Archive:News
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A harbinger is a sign of things to come. Throughout history and literature, harbingers and omens figure prominently, and are responsible for major decisions which have altered the course of both.
Top Stories
- Giant Jellyfish, known as Nomura's Jellyfish, have been discovered approaching the Sea of Japan in alarming numbers. Local communities brace for possible disaster.-read more
- The Worlds Largest Telescope, dubbed the Thirty Meter Telescope, will be built at the summit of Mauna Kea, alongside the current largest telescope.-read more
Arts
- Author Frank McCourt dies at 78 [1], [2], [3]
- Record Companies embracing file-sharing software [4], [5], [6], [7]
- Museum Sues Website For Uploading Images [8] (interesting. When I found the headline, I didn't realise the website in question was WP...)
Geography
- Scientists Look Beyond Earth To Understand Auroras [9], [10], [11], [12]
- Project Aims To Channel Quebecs Rivers To Generate Power [13], [14], [15], [16]
Mathematics
- Height Of Large Waves Changes According To Month [17], [18], [19], [20], [21]
- Mathematicians Take Aim At 'Phantom' Traffic Jams: New Model Could Help Design Better Roads [22], [23]
Science
Worlds Largest Telescope to be Built in Hawaii
An idea that began around six years ago, the Thirty Meter Telescope is one step closer to coming to fruition. The board of directors of the TMT Observatory Corporation selected Mauna Kea as the preferred site for the Thirty Meter Telescope on July 21st 2009. When completed the TMT will be the worlds largest telescope, dwarfing the second largest - also located on Mauna kea.
The Telescope
The telescopes mirror stretches nearly 100 feet in diameter composed of 492 segments, and will be so large that it can gather light that will have spent 13 billion years traveling to earth. This will enable astronomers to detect and study light from the earliest stars and galaxies, analyze the formation of planets around nearby stars, and test many of the fundamental laws of physics.
The TMT can do this by the latest innovations in precision control, segmented mirror design, and adaptive optics to correct for the blurring effect of Earth’s atmosphere, allowing the TMT to mimic the results of a telescope in space.
Choosing the Site
The TMT Observatory Corporation conducted a global satellite survey and selected five outstanding site candidates for further ground-based studies of atmospheric stability, wind patterns, temperature variation, and other meteorological characteristics that would affect the performance of the telescope.
After the ground based studies were performed, Mauna Kea and Cerro Armazones were selected in May 2008 for environmental, financial, and cultural impact studies. Richard Ellis, a board member of the TMT Observatory Corporation, told reporters that one of the deciding factors was that Mauna Kea is at a higher elevation, its air is drier and its average temperature fluctuates less during the course of the day
Public Reaction
By and large, the decision to locate the TMT on Mauna Kea was well recieved. Many universities expressed excitement at the decision. Researchers and students at the University of Hawaii are particularly excited, as they have been promised a share of the TMT's observation time.
On the other hand, Native Hawaiian and environmental groups have protested the new building site. According to Native Hawaiian tradition, high altitudes are sacred, and a gateway to heaven. In Acient Hawaii only Kahuna (chiefs) and Ali`i (Priests) were allowed at Mauna Kea's peak. Mauna Kea, and it's sister volcano Mauna Loa, are at the center of an important Native Hawaiian legend. According to the legend, Mauna Kea is (or depending on the teller, it could simply be the place of residence for) the goddess Poliahu, and Mauna Loa is (or is the residence of) the rival goddess Pele. The mountain is also home to one confirmed burial site and perhaps four more.
Environmentalists oppose the telescope on the grounds it would hurt some endangered species.
- Total solar eclipse [24], [25], [26]
- CT scans reveal mummies' long-lost secrets [27], [28], [29], [30]
- Space Shuttle Endeavour docked with the international space station [31], [32], [33]
Society
Giant Jellyfish Population Swells in Sea of Japan
Japanese researchers conducting marine surveys discovered alarming numbers of Nomura's Jellyfish floating towards the Sea of Japan. Nomura's Jellyfish can grow up to 6 ft (1.83 m) wide, and weigh more than 450 bs (Expression error: Missing operand for round. kg). Twice before - in 2005, and again in 2007 - nomura's jellyfish have swarmed the Sea of Japan. Both times the enormous jellyfish destroyed fishermens nets, and poisoned the rest of the catch. Human injuries were rare, but there were reports of fatalities due to the massive jellyfishes noxious sting. Japanese scientists have speculated that the heavy rains in China's Yangtze River Delta may have created a current that is pushing the jellyfish flotilla to Japan. Another theory suggests that warmer seas caused by global warming have created more favorable breeding conditions, causing the jellyfishes numbers to swell.
Impact on the Economy
As the jellyfish float in they get caught in fishermens nets, often leaving the net completely useless. Fishermen in the area often use expenseive labarynthine nets that can stretch for hundreds of kilometres. Usually the nets are owned by large communities of fishermen, and in some cases the entire fishing community. When the jellyfish destroy the nets, the communites that owned the nets are economically devastated. In most cases the communities entire livelyhood depends on the fishing industry, and few can afford to lose nets to the jellyfish.
The swarms in 2005 and 2007 have prompted the Japanese government to put a warning system in place for fishermen. When the Jellyfish get close, the alarm will sound, and fishermen will pull in their nets. They still lose the fish they may have caught while the jellyfish are in the area, but they don't have to worry about losing their nets anymore. [34], [35], [36]