Science X Newsletter Week 14

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 14:

	New state of matter detected in a two-dimensional material An international team of researchers have found evidence of a mysterious new state of matter, first predicted 40 years ago, in a real material. This state, known as a quantum spin liquid, causes electrons - thought to be indivisible building blocks of nature - to break into pieces.
	Metal foam obliterates bullets – and that's just the beginning Composite metal foams (CMFs) are tough enough to turn an armor-piercing bullet into dust on impact. Given that these foams are also lighter than metal plating, the material has obvious implications for creating new types of body and vehicle armor – and that's just the beginning of its potential uses.
	Physicists discover flaws in superconductor theory University of Houston physicists report finding major theoretical flaws in the generally accepted understanding of how a superconductor traps and holds a magnetic field. More than 50 years ago, C.P. Bean, a scientist at General Electric, developed a theoretical explanation known as the "Bean Model" or "Critical State Model."
	NASA: Global warming is now changing how Earth wobbles Global warming is shifting the way the Earth wobbles on its polar axis, a new NASA study finds.
	New Horizons fills gap in space environment observations When NASA's New Horizons sped past Pluto on July 14, 2015, it took the best-ever pictures of the rocky world s surface, giving us new insight into its geology, composition and atmosphere. These stunning images are the most famous result of New Horizons, but the spacecraft also sent back over three years worth of measurements of the solar wind the constant flow of solar particles that the sun flings out into space from a region that has been visited by only a few spacecraft.
	Modern men lack Y chromosome genes from Neanderthals, researchers say Although it's widely known that modern humans carry traces of Neanderthal DNA, a new international study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests that Neanderthal Y-chromosome genes disappeared from the human genome long ago.
	Scientists say the 'R' in RNA may be abundant in space New research suggests that the sugar ribose - the "R" in RNA - is probably found in comets and asteroids that zip through the solar system and may be more abundant throughout the universe than was previously thought.
	Possible second Viking site discovered in North America A team of archeologists has found what may be the remains of a previously unknown Viking settlement on a south west shore of the Island of Newfoundland. If the remains can be confirmed, the site would make it just the second ever discovered that has given proof of Vikings inhabiting parts of North America. The team has been videotaping their work and a documentary of their efforts will be presented this month on PBS.
	An ancient retrovirus has been found in human DNA – and it might still be active Striking evidence has emerged that an ancient virus previously known only from fossil evidence has persistently infected some humans at very low levels for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. This ancient retrovirus is a kind of living fossil, and the discovery of an intact copy of it within the human genome poses questions as to how it has survived, and suggests others from the distant evolutionary past may lie dormant in the DNA of many species.
	Supermassive black holes may be lurking everywhere in the universe A near-record supermassive black hole discovered in a sparse area of the local universe indicates that these monster objects - this one equal to 17 billion suns - may be more common than once thought, according to University of California, Berkeley, astronomers.
	LIGO researchers suggest background noise due to gravity waves may be much greater than thought (Phys.org)—The research team working with the LIGO project has proposed that the data gleaned from the discovery of gravity waves last year allows for calculating the likely level of cosmic background noise due to gravitational waves, and that it is much greater than previous models have suggested. In their paper published in Physical Review Letters, researchers with the LIGO Scientific Collaboration along with a companion group from the Virgo Collaboration, describe their reasoning behind their estimates and why they believe they will be able to offer more support for their theory within just a few years.
	Engineers develop first transistors made entirely of nanocrystal 'inks' The transistor is the most fundamental building block of electronics, used to build circuits capable of amplifying electrical signals or switching them between the 0s and 1s at the heart of digital computation. Transistor fabrication is a highly complex process, however, requiring high-temperature, high-vacuum equipment.
	Bullet indicates Lawrence of Arabia was no liar A bullet fired by Lawrence of Arabia during one of his most famous acts of guerrilla warfare has been discovered in the Arabian desert by a team of archaeologists, led by the University of Bristol, confirming the accuracy of Lawrence's own account of the attack in his war memoir Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
	Team stores digital images in DNA—and retrieves them perfectly Technology companies routinely build sprawling data centers to store all the baby pictures, financial transactions, funny cat videos and email messages its users hoard.
	Researchers develop formula describing ghostly transfer of heat The sun's warmth crosses millions of miles of empty space to create a summer day; a campfire roasts marshmallows from several feet away. Scientists have understood the mathematics behind this ghostly transfer of heat since the late 19th century. But that math breaks down at very close quarters—within, for example, nano-scale electronics and solar electricity cells (with components separated or spanning billionths of a meter) where heat transfer is critical.
	Technicolor stores Hollywood history in a bottle A Technicolor scientist surrounded by the latest virtual reality technology inspects a vial containing a few droplets of water—and one million copies of an old movie encoded into DNA.
	World's fastest electron diffraction snapshots of atomic motions in gases Scientists have made a significant advance toward making movies of extremely fast atomic processes with potential applications in energy production, chemistry, medicine, materials science and more. Using a superfast, high-resolution "electron camera," a new instrument for ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, researchers have captured the world's fastest UED images of nitrogen molecules rotating in a gas, with a record shutter speed of 100 quadrillionths of a second.
	Populations of early human settlers grew like an 'invasive species,' researchers find Bustling cities, sprawling suburbs and blossoming agricultural regions might seem strong evidence that people have always dominated the environment. A Stanford study of South America's colonization shows that human populations did not always grow unchecked, but were at one time limited by local resources – just like any other species.
	Scientists develop 'game changing' stem cell repair system Stem cell therapies capable of regenerating any human tissue damaged by injury, disease or ageing could be available within a few years, following landmark research led by UNSW Australia researchers.
	A single ion impacts a million water molecules EPFL researchers have found that water molecules are 10,000 times more sensitive to ions than previously thought.

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