Earth

A new article by a Northwestern University complex networks expert discusses how networks governing processes in nature and society are becoming increasingly amenable to modeling, forecast and control.

The article establishes relationships between seemingly disparate topics such as the friendship paradox -- by which our friends have on average more friends than we do -- and why carbon can result in a hard diamond or the softer material graphite.

BINGHAMTON, NY – Harnessing the energy of sunlight can be as simple as tuning the optical and electronic properties of metal oxides at the atomic level by making an artificial crystal or super-lattice ‘sandwich’ says a Binghamton University researcher in a new study published in the journal Physical Review B.

A series of papers published this month on ecological changes at 26 global research sites -- including one administered by the University of Colorado Boulder in the high mountains west of the city -- indicates that ecosystems dependent on seasonal snow and ice are the most sensitive to changes in climate.

Rockville, Md.: ARVO is pleased to host a presentation of the one-year results from the U.K.'s Inhibition of VEGF in Age-related Choroidal Neovascularisation (IVAN) study and the two-year results of the Comparison of Age-related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT) trial.

MADISON – The oceans teemed with life 600 million years ago, but the simple, soft-bodied creatures would have been hardly recognizable as the ancestors of nearly all animals on Earth today.

Then something happened. Over several tens of millions of years – a relative blink of an eye in geologic terms – a burst of evolution led to a flurry of diversification and increasing complexity, including the expansion of multicellular organisms and the appearance of the first shells and skeletons.

MADISON – Although cosmic rays were discovered 100 years ago, their origin remains one of the most enduring mysteries in physics. Now, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a massive detector in Antarctica, is honing in on how the highest energy cosmic rays are produced.

"Although we have not discovered where cosmic rays come from, we have taken a major step towards ruling out one of the leading predictions," said IceCube principal investigator and University of Wisconsin–Madison physics professor Francis Halzen.

A team of researchers from Taiwan and the University of California, Berkeley, has harnessed nanodots to create a new electronic memory technology that can write and erase data 10-100 times faster than today's mainstream charge-storage memory products. The new system uses a layer of non-conducting material embedded with discrete (non-overlapping) silicon nanodots, each approximately 3 nanometers across. Each nanodot functions as a single memory bit.

A new investigation put in evidence the key role of cod as regulator of the whole Baltic Sea ecosystem. The study shows that when the cod population in the central Baltic increases, it spreads into larger areas and spills over into adjacent marginal systems where it usually does not occur, as for example the Gulf of Riga.

Alexandria, VA – The debate over hydraulic fracturing has recently focused on the rise in seismicity throughout the primarily stable interior of the United States. These intraplate regions, though not unfamiliar with earthquakes, have been experiencing an increased amount of seismic activity in the last decade. This unusual increase is likely to be caused in part by wastewater disposal practices related to natural gas production.

More than half-a-century ago, the Dutch theoretical physicist Hendrik Casimir calculated that two mirrors placed facing each other in a vacuum would attract. The mysterious force arises from the energy of virtual particles flitting into and out of existence, as described by quantum theory. Now Norio Inui, a scientist from the University of Hyogo in Japan, has predicted that in certain circumstances a reversal in the direction of the so-called Casimir force would be enough to levitate an extremely thin plate.

Microalgae are single-cell plants that comprise nature's smallest and most efficient photosynthetic engines: all they need to thrive is water, light, and air. When bred under controlled conditions, their applications range from pharmaceuticals to wastewater treatment to biofuels. Current microalgae breeding methods, however, perform far below the fundamental bounds allowed by the laws of nature. Scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negrev in Israel have identified strategies to improve algal yield.

Graphene, the one-atom-thick "wonder material" made of carbon, has another potential use in the world of high-speed electronics – as a tool that can focus a stream of electrons similar to the way an optical lens focuses light. A new prototype reveals that a layer of graphene, when strained through stretching, can act as a two-dimensional lens for electrons.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It was a figurative whack on the head that started Sandia National Laboratories distinguished technical staff member Juan Elizondo-Decanini thinking outside the box — which in his case was a cylinder.

He developed a new configuration for neutron generators by turning from conventional cylindrical tubes to the flat geometry of computer chips. For size comparison, small neutron generators, which are like mini accelerators, are 1 to 2 inches in diameter, he said.

Both the US and UK are pouring money into building proton accelerators to treat cancer. They have been described as the world's "most costly medical devices" but in an article published on bmj.com today, journalist Keith Epstein reports that "no clear evidence of better effectiveness exists" and asks whether the investment is premature.

The GOES animation of the severe weather outbreak is in a large-format HDTV movie that runs 30 seconds. "The animation runs through the period of April 14-15, 2012 and the GOES imagery reveals the strong flow of warm, moist air from the Gulf into the advancing cold front," said Dennis Chesters of NASA's GOES Project.