created and circulated through social media during one moment in time, with a focus on one particular topic. This month, we look at science, specifically, how it helps us:
FLTR SCIENCE
HELLO, GOODBYE
Researchers from Australian National
University have discovered a tiny new
lizard species in Western Australia.
The six-centimeter-long coastal plains
skink (Ctenotus ora) has been found
just in time: Its only known habitat
is currently being developed for new
residential housing.3
FLTR SCIENCE | DISCOVER
SCARED THIN
Horror flicks are good for you? It’s all
relative. Watching a scary movie can
burn up to 200 calories, or almost
the whole bar of chocolate you have
to eat to get through the two hours of
suspense and nail-biting.2
DISCOVERScience is helping us discover what is out there, be it new species or planets. At the same time, it is showing us how much there is still left to find.
PHYSICISTS TESTIFY
And in an ironic twist for many
atheists, science may ultimately
prove the existence of God. Quantum
physicists are finding that we may be
more than just matter in motion after
all. And if they prove that the mind
exists beyond the body, then what if
the mind can exist without the body?
Whoa, that’s deep.4
NOBEL WORK
John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka
were awarded Nobel prizes in science
for their discoveries in cloning animals
and generating stem cells. Dr. Gurdon
was the first to clone an animal, a
frog, and Dr. Yamanaka discovered the
proteins with which an adult cell can
be converted to an egg-like state.1
AN ARM FOR AN EAR
Doctors at John Hopkins University
have leaped forward in reconstructive
surgery. Using cartilage pulled from
other parts of the patient’s body, they
constructed an ear and surgically
implanted it on her arm to allow skin
growth before re-attaching it to her
head. Can you hear me now? 6
TEETH MADE TO ORDER?
New technology has made a visit to
the dentist’s office a little less painful.
CAD/CAM — computer-aided design
and computer-aided manufacturing
— enable doctors to create a crown
while the patient waits. The result is
a ceramic crown that can be glued in
place on the spot.7
SOLDIERING ON ... FOREVER
Researchers from the Wyss Institute
for Biologically Inspired Engineering
at Harvard University have been
awarded a contract worth $2.6 million
to create a “wearable system that
would potentially delay the onset
of fatigue, enabling soldiers to walk
longer distances, and also potentially
improve the body’s resistance to
injuries while carrying loads.”5
MICRO MIDAS
Researchers at Michigan State
University are planning early
retirements. They’ve discovered a way
to use bacteria to transform a toxic
chemical compound found in nature
into 24-karat gold.8
Research and technology have allowed us to advance the human experience and change what we expect from reality.
ADVANCE
FLTR SCIENCE | ADVANCE
DREAM
A STONE’S THROW AWAY
NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover came
across rounded rocks, leading to
revived hope that there was once life
on Mars. With two more years left in
the Rover’s mission, who knows what
else it will find … 11
PRINTIN’ PILLS
Goodbye long lines at the pharmacy.
Combining advances in 3-D printing
with biosynthesis and molecular
construction may lead to medicine
via printout, with printers that can
create vaccines and other drugs.12
With every step forward, we are compelled to think of how much more we can achieve. If recent accomplishments are any indicator, the future is very bright.
MY GOD, IT’S FULL OF STARS
Thousands of separate pictures of the
Milky Way were combined to create
one giant photo. If printed, it would
easily cover the side of a three-story
building. The image contains 10 times
more stars than previously captured
and will allow scientists to perform
statistical analyses of the color,
temperature, mass and age of the
different stars in the galaxy.9
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER
Japan is planning a $1 billion mission
to drill 3.7 miles beneath the seafloor
to reach the Earth’s mantle. The goal
is to bring back the first-ever fresh
samples, which will enable scientists
to clarify many of the assumptions we
have about how our planet works.10
FLTR SCIENCE | DREAM
In just one month, we witnessed two historical events that illustrate the vast role that science plays in our lives. We saw the peak of human achievement and the devastation of Mother Nature. One man fell and the tides rose, and we watched, listened and shared it all together. Our insatiable curiosity pushes us forward, and yet we still sit in awe of life’s mysteries in our never-ending quest to discover, advance, dream and understand.
UNDERSTAND
On October 14, 2012, a record-breaking 8 million people tuned in to watch a live-stream broadcast of the Red Bull Stratos mission. Felix Baumgartner completed a 24-mile skydive from the edge of space, shattering several world records and captivating audiences around the world.13
DISCOVER
A team of the world’s leading minds in aerospace,
medicine, engineering, pressure-suit development,
capsule creation and balloon fabrication
collaborated on the mission, conducting extensive
research and test missions to ensure a successful
jump. The full-pressure suit was designed to
provide protection from temperatures of +100°F to
-90°F and to maintain pressure around Felix’s body
to prevent the liquid in his tissues from turning to
gas and expanding. 14
ADVANCE
The space jump shattered several records:
• First person to achieve the speed of sound in
freefall without mechanical assistance
• Freefall from the highest altitude: 128,100 feet
• Longest freefall time: 4 minutes and 22 seconds
• Highest manned balloon flight: float altitude of
approximately 128,100 feet 14
DREAM
Beyond an all-encompassing brand experience and
scientific feat, the space jump could mean one very
important thing: individual atmosphere re-entry.
With the help of a new generation of pressurized
space suits, protocols for exposure to high altitude/
high acceleration and a new understanding of the
effects supersonic acceleration and deceleration
have on the human body, it’s possible. One
day, a pressurized suit like Felix’s could help
save astronauts who are forced to bail out of a
malfunctioning rocket post-launch. 15
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
FLTR SCIENCE | UNDERSTAND
Hurricane Sandy left a wake of devastation and destruction throughout the Northeast. From the time #Frankenstorm first hit Twitter streams to the height of the storm, when 10 images were uploaded on Instagram per second, the world watched and communities came together through social media.16
DISCOVER
How could a Category 1 hurricane cause so much
damage? Here’s the science:
• Most storms approach from the south: Sandy
made a direct hit from the east
• The full moon created a tidal tug that fueled
a surge of as much as 12 feet
• A vast high-pressure system over Canada
blocked Sandy from continuing north
• The jet stream created a vacuum above
the storm, which allowed it to strengthen17
ADVANCE
Due to its complex nature, Sandy was difficult to
track. However, a new predictive model has already
been released. Developed by researchers at North
Carolina State University, the new model has the
ability to forecast a season’s hurricane activity 15
percent more accurately than existing methods.
By entering historical data into this new algorithm,
researchers have confirmed they can predict
hurricane activity with 80 percent accuracy.18
DREAM
As quickly as the tide rose during Sandy, so did
the human imagination rise to the challenge of
envisioning designs that could protect buildings
and people. What will the future hold? A network
of parks, wetlands and tidal salt marshes designed
to absorb incoming water around Manhattan, a
system of artificial reefs full of oysters to act as an
“ecological glue” in Brooklyn, or perhaps a storm
barrier drawbridge, moonlighting as a generator,
suspended from New Jersey to Staten Island.19
ALL EYES ON THE STORM
FLTR SCIENCE | UNDERSTAND
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Mario Natarelli
EDITORIAL AND DESIGN TEAM
Daryl Drabinsky
Scott McLean
Tara Mastrelli
Special thanks to the entire team
at MBLM for their contributions,
observations, insights and input —
their FLTR work on science made
this report possible.
Check out other issues of FLTR:
FLTR Olympics
FLTR Travel
FLTR Education
DISCOVER UNDERSTAND
ADVANCE
DREAM
1. Wade, Nicholas. “Cloning and stem cell work earns nobel.” The New York Times, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/health/research/cloning-and-stem-cell-discoveries-earn-nobel-prize-in-medicine.html?pagewanted=all
2. “Watching horror films burns nearly 200 calories at a time.” The Telegraph, Web: 15 Nov. 2012.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9638876/Watching-horror-films-burns-nearly-200-calories-a-time.html
3. Platt, John R. “New lizard discovered in Australia and threatened by incoming housing development.” Scientific American, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2012/10/30/new-lizard-discov-ered-australia-threatened-development/
4. Barr, Stephen M. “Does quantum physics make it easier to believe in God?” Big Questions Online, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. https://www.bigquestionsonline.com/content/does-quantum-physics-make-it-easier-believe-god
13. Plunkett, John. “Felix Baumgartner jump: record 8m watch live on YouTube” The Guardian, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/15/felix-baumgartner-skydive-youtube
14. Red Bull Stratos. 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.redbullstratos.com
15. Levs, Josh. “After space jump, what’s the next big stunt?” CNN World, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://articles.cnn.com/2012-10-15/world/world_next-big-stunt_1_mars-rover-curiosity-felix-baumgartner-explorers/
16. Coscarelli, Joe. “Hurricane Sandy: A perfect social media storm.” New York Magazine, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/10/hurri-cane-sandy-perfect-social-media-storm.html
17. Drye, Willie. “Why full moon makes ‘Frankenstorm’ more monstrous.” National Geographic, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/10/121029-hurricane-sandy-path-storm-surge-full-moon-nation-weather-science/
18. Howell, Whitney L.J. “N.C. State researchers develop model for better prediction of hurricanes.” Charlotte Observer, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.charlot-teobserver.com/2012/11/04/3643033/nc-state-researchers-develop-model.html#storylink=cpy
19. Feuer, Alan. “Protecting the city, before next time.” The New York Times, Web: 15 Nov, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/nyregion/protecting-new-york-city-before-next-time.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
5. Guerra, Carib. “Intel IQ: Researchers to smart suit that stop soldiers from get-ting tired.” PSFK, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.psfk.com/2012/10/suit-stops-soldiers-getting-tired.html
6. Murray, Peter. “Woman’s ear regrown in her forearm.” Singularity Hub, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://singularityhub.com/2012/10/05/womans-ear-regrown-in-her-forearm/
7. Kolata, Gina. “A new tooth, made to order in under an hour.” The New York Times, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/a-new-tooth-made-to-order-in-under-an-hour/
8. Hutchings, Emma. “Scientists produce gold using bacteria.” PSFK, Web: 15 Nov. 2012.http://www.psfk.com/2012/10/make-gold-with-bacteria.html
9. Mann, Adam. “9-billion-pixel photo of Milky Way’s center is full of stars.” Wired Science, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/9-gigapixel-milky-way/
10. Levitt, Tom. “The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth’s mantle.” CNN Tech, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/01/tech/mantle-earth-drill-mission/index.html
11. Grotzinger, John. “Mars and the science of skipping stones.” The New York Times, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/27/opinion/grotzinger-mars-and-the-science-of-skipping-stones.html
12. Ackerman, Evan. “Molecular 3D bioprinting could mean getting drugs through email.” DVICE, Web: 15 Nov. 2012. http://dvice.com/archives/2012/10/molecu-lar-3d-bi.php
PHOTO CREDIT: ESO/S. Brunier
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & SOURCES