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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 47:
Will 2-D tin be the next super material?
A single layer of tin atoms could be the world's first material to conduct electricity with 100 percent efficiency at the temperatures that computer chips operate, according to a team of theoretical physicists led by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University.
World's largest particle detector IceCube detects first high-energy neutrinos from the cosmos
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a particle detector buried in the Antarctic ice, is a demonstration of the power of the human passion for discovery, where scientific ingenuity meets technological innovation. Today, nearly 25 years after the pioneering idea of detecting neutrinos in ice, the IceCube Collaboration announces the observation of 28 very high-energy particle events that constitute the first solid evidence for astrophysical neutrinos from cosmic accelerators.
Electric two-seater Volocopter is tested in Germany (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) �The flying machine looks something like a helicopter but it is quite different and is intended to be a future answer to the greening of noisy, vibration-heavy helicopters as we have known them. A two-seater prototype of the Volocopter, by the company e-volo, made its maiden voyage earlier this month in Karlsruhe, Germany. The team used a prototype of the two-person VC200. Based on this model, it will be prepared for series production. Billed by its makers as "the world's first green helicopter," the emission-free Volocopter is a vertical take-off and landing manned aircraft, with features that set it apart from conventional aircraft. For one, the machine, instead of being kitted out with one combustion engine, carries eighteen electrically driven rotors to propel it. Through the propellers, the Volocopter can take off and land vertically just as does a helicopter. The team responsible for the machine said the 18 rotors present a considerable advantage, apart ! from the simple construction not requiring complex mechanics. The advantage is said to be in the redundancy of drives. This enables the safe landing of the Volocopter even if some drives fail.
Ancient giant sloth bones suggest humans were in Americas far earlier than thought
(Phys.org) �A team of Uruguayan researchers working at the Arroyo del Vizca�no site near Sauce, in Uruguay has found evidence in ancient sloth bones that suggests humans were in the area as far back as 30,000 years ago. The team describes their evidence and findings in a paper they've had published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Large study links nut consumption to reduced death rate
In the largest study of its kind, people who ate a daily handful of nuts were 20 percent less likely to die from any cause over a 30-year period than were those who didn't consume nuts, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Virus DNA first found in Neanderthal genome identified in modern humans
(Phys.org) �An ancient retrovirus that altered the DNA of Neanderthals and Denisovans has now been found to have left alterations in modern human DNA as well�in some cancer patients. The team of researchers from the U.K. that made this startling discovery has written about what they've uncovered in a paper published in the journal Current Biology.
Greenland's shrunken ice sheet: We've been here before
Think Greenland's ice sheet is small today? It was smaller�as small as it has ever been in recent history�from 3-5,000 years ago, according to scientists who studied the ice sheet's history using a new technique they developed for interpreting the Arctic fossil record.
Ancient Siberian genome reveals genetic origins of Native Americans
The genome sequence of a 24,000-year-old Siberian individual has provided a key piece of the puzzle in the quest for Native American origins. The ancient Siberian demonstrates genomic signatures that are basal to present-day western Eurasians and close to modern Native Americans. This surprising finding has great consequences for our understanding of how and from where ancestral Native Americans descended, and also of the genetic landscape of Eurasia 24,000 years ago. The breakthrough is reported in this week's Nature (Advance Online Publication) by an international team of scientists, led by the Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark (University of Copenhagen).
Chaotic physics in ferroelectrics hints at brain-like computing
Unexpected behavior in ferroelectric materials explored by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory supports a new approach to information storage and processing.
Colossal new predatory dino terrorized early tyrannosaurs
A new species of carnivorous dinosaur � one of the three largest ever discovered in North America � lived alongside and competed with small-bodied tyrannosaurs 98 million years ago. This newly discovered species, Siats meekerorum, (pronounced see-atch) was the apex predator of its time, and kept tyrannosaurs from assuming top predator roles for millions of years.
The galaxy's ancient brown dwarf population revealed
(Phys.org) �A team of astronomers led by Dr David Pinfield at the University of Hertfordshire have discovered two of the oldest brown dwarfs in the Galaxy. These ancient objects are moving at speeds of 100-200 kilometres per second, much faster than normal stars and other brown dwarfs and are thought to have formed when the Galaxy was very young, more than 10 billion years ago. Intriguingly the scientists believe they could be part of a vast and previously unseen population of objects. The researchers publish their results in the Oxford University Press journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Web inventor: Surveillance threatens democracy (Update)
The scientist credited with inventing the World Wide Web spoke out Friday against what he called a "growing tide of surveillance and censorship," warning that it is threatening the future of democracy.
Study reveals potential breakthrough in hearing technology
Computer engineers and hearing scientists at The Ohio State University have made a potential breakthrough in solving a 50-year-old problem in hearing technology: how to help the hearing-impaired understand speech in the midst of background noise.
Suspected dust ring in Venus's orbit confirmed
(Phys.org) �A trio of researchers from The Open University and the University of Central Lancashire in the U.K., has confirmed that a ring of dust surrounds the sun in the orbit of Venus. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes how they used data from NASA's twin STEREO probes to confirm the existence of the dust ring.
Novel X-ray device developed
Using a compact but powerful laser, a research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has developed a new way to generate synchrotron X-rays.
New microscope captures movements of atoms and molecules
A new microscope invented at Michigan State University allows scientists to zoom in on the movements of atoms and molecules.
Chilly temperatures help cancers grow
At low temperatures the human body has a hard time. As the cold sets in, blood vessels constrict to maintain heat and some body parts � like fingers and toes � begin to suffer. Metabolism ramps up to fight the cold and shivering sets in. As these conditions continue, everything becomes sluggish as the cells of your body do not work as well. The body enters a state of thermal stress and only the most vital systems, like the brain, are left switched on.
An unconventional car: No engine, no transmission, no differential
This car has no engine, no transmission and no differential. It weighs half as much as a conventional car. Each of its four wheels has its own built-in electric battery-powered motor, meaning the car has the ability to make sharp turns and change direction very quickly.
NASA sees 'watershed' cosmic blast in unique detail
(Phys.org) �On April 27, a blast of light from a dying star in a distant galaxy became the focus of astronomers around the world. The explosion, known as a gamma-ray burst and designated GRB 130427A, tops the charts as one of the brightest ever seen.
Holistic cell design leads to high-performance, long cycle-life lithium-sulfur battery
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have demonstrated in the laboratory a lithium-sulfur (Li/S) battery that has more than twice the specific energy of lithium-ion batteries, and that lasts for more than 1,500 cycles of charge-discharge with minimal decay of the battery's capacity. This is longest cycle life reported so far for any lithium-sulfur battery.
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