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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 48:
Physicists add 'quantum Cheshire Cats' to list of quantum paradoxes
(Phys.org) �Given all the weird things that can occur in quantum mechanics�from entanglement to superposition to teleportation�not much seems surprising in the quantum world. Nevertheless, a new finding that an object's physical properties can be disembodied from the object itself is not something we're used to seeing on an everyday basis. In a new paper, physicists have theoretically shown that this phenomenon, which they call a quantum Cheshire Cat, is an inherent feature of quantum mechanics and could prove useful for performing precise quantum measurements by removing unwanted properties.
Italian company to sell portable cold fusion plant deliverable next year
(Phys.org) �Italian company Energy Catalyzer (shortened to ECAT) has announced that it is right now taking preorders for its ECAT 1MW portable cold fusion plant. Founded by Italian scientist Andrea Rossi, the plant has the scientific community shaking its collective head�it's never been peer reviewed and neither Rossi nor anyone else at ECAT has ever published a single paper regarding cold fusion or describing how the plant works.
Proton radius puzzle may be solved by quantum gravity
(Phys.org) �Officially, the radius of a proton is 0.88 � 0.01 femtometers (fm, or 10-15 m). Researchers attained that value using two methods: first, by measuring the proton's energy levels using hydrogen spectroscopy, and second, by using electron scattering experiments, where an electron beam is shot at a proton and the way the electrons scatter is used to calculate the proton's size.
Speed-of-light 'nano-camera' produces 3D translucent objects
A $500 "nano-camera" that can operate at the speed of light has been developed by researchers in the MIT Media Lab.
Unexpected energy barrier for uptake of hydrogen in tungsten wall of fusion reactor
The reactor walls of future fusion reactors will absorb fusion fuel one million times slower than previous research had indicated. A layer of bound hydrogen on the surface of the tungsten wall seems to protect the deeper metal layers. An international team led by FOM PhD researcher Rianne 't Hoen has published this finding in Physical Review Letters. 't Hoen did her research using the plasma generator Pilot-PSI of FOM Institute DIFFER.
To create a super-intelligent machine, start with an equation
Intelligence is a very difficult concept and, until recently, no one has succeeded in giving it a satisfactory formal definition.
What is the universe expanding into?
Come on, admit it, you've had this question. "Since astronomers know that the Universe is expanding, what's it expanding into? What's outside of the Universe?" Ask any astronomer and you'll get an unsatisfying answer. We give you the same unsatisfying answer, but really explain it, so your unsatisfaction doesn't haunt you any more.
How NASA revived the Kepler Space Telescope
(Phys.org) �You may have thought that NASA's Kepler spacecraft was finished. Well, think again. A repurposed Kepler Space telescope may soon start searching the sky again.
Controversy over the use of Roman ingots to investigate dark matter and neutrinos
The properties of these lead bricks recovered from ancient shipwrecks are ideal for experiments in particle physics. Scientists from the CDMS dark matter detection project in Minnesota (USA) and from the CUORE neutrino observatory at the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy have begun to use them, but archaeologists have raised alarm about the destruction and trading of cultural heritage that lies behind this. The journal Science has expressed this dilemma formulated by two Spanish researchers in the United Kingdom.
Did Comet ISON survive? Scientists see tiny hope (Update)
A comet that gained an earthly following because of its bright tail visible from space was initially declared dead after grazing the sun. Now, there is a sliver of hope that Comet ISON may have survived.
ATLAS sees Higgs boson decay to fermions
The�ATLAS experiment at CERN�has released preliminary results that show�evidence that the Higgs boson decays to two tau particles. Taus belong to a group of subatomic particles called the fermions, which make up matter. This result � measured at 4.1 sigma on the 5-point scale particle physicists use to determine the certainty of a result � is the first evidence for a Higgs decay to fermions.
Researchers find a missing component in effort to create primitive, synthetic cells
A team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators working to create "protocells" � primitive synthetic cells consisting of a nucleic acid strand encased within a membrane-bound compartment � have accomplished an important step towards their goal. In the November 28 issue of Science, the investigators describe a solution to what could have been a critical problem � the potential incompatibility between a chemical requirement of RNA copying and the stability of the protocell membrane.
When tectonics killed everything
A new paper reveals how the worst extinction in Earth's history may have been tied to the formation of Supercontinent Pangea. The catastrophe wasn't triggered by an impact from above�unlike another well-known extinction�but by a geological process below, deep within Earth's core.
Germ-killing nanosurface opens up new front in hygiene (Update)
Imagine a hospital room, door handle or kitchen countertop that is free from bacteria�and not one drop of disinfectant or boiling water or dose of microwaves has been needed to zap the germs.
Neurobiologists investigate neuronal basis of crows' intelligence
Scientists have long suspected that corvids � the family of birds including ravens, crows and magpies � are highly intelligent. Now, T�bingen neurobiologists Lena Veit und Professor Andreas Nieder have demonstrated how the brains of crows produce intelligent behavior when the birds have to make strategic decisions. Their results are published in the latest edition of Nature Communications.
Research uncovers the "gut-brain axis"
Striking new evidence indicates that the gut microbiome, the ecological community of microorganisms that share our body, has a huge effect on brain function � much larger than we thought.
Mach 1000 shock wave lights supernova remnant
When a star explodes as a supernova, it shines brightly for a few weeks or months before fading away. Yet the material blasted outward from the explosion still glows hundreds or thousands of years later, forming a picturesque supernova remnant. What powers such long-lived brilliance?
Investigation reveals black market in China for research paper authoring
(Phys.org) �The journal Science has uncovered, via investigation, a thriving black market in science paper authoring�people are paying to have their names added to papers that have been written to describe research efforts. Mara Hvistendahl was the lead investigator and author of a paper published by Science, describing the operation and what was found.
Archaeological discoveries confirm early date of Buddha's life
Archaeologists working in Nepal have uncovered evidence of a structure at the birthplace of the Buddha dating to the sixth century B.C. This is the first archaeological material linking the life of the Buddha�and thus the first flowering of Buddhism�to a specific century.
A Whirling Dervish puts physicists in a spin
A force that intricately links the rotation of the Earth with the direction of weather patterns in the atmosphere has been shown to play a crucial role in the creation of the hypnotic patterns created by the skirts of the Whirling Dervishes.
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