http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Google smartphones are either a daring foray into the telecom world or a misunderstood test of the next-generation of the Internet giant's Android mobile operating system. http://www.physorg.com/news180426137.html Technology Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:23:21 EST news180426137 Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have uncovered fundamental differences between the bone which makes up the skull and the bones in our limbs, which they believe could hold the key to tackling bone weakness and fractures. http://www.physorg.com/news180426060.html Medicine & Health Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:21:26 EST news180426060 Dark spots on flower petals are common across many angiosperm plant families and occur on flowers such as some lilies, orchids, and daisies. Much research has been done on the physiological and behavioral mechanisms for how these spots attract pollinators. But have you ever wondered what these spots are composed of, how they develop, or how they only appear on some but not all of the ray florets? http://www.physorg.com/news180376920.html Biology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:43:21 EST news180376920 Internet powerhouse Google and Japanese electronics giant Fujitsu have joined an alliance to promote the ability of objects from appliances to cars to communicate with one another online. http://www.physorg.com/news180372614.html Technology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:30:54 EST news180372614 (PhysOrg.com) -- The European Space Agency has released a preview of the first science results from the Herschel Space Observatory, including the UK-led SPIRE instrument. The new data which include images of previously invisible stardust - the stuff that all life is made from - will give us valuable new information about how stars and galaxies are made and reveal the life cycle of the cosmos. http://www.physorg.com/news180369536.html Space & Earth Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:00:02 EST news180369536 (PhysOrg.com) -- There is no lack of worry this season over the flu, both the seasonal and H1N1 varieties, but there is a critical lack of understanding of the viruses that cause these illnesses. For years, scientists have recognized that interactions between the influenza virus and its human host - intricate dances involving the virus's genes and proteins and those in humans - are important in determining the course and severity of disease. But a deep, comprehensive knowledge of such host-virus interactions has been elusive. http://www.physorg.com/news180368422.html Biology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:42:36 EST news180368422 (PhysOrg.com) -- Spirit's right-front wheel, which had stopped operating in March 2006, revolved with apparently normal motion during the first three of four driving segments on Sol 2117 (Wednesday, Dec. 16) but stopped early in the fourth segment of the drive. http://www.physorg.com/news180369209.html Space & Earth Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:33:51 EST news180369209 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists in Cambridge have discovered that a lowly grape variety grown by peasants - but despised by noblemen - during the Middle Ages was the mother of many of today`s greatest grape varieties, including the Chardonnay used in Champagne. http://www.physorg.com/news180366830.html Biology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:54:21 EST news180366830 Scientists have experimentally verified a theory suggesting that hot electrons could double the output of solar cells. The researchers, from Boston College, have built solar cells that successfully use hot electrons to increase the cells' power ouput. Although the power increase is small, the concept could lead to solar cells that break conventional efficiency limits. http://www.physorg.com/news180365359.html Nanotechnology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:44:26 EST news180365359 China Daily reports the commencement of the 30-mile Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the longest sea bridge under construction world-wide. The six-lane expressway will cut travel time from three-hours to around 30-minutes to and from the densely populated and lucrative centers of manufacturing, finance and tourism located in and around Guangdong Province to Hong Kong. http://www.physorg.com/news180364725.html Technology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:42:50 EST news180364725 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have spent decades searching for the elusive material known as dark matter, which is believed to make up 25 percent of the universe. On Thursday, Dec. 17, a team of physicists including some at MIT reported possible evidence of two dark matter particles in a detector located in a former iron mine in Minnesota. http://www.physorg.com/news180365061.html Physics Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:25:02 EST news180365061 A New York Medical College physician who specializes in restoring or preserving fertility in female cancer patients has discovered a possible link between the presence of breast cancer genes and infertility. http://www.physorg.com/news180364146.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:20:03 EST news180364146 Autism and related development disorders are becoming more common, with a prevalence rate approaching 1 percent among American 8-year-olds, according to new data from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). http://www.physorg.com/news180363847.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:05:56 EST news180363847 Nanotechnology has already made it to the shelves of your local pharmacy and grocery: nanoparticles are found in anti-odor socks, makeup, makeup remover, sunscreen, anti-graffiti paint, home pregnancy tests, plastic beer bottles, anti-bacterial doorknobs, plastic bags for storing vegetables, and more than 800 other products. http://www.physorg.com/news180363327.html Physics Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:56:24 EST news180363327 Famous mugs do more than prompt us into buying magazines, according to new Université de Montréal research. In the December issue of the Canadian Journal on Aging, a team of scientists explain how the ability to name famous faces or access biographical knowledge about celebrities holds clues that could help in early Alzheimer's detection. http://www.physorg.com/news180361587.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:27:21 EST news180361587 The Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Intel Wednesday -- the most far-reaching in a string of recent regulatory actions -- poses a huge threat to the Santa Clara, Calif., chip giant and could reshape the semiconductor industry, according to Wall Street analysts and other experts. http://www.physorg.com/news180359860.html Technology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:10:02 EST news180359860 (AP) -- The world's largest atom smasher, which exceeded expectations after its comeback from heavy damage, will be ready to begin a groundbreaking research program in February, the operator said Friday. http://www.physorg.com/news180358963.html Physics Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:48:05 EST news180358963 (PhysOrg.com) -- In a recent study, researchers have examined the possibility of rolling a nanorod on the surface of water. On the macroscale, perhaps the closest analogy might be the sport of logrolling, in which two competitors try to balance on a log the longest while the log rolls on water. However, while the macro log rolls due to the competitors walking on it, the nanorod would roll by becoming electrically polarized by a beam of light. http://www.physorg.com/news180352909.html Nanotechnology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:40:01 EST news180352909 "T-rays" may make X-rays obsolete as a means of detecting bombs on terrorists or illegal drugs on traffickers, among other uses, contends a Texas A&M physicist who is helping lay the theoretical groundwork to make the concept a reality. In addition to being more revealing than X-rays in some situations, T-rays do not have the cumulative possible harmful effects. http://www.physorg.com/news180352656.html Physics Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:30:01 EST news180352656 Many alcoholic beverages contain byproducts of the materials used in the fermenting process. These byproducts are called "congeners," complex organic molecules with toxic effects including acetone, acetaldehyde, fusel oil, tannins, and furfural. Bourbon has 37 times the amount of congeners that vodka has. A new study has found that while drinking a lot of bourbon can cause a worse hangover than drinking a lot of vodka, impairment in people's next-day task performance is about the same for both beverages. http://www.physorg.com/news180351724.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:42:59 EST news180351724 Using a microscope the size of a football field, researchers from The University of Western Ontario are studying why some insects can survive freezing, while others cannot. http://www.physorg.com/news180350816.html Biology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:27:47 EST news180350816 Saturn's largest moon, Titan, looks to be the only place in the solar system -aside from our home planet, Earth -with copious quantities of liquid (largely, liquid methane and ethane) sitting on its surface. According to planetary astronomer Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Earth and Titan share yet another feature, which is inextricably linked with that surface liquid: common fog. http://www.physorg.com/news180350535.html Space & Earth Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:23:11 EST news180350535 the delivery of healthy proteins directly into human cells to replace malfunctioning proteins - is considered one of the most direct and safe approaches for treating diseases. But its effectiveness has been limited by low delivery efficiency and the poor stability of proteins, which are frequently broken down and digested by cells' protease enzymes before they reach their intended target. http://www.physorg.com/news180350481.html Nanotechnology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:22:44 EST news180350481 A French court on Friday told Google that it cannot digitise French books without publishers' approval and ordered the online giant to pay 300,000 euros (430,000 dollars) in damages. http://www.physorg.com/news180350260.html Technology Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:18:22 EST news180350260 (PhysOrg.com) -- Intel has announced it will launch over two dozen new products next month, including new processors, chipsets, and a number of wireless components. http://www.physorg.com/news180341627.html Electronics Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:30:01 EST news180341627 (AP) -- A California company developing a rocket plane for space tourism announced Thursday that it has an agreement with a nonprofit group in South Korea to conduct launches in that nation. http://www.physorg.com/news180346190.html Space & Earth Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:20:01 EST news180346190 (PhysOrg.com) -- The first steps of an infant is a real milestone in the development of all mammals including humans, but little is known about why some animals can walk soon after birth, while others need months, or in the case of humans, a year or so, to take those first steps. Now a new study by scientists in Sweden has shed light on the mystery, finding that the time it takes for all mammals to start walking closely correlates with the size of their adult brains. http://www.physorg.com/news180340234.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:41:29 EST news180340234 You are what you eat. You're also how you feel, how you exercise, how you sleep, how you handle money, how you relate to people, and what you value. http://www.physorg.com/news180300326.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:00:01 EST news180300326 I may have caught a glimpse of the future last week. In San Francisco, a startup company called Fusion Garage showed off the JooJoo, a touch-screen device that looks like the iPhone's big brother. The JooJoo is one of the first of a new generation of tablet computers expected to hit store shelves in the coming year. http://www.physorg.com/news180298455.html Electronics Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:30:01 EST news180298455 (AP) -- France's efforts to digitize its culture, from Marcel Proust's manuscripts to the first films of the legendary Lumiere brothers, long have been bogged down by the country's reluctance to rely on help from American Internet giant Google Inc. A new startup launched Thursday says it may be the answer. http://www.physorg.com/news180297842.html Technology Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:20:03 EST news180297842