Science Portal

On December, 13 and 14 inhabitants of the entire world can watch the next space phenomenon - star shower Heminid. It is expected, that the best visibility of the stream will be in northern latitudes of the planet.

Experts tell, that star shower Heminid is one of the most mysterious and bright star showers which is always watched in first half of December. This one features the big brightness. Unlike other star showers, for example Leonid, Perseid or Lyrid, the stream flies not towards the Earth, but runs down it, therefore speed of meteors is low, about 35 km/s.

As a rule, 100 meteors in an hour are watched in peak of activity.

Initially star shower Heminid has been opened at the end of XIX century.

The group of American scientists during the research has proved that evolution of the person passes now approximately hundred times faster, than in the past.

Scientists explain such acceleration of evolution by fast growth of population, and also that modern inhabitants of the planet have to quickly adapt for new conditions of habitation.

According to researchers, we differ from people who lived five thousand years ago much than they differed from Neanderthal men (who died out 24 thousand years ago).

Experts have found out, that necessity to adapt for a new habitat (due to mass migrations) to survive during epidemics and to get used to a new diet and new cultural conditions promoted acceleration of the evolution. An important factor is also fast growth of total amount of people on the Earth.

Human races genetically vary and we become more and more different, claim researchers.

Employees of the Japanese research company Unisantis Electronics informed about their intention to develop and launch sale of three-dimensional transistors which will be able to work on a frequency up to 50 GHz, writes The Register.

Representatives of the company declare that new transistors SGT (Surrounding Gate Transistor) will be able to work 10 times faster, than modern microprocessors.

SGT will represent a silicon rod with memory cells, electric contacts and other components around.

According to the developers, the new transistor will allow to reduce distance of electrons’ path, will emit less heat, and its manufacture is cheaper than modern flat microchips.

Development of the three-dimensional transistor is lead by Unisantis Electronics’ technical director, Fudsio Masuoka, known as the inventor of flash-memory.

Some days ago on the Sun has appeared the large stain, which quickly increases in sizes and has already become one of the largest this year, informs Space Weather.

At present, experts inform, the solar stain in diameter approximately five times exceeds the sizes of the Earth.

Scientists informed that the configuration of magnetic power lines does not forebode sudden flashes of the Sun, however within the next few days the situation can change.

It is necessary to note, that 2007 was the year with the minimum solar activity of the 11-years cycle.

The initials of the person can have some influence on his or her successes in studies and sports. Such are the results of the research conducted in the USA.

Scientists, in particular, have established that baseball players, whose name or a surname begin with the letter K (meaning out in baseball), are in out often than the other players.

It appeared also, that students and schoolboys with C or D as the first letter of a name or a surname show worse results than their schoolmates or fellow students with other initials.

Scientists say that cannot precisely explain this phenomenon, but consider that the reason is in “unconscious reaction” of the person for the name.

Authors of the research also mark that consider the work more likely as cognitive and call not to perceive their conclusions as an absolute true.

There is the conclusion of the group of the Swiss scientists headed by Margate Gaberreiter from solar observatory World Radiation Centre in Davos, informs New Scientist magazine.

Supervision of the Swiss astronomers have shown, the Sun constantly decreases in sizes, but an amount of emitted energy remains approximately the same.

Scientists found the measurements on heleo-seismology methods. By their estimations, diameter of the Sun is approximately 0,04 % less than it was considered earlier.

Preliminary results of the Swiss experts specify that, probably, the radius of the Sun has diminished for 4-6 km for some years, losing 1-2 km each year. Our star constantly decreases in sizes, but the amount of emitted energy remains the same.

Experts cannot explain how the surface of the Sun gets additional energy. However, if the results of the Swiss astronomers will be proved, many settled ideas of the standard Sun model, its evolution and life expectancy, should be reconsidered. In fact the star can die out earlier, than it was considered till now.

Divorce negatively influences not only physical health of the dissolved and psychological well-being of their children, but also state of the entire planet, increasing amount of the resources spent for each person.

Such research is published this week on pages of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers lead by Tssang Lu from University of Michigan have shown that because of divorces the mankind spends much more water and electricity, than it needs.

Denial of living together of a family from several generations and late marriages in a modern society also negatively influences an environment.

An amount of divorces now increases not only in advanced, but also in less developed countries. Before Lu already noticed, that the amount of households in the world increases faster, than its population.

Divorce appeared one of the most important among the factors providing fast growth - and as the consequence, strengthened consumption of the natural resources, for example, for construction, warming and illumination of houses.

Japan introduces smart-cards, called to prevent purchase of cigarettes by minors.

According to calculations, in Japan there are more than half million of devices selling tobacco goods. It is planned, that all of them will be equipped with special reading devices. Only owners of smarts-cards will be able to get cigarettes.

Cards named taspo will be free-of-charge. However for this purpose it is necessary to fill in special forms available in tobacco shops. The filled questionnaires together with copies of the identification card should be sent by mail to supervising body. The smart-card with a photo of the owner will be sent within two weeks from the date of documents’ sending.

The first devices, which will sell cigarettes only to owners of smarts - cards, will appear in Japan already on March, 1, 2008.

Experts from university of Pennsylvania have declared creation of new technology due to which it is possible to switch automobiles into hydrogen fuel.

At their development scientists have used known earlier idea: any organic waste products, for example, the rests of meal are dumped in a small reactor. Further they are processed by special bacteria, then from an external source is given the low-power electric discharge with which help electrons and protons form a hydrogen molecule.

Hydrogen automobiles have many advantages: for example, refueling with hydrogen is much cheaper than refueling with gasoline and hydrogen combustion materials are not dangerous gases, but harmless water steam.

Though it is necessary to note, the problem is in commercial hydrogen manufacturing. Authors of the research assert that their technology can be used already now in places with plenty of biological waste products - for example, in an agriculture.

Black oil from sunk near Antarctica coast cruise vessel Explorer threatens this continent with ecological catastrophe, informed director of the Argentine institute of Antarctica Mariano Memoly.

Canadian cruise vessel Explorer has sunk near coast of Antarctica on November, 23 as a result of a clash with an iceberg nearby to Southern Shetland islands. All 154 persons who were onboard were evacuated.

However 185 thousand liters of black oil that were onboard Explorer at the moment of accident, have sunk together with a vessel, and on a surface of the sea has appeared the oil stain in the size of 180×20 meters.

Memoly considers because of a high pressure fuel capacities can be damaged, and black oil can be poured out from the sunk vessel.