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Tests may lead to doubling of fuel cell life
May 23, 2013 | Comments
To improve fuel cell module durability and predict longevity, researchers are studying the degradation mechanisms of the fuel cells that occur under real-world transit bus conditions. While quantifying the effects of electrode degradation stressors in the operating cycle of the bus on the membrane lifetime, the team has discovered links between electrode degradation and membrane durability.
Inkjet-printed graphene may open doors to foldable electronics
May 20, 2013 3:15 pm | Comments
Northwestern University researchers have recently developed a graphene-based ink that...
Record-breaking high-energy particles detected by telescope buried in Antarctic
May 17, 2013 12:26 pm | Comments
A massive telescope buried in the Antarctic ice has detected 28 extremely high-energy...
Peering into living cells without dye or fluorophore
February 8, 2013 11:31 am | Comments
Two scientists in Switzerland have developed a device that can create 3D images of living cells...
Study reveals active sit of enzyme linked to stuttering
May 23, 2013 12:48 pm | CommentsScientists from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have determined the 3D structure of the chemically active part of an enzyme involved in stuttering. While the discovery is not likely to lead to a cure for stuttering any time soon, it is welcome news to scientists who have been studying this enzyme, known as "uncovering enzyme" or UCE, for decades.
Cell phone technology helps horses recover from surgery
May 23, 2013 12:30 pm | CommentsTechnology that’s used in smartphones and other electronic devices also is being used by veterinarians at the University of Illinois to help horses recover safely from anesthesia. The technology, known as accelerometers, are portable data recorders that capture information on motion, vibration, and impact
Crystals melt when they're cooled
May 23, 2013 8:57 am | CommentsGrowing thin films out of nanoparticles in ordered, crystalline sheets would be a boon for materials researchers, but the physics is tricky because particles of that size don’t form crystals the way individual atoms do. Using bigger particles as models, physicists have predicted some unusual properties of nanoparticle crystal growth.
Researchers explain magnetic field misbehavior in solar flares
May 23, 2013 8:39 am | CommentsWhen a solar flare filled with charged particles erupts from the sun, its magnetic fields sometimes break a widely accepted rule of physics. The flux-freezing theorem dictates that the magnetic lines of force should flow away in lock-step with the particles, whole and unbroken. Instead, the lines sometimes break apart and quickly reconnect in a way that has mystified astrophysicists.
Doctors rescue Ohio boy by "printing" an airway tube
May 23, 2013 8:26 am | by Marilynn Marchione, AP Chief Medical Writer | CommentsIn a medical first, doctors used plastic particles and a 3D laser printer to create an airway splint to save the life of a baby boy who used to stop breathing nearly every day. Because of a birth defect, the Kaiba Gionfriddo’s airway kept collapsing, causing his breathing to stop and often his heart, too. Doctors in Michigan had been researching artificial airway splints but had not implanted one in a patient yet.
U.S. health care: Does more spending yield better health?
May 23, 2013 8:20 am | CommentsHealth care spending is much higher for older Americans than for younger adults and children, on average, and analysts have said that increasing spending leads to longer life expectancy. But new research from the University of Michigan indicates that aging populations could view things differently.
Innovation could bring flexible solar cells, transistors
May 23, 2013 8:07 am | CommentsResearchers have created a new type of transparent electrode that might find uses in solar cells, flexible displays for computers and consumer electronics, and future "optoelectronic" circuits for sensors and information processing. The electrode is made of silver nanowires covered with a material called graphene, an extremely thin layer of carbon.
Navy's unmanned ocean recon craft makes 1st flight
May 22, 2013 5:32 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAn unmanned jet built for U.S. Navy high-altitude maritime surveillance missions has made its first flight. Northrop Grumman Corp. says the MQ-4C Triton took off from Palmdale, Calif., Wednesday and completed a 90-minute flight. The aircraft is designed to fly missions lasting up to 24 hours at altitudes greater than 10 miles, allowing coverage out 2,000 nautical miles.
Retiring coal-fired plants in Nevada passes Senate
May 22, 2013 5:09 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe Nevada Senate has endorsed NV Energy Inc.'s plan to retire its coal-fired plants and pave the way for the state's biggest electrical utility to transition to more renewable sources. After several revisions, SB123 was approved unanimously Wednesday and now moves to the Assembly.
Theorists weigh in on where to hunt dark matter
May 22, 2013 11:26 am | CommentsNow that it looks like the hunt for the Higgs boson is over, particles of dark matter are at the top of the physics "Most Wanted" list. Dozens of experiments have been searching for them, but often come up with contradictory results. Theorists from the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology believe they've come up with an algorithm that could help narrow the search for these elusive particles.
Power of Moore tornado dwarfs Hiroshima bomb
May 22, 2013 11:16 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | CommentsOn Tuesday, the National Weather Service gave the recent Moore, Okla., tornado the top-of-the-scale rating of EF5 for wind speed and breadth, and severity of damage. Wind speeds were estimated at between 200 and 210 mph. Everything had to come together just perfectly to create this killer tornado: wind speed, moisture in the air, temperature, and timing.
Test lead to doubling of fuel cell life
May 22, 2013 11:07 am | CommentsResearchers working to improve durability in fuel cell-powered buses, including a team from Simon Fraser University in Canada, have discovered links between electrode degradation processes and bus membrane durability. The team is quantifying the effects of electrode degradation stressors in the operating cycle of the bus on the membrane lifetime.
Whirlpools on the nanoscale could multiply magnetic memory
May 22, 2013 11:04 am | by Paul Preuss, Berkeley Lab | CommentsMagnetic memories store bits of information in discrete units whose electron spins all line up in parallel, pointing one way or the opposite to signify a one or a zero. At the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists recently joined an international team to advance a new concept in magnetic memory, one in which spin orientation is controlled in magnetic nanodisks, allowing multi-bit storage.
U.S. opens inspection into shuttered nuke plant
May 22, 2013 10:06 am | by EMERY P. DALESIO - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | CommentsFederal regulators are launching a special inspection of a nuclear power plant outside North Carolina's capital city that was forced to shut down last week. A Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman said Wednesday that two specialists will study what led up to the shutdown after a problem was uncovered using year-old data.
Researchers develop radioactive nanoparticles that target cancer cells
May 22, 2013 9:09 am | CommentsScientists in Missouri have successfully created nanoparticles made of a radioactive form of the element lutetium. By covering these particles with gold shells and attaching targeting agents, they have a tool that can seek out dangerous secondary lymphoma tumors. They recently demonstrated the nanoparticles can find the tumors without attaching to or damaging healthy cells.
