Earth-Like Planets Discovered

Scientists have long been in the hunt for planets resembling the Earth in hopes of finding environment conducive to life. However, while there have been leads in the past, they have mostly been nothing more than false hopes. Curiosity, NASA’s rover’s latest mission to Mars proved that the Red planet did in the past hold water and could also have held life forms. However, whether the planet will sustain life in the future is still unknown. Another mission into outer space, that of Kepler, has provided some interesting insights into galaxies around the Milky Way and their ability to sustain life. Kepler has managed to narrow down on three planets that come closest to being described as sisters of the Earth. The three planets are neither too close nor too far from their parent star. The distance from the parent star often determines the temperature of the planet, a pre-requisite factor conducive to life on the planet. Comment facebook twitter google email Your Reactions? 5 FAIL 7 WOW 0 OMG 2 GEEKY 1 LOL Earth-Like Planets Discovered by Rutu Ladage , IndiaTimes | April 20, 2013, 5:00 pm IST - Posted 59 mins ago Science wow « Go Back to Homepage Kepler-69c planet which is a part of the Kepler-69 system. Image Courtesy: NASAKepler 69 system Scientists have long been in the hunt for planets resembling the Earth in hopes of finding environment conducive to life. However, while there have been leads in the past, they have mostly been nothing more than false hopes. Curiosity, NASA’s rover’s latest mission to Mars proved that the Red planet did in the past hold water and could also have held life forms. However, whether the planet will sustain life in the future is still unknown. Another mission into outer space, that of Kepler, has provided some interesting insights into galaxies around the Milky Way and their ability to sustain life. Kepler has managed to narrow down on three planets that come closest to being described as sisters of the Earth. The three planets are neither too close nor too far from their parent star. The distance from the parent star often determines the temperature of the planet, a pre-requisite factor conducive to life on the planet. Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f form part of the Kepler-62 system. Image Courtesy: NASAKepler 62 New Anthropocene Journal elementascience.org - www.elementascience.org Nonprofit, open-access, scientific Ads by Google Also, the three planets are just slightly larger than the Earth. Their exact mass is still unknown but their distance from the main star or the “sun” of their galaxy hints at the two main essentials for life being present of these planet. The first is water while the second is a strong, rocky surface. There have been many planets in the past to have a strong surface but the absence of water ruled out possibility of life. The three planets discovered are Kepler-62e, Kepler-62f and Kepler-69-c. Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f both orbit the parent star Kepler-62. A Kepler-62e year is 122 days while the Kepler-62f year is longer at approximately 267 days. While the first is almost 60 percent bigger to Earth, the latter is 40 percent larger. Kepler-69c has a year of 242 days. The Kepler-62e is the most conduccie to life forms as the planet is expected to hold a mix of rocky land and water or majority of oceans. The Kepler-69c is more like Venus as it is warmer than the other two. The planets are pretty distant from Earth but if climates are conducive, researchers might gain an important insight into the mystery of life on other planets.

Washcloth Experiment Yields Fascinating Results in International Space Station [Video]

In space, even the seemingly most mundane tasks can produce fascinating results. Take, for instance, wringing out a wet washcloth. Broadcasting from the International Space Station, the Canadian Space Agency's Chris Hadfield, the commander or the current research mission, continued what has become his ongoing gig as station front man and correspondent, sharing through a video and audio hook-up details about life on the station with folks down below. He's become widely recognized for the series of photos and videos he's transmitted back to earth. Like Us on Facebook A new piece of information delivered by Hadfield was prompted by students who asked Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space, about the dynamics of surface tension in space, according to a report by Discovery News. Surface tension is a tendency of the surface of a liquid to resist an external force, allowing, for example, some objects that are denser than the liquid, to float. The ways some insects, such as water striders, are able to run on the water surface is another example of surface tension, which is a result of the cohesion of similar molecules. The Canadian astronaut took to YouTube and demonstrated what happens when one wrings out a washcloth in a zero-gravity environment. Hadfield started the demonstration by taking a vacuum-packed washcloth, complete with official NASA insignia, and hydrating it with a stream of water he squeezed from a water bottle. It was after the cloth had absorbed the water that real fun began. Because, when Hadfield wrung out the cloth, much of the water covered the exterior of the cloth, like a transparent force field. Then some of the water traveled up his arms to cover his hands, appearing, at least, to have a consistency similar to that of slime. For suggesting the experiment, Canadian 10th-graders Kendra Lemke and Meredith Faulkner from Lockview High School in Fall River, Nova Scotia, won the grand prize in a national science contest. As their reward, the two high school students, along with many of their peers, got to see their experiment conducted by Hadfield live, during a video connection with the Station. "I was about your age when I decided I wanted to become an astronaut," Hadfield said to the 1,200 Lockview students watching from the school's gymnasium. "I hope that you remember today and continue to be curious about science and space. You are the space explorers of the future and the sky is no longer the limit."

Russian Becomes Oldest Spacewalker Ever

A 59-year-old Russian cosmonaut has become the oldest human to walk in space. Pavel Vinogradov took part in maintenance work outside the International Space Station on April 19. Until then, the oldest spacewalker had been retired NASA astronaut Story Musgrave, who was 58 when he helped fix the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993. The 6 1/2-hour space walk went well outside of one incident when Vinogradov lost his grip on an experimental tray that he was retrieving. Officials said the lost aluminum panel should not pose a safety hazard to the station, although it will add to the booming population of space junk.

Terrorism was allowed to grow for last five years, says JI Amir

n an interview, Syed Munawar Hasan said “we have been providing logistical support to terrorism by including known terrorists‚ extortionists and criminals in the government both at the centre and in Sindh in the name of reconciliation.” He said terrorism was there even before the United States formally launched war against terror twelve years ago and today it has become a full-blown tree. But at the same time‚ the JI Amir said‚ his party has been propounding that it is the US war and we should take ourselves out of it but instead we gave the United States bases and other logistical support. Asked why dialogue should be held with Taliban‚ Syed Munawar Hasan said “we have been holding dialogue with the United States even after it carried out aggression at Salala and Washington has not to-date offered an apology.” To another question he said operation in Swat was not transparent. He said “media reports bear testimony to the fact that our government faithfully acted upon the persistent demand of the United States to ‘do more'. He said the APC convened by then Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and attended also by the Army Chief and Director-General ISI adopted a resolution but it has not been implemented even by one percent. Replying to a question whether the cycle of terrorism would end with the departure of the United States from neighbouring Afghanistan‚ he said there would still be about forty thousand US troops in Afghanistan. He said the US is still there in Iraq despite claims about withdrawal. He said the United States should have been penalized for invading Iraq despite the fact that there were no weapons of mass destruction. When repeatedly pressed to clarify Jamaat's view point about terrorism and known militant outfits‚ Syed Munawar Hasan said why the government did not take any action against them. He said people gave mandate to the government to safeguard their lives and properties‚ eliminate unemployment and check price hike but instead it has been serving the US interests. He questioned whether mandate of the Interior Minister was just to pass on information about possible act of terrorism and terrorize people or take preventive measures. He said JI condemns whenever innocent lives become target of terrorism. NNI

OSCE welcomes Belgrade-Pristina agreement

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara and the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier welcomed the Belgrade-Pristina agreement facilitated by the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in Brussels, the OSCE said in a news release. Calling the agreement “an important step in normalization of relations and stability in the region,” Minister Kozhara said, “I commend the leadership in Belgrade and Pristina for their courage and vision in reaching this agreement. This is the beginning of a new chapter and I support continuation of this dialogue that will improve the lives of all the communities in Kosovo.” The OSCE Secretary General added: “In welcoming this historic agreement I also call for its effective implementation. Where possible, the OSCE will provide concrete support in line with our mandate. We already have the largest international civilian presence in Kosovo, which is working on institution and democracy building and promoting human rights and the rule of law for the benefit of all communities.”

French hostages freed in Cameroon back in France

Seven members of a French family freed after being kidnapped by gunmen in Cameroon have arrived back in France. French President François Hollande greeted them as they landed in Paris. The Moulin-Fournier family were taken hostage by armed men on motorbikes in northern Cameroon on February 19. Tanguy Moulin-Fournier expressed his relief at being back home: “It was yesterday that I learned about French solidarity. I am pleased that France can act. There was so much emotion. I am so glad to be back in France.It is a great moment. The father Tanguy, his wife, four children and his brother were held by the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram. Boko Haram are engaged in an insurgency against the government of Nigeria following a crackdown on their members in 2009.

H7N9 Bird Flu Cases In China Rise By Four To 91; Half Have Had No Contact With Poultry

The number of confirmed H7N9 bird flu cases in China increased by four to 91 on Friday. Jiangsu province reported one new case, and Zhejiang province reported three, the state-run Shanghai Daily reported today. The number of dead was unchanged at 17. An increasing focus among public health officials and the media is prospect that transmission of the disease is not only animal-to-animal but also human-to-human. More than half of the victims have had no contact with poultry, the newspaper said. “This is still an animal virus that occasionally infects humans,” the newspaper quoted World Health Organization’s China leader Michael O’Leary as saying. “With rare exceptions, we know that people are not getting sick from other people.” Beijing and major eastern Chinese cities have closed live poultry markets and are taking other precautions to limit the spread of the new virus. Chinese media this week estimated that the poultry industry has lost 17 billion yuan, or $2.7 billion. Officials are concerned about the livelihoods and future source of bird supply from chicken farmers. Shares in Yum!, which has relied on China for much of its growth through its KFC chain, were little changed in New York yesterday. The company said earlier this month KFC same-store sales in China fell by 16% at a time when nervous consumers have shunned chicken, despite government advice that cooked meat is safe. Shanghai, the city with the most bird flu deaths so far, is playing host next week to one of the country’s most important auto industry conferences this year. Today kicked off a series of media daily promotions at the site by Ford, Toyota, Honda and many others. The venue this morning was rain-soaked and already crowded.