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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for week 37:
Sunspots could soon disappear for decades: study
(PhysOrg.com) -- Sunspot formation is triggered by a magnetic field, which scientists say is steadily declining. They predict that by 2016 there may be no remaining sunspots, and the sun may stay spotless for several decades. The last time the sunspots disappeared altogether was in the 17th and 18th century, and coincided with a lengthy cool period on the planet known as the Little Ice Age.
Giant spiders cast webs over river using super biomaterial
(PhysOrg.com) -- The antithesis of the itsy-bitsy spider, Caerostris darwini, a giant orb spider and namesake of Charles Darwin, weaves a web of super strength never before seen, says Dr. Todd Blackledge, Leuchtag Endowed Chair at The University of Akron.
Researchers build Moon garden
The Moon is not the most hospitable place for growing fruits and vegetables. The lack of atmosphere and natural water, extreme temperatures, and exposure to cosmic rays present some serious challenges for future inhabitants who want to pursue sustainable living on the Moon. With these challenges in mind, scientists have built a lunar greenhouse that is designed to grow plants such as potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, and peppers under the Moon's extreme conditions.
Why 'scientific consensus' fails to persuade
Suppose a close friend who is trying to figure out the facts about climate change asks whether you think a scientist who has written a book on the topic is a knowledgeable and trustworthy expert. You see from the dust jacket that the author received a Ph.D. in a pertinent field from a major university, is on the faculty at another one, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Would you advise your friend that the scientist seems like an "expert"?
Nano-Vehicle acts as cluster bomb for tumors
Chemotherapy, while an effective cancer treatment, also brings debilitating side effects such as nausea, liver toxicity, and a battered immune system. Now, a new way to deliver this life-saving therapy to cancer patients -- getting it straight to the source of the disease -- has been developed by Dan Peer and Rimona Margalit and their colleagues at Tel Aviv University. Drs. Peer and Margalit have developed a nano-sized vehicle with the ability to deliver chemotherapy drugs directly into cancer cells while avoiding interaction with healthy cells, increasing the efficiency of chemotherapeutic treatment while reducing its side effects.
Optical chip enables new approach to quantum computing
An international research group led by scientists from the University of Bristol has developed a new approach to quantum computing that could soon be used to perform complex calculations that cannot be done by today's computers.
Comets may have brought life to Earth: new study
(PhysOrg.com) -- Life on Earth as we know it really could be from out of this world. New research from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists shows that comets that crashed into Earth millions of years ago could have produced amino acids - the building blocks of life.
Dog park lit by dog poop
(PhysOrg.com) -- A methane digester called "Park Spark" has been installed in a dog park in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The device produces methane by bacterial digestion of the dog excrement, and the methane is used to light a gas-burning street lamp.
First sighting of Halley's comet pushed back two centuries
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have modeled the likely path taken by Halley's comet in the 5th century BC and compared their findings to ancient Greek texts from the period. They now suggest the ancient Greeks saw the comet, which would make the sightings over two centuries earlier than previous known observations.
Scientist proves Braess paradox 'disappears' under high traffic demands
(PhysOrg.com) -- In an urban area with a lot of traffic, adding a new road to distribute the traffic may seem like a sensible idea. But according to the Braess paradox, just the opposite occurs: a new route added in a transportation network increases the travel times of all individual travelers. Formulated in 1968 by Dietrich Braess, the paradox is not a true paradox, but rather a counter-intuitive finding regarding an everyday situation.
Fake chips threaten military
A growing deluge of millions of counterfeit chips is posing peril to the military and the general public -- and perhaps nothing illustrates it better than a scheme federal prosecutors recently revealed that stretched from Southern California to Silicon Valley.
Major report released by MIT: No shortage of uranium for nuclear energy, more research needed
Uranium supplies will not limit the expansion of nuclear power in the U.S. or around the world for the foreseeable future, according to a major new interdisciplinary study produced under the auspices of the MIT Energy Initiative.
Introspection linked to more gray matter in brain: study
A specific region of the brain appears to be larger in individuals who are good at turning their thoughts inward and reflecting upon their decisions, according to new research published in the journal Science. This act of introspection -- or "thinking about your thinking" -- is a key aspect of human consciousness, though scientists have noted plenty of variation in peoples' abilities to introspect.
Physicists cross hurdle in quantum manipulation of matter
Finding ways to control matter at the level of single atoms and electrons fascinates many scientists and engineers because the ability to manipulate single charges and single magnetic moments (spins) may help researchers penetrate deep into the mysteries of quantum mechanics and modern solid-state physics. It may also allow development of new, highly sensitive magnetometers with nanometer resolution, single-spin transistors for coherent spintronics, and solid-state devices for quantum information processing.
Scientists generate rotating electron beams
A team of EU-funded scientists has come up with a way of generating rotating electron beams. The technique, described in the journal Nature, could be used to probe the magnetic properties of materials and could even be applied to manipulate minute particles and set them in motion.
Life beyond Earth 'within our grasp', astronomer says
With a bit of luck and a new space telescope, within five years we could know the answer to a question that humanity has pondered for millennia: Is there life beyond Earth?
Researchers develop tiny projector (w/ Video)
The projector of the future, 1 cm3 of technology that can be integrated into a portable computer or mobile telephone, is about to take the market by storm.
Hubble harvests distant solar system objects
Beyond the orbit of Neptune reside countless icy rocks known as trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). One of the biggest, Pluto, is classified as a dwarf planet. The region also supplies us with comets such as famous Comet Halley. Most TNOs are small and receive little sunlight, making them faint and difficult to spot.
Temporal coherence: Future laser technology reaches new era
Even as the Linac Coherent Light Source delivers X-rays with unprecedented power, marking a new era of X-ray science, a team of SLAC researchers is working to make such X-ray lasers even better. In a paper published yesterday in Physical Review Letters, the "Echo 7" team describes their success at adding an additional, elusive property to such beams: temporal coherence.
New wave: Spin soliton could be a hit in cell phone communication (w/ Video)
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have found theoretical evidence* of a new way to generate the high-frequency waves used in modern communication devices such as cell phones. Their analysis, if supported by experimental evidence, could contribute to a new generation of wireless technology that would be more secure and resistant to interference than conventional devices.
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