Science X Newsletter Week 42

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 42:

	Ultra-fast charging batteries that can be 70% recharged in just two minutes Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have developed a new battery that can be recharged up to 70 per cent in only 2 minutes. The battery will also have a longer lifespan of over 20 years.
	Study shows increase of CO2 in the atmosphere is lower than predicted because of plants A team of researchers in the U.S. claims that climate models used to predict the rise in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are approximately 17 percent too high because they incorrectly approximate how much CO2 plants pull from the atmosphere. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes how they studied the ability of plants to absorb increased amounts of CO2 and discovered that they are capable of pulling more out of the atmosphere than has been previously thought and the difference is approximately equal to the error difference reported by simulation models.
	Inexplicable signal provides tantalising clue about dark matter Cutting-edge paper by Professor George Fraser – who tragically died in March this year – and colleagues at the University of Leicester provides first potential indication of direct detection of Dark Matter – something that has been a mystery in physics for over 30 years.
	Lockheed Martin pursues compact fusion reactor concept Lockheed Martin is making news this week with declarations about putting the Atomic Age on Restart and advancing in the realm of energy. "We are on the fast track to developing compact nuclear fusion reactors to serve the world's ever-growing energy needs."
	Beyond LEDs: Brighter, new energy-saving flat panel lights based on carbon nanotubes Even as the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics has enshrined light emitting diodes (LEDs) as the single most significant and disruptive energy-efficient lighting solution of today, scientists around the world continue unabated to search for the even-better-bulbs of tomorrow.
	Earth's magnetic field could flip within a human lifetime Imagine the world waking up one morning to discover that all compasses pointed south instead of north.
	Drive system saves space and weight in electric cars Siemens has developed a solution for integrating an electric car's motor and inverter in a single housing. Until now, the motor and the inverter, which converts the battery's direct current into alternating current for the motor, were two separate components. The new integrated drive unit saves space, reduces weight, and cuts costs. The solution's key feature is the use of a common cooling system for both components. This ensures that the inverter's power electronics don't get too hot despite their proximity to the electric motor, and so prevents any reduction in output or service life.
	Simulation explains why Asian glaciers are not melting A team of researchers in the U.S. has built a model that appears to explain the Karakoram anomaly—where unlike other parts of the world, its mountainous glaciers are not melting. In their paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the team explains the factors that went into their model and why their simulation appears to explain the real world phenomenon.
	Once in million years: Comet buzzing Mars on Sun (AP)—The heavens are hosting an event this weekend that occurs once in a million years or so.
	Scientists build first map of hidden universe A team led by astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy has created the first three-dimensional map of the 'adolescent' Universe, just 3 billion years after the Big Bang. This map, built from data collected from the W. M. Keck Observatory, is millions of light-years across and provides a tantalizing glimpse of large structures in the 'cosmic web' – the backbone of cosmic structure.
	Researchers find oil platforms among the most productive fish habitats in the world A team of researchers in California has found that oil and natural gas platforms that exist off the coast of that state provide one of the most productive fish habitats in the world. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes their study conducted over a several year period and what it could mean for the future of such platforms.
	Quantum computing poised for new silicon revolution A dramatic increase in the amount of time data can be stored on a single atom means silicon could once again play a vital role in the development of super-fast computers.
Aluminium and its likely contribution to Alzheimer's disease A world authority on the link between human exposure to aluminium in everyday life and its likely contribution to Alzheimer's disease, Professor Christopher Exley of Keele University, UK, says in a new report that it may be inevitable that aluminium plays some role in the disease.
	Quantum test strengthens support for EPR steering Although the concept of "steering" in quantum mechanics was proposed back in 1935, it is still not completely understood today. Steering refers to the ability of one system to nonlocally affect, or steer, another system's states through local measurements. The two systems are entangled, but it is an especially strong type of entanglement in which the systems are not just correlated, but correlated in a specific direction. Schrödinger originally proposed the concepts of entanglement and steering in response to a well-known Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paper that criticized quantum mechanics.
	Top-secret space plane lands on California coast (AP)—A top-secret space plane landed Friday at an Air Force base on the Southern California coast.
	How gut bacteria ensures a healthy brain – and could play a role in treating depression One of medicine's greatest innovations in the 20th century was the development of antibiotics. It transformed our ability to combat disease. But medicine in the 21st century is rethinking its relationship with bacteria and concluding that, far from being uniformly bad for us, many of these organisms are actually essential for our health.
	Ancient fossils confirmed among our strangest cousins More than 100 years since they were first discovered, some of the world's most bizarre fossils have been identified as distant relatives of humans, thanks to the work of University of Adelaide researchers.
	Deep space 'snowball' nears close shave with Mars A comet the size of a small mountain is about to skim past Mars, and NASA hopes its spacecraft will be able to photograph the once-in-a-million-years encounter.
	NASA investigating deep-space hibernation technology Manned missions to deep space present numerous challenges. In addition to the sheer amount of food, water and air necessary to keep a crew alive for months (or years) at a time, there's also the question of keeping them busy for the entirety of a long-duration flight. Exercise is certainly an option, but the necessary equipment will take up space and be a drain on power.
	Scientists prove link between viral infection and autoimmune disease Common viral infections can pave the way to autoimmune disease, Australian scientists have revealed in breakthrough research published internationally today.

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