17 May 2012

A supernova cocoon breakthrough

Nasa's Chandra X-ray Observatory has provided the first X-ray evidence of a supernova shock wave breaking through a cocoon of gas surrounding the star that exploded.  

16 May 2012

UMD finding may hold key to Gaia theory of Earth as living organism

Is Earth really a sort of giant living organism as the Gaia hypothesis predicts? A new discovery may provide a key to answering this question...  

16 May 2012

Scientists 'read' the ash from the Icelandic volcano 2 years after its eruption

In May 2010, the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull reached the Iberian Peninsula and brought airports to a halt all over Europe. At the time, scientists followed its paths using satellites, laser detectors, Sun photometers and other instruments. Two years later they have now presented the... 

15 May 2012

Generating electricity from viruses

Scientists have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. 

10 May 2012

KIT researchers succeed in realising a new material class

Researchers have succeeded in realising a new material class through the manufacturing of a stable crystalline metafluid, a pentamode metamaterial. Using new nanostructuring methods, these materials can now be realised for the first time with any conceivable mechanical properties. 

09 May 2012

Anti-malaria garment that wards off bugs

A Cornell University scientist and a designer from Africa have together created a fashionable hooded bodysuit embedded at the molecular level with insecticides for warding off mosquitoes infected with malaria 

09 May 2012

Quantum dots brighten the future of lighting

Vanderbilt researchers have boosted the efficiency of a novel source of white light called quantum dots more than tenfold, making them of potential interest for commercial applications. 

07 May 2012

Robot reveals the inner workings of brain cells

Researchers have developed a way to automate the process of finding and recording information from neurons in the living brain.  

03 May 2012

Record-breaking radio waves from ultra-cool star

Astronomers using the world's largest radio telescope, at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, have discovered flaring radio emissions from an ultra-cool star, not much warmer than the planet Jupiter, shattering the previous record for the lowest stellar temperature at which radio waves were detected. 

03 May 2012

New coating for hip implants could prevent premature failure

A team of MIT chemical engineers has developed a new coating for implants that could help them better adhere to the patient’s bone, preventing premature failure.