Comments on: Science Friday: a moon, a cloak, a meteor , a laser and ‘Spock’s Brain’ a reality?

By: Garovorkin

Garovorkin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:31:49 +0000

Kayla I think an a maned expedition Enceladus may not happen in our lifetime but finding life there would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that life could exist elsewhere in the universe. We have to figure that in a place as vast as our galaxy and vaster still the universe, there has to be other worlds where conditions have given rise to life even intelligent life . It seems very unlikely that we are the only ones in the whole universe, it certainly would depressing if this turned out that we might be alone.

By: Kayla Iacovino

Kayla Iacovino — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:27:31 +0000

My gosh, YES! I’m glad you brought this up, too. This is one of the reasons that Enceladus is of great interest to scientists (especially astrobiologists) right now. We are discovering all the time that life can life in very very extreme environments. We are continually pushing the boundaries of where we previously thought life could exist. This is always giving us more hope that there is other life right here in our own backyard. Somewhere like enceladus would be very exciting. Of course, we don’t have anywhere near the technology needed to do actual exploration for life there right now, but we are learning a lot through remote observation.

By: Garovorkin

Garovorkin — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 02:02:34 +0000

Kayla correct if im wrong but the moon Enceldus is one of the place that they think life of some kind might be found since water is in evidence there. If there is water vapor Geysers erupting, it stands to reason that there must be considerable volumes, maybe oceans of water beneath the surface of the moon. The surface would be frozen sheet of Ice and I would Image that there is little if any atmosphere on that moon, due to the fact that moons gravity is not strong enough to hold down an atmosphere and Saturn’s far greater gravity would draw off any gases that were present. But under the frozen surface there might be life, lacking sun the life could be sustained by Chemosynthesis rather then Photo synthesis. On earth her we have the vent ecosystems of the in sunless dept of our own oceans. Something like that could exist under the ice on that moon.
Covergent evolution might have occurred on this moon, in otherwords forms though not the same ancestry but similar forms.

By: Go Spock!

Go Spock! — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:13:51 +0000

wow – this is some very fascinating stuff!!!

By: Etha Williams

Etha Williams — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:16:42 +0000

“Of course, we all know that phasers are based on the rapid nadion effect, whereby energy is passed through a special phaser crystal resulting in a discharge of short-lived nadion particles (I dare you to try and school me on this). But, a “laser phaser” would be more analogous to a directed energy weapon like a Klingon or Romulan disruptor.”

Wow, you really know your science, Trek and non. Kudos.

The emotiv thing really does seem eerily similar to the device in “The Game.” That’s kinda simultaneously cool and creepy….

By: Denise de Arman

Denise de Arman — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 03:40:23 +0000

Kayla, you’re coming up with some very cool science tidbits – I had read something a few months back on the “cloaking device”/invisibility screen testing going on with the military. Your explanation was easier to understand and visualize – kudos!

By: Glooney

Glooney — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:27:50 +0000

Great job on the article Kayla! The segment of the cloaking devices is very cool.

By: Other Josh

Other Josh — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:18:17 +0000

Oh, and get me a carrot!

By: Other Josh

Other Josh — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:17:54 +0000

Hmm… This could be fun….

Lieutenant Dax, raise the cloaking device and give me one of those headset things and a Wii. Set a course for Saturn.

Engage!

By: Laserlover2254

Laserlover2254 — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:14:59 +0000

Aren’t Disruptors supposed to be soundwave weapons? Or Microwave Weapons? or Plasma/Antimatter Weapons?

I prefer the latter, but I never heard of Disruptors being lasers before.

…And how does that new headset thing bear resemblence to the thing that controlled Spock’s body? It’s something for the Wii or somesuch.