Modeling
Millions of unseen species fill Earth
August 24, 2011 7:12 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsA new study estimates that Earth has almost 8.8 million species, but we've only discovered about a quarter of them. While the search for the rest is daunting, biologists maintain there are some compelling reasons while we should continue cataloging unknown plants and animals.
Thawing permafrost could release vast amounts of carbon
August 23, 2011 10:21 am | News | CommentsBillions of tons of carbon trapped in permafrost may be released into the atmosphere by the end of this century as the Earth's climate changes, further accelerating global warming, a new computer modeling study led by a Lawrence Berkeley National Lab scientist indicates.
Theory helps explain how we grow in perfect patterns
August 22, 2011 6:22 am | News | CommentsA theoretical model that explains how growing organism maintain perfect scaling has passed muster in the laboratory. Researchers in Israel have recently shown how vein structure patterns in developing fruit fly wings stay in synchronization, adding a significant piece of understanding to the puzzle of scaling.
Team assembles first complete map of Antarctic ice flow
August 18, 2011 11:02 am | News | CommentsWith the help of billions of data points captured by European, Japanese and Canadian satellites to weed out cloud cover, solar glare and other blocking features, NASA-funded researchers have created the first complete map of the speed and direction of ice flow in Antarctica.
Model shows ice caps can recover from climate-induced melting
August 17, 2011 1:31 pm | News | CommentsA growing body of recent research indicates that, in Earth's warming climate, there is no "tipping point," or threshold warm temperature, beyond which polar sea ice cannot recover if temperatures come back down.
DNA construction software saves time, resources and money
August 16, 2011 10:38 am | by Lynn Yarris | News | CommentsA number of software programs exist to facilitate recombinant DNA technology, one of the principal tools of modern biotechnology. But only one identifies which DNA construction strategy would be the most cost-effective: the Joint BioEnergy Institute’s j5 program.
How the Internet got its hourglass shape
August 15, 2011 12:14 pm | News | CommentsA new computer model that describes the evolution of the Internet’s architecture suggests that it bears many similarities to ecosystems in the natural world, including the distinctive hourglass shape. Experts warn that a new, revised Internet could easily repeat this pattern.
Software predicted virus risk in California epidemic
August 12, 2011 7:14 am | News | CommentsA computer model of the spread of West Nile virus was able to predict areas where human cases would be concentrated, especially around Sacramento in 2005. The success of the model, say researchers, depended on its focus on biological factors and on a high volume of reports from members of the public.
Join the hunt for the Higgs boson
August 11, 2011 9:26 am | News | CommentsCERN is looking few good FLOPS it can leverage to run more simulations of high-energy particle physics. These simulations, which are submitted to a central database from the user’s home computers, will provide scientists with theoretical references for measurements obtained at accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider.
Contact lost with hypersonic glider after launch
August 11, 2011 9:03 am | by John Antczak, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s latest hypersonic glider was designed to hit 13,000 miles per hour after lifting off today aboard an Air Force rocket launched from Vandenburg Air Force Base. The rocket launch was a success, but DARPA reports that contact was lost after the experimental craft began flying on its own.
Molecular Modeling Simulates Savings
August 11, 2011 4:58 am | by George Fitzgerald, PhD, Accelrys, San Diego, Calif. | Articles | CommentsSimulations using quantum mechanics and molecular force fields prove instrumental in developing ideal biosensors.
Simulating Soldier Safety
August 11, 2011 4:46 am | by Simulia, Providence, R.I. | Articles | CommentsARDEC engineers use Abaqus simulation software to analyze and improve strength of armor subjected to blast waves.
Oceanic crust recycles itself much faster than previously thought
August 10, 2011 12:29 pm | News | CommentsAccording to the latest studies of volcanic samples, rock of the oceanic crust, which sinks deep into the earth due to the movement of tectonic plates, reemerges through volcanic eruptions after around 500 million years. Geologists had thought this process would take about 2 billion years.
Computers synthesize the rush of fire to go with graphics
August 10, 2011 10:46 am | by Bill Steele | News | CommentsRapid movement of heated gases generates the high-frequency sounds that are important to a convincing computer animation, such as that of a fire-breathing dragon. Cornell University researchers are finding ways to digitally create sounds that conventional recordings sometimes can’t supply.
Massive solar flare captured in video
August 10, 2011 6:10 am | News | CommentsAbout every 11 years, giant explosions send energy, light and high-speed particles streaming from the solar surface. The biggest flares are known as “X-class”, and the largest flare yet this solar cycle, which struck on the morning of Aug. 9, 2011, is firmly in this class of superflares.
Light unlocks fragrance in laboratory
August 8, 2011 10:52 am | by Greg Hand | News | CommentsWhile investigating way to tame extremely reactive chemicals known as radicals, University of Cincinnati researchers discovered a way to use these radicals to create a specific trap for a fragrance, which is then slowly released when exposed to light.
Study: Emissions must be curbed to reach goals for atmosphere
August 5, 2011 6:35 am | by Mary Beckman | News | CommentsA new computer-based study from the Joint Global Change Research Institute, using a model developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, shows that by 2100, if society wants to limit carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to less than 40% higher than it is today, the lowest-cost option is to aggressively adopt nuclear, renewable energy, and electricity solutions.
Carbon hitches a ride from field to market
August 4, 2011 4:54 am | by Frances White | News | CommentsToday’s agriculture is mobile: Crops are transported long distances, contributing to the nation’s carbon footprint. But crops also have their carbon footprint that is left not where they are grown, but where they are consumed. Recent research has produced a new map that shows the complexity of carbon distribution.
Navy-funded flight dynamics app proves popular
August 4, 2011 4:49 am | News | CommentsA mobile phone app that teaches players about flight dynamics has been downloaded more than 33,000 times in the three weeks since it was launched, the Office of Naval Research reported Tuesday. Developed with partner Iridescent, the app focuses on the dynamics of bird flight and how it relates to Navy technology.
Earth's two moons? It's not lunacy, but new theory
August 4, 2011 4:45 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsSome astronomers are calling it the “big splat”. A computer model now shows how about 4.4 billion years ago two moons orbiting the Earth at last came together, morphing into one body over the course of about a day. Not everyone is sold on the theory, however.
Skeptic's small cloud study renews climate rancor
August 1, 2011 6:40 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsA new study on how much heat in Earth's atmosphere is caused by cloud cover has heated up the climate change blogosphere. Several mainstream climate scientists call the study's conclusions off-base and overstated, while climate change skeptics tout the study, saying it blasts gaping holes in global warming theory.
Cyber-network to be world’s biggest digital R & D resource
July 28, 2011 1:16 pm | News | CommentsSeventeen institutions officially joined forces last week to link computers, data and people from around the world to establish a single, virtual system, called XSEDE, that scientists can interactively use to conduct research. The National Science Foundation-funded effort will build on the high-performance computing ground broken by TeraGrid.
Satellite captures 2011 Heat Wave in infrared
July 28, 2011 8:36 am | News | CommentsThose of us who haven’t found an ice cap to hide under in the United States have likely felt the heat from the now infamous “dome” that’s been moving across the country. NASA’s Aqua spacecraft has recorded a series of movies that track the movement of the heat wave that has sent temperatures up to 10 C warmer than normal.
Famed fossil isn't a bird after all, analysis says
July 28, 2011 8:28 am | by Malcolm Ritter, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsAnalysis of fossil traits suggests that the famed Archaeopteryx , long considered the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds, is not really a bird at all. Chinese scientists, comparing hundreds of anatomical characteristics with other species, determined that the “first bird” has more in common with another dinosaur that became famous in the move Jurassic Park .
Engineers fly the world’s first ‘printed’ aircraft
July 28, 2011 8:19 am | News | CommentsImprovements in laser sintering technology has allowed University of Southampton’s experimental aircraft to not only be printed, but also to be built using no fasteners. The craft, which has a 6-foot wingspan, recently achieved 100 mph in testing.
