NASA cameras capture huge solar flares

(CNN) -- The sun is putting on a fireworks show again.

NASA cameras captured images of what the agency is calling at least two "significant" solar flares. The first one peaked at 7:42 a.m. ET Tuesday, followed by a second, lesser blast at 8:52 a.m. ET.

The short-lived explosions were expected to disrupt high-frequency radio communications on Earth, although NASA scientists said they pose no threat to humans. Even with all its power, the sun doesn't have enough energy to hurl a fireball 93 million miles at the Earth.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation that send gases, plasma and other matter into the solar system. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to affect humans, but when intense enough, the explosions can disturb GPS and communications signals, NASA said.

The first flare was classified as an X2.2 flare, which is unusually bright. Scientists classify solar flares by size, in much the same way they do tornadoes or earthquakes: X-class flares are the biggest and are major events that can trigger planetwide radio blackouts; M-class flares are medium-size ones; and C-class flares are small, with few noticeable consequences here on Earth.

The number after the letter provides more information about a flare's strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, and so on. A huge flare can be many times larger than the Earth.

The second flare Tuesday was classified as an X1.5 flare.

The images were captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which typically observes the entire sun 24 hours a day.

Solar flares are not uncommon, as such activity has been increasing in recent years. NASA has recorded a handful of large- and medium-size flares already in 2014, although few were as bright as the first one Tuesday morning.

f or more info click cnn

E3 2014: The top 9 games to watch

Los Angeles (CNN) -- With no new video game consoles announced during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the talk this week has been about the myriad of gaming choices players are going to have.

From titles with huge blockbuster potential to independent offerings, game designers have broadened their imaginations to bring exciting entertainment choices. Yet, some of the most interesting games from E3 this year have an air of familiarity about them, like seeing an old friend again in a new way.

'Destiny'

From the makers of "Halo: Combat Evolved," Bungie introduces a universe where mankind is on the precipice of extinction and the players are the last hope of fending off a menace determined to end the human race.

Utilizing an open-world concept, "Destiny" gives players the chance to explore a broken-down Earth with other players in single and cooperative missions. The game has some MMO elements built in, but the idea of exploring and charting your own course in a beautiful but deadly world is enticing.

"Destiny" is scheduled for release in September for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

NASA discovers 'Mega-Earth'

NASA discovers a new planet called Kepler-10c. It weighs 17 times as much as Earth.

planet kepler

cnn report

 for more info check www.cnn.com
.

World Cup Soccer Ball Is Nice and Stable, Study Finds

Players in the 2014 FIFA World Cup may find their kicks sending the ball flying true, according to new research on the physics of the official World Cup soccer ball.

2014

Conventional soccer balls are made of 32 pentagonal and hexagonal panels, but the 2014 World Cup ball is a model called the Brazuca, made by Adidas. The Brazuca has only six panels, a design that gives it superior stability to other balls on the market, according to the new study published today (May 29) in the journal Scientific Reports.
Traditional soccer balls, with their honeycomb-like stitching, are iconic. Nevertheless, manufacturers have been playing with the 32-panel design in recent years. The Adidas Teamgeist II, for example, has 14 panels and was used in the 2008 Euro Cup. The Jabulani has only eight panels and was widely criticized in the 2010 World Cup by players, who said that its flight path was unpredictable. [Twisted Physics: 7 Mind-Blowing Findings]

Deadly Wall of Dust Devours Tehran in New Photo

A deadly dust storm bears down on Tehran, Iran, in a stunning new photograph taken yesterday (June 2).
This storm, or haboob, killed at least five people, according to Iran's state television. Photography student Alireza Naseri snapped this photo of the incoming wall of dust from his room in Tehran's Aghdasieh neighborhood, which sits at the foot of the mountains that surround the city.
"The feeling for me was more awe than fear," Naseri told Live Science.

New Stick Insect Species Discovered in China

male1  female 2

A stick insect camouflaged in the forests of southern China got its cover blown last month by a flashlight-toting scientist who identified the critter as a new species.
Like most stick insects, the new species Sinophasma damingshanensis has a long, narrow body and a green-brown coloration that allows it to blend in perfectly among plant stems. But insect hunters have a trick for spotting the disguised creatures.
"If you know the insects' food plant, you can find the corresponding species," George Ho Wai-Chun, a researcher from the Hong Kong Entomological Society, said in a statement. In this case, the insects were feeding on trees and shrubs in the Fagaceae or beech family.

Sperm-Inspired Robots Could Aid In Vitro Fertilization

robo sperm

Just when you thought you'd seen every kind of robot there is, researchers develop bots inspired by sperm.

The tiny robots mimic the shape and movement of sperm cells and can be steered using magnetic fields. Dubbed "MagnetoSperm," the robots could be useful for administering medicine or carrying out in vitro fertilization, researchers say.
"Nature has designed efficient tools for locomotion at micro scales," study leader Sarthak Misra, a mechanical engineer at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, said in a statement.

Wireless energy powers pacemaker in live rabbit

There's electricity in the air. A rabbit's beating heart has been regulated using a tiny pacemaker that beams in energy from outside its body. It is the first time this kind of wireless energy transfer has been demonstrated in a living animal. If such wirelessly powered medical implants can work in people too, it would reduce the seriousness of the procedures required to get them fitted. "Our device is small, so it will be much easier to deliver into the body," says Ada Poon of Stanford University in California, who led the team that implanted the tiny pacemaker. Being fitted with a pacemaker currently requires surgery plus another operation when the battery eventually runs down. So Poon and her colleagues outfitted a rabbit with a pacemaker that has no battery and is just 3 millimetres long (see picture, above right). A metal plate, powered only by a cellphone battery, was then held a couple of centimetres above the rabbit's chest.

UK government tried 3D-printing guns to assess threat

It pays to know your enemy. The UK government has 3D-printed at least one gun to try and understand how much of a threat the technology presents, New Scientist has learned. The task fell to researchers at the Home Office's Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST), which advises the government on scientific issues related to crime prevention. At a meeting of the Home Office Science Advisory Council (HOSAC) in July last year, CAST researcher Richard Lacey explained how investigations into 3D-printed guns form part of the organisation's "horizon scanning" efforts to monitor new technology. CAST used a 3D printer to make a gun based on plans downloaded from the internet, but it failed to fire. CAST is also investigating 3D-printing of handcuff keys, unmanned aerial vehicles, batteries, electronics and even body parts, Lacey told HOSAC. "Our Centre for Applied Science and Technology uses 3D printers, software and a 3D scanner to update and enhance its design engineering capability, which is central to the work it undertakes," a Home Office spokesperson told New Scientist. "The equipment is used in a range of CAST projects including trials and testing."