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IBM Survey Reveals New Type of Energy Concern: Lack of Consumer Understanding

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2011Technologyconsumer survey, energy choices, energy concern, energy providers, ibm survey

Behavioral economics a key factor to realizing the benefits of smarter energy

ARMONK, N.Y., – 25 Aug 2011: IBM today unveiled findings from its “2011 IBM Global Utility Consumer Survey,” which revealed that many consumers around the globe do not understand the basic unit of electricity pricing and other energy concepts used by energy providers. The company also identified a list of crucial behavioral patterns that have the potential to impact how providers communicate and drive motivation amongst consumers. (more…)

Ancient Whale Skulls and Directional Hearing: A Twisted Tale

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2011Nature, Scienceaaron wood, archaeocetes, asymmetric skulls, baleen whales, basilosaurus isis, biological sonar, ct scans, echolocation, fossil, julia fahlke, modern whale, mysticetes, national science foundation, nsf, odontocetes, paleontologist, philip gingerich, richard lane, robert welsh, signs of artificial deformation, skewed skulls, symmetrical skulls, terrestrial mammals, three dimensional digital model, three dimensional torsion, toothed whales, twist, university of michigan

*Skewed skulls may have helped early whales find direction of sounds in water*

Skewed skulls may have helped early whales find the direction of sounds in water and are not solely, as previously thought, a later adaptation related to echolocation.

Scientists affiliated with the University of Michigan and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) report the finding in a paper published online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

NASA’s Wise Mission Discovers Coolest Class of Stars

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2011Science40 light years, ammonia, astronomers, atmospheric temperature, brown dwarf family, california institute of technology, Chile, coldest brown dwarf, cool as the human body, davy kirkpatrick, failed stars, gas giant planets, hawaii, infrared processing and analysis center, infrared vision, jon morse, jupiter, magellan telescopes at las campanas observatory, methane, michael cushing, molecular signatures, NASA, nasa headquarters, nine light years away, palomar observatory, parent star, pasadena, proxima centauri, ross 154, solar system, spitzer space telescope, star like bodies, visible light telescope, w m keck observatory atop mauna kea, Washington, water, wide field infrared survey explorer, wise, wise 1541-2250, wise 1828+2650, y dwarfs

PASADENA, Calif. – Scientists using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have discovered the coldest class of star-like bodies, with temperatures as cool as the human body.

Astronomers hunted these dark orbs, termed Y dwarfs, for more than a decade without success. When viewed with a visible-light telescope, they are nearly impossible to see. WISE’s infrared vision allowed the telescope to finally spot the faint glow of six Y dwarfs relatively close to our sun, within a distance of about 40 light-years. (more…)

Etch-a-sketch with Superconductors

By Guest PostAugust 24, 2011Scienceaeppli, bianconi, catalysts, computing technology, copper, elettra synchrotron radiation facility, fractal like structures in superconductors, ibm scientists, lanthanum, london centre for nanotechnology, new generation of electronic devices, oxygen, oxygen atoms, paradigm, rare earth element, rome, sapienza university, shapes in two dimensions, superconductivity, x ray beam

Reporting in Nature Materials this week, researchers from the London Centre for Nanotechnology and the Physics Department of Sapienza University of Rome have discovered a technique to ‘draw’ superconducting shapes using an X-ray beam. This ability to create and control tiny superconducting structures has implications for a completely new generation of electronic devices.

Superconductivity is a special state where a material conducts electricity with no resistance, meaning absolutely zero energy is wasted. (more…)

USGS Releases New Assessment of Gas Resources in the Marcellus Shale, Appalachian Basin

By Guest PostAugust 24, 2011Economy, Environmentappalachian basin, geologic information, kentucky, lake erie, marcellus shale, maryland, middle devonian marcellus shale, natural gas, natural gas liquids, new york, ohio, ohio geological survey, oil and gas, onshore and offshore areas, Pennsylvania, pennsylvania geological survey, tennessee, united states, usgs, virginia, west virginia, west virginia geological and economic survey

The Marcellus Shale contains about 84 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas and 3.4 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas liquids according to a new assessment by the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS).

These gas estimates are significantly more than the last USGS assessment of the Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin in 2002, which estimated a mean of about 2 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCF) and 0.01 billion barrels of natural gas liquids. (more…)

Hyenas’ Ability to Count Helps Them Decide to Fight or Flee

By Guest PostAugust 23, 2011Nature, Scienceafrica, animal behaviour, beacon researcher, chimpanzees, evolution of big brains, kay holekamp, Kenya, lions, michigan state university, sarah benson amram, sean dryer, spotted hyenas, study of evolution in action, virginia heinen, zoology

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Being able to count helps spotted hyenas decide to fight or flee, according to research at Michigan State University.

When animals fight, the larger group tends to win. In the current issue of Animal Behaviour, Sarah Benson-Amram, an MSU graduate student studying zoology, showed that hyenas listen to the sound of intruders’ voices to determine who has the advantage. (more…)

Researchers Improving Gps Accuracy in The 3rd Dimension

By Guest PostAugust 23, 2011Sciencegps accuracy, gps errors, gps measurements, gps receiver, gps satellites, gps signal, third dimension, vertical accuracy

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Researchers who are working to fix global positioning system (GPS) errors have devised software to take a more accurate measurement of altitude – particularly in mountainous areas. (more…)

Newly Discovered Icelandic Current Could Change North Atlantic Climate Picture

By Guest PostAugust 22, 2011Environmentamoc, atlantic meridional overturning circulation, climate specialists, current, daniel j torres, denmark overflow, denmark strait overflow water, dsow, earth climate, east greenland current, equator, eric itsweire, future climate change, great ocean conveyor belt, greenland, greenland scotland ridge, Iceland, kjetil våge, michael a spall, national science foundation, nij, north icelandic jet, nsf, numerical model, ocean circulation system, ocean response to climate change, physical oceanographers, plumes, r v knorr, relationship between ocean circulation and climate, rise in global temperatures, robert s pickart, svein østerhus, warming related phenomena, whoi, woods hole oceanographic institution

An international team of researchers, including physical oceanographers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), has confirmed the presence of a deep-reaching ocean circulation system off Iceland that could significantly influence the ocean’s response to climate change in previously unforeseen ways.

The current, called the North Icelandic Jet (NIJ), contributes to a key component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as the “great ocean conveyor belt,” which is critically important for regulating Earth’s climate. As part of the planet’s reciprocal relationship between ocean circulation and climate, this conveyor belt transports warm surface water to high latitudes where the water warms the air, then cools, sinks, and returns towards the equator as a deep flow. (more…)

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