Caught
in the Act - "In November 1999, astronomers
photographed a large volcanic eruption on Io just as Galileo
was flying by Jupiter's fiery satellite. Jan 17, 2000: On
Thanksgiving Day in 1999, astronomers at Mauna Kea, Hawaii
were hard at work. NASA's Galileo spacecraft was executing a
dangerous flyby of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, and some of
Mauna Kea's most powerful telescopes were poised to observe
Io during the encounter. Volcanic activity on Io is so
intense that hot spots can sometimes be seen from Earth by
the infrared radiation they emit..."
Solar
Cinema - "With solar maximum just around the corner, the Sun is
putting on a show that rivals the most sizzling Hollywood
thrillers. Powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections happen
almost every day. You can't see them with the naked eye, but the
European Space Agency and NASA have a front row seat, thanks to
the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). SOHO monitors solar
activity from a permanent vantage point 1.5 million kilometers
ahead of the Earth in a halo orbit around the L1 Lagrangian point.
Unlike an Earthbound observer, it can see the Sun 24 hours a
day..."
Networks:
not just for business any more - "The days of each
computer in your house standing like an island are over.
Networks, which allow resources to be shared among multiple
users, aren't just for corporate users any more. You can
create your own network at home using Windows 98 Second
Edition..."
Browser
War Declared Over - The so-called browser war over
which software would be used to navigate the World Wide Web
has been declared over by Zona Research, a market research
firm that has been conducting browser studies since January
of 1996. In its final browser study of 236 respondents, Zona
found that Microsoft's Internet Explorer was the primary
browser choice for 64 percent of the respondents, while 36
percent indicated Netscape Navigator. In the first browser
study in January of 1996, Zona found there were nine players
on the browser frontier battling for a slice of a $200
million market. Now there are two players for $0 market...
DNA
computers take shape
- "The US team show that DNA
computing can be simplified by attaching the molecules to a
surface and then using them to tackle real and complex
problems. DNA computing is still very much a dream for
scientists. They hope to harness the enormous data-storing
capacity of DNA, biological molecules that are also able to
perform operations similar to a computer's..."
"Great
Show-Off" Black Hole Is Producing Massive Shock Waves,
Cornell Astronomer Reports -
"Something really shocking is going on in a microquasar, or
black hole, dubbed "Old Faithful," some 40,000 light
years from Earth. It seems to be behaving like a giant particle
collider, with massive shock waves generating eruptions every 45
to 90 minutes..."
Cyberspace
tapped to curb disease -
"The Clinton administration will propose spending $65
million next year to help establish a nationwide computer
system to rapidly track the outbreak of infectious diseases
such as influenza and hepatitis C and notify doctors how
best to treat them..."
Wherefore
art thou, Science@NASA? - In an editorial, Dr. Tony Phillips
briefly reviews the history of Science.nasa.gov and announces plans
for SpaceScience.com. Jan 15, 2000: The recent announcements
about the cancellation of NASA's web site science.nasa.gov (SNG)
have been met with dismay and frustration by many readers. I've
received an avalanche of email praising our work, asking
"why!?", and advocating a change of mind. All of us who
contributed to SNG appreciate these messages of support and
condolence...
Top 10 Most Popular Downloads
and Upgrades - Have you got the latest versions of these essential programs?
The NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center will no longer support the
production and maintenance of the http://science.nasa.gov site,
effective 10 January 2000 - Archive material that is in the
public domain will be available courtesy of Bishop Web Works, at http://spacescience.com.
Thank you for your readership over the past three years.
John Horack
Director, Science Communications
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
The
Doctor Is Online
- "Can the Web cure all the
world's ills, both figuratively and literally? Although the
online health market is still in its infancy, market
research firm Jupiter Communications projects that on the
consumer side it will reach $1.7 billion by 2003. In search
of these potential profits, several new sites are battling
for mind share while others are scrambling to consolidate to
capitalize on early success..."
Sophos
campaigns to save Christmas elves from cruelty -
"The
game which stars Santa Claus trying to knock down a pack of
elves with a bowling ball, is causing panic amongst
companies terrified of computer viruses. Sophos, one of the
world's leading anti-virus companies, has been deluged with
requests for information on a "new computer virus"
called ELFBOWL.EXE. Companies have received email warnings
and are naturally concerned that the computer game is
genuinely infected with a virus, designed to trigger on
December 25th..."
‘Spy
in sky’ may stop UK speeders
- "An anti-speeding device that uses space satellite
signals and cuts the fuel supply to cars breaking speed
limits could save thousands of lives on Britain’s roads,
scientists said on Tuesday. THE GADGET, called an
“intelligent speed adapter,” uses satellite technology
to pinpoint the location of a vehicle and refers to a
digital map inside the car to signal when the speed limit
has been breached..."
THE QUESTIONS
THAT STUMP THE SCIENTISTS -
"WE'VE COME TO ``the end of science,''
writer John Horgan declared recently, saying that all the
really important discoveries have already been made. Stung
in their job prospects, scientists quickly responded with
lists of what they don't know..."
Lightning
Strikes an Odd Pattern Over the Plains - Where there's lightning, many people worry that
tornadoes may follow. Lightning is associated with energetic
storms since it takes large upward movements of air - plus
water in various forms including raindrops and ice crystals -
to produce a large electric potential...
