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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 45:
Laser the size of a virus particle operates at room temperature, defies the diffraction limit of light
A Northwestern University research team has found a way to manufacture single laser devices that are the size of a virus particle and that operate at room temperature. These plasmonic nanolasers could be readily integrated into silicon-based photonic devices, all-optical circuits and nanoscale biosensors.
Hypergravity helping aircraft fly further
(Phys.org)�ESA research has helped to develop an aircraft-grade alloy that is twice as light as conventional nickel superalloys while offering equally good properties. The path to creating this alloy required research under all types of gravity.
SpaceX's 10-story reuseable Grasshopper rocket takes a bigger hop
SpaceX is developing the "Grasshopper" reusable vertical takeoff, vertical landing rocket. Back in September, the 32-meter- (106-ft-) tall Grasshopper made a tiny hop � barely lifting off the pad just to test-fire its engines. But now the Grasshopper has made a second, bigger hop. Over the weekend, Elon Musk quietly tweeted a link to a video, saying, "First flight of 10 story tall Grasshopper rocket using closed loop thrust vector & throttle control."
Astronomers find tantalizing hints of a potentially habitable exoplanet
Located 43 light-years away in the southern constellation Pictor, the orange-colored dwarf star HD 40307 has previously been found to hold three "super-Earth" exoplanets in close orbit. Now, a team of researchers poring over data from ESO's HARPS planet-hunting instrument are suggesting that there are likely at least six super-Earth exoplanets orbiting HD 40307�with one of them appearing to be tucked neatly into the star's water-friendly "Goldilocks" zone.
NASA's space launch system using futuristic technology to build the next generation of rockets
(Phys.org)�NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. is using a method called selective laser melting, or SLM, to create intricate metal parts for America's next heavy-lift rocket. Using this state-of-the-art technique will benefit the agency by saving millions in manufacturing costs.
Physicists theorize entangled quantum batteries could be almost perfect
(Phys.org)�Theoretical physicists Robert Alicki and Mark Fannes of the University of Gdansk and the University of Leuven respectively, have uploaded a paper to the preprint server arXiv where they theorize that it should be possible to build an almost perfect entangled quantum battery. They suggest that as the number of entangled batteries increases, their overall performance approaches the thermodynamic limit.
Future warming likely to be on high side of climate projections, research finds
Climate model projections showing a greater rise in global temperature are likely to prove more accurate than those showing a lesser rise, according to a new analysis by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The findings, published in this week's issue of Science, could provide a breakthrough in the longstanding quest to narrow the range of global warming expected in coming decades and beyond.
Microsoft wins applause for tone-preserving translation (w/ Video)
(Phys.org)�Speech recognition in computers is an ongoing story with years of little progress in between. Even such programs as Siri have inspired derisive tales of how Siri renders flubs. Microsoft Chief Research Officer Rick Rashid recently presented an overview of where speech recognition at Microsoft stands today. His talk, delivered in October at the Tianjin, China at Microsoft Research Asia's 21st Century Computing, has captured the attention of technology watchers globally, as it makes the point that progress really is on a roll. Rashid made it clear, through his summary timeline of milestones and direct demo of text to spech capabilities, that the newer signs of progress are substantial and impressive.
Hypergiant star turns out to be 'missing link' after 30 years
(Phys.org)�A team of scientists from six European countries reported today they have finalized a thirty years long investigation of a hypergiant star that crossed the Yellow Evolutionary Void. In that period the star's surface temperature quickly rose from five to eight thousand degrees. With this discovery a crucial 'missing link' in the evolution of hypergiant stars has been found.�
World's rarest whale seen for the first time
A whale that is almost unknown to science has been seen for the first time after two individuals�a mother and her male calf�were stranded and died on a New Zealand beach. A report in the November 6th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, offers the first complete description of the spade-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon traversii), a species previously known only from a few bones.
Planetary scientists propose two explanations for true polar wander
(Phys.org)�Researchers using computer simulations and modeling have come up with two possible explanations for the phenomenon known as true polar wandering. The team led by Jessica Creveling of Harvard University, suggest in their paper published in the journal Nature, that dramatic shifts in the Earth's surface over millions of years, and then a return to the previous state, can be explained by bulging at the equator and elasticity of the planets outer shell.
Millionaire migration following tax hikes a myth, study finds
(Phys.org)�Anti-tax advocates argue that millionaires will flee from states that raise taxes on their highest earners. But a study by Stanford and Princeton researchers shows no evidence of millionaire migration in response to recent tax rate changes. Other factors, such as personal and business contacts, seem to weigh more heavily in deciding where to live.
The evolution of creationism
Throughout history, people have sought to understand how the world came to be and how it has changed over time. This curiosity has produced a rich legacy of science and philosophy and impacted and influenced religion and theology. In the November 2012 issue of GSA Today, David Montgomery of the University of Washington examines both the history of geology and of biblical views regarding Earth's origins.
Yamaha-frame bike with scuba tank makes Dyson shortlist
(Phys.org)�Look what an Australian designer would like us to roll with in a no-emissions future: A motorcycle powered by nothing but air. Adding to a growing portfolio of ideas centered around compressed-air engines, this good-looking entry is called the 02 Pursuit. As an alternative-fuel bike, it reaches impressive speeds, given that is powered by a tank of compressed air. Opened up all the way, according to claims, the O2 Pursuit can do over 60 miles on a single tank and can zoom past trees and mountains at 87 mph. The obvious advantage to electric bikes would be that this Pursuit cycle would not require the big heavy batteries, long re-charging waits, and thoughts about battery disposal.
Cosmic GDP crashes 97% as star formation slumps
(Phys.org)�While parts of the world experience economic hardship, a team of Portuguese, UK, Japanese, Italian and Dutch astronomers has found an even bigger slump happening on a cosmic scale. �In the largest ever study of its kind, the international team of astronomers has established that the rate of formation of new stars in the Universe is now only 1/30th of its peak and that this decline is only set to continue. The team, led by David Sobral of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, published their results in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Long-abandoned bacterial fermentation process converts sugar directly to diesel
A long-abandoned fermentation process once used to turn starch into explosives can be used to produce renewable diesel fuel to replace the fossil fuels now used in transportation, University of California, Berkeley, scientists have discovered.
New, high-resolution global ocean circulation models identify trigger for Earth's last big freeze
For more than 30 years, climate scientists have debated whether flood waters from melting of the enormous Laurentide Ice Sheet, which ushered in the last major cold episode on Earth about 12,900 years ago, flowed northwest into the Arctic first, or east via the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to weaken ocean thermohaline circulation and have a frigid effect on global climate.
Quantum kisses change the color of nothing
Even empty gaps have a colour. Now scientists have shown that quantum jumps of electrons can change the colour of gaps between nano-sized balls of gold. The new results, published today in the journal Nature, set a fundamental quantum limit on how tightly light can be trapped.
Comet collisions every six seconds explain 17-year-old stellar mystery
(Phys.org)�Every six seconds, for millions of years, comets have been colliding with one another near a star in the constellation Cetus called 49 CETI, which is visible to the naked eye.
Atomic-resolution images provide fresh insights into a mysterious state found in superconducting materials
Superconductivity describes the state of certain materials when they conduct electric currents without any resistance. For superconductivity to develop, these materials generally have to be cooled to temperatures below roughly �140 �C, depending on the material. The family of materials that requires the least amount of cooling is known as cuprate superconductors. These compounds are therefore technologically interesting, but scientists are still working to understand the fundamental mechanism underlying superconductivity in these materials. In fact, determining what makes cuprate superconductors tick is one of the grand challenges in condensed-matter physics.
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