Killer algae a key player in mass extinctions
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 19, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (17) |
4
Algae, not asteroids, were the key to the end of the dinosaurs, say two Clemson University researchers. Geologist James W. Castle and ecotoxicologist John H. Rodgers have published findings that toxin producing ...
Solar Cells with LEDs Provide Inexpensive Lighting
Nov 09, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (17) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- Of the 1.5 billion people in developing countries who do not have electricity, many rely on kerosene lamps for light after the sun goes down. But now, researchers from Denmark have designed ...
Exoplanets Clue to Sun's Curious Chemistry
Nov 11, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (16) |
12
(PhysOrg.com) -- A ground-breaking census of 500 stars, 70 of which are known to host planets, has successfully linked the long-standing "lithium mystery" observed in the Sun to the presence of planetary systems. ...
'Culture of we' buffers genetic tendency to depression
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 27, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (15) |
14
A genetic tendency to depression is much less likely to be realized in a culture centered on collectivistic rather than individualistic values, according to a new Northwestern University study.
Scientists Build First 'Frequency Comb' To Display Visible 'Teeth'
Oct 29, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (15) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Finally, an optical frequency comb that visibly lives up to its name. Scientists at the University of Konstanz in Germany and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. ...
Quantum Computer Chips Now One Step Closer To Reality
Oct 15, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (16) |
0
In the quest for smaller, faster computer chips, researchers are increasingly turning to quantum mechanics -- the exotic physics of the small. The problem: the manufacturing techniques required to make quantum devices have ...
Sensory deprivation can produce hallucinations in only 15 minutes
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 23, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (16) |
7
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study has found that even a short period of sensory deprivation is enough to produce hallucinations even in people who are not normally prone to them.
Japanese car makers out to electrify Tokyo show
Oct 19, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (16) |
17
Move over hybrids -- the biggest buzz at this year's Tokyo Motor Show looks set to come from electric cars as the dream of affordable zero-emission vehicles moves closer to reality.
Heads or tails? It all depends on some key variables
Oct 20, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (17) |
8
Everyone knows the flip of a coin is a 50-50 proposition. Only it's not. You can beat the odds. So says a three-person team of Stanford and UC-Santa Cruz researchers. They produced a provocative study that turns conventional ...
Parallel course: Researchers help ease transition to parallel programming
Technology / Computer Sciences
Oct 23, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (16) |
11
(PhysOrg.com) -- In 1995, a good computer chip had a clock speed of about 100 megahertz. Seven years later, in 2002, a good computer chip had a clock speed of about three gigahertz -- a 30-fold increase. And ...
Alzheimer's researchers find high protein diet shrinks brain
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 20, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (15) |
4
One of the many reasons to pick a low-calorie, low-fat diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and fish is that a host of epidemiological studies have suggested that such a diet may delay the onset or slow the progression of Alzheimer's ...
'Beneficial' effects of alcohol?
Oct 14, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (15) |
2
According a new study of over 3,000 adults aged 70-79, the apparent association between light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of functional decline over time did not hold up after adjustments ...
INL, ISU team on nanoparticle production breakthrough
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Oct 19, 2009 |
5 / 5 (14) |
1
Every hour, the sun floods Earth with more energy than the entire world consumes in a year. Yet solar power accounts for less than 0.002 percent of all electricity generated in the United States, primarily ...
Smart rat 'Hobbie-J' produced by over-expressing a gene that helps brain cells communicate
Oct 19, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (14) |
5
Over-expressing a gene that lets brain cells communicate just a fraction of a second longer makes a smarter rat, report researchers from the Medical College of Georgia and East China Normal University.
Early life on Earth may have developed more quickly than thought
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
23 hours ago |
4.9 / 5 (14) |
0
The Earth's climate was far cooler -- perhaps more than 50 degrees -- billions of years ago, which could mean conditions for life all over the planet were more conducive than previously believed, according ...
