"and it's wondering why this tiny planet named earth is trying to kill it from the inside. I mean look at it, if there's a universal organism, we're as close to a parasitic infection as you can get. Long live captialism McKing Fries w/ extra nonbiodegradable plastic and toxic waste sauce!"
Problems only have clear solutions when you ignore the details.
"A magnetic torsional wave near the Galactic Centre traced by a 'double helix' nebula"
The magnetic field in the central few hundred parsecs of the Milky Way has a dipolar geometry and is substantially stronger than elsewhere in the Galaxy, with estimates ranging up to a milligauss (refs 1-6). Characterization of the magnetic field at the Galactic Centre is important because it can affect the orbits of molecular clouds by exerting a drag on them, inhibit star formation, and could guide a wind of hot gas or cosmic rays away from the central region. Here we report observations of an infrared nebula having the morphology of an intertwined double helix about 100 parsecs from the Galaxy's dynamical centre, with its axis oriented perpendicular to the Galactic plane. The observed segment is about 25 parsecs in length, and contains about 1.25 full turns of each of the two continuous, helically wound strands. We interpret this feature as a torsional Alfvén wave propagating vertically away from the Galactic disk, driven by rotation of the magnetized circumnuclear gas disk. The direct connection between the circumnuclear disk and the double helix is ambiguous, but the images show a possible meandering channel that warrants further investigation.
You've not really made a clear comparison, as you have compared a measurement involving lightyears (the distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri) to another measurement involving lightyears (the length of the nebula). It would be like comparing an apple to a pea by saying that an orange is about the same size as an apple. You haven't really said anything...
So you've only given the appearance of an insightful comment... though I'm sure you'll hit +5 in no time.
Judging from the picture in the article, even the T-1000 likes this new gadget. He can keep all of his "detailed files" on the wearable PC, allowing him to be "a more efficient killer."
Obviously, to stop potential misuse of advancing technology, we must stop technology from advancing, rather than stop those who are likely to misuse it from having access to it and the power to misuse it...
I got a reply from Kord Ernstson, who runs impact-structures.com!
"Thank you for your e-mail with the hint to this nice structure. It looks quite promising considering a typical complex impact structure exhibiting a central uplift or, in this case, perhaps a kind of inner ring. The morphology is only one criterion for the identification of an impact structure and unfortunately more or less the least significant one. To establish an impact would require clear field evidence of typical impact rocks bearing shock-metamorphic effects. I will take a look at the structure also with the NASA satellite program and then contact you again. We are thinking of an extra page to be added to our www.impact-structures.com website where we could publish those unconfirmed however promising structures (referring to the discoverer of course)."
I could have a crater named after me! *daydreams* "Crater 0918"...
Of course they're connected; there's no other possibility. Listening to Symantec's opinion on this would be like asking Philip Morris for an opinion on the link between cigarettes and lung cancer. So, how long until MS OneCare starts getting flagged as malicious spyware by Norton, or vice versa?
"... we could see our grand children zipping to Mars and beyond for their honeymoon or school picnic...."
According to the article, it is predicted that we won't even be testing projectiles that reach 10% of the speed of the light (about 70 million mph) until next century, so if you want to see this in action, you had better invest in longevity research.
"Why is it that a species thought to be extinct for 11 million years has now just been found, but somehow we seem to think we know the exact number of panda bears and such?"
RTFA. The species wasn't just found. It's been around for at least a decade, but was originally classified in a new family, rather than being connected to the ancient family.
Knowledge of the Laotian rock rat has been around for about a decade now, but it was originally classified in a new family, prior to its connection to the 11 million year old family.
It took 3 minutes of search to find an unregistered "circular thingy" in North Africa, 6 miles in diameter and 20 in circumference, in northern Nigeria at 21.35 N 9.14 E.
In a movie theater, no matter where I sit, the loudest person in the theater always ends up sitting next to me. You'd think with my "I've killed already tonight, and you're next" countenance, people would stay away, but I seem to attract the crazies.
Prime examples:
In that crappy Sky Captain movie, when the flying ships dive straight into the water, this guy next to me starts shouting "THAT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS!!"
In that crappy Manchurian Candidate remake, some dumb bitch sits down right next to me, babbling through the whole movie. When Meryl Streep goes into a long speech, this woman starts shouting "MERYL STREEP AT HER BEST!!"
During Batman Begins, some fat ass was munching down bag after bag of chips right next to me. He'd finish a bad, then extend his hand out and drop the bag on the floor, and go for another. Then he'd start belching, or fall asleep and snore really loud.
What the hell is it with these people?? Can't they see that I want to watch my crappy movies in peace??
Of course there is no fusion. The z-pinch would never produce fusion. It produces x-rays, which are used to implode capsules containing fusion fuel. The z-pinch plasma will never one day reach fusion because that is not its purpose. This is a simply a case of mass confusion on slashdot, something common in science articles.
The z-pinch is not a source of fusion energy. It is a source of x-ray radiation, which has been used to implode through ablation capsules containing fusion fuel.
Because the density is nowhere near high enough. Fusion capsules that are imploded in the center of these devices get to be 30-50 times compressed, whereas this plasma is not compressed in any way like this, or to anywhere near this extreme.
People are simply confusing the fusion research that is done with Z-machine with what is going on here. The increase in temperature has already been explained by a model that has been shown to fit the data, and does not involve anything in the way of fusion.
This is not fusion. No fusion is involved in the plasma. While this is part of their research, no fusion occurs within the plasma. The hot plasma is used to heat a capsule containing fuel for fusion, but that's as close as you'll get to the word "fusion".
Slashdot Mirror
"You obviously were not paying attention to the GP poster's nick."
I noticed his nick right after I submitted.
"and it's wondering why this tiny planet named earth is trying to kill it from the inside. I mean look at it, if there's a universal organism, we're as close to a parasitic infection as you can get. Long live captialism McKing Fries w/ extra nonbiodegradable plastic and toxic waste sauce!"
Problems only have clear solutions when you ignore the details.
"But as far as science is concerned whatever may be beyond our universe is irrelevant because we have no way of observing it."
That may be, but I'm confident that some day we'll successfully explore the region north of the north pole...
Here is the Nature article abtract:
"A magnetic torsional wave near the Galactic Centre traced by a 'double helix' nebula"
The magnetic field in the central few hundred parsecs of the Milky Way has a dipolar geometry and is substantially stronger than elsewhere in the Galaxy, with estimates ranging up to a milligauss (refs 1-6). Characterization of the magnetic field at the Galactic Centre is important because it can affect the orbits of molecular clouds by exerting a drag on them, inhibit star formation, and could guide a wind of hot gas or cosmic rays away from the central region. Here we report observations of an infrared nebula having the morphology of an intertwined double helix about 100 parsecs from the Galaxy's dynamical centre, with its axis oriented perpendicular to the Galactic plane. The observed segment is about 25 parsecs in length, and contains about 1.25 full turns of each of the two continuous, helically wound strands. We interpret this feature as a torsional Alfvén wave propagating vertically away from the Galactic disk, driven by rotation of the magnetized circumnuclear gas disk. The direct connection between the circumnuclear disk and the double helix is ambiguous, but the images show a possible meandering channel that warrants further investigation.
"You will see a large, light absorbing, black monolith - howling Ligeti - in the center of the nebula."
That's fine with me, as long as they don't start chanting "Koyaaaanisqatsiii"...
Maybe that's why he calls himself "BadAnalogyGuy".
You've not really made a clear comparison, as you have compared a measurement involving lightyears (the distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri) to another measurement involving lightyears (the length of the nebula). It would be like comparing an apple to a pea by saying that an orange is about the same size as an apple. You haven't really said anything...
So you've only given the appearance of an insightful comment... though I'm sure you'll hit +5 in no time.
Judging from the picture in the article, even the T-1000 likes this new gadget. He can keep all of his "detailed files" on the wearable PC, allowing him to be "a more efficient killer."
Obviously, to stop potential misuse of advancing technology, we must stop technology from advancing, rather than stop those who are likely to misuse it from having access to it and the power to misuse it...
Sure, they can memorize a deck of cards, but can they learn the lyrics to It's the End of the World as We Know it?
I got a reply from Kord Ernstson, who runs impact-structures.com!
"Thank you for your e-mail with the hint to this nice structure. It looks quite promising considering a typical complex impact structure exhibiting a central uplift or, in this case, perhaps a kind of inner ring. The morphology is only one criterion for the identification of an impact structure and unfortunately more or less the least significant one. To establish an impact would require clear field evidence of typical impact rocks bearing shock-metamorphic effects. I will take a look at the structure also with the NASA satellite program and then contact you again. We are thinking of an extra page to be added to our www.impact-structures.com website where we could publish those unconfirmed however promising structures (referring to the discoverer of course)."
I could have a crater named after me! *daydreams* "Crater 0918"...
Of course they're connected; there's no other possibility. Listening to Symantec's opinion on this would be like asking Philip Morris for an opinion on the link between cigarettes and lung cancer. So, how long until MS OneCare starts getting flagged as malicious spyware by Norton, or vice versa?
"... we could see our grand children zipping to Mars and beyond for their honeymoon or school picnic...."
According to the article, it is predicted that we won't even be testing projectiles that reach 10% of the speed of the light (about 70 million mph) until next century, so if you want to see this in action, you had better invest in longevity research.
"Why is it that a species thought to be extinct for 11 million years has now just been found, but somehow we seem to think we know the exact number of panda bears and such?"
RTFA. The species wasn't just found. It's been around for at least a decade, but was originally classified in a new family, rather than being connected to the ancient family.
Knowledge of the Laotian rock rat has been around for about a decade now, but it was originally classified in a new family, prior to its connection to the 11 million year old family.
Yeah, big typo, but I just woke up, so that's my excuse.
It took 3 minutes of search to find an unregistered "circular thingy" in North Africa, 6 miles in diameter and 20 in circumference, in northern Nigeria at 21.35 N 9.14 E.
In a movie theater, no matter where I sit, the loudest person in the theater always ends up sitting next to me. You'd think with my "I've killed already tonight, and you're next" countenance, people would stay away, but I seem to attract the crazies.
Prime examples:
In that crappy Sky Captain movie, when the flying ships dive straight into the water, this guy next to me starts shouting "THAT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS!!"
In that crappy Manchurian Candidate remake, some dumb bitch sits down right next to me, babbling through the whole movie. When Meryl Streep goes into a long speech, this woman starts shouting "MERYL STREEP AT HER BEST!!"
During Batman Begins, some fat ass was munching down bag after bag of chips right next to me. He'd finish a bad, then extend his hand out and drop the bag on the floor, and go for another. Then he'd start belching, or fall asleep and snore really loud.
What the hell is it with these people?? Can't they see that I want to watch my crappy movies in peace??
Oh, and I was getting $17.50 an hour, which is pretty high for a student intern. How's that McDonald's career working out for you?
"Nothing more statistically meaningful than a single data point! Their powers of extrapolation are mind boggling!"
Based on the one moderator who has modded your post Funny, I have come to the incotrovertible conclusion that your post is -1 Troll.
Of course there is no fusion. The z-pinch would never produce fusion. It produces x-rays, which are used to implode capsules containing fusion fuel. The z-pinch plasma will never one day reach fusion because that is not its purpose. This is a simply a case of mass confusion on slashdot, something common in science articles.
The z-pinch is not a source of fusion energy. It is a source of x-ray radiation, which has been used to implode through ablation capsules containing fusion fuel.
Because the density is nowhere near high enough. Fusion capsules that are imploded in the center of these devices get to be 30-50 times compressed, whereas this plasma is not compressed in any way like this, or to anywhere near this extreme.
People are simply confusing the fusion research that is done with Z-machine with what is going on here. The increase in temperature has already been explained by a model that has been shown to fit the data, and does not involve anything in the way of fusion.
It's ion viscous heating, something not nearly as exciting.
This is not fusion. No fusion is involved in the plasma. While this is part of their research, no fusion occurs within the plasma. The hot plasma is used to heat a capsule containing fuel for fusion, but that's as close as you'll get to the word "fusion".