This Week's News: Drone Swarms, Water on Mars, Dark Matter

General Atomics' photon cannon made its debut at a military expo, and in case you're wondering what that might be, the machinery can essentially transform any ordinary vehicle into a fully operational laser weapon. The Navy's Sea-Air-Space Exposition may have showcased the tech to a crowd of inquisitive onlookers, but there is still a lot we do not know, that they've kept in the dark. Just by glancing at the size though, you can tell it's made incredible gains since last year, when Lockheed had a similarly deadly version of their own but one that was much larger. Another feature that has noticed progress is the cannon's energy output, which has risen from 10 kilowatts -used to destroy rockets from miles away- to 75-300 in a matter of months. I don't usually enjoy talking about technology that can kill, but this photon cannon is just sick. Mount it to your car, even, for a roadway that molds to your bidding!

The U.S. Navy is kicking ass this week, not only with its photon cannon but also with drone swarms. These drones might soon be launched by the LOCUST program, and will work together to finish tasks that would normally require a great deal of human involvement. The potential uses are wide-ranging, too; there could be tasks like "autonomously overwhelming adversaries", defending allies from harm, or scouting a dangerous area. A group of 30 could rapidly shoot out of a tube and fly together like geese to dynamically approach a situation. They could be sent from large ships or ground vehicles, and commanded by personnel to carry out missions that demand cooperation and quick data-sharing. A video of the drones in action:

Throughout history, people living under harsh governmental regulations have had no other option than to silence their voices for good, but recently that is no longer the case. Citizens from Spain, calling on the help of others, created holograms and projected them onto city streets to send a message that they feared would be too dangerous to deliver in person. Activists invited worldwide citizens to send videos and/or text to simulate a real protest, which resulted in an awesome display of personal freedom fighting back against a corrupt institution. See the video at this link.


Findings from hundreds of researchers concerning the existence of dark matter just surfaced, and will be released during a meeting at the American Physical Society. Using a 570-megapixel camera attached to the Victor Blanco telescope, the scientists involved created a map to locate the dark matter indirectly, because of the lensing effect it has on stars that distorts an observer's view. To accomplish this dream of theirs they spent 2 years analyzing the night sky in incredible detail to determine how much dark matter was present. For the study, much has yet to come in the future, as they plan to to expand their map to 30 times its size to show that dark energy is the wrong way to explain gravitational lensing.

A honeybee brain, this week, was digitized and placed inside a standard quadcopter drone so  it could navigate hallways directed by a complicated biological system. Normal honeybees, despite their size, are still capable of performing complex tasks and coordinating their activity among others, which is why I find it significant that a team was able to place that system inside a collection of metal. This project is similar to the one that took place with the OpenWorm in November 2014, in which a worm's mind was implanted into a LEGO robot body. Now, workers on the Green Brain Project successfully inserted the mind of a honeybee.

The future of honeybees

Why, you may ask? The truth is that honeybee populations have been facing a severe decline since the 80's due to a mysterious disorder called CCD. Let's face it; they're essential to American agriculture as a whole, colonies are losing strength...it's time for a change. We need robot bees, not to act as a desired and everlasting replacement but rather as a way to ensure they continue their critical function. This first step laid down the groundwork for the project, and all that remains is shrinking down the size of the drones to mimic the behavior and appearance of the real animals almost perfectly.

The next video, for some, might be a bit of a downer but that's not how I see it. Yes, SpaceX crashed yet another of their reusable spacecrafts on the 14th (designed to reduce the cost of travel), but the trial-and-error could work wonderfully in the future as long as they try new methods and achieve a finished product that makes up for all the failed attempts. Remember:

See the crash here:



In ten years, when the company exceeds our expectations and comes up with a solution to a problem that is seriously hampering our ability to explore, we'll look back on this one event and brush it aside. Well, I hope.

The recently-discovered presence of a salt on Mars lends credence to liquid water that may be under its surface. Previously, scientists believed the environment of the red planet to be much too hot for water in liquid form to ever manifest, but the existence of calcium perchlorate gave rise to liquid brine. Martian soil is damp with the stuff, and although it's not likely to sway anyone's opinion about life on Mars, what with the several hostile conditions  we must also consider, I still find it miraculous.

Spirit Week Project

One of the defining features of our school, LGHS, is the five days we spend celebrating school spirit and unity: spirit week. No matter where you look, there are students in costumes who love embracing the chosen theme of the day.

Spirit week is a time to show how connected you feel with the other students around you, celebrate the diversity on campus, and show off your style all the while anticipating the much-beloved rally. With everything that took place the week before break, the redesign of the entire main hall is arguably the coolest sight to see. Walls were decorated with the artwork of students, while the mission was to adhere to a certain decade depending on your graduating class: freshmen were living in the 80's.

 

Sophomores had the 50's:
 
Juniors were given the 70's:

 

 And finally, the class of 2K15 chose to be given the 1920's!
 

There was even popcorn you could legitimately eat:

During spirit week there are thousands of students who enjoy it for a number of reasons. Here are some and their thoughts on this important  time of the year. First, we have one of the organizers of the events:

Emma Cohan, Grade 12
 
 What is your role within the leadership team?

I'm one of the two ASB spirit representatives and work with Rachel Donnely. Among the things we do is propose themes during spirit week.

Why is school spirit important?

It brings everyone together. There's a real sense of community. School spirit makes everyone happier and makes people excited for their school year.

How different will the rally be from last time?

Last semester we had a black light rally. This semester, seniors will wear black as usual. We'll also have some other surprises.

Why would you recommend leadership to other students?

Because it's really fun to be behind the campus and decide things for the school. It's a very rewarding experience.

Would you say the brain storming process usually goes smoothly?

Not always. There are sometimes disagreements, but we resolve them and make compromises.

Which ideas for spirit themes were you considering but weren't chosen?

Land animals vs. sea animals and Thrift shop Thursday were ideas we considered, but these were already themes in previous years so we decided against them.
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Perhaps the greatest celebrator of this time of year is this guy, Alejandro:

Alejandro Camargo, Grade 11

1. What do you plan to wear?

I plan to wear a leprechaun hat, really pink things...in general, I'll go all-out for every day, but of course I'll look extra cool on Friday. Beads, bandanas, sunglasses, orange socks, face paint, orange tights. It'll be very similar to last semester's rally, only better.

2. Why do you believe school spirit is important?

Keeps everybody united, and it's a lot of fun. It's really just a time for most students at the school to  be together in one room.

3. If you could choose your own spirit day what would it be?

Zombie day. It would give me an excuse to be Jesus.
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However, some faculty do not share the same enthusiasm:

Mike Betz, English/history teacher

What is your general opinion of spirit week?

I wore football jerseys last semester and watch the rally on occasion, but all in all I'm pretty indifferent. I see spirit week as an event that's more for the students than anyone else.

Do you plan to celebrate on Friday?

Not really. With my broken foot I can't really participate in the rally. I'll probably go to the rally to watch though, as usual.

If you could add your own theme day, what would it be?

Whatever the students want. It's not about what teachers think.

How do you think spirit week can be improved for next year?

Once there were plays during the rally, where classes performed a skit together, and now there are just games. I would like there to be a return.
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Aside from the decorated main hall and the energetic crowd, there is another terrific aspect to spirit week that really gets everyone pumped: the games. During lunch, competitive games occurred in the small gym and pitted students against each other for sheer thrill and entertainment. On Monday, sports day, a relay race between the four grades took place. The challenge was divided into three sections; first you must drop a cookie into your mouth...


...pull out all the tissues with a single hand...

                                                                                                                              Look at that mayhem!

 

Finally, you had to eat a donut dangling on a string:


Tuesday's game, which revolved around American Pride Day, was Hungry Hungry Hippos and will be covered in the adjoining video.

On Wednesday, Pink Day, students dressed up in their brightest pink clothing to celebrate for a variety of reasons. It seems no one is really sure, but some have proposed cancer awareness, because of the ribbon, while others think it's about paying homage to the movie Mean Girls. The game played was, you guessed it, basketball Knockout (because the two are so related). Here are some skilled tosses:

 Everyone in their stellar attire:

Friday ended the week of joyful cheering with a fantastic display of school spirit during the rally, which will also be shown in the video. A tradition at LGHS, Spirit Week has stretched back many years and exists in its current form because of changes made in the preceding decades. Yet despite these adjustments, any student who participates in the games or rally can have the same experience as graduates before their time. Based on interviews, these five days are truly a moment of someone's high school career where they can go all-out and take their mind off academics for a while. How it will evolve in the future, possibly into a greater festival than ever, is anyone's guess.