see what your friends are reading...
Just got passed an invitation to yet another social networking site called Goodreads. My first impression is that it's Last.FM for books.
|
5 years ago
Friday, May 25, 2007
Goodreads.com is like Last.FM for books
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Milky Way Galaxy star forms 500M years after big bang
A galactic fossil: Star is found to be 13.2 billion years old
From left: Recent cosmological studies show that the Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago. The metal-poor star HE 1523 formed in our Milky Way galaxy soon afterward, cosmologically speaking: 13.2 billion years ago. The primitive star contained the radioactive heavy elements uranium and thorium, and the amounts of those elements decay over time, each according to its own half-life. Credit: (c) ESO
"Surprisingly, it is very hard to pin down the age of a star", the lead author of the paper reporting the results, Anna Frebel, explains. "This requires measuring very precisely the abundance of the radioactive elements thorium or uranium, a feat only the largest telescopes such as ESO's VLT can achieve."
This technique is analogous to the carbon-14 dating method that has been so successful in archaeology over time spans of up to a few tens of thousands of years. In astronomy, however, this technique must obviously be applied to vastly longer timescales.
For the method to work well, the right choice of radioactive isotope is critical. Unlike other, stable elements that formed at the same time, the abundance of a radioactive (unstable) isotope decreases all the time. The faster the decay, the less there will be left of the radioactive isotope after a certain time, so the greater will be the abundance difference when compared to a stable isotope, and the more accurate is the resulting age.
Yet, for the clock to remain useful, the radioactive element must not decay too fast - there must still be enough left of it to allow an accurate measurement, even after several billion years.
"Actual age measurements are restricted to the very rare objects that display huge amounts of the radioactive elements thorium or uranium," says Norbert Christlieb, co-author of the report.
Large amounts of these elements have been found in the star HE 1523-0901, an old, relatively bright star that was discovered within the Hamburg/ESO survey [1]. The star was then observed with UVES on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) for a total of 7.5 hours.
A high quality spectrum was obtained that could never have been achieved without the combination of the large collecting power Kueyen, one of the individual 8.2-m Unit Telescopes of the VLT, and the extremely good sensitivity of UVES in the ultraviolet spectral region, where the lines from the elements are observed.
For the first time, the age dating involved both radioactive elements in combination with the three other neutron-capture elements europium, osmium, and iridium.
"Until now, it has not been possible to measure more than a single cosmic clock for a star. Now, however, we have managed to make six measurements in this one star"," says Frebel.
Ever since the star was born, these "clocks" have ticked away over the eons, unaffected by the turbulent history of the Milky Way. They now read 13.2 billion years.
The Universe being 13.7 billion years old, this star clearly formed very early in the life of our own Galaxy, which must also formed very soon after the Big Bang.
Source: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Happiness wins science book prize
A scientific exploration of the various ways people attempt to make themselves happy has won the annual Royal Society Prize for Science Books. 
Daniel Gilbert beat five other shortlisted titles
Daniel Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness had been tipped as the favourite to win the prestigious £10,000 award.
It beat five other titles including Henry Nicholl's Lonesome George, an account of the last known individual of a subspecies of Galapagos tortoise.
Each runner up received £1,000 at a ceremony at the Society's headquarters.
Professor Colin Pillinger, from the Open University in Milton Keynes, chaired the judging panel. He said that all of the books had been "excellent" and deciding on first prize had been "extremely difficult".
Discussing the winner he said: "Daniel Gilbert's voice provides a witty companion throughout this exploration of the science behind the pursuit of happiness.
"He uses cognitive science and psychology to provide intriguing insights into human nature, helping us to understand why we make the decisions we do."
Gilbert himself was thrilled to take the book prize. "I'm absolutely delighted to receive this tremendous honour from the world's oldest learned society," said the Harvard University psychology professor. 
Perhaps all children need is the confidence to approach a subject with enthusiasm and an open mind 
Richard Hammond, junior prize winner
"There are very few countries (including my own - the US) where a somewhat cheeky book about happiness could win a science prize - but the British invented intellectual humour and have always understood that enlightenment and entertainment are natural friends. So God bless the empire!"
Tour de force
Now in its 19th year, the award was known as the Rhone-Poulenc Prize from 1990 to 1999. Until this year, it went by the name of the Aventis Prize but now bears the name of the Royal Society.
There are two categories: the junior prize, which is given to the best book written for under-14s, and the general prize, for the best book written for a more general readership. 
The author introduces readers to the world of physics
This year's junior prize was won by BBC Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond for his book Can You Feel the Force? published by Dorling Kindersley (DK). It explores the world of physics.
Eleanor Updale, children's writer and chair of the junior judging panel, said it was an "instantly appealing book".
"With clear illustrations, practical experiments, and well-paced text, it makes an interest in science look like fun," she said.
Reacting to his win, Richard Hammond, who also presents the science series Brainiac on UK TV, said: "I was immediately captivated when the team at Dorling Kindersley approached me about making a book to try to bring physics to life.
"Perhaps all children need is the confidence to approach a subject with enthusiasm and an open mind. The DK team gave them just that and winning this award is recognition for a group of very talented people."
The general prize is often referred to as the "Booker prize for science writing", although the science prize winner often outsells its better-known counterpart.
Past winners have included Bill Bryson, Stephen Hawking and Chris McManus.
The judges were Colin Pillinger; Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio; Louisa Bolch, commissioning editor for science on Channel 4; Emily Holmes, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow at the University of Oxford; and Christine McGourty, science correspondent for BBC News.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
About Early Day Motions
Welcome to the Early Day Motions Database Web Site. This site contains an up-to-date database of Early Day Motions which can be accessed using the menu along the top of the screen, or the following buttons:
Select the button to view the current list of EDMs, |
Select the button to view a list of Members and the number of EDMs they have signed, |
Select the button to Search for a particular EDM by number or description. |
An Early Day Motion, or EDM, is a motion put down ("tabled") by Members of Parliament calling for a debate on a particular subject. In practice, there is rarely time to debate EDMs nowadays and their true modern-day purpose is to enable MPs to draw attention to an issue and to canvass support for their views by inviting other Members to add their signatures in support of the motion. Members may table amendments to existing EDMs. The House of Commons Factsheet Series P no 3 on Early Day Motions, which is available for downloading in PDF format, gives more information about EDMs.
ROAD SAFETY FOR CYCLISTS
EDM 1305
ROAD SAFETY FOR CYCLISTS
19.04.2007
Tami, Mark
That this House welcomes efforts to encourage people to cycle as an alternative to using motor vehicles; notes that 166,000 children cycle to school, 741,000 people cycle to work and that 42 per cent. of all households own at least one bicycle, but also notes that cycling deaths increased by 30 per cent. between 2003 and 2005; expresses concern that insufficient awareness is shown by some motorists; welcomes the excellent campaign run by the Road Operators Safety Council to encourage its drivers to overtake at a safe speed and a safe distance; calls on other organisations representing lorry drivers, taxi firms and courier services to conduct similar campaigns in order to assist in reducing the risk to cyclists; and urges all motorists to pay more respect to cyclists as well as to all other road users.
Signatures( 49)
Status
Status
ROAD SAFETY WEEK 2006
EDM 125
ROAD SAFETY WEEK 2006
16.11.2006
Featherstone, Lynne
That this House supports Road Safety Week, which runs from 6th to 12th November; notes that the main theme in 2006 is young driver and passenger safety, which attempts to raise awareness of the large number of young people killed or maimed on the roads each year and offer practical advice to young people about staying safe on the roads; notes that 10,402 drivers were killed or seriously injured on the roads in 2004, of which 1,177 were under 20 years old; further notes that 5,742 passengers were killed or seriously injured on the roads in 2004, of which 2,048 were under 20 years old; congratulates the work of Brake, the national road safety charity, which seeks to decrease road accidents through education and to reduce the suffering of road accident victims and their families through support services; and commends Asda, Direct Line and Green Flag Motoring Assistance for sponsoring Road Safety Week.
Signatures( 53)
Status
Status
OBESITY AWARENESS WEEK - Early Day Motion
Ask your MP to sign:
EDM 1093
EDM 1093
OBESITY AWARENESS WEEK
12.03.2007
Amess, David
That this House congratulates The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust (TOAST) for organising the annual Obesity Awareness Week (11th to 17th March 2007), designed to raise awareness of the multifaceted nature of obesity; welcomes the valuable contribution that TOAST has made to help those who are overweight or obese through its work, including providing training courses and practical advice and support; believes that more effective needs-led support services should be made available; invites the Department of Health to reconsider its decision not to assist TOAST with funding for such initiatives; and calls on the Government and other organisations and stakeholders in the field to support Obesity Awareness Week and join the fight against the rising tide of obesity in the UK.
Signatures( 54)
Status
Status
REMOVAL OF TRANS FATS FROM FOOD
Write to your MP to get him to sign:
EDM 776
EDM 776
REMOVAL OF TRANS FATS FROM FOOD
30.01.2007
Crabb, Stephen
That this House congratulates ASDA, Boots, Co-op, Iceland, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose for removing industrially created trans-fats from their own brand lines; recognises that this move will help UK consumers choose a healthy, balanced diet; is encouraged to see UK retailers taking such significant steps to help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in the UK; is proud that British retailers are leading the way in Europe by making such a commitment to the EU platform on diet, physical activity and health; and encourages the European food industry to follow this excellent example.
Status
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
