Recommended Websites: Free Online Academic Classes and Lectures
One of the greatest benefits of the Internet is that it makes knowledge that at one time was restricted to academic institutions available to anyone with Internet access and a browser. This is a short list of academic websites I like to visit when ever I am in the mood to expand my knowledge and explore different academic disciplines. This list will grow and change over the next few weeks. If you would like to be notified when this page is updated, use the form below to subscribe to this post. I promise, no spam!
Spectacular Time-lapse view of earth from space
This time-lapse was created from photographs taken from the International Space Station from August to October 2011. As well as providing a very cool HD view of our Earth from space, this video also presents a spectacular rarely seen perspective of the Aurora Borealis.
Shooting locations in order of appearance:
Travelling near the speed of light
Light travels through the vacuum space at 299.792,458 meters per second, or approximately 186,282 miles per second. According to Einstein’s theory of special relativity, this is also the maximum speed that energy or matter can travel in the vacuum of space. If you were in a spaceship traveling near the speed of light you would experience interesting effects as you traveled closer to the speed of light. One effect is called time dilation, where time slows down. Of course, from the perspective of moving near the speed of light, this effect of time would not be obvious until you were no longer moving near the speed of light. Another effect is a Doppler effect, where object moving towards you would have compressed light waves and appear to be blue-shifted, and objects moving away from you would have longer light waves and appear to be red-shifted. another effect of moving at or near the speed of light is that as you move towards and past objects, they become distorted and bend.
Pleidades supercomputer calulates most accurate simulation of evolving universe
After 18 days and millions of computer hours of processing data over more than 160.000 processors, we now have what NASA Scientists and other scientists around the world consider to be the most accurate and detailed simulation of the evolving universe to date, giving physicists and astronomers a powerful tool for studying the cosmos.
International Space Station flight over Earth
This Youtube video, viewed by more than 2.4 million people since it was posted Sept. 15, is a time-lapse movie of International Space Station images as it passes over Earth.
The nighttime images begin over the Pacific, passing over North and South America before the space station creates its own sunrise over Antarctica.
Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and Phoenix are visible, as well as Texas and New Mexico.
The author, who assembled the images from NASA’s Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth, is identified only as “yesterday2221,” age 26.
Gamers Unlock Protein Mystery That Baffled AIDS Researchers For Years
In just three weeks, gamers deciphered the structure of a key protein in the development of AIDS that has stumped scientists for years. According to a study published Sunday in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, the findings could present a significant breakthrough for AIDS and HIV research.
Using an online game called Foldit, players were able to predict the structure of a protein called retroviral protease, an enzyme that plays a critical role in the way HIV multiplies. Unlocking the build of the protein could theoretically aid scientists in developing drugs that would stop protease from spreading.
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