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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for week 45:
Fermi telescope discovers new giant structure in our galaxy (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has unveiled a previously unseen structure centered in the Milky Way. The feature spans 50,000 light-years and may be the remnant of an eruption from a supersized black hole at the center of our galaxy.
Darwin's theory of gradual evolution not supported by geological history, scientist concludes
Charles Darwin's theory of gradual evolution is not supported by geological history, New York University Geologist Michael Rampino concludes in an essay in the journal Historical Biology. In fact, Rampino notes that a more accurate theory of gradual evolution, positing that long periods of evolutionary stability are disrupted by catastrophic mass extinctions of life, was put forth by Scottish horticulturalist Patrick Matthew prior to Darwin's published work on the topic.
Quantum computers may be much easier to build than previously thought: study
Quantum computers should be much easier to build than previously thought, because they can still work with a large number of faulty or even missing components, according to a study published today in Physical Review Letters. This surprising discovery brings scientists one step closer to designing and building real-life quantum computing systems – devices that could have enormous potential across a wide range of fields, from drug design, electronics, and even code-breaking.
Structure of new form of super-hard carbon identified
(PhysOrg.com) -- An experiment in 2003 formed what was believed to be a new form of carbon, but the findings were controversial. Now two teams of scientists have used different means to identify a three-dimensional network structure called "bct-carbon," which they say could have been the structure formed in 2003.
Scientists image the sea monster of nuclear fusion: the Rayleigh-Taylor instability
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new X-ray imaging capability has taken pictures of a critical instability at the heart of Sandia's huge Z accelerator. The effort may help remove a major impediment in the worldwide, multidecade, multibillion dollar effort to harness nuclear fusion to generate electrical power from sea water.
Scottish rocks reveal key point in evolution occurred 400 million years earlier
Evidence found in Scottish rocks has revealed that a critical point in evolution took place 1.2 billion years ago -- several hundred million years earlier than scientists had previously understood.
Scientists discover novel type of magnetic wave
A team of international researchers led by physicists in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering have made a significant breakthrough in an effort to understand the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity in complex copper-oxides—one of the most studied scientific topics in history.
'Necropanspermia' suggested as a way of seeding life on Earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- Panspermia is a mechanism for spreading organic material throughout the galaxy, but the destructive effects of cosmic rays and ultraviolet light tend to mean most organisms would be destroyed or arrive on a new world broken and dead. Now Paul S. Wesson, a visiting researcher at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Canada, suggests the information contained within damaged organic material could seed new life. He terms this process necropanspermia.
Oil will run dry before substitutes roll out: study
At the current pace of research and development, global oil will run out 90 years before replacement technologies are ready, says a new University of California, Davis, study based on stock market expectations.
Study reveals the subtle dynamics underpinning how cats drink (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Cat fanciers everywhere appreciate the gravity-defying grace and exquisite balance of their feline friends. But do they know those traits extend even to the way cats lap milk?
Aboriginal astronomers observed and recorded a 'supernova-impostor' event: research
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research by Macquarie University astronomers Duane Hamacher and David Frew supports the assertion that Aboriginal Australians were active observers of the night sky and incorporated significant astronomical events into their oral traditions.
'BacillaFilla' for concrete cracks
A bacteria that can knit together cracks in concrete structures by producing a special 'glue' has been developed by a team of students at Newcastle University.
Detailed dark matter map yields clues to galaxy cluster growth
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took advantage of a giant cosmic magnifying glass to create one of the sharpest and most detailed maps of dark matter in the universe. Dark matter is an invisible and unknown substance that makes up the bulk of the universe's mass.
Nanogenerators grow strong enough to power small conventional electronics (w/ Video)
Blinking numbers on a liquid-crystal display (LCD) often indicate that a device's clock needs resetting. But in the laboratory of Zhong Lin Wang at Georgia Tech, the blinking number on a small LCD signals the success of a five-year effort to power conventional electronic devices with nanoscale generators that harvest mechanical energy from the environment using an array of tiny nanowires.
Chip-in-a-pill may be approved in 2012
(PhysOrg.com) -- Giant Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG, based in Basel, is developing a pill containing an embedded microchip, which it hopes to submit for regulatory approval in Europe within 18 months. The chip is activated by the stomach acid, and transmits information to a patch attached to the patient's skin, which then sends it on to a doctor via the Internet or a smartphone.
'Naked' scanners at US airports may be dangerous: scientists (Update)
Some US scientists warned Friday that the full-body, graphic-image X-ray scanners now being used to screen passengers and airline crews at airports around the country may be unsafe.
Recommendation letters could cost women jobs, promotions
A recommendation letter could be the chute in a woman's career ladder, according to ongoing research at Rice University. The comprehensive study shows that qualities mentioned in recommendation letters for women differ sharply from those for men, and those differences may be costing women jobs and promotions in academia and medicine.
Taming thermonuclear plasma with a snowflake
Physicists working on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory are now one step closer to solving one of the grand challenges of magnetic fusion research -- how to reduce the effect that the hot plasma has on fusion machine walls (or how to tame the plasma-material interface).
Myth of a germ-free world: A closer look at antimicrobial products
Killing microorganisms has become a national obsession. A pair of antimicrobial compounds known as triclosan and triclocarban are lately the weapons of choice in our war of attrition against the microbial world. Both chemicals are found in an array of personal care products like antimicrobial soaps, and triclosan also is formulated into everyday items ranging from plastics and toys to articles of clothing.
DNA reveals origins of first European farmers
A team of international researchers led by ancient DNA experts from the University of Adelaide has resolved the longstanding issue of the origins of the people who introduced farming to Europe some 8000 years ago.
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