|
|
|
Terascale
Computing System Comes On-Line
The new Terascale Computing System (TCS) funded by the National
Science Foundation (NSF) has begun operation well ahead of schedule
and is exceeding performance expectations. With the computing system’s
manufacturer, Compaq, the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center's (PSC)
researchers and system engineers brought the initial 256 processor
configuration on-line in late 2000 and have already used it to run
research software weeks ahead of the February 1 target. The high-performance
computing system will eventually exceed six trillion operations
per second (teraflops), making it the world’s fastest for civilian
research. More...
(posted Jan 29 2001)
|
|
Glitches
in Earth's Wobble Help Geophysicists Probe Planet's Core
Millimeter deviations from the expected wobble of the Earth's
axis are giving geophysicists clues to what happens 1,800 miles
underground, at the boundary between Earth's mantle and its iron
core. The research is funded by NSF. The new theory proposes that
iron-rich sediments are floating to the top of Earth's core and
sticking like gum to the bottom of the mantle, creating drag that
throws Earth's wobble off by a millimeter or two over a period of
about 18.6 years. More...
(posted Jan 29 2001)
|
|
New
Predatory Dog-Sized Dinosaur Unearthed on Madagascar
Fossilized remains of a bizarre, dog-sized predatory dinosaur were
recently recovered on the island of Madagascar. The discovery, funded
in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), was announced
in a recent issue of the journal Nature by a team of researchers
led by paleontologist Scott Sampson of the University of Utah. The
fossils, which date to the Late Cretaceous period (about 65-70 million
years ago), represent a dinosaur new to science, dubbed Masiakasaurus
knopfleri. The total mass of this small carnivore would have been
approximately 35 kilograms (80 lbs.), roughly that of a German Shepherd
dog. More...
(posted Jan 24 2001)
|
|
Group of Microorganisms Discovered in the Open Sea
Archaea, one of three separate domains of life on our planet, were
undiscovered until 1970. Since then, they had been found mostly
in extreme environments such as high-temperature volcanic vents
on the ocean floor, continental hot springs and fumeroles, and highly
salty or acidic waters. Now, scientists funded by the National Science
Foundation (NSF) have found unexpected, astounding numbers of archaea
living in Earth's largest biome, the open sea. "This remarkable
new insight will have a major impact on our view of how the oceans
function ecologically, "says Phil Taylor, director of NSF's biological
oceanography program, which, along with NSF's chemical oceanography
program, funded the research. More...
(posted Jan 24 2001)
|
|
New South Pole Station Power Plant, Satellite Link Go Online
Major construction projects to improve the electrical generating
capacity and communications links at the National Science Foundation's
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station were completed in January, despite
extreme weather conditions in Antarctica that have hampered cargo
flights. The new power plant, which went online on January 20, will
increase the station's peak generating capacity to one megawatt
of electrical energy, while providing three levels of backup redundancy.
On January 18, meanwhile, personnel at the station, conducted a
successful test of a new satellite ground station. More...
(posted Jan 24 2001)
|
|