Scientists Discover Material Harder Than Diamond
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (46) |
29
(PhysOrg.com) -- Currently, diamond is regarded to be the hardest known material in the world. But by considering large compressive pressures under indenters, scientists have calculated that a material called ...
Psychoactive compound activates mysterious receptor
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (14) |
15
(PhysOrg.com) -- A hallucinogenic compound found in a plant indigenous to South America and used in shamanic rituals regulates a mysterious protein that is abundant throughout the body, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers ...
Research on viral origins suggests new definition of virus may be needed
Biology /
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- The strange interaction of a parasitic wasp, the caterpillar in which it lays its eggs and a virus that helps it overcome the caterpillar’s immune defenses has some scientists rethinking the ...
Draft version of the Neanderthal genome completed
Biology /
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (9) |
1
In a development which could reveal the links between modern humans and their prehistoric cousins, scientists said Thursday they have mapped a first draft of the Neanderthal genome. Researchers used DNA fragments ...
Quantum Twist: Electrons Mimic Presence of Magnetic Field
Feb 12, 2009 |
4 / 5 (11) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of scientists led by a Princeton University group recently discovered that on the surface of certain materials collective arrangements of electrons move in ways that ...
Sequences capture the code of the common cold
Biology /
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (8) |
4
(PhysOrg.com) -- In an effort to confront our most familiar malady, scientists have deciphered the instruction manual for the common cold.
Scientists explore new window on the origins of life
Biology /
Feb 12, 2009 |
4 / 5 (9) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- The remarkable behaviour of bacteria that have been forced to live without their protective wall has allowed Newcastle University scientists to open a new window on the origins of life on earth.
Songbirds fly 3 times faster than expected (Video)
Biology /
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
0
A York University researcher has tracked the migration of songbirds by outfitting them with tiny geolocator backpacks - a world first - revealing that scientists have underestimated their flight performance ...
New high-res map suggests little water inside moon
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- The most detailed map of the Moon ever created has revealed never-before-seen craters at the lunar poles. The map is also revealing secrets about the Moon's interior -- and ...
Researchers Demonstrate 'Quantum Data Buffering' Scheme
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Pushing the envelope of Albert Einstein's "spooky action at a distance," known as entanglement, researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) of the Commerce Department's ...
Astronomers unveiling life's cosmic origins
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Processes that laid the foundation for life on Earth -- star and planet formation and the production of complex organic molecules in interstellar space -- are yielding their secrets to astronomers ...
Stars cheek by jowl in the early Universe
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
6
(PhysOrg.com) -- In the early Universe, some galaxies may have had stars packed together a hundred times more closely than in the present day, according to research by a University of Bonn team to be published ...
Involuntary maybe, but certainly not random
Feb 12, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
0
Our eyes are in constant motion. Even when we attempt to stare straight at a stationary target, our eyes jump and jiggle imperceptibly. Although these unconscious flicks, also known as microsaccades, had long ...
Spirit Gets Energy Boost from Cleaner Solar Panels
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Feb 12, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
6
(PhysOrg.com) -- A small but important uptick in electrical output from the solar panels on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit this month indicates a beneficial Martian wind has blown away some of the dust ...
A Pocketful of Uranium: Construction of a Selective Uranium-Binding Protein
Feb 12, 2009 |
4 / 5 (6) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- The use of uranium as a nuclear fuel and in weapons increases the risk that people may come into contact with it, and the storage of radioactive uranium waste poses an additional environmental risk. However, ...
