Group items tagged

Sounds strangely familiar - don't know why???

ha! mine is not there!!

In a feat never before observed, a newly discovered pulsar shifts back and forth between emitting X-rays and radio waves. The discovery represents a long-sought "middle" phase in the life of these powerful objects.

Indicators found in 3 billion year old rocks

The first "molecules" made from two photons have been created by physicists in the US. The breakthrough could allow both conventional and quantum computers to encode and process information using photons.

I wonder if the effect also works with much larger numbers of photons involved. By slowing down any initial (Rydberg) photons and letting the later photons catch up it might be possible to create a very sharp "shock" front of photons. This could produce in itself be an ultra-short pulse of light or maybe it could be used as the trigger for massive stimulated emission in a laser.

these are the latest in repellent surfaces.  a very nice video and as we previously discussed could be very useful in the ISS

The most astounding fact about Kepler-78b is that it shouldn't even exist, according to our current knowledge of planetary formation. It is extremely close to its star at only 550,000 miles (900,000 kilometers). As a comparison, Mercury only gets within 28.5 million miles (45.9 million kilometers) of the sun in the nearest point of orbit. With that proximity, it isn't clear how the planet could have formed as the star was much larger when the planet formed. With its current distance, that would mean it formed inside the star, which is impossible as far as we know.

An ant raft stays on top of the water surface even when it is hardly pressed by a branch -- showing water repellency and buoyancy. What do Jell-O, toothpaste, and floating fire-ant rafts have in common?

It's a strategy the ants actually actively exploit in the wild: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A042J0IDQK4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r04kAnzgjR4

somebody showed such videos some years ago in one of our talks on swarm cooperation ... probably Tobias? or P. Dario? ... still impressive indeed

Droplets already bounce off water-repellent surfaces, but scientists have engineered materials that speed up the bounce to repel water faster. Even the brief contact time between a surface and a droplet that bounces off it can allow water to freeze or collect on the surface and cause damage.

This sort of reminds me of that Festo robot thing. Except this one was more of a baloon type model: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxVf9QY_TFs

Is this correct? The conclusions indicate that contrary to what felt extreme weather events are not increasing?? Where is the trick?

The secret is in the details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Warming_Policy_Foundation#Funding_Sources

don't get fooled, this is the same strategy employed successfully by the tabac industry: installing doubt - all under the cover of science of course and using its methods; remember all these publications showing the overall beneficial effects of smoking, the "un-clear" link to lung cancer etc ... same here

IceCube detects a neutrino in about every 6 minutes but most are from within the solar system. A small number of very high energy neutrinos have been found though which have energies that cannot be produced by the sun or on Earth.

THIS is how the ACT should give its science coffees, and I am not referring to the fat stage or the guy's dress. Next time I'm attending this traditional ACT exercise I expect such a show!

Thats pretty cool indeed! I am for it in the next budget run! :) However, its technically not holographic though as this looks like a projection on Mylar film at 45 degrees from a bottom projector. It looks 3D and holographic as the background is transparent.

Maybe of interest for those into innovative disruption etc? ;)

I could not detect the "disruptive innovation" in the paper

Wow, the two droplets that orbit each other are really cool - as is the explanation!