‘Island Universe’ in the Coma Cluster

SPACE WATCH
NASA – A long-exposure Hubble Space Telescope image shows a majestic face-on spiral galaxy located deep within the Coma Cluster of galaxies, which lies 320 million light- years away in the northern constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy, known as NGC 4911, contains rich lanes of dust and gas near its center.

This natural-color Hubble image, which combines data obtained in 2006, 2007, and 2009 from the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys, required 28 hours of exposure time. more> http://tinyurl.com/2cseyej

Synthetic Gene-like Crystals

NSF – The DNA-like crystals have a sequence of information that is believed to code for carbon capture. The discovery could result in a new way of capturing heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions that add to global warming, rising sea levels and increased ocean acidity, and could lead to cleaner energy, including technology that could be used in factories and cars to capture carbon dioxide before it reaches the atmosphere. The discovery was made by a research team led by Omar M. Yaghi and Hexiang Deng, chemists from the University of California, Los Angeles. To learn more, see the UCLA news release, “UCLA chemists create synthetic ‘gene-like’ crystals for carbon dioxide capture.” more> http://tinyurl.com/34pe5kj

Who Will Kill Net Neutrality?

By Mark Gibbs – Now, call me crazy but it seems to me that any attempt to control what users can and cannot see, even if it is by just by limiting performance, has to be squarely in the territory of censorship and we can pretty much guess how this will play out. First it will be argued that this is just for video and it’s for the good of the network, then certain types of content, both video and Web, will get blocked for political or outright commercial reasons, and then, step by step, our rights will be eroded until we’re all paying way more but only for what the powers-that-be allow us to see. more> http://tinyurl.com/235u6dv

Google, Verizon Propose Net Neutrality Without Wireless

By Thomas Claburn – Free Press, a national media reform group, denounced the proposal as a way to transform the free, open Internet into a closed platform like cable television.

“If codified, this arrangement will lead to toll booths on the information superhighway,” said Free Press Political Adviser Joel Kelsey in a statement. “It will lead to outright blocking of applications and content on increasingly popular wireless platforms.” more> http://tinyurl.com/367y7mc

Google, Verizon Net Neutrality Plan Exempts Wireless

By Chloe Albanesius – The companies discussed another possible exemption – for “additional, differentiated online services, in addition to the Internet access and video services, [so] broadband providers can work with other players to develop new services.”

Examples might include health care monitoring, the smart grid, advanced educational services, or new entertainment and gaming options, they said. The FCC would monitor the development of these services. more> http://tinyurl.com/28379xt