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Issue no. 36, 2006
Published: Oct 20, 2006

Scientists create 'invisibility' cloak
Researchers discover element 118
Fighting disease using lessons in grammar
The power of a stereotype
Scientists aim to unlock gravitational wave mysteries
Invention: Insulation paint
Proof that losing money really is scary
Scientists create 'invisibility' cloak
Scientists at the Imperial College in London and Duke University in North Carolina have demonstrated the first working 'invisibility cloak'. Little more than 12 centimetres across, the small device can redirect microwave beams so they flow around a 'hidden' object inside with little distortion, making it appear almost as if nothing were there at all. Like light, microwaves bounce off objects, making them visible and creating a 'shadow', although it has to be detected with instruments.

In the experiment, the scientists used microwaves to try to detect a copper cylinder 'hidden' by the cloak, which is made from metamaterials - engineered mixtures of metal and circuit board materials.

Cloaking differs from stealth technology, which does not make an aircraft invisible but reduces the cross-section available to radar, making it hard to track. Cloaking simply passes the radar or other waves around the object as if it were not there. The scientists said their cloak represents the most comprehensive approach to invisibility yet realised, with the potential to hide objects of any size or material property.
CBC / Science    Oct 19, 2006 back to top

Researchers discover element 118
In 1999, US nuclear physicists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory claimed to have produced three atoms of the super-heavy element with atomic number 118. But that claim was retracted three years later when it emerged that some of the data had been falsified. This time, however, element 118 - and its slightly lighter counterpart element 116 - is here to stay, pushing back the boundaries of the periodic table and helping researchers to understand why some nuclei are more stable than others.

The world is made up of about 90 naturally occurring elements, but since the 1940s physicists have been able to produce heavier, less stable elements. Such elements are vital for testing models of the nucleus, and to date researchers have amassed data on 29 'super-heavy' nuclei with atomic numbers between 104 and 118.

The discovery of element 118 was a collaborative effort between researchers at the Livermore lab and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia. Based on data taken early last year in experiments in which a target of californium is bombarded with a beam of calcium-48 ions, the team observed alpha decay chains that could only occur if element 118 exists. In these decay chains, previously observed element 116 is produced via the alpha decay of element 118.
Physicsweb / Physical Review C    Oct 19, 2006 back to top

Fighting disease using lessons in grammar
Grammar may have gone out of fashion in English lessons, but it is making a comeback as a weapon for fighting disease.

Some short chains of amino acids have been found to kill antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reasoned that if the amino acid sequences of these peptides were treated as a language with grammatical rules, the rules could be used to create new peptides with similar properties.

The team studied 526 known antimicrobial peptides, looking for clusters of amino acids that often appeared together. They identified 684 of these regular patterns, built a set of rules to describe them and then used the rules to create 42 more peptides. Of these, 20 inhibited the growth of bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis.
New Scientist / Nature    Oct 18, 2006 back to top

The power of a stereotype
Psychologists at the University of British Columbia in Canada, say that theories about innate sex differences could hurt women's performance in science and math. Researchers know that the fear of confirming stereotypical impressions can hurt the performance of the stereotyped individuals. The psychologists wanted to see if the reasoning behind the stereotype was as important as the stereotype itself.

The researchers randomly assigned more than 120 women to four groups. Each took two math tests separated by a reading comprehension essay. The first essay argued that sex differences in math were due to genetic differences between men and women. The second cited a person's experiences as the main factor. A third essay talked about gender differences but did not discuss mathematical ability. The final essay stated that there were no differences in mathematical ability.

Women given the essay focusing on genetic factors performed the worst. Those focusing on experience did significantly better, and their performance was as good as the group that was told that gender differences do not exist. The researchers propose that when group differences are perceived to rest on specific experiences, people may reason that their own experiences are different or that they can resist the effects of their experiences.
ScienceNOW / Science    Oct 19, 2006 back to top

Scientists aim to unlock gravitational wave mysteries
Scientists at The Australian National University have joined a consortium of universities launching plans for a new observatory to detect a space phenomenon that has challenged physicists since it was first proposed by Einstein - gravitational waves.

The Australian gravitational wave observatory would create the biggest vacuum here on Earth in order to detect gravitational waves. It will use a pair of perpendicular five kilometre long stainless steel pipes through which interfering powerful laser beams would detect passing waves.

Gravitational waves are thought to be tiny ripples in the fabric of space, created by matter moving through space. They cause everything, including space itself, to alternately stretch and shrink in different directions, but only by an infinitesimal amount. The detection of gravitational waves would herald a second known form of radiation along with electromagnetic radiation.
Source: Physorg / ANU    Oct 19, 2006 back to top

Invention: Insulation paint
Qinetiq, the privatised wing of the UK's Ministry of Defence, is developing a paint that keeps buildings cool in the summer and warm in the winter, as if wrapped in a giant sheet of aluminium.

A micrometre-thick layer of indium tin oxide is deposited on a sacrificial sheet of polythene and then scuffed off to create flakes. These are then strengthened by coating with clear acrylic varnish. The coated flakes can then be mixed into ordinary paint and should align - like the scales of a fish - when the paint is applied to the walls of a room.

The indium tin oxide is so thin that it is transparent. The flakes, with a diameter of around 40 micrometres each, are just large enough to stop and reflect infrared radiation but small enough to avoid any visible effect in the paint. The treated paint should reflect around 90 per cent of all infrared, limiting heat transfer through the wall.
New Scientist    Oct 16, 2006 back to top

Proof that losing money really is scary
The fear of losing money can be similar to the fear of physical pain, according to a study of brain scan images. The finding could potentially shed light on why people who make high risk financial decisions, such as stock market players, sometimes develop anxiety disorders, according to researchers at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, US.

Volunteers played a gambling game that, unknown to them, always gave a positive win of USD 59. They would then be told of either a USD 6 loss from their USD 59 sum, or that the amount they currently possessed would stay the same. Different coloured screens preceded the message.

In the next part of the experiment, rather than lose money, the volunteers received a mild electric shock to the wrist. Again, coloured screens preceded the outcome. The players soon learned which colour represented each outcome. Brain scans conducted on the participants as they watched the screens showed the colours associated with the USD 6 loss or electric shock elicited a similar amount of activation in a brain region called the striatum. Researchers have previously linked activity in this region to fear of pain.
New Scientist    Oct 18, 2006 back to top
 
         
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