A 'New Dimension' at the LHC

Physics / General Physics

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.2 / 5 (86) | 28

(PhysOrg.com) -- Later this year, the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland, will begin operating, sending beams of protons hurling around circular tracks ...

Portuguese team makes first paper based transistor

Technology / Engineering

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (61) | 4

(PhysOrg.com) -- Elvira Fortunato and colleagues from the Centro de Investigação de Materiais (Cenimat/I3N), at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, made the first Field Effect ...

Engineers Prove Graphene is the Strongest Material

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.7 / 5 (46) | 25

(PhysOrg.com) -- Research scientists at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science have achieved a breakthrough by proving that the carbon material graphene is the strongest ...

Dutch researchers take flight with three-gram 'dragonfly'

Technology / Engineering

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.7 / 5 (35) | 5

(PhysOrg.com) -- On Wednesday 23 July, TU Delft will be presenting the minute DelFly Micro air vehicle. This successor to the DelFly I and II weighs barely 3 grams, and with its flapping wings is very similar ...

Scientists identify cells for spinal-cord repair

Biology /

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.5 / 5 (34) | 1

A researcher at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells following ...

The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (23) | 1

Mark your calendar: The 2008 Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12th and it should be a good show.

Phoenix Mars Lander Works Through the Night

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Jul 22, 2008 | 3.8 / 5 (19) | 19

(PhysOrg.com) -- To coordinate with observations made by an orbiter flying repeatedly overhead, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is working a schedule Monday that includes staying awake all night for the first time. ...

WikiPathways gives the people the power to curate

Biology /

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (13) | 0

The exponential growth of diverse types of biological data presents the research community with an unprecedented challenge to keep the flood of biological data as accessible, up-to-date, and integrated as possible.

Research puts finger on virtual iPhone button

Technology / Software

Jul 22, 2008 | 3.5 / 5 (14) | 5

(PhysOrg.com) -- A virtual tactile keyboard could hold the key to making the iPhone easier to use.

For Clean Water: Chlorine-tolerant membranes for desalination

Chemistry /

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.3 / 5 (11) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the most pressing needs of our time is safe, sustainable access to fresh water. The dominant technology for desalination of water is membrane-based desalination, an energy-efficient, environmentally ...

It takes nerves for flies to keep a level head

Biology /

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (9) | 0

The nerve connections that keep a fly's gaze stable during complex aerial manoeuvres, enabling it to respond quickly to obstacles in its flight path, are revealed in new detail in research published today ...

Milkweed's evolutionary approach to caterpillars: Counter appetite with fast repair

Biology /

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.9 / 5 (8) | 0

The adage that your enemies know your weaknesses best is especially true in the case of plants and predators that have co-evolved: As the predators evolve new strategies for attack, plants counter with their own unique defenses.

Researcher shows evolution of milkweed defense system

Biology /

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.2 / 5 (9) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- The adage that your enemies know your weaknesses best is especially true in the case of plants and predators that have co-evolved: As the predators evolve new strategies for attack, plants ...

Pond scum could be key to new cancer therapies

Medicine & Health / Cancer

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.1 / 5 (9) | 2

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy are collaborating with the Ohio State University and two other organizations to discover new cancer therapies derived from natural sources such as pond ...

Ultrasonic frogs can tune their ears to different frequencies

Biology /

Jul 22, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (8) | 5

Researchers have discovered that a frog that lives near noisy springs in central China can tune its ears to different sound frequencies, much like the tuner on a radio can shift from one frequency to another. ...