Brain To Brain

Will one person or a machine be able to read exactly what another person is thinking? In the not too distant future it appears extremely likely that. Humans will face the distinct possibility of being able to directly upgrade their mental capabilities by means of implant technology. Extra senses and multi-dimensional thought present themselves as intriguing options. It is called `Thought communication`. That it means is a new language of thought. Ultimately transmitting ideas, concepts, picture sequences and abstract theorems. In a sense it will be an evolutionary milestone, potentially a billion times more effective than the introduction of the telephone. Technology is now becoming available which is opening up the realistic possibility of thought communication between individuals being achieved in the forthcoming decade. Spanish researchers proved the same recently. They claim to be the first to have demonstrated direct brain-to-brain communication between humans. The researchers, led by Giulio Ruffini, CEO of Starlab in Barcelona, successfully transmitted the Spanish and Italian words `hola`(hi) and `ciao`(hello) in binary code from the brain of a person in India to the brain of a person in France. Electroencephalography (EEG), which monitors electric currents in the brain, was used to record the information from the sender's brain, and robotized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which causes neurons to fire from an electric current that is generated by a rapidly changing magnetic field, was used to deliver the message to the brains of the receivers in France. Researchers have for years been developing noninvasive systems for translating information directly from the human brain to the computer. These systems, called brain-computer interface, often involve brain activity-sensing tools such as EEG, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (FNIRS), and functional magnetic resonance imagine (FMRI). Researchers have also, to a lesser extent in the recent days, experimented with translating information from the computer to the brain, using brain stimulating tools such as TMS — variations of which have also been used to treat depression — and transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS). The Starlab experiment integrates two of these existing technologies to move a message from human brain to computer to human brain.New technical methods presently being looked into speed up the rate of progress in this `brain-to-brain interface`.

RHP

The Solar ship

MS Turanor PlanetSolar, known under the project name PlanetSolar, is the largest solar-powered boat in the world.The vessel was designed by LOMOcean Design, built by Knierim Yachtbau in Kiel, Germany, and launched on 31 March 2010. In May 2012, it became the first ever solar electric vehicle to circumnavigate the globe. The huge ship length is 31 m (35 m with flaps), Beam 15 m (23m with flaps) and its Speed 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) (max) 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) (cruising).

Technical characteristics

The 31-meter boat is covered in over 500 square meters of solar panels rated 93 kW,which in turn connect to one of the two electric motors in each hull. There are 8.5 tons of lithium-ion batteries in the ship's two hulls. The boat's shape allows it to reach speeds of up to 14 knots. The hull was model tested in wind tunnels and was tank tested to determine its hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. The boat has been designed to be used as a luxury yacht after the record attempt is finished. It is currently being used as a floating marine research laboratory by Geneva University. View of the bow, showing the three hulls.The boat is registered in Switzerland and was financed by a German entrepreneur. Construction cost was € 12.5 million. The name Turanor, derived from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, translates to `The Power of the Sun`.

 

Around the world

On 27 September 2010, Turanor PlanetSolar set off from Monaco to circumnavigate the globe solely with the aid of solar power. One aim of the project was to focus public awareness on the importance of renewable energies for environmental protection. The boat had a crew of six. The captain of the expedition was Frenchman Patrick Marchesseau, but at the midpoint of the circumnavigation (in New Caledonia in mid-May 2011) the French Canadian Erwann Le Rouzic took over as captain, to share the master's responsibility with Captain Marchesseau. Other participants were Christian Ochsenbein (Bern, Switzerland) and Jens Langwasser (Kiel, Germany); as well as the project initiator, president and expedition leader Raphaël Domjan (Neuchatel, Switzerland).

A significant stopover was Cancun, Mexico, during the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference held there from 29 November to 10 December 2010. During the expedition, Turanor PlanetSolar broke two records: the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by solar boat and the longest distance ever covered by a solar electric vehicle.Technical problems with the propeller system forced the vessel to stay in an Asian port for two weeks of maintenance.Turanor PlanetSolar returned to Monaco on 4 May 2012 after 584 days sailing around the globe. The vessel was then scheduled for a refit so it could be chartered to tourists in the Mediterranean Sea. Cruises are planned with 12 passengers and four crew on board.

Voyage and transatlantic record

After an engine refit, Turanor PlanetSolar broke its own record, crossing the Atlantic ocean from Las Palmas to Saint Martin in the Caribbean in only 22 days, four days faster than on the circum navigation trip. The boat left Las Palmas on April 25 and arrived in Marigot on Saint Martin on May 18. The trip led to Miami, Florida, and then continued as a scientific expedition along the Gulf Stream. On the return trip the boat reached St John's, Newfoundland, 1 August 2013 before heading back across the Atlantic.

Mars-Rain

Our fourth planet in the Solar system, is named after the ancient roman god of war, Mars. People also called it the `Red Planet` as its surface if covered by iron oxide (loose dust and rock) which gives it a red bright rust colour surface appearance. During the Solar System's formation, Mars was created out of the protoplanetary disk. Also, Mars has two moons: Phobos and Deimos. Mars’ size is relatively smaller than our Earth and approximately half the size of the Earth; therefore, it takes longer to orbits the Sun(about two Earth years). Mars also has a surface area about the same as the land surface area of Earth. The Earth is about nine times more massive than Mars. Truly, there are some similarities between Mars and Earth which kept our interest to discover this mystery planet over decades. For example,Mars have a relatively thin atmosphere similar to Earth’s. Its atmosphere contains oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon, but proportionally different to our Earth. Moreover, it has similar observable features like volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps. Mars’ seasonal cycles are likewise similar to those of Earth as well. These integrated features give rise to our suspect about the past or existing presence of life and many more questions related to its history. As Mars is the neighbour of Earth,its history of ideas about the presence of life has been a controversy issue over decades. Therefore, the research on Mars has never been stopped. 

No chance of rains:It never rains on Mars because of the thin atmosphere and the lack of a magnetosphere. A magnetosphere is not important for rain to be present, but it is necessary to shield liquid water from solar radiation. Since the Sun’s radiation and the solar wind are constantly bombarding the planet, liquid water can not exist; therefore, rain can not form nor fall. Occasionally, however, clouds do form and snow does fall. Clouds on Mars are very small and wispy and the majority of them are formed by carbon dioxide ice. Scientists believe that a few are compromised of small water particles. Since Mars is so cold the water in these clouds could never fall as rain, but can fall as snow in the upper atmosphere of the planet.Scientists have only seen this a few times and have no evidence that the snow ever reaches the ground.

Dramatic Forecast:The forecast on Mars is usually dramatic. Mars weather varies quite a bit day to day and, sometimes, hour to hour. That seems a bit unusual for a planet that has an atmosphere that is only 1% as dense as the Earth’s.As a rule, Mars is dry, cold, and clear. In the summer daytime temperatures at the equator can be as warm as 20 C. Nice short sleeve weather and comfortable for most activity. That same night, temperatures can drop to -90 C. The 110 degree difference in one day can create warm and cold temperature fronts that can lead to dust devils and dust storms that can engulf the entire planet for weeks. Winter temperatures can stay as low as -140 C. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere freezes and becomes dry ice. The Martian North Pole has a one meter layer of dry ice in the winter, while the South Pole is covered by a permanent eight meter deep layer.