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. (PhysOrg.com) -- The first phase of a star's formation are thought to begin deep inside a natal cloud of gas and dust. In the earliest stages, material coalesces under the influence of gravity into so-called "dense cores," which, because they absorb optical light, are sometimes seen in the sky as black shapes against a background of stars or nebulosity. http://www.physorg.com/news179153495.html Space & Earth Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:40:01 EST news179153495 (PhysOrg.com) -- David Cox, a scientist in the Quantum Detection group at the National Physical Laboratory in the UK, is an expert in nanofabrication techniques. Recently, using the tools of his trade and a bit of humor, he has created his latest masterpiece: the world's smallest snowman, which measures just 0.01 mm across (about one-fifth the width of a human hair). http://www.physorg.com/news179153163.html Nanotechnology Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:46:35 EST news179153163 The British government has shut a unit which has investigated UFO sightings for more than 50 years, judging its resources better spent on more earthly threats, it said Friday. http://www.physorg.com/news179150831.html Other Sciences Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:14:00 EST news179150831 (PhysOrg.com) -- For the very first time, scientists show what EEG can really tell us about how the brain functions. http://www.physorg.com/news179149173.html Medicine & Health Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:10:02 EST news179149173 (PhysOrg.com) -- Antonio Stradivari is the most famous instrument maker of all time. He was especially famous for his violins, which he produced in Cremona from about 1665 until his death in 1737. In particular, the legendary varnish on his instruments has fascinated musicians, violinmakers, historians, and chemists since the beginning of the 19th century -- inciting controversial speculation about "secret" ingredients. The use of analytical processes has allowed a team of scientists from various French and German institutions to shine a light on the mystery. http://www.physorg.com/news179148281.html Chemistry Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:25:36 EST news179148281 A team at The Scripps Research Institute has made major strides in solving a problem that has been plaguing chemists for many years: how best to break carbon-hydrogen bonds and then to create new bonds to join molecules together. This problem is of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry, which currently relies on a method to accomplish this feat that is relatively inefficient and sometimes difficult to perform. http://www.physorg.com/news179148095.html Chemistry Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:22:20 EST news179148095 (PhysOrg.com) -- For more than 30 years, scientists have been trying to harness the power of terahertz radiation. Tucked between microwaves and infrared rays on the electromagnetic spectrum, terahertz rays can penetrate clothing, plastic, and human tissue, but they're thought to be safer than x-rays. Since they're absorbed to different degrees by different molecules, they can also tell chemicals apart: a terahertz scanner at an airport checkpoint, for example, could determine whether a vial in a closed suitcase contained aspirin, methamphetamines or an explosive. http://www.physorg.com/news179147950.html Physics Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:19:43 EST news179147950 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new generation of optical sensors is enabling the development of robust, long-lasting, lighting-fast trace gas detectors for use in a wide range of industrial, security and domestic applications. http://www.physorg.com/news179142263.html Technology Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:00:01 EST news179142263 (PhysOrg.com) -- Data from the satellite, says principal investigator and UCLA professor Edward Wright, will help scientists answer fundamental questions about the history of our solar system, the Milky Way and the univese. http://www.physorg.com/news179141981.html Space & Earth Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:41:24 EST news179141981 In contrast to the exhaustive research into venom produced by snakes and spiders, venomous fish have been neglected and remain something of a mystery. Now, a study of 158 catfish species, published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, has catalogued the presence of venom glands and investigated their biological effects. http://www.physorg.com/news179133781.html Biology Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:24:07 EST news179133781 (AP) -- The 2010 World Cup is going 3-D. Sony Corp. said Friday it has signed a deal with FIFA, the international football governing body, to record up to 25 World Cup games in 3-D - a technology that gives viewers an illusion of depth on the screen. http://www.physorg.com/news179117888.html Technology Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:20:02 EST news179117888 (AP) -- The tsunami that killed more than 200 people in the Samoan islands and Tonga earlier this year towered up to 46 feet (14 meters) high - more then twice as tall as most of the buildings it slammed into, scientists said Friday. http://www.physorg.com/news179118002.html Space & Earth Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:10:02 EST news179118002 Cannabis can reduce spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. A systematic review, published in the open access journal BMC Neurology, found that five out six randomized controlled trials reported a reduction in spasticity and an improvement in mobility. http://www.physorg.com/news179118127.html Medicine & Health Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:30:01 EST news179118127 The rising level of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be fueling more than climate change. It could also be making some trees grow like crazy. http://www.physorg.com/news179118204.html Space & Earth Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:04:32 EST news179118204 Google has began weaving an automated language translation feature into its universal search service. http://www.physorg.com/news179117208.html Technology Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:55:44 EST news179117208 (PhysOrg.com) -- Donhee Ham, Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics, uses his personal energy and understanding of physics to design innovative integrated circuits. http://www.physorg.com/news179085037.html Physics Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:50:02 EST news179085037 (AP) -- NASA still isn't sure why two parachutes failed during a test flight of its prototype moon rocket just over a month ago. http://www.physorg.com/news179088399.html Space & Earth Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:20:01 EST news179088399 (PhysOrg.com) -- The annual Geminid meteor shower, which will reach its maximum on the night of Dec. 13-14, usually offers the best show of the year, outperforming even the Perseid shower of August. This year the Geminids will peak three days after new moon, so viewing conditions should be favorable. In a clear sky, observers may see more than 100 meteors per hour. http://www.physorg.com/news179085646.html Space & Earth Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:00:01 EST news179085646 (PhysOrg.com) -- The third in a series of papers in the journal Nature completes the case for a new method of predicting earthquakes. http://www.physorg.com/news179087953.html Space & Earth Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:41:47 EST news179087953 (PhysOrg.com) -- A virus that in nature infects only rabbits could become a cancer-fighting tool for humans. Myxoma virus kills cancerous blood-precursor cells in human bone marrow while sparing normal blood stem cells, a multidisciplinary team at the University of Florida College of Medicine has found. The findings are now online and will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Leukemia. http://www.physorg.com/news179085253.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:30:03 EST news179085253 (PhysOrg.com) -- Research conducted by University of Wyoming Professor Paul Johnson and others demonstrates that genetically modified tadpoles work well as sensitive monitors for rapidly detecting water pollution. http://www.physorg.com/news179084594.html Space & Earth Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:30:02 EST news179084594 (PhysOrg.com) -- Two studies published this month in the Journal of Clinical Investigation provide a significant advance in understanding how some species of monkeys such as sooty mangabeys and African green monkeys avoid AIDS when infected with SIV, the simian equivalent of HIV. http://www.physorg.com/news179085831.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:05:48 EST news179085831 Turn on the television any evening and you're apt to see a scene such as this: Five crime scene investigators, or CSIs, return to the crime scene at night to follow up on some leads. CSI Kathryn Willows looks classy in a gray blazer, satin blouse, and high heels. The reality? CSIs don`t wear high heels to crime scenes. http://www.physorg.com/news179084177.html Other Sciences Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:50:01 EST news179084177 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study provides crucial details that promise to help researchers better understand, and perhaps fine-tune with drugs, one of the most important signaling mechanisms in human cells, according to a study published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.physorg.com/news179084307.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:38:59 EST news179084307 (PhysOrg.com) -- Birds' alarm calls serve both to alert other birds to danger and to warn off predators. And some birds can pull a ventriloquist's trick, singing from the side of their mouths, according to a UC Davis study. http://www.physorg.com/news179082717.html Biology Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:12:29 EST news179082717 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered a new, more precise method for measuring how much - or how little - nanoscale interfaces love water. http://www.physorg.com/news179082513.html Nanotechnology Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:10:03 EST news179082513 Homer's Iliad tells the story of Troy, a city besieged by the Greeks in the Trojan War. Today, a lone robot sits besieged in the sands of Troy while engineers and scientists plot its escape. http://www.physorg.com/news179081243.html Space & Earth Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:48:31 EST news179081243 (PhysOrg.com) -- As retailers bombard holiday shoppers with a blizzard of product bargains and layaway options, they should probably be concerned with the power of the words being used to promote their products to consumers. So says an Iowa State University psychologist who has studied how a product's message influences what consumers are ultimately willing to pay for it. http://www.physorg.com/news179076693.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:10:02 EST news179076693 YouTube launched an experimental "Feather" feature on Thursday that slims down online videos for delivery to places where the Internet is unable to handle heavy data traffic. http://www.physorg.com/news179077215.html Technology Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:40:57 EST news179077215 The prototype of Solar Impulse, a pioneering Swiss bid to fly around the world on solar power, briefly took off for the first time on Thursday but under battery power, the organisers said. http://www.physorg.com/news179075027.html Technology Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:13:37 EST news179075027