Astronauts make rare Christmas Eve spacewalk (Update 2)
Two NASA astronauts stepped out Tuesday on a rare Christmas Eve spacewalk to wrap up repairs to an equipment cooling system at the International Space Station.
View ArticleNew Study Brings Scientists Closer to the Origin of RNA
(Phys.org) —One of the biggest questions in science is how life arose from the chemical soup that existed on early Earth. One theory is that RNA, a close relative of DNA, was the first genetic molecule...
View ArticleHow effective are renewable energy subsidies? Maybe not effective as...
(Phys.org) —Renewable energy subsidies have been a politically popular program over the past decade. These subsidies have led to explosive growth in wind power installations across the United States,...
View ArticleStudy highlights snowball effect of overfishing
Florida State University researchers have spearheaded a major review of fisheries data that examines the domino effect that occurs when too many fish are harvested from one habitat.
View ArticleNew circuit design allows for elimination of laptop charger brick
(Phys.org) —Power electronics maker FINsix Corporation has announced the development of what is being called the world's smallest laptop adaptor—one that is just a quarter the size of traditional...
View ArticleSuper rich benefit from 'status quo bias'
(Phys.org) —Income inequality – between the super-rich and the rest of us – and a sorry record of progressive policy initiatives from Congress all can be traced to a built-in "status quo bias" in our...
View ArticleResearchers bring radio-frequency identification technology to the supply chain
In 2000, five MIT Media Lab alumni co-founded ThingMagic to help bring radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology—wireless readers and data-transmitting tags—to the supply chain. This meant...
View ArticleResearchers open new possibilities for characterizing nanoparticle interactions
(Phys.org) —Molecules anchored to the surfaces of nanoparticles modify and even control many characteristics of the particles, including how they interact with cells or react to light. The type of...
View ArticleVariation in land-use intensity leads to higher biodiversity
If grassland is managed intensively, biodiversity typically declines. A new study led by Bernese plant ecologists shows that it is rare species that suffer the most. These negative effects could be...
View ArticleElectric-blue clouds appear over Antarctica
Data from NASA's AIM spacecraft show that noctilucent clouds are like a great "geophysical light bulb." They turn on every year in late spring, reaching almost full intensity over a period of no more...
View Article3M teams with Cambrios to produce silver nanowire ink for touch displays
(Phys.org) —3M has announced a joint venture with Cambrios Technologies, a nanotechnology company, to produce a new line of touch sensitive screens based on silver nanowire ink developed by Cambrios....
View ArticleIce storm leaves 500K without power in US, Canada
Repair crews worked around the clock to restore power to nearly half a million customers who faced a cold and dark Christmas in parts of the central and northeastern United States and into eastern...
View ArticleA smarter sock: Sensoria will watch how you step (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) —Get set for a fitness market buzzword likely to get louder in 2014, the quantitative self. Sensors embedded in wearable items communicating data via Bluetooth to people's watches,...
View ArticleEpigenetics enigma resolved: First structure of enzyme that removes methylation
Scientists have obtained the first detailed molecular structure of a member of the Tet family of enzymes.
View ArticleBGU security team says vulnerability found in Samsung Knox
(Phys.org) —Israeli researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) said a security flaw was discovered by a team member, a PhD student, and that this vulnerability could enable interception of...
View ArticleApple is granted hover and heart-rate monitoring patents
(Phys.org) —Apple has been awarded patents that include one for an accurate touch and hover panel, originally filed back in 2010, and another for an embedded heart rate monitor, originally filed in...
View ArticleAmazon to compensate customers for late gifts
Amazon Thursday said it would give $20 gift cards and pay shipping costs for customers affected by problems at UPS and FedEx that delayed some Christmas package deliveries.
View ArticleGenetic discovery points the way to much bigger yields in tomato, other...
Every gardener knows the look of a ripe tomato. That bright red color, that warm earthy smell, and the sweet juicy flavor are hard to resist. But commercial tomato plants have a very different look...
View ArticleBatteries as they are meant to be seen
Researchers have developed a way to microscopically view battery electrodes while they are bathed in wet electrolytes, mimicking realistic conditions inside actual batteries. While life sciences...
View ArticleJack-of-all-trades slows down evolutionary tree
All living organisms are tips of an evolutionary tree that emerged over 3.5 billion years from a single common ancestor. Research in the Department of Bionanoscience at Delft University of Technology...
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