Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 46:
Accidental discovery dramatically improves electrical conductivity
Quite by accident, Washington State University researchers have achieved a 400-fold increase in the electrical conductivity of a crystal simply by exposing it to light. The effect, which lasted for days after the light was turned off, could dramatically improve the performance of devices like computer chips.
'Missing heat' discovery prompts new estimate of global warming
An interdisciplinary team of researchers say they have found 'missing heat' in the climate system, casting doubt on suggestions that global warming has slowed or stopped over the past decade.
New paradigm for solar cell construction demonstrated
(Phys.org) �For solar panels, wringing every drop of energy from as many photons as possible is imperative. This goal has sent chemistry, materials science and electronic engineering researchers on a quest to boost the energy-absorption efficiency of photovoltaic devices, but existing techniques are now running up against limits set by the laws of physics.
Thin, active invisibility cloak demonstrated for first time
(Phys.org) �Invisibility cloaking is no longer the stuff of science fiction: two researchers in The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering have demonstrated an effective invisibility cloak that is thin, scalable and adaptive to different types and sizes of objects.
Quantum world record smashed
A normally fragile quantum state has been shown to survive at room temperature for a world record 39 minutes, overcoming a key barrier towards building ultrafast quantum computers.
Astronomers reveal contents of mysterious black hole jets
An international team of astronomers has answered a long standing question about the enigmatic jets emitted by black holes, in research published today in prestigious journal Nature.
Researchers create a low-cost, long-lasting water splitter made of silicon and nickel
Stanford University scientists have created a silicon-based water splitter that is both low-cost and corrosion-free. The novel device � a silicon semiconductor coated in an ultrathin layer of nickel � could help pave the way for large-scale production of clean hydrogen fuel from sunlight, according to the scientists. Their results are published in the Nov. 15 issue of the journal Science.
3D printing 'will change the world'
From replacement kidneys to guns, cars, prosthetics and works of art, 3D printing is predicted to transform our lives in the coming decades as dramatically as the Internet did before it.
Study: Your brain sees things you don't
University of Arizona doctoral degree candidate Jay Sanguinetti has authored a new study, published online in the journal Psychological Science, that indicates that the brain processes and understands visusal input that we may never consciously perceive. The finding challenges currently accepted models about how the brain processes visual information.
Scientists create light bullets for high-intensity optical applications
(Phys.org) �Controlling the propagation of high-intensity light beams as they travel through air (or other transparent media) is a challenging task, but scientists have now shown that a relatively new type of light beam called a ring-Airy beam can self-focus into intense light bullets that propagate over extended distances. These well-defined, high-intensity optical wavepackets could have applications in a variety of areas, such as laser micromachining and harmonic generation.
Fantastic phonons: Blocking sound, channeling heat with 'unprecedented precision'
Imagine living on a bustling city block, but free from the noise of car horns and people on the street. The emerging field of phononics could one day make this a reality.
Plasma experiment demonstrates admirable self-control
A team of Chinese and American scientists has learned how to maintain high fusion performance under steady conditions by exploiting a characteristic of the plasma itself: the plasma self-generates much of the electrical current needed for plasma containment in a tokamak fusion reactor. This self-generated, or "bootstrap," current has significant implications for the cost-effectiveness of fusion power.
Physicists 'uncollapse' a partially collapsed qubit
(Phys.org) �One of the striking features of a qubit is that, unlike a classical bit, it can be in two states at the same time. That is, until a measurement is made on the qubit, causing it to collapse into a single state. This measurement process and the resulting collapse may at first seem irreversible. (Once you open the box to find a dead cat, there's no going back, right?) But recently physicists have been investigating the possibility of "uncollapsing," or recovering the state of, a qubit that has been partially collapsed due to a weak measurement. The results could be used for implementing quality control in quantum systems.
What happened to Mars? A planetary mystery
Billions of years ago when the planets of our solar system were still young, Mars was a very different world. Liquid water flowed in long rivers that emptied into lakes and shallow seas. A thick atmosphere blanketed the planet and kept it warm. In this cozy environment, living microbes might have found a home, starting Mars down the path toward becoming a second life-filled planet next door to our own.
Team grows large graphene crystals that have exceptional electrical properties
When it comes to the growth of graphene�an ultrathin, ultrastrong, all-carbon material�it is survival of the fittest, according to researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.
Statistician suggests raising statistical standards to reduce amount of non-reproducible studies
(Phys.org) �Valen Johnson, a statistician with Texas A&M University is suggesting in a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that the statistical standard used to judge the soundness of research efforts be made more stringent. Doing so, he writes, would reduce the large numbers of non-reproducible findings by researchers and as a result prevent the undermining of confidence in such efforts.
Seeing a photon without absorbing it
Light is of fundamental importance. It allows us to see the world around us and record pictures of our environment. It enables communication over long distances through optical fibers. All current methods of detecting light share a common property: absorption and thus destruction of a photon. It has been a long-standing dream to be able to watch individual photons fly by without absorbing them. A team of scientists in the Quantum Dynamics Division of Prof. Gerhard Rempe at the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics has now for the first time realized a device which leaves the photon untouched upon detection (Science Express, November 14, 2013).
Novel gene therapy works to reverse heart failure
Researchers at the Cardiovascular Research Center at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have successfully tested a powerful gene therapy, delivered directly into the heart, to reverse heart failure in large animal models.
Dogs likely originated in Europe more than 18,000 years ago
Wolves likely were domesticated by European hunter�gatherers more than 18,000 years ago and gradually evolved into dogs that became household pets, UCLA life scientists report.
Volcano discovered smoldering under a kilometer of ice in West Antarctica
It wasn't what they were looking for but that only made the discovery all the more exciting.
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