Niels Bohr’s model of the atom, which was the first to account for the quantum nature of the  atom, was first published 100 years ago. Although it is now known to be incomplete, his model still serves as an excellent basis for understanding atoms and their structure and behavior. The journal Nature has published a special edition to mark the 100th  anniversary of Bohr’s model of the atom. Read here.

The asteroid 4 Vesta is one of the largest asteroids in the solar system. In 2011, the space probe Dawn entered into orbit around Vesta and sent back detailed images of its surface, which is marked with craters and other features. Since the human eye is the best image recognition device out there, NASA scientists are now asking for the public’s help to map Vesta’s surface. At Asteroid Mappers, you can participate in the project by marking craters and other features on Vesta’s surface. Anyone who wants to can take part; by aggregating all of the maps generated by human users, researchers will get a detailed and accurate map of Vesta’s surface. Visit this link to try it out.

Image: NASA/JPL

The Vatican Information Service reports:

“Vatican City, 5 April 2013 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office, a press conference was held to present the Second International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference, “Regenerative Medicine: A Fundamental Shift in Science & Culture”, which will place in the new Synod Hall of the Paul VI building in the Vatican from 11–13 April. Participating in the press conference were: Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Dr. Robin Smith, president of The Stem for Life Foundation and CEO of NeoStem; and Msgr. Tomasz Trafny, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture’s Science and Faith foundation.

[...]

[Msgr. Trafny explained,] “We want “to have a cultural influence on society, pointing to research models of excellence that are, nevertheless, in tune with the highest moral values of protecting the life and dignity of the human being from the moment of conception. However, we are aware that you cannot permanently influence society and culture without the constant and far-sighted support that comes from religious, social, and political leaders, from the community of entrepreneurs and from benefactors who are ready to commit to developing long-term scientific, bioethical, and cultural research.”

Read the story here.

More information is also available from Zenit.

[DOT]

“Something unexpected is happening on the sun. 2013 is supposed to be the year of Solar Max, the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle. Yet 2013 has arrived and solar activity is relatively low. Sunspot numbers are well below their values in 2011, and strong solar flares have been infrequent for many months.

The quiet has led some observers to wonder if forecasters missed the mark. Solar physicist Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center has a different explanation:

“This is solar maximum,” he suggests. “But it looks different from what we expected because it is double peaked.”

Read here.

The Empty Tomb, Fra Angelico, ca. 1437

“The Resurrection accounts certainly speak of something outside our world of experience. They speak of something new, something unprecedented — a new dimension of reality that is revealed. What already exists is not called into question. Rather we are told that there is a further dimension, beyond what was previously known. Does that contradict science? Can there really only ever be what there has always been? Can there not be something unexpected, something unimaginable, something new?”

- Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Vol. 2

Christ on the cross, Bartolome Esteban Murillo, 1665

“Certainly, God has given a sign of himself in the greatness and power of the cosmos, from which we may dimly perceive something of the power of the Creator. But the real sign that he chose is hiddenness, from the wretched people of Israel to the child at Bethlehem to the man who died on the Cross with the words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

- Pope Benedict XVI (What it Means to Be a Christian)

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The three final members of ISS Expedition 35 are set to launch to the space station today from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, aboard a Soyuz capsule. Launch is currently scheduled for 4:43 p.m. EST. This launch will be the first attempt at a new, faster trajectory that will get the crew from the ground to docking at the space station in a mere six hours. Previous missions have taken a paced, two-day trip to get to the station. The new procedure, while more hectic, will save on fuel and supplies and will more quickly get the astronauts out of the cramped Soyuz and into the roomier, more comfortable ISS.

More information, including launch coverage, is available from NASA and from Spaceflight Now .

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Image: NASA

The American Society of Human Genetics is hosting an essay contest for students in grades 9-12 for “DNA Day”, which marks the 1953 discovery of the DNA double helix and the 2003 completion of the Human Genome Project. Prizes are offered for first, second, and third place, and honorable mentions. The contest is open to classroom and homeschooled students. The essay submissions should address the following question:

2013 marks the 60^th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick and the 10^th anniversary of the first sequencing of the human genome. Choose either of these breakthroughs and explain its broader impact on biotechnology, human health and disease, or our understanding of basic genetics, such as genetic variation or gene expression.

Justify your answer in detail and be sure to include one or more specific examples of broader impact. Use reliable references and citations to support your argument, for example, research published by experts in scientific journal articles and books.

Go here for more information about the contest and the submission site. Deadline for entries is March 15th.

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Video: NASA/JPL