Geophysicist teams with mathematicians to describe how river rocks round
For centuries, geologists have recognized that the rocks that line riverbeds tend to be smaller and rounder further downstream. But these experts have not agreed on the reason these patterns exist....
View ArticleBrain process takes paper shape
A paper-based device that mimics the electrochemical signalling in the human brain has been created by a group of researchers from China.
View ArticleNASA moves longest-serving Mars spacecraft for new observations
(Phys.org) —NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has tweaked its orbit to help scientists make the first systematic observations of how morning fogs, clouds and surface frost develop in different seasons on...
View ArticleVitamin B12 accelerates worm development
Everyday our cells take in nutrients from food and convert them into the building blocks that make life possible. However, it has been challenging to pinpoint exactly how a single nutrient or vitamin...
View ArticleStructure of key CRISPR complex revealed
Researchers from the Broad Institute and MIT have teamed up with colleagues from the University of Tokyo to form the first high definition picture of the Cas9 complex – a key part of the CRISPR-Cas...
View ArticleTwo new weapons in the battle against bacteria
Proteases are vital proteins that serve for order within cells. They break apart other proteins, ensuring that these are properly synthesized and decomposed. Proteases are also responsible for the...
View ArticlePatented airflow system decreases pollutants from large piston engines
A patent was recently issued to Kansas State University for a system that controls the airflow to pistons in reciprocating internal combustion engines—engines powered by pistons.
View ArticleLight-induced degradation in amorphous silicon thin film solar cells: New...
Researchers at the Helmholtz Center Berlin (HZB) have taken a leap forward towards a deeper understanding of an undesired effect in thin film solar cells based on amorphous silicon – one that has...
View ArticleRewriting the text books: Scientists crack open 'black box' of development
We know much about how embryos develop, but one key stage – implantation – has remained a mystery. Now, scientists from Cambridge have discovered a way to study and film this 'black box' of...
View ArticleUS coalition calls for expansion of Wi-Fi airwaves
A newly formed coalition of US technology firms and advocacy groups called Thursday for the expansion of Wi-Fi, saying airwaves are getting congested for a key pathway to the Internet.
View ArticleSuperconductivity in orbit: Scientists find new path to loss-free electricity
(Phys.org) —Armed with just the right atomic arrangements, superconductors allow electricity to flow without loss and radically enhance energy generation, delivery, and storage. Scientists tweak these...
View ArticleNSA: Co-worker provided a digital key to Snowden (Update)
A National Security Agency employee resigned from the agency after admitting to federal investigators that he gave former National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden a digital key that allowed him...
View ArticleGraphene's love affair with water
Graphene has proven itself as a wonder material with a vast range of unique properties. Among the least-known marvels of graphene is its strange love affair with water.
View ArticleSelf-organizing robots: Robotic construction crew needs no foreman (w/ video)
On the plains of Namibia, millions of tiny termites are building a mound of soil—an 8-foot-tall "lung" for their underground nest. During a year of construction, many termites will live and die, wind...
View ArticleCrazy ants dominate fire ants by neutralizing their venom
Invasive "crazy ants" are rapidly displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern U.S. by secreting a compound that neutralizes fire ant venom, according to a University of Texas at Austin study...
View ArticleScientists reveal cosmic roadmap to galactic magnetic field
Scientists on NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, including a team leader from the University of New Hampshire, report that recent, independent measurements have validated one of the...
View ArticleAmerica's natural gas system is leaky and in need of a fix, new study finds
The first thorough comparison of evidence for natural gas system leaks confirms that organizations including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have underestimated U.S. methane emissions...
View ArticleSpanish team in Egypt finds 3,600-year-old mummy
Spanish archeologists have unearthed a 3,600-year-old mummy in the ancient city of Luxor, Egypt's Antiquities Minister said Thursday. Prosecutors accused nine people including three Germans of...
View ArticleScience unveils master painters' secrets
What hue of red was really in that Renoir masterpiece? How did Van Gogh envision his yellow flowers? And did Picasso really use housepaint?
View ArticleThalmic Labs' Alpha users explore Myo with Oculus
(Phys.org) —Gaming pundits have been predicting that 2014 will be a good year for devices that can deliver great immersive gaming experiences. Proof might lie in a match between the Oculus Rift virtual...
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