Tabla de contenidos para Issue 46 en Science Illustrated

Areas with high gravity Areas with low gravity MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER MARS ODYSSEY ASTRONOMY Thanks to measurements from 3 different NASA probes, scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US have managed to create the most detailed map of Mars’ gravity ever made, looking into the interior of the Red Planet. The gravity map allows astronomers to see the interior of the planet in the same way as X-rays allow doctors to see the insides of a human being. The map is so detailed that it reveals gravity anomalies as small as 100 km across. With the new knowledge, scientists will be able to enter spacecrafts into more accurate orbits around Mars, as they can adjust the orbit according to the planet’s gravity. The…

If all ice on Earth melted, the sea level would rise by about 80 m. A complete deglaciation would, however, require a warmer world than the present one. In addition to the 80 m, we would see another up to 30 m rise due to thermal expansion of water: the fact that warm water takes up more space than cold. If the sea level rose by 80 m, it would have a huge effect on the world map – and if it happened overnight, it would directly affect about 50 % of the world population, and the remaining 50 % would suddenly have to find room for 3.5 billion homeless people. Nearly 99 % of the world’s ice is tied up in three large ice caps. The Greenland ice sheet…

Thorium will revolutionise nuclear energy NOW Thorium can be included in fuel rods and used in reactors. IN 15 YEARS Molten salt reactors with thorium blankets will start making power. IN THE FUTURE Accumulated nuclear waste can be burned and rendered harmless. 205 tonnes of Thorium are needed to keep up Australia's current annual generation of 248 TWh – in comparison, we would need 7000 tonnes of uranium.  Thorium will be part of a fourth generation of nuclear reactors. 1ST GENERATION: Small prototypes generated the first power 1950S The fuel was surrounded by graphite. The reactor was decommissioned after an accident in the UK, in which the graphite caught fire and radioactivity escaped. 2ND GENERATION: Modern nuclear plants are light water reactors NOW The reactor tank is full of water,…

15,000 YEARS AGO I ntensive breeding of several dog varieties has caused their anatomies to be rather unhealthy. Large breeds easily overheat – particularly those that have difficulties breathing – and suffer a greater risk of developing bone cancer. On the other hand, very small dogs find it difficult to keep warm and suffer knee and hip dislocation problems. Pekingese, bull-dogs, and other breeds with short snouts find it difficult to run, as they cannot get enough oxygen. Bulldogs have such difficulties breathing and keeping cool that in 2014, the Dutch Kennel Club introduced a bulldog breeding requirement: They must be able to walk 1 km in 12 minutes and subsequently breathe normally and normalise their body temperature in 15 minutes. Bulldog jaws are often too short for the teeth,…

The sky above the Atlantic Ocean looks heavy and grey. An icy wind blows through the vessel, which cuts through the waves, as the wooden hull creaks and groans. The men on the deck are freezing, holding on to the railing, impatiently looking for landfall. This is how it must often have been, when Vikings living in Greenland went to and from mainland Europe: a journey of more than 2,000 km across the wind-swept North Atlantic. The hardy colony of Scandinavians living in the hostile climate has long made archaeologists wonder what made the Vikings go to Greenland way back in the 9th century and why they suddenly disappeared 500 years later. Now, a group of international scientists headed by Karin M. Frei of the National Museum of Denmark believe…

Lightning speeding towards the ground from a thunder cloud in a desert landscape? Appearances are deceptive. The lightning is artificial, and the cloud is a puff of cotton hiding a thin steel wire, from which a Tesla coil produces electricity in the shape of sparks. Telsla coils are a type of amplifier that uses a steel coil to convert a direct current into a high-voltage alternating current. The electricity escapes via sparks across a spark gap. Large coils can produce huge sparks, which their discoverer, Nikola Tesla, used in his experiments. Photo // Marc Simon Frei Webbed feet make tigers just as deadly underwater The Bengal tiger is not only an excellent swimmer, it can also keep its breath and dive to catch its prey - as demonstrated by this…

BIOLOGY The silver desert ant can stand the heat of the Sahara, even when temperatures exceed 50 degrees. Indeed, the ant is one of the toughest creatures on the planet, and now, scientists from the Belgian Université Libre de Bruxelles have found out why. The ant's body hairs are the key to its incredible ability to resist heat. The ant’s surface is full of tiny hairs, which provide the insect with its metallic shine and prevents overheating. Scientists studied the ants in a scan electron microscope and shone light beams onto the insects in order to find out how the light was reflected. The study showed that hairy ants reflected 10 times as much light as peers, whose hairs had been removed. Moreover, the ants were able to keep up…

LARGE THEME: OSIRIS-REx is only the beginning of NASA’s major asteroid plan. Over the next 10 years, scientists will not only collect the first sample, they will also make a huge asteroid boulder orbit the Moon. Robot collects asteroid sample OSIRIS-REx will collect the sample in only five seconds. NASA locates the threat NASA will learn ever more about hazardous asteroids. Asteroid is moved to the Moon The ARM craft takes huge asteroid boulder to the Moon. Spacecraft collects 60 g of asteroid dust In only five seconds, a small robotic probe will reach out its arm and take a soil sample from an asteroid. The sample and a complete map is going to reveal asteroids on collision course with Earth. Like a racing cyclist who must catch a small…

MASTER GENE 1 determines when and how the brain develops. This gene codes for a protein, which regulates the activity of six other genes, including genes 2, 3, and 5. GENE 2 is regulated by genes 1 and 3, creating an ion pump that makes sure that neurons can send nerve signals. The gene affects the activity of other genes suchs as 4 and 5. GENE 3 is regulated by genes 1 and 5. The gene makes neurons create synapses, connections where nerve signals are exchanged. The gene regulates the activity of genes 2 and 4. GENE 4 is under the control of genes 2, 3, and 5. The gene determines how fast neurons grow. The gene also adjusts the activity of master gene 1, which hence knows what is…

Many future solutions are already here: Sewage is turned into tap water Waste food is included in electronics Bacteria make your clothes smart Urine generates power Mealworms are grown in kitchens Faeces powers cookers Toilets charge mobile phones Mushrooms grow on nappies Lack of water forces us to recycle The state of California is going through a period of drought, which is now in its fifth year. There and in other parts of the world, climate change has made water scarce, forcing both scientists and city planners to find alternative solutions to keep up a steady water supply. One of the most obvious solutions is converting sewage into drinking water. The method is seriously considered in several places in California, where, according to calculations, purified sewage could supply eight million…

The two huge cattle breeds Belgian Blue and Piedmontese have become very popular among beef cattle breeders, as they develop extremely large muscles and so lots of meat in spite of the animals’ skeletons being relatively normal. This means that females cannot give birth to their own calves in the normal way. Belgian Blue calves usually weigh 45 kg at birth, whereas calves of other breeds weigh 30 kg. Moreover, the mother has a narrower birth canal due to her muscles. So, it is difficult for calves to pass through the birth canal, and if a C-section is not made, both cow and calf may die. The huge muscles are due to an inherited condition known as hyperplasia: a mutation that provides the animals with an extremely high number of…

In comparison with cats, etc., humans have poor natural night vision, and so, soldiers use special night vision goggles, if they need to be able to see in the dark. The technology of the night vision goggles converts the photons of light into electrons and subsequently back into photons. At night, the quantity of natural light is very limited. The night vision goggles function by taking the quantity of photons that exist in the dark and converting them into electrons. Inside the goggles, more electrons are added, corresponding to amplifying the limited quantity of natural light. Finally, the electrons hit a plate with phosphorus. The energy of the electrons makes the phosphorus emit green light, and so, soldiers see the world in shades of green through the goggles. When a…

Even the most powerful computer isn't much good without programmes and data on its hard drive. On the other hand, programmes and data quantities are no good, if they are located on a computer without calculation power. Similarly, human IQ does not only require us to have knowledge and experience, we must also be capable of creative thinking. Brain researchers work with different types of intelligence, but they believe that particularly two determine your IQ – liquid and crystallized intelligence. In short, they are indications of your ability to think and of how much you know. The illustration below indicates the characteristics of the two types of intelligence and helps you determine your own score. IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH LIQUID INTELLIGENCE: You think abstractly, recognise patterns, and find…

People began to breed domestic animals 10,000+ years ago, shortly after domesticating the first animal: the wolf. The idea of selective breeding probably originated, when people realized that many characteristics are inherited. Consequently, a breeder can select animals with the right qualities, make them mate, and change the animals from generation to generation, until the offspring is always born with the qualities that the breeder likes. Dogs were originally used for hunting, but they were soon also used as watchdogs and fighting dogs. The owners of animals that supplied milk, meat, wool, hides, eggs, etc., started to breed creatures that supplied large quantities or high-quality necessities. So, sheep appeared which were raised, because they produced lots of milk, whereas others were well suited for slaughtering, and a third type supplied…

On a late Sunday afternoon, a group of young students from Cornell University in the US are sitting on the floor, staring at their baby: a 34-cm-high plastic box full of the world’s smallest satellites – also known as ChipSats. In a few seconds, all the satellites will hopefully be ejected from the plastic box and land on the floor. The students are testing the ejection mechanism which will "launch" the satellites in space. The scientist in charge of the experiment, Zac Manchester, is sitting by his computer, which is hooked up to the plastic box, via which he intends to energise metal wire, causing a plastic screw to be burnt through and triggering a spring that will spread the ChipSat satellites in all directions. FIRST, TO THE ISS! Although…

1. In mid-17th century London, what was the infant mortality rate? a) 7% b) 17% c) 70% 2. What did Prime Minister Gough Whitlam give indigenous leader Vincent Lingiari on 16th August 1975? 3. In what kind of device would you use a tokamak? 4. Which common Australian agamid lizard often supplements its diet of small animals and insects with dandelions? 5. What type of musical instrument includes features such as an oscillator, LFO, delay, mixer, fi lter and sequencer? 6. What kind of device “extrudes fi lament” onto a “build area” to create solid objects? 7. Gallium is a metal that looks like aluminium or steel, but what happens if you hold it in your hand? 8. Assuming the engine stops and you take your hands o_ the controls,…