| NASA STEREO observes one of the fastest CMEs on record Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:41 PM PDT On July 23, 2012, a massive cloud of solar material erupted off the sun's right side, zooming out into space, passing one of NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft along the way. Using the STEREO data, scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. clocked this giant cloud, known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME, as traveling between 1,800 and 2,200 miles per second as it left the sun.  |
| Speedy ions could add zip to quantum computers Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:33 PM PDT Take that, sports cars! Physicists can accelerate their beryllium ions from zero to 100 miles per hour and stop them in just a few microseconds. The researchers think their zippy ions may be useful in future quantum computers.  |
| Supercomputers solve riddle of congenital heart defects Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:33 PM PDT With the aid of pioneering technology, Danish scientists have charted several of the complex biological processes behind congenital heart defects. In time, the research promises to provide better ways to prevent, diagnose and cure heart disease.  |
| New system could predict solar flares, give advance warning Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:57 PM PDT Researchers may have discovered a new method to predict solar flares more than a day before they occur, providing advance warning to help protect satellites, power grids and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation.  |
| Nano, photonic research gets boost from new 3-D visualization technology Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:56 PM PDT For the first time X-ray scientists have combined high-resolution imaging with 3-D viewing of the surface layer of material using X-ray vision in a way that does not damage the sample. This new technique expands the range of X-ray research possible for biology and many aspects of nanotechnology, particularly nanofilms, photonics, and micro- and nano-electronics. This new technique also reduces "guesswork" by eliminating the need for modeling-dependent structural simulation often used in X-ray analysis.  |
| Gamma rays from galactic center could be evidence of dark matter Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT Gamma-ray photons seen emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy are consistent with the intriguing possibility that dark-matter particles are annihilating each other in space, according to new research.  |
| A new energy source: Major advance made in generating electricity from wastewater Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT Engineers have made a breakthrough in the performance of microbial fuel cells that can produce electricity directly from wastewater, opening the door to a future in which waste treatment plants not only will power themselves while cleaning sewage, but will sell excess electricity.  |
| How computation can predict group conflict: Fighting among captive pigtailed macaques provides clues Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT When conflict breaks out in social groups, individuals make strategic decisions about how to behave based on their understanding of alliances and feuds in the group. But it's been challenging to quantify the underlying trends that dictate how individuals make predictions, given they may only have seen a small number of fights or have limited memory. In a new study of primates (pigtailed macaques), scientists have developed a computational approach to determine whether individuals behave predictably.  |
| Scientists 'waltz' closer to using spintronics in computing Posted: 13 Aug 2012 09:30 AM PDT Aiming to use electron spins for storing, transporting and processing information, researchers have revealed the first-ever direct mapping of the formation of a persistent spin helix in a semiconductor.  |
| Optics and photonics research priorities, grand challenges presented in new report Posted: 13 Aug 2012 09:03 AM PDT A new report identifies research priorities and grand challenges to fill gaps in optics and photonics.  |
| Cyber security risk to smart grids and intelligent buildings Posted: 13 Aug 2012 08:54 AM PDT Building owners and designers, and particularly members of the building services industry, are racing to implement intelligent buildings and smart grids, which are widely heralded as a boon in terms of both energy efficiency and facilities management. But many are overlooking the potential risk of malicious attacks on these highly networked control systems.  |
| CERN’s Large Hadron Collider experiments bring new insight into matter of the primordial Universe Posted: 13 Aug 2012 08:54 AM PDT Experiments using heavy ions at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are advancing understanding of the primordial Universe. Scientists have made new measurements of the kind of matter that probably existed in the first instants of the Universe.  |
| Optical fibers made from common materials Posted: 13 Aug 2012 07:33 AM PDT Researchers are taking common materials to uncommon places by transforming easily obtainable and affordable materials into fiber.  |
| Scientist invents pocket living room TV Posted: 13 Aug 2012 06:20 AM PDT Leaving your TV show midway because you had to leave your home will no longer happen as you can now 'pull' the program on your TV screen onto your tablet and continue watching it seamlessly.  |
| New bacteria-resistant materials discovered Posted: 13 Aug 2012 04:40 AM PDT Using state-of-the-art technology, scientists at have discovered a new class of polymers that are resistant to bacterial attachment. These new materials could lead to a significant reduction in hospital infections and medical device failures.  |
