Islamic Leaders Preach Conservation in Sumatra, Indonesia

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Do religious texts mandate respect for the earth and other species? Holy Koran does.

In Indonesia, the country with the highest rate of deforestation and some of the most diverse habitat in the world, many Islamic leaders believe religion is the key to conservation. In Sumatra, habitat is disappearing fast, mainly due to oil palm plantations, and populations of animals like the Sumatran orangutan and tiger are dwindling. Education is key to solving the region’s environmental problems, the leaders believe, and religion has the potential to spark wide public interest in environmental awareness.

Called FORDALING (the Islamic Leader Forum for Environmental Care), the group believes the Koran directly addresses the need for protecting the natural world. They explain this in their newly released book Ayat-Ayat Konservasi (Islamic Verses for Conservation). Through this book and other projects, these religious leaders have set out to show Indonesian Muslims why conservation should be important to them and the world.

Source:ENN

 

Posted in BIODIVERSITY, Ecosystem, opinions | Leave a comment

ISRO finds cave in moon on analysis of Chandrayan-1 data

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization have discovered a giant underground chamber on the moon, which they feel could be used as a base by astronauts on future manned missions to moon.An analysis by an instrument on Chandrayaan-1 revealed a 1.7-km long and 120-metre wide cave near the moon’s equator that is in the Oceanus Procellarum area of the moon that could be a suitable ‘base station’ for future human missions.

Scientists of the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad said in a research paper published in the latest issue of Current Science that the cave provides “a safe environment from hazardous radiations, micro-meteoritic impacts, extreme temperatures and dust storms.”

Scientists said identifying sites for permanent base for human settlements on the moon is important for further exploration.

“Lava tubes provide a natural environmental control with a nearly constant temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius, unlike that of the lunar surface showing extreme variation, maximum of 130 degrees Celsius to a minimum of minus 180 degrees Celsius in its diurnal (day-night) cycle,” they said.

According to them, the lava tubes offer a dust-free environment and adapting them for human use requires minimal construction.

Links and Sources:

SiliconIndia

 

Posted in Moon, Space, Volcanoes | 1 Comment

Christchurch Quake sheared off Tasman Glacier a 33-million-ton block of ice

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

A 33-million-ton block of ice sheared off a New Zealand glacier just minutes after a violent earthquake devastated the city of Christchurch, officials said Wednesday.The huge iceberg crashed into a lake shortly after the 6.3-magnitude tremor rocked the South Island on Tuesday and created waves up to three meters (10 feet) high for 30 minutes which rocked two sightseeing boats on the lake at the time.The enormous iceberg — estimated to weigh 33 to 49 million tons — began ripping off the Tasman Glacier at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park accompanied by a loud noise which sounded like a rifle shot, a local tourism official said…

read here

 

Posted in Mountains, News, Remote Sensing 101, seismic activities | Leave a comment

Superfluid in Neutron Star’s Core

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

This composite image shows a beautiful X-ray and optical view of Cassiopeia A (Cas A), a supernova remnant located in our Galaxy about 11,000 light years away. These are the remains of a massive star that exploded about 330 years ago, as measured in Earth’s time frame. X-rays from Chandra are shown in red, green and blue along with optical data from Hubble in gold. At the center of the image is a neutron star, an ultra-dense star created by the supernova. Ten years of observations with Chandra have revealed a 4% decline in the temperature of this neutron star, an unexpectedly rapid cooling. Two new papers by independent research teams show that this cooling is likely caused by a neutron superfluid forming in its central regions, the first direct evidence for this bizarre state of matter in the core of a neutron star.

Read at Source(NASA)

 

Posted in Photo Post, Space | Leave a comment