Applied Physics

Accurate Thermoluminescence Dating- Calibration Down To The Last Ion

Thermoluminescence is used on sediment 'grains', which function as natural radiation dosimeters when buried with defects or impurities, to determine age. The valid range is 1,000 to 500,000 years and the technique is used extensively in archeolog ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 15 2015 - 9:26am

Temporal Acoustics: How Do We Hear Time Within Sound?

How does our auditory system represent time within a sound? A new study investigates how temporal acoustic patterns can be represented by neural activity within auditory cortex, a major hub within the brain for the perception of sound. Dr. Daniel Bendor, ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 20 2015 - 8:46am

Thorium Can Serve As A Nuclear Fuel For Commercial Electricity Generation

The two heaviest naturally occurring radioactive elements (by atomic weight) on the earth are Uranium and Thorium.   Uranium is used as a fuel in modern commercial nuclear power reactors for electricity generation.   A lesser known fact is that thorium co ...

Article - Robert Hayes - Apr 22 2015 - 6:35pm

Generating Broadband Terahertz Radiation From A Microplasma In Air

Researchers have shown that a laser-generated microplasma in air can be used as a source of broadband terahertz radiation. In a paper published this week in Optica, Fabrizio Buccheri and Xi-Cheng Zhang demonstrate that an approach for generating terahertz ...

Article - News Staff - May 2 2015 - 10:30am

How Fluid Flow Affects Bacteria

Researchers have used mathematical equations to shed new light on how flowing fluid hinders the movement of bacteria in their search for food. Many bacteria are mobile and inhabit a variety of dynamic fluid environments: from turbulent oceans to medical d ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 30 2015 - 8:01am

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Reveals Health Benefits Of Coffee

New research has brought us closer to understanding  the health benefits of coffee. Monash researchers, in collaboration with Italian coffee roasting company Illycaffè, have conducted the most comprehensive study to date on how free radicals and antioxida ...

Article - News Staff - May 8 2015 - 9:16am

Want Better Aircraft? Ask A Bat About The Sensory Receptors In Their Wings

Bats are masters of flight, even at night. The best pilots in World War II would have to be envious of their steep nosedives and sharp turns. But when we think about bats and flying, most people think of echolocation and their built-in radar. But that doe ...

Article - News Staff - May 7 2015 - 8:33am

Researchers Capture What Thunder Looks Like- Yes, You Read That Right

Scientists have successfully imaged thunder for the first time. A team from Southwest Research Institute has visually captured the sound waves created by artificially triggered lightning, they reported at a joint meeting of American and Canadian geophysica ...

Article - News Staff - May 5 2015 - 5:51pm

Amtrak Tragedy And Newton's First Law

By Sara Rennekamp, Inside Science-- Last week's deadly derailment that sent an Amtrak Northeast Regional train careening off its tracks has many people asking how such a tragedy could happen. ...

Article - Inside Science - May 18 2015 - 4:59pm

Environmentally Friendly Electricity Production, Nuclear And Hydroelectric

Currently, burning fossil fuels is the main source of energy here and around the world.   Those fuels emitting greenhouse gasses are considered by most associated scientific organizations in the world as contributing to a potential global catastrophe in t ...

Article - Robert Hayes - May 18 2015 - 11:54pm