University of Arizona (UA) astrophysicists are taking the special effects in the movie Interstellar a step further, generating what happens when matter flowing into a black hole crosses the event horizon, the point of no return, and then disappears.
To do that, the astrophysicists are using UA’s new supercomputer — nicknamed El Gato — combining knowledge from mathematical equations and astronomical observations to generate visualizations of an… read more
A novel 3D printing process called Selective Inhibition Sintering (SIS) promises to allow manufacturing of consumer 3D printers* that can print parts made of high-performance metals, which high-cost industrial 3D printers can already do.
The new process, developed at the Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies at USC, is based on existing low-cost inkjet printing technology. It differs from traditional research in powder sintering* (a process of… read more
There’s currently no cost-effective, large-scale way to store solar energy, but Stanford researchers have developed a solution: using electrolysis to turn tanks of water and hydrogen into batteries. During the day, electricity from solar cells could be used to break apart water into hydrogen and oxygen. Recombining these gases would generate electricity for use at night.
There’s one major problem. Electrolysis uses electricity to crack the chemical bonds that… read more
Astronomers have captured the best image ever of planet formation around an infant star, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array’s (ALMA) new high-resolution capabilities.
The image reveals in astonishing detail the planet-forming disk surrounding HL Tau, a Sun-like star located approximately 450 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus.
The astronomers say ALMA uncovered never-before-seen features in this system, including multiple concentric rings separated by clearly defined gaps.… read more
A new Danish-led research suggests that signs of brain aging can be postponed in mice if they are placed on a high-fat diet. The finding may one day allow for developing treatments for children suffering from premature aging and patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
The new research project, headed by the Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, and the National Institute of Health, studied mice having… read more
University of Washington researchers have successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain connection between pairs of people as part of a scientific study following the team’s initial demonstration a year ago, reported on KurzweilAI.
In the newly published study, which involved six people (instead of two), researchers were able to transmit the signals from one person’s brain over the Internet and use these signals to control the hand motions of… read more
Purdue University researchers have developed a method to instantly create synthetic nanodiamond films and patterns from graphite using a pulsing laser, with potential applications from biosensors to computer chips.
“The biggest advantage is that you can selectively deposit nanodiamond on rigid surfaces without the high temperatures and pressures normally needed to produce synthetic diamond,” said Gary Cheng, an associate professor of industrial engineering at .
“We do… read more
North Carolina State University researchers have “woven” high-strength, highly conductive yarns made of tungsten metal on Kevlar — aka body armor material — by using atomic layer deposition (ALD), a process commonly used for producing memory and logic devices.
The tungsten-on-Kevlar yarns are expected to find applications in multifunctional protective electronics materials for electromagnetic shielding and communications, as well as erosion-resistant antistatic fabrics for space and automated… read more
Filoviruses like Ebola “edit” genetic material as they invade their hosts, according to a study published this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
The work, by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Galveston National Laboratory, and the J. Craig Venter Institute, could lead to a better understanding of these viruses, paving the way for new… read more
The crash of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two raises serious concerns about the future of commercial human spaceflight, including the imperatives of time and money that beset all who try to fly humans in space with existing technology,” according to a statement by Alex Roland, professor emeritus of history at Duke University and former NASA historian.
“Richard Branson has been famously secretive about the finances of Virgin… read more
A (relatively) large infrared metamaterial, up to 4 mm x 4 square mm in size, that is essentially isotropic (works in all directions) has been developed by a team of scientists from RIKEN in Japan and NARLabs in Taiwan, using a type of metamaterial element called a split-ring resonator (SRR).
Metamaterials developed so far have been two-dimensional and inherently anisotropic, meaning that they are designed to act… read more
Russian scientists have developed a theoretical model for quantum information storage using holograms.
These findings from Anton Vetlugin and Ivan Sokolov from St. Petersburg State University in Russia are published in a study in The European Physical Journal D.
The authors demonstrate that it is theoretically possible to retrieve, on demand, a given portion of the stored quantized light signal of a holographic image by shaping the control… read more
Two recent studies suggest that meditation, support groups, and Tai Chi are associated with healing for breast cancer survivors.
Canadian researchers found that practicing mindfulness meditation or being involved in a support group has “a positive physical impact” at the cellular level in breast cancer survivors.
The researchers, at Alberta Health Services’ Tom Baker Cancer Centre and the University of Calgary Department of Oncology,… read more
Washington University researchers have developed a novel “time-reversal” technology that allows for better-focused light in tissue, such as muscles and organs,
Current high-resolution optical imaging technology allows researchers to see about 1 millimeter deep into the body. Beyond that, the light scatters and obscures the features, which is why we can’t see bones or tissue in the hand with a flashlight. To overcome this, Wang and his lab developed… read more
Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego recently invented a new lithography method for creating nanoscale electronic and medical devices, using nanorobots (nanomotors) that are chemically powered, self-propelled, and magnetically controlled.
These nanorobots swim over the surface of light-sensitive material to create complex surface patterns.
Their research, published recently in the journal Nature Communications, offers a simpler and more affordable alternative to the high cost and complexity… read more