Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/igXpc75KOc4/
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
iCoolHunt Turns Photo Sharing Into a Trend-Spotting Game
Earth-sized planets in habitable zones are more common than previously thought
Mar. 12, 2013 ? The number of potentially habitable planets is greater than previously thought, according to a new analysis by a Penn State researcher, and some of those planets are likely lurking around nearby stars.
"We now estimate that if we were to look at 10 of the nearest small stars we would find about four potentially habitable planets, give or take," said Ravi Kopparapu, a post-doctoral researcher in geosciences. "That is a conservative estimate," he added. "There could be more."
Kopparapu detailed his findings in a paper accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters. In it, he recalculated the commonness of Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of low-mass stars, also known as cool stars or M-dwarfs.
Scientists focus on M-dwarfs for several reasons, he explained. The orbit of planets around M-dwarfs is very short, which allows scientists to gather data on a greater number of orbits in a shorter period of time than can be gathered on Sun-like stars, which have larger habitable zones. M-dwarfs are also more common than stars like Earth's Sun, which means more of them can be observed.
According to his findings, "The average distance to the nearest potentially habitable planet is about seven light years. That is about half the distance of previous estimates," Kopparapu said. "There are about eight cool stars within 10 light-years, so conservatively, we should expect to find about three Earth-size planets in the habitable zones."
The work follows up on a recent study by researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics which analyzed 3,987 M-dwarf stars to calculate the number of Earth-sized planet candidates in cool stars' habitable zones -- a region around a star where rocky planets are capable of sustaining liquid water and therefore life. That study used habitable zone limits calculated in 1993 by Jim Kasting, now an Evan Pugh Professor in Penn State's Department of Geosciences. Kopparapu noticed that its findings, based on data from NASA's Kepler satellite, didn't reflect the most recent estimates for determining whether planets fall within a habitable zone.
These newer estimates are based on an updated model developed by Kopparapu and collaborators, using information on water and carbon dioxide absorption that was not available in 1993. Kopparapu applied those findings to the Harvard team's study, using the same calculation method, and found that there are additional planets in the newly determined habitable zones.
"I used our new habitable zone calculations and found that there are nearly three times as many Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones around these low mass stars as in previous estimates," Kopparapu said. "This means Earth-sized planets are more common than we thought, and that is a good sign for detecting extraterrestrial life."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Penn State. The original article was written by Anne Danahy.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Ravi kumar Kopparapu. A revised estimate of the occurrence rate of terrestrial planets in the habitable zones around kepler m-dwarfs. Accepted to Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2013 [link]
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/QxbJe7eOkMc/130312152047.htm
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James Spader lands lead in NBC pilot 'The Blacklist'
By Tim Kenneally
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - James Spader is getting back into the law game - albeit on the other side of the fence this time.
"Boston Legal" star Spader has been tapped to star in the NBC pilot "The Blacklist."
The drama pilot revolves around the world's most wanted criminal, who mysteriously turns himself in and offers to give himself up and rat out his accomplices -- on the condition that he's allowed to work with a newly minted FBI agent with whom he seemingly has no connection.
Spader will play Red, a former Army intelligence officer who went AWOL. Described as dignified, worldly and magnetic, Red is not a spy, but a facilitator, brokering ideas for criminals.
"He has no country. No political agenda ... his only allegiance is to the highest bidder," according to a description of Spader's character.
Jon Bokenkamp ("The Call") wrote the pilot and is also executive producing, with John Eisendrath, John Fox, John Davis also executive producing.
Spader's most recent television gig was a run on NBC's "The Office," as Dundler Mifflin CEO Robert California.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/james-spader-lands-lead-nbc-pilot-blacklist-003229489.html
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Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Samsung's latest Galaxy S IV teaser shows the outline of... a phone
Pause for your latest Galaxy S IV news break ahead of the March 14th unveiling: Samsung's Mobile US Twitter account has posted this picture showing what appears to be a smartphone (shocker!) -- that matches our existing Galaxy S III 1:1 minus the earpiece and with a slightly shifted logo FWIW -- shrouded in shadow. We'll understand if you've been overtaken by awe and need a moment, Jeremy certainly seemed impressed.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung Mobile US (Twitter)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/11/samsung-galaxy-s-iv-teaser-pic/
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Navy sends new ship to Singapore amid budget cuts
Navy Chief Petty Officer Eleuterio Roman, left, and Lt. Steve Hartley, monitor screens on board the USS Freedom as it nears Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Monday, March 11, 2013. The USS Freedom, which is stopping in Hawaii on its way to a deployment to Singapore, has advantages its bigger siblings lack. It is small enough to move among the many islands and shallow waters lining the extensive coastlines of Southeast Asia. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
Navy Chief Petty Officer Eleuterio Roman, left, and Lt. Steve Hartley, monitor screens on board the USS Freedom as it nears Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Monday, March 11, 2013. The USS Freedom, which is stopping in Hawaii on its way to a deployment to Singapore, has advantages its bigger siblings lack. It is small enough to move among the many islands and shallow waters lining the extensive coastlines of Southeast Asia. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Freedom littoral combat ship pulls into Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The USS Freedom, which is stopping in Hawaii on its way to a deployment to Singapore, has advantages bigger U.S. Navy ships lack. (AP Photo/US Navy, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean Furey)
In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Freedom littoral combat ship pulls into Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The USS Freedom, which is stopping in Hawaii on its way to a deployment to Singapore, has advantages bigger U.S. Navy ships lack. (AP Photo/US Navy, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean Furey)
ABOARD THE USS FREEDOM (AP) ? The U.S. Navy's hottest new ship and the centerpiece of its renewed focus on Asia isn't its largest vessel, or its most technologically advanced. But it has advantages that its bigger siblings lack.
The 388-foot USS Freedom is small enough to move among the many islands and shallow waters of Southeast Asia, a trait that allows the Navy to train alongside similar-sized vessels in the region's navies and build relationships with them.
All this, the Navy believes, will help it make sure the region's critical waterways stay open to the trillions of dollars in oil and other trade that passes through each year. It's an objective so important the Navy is sending the Freedom to Singapore this month even as automatic federal spending cuts carve into its budget.
"We hold our commitment to them, to our area, our theater, so highly that this deployment has not been affected," said Rear Adm. Hugh Wetherald, the U.S. Pacific Fleet deputy chief of staff for plans, policies and requirements.
"The Navy and the Pacific Fleet are still on watch," he said.
Freedom on Monday sailed to Pearl Harbor, into the prime mooring spot the Navy often reserves for ships it wants to show off. The blue and gray camouflage painted on its sides ? designed to confuse hostile small boats and make it less visible from shore ? stood out amid the plain gray hulls of the other surface vessels in port.
Until now, most U.S. ships visiting Southeast Asia have been aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers and other large boats well equipped for jobs like firing cruise missiles or defending against fighter jets.
But they dwarf smaller ships U.S. partner navies from other countries ? such as Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand ? use for missions like patrolling the seas, catching pirates and stopping human and drug trafficking.
The larger vessels are also too big to pull into shallower ports, forcing them to sometimes anchor offshore while in the region.
The Freedom is equipped with guns and a helicopter and is designed to defend against small boats and other threats. The Navy will later have the option of swapping out its surface warfare equipment with so-called modules for hunting submarines and finding and disabling mines.
When he commanded ships moving through the region, Wetherald remembered, his counterparts from other countries would tell him that they'd like to work with smaller U.S. vessels.
"Their flag officers would say, 'Hey, I'm glad you're here, I love your big ship, but can you send us smaller ships? Can we exercise with smaller ships because your ship is very big,'" he recalled.
The littoral combat ship weighs less than half as much as a typical U.S. destroyer and carries a crew of fewer than 100 sailors. It measures about the length of one football field ? a scale that will allow the U.S. to join countries as a partner.
"It's a whole different world," Wetherald said.
The Navy plans to keep the Freedom in the region for eight months, though its San Diego-based crew will rotate out after four. Another crew will serve the rest of the deployment and take the ship back home to California.
Wetherald said the Freedom will spend its deployment practicing basic naval skills in bilateral exercises with partner nations. Some drills will involve practicing responses to disasters and providing humanitarian assistance.
In a few years, the Navy aims to have the ships participate in multilateral exercises.
The U.S. is building two dozen littoral combat ships in all. It eventually plans to use some of them to replace minesweepers operating out of Bahrain and Japan.
Singapore has agreed to allow the Freedom and its crew to refuel, restock on food and get other supplies while it's deployed. In a couple of years, the Navy plans to send another so it will have two littoral combat ships in the region at a time. It ultimately hopes to have as many as four in the area.
The U.S. says it's emphasizing Asia and the Pacific because it's such an important part of the global economy. Though U.S. officials don't like to advertise the point, Washington is also responding to China's growth as a military power.
China is on the minds of countries in the region as well.
Tim Huxley, Asia executive director for the International Institute for Security Studies, said accommodating the deployments is a way for Singapore to encourage the U.S. to stay involved in Southeast Asia as a counterweight to China.
This adheres to the small city-state's long-held strategy of ensuring its own security by keeping major powers involved in the neighborhood and balancing them off each other, Huxley said.
Huxley said the deployment comes at a time when regional security is "becoming more complex and potentially more dangerous."
There are active territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where six governments ? China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan ? have overlapping claims. Insurgencies are brewing in the southern Philippines and southern Thailand. And the regional power balance, especially between the U.S. and China, is "in a state of flux," he said.
He suspects the arrival of the littoral combat ship will add stability instead of complicating the situation further.
"It sends a tangible signal that the U.S. is determined to remain deeply involved in regional security. And at a time of change, I think that's a useful message to send," Huxley said by telephone from in Singapore.
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Jones, Hosmer lead US past Canada, move up in WBC
PHOENIX (AP) ? Running out of outs, Adam Jones and the United States suddenly broke loose and saved themselves from a humbling loss.
Now, thanks to a fast finish, they're heading to Miami for the next round of the World Baseball Classic.
Jones doubled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth inning, Eric Hosmer hit a three-run double in the ninth and the U.S. scored seven times in the last two innings to beat Canada 9-4 on Sunday.
"Words can't describe it," Hosmer said, recalling how he felt standing on second base after his big hit. "It is hard to hold your emotions right there. It is just an unbelievable feeling and when you hear the crowd chant 'USA' and the other crowd chanting 'Canada,' it is an unbelievable experience."
The winner of the game moved on, the loser went home. And for a long while, it didn't look good for manager Joe Torre's team.
"It would have been embarrassing," second baseman Brandon Phillips said. "I would have been embarrassed. USA, this is where baseball started and we represent our country. I just feel that if we had lost, we didn't do our job. We have to go out there and try to be the first American team to win the WBC. That is our goal."
The U.S. trailed 3-2 after seven innings before rallying. Team USA and Italy each went 2-1 and advanced in Group D while Canada and Mexico went 1-2 and were eliminated.
"We believed in ourselves and turned it around," Phillips said, "and that is a beautiful thing."
Jones and Hosmer both had a rough week at the plate but came through with the United States on the brink of defeat. Jones' hit was his second in nine at-bats. Hosmer, a late replacement on the U.S. roster for injured Matt Teixeira, was 3 for 13.
Torre said the U.S. lineup had too much talent not to finally come through.
"Those two balls that were hit, both Jones and Hosmer, were about as hard as you'll ever see," Torre said, "because I think both times the center fielder thought he had a shot at it, and he just had no chance. That ball just took off over their heads. They creamed those."
Phillips, a three-time Gold Glove winner, also contributed. He made a diving stop to prevent Canada from tying it in the eighth, then doubled and scored in the ninth.
Heath Bell pitched a scoreless seventh for the win. Jimmy Henderson took the loss.
Canada's Michael Saunders, of the Seattle Mariners, hit a two-run homer off starter Derek Holland and was chosen the Group D MVP, going 8 for 11 in the tournament with seven RBIs.
"It's an honor," Saunders said, "but it's really kind of a sour taste in my mouth right now."
Canada manager Ernie Whitt called Saunders "an up-and-coming outfielder that's going to be a superstar."
The United States won Group D, taking the tiebreaker thanks to its 6-2 victory over the Italian squad. The U.S. plays Group C runner-up Puerto Rico on Tuesday night in Miami. Italy faces the Dominican Republic, which went 3-0 to win Group C.
David Wright, whose grand slam lifted the U.S. past Italy on Saturday night, doubled and walked three times. Ben Zobrist had three hits, none of which left the infield.
Canada, coming off a 10-3 win over Mexico that featured a bruising ninth-inning brawl, finished 1-2. The Canadians have not made it out of the first round in any of the three WBCs.
They looked in great shape much of the afternoon against the United States, which was looking to avoid its worst showing ever in the tournament. The Americans made it to the second round in 2006 and the semifinals in 2009.
For the third straight game, the U.S. fell behind early.
Justin Morneau, 8 for 12 in the tournament for Canada, doubled to start the second, then Saunders hit Holland's 1-0 pitch into the bullpen down the right-field line to make it 2-0.
The U.S. tied it with two runs in the fourth, one unearned.
Joe Mauer led off with a single and Wright walked. Zobrist put down a near-perfect bunt for a base hit, with third baseman Taylor Green throwing wildly to first and allowing a run to score. Jones' sacrifice fly to center brought in the tying run.
Green, playing third for Canada because Brett Lawrie was hurt just before the WBC began, also had an error in the second when he dropped Zobrist's high pop fly in the bright sunlight.
Canada regained the lead at 3-2 in the sixth. Joey Votto drew a leadoff walk from reliever Glen Perkins and went to second on Morneau's single. Saunders struck out looking and Chris Robinson flied out, advancing the runner to third. Adam Loewen's first-pitch single brought Votto home.
Mauer opened the eighth with a single, then Wright walked. Torre made an aggressive move when, with Willie Bloomquist pinch running for Mauer, he sent both runners on Henderson's 1-2 pitch to Jones. Jones connected, bringing both runners home and the United States had the lead for good. Shane Victorino singled Jones home to make it 5-3.
Canada made it a one-run game in its half of the eighth but would have tied it had it not been for a spectacular defensive play by Phillips. His diving stop of Loewen's bases-loaded grounder allowed one run to score, but kept the U.S. in the lead.
The U.S. broke it open against Scott Mathieson and closer John Axford in the ninth.
Phillips started it with a double. Jonathan Lucroy had an RBI single, then Wright walked once again. Axford came on and allowed an infield single to Zobrist. Jones struck out, but Hosmer cleared the bases with a shot to deep center.
Torre benched Miami's dynamic young slugger Giancarlo Stanton in favor of Victorino in left field. He also moved Ryan Braun to designated hitter and put Zobrist in right. Mauer, the DH in the first two games, was the starting catcher. Stanton was hitless in the first two games, although he did have a pair of deep fly balls in the opening loss to Mexico.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jones-hosmer-lead-us-past-canada-move-wbc-233634505--mlb.html
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3,000 dead pigs found in Shanghai's drinking water
No one knows how over 2,800 rotting pigs got into Shanghai's Huangpu river, but we do know that it also?happens?to be a source of drinking water for the city's 23 million citizens. With that we're now we're going to shelve our breakfasts.
RELATED: Meanwhile, in a Chinese Zoo, a Man Bit an Ostrich to Death
"Authorities insisted there was no risk drinking water supplies would be contaminated and said tests of the Huangpu's waters had found no trace of foot and mouth disease, blue-ear pig disease or swine fever," reported The Telegraph's Tom Phillips. However,?Phillips does report that "authorities announced they had detected traces of porcine circovirus, a disease that affects pigs but which is not believed to infect humans, in the river." Authorities also haven't ruled out parasites like?ascaris worms, which most pigs contract in their intestinal tracts during their lifetimes...?whose images and descriptions will make you want to douse your monitor in bleach and?hate us for pointing you in that direction.
RELATED: Horrifyingly, Ground Baby Pills Are a Real Thing
"The carcasses were probably dumped in the Huangpu river in Zhejiang province,"?reports NBC News. While The Telegraph says local media suggested that the pigs were dumped by a nearby farmer, the official cause of the rotting swine river is still a mystery.
RELATED: Dead Body Found Decomposing in Hotel's Water Tank
What's even more vomit-inducing is that the rotting pig soup known formerly known as the Huangpu River was actually a smelly stew of feet and bodily fluid even before the rotting pigs were found. "On Monday afternoon, the dead pigs shared their aquatic graveyard with a filthy mesh of glass and plastic bottles, flip-flops, shoes, what appeared to be bags of domestic and medical waste and even a plastic sex doll." Phillips reports. This video gives you some idea of the carnage, though don't say we didn't warn you (and your stomach) before watching it.
RELATED: The Truth About China's GDP
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/meanwhile-china-3-000-decomposing-pigs-were-found-130929680.html
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