News – Australian Science

The Science Behind the Jedi Lightsaber: How Far Are We From Making Our Own?

Josip — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 06:16:49 +0000

With the explosive success of The Force Awakens, interest in all things Jedi has come to fever pitch. And perhaps no item is more evocative of the film’s fascinating world as the Jedi lightsaber. It’s no surprise that many of us wonder: how far are we from holding one of our own?

According to this animated infographic, we’re already 75% there – but that last 25% still seems elusive indeed. Let’s explore just how close we are to protecting our galaxy with this ‘elegant weapon for a more civilised age’.

Is a Lightsaber Exactly?
Yes, most of us can probably bring the lightsaber-wielding Jedi to the mind’s eye without too much difficulty. But if we’re going to delve deeper into reproducing them in the real world, we need to understand exactly what the films suggest they’re made of and what they can do.

Firstly, it’s easy to see that they’re incredibly powerful. They easily slice through solid chunks of metal, cut through flesh, yet the hilt’s temperature is controlled so as not to harm the user. The laser itself can also be ‘turned off’ at the press of a button, allowing the Jedi to put away their weapon in a holster.

Overall, it’s an incredibly flexible weapon that combined with a Jedi’s power is a force (no pun intended!) to be reckoned with. Science, however, is proving to be a worthy adversary that’s stopping Lucas myth from becoming reality.

Stopping the Beam
The lightsaber seems to use lasers of some sort – however, those in our world are invisible until their end point and also don’t have a fixed length. We’re nowhere near developing the technology to stop the laser beam in its tracks. Light needs to hit something solid to stop, or it needs to be refracted through the use of a mirror.

The conclusion? It doesn’t seem possible that we could ever use lasers in their current form to build something similar. The beam of laser light would simply continue exponentially and would not be shown until reaching its natural end – just think of a classic laser pointer as an example.

Finding a Power Source
While we currently have plenty of options to power up an item that emits light or plasma of such magnitude, there’s one ‘minor’ problem. Contrary to what the lightsaber suggests (such as a small battery pack), reality calls for something a little more expansive.

What we’re left with is a weapon that can only last for just a few seconds or a bulky and heavy item that would not be possible to use as anything like a sword. The familiar noise of the lightsaber would also come from the power source, as plasma or light do not naturally emit such a sound.

Light Has No Mass
Another issue that we have is that light has no mass. The lightsaber is more powerful than any sword or axe, yet light has no properties that would allow such behaviour.

Consider the fact that light does not even have the capability to repel other light, yet in Return of the Jedi we clearly see Luke defeating his enemies by repelling blaster shots. Unfortunately, our own laws of physics would now allow this. You can imagine how feeble a lightsaber duel would look with the two weapons simply bypassing each other!

The films themselves are also not exactly consistent. In the original trilogies the weight of the weapon suggests something similar to the longsword (hence the slow and pensive fighting style), but the prequels have ‘upgraded’ the weapons to be lightweight fencing instruments. Regardless of which it actually is, light itself would weigh less than both.

What About Plasma?
GE Engineer Matt Gluesenkamp has stated that the closest real-world example of what the lightsaber consists of is plasma generated electrically. The problem with using plasma in this manner is that the battery power that would be required to create this amount of electricity would render the weapon unusable.

Another problem is the sheer heat of plasma. The suggested temperature of the lightsaber would hit four figures Fahrenheit, yet all our heroes need is a handy hilt that is seemingly capable to withstand such temperatures.

Unfortunately, we currently have no such material that would be able to do something similar. Not only that, plasma emits heat as well, which would mean that anything even a few inches from the lightsaber would be charred beyond recognition!

New Findings
While Time Magazine sensationally reported that the fabled Jedi weapon is finally a reality, the headline is unfortunately closer to click-bait than anything else. Nevertheless, the findings by scientists at Harvard and MIT are promising indeed.

Teams of physicists have worked together to bind photons that can be said to behave in a similar manner to what we’d expect from the Skywalker weapon of choice. As a byproduct of other experiments, scientists have observed that photons fired through rubidium atoms behaved in a unique manner.

Opposite to massless particles that don’t interact with other molecules, in this case they would form together and move in a uniform manner. This effect is essentially what the lightsaber suggests it’s doing, which perhaps forms a basis for future developments.

However, what we currently have is still way off a working model. While the particles do indeed interact in an entirely novel way, it’s still a simple interaction. There’s plenty of work to be done before we have our own versions of Luke and Obi-Wan protecting law and order. Considering just how impossible this particular behaviour seemed just a few years ago, Star Wars fans are allowed to remain hopeful.

We’re not there yet, but technological advancements of recent years make it feel as if the lightsaber is scintillatingly close. Nevertheless, the presented obstacles are perhaps yet still a bridge too far and it may be several generations before we’re capable of reproducing what they managed a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Cite this article:
Ivanovic J (2015-12-23 06:16:49). The Science Behind the Jedi Lightsaber: How Far Are We From Making Our Own?. Australian Science. Retrieved: Apr 27, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/news/the-science-behind-the-jedi-lightsaber-how-far-are-we-from-making-our-own/

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FDA Approved an Injection That Will Eliminate Your Double Chin

Dunya — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 07:44:01 +0000

For many of us, trying to hide our double chin – perhaps under a scarf or turtleneck – is a daily battle. It’s a major cause of embarrassment for thousands of affected Australians, and is usually caused by obesity or other natural effects of aging. A double chin is actually just an extra layer of submental fat that forms around the neck and can sometimes sag, creating the impression of a second chin. Up until now, surgery was the only way to remove it.

However, there is now a surgery-free way to remove the dreaded double chin thanks to a recently FDA-approved drug called Kybella (or deoxycholic acid). Approved as a treatment for adults with moderate-to-severe submental fat below the chin, Kybella is an injectable drug that works by helping the body absorb fatty tissue. In essence, the drug dissolves the submental fat under the chin by destroying the fat cell’s membrane, causing it to burst. The remains of the cell are then reabsorbed by the body’s normal metabolic pathways.

According to the results of numerous clinical trials, injecting Kybella into the affected area can produce a noticeable reduction in submental fat in just 6 months. Patients can receive up to 50 injections in a single treatment (which usually lasts around 5 minutes), and sessions must be spaced at least 1 month apart for best results. No bandages are required, and recovery time is between 2 and 3 days.

Image source

There are some side-effects, however, that patients need to be made aware of before embarking on this journey. The most common side-effects reported in clinical trials were swelling, bruising, pain, numbness, redness and areas of hardness around the treatment area. However, most of these should disappear within a few days after treatment.

It’s important to understand that Kybella can also cause far more serious side-effects, such as possible nerve damage in the jaw. Although these side-effects are much less common, some patients have reported uneven smiles, weak facial muscles, and even trouble swallowing after receiving treatment. Indeed, according to Amy G. Egan of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, “Treatment with Kybella should only be provided by a licensed health care professional, and patients should fully understand the risks associated with use of the drug before considering treatment.

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Where Are We On Recycling And Is It Enough?

Editorial Board — Fri, 22 May 2015 11:16:37 +0000

Behind USA, Australia is the largest waste producer, per person, in the world. The average Australian citizen produces over 650 kg of waste per year, making a family of 4 produce enough waste to fill a three – bedroom house, from the floor to the ceiling! Annually, we contribute to over 18 million tonnes of waste, half of it coming from households.

Every day, 1% of households and businesses in Australia change their waste management tactics and focus their efforts into recycling, making Australia one of the global leaders when it comes to recycling contribution. Raising awareness plays a major role to the contributing factors and it will continue to do so until we begin minimising our waste output and maximising recycling and re-production, respectively.

Two recent studies have shown us just how deep of an impact recycling plays on the environment and on general energy consumption.

Life Cycle Assessment for Paper and Packaging Waste Management In Victoria – Melbourne’s research project, lead by a group of universities to investigate the environmental benefits of recycling waste against landfill waste.
Nationwide research, commissioned by the National Packaging Covenant Council (NPCC), called Independent Assessment of Kerbside Recycling in Australia. As the most comprehensive study of recycling ever conducted in Australia, this research report measured the financial, social and environmental impact of recycling by comparing costs and benefits.

Two different methods were used to analyze and compare the impacts of recycling and that of dumping waste into a landfill. Both studies have proven that recycling plays a major role in the preservation of the environment, while cutting down energy, thus lowering the cost of future production.

Lowering Greenhouse Gases

Nearly half of the greenhouse savings created by recycling were found to be from lowering the creation of methane gas: Methane gas is generated at landfills as paper waste breaks down (Around 55% of that methane gas would be held just for generating power). The rest of the greenhouse gas de-escalation occurred by getting rid of of virgin material production (If a product was made from raw material rather than recycled material, more carbon dioxide, with other greenhouse gases would have been generated).

Energy

Savings

Recycled products presented lower levels in embodied energy: energy consumed during every step of the production, from the product retrieval of the raw materials, to the processing and finally the disposal or recycling.

Product Embodied  Energy Savings:

As the initiative to recycle grows globally, Australians have been amongst the first to lead the pack. General awareness is on a high level and the will to contribute rises with it.

A study, by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, was conducted in 2012, where 8,692 households were interviewed, The study concluded that out of the total number, 8,422 households took a part in recycling, 6,328 stated that they reused products, while only 183 households admitted that they never recycle and never reuse.

The same study provided us with the most common objects recycled in Australia. Leading the way, paper and cardboard are the most recycled materials nationwide.

Paper and Cardboard

Over 5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard were used from 2007 to 2011, and only 2.5 million tonnes were recycled.
Making paper from recycled materials used 99% less water and 50% less energy than making it from raw materials
Paper breaks down very slowly in landfills due to the lack of oxygen, thus creating methane gas which has a greater greenhouse gas impact on the environment

Steel and Aluminium

In 2010, only 30.3% of steel and aluminium in Australia was recycled. This means that over 50% of steel and aluminuim still goes into landfills across the nation.
Almost every Australian has access to recycling services, yet they do not feel the need to visit them. It has been estimated that in the same year, Australians sent enough steel and aluminium to landfills to make over 40,000 fridges!
Producing one aluminium can from raw material takes up as much energy as producing 20 of them from recycled materials
More than 2 billion cans are recycled in Australia each year
Energy saved from recycling one aluminium is enough to keep a TV running for over 3 hours

Plastic

Australians use over 350,000 tonnes of plastic every year. In the year 2010, 288,000 tonnes were recycled.
While the production of plastic required coal, oil and gas, its production emits greenhouse gasses and contaminates our oceans.
Making plastic bottles from recycled materials uses 84% less energy than that of its production from raw materials.
By creating products from recycled plastic, we use 90% less water, reduce carbon dioxide by 2.5 tonnes and lower energy usage by over two thirds.

Glass

Glass is made from ash, soda, limestone and sand, which make it able to be recycled an infinite amount of times.
Making products from recycled glass uses 75% less energy than from raw materials
25% of new bottles and jars are made from recycled glass

Organics

Organic materials undergo anaerobic decomposition, which generates a potent greenhouse gas – methane.
Food organics in landfills is the second largest source of methane
Around two-thirds of all waste sent to Australian landfills consists of organic materials

On average, every Australian citizen, annually, throws out 330 kg of paper, 552 kg of aluminum cans and 414 kg of food. In today’s society, we are able to virtually recycle anything that we use on a daily basis. Extensive research and advances in technology will push that barrier even further over the course of years. Although we are making great strides towards progress, there is always room for improvement. One of the greatest initiatives taken by the government is the creation of the Perthwaste Green Recycling. Recycling plants such as this one safely exhaust every opportunity to recycle, cost – effectively. Building and using more of these plants will get us to our desired goal in a shorter amount of time.

Between years 2007 and 2011 Australians increased their recycling efforts from 21.4 million tonnes to 27.3 million tonnes (all recycled materials – Australians throw out 18 million tonnes of waste per year). We still have to work toward removing waste from landfills and creating new products by reusing the old. By reducing landfill waste, we will preserve our environment and prevent further climate changes, simply by the removal of greenhouse gasses. Reusing waste materials and creating environmentally friendly products will only play a contributing role in saving our planet.

Source: http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/environment-protection/nwp/reporting/national-waste-stream

Source: http://wastech.com.au/case-studies/perth-waste/

Source: http://www.pca.org.au/site/cms/documents/packaging-issuesandpuzzles.pdf

Source: http://recyclingweek.planetark.org/recycling-info/

Source: http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/cb4ad924-aaf8-4127-b8a1-31a30c2eca82/files/national-waste-policy-implementation-2013.pdf

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My Dog Speaks To Me With His Eyes – Evolution of Human/Dog Bonds

Lia Paola Zambetti — Mon, 11 May 2015 10:11:21 +0000

Puppy love – same as baby love? Yes, it seems so:

“My dog talks to me with his/her eyes

Cite this article:
Zambetti L (2015-05-11 10:11:21). My Dog Speaks To Me With His Eyes - Evolution of Human/Dog Bonds. Australian Science. Retrieved: Apr 27, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/news/my-dog-speaks-to-me-with-his-eyes-evolution-of-humandog-bonds/

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Assessing the Asteroid Impact Threat: Are We Doomed Yet?

Editorial Board — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 06:19:09 +0000

“Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour,” could be still an actual description of our ability to predict asteroid threats to Earth.

The sentence from the Bible (Matthew 25:13) sound like a reminder of a vast number of more than 1,500 currently potentially hazardous objects, floating in space, meandering around in the Solar System. Some of them may be destined to pay our planet a close visit someday, unexpectedly, Chelyabinsk-style, as the one that hit Russia in February 2013, causing serious damages and injuring about 1,500 people. Who would have predicted that? Lately, one of the potentially hazardous asteroids, named 2014 UR116, created quite a buzz when various media reported that the 370-wide space rock may hit Earth. Its impact would cause an explosion 1,000 times greater than the Chelyabinsk meteor. But the discoverer of 2014 UR116, Vladimir Lipunov, a professor at Moscow State University, becalms the public. “This asteroid will not collide with Earth during the next 100 years,” Lipunov told astrowatch.net.

Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100 m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. Currently none of the known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.

Lipunov said it is difficult to calculate the orbit of big rocks like 2014 UR116 because their trajectories are constantly being changed by the gravitational pull of other planets. He noticed that the scientists can’t say precisely when the asteroid will approach the Earth. “We should track it constantly. Because if we have a single mistake, there will be a catastrophe. The consequences can be very serious,

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Kangaroos eating reptiles out of house and home

Editorial Board — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 00:15:08 +0000

Large numbers of kangaroos are threatening an endangered species and are eating some lizards out of house and home, new research has found.

Australian National University (ANU) researcher Brett Howland has found large kangaroo numbers destroy the grassland habitats of reptiles.

“When there are too many kangaroos, they over-graze grasslands until they are like a lawn, which leaves lizards with no shelter,” said Mr Howland, from the Fenner School of Environment and Society.

“Just because kangaroos are native doesn’t mean they don’t do damage. We have to regulate their numbers if we want to retain a variety of reptiles,” he said.

Mr Howland studied lizard populations, which provide a good yardstick for the health of grasslands. Lizards depend on grass cover for both food and shelter, they are an important part of food webs, they are food for birds and small mammals, and provide pest control by eating insects.

“Grass over 20 centimetres tall housed the greatest number of reptiles,” Mr Howland said.

“The current number of kangaroos in some of Canberra’s parklands, over 300 per square kilometre, removes all tall grass. We should be controlling kangaroo numbers to at most 100 kangaroos per square kilometre in grasslands on average, and even less in treed areas.”

The study found that in areas where the grass was higher than 20 centimetres there were more than twice as many reptiles, and nearly three times as many species of reptile, than when grass was short.

“Many reptiles are under threat – species such as the striped legless lizard are on the vulnerable list. They face possible extinction in the near future,” Mr Howland said.

“However, there are millions of eastern grey kangaroos in Australia, making them one of the most populous large mammals in the world.”

Without threats from Indigenous hunters and native predators such as the dingo, kangaroo numbers have skyrocketed, Mr Howland said.

“We are still coming to grips with managing biodiversity,” he said.

“You can’t lock a reserve up and throw away the key, that doesn’t work.”

Source and image.

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Weekly Science Picks

Milica Djekic — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 00:15:02 +0000

It’s Sunday! It’s a perfect day for your holiday, relaxation and joy. The good thing about every Sunday is nothing will force you to get up that early in the morning as you do during the working week. Well, that’s why this day is our opportunity to summarise what have happened over the last 7 days. So, let us review with you the best moments of this week!

Sprouting feathers and lost teeth: scientists map the evolution of birds

A remarkable international effort to map out the avian tree of life has revealed how birds evolved after the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs into more than 10,000 species alive today. More than 200 scientists in 20 countries joined forces to create the evolutionary tree, which reveals how birds gained their colourful feathers, lost their teeth, and learned to sing songs.

A different kind of show and tell

Imagine you’re back at school, and one day the teacher has something for show and tell. Someone, actually. A real live scientist, or mathematician, or ICT specialist. And not just the once.

Water vapor on Rosetta’s target comet significantly different from that found on Earth

ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft has found the water vapor from its target comet to be significantly different to that found on Earth. The discovery fuels the debate on the origin of our planet’s oceans. One of the leading hypotheses on Earth’s formation is that it was so hot when it formed 4.6 billion years ago that any original water content should have boiled off. But, today, two thirds of the surface is covered in water, so where did it come from? In this scenario, it should have been delivered after our planet had cooled down, most likely from collisions with comets and asteroids.

Could a diet supplement supercharge your eyesight?

Eyesight is an easy thing to take for granted, but our ability to see is one of the human body’s most incredible senses. And there’s a lot more to it than simply discerning objects in the distance. Our eyes are capable of dealing with huge variations in contrast, for example.

Hope you have enjoyed this week’s selection. Please stay curious and scientifically passionate. New stories are coming soon!

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Scale-up in effective malaria control dramatically reduces deaths

Editorial Board — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 00:15:02 +0000

The number of people dying from malaria has fallen dramatically since 2000 and malaria cases are also steadily declining, according to the World malaria report 2014. Between 2000 and 2013, the malaria mortality rate decreased by 47% worldwide and by 54% in the WHO African Region – where about 90% of malaria deaths occur.

New analysis across sub-Saharan Africa reveals that despite a 43% population increase, fewer people are infected or carry asymptomatic malaria infections every year: the number of people infected fell from 173 million in 2000 to 128 million in 2013.

“We can win the fight against malaria,

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Unlocking the secrets of stem cell generation

Editorial Board — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 00:15:07 +0000

International scientists have carried out the most detailed study of how specialised body cells can be reprogrammed to be like cells from the early embryo.

The findings are a major advance in stem cell science and could help usher in a new era of regenerative medicine, where a small sample of a patient’s cells could be used to grow new tissues and organs for transplant.

“This kind of work will speed up the development of treatments for many illnesses that currently have no cure,

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ANU-CSIRO form new food, agriculture science precinct

Editorial Board — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 00:15:00 +0000

The ANU and CSIRO have joined forces in a new collaborative precinct to help build a sustainable future for the environment, agriculture and global food supplies.

The National Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Precinct (NAESP) was launched by the Minister for Industry the Hon Ian Macfarlane MP.

The NAESP will bring together the best research brains from ANU and CSIRO to foster research and innovation essential to food security and environmental stewardship in the face of global population growth, land degradation and climate change.

“The collaboration will transform the way agricultural and environmental research and innovation is conducted in Australia,

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