Tech

PRINCETON, N.J.--A new laser-based uranium enrichment technology may provide a hard-to-detect pathway to nuclear weapons production, according to a forthcoming paper in the journal Science & Global Security by Ryan Snyder, a physicist with Princeton University's Program on Science and Global Security.

For some people, the human body isn’t a temple. Instead they see it as a source of frustration thanks to the considerable limitations compared to the powerful technology available today. In the last few years, a new community of biohackers or “grinders” has sprung up to experiment with enhancing the human body with technology. Largely outside of the mainstream disciplines of science or philosophy, it is a raw, exciting field that turns longstanding ethical beliefs on their head.

COLUMBUS, Ohio--It's one of life's little annoyances: that last bit of shampoo that won't quite pour out of the bottle. Or the last bit of hand soap, or dish soap, or laundry detergent.

Now researchers at The Ohio State University have found a way to create the perfect texture inside plastic bottles to let soap products flow freely. They describe the patent-pending technology in a paper to appear in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society on June 27.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The growth and evolution of the electronic environment in health care is taking a toll on U.S. physicians. That's according to a national study of physicians led by Mayo Clinic which shows the use of electronic health records and computerized physician order entry leads to lower physician satisfaction and higher rates of professional burnout. The findings appear in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

HAMILTON, ON, June 27, 2016 - The peat bogs of the world, once waterlogged repositories of dead moss, are being converted into fuel-packed fire hazards that can burn for months and generate deadly smoke, warns a McMaster researcher who documents the threat -- and a possible solution -- in a paper published today in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

Since the glaciers receded about 12,000 years ago, the humble bog has acted as a storage vault for atmospheric carbon, packed with dead moss and topped by a green layer of living moss that can come back after a burn.

A new era of innovation and discovery opens tomorrow when the first UK Robotics Week June 25 - July 1 begins.

Organised by the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network (UK-RAS Network), the week opens with a series of events across the country that aim to get the public engaged with the developments and debate in and around robotics.

As well as inspiring young and older people through a number of challenges targeted at schools, academia and industry, the week will demonstrate the high quality research taking place in the UK's universities.

As more coal-fired power plants are retired, industry workers are left without many options. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though.

In a new study published in Energy Economics, researchers from Michigan Technological University and Oregon State University offer hope for coal workers for high-quality employment in the rapidly expanding solar photovoltaic industry.

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new tool for detecting and measuring the polarization of light based on a single spatial sampling of the light, rather than the multiple samples required by previous technologies. The new device makes use of the unique properties of organic polymers, rather than traditional silicon, for polarization detection and measurement.

Future global warming will not only depend on the amount of emissions from man-made greenhouse gasses, but will also depend on the sensitivity of the climate system and response to feedback mechanisms. By reconstructing past global warming and the carbon cycle on Earth 56 million years ago, researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute among others have used computer modelling to estimate the potential perspective for future global warming, which could be even warmer than previously thought. The results are published in the scientific journal, Geophysical Research Letters.

Sodium-based batteries have drawn considerable attention as a prospective alternative to lithium-based batteries due to the abundance and low price of sodium element. However, finding a suitable anode material has been a long-standing critical task before the commercialization of sodium-based batteries. As the size of sodium atom is much larger than that of lithium atom, many anode materials widely used in lithium-based batteries show poor performance in sodium-based batteries, most of which suffering from low intercalation utility, slow kinetics and sever volume expansion.

Scientists demonstrated the effect of the all-optical switching between streams of photons using non-linear metamaterials. The Lomonosov Moscow State University staff planned the whole study, conducted calculations and experiments, while their German colleagues made samples of metamaterials. The work is published in Scientific Reports.

Lebanon, NH -- A new study by researchers from The Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice and UCLA School of Law found state laws aimed at curbing prescription opioid abuse have had no measurable effect on opioid use by a vulnerable population with high rates of use.

Mobile phones have become commonplace. Modern communication devices like mobile phones need to exchange huge amounts of information. However, what is hidden underneath the elegantly shaped plastic casings is quickly forgotten: Complex signal processors constantly fighting against noise and steadily adapting themselves to changing environment.

COLUMBIA, Mo. - In natural or man-made disasters, the ability to process massive amounts of visual electronic data quickly and efficiently could mean the difference between life and death for survivors. Visual data created by numerous security cameras, personal mobile devices and aerial video provide useful data for first responders and law enforcement. That data can be critical in terms of knowing where to send emergency personnel and resources, tracking suspects in man-made disasters, or detecting hazardous materials.

Researchers from the University of Exeter have pioneered an innovative new technique to make flexible screens more effective and efficient.

A team of Engineers and Physicists from Exeter have discovered that GraphExeter - a material adapted from the 'wonder material' graphene - can substantially improve the effectiveness of large, flat, flexible lighting.

By using GraphExeter, the most transparent, lightweight and flexible material for conducting electricity, instead of pure graphene, the team have increased the brightness of flexible lights by up to almost 50 per cent.