Tech | Page 1092 | Science Codex

Marine debris travels far

Rubbish dumped at sea off Townsville will end up on the popular Mission Beach holiday spot, while Cairns' marine trash goes straight to the exclusive Port Douglas resort -- according to new computer modelling by a James Cook University scientist.

JCU's Kay Critchell fed local wind and tide data into the state-of-the-art SLIM modelling system. She then tracked drift patterns for an average-sized plastic water bottle that found its way into Townsville's Ross River or Cairns' Trinity Inlet, or was dumped at sea along the Great Barrier Reef.

A more efficient way of converting ethanol to a better alternative fuel

Ethanol, which is produced from corn, is commonly-used as an additive in engine fuel as a way to reduce harmful emissions and scale back U.S. reliance on foreign oil. But since ethanol is an oxygenated fuel, its use results in a lower energy output, as well as increased damage to engines via corrosion.

But now a research team, led by William Jones at the University of Rochester, has developed a series of reactions that results in the selective conversion of ethanol to butanol, without producing unwanted byproducts.

EARTH: Isotopes could reveal ancient American turquoise trade

Alexandria, VA - A new study from geoscience researchers has important implications for studies of Mesoamerica and North America prior to the arrival of European settlers. Using isotope geochemistry, scientists at Pennsylvania's Dickenson College and the University of Arizona are trying to identify if turquoise mineral specimens record the signature of their parent ore deposits.

Shedding light on particle acceleration in solar flares

This image shows the speed of fast plasma outflows produced by the flare. The termination shock is shown as a transition layer where the colors change abruptly from red/yellow to blue/green. At bottom is the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, which captured the termination shock in action using radio observations. Credit: SDO/AIA data is from NASA. VLA image courtesy of NRAO/AUI. Image prepared by Chen, Jibben, and Samra.

Increasing and accurately measuring rabies vaccination coverage in Tanzania

Canine mediated rabies is endemic in Tanzania despite the fact that the disease can be prevented entirely by mass dog vaccination. Since 2003 the Serengeti Health Initiative has been carrying out rabies vaccination campaigns that aim to achieve the 70% coverage required in order to eliminate rabies. The research team, a partnership among the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, the Paul G.

Measuring nanoscale features with fractions of light

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers are seeing the light, but in an altogether different way. And how they are doing it just might be the semiconductor industry's ticket for extending its use of optical microscopes to measure computer chip features that are approaching 10 nanometers, tiny fractions of the wavelength of light.

Higher levels of Fukushima cesium detected offshore

Scientists monitoring the spread of radiation in the ocean from the Fukushima nuclear accident report finding an increased number of sites off the US West Coast showing signs of contamination from Fukushima. This includes the highest detected level to date from a sample collected about 1,600 miles west of San Francisco.

NYU study finds 3/4 of high school heroin users started with prescription opioids

Nonmedical use of prescription opioids (a.k.a.: pain-killers, narcotics) such as Vicodin, Percocet, and Oxycontin has become increasingly problematic in recent years with increases nation-wide in overdoses, hospital treatment admissions, and deaths. Use also appears to be contributing to heroin initiation, which has increased in recent years, as the demographics of users are shifting. Those previously at low risk -- women, whites, and individuals of higher income -- are now using at unprecedented rates.

Scientists see the light on microsupercapacitors

HOUSTON - (Dec. 3, 2015) - Rice University researchers who pioneered the development of laser-induced graphene have configured their discovery into flexible, solid-state microsupercapacitors that rival the best available for energy storage and delivery.

The devices developed in the lab of Rice chemist James Tour are geared toward electronics and apparel. They are the subject of a new paper in the journal Advanced Materials.

Graphene oxide could make stronger dental fillings

Amsterdam, December 3, 2015 - Graphene oxide could be used to make super strong dental fillings that don't corrode, according to a new study published in Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.

Research suggests we chew around 800 times in an average meal; that's almost a million times a year. We put our teeth under huge strain, and often require fillings to repair them. Fillings are typically made of a mixture of metals, such as copper, mercury, silver and tin, or composites of powdered glass and ceramic.

Reducing food portion sizes critical to tackle obesity, argue experts

Reducing the size of large food portions, packaging and tableware could help to tackle obesity, argue experts in The BMJ this week.

Theresa Marteau from the University of Cambridge and colleagues recently published a Cochrane review that found the "most conclusive evidence to date" that people consume more food or drinks from larger size portions or packages, and when using larger items of tableware.

They showed that eliminating larger portions completely could reduce daily energy intake consumed by 12% to 16% among UK adults, and by 22% to 29% among US adults.

Concern over drug industry involvement at India's 'health camps'

Pharmaceutical sales representatives are screening people in India in return for prescriptions for their products, finds a special report published by The BMJ today.

Free 'health camps' for poor people in India have grown popular, writes author Frederik Joelving, a journalist based in Denmark.

CU Denver research finds long term effect of natural gas leakage

DENVER (Dec. 2, 2015) - As natural gas production increases around the nation, new research from the University of Colorado Denver shows that it can have a similar impact on climate change as coal if it's allowed to leak while producing electricity.

Vessel speed biggest factor in noise affecting killer whales

The speed of vessels operating near endangered killer whales in Washington is the most influential factor -- more so than vessel size -- in how much noise from the boats reaches the whales, according to a new study published today in the online journal PLOS ONE.

Previous studies have shown that Southern Resident killer whales alter their behavior in the presence of vessels and associated noise, which affects their ability to communicate and find food. Research has also found that the whales likely expend extra energy to call more loudly when boats are operating nearby.

Twitter data can make roads safer during inclement weather

That's the crux of a University at Buffalo study which examined how weather-related tweets can be analyzed to bolster computer models that, among other things, recommend safe driving speeds and which roads motorists should avoid during inclement weather.