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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Dec. 2, 2010
/ 25 Kislev, 5771
New estimate of universe's stars is 3 times higher
By
Amina Khan
An Earth-like planet — and other forms of life — are no longer an impossibility, believe some scientists.Was the creation of our world, then, a mere accident?
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Here's a finding that may make some stargazers do a double-take through their telescopes: There may be three times as many stars in the universe as we thought. Fixing this astronomical miscalculation may force some researchers to reconsider what far-off galaxies really look like and how the stars within them came to be.
"It has terrifying implications for a lot of the astronomy we do," said Caltech astronomer Richard Ellis, who was not involved in the work.
Previous star counts relied on the assumption that the larger universe looks much like our own galaxy. But authors of a report published Wednesday in the journal Nature say that there are many more red dwarfs — small, dim stars that can't be picked out individually when very far off — in certain other galaxies than in the Milky Way.
The new census, based on analysis of the light signature of the galaxies using instruments at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, pushes the total number of stars in the universe to 300 sextillion (that's 100 billion squared, multiplied by 30).
Red dwarfs are often a mere 10 percent to 20 percent of the mass of the sun, and hundreds of times dimmer. That makes them so faint as to be undetectable at great distances. To make up for what they couldn't see, astronomers for decades have assumed that the proportion of red dwarfs in other galaxies would be similar to the ratio known to exist in our own, said Yale University astronomer Pieter van Dokkum, the study's lead author.
Armed with recent advances that enabled them to better detect the faint signals of dim, low-mass stars, van Dokkum and co-worker Charlie Conroy of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics looked at the radiation emanating from eight elliptical galaxies between 50 million and 300 million light years from Earth. These types of galaxies have a bulging shape and typically contain relatively old stars — very different from spiral galaxies like the Milky Way, which have stars arrayed in flat, rotating disks and armlike projections where new stars are growing. | FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO INFLUENTIAL NEWSLETTER |
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If any galaxy would look different from ours on the inside, it would be these elliptical types, van Dokkum and Conroy figured.
The scientists looked at the light given off by these galaxies to determine what chemicals were present, and in what amounts — revealing what kinds of stars they came from. They found strong signs of sodium and iron, which are typically found in feeble, low-mass stars. They calculated that the strength of the sodium and iron signatures was enough to raise the red dwarf estimate within these galaxies by a factor of nine.
If that calculation holds for all elliptical galaxies — which constitute one-third of all known galaxies — that would triple the star census of the universe.
Ellis said the results are not yet ironclad, in part because this paper relies on an assumption of its own: that red dwarfs in other galaxies have the same proportion of sodium, iron and other chemicals as red dwarfs in our own.
Should future studies confirm the findings, astronomers may need to rejigger all kinds of basic numbers.
Among them: The young universe may have had different proportions of stars than it does today. Stars and galaxies may grow differently than scientists believed. There may be slightly less dark matter in the centers of these galaxies than had been predicted.
And with so many more stars available, the probability that an Earth-like planet — and other forms of life — exist in distant parts of space is much higher, too.
"It's a bit like going to another country and realizing the rules and customs you're used to in your own country no longer apply," Ellis said.
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© 2010 Los Angeles Times; Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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