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Monday, February 10, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


Astronomers discover oldest star: Formed shortly after the Big Bang 13. 7 billion years ago

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 05:08 PM PST

A team of astronomers has discovered the oldest known star in the Universe, which formed shortly after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago. The discovery has allowed astronomers for the first time to study the chemistry of the first stars, giving scientists a clearer idea of what the Universe was like in its infancy.

Looking back to the cradle of our universe: Astronomers spot what may be one of most distant galaxies known

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 02:31 PM PST

NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes have spotted what might be one of the most distant galaxies known, harkening back to a time when our universe was only about 650 million years old (our universe is 13.8 billion years old). The galaxy, known as Abell2744 Y1, is about 30 times smaller than our Milky Way galaxy and is producing about 10 times more stars, as is typical for galaxies in our young universe.

Pacific trade winds stall global surface warming ... for now

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

Heat stored in the western Pacific Ocean caused by an unprecedented strengthening of the equatorial trade winds appears to be largely responsible for the hiatus in surface warming observed over the past 13 years. The strongest trade winds have driven more of the heat from global warming into the oceans; but when those winds slow, that heat will rapidly return to the atmosphere causing an abrupt rise in global average temperatures, scientists say.

Cochlear implant with no exterior hardware can be wirelessly recharged

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

Cochlear implants -- medical devices that electrically stimulate the auditory nerve -- have granted at least limited hearing to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide who otherwise would be totally deaf. Existing versions of the device, however, require that a disk-shaped transmitter about an inch in diameter be affixed to the skull, with a wire snaking down to a joint microphone and power source that looks like an oversized hearing aid around the patient's ear. Researchers have now developed a new, low-power signal-processing chip that could lead to a cochlear implant that requires no external hardware.

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