Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 06:
Patented technique key to new solar power technology
(Phys.org)�A novel fabrication technique developed by UConn engineering professor Brian Willis could provide the breakthrough technology scientists have been looking for to vastly improve today's solar energy systems.
Human hearing beats the Fourier uncertainty principle
(Phys.org)�For the first time, physicists have found that humans can discriminate a sound's frequency (related to a note's pitch) and timing (whether a note comes before or after another note) more than 10 times better than the limit imposed by the Fourier uncertainty principle. Not surprisingly, some of the subjects with the best listening precision were musicians, but even non-musicians could exceed the uncertainty limit. The results rule out the majority of auditory processing brain algorithms that have been proposed, since only a few models can match this impressive human performance.
13 light years away: Earth-like planets are right next door
Using publicly available data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) have found that six percent of red dwarf stars have habitable, Earth-sized planets. Since red dwarfs are the most common stars in our galaxy, the closest Earth-like planet could be just 13 light-years away.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a squid
A species of oceanic squid can fly more than 30 metres (100 feet) through the air at speeds faster than Usain Bolt if it wants to escape predators, Japanese researchers said Friday.
Fujifilm breaks record with thermoelectric material
(Phys.org)�Photographic film maker Fujifilm has been busy this year at the Nanotech 2013 conference being held in Tokyo. First came news of bendable/roll up speakers. Now the company is showing off a new thermoelectric material it's developed that is so sensitive it can covert a difference in temperature of just 1�C to several kilowatts of electricity.
Energy from new Australian wind farms cheaper than from new coal or gas plants, report shows
(Phys.org)�A new study has found that in Australia electricity from new wind farms will be cheaper than that from new coal or gas power plants, which overturns the common presumption that renewables are more expensive than coal or gas.
New study furthers Einstein's 'theory of everything'
(Phys.org)�Sussex physicists have taken a �small step towards fulfilling Einstein's dream of proving there is only one fundamental force in nature.
Genetically engineered virus kills liver cancer
A genetically-engineered virus tested in 30 terminally-ill liver cancer patients significantly prolonged their lives, killing tumours and inhibiting the growth of new ones, scientists reported on Sunday.
Engineer designs self-powered nanoscale devices that never need new batteries
(Phys.org)�It's relatively simple to build a device capable of detecting wireless signals if you don't mind making one that consumes lots of power. It's not so easy to design energy-efficient devices that function as well as the components they replace, or to do it at the nano scale.
New coal technology harnesses energy without burning, nears pilot-scale development
A new form of clean coal technology reached an important milestone recently, with the successful operation of a research-scale combustion system at Ohio State University. The technology is now ready for testing at a larger scale.
Does probability come from quantum physics?
(Phys.org)�Ever since Austrian scientist Erwin Schrodinger put his unfortunate cat in a box, his fellow physicists have been using something called quantum theory to explain and understand the nature of waves and particles.
Most precise dates yet suggest comet or asteroid impact was last straw for dinosaurs
While many assume that a comet or asteroid impact killed off the dinosaurs, the actual dates of the impact and extinction are imprecise enough that some have questioned the connection. UC Berkeley and Berkeley Geochronology Center scientists have now dated the extinction with unprecedented precision and concluded that the impact and extinction where synchronous. While global climate change probably brought dinosaurs and other creatures to the brink, the impact likely was the final blow.
First 'directed' SETI search comes up empty
(Phys.org)�Researchers working on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project have completed their first "directed" search of a part of space and report in a paper they've uploaded to the preprint server arXiv that they've found no signs of life emanating from another planet. The search focused on a patch of sky that included 86 stars over a period of three months in 2011.
First evidence discovered that water once dissolved the surface of Mars
(Phys.org)�Scientists at the University of Glasgow together with the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre and the Natural History Museum (London) have discovered the first evidence of water dissolving the surface of Mars.
The birth of a very-high-field superconductor
The strong magnetic fields of an MRI scanner or a particle accelerator are generated efficiently by electromagnets that have superconducting wire in their coils. A group of scientists has discovered how to make better wires using a promising material known as Bi-2212. With this discovery comes the possibility of creating magnetic fields in excess of 30 Tesla, three to four times higher than those generated by present accelerator magnet technology.
A spiral galaxy with a secret
(Phys.org)�The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope � with a little help from an amateur astronomer � has produced one of the best views yet of nearby spiral galaxy Messier 106. Located a little over 20 million light-years away, practically a neighbour by cosmic standards, Messier 106 is one of the brightest and nearest spiral galaxies to our own.
Solar reactor can produce solar hydrogen, but how much?
(Phys.org)�Last spring University of Delaware doctoral candidate Erik Koepf and research associate Michael Giuliano spent two months in Switzerland testing a novel solar reactor Koepf developed to produce hydrogen from sunlight.
Could the humble sea urchin hold the key to carbon capture?
A chance discovery that sea urchins use Nickel ions to harness carbon dioxide from the sea to grow their exoskeleton could be the key to capturing tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.
New study suggests Neanderthals died out earlier, did not coexist with modern humans
Theories about when the last Neanderthals walked the Earth may have to be revised, according to a study that suggests they became extinct in their last refuge in Spain much earlier than previously thought.
Supersonic skydiver reached 844 mph in record jump (Update)
Supersonic Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner was faster than he or anyone else thought during his record-setting jump last October from 24 miles (38 kilometers) up.
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