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Accessed on 06 March 2019, 1510 UTC.
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Spotlight Science News
The optomechanical Kerker effect: Controlling light with vibrating nanoparticles
For the Kerker effect to occur, particles need to have electric and magnetic polarizabilities of the same strength. This, however, is very challenging to achieve, as magnetic optical resonances in small particles are relatively …
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CruzAffect: a feature-rich approach to characterize happiness
A team of researchers at UC Santa Cruz have recently developed a new machine learning approach to characterize happiness, called CruzAffect. Their approach, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, can be applied to different …
Impact of urbanization on wild bees underestimated
Wild bees are indispensable pollinators, supporting both agricultural productivity and the diversity of flowering plants worldwide.
Light from an exotic crystal semiconductor could lead to better solar cells
Scientists have found a new way to control light emitted by exotic crystal semiconductors, which could lead to more efficient solar cells and other advances in electronics, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal …
Biopsy frozen in seconds in the operating room
For rapid freezing of a biopsy sample taken from a patient, the standard procedure uses liquid nitrogen. However, this is not allowed inside the operating room. The consequence is a laborious procedure causing unnecessary …
Molecular puzzle reveals unknown stages of fetal development
By applying gene analysis to individual cells from early mouse embryos, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered previously unknown cellular stages of fetal development from fertilised egg to living …
Researchers suggest LISA should be able to see ultralight bosons near supermassive black holes
Engineers uncover strength, toughness of hexagonal boron nitride
From smartphones that bend to solar panels that wrap around houses, flexible electronics could make consumers very happy. But first, someone has to figure out how to make them. One important question is which materials are …
The science of knitting, unpicked
Dating back more than 3,000 years, knitting is an ancient form of manufacturing, but Elisabetta Matsumoto of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta believes that understanding how stitch types govern shape and stretchiness …
Key instrument on NASA’s InSight lander is stuck. A Martian rock may be to blame
NASA’s Mars InSight mission has hit a snag: Its heat probe appears to have struck an obstacle just below the surface of the red planet.
More evidence of sound waves carrying mass
A trio of researchers at Columbia University has found more evidence showing that sound waves carry mass. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, Angelo Esposito, Rafael Krichevsky and Alberto Nicolis …
Our brains reveal our choices before we’re even aware of them, study finds
A new UNSW study suggests we have less control over our personal choices than we think, and that unconscious brain activity determines our choices well before we are aware of them.
Making long-lived positronium atoms for antimatter gravity experiments
The universe is almost devoid of antimatter, and physicists haven’t yet figured out why. Discovering any slight difference between the behaviour of antimatter and matter in Earth’s gravitational field could shed light on …
Scientists identify gene partnerships that promote spinal cord regeneration
Researchers are one step closer to solving the mystery of why some vertebrates can regenerate their spinal cords while others, including humans, create scar tissue after spinal cord injury, leading to lifelong damage.
Dinosaurs were thriving before asteroid strike that wiped them out
Dinosaurs were unaffected by long-term climate changes and flourished before their sudden demise by asteroid strike.
Vast record of past climate fluctuations now available thanks to laser imaging of shells
Shellfish played a significant role in the diet of prehistoric coastal populations, providing valuable nutrients. They are a common find in archaeological sites all over the world, usually in huge numbers, and researchers …
More than just memories—a new role for the hippocampus during learning
Avid hikers know to be cautious of plants with leaves made up of three leaflets if they are red in the spring or fall. Parents worldwide know the precarious relationship between proximity to bedtime and roughhousing with …
Physicists analyze rotational dynamics of galaxies and influence of the photon mass
The rotation of stars in galaxies such as the Milky Way is puzzling. The orbital speeds of stars should decrease with their distance from the center of the galaxy, but in fact, stars in the middle and outer regions of galaxies …
The secret behind maximum plant height—water
Physiological coordination between plant height and xylem hydraulic traits is aligned with habitat water availability across Earth’s terrestrial biomes, according to a new study. Ecologists from the South China Botanical …
Discovering the next generation of catalysts
The use of solar and wind energy must be doubled to meet the world’s demand for clean energy over the next 30 years. Catalysts that can ensure the storage of solar and wind energy in fuels and chemicals will therefore play …
Engineers develop inexpensive, smart stop sign to improve driver safety
It’s dark on the backroad as a motorist speeds toward the intersection. Up ahead, the stop sign blends with the night and in seconds a deadly crash occurs. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more than half …
How do insects feel the heat?
Every year, nearly 700 million people contract mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria, dengue, West Nile virus or yellow fever.
3-D-printed live cells convert glucose to ethanol, carbon dioxide to enhance catalytic efficiency
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have 3-D printed live cells that convert glucose to ethanol and carbon dioxide gas (CO2), a substance that resembles beer, demonstrating a technology that can lead …
Study shows that many who experience trauma of war become increasingly religious
It’s been said that there are no atheists in foxholes, but a new study led by Joseph Henrich has shown that the impact of war on religion extends well beyond the front lines.
FIDO, W3C show strong and simple are not opposites for user authentication
Staying awake during spine surgery is cutting recovery time in half
The spinal surgery David B. underwent in November wasn’t his first – but it was the first time he was awake for a procedure.
The secret of a squid’s ability to change colors may lie in an unexpected sparkle on its skin
In the blink of an eye, squid can change from sandy brown to vibrant red or ripple with bright metallic rainbows. Their color-changing abilities (and those of their fellow cephalopods, octopus and cuttlefish) are more sophisticated …
Climate change forces Arctic animals to shift feeding habits: study
Seals and whales in the Arctic are shifting their feeding patterns as climate change alters their habitats, and the way they do so may determine whether they survive, a new study has found.
Diabetes’ sworn enemy could ultimately be a valuable ally
When people talk about diabetes, they usually also talk about insulin. Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of people around the world; insulin is a hormone that helps control this disease. Now a third term could soon …
One device, many frequencies: Researchers create a unique, tiny resonator
It’s one thing for humans to lose track of time, but what happens when our clocks do In an increasingly networked world, devices need to be more punctual than ever. To keep them running as we expect, they depend on an army …
8 hours ago in Optics & Photonics