Science X Newsletter Week 25

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 25:

	Researchers discover first sensor of Earth's magnetic field in an animal A team of scientists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin has identified the first sensor of the Earth's magnetic field in an animal, finding in the brain of a tiny worm a big clue to a long-held mystery about how animals' internal compasses work.
	Self-awareness not unique to mankind Humans are unlikely to be the only animal capable of self-awareness, a new study has shown.
	Saharan silver ants can control electromagnetic waves over extremely broad spectrum range Nanfang Yu, assistant professor of applied physics at Columbia Engineering, and colleagues from the University of Zürich and the University of Washington, have discovered two key strategies that enable Saharan silver ants to stay cool in one of the hottest terrestrial environments on Earth. Yu's team is the first to demonstrate that the ants use a coat of uniquely shaped hairs to control electromagnetic waves over an extremely broad range from the solar spectrum (visible and near-infrared) to the thermal radiation spectrum (mid-infrared), and that different physical mechanisms are used in different spectral bands to realize the same biological function of reducing body temperature. Their research, "Saharan silver ants keep cool by combining enhanced optical reflection and radiative heat dissipation," is published June 18 in Science magazine.
	Renewable energy from evaporating water (w/ Video) An immensely powerful yet invisible force pulls water from the earth to the top of the tallest redwood and delivers snow to the tops of the Himalayas. Yet despite the power of evaporating water, its potential to propel self-sufficient devices or produce electricity has remained largely untapped—until now.
	Graphene gets bright: World's thinnest lightbulb developed Led by Young Duck Kim, a postdoctoral research scientist in James Hone's group at Columbia Engineering, a team of scientists from Columbia, Seoul National University (SNU), and Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) reported today that they have demonstrated—for the first time—an on-chip visible light source using graphene, an atomically thin and perfectly crystalline form of carbon, as a filament. They attached small strips of graphene to metal electrodes, suspended the strips above the substrate, and passed a current through the filaments to cause them to heat up. The study, "Bright visible light emission from graphene," is published in the Advance Online Publication on Nature Nanotechnology's website on June 15.
Sixth mass extinction is here, researcher declares There is no longer any doubt: We are entering a mass extinction that threatens humanity's existence.
	What's on the surface of a black hole? Not 'firewall'—and nature of universe depends on it, physicist explains Are black holes the ruthless killers we've made them out to be?
	Pluto just 4 weeks, 20 million miles away for spacecraft NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is at Pluto's doorstep, following an incredible journey of nine years and 3 billion miles.
	Chemists are first to see elements transform at atomic scale Chemists at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences, collaborating with PerkinElmer and UCL (University College London), have witnessed atoms of one chemical element morph into another for the first time ever—a feat that produced an unexpected outcome that could lead to a new way to safely treat cancer with radiation.
	Chemists devise technology that could transform solar energy storage The materials in most of today's residential rooftop solar panels can store energy from the sun for only a few microseconds at a time. A new technology developed by chemists at UCLA is capable of storing solar energy for up to several weeks—an advance that could change the way scientists think about designing solar cells.
	Einstein saves the quantum cat Einstein's theory of time and space will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. Even today it captures the imagination of scientists. In an international collaboration, researchers from the universities of Vienna, Harvard and Queensland have now discovered that this world-famous theory can explain yet another puzzling phenomenon: the transition from quantum behavior to our classical, everyday world. Their results are published in the journal Nature Physics.
	Titan's atmosphere even more Earth-like than previously thought Scientists at UCL have observed how a widespread polar wind is driving gas from the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. The team analysed data gathered over seven years by the international Cassini probe, and found that the interactions between Titan's atmosphere, and the solar magnetic field and radiation, create a wind of hydrocarbons and nitriles being blown away from its polar regions into space. This is very similar to the wind observed coming from the Earth's polar regions.
	Magnetic field discovery gives clues to galaxy-formation processes Astronomers making a detailed, multi-telescope study of a nearby galaxy have discovered a magnetic field coiled around the galaxy's main spiral arm. The discovery, they said, helps explain how galactic spiral arms are formed. The same study also shows how gas can be funneled inward toward the galaxy's center, which possibly hosts a black hole.
	Eating up to 100 g of chocolate daily linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk Eating up to 100 g of chocolate every day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk, finds research published online in the journal Heart.
	New 'molecular movie' reveals ultrafast chemistry in motion Scientists for the first time tracked ultrafast structural changes, captured in quadrillionths-of-a-second steps, as ring-shaped gas molecules burst open and unraveled. Ring-shaped molecules are abundant in biochemistry and also form the basis for many drug compounds. The study points the way to a wide range of real-time X-ray studies of gas-based chemical reactions that are vital to biological processes.
	Lifelike bionic hand functions via 14 precision grips The first UK user of a substantially lifelike hand is 29-year-old Nicky Ashwell, who was fitted with the prosthetic, called the bebionic. The event marks a step up in the development of smaller, versatile myoelectric hands. The bebionic and its technology were showcased Tuesday at a UK launch, at the London Prosthetics Center.
	Newfound groups of bacteria are mixing up the tree of life University of California, Berkeley, scientists have identified more than 35 new groups of bacteria, clarifying a mysterious branch of the tree of life that has been hazy because these microbes can't be reared and studied in the lab.
	Scientists discover a bacterium that "breathes" uranium and renders it immobile A strain of bacteria that "breathes" uranium may hold the key to cleaning up polluted groundwater at sites where uranium ore was processed to make nuclear weapons.
	Simple hydrogen storage solution is powered by solar energy (Phys.org)—By using solar energy to reversibly attach and detach hydrogen atoms on a 6-carbon ring called benzene, scientists have developed a simple and efficient method to store, transport, and release hydrogen potentially on a large scale. The hydrogen storage problem is currently one of the biggest challenges facing the development of hydrogen as a widespread energy carrier, and the researchers hope that the new strategy may lead to a safe and inexpensive solution to this problem.
	The physics of badminton (Phys.org)—When it comes to flying projectiles, the badminton shuttlecock or "birdie" is unusual in that it flips on impact with a racket so that it always flies cork-first. This flipping motion arises from the fact that, unlike almost all other sports projectiles, the shuttlecock has a conical shape and, because the cork is much denser than the feathers, a non-homogeneous mass.

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