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Issue no. 19, 2010
Published: Jun 04, 2010 |
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 Physicists solve missing neutrino mystery | | Scientists begin 520-day mars mission simulation | | Toshiba invention brings quantum computing closer | | Transistor merges man and machine | | Transforming the Moon into a solar power plant | | Dynamo power to recharge handsets | | Ancient Chinese building secret revealed: sticky rice mortar |
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| Physicists solve missing neutrino mystery |
European scientists say they have likely solved the case of the missing
neutrinos, one of the enduring mysteries in the subatomic universe of
particle physics. If confirmed, the findings challenge core precepts of
the Standard Model of physics, and could have major implications for our
understanding of matter in the universe, the researchers say.
For decades physicists had observed that fewer neutrinos - electrically
neutral particles that travel close to the speed of light - arrived at
Earth from the Sun than solar models predicted. That meant that either
the models were wrong, or something was happening to the neutrinos along
the way. At least one variety called a muon-neutrino was actually seen
to disappear, lending credence to a Nobel-winning 1969 hypothesis that
the miniscule particles were shape-shifting into a new and unseen form.
Now scientists at Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics have
for the first time observed - with 98% certainty - what they change into
during a process called neutrino oscillation: another type of particle
known as tau. Under the prevailing Standard Model, neutrinos cannot have
mass. But the new experiments prove that they do. One implication is the
existence of other, as yet unobserved types of neutrinos that could help
clarify the nature of Dark Matter, which is believed to make up about
25% of the universe. |
| ABC Net /AFP
Jun 01, 2010 |
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| Scientists begin 520-day mars mission simulation |
An international team of researchers in Russia on Thursday began a
gruelling simulation of a flight to Mars that will keep them locked in a
cascade of windowless modules for 520 days - the amount of time required
for a journey to the Red Planet and back to Earth.
While the experiment, conducted jointly by Russia, China and ESA, will
not involve weightlessness, it will try to tackle some of the
psychological challenges of a real flight to Mars - particularly the
stress, claustrophobia and fatigue that a real space crew would face
during interplanetary travel. The six-member, all-male crew - consisting
of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese -
expressed confidence that the mission would be a success.
Psychologists said the simulation can be even more demanding that a real
flight because the crew will not experience any of the euphoria or
dangers of actual space travel. They have also warned that months of
space travel would push the team to the limits of endurance as they grow
increasingly tired of each other.
The facility is comprised of several interconnected modules with a total
volume of 550 cubic metres and a separate built-in imitator of the Red
Planet's surface for a mock landing. The researchers will communicate
with the outside world via internet - delayed and occasionally disrupted
to imitate the effects of space travel. They will eat canned food
similar to that currently offered on the International Space Station and
take a shower once every 10 days - mimicking space conditions. The crew
will have two days off in a week, except when emergencies are simulated. |
| ABC News / AP
Jun 03, 2010 |
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| Toshiba invention brings quantum computing closer |
Superfast quantum computing, one of the holy grails of science, could be
a step closer following the invention of a new device capable of
producing so-called 'entangled' light on demand. Scientists at Toshiba
in Cambridge, England, say their Entangled Light Emitting Diode (ELED)
opened a path to ultra-powerful semiconductor chips.
Quantum computers would in theory try out many possible solutions to a
problem at once and should solve in seconds problems that take today's
fastest machines years to crack. Toshiba believes it has a key tool for
the job in the form of a simple-to-make device, which can be hooked up
to a battery to produce entangled light as and when required.
Quantum computers based on optical processes need a large number of
entangled photons, where light particles are linked so that they exist
in two possible states simultaneously. Until now, making entangled light
has only been possible using bulky lasers. But Toshiba's new ELED uses
standard semiconductor technology and is made of gallium arsenide, a
common material in optical electronics.
It is similar to conventional light emitting diodes used in consumer
electronics and modern household lighting, except it contains a tiny
region, called a quantum dot, which converts electrical current into
entangled light. |
| Reuters / Nature
Jun 02, 2010 |
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| Transistor merges man and machine |
Man and machine can now be linked more intimately than ever, according
to scientists at the University of California, who have embedded a
nano-sized transistor inside a cell-like membrane and powered it using
the cell's own fuel. The research could lead to new types of
human-machine interactions where embedded devices could relay
information about the inner workings of disease-related proteins inside
the cell membrane, and eventually lead to new ways to read, and even
influence, brain or nerve cells.
To create the implanted circuit, the scientists began with a simple
transistor, an electronic device that is the heart of nearly every cell
phone and computer on the planet. Instead of using silicon, they used a
carbon nanotube, coated with a lipid bilayer, basically a double wall of
oil molecules that cells use to separate their insides from their
environment.
To this basic cellular structure was added an ion pump, a biological
device that pumps charged atoms of calcium, potassium and other elements
into and out of the cell, as well as a solution of adenosine
triphosphate, or ATP, which fuels the ion pump. The ion pump changes the
electrical charge inside the cell, which then changes the electrical
charge going through the transistor and can be measured and monitored. |
| MSNBC / ACS Nano Letters
Jun 02, 2010 |
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| Transforming the Moon into a solar power plant |
Japanese construction firm Shimizu has proposed a plan to harness solar
energy on a larger scale than almost any previously proposed concept.
Their Luna Ring concept involves building a belt of solar cells around
the Moon's 11,000-kilometre equator, converting the electricity to
powerful microwaves and lasers to be beamed at Earth, and finally
converting the beams back to electricity at terrestrial power stations.
Shimizu envisions that robots would play a vital role in building the
Luna Ring. Teleoperated 24 hours a day from the Earth, the robots would
perform tasks such as ground leveling and assembling machines and
equipment, which would be done in space before landing them on the Moon.
A team of astronauts would support the robots on-site.
Due to the massive amount of solar panels and other materials needed for
the project, Shimizu proposes that lunar resources should be used to the
fullest extent possible. The company's plans call for producing water by
reducing lunar soil with hydrogen imported from Earth. Lunar resources
could also be used to make cementing material and concrete, while
solar-heat treatments could help produce bricks, glass fibres, and other
structural materials needed for the project.
The Luna Ring itself would initially have a width of a few kilometres,
but could be extended up to 400 kilometres wide. Shimizu points out that
one of the biggest advantages of the Luna Ring is that, since the Moon
has virtually no atmosphere, there is no bad weather or clouds that
could inhibit the efficiency of the solar panels. |
| PhysOrg
Jun 02, 2010 |
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| Dynamo power to recharge handsets |
Phone firm Nokia has released a charging kit that uses a dynamo powered
by a bicycle's wheels. Any cyclist wanting to re-charge their handset
using the kit will need to maintain a speed of about 6km/h, said Nokia.
The charging kit is intended for nations where bicycles are ubiquitous
but will work with any phone using a 2mm charger jack.
Nokia said charging times will vary by speed but a cyclist completing a
10 minute journey at 10 km/h will produce enough power for 28 minutes of
talk time or 37 hours of standby time. Also included in the kit with the
dynamo is a holder to secure a phone to a bicycle while it is being
re-charged.
When it unveiled the charger, Nokia also showed off four phones designed
for developing nations. The handsets are made for places where the
electricity supply is limited and have a six-week standby time. Nokia is
not the first firm to produce a dynamo charger. Similar devices from
firms such as Pedal & Power have been widely available for some time. |
| BBC News
Jun 03, 2010 |
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| Ancient Chinese building secret revealed: sticky rice mortar |
Scientists in China have discovered the secret to a 1,500-year-old
super-strong ancient Chinese sticky rice mortar that is found in
buildings still standing today. Sticky rice is the sweet, glutinous
rice. It is a popular ingredient in many Asian cuisines. But only the
Chinese appear to have discovered that when mixed with slaked lime, it
creates a composite organic/inorganic mortar of legendary strength.
The key to this super-strong mortar is amylopectin, a type of
polysaccharide, or complex carbohydrate, found in the rice, report
researchers at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China. In addition,
amylopectin inhibited the growth of the calcium carbonate crystals in
the mortar, producing a compact microstructure that ages well.
Ancient Chinese builders experimented with multiple organic compounds to
add to mortar, including egg whites, tung oil, fish oil and animal
blood. Historians believe these organic/inorganic mortars are one reason
why so many ancient Chinese buildings have survived. But sticky rice
mortar was the most widely used.
The sticky rice mortar was stronger and more resistant to water than
pure lime mortar. It was used to build tombs, pagodas and city walls,
some of which still exist today and some of which have survived
multiple, powerful earthquakes. The earliest record of sticky rice
mortar is found in a book on construction techniques from the Ming
Dynasty, 1368 to 1644. But archaeological digs show that it was already a
mature technology by the South-North Dynasty, from 386 to 589. |
| USA Today / American Chemical Society journal
Jun 01, 2010 |
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