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An overview is given on the field of the terahertz-frequency electromagnetic waves, their properties and emerging applications. Some widespread sources with their advantages and drawbacks are presented; an emphasis is placed on the parametric generation s

What are the defining discoveries, moments of inspiration, or shifts in understanding that have shaped the dynamic field of materials science we know today. Here's what we think are the most significant.

I know it is wikipedia but just a short intro about this so-called interdisciplinary and rather new field - what we like - NS

Very interesting analysis of scientific fields and their interconnections

A new research field for the ACT...?

First demostration of coherent and reversible mapping of a light field with less than one photon per pulse onto an ensemble of approx10^7 atoms naturally trapped in a solid.

denmark are the pioneers in the field

The object being imaged or stimulated with subwavelength accuracy does not need to be in the immediate proximity of the superlens or field concentrator: an optical mask can be designed that creates constructive interference of waves known as superoscillat

another energy conversion system... could be very interesting for nuclear power sources and other fields. more details in a few days

Interdisciplinary teams of handpicked individuals chosen for their field-leading expertise and innovative mind combine humanitarian questions with state of the art science, cutting-edge technology and endless fantasy. Organised by THE Port Association, hosted by CERN (IdeaSquare tbc) and with partners from other non-governmental organisations, a three-day problem solving workshop hackathon will be devoted to humanitarian, social and public interest topics. Interdisciplinary teams of selected participants will work together in the fields of: communication - transport - health - science - learning - work - culture - data

In a work published on Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v517/n7536/full/nature14090.html#affil-auth) a new DFT based simulation of convection in Earth's Core iron shows that electron-electron scattering has a similar contribution to electron's thermal vibration. The outcome is that using the old dynamo theory the simulation matches the Earth magnetic field experimental results, solving an 80 years old puzzle.

Yay to science! I'm always intrigued by related experiments that try to measure material properties at the GPa range. Especially, the efforts of reaching 'metallic hydrogen' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallic_hydrogen), requiring pressures above 25GPa at which hydrogen becomes conductive. It is thought that gas giant planets could have such a core, but no-one has been able to produce/verify this theory as off yet.

looks like an application of laser filamentation ...

I think the image of the pine tree nicely illustrates both effects.

The mantles of Earth and other rocky planets are rich in magnesium and oxygen. Due to its simplicity, the mineral magnesium oxide is a good model for studying the nature of planetary interiors. New work studied how magnesium oxide behaves under the extreme conditions deep within planets and found evidence that alters our understanding of planetary evolution.

ESA Science & Technology: A leap forward in probing magnetic reconnection in space: Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process in the Universe, playing a major role in various phenomena such as star formation or solar explosions, but also preventing plasma confinement in fusion reactors on Earth. However, a lack of precise measurements at the heart of this physical process prevents a full understanding of this phenomenon.

Cheap and scalable invisibility cloaks being developed. The setup is so trivial that I would almost call it a "trick" (as in "Magicians trick"): 6 prisms of n=1.78 glass. Nontheless, it does the job of cloaking an object at visible wavelengths and from several directions.

Is this really new? I don't know, but I know that the original idea of cloaking was pretty different. When cloaking as an application of transformation optics became popular people tried to make devices that work for any incidence angle, any polarization and in full wave optics (not just ray approximation). This is really hard to achieve and I guess that the people that tried to make such devices knew exactly that the task becomes almost trivial by dropping at least two of the three conditions above.

I think it is very easy to call something trivial when you're not the one who invested considerable time (5 min in my case) to design a cloaking device and fill the coffee mugs with water... Also, I did not really violate that many conditions: true I reduced the number of dimensions in which the device works to 1 (as opposed to the 2 dimensions of many metamaterial cloaks). However the polarization should not be affected in my setup as well as the wave phase and wave vector (so it works in full wave optics) - apart maybe from the imperfect lens distortion, but hey I was improvising.

Interesting research field about self-propelled particle swarms: very simple rules lead to complex behavior - in a real-world experiment!

"The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence, launched in the fall of 2014, is a long-term investigation of the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its influences on people, their communities, and society." (...) "The report is designed to address four intended audiences. For the general public, it aims to provide an accessible, scientifically and technologically accurate portrayal of the current state of AI and its potential. For industry, the report describes relevant technologies and legal and ethical challenges, and may help guide resource allocation. The report is also directed to local, national, and international governments to help them better plan for AI in governance. Finally, the report can help AI researchers, as well as their institutions and funders, to set priorities and consider the ethical and legal issues raised by AI research and its applications."

Abstract: The "Magnificent Seven" (M7) are a group of radio-quiet Isolated Neutron Stars (INSs) discovered in the soft X-rays through their purely thermal surface emission. Owing to the large inferred magnetic fields ($B\approx 10^{13}$ G), radiation from these sources is expected to be substantially polarised, independently on the mechanism actually responsible for the thermal emission.

Technion researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, that laser emissions can be created through the interaction of light and water waves, in practice mechanical oscillations in fluids at the nanoscale. Interesting concept on the verge of two so far different fields!