(April 2, 2015) The
NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has imaged a set of enigmatic quasar ghosts —
ethereal green objects which mark the graves of these objects that flickered to
life and then faded. The eight unusual looped structures orbit their host galaxies
and glow in a bright and eerie goblin-green hue. They offer new insights into
the turbulent pasts of these galaxies.
April 2, 2015
Rice U. study: Algae from wastewater solves two problems
(April 2, 2015) In
one of the first studies to examine the potential for using municipal
wastewater as a feedstock for algae-based biofuels, Rice University scientists
found they could easily grow high-value strains of oil-rich algae while
simultaneously removing more than 90 percent of nitrates and more than 50
percent of phosphorous from wastewater.
Black holes don’t erase information, scientists say
The “information loss paradox” in black holes — a problem
that has plagued physics for nearly 40 years — may not exist
(April 2, 2015) Shred
a document, and you can piece it back together. Burn a book, and you could
theoretically do the same. But send information into a black hole, and it’s
lost forever.
April 1, 2015
Mind the Gap: Nanoscale Speed Bump Could Regulate Plasmons for High-Speed Data Flow
(April 1, 2015) The
name sounds like something Marvin the Martian might have built, but the
“nanomechanical plasmonic phase modulator” is not a doomsday device. Developed
by a team of government and university researchers, including physicists from
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the innovation
harnesses tiny electron waves called plasmons. It’s a step towards enabling
computers to process information hundreds of times faster than today’s
machines.
KTU Environmentalists: The Planet Will Only Survive if We Focus on Sustainability
(April 1, 2015) There
are billions of tones of plastic in the bottom of the world ocean which can
reach up to one kilometre in depth. 70% of the Aral sea has evaporated in the
last 40 years. There is enough food produced in the world to feed the
population of 7 billion, however, 1,5 billion of them are overweight and almost
a billion is starving. These are only a couple of examples proving that
humanity has reached a turning point in its development. People and business
must invest into sustainable development, otherwise our planet will cease to
exist.
Springing Ahead of Nature: Device Increases Walking Efficiency
(April 1, 2015) It’s
taken millions of years for humans to perfect the art of walking. But research
results published today in the journal Nature show that humans can get better
“gas mileage” using an unpowered exoskeleton to modify the structure of their
ankles. The device puts an extra spring in each human step, reducing metabolic
energy consumption by 7 percent below walking in normal athletic shoes.
The finding may benefit both able-bodied people who are
frequently on their feet – think of the military infantry or athletic
baby-boomers, for example – as well as those who have been victims of stroke or
other gait impairments.
Quantum teleportation on a chip
(April 1, 2015) The
core circuits of quantum teleportation, which generate and detect quantum
entanglement, have been successfully integrated into a photonic chip by an
international team of scientists from the universities of Bristol, Tokyo,
Southampton and NTT Device Technology Laboratories. These results pave the way
to developing ultra-high-speed quantum computers and strengthening the security
of communication.
Company mortality: Researchers find patterns in the life and death of firms
(April 1, 2015) It’s a simple enough question: how long does a typical
business have to live? Economists have been thinking about that one for decades
without a particularly clear answer, but new research by SFI scientists reveals
a surprising insight: publicly-traded firms die off at the same rate regardless
of their age or economic sector.
March 31, 2015
Phenomena of nonlinear oscillation and special resonance of a dielectric elastomer minimum energy structure rotary joint
Abstract
(March 31, 2015) The
dielectric elastomer minimum energy structure can realize large angular
deformations by a small voltage-induced strain of the dielectric elastomer, so
it is a suitable candidate to make a rotary joint for a soft robot. Driven with
an alternating electric field, the joint deformation vibrational frequency
follows the input voltage frequency. However, the authors find that if the
rotational inertia increases such that the inertial torque makes the frame
deform over a negative angle, then the joint motion will become complicated and
the vibrational mode will alter with the change of voltage frequency. The
vibration with the largest amplitude does not occur while the voltage frequency
is equal to natural response frequency of the joint.
Researchers Build Brain-Machine Interface to Control Prosthetic Hand
A research team from the University of Houston has created
an algorithm that allowed a man to grasp a bottle and other objects with a
prosthetic hand, powered only by his thoughts.
The technique, demonstrated with a 56-year-old man whose
right hand had been amputated, uses non-invasive brain monitoring, capturing
brain activity to determine what parts of the brain are involved in grasping an
object. With that information, researchers created a computer program, or
brain-machine interface (BMI), that harnessed the subject’s intentions and
allowed him to successfully grasp objects, including a water bottle and a
credit card. The subject grasped the selected objects 80 percent of the time
using a high-tech bionic hand fitted to the amputee’s stump.
Experimental cancer drug restores memory in mouse model of Alzheimer’s
(March 31, 2015) Memory
and as well as connections between brain cells were restored in mice with a
model of Alzheimer’s given an experimental cancer drug, Yale School of Medicine
researchers reported in the journal Annals of Neurology.
The drug, AZD05030, developed by Astra Zeneca proved
disappointing in treating solid tumors but appears to block damage triggered
during the formation of amyloid-beta plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s
disease. The new study, funded by an innovative National Institutes of Health
(NIH) program to test failed drugs on different diseases, has led to the launch
of human trials to test the efficacy of AZD05030 in Alzheimer’s patients.
Soil organic matter vulnerable to climate change
Soil organic matter, long thought to be a semi-permanent
storehouse for ancient carbon, may be much more vulnerable to climate change
than previously thought.
Plants direct between 40 percent and 60 percent of
photosynthetically fixed carbon to their roots and much of this carbon is
secreted and then taken up by root-associated soil microorganisms. Elevated
carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere are projected to increase
the quantity and alter the composition of root secretions released into the
soil.
Better traffic signals can cut greenhouse gas emissions
Analysis shows that smarter programming of stoplights could
improve efficiency of urban traffic.
(March 31, 2015) Sitting
in traffic during rush hour is not just frustrating for drivers; it also adds
unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere.
Now a study by researchers at MIT could lead to better ways
of programming a city’s stoplights to reduce delays, improve efficiency, and
reduce emissions.
Skin Tough
Study at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source Shows Why Skin
is Resistant to Tearing
(March 31, 2015) When
weighing the pluses and minuses of your skin add this to the plus column: Your
skin – like that of all vertebrates – is remarkably resistant to tearing. Now,
a collaboration of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of
California (UC) San Diego has shown why.
March 30, 2015
Clues to Aging From Long-Lived Lemurs
(March 30, 2015) When
Jonas the lemur died in January, just five months short of his thirtieth
birthday, he was the oldest of his kind. A primate called a fat-tailed dwarf
lemur, Jonas belonged to a long-lived clan. Dwarf lemurs live two to three
times longer than similar-sized animals.
In a new study, Duke University researchers combed through
more than 50 years of medical records on hundreds of dwarf lemurs and three
other lemur species at the Duke Lemur Center for clues to their exceptional
longevity.
Wearable technology can help with public speaking
Researchers develop a real-time feedback system using “smart
glasses”
(March 30, 2015) Speaking
in public is the top fear for many people. Now, researchers from the
Human-Computer Interaction Group at the University of Rochester have developed
an intelligent user interface for “smart glasses” that gives real-time feedback
to the speaker on volume modulation and speaking rate, while being minimally
distracting.
Goodbye, Range Anxiety? Electric Vehicles May Be More Useful Than Previously Thought
(March 30, 2015) In the first study of its kind, scientists at the Department
of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) quantitatively
show that electric vehicles (EVs) will meet the daily travel needs of drivers
longer than commonly assumed. Many drivers and much prior literature on the
retirement of EV batteries have assumed that EV batteries will be retired after
the battery has lost 20 percent of its energy storage or power delivery
capability. This study shows that the daily travel needs of drivers continue to
be met well beyond these levels of battery degradation.
To Stop Cancer: Block its Messages
Weizmann Institute scientists identify a potential drug
molecule that stops cancer cells, but not healthy ones, from getting their
“mail”
(March 30, 2015) The
average living cell needs communication skills: It must transmit a constant
stream of messages quickly and efficiently from its outer walls to the inner
nucleus, where most of the day-to-day decisions are made. But this rapid,
long-distance communication system leaves itself open to mutations that can
give rise to a “spam attack” that promotes cancer. Prof. Rony Seger of the
Weizmann Institute's Biological Regulation Department and his team have now
proposed a method of shutting off the overflow of information before it can get
to the nucleus. If the initial promising results hold up, the method could be
used to treat a number of different cancers, especially several that develop
resistance to current treatments, and it might possibly induce fewer side effects
than those treatments do. These findings appeared today in Nature
Communications.
Making the right turn
New, Assisted Steering System with Optimum Energy Efficiency
for Electric Vehicles Is Subject of a Joint Project by KIT and Schaeffler
(March 30, 2015) The
project "Intelligent Assisted Steering System with Optimum Energy
Efficiency for Electric Vehicles (e²-Lenk)" subsidized by the Federal
Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) focuses on a new assisted steering
concept. In conventional vehicles, the internal combustion engine not only
accelerates the car but also supplies on-board assist systems with energy; such
as the assisted steering system, which reduces the strain on the driver at the
wheel. In electric vehicles, this energy comes from the battery and also
reduces the range as a result. In this research project by the collaborating
partners, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) and Schaeffler, the steering
system is assisted in an energy-efficient manner by intelligent control of the
drive torques transmitted to the individual wheels.
Next important step toward quantum computer
Scientists at the University of Bonn have succeeded in
linking two different quantum systems
(March 30, 2015) Physicists
at the Universities of Bonn and Cambridge have succeeded in linking two
completely different quantum systems to one another. In doing so, they have
taken an important step forward on the way to a quantum computer. To accomplish
their feat the researchers used a method that seems to function as well in the
quantum world as it does for us people: teamwork. The results have now been
published in the "Physical Review Letters".
March 28, 2015
HANNOVER MESSE: NOVEL COATINGS COMBINE PROTECTION WITH COLOUR EFFECTS
(March 28, 2015) New
coloured protective coatings offer corrosion and wear protection and could for
instance also be used as a warning colour on surfaces which can get very hot.
New coloured protective coatings offer the same corrosion
and wear protection as colourless coatings while their colouration opens new
opportunities. Red could for instance be used as a warning colour on surfaces
which can get very hot. The new possibilities from combining protection and
colour in such coatings will be demonstrated by INM – Leibniz Institute for New
Materials at this year’s Hannover Fair from 13 to 17 April as an exhibitor at
the leading Research & Technology trade fair (stand B46 in hall 2).
INTERNET OF THINGS SHOULD BE DEVELOPABLE FOR ALL
(March 28, 2015) Telephones.
Refrigerators. Cars. Television sets. Bathroom scales. More and more of the
things that surround us in our daily lives send and receive data via the
Internet without us having to know about it. The phenomenon is called the
”Internet of Things”. During the last three years, Aalborg University has been
involved in a major European project to ensure that the things speak the same
language – and that the language can be used by all.
March 27, 2015
Nanoscale "worms" provide new route to nano-necklace structures
(March 27, 2015) Researchers
have developed a novel technique for crafting nanometer-scale necklaces based
on tiny star-like structures threaded onto a polymeric backbone. The technique
could provide a new way to produce hybrid organic-inorganic shish kebab
structures from semiconducting, magnetic, ferroelectric and other materials
that may afford useful nanoscale properties.
Precocious GEM: Shape-Shifting Sensor Can Report Conditions from Deep in the Body
(March 27, 2015) Scientists
working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) have devised and demonstrated a new,
shape-shifting probe, about one-hundredth as wide as a human hair, which is
capable of sensitive, high-resolution remote biological sensing that is not
possible with current technology. If eventually put into widespread use, the
design could have a major impact on research in medicine, chemistry, biology
and engineering. Ultimately, it might be used in clinical diagnostics.
Recipe for antibacterial plastic: Plastic plus egg whites
BIOPLASTICS SHOW PROMISE IN SEARCH FOR ANTIBACTERIAL
PACKAGING
(March 27, 2015) Bioplastics
made from protein sources such as albumin and whey have shown significant
antibacterial properties, findings that could eventually lead to their use in
plastics used in medical applications such as wound healing dressings, sutures,
catheter tubes and drug delivery, according to a recent study by the University
of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
March 26, 2015
Report: Photosynthesis hack needed to feed the world by 2050
(March 26, 2015) Using
high-performance computing and genetic engineering to boost the photosynthetic
efficiency of plants offers the best hope of increasing crop yields enough to
feed a planet expected to have 9.5 billion people on it by 2050, researchers
report in the journal Cell.
There has never been a better time to try this, said
University of Illinois plant biology professor Stephen P. Long, who wrote the
report with colleagues from Illinois and the CAS-MPG Partner Institute of
Computational Biology in Shanghai.
Mathematicians build code to take on toughest cyber attacks
(March 26, 2015) Washington
State University mathematicians have designed an encryption code capable of
fending off the phenomenal hacking power of a quantum computer.
Using high-level number theory and cryptography, the
researchers reworked an infamous old cipher called the knapsack code to create
an online security system better prepared for future demands.
Agricultural waste could be used as biofuel
(March 26, 2015) Straw-powered
cars could be a thing of the future thanks to new research from the University
of East Anglia (UEA).
A new study pinpoints five strains of yeast capable of
turning agricultural by-products, such as straw, sawdust and corncobs, into
bioethanol - a well-known alcohol-based biofuel.
It is estimated that more than 400 billion litres of
bioethanol could be produced each year from crop wastage.
Brown chemists make new silicon-based nanomaterials
(March 26, 2015) A
new process developed by researchers at Brown University uses silicon telluride
to produce multilayered two-dimensional semiconductor materials in a variety of
shapes and orientations.
Chemists from Brown University have found a way to make new
2-D, graphene-like semiconducting nanomaterials using an old standby of the
semiconductor world: silicon.
Engineers Create Structures Tougher Than Bulletproof Vests
(March 26, 2015) Researchers
at UT Dallas have created new structures that exploit the electromechanical
properties of specific nanofibers to stretch to up to seven times their length,
while remaining tougher than Kevlar.
These structures absorb up to 98 joules per gram. Kevlar,
often used to make bulletproof vests, can absorb up to 80 joules per gram.
Researchers hope the structures will one day form material that can reinforce
itself at points of high stress and could potentially be used in military airplanes
or other defense applications.
March 25, 2015
Nanorobotic agents open the blood-brain barrier, offering hope for new brain treatments
(March 25, 2015) Magnetic
nanoparticles can open the blood-brain barrier and deliver molecules directly
to the brain, say researchers from the University of Montreal, Polytechnique
Montréal, and CHU Sainte-Justine. This barrier runs inside almost all vessels
in the brain and protects it from elements circulating in the blood that may be
toxic to the brain. The research is important as currently 98% of therapeutic
molecules are also unable to cross the blood-brain barrier.
March 24, 2015
When it comes to putting out fire, GMU students show it’s all about that bass
The two senior engineering majors at George Mason University
appear to have invented and built a way to use sound waves to put out fires. It
started as an idea for a senior research project, and after a year of trial and
error and spending about $600 of their own money, they have built a somewhat
portable sound generator, amplifier, power source and focusing tube that would
seem to have great potential in attacking fires in a variety of situations.
Engineers Develop New Yeast Strain to Enhance Biofuel and Biochemical Production
(March 24, 2015) Researchers
in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have
used a combination of metabolic engineering and directed evolution to develop a
new, mutant yeast strain that could lead to a more efficient biofuel production
process that would make biofuels more economically competitive with conventional
fuels. Their findings were published online in the journal Metabolic
Engineering in March.
New kind of “tandem” solar cell developed
(March 24, 2015) Researchers
combine two types of photovoltaic material to make a cell that harnesses more
sunlight.
Researchers at MIT and Stanford University have developed a
new kind of solar cell that combines two different layers of sunlight-absorbing
material in order to harvest a broader range of the sun’s energy. The
development could lead to photovoltaic cells that are more efficient than those
currently used in solar-power installations, the researchers say.
Tiny bio-robot is a germ suited-up with graphene quantum dots
(March 24, 2015) As nanotechnology makes possible a world of machines too
tiny to see, researchers are finding ways to combine living organisms with
nonliving machinery to solve a variety of problems.
Like other first-generation bio-robots, the new nanobot
engineered at the University of Illinois at Chicago is a far cry from Robocop.
It’s a robotic germ.
March 23, 2015
Nanospace-Controlled Gold Material Created Using Molecular Technology
Method Developed to Freely Adjust Pore Size in Nanoporous
Gold Material
(March 23, 2015) A
research group led by Yusuke Yamauchi, NIMS, in cooperation with other research
organizations in Japan and overseas, successfully developed a nanoporous gold
material with a regular, uniform pore arrangement using polymers as a template.
Abstract
A research group led by Yusuke Yamauchi, an Independent
Scientist at the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA),
NIMS (Sukekatsu Ushioda, President), in cooperation with other research
organizations in Japan and overseas, successfully developed a nanoporous gold
material with a regular, uniform pore arrangement using polymers as a template.
This research result had been published in the Nature Communications on 23
March 2015.
Graphene – from a wonder material to the application in mobile communication
(March 23, 2015) Its theoretical properties made graphene a »wonder material«
overnight: it is up to 200 times harder than steel, six times lighter, strong
but flexible, environmentally friendly and the world’s thinnest material.
Measuring only a single atom layer, about a one hundred-thousandth the diameter
of a human hair, it still retains a remarkable level of conductivity. At the
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, these properties will
be put to practice: as a nearly massless electrode for piezoelectric
resonators, as used in bandpass filters of smartphones.
Airships – the future of aviation?
(March 23, 2015) Researchers from the University of Lincoln, UK, have
completed a three year investigation into stratospheric passenger airships as
part of a multi-national engineering project designed to provide a future
sustainable air transport network.
A group of academics from the University’s School of
Engineering have been members of a pan European research team that believes
airships may be the ‘green’ answer to the future growth of aviation.
NEAR BREAKTHROUGH FOR THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
(March 20, 2015) Researchers
are on the verge of a breakthrough that will allow for the wide-scale use of
thermoplastic composites in the automotive industry. These 'futuristic
materials' are ultra-light, while being strong and rigid and also sustainable
and recyclable. Researchers at the ThermoPlastic Composite Research Center
(TPRC) in Enschede (Netherlands) were recently successful in overcoming the
last hurdle, which was to design practically faultless components and to make
the process for doing so predictable. This makes it possible to determine at an
early stage of the design process whether a component can be manufactured at
all. This means that the two biggest requirements made by the automotive
industry, namely weight reduction and reduced costs, can be satisfied.
March 19, 2015
Infiniti Canada introduces new Limited Edition Q50 and QX80 models
(March 19, 2015) Infiniti
today announced Canadian pricing for the 2015 Infiniti Q50 Limited Sports Sedan
and 2015 QX80 Limited 7-passenger SUV. The new Q50 Limited combines popular
equipment together at an attractive value while the new QX80 Limited offers
subtle exterior upgrades and a sophisticated interior evocative of an executive
boardroom.
"Infiniti produces vehicles defined by emotive design,
meticulous attention to detail, unsurpassed hospitality and intuitive
technology," said Wendy Durward, Director of Marketing, Infiniti Canada.
"These Limited Edition models will raise the standards of what Canadians
expect in a premium vehicle."
Lack of Effective Timing Signals Could Hamper ‘Internet of Things’ Development
(March 19, 2015) Our
fast-approaching future of driverless cars and “smart” electrical grids will
depend on billions of linked devices making decisions and communicating with
split-second precision to prevent highway collisions and power outages. But a
new report* released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) warns that this future could be stalled by our lack of effective methods
to marry computers and networks with timing systems.
Hidden benefits of electric vehicles revealed
(March 19, 2015) Electric
vehicles are cool, research shows. Literally.
A study in this week’s Scientific Report by researchers at
Michigan State University (MSU) and in China add more fuel to the already hot
debate about whether electric vehicles are more environmentally friendly than
conventional vehicles by uncovering two hidden benefits.
Researchers Use Liquid Shearing Method to Create Nanofiber ‘Gusher’
read entire press release
Scientists Invent New Way to Control Light, Critical for Next Gen of Super Computing
(March 19, 2015) A device
resembling a plastic honeycomb yet infinitely smaller than a bee’s stinger can
steer light beams around tighter curves than ever before possible, while
keeping the integrity and intensity of the beam intact.
The work, conducted by researchers at the University of
Texas El Paso (UTEP) and at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and
published in the journal Optics Express, introduces a more effective way to
transmit data rapidly on electronic circuit boards by using light.
Sharper Nanoscopy
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A QUANTUM DOT LOOKS IN A MIRROR?
(March 19, 2015) The
2014 chemistry Nobel Prize recognized important microscopy research that
enabled greatly improved spatial resolution. This innovation, resulting in
nanometer resolution, was made possible by making the source (the emitter) of
the illumination quite small and by
moving it quite close to the object being imaged. One problem with this approach is that in
such proximity, the emitter and object can interact with each other, blurring
the resulting image. Now, a new JQI
study has shown how to sharpen nanoscale microscopy (nanoscopy) even more by
better locating the exact position of the light source.
Robot model for infant learning shows bodily posture may affect memory and learning
(March 19, 2015) An
Indiana University cognitive scientist and collaborators have found that
posture is critical in the early stages of acquiring new knowledge.
The study, conducted by Linda Smith, a professor in the IU
Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Psychological and Brain
Sciences, in collaboration with a roboticist from England and a developmental
psychologist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, offers a new approach to
studying the way "objects of cognition," such as words or memories of
physical objects, are tied to the position of the body.
Scientists grow ‘mini-lungs’ to aid the study of cystic fibrosis
(March 19, 2015) Scientists
at the University of Cambridge have successfully created ‘mini-lungs’ using
stem cells derived from skin cells of patients with cystic fibrosis, and have
shown that these can be used to test potential new drugs for this debilitating
lung disease.
Lithium Investing: Tomorrow's Energy is a Metal
Did you know that tomorrow's oil is actually a metal?
(March 19, 2015) I
know it sounds pretty crazy, but the truth is, starting in the very near future
(it's actually already begun, and I bet you're carrying evidence of this in your
pocket right now), the majority of our energy will be delivered not through
fossil fuels but through a very special metal.
As you may have already guessed, this is no ordinary metal.
Rethink Robotics Unveils Its Newest Smart, Collaborative Robot
Sawyer is a high performance robot designed for machine
tending and other precise applications
(March 19, 2015)
Rethink Robotics today provided an exciting glimpse into the future of
collaborative robotics with the introduction of Sawyer™, a single-arm,
high-performance robot designed to execute machine tending, circuit board
testing and other precise tasks that have historically been impractical to
automate with traditional industrial robots.
Sawyer is a significant addition to the company’s smart, collaborative
robot family, which also includes the groundbreaking Baxter™ robot that defined
the category of safe, interactive, affordable automation.
March 18, 2015
UNC-Chapel Hill researchers collaborate to develop 3-D printing technology
(March 18, 2015) A
3-D printing technology developed by Silicon Valley startup, Carbon3D Inc.,
enables objects to rise from a liquid media continuously rather than being
built layer by layer as they have been for the past 25 years, representing a
fundamentally new approach to 3-D printing. The technology, to appear as the
cover article in the March 20 print issue of Science, allows ready-to-use
products to be made 25 to 100 times faster than other methods and creates
previously unachievable geometries that open opportunities for innovation not
only in health care and medicine, but also in other major industries such as
automotive and aviation.
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