Wednesday 31 January 2018

Dinosaur age meets the space age

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A slab of sandstone found on the campus of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland may help scientists rewrite the history of mammal and dinosaur co-existence during the Cretaceous era.
via Science Daily
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The Super Blue Blood Moon: Pictures From an Astronomical Hat Trick

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Around the world, people woke up early or stayed up late to take in the cosmic coincidence of a blue moon, a supermoon and a lunar eclipse.
via New York Times

Skin-inspired coating that's as hard as teeth and can heal itself

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Self-healing smart coatings could someday make scratches on cell phones a thing of the past. But researchers often have to compromise between strength and the ability to self-repair when developing these materials. Now, one group reports the development of a smart coating that is as hard as tooth enamel on the outside but can heal itself like skin can.
via Science Daily

Emission from the center of a galaxy has a serpentine shape

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An international group of scientists has discovered a peculiar spiral jet with many twists.
via Science Daily
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Astronomers find one of the first stars formed in the Milky Way

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Researchers have identified a star which is a key to the formation of the first chemical elements in the Galaxy.
via Science Daily
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Where NASA Put a Parking Lot, Dinosaurs and Mammals Once Crossed Paths

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An 8.5-foot-long slab found in Maryland preserved tracks left by prehistoric creatures. The site was almost obliterated before the rock was unearthed.
via New York Times

Tuesday 30 January 2018

Stellar embryos in nearby dwarf galaxy contain surprisingly complex organic molecules

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The nearby dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a chemically primitive place. Unlike the Milky Way, this semi-spiral collection of a few tens-of-billions of stars lacks our galaxy's rich abundance of heavy elements, like carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. With such a dearth of heavy elements, astronomers predict that the LMC should contain a comparatively paltry amount of complex carbon-based molecules. Previous observations of the LMC seem to support that view. New observations have uncovered the surprisingly clear chemical 'fingerprints' of the complex organic molecules methanol, dimethyl ether, and methyl formate. Though previous observations found hints of methanol in the LMC, the latter two are unprecedented findings and stand as the most complex molecules ever conclusively detected outside of our galaxy.
via Science Daily
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Stellar magnetism: What's behind the most brilliant lights in the sky?

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Space physicists have just released unprecedented detail on a bizarre phenomenon that powers the northern lights, solar flares and coronal mass ejections (the biggest explosions in our solar system).
via Science Daily
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Newborns or survivors? The unexpected matter found in hostile black hole winds

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The existence of large numbers of molecules in winds powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies has puzzled astronomers since they were discovered more than a decade ago. Molecules trace the coldest parts of space, and black holes are the most energetic phenomena in the universe, so finding molecules in black hole winds was like discovering ice in a furnace. A new theory predicts the molecules are born in the winds with unique properties that enable them to adapt to and thrive in the hostile environment.
via Science Daily
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Particle physics on the brain

A PET scan of the human brain showing energy consumption. The brain consumes seven times less power than a typical laptop but is capable of far more complex tasks. (Image credit: Jens Maus, Wikimedia Commons)

Understanding the fundamental constituents of the universe is tough. Making sense of the brain is another challenge entirely. Each cubic millimetre of human brain contains around 4 km of neuronal “wires” carrying millivolt-level signals, connecting innumerable cells that define everything we are and do. The ancient Egyptians already knew that different parts of the brain govern different physical functions, and a couple of centuries have passed since physicians entertained crowds by passing currents through corpses to make them seem alive. But only in recent decades have neuroscientists been able to delve deep into the brain’s circuitry.

On 25 January, speaking to a packed audience in CERN’s theory department, Vijay Balasubramanian of the University of Pennsylvania described a physicist's approach to solving the brain. Balasubramanian did his PhD in theoretical particle physics at Princeton University and also worked on the UA1 experiment at CERN’s Super Proton Synchrotron in the 1980s. Today his research ranges from string theory to theoretical biophysics, where he applies methodologies common in physics to model the neural topography of information processing in the brain.

“We are using, as far as we can, hard mathematics to make real, quantitative, testable predictions, which is unusual in biology.” - Vijay Balasubramanian

The brain's basic architecture is reasonably well understood. Highly complex sensory and cognitive tasks are carried out by the cooperative action of many specialised neurons and circuits, each of which has a surprisingly simple function. Balasubramanian used examples including our sense of smell, which allows humans and other animals to distinguish vast arrays of odour mixtures using very limited neural resources, and our “sense of place" (how we mentally represent our physical location) to demonstrate that brains have evolved neural circuits that exploit sophisticated principles of mathematics – some of which are only now being discovered.

Remarkably, predictions made by fairly crude models are turning out to describe the brain’s circuits rather well, often challenging traditional thinking. In general, Balasubramanian’s calculations suggest that animals have evolved to get the biggest cognitive bang for the least possible number of neurons. “Neurons are expensive!” he says, pointing out that the brain makes up just two per cent of our bodyweight but represents 20 per cent of our metabolic load. The brain consumes just 12W of power, seven times less than a typical laptop computer, yet boasts significantly more computational power harnessed to perform subtler functions. “The brain can make us fall in love, whereas the computer hardly recognizes a face,” he says.

Still, Balasubramanian thinks humans overestimate their cognitive abilities: we are not quite as special as we think we are. He argues that the majority of our brain’s behaviour stems from primal wiring that is common to most vertebrates. While a quantitative understanding of higher concepts such as “thoughts” or “consciousness” is still far off, clearly there is fertile ground for physicists to explore in the fast changing world of neuroscience.

Watch the recording of Balasubramanian's CERN talk here.


via CERN: Updates for the general public
https://home.cern/about/updates/2018/01/particle-physics-brain

Trilobites: Watch the Super Blood Blue Moon Before You Go to Work on Wednesday

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On Wednesday, Earth will cast its shadow over the second full moon of January, making it turn red in a lunar eclipse. Here’s when and where you can see it.
via New York Times

Monday 29 January 2018

Astrochemists reveal the magnetic secrets of methanol

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A team of scientists has solved an important puzzle in astrochemistry: how to measure magnetic fields in space using methanol, the simplest form of alcohol. Their results give astronomers a new way of investigating how massive stars are born.
via Science Daily
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NASA poised to topple a planet-finding barrier

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Astronomers have shown for the first time that they can dynamically detect subatomic- or picometer-sized distortions -- changes that are far smaller than an atom -- across a five-foot segmented telescope mirror and its support structure.
via Science Daily
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Hidden cluster revealed

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Space Science Image of the Week: Next to the brightest star in the night sky lies a cluster of stars discovered by ESA’s Gaia satellite
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2018/01/Obscured_Sirius_reveals_Gaia_1_cluster

Sunday 28 January 2018

Is This Shiny Satellite Sky Art or ‘Space Graffiti’?

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The launch of a spinning geodesic sphere called the Humanity Star has set off concerns about the growing number of bright objects illuminating the dark sky.
via New York Times

Saturday 27 January 2018

Trilobites: A Suitcase-Size Satellite’s Big Photo of Frozen Earth Below

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A new image of Alaska from the recently launched Iceye satellite show how much you can accomplish with a tiny satellite.
via New York Times

Friday 26 January 2018

Graphene oxide is ‘sensed’ by specialized cells of the immune system

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A new study shows that our immune system handles graphene oxide in a manner similar to pathogens, paving the way for safer biomedical applications of this two-dimensional material.
via Science Daily

Microbes may help astronauts transform human waste into food

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Human waste may one day be a valuable resource for astronauts on deep-space missions. Now, a research team has shown that it is possible to rapidly break down solid and liquid waste to grow food with a series of microbial reactors, while simultaneously minimizing pathogen growth.
via Science Daily
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Thursday 25 January 2018

Sensor the size of a nitrogen atom investigates hard drives

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With electronics components getting ever smaller, quantum technology presents new opportunities for miniaturization. Soon a new quantum sensor will be able to measure the tiny magnetic fields of the next generation of hard discs.
via Science Daily

Wednesday 24 January 2018

Adding graphene girders to silicon electrodes could double the life of lithium batteries

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New research has found an effective approach to replacing graphite in the anodes of lithium-ion batteries using silicon, by reinforcing the anode's structure with graphene girders. This could more than double the life of rechargeable lithium-ion based batteries and also increase the capacity delivered by those batteries.
via Science Daily

A new 'atmospheric disequilibrium' could help detect life on other planets

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A new study has found a simple approach to look for life that might be more promising than just looking for oxygen.
via Science Daily
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Engineers develop flexible, water-repellent graphene circuits for washable electronics

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Nanoengineers are finding new ways to use graphene printing technology. A new research paper describes how they're treating printed graphene with lasers to create electronic circuits that repel water. That could lead to washable electronics and better biological sensors.
via Science Daily

Chasing dark matter with oldest stars in the Milky Way

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Just how quickly is the dark matter near Earth zipping around? The speed of dark matter has far-reaching consequences for modern astrophysical research, but this fundamental property has eluded researchers for years. Researchers have now provided the first clue: The solution to this mystery, it turns out, lies among some of the oldest stars in the galaxy. 
via Science Daily
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LISA Pathfinder wins American Astronautical Society award

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ESA’s LISA Pathfinder mission has been honoured with the 2017 Space Technology Award of the American Astronautical Society.


via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/LISA_Pathfinder_wins_American_Astronautical_Society_award

Tuesday 23 January 2018

The Google Lunar X Prize’s Race to the Moon Is Over. Nobody Won.

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None of the remaining competitors for the $20 million award will be able to get off the ground by March 31, a deadline that had already been extended multiple times.
via New York Times

Scientist unlocks gamma ray burst secrets

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Scientists have recreated the first ever mini version of a gamma ray burst in a laboratory, opening up a whole new way to investigate their properties and potentially unlocking some of the mysteries around possible alien civilizations.
via Science Daily
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Astronomers produce first detailed images of surface of giant star

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An international team of astronomers has produced the first detailed images of the surface of a giant star outside our solar system, revealing a nearly circular, dust-free atmosphere with complex areas of moving material, known as convection cells or granules, according to a recent study.
via Science Daily
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CERN at the World Economic Forum

CERN Director-General, Fabiola Gianotti, (second from right) joins her fellow co-chairs at the World Economic Forum press conference earlier today. (Image: WEF)

This week, CERN's Director-General, Fabiola Gianotti, is attending the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos as co-chair.

Among the discussions and exchanges, she will be taking part in a panel discussion today at 6pm CET entitled "Creating a shared future in a fractured world" alongside fellow co-chairs Chetna Sinha, Erna Solberg, Christine Lagarde, Sharan Burrow, Ginni Rometty and Isabelle Kocher. Watch it live here.

On Thursday 25 January, she will take part in a panel discussion at 11.50am CET "Creating a shared future through education and empowerment" alongside Justin Trudeau, Orit Gadiesh and Malala Yousafzai. Watch it live here.

"It is a great honour to have been chosen for this role and I hope to show the importance of scientific input in global discussions," says Fabiola Gianotti.

"I will take this great opportunity to highlight the role of fundamental science in the progress of knowledge, as a driver of innovation to the benefit of society and as a way to foster peaceful collaboration among people from all over the world. I will also emphasise the importance of education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and of open access to scientific results and developments for all."

Read more about how she believes that science is universal and unifying.


via CERN: Updates for the general public
https://home.cern/about/updates/2018/01/cern-world-economic-forum-0

Monday 22 January 2018

First evidence of winds outside black holes throughout their mealtimes

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New research shows the first evidence of strong winds around black holes throughout bright outburst events when a black hole rapidly consumes mass. The study sheds new light on how mass transfers to black holes and how black holes can affect the environment around them.
via Science Daily
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New for three types of extreme-energy space particles: Theory shows unified origin

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One of the biggest mysteries in astroparticle physics has been the origins of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, very high-energy neutrinos, and high-energy gamma rays. Now, a new theoretical model reveals that they all could be shot out into space after cosmic rays are accelerated by powerful jets from supermassive black holes. The model may set a new milestone on the path toward solving the half-century-old enigma of the origin of the highest-energy particles in the universe.
via Science Daily
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SpaceX’s Big Rocket, the Falcon Heavy, Finally Reaches the Launchpad

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After years of delay, the Falcon Heavy — a beefed-up version of SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 — could launch in the weeks ahead.
via New York Times

A 'hot Jupiter' with unusual winds

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The hottest point on a gaseous planet near a distant star isn't where astrophysicists expected it to be -- a discovery that challenges scientists' understanding of the many planets of this type found in solar systems outside our own.
via Science Daily
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Viruses are everywhere, maybe even in space

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Viruses are the most abundant and one of the least understood biological entities on Earth. They might also exist in space, but as of yet scientists have done almost no research into this possibility.
via Science Daily
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Comet storm

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Space Science Image of the Week: Every day is a dust-stormy day at a comet
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2018/01/Comet_storm

2d tin (stanene) without buckling: A possible topological insulator

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Researchers produce 2D sheets of tin atoms predicted to have exotic uses in electronics.
via Science Daily

Saturday 20 January 2018

Middle-aged sun observed by tracking motion of Mercury

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Like the waistband of a couch potato in midlife, the orbits of planets in our solar system are expanding. It happens because the Sun's gravitational grip gradually weakens as our star ages and loses mass. Now, scientists have indirectly measured this mass loss and other solar parameters by looking at changes in Mercury's orbit.
via Science Daily
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Friday 19 January 2018

Neutron-star merger yields new puzzle for astrophysicists

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The afterglow from the distant neutron-star merger detected last August has continued to brighten - much to the surprise of astrophysicists studying the aftermath of the massive collision that took place about 138 million light years away and sent gravitational waves rippling through the universe. New observations indicate that the gamma ray burst unleashed by the collision is more complex than scientists initially imagined.
via Science Daily
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Challenging existing models of black holes

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A new study expands the scientific community's understanding of black holes in our galaxy and the magnetic fields that surround them.
via Science Daily
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Next piece of puzzle arrives for ProtoDUNE

Thursday 18 January 2018

Using crumpled graphene balls to make better batteries

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The paper ball-like graphene particles stack into a porous scaffold to suppress filament growth of lithium metal that degrades the battery.
via Science Daily

North, east, south, west: The many faces of Abell 1758

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Resembling a swarm of flickering fireflies, this beautiful galaxy cluster glows intensely in the dark cosmos, accompanied by the myriad bright lights of foreground stars and swirling spiral galaxies. A1758N is a sub-cluster of Abell 1758, a massive cluster containing hundreds of galaxies. Although it may appear serene in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, the sub-cluster actually comprises two even smaller structures currently in the turbulent process of merging.
via Science Daily
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Meteoritic stardust unlocks timing of supernova dust formation

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Dust is everywhere -- not just in your attic or under your bed, but also in outer space. To astronomers, dust can be a tool to study the history of our universe, galaxy, and Solar System. For example, observations indicate that type II supernovae -- explosions of stars more than ten times as massive as the Sun -- produce copious amounts of dust, but how and when they do so is not well understood.
via Science Daily
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Trilobites: Are Earthquakes More Likely During Full Moons? That’s a Myth, Study Finds

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A seismologist scrutinized hundreds of strong earthquakes over four centuries and found no relationship to lunar cycles.
via New York Times

New technique for finding life on Mars

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Miniaturized scientific instruments and new microbiology techniques successfully identified and characterized microorganisms living in Arctic permafrost -- one of the closest analogs to Mars on Earth. By avoiding delays that come with having to return samples to a laboratory for analysis, the methodology could also be used on Earth to detect and identify pathogens during epidemics in remote areas.
via Science Daily
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Long-lived physics

The CMS experiment is looking for exotic long-lived particles that could get trapped in its detector layers (Image: Michael Hoch, Maximilien Brice/CERN)

New particles produced in the LHC’s high-energy proton-proton collisions don’t hang around for long. A Higgs boson exists for less than a thousandth of a billionth of a billionth of a second before decaying into lighter particles, which can then be tracked or stopped in our detectors. Nothing rules out the existence of much longer-lived particles though, and certain theoretical scenarios predict that such extraordinary objects could get trapped in the LHC detectors, sitting there quietly for days.

The CMS collaboration has reported new results in its search for heavy long-lived particles (LLPs), which could lose their kinetic energy and come to a standstill in the LHC detectors. Provided that the particles live for longer than a few tens of nanoseconds, their decay would be visible during periods when no LHC collisions are taking place, producing a stream of ordinary matter seemingly out of nowhere.

The CMS team looked for these types of non-collision events in the densest detector materials of the experiment, where the long-lived particles are most likely to be stopped, based on LHC collisions in 2015 and 2016. Despite scouring data from a period of more than 700 hours, nothing strange was spotted. The results set the tightest cross-section and mass limits for hadronically-decaying long-lived particles that stop in the detector to date, and the first limits on stopped long-lived particles produced in proton-proton collisions at an energy of 13 TeV.

The Standard Model, the theoretical framework that describes all the elementary particles, was vindicated in 2012 with the discovery of the Higgs boson. But some of the universe’s biggest mysteries remain unexplained, such as why matter prevailed over antimatter in the early universe or what exactly dark matter is. Long-lived particles are among numerous exotic species that would help address these mysteries and their discovery would constitute a clear sign of physics beyond the Standard Model. In particular, the decays searched for in CMS concerned long-lived gluinos arising in a model called “split” supersymmetry (SUSY) and exotic particles called “MCHAMPs”.

While the search for long-lived particles at the LHC is making rapid progress at both CMS and ATLAS, the construction of a dedicated LLP detector has been proposed for the high-luminosity era of the LHC. MATHUSLA (Massive Timing Hodoscope for Ultra Stable Neutral Particles) is planned to be a surface detector placed 100 metres above either ATLAS or CMS. It would be an enormous (200 × 200 × 20 m) box, mostly empty except for the very sensitive equipment used to detect LLPs produced in LHC collisions.

Since LLPs interact weakly with ordinary matter, they will experience no trouble travelling through the rocks between the underground experiment and MATHUSLA. This process is similar to how weakly interacting cosmic rays travel through the atmosphere and pass through the Earth to reach our underground detectors, only in reverse. If constructed, the experiment will explore many more scenarios and bring us closer to discovering new physics.


via CERN: Updates for the general public
https://home.cern/about/updates/2018/01/long-lived-physics

Crater Neukum named after Mars Express founder

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A fascinating martian crater has been chosen to honour the German physicist and planetary scientist, Gerhard Neukum, one of the founders of ESA’s Mars Express mission.


via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Crater_Neukum_named_after_Mars_Express_founder

Wednesday 17 January 2018

Semiconductor breakthrough may be game-changer for organic solar cells

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In an advance that could push cheap, ubiquitous solar power closer to reality, researchers have found a way to coax electrons to travel much further than was previously thought possible in the materials often used for organic solar cells and other organic semiconductors.
via Science Daily

Fireball Cuts Through the Sky Over Michigan as Meteor Falls

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Videos showed a bright flash of light, followed by a pop almost like a light bulb burning out.
via New York Times

Ultra-thin memory storage device paves way for more powerful computing

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A team of electrical engineers has developed the thinnest memory storage device with dense memory capacity, paving the way for faster, smaller and smarter computer chips for everything from consumer electronics to big data to brain-inspired computing.
via Science Daily

Physicists succeed in measuring mechanical properties of 2-D monolayer materials

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Physicists have for the first time succeeded in characterizing the mechanical properties of free-standing single-atom-thick membranes of graphene.
via Science Daily

Odd behavior of star reveals lonely black hole hiding in giant star cluster

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Astronomers using ESO's MUSE instrument on the Very Large Telescope in Chile have discovered a star in the cluster NGC 3201 that is behaving very strangely. It appears to be orbiting an invisible black hole with about four times the mass of the sun -- the first such inactive stellar-mass black hole found in a globular cluster and the first found by directly detecting its gravitational pull.
via Science Daily
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Graphenea launches 6" graphene wafer on all substrates

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Graphenea has launched a new 6" graphene wafer on all the company’s standard substrates. This wafer is of an industrial size for small scale devices, meaning that the new product can be integrated in commercial fabrication lines, for applications such as MEMS, NEMS, electronics and sensing. The new product is a landmark, as smaller wafers such as the 4" ones are used for R&D only. The large area of the wafer also allows competitive pricing, at a cost 28% lower (per unit area) than the existing 4" CVD graphene wafer.

2017 was marked by a growing production capacity, which resulted from intense continuous investment in both the graphene oxide and CVD film product lines. The growth of Graphenea production capacity is driven by the demand of the growing graphene market.

The company is now pleased to announce that it is now offering graphene on 6" (150mm) substrates. The graphene films will be available on all of the company’s standard substrates (Cu, SiO2/Si, quartz, PET & PEN), as well as an option for the company’s custom transfer service to the customer’s own substrate. Just like all of Graphenea’s other CVD Graphene products, the films are produced and transferred in a Class 1000 cleanroom that fulfills a quality management system with an ISO 9001 certification.


via Graphenea

Tuesday 16 January 2018

Hubble weighs in on mass of 3 million billion suns

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In 2014, astronomers found an enormous galaxy cluster contains the mass of a staggering three million billion suns -- so it's little wonder that it has earned the nickname of "El Gordo" ("the Fat One" in Spanish)! Known officially as ACT-CLJ0102-4915, it is the largest, hottest, and brightest X-ray galaxy cluster ever discovered in the distant Universe.
via Science Daily
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New catalyst for hydrogen production is a step toward clean fuel

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A nanostructured composite material has shown impressive performance as a catalyst for the electrochemical splitting of water to produce hydrogen. An efficient, low-cost catalyst is essential for realizing the promise of hydrogen as a clean, environmentally friendly fuel.
via Science Daily

Q&A: Eyes in the Skies

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Instead of sending probes to faraway planets, why not hitch them to comets?
via New York Times

High performance CNT catalyst relating to its electroconductivity

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Biofuels were obtained from Jatropha Oil using carbon nanotube (CNT) catalyst, which showed efficient cracking activity. The performance was activated by the high stability, metal sites, acid sites, electroconductivity, and coking tolerance of CNT. Two cracking circulations were found in the hydroprocessing. Meanwhile, the sulphur-free process was eco-friendly.
via Science Daily

Monday 15 January 2018

Turbulent plasma

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Simulating space plasma heating with supercomputers…and in your cup of coffee
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2018/01/Simulating_turbulence_in_solar_wind_plasma

Scientist's work may provide answer to Martian mountain mystery

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By seeing which way the wind blows, a fluid dynamics expert has helped propose a solution to a Martian mountain mystery. He explains the common Martian phenomenon of a mountain positioned downwind from the center of an ancient meteorite impact zone.
via Science Daily
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Friday 12 January 2018

X-ray navigation could open up new frontiers for robotic spacecraft

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In a technology first, a team of engineers has demonstrated fully autonomous X-ray navigation in space -- a capability that could revolutionize NASA's ability in the future to pilot robotic spacecraft to the far reaches of the solar system and beyond.
via Science Daily
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Swarm of hydrogen clouds flying away from center of the Milky Way

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Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a grand exodus of more than 100 hydrogen clouds streaming away from the center of the Milky Way and heading into intergalactic space.
via Science Daily
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Black hole spin cranks-up radio volume

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Statistical analysis of supermassive black holes suggests that the spin of the black hole may play a role in the generation of powerful high-speed jets blasting radio waves. By analyzing nearly 8000 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, research team found that the oxygen emissions are 1.5 times stronger in radio loud quasars than in radio quiet quasars. This implies that spin is an important factor in the generation of jets.
via Science Daily
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Trilobites: If We Ever Get to Mars, the Beer Might Not Be Bad

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College students at Villanova University found that hops, leafy greens, carrots and scallions all could grow in an approximation of Martian dirt.
via New York Times

Nanostructure boosts stability of organic thin-film transistors

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A nanostructured gate dielectric may have addressed the most significant obstacle to expanding the use of organic semiconductors for thin-film transistors. The structure, composed of a fluoropolymer layer followed by a nanolaminate made from two metal oxide materials, serves as gate dielectric and protects the organic semiconductor - which had previously been vulnerable to damage from the ambient environment.
via Science Daily