Science

Scientists identified earthquake faults in Sichuan, China

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:08:45 -0500

Only last summer research published by earth scientists in the international journal Tectonics concluded that geological faults in the Sichuan Basin, China “are sufficiently long to sustain a strong ground-shaking earthquake, making them potentially serious sources of regional seismic hazard."

Shorebirds take advantage of surface tension to capture prey

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:48:57 -0500

As Charles Darwin showed nearly 150 years ago, bird beaks are exquisitely adapted to the birds' feeding strategy. A team of MIT mathematicians and engineers has now explained exactly how some shorebirds use their long, thin beaks to defy gravity and transport food into their mouths.

New study links fate to environmental pollution, human health concerns

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:37:31 -0500

Parental concerns in maintaining germ-free homes for their children have led to an ever-increasing demand and the rapid adoption of anti-bacterial soaps and cleaning agents. But the active ingredients of those antiseptic soaps now have come under scrutiny by the EPA and FDA, due to both environmental and human health concerns.

Weather, waves and wireless, Super strength signalling

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:34:58 -0500

A new study from the University of Leicester has discovered a particular window of time when mobile signals and radio waves are ‘super strength’ – allowing them to be clearer and travel greater distances, potentially interfering with other systems.

Sulfur in marine archaeological shipwrecks

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:31:07 -0500

Advanced chemical analyses reveal that, with the help of smart scavenging bacteria, sulfur and iron compounds accumulated in the timbers of the Swedish warship Vasa during her 333 years on the seabed of the Stockholm harbour. Contact with oxygen, in conjunction with the high humidity of the museum environment, causes these contaminants to produce sulfuric acid, according to a new doctoral thesis in chemistry from Stockholm University.

Precision control of movement in robots

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:25:17 -0500

A research team from the Department of Electricity and Electronics at the University of the Basque Country’s Faculty of Science and Technology in Leioa, led by Victor Etxebarria, is investigating the characteristics of various types of materials for their use in the generation and measurement of precise movements.

Strange star stumps astronomers

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:23:18 -0500

Dr David Champion at CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility and his colleagues from 20 other institutions publish their findings about the star today in the online journal, Science Express.

IBM World Community Grid Supercomputer to Tackle Rice Crisis

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:54:09 -0500

As concerns of a global hunger crises mount, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and researchers at the University of Washington today launched a new program to develop stronger strains of rice that could produce crops with larger and more nutritious yields.

Visual system equipped with future seeing powers

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:00:22 -0500

Catching a football. Maneuvering through a room full of people. Jumping out of the way when a golfer yells “fore.” Most would agree these seemingly simple actions require us to perceive and quickly respond to a situation. Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Mark Changizi argues they require something more — our ability to foresee the future.

Atmosphere threatened by pollutants entering ocean

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:51:32 -0500

A large quantity of nitrogen compounds emitted into the atmosphere by humans through the burning of fossil fuels and the use of nitrogen fertilizers enters the oceans and may lead to the removal of some carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, concluded a team of international scientists led by Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences Robert Duce.

MIT creates new material for fuel cells

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:47:06 -0500

MIT engineers have improved the power output of one type of fuel cell by more than 50 percent through technology that could help these environmentally friendly energy storage devices find a much broader market, particularly in portable electronics.

Jaguar upgrade brings ORNL closer to petascale computing

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:43:00 -0500

Upgrades to Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Jaguar supercomputer have more than doubled its performance, increasing the system's ability to deliver far-reaching advances in climate studies, energy research, and a wide range of sciences.