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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 15:
On the origins of the Schrodinger equation
(Phys.org) �One of the cornerstones of quantum physics is the Schr�dinger equation, which describes what a system of quantum objects such as atoms and subatomic particles will do in the future based on its current state. The classical analogies are Newton's second law and Hamiltonian mechanics, which predict what a classical system will do in the future given its current configuration. Although the Schr�dinger equation was published in 1926, the authors of a new study explain that the equation's origins are still not fully appreciated by many physicists.
The Velkess Flywheel: A more flexible energy storage technology
(Phys.org) �A new Kickstarter project called Velkess (Very Large Kinetic Energy Storage System) has recently gotten underway to bring an inexpensive flywheel to market. The project is headed by Bill Gray, who has taken a unique approach to flywheel design�a flexible rotor made of "E-glass," a common fiberglass used in everything from sporting goods to shower doors. Rather than use advanced carbon-fiber composites manufactured to exact tolerances, Gray's soft rotor flexes in response to destabilizing forces. It is thereby able to adjust to speed transitions that confound other designs.
First algae powered building goes up in Hamburg
(Phys.org) �A 15-unit apartment building has been constructed in the German city of Hamburg that has 129 algae filled louvered tanks hanging over the exterior of the south-east and south-west sides of the building�making it the first in the world to be powered exclusively by algae. Designed by Arup, SSC Strategic Science Consultants and Splitterwerk Architects, and named the Bio Intelligent Quotient (BIQ) House, the building demonstrates the ability to use algae as a way to heat and cool large buildings.
'Spooky action at a distance' aboard the ISS
(Phys.org) �Albert Einstein famously described quantum entanglement as "spooky action at distance"; however, up until now experiments that examine this peculiar aspect of physics have been limited to relatively small distances on Earth.
Thin layer of germanium may replace silicon in semiconductors
(Phys.org) �The same material that formed the first primitive transistors more than 60 years ago can be modified in a new way to advance future electronics, according to a new study.
Nanowires have the power to revolutionize solar energy (w/ video)
(Phys.org) �Capture up to 12 times more light to produce more energy? Nanowires do just that and surpass expectations on solar energy production.
Computer scientists develop video game that teaches how to program in Java
Computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have developed an immersive, first-person player video game designed to teach students in elementary to high school how to program in Java, one of the most common programming languages in use today.
German bank reports solar power cost in India and Italy has reached grid parity
(Phys.org) �Germany's Deutsche Bank has released a report that concludes that generating electricity using solar collectors has reached grid parity�cost competitiveness with other industry standard sources�in some countries. Analysts with the bank claim that both India and Italy have reached grid parity and that other countries are poised to do so over the next couple of years.
Northern hemisphere summers warmest in 600 years (Update)
Harvard researchers are adding statistical nuance to our understanding of how modern and historical temperatures compare.
The distant cosmos as seen in the infrared
(Phys.org) �At some stage after its birth in the big bang, the universe began to make galaxies. No one knows exactly when, or how, this occurred. For that matter, astronomers do not know how the lineages of our own Milky Way galaxy and its stars trace back to those first galaxies and their first stars, but astronomers have been working hard to find out. The Hubble Space Telescope announced in 1996 that it had stared at apparently dark sky for ten days at optical wavelengths, long enough to acquire a picture of the very distant universe. The resultant image, the Hubble Deep Field (HDF), reveals galaxies that are so far away that they existed when the universe was less than about 5% of its present age of 14 billion years. Since 1996 astronomers have been working to understand exactly what kinds of galaxies these remote objects are, and whether they bear any resemblance to our own Milky Way galaxy, either as it is now, or as it was when it was younger.
COMAN: Researchers build first fully-limbed passive compliant robot (w/ video)
(Phys.org) �Researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology with funding from the European AMARSI project have built the first passive compliant robot that features both arms and legs. Passive compliant robots are those that have flexible joints that allow the robot to move in more human-like ways. The new robot, called the COmpliant huMANoid (COMAN), is approximately the size of a child and is able to maintain its upright position even when knocked around.
PC sales plunge as Windows 8 flops (Update 2)
Two somber new reports show unprecedented declines in desktop and laptop sales during the first three months of the year�signs that the personal computer market may never fully recover from a new generation of mobile devices.
World's oldest dinosaur embryo bonebed yields organic remains
The great age of the embryos is unusual because almost all known dinosaur embryos are from the Cretaceous Period. The Cretaceous ended some 125 million years after the bones at the Lufeng site were buried and fossilized.
Stephen Hawking: Explore space for humanity's sake
Stephen Hawking, the British physicist who spent his career decoding the universe and even experienced weightlessness, is urging the continuation of space exploration�for humanity's sake.
Australopithecus sediba hominin: New study reveals how human ancestor walked, chewed, and moved
A team of scientists has pieced together how the hominid Australopithecus sediba (Au. sediba) walked, chewed, and moved nearly two million years ago. Their research, which appears in six papers in the latest issue of the journal Science, also shows that Au. sediba had a notable feature that differed from that of modern humans�a functionally longer and more flexible lower back.
Superheated Bose-Einstein condensate exists above critical temperature
(Phys.org) �At very low temperatures, near absolute zero, multiple particles called bosons can form an unusual state of matter in which a large fraction of the bosons in a gas occupy the same quantum state�the lowest one�to form a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). In a sense, the bosons lose their individual identities and behave like a single, very large atom. But while previously BECs have only existed below a critical temperature, scientists in a new study have shown that BECs can exist above this critical temperature for more than a minute when different components of the gas evolve at different rates.
Penis size does matter to women, researchers say in PNAS study (w/ Video)
The eternal question of whether penis size matters to women has been probed by a team of international scientists who reported on Monday that yes, ladies do find larger men more attractive.
Scientists map elusive 3-D structure of telomerase enzyme, key actor in cancer, aging
(Medical Xpress)�Like finally seeing all the gears of a watch and how they work together, researchers from UCLA and UC Berkeley have, for the first time ever, solved the puzzle of how the various components of an entire telomerase enzyme complex fit together and function in a three-dimensional structure.
Remaining Martian atmosphere still dynamic
(Phys.org) �Mars has lost much of its original atmosphere, but what's left remains quite active, recent findings from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity indicate. Rover team members reported diverse findings today at the European Geosciences Union 2013 General Assembly, in Vienna.
Bean leaves can trap bed bugs: Next step is to perfect synthetic materials that can do the same
Inspired by a traditional Balkan bedbug remedy, researchers have documented how microscopic hairs on kidney bean leaves effectively stab and trap the biting insects, according to findings published online today in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. Scientists at UC Irvine and the University of Kentucky are now developing materials that mimic the geometry of the leaves.
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