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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 14:
Scientists smash barrier to growing organs from stem cells
(Phys.org) �Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have overcome one of the greatest challenges in biology and taken a major step toward being able to grow whole organs and tissues from stem cells. By manipulating the appropriate signaling, the U.Va. researchers have turned embryonic stem cells into a fish embryo, essentially controlling embryonic development.
Energy breakthrough uses sun to create solar energy materials
In a recent advance in solar energy, researchers have discovered a way to tap the sun not only as a source of power, but also to directly produce the solar energy materials that make this possible.
Vast hollow chamber within iconic Swiss mountain worries geologists
The Matterhorn's days are numbered. Although populations are not in danger, scientists warn that its predicted collapse could occur at any moment.
Methane-producing microbes may be responsible for the largest mass extinction in Earth's history
Evidence left at the crime scene is abundant and global: Fossil remains show that sometime around 252 million years ago, about 90 percent of all species on Earth were suddenly wiped out�by far the largest of this planet's five known mass extinctions. But pinpointing the culprit has been difficult, and controversial.
Researchers discover ancient virus DNA remnants necessary for pluripotency in humans
(Phys.org) �A team of Canadian and Singaporean researchers has discovered that remnants of ancient viral DNA in human DNA must be present for pluripotency to occur in human stem cells. In their paper published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, the team describes how they disabled a viral remnant in stem cell samples and discovered that doing so prevented the stem cell from being able to grow into all but one type of human cell.
Call for circumcision gets a boost
In the United States the rate of circumcision in men has increased to 81% over the past decade. In an important new study just published in advance in Mayo Clinic Proceedings authors from Australia and the United States have shown that the benefits of infant male circumcision to health exceed the risks by over 100 to 1. Brian Morris, Professor Emeritus in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney and his colleagues in Florida and Minnesota found that over their lifetime half of uncircumcised males will contract an adverse medical condition caused by their foreskin.
Nanoparticle trapped with laser light temporarily violates the second law of thermodynamics
Objects with sizes in the nanometer range, such as the molecular building blocks of living cells or nanotechnological devices, are continuously exposed to random collisions with surrounding molecules. In such fluctuating environments the fundamental laws of thermodynamics that govern our macroscopic world need to be rewritten. An international team of researchers from Barcelona, Zurich and Vienna found that a nanoparticle trapped with laser light temporarily violates the famous second law of thermodynamics, something that is impossible on human time and length scale.
Astronomers challenge Cosmological Model
(Phys.org) �Astronomers Professor Chris Collins and Dr Ian McCarthy from LJMU's Astrophysics Research Institute are challenging the view that the currently preferred cosmological model of the Universe is correct by comparing recent measurements of the cosmic background radiation and galaxy clusters in two independent studies partly funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
Philosopher untangles Einstein senility controversy
When it comes to looking at reality from the subatomic perspective of quantum theory, many physicists are nearly as much in the dark as the average person on the street.
When science and philosophy collide in a 'fine-tuned' universe
When renowned scientists now talk seriously about millions of multiverses, the old question "are we alone?" gets a whole new meaning.
Color pixels made of nanowires offer new paradigm for digital cameras
(Phys.org) �Most of today's digital cameras achieve color by using red, green, and blue Bayer color filters through which light passes on its way to the camera's image sensors, which then convert the light into electrical signals. Although this color filter technology is very widespread, it has some disadvantages related to durability, low absorption coefficient, and fabrication complexity. In addition, the absorbed light in the color filter cannot be converted into photocurrent. To maximize the efficiency in the trends of higher pixel density, this light needs to be converted to photocurrent.
Gravity measurements confirm subsurface ocean on Enceladus
In 2005, NASA's Cassini spacecraft sent pictures back to Earth depicting an icy Saturnian moon spewing water vapor and ice from fractures, known as "tiger stripes," in its frozen surface. It was big news that tiny Enceladus�a mere 500 kilometers in diameter�was such an active place. Since then, scientists have hypothesized that a large reservoir of water lies beneath that icy surface, possibly fueling the plumes. Now, using gravity measurements collected by Cassini, scientists have confirmed that Enceladus does in fact harbor a large subsurface ocean near its south pole, beneath those tiger stripes.
Econophysics: Can antimoney prevent the next financial crisis?
(Phys.org) �Borrowing and lending money are essential interactions in a thriving economy, yet they come with their own set of risks. For instance, the credit money that is often involved in lending is thought to play a major role in causing large-scale financial crises, such as real estate collapses. As part of this balancing act, economists face the challenge of simultaneously maintaining both liquidity and stability (in the form of a constant money supply) to keep the economy moving along at a steady, controlled pace.
Scientists solve the riddle of zebras' stripes
Why zebras have black and white stripes is a question that has intrigued scientists and spectators for centuries. A research team led by the University of California, Davis, has now examined this riddle systematically. Their answer is published April 1 in the online journal Nature Communications.
Researchers propose method for measuring gravitational impact on antimatter
(Phys.org) �A team of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, is proposing a possible way to measure gravity's impact on antimatter atoms. In their paper published in Physical Review Letters, the team describes how a procedure using an interferometer and super-cooled antihydrogen atoms could theoretically reveal how antimatter reacts to the force of gravity.
'Optical oracle' could quickly solve complex computing problems
(Phys.org) �The optical fiber network that spans the globe consists of millions of miles of fibers that bring us our Internet, cable TV, and telephone services. Now researchers have shown that this global network offers an untapped computing potential due to its ability to act as an "optical oracle" that can solve the Hamiltonian path problem�determining whether a route exists between multiple towns so that each town is visited only once�hundreds of times faster than conventional computers. Although using the existing optical fiber network for computing would be unrealistic, the study shows that optical fibers could offer a powerful new computing platform in the future.
Fermi data tantalize with new clues to dark matter
(Phys.org) �A new study of gamma-ray light from the center of our galaxy makes the strongest case to date that some of this emission may arise from dark matter, an unknown substance making up most of the material universe. Using publicly available data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, independent scientists at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Chicago have developed new maps showing that the galactic center produces more high-energy gamma rays than can be explained by known sources and that this excess emission is consistent with some forms of dark matter.
A promising concept on the path to fusion energy
(Phys.org) �Completion of a promising experimental facility at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Laboratory (PPPL) could advance the development of fusion as a clean and abundant source of energy for generating electricity, according to a PPPL paper published this month in the journal IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.
Too much running tied to shorter lifespan, studies find
(HealthDay)�Running regularly has long been linked to a host of health benefits, including weight control, stress reduction, better blood pressure and cholesterol.
Monkey caloric restriction study shows big benefit, contradicts earlier study
The latest results from a 25-year study of diet and aging in monkeys shows a significant reduction in mortality and in age-associated diseases among those with calorie-restricted diets. The study, begun at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989, is one of two ongoing, long-term U.S. efforts to examine the effects of a reduced-calorie diet on nonhuman primates.
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