Did You know what is the Point Nemo?

The area on Earth that is spread out by a vast cluster of islands and oceans, but apparently still holds many certain areas to be still a mystery. One of them is a place that is named "Point Nemo" aka "no one" if translated into Latin. So-called because there's no one who has ever openly touched or arrived at the place because it is located far from the mainland. The name of Nemo is derived from the fictional submarine captain name of Jules Verne's novel entitled "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea."

Point Nemo, a mysterious and remote place on Earth that has not been touched by humans. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2G2mOLb)

As quoted from the Bombastis, when viewed from the map, the place was seen flanked by three continents namely Australia, America (southern part), and Antarctica, so that it seemed very remote and rarely noticed. No wonder the existence of Point Nemo is then used as a convenient "graveyard" for many retired spacecraft or defunct satellites after orbiting in outer space. So, what's the location like?

Point Nemo has become a deserted area that is rarely considered by most humans in the world. As quoted from Allthatsinteresting, the area located at 48°52.6′ South and 123°23.6′ West, even said to be the middle of nowhere because of the characteristic location that is surrounded by more than 1,000 nautical miles in each direction, can arguably the starting point as a place in the ocean far from the mainland. Then, if seen from the facts, there're no one lives close together in the area.

Because it was devoid of human life, then it was made into an unofficial "graveyard" of many defunct satellites and other retired spacecraft. At least 260 spacecraft mostly Russian's have been drowned in peace there. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2G2mOLb)

Because it was devoid of human life, Point Nemo was made into an unofficial "graveyard" of many defunct satellites and other retired spacecraft. For example, Russia's space laboratory, Mir with a weight more of 120 tons was once directed to land in this place in 2001. Then followed by China which also chose the north direction of Point Nemo is the location of the fall of its Tiangong-1 in 2018. In fact, the International Space Station (ISS), which weighs over 420 tons, is also planned to be buried at Nemo Point if it retires in the next 2024.

In the future, Point Nemo will probably no longer be a "graveyard" for retired spacecraft or satellites due to the future space rides will be designed completely burn in the atmosphere. So that Point Nemo will remain as it is, one of the world's most mysterious places. Strange but true is the fitted sentence pinned to give a glance picture of the existence of those mysterious Point Nemo.

Vehicles break up into thousands of pieces before hitting the water. Pictured is the European Space Agency craft Jules Verne during re-entry before landing in Point Nemo in 2008. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2sqaSzz)

The Point Nemo discovered in 1992 by a survey engineer named Hrvoje Lukatela by using a geographic's computer software, which calculates the greatest distance coordinates of three land coordinates that are the same distance. It is very likely that no human has ever crossed those coordinates at all. Even, the inventor had never visited the location of Point Nemo. This remote ocean location is 2,688 kilometers from the nearest mainland - Ducie Island, part of the Pitcairn Islands, to the north; Motu Nui, one of the Easter Islands, to the northeast; and Maher Island, part of Antarctica, to the south.

The Point Nemo discovered in 1992 by a survey engineer named Hrvoje Lukatela by using a geographic's computer software. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2sqaSzz)

Then, one of the mysterious unsolved events to date that has ever taken place in the area around Point Nemo is the mysterious sound of bubbles. At that time in 1997, the world's scientists were surprised when they detected one of the loudest underwater sounds ever recorded near the poles.

The sound later called "The Bloop" was caught by an underwater microphone that was more than 3,000 miles apart. Until now, there has been no further explanation about the sound. Given, the location of Point Nemo which is also remote and rarely visited by humans. As it turns out, some said the Bloop was actually the sound of ice breaking off of Antarctica and not the call of Cthulhu, a kind of sea monster.

Although there is a lot of speculation, there hasn't been any empirical research and visitation yet to gather information about the area. Until now, Point Nemo has only been known as a deserted water area and has not been touched by any human hands. No doubt, Point Nemo has become a mysterious remote place waiting to be revealed. Perhaps, it could be revealed by You someday. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | THE SUN | ALLTHATSINTERESTING]

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Why Whale Poop is Very Expensive?

The color is yellowish gray and stinks. But the value of whale excrement could reach tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram. Whale feces was discovered by Ken Wilman while strolling with his dog, Madge on a secluded beach in Morecambe, England. Initially, Wilman thought it as a rock. "When I picked it up, I immediately put it back because it smells disgusting," Wilman said, as quoted by the BBC.

Ken Wilman, the luckiest man that has found 3 kg of ambergris on a secluded beach in Morecambe, England. (Picture from: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/)

At home, Wilman finds out about it from Google's site. The clumps that similar to the rock is probably the ambergris, which is derived from the digestive tract of sperm whales, and an element that is very expensive in luxury fragrances, such as Chanel No. 5. Realizing that stinky thing is a worthy thing, Wilman right back to the beach and pick it up. One ambergris agent from France had offered the stone was worth U.S. $ 68 thousand, (or approximately Rp. 660 million). However, it is likely a much higher value.

"These findings are very valuable," said Chris Hill, curator at the Aquarium of the Lakes in Cumbria, England. "There are few places in Europe that are interested in buying it. They will keep for years like wine and test it as a perfume. What value of the Ambergris?  It is determined by its freshness, but the possibility of U.S. $ 180 thousand (or approximately Rp. 1.7 billion)."

No one knows for sure how sperm whales produce that substance is, or how the animals produce the clumps. Many experts agree that whales produce ambergris in the gut as a type of fat to coat hard and pungent foods are difficult to digest, such as the giant squid beak. The part squid was hard indeed found in ambergris.

Sperm whale. (Picture from: http://www.fish-journal.com/)

But while some reports call ambergris "whale vomit," others insist it's not puke. "It's poop," said Christopher Kemp, a molecular biologist from the University of Chicago. Kemp, the author of "Floating Gold: the Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris" (University Of Chicago Press, 2012), notes that the stuff commands a high price because "only one percent of the 350,000 sperm whales can actually make it," he told ABC News. "Because it's so rare, it's very valuable." *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | LIVESCIENCE | TJANDRA DEWI | KORAN TEMPO 4133]

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Renewable fuel through artificial leaf technology

Sometimes the progress of science and technology can amaze us, like what is being studied by scientists at Cambridge University. Although this can be said as an initial stage, this could be a technological breakthrough to produce renewable energy.

An illustration of the artificial leaf. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/326HUk1)

Recently, scientists developed artificial leaves that can suck in sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce synthesis gas, a gas that can be used as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Chemists at Cambridge University want to develop a device that is inspired by the natural events of photosynthesis. After seven years of research, the experts created what is called an artificial leaf. The research itself has been published in Nature Materials journal.

Like real leaves, these artificial leaves do not need bright sunlight to function. According to scientists, the leaves will work efficiently even in rainy or cloudy weather. In other words, the technology will not be affected by the season.

Cambridge's artificial leaf uses two perovskite light absorbers and a cobalt catalyst to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into syngas. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2JIabHn)

"We can use it from morning to night anywhere in the world," said Virgil Andrei, a Ph.D. candidate student who is also the lead author of the study. As reported by the Iflscience page, the artificial leaf uses carbon nanotubes with two light absorbers combined with a cobalt-made of catalyst.

After being immersed in water, the reaction will begin with one light absorber using a catalyst to produce oxygen, while the other absorbers carry out chemical reactions to reduce carbon dioxide and water to carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

These three gases are the basis of synthesis gas. The synthesis gas has about half of the natural energy density, but it has several uses in the production of liquid fuels and is considered a renewable energy source.

"You may not have heard of syngas itself but every day, you consume products that were created using it. Being able to produce it sustainably would be a critical step in closing the global carbon cycle and establishing a sustainable chemical and fuel industry," added senior author Professor Erwin Reisner from Cambridge's Department of Chemistry

"What we'd like to do next, instead of first making syngas and then converting it into liquid fuel, is to make the liquid fuel in one step from carbon dioxide and water," added Reisner. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | NATURE MATERIALS | IFLSCIENCE | SCIENCE DAILY | NEW ATLAS]

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After 1 year in space, how's the Tesla Roadster now?

As we all know, that a year ago SpaceX first launched Falcon Heavy rockets into space. The launch of the rocket was a success, especially when the Falcon Heavy also brought the latest projects of SpaceX, Starship and Super Heavy with the contents of Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster on those journey.

The Tesla Roadster which tipped to be the fastest electric car ever made. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2EeWtcj)

The luxury car also carries a Starman mannequin that sits behind the wheel and flies through space. How's the Tesla Roadster now? As quoted from BGR, on Friday, Feb 2, 2019, the whereisroadster page reveals where and the latest news from those Tesla Roadster.

The Tesla Roadster which is equipped with an astronaut mannequin named Starman while on a Falcon Heavy rocket into space (6/2). (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2Q1qUXZ)

Looking at the statistics of the page, the Tesla Roadster position is currently 226 million miles from Earth and 163 million miles from Mars. In fact, there are reports of the Tesla Roadster speed on those space journey, ie 5,149 miles per hour.

Of course, for a car in general those speed number is very fast and won't slow down anytime soon. In total the distance traveled by the Tesla Roadster has gone as far as 473.3 million miles. It was also mentioned, it took around 557 days for the Tesla Roadster car to go around the Sun once.

The steering wheel of the Tesla Roadster which is equipped with astronaut mannequins while on a Falcon Heavy rocket (6/2). The rocket was successfully launched on Wednesday (7/2) morning or Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. Florida, United States.. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2Q1qUXZ)

This car is also projected to continue to travel through space for a very long time. As reported by LiveScience, scientists believe, this Roadster will return to Earth later or maybe enter Venus. But reportedly, it took millions of years for the car to come back again or instead switch to another planet.

It should be noted, when the Tesla Roadster car finished its journey later, of course the shape is not as good as when it leaving the Earth. Yes, this Tesla Roadster might look good while left the Earth, but given the hard and unpredictable conditions of the outer space it predicted could make the car break or even Starman mannequins also damaged.

The question now is actually whether the purpose of those Roadster was included in the space trip? Now, We don't want to speculate on this, and we will let you answer it by yourself. Peace and Out. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | LIVESCIENCE]

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3 major scientific issues that still be mysterious!

Scientists continue to find many scientific issues that sometimes those issues can change the entire of our world's faces. Even so, the scientists continue to try uncover the mysteries about this world but still could not give a detailed explanations, and sometimes some of them then are kept those secret from the public, why?

Our Earth. (Picture from: Curiosity.com)

As reported from the Dailystar on (06/12/2017), here are 3 major scientific issues that still be mysteries and kept on secret so that human does not panic!

3. Climate change

Many people think that climate change only makes the earth hotter, but it turns out that Climate Change or climate change is a disaster. Climate change is a real disaster, where humans burn the fuel, factories blow smoke into the sky and release carbon dioxide which makes the Earth's surface warmer. According to a study by scientists from Ohio, the United States that climate change takes hundreds of years to make it stable again.

One of the causes of climate change. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2IO0Lbu)

2. Human knowledge about the Universe is still very minimal

NASA sent astronauts to explore the moon, and humans on earth assume that humans have managed to know a lot about the universe. In fact it is not, according to a report from the United States Astronomy Agency, new humans are able to explore the universe in less than 5 percent. This means that the remaining 95 percent is still a mystery and it is the task of humans to be able to solve it in the future.

Illustration of our existence in the universe. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2IO0Lbu)

1. Mass extinction will occur once more

According to the Saintis report, this earth has experienced at least 5 mass extinctions caused by climate change, the ice age, to extreme weather. Well, the dangers of scientists believe that civilization will now lead to the sixth mass extinction. True or not, scientists are referring to current conditions of the earth and climate such as the amount of pollution, ice on both poles is starting to melt, forest loss and heat waves hit several regions in the Middle East.

Illustration of mass extinction. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2IO0Lbu)

The purpose of being kept secret here is not about its existence which is deliberately hidden, but its real contents are still an unsolved mystery.. What do you think? *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DAILYSTAR]

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Laziness was the causes of ancient human extinction?

Homo erectus first appeared two million years ago and went extinct around 50,000 to 100,000 years ago and was the first early hominid to become a true global explorer. They are known to migrate from Africa to Eurasia, then spread to Georgia, Sri Lanka, China and Indonesia.

An illustration of ancient human. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2ODr59N)

However, according to a recent study published in the PLOS One journal on July 27, 2018, the Homo erectus species turned out to be quite lazy and reluctant to adapt to environmental changes compared to other hominids - such as Neanderthals.

As quoted from IFLScience! on Friday, August 10, 2018, which reported that archaeologists from the Australian National University analyzed thousands of newly discovered artifacts and excavated from excavation sites in the Arabian Peninsula in modern Saffaqah region, Saudi Arabia in 2014 to find out the reason of these species extinction.

Their findings indicate that the Homo erectus species in the area actually tried as little as possible to make tools and find supplies. Though these ancient humans lived in areas that had easy access to rocks and water.

This is Dr. Ceri Shipton on site at Saffaqah in central Saudi Arabia. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2Mjx5Ik)

"They don't seem to inspire themselves. I don't get proof that they are true explorers, they don't have the same curiosity as we are now," Dr. Ceri Shipton as told to Sky News.

He also added that this was evidence of how the species made stone tools they found lying around their homes. The problem is, the stones are of low quality. Most stone tools are made from stones that are worse than tools in the next civilization. In fact, there are areas of better quality rock even though it requires a trip far enough from their settlements.

"When we saw the rock there were no signs of any activity, there were no artifacts and there were no rock excavations. They knew it was there, but because they had enough resources for them, so why bother -repot? " Shipton continued.

The site at Saffaqah in central Saudi Arabia. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2nE0uy0)

This is in contrast to the makers of stone tools in later periods, including early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. They climbed the mountain to find good quality rocks and transport them in long distances.

"Sediment samples show the environment around them is changing, but they are doing the same thing with their equipment," said Dr. Shipton. Unlike the more advanced species, Homo erectus tends to use a single "generic" tool for almost all jobs.

However, Homo erectus's ability to make tools is far more advanced than early humans in other parts of the world. They can already make a hand ax. Homo erectus-type ancient humans are strong and skilled. They developed in this region for some time. But, once the river bed dries up and there is sedimentation in the river, Homo erectus actually dies because they lack initiative. "They have never been very far from sources of clean water," said Dr. Shipton.

"We also found that their technology for making stone tools is very conservative. They use the same strategies to make tools in the face of a changing environment. So, they are not only lazy but also very conservative," he said as quoted by Science Daily on August 10, 2018.

Shipton said further that the extinction of Homo erectus was caused by not having the ability to plan for the future. "They only plan for the next few hours, or maybe for the next day. While Homo sapiens and Neanderthals plan further ahead, like a seasonal migration plan," he concluded. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | IFLSCIENCE! | SCIENCE DAILY]

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