Archive for the 'Life Of Science' Category

Ponderings on the Star of Bethlehem

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

The final possibility is one or more of the 5 bright naked eye planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn. Another Star of Bethlehem candidate is Uranus, which orbited in the close vicinity to Saturn in 9 BC and Venus in 6 BC. This is unlikely because Uranus moves very slowly and is only diffusedly visible. In truth, the possibility that the Magi could have befuddled one or more of the common planets with a star actually seems remote.

Sometimes, two or more of these flaring wanderers come together in a dazzling conjunction. Possiblly a planetary grouping of uncommon beauty; an exceptionally close conjunction of two planets or groupings of three or more creating an eye-catching abstract figure in the sky may have taken place between the years 7 and 2 BC. A amassing like that would be quite rare to the unexpecting eye.

One such event that is often cited occurred on the evening of Feb. 25, 6 BC involving Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and happened in the constellation of Pisces, the Fishes. If you have ever visited a planetarium for the traditional Christmas show, you probably already know the thrill of watching as the planetarium projector races back through time to recreate this unusual event. One such result that is often quoted came about on the evening of Feb. 25, 6 BC regarding Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and occurred in the constellation of Pisces, the Fishes. If you have ever seen a planetarium for the sanctioned Christmas show, you in all likelihood already know the thrill of watching as the know the rush of watching as the planetarium projector races back through time to retell this unusual event. Another affirmable explanation for the Star of Bethlehem is the three-times conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn between May and December in 7 BC; a unusual triple or “great conjunction.” Jupiter appeared to pass one degree north of Saturn on May 29; much the synoptically on Sept. 30; then finally a third time on Dec. 5. There is no question about the visibility of these cases, mostly opposite to the Sun in dark skies. As for their astrological impingement, the Magi would have absolutely noticed that both planets did not appear to separate widely between their conjunctions.

Generators and Utility Grids

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

As a matter of fact, your generator would be hooked up with the utility grid and this way, you might actually sell the additional power to the utility in case you produce more power than what you need. In case of a usual residential application, a residence is served concurrently by wind turbine, as well as local utility. In case the wind speeds get below the cut-in speed, then there would be no output from this turbine and the entire required power is bought from the utility. The generator is built using high-performance rare earth neodymium permanent magnets, so the alternator is compact and light weight with a high power generating efficiency. Generator housing is made using precision cast technology from high strength aluminum to assure a high quality finish. It is designed for various working conditions such as severe climate, sand and salt corrosive environments and marine usage. You might even consider starting a small at home business in selling wind turbines. Of course, the main reason you would be interested in selling wind turbines is the potential profits involved. Do a little research online and you will find homemade wind turbine kits ranging in price from $1000 up to $5000. These kits still require that the buyer puts the wind turbines together. With so many other options available it seems antiquated to burn fossil fuels (which will one day run out) just to generate some electricity. Small scale, as it gives individual householders the opportunity of regaining control over their lives and reducing their dependence upon big business. In electricity supply this is even more important than in many other areas, due to the current instability in the raw material markets, making prices highly volatile, and sometimes even threatening supply altogether. If regaining power independence is important, how do individuals go about it?In most circumstances the most practical solution is to install a domestic wind turbine.

Looking at History and Government

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

Ancient history is almost entirely about the acts of government. Ancient governments were made up of kings, priests, or small groups of aristocrats. The sophisticated bodies of modern governments were only developed over the last 2-300 years in western nations.

Modern history is about more than just government. It covers the deeds of explorers, inventors, pioneers, scientists, and business people. If you ask most people to name a famous international magnate, they’ll probably tell you the name of Bill Gates or Aritstotle Onassis. If you ask them to name an international magnate from 2,000 years ago, only a very few people will be able to name someone like Joseph of Arimathea, who has been compared to Onassis.

These kinds of eclectic facts drive the authors of the Many Topics blog, which covers a wide range of topics in a mix of long and short articles. From a tribute for famous journalists to an article about fast food in ancient Rome, the Many Topics authors dig deep for interesting subject matter.

These guys are not afraid to tackle diverse questions like what is rocket science and where can you learn about nutrition online. The Many Topics blog seems to be driven by an insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge.

In the grand scheme of things on the Internet small blogs like Many Topics might go unnoticed by most people, but their authors persevere and keep writing. That is the spirit of sharing and giving that has made the Internet the great medium it is today!

Cancer Doctors Hold Advanced Courses in Battle with Mesothelioma, despite the Fact that Prognosis Looks Grim

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Oncologists choose what course of treatment to administer for every patient. There are many options. There is no standard treatment regimen for mesothelioma cancer victims. This is due to the cancers high mortality rate, rareness, low treatment success rate, and small number of studies to provide meaningful statistics.

Mesothelioma patients have historically had a bleak outlook, but doctors have recently made progress. Treatments for cancer are traditionally surgery (taking out the tumor and surrounding tissue), chemotherapy (poisoning cancerous cells) and radiation (killing cancer cells with radiation) Each one of these methods have problems. Mesothelioma patients treated with traditional radiation therapy have not responded well to it. Researchers are looking for ways of aiming radiation directly at the tumor in hopes that this will result in less damage to healthy tissue.

Surgery takes out the mesothelial cancerous tissue around the tumor. This surgery is extensive and it is not clear how much the patient benefits. The usual chemotherapy cocktails effective on other cancers are not effective on mesothelioma, and different combinations of chemotherapy drugs have been tried without a lot of success. Similar to radiation, focus in research is focusing on treating the physical location of the tumor with emphasis on the pleural cavity.

Many advanced techniques in cancer treatment are tried on mesothelioma patients because of its high fatality rate. These techniques include a biologic therapy called the agent interleukin 2 and anti-angiogenesis drugs like thalidomide. Pemetrexed (Alimta) is a new drug that has shown results in extending life.

Considered by oncologists is where the tumor is located, what stage the mesothelioma is in, and the age and health of the patient. Theres also photodynamic therapy and gene therapy ” two far-out new ways of attacking cancer. Patients afflicted with mesothelioma are benefitting in these clinical trials.