A supercomputer that can unravel secrets of universe

LONDON: Renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has launched the most powerful shared-memory supercomputer in Europe.

Hawking anticipates that the COSMOS supercomputer , manufactured by SGI and the first system of its kind, will open up new windows on the universe.

During the launch, which is part of the Numerical Cosmology 2012 workshop at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge, Hawking said, "We have made advances in cosmology and particle physics. Cosmology is now a precision science, so we need machines like COSMOS to reach out and touch real universe, to investigate whether our mathematical models are correct," he said.

Hawking added, "I hope that we will soon find an ultimate theory which, in principle , would enable us to predict everything in the universe," he said. "Even if we do find the ultimate theory , we will still need supercomputers to describe how something as big and complex as universe evolves, let alone why humans behave the way they do," he said.

'Saturn's moon Titan is Earth-like'

Titan , Saturn's largest moon is "a weirdly Earth-like place" when it comes to geology, astronomers have claimed. Titan boasts landscapes shaped by the flow of rivers, though they are rivers of liquid methane, not of water. And, like Earth, the surface of Titan is surprisingly free of craters, implying that geological activity is constantly reshaping the moon, as also happens here. "It's a weirdly Earth-like place," Taylor Perron, assistant professor of geology at MIT said, "even with this exotic combination of materials and temperatures" .

In a first, 'life' recreated in computer

WASHINGTON: Scientists claim to have developed the world's first complete computer model of an organism, which can use computer-aided design for better diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

A team of Stanford researchers , including an Indian, used data from more than 900 scientific papers to account for every molecular interaction that takes place in the life cycle of Mycoplasma genitalium, the world's smallest free-living bacterium.

The model represents a stepping-stone toward the use of computer-aided design in bioengineering and medicine, according to the Journal 'Cell' .

"This achievement demonstrates a transforming approach to answering questions about fundamental biological processes," said James M Anderson, director National Institutes of Health Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives . "Comprehensive computer models of entire cells have the potential to advance our understanding of cellular function and, ultimately, to inform new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of disease," he said.

Biology over the past two decades has been marked by the rise of high-throughout studies producing enormous troves of cellular information. A lack of experimental data is no longer the primary limiting factor for researchers . Instead, it's how to make sense of what they already know. "Many of the issues we're interested in aren't single-gene problems," said Covert, adding "they're the complex result of hundreds or thousands of genes interacting" . "This situation has resulted in a yawning gap between information and understanding that can only be addressed by "bringing all of that data into one place and seeing how it fits together" , said Stanford bioengineering graduate student and co-first author Jayodita Sanghvi.

Mycoplasma genitalium is a humble parasitic bacterium known mainly for showing up uninvited in human urogenital and respiratory tracts. The pathogen also has the distinction of containing the smallest genome of any free-living organism - only 525 genes, as opposed to the 4,288 of E coli, a more traditional laboratory bacterium. The model will help to demonstrate a number approaches , including detailed investigations of DNA-binding protein dynamics and identification of new gene functions.

Planet discovered 'right at Earth's front door' could harbour life

Last Updated: Friday, July 20, 2012, 14:13

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Tags: New planet, Life on planet, Earth

Melbourne: Astronomers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington believe they have discovered a planet right at Earth’s front door that may be capable of supporting human life.

The planet is 22 light years away, previously thought to be 20 light years, and is formally known as Gliese 581g, but lead researcher Professor Steven Vogt told News.com.au that he has since named it after his wife.

“I called it ‘Zarmina’s world’. It’s not just in our backyard, it’s right in our face,” Professor Vogt said.

The study, which was released to News.com.au this week, showed that the planet was twice the size of earth. It is known as a “super Earth” due to its ability to hold on to its gassy atmosphere, which increases its chances of retaining liquid.

Whether this liquid is frozen and stored under the surface or flowing freely across the planet, the researchers can’t say.

The scientist from the University of California said that the planet has “churchly weather” similar to what we experience in Australia.

“From the energy bounds and brightness of the star we can tell that the temperatures would be just about right to stand on the surface and feel the warmth of the alien star on your face, like standing in the park in Sydney,” he explained.

However the researchers were unable to determine what the surface of the planet is like, Professor Vogt said.

The planet exists in what is known as the “Goldilocks Zone” - an area near earth that isn’t too hot, or cold but is just right for sustaining life.

Prof Vogt is sure that scientists will eventually be able to send out probes in search for advanced civilisations

“If you get lucky and find civilisations, you’d be able to have a two-way conversation within a human life-time. You don’t want to have to spend 1000 years waiting to hear ‘wazzup’, and then another 1000 years before they get to hear not much, and you?’” he said.

The researcher said after making first contact, scientists may receive an answer within 44 years.

“Within a few hundred years you could be able to receive picture postcards from an iPhone or Android and be able to listen to what they sound like, and sample their way of life from a spacecraft,” he said.

“There is something out there,” Prof Vogt stated.

The study will be published in European astrophysics journal, Astronomisch Naschrischten (AEST)