Science & Technologie - Aeronautique : Ces ailes révolutionnaires d’Airbus qui s’inspirent de l’albatros

Airbus étudie la possibilité de développer des bouts d’ailes articulés, pour mieux adapter l’aérodynamisme de la voilure en cas de turbulences. De quoi également réduire la consommation de carburant.

C’est une nouvelle illustration du biomimétisme appliquée à l’industrie. Airbus a dévoilé mercredi 22 mai à Toulouse, à l’occasion d’un événement dédié aux innovations du groupe, un projet de recherche dénommé Albatross.

Usine Nouvelle

Science & Technology - Astronomy picture of the day : Planet of the Tajinastes

2019 May 25
Planet of the Tajinastes 
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Lopez (El Cielo de Canarias)

Explanation: What bizarre planet are these alien creatures from? It's only planet Earth, of course. The planet's home galaxy the Milky Way stretches across a dark sky in the panoramic, fisheye all-sky projection composed with a wide lens. But the imposing forms gazing skyward probably look strange to many denizens of Earth. Found on the Canary Island of Tenerife in the Teide National Park, they are red tajinastes, flowering plants that grow to a height of up to 3 meters. Among the rocks of the volcanic terrain, tajinastes bloom in spring and early summer and then die after a week or so as their seeds mature. A species known as Echium wildpretii, the terrestrial life forms were individually lit by flashlight during the wide-angle exposures.

Science & Technology - Astronomy picture of the day : Moons Near Jupiter

2019 May 23
Moons Near Jupiter 
Image Credit & Copyright: Betul Turksoy

Explanation: On May 20, a nearly Full Moon and Jupiter shared this telephoto field of view. Captured when a passing cloud bank dimmed the moonlight, the single exposure reveals the familiar face of our fair planet's own large natural satellite, along with bright Jupiter (lower right) and some of its Galilean moons. Lined up left to right the tiny pinpricks of light near Jupiter are Ganymede, Europa, [Jupiter] and Callisto. (That's not just dust on your screen ...) Closer and brighter, our own natural satellite appears to loom large. But Ganymede, and Callisto are physically larger than Earth's Moon, while water world Europa is only slightly smaller. In fact, of the Solar System's six largest planetary satellites, Saturn's moon Titan is missing from the scene and a fourth Galilean moon, Io, is hidden by our ruling gas giant.

Science & Technology - Astronomy picture of the day : Primordial Contact Binary 2014 MU69

2019 May 22
Primordial Contact Binary 2014 MU69 
Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins University APL, Southwest Research Institute, Roman Tkachenko

Explanation: Primordial contact binary 2014 MU69, also known as Ultima Thule, really is very red. In fact, it's the reddest outer solar system object ever visited by a spacecraft from Earth. Its reddish hue is believed to be due to organic materials on its surface. Ruddy color and tantalizing surface details seen in this composite image are based on data from the New Horizons spacecraft recorded during the January 1 flyby of the farthest world yet explored. Embedded in the smaller lobe Thule (top), the 8 kilometer wide feature nick named Maryland crater is the largest depression known on the surface of Ultima Thule. Transmission of data collected from the flyby continues, and will go on until the late summer 2020 as New Horizons speeds deeper into the dim and distant Kuiper Belt.

Science & Technology - Astronomy picture of the day : A Circumhorizontal Arc Over Ohio

2019 May 19
A Circumhorizontal Arc Over Ohio 
Image Credit & Copyright: Todd Sladoje

Explanation: Why would clouds appear to be different colors? The reason here is that ice crystals in distant cirrus clouds are acting like little floating prisms. Sometimes known as a fire rainbow for its flame-like appearance, acircumhorizon arc lies parallel to the horizon. For a circumhorizontal arc to be visible, the Sun must be at least 58 degrees high in a sky where cirrus clouds are present. Furthermore, the numerous, flat, hexagonal ice-crystals that compose the cirrus cloud must be aligned horizontally to properly refract sunlight in a collectively similar manner. Therefore, circumhorizontal arcs are quite unusual to see. This circumhorizon display was photographed through apolarized lens above Dublin, Ohio in 2009.

Science & Technologie - Video - Animaux : Un terrifiant poisson des profondeurs

Le dragon des abysses est un lophiiforme, comme la baudroie, en général appelée lotte sur les étalages des poissoniers, qui prennent soin de retirer la tête. Plate, très large et enlaidie par un relief de peau tourmenté (un excellent camouflage), elle est possède une sorte de canne à pêchearticulée. Le dragon des abysses dispose du même instrument mais, la lumière étant presque inexistante dans les grandes profondeurs, il est terminé par un organe bioluminescent, pour attirer ses proies près de sa gueule énorme. Peu connu des scientifiques, vivant entre 1 et 3 km de profondeur et dans l'obscurité presque complète, ce poisson est difficile à observer.

D'après l'institut de recherche de l'aquarium de Monterey Bay (Mbari), qui a montré ces images en 2015, c'était la première fois que l'animal était filmé en mer. Après cet enregistrement, les biologistes ont récupéré le poisson pour son observation. En effet, son étude permettra de mieux comprendre l'animal et ainsi aider à sa conservation en milieu naturel. C'est l'occasion pour les scientifiques d'en apprendre plus sur ce surprenant animal des abysses.

© Mbari

Science & Technologie - Botanique : Le riz, une plante fascinante

Le riz est une plante fascinante. Ici, des rizières en terrasses, en Asie, dessinant de véritables œuvres d’art. © Sasint, Pixabay, DP.

Le riz désigne l'ensemble des plantes du genre Oryza, parmi lesquelles deux espèces sont cultivées (sur les 23 Oryza qui existent) :

Les riz asiatiques (Oryza sativa) cultivés se classent en deux groupes éco-géographiques : indica et japonica ; les riz avec la dénomination plus ancienne javanica sont rattachés aux japonica.

Il existe aussi Oryza glaberrima, ou riz ouest africain, de l'Afrique de l'Ouest.

Quelques chiffres sur le riz :

90 % de l'alimentation repose sur le riz en Asie.

93 % de la production de riz est asiatique.

On consomme 70 kg de riz par personne et par an dans les pays en voie de développement et 12 kg dans les pays développés.

3.000 à 10.000 litres d'eau sont nécessaires pour produire 1 kg de riz.

Pour 100 kg de riz brut, on a 60 kg de riz blanc, 20 kg de balles, 10 kg de son et 10 kg de brisures.

Le riz complet contient 76 % de glucides et 10 % de protides.

Au nord de l’île de Luçon, aux Philippines, les rizières en terrasses de Banaue sont connues pour leur beauté époustouflante. Classées au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco, elles attirent chaque année de nombreux visiteurs. Partez à leur découverte avec Antoine. © Antoine

Science & Technology - Astronomy picture of the day : Dark Skies: Turn on the Night

2019 May 16
Dark Skies: Turn on the Night 
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)

Explanation: Have you ever experienced a really dark night sky? One common and amazing feature is the glowing band of our Milky Way galaxy stretching from horizon to horizon. If you live in or near a big city, though, you might not know this because city lights reflecting off the Earth's atmosphere could only allow you to see the Moon and a few stars. Today, however, being UNESCO's International Day of Light, the International Astronomical Union is asking people to Turn on the Night by trying to better understand, and in the future better reduce, light pollution. You can practice even now by going to the main APOD website at NASA and hovering your cursor over the Before image. TheAfter picture that comes up is a panorama of four exposures taken with the same camera and from the same location, showing what happened recently in China when people in Kaihua County decided to turn down many of their lights. Visible in the Before picture are the stars Sirius (left of center) and Betelgeuse, while visible in the After picture are thousands of stars with the arching band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Humanity has lived for millennia under a dark night sky, and connecting to it has importance for both natural and cultural heritage.

Science & Technology - Astronomy picture of the day : Young Star Cluster Trumpler 14 from Hubble

2019 May 14
Young Star Cluster Trumpler 14 from Hubble Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Maíz Apellániz (IoAoA Spain); Acknowledgment: N. Smith (U. Arizona)

Explanation: Why does star cluster Trumpler 14 have so many bright stars? Because it is so young. Many cluster stars have formed only in the past 5 million years and are so hot they emit detectable X-rays. In older star clusters, most stars this young have already died -- typically exploding in a supernova -- leaving behind stars that are fainter and redder. Trumpler 14 spans about 40 light years and lies about 9,000 light years away on the edge of the famous Carina Nebula. A discerning eye can spot two unusual objects in this detailed 2006 image of Trumpler 14 by the Hubble Space Telescope. First, a dark cloud just left of center may be a planetary system trying to form before being destroyed by the energetic winds of Trumpler 14's massive stars. Second is the arc at the bottom left, which one hypothesis holds is the supersonic shock wave of a fast star ejected 100,000 years ago from a completely different star cluster.

Science & Technology - Astronomy picture of the day : Ash and Lightning above an Icelandic Volcano

2019 May 12
Ash and Lightning above an Icelandic Volcano 
Image Credit & Copyright: Sigurður Stefnisson

Explanation: Why did a picturesque volcanic eruption in Iceland create so much ash? Although the large ash plume was not unparalleled in its abundance, its location was particularly noticeable because it drifted across such well-populated areas. The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland began erupting on 2010 March 20, with a second eruption starting under the center of a small glacier on 2010 April 14. Neither eruption was unusually powerful. The second eruption, however, melted a large amount of glacial ice which then cooled and fragmented lava into gritty glass particles that were carried up with the rising volcanic plume. Pictured here during the second eruption, lightning boltsilluminate ash pouring out of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.