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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 41:
Physicists extend special relativity beyond the speed of light
(Phys.org)�Possibly the most well-known consequence of Einstein's theory of special relativity is that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, c. According to the mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2, an object traveling at c would have infinite mass and would require an infinite amount of energy to reach c. Over the past 100 years, numerous experimental tests of special relativity have confirmed its validity.
Free program makes computer graphics more realistic
(Phys.org)�Computer-generated images can be a little more realistic�and a lot cheaper to make�with a rendering program created by a Cornell graduate student.
Is it real? Physicists propose method to determine if the universe is a simulation
(Phys.org)�A common theme of science fiction movies and books is the idea that we're all living in a simulated universe�that nothing is actually real. This is no trivial pursuit: some of the greatest minds in history, from Plato, to Descartes, have pondered the possibility. Though, none were able to offer proof that such an idea is even possible. Now, a team of physicists working at the University of Bonn have come up with a possible means for providing us with the evidence we are looking for; namely, a measurable way to show that our universe is indeed simulated. They have written a paper describing their idea and have uploaded it to the preprint server arXiv.
Voyager 1 may have left the solar system
While there's no official word from NASA on this, the buzz around the blogosphere is that Voyager 1 has left the Solar System. The evidence comes from this graph, above, which shows the number of particles, mainly protons, from the Sun hitting Voyager 1 across time. A huge drop at the end of August hints that Voyager 1 may now be in interstellar space. The last we heard from the Voyager team was early August, and they indicated that on July 28, the level of lower-energy particles originating from inside our Solar System dropped by half. However, in three days, the levels had recovered to near their previous levels. But then the bottom dropped out at the end of August.
Mars rock touched by Curiosity has surprises
(Phys.org)�The first Martian rock NASA's Curiosity rover has reached out to touch presents a more varied composition than expected from previous missions. The rock also resembles some unusual rocks from Earth's interior.
Interstellar travelers may be helped by physicist's calculations that solve the Pioneer anomaly
(Phys.org)�Former President Bill Clinton recently expressed his support for interstellar travel at the 100 Year Spaceship Symposium, an international event advocating for human expansion into other star systems. Interstellar travel will depend upon extremely precise measurements of every factor involved in the mission. The knowledge of those factors may be improved by the solution a University of Missouri researcher found to a puzzle that has stumped astrophysicists for decades.
Fossil of ancient spider attack only one of its type ever discovered
(Phys.org)�Researchers have found what they say is the only fossil ever discovered of a spider attack on prey caught in its web � a 100 million-year-old snapshot of an engagement frozen in time.
Mug handles could help hot plasma give lower-cost, controllable fusion energy
(Phys.org)�New hardware lets engineers maintain the plasma used in fusion reactors in an energy-efficient, stable manner, making the system potentially attractive for use in fusion power plants.
Safer, more efficient, fusion-generated electricity is on the horizon
Fusion-fueled power generation has been the energy of the future for several decades.
Mando's chainless e-bike is headed for Europe in 2013 (w/ Video)
(Phys.org)�Car-choked city streets are inspiring adults to get on a bicycle for local transport. Reasons range from ecology to economy in getting around. Korea-based auto part maker Mando is unleashing the next step up in cycling, a chainless electric bike called Footloose. Sleek minimalist, Apple-evocative design, with technology combined, the Mando is a clear moving target for a mobile, Starbuck-struck generation of twenty-somethings. Mando has been showcasing the bike this year, and its bike is due to hit the marketplace in Europe next year. The company has combined a throttle drive with pedal-assisted technology, This is a chainless bike that trend-watchers are calling the "i-Phone of cycling."
Dyson engineers labor toward hair-free turbine solution (w/ Video)
(Phys.org)�At such an innovation rich time of telepresence, 3-D printing, advanced cryptography, advanced medical imaging, and robotics, you need to wonder why in all this time we never got a break with someone somewhere coming up with a hair-clog solution for vacuum cleaners. Better late than never. Dyson has a tool that avoids the problem of having to scrape off and cut away at hair around the brush bars. Called the Dyson Tangle-Free Turbine the problem solver is listed at $69.99 and is promoted as a tool to reduce hair entanglements that occur during vacuum cleaning.
SpaceX Dragon capsule arrives at space station (Update)
A private company successfully delivered a half-ton of supplies to the International Space Station early Wednesday, the first official shipment under a billion-dollar contract with NASA.
Study explains the mystery of ball lightning
(Phys.org)�Sightings of ball lightning have been made for centuries around the world � usually the size of a grapefruit and lasting up to twenty seconds � but no explanation of how it occurs has been universally accepted by science.
'Superstructured' solar cells achieve record efficiency of 10.9%
(Phys.org)�It may sound counterintuitive that replacing one of the most photosensitive solar cell materials with a material with less desirable photosensitive properties can improve the solar cell's efficiency, but that's what scientists have shown in a new study. By replacing the highly photosensitive titanium dioxide (TiO2) with alumina (Al2O3) in a solution-processable solar cell, the researchers have achieved a record power conversion efficiency of 10.9%. They attribute this high efficiency to the Al2O3 acting as an inert scaffold, forcing the electrons to remain within and be transported through an extremely thin absorber (ETA) layer.
Science denied: Why does doubt persist?
The sign in front of the tall display case at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History lures visitors to "meet one of your oldest relatives." Inside stands a morganucodon, a mouse-like animal from the Late Triassic period, 210 million years ago. "A close relative of this tiny creature was the first mammal on earth," the sign says. "Its DNA was passed on to billions of descendants, including you."
Complex brains evolved much earlier than previously thought, 520-million-year-old fossilized arthropod confirms
Complex brains evolved much earlier than previously thought, as evidenced by a 520-million year old fossilized arthropod with remarkably well-preserved brain structures. Representing the earliest specimen to show a brain, the fossil provides a "missing link" that sheds light on the evolutionary history of arthropods, the taxonomic group that comprises crustaceans, arachnids and insects.
From lectures to explosives detection: Laser pointer identifies dangerous chemicals in real-time
By using an ordinary green laser pointer, the kind commonly found in offices and college lecture halls, an Israeli research team has developed a new and highly portable Raman spectrometer that can detect extremely minute traces of hazardous chemicals in real time. The new sensor's compact design makes it an excellent candidate for rapid field deployment to disaster zones and areas with security concerns.
ALMA spots surprising spiral structure, reveals secrets of a dying star
(Phys.org)�Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array have discovered a totally unexpected spiral structure in the material around the old star R Sculptoris. This is the first time that such a structure has been found around a red giant star. It is also the first time that astronomers could get full three-dimensional information about such a spiral. This work is one of the first ALMA early science results to be published.
Frenchman, American win Nobel for quantum physics (Update 6)
A Frenchman and an American shared the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for inventing methods to peer into the bizarre quantum world of ultra-tiny particles, work that could help in creating a new generation of super-fast computers.
Mars rover Curiosity scoops, detects bright object
NASA officials say the Curiosity rover has made its first scoop of the surface of planet Mars and has detected a bright object on the ground.
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