Toy-Like Microboat Could Carry Tiny Cargoes
May 21, 2008 |
3.8 / 5 (48) |
4
As a child, Cheng Luo, an engineer from the University of Texas at Arlington, recalls playing with wooden toy boats that were propelled forward when a drop of oil was placed on the back of the boats. When ...
Swift satellite catches first 'normal' supernova in the act of exploding
May 21, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (51) |
1
Thanks to a fortunate observation with NASA's Swift satellite, astronomers, for the first time, have caught a normal supernova at the moment of its birth--the first instant when an exploding star begins spewing ...
A missing link settles debate over the origin of frogs and salamanders
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 21, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (28) |
2
The description of an ancient amphibian that millions of years ago swam in quiet pools and caught mayflies on the surrounding land in Texas has set to rest one of the greatest current controversies in vertebrate ...
100 Explosions on the Moon
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 21, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (57) |
19
Not so long ago, anyone claiming to see flashes of light on the Moon would be viewed with deep suspicion by professional astronomers. Such reports were filed under "L" ... for lunatic.
Researchers develop new image-recognition software
Technology / Computer Sciences
May 21, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (27) |
3
It takes surprisingly few pixels of information to be able to identify the subject of an image, a team led by an MIT researcher has found. The discovery could lead to great advances in the automated identification ...
Mass-Producing Tunable Magnetic Nanoparticles
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
May 21, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (11) |
0
Taking a cue from the semiconductor industry, a team of investigators at Stanford University has developed a method of producing unlimited quantities of highly magnetic nanoparticles suitable for use as magnetic resonance ...
Brain's 'trust machinery' identified
May 21, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (32) |
0
The brain centers triggered by a betrayal of trust have been identified by researchers, who found they could suppress such triggering and maintain trust by administering the brain chemical oxytocin. The researchers said their ...
Storn winds blow in Jupiter's Little Red Spot
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 21, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
0
Using data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft and two telescopes on or near Earth, an international team of scientists has found that one of the solar system’s largest and newest storms – Jupiter’s Little ...
Mechanical locomotion principles from jumping insects applied to microrobots
May 21, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (10) |
1
Researchers from the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL are unveiling a novel, grasshopper-inspired jumping robot at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation May 21 in Pasadena, ...
Scientists develop way to predict properties of light nuclei
May 21, 2008 |
3.6 / 5 (9) |
1
Scientists have spent 70 years trying to predict the properties of nuclei, but have had to settle for approximate models because computational techniques were not equal to the task.
The very model of a modern transistor
May 21, 2008 |
3.5 / 5 (12) |
0
New models of how two types of power transistors perform will result in more efficient smart electrical circuits, making such technologies as cars and home appliances more reliable and environmentally friendly.
Mathematicians Reveal Secrets of the Ancient and Universal Art of Symmetry
May 21, 2008 |
4.7 / 5 (13) |
0
Humans have used symmetrical patterns for thousands of years in both functional and decorative ways. Now, a new book by three mathematicians offers both math experts and enthusiasts a new way to understand ...
Halting methane squanderlust
May 21, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (24) |
3
The pipes that rise from oil fields, topped with burning flames of natural gas, waste fossil fuels and dump carbon dioxide into the air. In new work, researchers have identified the structure of a catalytic material that ...
Many paths, few destinations: How stem cells decide what they'll be
Biology /
May 21, 2008 |
4.7 / 5 (19) |
0
How does a stem cell decide what specialized identity to adopt – or simply to remain a stem cell? A new study suggests that the conventional view, which assumes that cells are “instructed” to progress along ...
Twinkle, twinkle, any star - Sun not so special
May 21, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (10) |
1
ANU astronomers have found there is nothing special about the Sun after conducting the most comprehensive comparison of it with other stars – adding weight to the idea that life could be common in the universe.
