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Saturn moon Enceladus may have salty ocean

Thursday, June 23, 2011

NASA’s Cassini–Huygens spacecraft has discovered evidence for a large-scale saltwater reservoir beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The data came from the spacecraft’s direct analysis of salt-rich ice grains close to the jets ejected from the moon. The study has been published in this week’s edition of the journal Nature.

Data from Cassini’s cosmic dust analyzer show the grains expelled from fissures, known as tiger stripes, are relatively small and usually low in salt far away from the moon. Closer to the moon’s surface, Cassini found that relatively large grains rich with sodium and potassium dominate the plumes. The salt-rich particles have an “ocean-like” composition and indicate that most, if not all, of the expelled ice and water vapor comes from the evaporation of liquid salt-water. When water freezes, the salt is squeezed out, leaving pure water ice behind.

Cassini’s ultraviolet imaging spectrograph also recently obtained complementary results that support the presence of a subsurface ocean. A team of Cassini researchers led by Candice Hansen of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, measured gas shooting out of distinct jets originating in the moon’s south polar region at five to eight times the speed of sound, several times faster than previously measured. These observations of distinct jets, from a 2010 flyby, are consistent with results showing a difference in composition of ice grains close to the moon’s surface and those that made it out to the E ring, the outermost ring that gets its material primarily from Enceladean jets. If the plumes emanated from ice, they should have very little salt in them.

“There currently is no plausible way to produce a steady outflow of salt-rich grains from solid ice across all the tiger stripes other than salt water under Enceladus’s icy surface,” said Frank Postberg, a Cassini team scientist at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

The data suggests a layer of water between the moon’s rocky core and its icy mantle, possibly as deep as about 50 miles (80 kilometers) beneath the surface. As this water washes against the rocks, it dissolves salt compounds and rises through fractures in the overlying ice to form reserves nearer the surface. If the outermost layer cracks open, the decrease in pressure from these reserves to space causes a plume to shoot out. Roughly 400 pounds (200 kilograms) of water vapor is lost every second in the plumes, with smaller amounts being lost as ice grains. The team calculates the water reserves must have large evaporating surfaces, or they would freeze easily and stop the plumes.

“We imagine that between the ice and the ice core there is an ocean of depth and this is somehow connected to the surface reservoir,” added Postberg.

The Cassini mission discovered Enceladus’ water-vapor and ice jets in 2005. In 2009, scientists working with the cosmic dust analyzer examined some sodium salts found in ice grains of Saturn’s E ring but the link to subsurface salt water was not definitive. The new paper analyzes three Enceladus flybys in 2008 and 2009 with the same instrument, focusing on the composition of freshly ejected plume grains. In 2008, Cassini discovered a high “density of volatile gases, water vapor, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, as well as organic materials, some 20 times denser than expected” in geysers erupting from the moon. The icy particles hit the detector target at speeds between 15,000 and 39,000 MPH (23,000 and 63,000 KPH), vaporizing instantly. Electrical fields inside the cosmic dust analyzer separated the various constituents of the impact cloud.

“Enceladus has got warmth, water and organic chemicals, some of the essential building blocks needed for life,” said Dennis Matson in 2008, Cassini project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

“This finding is a crucial new piece of evidence showing that environmental conditions favorable to the emergence of life can be sustained on icy bodies orbiting gas giant planets,” said Nicolas Altobelli, the European Space Agency’s project scientist for Cassini.

“If there is water in such an unexpected place, it leaves possibility for the rest of the universe,” said Postberg.

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Category:Health

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Viktor Schreckengost dies at 101

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Viktor Schreckengost, the father of industrial design and creator of the Jazz Bowl, an iconic piece of Jazz Age art designed for Eleanor Roosevelt during his association with Cowan Pottery died yesterday. He was 101.

Schreckengost was born on June 26, 1906 in Sebring, Ohio, United States.

Schreckengost’s peers included the far more famous designers Raymond Loewy and Norman Bel Geddes.

In 2000, the Cleveland Museum of Art curated the first ever retrospective of Schreckengost’s work. Stunning in scope, the exhibition included sculpture, pottery, dinnerware, drawings, and paintings.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Viktor_Schreckengost_dies_at_101&oldid=2584756”

Enron founder Ken Lay dies in Aspen, Colorado

Wednesday, July 5, 2006

Kenneth L. Lay, the Enron ex-chief executive and ex-chair, died early Wednesday morning at his vacation home at the age of 64 after a massive coronary attack, according to a family spokesperson.

Lay was found guilty of six counts of fraud and conspiracy related to the Enron scandal on May 25, 2006 and convicted on four counts of bank fraud in a separate non-jury trial. He was awaiting a sentencing on October 23 and faced the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.

In 2001, Enron went bankrupt with debts of $31.8bn (£18bn), and 4,000 people were left jobless.

As a result of Lay’s death prior to exhausting his appeals, his conviction is abated, and Lay is legally considered never to have been indicted or convicted of criminal charges.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Enron_founder_Ken_Lay_dies_in_Aspen,_Colorado&oldid=566186”

Wikinews Shorts: May 7, 2007

A compilation of brief news reports for Monday, May 7, 2007.

A 30 meter section of a gas pipeline in Luka (near Kiev) in Ukraine has been destroyed by an explosion. Although supplies to Europe via this pipeline have stopped, Ukrainian Energy Minister Georgi E. Boyko said that supplies to Europe would not be affected.

“There are no changes in volumes of gas being transported,” Yuri Korolchuk said. “Volumes due to pass through the damaged section are being redirected through the Soyuz pipeline.”

Normal flows are reported in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

Sources

  • “Blast damages pipeline in Ukraine” — Russia Today, May 8, 2007
  • Natalya Zinets, Reuters. “Blast hits Ukraine gas pipeline” — The Scotsman, May 7, 2007

Copper prices are rising. Between record copper imports from China, and a mining strike in Peru, the prices have climbed to over $8100 (United States dollars) a tonne, for a gain of $575 dollars over the last week. However the upward trend is not new, it has been climbing for quite some time. In April 2003, the price of copper was under $2000 a tonne.

The metal market has been tending up due to growth in the Chinese industrial production. This trickles down to the local level, where the buying price at scrap yards is ever climbing, making scrap metal collection a more profitable endeavour for individual people using pick up trucks or other such vehicles to collect and cash in the scrap metal at metal buying yards. It can be collected via agreements with businesses, from the garbage, or, sometimes, by theft.

Copper prices fell today on the NYMEX commodity exchange from US$3.7545 per pound to US$3.7125 based on the July futures contract.

Sources

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.
This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.
  • “Copper up but crude oil down” — Financial Express, May 6, 2007
  • Millie Munshi. “Metals Bubble Poised to Burst on Increasing Supplies” — Bloomberg L.P., May 7, 2007
  • “Commodity Futures” — Bloomberg L.P., accessed May 7, 2007

One man was killed and another injured by an exploding backpack in the parking lot of the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The explosion happened at 4 a.m. PDT when the victim tried to remove a the object left on top of his car.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are on the scene. Aerial images did not show any apparent damage.

“We believe the victim was the intended target of this,” Bill Cassell said, spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. “This is being treated as a homicide in which the weapon used to cause death is a non-traditional weapon.”

Both of the victims worked at the Luxor.

Sources

  • Associated Press. “1 dead, 1 hurt in Las Vegas parking lot blast” — MSNBC, May 7, 2007
  • “Explosion kills man in Vegas outside Luxor hotel” — Reuters, May 7, 2007

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_Shorts:_May_7,_2007&oldid=4459590”

Wikinews interviews Joe Schriner, Independent U.S. presidential candidate

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Journalist, counselor, painter, and US 2012 Presidential candidate Joe Schriner of Cleveland, Ohio took some time to discuss his campaign with Wikinews in an interview.

Schriner previously ran for president in 2000, 2004, and 2008, but failed to gain much traction in the races. He announced his candidacy for the 2012 race immediately following the 2008 election. Schriner refers to himself as the “Average Joe” candidate, and advocates a pro-life and pro-environmentalist platform. He has been the subject of numerous newspaper articles, and has published public policy papers exploring solutions to American issues.

Wikinews reporter William Saturn? talks with Schriner and discusses his campaign.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_interviews_Joe_Schriner,_Independent_U.S._presidential_candidate&oldid=4497624”

French anthropologist Germaine Tillion dies at 100

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Germaine Tillion, French World War II resistance fighter and anthropologist, died today at the age of 100.

She was born on May 30, 1907 in Allègre, Haute-Loire, France. Before 1940 and the fall of France she had already made 4 trips to Algeria, spending time there with the Berber people. During World War II she was a founding member of Groupe du musée de l’Homme, part of the French Resistance, which led to her arrest and being sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp. She practiced anthropology during her internment, and after release at the end of the war published definitive treatise on the camp.

In the 1950s, during the Algerian War of Independence, Tillion served as an adviser to the French government in Algeria on its social policies, helping the government to set up ‘Social Centres’. During this period, at the time of the battle of Algiers, she served as a liaison between the National Liberation Front leader Saadi Yacef and the French government, helping to arrange several cease-fires. Tillion was among the first to denounce the use of torture by French forces in the war.

Mme Tillion was one of the most decorated women in France, one of only five to be presented with the Grand-croix de la Légion d’honneur.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=French_anthropologist_Germaine_Tillion_dies_at_100&oldid=3185044”

Wikinews interviews Jim Hedges, U.S. Prohibition Party presidential candidate

Saturday, January 29, 2011

U.S. Prohibition Party presidential candidate Jim Hedges of Thompson Township, Pennsylvania took some time to answer a few questions about the Prohibition Party and his 2012 presidential campaign.

The Prohibition Party is the third oldest existing political party in the United States, having been established in 1869. It reached its height of popularity during the late 19th century. The party heavily supported the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which banned the sale of alcohol, and resulted in the US period known as Prohibition (1919–33). It was repealed in 1933. The party has declined since this period, but has continued to nominate candidates for the presidential election.

In 2003, the party split into two factions. Preacher Gene Amondson and perennial candidate Earl Dodge were nominated for the presidency by their respective factions. After Dodge’s death in 2007, the party reunified and named Amondson as its sole presidential nominee for 2008. During the election, Amondson was interviewed by Wikinews. He died in 2009, leaving an opening in the party for 2012.

Jim Hedges is a longtime Prohibition activist, who holds the distinction of the first individual of the 21st century (and the first since 1959) to be elected to a political office under the Prohibition Party banner. In 2001, he was elected as the Thompson Township tax assessor, and was re-elected to the post in 2005. He served until his term expired in 2010. Hedges declared his intent to run for the Prohibition Party presidential nomination on February 18, 2010. This marks his first run for the presidency.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_interviews_Jim_Hedges,_U.S._Prohibition_Party_presidential_candidate&oldid=4261311”

Anthrocon 2007 draws thousands to Pittsburgh for furry weekend

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Local caterers get ready for big business, as almost three thousand fans converge on the David L. Lawrence Convention Center over the Independence Day weekend for the world’s largest ever furry convention, Anthrocon 2007.

Many hope to renew acquaintances, or meet new friends. Others look to buy from dealers and artists, or show off new artwork or costumes. Some attend to make money, or even learn a thing or two. But one thing unites them: They’re all there to have fun.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Anthrocon_2007_draws_thousands_to_Pittsburgh_for_furry_weekend&oldid=4606745”

Inaugural African Protected Areas Congress closes

Thursday, July 28, 2022

The inaugural African Protected Areas Congress hosted in Kigali, Rwanda, closed on Saturday with delegates adopting the Kigali Call to Action, committing countries to greater investments in the conservation of nature.

The conference ran from July 18-23, and was organised by Rwanda, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the African Wildlife Foundation, with the aim of discussing the challenges and opportunities in the conservation of nature and wildlife across Africa. Over 2300 delegates were present representing countries, the private sector, indigenous groups and conservation organisations.

Initiatives included the launching of a Pan-African Conservation Trust, with African governments encouraged to approve its establishment. This would see a $200 billion pan-African trust fund created for the financing of all 8,500 of Africa’s protected areas in perpetuity.

Congress closed with delegates adopting the Kigali Call to Action, committing countries to spending 1% of their GDP on funding biodiversity programs, alongside increasing collaborations between the public and private sectors. The Call to Action also called for the strengthening of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Inaugural_African_Protected_Areas_Congress_closes&oldid=4691862”