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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 52:
Magnetically levitating graphite can be moved with laser
(Phys.org)�Magnetic levitation has been demonstrated for a variety of objects, from trains to frogs, but so far no one has developed a practical maglev-based actuator that converts some external source of energy into motion. Now in a new study, researchers for the first time have used a laser to control the motion of a magnetically levitating graphite disk. By changing the disk's temperature, the laser can change the disk's levitation height and move it in a controlled direction, which has the potential to be scaled up and used as a light-driven human transportation system. Laser light or sunlight can also cause the levitating disk to rotate at over 200 rpm, which could lead to a new type of light energy conversion system.
One step closer: Scientists help explain scarcity of anti-matter
A collaboration with major participation by physicists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has made a precise measurement of elusive, nearly massless particles, and obtained a crucial hint as to why the universe is dominated by matter, not by its close relative, anti-matter.
Blink if your brain needs a rest
Why do we spend roughly 10 percent of our waking hours with our eyes closed - blinking far more often than is actually necessary to keep our eyeballs lubricated? Scientists have pried open the answer to this mystery, finding that the human brain uses that tiny moment of shut-eye to power down.
Average voter is unable to accurately assess politicians, new research shows
(Phys.org)�A new study has thrown doubt on the ability of the average voter to make an accurate judgement of the performance of their politicians, showing that voter biases appear to be deep-seated and broad.
Ancient Antarctic treasure trove discovered
(Phys.org)�The chance discovery of a 100 million year old fossil forest on an island east of New Zealand has unlocked new insights on ancient life close to the South Pole.
Fluctuating environment may have driven human evolution
A series of rapid environmental changes in East Africa roughly 2 million years ago may be responsible for driving human evolution, according to researchers at Penn State and Rutgers University.
Archeologists unearth King David era temple near Jerusalem
(Phys.org)�Israel's Antiquities Authority (IAA) has announced that archeologists have unearthed a temple within walking distance of Jerusalem that appears to be approximately 2,750 years old. Artifacts found inside the temple suggest that despite the ban on idol worship at the time, those who visited the temple continued to engage in such practices.
Revealing quantum flow
(Phys.org)�UK-based physicist Ole Steuernagel from the University of Hertfordshire, alongside Dimitris Kakofengitis and Georg Ritter, have found that a new powerful tool they call 'Wigner flow' is the quantum analogue of phase space flow.
Orion assemblage on track for 2014 launch
NASA is thrusting forward and making steady progress toward launch of the first space-bound Orion crew capsule -designed to carry astronauts to deep space. The agency aims for a Florida blastoff of the uncrewed Exploration Flight Test-1 mission (EFT-1) in September 2014 � some 20 months from now � NASA officials told Universe Today.
Expert: Basics on why going over fiscal cliff takes America down a dangerous path
Barring a deficit-reduction deal in Washington, D.C., Americans should be quite concerned about going over the "fiscal cliff," says Charlotte Crane, a tax specialist and professor at Northwestern University School of Law.
Groundbreaking air-cleaner saves polluting industrials
Industries across Europe are threatened with shutdown as European Union emission rules for Volatile Organic Compounds are tightened. Now an air cleaning invention from the University of Copenhagen has proven its ability to remove these compounds. And in the process they have helped a business in Danish town Aarhus improve relations to angry neighbors.
Interview: What does the future hold for energy and lighting?
(Phys.org)�As 2012 comes to a close, scientists and engineers are looking forward to molding the future, starting with the work they do in their own labs. Phys.org has interviewed a few of today's leading researchers in the areas of energy and lighting, and asked them what they're most excited about in their fields in the years to come.
British museum restores early 1900's domestic phonograph wax recordings
(Phys.org)�Workers at the Museum of London have successfully restored 24 of 26 wax cylinders used by a man in the early 1900's to record family get-togethers and private holidays. The recordings are believed to be the oldest ever found to have captured audio of Christmas and other holiday celebrations.
Researchers use earthworms to create quantum dots
(Phys.org)�British researchers at King's College in London have succeeded in creating quantum dots by feeding earthworms soil laced with certain metals and then collecting the material excreted. They describe their research in their paper published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Microsoft Research does Cloud-Offloaded GPS
(Phys.org)�GPS reduces battery life in a smartphone or tablet, a problem that has challenged a team led by principal researcher Jie Liu at Microsoft Research. Liu has said in the past that sensing and energy are emerging cross-cutting concerns in computer systems. "The proliferation of embedded and personal devices such as networked sensors and mobile phones gives computer systems increasing capability of gathering data from and adapting to the physical world and personal activities."
Toshiba smartphone camera sensor has eye on future
(Phys.org)�Toshiba may be targeting the end of 2013 for the launch of a new camera sensor for smartphones and tablets, where the picture taker can choose a specific area of focus in the photo after having taken the photo. Photography enthusiasts as well as all creative picture-takers will be able to manage how they want the photograph to tell the story, allowing for managing the focus after the fact. This resonates heavily with the Lytro light field camera, which was introduced as a way to allow photographers to shoot the image first and focus on the subject later, thinking about focus points during the editing process.
Cyberattack�the silent nightmare
In Michigan's worst techno-horror story, the state's major utilities get hacked in the wintertime. Power in the state shuts down, and nobody can figure out how to regain control of the systems needed to turn it back on. Millions of people are left in the dark and in the cold.
Hubble eyes the needle galaxy
(Phys.org)�Like finding a silver needle in the haystack of space, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced this beautiful image of the spiral galaxy IC 2233, one of the flattest galaxies known.
Entrepreneur launches first Africa-designed smartphone
A Congolese inventor has unveiled what he says is the first African-designed smartphone.
World's longest bullet train service launched in China
China launched services Wednesday on the world's longest high-speed rail route, the latest milestone in the country's rapid and�sometimes troubled�super fast rail network.
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