News Articles

News Account

News Account

News Releases From All Over The World, Right To You
RSS Feed
About That Triacetylene In Titan's Atmosphere ...

About That Triacetylene In Titan's Atmosphere ...

Scientists say they have discovered the chemical reaction that forms the molecule triacetylene in the ultra-cold atmosphere of Titan, one Saturn's more popular moons for researchers since Titan's current atmosphere is thought to resemble Earth's early one.

What Mott Insulators, Wedding Cakes And Quantum Transitions Have In Common

What Mott Insulators, Wedding Cakes And Quantum Transitions Have In Common

Transitions are exciting because at temperatures close to absolute zero the transition from one quantum phase to another can provide a deeper understanding of fundamental laws of the universe.  A team of scientists at the University of Chicago has created the first direct images of the transition between phases of ultracold cesium gas, as it changes from normal to superfluid to Mott insulator, making it possible to 'see' the phenomenon as it happens.    The most striking visual feature of this phase transition?  A many-layered wedding cake structure.

The Sum Of All Knowledge?  Yep, And Open Access Too

The Sum Of All Knowledge? Yep, And Open Access Too

You can think of it as the United Nations of knowledge - except no dictators wearing pistols are allowed to get up and spout nonsense.  Or you could think of it as the Wikipedia of knowledge, without letting marketing people and activists control what gets seen.Europeans call it DRIVER and it already  has millions of documents.The backbone of DRIVER is a technological breakthrough that enables institutions to link repositories of knowledge together into one huge, networked online ‘library of libraries’.   The software, called D-NET, can link information collected on diverse computer platforms, using legacy software which can still ‘talk’ or work with older systems.

Ants Versus Worms: Swarm Intelligence Boosts Computer Security

Ants Versus Worms: Swarm Intelligence Boosts Computer Security

If you want to solve big network security problems, sometimes it pays to think small - as in ants.A concept called 'swarm intelligence' adapts quickly to changing threats and it uses 'digital ants' to wander through computer networks looking for those threats, such as computer 'worms', those  self-replicating programs designed to steal information or facilitate unauthorized use of machines. When a digital ant detects a threat, it doesn't take long for an entire army of ants to converge at that location, which also draws the attention of human operators who step in to investigate.

How Would Darwin Use E-mail?  In A Circadian Cycle, It Seems

How Would Darwin Use E-mail? In A Circadian Cycle, It Seems

You may feel like you're not in the same league as Albert Einstein or Charles Darwin (note: statistically, you are not)  but you probably share one thing if you are reading this article; patterns of correspondence.A new Northwestern University study of human behavior says that people who wrote letters in olden days using pen and paper did so in a pattern similar to the way people use e-mail today.  The study in Science seeks to find the similarity of these two seemingly different activities, with the underlying pattern of human activity linking letters and e-mails.

Unlocking Oxygen Trapped Inside Luna's Soil

Unlocking Oxygen Trapped Inside Luna's Soil

The moon has no has no atmosphere like Earth's but oxygen which can be used for people, growing food, creating water and even burning rocket fuel is trapped in its soil.

The Downside To Antioxidants?  They May Be Hurting Your Immune System

The Downside To Antioxidants? They May Be Hurting Your Immune System

Antioxidants are a big buzzword these days - everyone claims to have them and that impresses buyers but most don't really know what that means.Health conscious people know that taking antioxidants to reduce the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) - ions or very small molecules that include free radicals - in blood can prevent the DNA damage done by free radicals, which are the result of oxidative stress.  What fewer people know is that excessive use of antioxidants depletes their immune systems.

Mind Reading Gets A Step Closer Using Functional Imaging

Mind Reading Gets A Step Closer Using Functional Imaging

Patterns of brain activity allow researchers to know what number a person has just seen or how many dots a person has been presented with, according to a report published in Current Biology.The findings confirm the notion that numbers are encoded in the brain via detailed and specific activity patterns and open the door to more sophisticated exploration of humans' high-level numerical abilities. Although "number-tuned" neurons have been found in monkeys, scientists hadn't managed to get any farther than particular brain regions before now in humans.

In Language, 'Use It Or Lose It' More Like 'Riding A Bike'

In Language, 'Use It Or Lose It' More Like 'Riding A Bike'

If you learn a foreign language when you are young but the exposure to that language is brief and you don't get to hear or practice it subsequently, does the neglected language fade away from our memory?Yes, forgetting is forgetting, has been the belief ... you 'use it or lose it' ... but language learning may instead be more like 'riding a bike' and even a "forgotten" language may be more deeply engraved in our minds than we realize.

Research Team Claims First Evolutionary Branching For Bilateral Animals

Research Team Claims First Evolutionary Branching For Bilateral Animals

Acoelomorpha, a collection of worms which comprises roughly 350 species, is part of a much larger group called bilateral animals, which are organisms that have symmetrical body forms and include humans, insects and worms. Apparently there has been a question about acoelomorpha, namely where do they fit in taxonomically?Acoelomorpha has been a "rogue animal," says Casey Dunn, an evolutionary biologist at Brown University. "It has been wandering throughout the animal tree of life."(?!?)