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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 40:
V3Solar photovoltaic Spin Cell generates 20 times more electricity per cell than flat panels
(Phys.org)�V3Solar has developed a new way to convert the sun's energy into electricity using traditional technology in a new way, and in so doing have discovered a way to get twenty times more electricity out of the same amount of solar cells. Their new device, called the Spin Cell, does away with the traditional flat panel and instead places the solar cells on a cone shaped frame which are then covered with energy concentrators. Once in operation, the whole works spins, making unnecessary the need for tracking hardware and software. What's more, they actually look nice.
Scientists explain how ketamine vanquishes depression within hours
(Medical Xpress)�Many chronically depressed and treatment-resistant patients experience immediate relief from symptoms after taking small amounts of the drug ketamine. For a decade, scientists have been trying to explain the observation first made at Yale University.
'Tunneling of the third kind' experiment could search for new physics
(Phys.org)�In an attempt to solve some of the observational puzzles in physics, theorists have proposed a number of new physics models. Several of these models suggest the existence of extremely weakly interacting lightweight particles with tiny fractional electric charges called minicharged particles (MCPs). Constraining the masses of MCPs could help theorists refine their models, but so far it has been very difficult to detect MCPs. Now in a new study, physicists in Germany have proposed a new search for MCPs based on a new tunneling mechanism called "tunneling of the third kind," which could prove very useful in the search for new physics.
Why moderate beliefs rarely prevail
(Phys.org)�We live in a world of extremes, where being fervently for or against an issue often becomes the dominant social ideology � until an opposing belief that is equally extreme emerges to challenge the first one, eventually becoming the new social paradigm. And so the cycle repeats, with one ideological extreme replacing another, and neither delivering a sustainable solution. Political revolutions, economic bubbles, booms and busts in consumer confidence, and short-lived reforms such as Prohibition in the US all follow this kind of cycle. Why, researchers want to know, does a majority of the population not settle on an intermediate position that blends the best of the old and new?
Astronomers discover star racing around black hole at Milky Way center
UCLA astronomers report the discovery of a remarkable star that orbits the enormous black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy in a blistering 11-and-a-half years�the shortest known orbit of any star near this black hole.
Using light to control light: Engineers invent new device that could increase Internet download speeds
(Phys.org)�A team of scientists and engineers at the University of Minnesota has invented a unique microscale optical device that could greatly increase the speed of downloading information online and reduce the cost of Internet transmission.
Ferroelectric memristors may lead to brain-like computers
(Phys.org)�As electrical pulses travel through the body's nervous system, they are passed from neuron to neuron by synapses. A synapse, which consists of a gap junction and the cell membranes of the transmitting and receiving neurons on either side of this gap, has a structure that is a lot like the electrical component called a memristor. Memristors and synapses also function in a similar way: by remembering the resistance of a current passing through them, they enable memory.
Quantum causal relations: A causes B causes A
A deeply rooted concept in everyday life is causality; the idea that events in the present are caused by events in the past and, in turn, act as causes for what happens in the future. Physicists from the University of Vienna and the Universite Libre de Bruxelles have shown that in quantum mechanics it is possible to conceive situations in which a single event can be both, a cause and an effect of another one.
New free font available to help those with dyslexia
(Medical Xpress)�A new font tailored for people afflicted with dyslexia is now available for use on mobile devices, thanks to a design by Abelardo Gonzalez, a mobile app designer from New Hampshire. Gonzalez, in collaboration with educators, has selected a font that many people with dyslexia find easier to read. Even better, the new font is free and has already been made available for some word processors and ebook readers. The font, called OpenDyslexic, has also been added to the font choices used by Instapaper�a program that allows users to copy a web page and save it to their hard drive.
Infrared observatory measures expansion of universe
(Phys.org)�Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have announced the most precise measurement yet of the Hubble constant, or the rate at which our universe is stretching apart.
Physicists reveal first images of Landau levels
Physicists have directly imaged Landau Levels � the quantum levels that determine electron behaviour in a strong magnetic field � for the first time since they were theoretically conceived of by Nobel prize winner Lev Landau in 1930.
NASA spacecraft records 'Earthsong'
Nobody ever said anything about singing, though. A NASA spacecraft has just beamed back a beautiful song sung by our own planet.
Sea-level study shows signs of things to come
Our greenhouse gas emissions up to now have triggered an irreversible warming of the Earth that will cause sea-levels to rise for thousands of years to come, new research has shown.
Researchers glimpse the inside of a photonic crystal
(Phys.org)�While today's smart phones, tablets, and other small electronic devices rely on electrical data connections, in the future they may use optical connections in order to become even faster and smaller. Photonic crystals are ideal tools for this purpose, since they can guide and bend light on the nanometer scale. So far, researchers have not been able to look inside photonic crystals to measure how the light intensity is distributed. Now in a new study, a team of researchers from the MESA+ Institute at the University of Twente, The Netherlands, has developed a method that can measure the intensity distribution of light inside photonic crystals.
Reliable 3-D memories from silicon oxide and graphene: Visionary transparent memory a step closer to reality
(Phys.org)�Researchers at Rice University are designing transparent, two-terminal, three-dimensional computer memories on flexible sheets that show promise for electronics and sophisticated heads-up displays.
Mass of dark matter revealed by precise measurements of Milky Way galaxy
A research team, led by Associate Professor Mareki Honma from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), has succeeded in precisely determining the astronomical yardstick for the Galaxy based upon the precise distance measurements with VERA from NAOJ and other advanced radio telescopes. The new findings are that the distance from the sun to the Galactic center is 26,100 light-years, and that the Galactic rotation velocity in the solar system is 240km/s.
Astronomers discover a new black hole in our galaxy
(Phys.org)�NASA's Swift satellite recently detected a rising tide of high-energy X-rays from a source toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The outburst, produced by a rare X-ray nova, announced the presence of a previously unknown stellar-mass black hole.
Tomb of Maya queen K'abel discovered in Guatemala
(Phys.org)�Archaeologists in Guatemala have discovered the tomb of Lady K'abel, a seventh-century Maya Holy Snake Lord considered one of the great queens of Classic Maya civilization.
New study says nanoparticles don't penetrate the skin
(Phys.org)�Research by scientists at the University of Bath is challenging claims that nanoparticles in medicated and cosmetic creams are able to transport and deliver active ingredients deep inside the skin.
Turd-eating worms clear air around Canadian toilets
Anyone relying on their nose to guide them to a toilet at Quebec's La Providence golf course won't find one�that's because its outhouse is odorless.
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